Reviews

What I liked about this drama is the actual plot is as real as it gets. Last year I myself was looking for an internship and it was awfully hard. Getting out of the way travelling at ends of the country just to get that experience, just to become employable. I could see myself and every young millennial/gen Z person trying to get an internship and create a future in this overly competitive environment.

What do you do when you have tried everything ?
What do you do when you realise that getting the right job is not everything ? and the life you underestimated is at stake ?

Ho wons personality I really liked she was real in the sense she was humble but also knew how to stand up for herself. I would say it is a character that develops well throughout the drama.

Director Seo was also a great personality. A guy that worked hard his whole life to make himself succeed not another chaebol that you see in every bloody Korean drama. In a sense, it gives you hope that hard work and integrity can help you climb up the ladder as difficult as it may be. I also like that fact that he is no prince charming, you can tell he is a perfectionist, detail oriented, smart and cold as ice when he needs to be.

One of the most interesting parts of this drama was how the friendship of the three develops and how they're not perfect with each other but at the end of the day these three care about each other like brothers.

The comedy part of the show with Director Jerk and Jung Tae was quite amusing and also assistant manager Lee.

Romance-there was definitely something but i felt that it was slightly rushed ?

Needs improvement:

I feel like the last episode had far too much to it- if they did 18-20 episodes it would be better.

Romance needed a smoother development !

If you want something that heavily focuses on romance then thats not it ! If you want a slice of life I would definitely recommend !

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I marathon-ed this drama and love it to bits. But I'm giving it a 9/10 just bacause it was open-ended and I felt like for this type of drama, if there won't be a second season slated, they should have gave resolution to the JoonHo issue. There is just no closure for everything and nobody paid for their mistakes.

Romance is not necessary to make the story exciting. But the bromance between brothers Hyeon and Min is so beautiful. I kinda understand Min's devotion to Hyeon, his hyung has protected and taken care of him like a parent does when they were younger. I kinda wished my sons' relationship is that close.

Although the story arc is about serial killer Joon Ho and Min, I felt like they were not necessarily evil, but they do have a twisted sense of justice. Makes me think of Dexter (from the serial killer US series Dexter), but unlike Dexter who kills evil people just satisfy his nature to kill. Killing is never be justified. It's always wrong. But you will feel a sense of pity for MIn, maybe because Park BoGum acted him so well. I think that if he stayed with his hyung, he wouldn't have turned out as bad as he is. I do feel sorry for Cha JiAn, she was always getting beat up. Anyway, I think 16 episodes are not enough. Ep 1-15 are really great, plot wise, but ep 16 towards the end felt rushed.

****SPOILER****
I was feeling very crappy when I thought Min has died, but I'm glad that he didn't. I would really feel terrible and regretful if he died. Mostly because I think that he has a potential to change. He was not the type of serial killer who kills to satisfy his bloodlust, but someone who takes justice into their hands when they see people who abandoned their children because he thought he was abandoned and left in the clutches, plus brainwashed that his hyung left him. But he did show that he can restrain himself as is the case of the adopted parents who left their adopted son to die in the hands of bullies in one of the episode. And his promise to his hyung not to kill anymore.
****SPOILER****

I think that JoonHo is the catalyst to most of the trauma in Hyeon's life. He made Hyeon's father doubt his son, making him out to be a future psychopath, when even before when he already has suspicions, he never acted on them. But upon Joon Ho's goading, he locked up his son "to protect him and protect the world from him." which is twisted in a way, when all he could have done is talk to his son and guide him and shower him with love and understanding, Meaning, his dad is stupid.

Joon Ho, I think felt the need to belong to a family, that's why he is so obsessed with Min and Hyeon. Thinking of them as his children in his own twisted way, when he was the one who killed their father. Unlike other series with necessary evil, the main antagonists here are not annoying, makes you think about choices and morality.

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This movie was beautiful, raw and heartbreaking. I just wish she could've went with the whole surgery but that dumb a** gang just had to ruin everything. Every flashback she had broke my heart. If only they could've stayed strong and could've stayed together. I just wish for Yoon Ji-wook to be happy and finally be herself. This movie made me cry like a baby. I really want a second one. "Women on High Heels" would be a great tittle for the second movie, implying that she finally went with the surgeries she wished to have. Yoon deserves all the happiness in the world and I feel inlove with this character.

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Overall, I think it was very distasteful, giving a very unpleasant feeling while watching it. I managed to watch the first 10 episodes (fast-forward the rest), I quite like to watch the female lead and some of the cast, the acting was fine. It was not all bad (I did watched 10 episodes without forwarding), but the plot it revolves around is really really offensive, repulsive, displeasing, loathsome...I can go on and on.... I can't take it anymore so I gave up. If it deviates from the abhorrent plot, go off towards a more charming direction and not repeat the same thing over and over, this show would be more enjoyable.

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Initially, this movie starts off with a slow melancholic vibe. I sort of wanted to stop watching at around its 10 minutes run, but after that the story would pick up and things would make sense. I was in denial the whole time though, feeling that it was all unreal, but the fact that this is about life and death… I swallowed that bitter taste at the back of my tongue and bravely watched on despite knowing that I’d end up in heart break and tears.

What I liked about the movie is that it showed how significant a simple thing can be. Like phones, or movies… even cats. Have you ever imagined not having cats around? That being asked, this movie has a statement. It could be an eye opener or a sleep inducing kind of show. Depends on how you would perceive it as you watch. The story line is really heartfelt and yes, sad. I would have to say it hence I put your hopes up that this is going to be a happy movie, because come on and let’s face reality! Not everything has a happy ending. However, along the journey we get bits and pieces of lessons learned and lifelong good memories.

The sub-characters are a plus point for me here even though I find the main character lacking. I have nothing against Sato Takeru as the main lead, but I find his character a bit of a pacifist. For someone who is about to die, I feel that he’s not much determined to live even at the beginning. Anyway, putting my thoughts aside, my favorite character would be the best friend. Hamada Gaku known as Tatsuya the nerdy looking guy who manages a movie rental store. I for one would love to have friend like that, someone who would think that their friendship is a never ending cycle because of a certain connection that they have. Other characters worth mentioning are: Aoi Miyazaki and Harada Mieko. I honestly watched this film because of Aoi and as usual, she never fails to trigger my heart strings whenever I see her on screen. I think her character as the girlfriend has more debt than Takeru’s. Harada on the other hand who acted as the mother portrayed a woman who cared and loved his son as much as she could.

Music wise, it was a beautiful accompaniment to the film’s sad undertone. The mood was perfectly set because of the melody and if the movie ran without the music, it would have been boring and pointless. Cinematography was also amazing, the aerial capture and the video angles gave this vibe that there is more to life than it seems. It had vibrant colors and then dull ones, which seemed to let the viewers feel what the characters on screen are actually feeling.

I rated this movie 7.5/10 due to the main character's flaw and the melancholy feeling the film gave me all throughout. I'm a rom-com kind of girl and being unhappy isn't my forte. All in all, I would still recommend this show even if it’s not a feel good one, but for the lessons we could learn and for the things we take for granted. It has a statement and a very lovely one at that.

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Suisho no Kodo is the sequel to Ishi no Mayu. For those not aware, it's a crime drama focusing on Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. A new case for Kisagari Toko and gang to solve. How does this one compare to the first season? Let's take a look.

First off, can you watch this without having seen the first season? Yes, you can. However some, what I would call important moments of Suisho no Kodo will be lost on you or not as impactful if you didn't watch the first one. Especially towards the end. So yes, while you can skip the first season, I would recommend watching both in order.

Like I mentioned in my review for Ishi no Mayu, crime dramas are not my cup of tea. I have though, seen a lot of them. Suisho no Kodo is, in my opinion a solid sequal. However I feel it does not elevate itself much and unfortunetly keeps it on the same level as it's predecessor.

The storyline is nothing to write home about, just like the first season. The "villain" is alot less interesting. In the first season it made sense why the story was about Kisaragi Toko. We understood why she was the focus, because of her past and connections to the case. This time, the show made her feel like of alot less importance and sometimes I was wondering why she ended up being to one doing certain things, that someone else very well could have done itstead. To prevent spoilers I'll keep it vague. Despite this Kimura Fumino make Kisaragi Toko a very likeable character, even when she ends up making stupid decisions. The cast does a great job overall, just like in Ishi no Mayu. However one member of the group is replaced and a new actor joins, who is also a serious and very uninteresting middle aged man. I would have preferred more character development for the others instead of this new character, but ultimately it's not a big problem.

The same music returns, and I still think it's one of the better aspects of this show. Sound design is well done, for the most part. Sometimes it can get a little bit silly. Rewatch value isn't very high for this one either, and I would rate it even lower if not for the fact that there are some good characters and actors that you might want to revisit. But the show is not worth it to watch again for plot alone.

I feel the show tries to be realistic and a little bit on the darker side. Alot of serious moments. This is fine. However, both the first season and Suisho no Kodo doesn't go dark enough for me. It even feels childish at times with how certain scenes are editied and certain plot points. I think this show would work well if we got some brutal criminal "villains" to clash with Kisaragi Tokos innocent personality. It could work really well as a movie.

Anyway a solid criminal drama, some intense moments but mostly predictable and it does nothing new. Characters is where this shows strength lies, and you get more from them in this second season. I would recommend this for people who like crime dramas. But if you don't, this won't get you interested in the genre.

I give Suisho no Kodo a 6/10.

*This is not a bad score! I base my scores like this. 1/10 is garbage, 5/10 is avarage and 10/10 is a masterpiece.

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I am not really a fan of C-Dramas, more the K-drama type of person. However, I picked up this drama and I really enjoyed it. Even though the plot wasn't extra-ordinary, it was not as cliche as I had expected it to be. Although most plots has depicted the main lead, Xin Chen as an arrogant and spoilt girl who wanted to be treated like a princess, I had actually liked her personality. She is talented, confident and tough at times. The story was catching and refreshing to the cliche K-dramas i usually watch. Also, all the leads are really hot and pretty! ;) Its worth a try!

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Entertaining drama with great acting!

The girls are so great! Park Bo Young's acting is just perfect, she slips from one character to the other so well, it's really believable and Kim Seul Gi is so adorable and funny.
I loved the kitchen brigade's dynamic, they could really bring some light fun in the drama.
Lee Jung Eun is also quite amazing and funny.

The plot is clearly a dangerous one, it could have gone wrong at pretty much any moment.
Particularly with the main characters' romance part, figuring out which girl he was falling for, but it managed to stay afloat, and the way they closed it still makes sense.
The suspense part fell a bit flat for me, as I found it a bit too evident.

I just hate that kind of ending which I find rather cliché and boring for the main characters. However, I quite like how they choose to end on the sister's side.

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It's been a while since I've watched a Japanese movie themed with crime investigation and psychological battles but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten to enjoy the genre. What I specifically liked about this film even with its lack or rather non-existent action scenes was how the main character came into being. I marvel at the main lead being an antagonist and protagonist at the same time. Movies like this should be appreciated for the scriptwriter's wit, along with the actor's perfect role execution. Have I mentioned that the main actor Ikuta Toma who acted as Gates is one of my favorite Japanese actors? Well, it’s not that relevant but the guy certainly knows how to act all kinds of character, from a depressed artist to being a stage comedian, he does his roles extremely well. I'm not saying this because he is my bias, but because this is how his portfolio and credentials say so.

Now that being said, I’m going to dive into more details about the film without the spoilers.

The whole story line is about one unfortunate guy who tries to make a difference with the use of the World Wide Web and the perks of anonymity that comes with it. This guy remains anonymous because he wears a newspaper to cover his face while he stirs up the police, the government and most of all the netizens. The film will show some graphic and violent things done in the internet using live streaming and might be disturbing, but don’t let this get too much inside your head because this is not about the rated PG stuff, this is about something more, it is about a message being sent and interpreted by different people. Besides the icky stuff would only last for a couple of seconds in intermittent scenes. The film may seem slow and frustrating at times but the fact that you have to watch it until the end to appreciate whatever is currently happening, makes all 1 hour and 59 minutes of screen time worth it.

Music wise, it wasn’t as memorable to me since I was too engrossed with the story and what was happening for me to mind the background music much. Cinematography wise, there’s nothing much to be appreciated since most of the scenes took place in a room or being projected via the internet. Sub characters though are worth mentioning. I give my kudos to Toda Erika for being such a hard ass detective in this film even though she didn’t do much running or fighting, I still liked her. Heh. The fact that she’s still a tough nut in the middle of a male dominated environment, this did not deter her from doing her job. Then there are these other guys, the friends of the main character. I want to pinpoint my favorite among the three, but I can’t. I liked all guys equally because they had their own charm. Suzuki Ryohei as Kansai with his tall stocky looking body but with a heart of gold, while Arakawa Yoshiyoshi named Metabo is the fat bellied guy who seems too timid when it comes to authority figures but definitely can retaliate when needed and lastly Hamada Gaku as Nobita with his eye glasses and his dream to have girlfriend. I find that dream kind of cute and yet endearing making him the most vulnerable looking guy in the bunch. But overall, I think I liked each of them on the get go.

I recommend this film to those who would want to watch something with a more interesting story line.

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Good characters but weak plot

The characters are good and the actors are making a good job (well except for that tennis play, that was just awful). But the plot is kinda weak, it gets messy and draggy from time to time because of that.
There are some brilliant moments, especially between the two main leads, that make the drama worth watching though.

The main leads are really cute and dorky around each others, and it makes for some very nice scenes.
There are also some really good secondary characters/actors (Kim Sang Ho, Jung Sang Hoon, Lee Cho Hee... and the whole work team overall) who often stole the scene. I was quickly watching the show more for them than for the leads (and rooting for the secondary couple long before it happens).

For me the biggest problem are the second leads (both male and female). the characters aren't interesting and they don't brong anything to the plot... except for the weakest love square ever. Maybe?
Even if they gave the second male lead a side storyline, I'm sure the whole drama would have been better without them.

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