Reviews

For a live action adaptation, one which mostly uses the stage musical actors, aired in BS SKY PerfecTV and which isn't intending to have the budget of super productions like Rurouni Kenshin or Shingeki No Kyojin (not that it did much for that one), this was surprisingly good. Considering past experiences with the same characteristics and the lacking results (the Prince of Tennis live action movie being a prominent example), I know this could have gone very wrong. Yet, it didn't, and I'm glad.

The drama follows the story closely and, in its short run of 7 episodes, covers from the very first chapter/episode to the preamble to the InterHigh tournament. If you haven't seen the anime, read the manga or watched the stage shows, you'll grasp the story fine, but you're gonna be left with a pretty considerable cliffhanger in the last episode. I wonder if their intention was for viewers to get interested in YowaPeda in general or if they're interested in making another season. All in all, it's a good way to get into a very good story, if you're unfamiliar with it, a shorter way than the anime, and if you're a fan, you'll enjoy how closely it depicts it. I personally felt some scenes were stronger in live action form, so watching them again offered perspective, whereas it was questionable in other aspects and posed some limitations.

Even though the cast is mostly compromised of actors of the stage play reprising their roles, the aesthetic is less theatrical and meets the characterization half-way between realistic and a close depiction. There's a few obvious wigs but, for the most part, it's considerably toned down, if you've seen the stage characterizations. Some performers do look older for their roles, especially Gomoto Naoya reprising his classic role as Kinjou, but we've got Ogoe Yuuki as Onoda, thankfully, and Baba Ryoma as Makishima, so there's that.

The performances are surprisingly very good. Fukazawa Taiga as Naruko and Kimura Tatsunari as Imaizumi were really good, but you have to be open-minded with some of the cheesiness that results from a sports anime/manga live action. This is not aiming for realism, that's not what you'll find here, but the performances are heart-felt and, towards the end, very emotional. I'm not sure if the actual racing translates as well into live action realism as one would want (considering on stage is mostly choreography, not aiming for realism at all), but we haven't really reached InterHigh, where all the techniques and individual traits shine the most, so I can't really judge as harshly for what I've seen. The effects are kind of cheesy, but again, I wasn't expecting that much from this, so for what it is, it's good enough.

I don't know if people who aren't into anime/manga or who have never seen a live action of this kind (low budget-y, related to the stage shows, not aiming for big distributions, etc.) will be as thrilled with it as a fan would be, because I understand most of my good reaction comes from low expectations from past experiences. Still, I do think it does good in showcasing the great story this anime/manga has, it respects its characters and plot and you can see how the actors have experience playing these people and do it well. So maybe it could catch someone's interest in continuing to explore the world of YowaPeda, if they're open-minded enough. For fans, I think it does a pretty good job.

I enjoyed the music, although Koi no Hime Hime Pettanko was changed (I guess copyright might have something to do with it), I loved the opening and ending, I'm pretty sure the ending is performed by the cast, and I'm really glad for that.

All in all, I really enjoyed it as a fan of YowaPeda, all things considered, it was good (we learned things from that Prince of Tennis movie, I see), and if you haven't seen anything YowaPeda and have an open mind for some cheesiness and theatrical characterizations, maybe this can be your incentive to give the Sohoku team a chance.

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This show is not bad. I dont think it is should have higher rating than Scarlet Heart which is a masterpiece. Eternal Love is probably the first Wuxia Fantasy I skipped watched all the way to the end. I cried heartily at their separation for over 2 episodes.

Love the costumes!!!! Love the hair styles and the makeup. Sceneries are not perfect but pretty good.

These immortals lived hundred thousand years but some of their antics are a little lame. Wish for a little bit more new interesting ideas in Wuxia world. Oh well, maybe in another decade. But also what can you expect from a "plagiarized" book.

Little disappointed that Yang Mi character who lived over 70,000+ years still wasn't stronger. She cried too too much at the end. I know that this gut wrenching love but still.... she is a queen with magical powers whose family let her get away with everything and yet... her life wasn't very much interesting. Other than those beautiful gowns....

Ye Hua is too hot. Yang Mi is so beautiful, love her acting. I cant get enough of her.

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Fantastic is a lovely slice of life drama that encompasses many genres: there is romance, comedy, melo, bromance and female friendship. Like many I was worried about the cancer story line but this is not Scent of a Woman (solid drama by the way). I noticed a few viewers seemed to see this as a watered down version but this is an entirely different style drama with a totally different vibe though the message is perhaps the same. Kim Hyun Joo plays a very successful writer having to deal with this diagnosis and the return of "foot" actor ex-boyfriend possibly playing the lead in her next drama. If you don't think that sounds like SOAW you'd be right. I consider Fantastic to be one of the overlooked dramas of 2016 so here goes:

Cons: No cancer patient getting treatment ever looks this good and truthfully this is how it is in most tv shows regardless of origin. I know expecting reality in this regard is a bit much but it did bug me a little.

Wow, that's really it.

Pros:

All the actors are solid and a shout out to Joo Sang Wook for playing a bad actor so well. Some of the scenes with the acting coach are so funny. It's not easy to be that bad. Also Kim Tae Hoon as the doc was so good. He is one of those character actors that can do anything: bad guy in Angry Mom, discouraged husband in One More Happy Ending and great as the amazing friend and doc in Fantastic. Really the entire cast is excellent.

Pacing: There are a lot of different stories going on and this drama keeps the pace and flow very well. I especially appreciate this because Ji Soo had a serious surgery situation pop up so, if you watch, that is why he is kind of missing in action as the writers no doubt had to trim down the scope of his story.

Bromance: There's a lot of talk about the bromance in Goblin, but I have to say the story between the two main guys in Fantastic resonated with me so much and was truly amazing. It actually is one of my favorite aspects to this drama.

Story: It went in directions I didn't expect. I can't say too much without spoilers but I thought I'd be watching a bickering couple, k-drama style. Not so much. I thought it will go standard love triangle route...not so much. These characters are adults and they act that way (most of the time); they're not perfect and they make mistakes. I so much appreciated at a certain point when some serious issue happens, they sit down and talk about it. In so many dramas, it's five episodes of angst when a simple discussion could have dealt with it. I also felt this story really shows the power of female friendship, especially with the friend who had kind of fallen away. Who has this not happened to, but it is so true how you can pick those friendships back up again as if no time has passed. One other aspect I liked was the insight into the entertainment industry in regards to management companies and ways they keep their talent in line. I've heard stories out of Korea about this, and the show shines a light on that activity.

Besides the comparisons to Scent of A Woman, the only other issue that I saw some viewers had was with the main male lead....people seemed to think because of the tone of voice JSW uses and the way the character sometimes acts that the guy doesn't have emotional depth. I would just say the longer the drama goes on, the more we see what kind of man he is. I recommend this gem of a drama with one caveat and that is if you or a loved one is dealing with or has dealt with cancer, you might or might not be inclined to watch. This is not a standard melodrama with 16 episodes of angst but still....

Otherwise I'd give it a go.

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The Korean movie industry has been producing good movies all year round and Pandora is not an exception. Quality-wise you can't criticize this movie. They didn't hold back from showing what radiation can do to the human body and the desperation with which people try to escape this fate in a nuclear disaster. Thanks to the actors and actresses, that I am sadly not familiar with, the movie came to life and was believable.

However, even though I am not an expert on nuclear power plants, I couldn't help but be sceptical in some scenes. For example if the radiation is that high and the people were clearly on site where the power plant is, then shouldn't they immediately die from the exposure? In these scenes they could have pushed the image of "horror" involving this disaster more. What irresponsible people worked there when they just ignore leakage and other important stuff? It kinda seemed unrealistic to me that they handled the issue of a power plant exploding this lightly.

On another note, I liked how they focused on the different point of views from governmental authorities and residents to workers and Jaehyeok instead of solely settling on a heroic position and telling a story through just one perspective. Even though "Pandora" didn't keep me on my toes for approximately the first half of the movie or more (due to slow progress) they managed to get me afterwards as slowly everything went downhill. I know they intentionally wanted to make the viewers emotional with sacrificing someone but I gladly accepted this emotional rollercoaster at the end since the acting convinced me that much.

Last but not least can! I! get! an! amen! Their critical approach towards Korea's current political situation and the usage of power plants definitely receives some plus points. When directors use their platform right to bring a message across to the audience it's always admirable.

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I wrote a review/comparison of the live action and the manga on my blog
I do go more into detail there: http://wp.me/p87mzW-5Z6

Story (10/10)
I really enjoyed the premise of dating for seven days and finding out if you do or don't like the person you're with. Personally, I do think 7 days is enough to know if you do or don't want to continue a relationship, especially if you're hanging out so often, which is how Yuzuru and Seryou were. I loved their interaction. This is the second half of Seven Days and it gives enough information at the beginning to refresh our memories if we didn't watch this in one sitting.

Casting (10/10)
I originally read the manga first and casting is one of those big issues I have when stuff gets live action adaptations. I honestly didn't have an issue here as the actors fit Yuzuru's pretty features and Seryou's handsome/playboy look

Acting (5/10)
I decided to drop the acting score on this one because Fri -> Sun is the more emotional part of the movie. It's where the characters will break up at the end of the week and where they need to decide how they feel about the other. I don't feel we had the right emotions all the time plus the whole issue with little expressions I mentioned in my review for Mon -> Thu

Music (7/5)
I have no complaints but nothing stood out either

Rewatch Value (8/10)
I do think I could rewatch this, however, not immediately. It is short enough where it doesn't feel like you're stuck to a TV for too long and it ends at a place where watching this in 2 sittings isn't awkward

Overall (8.5/10)
I'm a huge fan of this story and the manga, and to see it faithfully following the manga really made my day! I do seriously think the acting could have been better and it does give off the feeling of being low budget, but still I recommend checking it out. Especially if you like Boy's Love

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I wrote a review/comparison of the live action and the manga on my blog
I do go more into detail there: http://wp.me/p87mzW-5Z6

Story (10/10)
I really enjoyed the premise of dating for seven days and finding out if you do or don't like the person you're with. Personally, I do think 7 days is enough to know if you do or don't want to continue a relationship, especially if you're hanging out so often, which is how Yuzuru and Seryou were. I loved their interaction

Casting (10/10)
I originally read the manga first and casting is one of those big issues I have when stuff gets live action adaptations. I honestly didn't have an issue here as the actors fit Yuzuru's pretty features and Seryou's handsome/playboy look

Acting (6/10)
I did have some issues with the acting. One of Yuzuru's biggest features, aside from having a pretty face, is his expressiveness. I didn't feel Yamada James Takeshi captured that in his acting. In fact, his expressions didn't really vary to me. Hirose Tomoki did a better job, only because he had more unique expressions (the smirk, the swagger), but I also think he could have done better. Unlike other dramas I watched, the acting here was more realistic and more in line with what you would see an everyday person doing

Music (7/5)
I have no complaints but nothing stood out either

Rewatch Value (8/10)
I do think I could rewatch this, however, not immediately. It is short enough where it doesn't feel like you're stuck to a TV for too long and it ends at a place where watching this in 2 sittings isn't awkward

Overall (8.5/10)
I'm a huge fan of this story and the manga, and to see it faithfully following the manga really made my day! I do seriously think the acting could have been better and it does give off the feeling of being low budget, but still I recommend checking it out. Especially if you like Boy's Love

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I highly recommend everyone watch this if you haven't seen it. This is by far my favorite out of all the U-Prince series so far. I loved that the male lead roles were flipped in this. Instead of the male lead being a jerk in the beginning and becoming nice, the male lead in "The Lovely Geologist" is a sweet and doesn't get mad easily. The 2nd male lead on the other hand is the jerk.
I fell in love with T-Rex when I first saw him. He looks too sweet and innocent. He's too cute, that you can't help but love him and his sweet smile. The female lead was kind of dumb and forgave too easily but realized her feelings before it was too late.
It had it's moments that will make you go "awe poor baby" then go "HAHAHAHA" because something funny will happen. It was really enjoyable.
The acting wasn't AMAZING but it wasn't bad either. It was good. The male lead did a great job and he hasn't had much acting experience. Same with the female lead but she's done a couple dramas. I loved the different facial expressions T-Rex had.
Overall, it was a cute and funny drama that I really loved and would probably watch again just to see T-Rex!

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This was a very nice family drama. I enjoyed all the stories, even if it started to drag a little long toward the end. I heard it got an extension, so that may be the reason why some of the stories seemed to drag on a bit too long. Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot, though. Even though it wasn't perfect, I didn't feel the need to ff or skip any scenes or episodes. My main complaints were some things that were left unexplained or dropped from the beginning of the show, and also that the chemistry between the actors that were supposed to be in relationships could have been better. (I feel that was more of a direction thing and not the fault of the actors.)

For acting, Yoon Park (as Kang Jae) and Son Dam Bi (as Hyo Jin) in particular could have been better. Yoon Park was a bit stiff. Kim Sang Kyung (as Tae Joo) was good, but sometimes a little overacted - mostly when he was supposed to be funny. He nailed the more serious parts. Kang Shim was probably my favorite character, and Kim Hyun Joo did a good job acting her role. I also enjoyed Park Hyung Shik as Dal Bong as another favorite - it was really cute when you could see how similar he was to his father. I enjoyed all the characters, though - even the ones that could be annoying sometimes.

There was a nice balance between the comedy and the drama, and I laughed a lot and shed a few tears. There were definitely some emotional scenes. This drama really makes you want to show your family appreciation and love while they are still here with you.

I rated low on the re-watch just because I doubt I will ever re-watch a 53 episode drama.
The music was nice, especially the Father's Youth song - very touching.

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