Reviews

Kano is courted by numerous other men but according to some viewers of the movie he only really loves Soji. I'm not sure exactly where that idea comes from except from possible pointers towards the end of the movie. But if true, this would be highly ironic, given that a point is made of Soji being fiercely antipathetic to same sex love. Earlier in the movie it is specifically stated Kano and Tashiro are an item. So why does he accept the command to kill him? This in turn is because the powers-that-be suspect Tashiro of committing murders from jealousy. But as the movie concludes it seems rather more likely that Soji may have been responsible due to his hatred of same sex love, in which case, if Kano loved Soji, it may make sense that he killed Tashiro to cover up for Soji who was actually the one he loved. Was Soji running back claiming he'd forgotten something really to get away to murder someone else - even perhaps Kano? It all gets really impenetrable. I suppose you can reach your own conclusions depending on which pieces of the jigsaw you select. The above is only predicated on the emphasis some comments have put on Soji and Kano's supposed love for him. But I'm not sure I accept that anyway. Still, it's a beautifully produced, atmospheric movie with an androgynous and beautiful lead. Alas youth is fated to be cut down for even the most beautiful like the cherry tree at the end of the film. I think that's a common metaphor in Japanese culture.

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This is my first review but it felt like I needed to do one after finishing the last chapter.
Signal is a very good drama, the kind of drama you feel compelled to recommend to a non drama viewer. Not because it's seems American, but because its "goodness" it's beyond nationality or language.
In short:

What I liked:
-Most of the acting and their script is great, you feel the characters, and they feel like real human beings; with real human reactions.
-The plot; and how all the sub-plots connect into one big story which slowly unfolds.
-How the fantastic element is inserted, the "rules" they come up to (you'll understand this when you see it), but it doesn't feel "cheap" and it could've been.
-The direction and production is very good for a TV product.

What I didn't like:
-Sometimes the editor/director feels like he has to over-explain some things that are pretty clear, so you'll find yourself re-watching some scenes from time to time (it's not a big problem, but it's something to mention).
-The acting overall is very good but, OMG Kim Hye Soo "surprised face" is... well, very bad =P

If you're looking for romance, there's almost none, so this is not the drama for you. But, if you're looking for a good story, with good and unexpected twists, good characters and acting with high production values, this drama is for you.
Also, the violence is there, but it's not excessive, and for those who complain about the ending; let me tell you that it's consistent with the rest of series, you'll not feel disappointed.

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You'll love this drama, please give it a try!
As a person who's usually busy, I even tried to make time just to finish this drama because it was so ADDICTING! I was on a kdrama hiatus and coming back to a refreshing drama like this feels so great. I've watched a lot of dramas in my time, but nothing compares to this remake.

THE CHEMISTRY in this drama was probably the best I've ever seen out of ALL the kdramas I've watched. It was like they put 2 actors who were actually dating in real life (even though they aren't) and put them together for this remake! The kiss scenes seemed so real, and you'll be surprised to see how many there are. They were just so playful together, and the acting was amazing. It's a realistic approach to relationships and the kdrama portrayed just that. All the serious problems in a relationship, all the ups and downs were really shown well here.

This drama will pretty much make you wish you saw more of them when it ends, because when it ends you'll be in for a world of hurt. You'll just want to see more of the two!

The drama's story, although not so unique like Descendents of The Sun, I Hear Your Voice etc. It is still an amazing plot. It really just focuses on the two main characters and their relationship as they progress. Each person changing each other. The character progression in this drama is one of the best, IF NOT THE BEST I've seen a kdrama ever pull off.

I guarantee you'll LOVE it, even if you're not a kdrama fan and just starting out. This drama is a good way to get you into kdramas if it's your first too!

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i'm a bit shocked to see the high ratings on here. i will say i was very interested in this when i realized the main character was actually transgender. thing is, you can't really portray something so serious such as gender identity when the whole story basis itself in a "cop vs. gangster" setting along with a past love interest dealing with a boy and the current love interest being the deceased boy's sister.

i'm actually very disappointed in this film. there were so many sub-plots, i think my brain swirled itself around for the duration of the movie. it's not like cha seung-won is a bad actor. he takes on the role of a cold-blooded detective like it's something he was born to do. the problem is, i didn't know what to pay attention to. is it the actual enemy that's plotting to destroy him inside out or is it ji wook's inner battle with his demons?

and the ending! ugh, there was no silver lining in this movie! i'd like to see growth and development. instead, i got a character who ran around in circles and came back to the starting point: miserable in his own skin. just not worth my time with that bad portrayal of a trans-character. i think the only reason why i even gave it a rating itself was because it redeemed itself with the action scenes. romance/plot? pure waste.

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It's a really good watch for someone wanting a good authentic 90s-type Japanese drama. Characters are shown much more down-to-earth and natural. I've said it before I'm no fan of Kimura Takuya, but I really liked him here. In his post 2k dramas he always gives me this "I'm so great feeling" which annoys me. It's different here, much more humble, and totally suits the role. Scene stealer though, was Takenouchi Yutaka !

The characters themselves were annoying most of the time. Minami never ceased to be annoying but at least she toned it down a bit after about a third into the drama. Sena is wishy washy for about 10 episodes of the drama. Ryoko is too childish and never grows, Momoko is just a convenience when the writer wants to get the characters from one place to another, never had a real depth. I liked Ru-chan but again she was ignored by the writer and most of the characters, except sometimes Sena. Even Shinji was hard to read as to what he wanted. I thought around episode 9-10 there was an interesting exploration of the character's relationship but then it got somehow dropped :S

So yea I felt the writing was lacking. I loved the choice of music but many times the editing was weird in the way it cuts the sound/music. It wasn't the typical effective way to show a change of mood or some shocking event, it felt just random.

I didn't really care much about the coupling I enjoyed watching the character interactions and I got plenty of that. The weirdest is the Shiji-Sena relationship, but I loved that the most. They're awkward and can't be real friends but they each have deep respect for the other (and probably envy) for different reasons.

Despite my criticism I enjoyed it, I felt genuine and relatable. It would've been a masterpiece if only the characters were given more depth, and the lead girl was less pushy and over intrusive :P

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This drama is like a whole package (superpowers, fantasy, friendship, action, school, romance...) and I was satisfied. I really liked all the main leads. The superpower school concept really drew me into watching the drama, but the storyline went 100 to 1000 real fast when the conflicts came in, which was very interesting (it got me so hooked that I finished in about 2 days). I also liked the bit of comedy included here and there. It gave me good vibes when things were suspenseful.

I thought I was going to get second lead syndrome, (especially since a Chu/Wan Shi reminded me of Chen Xiang) he was so cute with the MC in the beginning,
but the main male lead was also good looking and also looked good with the MC.

This may not have been the best Chinese drama I've seen, but definitely isn't the worst. I recommend it for those who have time, and really like romance dramas based around a superpower fantasy-ish school era. I definitely wish I found this drama earlier.

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If I had to describe this drama in one word, 'Beautiful' would be it. I wasn't anticipating it and started it because the title drew me in and I'm so damned glad that I did. This is one of the best written drama stories of this year and I can't not write a review for such a gem. When I first heard the synopsis, I was very skeptical about how the drama could tackle the serious aspect of the plot, with it being promoted partly as a comedy. I didn't want the depth of the main leads' situation to be overshadowed. And as I write this review, having finished the final episode, I'm left with a feeling of bittersweet satisfaction. I love this drama for being so different and tackling such an ambiguous issue. I love it for showing such complex characters, for having them portray so many facets of a person going through such an issue. I've had personal experience with cheating in my own family and I learnt so much from that time in my life and understood this vast greyness behind the black and white way cheating is viewed as in our society. I LOVE this drama for breaking from those stereotypes and trying to show different kinds of ways it happens and I hope for all those people who view cheating as 'wrong', through this drama, they can understand to a certain extent that sometimes, there is no right or wrong, that there is so much more going on beneath the surface that leads a person to do something like that.

Acting:
The entire cast has played their role so well! This is evident in the amazing chemistry between all of them. Especially loved the two main leads. Not for a second did I ever think of them as Song Ji Hyo or Lee Sun Gyun. That's how immersed in this drama their acting made me.

Music:
Great songs overall and 2 I instantly fell in love with are- Mistake by Park Won & That Kind of Night by Urban Zakapa.

This was one of the best drama experiences of this year and I hope many many more people can enjoy it too. For all those people who're unsure if they should start this drama, please definitely give it a try. Whatever your views on cheating, I'm sure you'll discover something new about yourself and about the complexities of human relationships after watching this.

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This drama explores multiple aspects of marriage, to cheating, to divorce, in a way that helps you see both sides of each couple and allows you to understand their feelings. It explains well the consequences of each action, and how others could be affected, even sheds some light on the complicity of getting a divorce in Korea. And even though it is such a heavy subject, there's plenty of laughs and love.

I find it annoying that 16-20 episode dramas are always one or two episodes too long, unnecessarily stretching out the story just to fill space. However since there's only twelve episodes, not a moment is wasted here. Song Ji Hyo and velvet voiced, Lee Seon Gyun are amazing as the leads, portraying every emotion of a struggling couple from start to finish, but what's great about this drama is that even the side stories are just as interesting. I honestly loved the PD Ahn and Writer Kwon couple most. Lee Sang Yeob played PD Ahn so well you couldn't help but find him adorable and fall in love too.

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As far as suspense horror goes it is amazing.

The story reaches a human side from the beginning. The characters are very believable and acted superbly. Although categorised as "horror" it features quite a bit of drama and family dynamics / conflict over the base of horror. Viewed from the site of each character there is quite a bit of development of each personality throughout the movie.

There is a build-up from happy, new to the darker, murky side of this horror. The development is very palatable. The situations leading to the climax is quite believable and frightening. By believable I mean the stories you always see on TV and read in the newspaper about situations that can be happening right next door to your house. This is where the story shines: this development of the main story, descending from family drama and suspense to outright horror.

One of the better stories in this genre I've seen in a while. Not really the concentrated bump-in-the-night, outright horror, but extremely worth the watch!

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Okay so... I just created an account to write a review for this drama, as I see not a lot of people have reviewed it.
Of course, there is maybe one or two Asian show that I prefer over this one. But... That's all.
Honestly, I was reluctant to watch it at first, because I'm not used to Chinese and have already tried a few Chinese dramas or movie that didn't really satisfy me. But... I guess this one reconciled me with Chinese drama...!
Well, I don't know what to say as I've just finished watching it (or should I say: binge watched it) I'm supposed to have exams in a few days and thought that watching a drama/movie would relax me, but I ended up watching it in one day. Really.

So, let's start by the plot. There are many plot twists and the story is really good. I liked how they portaited the Chinese society with everything, the poor, some things that aren't really normal or human, ...
Really, I liked the story. It's like a mix of all the good action movies out there. You can even add something that look like the American serie Hannibal (which portray Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham) there are some similarities at some point in the story, and I liked that. It goes deep in the thought of what devilness is and what we should do; like a lot of movie these times, but I liked how it was done here. At some point I thought they were trying to lenghtend the story and added episodes just so that there were more, but then paf! There is a plot twist and eveything becomes logical. The few incoherence I spotted in the beginning of the story actually are used later, so at the end you realize everything and well... You can be shocked. Personally I wasn't surprised by everything, but it's true there are a few things I hadn't guessed. Oh, and maybe the story went a bit too deep with the last episode, I thought they could've just left the story with the "7th case and the death of ..." (I won't say no more to not spoil but those who have watched the drama will understand.. I guess haha) but well, at least everything was completed.

As for the actors... I thought they were all amazing. the actress were very beautiful. The main actor has that way of having just one light in the eye when he has to, and every details of his face can show something. I thought he was really a good actor, way better than many acclaimed actors.

As for the music... I thought it was really beautiful. The last song is so emotional...
Of course the main theme that comes every episode can bore you a bit, since you hear it all the time, but sometimes you hear it and think"oh, that's the perfect place where it is supposed to be! Nice choice! " and as for the song in French... Since I'm Swiss, I understood perfectly the song and that added to the creepy feeling of the end, so maybe I was more emotional than someone who doesn't understand the lyrics.
As for the rematch value... Well, of course you already know who are the perpetrators and the mysteries and all, but... Re watching it once is a good idea I think, to see what you missed, to know what we're the hints the writters left there... And well, the filming is done beautifully and there are really nice moments so yeah, I'll probably watch it again.
I don't understand why it's not more known, maybe bc it's Chinese? Anyway, if you watched it and liked it, please share it. I had to search for hour and hour before finding it, since I have already watched lots of drama/movies of this genre. It's really is a chef d'oeuvre!
Also, sorry if my review is a bit strange, as English isn't my mother tongue and as I'm writing this after hours and hours of watching this drama, my English might not be perfect Keke
Oh, and I just saw that they're -maybe- gonna do a season 2. I hope they won't destruct the magnificence of this one...
GO WATCH IT NOW. ESPECIALY IF YOU LIKE CRIME/ACTION, BUT ROMANCE TOO!
\o/

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This is my first review, i really had to write about this movie.
I never thought a movie would make me feel like that..i'm thinking about the movie so much since i've watched it...it's so heart touching, actually no words can describe it.
It's a movie that will create all kind of feelings. It's such a beautiful but yet tragic story about pure and unfulfilled love.
The acting of Song Joong Ki was really remarkable in a such a difficult role. Even though he spoke only a little( and that little made you cry ) he made you feel touched by his expressions and moves. I loved his character and what he did, he makes you fall in love with this character. Also Park Bo Young was very good at her role. I loved their chemistry.
The song of this movie is one of the songs you will never forget, so beautiful and sad.
I thought about some parts of the movie a lot of times in order to justify some things about what happened. This is the first time a movie did that to me. Eveytime i'm thinking about some parts of the movie, i feel so moved.
I would definitely rewatch it even though i will cry again and feel very moved.
One of the saddest movies.

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From the the episodes 1-5 I got the hint that D.O and Chanyeol was going to fight over the girl, to be honest some scenes were predictable and some were predictable in the sense that you would fight with your self whether it was going to happen or not.
But all in all it would make you feel like you were in that girls shoes and it's very enchanting.
It would fit the song "Enchanted by Owl City" and also a few others (more like a lot) but I can't be bothered to list them all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JGHd0NWmGM
YOU'LL ENJOY WATCHING THIS KDRAMA WHETHER YOUR AN EXO FAN OR NOT!!!!

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