Reviews

If you only watch one Korean Drama in your lifetime, then make it BAKER KING, KIM TAK GOO!!! I just finished it and it was amazing. OK, first the story is great and there is never a dull moment. Yes, the first couple of episodes are back story, but the story can't do without it. It completes your understanding of the characters. Yoon Shi Yoon/Kim Tak Goo and Joo Won/Goo Ma Jun are great actors!!! They brought the story to life in a way that I have never experienced before. All of the characters are vital to the story and the actors play their parts very well. I found myself at first feeling sorry for Ma Jun and then getting mad at him and then falling totally in love with him. Of course, Tak Goo is a lovable character, but for Joo Won to make me love Ma Jun by the end of the KD is just great acting. I loved the strong women in this KD. Jun In Hwa plays Seo In Sook to perfection. She is crazy mean and to some degree you can understand why. The best part of this KD is the ending...it is perfection. So many times I find the end of KD rushed or incomplete, but this ending ties up all of the stories in a happy package. Tak Goo and Ma Jun are wonderful at the end and too cute!!! Even though this is a long KD...I would watch it again in a heartbeat. I hope you watch it and enjoy!!!

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I strongly advise anyone who is a fan of the anime and/or the manga to either stay away from this movie entirely or, like me, laugh (read: weep) at the inaccuracies. While most of the story is followed pretty accurately in this particular movie, there are some noticeable differences and if you love the original works, you may cringe at least a few times throughout the course of the movie. As such, the storytelling is still great, because as other reviewers have pointed out, Death Note itself is an enthralling tale, but you could get the same (nay, much better) experience from the anime, or if you're comfortable with reading a series, the manga.

The casting is so-so, with a Light who only looks like Light if you squint but an L who's fairly accurate and good at the required mannerisms.

The music is good enough... with the exception of a seemingly random Red Hot Chili Peppers song playing a multitude of times amidst rather serious content.

I've re-watched this movie several times by now simply from showing it to friends. The rewatch value is very high... but only from a comedic standpoint. Each time I find the movie worse and even more inaccurate than before, but somehow even more hilarious.

Taking into account my scores on everything else, I'd rate this movie a six. It was "okay" and that's about it. Certainly good if you've never seen or read the original stories, but decidedly Not Good if you have.

Long review short: go watch the anime and then try this movie.

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Chilling is one of those movies that incorporate many genres. It has comedy, drama, horror, and romance. This may seem like a lot. You might, also, think that just because of that (and possibly previous experiences) the movie might be chaotic and just have a bunch of random scenes thrown in together and call it a day, but that is not the case. Everyone who took part in this movie did a great job. The scenes do not feel disconnected at all; they flow together and very nicely tell a story.

Story: It's not an original story, even the synopsis tells it so, but it was very enjoyable.

Acting/ Casting: Lee Minki, who I have recently seen in his cameo on the drama "Shut Up: Flower Boy Band", has captured my heart with his acting once again. He is truly a magnificent actor who just gives to his characters a life of their own. I have to mention that both characters he played have a very distinctive feel to them and I just want to see him in more and more things.

I had only seen Son Ye Jin in "Personal Taste", and although I did like the drama, I wasn't that impressed with her in that particular role. But she was just perfect as Yeo Ri. Both of them made the characters likable and believable and that just made me sympathize with them and the things which were happening to, and around, them.

They have really good chemistry together.

I also liked the supporting actors. The movie had a great cast all around.

Music: It felt like it belonged at all times and complemented the scenes nicely.

Rewatch: I will definitely re-watch this movie more than a few times.

Overall: The movie is almost two hours long, but it felt less than that because I was totally immersed in the movie (I did stop it once just to post on the discussion thread. But that had nothing to do with the movie and all with the subs I found). I think this a very well done movie.

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Ok, I'm afraid many of you might not agree with my review, but I'm just being honest here.

Story. Well... er... how should I put this? At first, I thought it was pretty good, since this was the first drama that I have ever watched. But then after you've watched many other amazing dramas with the same type of storyline, you'll find that it is quite cliché. So basically, what I'm saying is, this drama is just another one of those stories where two guys are fighting over a girl. Believe me, there are many better dramas with this specific plotline. To name one specifically, one of Lee Min Ho's other dramas, City Hunter. I'm sorry, but I thought City Hunter was much better~ ^^" And I'm quite positive that most other people who have watched both these dramas would agree with me.

Acting/Cast. I don't know what happened, but the acting was either exaggerated, or- No wait, it was mostly exaggerated. Especially the female lead for Geum Jan Di... I don't know why, but her acting just never clicked for me. And Ji Hoo... it wasn't his fault, but I just didn't like his personality. So why did I give it an 8? Because I feel as though it was not the actors, but the storyline's fault. This definitely DID NOT do justice to any of the actors. I've seen at least one other drama/movie of every single lead, and supporting actor, and they all have amazing talent. In fact, Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Bum are one of the most well known actors. And not to mention Lee Min Ho... wow.

Music? It was really good. I have many of the OST's in my iTunes and listen to them in my free time because they actually sound quite good. I was impressed.

Rewatch value. Here goes my rant. I hardly ever rewatch any dramas or movies, no matter how good they are. I have made a few exceptions to some exceptional dramas, but not this one. It took all of my self control just to be able to finish it. They definitely lengthened it way too much. In fact, I was extremely disappointed. The female lead wavered so much, and each episode, it was either one of them or the other cheating on someone. It frustrated me. I mean, if they loved each other so much, they could've at least trusted each other a bit more. Ok, end of rant.

Overall, I still give it a 7, because of some Lee Min Ho moments in there~ X3 Also, I was quite impressed with Kim Bum, as this was the first drama I've seen him in, and he does have a cute baby face~ ^^

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Yay~ My first review ^^

Ok, here goes. Hm... I never did remember why I started watching this particular drama... I think it was because of recommendations or something, but I have NEVER, NOT EVEN FOR ONE MOMENT, regretted it. In fact, this was the drama that got me obsessed with Lee Jun Ki~ XD

The story. The plot line was absolutely fantastic, even though I'm afraid to say I was a little hesitant at first. When I read "Historical Drama", I'm just not that interested, to be honest. And for those of you who are like me, let me just tell you this. Historical will be the last thing on your mind as this drama is filled with intense action, blooming romances, heartbreaking tragedies, and absolutely amazing acting. Especially Lee Jun Ki's acting. I cried when he cried, and laughed when he did~ TTuTT Once you watch this drama, and his other dramas, you'd be amazed at the kind of actor he is.

The music was pretty good, to say the least. The producers did a great job in matching the music with the mood. There was one OST that actually brought tears to my eyes because together with the amazing acting, I just couldn't hold them back...

Rewatch value. Because I gave this a 7, many people may not agree with me. However, let me first explain my reasons. A 7 is actually quite amazing for someone who hardly ever rewatches any dramas/movies, no matter how good they were. Why? The first time you're watching a drama, you are kept on your toes, and when something unexpected happens, you'll react the way you're supposed to. If you watch it again, you'll be expecting the unexpected, and it just won't feel the same. Once I finish a drama, I have a feeling that stays with me. The last few episodes of each drama are extremely memorable, especially if its a drama as good as Iljimae. And after I wrote all of this, I feel as though I am a hypocrite, because I have indeed rewatched this drama a couple of times over~ ^^ I couldn't resist. In fact, when I was rewatching it, I still couldn't hold tears back. That's how good of a drama this is.

Overall? Definitely a ten. If you ask me ten years later, after I rewatched it hundreds of times over, I would still give it a ten.

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If you like romantic drama, this is not the best one.
If you like comedy drama, this is quite funny, but there are more dramas out there that can make you laugh louder.
If you like happily-ever-after-ending drama, this will let you down, don't expect too much.
If you like sad drama, this is not enough to make your tears come out
If you like action drama, you're not supposed to end up here reading the review :p

But,

If you look for different taste of Kdrama,
If you look for great performances,
If you look for beautiful soundtracks,
This is the one that worth to watch!!

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Weightlifting. Female underdog weightlifters. This isn't what leads to the kind of mega hit people enjoy. Thanks to a strong script and a very good cast, this based-on-a-true-story film worked for me.

Lee Bum-Soo did another fantastic job as injured former bronze medalist Lee Ji-Bom who lands a coaching job at a girls' school. We're introduced to Lee's team after we watch how the vice-principal gets the girls to take part in the sport. Each of the girls is an 'outcast' in some way, and as the story progresses, the viewer is shown how each girl comes to support her teammates & develops as an athlete.

I cheered for the team and each girl's personal journey. I cried and then I felt good for watching.

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I really enjoyed this movie. I am particularly a fan of Anne Suzuki and that is the sole reason I was interested in this film. However I was blown away by multiple performances in the novel brought to life. Anne who I love pulls off a very convincing stripper which for her is a controversial role. Kengo's character who is a gambling addict and the black sheep of an esteemed family, always getting into trouble also plays a convincing role. The film was well written and pretty well shot for a low budget. The only negative I can say about this film is that it's not for the younger viewer's as it encompasses nudity,adult situations and even rape. However those who are old enough should certainly check this out.

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For a moment there I was hesitant whether I should express my feelings frankly or filter them for the sake of diplomacy and respect for those who liked it. In the end, I decided for complete honesty, and for this I apologize in advance.

What an utterly stupid movie.
The premises are interesting enough: two "love swindlers" meet, and their carefully planned arts of seduction are put to the test by the experience of the other. Up to this point, everything's fine: two very good looking people are thrown into some funny situations, keeping the viewer entertained for the duration of… a quarter of an hour.
After that, all the inconsistency of this plot come to the surface. This should be a romantic comedy, but where is the romance? Unless we are to think that beauty were the one and only prerogative to love and be loved, there is absolutely nothing likable about those two. They are cynical, spoiled, prejudiced and irritating. If you expect a character development, a little something to make you empathise with one of them or both, you'll be disappointed. There is no characterization whatsoever here: why are these two disillusioned? No idea. Are they going to change, feel deeper, be taught some valuable lesson by the encounter? No.
All we see is 2 handsome people displaying all their weapons, from beginning to end. The point of a romantic comedy is to satisfy the comedic and the romance. In this movie, the comedic is repetitive and the romance non existent, since who cares about two bad people who stay bad?

I suppose the acting saves the day. Son Ye Jin is unusually feisty and plays her role very well, given the little material she was given to work with. This was my first time watching Song Il Gook on screen, but I know he's played serious roles before, so I guess he did a good job too in portraying a funnier character. Since there is no true soul in this movie though, I can't imagine they had to work hard on identifying with their characters.

Music… can't remember, I'm afraid.

No way I'm ever going to rewatch this movie, I'd rather have my foot be hit with a hammer.

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IT ENDED TOO SOON. I usually think that the allotted time for most dramas is appropriate, but in this case, it ended too soon. I thought the story was too good to be told only in 11 episodes. Buzzer Beat is a drama that deserved to have more too it. It needed more time, so the audience could see the characters develop better, and see the romance between the two leads progress slower. The acting was great. I really loved the acting. Yamapi is already one of my favorite actors, so of course, immediately, because of him, the acting was going to be great. I have only seen the lead actress in Paradise Kiss, and didn't care for her character all that much in the movie, but after seeing Buzzer Beat, I am truly impressed with her acting ability. I loved her character, and especially the character that's Riko's best friend. The theme song had a great melody, beat,rhythm, and was really catchy, except, I didn't care for the singing at all. I didn't think that the singer's voice fit in well with the concept of the drama. I would rewatch this drama, because it was just too good! Overall, I give it an 8. It scores an 8 because I didn't think there was enough time to develop the character's and relationship between the two leads to the point it should have been.

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I can't believe I've fallen in love with yet another drama about a girl disguised as a boy. I saw all the good reviews, but still expected it to be another wannabe coffee prince, or the korean version of Yentl. I also expected to be bored by a historical drama with a predictable/cliché storyline, but instead I was hooked from the very first episode.

What makes this drama so great, from the very beginning, is the four lead characters. As much as i loved the romance in Sungkyunkwan Scandal (including what's now one of my favorite k-drama kiss scenes), I still loved the bromance between all four main characters more. Yoo Ah In as the impetuous rebel Moon Jae Shin, Micky Yoochun as the logic driven bookworm Lee Sun Joon, Park Min Young as the inspiringly ambitious "Kim Yoon Shik", and (my favorite) Song Jung Ki as the playfully manipulative Goo Yong Ha, are each outstanding in their role, and have amazing chemistry with each other. There were even times when the chemistry between Moon Jae Shin & Goo Yong Ha rivaled the main couple.

I also have to give a special mention to Kim Min Seo as Cho Sun, who was my favorite supporting character, and played her part expertly. It was really refreshing to see two strong female characters, especially since the story revolves around an all boys school. This is now among my favorite all time dramas, mainly because of the cast. I loved them so much, I was tempted to rewatch the entire drama right after I finished it.

One small criticism I have is that the political part of the plot was sometimes hard for me to follow, since korean history is completely (and literally) foreign to me. This is not really a fault of the drama, but it did stop me from personally seeing this as a perfect 10. It became much easier for me to follow the noron/soron conflicts after a while, but I could still enjoy the drama without being 100% clear. There's a good amount of action, and mystery, which keeps the political plot entertaining.

Another criticism is, as much as I liked the endings for the 4 main characters, there were still unanswered questions, and some supporting characters that deserved better endings.

Overall, there was much more to praise than criticize. I can definitely see myself rewatching this multiple times, even if it's just to see Goo Yong Ha spin. I know there are many dramas with similar plots, but a drama that's entertaining from the 1st to the last episode is rare. I recommend Sungkyunkwan Scandal as one of those rare dramas.

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I decided to watch Cain and Abel because the premise sounded interesting and I'm a new fan of Han Ji Min. I also wanted to see what all the fuss about So Ji Sub was…

Story- Very intense throughout. I liked not exactly knowing what was going to happen next. I liked that it took place in different settings. It helped to keep the story fresh and watchable till the end. The episodes have a good pace. The wea point of the story would be the romance. It was kind of not believable at certain times just because Cho In was so obsessed with the first gf for a long time. Solid ending.

Acting/cast- Solid acting by the 4 leads. So Ji Sub was very good at playing both the Dr. and Young Ji’s fake cousin. He pulled off the two different characters well. Now even though the acting was top notch, I just could not get invested in the characters. First, I was turned off by So Ji Sub’s character in the beginning. His decision to date his older brother's love just because he had been gone a while, just didn’t sit right with me. Now as odd as it sounds, I actually was rooting for the villain Sun Woo. Yes he did unforgivable things but I kind of understood where he was coming from. I was rooting for him to see the light and be reunited with Seo Yeon. Ha Ji Min’s character was sooo annoying. Not only was her North Korean accent she had throughout annoying but also her actions just made her character not likeable. She also asks too many questions! Let’s just say it was really hard to root for her. I liked the supporting cast. The villains were villainy and the side Dr. couple was funny/cute.

Music- it fit the scenes but I didn’t really like it.

Rewatch- I don’t think I’ll be watching this again but it is rewatchable.

Overall, on the surface Cain and Abel is a high quality drama but I just didn’t get that feeling you get by the end when you really enjoyed a drama and are sad to see it end.

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As a fan of the first season, I had high hopes for this drama.

To start out, I really enjoyed the first few episodes. I would start to lose interest, and the writers would lure me back in with love triangle(s) and the like. However, I have some real bones to pick...

I feel like this drama was about 4 episodes too long. The plot line started to get really diluted, and I couldn't even keep track of what was happening. Early in the drama, it was obvious that there were 4 main characters. I wish that they wouldn't have wasted the viewers time with the others (I realize this won't be a popular opinion). Frankly, I didn't care for the secondary cast (especially the teachers--minus the guidance counselor). In saying this, I just wanted the 4 mains to be fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about Lian and JB.

I didn't know who to root for concerning the JB-HyeSung-YooJin triangle. I could see Lian's frustration. Yeah, Lian was a nasty jerk-- But at least she wasn't annoying. I thought JB and HyeSung were cute, but then I felt bad for YooJin. I don't know, I just feel as though I'm ranting.

I just felt that certain story lines were really muted. The ending felt really rushed, and didn't make a lot of sense. I stuck with this drama because every time I felt like dropping it, they would give me a little ray of hope. I'm very confused by the ending. And disappointed.

:P

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