Reviews

Nam Soon & Bong Soon are my new favorite superheroes!! Outdo Marvel by far!!

Loved this drama! Don’t listen to the nonsense comments , this drama gave me the chills in a good way! I get like the ending kinda sucked,
but I can’t stop raving how much Nam Soon & Bong Soon are my new favorite female superheroes ?‍?‍♀️

I mean c’mon most superheroes ( like Marvel’s Avengers ) are kinda rough around the edges and such but Nam-Soon has such unique super powers that she’d oust all of them !! And she’s born with them unlike half of marvels characters who got them through unnatural circumstances… ( hulk, Spider-Man , Captain America, etc. ALL lab experiments!)

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I wish...

I have never wrote a review here, but I felt the need to write a review for this movie.

From the great acting of our two lead actors, to the cinematography of this movie, everything left its mark on me. The end broke me and left me crying like a baby, making me rethink all of the relationships I had until this moment.

I wish to never take for granted any person I have and will have in my life ever again. I wish to give all the love I have in me to the people around me. I wish to never forget to say "I love you" or "I'm sorry". I wish to live my life with all it gives. Even if it's happiness, sadness, love, or sorrow. But I wish to not live with regret anymore.

I hope everyone who will watch this movie will wish the same things as me. Even if you don't like the story, or the actors, or anything about it, I just wish you will at least take this lesson from it.

Also, watch the movie until the end, with the end credits as well.

*I just noticed that this movie was released on my birthday. I'm going to take this as a sign.*

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Doesn't get better

Should I not have watched this after disliking the first movie? Yes. I stupidly had a tiny kernel of hope that it would somehow be different than the first movie, which, non-spoiler alert, it's not! Should I have stopped watching from the beginning? Also yes, but the writer in me wants to see what the hell they're doing to the story. (I am not impressed...)

Things I like:
- Lin, good casting choice
- Al's scream at the end
- I guess Envy's true form? (with the FX caveat below)

Things I didn't like:
- The plot! Unsurprisingly. You can tell which parts they're smushing together but it leaves me pretty frustrated by the lack of... good details/consequences that are left out (the train scene, meeting Lin, meeting Mei, Ed getting injured in that "fall," Al losing his hand to Gluttony, ETC)
- Some characters just look stupid the more I see them (Gluttony and Armstrong, which to be fair are hard to portray "accurately" but. Not this way either)
- FX is still not good, it looks very Fake, like most of the decor - I don't think there was much set. They also ignore the alchemy laws - if a wall becomes a TON of weapons, there's little to no wall left, sorry not sorry
- I had a glimpse at wikipedia and ok, they waited to make the movies until the technology got better for CGI, but I
wouldn't go so far as say they succeeded in challenging Hollywood's FX like they wanted (though I hope they pave the way
for Japan to become better at it/use it more)
- Fight scenes are meh, if not obviously fake. From the angles and the editing it's very easy to see *how* it was faked, which is a bummer and always brings me out of immersion (which, again to be fair, I didn't have from the get go, so, rock of salt)
- Adding in Winry everywhere for lack of other characters and a mashed plot, not a fan, even though I love Winry but this... this is done with abandon and it makes it obvious she's going to be in Danger and needing ~to be rescued~ so when it happens it's not at all surprising or shocking (because it keeps happening ?)
- Similarly, very little emotional resonance and impact throughout (again). I don't find the poignant moments successful at all, this is very much a live action that relies on viewers already knowing FMA rather than building up characters and letting us see them grow and have use get attached to them (and if you watched the movies first, please do yourself a favor and watch Brotherhood or read the manga, I promise it's worth it)
- Pet peeve but the Ishval flashback(s) we get through Hawkeye *should NOT* include Scar's story?? Those are two different POVs! Find another way to show us Scar's past (like making a series instead of a trilogy ?)
- Related but, a lot of flashbacks aren't clearly flashbacks, which detracts from, I don't know, continuity/following the story?
- Mustang getting a scratch on his leg and like, bowing out of the fight?? Nope, don't buy it, it's contrary to his character, unless he's legitimately bleeding out (and needs to cauterize himself)

So. No I would not recommend any FMA fan to watch any of these movies, take those 6+hrs and use them on the other content.

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AN UNDERRATED GEM!

I was so excited about this drama from the moment they dropped the trailer and they truly did not disappoint me! It has absolutely everything one would need to make a good series - an interestingly new plot, great acting, outstanding chemistry, beautiful cinematography and perfect music. The camaraderie between the cast both on and off screen is so good which is why it makes the show even more fun to watch. And the way they are showing us Thai culture - the history, traditions, beliefs and mythology - is just so amazing and informative. Every Saturday they go beyond my expectations!

P.S. I don't usually write reviews but for this one, I just had to lol :p Please go watch it on Idol Factory's YouTube channel!

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decently sweet, iced with drama and sprinkled with spice

The story takes place in a bake shop run by 3 friends, the first one is the rich kid using moms money to run the shop so he's stuck under her thumb, the second is a friendly outgoing baker who can't seem to beat his friend at cakes, and the third is a cold perfectionist baker who is closed off and has his walls way up. Until of course, our MC takes the stage, he's a simple and sweet aspiring baker who easily makes his place in their shop, and also their hearts.

I actually really like that his character isn't a huge pushover even though he's a sweetheart, what I dont like is how quickly we see our closed off perfectionist open up to him and do a complete 180, maybe because it's only a 7 episode show and they had to speed things up, but the development needed a little more time in my opinion. I also didnt enjoy how toxic literally every relationship turned at one point, full grown adults throwing fits like children, making a decision in the heat of the moment and then taking it back, the white lies and the unnecessary drama, but all things considered it wasn't too bad.

The actors are doing a good job playing their parts, and there are several cute scenes, the chemistry between the leads is fine as well but I do feel like it could be better. Was almos trooting for the second love interest just to see if they'd have better chemistry lol. A cute watch overall, short and sweet, just a little bit dense.

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Came for Veronica Park, but ended up getting angry with the ML and dropped it.

I came to this drama due to Kim Jae Kyung having fallen in love with her as Veronica Park(eyay-oh) in The Secret Life of y Secretary.
The premise was good. A struggling vet saves the pompous CEO after he's stabbed. It had the makings of Kdrama gold.
Although it would have, were it not for Sung Hoon's one-dimensional character with zero character development - so much so that halfway through the penultimate episode (ep 6 out of 7) I couldn't take it any more. He was a toxic walking red flag and what made it worse was that Jae Kyung's character started to have feelings for him (they were in a contract relationship), despite him belittling her and controlling what she could and can't do, let alone who she could see. If her male friend spoke to her, he'd get mad. Like I said, walking red flag.
The hope I had of a redemption story just didn't come - I'm guessing I've missed on seeing this, but surely you'd want to see little signs of him changing, and her realising her self-worth.
So, to curb my frustration, I had to drop this as it stopped being enjoyable for me, which is a shame because of Kim Jae Kyung :(.
Thankfully there are only seven, 45-minute episodes on Viki if you want to try it. Other people rave about it.

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Love TJC, Love TJC's voice

Total fluff out of a lovesick teenage girl's play book. ML's a full time doctor, a voice actor at least part time, sings like an idol, cooks like a chef, speaks like a therapist AND never dated. He'll love this girl for years only based on her voice and music without knowing what she looks like but thankfully she's equally hot and pure. That characterization right there already puts this drama in the unplausible fluff category.

It's a very slow & mellow drama with uninteresting interactions between the leads but both are good looking.
The supporting couple is cute too.
Both couples are with significant age gap and maturity gap making the relationships even more unbelievable. Age gap is not noticeable when both people are working, but one is in college & one's been working. Even when the age gap is not a big deal the maturity gap feels huge.

TJC fans will probably watch just to hear his voice. Most of the time this drama feels like a one giant cooking music video.

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Uplifting

I've seen this three times now. At 32 minutes, it's a beautiful pick-me-up for down days. Every time I see it, I find new interconnections in its meaning. The plot is simple enough but everything else intertwines.

This is a small gem with many facets. One of the characters, Kei, is a painter whose home is filled with "her" work (a commenter on youtube credits them to Takuya Sugiyama). They're dynamic and vibrant and make a great setting for this story about creativity, authenticity and belief in oneself. Their confidence is everywhere in the flat. Kei is likewise visually striking, beautiful, stylish and charismatic.

Riko, the other main character, is in contrast to all of this. She is shy, inexperienced and still struggling to find her voice as a writer and, in many ways, who she really is herself.

Together they tell a gentle love story between two women, emphasising how the support of another can help you find confidence in yourself. It's ultimately about taking risks, both in love and art. As befits a story about a visual artist, there's a beautiful, sensuous love scene too, one many directors could learn from.

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50 hours long but worth it

This is the first time I've written a review here. I am so appreciative of the reviews on MDL and the time people take to write them, so I wanted to do my part and encourage people to watch this excellent drama! Fifty hours for a single drama (100 half-hour episodes) seemed intimidating, but this show is very binge-worthy! The story flows so well, with so many moving parts all fitting neatly together, I just kept clicking on the next episode.

The drama centers on the Song family and their neighbors at Yongju market, where the family has a fried chicken shop. While the series abounds in staples of a kdrama rom-com (a contract relationship, fake girlfriend, lost sibling, and an imposter relative, etc, etc), the characters were incredibly well-written and relatable, with realistic problems.

The family members include:
Patriarch Song Young Dal: generous and good-hearted (though a skinflint with the family budget), he carries a burden of guilt from childhood for leaving his sister when they were orphaned and he was unable to care for her.

Mother Jang Ok Boon: hot tempered yet fiercely protective of her children, three of whom are still living at home.

Oldest child and only son Song Joon Sun, a stuntman who has inherited his father's good heart. His generous impulses have ruined him financially and wrecked his marriage.

Oldest daughter Song Ga Hee, who left her cheating husband and is struggling to support her son.

Middle daughter Song Na Hee, a pediatrician with her husband Yoon Gyu Jin in the same profession. Her parents are very proud of her career and stable marriage, and consider her the most successful of their children. However, not all is as it seems.

Youngest daughter Song Da Hee, who is engaged to a fiancé with social and financial advantages. Here as well things don't turn out quite as expected.

Everyone has obstacles to overcome and issues to resolve., and manages to grow working through these personal challenges as the story goes on.

I would say Song Na Hee and her husband Yoon Gyu Jin are the primary characters. Their marriage is strained by life events and affected by their poor communication. Song Na Hee is whip smart, logical and emotionally distant. Yoon Gyu Jin is popular and friendly but not very mature. Their love story is touching and painful. You really feel for both of them.

My favorite romance by far is that of Da Hee, the youngest daughter, and Yoon Jae Suk, who is actually Yoon Gyu Jin's brother. They are both lovable goofballs. Their love story is so cute and quite a counterpoint to Na Hee and Gyu Jin, as they seem so attuned to each other's feelings and so kind and supportive of each other. I just loved it and admit I went back and re-watched all their scenes. They were just so hilarious together.

There are many other minor characters with their own story lines, all entertaining and nicely integrated into the overall plot. The humor was fantastic, and the actors were so well cast.

OST: I really liked the music, and I normally don't even pay attention to the sound track at all. I actually downloaded two of the songs: Love is Danger by Raina & Song Yu Vin, and Spring Breeze by Lee Moon See.

I rated the show 9.5 - some of the storylines were a little predictable, or too neatly tied up in the end, so not a perfect 10.

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Yes, Yes and YES

This season was definitely better than season one. All couples were splendid but you’ll definitely like two of three the best. The kisses were delicious and well done except for one of the main couple (who has the dude that looks just like seungmin from stray kids) who gave stiff kisses but where they lacked in kissing they had some of the sweetest moments giving us everything else.
The show itself had good plots but I will say there was too much screen time for a certain character and it wouldn’t have been bad if only the writers and directors divulged and explored that certain storyline further. I still have many unanswered questions.
The actual editing of the show could have been a lot better. There were several scenes where you could see the boom mic and choppy editing with certain scenes where you can tell they were from several different takes.
Other than that everything else was well done. Especially the casting! So glad they got to explore and do more with the storyline and script this time around. Hopefully we’ll get more in the future!!!

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I didn’t enjoy this drama, I suffered it

I'll start by saying that it's not a bad show. In fact, it keeps you hooked to see what comes next. And I loved the chemistry between the three couples.

But I have so many things to say about this, so let me start with a question: is this about a journalist who doesn't understand the importance of good communication? Really?

Isn't discernment (the ability to evaluate what is good, and what is bad) one of the essential skills of a journalist? However, the female lead blindly followed the awful advice she got from her best friend. Did she really believe that starting a relationship with lies and pretending was going to have positive results in the future? I think that's what bothered me the most about this series.

And I really hated the friend. With so many tricks, secrets and lies in her relationships, she didn't deserve a happy ending.

Another thing that annoyed me was that sometimes the FL was very bold and when he responded, she ran away like a scolded puppy.

Now, let's talk about the second female lead. She was so cute and persistent. I understand that the idea was to fight for what you want, but to what extent do you have to “beg for love”? To what extent do you give up your dignity to try to attract someone who is not interested in you, even pretending to be something you are not? Was the idea to pursue him until he accepted out of exhaustion? In any case, I liked the evolution of her character, going from a shallow girl to a woman with interests and goals.

On the other hand, there are the three male characters, which I thought were good, and I loved how they looked together in one of the scenes in the lasts chapters.

The ML was pretty deadpan, but I guess that's how the character was written. The teacher was my favorite, with his serenity. The third, who carried a certain sadness within him, matured as the plot progressed.

Another issue that bothered me about the series has to do with journalism. I don't know what it's like in China, but as a journalist, you don't give the interviewee the draft of the interview to approve, unless it's an advertorial. You're also not afraid to interview someone because you might suddenly fall in love if you get to know him better. This is just a professional interview, not a date.

In any case, it is better not to analyze these professional issues too much and enjoy the drama.

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Worth Watching for Just One Role

As much as I enjoyed the drama, it was mostly for just the Din character played by Mike Angelo. It's not unusual for a teenager to go through many emotional turmoils but Mike made this boy real and nuanced.

The storyline was captivating, and I noticed Thai dramas often strive for more original scenarios. However, it was unusual that I cared for only one character, while the rest were annoying.

***My general reflections. Spoilers galore so don't read if you don't want to know***

Before Darakan marries she has an illegitimate son Jang by another man. She leaves him in a shrine, where she visits him frequently, while her legitimate son Din is left behind. Although by the end of the series it's said that she tried to love them both (because it's a rule in Asian dramas to forgive your parents no matter how bad they are) throughout the series we see she really didn't love Din, and whenever she showed any concern for him it was either out of duty or guilt. Esp. when we compare her behaviour towards Jang when he comes to live with them. We can see that the things she does for him, like personally cooking, decorating his room, throwing a party for his friends etc. etc. she never did for Din. And she does it in front of him not even once stopping to think how indelicate it is. Even when she does something for Din, like when trying to separate Jang from his girlfriend, it's not to make Din really happy, but because she worries Din's relationship with Jang could worsen. She's very happy seeing her husband accepting Jang as his own son and giving him a major position in the company, and not even once she worries how her other son will take it. Whats more, she didn't see it fit to find 5 minutes to talk to her other son and explain that he has a brother who will be joining them. Din learnt about it in the most awful way, and since he loved her he didn't even want to believe it was true because he didn't want to think about her as an easy woman. By the end, we see how she worries that Jang is in grave danger but doesn't try to stop Din when he's going to put himself in the same danger to save his brother for his mother. So every time Darakan says she loves Din or loves both her sons equally it comes off as hypocrisy, and I'm not surprised Din doesn't even want to listen to it.

Din takes it all really badly and grows up as a messed teenager. However, under the violent surface there's a loving, caring and loyal boy ready to do anything for the people he loves. Whenever it really matters he's selfless towards his father, mother, and Dongyiwa. At the same time his "better" brother is very quick to turn against anyone, including his girlfriend, over the smallest misunderstandings.

It's ironic that Din is again and again accused of being inconsiderate, while he's always the first to stop and think how others must feel. Even when standing in front of the dilemma of getting rid of Jang his biggest concern is it'd make his mother sad because she loves Jang so much. Neither Jang nor his mother ever do something like that for him unless pointed out by others, and often not even then.

Thus said, I wasn't crazy about Jang character even though it was the main role. He was nice to everybody because it's how he was raised but he wasn't that much better than Din. We can see it when he turns as violent as Din messing up the company's contract, or when he defends his friends who beat up Din, even though one of them was kicking a bleeding person on the ground. All he had to say was that his friends didn't know Din was his brother. Unlike Din, however, he's given many chances. And whenever he fails he can try again with the support of others. Din never gets a chance to do anything, no matter how hard he tries.

Then there is Dongyiwa, a girl both brother fall for. First Din, and it seems for a moment like they might hit it off, but then she meets Jang and it's clear which brother she prefers. I mostly found her annoying. Din liked her because it seemed like they could be honest with each other, to which she pays him with such an amount of dishonesty, leading him on and misusing for her father's or Jang's benefit that it's really sorry to watch. To top it off she considers herself a martyr who has to spend time with Din against her will, as if she couldn't just tell him that she doesn't care for him 20 episodes earlier. In the end she just accuses Din of not really loving her but only wanting her to win a rivalry with his brother, which is neither true nor fair considering he told her he liked her long before he even knew he had a brother and how respectful he was towards her feelings once he knew them.

As much as Dongyiwa and Din had some chemistry, I found her romance with Jang lukewarm, so I didn't care about their ending. I wish for a better ending for Din though, because Teresa is just a random leftover from his brother while Din is a character who deserves real love.

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best family drama who leaves me crying ...

It turned out one of my fav drama. Acting skills , cast , and all are perfect.? The song also beautiful ,melts my heart?. This drama is too relatable to us and heart touching. There is a lot funny moments ,it rememberes us of our childhood. I really liked this drama. You can watch this without any doubt .
Their childhood days are really memorable and enjoyable .
I started watching this drama because of my fav actor steven zhang, now i'm in love with this drama. I don't want this to end , but all good things has to come an end .
this drama tells us how the small incidents in family leaves a great significance in childs psycology ...

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