Reviews

Reply 1988 walks in the footsteps of Reply 1997, only focuses more on the family dynamics and the old neighbourhood friendships. However, it wasn't as good as the other reply. The main reason that I preferred the 1997 reply over this, was the duration. The 1988's episodes lasted almost two hours each! And they were twenty of them (kudos to the producers; that must have been a challenge). Maybe for some, that wouldn't be a problem, but I personally prefer my dramas short -er, as it's more easy to watch. And the long duration makes it tiring at some point. Anyway, the 1997 reply's main reason for success was the kpop fangirling, that created laughter. Plus, the romance was quite interesting, as it was mixed up with the back and forth of the story. The Reply 1988 had a nice romance, but it was a little predictable and the chemistry between the two of them wasn't that good (I would have preferred the girl to have ended up with another character, as they looked better together). The family stories were quite good, and for me, were better than the friendship-romance. But, in the end, it was a so so drama, with a story that didn't keep the interest till the end, so 3 out of 10, for the good performances.

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After DOTS, Goblin finally took the title of most popular drama. And it's true that everyone talks about this drama. In my opinion, that because of two things: the OST and the cinematography. The soundtrack was really good and the songs as atmospheric as they should be, creating the right mood for every scene. Then, the cinematography was amazing, with the first episode introducing breathtaking shots of battles and palaces. The great cinematography continues on to the rest of the episodes as well, aiding when the drama hit standstills. In addition the theme is very original, as the plot wasn't clearly introduced to the audience, making you curious to want to see what's the buzz about this drama. Well, the story is very fairy tale like, a man is turned into a goblin and he is waiting for centuries to find the girl who will be destined to be his "bride", which will also mean that she will be able to pull the sword out of his body and kill him. Meanwhile, a grim ripper moves into his house and he falls in love with a human. And here is where it becomes complicated, as the concepts of reincarnation and four lives are introduced. Fortunately, they are clearly explained, so one can't easily be confused. Now, about the negatives: -the duration was way too long and that led to countless flashbacks to be thrown into each episode to make it longer. -the romance was a little blunt. The performances were great, and the second romantic story was really good, with the chemistry between the couple obvious. Maybe it was the age difference of the main couple (the girl was still in school) or the fact that the girl didn't actually treat the idea of being the goblin bride seriously; more like she used it as means to survive. It got better towards the end, fortunately, but till then it was awkward. -the main story could have been better presented -the ending was weak -the advertisements were too many!! Other than that, it was an enjoyable drama (still too long though!) and the side stories were the best of it. So, 5 out of 10.

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Stary night is a so - so drama (I actually think that so - so is the only appropriate phrase for this drama). The good thing about it is that it's quick and easy to watch. It actually reminded me of Bridgit Jones (a milder and less funny version of it). Some of the love stories were interesting and there was chemistry between the two lovers. However the office drama was not that good and actually confused a little. To be honest, I couldn't figure out what was happening till the third episode. But it's a fast paced drama with only 20 minutes episodes. The performances were okay; the leading lady wasn't that good, but the guys were good enough. So 4 out of 10.

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Even though the producers is a short drama (only twelve episodes!) and most of the story is occupied by the variety shows and the mentions of the celebrities that were currently the talk of the city, the rest of the drama was satisfying enough. The main story is the struggles of a rookie PD who works on a sinking variety show. Now, the romance was so-so, but, thankfully, it developed the way I wanted it to develop ( I can't describe it better as I'll give away too many spoilers). Anyway, the chemistry between the rookie PD and his senior wasn't that good in order for the drama to have a strong romantic vibe. But I did loved the female leads performance, even though the rookie PD was a little awkward and I would have liked for him to have done a better job if possible. IU was okay, but I haven't watched her yet on other dramas so I don't know if she can do better. Another thing that bothered me was the constant mentions on variety shows and celebs. I knew some of them, so I could keep up, but if someone didn't, I think it would have been awkward for him to watch this drama, though it wouldn't effect the main plot or made it difficult to keep up. But, all in all, I did enjoy the multiple stories that overlapped one another and the drama was entertaining enough to keep the interest high till the end. So, 6 out of 10.

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Reply 1994 is a mix of Reply 1997 and Reply 1988, and somehow it makes it work. The story centres around a girl, whose parents rent rooms for college students at Seoul. The viewers are asked to guess with whom the girl is going to end up with. In addition, we have the stories of the other college students and events that occur in the 1990's. For me, Reply 1994 was better than Reply 1988, though the main reason why I didn't like Reply 1988 was the length and in Reply 1994 the episodes got longer and longer but never reached the two hours (fortunately). I especially liked the episodes where the characters from Reply 1997 appeared and it was quite funny to watch. Moreover, Reply 1994 offers the family drama that Reply 1988 also has, but also the humour and the funny situations that Reply 1997 had. So, 5,5 out of 10, because it's a good drama, only way too long (it could have ended in 18th episode).

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Many movies try to make the viewer thoughtful. But they fail due to being not palpable enough in the viewer's eye. This movie makes it's contents almost too palpable.

Books like 'Crime and Justice' and 'War and Peace' like to play with contrasts. And so does Innocent Blood, where the original title 'Hikari to Chi' can be literally translated to Light and Blood, which denotes salvation and misery. We fall from the light down to the blood-filled darkness, but what now? While we reached the ground, we were severely injured, hence unable to climb up to where the light comes from, aren't we? These questions are basically this story's motif. Whenever you find yourself in such a situation, please watch this movie, so to find the light again where you once bathed in. While being a rather dark movie, actually is a movie of hope.

The characters appear so authentic and relatable; thanks to them, you get even more touched by the movie. There wasn't a high budget, the movie could profit from, and thus there weren't well-known actors, but they were doing a pretty great job. I especially appreciate Uchikoshi Riko's job. I also appreciate Michihiro Fujii's job as the director (and the scriptwriter, i assume?). How he played with the motif... unbelievely great!

Now i'm here, writing this review, while i want to make others watch to movies, while i actually want to watch this masterpiece again, wanting to watch and discuss it with some friends. Herewith it was manifested that you don't need budget to create a sublime, high-class-looking movie.

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The movie is a heartwarming tale about a man with a strange yet powerful ability. It leaves him isolated, until his job leads him to make an unlikely group of friends.

There were funny moments in this movie, though my enjoyment of the movie was marred by some really substandard English subtitles online. In terms of story, it isn’t terribly predictable, but the turns in the narrative arc are rather obvious and quite disjointed, so there’s a minus point in my books there. The movie has some pretty visuals in some scenes.

Cha Tae-hyun is comfortable playing a character who is lonely and eccentric, but does not lack emotional depth. Nam Sang Mi was just okay.

This isn’t a movie that made a deep impression on me, nor is it one that I would rewatch. But it’s not a bad way to entertain yourself on a boring weekend.

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After great SOTUS I wanted to check other Thai dramas hoping that they would be just as good. I decided to try this one because 1) it's only 6 episodes long; 2) the actor who plays Pick also starred in SOTUS. I didn't really payed much attention to him in SOTUS, but he stole my heart as a person in the special episode.

His roles as Bright in SOTUS and Pick in Puppy Honey are quite similar. It seems to me that he's just being himself, but I don't mind it at all. I find the Pick character pretty interesting anyway; he's funny and oblivious. As for other lead characters, I like them as well. Porsche is such a cutie and his reactions to Pick & Rome's interactions are priceless. Emma's assertiveness was the first thing that drew my attention to her. She's quite independent. Rome may be my least favourite lead in this season (I still like him though!). He's too pliant. But I like that he's a person who just happens to be gay. No "I know it's weird, you're a guy, I'm a guy" bullshit. Rome knows what he wants. And good for him!

Couples' chemistry is on point. It also applies to their friendships. I find Porsche & Pick's relationship so precious. I wouldn't mind more of them together. I also like Emma & Rome's dynamic, in which Rome is the more submissive one. But he also supports Emma when it comes to her fear of dogs. They're lovely together.

The plot isn't complicated. The series is cute, funny and light-hearted, so I'm just ignoring aspects I find a little far-fetched. I was surprised how much enjoyed it. The show consists of only six episodes, but they managed to fit in enough scenes for the plot to develop. I liked those small little things that show character's or couple's development (ex. Pick's attitude toward drinking from the same vessel as Rome). Innuendos are also appreciated. However, in my opinion, they should definitely work on the angles in kissing scenes if actors are not willing to actually kiss/can't act it out. (Seriously, the kissing scene left me confused as I didn't know if it counted as a kiss or almost a kiss.) They also overdid the sound effects, though I like the use of music for comedic purposes.

It's not the show in which you discover something new every time you watch it, but I'd watch it once again anyway. It's short and sweet, and not demanding. There are a few obstacles that characters have to overcome, but it's nothing serious. I know many people watched it just for BL, but without Porsche & Emma's storyline, there would be no Pick & Rome's. So give them a chance! They deserve it.

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A sort drama (only ten to fifteen minutes per episode) staring the boy band EXO and even though someone would expect it to be just a badly covered advertisement for the band and maybe some products as well, it surprisingly isn't. The story is nice and funny as well. Okay, the main thing that bothered me was the girl's face. When she liked a guy or got embarrassed it turned red...well more like hot pink alien like. That was simply too weird and silly. Plus, the locket thing was really silly as well. But you can't expect much from a drama like this one, so you should just overlook those faults and just enjoy the drama. And sure enough, it is a funny drama and it can be watched from a non fan as well as fans (I'm not a fan and I enjoyed it and my friend who's an exo L also liked it so I think it goes both ways...). Plus, the romance was good, with the love triangle nice enough, and the band drama was convincing enough. All in all, a must see for exo fans, an entertaining drama for a quiet afternoon (or two).

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Because this was my first K-drama, my feelings are mixed. Having no previous experience, the first episode was kind of a shock for me. They seemed to over play\ over react to everything. But, after getting used to it, you can actually enjoy it. So, the story isn't that great. Bom inherits a gift to "see" other people's stories through their clothes and she has to help them solve their problems. If she ignores them, then bad luck will follow her everywhere. Now, the stories were interesting and actually nice, and I liked the additional story with Bom and her family. The appearance of the granny-ghost wasn't that good, as it made the show a little silly, but it can easily be overlooked. So, the first episodes were great, but towards the ending, the story got confused and frankly, it felt like the screenwriters didn't know what to add to make it more interesting. Especially the final episode was a disaster for me, as it was like those episodes that you get were they rushy finish up the story because the show is being cut. Overall, I stayed till the end for Changjo, even though the love story was awkward and it didn't really develop, as the love triangles kept popping up.

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Descendants of the sun is one of the most discussed drama and everyone seemed to go all crazy about it. Maybe that's why I expected too much out of it and got quite disappointed. First of all the romance between the doctor and the soldier was clever, but it wasn't strong enough for me. Actually the second lead romance was better, but anyway. The big tragedies that occurred during the drama were okay, especially the last one which ended up in a big twist, it was good enough to make the second last episode very entertaining. However, the drama after a while got to be more of a long advertisement than a TV series. The performances were okay, I guess, and the scenery was really good, along with the soundtrack. So, all in all, 4 out of 10.

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Mirror of the witch started strong, but the twist upon twist just got the best out of it. So the story is based on many fairy tales at first, but sticks to its own main story for the rest of the series. The twists are plenty and that makes Mirror of the Witch a rich in thrill and suspense drama. However, those twists end up being repeated way too many times and that makes it tiring to watch. Needless to say, you will end up hating the witch, though the script doesn't try enough to give her a better in depth look into her story and her character. The story, moreover, gets confusing, with too many characters and action that is hard to keep up. And the romance wasn't that strong, though Mirror of the Witch doesn't relay so much on it. Finally, the ending was good, even though the last scene wasn't explained enough and leaves you with many questions. But the performances were great and the whole drama gets you into the atmosphere of the empire era so 5 out of 10.

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W had a great idea for a good story, but failed to make it till the very end. Somewhere between the second and the third episode, the drama reached its peak. The story is quite interesting and unique, so kudos for that. Plus the romance was okay, a little weak though, and the performances very good, as the actors had to work with the whole fantasy world, action scenes and of course the exchange of worlds. However what ruined the drama for me were the flash backs. There were so many!! Except from the first five minutes, that were a recap of the whole series so far, which is kind of understandable, the back and forth-s were too tiring. And they were repeated constantly, which was annoying. Finally, the twists were interesting and entertaining the first time around, but the drama seemed to have actually ended at the ninth episode, and so the rest of them were just repeating the same twists over and over. In addition, I would have liked for the whole two worlds universe to had been explained better. So 4 out of 10.

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