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I actually enjoyed the patients' stories more than the actual plot of the two main characters. Overall, not a drama that I'd re-watch, but quite enjoyable.
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Also, I felt warm inside when they quoted a few iconic lines from "I'm sorry I love you" and John Kim's like, those lines are very familiar, I wonder where I heard them from. I was like, very sly m8, I saw what you did there and I loved it. xD
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This drama is a total hypocrite. It tells one thing and shows something entirely different. Supposedly, it tells the viewers that it's against patriarchy with the 'girls can be great at computer science too' bullshit. It preaches 'brains over beauty' and all that spirtual crap however, it 'shows' an entirely different story; for this drama, in its core is wholly patriarchal. The main heroine only truly gets acclaimed for her beauty and even though she is supposed to be this smart person with a trillion scholarships, we don't really see proof of her intellect. Sure, she wins a few games against other weak ass females but the moment she goes against a powerful male opponent, she loses which is why her MegaGenius boyfriend has to sit by her and dictate all the moves and only then, she claims victory. Like okay?
The male character is honestly, so overhyped and again, if we really try to find the heroine's contribution to the plot, you'll find none. She is supposed to be this brilliant computer junky and yet, when she does the internship (in a company filled with men) her sole job is to bring food, drinks and matresses to the guys who work day and night. Like??
So even though, on surface it looks like this unique drama with a never before seen plot, in its core, it is still filled to the brim with superficiality.
Now, lets talk about the cast and characters. The main guy is literally a robot. Like, the kid has no emotional depth whatsoever and so clearly the actor didn't have to tire himself by actually acting because all his role requires is to be a pretty but expressionless face. To make matters worse, he's a chauvinistic a-hole. And not in the 'bad boy' way, where you love and hate them, no, in his case you're just annoyed by him. He is literally so perfect and the only flaw he has is the fact that he can't cook. I mean, come on.
To be honest, between his extra hairy armpits, pre-pubescent face and red ears, he isn't really much. Also, what irked me is the fact that he treats his girlfriend like a pet (dog). (No kidding, she actually herself makes the comparison once.) And he's full of himself, sadly, without much basis.
Like the girl is having a fight with her best friend and instead of really consoling her or saying some meaningful shit he says, "She's a very small part of your life, while I'm your everything. From now on, you're not allowed to shed tears for anyone else." Now this is the exact fucking quote, no lie and the braindead heroine actually feels comforted by this. Deceased.
I mean don't get me wrong, I love his type; the cold, uncaring, perfectionist asshole who eventually thaws towards the heroine. We have Simon Bo, Kang Ma Roo and so on but all these characters have different sides to them and they show complex personalities, Nai is the same from beginning to end and I can't believe I'd tolerate a lifeless and boring as hell person like him in real life.
Now, the heroine: Sure, she's cute, quirky and very gorgeous and unfortunately, the only one acting in the show. But soon, you realize that she's recycling her facial expressions, so much that her acting becomes quite monotonous after a while.
Speaking of monotonous, the whole show is dead asf. Here are so irrelevant scenes that you just stare at the screen trying to comprehend why the hell are you being shown this unnecessary shit. The game scenes are depthless. The fighting scenes lack vigor. And I wanted to bang my head against a cactus, everytime the heroine interacted with her friends because all they did was act like juvenile brats and gushed about the main guy. I mean, you guys are supposed to be these tech savvy college students, the least you can do is show an ounce of maturity, but no. Too much to fucking ask.
Furthermore, I think I froze because of all that ice between the couple, tbh. There is no heat or chemistry whatsoever and they remain awkward and detached throughout. The affection seems forced and their union wasn't natural at all. Atleast the guy has one quality; he's an excellent kisser but the girl literally stands like a dead fish in response. No, even a dead fish has some sort of pucker going on, this girl just has her lips in a straight line and proudly shows that kissing her is akin to that of kissing a cardboard box.
For me, romance or basically any sort of relationship can only thrive and grow stronger if two people go through complications and get out of it together. Or if, they do selfless and thoughtful things for each other, no matter how small. Here, everything is rainbow and joy- literally no problems at all- and the best things the characters do for each other is treat each other to meals. That's all. Which is why their relationship is so flat, unrealistic and plagued by stangnancy throughout the show. Tsk, tsk.
The only thing fairly enjoyable was the actions of the hero's friends. Those three made me laugh a bit from their silly antics but that's about it.
Rewatch value? This stuff doesn't even have 'watch it once' value. The drama truly highlights that people will always be attracted to surface beauty no matter how much substance it lacks. This is an absolute fail and I only recommend it for people who want mindless fanservice and zero plot.
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This review may contain spoilers
MLSHR is among a small number of k-dramas that have left a deep impression on me, yet it's also a drama I'd hesitate to recommend to people at large. There are a couple of reasons:(1) The extent to which you'll enjoy this drama depends on whether you value IDEAS or EXECUTION. If you're the second kind of viewer, this show may drive you mad. The general consensus is that Scarlet Heart: Ryeo had a great story that was screwed up by messy editing/directing/pacing etc. and not enough space to tell it (20 episodes compared to the original 35-ep C-drama). I'm very sympathetic to this assessment.
However, I'm also the kind of viewer who will forgive a lot of flubbed execution for a really good idea, which this drama has in spades.
Scarlet Heart Ryeo is above all an *ambitious* drama, probably excessively so. The upshot is that it has possibly the most uneven execution and post-production editing ever committed... but at the same time some of the most complex and compelling character arcs I've come across in kdrama. It's not for nothing that the show has drawn such an unusual amount of discussion and fannish activity, especially internationally. (MLSHR was poorly received in Korea, but it is/was a certified international sensation, the first ever kdrama to make Tumblr trends, etc.)
(2) My other "disclaimer" for MLSHR is that it has a deeply cynical and subversive approach to romance. If you're looking for a fairytale where love conquers all, this is not the show for you. If you're looking for a classic tale of star-crossed lovers foiled by evil external forces... this is still not the show for you.
If, on the other hand, you're the sort to appreciate tragic missed opportunities of love driven by bad timing and fatal ***character flaws***, then Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is the Greek tragedy of your dreams (and/or nightmares). In a market saturated with wannabe Pride & Prejudices, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is out here being a totally unapologetic Wuthering Heights, which is pretty gutsy for a YA reverse-harem premise. (To be fair, they were working off of the Chinese novel, but they *could* have made it more public-friendly.)
Here's the bottom line: This drama is an acquired taste. If you're not a fan of tragedy or bloodbaths, if you need your female characters to be ~empowered~ and save the day, if you prefer people in love to be functional and communicate well — look elsewhere.
However, if you enjoy nonstop political scheming and backstabbing, majority-villain ensembles (including both male leads, arguably), and romantic narratives that reject relationship = identity myths, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is probably up your dark and twisted alley.
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Story:
I put off watching Battle of Changsha for months because I was convinced that it would be full of fighting scenes, and those are not my cup of tea. it was only after a few trusted MDL friends started telling me about it that I gave it a second look. The heart of Battle of Changsha is not in the overarching plot of the war but how that war plot molds and changes a family living in Changsha. Every skeleton in the closet and character flaw, no matter how deep you bury them, come out in times of war, and Battle of Changsha monopolized on that concept. It takes a group of characters with flaws and misconceptions about themselves (and, in some cases, each other) and allows them to grow and bond. The best and worst of their characters will come out as the drama unfolds. It was fascinating to watch, because the story was more concerned about being truthful and honest than giving the viewer rose-colored shades.
The cinematography was some of the best I've ever seen in a drama. It wasn't just about capturing facial expressions or that one kiss scene and using the same four camera angles like in some dramas. It added another dimension to the emotion of the scene, making me feel as if I was with the character(s) in that moment. Battle of Changsha actually had scenery worth seeing, and the production crew took full advantage of it.
There ARE sad moments in this drama, as I’m sure you can tell by the comment section here. I won’t lie to you and say that there weren’t any. However, the story doesn’t drag the viewers through constant drama and grief for 32 episodes. There’s also mischief and laughter. Loud family dinners. Romance. Lazy afternoons listening to Chinese opera.
Acting/Cast:
Even though I rated both story and cast a well-deserved 10/10, I believe that the casting is where Battle of Changsha truly shines. In such a character-focused story, the casting makes or breaks the drama. Battle of Changsha did not disappoint. You won’t find tons of overacting here like in so many other dramas. Every cast member brought their all to the table, and it shows. Their emotion is subtle enough to be realistic, and that type of delivery makes it SO much more powerful.
I could go on and on about so many of the characters, but I will highlight just one in particular that struck me. If you've seen Battle of Changsha, you can probably guess which one. He's impossible to miss, both in stature and in character. Xue Jun Shan will forever remain as one of my favorite characters of all time. At first, the plot capitalizes on his surface character - an enterprising amy security officer that’s unable to say no to a good opportunity, regardless of how ethical it is - but he's so much deeper than that. His journey and growth over the course of the drama were everything. I don't want to give more away and spoil your experience, so I will leave it at that.
Music:
The music was appropriate and powerful in its subtlety. In the beginning, the melody is innocent and reminiscent of youth. It slowly develops in complexity as the plot thickens and characters change. I especially liked how the power ballads (the ones that are in every drama without fail) didn't play ad nauseam. It would have cheapened the experience.
Rewatch Value:
I just completed my second watch of the drama. I don't feel the need to rewatch this as often as some of my other drama favorites, but the emotional scenes still captured me. Plus, I noticed details I missed the first time, and they gave me an even higher respect for the production crew. The only complaint that I have isn’t with the drama itself but at the lacking subtitle quality. The only set of subs I found had several scenes in every episode that weren’t even subbed and the translations had very poor grammar.
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The concept sounded great. I loved the idea of a creepy high school horror/suspense drama. The idea of a somewhat demonic teacher had me excited to watch this show. The first two or three episodes got me started and I wasn't too enthralled but decided to continue watching nonetheless.
The disappointment ended up being as great as the idea of this drama. I thought it would build with every episode, but the suspense stagnates beyond the first few episodes and the plot becomes predictable. Thankfully, each episode is short. I continued watching after a while because I could do other things at the same time and not really miss anything of the plot. I also really wanted to know the ending, I thought it might pick up towards the finale. It didn't. Flat 'til the very end.
I liked the music the most in this series. While it lacked originality, it's well placed, eerie and helps build the tiny bit of tension I felt during the episodes
The actors are lacking the depth needed to have the viewer sit on the edge of their chair. It's lackluster and I think it doesn't help build up the intensity such a series would need to be great.
I think with a bit of work on the script and better actors this could definitely be a show worth watching.
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Lee Dong Wook and Jun Soo Kyung are what make this movie worth watching. If it wasn't for them my cast score would be even lower. It's as low as it is strictly because of the female lead, Hyun Young. She's actually not a bad actress and pretty good at comedy but her voice is so grating that it's all you can focus on. But I will say that as the movie goes on you will get slightly used to it. But only slightly! And the writers are obviously aware of how annoying it is cuz they work in a few jokes about it.
Lee Dong Wook really carries this movie. He's very believable as someone who strives to be a great cop but has a phobia that can sometimes interfere with that. He's also very easy on the eyes.
This is my favorite role of Jun Soo Kyung's. Her character's personality & antics are laugh out loud funny. She will have you cracking up so much. Especially in the last 20 minutes.
The movie has a very good pace & doesn't drag. So if you're looking for some time to kill this is a good movie to watch. Just don't have the volume too loud... :)
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The story in itself isn't only a story about just fighting. It's about living, and getting up again after each hit; it's about life in the slums too, although this part wasn't as developped as I would've wanted it to be, but well, that wasn't the main part of the movie anyway. This movie is for you if:
-you like box
-you don't really like box but you do like a movie full of adrenaline
-yamapi ~~
- you want to stop a little time to fully immerse you in an intense movie~
Ect..
Well, it's a nice movie, but I'd say you have to watch it even if just for the actors since their transformation is so great. I mean, they really looked like they were on the verge of dying...!
I hesitated a very long time before watching it because it didn’t seem like my cup of tea. but now that I did I'm not regretting it at all, It was a great and intense movie!
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Story: This drama had everything that agood drama needs. It had really hilarious moments, and heartbreaking ones too. It had a sweet second lead, and an at first jerk first lead. It had its own little world, that you can step into everytime you push the play button.
But what made this drama special for me was not any of those. This drama has managed to have all that darkness that the poster conveys, eventhough the episodes were lighthearted and funny. The goofiness is what kept the story from becoming depressing even when it had such heart clenching parts. I believe that the last episode really gave the show a plus layer and I found the last twist quite amaizing. Those last bits of happiness and tragedy made the enjoyable, but medicore drama splendid.
Acting: There were really good and okay actors as well. Overall, the acting was good, and since the characters were well done and easy to relate to, the worse acting moments were not that noticable.
Music: The show has its own song, which t first I didn't really like but I gotta say it grew on me. Definately getting on my playlist.
So, all in all, I would recommend this to anyone who wants something short, but entertaining and light-hearted, but deep drama. And of course if you wanna see gorgeous hanboks, then watch it already.
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This is certainly not a serious drama, it's pure ridiculous comedy and there were some parts that had me laughing so hard I was almost in tears.
The cast were perfectly fitted to their roles; I was shook by how well Lee Gwang Soo actually did (although really his character wasn't THAT drastically different from his own personality) and Jung So Min did really well here too. Every character was wild in their own way and each of the actors portrayed it wonderfully.
There were also several cameos that had me squealing, Song Joong Ki, Kim Jong Kook, Jung Joon Young. I wasn't expecting them so I was completely caught off-guard and delighted!
The whole drama was an adventure and I was somewhat sad when it ended, I wasn't ready to let go.
The episodes are really short so it was a super quick and entertaining watch. If you're looking for some light comedy to brighten up your day, this is 100% the drama to choose!
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The first 22 episodes were so intense, with Machiavellian conspiracy to remove well respected Wong Sifu and try to dirt his flawless reputation.
But there wasn't only that, there was also Kwai Lan day-to-day existence and worries with her immature brother Sam Sui who just loved to bet on clandestine fights, her uncle Ping, and Kwai Fa who become her friend. There was Lung and his paranoïd father who's been living in the past of his defeat against Wong Sifu 20 years ago.
There's also Wong son Hong Yip, who's an honest journalist that wish nothing more than to reveal the corruption of the high-ranking, especially the evil deeds of the mayor or I don't even know which position he occupy. And the right-hand man of the guy who's start to have enough of his boss egocentrism and neverending thirst for power...
All these people are more or less involved together with their life intertwined. There was almost no idle time, I even whished for longer episodes so that it could have been even more thrilling.
It was supposed to be martial arts genre, but the more you advanced in the episodes, the less fightings you'll see, because seeing Lung participating in these underground fights was not entertaining at all, it was just rough violence with throwing your fists everywhere. I would count 2 to 4 magnificent fights scenes and no more.
The second character I like the least was Lung's Father, Lui Gong. He gave me headache switching from bad to good, and he was also kind of dumb and excessively stubborn even when knowing he was wrong. Always wanting to relive the glorious days of his youth life, that had been wrongly stolen from him... Pfff!!
My number one hated character was Sam Sui, the way his personality goes from an about-turn with ridiculous reasons hidden behind his beahaviour are ludicrous.
My favourite character was Wong Sifu of course, how can you not like the guy, he's humble and despite his age he has the skills and agility that make many envious. His fights scenes were epic, despite being few.
It's a waste how the ten last episodes derive from the original plot, it's like it wasn't even the same drama, with useless fillers that were adding nothing and a tournament I couldn't care less about. And why did they have to kill all these interesting characters like if it was no big deal at all, shame on them. In the end, the title "Nui Kuen" is deceptive too because no real women fight was involved. I was so waiting for Kwai Lan to beat the crap of some big mouth, but it didn't happen like I wish it woud.
Now the music, my goodness!! When I first hear the opening song by Chan Git Líng "Dou Choeng Bat Jap", I thought it was really suiting the drama and that they couldn't have choosen best. I never thought that I would come to like this song that much, so it's a good surprise. The second ending song "Huí Jiàn" by Liú Xuán appears aroud episode 10 and whaouuh, I immediately fell in love with the simple melody that sounds melancholic and is perfect to close an episode.
It's not that often that I like songs in dramas, cause most of the time they are awful to hear, but not here for a change.
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The story was funny and cute, and all the actors had good chemistry. The music was good, I found it super interesting how they played the same songs during certain scenes to set the mood, and I found that to be fun.
The story is heartwarming although happiness doesn't happen quickly, it takes its time and lets you live the lives of these characters. I learned to love them as they learn to love each other.
If you're a fan of happy endings, this Drama is for you. Good on a nice snowy day with a cup of tea.
It was funny, and also sweet potato isn't half bad looking as well ;)
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