Completed
Descendants of the Sun
1 people found this review helpful
Nov 17, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This drama is the best ever!!!! You will not regret this!!!! Don't be fooled by the title (based on my experiences)!!!! This has absolutely everything!!!! The feelz!!!! The romance!!!! The morals!!!! It has everything!!!! XD XD XD The story line is great and I love how the characters grew together it's very touching!!!! The acting is 100% awesome like it's so good that you can really see the characters through them. They bring out the character very professionally. The music is the best ever, once you start hearing it you'll never want to stop. XD I've watched this only once and I'm still not over it, in fact I'm waiting for season 2 like I'm dying for it XD XD XD Overall it is more than 100% it has some very good morals too about life, love and decisions :) If you're not watching this you're missing alot, like A LOT!!!! Watch it, it is very much worth your time :)

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Completed
Anger
30 people found this review helpful
by Jia M
Nov 17, 2016
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
Lee Sang-il's "Rage" (or Anger, Ikari, whatever you wanna call it) might seem like a murder mystery to you, but it isn't really. While the film's narrative does center around a mysterious bloody murder, the ultimate message is not about finding who the murderer is but rather stories on trust and connection among its characters.

With a talented and star-studded ensemble of some of Japan's most famous names, it's no surprise that Rage shines. Ken Watanabe needs no introductions, the male leads: Go Ayano, Matsuyama Kenichi, Tsumabuki Satoshi and Moriyama Mirai who all have already made names for themselves. Aoi Miyazaki, who's been in the industry since she was four. And the up and coming, Hirose Suzu. I also want to mention the relatively unknown Takara Sakumoto who makes his debut here as an actor to watch out for.

I'll tell you why Rage is a very raw film -- it depicts Japanese rigidity. I don't say that to provide a negative interpretation but there is a lot of suppressed emotions in the society. Hence, these suppressed emotions are bottled up, be it sadness, be it anger, be it loneliness—whichever. The need for catharsis is just too high and I think Rage perfectly depicted that need and gave these characters that chance.

As I watch this film, I too, want to scream, I too want to have a tantrum, I too, want to throw things—I want to release bottled-up feelings. Lee knows how to build-up these emotions that echoes the characters' as much as he builds up the narrative. He knows how to give you the "feels" combined with Ryuichi Sakamoto's score that's just filled with too much dramatic tension, you too, would want to explode.

There are two overlaying narratives in the film, all of which were very cleverly linked not only by the murder and that the three men emerge as potential suspects but are also connected through dialogue, through visuals and through sound. The sound is really the one, to me, pushes the plot. The sounds emit the emotions, emit the passion and emit everything. Lee connects visuals from Tokyo, from Chiba and from Okinawa together with the dialogues and the sound. I think it's a very refreshing way to do so and it makes the three narrative feel balanced.

These narratives, on their own are unique but still keeps the underlying theme of trust and connection. Go and Satoshi's narrative touches on their sexuality. It is very refreshing to see an aloof, almost-silent Go that contrasts with Satoshi's fearless and enthusiastic nature. Miyazaki, Watanabe and Kenichi's narrative touches on acceptance and of family. The lonely, almost weird Kenichi forms a connection with Miyazaki, who has just been rescued by Watanabe (her father) from an abusive sex work. Suzu, Mirai and Sakumoto brings us to Okinawa, of a simpler life, of youth and of curiosity but to me is really the one that resonated with me the most.

If you really want to know who the murderer is, I'd say look at the narrative that's filled with the most rage. Look at which narrative makes you feel the angriest, the one that filled you most with rage and you will have your answer. By the second hour of the film, where it's filled with tears and screaming and throwing, you'd know. The reveal isn't what matters, it's their stories that do. Lee knows how to juggle the three narratives that three of the suspects are all likely to be the killer.

The plot does, disintegrates into a cornucopia of crying, weeping, wailing and just a lot of those (all three narratives stitched together too) so it does overwhelm and to itself, an overexcess portrayal of the characters and their narratives. But nevertheless, very very very impressive performances from the cast.

All I have to critique is probably the lack of a backbone for the killer himself. There is an ongoing question of where the rage comes from. Is it simply from surpassed emotions? Is it simply from being laughed at his pitiful state? Or is it from being pitied? We are never given a straight answer so we can only interpret.

The visuals are stunning. The opening shot of a bird's eye view of Tokyo, to the clear waters of Okinawa to the colorful houses of Chiba—it's beautiful. The visuals are great transitions and there is never the lack of varying colors to depict the scene's mood.

Finally, I just want to say that I will never look at Hirose Suzu the same again. I'm only commenting on her the most because her films are the one I've seen the most. I used to say how Suzu knows how to act, she can cry but there is blankness in it (compared to the way Fumi Nikaido tries) but seeing her, in a very very very mature role, I'm taking back what I said—Suzu deserves all the spotlight she's getting. And with such roles, it's no doubt, she can do more.

Also, Takara Sakumoto making his debut here impresses.

Ultimately, the film is about trust and connection. No, it doesn't tell you who to trust and stuff but it does tell you how it feels when someone you trusts betrays you or someone you choose not to trust just decides to leave.

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Completed
The K2
7 people found this review helpful
by siisii
Nov 17, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
I was really hesitant to watch The K2 at first, because of a certain... someone. But NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING in this world could stop my love for Ji Chang Wook :'). However, I'm glad i watched it. It was a decent thriller and action. (cheesy romance though, sorry guys). It had one of the greatest endings for an action drama in my opinion. I ended up watching this drama mainly to see who's gonna win the political fight, and who's gonna outsmart who. It was very enjoyable.

Overall,it was a good run. No boring episodes. Good action scenes, and the cast did a great job. I ignored a lot of details that's why I found it good.

PS. Don't compare it to Healer too much. (as healer is perfection)
PS.2. Choi yoo jin is now literally my favorite "evil?" character. I didn't actually view her as evil, so I'm not sure what to call her. She was THE BOSS!! Admirable "clap"!!
PS.3. Ji Chang Wook is love, Ji Chang Wook is life.

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Completed
Algernon ni Hanataba wo
1 people found this review helpful
by LydiaR
Nov 17, 2016
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I watched this drama a while ago and I fell in love with it. It had me crying several times. If you're looking for a drama that will make you cry, laugh and feel so many emotions, this is the drama for you!
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Completed
Love Me If You Dare
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2016
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Even though there are a ton of reviews, I'm reviewing this to bring it into the spot light again a year later. What a fantastic drama. I finished ep 24, and clicked right on ep 1 again to rewatch it, it was that outstanding. Between the smart, dark and intriguing storyline with it's smattering of light moments and the wonderful portrayals by the lead actors this was a pure hit.

I was biased by the fact that the drama circled around serial killers, because that's a personal favorite for me. Add in the extreme personality of Simon Bo, and his almost alien innocence and it was a recipe for perfection. All 24 episodes kept me completely absorbed and interested. No skipping, no yawning and no looking away, not for a second.

I can't recommend this drama enough. If you are looking for a feeler into C-Dramas, this is a great way to go, it even has a little romance, if you need it. Do yourself a favor and watch this drama.

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Completed
She Is 200 Years Old
0 people found this review helpful
by Art T
Nov 16, 2016
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
I was surprised and charmed by this simple love story and only spend 55 minutes on it.

Though the acting was average, I liked how the female protaganist was portrayed by Nam Ji Hyun, cute and hopeful with a hint of nonchalant acceptance of how she had lived when she first came back to life. The male protaganist was stiff and unbelievable. Kim Yun Bae as his best friend gave a better performance.

If you are looking for a quick feel-good love story that does not have much rewatch value, this would be it.


How I rate
---
5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!

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Completed
Shopping King Louie
7 people found this review helpful
by Asp
Nov 16, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
There's dramas you can struggle with for days and lose interest from the middle up till the end and then there's this one which you can binge watch in 24 hours.

The story is original, contains plenty humorous and loving scenes and most importantly doesn't fall into traphole of kdrama cliches which want to make you pull your hair out in each episode. Every wondering question is answered at the beginning of an episode in a flashback of scenes you have not yet seen which also greatly helps both main and support characters with overall development.

When it comes to the cast, I must say I found the entirety of them hilarious and well-matched, especially the main couple dynamic and second male lead's relation towards them that did not in any way infringe on the special kind of bond that the main couple has, which I've found to be a problem whenever there is a love triangle in a drama. Yoo Sang Hyun's character was eccentric to the point that I was glad whenever there was a scene with him because he was such a sarcastic drama queen in any given situation.

This drama does have mostly subtle musical background, but some of the heavier scenes have inappropriate choices of soundtracks that takes away from the supposedly dramatical scene and instead makes it comical, which I'm beginning to suspect was intentional by the producers.

It is, without a question, the warmest drama you could see this year so stray no further; the melo tag is overshadowed by the well-written plot and characters, the romance stands out on its own as the centre point of the story intertwined with grand ideas of connecting everyone into one big family and supporting each other. However, in that aspect it also did tend to go too far into the fairytale concept with some scenes so I did find it naive, but it is not meant to be anything else than a story that will leave you with the best kind of feelings after you're done watching it.

Highly recommended.

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Completed
The K2
1 people found this review helpful
by Gyeran
Nov 16, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This was the first political/thriller drama I'd watched and therefore with little else in the genre to compare it too this will just be a stand alone review.

I would first like to say I thought the acting in this was mainly phenomenal. JCW delivered brilliantly, the villains were so twisted you can't help but both pity them and hate them. I find sometimes villains don't have a motive other than just being evil but these ones did which combined with great acting made it amazing. My only negative was Yoona's acting BUT I know she hasn't got a lot of experience and luckily the other actors made up for it. As episodes went on, though, her acting improved.

This show is so full of plot twists you'll be dying to see the next episode. Some parts do /drag/ and are overly dramatic. A dark room filled with villains around a desk. Really?

Although not my favourite drama of the year I highly enjoyed this and will be looking into other works of these actors.

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Completed
Phantom Detective
12 people found this review helpful
by Bonni
Nov 16, 2016
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, (Hong Gil Dong played by Lee Je Hoon) and the movie are definitely worth a watch! For me, it reminded me strangely of a beautiful version of Batman. Hong Gil Dong's mysterious past unfolds as the story goes on to a soundtrack that will keep you on the edge of your toes. If you like any action kmovie then this is definitely worth a watch.
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Completed
The K2
15 people found this review helpful
by QAS
Nov 16, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
K2 is an ambitious independent drama. It started out with the introduction of a highly skilled mercenary ex-soldier, who looked like K-dramaworld's answer to Bond and Bourne. The drama then adapted the K-drama formula of melodrama, filler, flashback, love triangle and crying.

Story:
K2 is a mixed bag of espionage, political intrigue, romance, dysfunctional family and corruption in high circles.

Acting Cast 7,5
Chang Ji Wook and Song Yoon-A were exceptional in their roles.

Character assessment;
 K2 moved like lightning. He should be the executive trainer of NIS.
Choi Yoo Jin had excessive mood swings. She was bi-polar, psychotic, duplicitous, ruthless, manipulative, delusional. She should be the dictator of a country.
An Na;  bland! She should open a ramen shop.
Se Joon was a philanderer, dead beat father, sycophant. He should go on the talk show circuit.
Gwan Soo was the corrupt politician and K2's target. He should be attached to a bomb device.

Music: 7
The music kept the drama alive.

Rewatch value:  5
Some day!

Overall 6.5
The most annoying aspect of the production was the ridiculous abuse of Shaky Camera. The jerky movements caused the brain to readjust and lose concentration (especially when the international viewers were reading subtitles). This lowered the quality of the project, because it seemed as if amateurs were behind the camera, and in charge of the production.

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Completed
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
7 people found this review helpful
by Raio
Nov 16, 2016
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
[PORTUGUESE] Moon Lovers não é um drama qualquer, e talvez seja por isso que tenha chamado tanta atenção do público ocidental. Para mim, o que mais me atraiu no drama foi o casal principal, principalmente no que se refere à química entre os atores Lee Joon Gi e Lee Ji Eun (IU). Não existe uma palavra no meu vocabulário que possa resumir a atuação do Joon Gi como Wang So nesse drama, pois "maravilhoso" e "incrível" são adjetivos muito vagos no que se refere às expressões faciais desse homem. Ele conseguiu me ganhar já na primeira cena dele no cavalo, chegando em Songak durante o eclipse (aquela imagem é maravilhosa), e quanto mais conhecia o personagem e percebia o que estava por trás dele, mais me apaixonava. Alguns dizem que ele levou o drama nas costas, mas eu não acho isso. Ele como personagem principal tinha que se destacar mesmo, e isso ele fez com louvor.

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Completed
Healer
7 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2016
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This show has such a huge impact on my life oh my God!!! I'm not really into watching TV shows bc I find them a waste of time, yet after reading lots of reviews I made the decision to give this show a try. And believe me, it was one of the best decisions of my life. And I'm convinced after reading hundreds of reviews that HEALER IS THE BEST KOREAN SHOW EVER!! Infact this is the best show I've ever watched including the American shows and the animes I loved it that much. Everything about this show is perfect so I see no sense in cutting marks for anything, I watched the last 12 episodes in a row even when I had lots of things to do in real life, this is just how amazing and addictive this show is. Story is perfect, music is perfect and the cast!! Healer and the lead actress' chemistry is the best chemistry I've ever seen including the movies omfg do I really need to say more? This is a perfect Thriller drama with mind blowing romance, WATCH IT AND IF U THINK IT'S NOT WORTH WATCHING YOU'RE A FOOL.

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Completed
The Tiger
7 people found this review helpful
by bmore
Nov 15, 2016
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers
For me, it's important to understand going in to this movie that what you are watching is a fairy tale. Not a fairy tale like today's, where they all end up with "And They Lived Happily Ever After", but like the fairy tales of my youth which were, in actuality, quite violent and bloody and full of allegory and mysticism. So you need to suspend reality going into this movie. You might parallel it with movies like Crouching Tiger, etc since the atmosphere, the cinematography, the actions scenes are all combined to transport us into a world that is more mystical than realistic...though the actions scenes are quite realistic and far too intense for a younger audience.

It's a beautiful movie to look at. Not just the cinematography (the camera work is stunningly beautiful), but the period setting, the costumes, the characters, and, most of all, the locations (particularly Mt Jirisan) are just breathtakingly beautiful. The film truly transports you to another time and another place.

The story is allegorical in more than just a man against beast, beast against man way. The time period of the film is set during the Japanese occupation and during this time period the Japanese army was charged with searching out and destroying pockets of resistance groups hiding out on Mt. Jirisan. Also, the tiger is a symbolic animal for the Korean people reflecting their courage and resilience against their many years of adversity. A tiger that has overcome trials and tribulations and understands the world is known to turn white, becoming a white tiger. A symbol that becomes apparent at the end of the movie. So the Japanese soldiers who are hunting the tiger in this movie and the tiger's fight against them have this underlying symbolism to them.

I've read several reviews and commentaries on this movie. A lot of people felt like it was too long or got boring. I totally do not relate to that. But, I am a huge fan of these types of movies and love the mystical quality of them. The movie flew by for me. It may not be so for you. But I hope it will be!

Small SPOILER: The subs on Netflix are good, but not perfect. I don't know Korean, but I can tell if sentences are left out or when some phrases are changed or not translated. Of particular note, what Man Deok says has he leaves his burning house ca ji ca jah (spelling???) which is "Let's go together", I believe, not I'm going.

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Nov 15, 2016
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This drama is really good! I recommend this to those who liked light dramas with romance, comedy and high school theme. The story is cute but it's short! it should at least a bit longer but still it is worth to watch. This drama makes my heart at ease, there are times that you will hate some of the characters but you will love all of them at the end.
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Completed
Something about 1 Percent
96 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
Sometimes a simple love story is just entertaining and endearing to watch. Something about 1 percent doesnt have much that stood out from the rest. But its also the very same thing you can love about it. It reminds me of the first time i love korean dramas cliches and all. Although the first episode seems a bit too contrived i found it improves immensely the next few episodes. Jae In and Dada's relationship is sweet. Theres no immense personality transplant from Jae In but you see the effort he puts to keeping their dating relationship afloat despite his busy schedule, demands at work and his lack of care for people feelings. What is refreshing is most times they are honest with each other even though its a contractual relationship. Jae in from start wanted a no cheating no seeing other people. Dada was honest that she needs to keep herself in check from falling for him. Which we know its too late the ship has sailed. What makes this an enjoyable watch is how comfortable Jae in and Dada are with each other on the screen. Their dates, expression and kisses brings back the feels of first love. And dont you love a man who can keep calling to get tje answers even though hes too busy to sleep or eat. The gruff and sometimes grumpy man can be a stealer too. Just like how Dada's friend's word rings true sometimes all it takes is just 1positive thing that you love from that person - you can call it his charm- that you discover and fall for. And just the same ive discovered quite a few charming things of this drama which i love and fall for.


Just to the add. The leads remain true to themselves and just like their love it has always been honest and sincere. The heart to heart talk and mature discussion before the made up and even the proposal was so fitting. I love the balance of sweet romance and a couple who is honest and mature to face the reality and their background differences, together.

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