Reviews

DIFFERS FROM THE ORIGINAL WORK. WORKS GREAT AS A STAND ALONE!

Objectively this is a really nice drama to pass time however base on the original work/ source material it’s falling flat to most viewers who has seen the original.

I cannot directly speak in regards to that or make the comparison since I’ve yet to see the anime; however in my personal opinion I believe that though it differs a lot from the original work, People should give it a watch as a standalone.

It seems some scenes were cut due to copyright. But i strongly believe outside of that, the acting is solid, there’s chemistry between the leads and the comedy is on point. The politics aspect is just a tad bit draggy but nothing too bad.

Final verdict, if you’ve seen the original work and go in expecting a “live adaptation” then you’ll probably be disappointed. However if you’re able to treat this as a stand alone show then there’s a high chance you may enjoy this a bit. In my opinion it’s not very heavy and all the different parts are balanced enough to me. We also have a side couple that also has a funny dynamic.

Leia Mais

Comece pelo cenário e fique pela história!

Decidi assistir Pursuit of Jade porque me lembrava a história de Apothecary Diaries (de certa forma), um marquês escondido e uma menina muito esforçada pra manter sua família.

É parecido? Não muito.

Virou meu favorito do coração e abriu portas para os dramas chineses de época? Sem sombra de dúvidas.

A Fan Changyu é perfeita, ela é carinhosa, dedicada e incrível numa perfeição impecável. E fica também a minha admiração a atriz: Tian Xiwei você é muito boa no que faz, continue sendo a melhor atriz chinese da atualidade na minha opinião.

O drama é envolvente, te prende e te faz querer ver tudo até acabar sem tempo pra descanso. As cenas de luta, os cenários das cenas mais leves, até mesmo os momentos mais tensos; merece toda a fama que tem e o sucesso que vem gerando. Foi meu primeiro drama chines e depois dele já assisti vários outros influenciada pela temática, me tornei obcecada por "mulheres que lutam e são muito boas nisso".

Leia Mais

Not that much of a story

Story
•Affair drama more on revenge and identity change such as plastic surgery
•The main character got what she wants and deserves. The antagonist was punished in the end and the ending was unexpected.
•Makjang elements but some of them are questionable.

Acting / Cast
•Visuals are good
•Hori Miona’s first main lead in a drama like this is amazing and good acting skills. She should do more main lead in revenge dramas but not affair drama.
•Ishikawa Ren she has the visual but villain role doesn’t suit her. I can’t help but laugh at her every time she does silly things. Sorry but I cannot hate her she is only suitable in main lead role because she has a face of a classic heroine. Don’t make her villain anymore because it’s 100% fail

Comment:
This drama should be adapted to Korean drama.

Leia Mais

How to turn a biting satire into a farcical pipe dream

Edit: Upon reflection I realise I got more and more snarky as I wrote this. You have been warned. ;)

Paraphrasing Mel Brooks, "satire must walk a fine line and take risk". This drama took that to heart in the first half.

It was packed with absurd moments that genuinely made me LoL. I binged a dozen eps in 2 days. Then the rest happened.

The initial setup was simple and delicious. An angel investor will provide the ML with funds to go into business. The twist is that he will only earn a stipend if he makes a profit, but he can take home a portion of the loss as bonus.

So he came up with a bunch of silly loss making ideas and go hard. What he didn't take into account is his anti-trend products started new trends. People love his generous, loss making deals rather than the usual money grabbing ones.

His collection of seemingly hapless, "unemployable" staff are talented and they repay his kindness and trust with an undying loyalty.

So far so good. The first half is deliciously anti-establishment and sets a cracking pace. The whole 996, nay, crunch work culture is laid bare. His cohort of goofballs are more creative and productive in a 40 hours week than those salaried slaves. Huzzah!

The wheels start to fall off when the original and whacky projects start to run dry. The show shifts focus onto the ML and his personal challenges in the second half.

It is obvious from the start that he is not a business wunderkind. He is earnest and hardworking. He has a heart of gold and he put fairness above all else. This means he is a lamb to the slaughter in the cutthroat business world. By focusing on him for several eps, it really pops the bubble that he has the Midas touch.

This also brought the high flying plot back down to Earth. We crash lands with a thud in midst of mundane stuff like making ends meet and paying off a big mortgage. The satire has lost its edge and became a blunt instrument.

Is this some kind of hidden chapter in the playbook? We are talking about an industry that gave us xianxia and wuxia dramas! What is this obsession with RL and the daily grind?

There are many plotholes by this stage, but the whole subplot about the ML working in a rival company is plain stupid. How can this work? Non-disclosure? Trade secrets? It might have worked if they frame it as a clever subterfuge, but alas, the ML is really trying to work there and earn a honest wage. It would be like Elon showing up as an intern at Toyota. Inconceivable!

For me, this series truly jumped the shark when it parachuted the 4 Sima brothers into the plot. Ye gods! That is so cringey and largely pointless. The show is now an aimless farce. Not a particularly funny one either. Just give me a psycho stalker, tyvm.

To seal the deal, the show totally stuffed up the OTP's romance.

The two female screenwriters made it clear who is the OTP from the start. They have been set up many times. Their coworkers are shipping them. Web novel has been written about their "office romance". Yet it all comes to nought.

Seriously, I would have forgiven half of this show's sins if there is even a spark. Why bother if we don't even get one confession. One hug? NOTHING.

As if to rub salt into the wound, people were teasing the FL in a staff meeting towards the end. She said "if I'm the female lead then who is the male lead?" The ML walks in on cue . . of course. I wish you can hear my teeth gnashing.

Do you know what really got my goat? There is more chemistry between two female co-workers than the OTP! I'll let you guess the pairing.

The HEA ending happened right on time. It is totally expected, yet nonsensical. How did the ML come up with enough funding to restart a whole business empire by selling just ONE unrenovated flat with a substantial mortgage. Does the writers not understand the concept of discharging a loan?

Then the business went ballistic while he is on an extended holiday? I missed the memo telling us the how and the why (or maybe I don't care anymore).

Normally, this is where I would use my "ask no questions, chingu" catchphrase, but I'm sick of not asking questions while watching this series. I want answers, dammit!

The final scenes are like a glossy real estate sales brochure and has about as much substance. It really is like a pipe dream. I don't know whether I'm angry, sad, confused or just numb.

Balanced against that are decent performances from the large ensemble. They are mostly second tier actors. Sadly, most of the roles are one dimensional. They played hard, but in a small sandbox.

The ML has the world on his shoulders and it shows. He was a live wire early on, but he just got more and more despondent as the show progressed.

We know his growth must be a pillar of this drama, yet it feels inconsistent. He shuffles back and fore. He stays true to his better qualities, but did he becomes better where it counts?

Production value is A tier. OST is inoffensive.

In the end, I'm torn about this show. This series is watchable. The show can be very funny at times and it has merits. It can be sharp as a pin and give you paper cuts. Then it settles into a hyperbolic business drama and ends on an artificial sweetener high.

I am disappointed that it couldn't sustain its initial trajectory to the end. Maybe 26 eps is a bridge too far. Mayhaps 16 eps will keep it tight and focused. Alas, that answer awaits in an alternate universe. Peace.

Leia Mais

"You don't have the slightest notion of what war is like!"

By a Man’s Face Shall You Know Him tried hard to be a film about the futility of violence yet could only accomplish that task through buckets of blood and a high body count. Set in postwar Japan, instead of the Crips vs The Bloods, it was the Korean gangsters vs…a doctor.

Dr. Amamiya recognizes a traffic victim who is rolled into his small clinic. The man’s face causes him to remember a difficult, desperate time from the past. After he returned from the war, Amamiya wanted nothing to do with killing or violence. The only problem being, a Korean gang was determined to take over the street market of which he was the owner. The gang took what they wanted, killed who they wanted, with no consequences from the police or government. Amamiya could be the only thing standing between the people being threatened and the gangsters determined to eliminate them.

The film had flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks. Dr. Amamiya had become disillusioned with the government and people in general after realizing he’d been lied to during the war, made worse by the lives he’d taken. He wanted the cycle of violence and death to end even as he was faced with it every day. When his brother came to town on a break from university, the stakes went way up as the way out narrowed.

This film had the look of a lower budget film with the performances hit or miss. There was a great deal of exaggerated acting which could be taxing to watch. Ando Noboru gave a convincing performance as the doctor with a very particular skill set unrelated to the medical field. Coincidentally, in real life, Ando had been a gang leader before he entered the entertainment field. Amamiya’s love interest, Maki, was always covered in sweat and screaming, obsessively clinging to him. Not exactly the epitome of a cool-headed nurse. Of course, the good doctor didn’t mind having a nooner in the clinic which wasn’t particularly professional.

For a film with gangsters, it incorporated more issues with post war societal and political upheaval than I would have expected. What interested me, despite the overt racism toward the Japanese Koreans, was the Korean gang. Japanese Koreans were not often the focus of many Japanese films. The Japanese looked down on the Koreans and the Koreans felt like their time of being dominated was over. Payback was coming. There was no lack of criticism for the war and the repercussions from it. Amamiya was criticized by multiple people for not choosing violence while his brother was considered a hero for confronting the large gang despite his spectacular failure. The yakuza were even too afraid to take on the Korean gang. The film used one of my least favorite tropes with a hero that refused to fight until the body count forced him to. Another issue was that women were not shown in the most flattering light. Maki was a basket case. The writers had the Korean woman Gye do something that lowered my score. For all time, no sane woman asks a man to rape her.

By a Man’s Face Shall You Know Him started out slow paced for a gangster film yet was also deeper than most. I didn’t appreciate the sexploitation and old school machismo acting. However, the bloody ultimate showdown did not disappoint. Though it is flawed, if you enjoy old school gangster flicks, this might be one to try.

26 June 2026

Trigger warnings: Sexual Assault. Sexual situations. Bloody, violent fight using guns and katanas.

Leia Mais

I had no expectation before I started watching, but I am loving so far ?

I genuinely enjoyed InLove Forever. Everything about the series feels thoughtfully crafted—from the script and dialogues to the emotional tension between the characters and even the funny moments. Every scene serves a purpose, and the message comes across clearly.

What I appreciate most is that the story doesn't rely on explicit sex scenes or over-the-top kissing scenes to keep viewers engaged. Instead, it presents situations that feel authentic and relatable, reminding us that stories like these don't only exist in fiction—they happen in real life, among ordinary people, every single day.

The cinematography is another standout. Every shot is beautifully composed, and the attention to detail is impressive. The way the characters are styled, from their wardrobe to their mannerisms, perfectly reflects their personalities. It's truly a chef's kiss.

The overall production quality is exceptional and feels internationally competitive. This isn't just a Thai series for Thai audiences—it's a beautifully made story that anyone can appreciate, regardless of where they're from. It's emotional, engaging, and incredibly well-executed.

I highly recommend giving InLove Forever a watch. It's more than just a series—it's an experience that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Leia Mais

amei!!!

acho que existem bls que conseguem fazer algo muito bom com o simples, não precisam de grandes produções para serem bons e isso aqui é um ótimo exemplo!!
o plot em si, a jogada de câmeras, a atuação e a tensão entre o casal principal já a grande produção! sério eu fiquei muito obcecada com tudo, como dito correu e como souberam usar a tensão ao seu favor.

tenho apenas um ponto: não usaram tanto a profissão de um deles ao seu favor e isso isso o fez tornar meio bobinho, acho que isso deveria ter sido desenvolvido de alguma maneira.

mas enfim :)) me irritou mts n terem visto isso aqui😭 tá incrível!!

Leia Mais

I've been looking forward to this movie, ever since I found out that Xie Miao had starred in this movie through mentions on Jet Li's social media.

If you had grown up with a lot of HK/Chinese action movies featuring Jet Li, you most certainly would come to know about Xie Miao... who played the role of Jet Li's son in two movies. And this time, Xie Miao would also take the role of a father for the first time in this movie.

The Furious tells the story of a father, Wang Wei, who suddenly had to take desperate action to save his daughter after she was suddenly kidnapped by a human trafficking gang. And while tracking the whereabouts of the kidnappers, Wang Wei came to meet with Navin (played by Joe Taslim), who was also going after the gang in order to find his missing wife, who happened to be investigating the human traffickers as a journalist. The story is simple enough to understand: two men had their loved ones taken away from them, and by the sheer will of their own desperation and anger... they strive to recover and save their loved ones from that danger.

The action scenes were quite intense from start to end, and if you're a fan of old HK action movies... you'll have your attention hooked on from start to finish. Some people would argue that a few of the action scenes don't make sense, like... how could someone get back up so fast after being hit by a truck or a huge boulder of a man, but you'd be surprised by what a human body could do under adrenaline. And something people may miss about this movie; because unlike usual action flicks, the fighting power of the characters in this movie was more or less equal, thus what gives one the extra boost is their rage and fury... which was the core theme of this movie. Some would say that they'd want to see more of the story behind the main characters, but... in the end, does it really matter for us to find out the true identity of this mute man who appeared to be very good at fighting? In the end, he was still just a father who would give everything he had to save his daughter from bad people.

For fans of HK actions movies, The Furious pays homage to quite a number of past titles... notably Fist of Legend, in which director Tanigaki Kenji once appeared as an extra, as well as some tribute to Xie Miao's earlier works like New Legend of Shaolin, My Father is a Hero... and even Eye to Eye 2, in which Yang Enyou also starred as a sort of daughter-like character to Xie Miao's character. For fans of those other works... as well as past works of the rest of the cast, it would also be a great experience to spot any references from those works inside The Furious. All in all, The Furious really paved the way to a new genre of HK action movie, or extreme kungfu genre.

Leia Mais

It’s simply a BEAUTIFUL bl, it doesn’t focus only on romance, but shows the daily life and the difficulties of a partially disabled person, how much others change just by knowing that the person is slightly "different". Kouhei always made it clear that Taichi was his safe person and that he trusted him for everything, in a way, also showing his feelings for the second mentioned.

The couple's development is very slow, Taichi is a little slow and Maya's appearance didn't help either, but at the same time, it seems that the couple was forgotten in the middle of the series. In a way, it gave a more melancholic shape to the couple, with the arguments and distancing, which gave Taichi time to realise his feelings.

Leia Mais

More Than Just a Quiet Drama

What I appreciated most was how every character felt like a real person rather than a plot device. Their mistakes, insecurities, and gradual growth made them incredibly relatable. The emotional payoff worked because the drama took its time, allowing every relationship to develop naturally instead of rushing to the finish line.
The final episodes were my favorite. Seeing the characters finally face their feelings and find the courage to move forward was both emotional and satisfying. The ending wasn't about getting everything they wanted—it was about finding peace with themselves, and that message resonated with me.
Another highlight was the atmosphere. The calm pacing, beautiful visuals, and subtle soundtrack created a comforting experience that made every episode feel meaningful. Even the quiet scenes carried emotional weight.
Notes from the Last Row reminded me that the most memorable stories aren't always the loudest ones. Sometimes, all you need are well-written characters, genuine emotions, and a story told with care. It's a drama I'll remember for a long time and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Leia Mais