Emotional ? Rollercoaster
The only reason I gave this drama a chance was because of Gong Yoo. I've been his fan since Coffee Prince and haven't seen him in many K drama since. Although the story starts off a little slow, it quickly picks up and draws you into the main characters lives and issues. With this drama I laughed, I cried (and I mean ugly cried) along with the characters. I would highly recommend this drama to most people if for no other reason than the OST, however this drama (in my opinion) had everything. Two thumbs up!??Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
First of all, the reason why I watched this drama is that the synopsis said this was the "Chinese Gossip Girl" which I later found out was not the case. I watched Eternal Love and really liked the actors which so happened to be in this drama, so I decided to give it a try.Be warned and
SPOILER (kind of)
You're going to be disappointed if you're expecting this be like Gossip Girl on The CW.
This show is NOT like Gossip Girl. There was no mysterious "Gossip Girl" who exposed some of the character's secrets. Yeah, there's a lot of drama that happens between the characters. There were a few times where people gossiped on their phones about main characters. The drama has the wealthy/popular/beautiful characters but they aren't really b*tchy or super egotistical. Most of the cast play students, but they're university students....and that's about where the similarities with Gossip Girl ends.
Was it terrible though? For me, even though the plot wasn't what I expected, it wasn't that bad either so it didn't really waste my time.
The cast did pretty well with the acting. I have to give credit to them since most of the actors here were rookies at the time and I think for some, it was their debut drama.
Overall, I think they did a pretty good job!
I rewatched the drama and enjoyed it more since I really like a few of the actors after watching some of their more recent dramas (Dilireba, Zhang Vin Vin, Gao Vengo, etc).
Edit: I forgot to mention that the order of the episodes is really weird. I'm not sure if that's how the drama was directed or purposely edited. But I think the last few episodes don't match up with what happened previous episodes. I don't know if that's because I missed something important or if the people who uploaded the show put it in the wrong order.
For those who need English subs, I don't know if this show has been subbed because I watched this on Youtube which had no subtitles. I also couldn't find any other drama sites that have this show on, but if there is, I think it would be raw.
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Before I discuss my thoughts about the movie, I need to get two basic facts straight. First, about the movie and the drama I know many people have watched. They are both adaptions based on the same novel. I am not sure if you can say the movie is a remake of the drama. Although you saw the drama first, the movie was filmed first, if not completed before the drama. Only it was released later. Second, about the issue of plagiarism. The film producer bought the copyright in about 2012, but in about 2015 the original novel was publicly suspected of plagiarism. I do feel pity about this situation and think plagiarism should be condoned, yet since the plagiarism is never legally sued, and the movie staff seems the wronged side, I see no reason to further detest the movie. And because of this plagiarism crisis, the movie director once said they had the script greatly modified. Therefore, it is no surprise that the story the movie tells is not exactly the same as the drama one.
Aspect I like most about the movie:
1. The cast. Yang Yang and Liu Yifei played in the movie because they were voted online to be most appropriate actor and actress. I still think they are after watching the movie. Though some of the lines are ludicrous (they are the original words in the book, but I do hope they were deleted in the script), and some scenes are absurd and unnecessary, like the cooking scene, on the whole Yang and Yifei understand the characters deeply and conveyed the emotions very well, especially in the second half of the movie. Besides, I want to applaud for Su Jin. Her character is successfully enhanced. She becomes much more vindictive, polarized, deadly and beautiful. These traits allow the Su Jin to push the storyline more reasonably.
2. The CGI animation. Needless to say it must have costed a lot, but it also shows imagination and innovation. It has design, taste, and the courage to make a breakthrough. I am deeply moved and want to rewatch it.
Aspects I disagree with the movie:
1. I found the pace of the movie okay(the pace of the drama is too slow in my eyes. Just couldn't bear it.), but the editing could be unfavorable to some viewers. The story should have been told in a clearer way. The length of the movie did not help. How I wish it was a 2.5 hr. movie. In China, people who never had access to the original novel as well as the drama could understand the movie, but people who watched the drama only found the movie confusing. This is understandable, for the story in the movie was different in many places. I advise you to treat the movie and the drama as separate ones.
2. The lines should be rewritten! Often made me feel awkward when I sat in the cinema.
My conclusion:
With or with plagiarism, the story itself is far from a masterpiece, merely a just so-so romance. If you like the actors or actresses, or if you enjoy beautiful scenes and creative special effects, just go watch it. If you are picky at editing or you quest for something more serious, this is not a movie for you.
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Okay... As a huge fan of the drama version, Eternal Love/Ten Miles Peach Blossoms, this will be a let down. It took me a long while to finally get to see this movie. & Like other reviewers said, do not watch with high expectations. In the beginning when I heard this movie was coming out, I already had a bad feeling about it. The story is very much the same. And as other reviewers said, if you are new to the movie without knowing the backstory (readers of the book or fans of the drama version), it may seem very confusing. It starts in the middle area of the story of the drama version. This movie squeezes everything from the drama into a movie. So it feels really rushed and fast paced. Like, you can't even feel the feels while watching it... I did not like the ending area at all.. Everything was all explained and squeezed in the end in a big ass bunch and you will be like, uh ok wtf??? And a lot of scenes seem like they were being replaying a lot... Which seems like a lot of time wasted... And each time it seems like they don't wanna reveal it to you either until the end... So it's like shady business through out the end.. So I really... Did not like that... Plus... Ending ended very odd and more confusing... So I just can't anymore XD
ACTING/CAST:
I am a fan of Liu Yifei, she's really pretty and I've seen her other work... But in this movie, it's just so rushed and I just felt like I wasn't really impressed with her in here and with this certain piece... Comparing her to Yang Mi as the Queen of Qing Qiu, I would choose Yang Mi because she can portray as a tough and cold person better. With Liu Yifei, she seems a bit like stiff on that. And of course, she does well as a kind Su-Su, but that was rarely shown... A lot of things were rarely shown in this movie... So idk man...
Yang Yang... I am a fan of him as well, but I just can't with this piece XD I am sure that they would've done a better job with a better production, better well-thought plot that is not squeezed and rushed like this. Maybe if they coulda been the main leads in the Eternal Love drama, maybe they could do as well or not... Who knows... But judging by this rushedly odd piece it is very hard to look at it...
Also, there's a green blob in there that gotta go. The CGI is somewhat ok, but that green blob thooo.
MUSIC:
Like other reviewers, what they said is true... Since there was so many things going on, I did not pay any attention to the music nor did it catch my attention.
REWATCH VALUE:
I do not want to rewatch it over again ever in my life!!!! I can barely watch it the first time!!!
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This slice of life story had a well-used but nice premise. A girl moves to a new city and opens a hair salon. The story involves her new clientele, and how difficult clients can be. Apart from the main girl, there is only one regular recurring character.
There are only 6 episodes that are less than 9 minutes each. This doesn't leave any room for character development, proper story telling, or plot progression whatsoever. For such a little time span, the viewer spends a great amount of time watching the main girl sit alone in her shop, sighing at the ceiling due to lack of customers. While I appreciate the realism, it's not very interesting.
It was alright to watch once, but it wasn't memorable, and I'll most likely forget the contents of the show within a couple weeks.
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This review may contain spoilers
I don't think words good express what an awesome drama, My Mr. Mermaid was from beginning to end.Story:
The story of this drama was beautifully done, from beginning to end. Each ending of each episode, kept you wanting to come back for more. The story never lost beat it just kept on building up with each episode.
I don't want to put spoilers in my review..So I will say this PUT IT ON YOU LIST TO WATCH YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
Acting/Cast
I loved how each cast member made their character come alive. The chemistry between the couples was awesome. The friendship between each of them was so beautiful play. I felt for each of the story lines for each of them.
Music..
Loved the music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY65i3DP9WA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZGMCP1jwDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce8j-KukLCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEJfcVywLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URSOSwmRLWs
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Story (9.5):
Okay, hardly any story can be completely perfect and while this had its flaws more notably in police work and back story, I didn't hardly notice anything while watching. And I'm not talking major police work flaws--they were actually refreshingly intelligent after coming from K-Dramas--or flaws in the MC back story. I felt that her back story was done very well and wrapped up pretty nicely. I've heard others saying that this movie wasn't closed off quite as well as Blind, and while I'll have to watch Blind to see (haha) for myself, I didn't think this ended all that badly.
Frankly, I was really glad they didn't throw in any romance like some movies might try. This movie had plenty going on without romance and I'm not watching a movie called The Witness because I want to see some people locking lips. Praise the heavens. Plus from me.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
All the main actors were very good, though there was one part I felt the MC was a bit stale; other than that almost all the supporting actors were top notch and props to the dog! The dog was a very good actor :)
I don't really have much more to say on this other than that the antagonist was pretty good, but I've definitely seen better acting for this type of role in my Asian drama wanderings.
Music (9.0):
I'm basing this off the fact the music buoyed the story very well and the songs (i.e. music with words) were good. Normally I wouldn't rate this high on music unless it was something I loved and would download and listen to frequently, but I couldn't pass up a 9 when I saw that the band musicians were ACTUALLY SEMI PLAYING THE RIGHT NOTES OMG. No faked musicians here. Thank you so much. Every true musician cringes when they see fake musicians on screen.
Rewatch Value (10.0):
I would watch this again. I'm going to watch Blind no question. After that I might watch it with a friend. Nothing I'll watch over and over and over again, but then there isn't a single thing out there that I would. It's very hard for movies to get a 10 on rewatch from me because there's so little content compared to a drama and I get bored of stuff pretty easily if it's repetitive.
Overall (9.5):
Rounding up a bit, I'll total as 9.5. There weren't any parts I felt cringey on or were poorly setup. The flow and cinematography were all amazing and packed together with a fast paced horror/mystery/detective story... I was very surprised by how much I liked this. Highly recommended.
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The story follows a bunch of young people struggling to get by and live their life fulfilling their dreams in Beijing, starting off with a man who catches his girlfriend cheating on him. From that point forward, events evolve, and the storyline follows a twisted but still linear path. We mostly see that same man and his roommates, and the way their relationships between themselves and the world evolve. I thought that the story was beautiful, in a very simple, not very extraordinary way. Along the way, some things happen that might make you feel like it was unexpected to a fault; but that's how life is, and you never know what might happen next. Of course, everything has its faults, and this story has some inconsistencies too. But the selling point for all of this is the dialogue. The dialogue is packed with personality, and we can see the vast variety of characters shine throughout the movie delivering punchline after punchline. It gives life and zest to the movie, and keeps your eyes glued to the screen. 8/10
I'm a bit conflicted about the acting. In some cases, it was really good - you could see the emotions portrayed in the slightest of movements; in others, it came across as a bit tacky. However, as I said before, it is redeemed by the highly engaging dialogue the characters deliver throughout. The acting is carried by the amazing script, and I think it wouldn't have been nearly as well characterized were it not for that script. 7.5/10
As for the music, I feel like it could have been much better. On their own, the pieces used in this movie are wonderful and I even tried to look them up; however, their incorporation into the movie was lacking. I was oversensitive and constantly aware of the music playing in the background. It was not seamlessly woven and it did not complement the scene; instead, it took away from it. 6.5/10
I typically do not rewatch movies at all, no matter the genre or how good the movie is, except for my absolute favorites. This movie is above average, but not enough to warrant a 10 rewatch value. Some people might like it enough to watch it more than once, but this is just my opinion. 5/10
Overall: Give this movie a shot! You will be very pleasantly surprised as I was. It's a calm, slice-of-life story, and if I could compare it to something I would with a gently flowing stream. It guides you on its own, you just need to sit back and get immersed in the lives of these young people. 8/10
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Being a family drama, this story also centers around the love interests of the main family members, and the trials and tribulations of the extended family as well (such as the brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and mother of Na Yeong Shil). The story lines in this one definitely have twists and turns, but lack the absolutely soul crushing series of bad events that some family dramas seem to get bogged down in. All of the various romances are delightful to watch, and each episode (even ones that end in sad or suspenseful cliff-hangers) left me with warm fuzzy feelings that made me eager to go to the next episode. I highly recommend this one. And man am I in love with Lee Joon as Ahn Jung Hee in this show.
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Story/plot: -10- This drama had a cute, fun, and catch-worthy storyline! I absolutely loved how it was centered around swimming, mixed with life issues and dramas. I was intrigued from the very beginning to the very end, and although there were some parts that were dragged out, I couldn't really blame them; after all, they had to fill up 36-37 episodes... Even so, every episode hooked me in, and made me stay up late every night, telling myself "just one more episode" (even though we all know, that is never true :P). The ending is definitely NOT a downer! This ending was settled and it flowed smoothly and nicely.
Acting/cast: -10- LEMME TELL YOU! THIS CAST=PERFECTION! Xiong Dylan (Tang Yi Bai)+Tan Song Yun (Yun Duo)=so cute!!! They are the ULTIMATE couple and they were made to be the main leads. I squealed at their height difference every time, and their interactions on and off camera are also goals! Other than the main leads, I also loved how there were other cute couples around them like, for example, Huang Sheng Chi (Qu Rui Feng) and Wang Zi Xuan (Xiang Yang Yang). Not to mention, there were a lot of good lookin' guys in this drama! You need the right cast to carry out a good storyline and THIS CAST MADE EVERYTHING FANTASTIC!
Music: -10- This is my first drama where I truly payed attention and appreciated the song selection, and this is because the song selection for this drama is so memorable! Every song truly matched their placement during the moments throughout the drama. If anyone wants to take a sneak peak at a song example, here is my favorite, "Crossing the Pacific", which could be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY65i3DP9WA
Rewatch value: -8- Although I gave many complements about this drama, my rewatch value would have to be an 8. This is because since there were a lot of surprising twists and turns, rewatching the whole drama from beginning to end wouldn't allow the full attention this drama truly deserves. I will, however, re-watch all the cute moments the characters had with one another and beware! there are A LOT of cute moments where I guarantee you will squeal when watching!
Overall: -9.5- Overall, this drama was a cute and refreshing one to watch for me. My only downer is probably the rewatch value, but I still advice this to everyone because of all the positive things I stated above, from the storyline to the music, this drama made everything fit well altogether.
Thank you to everyone who read this relatively long review, but I hope whoever is reading this to give "My Mr. Mermaid" a try, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)
Chào for Now!
Lily L.
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STORY: This story about the unconditional (but really unconditional!) love for our family and the bonds we create with the people we care about the most and all of the choices we make in life to stay true to our values and upbringing is told mixing the strongest emotions (love, sadness, happiness, compasion, generosity, pain) in a way you get hooked from the beginning to end enjoying every minute of the 52 episodes.
CAST: is it possible to have all the actors behave so naturally and comfortably with each other that they look like a real family? Yes, because that's what you get with this drama.
Interactions between parents/children, siblings, in-laws... all of them where relationship goals!
Prepare to laugh non-stop, cry a river, and fall in love deeply.
ACTING: if I have to praise each of the actors, I would be writing all day.
Enough to say it's a pleasure to watch every one of them. Each actor created and developed a character that'll remain in our hearts and minds forever. We all know how difficult it is to find a drama where you can like everyone (actually, it was my first time!).
Anyway, it is impossible for me not to mention the actors that, in my opinion, contributed greatly to make this story an addiction for many:
Lee Yoo Ri. No way you're gonna forget her character here... Hye Yeong ruled in every way. A real goddess.
Lee Joon and Jung So Min: They were so good! I put them together because I find a parallelism between these two actors. They are very versatile and take risks with the roles they choose (and yet... they don't always get the recongnition they deserve). In this drama they shine separately and when they interact with each other. It'll be difficult to get over them.
MUSIC: It suited the scenes so perfectly that every song became a classic and an addiction as well.
REWATCH VALUE: here I'll repeat what I put in a comment a couple of eps before the drama ended. "I can watch this drama for the rest of my life.I wouldn't mind spending ep after ep watching this family's daily mundane activities..."
So, yes. It's worth rewatching over and over.
OVERALL: the best drama I've watched and my favourite. I confidently say it's flawless. PERFECT 10.
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The leading actress was amazing and I believe that this movie was one of her best acting performances. I would strongly recommend to watch this movie only for the cinematography and the acting, just to see some of the already-seen faces of the Korean drama industry. However, I wouldn't particularly say that this movie touched me or made me rethink about it at night. There were so many scenes that I would've loved the writers to add or correct. In my opinion, there are far better romance tear-shedder movies out in this world.
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I will give the PLOT 3.0 sorry but the Story could be more Interesting if the Autor build/give more relationship time/scene between Tomoya and Asami. (NOT ONLY THE KISS AND SEX SCENE)
I think he realize his feeling pretty late and pretty sudden!
The Actors and Actress are Greats and I find their kiss scene pretty cute.
+Like because the Leads are good and they suit the role. I really love Tomoyo personality for his love to his lover. I like how they make main leads realize their feeling and why Reiko was the turning point of their relationship from friend to lover.
-Dislike less screen time between Tomoya and Asami. :(
FACT IS: Its depend on how you defined love between sex and real feeling as a LOVER.
I hope that I didn't spoil the story.
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