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THE STORY
I don't even know how to describe it without spoiling the show. After reading the comments, I thought the ending would be bad but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In the beginning, it seems like it's the same as every time slip drama you've seen before. But they actually made changes to make it unique in it's own. way.
THE ACTING
I liked all the characters. I love L. I agree with the comment that he needs to be in more dramas where he is the main lead. The girl is pretty good too. The little girl, who plays angel demon, I love her. She's so cute. Of course, Kang Nam Gil, I love it when he plays the lovable dad.
THE MUSIC
I love the OST. I can listen to it over and over. Infinite is one of my favorite bands and Myungsoo aka L is my first bias in the group.
REWATCH VALUE
I can definitely see myself re-watching this. Even though I cried multiple times, I think the story is short enough that I can revisit it later on.
OVERALL
I gave it a 9 because I didn't feel like it's the best drama I've seen. If you're not ready to commit to a regular long drama, then I definitely recommend watching this. It's short and sweet.
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What starts out as a race for gold, slowly develops into a great story of friendship and overcoming the odds.
The two leads Ha Ji Won and Bae Doo Na were amazing - and likewise the supporting actors were equally great in generating this feel for a growing unified team. The emotions were craaazy.
I have a serious love for sports movies as they are often so inspiring and for movies based on real life events - and this movie combines the both. Aces!
If you want something similar I would suggest 'Run off'.
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Story- 8/10 This drama started off so good and promising. I was hooked and the story was so good. This drama is a mix between romance, politics and revenge. Although I do have to admit, they didn't blend well together. It felt like there were 3 different settings in the same story. It didn't blend as well as the genres in DOTS blended. Anyways, as the drama started to progress around ep 12 or so I felt like the story was getting repetitive, none of my questions were answered and K2 was just a confusing mess at certain times. I completely agree with one of the reviews in the episode aspect---- after I finished an episode I would only find one thing that was new... the rest of the hour and 15 mins was .... idk... during the episode though I'm hooked and like oh yea!! This is so good but afterwards nothing really happened if I reflected on it lol. Nonetheless it's a pretty good story and well written. Not the strongest part of K2 though. Also, the ending for the villains were not good enough... I was not satisfied. After all that they did that's all they get???????? Korean dramas really need to step up their ending game. I know I say this in every review but oh my goodness I have yet to watch a kdramas w a satisfying ending.
Acting/cast: 10/10 THE REASON I FINISHED K2 is the cast! The cast is quite strong besides Yoona, I expected her to act badly but I was surprised. Her acting as Anna is very good compared to her previous performances---- she has improved a lot and fits the role well. But ofc compared to the excellent actresses she's quite average. Nothing special. I am an sone btw. Anyways, Chang wook was amazing as always. Ok and now *drumroll please* SONG YOON AH. Oh. My. Gosh. She is the best Korean actress I've ever watched! Usually, Korean actresses have a tendency to act in similar ways to each other but she acted in her own way and her portrayal as Choi yoo Jin was excellent. Also, for her age she's STUNNING. She's a beauty and a rare talent. Love her. Sung Won was awesome at acting too. Loved his portrayal. His smirks made me want to kick him off the face of this planet.
Music: 10/10 search up K2 ost on YouTube. Enjoy. You're welcome.
Rewatch: 3/10 I don't rewatch dramas I just finished.
Overall: 9/10 I recommend. Great great great acting!
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As mentioned, I had to drop this drama because of the girl. Get this, the girl has no respect to one's privacy and or to one's opinion. She was also very pushy and over-all over the top. Not sure if it's the actress's fault for not expressing or acting her character well or what but she or her character was a mess. Hate to say this but, the girl lead ruined a perfectly good drama for me.
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Yoon Gyun Sang is really good as the Gil Dong. He is believable as the Mighty Child with superhuman strength that evolves into a rebel, but is equally believable when his character is beaten down and vulnerable. Kim Sang Joong is commanding as Amogae - Gil Dong's father- who lived most his life as a slave but realizes his strength and spirit. Watching him at times gave me goosebumps. I particularly loved the father-son relationship between him and both the adult Gil Dong and the young Gil Dong.
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Kha Badin, being a historical drama, has less of the typical Thai drama tropes (hip, hip, hurray). It's supposedly about a man's fall from grace and his comeback. The protagonist is a nationalistic, loyal "servant of the King" who is willing to put national interests above personal gains. Very noble of him, of course. To me though, this drama is just a love story. If I were to write the synopsis myself, it'll be about a man being wrongly stripped of his ranks and a woman who stood by him, and how their relationship evolved from family (siblings-like) to lovers. It's not because I'm specifically looking out for romance, but I think the drama wasn't as successful in delivering its main theme as opposed to portraying the love between the leads.
Initially, I was really perplexed why they chose two leads who are not Thai-looking at all. I guess there's probably a lot of Thai Chinese/Chinese Thai (?) even back in the days so casting James Ma isn't that much of a stretch, but in spite of my adoration for Matt Peranee I can't fathom why they'd choose someone who won't even look out of place in a US TV series to act in a historical drama. It's also a little weird that Haym is supposed to be older than Lamduan, but she looks more like the elder sister (I guess James Ma just has a baby face since he looked younger than everyone except for teen Lamduan). Disregarding their appearances though, I think they did a decent job acting wise and had unexpected chemistry (especially after their reunion and in the last couple of episodes, so cute). Except... that James Ma always looked more creepy than romantic when speaking his "mushy" lines. He really needs to work on that. Matt Peranee is brilliant as always. I think she was filming a couple of dramas at the same time, so sometimes you could see the lethargy on her face. She did a great job with her character though, even though she may not look the part. I think it must be a testament to her acting that I don't find her jarring in a historical drama at all. On the other hand, Bua (played by Samai Maneerat) is interesting in that I'm not sure if the general unpleasant vibes I got from her character were deliberate or because of her stiffness. In any case, I guess she got the point across.
There are quite a lot of production flaws I spotted while watching the drama. The fighting scenes were especially lackluster. I wonder if it's because I'm used to watching Chinese dramas which tend to hire really famous martial arts directors to choreograph their fight scenes. Part of what contributed to the weak fighting was also the lack of power. They looked like they were just swinging their blades, but not using force. It doesn't help that the swords looked like (poorly-made) paper mache. The "blades" were so blunt that I wouldn't mind if any of the hits landed on me; they won't even leave a scratch. Moreover, there were no blood splatters initially, so the first couple of fighting scenes looked like rehearsals rather than the real thing.
However, the drama was entertaining throughout and funny at times. The plot wasn't very complicated and hence not as convoluted like other Thai dramas. The interactions between the lead characters were also enjoyable to watch. It's a drama I don't have many complaints about, which makes it better than 99% of Thai dramas already lol. I think 8.5 is slightly overrating it, but I don't mind going along with the flow once in a while.
-- Footnotes --
[1] For those who are interested in watching the drama with English subtitles, I believe a subbing team has recently taken on the project, and episode 1 is available already.
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I haven't read the book, yet (going to read), but I think this adaption covered the story pretty well, while also being humorous. Personally I think they did quite good job in choosing the cast. The main characters don't look too out of age thanks to the (rather) young rookie actors, reminding here that Huang Rong is supposed to be 15yo at the start of the series and Guo Jing 17-18(?). I had a lot of prejudice about the actors but after watching the series I can say that the casting was quite nice! Loved Li Yi Tong's Huang Rong, and Michael Miu's Huang Yao Shi. Guo Jing was also definitely more handsome than the previous ones. These two rookie actors did remarkable job imo.
I think this adaption concentrates maybe more on the youth of Guo Jing and Huang Rong, going more through their relationship. Of course LOCH was always about the adolescent of Guo Jin and how he became a big hero from a naive youngster after many hardships, but I do think that 2017 definitely put a lot time to show the pure "innocent" love between Guo Jing and Huang Rong.
Now for the bad points. Like the other review, I also have to say that this adaptions Mu Nianci was little bit disappointment, just lacked something. Personally I also disliked the bad CGI. It was tolerable but at some scenes it just looked ridiculously bad. E.G the condor shooting part. Would've appreciated if they had at least tried to make the angles right, there were some landscapes outside the window that were so crooked.
What I missed was a proper opening theme song. 2003 adaption's opening was epic, this time it was only instrumental music. But again, I did like the soundtrack songs.
Overall, very nice adaption.
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The first time I've read there was going to be a Kuroshitsuji movie, I was apprehensive. It could be either awesome or entirely wrong. Then I read the plot and I was all "wait, what???" and I knew it; I knew it was going to be a disaster.
Being a huge fan of the manga, I am very strict when it comes to adaptations. The anime was OK, but just OK, in my opinion. Why the need to change so many things? I cannot understand it, the plot and characters are perfect. The first season was... fine, I enjoyed it, but S2... it was a mess. Who the hell were Alois and his butler!? And that end.. **cringes** OMG, total disaster.
So back to the live-action. There are so many things so wrong in this movie, but I have to give credit to some good stuff. I will start to point out the ONLY good point of the movie, and then all the sins the director and staff of the movie made ti this wonderful manga.
GOOD:
- The fights-scenes: True, Sebastian has 2 fights only (and with only 1 knife! instead of several) but the one with Rin was AMAZING. I love to watch tiny Japanese girls kicking asses of several guys (and if they are in a costume, like a MAID costume, even better!) . It was very well done.
BAD... BAD:
- Sebastian: I like Hiro Mizushima, I honestly do. I loved him in HanaKimi, he was perfect as Nanba-sempai (weren't they all perfect in their respective roles in this dorama?). But he is a BIG NO as Sebastian. First of all, his hair. Sebastian with a messy hairstyle? Secondly, his dark skin. Wait, what? Sebastian, who has the palest of skins? Add to that the problem the actor had with this eyes (he looked ridiculous, why did he have to squint his eyes like that?) + the way he spoke (was that supposed to be Sebastian's manner of speaking?) and he looked like he was trying waaaay too hard.
- Setting: it is supposed to take place in a near future, but several actors wearing a Victorian costume? The character who replaces Ciel, Shiori, wears the same clothes and eye-patch that Ciel wears. But instead, she looks kind of misplaced, like she is cosplaying. Why the need to change the period of time if it is going to be Victorian-ish?
- Characters: oh my, the Shiori girl is supposed to be a descendant of the Phantomhive (she is in control of the Funtom company) and her story is almost exactly as Ciel's: her parents were murdered, she was marked with a sign, and when everything seemed like it was done for her, BOOM! Sebastian to the rescue. She disguises herself as a boy, but her nails are long and shiny as a girl's. Tanaka the butler is there (wait, what?), **cough*Mei-Rin*cough* Rin is there (wait, what?), and Undertaker?? Like, uh-huh, is that supposed to be Undertaker? He looked like an otaku dressing up for some event. Totally ridiculous...
- Plot: it was based in the first 3 volumes of the manga: Madame Red (Ciel/Shiori's aunt, with exactly the same story with the father), her... err, butler?, also kind of invincible. And no, it is not Grell (wait, what?) but some experiment she makes in a human guy. Can we say LAME? The awesomeness of that arc was, besides Grell, that it was a reference to Jack the Ripper. Which is missed in the movie.
- No "Yes, my lord": that's right, the popular expression Sebastian uses everytime Ciel commands him something does not exist in the movie (how could it? his "bocchan" is a girl). Instead, he says "as you command" **eyeroll**.
- That end: totally OoC. Like Sebastian would do that. Yeah, right.
If it weren't any cool fight scenes in the movie, it would have been a real torture. Not recommended AT ALL to the fans of the manga.
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I have to say that Hiro impressed me with his English accent. It was good and not awkward at all. His hair was a bit MEH; straight hair does not suit him and sometimes, he looked a bit like Michael Jackson. But he played his role very well; I thought sometimes he actually played the guitar (I don't know if he did or not).
Sato Takeru was OK I guess, in his role of Koyuki. The typical nice, naive boy from school, that is bullied (by no other than one of the "Crows" members!) and has basically, no interest in life. Until he meets this rocker and wants to learn to play guitar. I was more impressed with the bags under his eyes, to be honest. Such a young boy with that issue. He should have gained more weight (he was too thin when he was younger).
Osamu Mukai does well whatever he plays. Although I may prefer him in this kind of role, more tough. I did not like his bleached hair at first, but after a few minutes, I was OK with it. He did very well his role as a bassist; not too many lines but his presence was enough for me. Second best in the cast.
Kiritani Kenta was the best actor for me in this movie, hands down. I liked his rap, his crazy hairdo, and that scene where he fights against the bullies. He has such a funny face.
At least the female role in the movie, in the hands of Kutsuna Shiori, made sense (unlike in Crows :P). Her English was good, and I can't say anything bad about her acting. The transition from English to Japanese and vice-versa was well accomplished, and I liked when she was frustrated and yelled in English.
I also liked Sakurai-kun, new student at school and Koyuki's new friend. He had a good chemistry with the band, and looked to kind.
There is a good soundtrack, my favorite the one at the end ("Don't look back in anger"). There are some negative reviews about Koyuki not actually singing in the entire movie, but it did make sense to me, and I like that we only need to see people's expression to know he has a marvelous voice. Since the movie is based on a manga, and it is very hard to please people regarding something delicate as A VOICE, it was good they made it this way.
My only complain would be the length of the movie (2 hours and a half). It never drags nor it is never boring, but it is long.
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KSH's both handsome playing "fool" and a tough warrior. He was handsome all throughout. Ughh I just love him
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This is the first time I see a period drama (a Japanese period drama, that is). I learned so much. First, this character, Sakamoto Ryoma, who is one of Japan's hero (although you would not believe it in this show... he was more like a comedy relief, but I've read some text about him to be more informed). And then, their life styles. This is the 1862 year.
Top-notch things about this wonderful dorama:
- Cast: many familiar faces, but also some new ones. Ayase Haruka has never failed me. She is amazing in everything she does. I think I will like whatever she is in. She plays the daughter of an important family, and she wants to be a doctor (which was not possible in that time, for a woman). Needless to say, she looked gorgeous as Saki-sama, in her kimono and fancy hairdo. Her brother is Koide Keisuke, another actor that has never failed me. He may be a little to tamed here, but I liked him so much he could have said two words in the entire show and I would have still liked him. Other actor that I've recently started to like is Kiritani Kenta (as the doctor Saburi). He has such a funny face, and boy he can act! He was wonderful as the new doctor who practiced his studies with prostitutes. And then it is Nakatani Miki, as Miki and the courtesan Nokaze. WOW, what a pretty, elegant lady. I have seen her only in one movie ("Densha Otoko") and I wasn't impressed. She was too plain, in looks and in acting. Boy did I change my mind! She is beautiful, she moved me with her acting as both Nokaze and Miki. She was so elegant and lady-like as the courtesan. Everything, from her voice to her little movements, were majestic. OMG, even her little feet were elegant. I love her smile, I can't believe I once thought she was plain.
The new faces, for me, were first, Ozawa Takao as Jin. Excellent his role as the doctor. I don't think I will be able to see him in another role, he WAS Dr. Jin. He traveled in time, from present time to Edo time. It was not hard to put into his shoes. Everything he did -every life he saved, every person he met- could change history, and he was afraid of it. But more than anything, he was a doctor, so of course he changed perspectives; his and the people he met. I could understand why two strong females, like Saki and Nokaze, fall in love with him. He was just, he was kind, he was skillful. On the other hand, I could not take sides. I loved Saki, she was an independent woman who was interested in medicine. I loved Nokaze, who had a very sad past and wanted her freedom. I loved Miki, Nokaze's great-great-great-granddaughter and present girlfriend. I could understand why Jin was so aware of the little photograph he took with him (where he and Miki were posing. With every change he made into history, the photograph changed). I don't know how this will end... and although I hate love triangles -or love squares- I wish Jin all the happiness and wisdom to chose a woman among these wonderful women.
At first I thought the actor had a funny face... a bit weird, since his eyes are very apart. But with every laugh I liked him more. He had those tiny wrinkles that made him attractive, he has a nice body and nice teeth. On the other hand, he has a huge Adam's apple (is it weird to take notice of that??)
The actor who played Dr. Ogata was also wonderful. First time I see this man. He did a good job playing the most important doctor in this little town. I was moved by his tears. And I was convinced of his importance and intelligence.
The little boy... waaa, I had tears in my eyes when he was crying for his mother. At first I thought he was a bit annoying and not a good actor, but he proved me wrong with the scene with his mother.
Oh, and Kohinata Fumiyo has a small role as well! He was, of course, wonderful. WOW the number of roles he played so far! One of the most prolific Japanese actors.
The man who played Ryoma-san was good, first time I see him. I just did not like his role that much, mainly because of the way he talked, and also because I just couldn't make up my mind that a guy like him has been the most important guy in Japan history. He was just too... he took things like a joke, which is fine of course, but as Ryoma-san... not so much I guess.
- Setting: the backgrounds were beautiful. The houses -so Japanese-, the gardens! The little red district... the trees! Houses were wide and so clean.
- Costumes: Saki's kimonos and Nokaze's... O_O WOW, beyond gorgeous. Their hairstyles, Nokaze's high shoes, her make-up. I loved one of Saki's kimono which was pink. Or another that was blue with little flowers. Scratch that, I loved ALL her kimonos! From the top of their heads to their tiny feet... everything was pretty.
- The surgeries: I am one of those people that cannot see blood... and since Jin is a doctor who has to perform surgeries -brain surgery, skin surgery, breast surgery...- everything looked very real. I was like O_O OMG. And of course, praying that Jin could save his or her life. It did not always happen -obviously- but I was so happy when he did.
- Soundtrack: the ending song not so much. But the opening and the one that accompanied the most important scenes (by Takami Yu). It was sweet and a bit sad and just beautiful. I loved it and I am currently searching it to have it on my playlist. One of my favorite dorama songs.
Before I decided to watch it, I've read several reviews in order to decide. Most of the reviews said that the end was not good. I think it was good, a bit of a cliffhanger but not a life-or-death problem. It ended like it was supposed to end. Some get their happy ending, some get a HFN. A perfect way to continue a 2nd season, but for people who did not like it so much, it can also end here.
Rewatch value is 100% since I have watched it already twice.
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This review may contain spoilers
I LOVED this drama. LOVED. LOVED. It is the only drama with a score as high as 9.5 on my own drama list. FULL DISCLOSURE: I had never watched or heard about the Chinese version before I watched MLSHR. I did not have an inkling of how it would end. I had no preconceived notions of what is "supposed" to happen.
I did not start out liking this drama, I confess. I watched it to gratify my friend who begged me to watch it just so she could have someone to discuss the drama with. The first few episodes didn't interest me much. It was fun, interesting, enjoyable with a few cliched moments but I didn't invest much in it emotionally and I thought that it would go in the makjang-ish direction.
Oh, how wrong I was. About halfway through the show (EP 9-10) when I had grown an emotional connection to the characters, learned to tell the princes apart (both physically and learn their different personalities), I knew this drama would be something special for me. There were moments before EP 10 which pulled on my heartstrings but I resisted them because I had almost made up my mind not to invest in this drama. But the drama pulled me in, it roped me in, it trapped me; I could barely resist. I let go. It was in EP 10 I let myself fall in love with this drama and let it take me where it was going.
Around EP 12-15, where I find most dramas drag and lag and slow down and a lot is very skippable and expected, this drama picks up its pace. There are unexpected twists and turns and the fast pace kept me hooked and wanting more.
EP 16-20 were a beautiful conclusion to this story. For me, the ending was heartbreaking but beautiful. Unexpected but strangely satisfying. In spite of the tragedy there was still reconciliation and hope.
The soundtrack was beautiful. CBX's For You after the last scene in EP 20 brought on the waterworks for me. It was a lively but romantic song that reminded us of the lighter first few episodes and so intensified the pain of the last few. Davichi's Forgetting You and Lee Hi's My Love were absolutely beautiful and have been on my playlist since November. Epik High and Lee Hi's Can You Hear My Heart was a beauty too, though not absolutely appropriate for the more solemn moments. Im Sun Hye's Will Be Back was the well known "Death" song of the series and just a bit emotionally manipulative but I still love it so much though. When it came to the score, Pastoral Morning seemed to carry so much nostalgia and hope in it.
All the flashbacks were relevant and beautiful. The theme of nostalgia, reminiscing and looking back on one's life were heavy in the last few episodes and it was so affecting because that's what we all do when anything (our lives, a stage in our lives, a programme) is coming to an end: look back.
The princes with their varying personalities were all a delight to watch. Wang Eun was very little brother. Wang Wook was the virtuous one. Wang Jung was steady, brave, a fighter. Baek Ah was so flower boy but so loyal. So loyal. (In fact, my friend and I joked that MLSHR is a love story between Baek Ah and Wang So in which Hae Soo features). Wang Moo was more "uninvolved in their little games but wish them well" older brother. Wang Yo was the bad guy you grow to feel pity for. Wang Won was his sheep. And Wang So. Wang So. How can put Wang So in words? There are no words.
He was unpredictable, likeable, determined to keep what was his, and most of all, relateable. He has insecurities and hurts but he faces the future with determination. He will love and protect the ones he loves until the end. At first, he seems like your cliched "arrogant with a good heart" male lead but he is so much more than that.
The series stayed with me for months after I had watched it. I have never watched a drama that was so difficult to forget. I read fan theories, campaigned for a season 2, tried to get my friends to watch it, read up on the histories of the characters, participated in forum discussions, had dreams about this drama (literally, dreams about this drama at night. In my sleep. Vivid REM dreams).
So, why am I not giving it a 10?
First, Hae Soo. the lead was actually one of the most forgettable people in this show. She is nice and even likeable but not particularly interesting because the events seem to be happening to her. She doesn't take an active role very often. She does a few times, though.
Second. The romance between Baek-Ah and Woo-hee is not developed well. Baek-Ah and Woo-Hee's love story interested me but left me confused a lot of the time. I am not necessarily asking for more screen time, just better clarifications about why they did certain things they did. (This is me trying not to include spoilers) Wang Eun and Soon Deok, for example, had a lot less screen time as a couple than they did, but their story made so much more SENSE to me than Baek-Ah's and Woo-Hee's.
Third. The drama was so reverse harem. I would have been more satisfied if one less prince had been in love with her.
For me, this drama was so satisfying because of how much MORE I wanted at the end. I know for some people, this makes it unsatisfying but not me. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I watched BBJX after this. I still preferred this version and was glad that they stuck to the plot while taking some liberties of their own. I like that the ending was not exactly the same and that her relationships with the princes, while generally sticking to the same story, was developed in a slightly different way. One missing thing was that she didn't have as close a relationship with 13th prince in the Korean one. I didn't miss it the first time I watched MLSHR but after I watched BBJX, I wished it had been present.
In conclusion, this drama is everything I expect from a tragic romance. Be prepared to fall into the characters and their world and their loves and hates and hopes and disappointments.
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