Reviews

I'm still relatively new to exploring Thai history. Most figures in this series were just names I knew from childhood before I pursued a history degree and graduated in 2018. Interestingly, this is my first Thai historical series presented in a summarized format, making it a unique experience for me. The story focuses on the famous Elephant Duel, a legendary event in Thai history.

While watching, I often researched the characters to better understand the stakes, and the series does a great job of bringing that historical context to life. It effectively conveys the significance of the conflict and the strategic importance of these military battles.

The performances are the highlight of the series. Nine Naphat delivers a perfect portrayal of Mingyi Swa, adding a tragic depth—someone who was essentially made an enemy by circumstances beyond control. Tre Porapat is equally compelling as Naresuan. His performance helped me see why Naresuan is often described as "madaling magalit" (easily angered), especially regarding war and strategy.

The visual immersion is enhanced by highly detailed costumes that fit the actors perfectly, adding authenticity to every scene. The cinematic soundtrack is excellent, capturing the right emotional tones and heightening the tension during the duels without distraction. If you want a well-paced, summarized take on the complex brotherhood-turned-rivalry between Naresuan and Mingyi Swa, I highly recommend this series. It offers a captivating perspective on how history and personal bonds clash on the battlefield.

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HUMOR WAS SO ON POINT.

Honestly, LOVED the ENTIRE cast. I literally do not think any other character could be more perfectly fit for each role.

I have actually never seen the Chairman's daughter, but man she was SO perfect for the ditzy but innocent and cutesy gal!!

Honestly, the humor was what really got to me each episode; you just KNOW there will be a funny moment - even during the serious sections.

And I think one thing that people forget is how when introducing a large group of characters, you really couldn't tell WHO was for WHO and LOVED the growth of the group of women and the WHOLE team!!!
Like EVERY character seriously GREW on me LOL. Even the enemies, I'm like yes, they are so doing their part - respect.

I think this was a great "light" comedy + I loved the plot overall.

I know it DID get a little slow during the mid part - but honestly, I think they were trying to really build some character development AND RELATIONAL development; really goes to show why and how some of these characters decided on certain decisions and how each circumstance / person and or relationship with someone made them feel.

Another thing was that in the end, everything makes sense and some parts really did drag / go everywhere (personally think a 12 episode drama would have been perfect) but I GENUINELY enjoyed the ENTIRE drama!!!

I definitely would recommend this watch for its humor, mystery, and honestly, just love dramas with good revenge / growth!!! No drama is perfect and I reviewed this drama for what it was, truly a light comedy, some adorable romance, growth, brains, and heart-felt friendship!!

To each their own judgement / review, but please give it a try ^-^

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Eu sou fascinada pela voz do Zhen Zi Qi, lembro-me de ter assistido esse drama no Telegram e ter ficado vidrada em seu personagem, aquele falso lobo, que foi injustiçado, porém não é nada santo. E hoje eu queria algo diferente e decidi reassisti-lo no Reelxia para fazer sua resenha.
Zhao Xi Xi está linda neste drama, sua personagem é real, há falhas, arrependimentos, perdas e ganhos. Seu figurino é bonito, apesar de achar sua magreza excessiva. Ela sabe que não é santa, antes, advogada de renome, que nem sempre agiu corretamente. Enquanto, Zhu Zhe Ren faz o terceiro irmão, Nie Yu Sang, de maneira exemplar, e aparentemente este foi seu primeiro trabalho, então realmente foi surpreendente sua atuação.

O drama é muito interessante, há conspirações constantes, uma teia de mentiras e artimanhas, mas para nós, telespectadores, é possível identificar rapidamente o falso cordeiro, a persona pura, perfeita e inexistente. Mas isso que nos fascina, faz com que a gente assista sem nem piscar, porque se piscar, pode ser que percamos algo importante. Tudo nos caminha para um desfecho repleto de reviravoltas. O pai, os irmãos, a FL, tudo se interliga e está conectado.

Todas as músicas do link disponível no Reelxia foram muito coerentes nas cenas, eu gosto quando tem este cuidado, mesmo se não for as músicas originalmente selecionadas para tal drama.
Foi bom reassistir, queria que tivesse mais dramas deste gênero, que apesar de ter os clichês de casamentos arranjados e etc, seja repleto de investigação, atuações boas com um roteiro um tanto quanto maduro e real, onde as pessoas são falhas, mas podem ser justas e/ou boas.
Eu só não dou 10 porque o final foi um pouco corrido demais, poderia ter 1 capítulo a mais.

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A CUTE INTROVERTED LOVE STORY

I’ve honestly not watched Yumi’s Cells 1 & 2, but Yumi’s Cells 3 hit me differently, it really ended up clicking with me.

Yumi’s Cells 3 is essentially a love story between two introverted individuals. Yumi, who is now a successful writer, seems to live her life in a very dull and monotonous way. There’s nothing in her life that creates enough emotional ripples to truly shake her, until she meets Shin Sun Rok PD. He disrupts her life in ways she hasn’t experienced in years.

Ever since her success as a writer and her breakup with her previous boyfriend, both her love life and her overall life have become stagnant. This stagnation has made her very calm and rational, to the point where her Writer Cell has taken over, while her emotional cells , especially her Love Cell have gone dormant.

However, her encounter with Shin PD changes everything. Interestingly, he is even more calm and rational than she is. He struggles with social cues and ends up unintentionally riling Yumi up in ways he doesn’t even realize.

Their first meeting is incredibly awkward. He mostly responds with “yes” or “no,” and during their bus ride together, he puts on earphones, which Yumi perceives as disrespectful. Ironically, she had wanted to do the same earlier due to the awkwardness but held herself back out of courtesy. When he goes ahead and does it, she feels annoyed—for the first time in years.

This annoyance continues in small but significant moments. For example, when he buys all the bungeoppang (fish-shaped bread filled with sweet paste) from a shop Yumi regularly visits, especially her favorite flavor it frustrates her even more. Another instance is when he questions the intelligence of Maltese dogs. This deeply irritates Yumi because she has grown attached to a Maltese dog named Coco, her friend’s pet that she’s been taking care of. Hearing such criticism from Shin PD pushes her irritation to another level.

Through these interactions, we see her dormant emotions begin to awaken, her hate cells and other emotional cells start coming out of dormancy. Up until Episode 2, it genuinely feels like she dislikes Shin PD intensely. However, things begin to shift during their work trip to Busan, where she starts seeing him in a different light.

What stood out to me the most is how this drama gave strong “Inside Out” vibes. The concept of different “cells” representing Yumi’s emotions, decisions, and thoughts is beautifully executed. I especially love this first-person perspective approach, it allows us to see the depth of the characters rather than just surface-level events, which is often the case in many dramas.

What made me appreciate it even more is that we don’t just see Yumi’s perspective, we also get Shin PD’s point of view. We get to understand what he’s thinking, why he behaves the way he does, and how his intentions can be very different from how his actions are perceived. This dual perspective feels incredibly human. After all, aren’t we all like this? We think and act with certain intentions, but they may come across entirely differently to others.

That’s the beauty of this drama, it’s not just a narrative from the female lead, male lead, or writer’s perspective. Instead, it presents a deeply personalized approach, giving us insight into both sides of the story.

For example, when we see Shin PD’s perspective, we learn that he is an extreme introvert with a very low social battery. He relies heavily on his rational and calm side to navigate his daily life, and it’s only at night, when he returns home, that he truly relaxes and recharges. Many of the moments where he offends Yumi are not intentional, they stem from his limited social energy and difficulty expressing himself.

Overall, I’m really looking forward to how the story unfolds in the upcoming episodes and how their relationship develops further. 🤗

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Deu preguiça depois de tanta enrolação

acabei desistindo de ver por volta do 10 ep e pulei pro último pra ver como acabava. E mesmo no último, não tive paciência de ver completo.
O primeiro ep foi lindo, chorei inesperadamente com a cena do hospital. Nos seguintes gargalhei horrores. Tudo parecia ser lindo, mas a história se perde.
Mesmo com a passagem do tempo, parece que os protagonistas não amadurecem, fica aquela enrolação como se fossem duas crianças.
Achei a interpretação da protagonista muito irritante, daí não sei se foi um problema de atuação, de construção da personagem ou dos dois. Ela parece uma bobona. O que de interessante teria nessa chata pros dois gatos daqueles ficarem caídos por ela? Só ela pagar de protetora, dando conselhos pra eles se cuidarem? Chata demais. Exceto pela primeira cena dela no hospital, que realmente ela arrasou e me arrancou lágrimas.
Já os protagonistas já agradam mais pq trazem alguma coisinha de profundidade, emocionam um pouco mais.
A trilha sonora é linda, realmente se integra à história.
Achei muito forçado as várias situações criadas pra interromper os momentos em que eles iam ou se declarar, se beijar ou ficar juntos. Zero paciência pra ficar sendo enrolada 16 ep pra tentar ver acontecer o básico do básico no romance. Tornou a história chata e cansativa. Outra coisa, quando pulei da metade pro último episódio fiquei chocada que ainda tava rendendo a história do sequestrador. Se já tava ficando chato ali no meio imagine se arrastar até o final esse lenga lenga.
Enfim, pra quem curte o melodrama açucarado que te enrola quebrando e criando expectativas a temporada toda pra ficar feliz com o casamento no final, então cai pra dentro.

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Glorifies Objectification, Violence, and Mistreatment of Women

Episode 1:
There are many problematic things about this show. A mess of a family with 4 kids, mother recently passed away, a dad who can barely function, where the oldest sister who tries being the surrogate mom and does her best to take care of everything. Then comes Mita the housekeeper from nowhere. She is an amazing housekeeper and is somehow emotionless through all the BS this family puts her through. She cleans the house to perfection and cooks amazing meals, but when the older sister told her to burn all of their late mother’s memorabilia, the older brother got angry and started punching Mita, a grown woman. A few minutes later, the family changes their mood and settles down to a happy birthday together and demanding things of her - while no one apologized to her for that physical abuse- that oldest son treated her like a punching bag that he could just beat up whenever he wanted, and when their mood was happy again in a few minutes, they ask her to do everything like a genie- cook for us, get birthday candles, a card, the cake- but they beat her up right before that. A a stunning condoning of the abuse and objectification of women. A wife is seen as nothing but a glorified housekeeper, so much so that a professional housekeeper like Mita is abused like a punching bag and then taken advantage of while she has a bloodied lip from being punched by a man! And yet she is emotionless and continues doing all their chores. What a horrible message this show sends- that women are worthless and can be treated in such a way. At the end of the first episode, the husband reveals that the mother committed suicide. As a psychological study, I can almost guarantee that the way this family treats Mita is the same way they treated the late mother/wife. Simply exploited, taken for granted, and used up for getting things done for their selfish needs, and then thrown away like a dirty dish rag. Only after the mother died, the family keeps talking about her because they can’t function without her. But while she was alive, the husband was having an affair, and Kii the annoying little girl told her mother that she should die just for asking her eat tomatoes.

Episode 2:
Despite all that Mita did for them - cooks, cleans, etc, all the family can do is complain about her behind her back saying “isn’t she strange? She never smiles etc.” while eating the breakfast she prepared. A thankless, entitled family. It’s revealed that the dad/husband was having an affair- despite all that the mother would have done for the 4 kids and as a wife, submissive housekeeper, cook, bangmaid, etc, dude had an office affair and had handed his late wife divorce papers, driving her to suicide. Even after her death, he continues to hit on the office mistress. Urara, the late mother’s younger sister is portrayed as an incompetent single bimbo, the woman at the office is a mistress, the wife/mother is invisible and driven to suicide, and Mita is seen as genie/robot/punching bag. The director seems to be seriously misogynistic and views women as 2d cartoon characters. Then the father decides to fire her for his own selfish motives. Mita says a wise thing: “humans are weak creatures. If they see someone weak the will bully then, and if they see someone strong, they run.” Then the younger son who asked Mita to beat up a bully, then tells her to “take responsibility for what she’s done,” instead of taking responsibility for what he asked her to do, and then tells her to do something even worse, to kill the bully. Then the late mother’s dad decides everything is Mita’s fault and said “Why do you keep such a woman as your housekeeper? Fire her immediately!” After all she’s done. Ah what a tired bunch of chauvinists. Last scene of episode 2, the dad asks Mita to burn the revealing letter from his late wife that says “if you leave me I will kill myself” because he’s a coward and doesn’t want his kids to know the truth. Mita deserves better.

Episode 3:
Yui the oldest daughter finds out about the dad’s affair and how he was the cause of their mother’s suicide and death. When she confronts him about it, the dad actually tries to slap her because women are only meant to be hit according to the director. Then as the father is found out by the kids and they leave the house, he explains to Mita, “I never wanted to get married, but their mother got pregnant with Yui..” as if it has nothing to do with him. For some reason Urara acts like she couldn’t care less about her sister’s death, even after her brother-in-law tells her the truth- she just acts like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush. How inhuman. The family projects their own failings onto Mita, including the dad saying she doesn’t have a heart when he is the one who screwed up his family. Even after the kids leave and the truth is in the open, the dad guy tries to hit on the affair lady at the office because he needs an escape. Women especially Mita are treated as sacrificial objects to use and drain for selfish purposes.

Episode 5-6:
The older brother treats Mita like a blowup doll by asking her to have sex with him. Then he asked her to destroy the neighbor’s house. Then the oldest daughter Yui decides she wants to die because her high school fling is a player, and tells Mita to kill her. When Mita obliges, she acts like she’s so shocked and as if she is a victim of Mita. This ridiculous family can’t even take responsibility for their actions when they give Mita explicit orders- Yui tells Mita to kill her and not to stop even if she says “stop”.. Just so she can blame her? Then she acts as if Mita is evil and it’s a horror movie with Yui trying to get away from her, when she’s the one who gave the orders. Nonsense! Then Yui points the knife at Mita trying to kill her. What do Mita ever do that this selfish, sinful family tries to exploit her in every way possible and then kill her? Poor Mita.

Episode 7:
Mita makes adress for Kii, the youngest kid. When she’s done the kid grabs it and says “Sugoi!” No one ever thanks Mita for her work or apologizes for their vile behavior towards her. Then Kii invites her dad to her school play where she’s playing Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.. and the dad’s like “I don’t know, I’ve never been to any of the kids’ school events… but how do I prove to the kids that I love them? Is saying the words I love you enough?” I don’t know genius, maybe show it through action by attending the school play and spending time with them? Then the dad gets in a fight with a coworker and starts punching him for dumping his ex-mistress and then gets himself fired. Then he goes to Mita and asks her, “You can do anything right? Can you put me back in my company? Can you rewind time?” Do they really think she’s a genie that came out of a lamp? Then in typical selfish dad fashion, he asked Mita to somehow get the play recital cancelled for his own selfish reasons since he didn’t want to go or face his kids. However there was a touching moment in this episode where the kids out on the Wizard of Oz play in front of their dad at home (because Kii was kicked out of the play at school since their dad tried to get it cancelled by telling Mita and she made a bomb threat to the kindergarten lol), and the dad was so moved by the performance that he starts pouring out his feelings of regret about their mother and how much she loved him and how loving she was and how he wants to love them. Well he never said he loved her back but he is filled with regret and apologizes to his kids to let him back into the family. Then he goes up to his ex-mistress to say I still love you, please married me and and take over as my wife/bang-maid but you must take care of my 4 kids! Ha what a sly man. She leaves.

Episode 8:
Nagiko’s dad is in the hospital because he got punched telling off some kids. He sees Mita (who is ordered by Yui to impersonate her late mother and talk to him and persuade him to forgive the dad). When he sees Mita’s face, without hesitation the grown old man punches Mita in the face. Even after getting punched, Mita calmly explains to him that he’s living in fear and can’t express his thoughts properly and that’s why he resorts to violence (just like the director). Then he yells at her “Shut up! What could a housekeeper know?” He’s basically a caveman looking for an outlet for violence. But somehow the show tries to convince the audience that his violence is an expression of his love. Weeks later he manages to croak out an apology to Mita- Because Mita is still like a clear, calm lake, everyone projects all sorts of nonsense onto her. First the oldest son Kakeru punches her in the fist episode, then asks her to strip and “do it” with him, then he convinces the other kids that she is a reincarnation of their late mother. They all believe it. And Mita’s like “I’m not your mother.” And they’re all so nosy about her personal life that it gets annoying. Like leave her alone. One day the family invites her to sit down and eat with them and gives her this moon cake thing to eat. She had refused it in the past but this time she takes it and eats a bite. One bite of the moon cake has the effect of 10 alcoholic drinks because Mita spills her life story. Dad died, mom and step brother are narcissists, husband and son died in a fire at the hands of the brother and she was convinced by her mother that her smile made people unhappy- how upside down and weird. It’s interesting because this same actress plays Sakurako in Yamato Nadeshiko, a “perfect woman” flight attendant character who always wears a plastic smile on her face.

Episode 9
Mita quits after tell her story, and Urara shows up everyday to take her place. Again the director shows his misogyny by Urara’s extreme characterization as a single woman who is a disaster of a human being. She basically can’t do anything right and everything she touches turns into a disaster. While it might seem like harmless fun or comedy, mocking or attacking a single woman as basically good for nothing is not cute. She inserts herself into their house to help with cooking and ruins their kitchen with her incompetence, and leaves without cleaning up. Then Mita starts working for the next door neighbor who is a petty, evil woman with a husband and son. When she finds out about the affair she orders Mita to kill her husband, herself, and her son on her son’s birthday. Then she blames it on Mita, calls her crazy and dangerous, and tells Mita to kill herself. Poor Mita who is barely hanging on by a thread starts pouring gasoline on herself. The cowardly family runs away after ordering Mita to kill them and then turning it on herself. Then the kids from next door burst through the door somehow and hold the lit candle that Mita is about to light on her gaslit self. They’re all holding the candle and fighting but none of the kids have the sense to just blow it out. Instead Kakeru, Yui, and Mita are all holding this candle light fighting over it and someone could just blow it out and the fight would be over. But brains are not part of this scene. Then the other two kids come and hold the candle too, and Kii the little girl tries to be cute and sings a song at the most inappropriate time. It’s not cute but annoying. Then the family calls the police on Mita and tries to get her arrested. Then the dad from the original family says “I’m angry at you Mita you put my kids in danger! If you’re sorry then take responsibility and work for our family!” Uh what? Those kids barged into the neighbors’ house on their own and put themselves in danger and refuse to take responsibility for themselves and instead the dad pushed the blame and responsibility all onto Mita and orders her to be a slave for their family as if she owes them something since they cannot function without her housekeeping. What selfish people. So anyway Mita comes back to the original family and it confirms my suspicions about the mother/wife role in the family- Mita has essentially filled the late mother’s role in the family by cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids’ needs and errands, but remains emotionally detached. It tells me that a mother/wife is nothing but a glorified bangmaid. And since Mita has lost her husband and son, she has convinced herself that she must never smile and become a robot housekeeper obeying the ridiculous orders of others but never having a will of her own- again a very chauvinistic misogynistic view of women. Then Urara randomly admits that she likes her brother in law- she never once showed sadness over her sister’s death nor anger over the fact that the husband had an affair that led to her sister’s suicide. Instead she only selfishly cares about her little crush on her brother in law.

Episode 10:
The family starts putting motherly demands on Mita- Yui the oldest girl asks Mita to teach her how to cook, Kakeru the oldest son gets sick and needs her to be a nurse, the next brother needs help with his homework, and Kii needs Mita to clean her ears. They all make demands of Mita, making it a “work order” so she has no choice or will of her own. They take advantage of her to tend to their needs but it’s disturbing that Mita has no will or needs or desires of her own. It’s as if to say, if you’re a woman and you don’t have a husband or kid (or lost them) then you’re basically as good as dead. Mita doesn’t smile and walks around like the walking dead. This is the fate of any woman that doesn’t have her identity defined through motherhood and being a wife. The dad tells Mita how he wants to start living for the present and the future and not get stuck in the past. The third kid gives a nice speech about how he should have appreciated his mother mother and thanked her. In a sense the lesson is even if one isn’t there or you didn’t get affection from someone, you can always pass it on to someone else who needs it. Then Kii asks to help Mita in the kitchen and in her usual annoying fashion she knocks over a burning pot and ruins all the food and gets herself burned and Mita has to deal with that along with the ruined food. It’s a thankless job that only a sacrificial lamb with a death wish would take. Then the crazy lady next door says that her husband who cheated on her kicked her out because she had ordered Mita to burn down their house, and tries to frame it as “it was just a joke and you always make people unhappy! Go away!” Must be the same voice of Mita’s narcissistic mother. Then Urara comes out and tells her brother in law that’s she’s in love with him. Does it get any weirder than this? Yes! Meanwhile the 4 kids ask Mita to be their mother and Kii finds a stone to represent Mita to put in her family stone box. So basically good housekeeper can be “upgraded” to a mother because essentially that’s what a mother is right? A glorified housekeeper/bangmaid.

The music? Mita’s “theme” is creepy horror music as if she’s some character from the Adam’s Family. She’s just a women who’s and mourning the loss of her family- but she’s framed as a scary or dangerous.

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Regret not watching it earlier

Had this series on my list for a long time, and I mean like, ever since it released. I wanted to watch something new and remembered this was still on my list. Now I regret not watching it earlierrrrr

KIT IS SO ADORABLE UGHHH THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM I WAS GOING CRAZZYY. Like all of the characters/actors look so unique with their own style and I love the concept of them being able to wear their own clothes, since that normally isn't accepted in Thai schools. The outfits helloooo?? Im jealous I need those fits!! ESPECIALLY PER AND TAR'S. LIKE IM THINKING ABOUT SCREENSHOTTING SOME OF THE BEST FITS AND RECREATE THEM BROOO. Typical cute gmmtv doodles in the intro and outro I LOVE IT

The teachers were so adorable, I loved their dynamic and I loved how they were like the comfort teachers of the school. They were so healthy aswell it was so cute!!

Using ai for animation mayor.... even if some of the work wasn't it, I don't like the idea. I'm on an art school and I know it takes a lot of time to make something. Would've been nice if they asked their creation team to make something like those doodles?

A lot of reassuring talking, romantic interactions but barely any kisses or a NC scene but it doesn't feel off, I prefer it. I like how it actually feels like teenagers having a fun time of their lives and romance being a big part in it. I normally don't mind NC but I think their choice not to add it makes it better.

This felt like I was part of the friend group, it was sooo heartwarming. Just found family. I like how the multiple couple plot didn't get like, mixed and it was actually a veryyy good story line. Small note: Tar and Per moments were cute but I would've liked more interaction between them.

I rarely give a 10/10 these days but this series REALLY deserved it.

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Does what it says and delivers what's promised

It's a lighthearted romantic comedy from start to finish and it does just that—lightens up the mood and makes you believe in fairy-tales for a couple of hours.

You obviously don't watch it for a deep plot or a hidden meaning. Compared to many similar rom coms, it was fully executed: the conflict, the humour, the chemistry, the closure—everything's there.

For me personally, JuMark is one of ~3 pairings in BL industry, who can satisfy a viewer even without a NC scene (and I'm a big fan of good NC scenes). If it were others, I would've felt robbed, but with these guys I'm down for the cute bubbly vibe.

And again, I appreciate GMM Thee V for making another series that includes mature love without the student tropes 😌👍

Kudos to OhmPoon—a pairing we didn't know we needed, but we were seated for it during the whole show.

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Samurai drama with little action.

Anyone who thought there would be a big slaughter when Takashi Miike makes a samurai film will unfortunately have to continue wishing. Ichimei is a low-key, subtle and melancholic drama about revenge and honor in the 17th century. Why they insisted on making the film in 3D is incomprehensible, however.

The film begins with the samurai Hanshiro (Ebizo Ichikawa) applying to commit ritual suicide in the courtyard of the clan leaders of the House of Li in order to restore his honor. The clan suspects that Hanshiro is bluffing, a well-used trick to get money or employment through sympathy. The story of a former samurai who tried the same idea and his tragic fate is revealed. Eventually, we also get to know Hanshiro’s background story and his real purpose for his request.

Miike has made a name for himself with uber-violent cult films such as Audition and Ichi the Killer. However, he has also made other types of films and proves here that – Obviously – He has more strings to his lyre. It is easy to believe that he has seized the opportunity when he makes a samurai film – In 3D too – And let the blood flow and heads roll. But he has somewhat unexpectedly gone in a different direction and focused on the human drama in the story.

It is beautiful and atmospheric, and the not entirely unpredictable story nevertheless engages with its loving, sympathetic characters and their gripping fates. It is easy, as a fan of Quentin Tarantino's genre-honoring Kill Bill films, to miss the pumped-up pace and violent fight scenes, but there is nevertheless something liberating and uplifting about a samurai film that actually focuses on the dramatic story.

Then it is possible to think that Miike, who has made sadistic ultra-violence his specialty, has not taken advantage of the genre and offered more sword fighters even though a typically sadistic suicide scene for him is performed in the first story. The 3D format (the first film at Cannes ever to be shown in it) is hardly used at all and the only proper fight scene, which comes only at the end, has a dose of dry humor that quickly ebbs away and leaves behind a spectacle that is somewhat transcendental to realism and is rounded off with a rather vague message.

It is a stylish, entertaining and powerful film that is unfortunately way too long and uneven. Miike is a master at delivering stylish and atmospheric films but when it comes to samurai he seems to be actively looking to find his own nuance instead of using a working concept. And that is perhaps where Tarantino got it when he paid tribute to the genre by returning to classic clichés and adding fuel to the violence scenes. Because no matter how good the direction, actors and story are, you still always see samurai fighting more than anything else.

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Weird

A mostly well-conceived, but weird, drama - 8 stars

The first sentence of FAMILIAR WIFE blew my mind. And not in a good way.

We hear a newscaster proclaim the following: “The planet Wolf, 68 light years from Earth, ahead of its extinction, is rapidly becoming a black hole.”

As a science writer, all I can say is, “NO! NO! NO!” Black holes are never, EVER caused by the “extinction of a planet,” imminent or otherwise. To be clear, large stars occasionally collapse into black holes, but never planets.

Nor are exo-planets given names like “Wolf”. (Look up HD 20794d or K2-18b)

The rest of the newscaster‘s report explains that there may be a “change between the Earth’s and Moon’s calendars,”which--excuse me for pointing this out--is absurd gobbledygook.

Hey writers! This kind of thing should have been tweaked.

BUT...to change the focus a bit here--the rest of this series is mostly quite good. I’d even call it a hidden gem--not counting the last four episodes which seem to exist only for the sake of product placement.

The drama focuses on the daily crush of ordinary life and the toll it takes on well-intentioned human beings. How marriages get destroyed. How people forget to be kind and considerate.

As for the acting, the two leads do a fine job, and a number of skillful actors are showcased in minor roles.

In every office there’s someone who marches to a different drummer, and in this office that’s Kim Hwan. Kudos to the writers for imagining him and to Cha Hak Yeon (N) for bringing him to life.

One of my favorites, Lee Jeong-eun, plays the FL’s slightly demented mother. If you want to see what a masterful actor this woman is, watch OUR BLUES, another outstanding K-drama.

I’ll just mention two weird things about the plot--although there are others:

1) How come (except for one scene near the beginning) neither of the main characters seem at all interested in the fate of their two children. These poor kids have been zapped into nothingness due to the ML’s need to change wives. The fact that they’re never mentioned again is downright weird.

2) From episode 9 or 10 onward, everyone suddenly starts wearing stripes–striped shirts, striped blouses, a striped jacket. Why?

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Esperava bem mais

Não foi muito minha cara, os atores não tem química nenhuma. Os primeiros episódios só mostra ela tendo os dates com os personagens do jogo, quase não mostra interação entre ela e o prota, sem falar que todo o tempo que perderam mostrando os dates dela com caras falsos poderiam ter investido mais na construção do relacionamento deles. Só depois da metade é que mostra ele falando que gosta dela e vão tentando interagir um pouco mais, mas ela fica fazendo uc doce sem motivo nenhum🙄 o que pra mim foi um pé no saco já que perderam tanto tempo com coisas desnecessárias. Em nenhuma das interações que eles tiveram achei que tivessem química, romance aguado. A cara da atriz sempre a mesma, para uma atriz ela é uma excelente cantora, não gostei. Só terminei de assistir pro causa dele. E no final a nota que dei foi por pura generosidade.😌

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Reborn Regent x Emperor!

I had a lot of fun watching this vertical. An enjoyable spin on the classic rebirth & revenge premise, and a mind-bogglingly ambitious plot, considering the vertical format. I was very entertained through all the twists and turns this story took, and I loved the concept of reborn FL becoming the regent and masterminding the emperor's politics from behind the throne.

FL and ML's dynamic was really fun, with a strong role reversal undercurrent; I found their performances engaging and interesting, and enjoyed their chemistry. Only in a vertical would you see this kind of story, lol. But if it were somehow possible, I would've really liked seeing a full show about this general-turned-regent's schemes. She was just too fun.

Rated 5 for music because there wasn't any in the version I watched.

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