Reviews

This is a nice addition to the lovely drama Boys over flowers. It's a nice sit and talk type of show, where actors (male only, but that's okay) discuss their opinions about the characters and experiences of filming the drama. I'd recommend this piece to every Boys over flowers fan as it gives you a lovely insight in the drama and also offers more screen time for us to watch these young wonderful actors that portrayed this beloved characters. It's really short piece that you can watch in the evening and relax, before actually moving on the drama. 

Saruman likes.

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Save Me is a journey worth travelling.

Everything about Save Me is captivated, they have built up the world for the viewers to be invested in perfectly. Save Me is the type of show where every details and every information will make sense at the end. I was worried that the show will get me lost in details, but thankfully it didn't.

All the actors were phenomenal except, for me, Ok Taecyeon. I've never seen him act before, but his acting got better after the first couple episodes so that was a relief. The villain actors have done their characters so well that you can't help but hate them! And that's coming from someone who loves villain characters.

Would I rewatch it? Yes, but not soon as I need to recover and watch something tooth-achingly sweet after it.

Would I recommend it? YES! Even to people who don't watch kdrama often.

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I started this drama completely on a whim and no idea what I was in for. I went in expecting a cute rom-com that would give me some much needed relief after finishing the high intensity of Save Me. Well, I got that and a whole lot more. This drama was the best rom-com I have ever watched. It is also the funniest and has the cutest, most realistic couple I've ever seen in drama land. Each episode is a riot from start to finish. There are no boring or lagging parts that made it hard to finish each episode. No, each episode had me laughing my butt off with its over the top, ridiculous situations. The music and sound effects just add to the hilariousness of it. I binge watched this drama in three days. I could not stop watching. Each ending and opening scene enthralls you and draws you in until you're up at 5 am in the morning, eyes drooping with the need to sleep, but you just have to finish it. The intro song was perfect, as well. I always skip drama openings but this one I never did. The soundtrack was amazing and the leads were so perfect together. They've had some of the best kisses I've seen in a drama and the way they act with each other is just like a real couple. No character in this drama is just a cliche. Each is well rounded and you come to sympathize and understand them even if you've hated them throughout the drama. I've ended up liking certain characters by the end that I couldn't even stand to look at. This drama is absolutely superb and definitely goes on my top favorites list. A must watch drama that shouldn't be missed.

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Fomos envolvidos por uma seita religiosa que tortura e oprime os "fiéis"vendendo um acento no barco da salvação em troca de todo o dinheiro que o crente tenha disponível. Um dos melhores enredos que já assisti nesse mundo dos doramas. Totalmente oposto daquilo que nos mostram normalmente nos kdramas. O suspense psicológico te segura do começo ao fim. A atuação foi extremamente importante, principalmente da atriz Seo Ye Ji que foi tão criticada em outros doramas que participou. A coragem e força da personagem foi algo surpreendente. Com certeza espero uma segunda temporada, fiquei com a impressão de que logo isso será confirmado. Assistam com a mente aberta e tenham em mente que isso não foge muito da realidade atual.

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D-Day is a plot driven story.

While there is character development, and the characters do a good job portraying their various roles, the show focused largely on revealing the many sides of humanity as they face a natural disaster.

In this drama, you will see the many sides of humanity revealed:  the selfish, the survivor, the helpful, the self-sacrificial.

There are also plenty of frustrating characters bent on misunderstanding our protagonist.  And one-dimensional villains.  Sometimes I don't mind these types of antagonists but after watching so many kdramas, these types of characters get old.

As far as disaster dramas go, this is the first I've seen in a korean production and I was impressed with what was filmed given the production value.  As far as medical dramas go, this is an average drama.  There are lots of cute between the two main leads, but never progresses too far (and for good reason, they are focused on saving peoples' lives in the midst of disaster!)  Story moves along at a nice pace, could have been cut to 16 episodes though.  

Overall, a decent drama.  Watch if you want to watch disaster scenes.  If you love medical dramas, then this is okay too, but there are better ones out there.

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As a Song Joong Ki admirer, So Ji Sub lover, Hwang Jun Min fan, Kim Soo Ahn supporter and Lee Jung Hyun fanatic, I definitely had high hopes for The Battleship Island. Prior to watching, I was not exposed to Ryoo Seung Wan's films (I watched his previous works after this) so I wasn't very familiar with his style then—but after my mini-Ryoo Seung Wan marathon, this was a little underwhelming follow-up to Veteran (2015).

Kudos for the wonderful technicalities and truly recreating the real Hashima Island. As with Ryoo's works, the action scenes are impressive—particularly that of So's public bath sequence.

It's a great ensemble, spanning different generations. Hwang's obviously a veteran, one of South Korean's highest paid actions, So, a prominent drama and film actor, Song, one of the nation's sought-after Oppa, Lee, a prominent actress/singer in East Asia and Kim, a rising young actress. It's a dream cast. But the cast can only do so much.

An intriguing premise despite its nationalistic approach. But there's always been this redundancy that seems to spur out of these narratives that are set during the Japanese occupation—we've seen it in Age of Shadows, The Handmaiden, Assassination. Of course, each of these films take a different approach but it also makes me say—again?

Battleship Island lacks...depth and tension. Sure, it had its moments like So's action sequence but it just doesn't have that same spice as say, Age of Shadowswhose 30 minute train sequence moves the story AND character forward. Battleship's characters felt flat. And those with some substance—didn't make it to the end. To me, it felt too dramaticized.

As much as I have a bias for Song and So, they're probably guilty of replication. So had an character but it's not too fleshed out while Song just repeats his DOTS character—what's new from you? Hwang is okay although at times, he is too dramatic. Lee's fine too but again, intriguing but no substance. Kim's particularly better though she cries like 80% of the time.

In war films like this, character drives the film—much more than plot, at least in my opinion. You can have a simple war story but if you have boring characters—it's not enough to cut it. The ending also felt way too..unsatisfying. Sure, it's a film that shows the horrors of war but ultimately, what else?

Ryoo's use of gritty tones and spatial movements plus slick sequences reflect the mood that fit the war aesthetic are impressive though. As well as his use of music particularly to portray irony is also a plus. Also, a really unnecessary love story. Sort of love story. It sort of just didn't make sense.

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Rie Miyazawa's award-winning performance in Her Love Boils Bathwater is justified. She is the core of this film.

Her Love Boils Bathwater sets itself to be a sentimental family drama. But Ryota Nakano takes a more light-hearted approach. Instead of following a very dramatic ill-single-mother-making-her-time-worthwhile take (and it's very tempting to), he doesn't. Instead, he rallies his great cast to launch the story foreword.
And that's the film's greatest strength—its cast. Hana Sugisaki won Best Supporting Actress for her role and she proves once again that she's one of Japan's most promising young actresses perhaps taking on the footsteps of the chameleon actor, Fumi Nikaido (a personal bias).

Perhaps being Japan's entry to the Best Foreign Film list is a little bit of a stretch since the film is simplistic but heartfelt, strengthened by its cast. Its little moments and character interactions are its charm. Nakano doesn't patronize these characters—he shows them as flawed ones and as imperfect beings but what's great is how that all plays out.

The cinematography is stunning, paired with lukewarm colors yet vivid. The score truly embraces the scenes. Yes, I cried.

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I have no idea why i waited this long to watch this drama. I might have been just stupid.
Don't judge a book by it's cover and this drama proves it. This drama is the reason i started watching korean dramas and i have a new found respect for the writers and directors of this show. Thank you for making this amazing story. May be it was personal or just the flood of emotions but this is the first drama that made me wail and look at the relationship i have with my mother. The bitter-sweet crazy roller-coaster ride that life is, i don't think we can ever imagine our lives without our mother and this drama made me relive my life one episode at a moment. At one point, i actually had to wait till the next day to watch the next episode because i cried through the night.

Genre : slice of life, friendship, sisterhood, rom-com

Story : This is a drama that everyone can relate to, motherhood, love, the struggles in life, helplessness and friendship. A daughter decides to write the story of her relationship with her mother and her. The story of 6 old women and their hardships in their life. Their experiences, pride, childish fights, stubborn antics, love and adore of their children and the sacrifice that each family has to go through, this drama will make you think about how well you have lived your life and what you have learned after going through all the hardships. It makes you wonder if you have lived your life well enough or if there is still something to be achieved. A mother who dreams to be free, who misses her children but is generous and doesn't want to burden their own kids, one who is going through everything painful with a warm smile. One who is a little possessive but loves her kid and one who is a mother even if she has never had a kid but has taken a lot of responsibility with no time for herself so she decides to spend her life trying to get into university and not be ignorant. They teach us what real life is that all you need is love and a bunch of friends who would never give up on you while you get wrinkly and wait for death together.

Actors : I don't think i have the right to say anything about the actors in this drama because they are way more experienced than any i have ever seen and the realistic story has nothing i can comment on. Jo In Sung is a treat to eyes and Lee Kwang Soo sows us his almost flawless acting skills. Go Hyun Jung is amazing and plays her part really well.

Will i watch it again? Yes.
Will i recommend it to anyone? To everyone that i meet. This is a story that needs to be shared with this whole world starting with my own mother!!!!  
             

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One of the rare hidden gems...

Ni ni has to be one of my all time favorite male leads... He really brightens the day anytime he's on the screen. He had me happy when he was and sad when he was, really great acting all around from the whole cast. I already miss the grumpy old lady.

I wish this was a manga or something so I can get moaaarrrr

Sad, that this was such a hassle to be able to watch, I wish someone would upload it with working links. (Sigh)

P.s. That beach walking scene at the end ;>;

SPOILER
The only real downside of this to me is how he passed away so quickly, I was really hoping for a confession or something before it happened.

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It wasn't long into the show before I realized that this was something special. I felt emotions I had never felt watching a drama. This drama perfectly wrapped everything together, leaving virtually no holes in the plot line like other shows.

In regards to the acting, Lee Dong Gun played his role perfectly, allowing viewers to sympathize with both sides of him. He was unlike any other second-lead. As for the two leads, they were perfect in their roles, as Park Min Young really took a step forward in her acting.

Though there were many joyful moments throughout the story, this drama will probably always stay with me as a heavy and sorrowful masterpiece.

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Let me start off by saying that of you want lots of feels, this is the show you could watch just for the fluff and cheesy scenes again and again. As I write this review I remember how fun it was to watch it every time a new episode airs. I could feel curiosity and anticipation while waiting for new episodes.There are some scenes that are kind of a filler only. Overall everything else is great. The actors, the cinematography, the soundtrack; it will give you tingly feelings. Can I also say that Ji Wook is one of my top 5 male kdrama characters? He doesn't force anyone to do something if he/she isn't comfortable with it. (That's probably the best I can give without spoiling too much)

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I normally don't go out of my way to write a review for MDL. I've got more K-Dramas to watch. However, I want to save you from falling into this trap.
Let's start with the good stuff: Yuri acts well. She doesn't only look georgous, she actually plays a vital part in the story and conveys genuine looking emotions. Second good thing about this is the story. It's a quite interesting perspective: former agent runs a local bar and keeps hoodlums out of the neighborhood. It's got action, and... action. And some action. The rest... well, let me get to that.

So now on to the rest: the rest of the actors. Much of this is related to the writing, but the actors themselves failed to lift their mediocre (at best) characters to new levels.
Park Si Hoo looks scary. He's a pretty boy and it seems like he knows how to fight, but for the rest... He's unable to show any emotion apart from his smile, which makes him look pretty creepy. Cho Seong Ha is a veteran, but doesn't transcend the level of failed amateur in this K-Drama. His emotions aren't there, his acting is off the wall and transparant. Lee Soo Hyuk should've complained about his character, or protested and stop performing all together. His character is childish, idiotic and stupid.  Yoon Tae Young is the bad guy, butkeeps going back and forth between being the super villain who gives orders to kill people and being scared of some dudes in a suit, almost bawling his eyes out. It's totally unrealistic and beyond believe.
The bad acting starts in episode one and doesn't end untill episode 11. There's a decent episode there and one more with 12 though that's already going back down to earlier levels. And the final 4 are as bad as the rest.

I wanted to talk about the writing, but that would be spoiling. The writing is inconsistent, flawed and beyond believe. I'm not talking about some minor flaws, but major plotholes that destroy any credibility the story had. And it already had none.

Although the music isn't bad, it just doesn't fit. There's a scene where the main lead tells his old flame that he trusts her. Queue romantic, soft ballad. After which he completely devours her face. I'm not even kidding. It's like watching a hungry lion eating the carcas of an antilope which died of a disease while you're listening to some smooth jazz.

I've been extremely underwhelmed with this K-Drama and thought about dropping it multiple times. The reasons why I didn't were Yuri and because I didn't want this to get the honour of being the first K-Drama I dropped.

If you think I'm wrong, watch the first 5 minutes of episode one. That cringy feeling you get there will last you through the entire drama. Trust me, watch something else

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This is one of the best Chinese dramas I have ever watched. Everything is perfect. It restored my faith in Chinese drama makers. The cast is simply spectacular and the chemistry between Zhao Zanilia and Zhang Han is simply exquisite. The supporting cast just adds to the wonderful acting. The story is nicely paced and although it's 33 episodes long it's just so entertaining and filled with somehow realistic or possible twist, I can forgive the length of the drama. I already watched this drama twice and I can guarantee you I'll watch it at least ten times more. I simply must recommend that everyone watches this drama as it is really good and simply one of my favorites. I realize that some don't like Chinese dramas but this one is worth a try. The dubbing is not noticeable at all if it is dubbed at all. Truly a beautiful story, finely acted.

Saruman absolutely approves.

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