Acting/Cast: Ji Young was a very real and relatable character, I think Min Hyo Rin's acting made this even more believable. She struggled a lot in her childhood due to family issues and developed in a way that forced her to isolate herself and become an "individualist". Her development throughout the story was realistic for a 2 hour run time. Gong Myung's character, Byeok Soo was less focused on which I found a bit disappointing. We didn't get much into his past and whether he recovered or not, which I found to be a flaw, but despite that, both of the leads we're similar in a way that made them compatible. They we're both lonely, but had different ways of dealing with it, which is why they worked so well together, even if it was hard sometimes. The only other thing I dislike about this drama besides Breok Soo's character development was Ji Youngs psychiatrist, but maybe that's just me.
Music: The music was cute and fit with the scenes, but wasn't anything special.
Re-watch Value: Since this drama is only 2 hours, I wouldn't mind watching this again, but I probably won't, I think it's much better to watch once.
Overall: This mini series is definitely worth the watch it you either want a cute romance or something with a deeper story line or relatable characters. While it wasn't perfect, it was more than enjoyable to watch and had a good look on trauma development.
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Easily watch it again :) Brilliant ending too :D
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The story was slow paced & really boring. It did progress, but it progressed quite slowly which was a drop for me. There wasn't even much of a story. I usually do love music genre dramas but this one didn't intrigue or interest me in any way which was disappointing. I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't find myself to sadly.
Acting/Cast
As many know, Joy is from Red Velvet and this was her first drama. I didn't really have any high expectations because I do know some Kpop idols aren't really experienced in acting. Joy, however, was quite decent in her role. I don't get the hate that was being thrown at her for her "rubbish" acting - It wasn't that bad. Lee Hyun Woo was also adorable in his role. The problem was the chemistry between both of them. I didn't find the bond exciting or anything, it was merely boring and unrealistic.
Music
The OSTs for this drama are really sweet to listen to. I just finished the drama & I will definitely download them. I guess for me, this was the only good thing about the drama itself.
Rewatch Value
I hardly rewatch dramas unless they were exceptionally excellent. So in this case, I definitely won't.
Overall
If you are struggling whether to watch this drama or not, I'll say give 1 or 2 episodes a try. If you don't like it, I suggest dropping it because it doesn't get better. But if you do like it, keep going! Don't let my review discourage some of you because everyone has different tastes :) Hope my quick review helped! x
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As someone who hasn’t read the source material I can’t really comment on how this drama lines up. It did well to get so far with a limited amount of plot. At times the writing feels a little awkward but not enough to stop watching.
I liked that compared to the Japanese movie the main couple were closer in age and by the end So Rim was an adult.
The cast were very attractive and did surprisingly well with the script they were given.
I didn’t feel that there was much chemistry between the two leads, fortunately the friendships within the bands and the secondary couple make up for this.
The most enjoyable part of this drama is the music and the relationships between the characters. I found the songs would get stuck in my head for a few days after watching.
All in all a reasonably enjoyable show to watch with catchy tunes.
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As a viewer of 'Individualist, Ms. Ji Young,' I can say I was able to connect to it's likeness in portraying mental illness on a personal level. I found myself hearing the female lead spout words I have said before myself. I have struggled with mental illness my whole life, and although it is not directly mentioned in this show it is blatantly there in it's rawest form. The need of being in a relationship with someone...or the complete opposite... The need to protect yourself by pushing everyone away...Wanting a relationship but having the fight or flight response kicking in the moment you feel you could be hurt. Flight always being the end result because it seems easier compared to being hurt. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Watching this series was extremely personal for me and I feel that it was done beautifully. I am not sure how the experience of watching will be for those who do not understand or have a mental illness... but I can be sure that anybody who can even relate a little bit will definitely love this show. Hopefully this lazy and short review might help one of you out there. If you decide to watch, I really hope you enjoy!
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This drama is only two episodes and it needed only two episodes.
This is not the best romance drama I ever saw or the most original one or the most exciting one.
But this was nicely done, straightforward, poetic, real and just... beautiful.
Just as the synopsis says, this is the story of a woman who is afraid of being in a relationship (of any kind) with other people and a man who is afraid of being alone. This is the story of how they clash, their differences and their similarities. This is the story about human relationships (of any kind).
This is a character driven story. The characters are real. I loved and hated the main female lead. I hated her weaknesses as they looked too similar to mine. I loved them because they made her more human, relatable. I liked how she evolved in the span of those 2 hours and enjoyed seeing her grow. From my point of view, the male lead was less developed than the female lead and didn't grow much but he was likable and real enough. I would have appreciated seeing him grow too but I liked how he helped the female lead grow.
The acting was good. The main cast managed to bring to life the main characters. Kudos to them.
The music didn't play a very big role, it was mainly a way for the female lead to escape from the reality. I liked the piano piece but there was nothing really memorable to me when it comes to the music in this drama.
This drama has flaws: some part can feel boring (a little bit), aside from the main leads all the other characters are rather 2d, we could have gone further into the male lead character and I don't know but it just didn't feel perfect overall. My rating may seem a bit high with all those flaws.
However, I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story and this was more than a love story. This was also about discovering oneself and overcoming the past. Also, just something about the female lead struck a chord in me. That's why I gave this a 9/10.
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The story itself is a very light hearted typical romantic comedy. It has the seemingly cold guy and a bubbly girl. I definitely had my differences with the female lead. She has a habit of lying and turning bystanders against whoever she is targeting (let's be real, most of the time it's the male lead). I found that incredibly annoying and unlikable, but perhaps that is why she is the "fox" in the title. That does stop after about the first ten or so episodes so she has grown on me since then. There isn't really a major over-arching plot, and as of yet, since it is the incomplete story, there hasn't been a climax. The only things that really propel the story forward are the relationship between the female lead and the male lead and the "love square" that they're involved in.
As I mentioned before, the female lead began as very unlikable to me, but the actress portrayed that role quite well. I felt that the male lead however, could be a bit more expressive. I understand that his role is supposed to be cold and stoic, but his expressions could use a little more emotion.
The music wasn't very memorable, but it wasn't unpleasant.
This drama isn't anything special or new, but it is an enjoyable watch. It's a good light hearted show to watch especially as a break between some heavier dramas.
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I don't know where to start. So I guess I will talk about the storyline, which in my opinion was one of the best storylines for a TV Show, I am not Chinese but I absolutely loved this show, because the story had a deeper meaning to it, it felt as if we were part of it or as if it had happened to us somehow and that was made possible due to the brilliant cast.
The story makes me feel a sense of despair and agony, it always feels like as if this could be happening right now in this present day and age. I do not want to mention anything about how the story progressed or what the relationships were between the characters, it would be best if you watch the show and not do any extensive research to avoid such dismay.
I don't want to write a lot and raise your expectations but I do want to mention that this show has taught me a lot of life lessons. It taught me how important family ties is and how we should all be treating each other. It taught me to never judge or make assumptions, how important virtue is, showing respect, trusting people, patience and integrity. This could go on but I should stop. Have patience and wish me luck with the post-series depression, I really wish I could start over.
Why do great shows have to be so short. I wish there's a prequel to this show, it would make this story even more sweeter. But overall absolutely brilliant cinematography, fight choreography, storytelling, acting, music and soundtrack and lastly casting.
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maybe im biased (because im really emotional and love hasegawa hiroki) but i absolutely adored this movie. its so heartfelt and bittersweet but its also crazy and fun with a lot of surprises. this is one of those movies that i really enjoyed, yet it really made my heart hurt because among all the fantasy and magic and everything its also very real.
the story was...surprising to say the least. i originally watched it just because hasegawa was in it, so i barely skimmed over the provided summary. i had a vague idea that it included music and maybe a love interest - so it blew my mind. the previous reviewer related it to fish story which i can definitely agree with. its got these weird, abstract story lines that somehow link back to each other, but it also has an ending that makes you feel good, in spite of how the rest of the movie was. i personally was very moved by not only the toys story, but ryoichi's greif, and his development! i really loved him but i was so disappointed by what fame turned him into...i have to say im just glad it ended the way it did because i hated seeing him change.
like i said though, im pretty empathetic and i get emotional easily, so of course this movie had an effect on me. i almost cried at least 3 times i think.
as for the cast - they were good enough. there wasn't anything wrong, but i would argue that this wasn't very hard for anyone other than hasegawa (who by the way, was great). i havent seen everything hes done but ive always been really impressed. sometime in the middle of watching this i thought to myself "he really is amazing"...even if its not too complicated of a role he did do a good job. especially in the beginning - i almost forgot i was watching him. nishida is always good too, but as i said this isnt necessarily a complicated film. aside from that the voice acting for some of the toys was okay, but i wasnt really too into maria's voice. the cast over all did a great job, you can tell they really liked this particular film, and put a lot of work into it.
the music was good too! i never do well with remembering soundtracks but i thought multiple times that it was really nice. different from what you would expect to hear at certain times. and the songs - i really have no stopped singing love and peace since i watched this. I loved kizuna too. they just sounded great overall - and i really liked the lyrics. even though theyre supposed to look like he had no trouble with them i think theyre really good! something about the "me wo tsumuri, mimi wo fusagi, kuchi wo tsugumi, donna ni shiawase wo tsukurutte mita tokoro de" that i just love...
rewatch value is definitely 10/10. this movie is just so fun its got everything. i read a japanese review that said its about fantasy, monsters, dame ningen (useless people), music, [s]tarting love, and its just filled with irony and satire. im not sure how else to say that its really good and covers so many genres, i will definitely go back to it in the future.
10/10. i loved it. maybe im not qualified to really review movies, but i seriously recommend it. a note though - it does involve some christmas-y themes, and if you're like me and only like to watch that kind of thing around christmas, keep that in mind. doesnt take away from it at all, i just get into a weird sort of christmas mood seeing santa in the middle of may.
on a last note i would like to say i am incredibly surprised and charmed by the fact that hasegawa can sing. i think im in love.
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There isn't a real reason to not watching it as soon as the subbed version has come out.
Death note is a milestone of the live action adaptations in Japan. It looks like everyone wants to rewrite its story, trying to make it better or maybe just trying to come up with a good plot for a sequel.
This movie had a great potential for its plot, with a well-known director and with a pretty high budget.
But its plot has some really bad holes that I tried so hard to not get influenced by them while writing down this review.
First thing first, let's write a little list of good reasons to watch this movie:
- Masaki's great performance.
- The chemistry between Ryuk and Shien.
- Good cinematography
-Arma's relationship with Ryuuzaki.
PLOT
Full of cliques from any kind of American thriller and action movie.
Set in the Death Note's universe, the world has to face another Kira's menace. 6 death notes were dropped by the Death King to the world and now all common human beings are using them to achieve something for their own good. But the police now is well prepared to fight a new kira's madness. A special police unit was created and now they are trying to get the death notes in their hands to bring back a peaceful world.
But what's a peaceful world? The distinct trait of Death notes plot is its willing to make you ask yourself what's good and what's evil. If we punish criminals for their actions by killing them, are we criminals too? Or are we some kind of good fellows that are just trying to make the world better? Isn't the death note a useful tool for the Law? Isn't the death note itself the real form of Justice?
In this movie they tried to give us a reasonable answer.
The death note drives you crazy because it drives you insane while thinking that maybe you are above all the human beings, making yourself look like a real God.
This time Kira isn't a person, but a status. Just like L's name.
We have two Kira and, at the same time, we haven't got either one.
There's Shien, the cyber terrorist who's Kira's devotee just like Misa Amane was back then.
Shien was a pretty interesting character. Young, clever, he didn't actually want to be a follower of a new Kira. Light was Kira, so nobody better than him couldn't be the perfect Kira's successor.
I Liked him so much, it was well written, His actions were always well planned.
He had an interesting chemistry with Ryuuk, making them look like partners in crime rather than a death note's keeper and his Shinigami.
Talking about Shinigamis, I wanted to see more of them in action. Six death notes were dropped on earth but we barely saw just three Shinigamis.
Beppo, who appeared right on the first minutes of the movie, was quite interesting and I was expecting to see them more during the movie but he got cut off right away after explaining to the police unit some new rules that we didn't actually know.
Arma was an upgraded version of Rem. Classy and well mannered (can I use this adjective to describe her? Idk) female Shinigami, he looks more like a mother to Ryuuzaki. In fact, when she protected Ryuuzaki I saw her sacrifice more like a mother's one than a lover's one.
Souseke Ikematsu did a great job. We have already get used to a different version of L's personality with the Drama's adaptation so I wasn't surprised to watch a Ryuuzaki which personality was written to be hugely different from L's real character.
He's a bitchy, hyperactive and sarcastic man that doesn't want to follow L's steps and modus operandi.
He doesn't trust and won't ever trust anyone around him, making him look like a lone wolf. In fact, he doesn't even have a "sidekick" or someone who looks after him as Watari did for L.
I loved his character. He isn't L so people shouldn't compare him to L. I saw a little bit of Mello's influence in him but it was just a slight sparkle.
I wasn't impressed nor amazed by Higashide's character and Higashide's performance.
Mishima is introduced to us as a "death note" nerd, a skillful cop who want's to stop Kira's legacy.
He was a bore. His plan was nothing new, the screenwriter made him look like a Kira's copycat.
He did EXACTLY what Kira would have done, so there weren't any kind of unexpected plot twists.
There were some contradictions with Misa's death but she wasn't a real big character here so I didn't mind it.
In the end, I might say that this movie looked like a plot for a pretty interesting fanfic.
Because that's what Death Note: Light Up the new world is... Good material for a fanfic, not a Death Note Sequel.
Anyway, I've decided to give this movie 6.5 out of 10 because it wasn't a really bad movie to watch.
It was a spin-off, so basically the plot hasn't nothing to do with the real story and the original characters.
I know that lot of people didn't like it but I assumed they have watched this movie thinking that it was a sequel to the original plot, which it isn't.
It's set in the Death Note's universe, so you shouldn't watch it thinking that it's related to the original plot.
Mates, give this movie a try just for MASAKI SUDA amazing acting skills.
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It is brilliantly written,
I tells us about: love, greed, loyalty, betrayal, reasons, excuses, purpose, failures, success, discipleship, leadership, camaraderie , friendship, negotiation, submission, wisdom, foolishness, politics, life, death, struggles,rewards, etc etc etc.
I understood everything the writer was trying to show, of course with the help of the brilliant actors,everyone in the drama was consistent in their acting. Seeing Jo Hyun Jae's smile makes it even more worth watching.
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No doubt Abe Hiroshi is a wonderful actor. He is funny without overacting, he really WAS Kuwano Shinsuke: his slouching posture, his funny expressions. In every one of his scenes, he attracts the eye of the audience. Although it may also be because he is so tall and has such a nice figure.
Hayasaka Natsumi, as Dr. Natsukawa, was as good as Abe Hiroshi was. Both of them were amazing together, and they had a nice chemistry. I love her smile (two dimples!), she was a very simple woman in terms of clothes and haircut, but I found her lovely and very pretty. I love when she forced herself to keep smiling when Kuwano has been mean to her.
One of the reasons I decided to watch this dorama was because the plot seemed similar to "As good as it gets", one of my favorite movies. And it was in some ways, but again, completely different. Yes, Kuwano is a kind of grumpy man who does not like people. Yes, there is a dog. But that's it. Kuwano is sarcastic and tends to hurt people's feelings without meaning to, he is more sympathetic. He has OCD but not too extreme. He smiles more than Jack Nicholson's character; he socializes more too. He is likeable; so likeable that two pretty women fall for him eventually.
The dog, Ken-chan, has a minor role for 7 episodes; in Episode 8 is where they get closer. I wanted Kuwano to be more affectionate (like, more petting than glances and smiles), but it was cute nevertheless.
His owner, Michiru, played by Kuninaka Ryoko was cute but I think she overacted a little bit here. She is better in "Hotaru no Hikari". And her falling for Kuwano was a bit out of nowhere. For 10 episodes she finds him rude and tries to avoid him if possible, and then, one good action and it is all "oh no, I've fallen for him".
The soundtrack was OK, the OP was OK, nothing outstanding. The whistling whenever Kuwano was doing something very-him, was funny, and it suited him perfectly.
I love to learn more about Japanese society, and this dorama taught me a great deal about its food, the pressure to single people to get married (not very much unlike my own country anyway). Poor Kuwano, he really was not interested in marriage and people keep nagging him, specially his mother. But he was never upset about it, he only made sarcastic comments and ignore them later.
So it is a funny dorama, very recommended. Light, no misunderstandings (not annoying at least, cuz when people thinks that Kuwano had a girlfriend was hilarious), cute, a bit romantic (without being really romantic. I love to read people getting to know each other, making a bong, before starting a relationship), and the end was perfect.
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This drama started out amazingly. I absolutely loved the first episode-- and although I wasn't falling for the second male lead, I wasn't quite down with the 1st male lead too-- since he was so smitten with the 2nd female lead.
A couple of episodes went by and I found myself disliking this drama, personally. Mainly because of the second female leads angle. Her obsession with Ahn Jae Hyeon's character (2nd male lead) completely pissed me off as the episodes rolled by.
I mean that girl did not deserve Ahn Jae Hyeon's character AT ALL! She needed to love HERSELF! and just let go of that obsession!
It hurt more when Ahn Jae Hyeon's character liked her back-- that's when I pulled the plug.
Overall I can not tell you not to watch this drama. But I would suggest you keep this in the back of your list when you can not find anything to pass time with at all.
Since I have not finished it-- I can't say that it was horrible. But could I call it good when I couldn't even bring myself to finish it? Maybe not. Maybe not.
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In fact, I had a childish grudge on Kim So Hyun after I watched "Moon Embracing the Sun"-- that sort of held me back from watching this drama for the first few after this drama ended.
BUT I AM SO GLAD I WATCHED IT!
From the get go-- THIS WAS AMAZING!
I love Kim So Hyun as a female lead (although I am tired of her hairstyle) and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Ok Taecyeon! His smile, his face, his shoulders, even the way he talks! It's amazing and he is so brilliantly gifted as an actor!
This show was so good I even found myself loving the villain because he looked like such a small adorable boy.
My say? Watch it you all! Trust me! If you enjoyed "Master's Sun" -- you'll enjoy this for sure!
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