Reviews

Bleak look at dating and love in Hong Kong

Everyone in Hong Kong West Side Stories was looking for love or to get an itch scratched and they didn’t care if they had to lie, cheat, or kill to make it happen. Six vignettes over 12 short episodes focused on different characters though there was some overlapping. These stories were from a decidedly male point of view filtered through the Black Mirror.

The first 3 episodes featured two unlikeable men. Both received exactly what they deserved. Episode 4 was my favorite and even though it took a rather bleak, monetary look at dating, at least the couple was engaging. Episode 5 was about perception and sex in a public place. Warning--this drama has several scenes with people having sex or talking about it graphically. Episodes 6 and 7 caught me by surprise, falling under “be careful what you wish for.” Episode 8 focused on scams and a young man who was willing to work(out) for the possibility of love. 9 had a trippy twist to it. A virgin in episode 10 misconstrued messages and missent one as well. 11 and 12 gave new meaning to sibling rivalry with utterly vile behavior.

Women tended to be shown in a mercenary light or as bright as a 10-watt bulb. There were a couple of intelligent women but they were anomalies. There weren’t many episodes where a woman’s role extended beyond being in a man’s sexual crosshairs. The men couldn’t understand why they were alone or the good women didn’t want them. Um, cheating, lying, being obsessed with porn, strange or obsessive behavior or not being able to look a woman in her eyes because their gaze traveled further down. There was a “comedic” twist in one vignette that crossed the line where a woman’s consent is concerned. Despite being well made, too often instead of hoping for a happy ending for these characters I was completely revolted by them. Nearly everyone was screwing, being screwed over or screwing someone else over.

Many of the characters faced the problems of not making enough money to either pay rent or buy an apartment, much less a car. They often worked long hours with little reward. Lonely and desperate they sought out companionship in one form or another whether it was looking for love or looking to score. Friendships were as rare as healthy romantic relationships.

Hong Kong West Side Stories offered a few intriguing stories with disquieting twists. If you are in need of a feel good drama, this is not it. I found the majority of stories to be dark and depressing with people constantly self-sabotaging themselves. Though described as a dark comedy there wasn’t much to laugh about.

28 January 2024

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this is how you start a year correctly

INI SERU SIH dari eps 1. Beneran dibikin penasaran gitu sama plotnya walaupun plotnya banyak maju-mundur ? dan CUMA drama ini bjir yg aku harus fotoin karakternya satu-satu sama inget bener2 namanya biar ga ketuker & ngeh. Soalnya seconfusing itu??? Tapi confusingnya tuh yg seru bukan yg bikin stressful gitu ngerti ga sih??? Sinematografi ok sih. BIG plot twist di eps 5 AWKAHAKZHAM beneran ga nyangka bgt ???? i thought her stepbro yg jahat gitu tAPI taunya kaga anjirrrr gw jadi kasian akhirnya. Dan menurutku ini epsnya terlalu DIKITTT. Pas eps 3, baru sadar kalo cuma 6 eps dimana konflik masih seru2nya. Jadi ya for the ending kaya... abis gitu aja ga terlalu WAh bgt. Minusnya itu aja sih. Untuk sensasi thrilling ini ok banget sih ????????

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Hmm...

Looks very promising. i'm just hoping it won't be as draggy once were in the middle of the show's episodes.
So far i'm pretty impressed with shin hye's acting, I think she improved; She's been getting so much hate for her acting, even though she's not even bad. I would just say she has a style to her acting. And hyung sik is always a cute puppy.
Although his character is giving me nothing at the moment, i'm hoping to see more of the characters' real personality.
cause i feel like no one is truly carefree. either way i'm ecstatic to see where this goes!

Also Woohoo, my first review after a year!!!!

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This is how GARO should be directed and written.

A very enjoyable movie to watch. Keita Amemiya was born to direct GARO (after all, he's its creator). The fluidity of the combat and the effects are exactly as GARO should be. The screenplay is infinitely better than 'The One Who Shines In The Darkness' that precedes this story. It's not even fair to make a comparison. The idea that eliminating the 'Horrors' while considering the evil they cause would also mean eliminating the greatest source of evil in the human world: humanity itself, is very well explored. It demonstrates this delicate line that the Makai priests and warriors have to deal with. It's very interesting to see the story unfold. For the first time, it made me care about the characters Ryuga and Rian. An essential film for GARO fans.

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Before you watch Cat's Eye the anime...

When I was young, I watched several episodes of the Cat's Eye anime, but I was never able to finish it. I plan to watch the anime soon. Having said that, upon seeing that it has a live action movie, I decided to check it out.


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The premise of Cat's Eye is as follows:

It follows the story of three sisters, Rui, Ai, and Hitomi. They are daughters of a well-renowned painter who went missing. They are stealing his paintings in the hope of finding clues on where their father is.

Now Hitomi is in a relationship with Toshio, the detective who is pursuing Cat's Eye. How will he deal with the truth once he finds out that his beloved is the one he would love to arrest?
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Both the movie and the anime (and the manga for that matter) follow the same premise. I don't know how the anime and manga end, but the movie ends in a bitter note, a twist that I did not expect nor like.

That said, it's still worth watching this movie if and only if you plan on watching the anime. The music as well as the heist involved are fun and somehow captures what made the anime great, or at least worth watching.

There might be some stuff in the movie that may not be pleasing. Some of the physics seem implausible, such as how did a cat-shaped balloon suddenly appeared in one of their escape sequence? Could they really plan ahead their escape route such that it will appear just in the nick of time? Is it remote-controlled?

The actresses portraying the sisters are just as lovely as their anime counterparts, but their costumes look ridiculous.

As I mentioned, it's worth watching before diving into the anime series. The movie was released a decade after the anime's run, but I can imagine that it was a letdown if you've watched the anime and/or read the manga first.

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CONSISTENCY AND PROGRESSION AT IT'S FINEST

Probably one of the best show I've ever seen since day 1. And one of the fastest finished show recently, coz these days I can barely watch a drama in just 1 or 2 days, now of my busy schedule, I finish dramas for 2 weeks ! Going back, this show is freaking interesting and exciting, it was like a game where when you cannot finish the mission right, you will be getting back to the start, there's so many thoughts came to me while watching this drama, such a thrilling and exciting one !
The romance was one thing but the very story was insanely great ! Scripts were perfect for the scene like everything I expected here was given to me. At first I got excited, in the middle it got more exciting and annoying just because I felt tired and pity for Tin to keep getting back from the start when he failed saving Tol, and every part of this show went very nice and super love the ending ! There was no part of this show that made me bored, the progression was insane ! Like, such a nice watch, such a masterpiece. One of my fave parts were when little by little-y Tin discovering how will he save Tol; by getting to know Tol's background and everything and even came up to the point where he head to make Tol his boyfriend just to make sure Tol won't get heart attacked. And the part where finally it has to be Tol to save Tin, everything made sense like when Tin was able to save Tol finally after going through many loops, it was his life in exchange and it was sad, if feels like you are living in a game where you would have to find out where and what to do, such a lucky guy to have lots of chances! and there Tol now will have to save Tin, they have shown here that in every loop everything that happens will happen no matter what and it can only be delayed or transferred to another's fate or just exchange people involved. It was funny that even out of this shows trickiness , I understood everything! every part of the story was on point and so I really had fun watching it.
The actors were great ! Tae Darvid is such a great actor ! I am so happy he finally got a show that has a nice story and script as this ! I like him as an actor and Tee, is such a cutie and his sleepy like eyes are everything ! And please let me just recognize and commend Tonman here or P'Sing ! I have been seeing him on other shows where his characters were like jolly and joker but here ! Damn he was so cool and handsome with a serious role ! This is the reason why I really wish other actors on BL will have a chance 'coz many of them have so many potentials like him ! I really really like him here and his acting was so great here !
My favorite part besides the story of this show was the gay pannic of Tin and Tol and their romance ! So many sudden funny moments here that I will always remember like when Tol was able to save the cardiac arrested patient on the last part and then suddenly kissed Tin HAHAH that was crazy, also Sing and Gap's moments and by the way the props and presentation of this medical Drama was great and really felt like real and life like! Love also the sound effects. Finally don't blame me coz Immana add this one again on my top dramas of all time , such a nice to watch not a waste of time ! And surely gonna re watch it again after sometime, or on the next loop ?

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Potential...

I started this because it looked interesting and I like this type of genre... I was a bit worried though considering many people said it was bad... I didn't really understand why until I got to episode 12... Everything would've gone perfectly I'm not sure why that would be the ending, any other ending would be better than the one that ended up happening. I would've recommended this drama but I really think it started feeling all over the place like the writers were putting whatever into this Drama. I think the acting and casting were done perfectly though, if I have to compliment one thing it'd be that. The acting is very good, the best thing in this entire drama. I think the storyline in the beginning, was perfect, everything about it was my style, I really enjoy this type of genre. I think this had a lot of potential but the weird ending kind of ruined it for me... If you like this type of movie/drama I don't think it's a waste to watch it since it really wasn't bad until the ending.

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Therapy and love in the Kansai dialect

From 'Gokusen' (2002) 'to Kimi wa Petto' (2003), 'Ichi Rittoru no Namida' or 'Hana Yori Dango' (2005) or, more recently, 'Otonari ni Ginga', 'Watashi ga Himo wo Kau Nante ' or 'Sweet Moratorium', and many more, Japanese dramas have captured the attention of audiences around the world with their splendid landscapes, the richness of that nation's culture, the way they approach romance, as well as the physical attractiveness of its actors and actresses.
Although many recognize in them the same formulas used over and over again in the plots of Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Filipino and Thai series, these works captivate the viewer due to the exotic components of the narrative, the precious photography, the use of the sets, the makeup, the hairdressing and the costumes, but, above all, for the possibility of viewing an idyllic and even unreal representation, on many occasions, of a country with an ancient culture and with an aura of mystery for the inhabitants of other regions of the planet.
For decades, the representation of homosexual couples and erotic scenes between men in television audiovisual productions was scarce, if not nonexistent, in correspondence with a policy of showing only the traditional family model and censoring any attitude or preference that escapes from the conventional, in nations such as Japan, Thailand and Korea, where LGBT+ people continue to be discriminated against today.
However, BL plots, the abbreviation of Boy's Love, originally defined as "male love from a female perspective", managed to make their way and prevail in markets in Japan and Taiwan, where there are numerous manga and anime stories with romance themes between guys.
BL have become both entertainment and a cultural, social and political phenomenon, for visualizing the struggle of LGBT+ groups in these countries.
Thailand is a separate case, since the BL of this country has as its purpose the profit of television companies and talent agencies, promoting advertisements for the marketing of various products, such as cosmetics, and the exaltation of the country as a paradise destination for homosexual tourists.

PLOT

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka' ('好きやねんけどどうやろか') is a worthy example of the glamor characteristic of Japanese BL productions. Like so many others, it falls on a fairly well-worn theme in the universe of Japanese and Asian romantic dramas in general: Hisashi Soga, a divorced office worker who has been transferred from Tokyo to Osaka, surrenders to the love of Sakae, the 26-year-old years, owner of Tamae, a small restaurant located in the alleys of downtown Osaka that serves delicious and cheap home-cooked meals. The two will have to overcome a series of obstacles and overcome the obvious differences between them to stay together.
Kasae, who speaks the Kansai dialect perfectly, is friendly to everyone equally. Their cozy shop is always bustling with people. One day, Hisashi Soga goes to eat at his restaurant. Kasae can't take her eyes off his every move. Moved by his attitude, he falls in love with him.
Soga, who has not yet gotten over the divorce, only thinks about working, mastering Osaka speech so he can communicate better with the locals, and getting through the day. One of the things he enjoys the most is going to Sakae's restaurant and eating the delicious food he makes. Soga doesn't know that Sakae sees him as more than just a regular customer.
This series, practically responsible, along with so many others, for the consolidation of the BL genre in the Japanese drama market, addresses the complexity of the situation that heterosexual men face when they fall in love with a homosexual. And so a relationship that begins as a game of cat and mouse, or a simple friendship, little by little evolves to become something very special. Sakae has loved Soga since he met him. It's love at first sight, but Soga is heterosexual, in addition to having a recent divorce. As they spend time together, Soga will begin to develop feelings for each other.
From the first scenes, the connection and rapprochement between the protagonists becomes a reality. Sakae is more open to establishing romance, but Soga, who heals his broken heart, has only been in Osaka for a short time and has not yet gotten used to life in the area, much less loving another man, will find it difficult to recognize that He has fallen in love with his new friend. The relationship will take time and will to build.
The audience is faced with a simple love story between an office worker recovering from a divorce and the owner of a restaurant who cures him with food, walks around the city, games of squash and lessons in the Osaka dialect and, above all, with lots of love.
The sparks between them are undeniable as their relationship blossoms. It is deeply moving to witness loving couples whose unchanging feelings must coexist in a world of changing realities.
Kan Hideyoshi, in the role of Matsumoto Sakae, displays all his charisma and attractiveness to play a kind and hard-working young homosexual. Meanwhile, Nishiyama Jun's Hisashi Soga personifies the typical, heterosexual office worker, attracted by the smile, grace, kindness and flirtation of a homosexual man.
The television adaptation of the eponymous work by the famous Japanese writer and illustrator Chiba Ryoko, published in 2013 by Kaiousha Publishing House, is titled in English 'Although I Love You, and You?'.
The director, Shibata Keisuke, and the screenwriter, Morale, give us a media product with an undeniable communication effect, which is already being a success both for BL fans in Japan and beyond its borders.
Since I read its synopsis, several questions crossed my mind: Is Soga bisexual, a gay who deep down hides his homosexuality or a heterosexual who falls in love with a man? Will these two very different people have a future in common? What can connect an athletic type from Naniwa with a cultural type from Tokyo?
The chemistry of the protagonists and the delicacy of the story are gratifying. The audience, whether interested in BL themes or not, will definitely enjoy the romance between the two actors.
Social networks and Japanese media are echoing and, since its premiere, they have selected the five best charms of this drama. Although there may be several while the series is broadcast, these are:
1. The look of popular actor Kan Hideyoshi, who showed great acting skills in his role as Sakae.
2. Nishiyama Jun's believable portrayal of office worker Soga.
3. The construction of Soga's sexuality from heterosexuality to homosexuality, giving complexity to the story.
4. The music used that reflects the mood of the protagonists.
5. The detailed account of Sakae's feelings for Soga.
The opening theme is "I'll Be There" by GENIC, with lyrics written by its members Joe Nishizawa and Atsuki Mashiko. JBL lovers will be pleased: Acchan, the actor who plays Yoh in the 2023 series 'My Personal Weatherman', is co-author of the song that rolls the opening credits of 'Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka'. Precisely, the piece talks, as in the drama, about a boy who falls in love with a boy who speaks the Kansai dialect.
Many of the scenes take place in an office or office workers spend time inside a restaurant, with a young chef preparing food, while his customers eat and drink sake. And to top it all off, the poster announcing the series features a plate of TAKOYAKI! Well, I have no doubts: we are in the presence of one of those hybrids between office BL and food BL.
This series has another original point in its favor: the tendency of Japanese BLs is to pair an experienced actor with a less experienced one. Well, this time, the main couple is represented by a very talented and experienced actor, such as Nishiyama Jun, with one of the most popular, charismatic and talented actors in Japan, Hideyoshi Kan.
While Nishiyama began his artistic career in 2006 with the film 'Forbidden Siren', which was followed by the drama 'Sushi Oji!', on TV Asahi, and from there he has developed a dizzying and ascending career until today, Hideyoshi Kan is the current master and lord of the Kamen Rider universe, with titles such as 'Kamen Rider Geats', 'Kamen Rider Geats: The Movie', 'Kamen Rider the Winter Movie: Gotchard & Geats', and many more. He also acted in 'Ashita no Watashi e' and Dekiai Cinderella'.
The manga (available now in the Kindle Unlimited catalog) from which this series is adapted is of the yaoi genre. It has kisses and sex scenes, so, considering the story and the actors chosen, experienced and professional, we should expect to see a good representation of the intimate scenes.
His time in the BL series Kiss x Kiss x Kiss must serve as an experience for Hideyoshi Kan in the genre. With him as the protagonist, the manga could very well be adapted to television successfully.
I would also like to point out that the title of the series is in the Kansai dialect, so '好きやねんけどどうやろか' would translate to 'I love you, how are you?' or 'I love you, do you (love me too)?' However, the mangaka uses 'Although I love you, what about you?' in the original translation, which appears to be a transliteration of the Japanese title into English.
This very interesting story, a sure classic of the comedy-romance genre, with a very funny and at the same time dramatic plot, invites you.
If I had to define the work in a few words, they would be: “A therapeutic atmosphere and a moving romance in the Kansai dialect.”

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Barkada movie

I really love this drama, I love this trio I love their friendship evolve into family. Their friendship is incomparable that they knew the likes and dislikes of another. Their drinking habits is immeasurable that they don't easily get drunk no matter how many bottles they drink as they young as they get mature they easily get drunk in a few bottles only hehehe ? . They are very funny when they are drunk hehehe... they do whatever they want and anywhere they stopped to, good thing they have Director Kang to the rescue. They have different story about their own families that makes them even more stronger. I really admire their friendship. Even their each lovestory is variant with each other but they support and respect each other.
Overall I like this drama because they focused about friendship ?.

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Slow and typical for a superhero series

The pacing was so slow that it was hard to get through the entire series. The first couple of episodes are a Naruto-style set up, where it feels like we are stuck in the same fight for 30 episodes. By the time time the main story line started I was bored, and the build up to the finale felt predictable.

I am only posting a review because I don't understand how it is rated so well on here. 9.1? For a standard superhero story? Sure this drama is absolute genius compared to the garbage Disney releases nowadays, but for a Korean drama it felt a little dry to me. It would be more fair for this to be rated 8.5.

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The greatest BL that GMMTV has ever produced

Among many non-essential adults content BL being aired lately, Last Twilight is the shiniest and biggest hope for us. This series is the best. It shows us the development of every characters in there. No characters in here is unnecessary and annoying. Mhok is the walking greenest flag in BL's industry. We should have our own Mhok in real life. Day is the best representation of how we handle grief and he is a pure, innocent, and lovely boy. Both of them will be remembered. Jimmy and Sea are obviously the great actors. I wish GMMTV would treat them better now after the success of Last Twilight. This series will be forever engraved in my mind. The acting, plot , and even music all seem perfect to me. I know that the ending might not be appreciate by some fans. It's controversial. It's being debated which one is better, hope or acceptance. In my opinion, both are necessary for us all. We hope for better things come, so we accept the present and try to live on. For me, this kind of ending is a great choice. I do love this ending. It showed us that hope is still waiting for you there, you just have to keep fighting it. The more I watched the finale, the more I understand why they chose to end like this. Last Twilight is about hope. If they chose the another way, it might be greater messages like some fans expected. By the way, this kind of ending doesn't erase the strong messages they have always sent. This show is my top1 BL tier. I recommend everyone to watch this at least once in your lifetimes.
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Spoiler alert!
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I know that if Day kept being blind, it would be a strong impact like disable people can be happy. But I think the series had already sent that message. We once see that Day eventually was being happy with his blind life for almost 4 years. The regaining of his vision back to me was just an extra gift. Moreover, Day now is not the same man who he was before he got an accident. He now is the one who will cherish every moment of his life. He found his lover and his business since he was still being blind. Isn't this enough to say that disabled people can live happily? The fact that he eventually given the eye donation doesn't make this beautiful message seemed loss to me. Moreover, I'm so happy that Day gained his vision back because he finally can see how Mhok kept looking on him. His eye gazes is the beautiful thing in this cruel world.

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Misunderstandings galore, unpredictable but crazily good

I must say this is a very nice reunion project for the Go Back Couple leads. A suspense instead of a romcom this time.

At first, it seems to be just another revenge drama which seems to be the kdrama trend nowadays together with previous lives. On further watch, you can see that it also tackles some mental health issues. Just when you think you have everything figured out, drama will turn on its head and show that not everything is at it seems. The good performances of the actors keeps you on the edge to know what will happen next. Everyone just seems to have secrets that needs to be untangled. I usually drop suspense dramas since I usually get bored by Ep3 (as I was with High Cookie and Maestra) but this one is still keeping me interested.

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