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All in all I didn't care for it because it was poor in comparison to the first and just mediocre on its own.
It seems that they really got a lead actress that looked like Maki Horikita, making it almost impossible to not compare the two. Unfortunately Horikita would win this one. Nakamura Aoi didn't do so bad as Sano but I really loved Shun Oguri in that role and to top it all off I HATED Boys Este. Some of the other characters were pretty good, but none really captivating.
The story line was almost ridiculous, in all other versions they made some reference to Ashiya's parents or siblings or even how she was allowed to pretend to be a boy half way across the world with no contact from anyone at home. This version also make the school closing so dramatic that you wondered if it was a health hazard, and why no one was doing anything. P.s. kids falling through the floor is a hazard.
p.s.s- the ending is a joke, its quick and doesnt explain much.
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Story- The writing was very solid with twists thrown that took what could have been just another romantic comedy and made it an addicting and unpredictable watch. It's only downfall would be the ending. The ending kind of seemed random and I didnt understand why certain people couldn't be together.
Acting/Cast- Everyone played thier parts well and were believable. However, I did not like 3 of the main 6 characters. To me the characters Hye Mi, Jin Gook, and Sam Dong were highly unlikable to the point I wished the writers didnt focus on them too much. My favorite characters were actually the adults and of course Pil Sook & Jason couple.
Music- Awesome and went on my ipod straight away. The music really added to the excitement of the show.
Rewatch- I'd watch this every year cause it was funny and i worship pilsook/jason couple.
Overall Dream High's plus's would be its solid writing and its OST which make it a drama that is highly recommendable.
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This review may contain spoilers
Pasta would be an overall delightful watch if it weren't for a couple of absolutely annoying, infuriating traits.I think it's necessary for me to premise that I have first hand experience of how a high level restaurant/kitchen works. This is why I was attracted to it in the first place.
For the most part, what happens in the kitchen of this drama is exactly the same you will find in Michelin-stars kitchen all over the world: the strict hierarchy, the arguments between kitchen chef and restaurant direction, the treatment of women (things are rapidly changing, but high level cuisine has been for a long time a male domain, where women were treated almost like slaves). Even details in this drama are absolutely realistic, from the utensils they use to the allocation of each cooking-partie.
I had a great time watching the whole kimchi debacle, as I know for a fact that this is exactly the kind of problem a chef in such a kitchen would face.
BUT. Like Beca, the female lead annoyed me. Royally. Not so much because she would say Yes Chef every second word - that's actually quite accurate - but because she was ambitious but never showed any sign of having learnt anything. If you want to succeed in the gourmet world and you have the chance to work with a great chef you don't discuss his menu decisions: you learn! She is at the same time too humble and too conceited. She bows her head when she should show pride (grrrrrrr) and fights against the chef when HE is right (double grrrrrrr)!
And please don't get me started on the way she eats spaghetti. I'm Italian and, believe me, I cringed, to say the least. She would grab a handful of oily spaghetti and thrust them in her mouth with her hands, chewing them as if it were pigswill. In front of other people. I was disgusted. I respect different customs from mine, but you don't work in a 3-star (or even a 1 star) Italian restaurant without knowing how to eat spaghetti, for Pete's sake!
Lee Sun Gyun on the other hand is amazing. He is an arrogant jerk, but he is absolutely believable. I would never fall for such a man, but nothing he does or say comes out as unrealistic. Let me be just a little spoilerish here and say that his declaration is a great one! I finished the drama because of him and the rest of the hilarious, spot-on kitchen staff.
I can't remember the music, I'm afraid. Hence the 7.
I'm not sure I'll rewatch this drama. I laughed a lot, it entertained me a lot, but there are parts I'd need to skip entirely if I wanted to go through a second watch.
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This is a great drama, the characters are great and I loved that it actually did have a lot about food because a lot of dramas, like You're Beautiful, Only You and Heartstrings are about a certain subject but you never get to actually see the writers exploding that.
The thing that really bothered me about this one that made me not like this drama so much was the female lead. She had no personality whatsoever, always letting everyone push her around, even her love interest. I hate that she was alway "Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef. Chef, chef chef chef..." I mean she never even called him by his real name, no Hyuk Woon ah, or Hyuk Woon ssi, or even Choi Hyun Wook ssi.
Also, for the sake of not spoiling I'll really just say that I hated the REAL reason (not the generic, but the one he says) of why the chef broke up with his previous partner. I don't know of it is just because I'm a hardcore feminist, or simply because I thought he was dumb but I simply hated him.
On the other hand I loved all the kitchen drama, with the main line and the pasta line, Italian vs Korean! It was so funny to see them fight for the most minimum thing, I think all that made the drama funnier to watch and lighter.
In general I really enjoyed this drama, though it isn't one of my favorites
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This is a drama that combines reality with magic and transports the viewer to that magical world where anything is possible and true pure loves exists.
This drama tries to make us think about our lives, if we are truly loved by someone, if we are good people, it makes us wander if a person can be recognized for more than physical appearance.
The acting is superb, especially on the male lead, but truly all the characters and actors combine to form this thing where you forget that they are acting and start to believe their story. One thing that made me laugh a lot and maybe most people didn't notice was the waiter and waitress. I've seen them together in other 2 dramas, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Only You, in which they also play a waiter and waitres and is even with the same male lead also.
The music completely merges with the drama and becomes one of the characters, it makes you feel what the director wanted you to think, completely brilliant.
I will rewatch this drama very soon, it is a drama that really made me think and laugh and cry.
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This show is funny. It is a complete parody or 'send up' of every whodunit caper; whether the origin be book, television or specific character. Everyone needs to "know their place" in the framework of a detective story and act accordingly. It's so weird! But funny!
Matsuda Shota plays "The Great Detective". Only he's a hilarious, spoiled, eccentric mess. He pouts and sulks when things don't go his way or when the Captain doesn't playcate him. Matsuda Shota is great. His knack for physical comedy and his rubberlike facial expressions cracked me up.
The blatent and kitchy way they spoke about the viewers, ratings and audience expectation was original to say the least. This show was entertaining but I'm not quite sure how to catagorize it. I came away laughing for the most part. It isn't a perfect show but if you are a fan of Shota, you'll like this because he's a natural scene stealer.
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But whatever works because I enjoyed the movie just as much as the first two series. If you want to read more detailed thoughts into this series; how much I liked the look and feel, how I feel about Akiyama and Nao, and mostly what I feel about the mind twisty games and great writing, then feel free to go back and read my reviews if you care to.
I will say this: I enjoyed that Nao had further character development in this movie but without losing her essential personality. I know a lot of people have problems with Nao and I was one of them in the beginning. She's so overly trusting and honest to the point where most in our society look at her and just see "stupid" written across her forehead. But I got used to her...I came to actually like her and by the movie's end...I was proud of her. And even more importantly..you can see that Akiyama is proud of her too. Don't underestimate the truly honest!
Also, I loved the ending of this movie. It made me warm and fuzzy all over. Perfect end to a great series. Have fun watching!
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For the most part I am not a sporty girl. I do not go for watching many sports dramas, movies and television shows. I do not watch sports on television and the only time I EVER turn on Golf is for the gentle and quietly soothing vocal tones of the announcers that will surely lull me to sleep during my Sunday afternoon naps. That being said...I actually ended up liking Birdie Buddy...until the last 2 episodes. (insert annoyed growl here)
The writing was pretty solid all throughout. The story started out nicely. The acting was solid. The characters were engaging and as time went on you got to watch the stages of Mi Soo's development; her successes and pitfalls were entertaining. Her family life and orbiting friendships were interesting and sweet. Her meet/cute with her future coach was kind of delightful actually and her introduction and further learning by Teach was kind of cool. Then the story started ramping up with an unexpected plot element thrown in that picked up the pace of the drama and I sat back thinking...Oh! Here we go!
And it did go! That plot element was played out nicely right up until episode 22. And I was on board the Birdie Buddy train. No! I was on the 17th hole with a 3 under par! (I just made that up, but I think it's very good) But then, something happened...That twisty plot element ended at episode 22. It landed in the metaphorical sandpit and the writer just couldn't seem hit it back on the green.
I wish I could describe to you here why this ending failed for me. I felt as if somehow the story ended but they just had to keep filming so they threw in a scenario that wasn't necessary and it really made the ending fall flat for me. I'm still going to recommend this drama. I know it sounds strange but this is a darn good show and maybe the ending that I didn't like, others won't mind. It just simply didn't work for me.
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Liar Game 2 is a continuation of the first and all the same elements of the 1st Liar Game are in play in this second installment.
The premise is the same but the games are different. I liked that for Nao, the stakes are higher. She gets involved with the games for a purpose and her over the top hope for finding the truth and honesty in humanity becomes a real part of the plot. Again, the relationship between her and Akiyama further solidifies as the games go on. There is character development. Not just for the leads but other character/s as well.
I actually liked the games in this one better; higher stakes, bigger losses, twistier games. All good things!
If you like Liar Game than Liar Game 2 is a natural progression. Why stop at the first when you get a chance to re-enter this strange world? I highly recommend this sequel.
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The writing is what actually hooked me because anyone who has the mind to think up those twisty games and work out the puzzle of solving them is pretty clever...and then place those different game solving methods into the minds and mouths of their characters. Sometimes I was sitting back thinking...Who thinks up this stuff? 1 + 1 = 2...that's all I know! Crazy smart.
The other thing that is great about Liar game? It is a twisty, mind bendy fun ride. The set up of the games and the way the characters not only puzzle them out but the way personalities are revealed is highly entertaining to watch; especially the subtle growth in trust and dependency of the two main leads.
There is a certain quality to the way Nao and Akiyama relate to each other; the way his attraction to the true honesty in her manifests itself in his own personality. That is all I'm going to say about those two...When you watch you will understand and if you decide to move on to Liar Game 2 and finish with the movie...this element becomes even clearer.
The side characters are over the top and almost cartoonish in their portrayals. I do not use the word 'cartoonish' as a negative word. They are important to the plot and are very entertaining in their own ways.
To simplify...Liar Game is fun! Fun Fun Fun! I did not expect that when it was over, I would be so eager to watch Liar Game 2...but I was and before I knew it I was finished with the movie. Watch and Puzzle and Enjoy.
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It is by turns silly and touching. After all, the stories are set every week at a Child Welfare center and they involve stories of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Those working at the center take their jobs very seriously but the situations are handled sensitively and with a light touch with emphasis on the help the children are given.
There is also the very comedic "Freaky Friday" like situation of the two main characters switching souls. I, like most was wondering...do those two scenarios even fit together? The answer is yes, they do. Because watching a timid, by the book earnest social worker switch bodies with a hardened gangster with a reluctant heart of gold turns out to be a surprisingly winning combination.
Let me also say that Matsuda Shota is turning out to be a talented chameleon-like actor who can pull off amazingly dramatic moments while also having a real talent for physical comedy. You can see it if you watch Meitante No Okite, but in Don Quixote, he perfects the skill. His 'old Gangster in a young man's body' persona had me in stitches. He curses and grumbles and gets dragged into situations he absolutely does not want to be in and that is comedy gold!
The supporting cast was great. I loved all of Shirota's co-workers at the Child Center and I loved the quirky family like loyalty and atmosphere of Sabashima's crew. They all had their own personalities but weren't over utilized and didn't take away from the main story lines. I liked the episodic feel of the weekly situations and problems solved at the Child Center.
This show is dramatic but not overly so with tender and touching moments. There are moments I laughed out loud and actually rewound to watch and laugh again. At 11 episodes it didn't drag on and was just the right amount of time for a story of this nature. If you haven't seen Don Quixote, I really recommend it. It is a charming drama about family, friendship, honor and doing the right thing; both for those you love and for those in need.
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On my part, I can say Coffee Prince made me reconcile with Korean dramas. If I have to tell the whole, bitter truth, for some time I thought Korean could only produce melodramas, with round eyes girls pouting and arrogant dudes raising perfectly trimmed eyebrows. Until I landed on this drama.
Everything about it felt so real, by the middle I wasn't a simple viewer anymore: I was part of that group of friends. The kind of alchemy they created on screen is rarely found in dramas, because in most cases one is reminded that these people are acting. But Coffee Prince feels like they are having fun together. It reminded me of a dinner with my friends, or camping out with them.
There's a delicious special at the end of the drama, which shows some behind the scene bloopers and interviews. And it's amazing, because either the special looks like integral part of the drama, or the whole drama is like a behind the scene: the interaction between the actors stays the same. Even the make up and clothes are everyday things, not a catwalk display.
And I absolutely loved the way the issue homosexuality was treated. I loved that Han Gyul was tormented by the thought of being gay, but that he was even more so in finding out that she was a woman. Because love, betrayal and trust are universal feelings and have no connection whatsoever with gender.
The music deserves a mention too. Coffee Prince has an outstanding OST, very unusual and difficult to put into a precise musical category. Some pieces have a jazz undertone which I personally loved.
I've read some people complaining about the pace of this drama, saying nothing major happens. But a work of art, be it a movie, a drama, a novel or a cartoon isn't made only of events. It's made of style too, of images, silences, scenery, words. Thousands of love stories have been written and shown in dramas. What makes this one a delightful watch, is the ability of actors and direction to make us connect and "live" this sweet love story with the characters.
Therefore, I'm ready to recommend this show to everyone.
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Generally, I though that the film was not complicated, but there was deeper sense. The three guys with own trauma in cafe...
I was not bored.
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I found this movie extremely well acted. I was beyond surprised at Yoon Kye Sang. Not because I thought he was a bad actor but rather that he was able to make a complete departure from the lighter, more comedic roles he has portrayed in the past. As I watch High Kick 3, Revenge of The Short Legged, I barely recognize him. And I respect the heck out of him for that ability.
After this movie was over I realized I was tense the whole time and as the credits rolled my body finally felt able to relax. It is dark, angsty and joyless but for some reason, I liked it anyway. It was interesting and I've never watched a movie with a plot like this.
If you are in the mood for a tense, intense ride, Phungsan Dog might be something you like. For the acting alone, I recommend this film.
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