Completed
Poseidon
18 people found this review helpful
by mlh22
Jan 24, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
I would have loved to give this show a higher score, but there were just too many things that got on my nerves far too often! Choi Siwon is my favorite Korean celebrity, so he's the only reason I decided to watch the show. But there were many times I had to stop and take a break. It took me months to watch it all. Sometimes it was because things had just slowed down too much.

But mostly it was because of Lee Siyoung's character. I don't think I've ever seen such a pathetic, stupid and aggravating female lead - especially in an action drama. I remember stopping the media player on many occasions just completely overwhelmed with how annoying that character was. I mean, usually in action dramas I've seen (like Iris...which might be why I was so dissatisfied) the female lead has some spunk and is actually intelligent. But this character was so weak and just kept making absolutely idiotic decisions which could never have been made in a real life situation. I enjoy the fantasy of dramas and can take a sufficient amount of ludicrous scripting knowing it's not real. But this character would NEVER EVER exist in a real criminal investigation. Granted it was the script that did that, but Lee Siyoung comes off as a weak actress to me as well. I will avoid anything she does in the future because of this performance. She's the reason why I can't give a higher acting and overall score because that character just left a sour taste in my mouth after every single episode.

The plot was not too bad. The story was very different from what I've seen in the past. In fact, there were some really nice twists at the end too. There are also a lot of deep emotions in the story, which are expressed well enough by the actors. On a few occasions the acting was quite superb. I do recommend the show to anyone who wants to watch Choi Siwon's development as a actor; he was quite good in a number of scenes. Most of the actors were pretty good actually. Recognizing the comic relief characters early on helped me to be less judgmental of their odd performances and to enjoy them for what they were. A lot of the older male actors were quite good, especially the villains.

The timing and directing at times was unbearable. Especially in the lagging middle of the show and the last 30 minutes of the finale. A number of plot points and characters were never given the attention they deserved, or introduced just to be summarily forgotten about or never resolved in the end. But it's K-Drama, so a certain amount of that is to be expected.

There were some very memorable songs in the show though. Super Junior's Kyuhyun sings a great ballad. During the sappy "love" scenes, his voice got me through it! :)

I'd never rewatch this drama. And I'd only recommend it to die-hard K-Drama Action lovers (for the plot's uniqueness and for the quality of the villains) or for anyone who wants to really trace Choi Siwon's acting. Oh My Lady! wasn't so good...But I'm happy to say that after watching Poseidon, you can see he's got some real acting talent somewhere in him. When that talent came out on occasion, it was really surprising and enjoyable to watch.

So watch it if you planned to...but don't be too surprised when it really sucks for a while at least once an episode.

Then again, if you're a more forgiving person (especially when it comes to disappointing and annoying female leads), you'd probably quite like Poseidon!

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Completed
A Boy and His Samurai
15 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 10
This is a great movie to watch if you're feeling like you want something entertaining with a different story.

The story is something different. Even though time travel sometimes is a cliche, in this movie it isn't. That isn't the focus or the story and it develops nicely apart from that fact. All the characters had something you could relate to, and had something that you just HAD to love. Besides, the story has twist that while watching it I just kept thinking "what the heck? This wasn't supposed to happen here!", so it never gets tiring or boring.

The cast was great. Nishikido Ryo's acting was superb, specially if you have seen him acting in other stuff and you realize just how wide his acting is. The female lead and the little kid also did a great job, and the 3 of them together could create a feeling of a real family.

The music wasn't something special. It wasn't bad but it isn't something that I would download to listen to it all the time.

On the rewatch value I'll definitely watch it again soon because I liked it a lot.

So overall, a solid 9. I would've given it a 10 if it weren't for some stuff about the story that I didn't like and I won't mention here to spoil. Watch it, I think you'll like it :D

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A Moment to Remember
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This movie was simple , quirky and totally compelling. It was a simple boy meet girl then love happens kind of movie, until the moment life happens and then you find yourself suddenly crying with the lead actors. Then it takes you for a tour and you remember that the most important thing in life is that there's always hope and that no matter how alone you fell , there's never a thing such as complete abandonment.

The acting was good, the camera work was really nice too. A the time loop easy too follow.
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Completed
Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This movie is nothing for persons under the age of 18!! It is really controversial with many bloody and brutal scenes.

There are mass killings and scenes of sexual abuse.

The story is quite interesting and really dark... It is mainly an action movie which is set deep in the mafia scene of Japan.

Both protagonists have a hard life which will become even harder depending on their growing involvement with the Yakuza...

The final scene is totally crazy and adds a new genre (for the movie). I am really excited if the second part will continue this strange change of the protagonists abilities... :)

If you are a fan of brutal action movies, with gore content and a dark-crime atmosphere combinated with sexual scenes you shall consider watching it.
Everyone else shouldn't even think about watching it!!

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Completed
Paradise Farm
16 people found this review helpful
by miskat
Jan 23, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
Paradise Ranch is the one of the more obscure dramas that I enjoyed watching. I had pretty low expectations when I started watching it, but it was surprisingly amusing and touching as well.

What you might like about it
• The theme - rekindling lost love
• The love triangle/polygon situation
• The attractive male leads

What might put you off
• The charmless female lead (who is actually supposed to be charming in the story even though she’s simple)
• The setting (the ranch) though different, may not be appealing

Though the story is highly formulaic and abundant with sappiness, this show does not fail to excite. And unlike some Korean series that get intolerably boring in the middle, this one doesn’t. While I didn’t exactly love every minute of it, I didn’t really feel the need to skip episodes. The plot can sometimes be unconvincing, but I’ve already trained myself to overlook absurdities in Korean and Japanese dramas, so I am able to find delight in absence of logic.

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Completed
Autumn's Concerto
18 people found this review helpful
by iindu
Jan 23, 2012
34 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This has all the elements for melodrama, from story to character graphs. The story, along with the poster image of the couple with the cute boy is what initially interested me in the drama.

The drama delivers on the story. The characters are interesting and even those we come to dislike are shown to have a different side to them.

Through most of the series, you feel sorry for the male lead, for what he goes through. But, in a gratifying sense, when he figures it all out, his reaction and the questions he asks are the very same ones that's been running in our mind until then.
The kid is very cute and has been used to obvious advantage throughout.

Another character that leaves an impression is that of Guang Xi's mother who is antagonistic from the beginning but gets a 180degree change in character later on.

The one problem I had with this drama is that I didn't like the character of the female lead for almost all of the drama. Most of the time, Mu Cheng acted like a damsel in distress, like she needed saving from someone or something. There was some level of sincerity to the character in the first part of the drama which is lost and I couldn't recover it in the latter half. I think all the lies and denial got to me.

The actors (save for the female lead for lack of expressions) are pretty good. The photogenic moments they show in the OST are beautiful but aren't really very significant moments in the drama itself.

The drama in all is very watchable for the situations and overall feel.

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Completed
Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy
18 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I will start by saying what I liked most about this drama was Gong Yoo. I loved him so much in coffee prince, that I just wanted to see him in something else. I couldn't help but be charmed by him as Tae In. The character was so sweet, playful, and heartbreaking all at once. It's his character that kept me watching.

I thought Gong Hyo Jin played her role well too, and loved the chemistry between Na Bori & Tae In, but I didn't exactly love her character. Na Bori was frustrating to watch at times, often silly, and towards the end I found her actions to be almost mean. I also wasn't impressed by the chemistry between her and Ji Hyun Woo. Kim Da Hyun was so passive that he was boring, and they never had any great romantic moments together. There's one scene that I think was supposed to be touching, but I think he came across more as a creepy stalker.

Another thing that I didn't particularly like were all the class subplots. Their stories were sometimes sweet, but usually corny, and often felt like time fillers. I can't say that I honestly cared about any of those characters except for Choi Yeo Jin, who was a more interesting rival than Kim Da Hyun.

In spite of the slightly taboo topic, this is a very basic romance, with family disapproval, and love squares that you've very likely have seen before. There are many Tae in scenes that I could see myself watching again, but not much else. Gong Yoo is the main reason I would ever recommend this drama. His transformation from a troubled and rebellious teen to a maturing young man, and his struggle to deal with his forbidden love, was truly an impressive performance.

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Completed
You're My Pet
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This is not a good movie. It's like they filmed a 3 hour film, but had to cut half of it out. I was constantly thinking I'd missed scenes (although considering I watched it online, there is always the possibility that the copy I watched wasn't complete). There was hardly any character development. I didn't care about her relationship with her ex-crush because we never really saw her actually caring about him. She said she did, but there was nothing else to really suggest it. Jang Geun Suk is a great dancer, so those scenes were good to watch, but did nothing for the plot. I gave the story, cast, and music decent scores, because they were fine. It was the directing, editing, and overall film that I had a problem with. Very disappointing.

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Completed
Save the Last Dance for Me
42 people found this review helpful
by _Rosie
Jan 22, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
Let me start off by prefacing that I never write reviews but I noticed that no one has reviewed this drama & felt I had to rectify that glaring omission.

I stumbled across this drama never thinking I would really like it that much I had read the synopsis in MDL & was intrigued, anyway I was hooked from the first episode (which is rare). The main actors played their roles really well sweet without being saccharine.

What I liked best about it was the story yes its a a makjang & if you don't like that then steer clear, I personally love makjangs :D

The story had twists & turns & always kept you glued to your seat breathless with anticipation as to what would happen next. I found myself shouting at the screen at the near misses/missed opportunities for the protagonists & I am sure you will as well.

The whole look of the drama looks a little dated (fashion wise) as it is from 2004 but that didn't really phase me.

I have given a low score to the music simply because it wasn't particularly memorable to me.

Also a low re-watch score as I rarely re-watch dramas as I have too many to watch on my Plan To Watch List.

If you like dramatic, fast-paced storylines with lots of cliff hangers & good acting then this is the drama for you.

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Completed
Bread, Love and Dreams
22 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I can't believe that I watched a bread baking drama, that was 30 episodes long, without being bored! It took a lot of persuasion from a friend to get me to watch this. The high ratings didn't even have me fully convinced, but from beginning to end this drama lived up to all the hype.

The entire cast was great. The first episodes are set in the past, and I thought the cast of younger actors were exceptional. I also thought the younger actors matched their older counterparts very well. Younger Kim Tak Goo hooked me into the story, and older Kim Tak Goo kept me hooked from the first time he smiled. I loved that the cast of "villains" had depth, and some characters walked the fine line between good and bad. I liked that Eugene strayed from the romantic lead path into her own interesting character. I thought Joo Won was really good at being very sympathetic, and equally distasteful, though I lol-ed at the look on his face as if something constantly stunk. Even the supporting characters really added to the story, so I had to give the cast a 10.

Though the show is about baking, the story centers around family betrayal, revenge, rivalry, and painful relationships between children and their parents. There are some over the top fight scenes, dramatic rescues, and heartbreaking confrontations, so don't expect to just watch a bunch of scenes about how to bake bread. There's also a good balance of sweet, and humorous moments, and the pacing is good as well. I loved that the romance in this was a bit unconventional, and was touching without being cheesy, or the central focus of the story. This drama also has something I find rare in most dramas, a great ending. They manage to give each character proper closure, and the ending felt just right.

Overall the story isn't necessarily original, but It wasn't predictable either. I laughed and cried many times while watching. There aren't many specific rewatchable scenes, and since suspense is mainly what kept me up nights watching, I'm not sure If I will watch this again. Yoon Si Yoon is so charming, that he may be enough of a reason to give this one a second look.

I definitely recommend this. The 30 episodes will fly by...

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Completed
The Lost Bladesman
7 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This was my first chinese (hongkong) movie ever.

You can categorize this movie as historical / action movie, with a side love story but can not really be considered as part of the romance genre.

The fighting scenes were really exciting and great filmed with some awesome new technical features.

The historical setting is authentic and underlined with great panorama pictures. Ther are even some philosophical moments because the main protagonist often reflects about the relation between killing and his life.

I don't know how popular the actors / actresses are but they did a great job playing characters from ancient times...

So if you like historical settings and great action (swordfighting) scenes you should invest two hours of your time. You won't be disappointed!

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Completed
Vampire Prosecutor
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I watched the first episode with an open mind and found it interesting. The next couple episodes were kind of boring then I decided to drop. I justified that this was not my kind of drama but at least I tried. Months later after it finished airing I somehow found myself reading the reviews for it and some people mentioned how the episodes keep getting better and better as it goes on and that theres twists towards the end. That intrigued me to give it another go...

Well here I am giving it another go and I find myself easily going through each episode until I marathoned that sucker till the end. The episodes did get more and more interesting with each new case. Not only that but as the overall plot surrounding the mystery of our Vampire prosecutor started to develop the drama became really addicting. The last episode played out like a movie with all the action and excitement.

I liked the characters at first but they didn't offer me anything that made me want to stick to watching before I dropped. After I came back to it though I grew to LOVE all the characters. They really meshed well together. The lead who plays the Vampire prosecutor was perfect!

I probably could re-watch this drama ever year cause its so interesting and i loved the cast.

Except for the 3 episodes that were lacking I really really enjoyed watching Vampire Prosecutor and am looking forward to season 2=D

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Completed
What Women Want
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
It's pretty good for a remake, actually, it's pretty good period. I prefer this over the remake any day to be completely honest. The acting is perfect, it's just the storyline that really throws me off. It just spends too much time in the beginning developing the plot then at the end spends too little time closing it up. I felt like there should've been some kind of balance between the two, which there wasn't. It's undeniably rushed and ridiculously corny, but isn't that how movies like this are supposed to go? It's generally an upbeat, funny and cute watch. :)
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Completed
A Thousand Days' Promise
16 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
A real heart-wrenching drama. Even thought I complained at time at the pace of it, I came to the realization that he would not have been this good a drama if it had been fast pace. Kim Rae Won and Soo Ae acting was so real, even all the supporting cast manage to make in sort that this drama set itself apart from all the other. There's nothing really nothing that can't be forgiven about this drama, because of course it would be utopic to actually say that it was a perfect drama, but like I say all the negativeness about it can be forgiven. I would say that to watch people should be ready to acknowledged the fact that life is not always peachy and that not all story have an happy ending.

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Completed
Skip Beat!
2 people found this review helpful
by miskat
Jan 22, 2012
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I guess it’s still a little early to write a review for this series, but I’ll just give my impression of the first five episodes that I’ve watched. So far, it is charming enough to keep viewers engaged.

The story is mostly faithful to the manga/anime which is a good thing; however, some parts in the first few episodes are so contrived that the anime sometimes seems even more realistic than this live-action version. Also, each episode feels a little stretched. While it’s common in many dramas based on mangas to stretch the story slightly to include more character development, this one includes quite a lot of unnecessary antics that are sometimes painful to watch already.

If I hadn’t seen the anime or read the manga, I would’ve thought that the everyone in this drama was perfect for their roles. Still, I’m quite satisfied with the cast. Lee Dong Hae is great at portraying Sho; Choi Si Won is not exactly like Tsuruga Ren, but he’s okay, and Ivy Chen , though can be irritatingly loud-mouthed and quite different from Kyoko in the manga, is not at all unlikeable.

Overall this drama seems promising, and I can’t wait to see the rest. Even though it’s not exactly hilarious, it’s still pretty entertaining.

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