Story- The 2nd episode shocked me to the core. I thought it was genius the way they handled Lee Min Ki’s cameo exit. This sets up the rest of the series. After that unpredictable beginning the rest is pretty much predictable. Basically the rest of the plot is how Eye Candy goes from being an outcast to being famous. Then we get to see their downfall and how they all succeed in their own way. I thought the way they wrote the romance was very appropriate for high school. It was sweet and innocent but still had some drama in there like young love does. The ending was not a disappointment.
Acting/Cast- I just want to say I was pretty impressed with the young cast. Sung Joon played his role so perfectly. It was like he was a real person and not a character. I loved the entire cast. They just meshed well together and the band felt like they were real longtime friends who enjoyed playing music.
Music- loved the score. The OST is amazing! I play the songs over and over again and I will be listening to it for a longtime to come.
Rewatch- The story itself wasn’t anything I really have to see again but I loved the cast and OST so much I would watch this again once a year.
Overall Flower Boy Band has an unforgettable beginning, awesome cast, and amazing OST which makes for a memorable watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'd probably get flak for this later but what the hell, I couldn't find a review that captured the kind of emotion I have for this drama.Have you ever found a drama that got sooo much attention and praise not to mention the love of 40% of the whole viewership in Korea that you start to get all skeptical and say to yourself: "Well, drama, let's see the stuff that you're made of!"
The Moon Embracing the Sun is an adaptation of Haereul Poomeun Dal, a fiction novel set in the Joseon era written by the same writer of the novel The Lives of the Sungkyunkwan Confucian Scholars that was also adapted into a drama--Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
But that's where the similarity ends. While SKKS is a solid rom-com, TMEtS is a...drama-slash-horror-slash-romance with some attempts at comic relief...
Story - I am giving this a 9 mainly because I think the over-all pace could have been faster or the attention could have spanned more to supporting characters for their development and cohesion with the progress of the main story.
Instead, it gravitated heavily on Yeon Woo and her story and left little time for other things to develop.
If you're used to the grander way they plot the scheme of things in historicals, then you might find The Moon Embracing the Sun falling short of such expectations. However if you'e got commitment issues like me, packing it all in 20 episodes is fine. In this case though, an additional 4 would have been better if only I get to see some side-developments for the supporting cast.
Everthing was in place for the ending. It tied up loose ends and gave us closure to all conflicts--even if those closure weren't exactly how we liked it to be. I am not in the least way surprised how it ended in a bloodbath since it was all predicted before but I was rather taken aback when one particular character had to die.
I spent two days asking myself why, trying to find the rationale behind it. The feeling, it was something akin to seeing innocent children charging off to battle and then realizing it's not all fun and games...(Let's call this character K.)It made me realize how deprived this character was of a healthy, normal upbringing, where K showed gratitude by fending for K's loved ones--selflessly, without thinking that no one is there to fend for K's self. T_T
Acting/Cast - is a 9. I think anybody who has seen the drama would agree that the teen cast did a terrific job introducing their adult counterparts. So much so that when the drama jumped forward, we were missing them so badly.
So kudos to all of TMEtS' teen cast! They were the pace-setter, the base of emotions that the adults needed to draw from. Yeo Jin Goo, Kim Yoo Jung and Lee Min Ho (1993), I will never forget this trio!
There were a few notable performances from its supporting cast:
Jeon Mi Seon - as godmother/head shaman
Jung Eun Pyo - as the King's reliable eunuch and confidante
Yang Mi Kyung - as Lady Heo, Yeon Woo's mother
Jang Young Nam's role as Ahri was short-lived but it had a very strong impact and it was memorable
Lots of could-have-beens for Song Jae Rim and Yoon Seung Ah. I kept on waiting for epic swordfights, I swear. If you have two characters who are supposed to have exceptional skills in swordsmanship, well you could have shown some more serious action...or interaction between them. [POTENTIAL SPOILER/SKIP THIS BRACKETED PART: Honestly, instead of using an investigator to uncover the mystery, they could have incorporated these two in a developing side-romance while on this mission.]
There were times when I wasn't sold on Nam Bora's Min Hwa, maybe because she doesn't know what a real mother feels like (I mean she's young and single after all) that she couldn't emulate it properly but the part where Min Hwa proved her selfishness was actually one moment where she shone--and where I strongly disliked her character!
Kim Min Seo was good in this one as the queen at her wits' end (although I liked her better in SKKS as the bad-ass Chosun) though after two episodes seeing her act that way was tiring.
Kim Soo Hyun gave a unique portrayal as the King, although I must say Jin Goo's amazing take on Lee Hwon was unforgettable.
Yang Myung gun was probably the character who had the smoothest transition. They had similar vibes and gestures. Yes, I know it's not Jung Il Woo's best character but to me he still shone no matter how big or small his role was.
Aigoo, this is gonna be doubly long if I have to discuss Han Ga In's Yeon Woo. I couldn't say she was an epic fail...it's just that her performance wasn't enough to evoke empathy for her character.
Music is a 10. I loved those string instrumentals, they can really get you in the mood.
Rewatch value - 8. Only because I really don't like rewatching tragedies.
At the overall, TMEtS maintains a high 9. I would have added a .5 for costume and choreography.
Thanks for reading my looooong review! Now go watch it!
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Acting: It was just OK (though some were less than OK), but to be honest I had hoped that Kang Sora would do a better job since she was one the actresses in the group. I did like JinWoon, he did better than I had thought he would and I, also, liked Jung Yeon Joo's character and her portrayal of it.
Music: The music was great. For me, it was the best part of the drama. I loved the performances and the preparation scenes which took place before them. I also liked the "non-competition" music scenes.
Re-watch: I do no plan to re-watch this drama since I found it lacked a lot and I can just search for the clips involving the music parts, which is the reason why I even rated it a 5.
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The drama did lack some emotional aspect overall. There weren't moments where I honestly laughed at or any moments that made me cry. There were so many twists and turns and at many times it was very confusing to know where the story was going, especially the love lines. I think that the writers focused more on the love lines that aspect of "dreaming" wasn't really there. There were so many different conflicts that were bunched up together in such a short drama that in the end things were resolved too quickly or not even resolved at all. I don't want to continue because I feel as if I would spoil so man things.
Overall it was okay for me. Sure I expected more from the drama because the storyline itself didn’t tie together all of the ideas and aspects that were thrown at us at the beginning or in the early promotions of the drama. The acting in the drama was what really made me watch and continue to watch until the end. They were very good at portraying each character. Although many of them were new, they worked hard and with each episode they improved.
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The best thing about this drama are the characters. The cast makes this drama. Now everybody did not have the best acting skills but this did not matter to me. The drama's story and the chemistry between the cast was still great. The boys are great. You end up bonding with them. The chemistry with the boys is perfect to me. I loved watching them together on screen. I usually root for romance but the bromance was adorable and raw. These boys had my heart from the very beginning. I just loved those moments between them. I love Su Ah's character and I have to say I was quite surprised by her. I was excepting her to be weak but she proved me wrong.
The next best thing about this drama is the story line. I was excepting a typical drama about music. A group of hot boys make it big and debut. I was so wrong. This drama is more than just music. This drama is about friendship and coming of age. As I stated before the bromance is what makes this drama. Their friendship had me from the first episode. I like how SUFBB did not just focus on their music like I thought it would. I wanted to know about characters like Ji Hyuk and Hyun Soo. I wanted to know what their life is like and how all of them can really be able to remain friends. Friendship is they key word for this drama.
The music is the best. When I first heard Jaywalking I could not stop listening to it. Their music is perfect to me. Ji Hyuk's voice makes me want to smile. I love Eye Candy and wish they were actually a band.
The ending was a beast. I have watched some great dramas before. They all started off perfect in the beginning but in those last two or three episodes the writers fall off. They never know how to wrap it up quite right or they leave many questions unanswered. I thought the same would happen with this drama but they did well. Not even quite well they did GREAT. They wrapped everything up in a real raw realistic way.
Overall, I fell in love with this drama from the very first episode. The story and the cast reels you into the drama and you can't help but put your heart into it. You can't help but get close to the characters. My emotions were all over the place watching this. I love watching the boys be free and having fun. I wanted to have fun with them. The whole vibe they gave off made me love them and want to listen to them. I felt like a little fan girl for Eye Candy.
I'll finish this review by saying SHUT UP!!! and WATCH!
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It was such a good drama and I know that I keep repeating it but it just really is. One of the best dramas I've seen this year and in a long time. The drama made me rage in anger, smile widely at its cuteness, cry for hours,feel frustrated over their decisions but...tested my sense because the situation was both right and wrong. Overall the conflicts in this drama had a moral for every lesson and I for one learned a lot. I learned some valuable lessons in this drama: trust, communicate, and being there for one another.
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As you might have guessed from the title, this drama is about a highschool band and how they got famous n whatnot but the most amazing part in this plot is how they fall together and the characters are well acted.
I have to mention here the drummer, oh my god, is sooo cute! lol. They are indeed an eye candy! :D
If you haven't watched this yet, you are missing out on a very very very heartwarming drama. :)
Thats all.
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The lead characters come from a place of great trauma and carry dark shadows within them, but the feel of the drama is far from gloomy or sad. It is the beauty of the characters that they find happiness and comforts even with a background of pain.
I really liked the character graphs of Chen Ling and Qi Lou. The actors too were perfect for the roles. Every other character in the drama too is well written and real. There are no fluffy or pointless characters.
The drama handles many serious issues in our society and characters with mental instabilities/psychological problems, and it does so with great sensitivity and care.
I liked the music, because I felt it was used appropriately and enhanced the beauty of the scenes. The happy moments had a track that made you feel the happiness, whereas in the more tense scenes, the background score completely stopped, adding to the intensity.
The first half does remind you of Devil Beside You- probably because of the character of the male lead and having been shot in the same campus, but MARS is definitely more intense and on a broader canvas than DBY.
I can't think of any drama that I've as completely appreciated as MARS. It took me in completely, and I will happily re-watch it any number of times.
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Story- The first 2 episodes are entertaining and fun. However, plot wise they were a waste of space. The characters are not really introduced in the way they should be so you can get a feel for who each one is. After that you will find that once the story starts to stabilize it becomes just another predictable school drama with no substance. It really becomes just mindless watching. I didn’t like the way the romances were written and they just made the drama feel drawn out. Other than that, nothing really happens to keep your attention. The ending seemed just really lame and it made me super happy I did not waste my time and watch the rest of the episodes.
Acting/Cast- The acting wasn’t that bad actually. It wasn’t award winning or anything but everyone pretty much managed to make their characters watchable. I do have to say that I enjoyed watching both Ji Yeon and Jinwoon’s performances because they brought energy to their characters. Another thing I wanted to mention is they wrote in too many characters, which made the drama, seem all over the place at times. They should have focused on the core 6 and add in some characters here and there but I really didn’t like having to keep up with all these side characters. This time around I didn’t like most of the adult characters except for the former rocker principle and JYP’s character. My final thought on the casting is they could’ve done better.
Music- I loved DH 1’s OST so much I put it on my ipod straight away. Unfortunately I didn’t get the urge to do that this time around. Sure there were some catchy and memorable songs that fit the drama well but I only really liked 2 which doesn’t make this an OST I really have to listen to. That’s pretty disappointing considering this is a MUSIC themed drama.
Rewatch- Couldn’t finish it so Id pass on watching this again. I can just watch the frist one again.
Overall Dream High 2 tried too hard to live up to its predecessor coming in to the game with too much confidence and instead gives the audience a bitter taste and longing for the first one all the way throughout.
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So I started watching it and I was very unsure with the first 2 episodes but I continued on and found myself getting pulled in.
You get attached to the characters and it really just becomes a fun show. Lots of funny moments and sad moments but I especially loved Oska for her personality, he always made things better throughout the whole show and he was always there to cheer Ra Im up with his silly smile and laugh.
Overall I reccomend this show to anyone, it wasn't the best Kdrama I've watched but it is definitely one of the top ones for me, great ending.
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These essentials are transformed into a story about a group of young men who not only hold a dear friendship but also a deep love for music. Making it believable, the Cast did an amazing job showing a character development throughout all the 16 episodes. The performances felt very true and natural. Even for me – a foreign watcher – the motives behind every action were clear and did not feel like “the Korean way” of solving a problem. The actors are barely known (yet) and gave the show a fresh look without appearing amateurishly.
Secondly the storyline was able to combine the successful trends of the last month in international television: Musical themes, pretty boys and tension. Since the huge international success of shows like “Glee” or “Dream High” it has been a lot easier for those shows to be broadcasted. E.g. "Dream High 2", "What’s up" (although it was actually produced at the same time as Dream High it was put on hold for about a year) and "K-POP The Ultimate Audition".
Until then music was merely used as a means to the end – namely reflecting the mostly romantic emotions on screen and being a good twist to fill the episodes, as it happened in "You’re beautiful" or "Mary Stayed Out All Night". "Dream High" and "What’s up" already took a closer look to the industry itself. And while both shows did a very good job, "Shut up Flower Boy Band" puts all this to another level by adding the pure love for music itself to it.
There is also another aspect why Shut up Flower Boy Band turned out to be utterly satisfying: SUFFB got balls. It is not usual to build up a certain group dynamic and tearing it down again in order to rebuild the band, their friends and their dynamics and personal intentions. This huge risks that were taken to create a storyline far different from what might have been expected in the first episode, is the main point of why SUFFB is so unique.
Last but not least the soundtrack is a mix of powerful rocksongs and ballads and refrains itself from audio pitched pop music and gigantic performances. Instead the performances are energetic and filled with a vibrating stage presence.
Overall I enjoyed Shut up Flower Boy Band from episode 1 to 16. I liked the characters and I was able to empathise with them through their ups and downs. And I am definitely looking forward to rewatch the show again and listen to the soundtrack on repeat. Or in the words of the show itself: “Be it love or music, you just fall in love with it at first. But if that becomes real in your heart it’s insufferable afterwards, like how falling in love is easy but keeping that heart going is hard.”
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I was watching this parallel to Dream High 2, and the difference in the standards caught my eye more...
First of all, about the story. The bromance, love, friendship, family, these themes are very central in the drama, and are done perfectly. The characters are so perfectly constructed, that you'll start feeling for them after the 1st episode you watch.
The thing that amazes me in dramas like this, is that the characters are like brought to life, they became real for me, as they were not trying to be perfect, they were not perfect, and while absolutely loving every character of this drama, I could get angry with them, shout at my screen, and the next moment swoon because of cuteness, their friendship, romance...
Every episode has a story to tell, not like in some dramas, that just drag on, to get to the 16th episode... I have yet to find a scene I'd like to skip here (don't look for it :P).
I discovered several actors here, that I'm going to follow to other dramas, whatever role they take :P
First, Sung Joon, I'd seen him in Lie to Me, and impressing he was in the beginning of the series, but as the romance advanced between the leads, his character faded away, so to say honestly, when I saw him in the first episode here, I didn't know I knew him :P Though his rough voice was reminding me, I didn't catch the signals... Honestly, now I'm very much in love with his down to earth portrayal of Ji-Hyuk, I loved his caring for his friends, his shyness with Su-Ah, his mess ups as a leader, but at the same time honesty and not giving up... (I can't believe he's just 2 months older than me Y_Y)
Jo Bo-Ah, as Soo-Ah! Fantastic girl :) When I saw she's a newcomer, I automatically started searching flaws in her acting... guess what... didn't find... She did better than great, her acting sometimes reminded me of Inoue Mao's portrayal of Makino Tsukushi in Hana Yori Dango, well to think of it, her character really had similarities to Makino. Love her brave and caring character. (THANK YOU FOR NOT LEAVING!!!)
Becuse of MyungSoo (L), now I'm a fan of INFINITE :P Though sometimes he was trying to hard with his icy stare, he's a cute guy and I think he did great, his character was in the end the balance the band needed (speaking about balance...) Do-Il... I can day, this guy... we're seeing him in more dramas from now on, he's gonna become SO popular with his unusual looks (especially eyes..)
Not even going to mention Lee Min-Ki's character, oops, I did... ok... His character just glued me to this drama... an unforgettable character, like a firework, brilliant in the night, and even when it already out, it leaves an unforgettable impression...
If you think this drama is going to blow up your mind by something super new and undiscovered, you're wrong, it's actually a very old story... 'friendship or love'?
Well, guess what, the script writers did great, the main point becoming, it can be both, only you have to be honest with both parties and most importantly with yourself.
I have enjoyed every second of this drama, and can't imagine that I won't be waiting for it next Monday and Tuesday... At least I can keep the songs and rewatch the episodes, by the way, the music is also very-very good, immersing you into the boys world in the moment it starts...
I'm gonna miss Eye Candy! (who;s gonna read a review THIS long?... I had to speak up, haha~)
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