Reviews

I kept this drama on the back burner because I wasn't interested in the cliche plot.  It took a while for me to give in and finally watch it. As I predicted, it was quite cliche: main girl likes main guy since forever, in comes second-lead-syndrome. I honestly do not know what kept me into it, maybe because Wang Zi is just so handsome and hard to not watch.  The main girl is not your typical girl; she's able to stand up for herself until someone breaks her weakness. When i say "stand up for herself" I mean she can really whoop someone's ass. That's the second reason why I kept watching cause she's not your typical fragile girl. Honestly, the antagonists are just eh.  Overall, the romance is sweet and adorable. I would recommend  it.

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I know alot of people probably won't agree with my rating  but despite this, I decided to justify my rating choice. I normally don't because who even cares, but the more I thought about this drama after I had finished it, the more disappointed in it I got. While I liked it, here's my rationale behind why it's not the best out there or the greatest.

story: While the story was interesting and unique, I felt like it was ultimately directionless.  I loved the supernatural theme, and I believe that is what initially piqued everyone's interest in the beginning. Well, that and Lee Jong Suk of course ;) However, the more the story drug on, the more I felt like the supernatural unique aspects of the drama began to disappear and lose it's "magic" and appeal. It just became redundant and somewhat lackluster. In the end, the story tied up nice enough but I'm still left a little deflated with a lingering feeling that it could have potentially been more.

characters:  In the end, the characters and character development, or lack of I should say, was what disappointed me the most. Lee Jong Suk did a marvelous job with his character. I could see his growth from an immature troubled youth still struggling with deciding between right and wrong and later watched him grow into a young man who stood firm in his beliefs. It was a seamless transition and I enjoyed the progress. In comparison, Suzy's character barely had any character growth. Her character was one dimensional at most. It was flat and a little boring to be honest. I don't know why, but something about her acting never communicated to me or pulled me into the story. I had the same problem with our second male lead in question, Han Woo Tak. While a handsome specimen and a potentially intriguing character, I felt like he was even more tasteless and boring than even Suzy. Even worse, I was left hanging till the very end wondering what dirty little secrets he was hiding or quietly pondering the possibility that Woo Tak might be more sinister then he let on as some of the directing of this series seemed to insinuate. I was sorely disappointed however when his character and role in general just fell flat resulting in a character I strongly felt was ultimately pointless and boring with no real character development either. I sometimes felt the side characters at the law firm had more interesting interactions and character growth to be honest.

music: The music in this was superb. It fit the scenes perfectly and was able to pull the perfect emotion for every scene. It was as beautiful as the cinematography which I also happened to find beautiful and breathtaking.

Chemistry: The couple chemistry was only so-so. I didn't really feel much of a connection between the two actors and I continue to feel like their relationship bordered on closer to friendship then it ever did to an actual intimate relationship.

Antagonist: And finally, the biggest problem I had with this entire drama was the antagonist. It was almost comical how the painted a big red villain sign on Lee Yu Beom. Sure the dude was crooked and manipulative but as the series drew on, I expected a little bit of insight into his sinister mask. What made him tick? What was his backstory? Why was he so twisted inside? They had so many opportunities to draw forth various complicated emotions from the viewers with a more complicated and complex antagonist so I was sorely disappointed when they decided to paint everything black and white and simply made Lee Yu Beom into the typical "Born to be the bad guy" lead in which every action he has ever taken was meant to cause distress to our main heros. The struggle between the antagonist and the protagonist was much too disney version for my liking. Character depth is more realistic and has the potential to leave a more lasting impression on the audience.

With that in mind, I over all rather enjoyed this series. I'm not dissuading anyone from watching this, if you are considering watching it then by all means go ahead. It was an enjoyable ride and I don't regret watching it. I would say it was worth the watch. If you are looking for something rich in supernatural mystery or character depth then I would advise against it. This drama was more focused on things like standing firm in your beliefs, distinguishing between right and wrong, human connections, and how we are all ultimately tied together somehow in an intricate and dynamic web of fate.

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Firstly I wish to say that this show is by no means perfect. In fact I imagine many people will not like it. However for those who give it a chance and can connect it will be a valuable and worthwhile watch. It was a type of drama that made me think and reflect on my own values which is the only reason I rate it quite highly. 

While searching for music related dramas I found this and was pretty impressed.

Let’s start with the story. For me it was interesting but also needlessly complicated. Half way through the drama I couldn’t help but think that there was just one too many love interests/ relationships. Plus each relationship was complicated and by episode six/seven I was frustrated enough to consider dropping it. Sometimes though frustration can be good, and this is where the show shines, because I was frustrated because I cared about the story and it’s characters.

The other great part about the story was what it had to say about the music industry and those who pursue a career in music. There were basically two views/ beliefs the characters had. One, music should be perused for love and joy. Essentially you should enjoy making music and not care about popularity,money or success. The second view is that making music is a business and you should be willing to sacrifice the things that you love in order for you to succeed. After all the music industry is a tough field to break into and not everyone can make a living as a musician.

Because of the complexity, it felt like characters had extra depth and I liked the fact that their was really no typical ‘bad guy’. Just a bunch of flawed people who did the wrong thing for debatably the right reason. By the end of the show every character has experienced some sort of character development.

Needless to say the cast of the show were amazing and enjoyable to watch. The rapport between the characters was believable and I knew that the actors were definitely enjoying their friendship. I just loved the clique and their interaction with one another.

Regarding music, I will simply say that it was pretty good and I will definitely listen to it for a long time coming.

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To start off, I want to pay my respects to the trailer and the first episodes of this show which got me really hooked right from the beginning. Never before have I been so excited to watch what seemed like a super custom made drama just for me. I like my romance stories like that: the leads fall in love from first sight, their chemistry is off the charts, they are both gorgeous and the music fits in with the mood. To add, the beautiful cinematography and all of the things mentioned came into one big bubble of joy which made my Monday and Tuesday nights so enjoyable. Everything would seem great and I'd finish this review with a strong 10 if it wasn't for the unnecessary melodramatic twists and the extended episodes. I really planned to put this drama in my "Top 10" list, but it just wasn't possible because of how draggy the directors decided to make this masterpiece. Seriously, it felt like I was watching Naruto with all of those filler episodes which contained no development whatsoever. Still, somehow I managed to pull myself together and finish the last episodes. And to be honest, the last episodes were really refreshing and nice. Not to mention the stunning male lead and his character. These type of calm, confident and feminine male characters aren't very common in the drama world, so this made this drama quite unique.

Overall,  I'm definitely recommending this to people who enjoy professionally filmed dramas with a fast-slow paced type of plot. Yes, some parts are really boring and the story gets frustrating, but the end is worth savoring every minute of this drama!

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this was such a really good lakorn, i don't get the low rating here.

The acting was phenomenal.
The female lead wasn't a damsel in distress like in most lakorns, she was a surprise, i was expecting a innocent, naive, quiet girl but no.
even the 2nd lead female+mother couldn't outwit her, such a refreshing character

Great main lead, i like the fact that he wasn't too mean toward the female mc, obviously he hated her at the start but the "hate" fades away in ep 3-4.

the plot is not original but well executed, the editing was good,

the music was ok, nothing especial.

re-watch value: i might watch it someday just for female lead.

overall: it was a really well done Thai drama, the only flaw was the lack of romance; don't get me wrong, there are some good romantic parts but i wanted more.

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SPOILERS AHEAD , READ IT AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE  :





" Love and Dreams are miraculous . They don't need to be heard , to be said or translated "
Just Wow . I mean At first glance , I thought that the movie was bound to be emotional and the plot might get cliche' . The first 1 hour of the movie was Good enough to make me believe this has to get an emotional end without anything much left .
After that 60 Min cross , BOOM . .xD
I was Baffled by the plot twist .. Haha ..
I was kinda confused when Yang said to her sister that the boy was deaf like her . I was like Okay a plot twist is about to come .
But then near the swimming pool scene I thought that Her hearing came back since she kept her head inside the water. Ya , Ya I know so dumb of me to think that . But that was the Biggest plot twist .
I mean I never thought she could speak . But that was the Perfect aim of the movie .
To be able to understand each other without saying anything . It was the best ever message in terms of emotions i have ever seen .
Just wonderful .
9:24
"They are kids as long as they aren't married "
LMAO .. !! Just asian parent kinda thing .xD
Also that water Bird reference was right on the mark . Even I thought that about her when she was jumping around and walking near the swimming pool . .Hehe . .xD
There were so many cute scenes in the movie . Like her being a street performer . And Then the boy talking to her on the street . . Haha . Just damn sweet .
I often wondered how hard it would be for hear impaired people , or anyone with any deformity in their body ?
We say our own normal lives are difficult but what about them then ?
Cheers to all of such people . Claps to their determination .
50:18
" What's the use of kindness when you are mute "
F**KIng bastard . How rude of him to say something like that . A**hole .
57:02
Haha . . That sign language by his dad indicating he's crying above . LMAO .. xD
1:08:02
That whole idea of the tree and those line were awesome . Eventually it takes courage to do all that . And just Wow . .Simply Superb .
1:25:50
Cool Parents . I'm glad the way his parents said those things . It shows alot of things .
He too did the right thing by asking them without making further efforts .
And now comes the best part . I laughed so much , fell of my chair eventually by such a plot twist and Paused it for a min and Jumped around .
1:34:28
Amazing .
His parents . Lol , Everything from writing in that pad and copying everything what he said about yang yang . LMAO ..!!
1:36:05
Surprised surprised surprised . . ! You got me the writers and the directors . I have never been fooled so much in a movie and this was the first time eventually . Haha .I just thought her hearing came back but didn't expect her to speak totally . Lol . .
1:38:05
Here comes the best ever part , the whole message of the movie
" How did you guys talk when you dated ? "
We didn't talk , we used sign language .
God damn . The way they both looked at each other and said this . Damn Sugary . .
Plot : 9/10
Twist 10/10
Soundtrack 9/10
Acting 10/10
P.S : I forgot to mention the acting by the trio . Must have had worked hard all of them . To express your facial expression throughout the whole movie . Fabulous work by all of them . xD

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Was it just me that thought this drama was terrible?
Reasons why this drama was terrible:
1) It was way too cheesy!!!
2) The main characters (Song Joong Ki x Song Hye Kyo)  look like they are related...(even though they are married now).
3) The evil character guy's english/acting was soooox100000000000000000 cringyyyyyyyy!!!!
4) Can't even talk about that ending............................................(when they went to "Vancouver")
5) The story was terrible...expected a lot more since she wrote Gentleman's Dignity

Reasons why I watched this drama:
1) The first four episodes were good
2)The second main characters
3) OST <3

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Yandai Byway is an overall good watch with a well paced storyline and good actors. The chemistry between the actors is amazing, which helps draw the attention and investment of viewers into the series. Although quite disappointed, I did enjoy the ending as the phenomenal performance delivered by Gong Zheng (Hang Hang), paired with the perfect use of instrumental music, helped set the scene. The series delves into a theme rarely touched by other shows in the genre (BL) and successfully delivers an entertaining piece worth watching.

I personally have rewatched the final episode multiple times, caught in awe at the amazing acting and emotion present in the final scene.

I highly recommend this series!

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I'll start this by confessing that I was addicted to Prison Break... That being said, this is an entertaining revenge thriller, with a great cast, and I think it stands on it's own in spite of the comparisons. I do think I am probably not as hyped about this as other viewers, but I understand the appeal.

First, Ji Sung is awesome, and perfectly cast as determined and righteous Prosecutor Park. If you are a fan of his, this is an automatic must see, because watching him go through all these revenge stages is the perfect showcase for his talent. His rival is Uhm Ki Joon who is also perfectly cast, and so extremely different from his Doctor character in "Scent of a Woman", that I was extra impressed. That's all I will say about his acting, because part of the fun for me was watching it all unfold knowing nothing. I think together they make this epic rivalry work extremely well.

So I don't think it's a spoiler at all to say that obviously Ji Sung ends up in prison, and equally impressive are his cell mates. Each character was interesting, entertaining, and made me really care about them, and their own stories. The bromance levels are pretty epic. The support they had for each other made me laugh and brought me to tears. I have no complaints about the cast at all, the wives, the kid, the mom in law, the brother in law... everyone is great, but the prisoners in the story were the definite highlight for me.

The story is hard to comment on without giving away more than I want to, but this is a straight up revenge based crime thriller. There are comedy elements because of the characters and situations, but the story is all crime based... murder, betrayal, retaliation, conspiracies, emotional torture, sociopaths, and obligatory amnesia... so if you are looking for something lighthearted or romantic this is definitely NOT the drama you want.

My story score is a little lower than others, not because the story is bad, but it isn't necessarily original. Like most revenge thrillers, most of the story is based on waiting to see if the villain(s) will get their due. This story is pretty standard in that respect, and some parts of the plot take a while to be revealed, so I was not as excited by the story as others who are less used to these types of shows. I was hoping for some unique and unexpected elements to be revealed, maybe some romance, or anything to make the story a little less standard.  It doesn't quite drag, but there's something very basic about the plot that kept me from loving the show more.  

Would I watch this again? Maybe. Certainly the cast is entertaining, and the story is meticulous enough to maybe catch something I missed in a second viewing. However, without extreme excitement during the first viewing, I don't know how likely that would be.

The music is basically dominated by "You're just to good to be true" basically becoming one of the character's theme song, which was a nice touch. The rest of it was pretty standard, but works.

Overall, If you are interested in a straight crime drama, this is extremely well done, and highly recommended. The cliffhanger aspect makes binge watching awesome! The end is satisfying, and doesn't feel rushed, dragged out, or contrived. Ji Sung is an easy actor to root for, so fans of his will no doubt enjoy him in this role. So, while it's not my favorite in the universal prison escape drama pantheon, or even among my favorite dramas, I would agree that it's a must watch for this genre.

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This is one of those dramas that I thought I would love, then suddenly lost interest. I'm not sure when I lost interest exactly, but I know that I went from eagerly awaiting new episodes to forgetting that it was still airing. For me, I think this is a case of mostly great story, not so great cast.

The plot involves seeing the future in your dreams, which is not a new kdrama concept, but I liked the way it was executed here. The supernatural thriller aspect of this show was what kept me most interested. I was excited each week to see if the characters would be able to change their fate.  There's also a lot of the plot that involves the characters' backstories, which I also very found interesting. It's not the most exciting or original thriller, but I was entertained. The writer, Park Hye-Ryun, wrote two dramas that I enjoyed with similar styles, "I Hear Your Voice" (one of my favorite villains) and "Pinocchio" (one of my favorite dramas). I think this one doesn't quite measure up in comparison, but in some ways it's kind of a hybrid of the two. "While You Were Sleeping" combines the law and reporting, asks similar questions about morality, and of course adds a supernatural twist in a way that is meant to seem totally plausible and realistic. The most obvious similarity, of course, is that it stars Lee Jong Suk. Maybe they were banking on recapturing past magic with all of these elements, but it still falls a little short.

Lee Jong Suk is fairly consistent. He's got this cool confident swag  thing going on, without being too arrogant, and while being vulnerable enough to maintain his charm.  In this role, however, he is supposed to come off as a little less cool, and it honestly didn't work. He still maintains his charm, but the lighthearted character he was going for still seemed too much like the character he usually plays, just in forced silly situations. I don't think fans of his will be disappointed, or that he does a bad job, it's just that something feels off with this character pretty early on. He of course is matched with Suzy, who I have been neutral about for a long time. She plays eccentric Hong Ju, the real center of this whole drama, but she went from being interesting to too predictable for me in this role. For a character who is supposed to be so headstrong and determined, she was still easily overshadowed by the guys. I honestly don't think she had a strong enough presence for this role.  It also doesn't help that her chemistry with Jong Suk didn't quite work either.  At first they were cute, really cute, but then they were pretty boring and forgettable. Both of their emotional scenes also felt really forced. She seems like an actress that relies on her costar's charm to make the chemistry really work, and since Jong Suk wasn't at his A game, that made her extra mediocre. So fans looking for a good rom com storyline will be pretty underwhelmed.

The rest of the cast is mostly great, especially Jung Hae In and Kim Won Hae. Hae In is a formidable second lead, if the romance portion wasn't so lacking, and really charming. I also love Won Hae's versatility, even though this role is more low key and emotional than I've seen him before, he is clearly a talented actor. Then there's the rest of the ensemble, especially the prosecutors and staff, who were all extremely entertaining, and added a lot to the story to hold my interest. Still, I have to say that I was disappointed by Lee Sang Yeob. He was good at playing arrogant, I will definitely give him that, but as a villain he was pretty boring. On paper his character is duplicitous, charming, and manipulative, but I felt like he was pretty one note in his portrayal. I'm a sucker for a good villain, so maybe I'm being extra hard on him, but I just wasn't impressed.

My rewatch value is obviously pretty low because my desire to even finish was pretty low. The plot is good enough, I think, to warrant a second viewing to see how the pieces fit. It may even be better to just binge watch so you don't have enough time in between to lose interest. I will also add the disclaimer that I was simultaneously watching other on air suspense/thriller dramas at the same time, and this started to pale in comparison, which didn't help.

The OST was pretty "meh" worthy for me. It fit the vibe of the story well, but I have no desire to hear any of these songs again. If I connected to this drama more I would probably like the OST more, but there are plenty of bad shows with soundtracks I love, so maybe not.

Overall, I'd say I'm disappointed based on the strong start, but not mad that I completed it. I would recommend too many other dramas before this one, especially since suspense is a common theme this season, but this isn't terrible, just not great. I wish more questions were answered at the end, instead of going for the standard ending, but I don't have any real major complaints. I would easily recommend this to fans of "I Hear your Voice" and "Pinocchio", with the disclaimer to lower your expectations, and expect some major deja vu.

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The premise of this drama was really appealing to me, a doctor working illegally on the side to provide for his sick sister. Unfortunately, what we got out of this show wasn't exactly what was promised. In the first few episodes (and a little bit later on), we see the titular 'Yong Pal' in action, tending to wounded criminals, but after the initial episodes it feels like this is cast to the side for a loosely-related political revenge plot.
Let me make this clear, I enjoyed the show for what it was, I just wish they had actually expanded on 'Yong Pal' as a character more than they did.

As for the 'real' story of this show, it was actually quite good for the most part. I was really drawn into the politics and revenge plotting for the majority of the show, enough for me to marathon it in a couple of days. The casting and acting was superb overall, with Joo Won providing an especially engaging performance as Kim Tae Hyun. The relationship between his character and Han Yeo Jin was really a delight to see unfold.  The rest of the main cast did a really good job as well, to the point where I can't think of a performance that stands out as being particularly poor.

While the show maintains a solid pace throughout the main body of its runtime, the last few episodes the plot really begins to unravel. Apparently, (not sure if this is true), the show proved so popular that it was spontaneously extended by two episodes, and this really shows. The last two episodes are easily the most confused and underwhelming of the entire show. While there are good scenes here, it ends up feeling like the writers throwing characters and conflict at the audience for no real reason. This culminates in what I can only describe as an abrupt, disappointing ending, with several notable plot points left largely unresolved.

Despite this, i'd say this show is worth the watch, as it provided a really good viewing experience for the most part, with lots of likeable characters (and some easy-to-hate antagonists), and really solid performances by the cast.

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What trash.

I briefly considered giving this a 10 (like another review for this drama) simply because I just could not believe that the writer would, with their hand over their heart, believe this steaming pile of dog shit masquerading as a script could actually be halfway-decent enough to be shown to the world. But that would mean the rating for this drama would increase, which would be false advertising. So hence, here is my very honest and slightly disgruntled review (after all, I wasted a good day watching all 10 episodes. A day I will never get back.)

This show is low budget, but that's okay. Low budget shows can also be great (read: Go Princess Go) or at the very least, watchable (read: Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me). Here, on the other hand, it was like the producers didn't even have enough to hire actors. Hell, my aunt who stays at home and reads to her 12 cats can probably act better. For example, when the male lead was talking about his 'Paranoid Personality Disorder' (does this even exist?), he put on this facial expression that really, really wanted to be tortured, but sort of fell in the ballpark of constipated. I think that if the producers spent less on all the fancy sets and locations, they could've afforded some decent actors, but hey, who cares about actors anyway.

I still can't believe this story is what it is. It gives me hope that if crap like THIS can get produced, then anything I end up writing will have the producers queuing in front of my house.

It starts off with our bug-eyed, small faced heroine (whose face kinda creeped me out with its very apparent plasticky-ness) being kidnapped and tied to a chair with a cheap-looking alien brain-sucking device on her head- or so you'd think (muwahaha the budget strikes again!) Its actually a lie detector. We see a bunch of science-y looking scientists (because lab coats, duh) ask her where she hid the baby. Female lead gets confused and vehemently denies ever being pregnant. Lie detector says she's lying, and the scientists keep asking her where she hid the baby. The heroine faints. Fast forward a bit, and we see our hero, looking all serious and hero-like while having a face that is 3 shades lighter than his neck (good make up artists cost money). Now, even HE asks her about the baby- his baby, apparently- and absolutely refuses to accept that they never had sex in the first place, because according to him, they both were drunk at a party she was waitressing at when they had it. While a normal person would accept that an ordinary woman would know if she ever pushed out a baby, this guy was somehow convinced that our female lead birthed a human without her knowledge.

Once this idiocy got over, the male lead had no reason to keep her at his mansion, but ya' know, he still did because he is 'ohmagerd obsezzed!!!' The female lead eventually stayed because Stockholm Syndrome.

Okay, I'll stop there. Not only because I was getting more and more annoyed as I typed, but the review was also suffering (if it hasn't already suffered enough.)

Tl;dr- The actors can't act, the writer can't write, the directors can't direct and the producers can't produce.

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To be completely honest, were there ever any live remakes that were better than the actual original manga or anime? I guess not, and it's no exception with this one.

The story of Daytime Shooting Star is lovely. For all of you who've read the manga I guess you'll agree that the plot is simple, but very well developed and put out. But the Japanese have this "thing" to completely destroy the amazing manga vibe when they transfer it to the big screens. The whole movie seemed so fake to me. Don't misunderstand me, I love these "corny" and "cheese" Japanese manga adaptations with the whole awkward kissing, starting weird relationships and so on. But the most awkward of it all was the acting in this movie. Is it just me or do we all find the main actress of this movie very strange and unprofessional? I mean, if you read the manga, you would've formed a completely different character of Suzume in your head. To me, the Suzume from the manga is a bit more daring, confident and a whole lot prettier. Sorry if I seem rude or bitchy, but honestly, I couldn't let this slip by without commenting on it. To add, the actor for the role of Mamura is extremely handsome, yet he couldn't fulfill my expectations for acting and being a true Mamura from the manga. Sighh...

I feel as though I'm only giving this movie a higher score is that I've enjoyed the manga so very much. My only wish is that the Japanese would start making manga adaptations with focusing on how to make the characters look and feel like they just walked out of the manga.

If you're a shojo anime junkie/manga reader/corny romance lover, I guess you'll like this film.

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Watched this movie while flying on a 10 hour flight. Well, the Korean movie section was quite small, but I was a bit intrigued when I read the synopsis for this. I'm a fan of anything related to North Korea and the country is always a mystery to me. Looking back at this movie, which I watched about 2 weeks ago, I remember missing the whole "escaping from North Korea" idea as imagining those situations and what those run-away people feel is what makes it so exciting. However, the directors of the film decided to focus on the art, on some of the minor insignificant characters. I didn't like the female lead at all, she seemed very dull and plain. The male lead was kind of boring and indifferent as well. The only thing that really drove me to the edge of my seat was the major plot twist in the movie *shhhh, no spoilers here*. Overall, I'll keep this review super short just because there are plenty of movies and interviews about North Korean refugees, their current life, their journey and experiences. This movie couldn't fulfill my wish to reflect all of the things mentioned before. Overall, definitely not worth your time, there are better movies out in the Korean film industry.

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