Reviews

So , okay . Well , when this first came out I was like eh .. I'll watch it because it seems interesting . Well . The first couple of episodes were a KILLER . They were GREAT ! But then as it progressed I felt like the acting got a little worse and the storyline really just faded .

I felt like .. There really WAS no storyline as the drama progressed . I never actually KNEW what the storyline was . I thought it was about bringing the school back it's popularity and fame . But it turns out to be something TOTALLY different ...

I thought the music was great it was really nice and the voices are beautiful.

I probably wouldn't watch it again , like i said the acting wasn't all that good and i feel like the storyline just FADED .

Overall I give it a 6. Storyline is a little iffy and acting is not that good . The only reason why some people are still watching it is because of new IDOLS and Idols . So yeah . But I do recommend for the music(;

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If you want to watch this because of the six pack of bachelors, DON'T! This story centers around the crazy mom. Seriously, she gets more screen time than the main characters. I have to admit that I usually have a problem with the parents in the series, but this is ridiculous. Those who have watched Secret Garden knows that mommy dearest is pretty horrible in that one. Well, This one is fifty times worse, at least. The writers ruin the entire series because they make her such a large role. It could have been SO much better, but no...
I don't know what else to say.
Basicly the writing was bad, and some of the cast wasn't great either. Hence, a messy story, overall mediocre acting, annoying music and just overall boring. And then you have he evil monster (mother) who carries the entire plot, not the six good looking guys, the guy or the girl. Seriously, the mother is a HUGE issue.
And when it takes me 15 minutes to watch an episode of this, it also means that it's rather boring.
Just don't watch this. Don't.

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WOW! All I can really say is that the storyline is amazing. The whole idea of forbidden love is a very intriguing aspect probably since it is not so common and is quite controversial. I thought that story had so much to give and teach; how love conquers all, and living your life the way you want. It seemed to me that all through the drama there were many political points. There wasn't mention of politics at all, but the way things are played out or some of the lines said take a true political turn, which I thought made Majo no Jouken even more fascinating. I did like the actors, but I didn't like them together. I didn't see any chemistry between the two leads at all, which is so frustrating since this drama deserved the best in all aspects, including the acting. The acting was great, it was just that I couldn't imagine the two leads together at all. The music was great, although it was only one song,I never got tired of the song, and still find that I want to listen to other than while watching the drama. I would definitely rewatch this drama. It was amazing, and such a sad but sweet story. Great drama, and totally worth watching. No one could finish this drama not being touched.

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One Missed Call 2 is the 2nd edition to the original One Missed Call series. In the original version the character Yumi Nakamura was played by Kou Shibasaki, Here in this direct sequel to the first movie Kogure Mimura starrs as the main girl Kyoko Okudera who gets the call. I'll be writing a spoilerless review.

Kyoko Okudera is a young female with an occupation as a grade-school teacher. Her life is proceeding just like anyone elses, Until the strange event takes place. This event, The one who would change her future as she knew it then. As she herself is a bookworm and a person who spends most of her time studying to make it better, Her friends drags her out for one night by using the argument you never have any fun. A death takes place in this night suppossed to be nothing but innocent fun. the death of a close friend of her's relative.
Upon this event happening it doesn't take to long before the call forwarded to her own phone. A Call to her phone, from her own number with a ringtone she never choose herself.
Not to mention, This tone.. It sounds like something she has heard before in the past. After lots of thought she comes to remember where she heard it and how this urban legend takes place. The first victim to survive this curse, Nakamura Yumi.. She's dissapeared without a trace.
One Missed Call 2 is a story filled with horror aswell as tears, as Kyoko finds out who she really can trust in life. Maybe her true love, Was right by her side all along?..

The music in the series was great, The score was dramatic and good.. And the original soundtrack had songs filled with theme-songs who fit the series. This series is the original sequel to the original 1st movie. You'll need to have seen the first movie to be able to understand everything here..

If you are into horror movies, this movie is a mustwatch. However, It includes romance aswell so if you are a fan of romantic stories this movie is also a mustwatch... This story about the life of young Kyoko, will make you appreciate what you have in life.

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Okay, some of you may disagree with me on this, but there were some down sides. I really liked this drama because
1) It left me with a good feeling at the end. You know how at the end of some dramas you're still kind of 'wtf just happened, how did it end like this' feeling? Well, TMTETS did a good job of completing the whole story
2) The actors were outstanding in how they acted and their reactions to the things that were done. Even though I hated the queen, I still felt sorry for her since her father, or no one, loved her at all.
3) Even though they aired two episodes in one week, their cliff hangers at the end of every Thursday episode was the worst to wait for. Especially when something REALLY exciting happened, it just turned out to be the Thursday episode. And the solution was a week away, leaving viewers to hold their breath until the next one airs.

However, some things I didn't particularly like were things like
1) The casting. I know they all did a good job, but I wanted a more suitable couple pairing. I just keep on remembering how when they first turned into adults and they showed the 'grown-up' version of everybody, the brother didn't look like how I imagined him to be and they were kind of off on some other things too. Like she looked a bit too old for him even though they were the same age, etc. But I'm not saying they weren't great, I'm just saying that the casting could've been better. The actors and actresses themselves were outstanding, but some things could have been changed.
2) The dramatic irony is unbearable for the viewers! I mean, there were so many times that the characters could've just done one thing to solve all the problems that would come, but nooo they had to, HAD TO do it the harder way and keep secrets and cause all of these problems. Sometimes, there were times when I even started cursing at my computer screen because they were being so dumb; not to mention the considerable acts of violence that have befallen on my laptop because of it. -__-"

In all, there were more good things then bad for this drama, but it was all worth watching! Have fun and don't break too many things while you wait for the plot to unfold. I like complete and happy endings that make sense, so if you're like that too, it won't disappoint. ;D

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First off, I felt the story was an interesting one, but it wasn't too good. The only time the story got good was during the last few episodes, which I believe should have either been the whole premise of the story, or was a bit more drawn out. The writing for the drama was pretty bad. There were overly drawn out monologues, and really cheesy lines. I thought that the acting was really mediocre, which wouldn't make since for Rainie and Mike He. I didn't like either of their characters, and their acting for those characters wasn't good at all. I felt like Mike He's character was just whining all the time, and Rainie's character just seemed unstable. I love the music, which was done by Kingone, and Rainie. The theme song was super catchy, and even though I didn't like Rainie's song, I found that I was humming along to it. I wouldn't rewatch this drama, because I was sitting there waiting for it to be over. Overall, I give it a 6. It's not a drama that is a must watch, but it's not too bad. It's something that's not bad to watch if you are really bored.

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My Mini Back-story:

I was on Korean/Asian drama hiatus for about a year, until I came across The Moon that Embraces the Sun (TMTETS). Initially, Han Ga In drew me to watch the drama. I wasn't extremely familiar with the rest of casts, but they were definitely eye-candies. As I began to watch, I was drawn back to Korean’s nostalgic mellow land. Thank you TMTETS (for that much)!

Storyline:

To be honest, I started with episode 7. I usually do this when I’m unsure about Korean dramas. I was also curious to see the how the older actors looked like, especially Han Ga In. I haven’t seen her in such a long time! Not only were /are the older cast spectacularly gorgeous looking, but the storyline piqued my interest. Hence, I decided to give this series a try by going back to episode 1. I thought to myself that TMTETS might very well be the drama to call me back to my Korean-obsession-mode.

I’ll just go right ahead and dive into my mixed feelings (mostly negative, but I have my reasons!) about the plotline/story/characters.

a) Too many unnecessary flashbacks at the beginning. I’m typing about the repetitive flashbacks from the young versions of the characters. After what happened to the female protagonist, they had to show flashbacks of most, if not every, single character in relation to her. I mean, we literally saw those scenes a couple of episodes ago. We get the point.

b) Pacing was all over the place. Episode 10 (or so) up till the female protagonist’s realization was extremely draggy. Other important supporting characters could have been further developed within those episodes. Instead, we get fillers. On the other hand, a lot of parts were skimmed over too quickly, especially the ending. I thought the first half of the drama had a better pace.

c) Let-down cliffhangers. They make it seem like something extravagant will happen in the subsequent episode, but most of the time they are a let-down. Nothing big happens.

d) Lots of major/minor inconsistencies in terms of plots/characters. I believe at some late point, they finally realized that they’re on a time constraint; hence, they try to cram. The sad part - they combine unnecessary scenes that stray away from the core conflict. So they end up discarding/disregarding important scenes that should have been there instead! Whatever happened to Hwon’s illness? Whatever happened to the King’s mother? Did anyone find out about Granny? Those are just a few.

e) Nice incorporation of humor. I extremely loved the eunuch and his smile - haha. The eunuch and The King/Hwon really complemented each other whenever they appeared together. They never failed to impress me from episode 1 all the way to episode 20.

f) Semi-pathos driven. There were a lot of scenes that were required to be executed properly in order to sway/move the audience with the correct stroke of chord. In replacement, we have to overbear (endless) crying scenes that don't move us as much as it should have. I’m specifically typing about the last two episodes (perhaps because it’s still somewhat fresh in my mind). Nonetheless, there were moments of strong emotions coming from less important characters. I was deeply touched by the Princess’s riveting scenes (despite many people hate her).

g) Story that focuses on romance, yet lacks chemistry? Yes, bash me all you want. I still can’t feel the energy/sparks between our OTP till the very end. I honestly had a stronger connection with the two younger characters/actors. I even thought Yang Myung matched more with Wol at some point.

h) Unpredictability at its worst. The ending totally threw me even further away from the bell-curve. The twists and deaths that occurred to people seemed very random and out of place for me. There was no mention/reasoning as to why those had to happen. There were more ways/logical reasons as to why they could have avoided them altogether.

i) Illogical actions/plot. That’s correct. I’m thinking about the ending. I know that a lot of Korean dramas tend to butcher their endings, but this was just not acceptable.

j) Family relationships – meh? Originally, there were a lot of ties between different characters that started off interesting. I was waiting for it to blossom over time (would have been heartfelt), but instead, the relationships dispersed even more over time. Some characters should have reunited A LONG TIME AGO.

k) Love conquers? Not when so many people have to die for that. C’mon! The King functions only for love. After Yeon Woo came back, he completely disregards the well-being of his citizens. At first, he looked like he was going to make huge improvements.

l) Plot a little too simple. The “bad guys” were let off the hook too easily. I actually felt like the writers degraded our intelligence. I don’t care what I’m watching, but I can’t stand when writers throw things at us and expect us to accept them blindly.

m) Weak friendship build-up/crumble. I wish they went more in-depth with the F4. Though, that’s not one of my major concerns.

I’ll just stop here, since my review is already too long and I haven’t even gotten to the other parts/sections yet. I know that some of these are really nitpicky, but if you think about it… the cons outweighs the pros and it surely adds up. It could have been a mind-blowing/smart story because TMTETS had all the correct elements to begin with. The storyline/premise originally had love, vengeance, family, friendship, honor, interesting lot of characters, great tension, and so on…

Side note: The last half of the series feels completely different from the first half. They feel like two different dramas.

Acting/Cast:

Wow! What a huge/great cast ensemble.

Let me just start off by saying that the children actors were awesome! I actually preferred their story than the latter half.

Like I typed, I was originally drawn to this because of Han Ga In. I know that she’s not the best/good actress, but she was never too shabby. Her beautiful/striking looks somewhat compensates for it as well. Anyway, I just liked her presence/demeanor. I don’t know how to describe it. However, I cannot pardon her in TMTETS. Despite how much I like her (she’s one of my favorites); I cannot turn a blind-eye and type she did fine. No, she didn’t act horribly in TMTETS, but it was bad enough. I’m sure people are sick of seeing my username and me referencing to Han Ga In’s lifeless performance, but I’m going to have to spill it over here as well. If it bothers you too much, skip this part because I’m not sugarcoating anything.

Han Ga In who plays as Wol/Yeon Woo made me bored, and that’s a bad start since she’s supposed to be the main female star of the show. Her monotone voice doesn’t help either. In fact, it adds to her emotionless/expressionless facial expressions. She has beautiful/round eyes, yet she cannot convey any sort of emotion through them. If I was to look at her with no subtitles, I would have no clue what on Earth she was feeling or what her character wants at particular times. I can never tell when she’s truly happy or sad. I have no clue if her character is supposed to be submissive looking all the time, but I remembered she was once a strong/intellectual/willful young lady. Whatever happened to that?

Kim Soo Hyun who plays as The King/Hwon was one of the factor that partially saved the show. He’s the one that shined the most IMO. And no, I’m not bias because I never knew who he was nor was/am I a crazy fan-girl. I just thought he stood out the most, in terms of posture/acting. His acting skills/maturity is beyond his years. He’s actually a lot better at conveying his emotions compared to other older actors in the business. Kim Soo Hyun has a wide range of emotion. Some of his crying/yelling scenes amplified the whole tone for me. Sadly, his character was also a let-down. I’m not talking about the romantic parts because he has certainly tried his best (from the looks of it). I guess it is awkward to act intimate with an older and married woman – haha. I didn’t feel the reciprocated connection from Han Ga In, so the chemistry wasn’t there. I mean, no matter how romantic tries to be, if she’s not going to respond then there’s a problem for our OTP. Aside from Hwon/the King’s romantic side, I thought he would be able to do something more meaningful, but he only thinks of Wol. Is it just me or the whole world revolves are the Moon? All the characters’ world/existence seems to revolve around Wol/Yeon Woo… which brings me to my next character…

Jung Il Woo who plays as Yang Myung was kind of annoying. I didn’t find he was too annoying, since Jung Il Woo played that role nicely. Though, if another (bad) actor were to take his place, I would have second thoughts. The ending just totally butchered his character for me because of the decision he took. Originally, his character starts off as a troubled/rebel, but later strays far away from that. Once upon a time he was interesting! Yang Myung only follows Wol/Yeon Woo blindly later on that he has absolutely no other purpose other than that. So then there’s the whole love triangle. I would have preferred if Yang Myung was more focused on rekindling his bromance with Hwon. It’s just too bad that they never fully developed it. Instead, his character gets to mop around and stare at the moon once in awhile to reminisce about Wol.

Why does everyone stare into the moon once in awhile and think of Wol? They all seem to do the same pattern. Anyway, the supporting characters such as Seol, Mother Shaman, Yeom, Janshil, Woon, the Princess and the Queen were never fully developed either. It seemed like the writers just built a skeleton of their characters and fooled us into the paths they’ll explore in the future, but obviously they’re never touched upon. They made a huge emphasis on the F4, but decided not to expand on the matter. Seol and Janshil didn’t even get to have a story of their own nor did they get individuality. Yeom was also a very smart character, at least when he was younger. It seems like that (Yeon Woo’s) whole family has been regressing instead of progressing. And Mother Shaman had absolutely zero purpose, aside from hiding the truth all these years. Everything could have been resolved sooner, but no, she had to hide all of this. I think the outcome would have been the same if she had revealed everything sooner. Anyway, the only character that stayed consistent was the Princess. A lot of people seem to dislike her, but I thought she was one of the better characters along with the Queen. Nam Bo Ra and Kim Min Seo did a phenomenal job at portraying their characters. They deserve two thumbs up. There was so much more depth/range of emotion compared to Han Ga In.

Now onto the “bad guys”… they initially looked all bada**, but later on they did nothing. Absolutely nothing. The writers make them seem like they’re really conniving/evil/strong, but apparently they’re just plain stupid. If you’ve seen the last few episodes, you’ll know what I mean. It’s such a let-down that they’re not on par with the “good guys”. It’s always more exciting to see a tug-of-war.

Music:

Awesome music scores! The ballads truly touched my heart. In fact, some of the songs are still haunting me. I especially loved the new addition to the OST. It’s called “Only You, One Person”, specially sang by none other than Kim Soo Hyun himself. It’s always a nice bonus to have one of the actors singing a soundtrack for a particular work they are in. It adds another level of emotional impact/love for the drama. I didn’t even recognize his voice at first because the man/guy sounded like a professional. He has such a warm/soothing voice. Kudos to him! It’s so unfortunate that they never even played it once.

In fact, their songs are extremely underused. The only two vocal songs that we hear from time to time are “Back in Time” by Lyn and “Under the Moonlight” by Heora. I wouldn’t have known about the rest of the amazing soundtracks if it weren’t for youtube.

“Back in Time” is such an enchanting and melancholic song. When it played, it matched the mood/tone of the scene. Though, I wished they would mix around with their songs and gave others a chance in the latter half of the drama. The other songs only seem to appear in the credits.

As you can tell, my three favorite songs are “Only You, One Person”, “Back in Time” and “Only You, One Person”.

TMTETS had a variety of songs to choose from, yet they decide to undermine them in the desert instead.

Bonus:

The clothing/hanboks are extremely beautiful. It very well complemented the already good-looking casts. I especially loved the Queen and Yeon Woo’s outfits. All their outfits have contrasting colors which makes them stand out even more.

The scenery were very vivid. Loved the colors pop-out. I also liked the areas that were shot in the palace (wasn’t almost the entire series shot there anyway?). Though, I wished they shot the outside a little more often.

Honestly, the outer appearance of this drama can be your one excuse to watch this drama. The cinematography is so nice. It makes you feel mellow – haha.

Overall:

It’s not a horrible drama, but it’s definitely not one that I will immediately go around to recommend to others. If people want to watch a “real” historical drama, then don’t even bother with this. TMTETS is the very definition of “fluff”, compared to its other sageuk competitors. There are many historical elements in it, but they’re not executed properly.

Want to watch something of proper sageuk standard? Try Jumong, Queen Seon Duk or The Princess’s Man. I admit they are different in terms of genre. And yes, maybe they’re a little too raw compared to TMTETS, but even Dong Yi and Yi San are better off.

I might/try (to) understand why people are emotionally driven by TMTETS. Don’t get me wrong, some parts were very endearing, but looking at it from the whole scope… not so much. I didn’t even get time to feel invested in these characters. In fact, some characters took up too much time, yet wasn’t able to sway/move me. So how can I feel emotional over these characters’ problems/deaths? If someone gave me a synopsis of this drama, I would surely find that it sounds so epic/bittersweet. It’s true, the overall story is epic, but when you’re watching it (especially the latter half)… not so much. Some parts feel very separated and unattached to each other. There are moments of sheer brilliance, but they often crush your hopes when you’re expecting the series to turn around and go uphill.

So beside those factors, if you’re not used to sageuks give TMTETS a try (I don’t consider Sungkyunkwan Scandal a historical one, but I enjoyed that one a lot more). It might blow your mind away like it did to many others.

Too bad the good aspects of this drama could not overshadow the rest.

No way will I marathon this. It will remind me how I was originally invested in these beloved characters, but only to be disappointed by their short outcomes. I might watch some particular scenes, but never will I watch the entire unorganized drama again.


Overall rating for review: 5.5/10

Purely for entertainment: 6.5/10

My Dramalist rating (avg): 6/10

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I gave this a nine not because of the story, not because of the acting, but because I felt that something was missing. This drama gets to the point where it City Hunter Badass then just takes it down a notch, imo. I loved everything about this drama - the actors & actresses were flawless and completely awesome at portraying their emotions, and let's not forget Kim SooHyun and Il Jung Woo. Soo Hyun does such a great job in this drama and I can't look at him and connect him to Dream High anymore. It gets pretty tragic, but in the end it seems like everything pays off. I was cuddled up in my bed sobbing about this drama being over. What am I going to do now? If you don't watch this, you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

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Well, this drama is one of the best mysteries you can ever watch! every time you think you know who the suspect is, you end up having doubts about someone else instead. until the last moment you never really know who it may be! I have go to say my most favourite character has got to be Jung Ha Yoon, others may not agree but that is just my opinion (if I say why it will only lead to spoilers).

The only reason I gave the story line a 9/10 was because even in the second series their backgrounds, or any type of mystery cases were not related to the characters in any way(apart from the main character which kind of got annoying after a while, but then again that is just my personal opinion). BUT watch the drama I definitely recommend it,even when I was creeped out/scared the most I still wanted to carry on watching because it was soo interesting and captivating.

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First, I tried to be objective here.. This is the first saeguk drama that I liked.. I've tried Hwang Jin Yi, Dong Yi, Queen Seon Deok, and most of them have like over 40s episodes.. I don't really like long-term drama, and so, I don't like most saeguk dramas..

But Moon Embraces the Sun is different.. It only has 20 episodes, and I think it's fair.. Well, I have to admit that the first reason I watch this is because of the casts.. But I end up hooked till the end..

Story: It's kinda different with other saeguk dramas.. It's not just a historical drama, but it is a fantasy and historical drama. I was relieved that the PD decided not to extend to 24 episodes. 20 episodes is perfect for me. The story ended smoothly.. Nothing was rushed, nothing was dragged.. Even though, the ending was kinda sad for me (and bloody).

Acting/Cast: All of the main role did a GREAT job.. Especially for Han Ga In & Kim Soo Hyun. Jung Il Woo was lacking at start, but he got better as the time goes by. But the adult Yeom & Princess Min Hwa don't give the same feeling as the child actor.. That's why I cannot give 10 for the score. But, actually all of them really did great job, especially for their heartbreaking crying scenes.

Music: Moon Embraces the Sun have the best OST so far.. It was proved when some of their soundtrack made it to the top billboard.. Some of them are PERFECT to build the mood, but some of them are just complementary..

Rewatch Value: this is barely because I usually don't rewatch my dramas..

Overall, this is a masterpiece. Best saeguk drama I watched so far. I looked forward for each episodes. And I do think this drama deserve those title "National Drama". Congratulations The Moon Embraces The Sun for preserve those title till the last episodes :)

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The Blue Flame, aka The Blue Light is a movie starring Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari in the main role as the young boy named Shuichi Kushimori who himself has taken on the task of protecting his family against his abusive stepfather.. Shuichi Kushimori goes through a lots of lifequestioning trials withinn this movie. I'll be writing a spoilerless review.

Curled up withinn his room he is living life wondering what he should do about Sone, His abusive stepfather. Shuichi lives his life in school and in public like any other high-schooler would, But in reality his life is far from that of a normal student. His memories doesn't reach beyond a few years back without the real reason for this really being known by him, And his mother is uncapable of letting go of her abusive x-husband. He decides to take on the trial of getting rid of Sone himself. What started as nothing but a selfish wish to protect his family and himself, Will eventually turn out to be the downfall of Shuichi. From here on starts a story about Love, Hate, Cruelty and Selftorture you'd never be able to see coming. Love can be too cruel, If you do something who you'd think was for the better of your family, Reality always has a way of catching up to you in some ways.

The soundtrack for this movie was pretty good.. The instrumental melodies in the shows score made you want to cry at some points, Aswell as the songs from the original soundtrack fit into the story.

In overall I don't think I have anything to complain about regarding this movie. It is doubtlessly a movie everyone should watch as it gives you a new perspective on life itself.

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Never a dull moment in this drama! I have never been a fan of historical dramas but after watching this drama, I am beginning to like them. The story line is amazing! With betrayal, love, friends, death. The story just flowed I was never bored at all! As for the cast and acting, I was shocked, I was amazed at how well the children actors acted it was realistic. The adult actors were good as well, they were able to convey their emotions well. I'm not going to lie but there were times that I actually cried,which does not happen a lot. I guess it might be due to the story line, the actors and of course the MUSIC! Every drama I watch the two things that ALWAYS catch my attention is the actors (how well they can act and how they look :P ) and music (If the music isn't good then I won't watch it). I would totally re-watch this drama again and again. I am amazed at how this drama stole my heart, when I watched the first episode I was sort of iffy but, as the story progressed I go into and before I knew it I was cheering alongside the main actors. Overall, this drama is rated 10!

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