The plot follows a special team of detectives that work together to solve cases that only have a "10%" chance of being cracked. The cases are dark and twisted and wonderfully portrayed.
Each member of the team has an interesting backstory and is played to perfection. Joo Sang Wook was amazing as the "less than noble" team leader with the soulful eyes. My favorite character overall, was Kim Sang Ho's lazy bum-detective character who is actually quite clever.
TEN has amazing cinematography and visual effects ... it seems a lot more artistic than the usual cop drama. The music is also lovely. BREATHE by Mad Soul Child is a hauntingly amazing song.
Overall, a slick and exciting mystery series that features great acting. Can't wait for the movie that will conclude the cliffhanger at the end of episode 10.
;)
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Tian xia wu zei-Exciting and heartwarming!
the Story is a kind of road trip movie that changes the lives of the main characters.
on the one hand you have the couple that travels around china, who use their intelligence and skill to steal and trick anyone and everywhere they can. they are played by Andy Lau, one of the greatest chinese actors, and Rene Liu. I really like the development of their love-story through the movie. the emotions are played out very well.
on the other hand you have this really naive country-guy, Sha gen, played by Wang Baoqian, who is returning home from the big city after years of working with all his savings to find himself a wife. he is so innocent and truthful that you want to hit him for being so stupid, but you can't help but like him a lot.
the plot is mainly happening on the train all of them are travelling together. While the woman is slowly developing a friendship with Sha gen, there is another group of thieves who is trying to steal the money from him. so they have to protect him against those attacks. it always makes you wonder: will they be able to protect him or will they steal the money themselves in the end?
what i really like about the movie is that you can see many different places in china and learn about chinese culture. it shows a lot of things that are in my opinion typical about china.
even though there is some martial art action scenes, when the thieves are batteling, it's not too exaggerated. you still get the feeling that everything is real and that life could be happening like this in china. i think that's mostly due to the main characters. the story makes you feel there is something good in everyone and although the story is a little sad, after watching this movie I had a feeling of relief. like.. everything is good now the way it is. it's hard to explain for me.:D
but anyways if you want to learn about china and like movies that keep you thinking afterwards, i'll recommend you to watch this.
and if you like Andy Lau you MUST watch this!;P
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and I have to say, I am still rather confused.
The beginning makes absolutely no sense at all and is only connected to the later, main story, by the barest of strings. I understand why the included it, but still, rather useless and only adds confusion.
Story: Over all rather confusing. Interesting idea behind it, but not planned or expressed well.
Acting/Cast: Actually, the acting wasn't bad. Each actor portrayed their character as best they could, given the cheesy lines they spouted.
Music: The music also ups the overall score a bit. I really liked the piano version of the "familiar song"
Rewatch Value: The only reason I'd rewatch it is if I really feel like I'd understand it more the second time. I doubt it, though.
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If you are sick of girl-lead playing cute and goofy then try this one!.. c'mon a teenage chick still at high-school kicking serious butt and I mean seriously mad-fighting skills GUNS AND ALL!..You will fall in-love with her from ep1.. Dont expect romance up in here too, I mean there will be romance but only for 10 seconds or so!.. If you love "The Man from Nowhere" with all the actions, GUNS, AND MARTIAL ART but with a girl-lead then you will love this one...100% GUARANTEE!! ..ACTING WAS SUPERB FROM EVERYONE and hope to see HAN GROO in more movies/dramas!! SHE WAS BLOODY AWSOME!..
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-Some of the prizes/rewards got predictable, and by the 7th episode, I could guess what would happen (pertaining to the 'treasures' or 'prizes', at least).
-There are several deaths in this drama, but none are very graphic. (The 'example' imaginings with "X" are cute and funny)
-the antagonists are easy to guess in some of them, but rather obscure in others, it's episode/mystery dependent.
-That being said, you may need to be familiar with the language to truly follow along with this and keep up with the characters. References to kanji and radicals are in abundance.
-I didn't like the last episode, it didn't have an "end" feel to it at all. It left me rather unsatisfied.
Acting/Cast: The acting really saved this drama. The scheming girls make you want to hate them, the teacher is funny and oddly endearing, the boys are hilarious, and the relationships between all the characters seem to be very real. Even the background characters that appear for one episode are completely submerged in the perfect roles.
Sometimes the teacher can come across as being cheesy and fake, but those are mainly during the times her character calls for it.
Music: The background music during the drama was suiting and didn't stand out, so it was fitting and appropriate. I really don't focus on the music in dramas, because that's not the important part to me. If I don't notice it (yet don't notice the lack of it), it's doing its job perfect. I did feel anxious and jumpy during some parts of this drama (much like the feeling of a thriller/scary movie), and that was probably thanks to the music.
Rewatch: Might be worth it, to be able to focus more on the acting and relationships than the mysteries. Possibly seeing things previously missed that could be plot holes or something... But I'd rather watch something new with Yamamoto-san in it.
Overall: I liked it. It entertained me and ate about a day out of my life (just like a drama should). I feel it could have been better, somehow... but that could just be because the last episode is running through my head and I didn't like it much (again, no "end" feeling to it. Very open). I would say it's worth a try, if nothing else~
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Takeuchi Yuko plays "Aoi Yoshiko(Jinko/Gene)" a woman scorned by her ex in the most inventive fashion and the drama is the sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious journey of growth she has to walk as he suddenly reappears in her life again.
As one commenter mentioned this is a more "mature" rom-com than the norm. While still sharing out it's own funny, it questions a lot about life, love and occupation. The way it goes about doing that (tying it in with the main characters research on bugs and the like) is a refreshing take on occupational Rom-Com. Directing is about average, but the writing is gold.
My only annoyance was that they didn't end with an episode 12.
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Nice little rom-com about a female Chef and a business man who meet under strange circumstances and keep bumping into each other and bumping heads. This was the description I got when I watched it the first time, man was that understated.
This little gem was just what I needed on a boring afternoon after studying. The female Chef, Suzuko (Hasegawa Kyoko) was just so damn cute, and the business man, Haruki (Koide Keisuke) was funny as mister suave business man with a not so suave lover lurking inside him.
Supporting characters were great too, especially Haruki's father (when you watch the show, you'll understand) and the staff from the restaurant.
Not the greatest, but if you are looking for some lightweight rom-com that's not necessarily fitting the mold to fill in between shows, try this one out.
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As I stated in my comment below, outstanding job by Takeuchi Yuko playing "Himekawa Reiko", but the team as a whole I liked as well. I loved the slight character development we see with the supporting roles, especially "Kukita","Nori" and the last episode's bad guy, showing that writing and directing put in a great deal of thought when fleshing out their cops, as well as the criminals to the ongoing cases.
Directing was very well done, unlike past Japan cop dramas which could get really wonky some times. Think Boss (more wacky than needed but still an entertaining show) and Jiu (the lack of common sense in that drama, coupled with bad music choices).
We actually had a very good balance of comedy and drama and didn't lose sight that this is a 'cop drama'. More often than not, some of them tend to loose sight of the occupational part of the drama and start focusing on character relationships, and not in a good way.
With Strawberry Night we get a good look at the psychological and moral sides of the cops in which the main character and the supporting characters alike are included. More than 'who dun it' dramas we are given 'why' and the varied procedures that lead to that why which makes this an interesting pick to watch.
So to conclude, it may not be 'on the edge of your seat' action, but it most definitely won't keep you bored.
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The Man From Nowhere blends powerful scenes with a touching story to create a great movie. The story will slowly and steadily build up to the action which will keep you at the edge of your seat.
The setting is dark which possibly hints that past, which has his neighbors coming up with different types rumors about him as it frequently happens when we don't understand something or something is unknown. Won Bin's portrayal of this mystery man is outstanding and solid.
So Mi's situation and story will captivate you and the little girl who plays her, also, did a great job with her role.
The other actors were also superb and they did a great job portraying dark characters.
The music helps the set the mood. And it never felt out of place or random.
I do wish it had ended a bit differently than it did.
There's blood and violence, if you don't like these two elements, the movie might not be for you.
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It was painful to watch the main actress, she made a mess of her role, and I must say Jin Ho was really shallow with his portraying of this particular character, and I must say I have enjoyed his talent and adaptability with his other roles as well. Moreover, I found the script messy, quite lacking and very artificial.
The funny moments were seldom, but the were indeed nice to watch, but honestly, feeling a pain in my stomach because I had just watched a 40 something minute long drama for only 10 enjoyable minutes was not my cup of tea.
I guess personal taste does play a major role in watching this drama. 3/10 from me, and that's putting it mild.
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Drama Special Series Season 1: White Christmas
54 people found this review helpful
But if you're looking for a thought provoking drama where you can spend half the time guessing whom the murderer is, and the rest of the time studying the abilities of the human mind; then this is the one for you.
This drama is based on the question "Are monsters born or made?" and focuses on the psychologic part the story. Now before you back away (I know I usually back farfar away from movies that have a psychologic theme) this one is really worth the watch!
There were frustrating parts and questions that weren't fully answered. I also wish that there had been more shown about each characters background. I rated the rewatch value low only because of the fact that once you have watched it, you will already know how it will end and who the murderer is.
Over all, a very interesting and thought provoking story that pulls you in and allows you to ponder about one of life's greatest questions; "Are monsters born or made?"
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One of the pluses for me was seeing a softer side (& a smile) to my favorite perennial bad guy: Kim Gyu-Chul. The other plus was Insooni's contribution to the OST: loved her Farewell/Goodbye!
Overall, this was a very enjoyable drama & by the end, when the story's main issues were resolved, I was glad I watched it.
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There was just one small thing that bugged me-----their sound effects like i.e a punch being thrown, is just horrible. It sounds like something out of a video game. [Actually, I thought it was cool...but it'd be nicer if it was more realistic.]
This drama can start off as being pretty plain, but once you sit back and watch...the magic will unravel---you'll be completely captivated by this tear-jerking drama.
The story is developed in a way that can be easily understood. It was very simple. Drama happens one after another. Many can sympathize with the lead because we've all fell in love at least once and realized how beautiful the world is.
And then that "I don't ever want to be in love, again" stage.
The cast were great! I absolutely loved Mika and Tatsuya. They kind of went a bit far with Hiro's "bamf" look. But it gradually grew on me.
I really loved that Hiro did not pay much mind to gender. If he had to hit a woman, he'd do it. Koji's (Hiro) eyes had fluttered at the perfect time.
I haven't got much to say about this drama...but I definitely recommend watching it to those who can spare some time, and to those who are patient.
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