Reviews

Solid all the way.

After hitting a ratings slump post Goblin, tvN put all their eggs in the basket for Secret Forest. It's a well-planned drama from start to finish and executed to near perfection. The episodes never got boring despite it focusing almost solely on its special investigation. The highlight is definitely the acting. Secret Forest put together heavyweight players Bae Doona and Jo Seung-woo as headliners and a breathtaking performance by Yoo Jae-myung, with the rest of the supporting cast keeping up to pace. The use of interesting composition, efficient editing, and instrumental heavy soundtrack gave the drama a cinematic feel. The ending was tight, though a bit too perfect for all the trouble the team got themselves into throughout the drama. Nonetheless, it was satisfying and retained a grayness that the drama kept during its course.

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Revenge set in the late 1940s that later leads to love.
Both sides of the revenge are rootable and you cannot help but be torn about who you want to "win". A worthy watch with great leads, beautiful emotional OST in an elegant backdrop with its even more elegant leads.

STORY
Very fascinating story set up where the enemy lives under the same roof, where revenge agendas are directly revealed to the enemy rather than an undercover sort of revenge (unlike typical revenge stories in that regard), where characters interactions hold many layers, where themes of justice and morality are explored.
Here we have the shallowness of the rich who judge each other by status, yet the shallow polite first impressions they give each other and the viewer are later removed, unveiling their true character. Who at first was introduced as a neutral character may be darker than expected, while some may hide under a darker mask than their true nature. This unveiling of character is an interesting watch.
As a warning, the women in this drama are very stupid and irritating, it's only the female lead that's rootable and not a complete idiot. Later on, the idiocy of some characters becomes a farce, you can no longer take that part of the story seriously; however this doesn't affect the main leads too much so it doesn't ruin the story.

A great set up, but the execution falls short, still manages to be good, yet there was something missing. I felt like some of the pacing was off, with story beats that should've played out differently which would've made it all so much better. The very first episode was excellent 9.0-9.5 range material that immidetaly made made root for the three leads (female lead, male led and female lead's brother), but after that, the story didn't run as smoothly and dragged in some parts. The 10 year old boy also had way too many scenes, I'd rather they'd given the sister's adult brother more focus as well as more scenes to the OTP.
It was interesting to see the multilayered scenes where many characters were keeping secrets, those moments and the scenes between the OTP had the depth and automitically makes you analyze the character actions and their morality.Overall a deliciously very dark tone, but had a few funny moments too. Only a very few though, so stay away from this if you don't like dark plots/dark tone. The humor in this drama is more dark and farsical.

ACTING / CAST
The male and female lead casting was perfection, they truly suited each other as well as their respective characters. And the casting of the brother of the female lead was really great too. He was even likable in his evil moments, something which not many actors manage to pull off. Those three really made the story,  it's the reason I gave this lakorn an overall rating of  8.5 and not 8.0.
There was three really handsome men in the cast that very great as eye-candies, however they were also great in the acting department. The 10 year old boy character was annoying and had way too many scenes.

MUSIC
A really great emotional and beautiful track, but cannot give a full 10 in rating the music, only because while the music itself was great, they didn't UTILISE it in the right way.
Rather than playing different parts of the same song to vary it up, they kept playing the same part over and over, lessening the impact of the otherwise great song, even making it too repetetive. Especially a dramatic, emotional track like that isn't suited to be blasted in that overt manner, it only lessens its impact. They could've had more music tracks to play too for variation and better impact.

REWATCH VALUE
Don't take my rating of this aspect too seriously, I'm not that into rewatching dramas. Some of the character interactions where they're keeping secrets from each other could be rewatched and the OTP scenes, allthough those two should've had more moments together.

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This is such a beautiful heart warming easy to watch drama.... just  wish though that  it is longer than  6 episodes.   My first time to watch a film that centers on dreams.... so  I find the storyline really refreshing.  

Story -9.5/10

The story was founded on the premise of Eve ( the female lead) having the ability to see her future through her dreams, so  somehow I am not surprised at how fast the love angle between her and Pun (the male lead) was developed.   The chemistry between them was cute and their interactions were sweet, cute and not forced.  I find it amazing how the writer was able to inject something that will help us understand about Thailand... their way of life, culture and regulations without drifting from the main theme of the drama.   I thought everything was a giveaway but to my surprise.... the subtle twist was a warm welcome.

Acting 9.5/10

All the scenes were greatly executed and it came as a surprise to me how good Ice Nattarat acted out the drama scenes considering that he is barely new.  He was good and very convincing in the crying scene... it all came so natural.... and Ice Preechaya... what can I say????  I love her so much.   And the supporting casts, they were all so funny and good.

Music 9/5/10

The music was also good especially at the ending scene.... I love the lyrics too... perfectly suits the drama


Rewatch Value -10/10

I can watch the drama especially the last episode over and over again.  It never fails to give me that warm satisfying feeling no matter how many times I have rewatch this.

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Good (not great, but good) take on the now slightly worn theme of "OMG, successful, single, 40ish year old...but not married! woman". We get the Usual Suspects: Beautiful Workaholic female lead (a doctor, this time); Mr. Second Chance/The Old Reliable (a teenage crush come back as mature husband material); Mr. Abrasive and Cynical-but-Actually-Sensitive Inside (a chef who apparently moonlights as a relationship...well, not exactly mentor, more like relationship boot camp drill sergeant); Mr Hot Young Thing (a delivery boy with a hidden poetic side); plus the supporting cast of  giggling juniors, bitchy she-wolf pack, total no-hoper dating rejects, etc.  It's all put together in an appealing package with pretty good acting from the main cast, but the story meanders, jumps around, and makes us hang on for a whole lot of crying, shouting, laughing, sighing, flashbacks (LOTS of flashbacks), more crying, some moments of indecision, and ultimately an ending that, though plausible, has been rightfully described as unfulfilling. No spoilers here, but let's just say the best way to describe it is, "Ha! We all pretty much saw that coming - except then it didn't. Although it did. Sort of. But not quite. Though, really, what else was there to say? Well, anyway.

Nakatani Miki delivers a very charming performance as the aforementioned beautiful workaholic doctor in not just a love triangle, but a full-on love quadrangle. She's reconnected with her missed opportunity high school crush (Tokui Yoshimi), now a successful salaryman and all-around decent guy. She seeks to win him over and make up for lost time with the help of a sharp-tongued chef (Fujiki Naohito) whose restaurant she frequents, and who agrees to mentor her on how to be neither a doormat nor an ice princess. His methods are more like verbal fencing than Guy Friend chit-chat, with lots of getting up in each others' faces, which  over time sets up a whole "Oh, will you two just quit bickering and do it!" feel. Thrown into the mix is the very self-confident restaurant delivery boy (Seto Koji), whose sporty, unambitious persona belies a warmth and seriousness that our heroine finds unexpectedly compelling.

 Overall, there is a sense of lost potential here. Everybody is very good in their roles, and the characters are fairly interesting, but the combination offers little novelty in its take on a thing we'll all seen a bunch of times by now. If, by chance, you haven't seen one or two (or six or eight) dramas on this theme, then this certainly isn't a bad introduction. It's neither too fluffy nor an emotional gut punch, and it's nice and easy to get through. Just don't expect a lot of fresh ideas if you have been around this loop before.

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Shichou wa mukudono is a light-family & political drama that engage more on the family problems as it connects to the society's problems that politicians are dealing with.
I liked how the drama depicts the family to society's issues and how the mayor is coming up with solutions but I guess the character is too innocent and kind overall that he can't control he's subordinates. Nonetheless, I'm hoping more politicians will be like him though he's quite idealistic. I don't have any problems with the actors' with their portrayals, they're excellent. I liked how the story progresses from Hiromasa not wanting to  run for office though he did not want it but along the way though he struggled, he did his best for the people, and finding what he really wanted in life; either just to live as a normal citizen or running for mayor to help the future of their city.

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Flashbacks in Shanghai

I came to the party 1 1/2 years after the initial TV broadcast.  I was searching for C-dramas with English subs, that are hard to find. I found it by accident on YT, and watched the whole drama, with some fast forwarding, over eight consecutive days.

Story:
The plot was plausible, but long-winded, and packed with unnecessary, redundant, superfluous flashbacks.  At least six episodes would have been shaved off, if they had resisted the flashback route.  Drama could have been renamed "Flashbacks in Shanghai" or "I Hate You, I Love You!"; a romance, conspiracy, crime, musical, pre-war drama set in Shanghai.  

Acting/Cast:
Huang Xiao Ming was impressive with his height, acting and fighting skills and his steadfast character. Zou Zhen was overzealous about Jingxui. Joe Chen’s acting was average.  Her character Jinxui is a very confused, easily manipulated woman, who flows like the river, and latches onto any man in her periphery.  At least six men were in various stages of like/love/obsession, which was a stretch.

Qiao Kimi gave a very good acting performance as SLS Ying Dong.  His character was easy going but conflicted.  Lu Kelsey was the most beautiful actor in the cast. Her acting range was greater than Joe Chen's. Qi Ji was the tall, handsome, dastardly evil villain Maeda. Maeda's false charm and charisma were over the top, and should have been dialed back. The supporting actors did very good professional acting jobs. The puppy was the best character.

Music:
I was very impressed with the opening song,  the BGM and the closing song.

Rewatch Value:
Once is enough, even if Huang Xiao Ming were to ask me to watch it again.

Overall:
Acting-very good
Directing-good, but could have been better if he had laid off the Flashback Management Team. 
Cinematography-very good 
Costume design-very good 
Set design-very good 
Editing-good, but could have been better if he had refused to load all the inane flashbacks. A  painted scene of Shanghai would flash monotonously across the screen numerous times in every episode, as if we did not already know that the city is Shanghai.

Memo to production companies; If we see a building or landmark once, we do not have to see it 100 times.

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I thought the premise of the show was very sweet and the main story line between the two main characters were cute. The acting was decent and the music and sound efrcts were good. Although some sound effects came at awkward timing.

The two big isses I had with the show was with the story. I would've given this show a higher rating if it weren't for two major things 1. The racial part. And 2. The show "supporting" an abusive relationship. Which I am not okay with in the slightest. I apologize in advance if I hints about anything.
I watched this series theough Netflix and leaurned about the reacial part after finishing the show. I took the time to look up the the scene and it was awkward and distatesful. I couldn't find the english sub, but i got the jist. Even if in East Asia, the beauty standard is being fair skin, this doesn't excuse the scene.
The arch with the character and her abusive ex-husband I couldn't bear with. I can understand that people can change, but in this way no. This person is a strong developed character. We see early on how scared and frighted she is because of him. This really upsetted me also because this degrated all of the characters. Team Three is very protective and caring among their cowerkers. Sending the character off and everyone being okay is very out of character for everybody. If anybody ever physically or mentally abused me I wouldn't let them near me or anybody else. Which left a very bad taset in my mouth afterwards.

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This movie is amazing, and this should be watched by EVERYONE.
The story is bonechilling, because it is based on true events. Knowing this fact this movie will move you to tears, at least I did.  I sat on the edge of my seat, my anger grew at times and I could feel the despair.
The cast was also marvellous. I felt with them though every emotion and made their characters jump out of this movie. They did a honor for the family who sadly had gone through these events.
The music fitted every scene and I would 100% rewatch this movie.

Everyone should watch this, because it's based on real events, it opens up your eyes and you'll be in a rollercoaster ride with this movie!

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The episodes of this drama are short but is enough to give you a sweet tooth! It talks about relationships of love and friendship among ordinary people, which I think is nice because most people could relate to it especially ordinary Koreans.
I also liked that they chose new and unknown korean actors for this web series, because it really presented well the setting and the image they wanted to portray which is an ordinary workplace. It wouldn't have been very convincing if they were to put famous actors or idols in it.
If you are bored and just want a cute drama to pass by time i suggest you give this a try, 35 minutes and you are done with the whole series, and would leave you smiling.

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This was a re-watch of a drama that I've seen before.  It's one of those dramas that starts out kind of rom-com and then veers abruptly into melodrama, so story feels a bit uneven as a result of this.  But it's Lee Hong Ki as the main male lead and I can forgive a lot for Lee Hong Ki.  He plays Choi Kang Ju, the heir to Taeyang Group, who is engaged to Jang Yi Kyung, played by Yang Jin Sung, who just happens to look exactly like Na Doo Rim, also played by Yang Jin Sung.  Rumor has it that Kang Ju's family has a curse where the first bride of the first born son of each generation will die after the wedding. Yi Kyung and her conniving mother have a plan to thwart that fate when they discover the existence of Doo Rim. One of the things I love about this drama is the chemistry Yang Jin Sung has with Lee Hong Ki when she's playing Doo Rim and yet there's a complete lack of chemistry when she's playing Yi Kyung.  Sung Hyuk has a wonderful (though at the end somewhat dogged) turn as the Second Lead Who Will Not Get the Girl.  As usual, the second lead is a bit too passive and sad-sack and thus stands no chance.

One of my frustrations with this drama, however, is that they spend a not insignificant amount of time in the first two episodes establishing that Doo Rim is not only plucky - as any poor girl must be if she's to meet and win an arrogant chaebol - but also that she's competent at fighting and taking care of herself and anyone else.  Therefore, it's especially disappointing when, later in the series, there are multiple instances of her life being in danger and all she does is flail uselessly and gasp and scream and otherwise act ineffectually in her own defense. Another frustration is how comically deplorable the bad guys end up being. They hit a point where they are so bad that it borders on tedious.

All that said, I still very much enjoy the show. The pacing is good and keeps you moving, even through the frustrating bits. And really, I could listen to Lee Honk Ki speak forever.

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I'm going out on a limb here and claim that this gem-in-the-rough is NOT your standard BL film.

1) One of the main couple characters is actually gay. None of this typical BL bullshit trope of "I'm not gay, I just love [name]!" as seen in Love Sick, 2 Moons, Make It Right, etc, etc. It's bullshit because that's not how male-on-male romance works. That scene where Chai first moves in, is in the bathroom, smells Aek's soap, and starts fantasizing? That's probably the most realistic scene I've seen in any BL.
Of course, another bullshit trope in every film/series, not just BL, is that it can't end with the gay character being happy. Same here.

2) This film is epic, simply put. At just over 2 hours, there are many word-less, almost mundane, almost plot-less scenes of exposition. The main couple interacting with their friends at a waterpark, the main couple having noodles at a road-side stand, each of the main couple winning trophies separately in their respective sports, each of the main couple in the shower (Those actors are actually in pretty good shape! Worth a rewatch just for those scenes!) These expositions, at times, seem to drag the film. But at the end of it all, you realize you've traveled their journey with them. Seen what they've seen; lived their love with them.  One gets a better sense of the joy of their love, and the anguish of their loss.

There seems to have been little-to-no money or time spent on post-production on this film. Many BL releases are guilty of this, but this one is especially guilty. I suspect part of the soundtrack may have had to have been silenced due to something like international copyright clearances. Don't let that distract you. The story more than makes up for it. Decent script, very good acting.

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The story is really creative, it reminded me of an anime called Sword Art Online somehow, maybe because they filmed it as if they actually enter the game world for real!! When the guy (I forgot his name so I would just call him the guy)  said he was preparing for his wedding was really cute as if he would be married in real life, it was just a game bruh LOL!! This drama is actually the first Chinese drama I watched after a very long time, and it got me completely HOOKED again!! and now I gotta find similar dramas to this one ASAP T.T

I have no complaint about this drama except that maybe if they can find a better actress for the main girl?? I don't dislike her, don't get me wrong it just that her acting was pretty stiff and seemed a little bit forced here :((  BUT still highly recommended!!

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I love the first season, but I'm crazy about Season 2!!!

Again, if you're looking for a romance series, don't watch this. Although it has so many dreamy, romantic scenes, it is still a martial arts themed drama. and no ship will sail lol.

After watching season 2, I was curious what others thought and I was surprised that so many people didn't like it even after watching the whole season. It was understandable that many will not like it at first because they changed the actress who played the lead role AND Yang Yang is not in this season. I must admit I was hesitant to start it because there is no Yang Yang BUT I think the new Qi Bai Cao suited the role much better than the first one. And the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is Ji Chang Wook was introduced as the new lead actor. And there are so many things to like in this new season.

1. Storywise, I like Season 2 better. The characters had matured and the story became deeper and more complicated. Even tho this is not a romance story, there were so many romantic scenes that any normal girl will have her heart melting from those scenes.
2. Cooler action scenes. Also, Bai Cao and Chang An's training scenes were beautiful. It's like they're dancing and they're so good to look at.
3. Fang Ting Hao. I liked him in Season 1. I love him in Season 2. His character is just so deep and I really feel sorry for him. He suffered a lot because of his love for Bai Cao.
4. The music. Chen Xiang's (played Fang Ting Hao) voice is so dreamy. I just love his songs in the series (both in seasons 1 and 2).
5. A lot of people hated the last 2 episodes because they were mostly flashbacks. I don't mind. Most of them were my favorite scenes anyway. They were nice flashbacks.

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