Reviews

Part from the title, that is actually kind of odd, the main concept of this drama is interesting and entertaining. The first episodes, however, are a bit of a letdown. The going back in time through an alien manhole wasn't executed well enough and it ended up being a bit idiotic. Plus, the story hadn't developed yet and frankly everything seemed confusing and tiring. The drama picked up after episode five or so. The story tangled up and got messy, but at least there was some progress and the main character had some development, as well as his understanding for his friends and his relationship with them. The side stories took the lead at some point, which wasn't that bad as they were interesting and entertaining. However, in the end they weren't concluded well enough as the main romance did. Now, the love story was good and the chemistry between the actors was there sometimes. In addition, the performances were really good, and they helped a lot with the progress of the story.

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Let's get to the point! The OSTs are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.   My review is neither critical nor serious nor in a serious tone, but more like a guide, a persuasion, and an encouragement for you all to watch it. My review is long and is also a copy-paste of my replies to many people here. I won't put spoiler below. There is NO spoiler.
 
1. I did not have much knowledge about the Ancient Chinese drama theme (the names, the huge casts, confusing who is who, the rankings, the imperial titles, the culture, etc.) before viewing this show. Hence, that's why the drama might seem boring coz it's a new thing for me. It's a turn off when you get confused about who is who.  This sounds like a con, but the drama's directors can't help but doing things this way. Also, you can memorize names or get a pen and paper to write down names for tracking who is who.  Although this is a con, there are a lot of pros in this drama to override this.

2. This show is the kind of shows that is made for REWATCHING. The rewatching
value is over 9000. Most of the complainers, who said they couldn't get hooked
before the 20th Episode mark or below, needs to know that after they get hooked
and watch all the episodes till the end, they will come back to rewatch; AND
rewatching is even more juicier than the first time viewing.  This is why I say this
show is made for rewatching. It's just not made for the A+ first time viewing
experience because most impatient viewers (I am very impatient too sometimes)
complain "it's going nowhere for them, no destination, no goal", "it's boring to them",
etc.

3. This show is the kind of shows that you won't get hooked no matter what
(exaggeration but it could happen to some people). You need to be patient and not
lazy.  I was hooked after EP 14.  

Such long series that is over 50+ episodes like this, it is not condensed.
During my initial viewing I was lazy, so if you're lazy, it's over for you.
You'll find it's boring if you're used to watching 16-20 episodes Korean or other
asian romance dramas. IF you are into romance, then it's even more game-over for
you. In that case, I'd recommend Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms (TMOPB) if romance
 is your preferred genre.

Coincidentally, NIF is just like TMOPB for me, I was hooked after the EP 14th mark.
Long series that have a lot of casts need time to introduce the characters.

MY ADVICES:

- Just bear the beginning episodes below the 20th episode (at most). You might even get hooked below that, and try to relax when watching it, don't think to much about who is who, let it flow, then complete it, and now it's your second time viewing. The second viewing will answer all the Qs.

MY VIEWING JOURNEY:

I had watched 12 episodes of Nirvana In Fire, dropped it (nah, more like put it on hold for 10 months LOL).  After that I completed Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms (TMOPB), took a month break (watching other dramas), and then back to NIF (from the 12th to the 54th episode marathon). Luckily I still remembered most of the things happening before EP 12 so I was set.   I was too lazy to start it from the bottom (1st EP) so I started from where I left- the 12th EP.
I was like, "f**k it! I wanna finish it for the sake of finishing it." Have you ever had that urge? I wanted to complete it ASAP coz I had started it already 10 months ago/almost a year ago. It's shameless if I can never finish it.

Now I'm rewatching NIF from the 1st-54th episode. I encourage you to watch this ASAP but leave a free time for this coz you might need to marathon. Once you start it, you won't stop. hahaha  I am so biased. The only thing I rated a 9.5 is its story. The rest are 10/10. Too afraid to be too biased so NIF can look more legit.

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If you are going to make an age gap movie, especially when one of the lead character is a minor, don't do it like this movie! Yes, I understand that this is common theme in manga/anime! I actually love a lot of stories with this theme so I'm not trying to be prudish about it at all! I know you can create a story where it's plausible and even enjoyable to have an age gap with a minor romance. Unfortunately, the way they did it in this movie is cringe worthy!

The first thing you have to acknowledge is poor story pacing. I understand that a lot of story is hard to fit in two hours, but it can be done. You've probably read by now there literally is no courtship before marriage. There isn't really even enough chemistry or social/physical interaction to sell the whole love at first sight hook! So the only thing you can deduce is that he married her because he was lonely, felt some weird guilt trip so felt the need to protect her. Which if honestly was the case, wouldn't require marriage at all so it still feels really off.  When you add in additional factors and how immature/innocent Kako acts even for a modern 16 year old it plays out even more cringy!

This leads to the second thing that must be acknowledged, their maturity levels. Kako could pass as a 12 year old trapped in a 16 year olds body! Her behavior and expressions are so childish it makes the thought of a grown man seeing her as a woman very uncomfortable. On the flip side you have Kouta who could pass as more mature than 26 year old because of his obsession with propriety as a officer and willingness to sacrifice himself for the job! So in the end the age gap gets way more absurd and creepy! The only conclusion you can make that doesn't sound a lot like pedophilia is that he wasn't physically attracted to her as a woman and just wanted someone he could protect and not be alone, maybe have the best position of control? That doesn't exactly make for a swoon worthy romance, more like a borderline psychological thriller/horror movie plot device.

This leads to the most disturbing of all things that must be acknowledged! It is made crystal clear by Kouta that Okami  is still a child! It implied many times that Kouta is a mature adult officer and Okami is a kid and needs to rely on adults like the police for help. Yet Okami acts way more mature than Kako! So it's hard to sell the double standard that Kako is grown enough to be an equal, consensual marriage partner, when it's established that she is Okami's peer therefore at the same level (if not lower maturity level ) as a dependant child! This plus the odd, uncomfortable small scenes of physical/romantic interaction between Kouta and Kako make it feel like a little girl with a crush on her older brother. She literally never reaches the maturity level you would expect from a married woman all the way to the end! The only reason you don't have the urge to call CPS when Kouta kisses her or proposes is because he appears to regress in maturity to the level of a teenage boy. That in itself is pretty disturbing though when you actually try to rationalize it!

After acknowledging all the faults it's easy to say this movie definitely failed at being able to comfortably portray a marriage let alone a romance between a 16 year old girl and 26 year old man. Since that is the major premise of the movie it's really sad to admit. The highlight to me was actually the friendship between Kako and Okami! I would actually have preferred a movie based on their circumstances to be the lead romance and the policeman story to be more of a friendship crush that never developed romantically. Why? Because it felt genuine and much more interesting. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to insult Kame, his acting, or trash how well he executed the story! He looked amazing as ever, and I understood his perspective genuinely! It was truthful the storyline and underdevelopment of the characters relationships that made this movie nonsensical. The acting was actually not bad, but with the weird storyline and disjointed characters it felt like they were all performing in unrelated stories!

This is me commenting on the music, it was okay, lively but nothing truly beyond to be notice worthy in my opinion. 

I can't actually recommend a re-watch just because there isn't much to warrant it! I mean even in badly executed rom-coms there is often enough sweet warm and fuzziness for a squee fix even if you fast forward the rest! Unfortunately all of those moments in this movie are so uncomfortable to watch and unsatisfying it's more of a downer. My advice is to screenshot Kame and his very sexy-suitable hairstyle as a screensaver and move on to the next movie! ?

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There was something extremely lackluster about this drama. I sincerely wanted to love it since I’m a fan of both the original series and Lee Joon Gi; however, this didn’t live up to my expectations. While watching the final episode, I noticed how uninterested I was in the plot. I couldn’t stay focused even though it was the climax of the series. I had to push myself to finish this drama and was thoroughly displeased. Maybe because I am a fan of the original and had high expectations for this remake that I couldn’t watch it without any bias, but even as a crime/detective drama it was unstimulating.

Overall and Story:
As a remake, there were many similarities between this and the original such as: the plot, some characters, and the concept. The show is based on criminal profiling and being able to “predict” an unsub’s (aka unidentified subject) actions through their psychological state. With the understanding of the unsub’s mental state and upbringing the team can help solve cases and prevent the unsub from striking again. The drama did “well” in this aspect. They broke down facts and solved crimes, but some details came out of nowhere. For a few cases, the profiling of the unsub felt far-fetched and unrealistic. I caught myself constantly wondering how the team deducted this information, but we never found out how.

The first few episodes were refreshing so the show felt promising and was intriguing. However, as the show progressed the cases and the criminals felt sapless. The cases may be similar to the original, but they lacked depth. The overarching antagonist in this drama also lacked intensity causing the drama to not have a strong and interesting (in a morbid pleasure kind of way) plot.

Acting/Cast:
About fifty percent of my decision to watch this was due to Lee Joon Gi. He portrayed Kim Hyun Joon who is an original character in this remake and as usual, I was charmed by his acting. Moon Chae Won is where I’m most dissatisfied. There’s no doubt that Moon Chae Won is a great actress, but the role of Ha Sun Woo was bland and stiff. I’m all for a tough female who doesn’t need romance in her life and can kick butt, but she was uninteresting to watch. The scriptwriter’s idea of a strong and independent female was far from amazing.

While we’re on the topic of the scriptwriters…they ruined the original Criminal Minds team. Lee Han was supposed to be Reid, Na Na was supposed to be Garcia, and Kang Ki Hyung was supposed to be Hotchner. I say supposed to be, because they failed miserably. I understand that there will be deviations here and there with remakes, but their character deviations were just atrocious. Lee Han reminds me a smart weakling who does nothing to add to the team, Na Na is trying so hard to be quirky she’s coming off as an annoying auntie who is a computer geek, and Kang Ki Hyung was…dull. There’s something about being the head of the team and going through what this character goes through that makes him stoic and fierce. His role knows the bitterness of the job, but sticks with it because he wants to better the lives of others by keeping these criminals off the street. The character, Kang Ki Hyung, was colorless and had no impact. I have not seen these actors in any other roles, but I don’t think it’s the actors fault that these characters were appalling. I truly believe it was the scriptwriters.

Last Thoughts:
It was hard to watch this series as a fan of the original because it’s difficult to not compare. Some of the cases are almost identical to the original so I couldn’t help but to compare. I firmly believe that the downfall of this drama wasn’t the cast, but the scriptwriters. The story and characters weren’t captivating. Maybe it’s because this series is so short that the scriptwriters had to rush the plot along, but a drama doesn’t need length for the content to be great.

If you’ve seen or are a fan of the original Criminals Minds I would not recommend you to watch this. If you’ve never seen Criminal Minds and enjoy crime/detective dramas I would recommend this with a grain of salt. It’s definitely not the best drama I’ve seen, but it’s also not the worst. It just lacked something to make it captivating.

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Hmm. I have read almost all reviews that our fellow drama watcher wrote on this one and I was quite surprised by a number of people saying that this was soo ''cute''. Maybe I am a bitter-hearted person (after all I live alone in a tower with an orc factory in my front yard) but I found this movie very forced. I have yet to find a movie where Komatsu Nana would make me say wow she is a good or at least decent actress. She was plain, showed no emotions whatsoever and in my opinion had no chemistry at all with Yamashita Tomohisa who tried very hard to make something of this relationship. I think she was the wrong choice for this movie. The story by itself I guess was okay, but the acting made it boring and just frustrating. The lack of emotions between the lead couple was devastating for the movie. I would not watch this again, just by writing about it makes me frustrated. I would not recommend this to my friends, well maybe to some orcs they have no heart after all...

The orc association approves...

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Ah, those were the day of my fangirling of Lee Min Ho! Those days are so over. I wouldn't say that Lee Min Ho is not a good actor because truth to be told he is, but I just find something on him that makes you start him slowly like less. Maybe because he is choosing similar roles. But I think that the real reason is, for me particularly, the extension of your/mine knowledge of drama world. There are better and hotter actors, therefore I'd say the, otherwise lovely Lee Min Ho, is just slightly overrated and this drama is an example of that. It was okay, the story is okay (although it is dying for the wow effect). I don't see any special chemistry between Min Ho and Park Min Young, who btw is one of my favorite Korean actresses. The ending is truly lame and the drama is kind of forgettable. This drama is very similar to drama titled Healer (with Park Min Young also in the main actress role), but City Hunter is not half as good as Healer is.  I truly think this was rushed and starstruck by Lee Min Ho. I'd say watch it. Watch it yes, but watch it BEFORE you watch healer. You'll save yourself from a big disappointment and you'll be satisfied with the decision after watching healer. I made the mistake of watching Healer first and loving it, since City Hunter is almost the same I was left unfulfilled after finishing this drama. First came Lee Min Ho with City Hunter and left me unhappy, but thank you lord Sauron you sent us Ji Chang Wook and gave us one of the best dramas ever.

Saruman is okay with this one, but would rather watch Healer and sexy Ji Chang Wook.

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Hahaha, I am here to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. And to tell you the truth I don't remember much about this movie, but bits and pieces. The reason for that is of course that I am writing this review a few months after watching it, but for me to remember so little might say something about this movie. I remember the story and the basic summary, but I don't necessarily remember any scened (maybe one or two). I guess the story is okay, nothing spectacular. The actors are okay, mostly what I would consider their typical role. I plan to watch this movie again because I truly wonder what made me give this movie an 8. I'd say it's a decent movie to watch when you are bored.

Saruman doesn't really remember this one but that's okay.

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This was a lovely movie. I've watched the anime version of it so I had really high expectations. Although I was not necessarily wowed, I was rather pleased with the final product. The casting was chosen nicely. Matsuyama Kenichi is a capable actor and fits nicely into the role of an introvert, capable ''nephew'' and new father/guardian to a little girl. However, the real star of the movie is definitely the young Ashida Mana as Kaga Rin. Her acting was wonderful and monumental, particularly for her young age. She was absolutely the right choice for this role. I loved the entire cast. The story was interesting, but as I said before nothing awe-inspiring. I'd maybe watched again in some years.  I liked it so I would recommend it. I would also recommend the anime version and also the manga, mainly if you want to see the ending and what happens to the character after the finish of this drama and also anime. My only complaint is that I would have loved for the drama to explore the additional content of the drama and continue the story, rather than end at where it ended. It truly felt a bit unfinished. Otherwise, it is a decent movie.

Saruman likes!

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I love Lee Hong Ki. I think he is a wonderful singer and I truly adored him in the role of singer Jeramy in You're beautiful. But I was very skeptical if his acting skills were strong enough to actually hold the lead male role in a drama, to be that hot main guy that all the girls wanna be with. Well, I doubt him no more. He was perfect. His acting was on point and his character development was great. Choi Kang Joo went from an arrogant heir to a likable, sweet guy. When I watched the first episode I knew the story would be wonderful, but I was a bit worried I wouldn't like the main actress Yang Jin Sung. She just felt different. Well, she didn't disappoint me either. Her acting was impressive, especially since she played two roles. Both characters were so different.  As I said the story is entertaining, not too long not too short, with a nice pace. I really have no complaint. The ending was satisfying.  It's a really good drama that I definitely count into my top-notch level. I definitely recommend this drama to everyone, but especially Hong Ki or F.T. Island fans.

Saruman approved!

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A drama about scams within scams.  It keeps you guessing at who is on who's team until the very end.

The story was well constructed.  The scams were always clever.  Use of music was very effective.  A good cast.

However, despite not having any complaints about any individual aspect of the drama (acting, writing, directing were all solid), it was hard for me to be invested in the drama.  Because the story was very fast-paced (a lot of time passes in the drama) and there are many players, it becomes hard to be invested in the success of any individual character.  It almost felt drawn out, like a 2 hour movie stretched to 16 hours.   Something just feels missing.  Perhaps the villains were too one-dimensional, or the supporting con-artists were treated like plot devices that moved cons along.  

Seo In Guk and Ma Dong Seok were great.  I enjoyed Seo In Guk's acting as he pulled off multiple characters as a con-man.  

I am impressed with the overall premise and how the story played out, yet I am hesitant to recommend it unless you enjoy movies like Ocean's Eleven.  No romance in this.  Subtle bromance.  

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Ohhh that was so bad. It was so bad it hurt my teeth. The only thing making up for this huge time waste is Yamapi's handsome looks. If you're not a super fan of his, then there is really nothing to see here. Bad acting, awful storyline, childlish romance and nothing more than that. Uhh. Yamapi in that suit though.  I gave some stars for the cast just because of that. I wish I had something more to add because the length of a recommendation requires that, but unfortunately, this movie is simply absurd and there's not much to talk about. Can someone please tell me, how in the world would an adult fall in love with a girl who barely talks, just stares in front on her and occasionally runs away like some crazy person? Please, no more shows like this one.

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A beautifully written and marvelously created fantasy historic drama  that is worth each second watching and savoring.Story:A marvelously woven fantasy that builds on reincarnation, portraying a friendship strong enough to span centuries. The message behind the story was so epic and majestic, it just brings an already highly entertaining and beautifully shot drama to a whole new level of perfection.The story portrays two timelines, with the present one in focus and the past one as recollections and flashbacks. The past arc, 1930s Korea under the Japanese rule portraying the comrades fighting under the main goal of liberating their homeland , the present arc modern day Korea,  destiny and fate playing their divine role bringing together the reincarnations of the comrades.I Loved how both the past and present arcs interwined seamlessly making the viewer sometimes mistake a present character for his past self, and feeling the consequences of past events that took place during the past arc in a way that is raw and immediate like it both involves and affects our present-time OTP.CastHighly solid and believable performances by the main leads especially from the ever-young Yoo Ah In. I might have had my doubts initially concerning the female lead's casting choice, and felt that she didn't really fit the role, but later on when the story developed and the past-time arc was portrayed more I started to feel she fitted just nice, and Im Soo Jung's overall performance was excellent.As for Go Kyung Po, I really enjoyed him when he was being funny or goofy, not so when he was emotional and melodramatic, I have to admit that as originally an actor who excells in the comedic genre, he needs more experience on emotional portrayals. But beyond doubt, his not free of flaws performance were never distracting or cringe-worthy.The characterization:All characters felt believable, and I really appreciated how the child traumas in both of our present-time OTP's lives which greatly shapes who they are as adults (such as abandonment and betrayal) is not excessively shown with endless flashbacks like other dramas do, rubbing it till the viewer gets sick, but rather they're first introduced at the exact right moment in the story after several hints, and afterwards is only refered to in conversations.Out of all the characters, the main lead felt the most relatable and believable, showing multi-layers of personality, in a sense 3 dimensional. Like how their behavior changes drastically when they open up to people, and how the character they show to the world is a mere facade or defense mechanism they developed as a result to their past traumas.No need to mention, that as usual I appreciate drama-writing which gives characters a sense of their feelings, and not act dumb when they harbor feelings of attraction to someone, but rather own up to it, and act accordingingly while being true to themselves.I might have not been equally invested in some other characters' lives and odd choices of behaviour (like the ever so passive writer Baek Sr. and his evil wife with a never-ending vengeful agenda) but it was strangely convincing that such oddballs can only bring up a Sociopath psycho freak that was Baek Tae Min.                 The script and direction:The story had a very original take, and stayed true to it all through the drama, never going astray to the main message it aimed to deliver. As a person who is not so much huge fan of history or politics, I liked how the past arc was focusing on the friendship and camaraderie of the fighters rather than the mechanisms and specifics of their fight. Above all, the pace of this drama was so good, there was no moment at all where you felt the story was dragging, and not one event or scene that felt unncessary (ie no fillers).The script was very strong and heartfelt, especially in the main trio's concersations together whether past or present, you were always smiling lovingly, tearing up, or getting inspired by their deep thoughts. The direction and cinatography was flawless, amazing props especially in the past-time scenes and open-space shots were always top notch.To sum up, this is a drama that once I finished I had a huge grin on my face, and rushed to MDL to add as an all time favorite.

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I liked the concept of the show, but it is not  original.  
 
 Sawamura Ikki   Sagara Kosuke carries the show and I hope in future seasons the other doctors and nurses get developed more.
I also suguest watching all of season one and the first episode of season two before you due a review. The 1st episode of second provides good information abouttwo characters and it helped me appreciate one of them more.
Hopefully, the series gets better from here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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This was a really, really well done remake of the American TV Show  (which I used to watch). All episodes were engaging, there wasn't any  dragging, and they were all well narrated. The dark tone fit the show  perfectly. Awesome cinematography. It's been a while since I wanted to  watch a WOWOW dorama; from what I've read, they are mostly well received,  with talented characters and a big budget.

The characters were  excellent played. I liked all 5 main characters, and I found the serial  killer so creepy I think I will ever see him (the actor, who also is in  variety shows) as a creepy guy. There wasn't any overacting at all, even  the children did good. The songs were mostly great, some were  American/English, some were Japanese. All cases were interesting, some  were sad, and some were hard to watch (the poor students, for example).  And I absolutely loved that this was set in Yokohama, one of the most  beautiful cities I have ever seen and visited.

I think this is  one of those dorama that anyone would like: young people, older  people... I am glad they are having a second season.

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Great drama! A beautiful drama! Unfortunately it was short.
As the title suggests, it tells the story of Nemoto Kahoko (Takahata Mitsuki) who lives an extremely protected life. So, despite being in the senior year of college and in the job hunting phase, it is the furthest thing from being independent. We  can say that she has super protective parents, especially her mother  (Kuroki Hitomi), who still wakes her up every morning ... And her father  (Tokito Saburo) is aware that his wife is being overly protective of  her only daughter, but can not have the courage to speak.
Things  begin to change when Kahoko meets this great art man, Mugino Hajime  (Takeuchi Ryoma), who naturally leads a complete opposite life to hers. Without a father and with a temporary multiple, he is astonished to  learn the extreme case of the girl being spoiled by the mother who she  is, and how unsatisfactory her future is.
Kahoko is basically a great baby. It's not childish but childish. She does not realize that she is living in a bubble all her life or dependent on her parents. As  the drama unfolds high grades one learns from it, and we will see that  Kahoko even being spoiled gets to turn around, drama is a lesson of life  and wisdom.

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