And what should I say? I really really really liked it! And I think that the ending is perfect as it is because it fits the drama AND leaves the possibility for a sequel (I would really love that).
I liked the cast and characters, although the character of Hong Seol could have been a little braver and have more confidence (I know it's based on the webtoon and that's how she is). And Lee Sung Kyung showed her acting skills by being the ultimate crazy bitch - damn annoying but really hilarious at times.
So overall it was a pleasant drama with the right wrap up in the end. I would really like a sequel!
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the good stuff:
amazing production set - you can tell that they spend money for this drama. from the location to costumes and extras. i love the palace that they used in this drama, its the biggest one ive seen so far in all the period drama that ive seen. also it impressed me how many horses they used during those war scenes. they also used a lot of location here, mostly outdoor. im not sure if they have a very big studio in china or this places actually exist in there.
acting is great - the cast itself is proof that you can expect something from this.
story is not perfect but still entertaining. its meant to be taken lightly. Hu Ge's did a great job in displaying the character development in his role. He started as this happy go lucky guy then turned into badass kung fu master general. Chang Shih also did great being the main villain. at some point i was empathizing with him but as he becomes more evil all i wish is for him to die in the drama haha. Bai Michelle's character is the least i like. she did nothing here but cry. and she only brings trouble and suffering to HuGe's character lol.
since there's fantasy tag here, expect some CGI, but dont expect hollywood quality CGI. last episode were entirely shot in chroma/green screen lol and its bad very very bad. bad cgi puts me off from getting the right emotion for that scene.
there were lot of plot holes here but i won't mention it since it might spoil some parts of the drama. what i can tell is the last episode ruined everything for me. i enjoyed all of 50 episodes except for that one last episodes where it made me regret and made feel i was cheated and robbed of my precious 50 hours. 50 effin hours that i wont be able to get back.
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I just shrugged off the ending for the most part but I was annoyed that I ended up with more questions than answers by the end of the drama and the ending itself was a hot mess in it's own way which is probably one of the most parts that left many questions without an answer.
If you are looking to watch something that has action, revenge and some romance then this is not too bad of a watch although some of the plots don't really develop as you would be used to in other dramas like the romantic side of it, there is a lot of back and forth throughout the episodes about the revenge thing and the action scenes were not bad at all, a bit cliched but not terrible.
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For fantasy drama lovers like me, the premise of the drama is interesting. It is by no means, unique, but nevertheless exciting to see. It was one of the dramas I looked forward to every week. And I'm glad to say I really really enjoy it (well 98% of it anyway, for the remaining 2% I wanted to find the screenwriter and kill him/ her, lol)
Despite it not being unique, the drama was able to elicit the right emotions from me, which truthfully, only very few dramas are able to do. I loved the hero, I hated the villain- it was just the way it's supposed to be.
I specially liked Wu Julan's character. FSF did such a wonderful job in portraying him. He's definitely not just another beautiful face! And the way he would smile (although it happened rarely)...*swoon*
The main couple was adorable. I was so so much invested in them. The way they slowly but steadily grew closer. I loved every minute of their screen time! Even the secondary couple had me intrigued to see how their story would unfold.
The female lead's acting was a bit awkward at times, specially in crying scenes, but I grew used to it with each progression of episode.
All in all, I enjoyed this drama very much. The ending was a bit disappointing (to say the least), but I enjoyed the remaining so much, I can't really hate the drama for it.
The OST of this drama was also really good, specially the ED song 'Echo'.
Do give this a try!
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If you like a show that tackles real life issues and more mature topics with dashes of romance on side, I'd say Ode to Joy is pretty fitting.
The story of these five girls struggling to make the best of life is a very real situation so many people face that sometimes you can't help feel sorry for them or even realise you might be in the same position.
The five characters have been criticised a lot and cited as annoying/loud/boring girls who aren't interesting. While I agree with that on the most part, I think thats what makes the story a lot more realistic. In life, you meet people you dislike and like a lot more. In Ode to Joy, the girls don't click immediately. On the contrary, they bond more nearer the end when they are faced with their difficulties. And when I see all five of their clashing personalites overstepping their comfort zone to help each other, regardless if they are annoying or loud or boring, I can't help but love them all. you witness all their problems and demons firsthand whether they are rich or poor, smart or average.
Another thing I really like about this drama is that it also displays very raw human emotions and the thought process of each of the girls. Its just very fascinating to see how sensitive all the characters are to each other.
While the story isn't all that captivating, each of their life story is pretty entertaining to watch (sometimes, maybe not). Some characters you might find a little intolerable but empathise with them and you might see a little of yourself in all of them. I'd say the romance is a little bland but season 2 in my opinion, looks very promising for that part. The acting is alright, nothing very special but watchable.
I don't really rewatch my dramas so I wouldn't judge based on my rewatch value or any rewatch value for that matter.
In all honesty, Ode to Joy isn't a mind blowing, outstanding piece but what it is is a thought provoking show with a healthy dose of warm, sisterly love and romance and I must say that I am very excited for season 2.
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The actors have also put up good performance but at the moment Barbara's Huang Rong still the best imo.
Michael Miu's Huang Yao Shi and William's Guo Jing are both very watchable.
Overall, great drama. Must watch. Entertaining. Nothing over the top. Perfect pace.
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The idea as a theme of the story is good, unique and different. But it's actually a spider web to trap me to go inside and watch it. I personally dislike the relationship between male and female lead after episode 3. It's damn annoying to see this girl. I have 0 patience with this kind of girl. Matrealistic, selfish and demanding. All of characteristics that I don't like. The bromance is sweet and funny so it has saved the story in general. Some scenes are still questionable, even the male lead character changed so abruptly from a great war general to a silly childish guy after meeting a teenage girl for a few days.
The beginning of the plot is so slow with so many flashbacks and unnecessary scenes. Second lead female is redundant (which is a pity) from eps 1-10, like she got so little scenes in the drama besides those flashbacks and sitting in the empty shop. I would say this drama will be very good if its only about 6 - 8 episodes. There are too many fillers in the drama (which is understandable) probably to get more money from advertisements to cover big budget.
Music ????
Music is good. I admit it. I like all the songs in this drama. It's very catchy and refreshing.
Cinematography
It is good. Editing team is expert in this. It has cinematography like movie. The color is solid, the background, houses, shooting venue, fashion style, everything is nice. I can tell that it has a big production budget.
Acting is okay. I can relate. It's not making me feel weird. Just some characters written by the writer that makes me feel strange.
Overall, i know this is a good drama, i mean most of the aspects are good. But sadly, i appreciate movie and drama based on the story and character development. Since the story is not good enough for me, the drama has big flaw in my eyes. Sorry, i had higher expectation after i watched 1st episode that i became so disappointed with the rest of the episodes. Especially the middle ones.
But i would recommend this drama for u to watch if u don't mind of the strange romance that feels forceful for me, this is a drama for u.
ohh i need to mention it again, i hate the female lead character, ok.
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This is the last straw, I m done with Chinese gay dramas unless the entire movie is completed and available.
Such a waste of time, not just for me watching, but everyone involved in making them.
And let me add one more thing... enough with the gay shaming, movie after movie of mothers and fathers falling ill because of their homophobic points of view, enough of the shaming of being gay, by family and so called friends, and classmates.
Though being gay, anywhere in the world can be difficult, there are equally as many men and women who have wonderfully accepting families, friends and communities.
Stop the shame!
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I will start with the leads, who are of course major, and a great match. Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun are awesome to watch together. They look great, they play off of each other well, their chemistry was great at first, then just ok, but they still did not disappoint me. The supporting cast was also great! Heo Joon Jae's partners in crime were a great non traditional bromance. I loved Shim Chung's random friends as well, especially cute but wise Seo Yoon Ah (played by the impressive young actress Shin Rin Ah from "Marriage Contract"). It even had some good villains (which I won't spoil), and an awesome cameo (that was a really nice surprise). So, why didn't i love this show as much as I should have? The plot is very VERY mediocre.
The concept is great, especially in the beginning. It's The Little Mermaid, mixed with Splash, with some thriller elements thrown in. Legend is mainly a romance, but there are some action thriller moments, and there is definitely comedy too. The story, I think, tried to do too much and became more convoluted, and less interesting. There are flashes into the past that are meant to make me care more about the plot, but I just became annoyed because to me it was all so predictable, and repetitive. I wasn't exactly bored by the plot however. I still enjoyed watching because the cast made it entertaining, but the story just felt like it was dragging along at times. Eventually the mystery thriller story resolved, and what aimed to be an emotional love story didn't make me tear up once. Suddenly all that great chemistry turned into two stars doing what's expected, and was more flirting than substance, and tears without emotion.It did have a decent final episode to tie up the loose ends, which i appreciated, but didn't love.
What about the soundtrack? It was too cheesy and literal for me. I'd rather have the music be good, or forgetful, but this OST was a little distracting.
Overall this is a decent romance, with a cool mermaid twist. It reminded me of "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho", and if really you like that drama you may see some parallels too, and at least be entertained. I did love the mermaid look, and its definitely worth mentioning that the mermaid scenes look really cool. So if you are in the mood for a fairytale style romance, I think this is worth watching, but it's probably not one you will stay up all night marathoning through. Honestly, I will probably forget this drama after a while (the only way I would rewatch this), and 20 episodes were too long, but I am still glad I watched.
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the plot was really good
the episodes a little bit slow motion but definitely not boring
it is a social story talks about influence, authority, betrayal, bad family relations, friendship, envy, corruption, greediness , rapacity & of course all kinds of love
every thing in real life
& Park Hyung Shik his role was awesome i really loved him he made me laugh many times
my favorite kind of drama to has a happy ending although it' is a little tepid ending for me but
its smooth drama & catchy if it's in ur list u should watch it
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Story: Two clans of humans fighting for supremacy and the technology/secret to flight? The reincarnation of a goddess who wants to reunite with her lover, but is fated to separate from him in each life? The plot had everything to be well embellished upon. However, its mainly just a poorly executed “tragic” love story masked with the theme of two clans of humans fighting each other. The conflict between the human clans was pushed aside so the love between the two main characters could develop. Which is fine since it tends to happen to most dramas that incorporate romance, but the love between the main characters was unbelievable. I can see how the main male fell in love with the main girl, but I felt like the female lead just woke up one morning and was like hey I love this guy.
Acting/Cast: Most of the cast was okay. I found that the older actors/actresses were better than the younger ones. Which is to be expected since the other actors might be new, but the female lead was just awful. She did a poor job at portraying the emotions she was supposed to give us viewers. She had 3 emotions and they all looked the same. Like all the other reviewers I felt that male leads acting was the only superb one. The actor did a great job at portraying his character and letting us see/feel the emotions he’s going through. If I could give a rating for just the male actor it'd be 8.5 versus the low 6. As much as I enjoyed his acting I cant rate a whole series based on just his acting along. To be fair...the female lead would've gotten a 3...
Music: The intro and music within the show works, but the ending theme just kind of randomly slaps you in the face with TFBoys.
Rewatch Value: None. I barely made it through the first time and I doubt I will the second time.
Overall: The beginning of this drama was brilliant and promising. It was refreshing. The CGI wasn’t laughable and the way they edit the scenes gave a whimsical aesthetic (like most fantasy/historical Chinese dramas). However, the way they implemented the romance and how unfinished the drama felt was subpar. You can tell a lot in 28 episodes (29 if you include the alternative happy ending), but because they focused on developing the romance between the two main characters you saw minimal plot on the conflict between the two clans (except for the first and last 5 episodes). The romance between the two main characters felt…nonexistent. The male lead falling for the female lead was more realistic than the female lead falling for him. All they did was bicker, then fall in love, and bicker again. It was a vicious cycle and she didn’t make her love for him feel real. Maybe this is due to her poor acting. I was excepting more because of the other reviews, but this drama just didn't live up to my expectations.
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Ever read a fanfiction written by a twelve-year-old whose biggest concept of conflict is that she doesn’t have a boyfriend even though she’s only twelve? Now, imagine if this twelve-year-old had rich parents who paid for the most top-notch cinematography in order to make this fanfiction into a television production. And there you have it; this is what Long For You felt like from beginning to end.
I’ll give the production crew props for such pretty promotional posters and consistently beautiful shots throughout the drama. I genuinely appreciate their efforts in presentation which frequently resulted in brilliant results. But "don't judge a book by its cover" gets a whole new kind of importance in this show's context.
The story was absolute crap. That MDL has this listed as related to You Who Came from the Stars is an absolute insult to the Korean drama industry. I didn’t even like that drama as much as most people did, but I can still say with utmost confidence that You Who Came from the Stars would mop the floor with Long For You any day of the week. Aside from similar plot elements, you can’t even begin to compare the two. Forget being on the same level. They aren’t even in the same building. Or continent.
I have honestly never been so frustrated by a drama plot due to its lack of proper flow. What exacerbated this was the fact that the synopsis was the reason I started watching it: what’s not to like about a story that combines supernatural elements with romance? Yet, Long For You somehow took an interesting concept and turned it into something that was worse than nothing. The stunning cinematography was wasted on a plot that, again, felt like it was straight out of the mind of an immature pre-teen.
Conflict in this drama never feels like conflict. It always feels like a very slight inconvenience. Take for example, the main female character. You can tell from the story’s summary that she’s lonely as all hell. But the most we get of this characterization in the actual show is at most one minute of her being like, “Oh, woe is me. I am so. So. Lonely.” Are you now? Because I’m sorry, but just saying that you’re lonely doesn’t mean sh*t, especially when it only comes up once or twice. The problems in this show were written trivially, almost like the writers couldn’t wait to get back to the romance, but felt the necessity to include something else.
It was quite the shame, as well, that the romance sucked. There was zero chemistry between the main couple and zero logic behind their getting together other than the dramaland rule that states "main female lead and main male lead must end up together." For me, every time I saw them on screen, it was easier to picture them as brother and sister than a couple. Gross. The secondary couple was comparatively much more fun to watch, in addition to the situational pairing of the two male leads. These two pairings made this show slightly bearable.
We now arrive at one of two reasons why I didn’t drop this show like a hot potato: Song Wei Long. Not his acting, though. Kid’s got a long way to go. But there’s just something about those not-yet-legal-age eyebrows that entrance you. I swear I’m not being creepy. Going off of this, though, none of the acting really captured me as being amazing. Though, I imagine it must’ve been hard for the actors to play characters that are about as dimensional as a piece of paper that has been transported into the first dimension.
I’ll conclude this review with the second reason why I kept watching. I just wanted to see how bad it could get. It’s been a while since I’ve completed watching such an utter trainwreck. I’m sure you’ve gathered, but it only got worse with time.
(Also, if you would like to spare the production crew with the excuse that 20 minutes an episode at 20 episodes total is too short to do anything amazing, I will ask you to contact the closest weeaboo available. They can provide you a very long list of anime that construct stories infinitely better than this show's. And in only half the episode count.)
tl;dr: I'm more disappointed in myself for finishing this than I am in the producers of this show.
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