What makes these shows so good is that they're not afraid to be bad.
I was very distracted by the mole on the bottom lip of the female lead.
A lot of the fight scenes looked more like a martial arts demonstration for the blind.
***PROGRAM DISCLAIMER***
No real acting was involved in the making of Mind Game.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a pretty good drama. I really really enjoyed it and all it's characters!also. be prepared for the essay XD
Characters:
Hyun Tae Woon: my disney prince! Gosh I loved him. I wasn't sure if I'd like him at first, because he seemed to immature, and sometimes rude (but I quickly realized he was teasing, and not serious). But oh wow, how that changed. He is so adorable! I loved his story, and found him relatable. Also, for those saying he's possessive. there's a part ***slight spoiler*** where eunho says she doesn't want to go public, and when she's passed out, he's at the hospital by her bedside, and teacher shim, asks why he's being so attentive, he says he's there as a classmate, and respects her wishes***slight spoiler ended*** basically, he teases her and acts "possessive," but when she's serious, he respects her, even when he could've easily gone against her will. doesn't sound possessive to me.
Ra Eun Ho: I loooooooove her!!!! She is straight people goals, like this is how people should act like. I love her relationships with the characters, and how she brought out the best in all of them! I also found myself relating to her too! Also, if y'all are scared to watch this cuz she's an idol, let me rest your fears. Her acting really improves after the first 4 ep. She portrayed her character really well, and did a great job, especially since this is her first drama.
Song Dae Hwi: oh my gosh. the way dong yoon, reals me in every single fricking time against my will is unreal. I found myself unbelievably invested in his character, and needing him to turn out right in the end. If this character wasn't portrayed by dong yoon, I dunno if I'd love him as much, but because he is, and is portrayed wonderfully, I ended up highly enjoying his character. While I found myself not relating to Dae Hwi at all at first, I then found myself relating to him too much. how i dunno. My only complaint, is that I wish his character got more screen time, especially towards the end.
Kyung Woo: WHY??? he is such a great actor! And gets little screen time, and literally every other side character gets somewhat of a story, except him. He's the boy that plays his guitar and crushes on sa rang, that's it. I wanted some inside of his life, but I never got it T___T Despite this though, I still loved his character. (y'all need to check him and dong yoon out in solomon's perjury, and get some real screen time with the both of them).
Teacher Shim: Didn't like him at first, but he really started to grow on me. Loved seeing him go from the person, who has all the ideals but won't speak up, to some one whose willing to speak.
Police Lady: wondered what her purpose was at first...but then she starts getting more of a purpose in the last half.
Sa Rang: I fricking loved her, and her relationship with Eun Ho, reminded me with my friends. She was great and also relatable.
Bo Ra: I looove bo ra!! I loved seeing her grow!
Plot: K. Do NOT expect a crime show. I know there is a mystery, but that isn't the focus. This is a character-centered show. Even the mystery, is more heart warming than it is intriguing. Personally I perfer like that though.
Romance: THE ROMANCE IS AWESOME. I love it! Tae Woon and Eun Ho are dating goals!!!! They support and love each other, and it's amazing! It's an equal relationship and I loooove it!!!!! Dude. Watch it, for the romance lol.
Things I didn't like: Not enough Kyung Woo, needed more wrap up with Hee Chan, need more dae hwi. right when side characters solved their trials and problems, they sorta dropped off the radar. Which makes me sad, cuz by that time you're in love, and then they're barely there....
Overall, I'd definitely recommend it!!!!!!! Definitely worth the watch!!!
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Forest of Secrets has a quite typical “Who did it?” story, but it is marvelously told. Just like our main character, it starts off emotionless. However, somewhere along the path, it gains some small rays of light that, slowly but surely, pierce the darkness that overwhelms the show. It has no elements of romance or comedy to make some moments more enjoyable and it certainly doesn’t need them. The drama, from the beginning, until the very end, screams “crime” and “corruption”. At times it might seem slow, but it has this steady pace that gives a unique feel to it. It is packed with details, which are easy to omit, but if you look back at it you will see that there is much more to this show than it initially meets the eye. The attention that was given to all the small things makes you not lose focus of the story, but also the way it is composed makes you look at all the elements of the show, so that you don’t miss a single thing. It is not just a regular crime/investigation drama where you just can’t wait until the last episode for the killer to be caught. Quite the opposite, this show keeps you occupied throughout its entirety, so that you can clearly understand everything that is happening.
One of the things that I especially enjoyed is the fact that this show is unusually realistic. All the characters, both the heroes and the villains act as people would act in the real world. There is no superhero-type of behavior where someone does something that would never be done in reality, or a character who can easily outsmart everybody else. It is very down to earth, the solving of the cases is systematic, carefully planned, there are no sudden jumps made by long shot conclusions that are just there to speed up the story.
Now for the characters. They are, undoubtedly, the true gems of this drama. Everybody fits his or her role perfectly, there is not a single miscast. It makes you see only the character, and not the actor. All the characters are given a very human touch, the heroes as well as the villains. Even though our main protagonist is, for the most part, emotionless, he is not robot-like, and steadily develops throughout the story. The villains are given a lot of depth as well, which makes us even sympathize with them at moments. However, the most important aspect of all, that truly makes them all human, were their mistakes. Every single character made a mistake at some point in the show, which made this drama feel that much more real. And to top it all off, the interactions and dialogues between the two leads were simply amazing. It is what made this show produce some truly heart-warming moments, in all of its coldness. Lieutenant Han gave Prosecutor Hwang, our “emotionless” hero, a bit of heart.
The setting of the show was ideal. The dark scenes, in a usually crowded, but in the show mostly empty city, kept the thrill and the mystery present at every moment. The gloomy atmosphere gave a special chill that made everything even more dramatic. The closed, office scenes perfectly portrayed the cage which the heroes were trying to break through while searching for the culprit. Places such as the homes of the characters spoke for themselves, as they gave a huge insight into who they were, and what they were like, producing superb results. Even though it is a thriller/crime drama, it is very aesthetically pleasing, and enjoyable to watch. The cinematography is beautiful, like a fine piece of art, everything is where it should be.
I could go on and on for days talking about this show, but to sum it all up… this show was poetic. All other dramas I have seen cannot even compare to it. Through its complex characters, and sometimes painful to watch scenes, this seemingly emotionless drama, takes you on a wild roller coaster, which in the end leaves you speechless and puts a small smile on your face, just like it did to our beloved Hwang Shi Mok.
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But gotta say, it's tad hectic, the way scenes just change and not because of flashbacks, simply not enough time in a movie to tell it all fully, so if one has not read the novel or seen the drama it might be somewhat confusing, but I'd need someones take on it who has seen only the movie, no novel & drama - was the plot easy to follow/understand? If you have read novel or seen drama, piece of cake, everything was clear.
That aside, whoa, the cgi and cinematography is breathtakingly gorgeous! The sets & clothes too! I do believe it's one of the best I've seen if not the best from China! Like, whoaaaaaaaa, a feast for eyes!
And the music is also good!
Even thou the scene changes & plot are somewhat fast forward & and the end was super abrupt, I'm still loving this movie. Wouldn't have thought I would, but I do.
Sooo:
Story: obviously difficult to stuff a whole books contents and little nuances into less than 2 hour movie, but they did pretty good.
Acting/cast: I'd say there were 4 main roles: The lead roles Liu Crystal as Bai Qian & Yang Yang as Ye Hua did great. And Luo Jin as Zhe Yan was also great. Li Frida as Su Jin I'd also consider among the main cast, she was ok.
As for other roles, the actors did ok as well, considering how little screen time there was and the kind of characters they had.
Music: music was actually very good, great even, I'm gonna find that soundtrack.
Re-watch value: It's worth re-watching now and then, definitely gonna do it myself.
Overall: the movie did very good.
Acting was great. Visuals/cinematography was spectacular. Plot was ok considering it's a book to movie adaption. Music was nice too.
In the end:
Loved the novel, loved the drama and loving the movie too ;D Each is great in it's own way ^^
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Based on Rin Mikimoto's series of manga "Kyo no Kira kun" (published September 13, 2011 through August 11, 2014 in the Japanese magazine shojo manga Bessatsu Friend) the film is not that very sticky or very cold thing, it is a very sweet romance between two teenager, the parrot has a representative role that I found a great balcony of the director. The soundtrack is very nice as is the cinematography that gives the most romantic air in this beautiful love story that is worth it.
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Plot: A kind of flashback movie, while Eita as Matsuko's nephew was seeking the truth about his aunt's miserable life. Memories of Matsuko can be describe as musical movie since you'll find several songs sang by its actors. Since it's tragic movie, you'll have to bear to watch Matsuko through the unfortunate events, please don't cry. Even though this is not a tearjerker, it still hurts your feeling.
Anyway, I think what happened to Matsuko could be happened to anyone in the world, still Matsuko is the perfect example.
Acting: Who ever doubt Ms. Miki Nakatani? :p
Cinematography: Visually beautiful. So Japanese. Kind of fantasy, comical movie.
A must watch!
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I give it a try just because it in my gadget :D. Yeah, once more, I don't expect anything.
Plot: Not bad. This is a light hearted movie, less dramatic and story revolves around those two, Kira and Ninon. If you have ever watched I Give My First Love to You, you will notice the similar plot but with different ending. I Give My First Love to You is more intense though.
Acting: It surprised me that Marie Iitoyo was able to act! I mean she looks better than in Mars. She reminds me with Tabe Mikako's first romcom movie with Haruma Miura. cmiiw
Btw, Yuna Taira looks so cute.
Verdict: If you have time to watch and don't wanna think about anything while watching rom com movie, this is for you.
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Let me expand on that:
Park Hae Jin’s acting (or maybe he was just goofing off the whole time?) was hilarious. Though I really enjoyed a lot of elements in this show, his facial expressions throughout it made “Man To Man” my new favorite drama. [I spammed my MDL feed with examples, if you want to see what I mean.] Kim Min Jung was also great playing our female lead, Do Ha, a quirky, independent, non-cookie cutter heroine who, thankfully, did not cling to the male lead.
The Plot: For some, the drama itself might seem to be a half-baked combination of humor, espionage, romance, and bromance—but for me it was perfect. I get bored if I feel like a show is stuck in one genre. The only time I was disappointed in the plot was during the last episode, because I disliked how it concluded the various story arcs. Last episodes are very important; they are the final impressions of each character and should wholly complete the story. I was regretfully disappointed in the “Man to Man” finale.
Acting-wise, I thought all the cast did great within the limits of the characters they were given. What I mean is, that all the characters were enjoyable to watch because they were portrayed well, but the characters themselves were underdeveloped. I thought Seol Woo and Do-ha were developed enough, and since they were the two main characters I was content with that.
Long review short, I loved “Man to Man.” Park Hae Jin’s face is hilarious, the plot is a spy-romcom, and the OSTs are great. I say give it two episodes, but you can probably tell if it’s the type of show for you or not after just watching the pilot.
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This drama is something special. It's not just your regular slice of life romantic drama, it really sucks you in from the first episode and then makes you fall in love with all the characters, again and again. The casting for this drama was spectacular. I was rather surprised to learn that this was Se Jeong's first acting role. I was never one for the Produce 101 series but I didn't realize she was actually a kpop idol haha. Either way, she really knocked it out of the park! It kind of reminded me of my girl Eunji when I first saw her in Reply 1997. She's got that spunk, for real. I can't wait to see her again in another series someday.
That brings me to our main attraction, ofc, Jung Hyun. Boy am I happy this guy got a lead role. He clearly deserves a thousand more, and I hope this has really opened everyone's eyes to just how talented he is. I loved his portrayal of the cocky, sweet, kind-hearted but mischievous Tae Woon, and he really made the show what it was. I think Tae Woon was the reason I continued watching episode after episode (I'll admit, I'm kind of in love with him.) The supporting cast were just as fabulous, with rising stars Dong Yoon and Ji Hoon. I also adore Park Se Wan and after seeing her refreshing role in Radiant Office, I'm eager to also catch another one of her roles sometime! Even though I loved to hate the arrogant douche that was Hee Chan, he really made that character his own.
The story was entertaining; maybe a little too surreal, but let's be honest, its kdrama. Although it didn't particularly 'break the mould,' I think it knew exactly what it wanted to be and where it wanted its story to end up. I completed the drama feeling pretty damn satisfied for the most part.
Although I can't really say much about the music, (if I'm honest I was far too engaged with what was happening to even really take much notice), I still really loved the instrumental track and felt really pumped whenever I heard it. It really went with the theme and the setting of the drama too. I feel like a couple of the tracks (the ones I did remember) also helped to really tug those emotional heartstrings, because there were a number of times I would find myself with tears flowing down my cheeks. That might have had a little something to do with the beautiful chemistry between our fabulous main leads though.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows I don't rewatch things very often. Dramas, movies, shows, I just never really bother, nor enjoy it. But I think I would rewatch this a thousand times, if only to see that overwhelmingly sexy smile of Jung Hyun's over and over. Because really, if anything, that's a reason enough to dip your toes into this brilliant series.
I still am gonna go all out and say I'd love a one off special, but I know that's wishful thinking lmao.
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The film did everything that the dorama fought for 16 episodes to achieve and he only has an hour and a few other minutes. I know that the dorama had more time to work with the characters (even the secondary ones), but this is the question: it didn’t have to.
The film focused on the main story and it went perfectly well and that is the power of a well written script. Despite having a huge love for the Korean actor Lee Hyun Woo, Sato Takeru's main character was so beautifully presented (and very well acted) that I fell in love much more for him and his reasons. He simply didn’t need 16 one-hour episodes of a drama to make me identify with his reasons and fall in love with him.
The only thing I prefer about the dorama is how the songs were put into it, while there was a void in the movie when the characters listened to important songs that showed how the main character felt. Of course they were presented, but if they had been put in the film to complement the character and not only to be part of the soundtrack the result would be more flawless. But P.S: The translation of the songs in the movie are more beautiful than the korean version.
Can’t wait to watch the sequel to this wonderful movie! I want to enjoy Aki for much longer! Please watch it!
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I loved the first couple episodes. They were exciting and unpredictable (most of the time). But after the eighth ep, it slowed down a lot, so I got bored. Why did I stick with it till the end? I was already halfway through, so I stayed for the romance (haha, this isn't the first time something like this has happened) ;-)
Try this drama if you love light school dramas with a bit of mystery. I was really impressed by the acting of the cast, especially rookie actors Kim Se Jung and Kim Jung Hyun. Their chemistry is over the roof. I found myself skipping through episodes just to get to their scenes. The side storylines were incorporated well. Like sunah said, School 2013 has the best bromance, School 2015 has the best second lead syndrome (rip), and School 2017 has the best male lead. I personally enjoyed School 2015 the most out of all the School series (except for that last episode), but go ahead and give School 2017 a try. It might be your type of drama. :-) It was a fun kdrama, even if it lost steam in the second half.
The final verdict: watch if you enjoy predictable fluffy dramas
Check out:
- Sassy Go Go
- Reply 1988
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
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