Reviews

Oh my lord do I love this drama! I love web dramas in particular, but this one caught my interests. To be fair it's nothing we haven't seen before. CEO falls for sly, foolish poor girl yet they do add their own spin. If you love romantic comedies, but you don't have time to watch a full length hour long episode, this series is for you!

Now onto the real critique. This show is quite the binge watcher. I finished this drama in two days & having to stay up to do so. The story, as I said before, is nothing new, but they do add crazy spins. A perfect example is from the bio itself saying that he gets stabbed which made me interested. Acting is amazing as Sung Hoon plays his character fantastically. Jae Hyung at some points where she was frustrated would make weird, off point facial expressions, but you won't see unless you squint really damn hard.The OST for this show is outstanding. The songs would make me feel nothing, but happiness & other times it would make me bawl my eyes out which I feel an OST should do. The rewatch value on this extra high as every episode is 15-16 minutes long (besides the last episode which is 20 minutes). It's a real innovative & fun show that is perfect to just watch on a weekend off.

IF I MADE ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES I WROTE THIS RIGHT AFTER I FINISHED BINGE WATCHING IT & IT'S 4:42AM ON A TUESDAY PRAY FOR ME

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Even though I decided not to write reviews long time ago but this drama pushed my button. I had to calm myself for a while before deciding to write anything about this wonderful work of art.

So Ji Sub and Shin Hyun Joon, what more could a viewer possibly ask for? I’m so glad, genuinely glad that I waited 7 years to watch this! Why? Because it made me appreciate it even more than I would have back then considering that NONE of the recent dramas could ever match up to. We tend to value things more if we know it’s no longer available and is no longer easy to get by, thus I value this drama very much now.

Let me say this, a huge part of this review is dedicated to SJS's and SHJ's phenomenal performance! Because with all do respect to the very well-written story, those two wonderful men will steal you from the very first scene before the story gets to take a place! Their chemistry, is simply breathe-taking and heart-wrenching at the same time!

SJS’s trademark is his “sad eyes” and people have known it since I Am Sorry, I Love You (and what a trademark it is!) Trust me it is not easy to show such a sincere sad eyes like he does when he acts. His “sad” act, his crying scenes…he looks so damaged and destroyed it looks so real that you’d lose where you were at when you watch him act. His sincere-heartfelt act changes the “too overused” plots into a piece of art and a classic one even if it is a 10/20 years old. If you want to truly "feel" SJS, it has to be I Am Sorry I Love You and Cain and Abel.

Cho In has became my favorite character for SJS because he is a warm-hearted decent person, with cute smile and soft voice. This character has allowed SJS to show different side of him, different expressions… mixture of many expressions that I’ve seen for the first time while watching him. I loved Cho In’s kindness, naivety, innocence, sweetness, softness and vulnerability.

If SJS’ Cho In is half the reason why I loved this drama, Shin Hyun Joon ‘s Sun Woo is definitely the other half! This is the 2nd time that this man pushes me to tears (first time was in Stairway To Heaven). His portrayal of the antagonist is simply majestic and too beautiful to be put in words. Sun Woo is definitely a worthy rival of the great Cho In.

The story is very well written plot-wise and character wise. It struck me as slightly slow and scattered in the first episode, but things quickly gathered together and progressed in a way that really draws in the viewer. The characters and settings that were introduced kept things new and exciting without being overwhelming or hard to follow. I especially appreciated Young Ji because she was flawed! But not in ways I found to be cliché. She felt real to me! Which something I don’t normally see when it comes to the main female character especially this genre.

I have always for *some reason* thought that this is a revenge-themed drama but to my surprise this drama had so much more to offer other than plain revenge and for a revenge drama fan such as myself I still loved it very much, that didn't disappoint me at all, so kudos to the writer!

The OSTs are wonderful, the painful lyrics make the drama even more sad which contributes very well to the story. I loved it.

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This is a seriousIy good drama, I watched all 17 episodes in just one day.

I haven't watched many Thai dramas and I started to watch this out of curiousity but I was hooked after the first episode.

Firstly, I have to admit that some scenes are prettty unrealistic and some actors could improve on their acting.

However, there many other reasons that makes this drama so watchable. The story may not be very original, but it was told beautifully. I thougt it was well written and the directing was surprisingly good. The pacing was very well done and I really like the actors who played the two brothers.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this drama and I would recommend it to anyone who likes fast paced action driven dramas.

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Explorations of what could have/would have been down life path A or life path B for Ru Wei. At times confusing, with time jumps forward, then the quick go back in time segments and alternating between A and B storylines. It gives a realistic perspective on love and the heavy sidelines of marriage while supporting extended family with multiple issues vs. a freely independent career as personal choice over marriage. Overall I wasn’t keen on the story upon finishing the whole thing, but can appreciate the perspectives the female lead presented in both life plans. It's just a handful of episodes, so does not take up too much time if you find it interesting and want to check it out.

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I must say the second part was the star of the show, not that the first part wasn't good but this was just on a different level.

Both Part 1 and Part 2 are continuations of the main drama series: Nodame Cantabile, so I suggest watching that series first before touching the movies.

Just some quick thoughts on the story and the characters. The star here was definitely Nodame, in this second part we could start to see her mature, her thoughts deepen and her emotions much richer than ever before. We could physically see her technique improving and the depth and emotion growing with every piece she plays. I must say, that Chopin Piano Concerto #1 she played was superb, not just musically but her acting, her emotions simply shined throughout the piece. As usual, Chiaki was brilliant, and his realisation that he should treat Nodame a bit more seriously finally surfaced in this second part.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant - what a great end to the entire Nodame Cantabile series...

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This was definitely a webdrama to allow Kai to debut. The actors they put around him were superb.

The story was a bit off. One minute confession, next minute denial... confusing where this was going... especially since it was so short.

Kai wasn't bad in this. He needs to work on his focus is all. He plays off of other people's emotions pretty well but he seems to find it hard doing it on his own. It was kinda of funny to watch, because he'd go in and out of character a lot for such short episodes. lol.. He'd be in the groove one moment, then go stone faced the next, then he'd have that 1-2 second delayed reaction, like he was thinking about how he should make his facial expression for the particular dialogue he was about to say... hahaha... It was kinda endearing, bit better than a school play or video.

With D.O.'s debut, you never questioned his acting chops. Kai, I feel, has it in him, but he just needs to work on his focus and not needing other people's acting to coax him into the vibe. For me, I felt like I wasn't watch a character but Kai literally playing a character, because, I don't know why, I started getting curious thinking, "...this guy must have had a charmed life from the beginning, because he seems to be overthinking, and reaching for how to play a person who has struggles, like he's never experienced it in his life, so he doesn't know how to convey the feeling..." lol.. I literally started to wonder if he comes from a rich family background. To start of with, until he develops his ability to act, best to put him in roles that are equal to who he is in real life. I think he'll do well in those kind of roles.

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OH MY WORD!!!! The eye candy!!!! Satomi Ishihara and Yamapi are such gorgeous people- if they got married and had kids, they'd have the cutest babies ever!!! And also, Yamapi in a suit at the end.. ???????????? He is one fine looking man!

Down to the nitty gritty (may contain possible spoilers):

Story: 6.5/10
I feel like most Japanese dramas lack in this area. I felt that certain parts of the drama were dragged out too long, while other things weren't addressed at all. I wanted them to expand more on Takane's parents, his upbringing and why he's so stoic and emotionless, his previous girlfriends (even just little tidbits!). The thing with Masako and the student should've been addressed. I certainly got confused at what this drama was doing at times- I was thinking it was gonna be a romance, then at times it was comedic, comedic to the point where I couldn't take the other scenes seriously (the beginning scenes with the grandma was more comedic, then later in in the story, it was a total 180 degree change, the romance between Arthur and Momoe was totally unnecessary). It was the subpar writing at fault- a skilled writer will incorporate all of these seemlessly (ex. Hama Yori Dango).
This drama had waaaaaaaaaaaay to many love triangles and squares going on! I just wanna focus on the main couple, plus a few other important people, and that's it!
The almost-kisses got kinda annoying. If I were the guy, I would've just went back in a finished the job. I will say that the kiss scene at the end was good. I normally cringe when people do kiss scenes in Japanese dramas. It's so platonic and emotionless. Yamapi's kiss scenes are either improving, he has a thing for Satomi Ishihara or both. Either way, im all for it!
Some thoughts on individual characters:
Takane was cute, yet possessive and stalkerish. He wasn't highly possessive but he still was (with his "I'm never gonna let you go" lines). He kept saying those lines even though she was creeped out/didn't like them (but I guess in his defense, he's lacking experience in communication with other girls due to being a monk). I didn't like his persistence at first, but when I saw that they were constantly backed up by his actions, I caved in. Someone who is honest and sincere like that should be loved back! He's basically a child looking for love

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The story seems to be your typical cliche story of a young person who suffers from tragedy and you follow him as he grows and matures and develops. I like how they got both Zhang Xiao Fan and Lin Jin Yu to suffer from the same tragedy and you can see how the two people develop differently giving you a comparison giving you a feel of the main antagonist. Through out the whole series you can see how Zhang Xiao Fan changes and become more mature throughout many life and death situation. Flash backs are used very well to show us the trouble all the different characters has face and how we could empathise with them.

I feel all the actors did a good job portraying their role but i want to especially mention the 2 females leads. Zanila who play Bi Yao did an amazing job as always. She must be one of the most sort after actress in China at the moment. She seems to be every other drama and always does a splendid job. Yang Zi who protray Lu Xue Qi, I feel is really underrated. She has good chemistry with Li Yi Feng and the rest of the cast. She protays a believable character who seems to hide all her trouble and with a cold attitude but is in fact very caring. There is a very big cast and all the members seem to make themselves stand out one way or another.

The music was done very well. The use of music during emotional scenes was just right and not too over the top. The music didn't over shadow anyone's dialogue and added enough dramatic effect for it to work. Both the OST were good to listen to and enjoyable.

I generally dont judge a show on re-watch value as sometimes a good show doesn't necessary have much re-watch value. I can say the Legend of Chusen is one of those shows as there are not many surprises and you can guess how most of the story pans out anyway.

Overall I enjoyed this drama a lot. It exceeded my expectations and I would recommend people to watch it if you are into this genre. It is your typical 'chosen one' storyline with a Romeo and Juliet romance. I am looking forward to season 2 even if it is not as long and I hope it gives us a complete conclusion.

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This drama is adorable. It's lighthearted and fun with a not so typical female lead. The main character as opposed to being poor and shy like your typical heroine is a rich girl who ,while definitely spoiled, is very confident in herself, knows exactly who she is, and is nicer than everyone gives her credit for.

I binged the whole series and didn't regret it. The acting is great, lots of laughs all the way through, the romance is swoon-worthy (ugh the main guy's devotion to her is unreal ~jealous~), and even the more emotional parts of the drama are well done. No, this is not a masterpiece but definitely worth watching.

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