Reviews

Vigilante story done right

It's been a short while since I finished the show so I wanted to share my thoughts.

The story:
This show truly delivers in what it promises; a vigilante story. It's well-executed from start to finish with great acting from all cast members. The story grabs you in and you don't realise how much until the credits rolls. The ending was exactly what I hoped for. One man can't alone change the system, but he can create a spark that could burn it down. And there'll always be someone who'll try to fight against corruption and evil-minded humans.

The OSTs:
There has rarely been a show where I've been obsessed with the sound design as I've been with this show. From the song choices to the score choices, it just fit perfectly and elevated the show to a next level. As I'm writing this review, no OSTs or scorealbum have been released. It's a shame because this show's sound was phenomenal.

So I'm excited to see if this one gets a second season, but the first one is plenty enjoyable alone.

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Please give us Season 2, in 2024

I did a second rewatch of this show & I have a better clarity on my thoughts on this show.

Mew - Mew is easily my favorite character, even though they try to make him the "token virgin" he's much more educated and smart than you would think, starting, when you think he's going to be on this journey of losing his virginity but instead, he's smart and calculated, he doesn't stoop to anyone's level to get even but he lets them know he means business.

Ray - Ray is just your typical sad boy, who is a mess because his mom passed, his dad wasn't the warmest to him and he's in a one-sided love with his best friend. Ray only likes Mew more than a friend because Mew shows kindness to Ray in a way no one else has till Sand but Ray is afraid that if he doesn't act upon his likeness towards Mew, he might lose him. He doesn't understand that Mew will be his friend regardless. With Sand, his falling in love with him but it scares him because he doesn't want to ruin anything so he ends up self-sabotaging himself by pushing Sand away but then bringing him back because he loves him. It's not said in the show but I can see Ray as Polysexual because he said he could love more than one person at once. It was kind of sad seeing Ray not stopping him when Mew wanted to try all these bad things because again Ray was afraid Mew would get mad and leave him.

Ray & Mew - If this was a different universe & series, I could see Ray & Mew as a couple in multiple shows because they do have good chemistry together and their club scene after Top was honestly hot.

Sand - Sand is just trying to survive and make money for himself to reach his dreams but got sucked in back Ray & is falling in love and it's scaring him because he knows how Ray is. I do like how he's smart and doesn't fall directly into Ray, he thinks things through but he can't get past Ray's puppy eyes.

Ton - Boston is your typical "I get what I want" person and he doesn't feel any sympathy for anyone else feelings, like what he did to Mew, Ray had to say "Aren't you going to say sorry" and he just said "sorry" because he felt he had to, but he never said he was completely sorry for what he did to Mew. However, when Mew threatened him with the clip, he knew that Mew held power and could ruin him at any second. He also didn't understand that Top didn't want him anymore so he should've just moved on, More or less did with Nick but he knew Nick was Falling for him and he kind of used it, he would say sweet things to Nick so he would stay and sleep with him, and he sleeps with Cheum'a brother knowing that people he sleeps with falls in love with him and he just can't see that he has that power.

Top - Top is just top, he fell in love with Mew right from the start but instead of just saying goodbye to Boston, he kept letting him get closer, he knew that Boston didn't want them together but Top believed what he said about Ray & Mew instead of just asking him. He also couldn't leave Mew alone to let him get over what Top did or just try to have a normal conversation, he kept following him and being there when Ray was there knowing that Ray hated him.

Cheum - This poor girl was just trying to live happily with her girlfriend, but instead she got roped in the middle of all her friend's drama and problems, how she didn't just say "screw" all of you and left is crazy to me

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A charming romantic comedy, but which will not go down in history.

A cute comedy, where a CEO does not recognize faces (oh, the overused plot !!! ), following an assault (from business & family competitors), except that of his secretary. The FL, on occasion, also poses as an eccentric heiress, who refuses to date with the ML, Veronica Park,. This results in a lot of misunderstandings! With the help of his secretary, the ML will search for the culprits, fall in love (love triangle) and accept his disability.

PROS:
+ Very classic storyline, but well done and excellent actors (Kim Young Kwan, particulary).
+ Lots of humor, notably thanks to an excellent and colorful Veronica Park.
+ Production without downtime.
+ OST in the cute genre, but not memorable.

CONS:
- the trio of secretaries is ridiculous.
- the secret organization of secretaries is not credible. The storyline should have found something else to explain the successive twists...
- the character of the blind brother, very dependent and even comical, does not honor disabled people. It's ableist !

=> a charming romantic comedy, but which will not go down in history.
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Une comédie mignonne, où 1 CEO ne reconnait pas les visages,sauf celui de sa secrétaire, à la suite d'1 agression (business & family competitors). La FL se fait aussi, à l'occasion, passer pour une héritière excentrique, Véronica Park, qui refuse un date avec le ML. En découlent bcp de malentendus ! Avec l'aide de sa secrétaire, le ML va rechercher les coupables, tomber amoureux (love triangle) et accepter de son handicap.

PROS:
+ Storyline très classique, mais bien faite et excellents acteurs (Kim Young Kwan, particulary).
+ Bcp d'humour, notamment grâce à une Veronica Park excellente et haute en couleurs.
+ Réalisation sans temps mort.
+ OST dans le genre mignon, mais pas mémorables.

CONS:
- le trio de secrétaires est ridicule.
- l'organisation des secrétaires n'est pas crédible. La storyline aurait du trouver autre chose pour expliquer les twists successifs...
- le personnage du frère aveugle, très dépendant voire comique, ne fait pas honneur aux personnes handicapées.

=> une charmante comédie romantique, mais qui ne restera pas dans les annales.

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Feels faked. Like writer&director looked up kinks on Wikipedia & actors are poorly playing pretend.

Dropped after Ep7. I can't force myself to keep watching, not even for the sake of keeping my review current. General spoilers only.

Not mentally or emotionally engaging or satisfying as either porn-with-plot OR porn-without-plot. It's mostly quick cuts to and away from 10-60 sec vignettes of "action" with not much to string them together. Akin to scrolling through porn search results; it's mini previews of scenes I might be interested in watching more of without actually getting to see them. Many of the snippets are at the point of highest shock value and then they are over or the story jumps away. There's rarely any build of anticipation or sexual tension and the BDSM scenes get more campy as the series goes on, especially when gear is involved.

The story also has a tendency to cut away right after the pinnacle of non-sexual, emotional confrontations, which comes across as lazy writing not putting in the effort to comple scenes. It's also frusterating because it keeps the audience at a distance from character's experiences leaving huge gaps between scenes/events, which makes it hard to connect with and invest in the characters emotionally.

I was looking forward to a grittier BL story with intrigue that explored sex and kinks more freely but this is so far disappointing. The characters are written 2-dimensionally (simple & shallow) and acted flatly, and the sex/kinks often feel forced/fake. Like the series is trying to sell a showy shell of a vaneer without a fundamental understanding of the dynamics that would drive the more extreme types of desires and scenes in real life. Like BOTH the writer and director looked up kinks on Wikipedia and the actors are poorly playing dress-up; interactions are poorly faked simulations that no one seems to enjoy convincingly.

I can't believe it's the Only Friends screenwriter (which had it's weaknesses but was overall enjoyably chaotic while the characters were understandable and many were easy to empathize with and root for). The quality of storytelling in this is so disjointed and weak. There are too many characters that don't get introduced or followed properly and the mess of thin plotlines are shallow and often confusing.

I continued to watch in the hopes that it would get better, since I thought the screenwriter was capable of it. Ep 4 actually made me laugh out loud twice at how bad it was with poor and overly dramatic writing, acting, and music.

Ep 7/14 update: This episode showed a couple improvements after the holiday hiatus but it had a different feel to it, which I think would be even more noticeable if someone was binge-watching. It was weird how 'in love' many of the characters became suddenly.

There was still confusion about what exactly was going on in some scenes, the way multiple relationships are progressing don't quite make sense, multiple character choices are illogical, and Zouey still feels like a different character than how he was presented at the start of the series. He seems to have somehow moved past the physical/sexual/psychological eccentricities that originally made him so different and interesting.

What I thought was improved: Power dynamics were the focus in the various types of relationships. The themes of the episode and their execution were more clear. There was a better rhythm to scenes because the editing didn't interrupt and bounce back and forth in the middle of scenes as much. The editing between scenes was less choppy, the interactions between characters were more focused, and the music was well suited to each scene. This allowed some tension to build over the course of the episode leading to a more intense cliffhanger.

I watched the Uncut version on GagaOOlala in the USA.

General Spoilers for Ep 1-3 below.

There's some tension/anticipation built with Zouey and Teena but then Ep3 breaks it. Zouey uncharacteristically feels "in the mood" (to go all the way no less) and they start a slow exploration then SNAP, the camera briefly switches to the middle of a sex scene with a different pair! and SNAP, we're back to Zouey and Teena and they are about to try 'the main event'. And it quickly doesn't go well.

Wait. First, you deliberately don't show us the interesting part of seducing a body with pleasure (especially Zouey because we're not even clear in what way he does/doesn't experience pleasure or arousal) then second, tell us a sex worker doesn't know how to adequately prepare someone for bottoming?!?!? Really?

How in the world did they even get that far- what was Zouey's reaction to anything leading up to that point? That's what made that scene/relationship interesting and they didn't bother to write it in. *Facepalm. And where was the Japanese overvoice that was present before? (And why weren't subtitles included for that by the way?) It feels like Zouey and Teena were written out of character just so their plotline dilemma could line up with one of Zouey's friends for this episode.

I somewhat appreciated that safe words were a topic in Ep 3, but it was very rudimentary in its explanations and kind of put blame on Zouey for not remembering to use a safe word instead of "wait/no" for his first time. The discussion by the group of friends compells me to add:
FYI you can incorporate "What's your color?" or "Say your color" to check in with your partner using the traffic light system (green = go, yellow = slow down or reduce, red = stop). Prompting a response in this way is especially helpful when trying something new or with those that have a hard time thinking and/or verbalizing while exploring (like those in subspace).

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I loved the friendship between the women.

I don’t know why I kept avoiding this drama because I was immediately hooked because of the three strong female leads. I loved how their friendship stayed at the forefront throughout the drama. Even the moms were strong and they had strong family support.

I also liked how the men in their lives let them be who they were and respected their friendship.

I’m not sure how to say this but even though one of their friends dies, it was still a feel good story.

I was glad that the bad parents didn’t get in the way of their relationships.

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Felt more like a setup for season 3 rather than continuation of season 1

Second season is totally different from the first one. First season focused on surviving in a closed space while fighting off the monsters. Second one mostly takes place outside, in an open space and the main focus is placed on human s greediness and fighthing among themselves. People that will go into watching this season expecting something similar to season 1 might be dissapointed.

Story
First 3 episodes pretty much felt like a good continuation from where the story was left hanging at the end of season 1. It seemed like you know where the story is headed, but then episode 4 happens and there is a big shift in how the story unfolds from this moment. First we have a time skip, which is one of the main points I disliked - we do not even know how much time has passed, main character dissapeared for almost half of the series (and then he comes back again in this horrendous wig ... . Additionally the whole story SLOWS DOWN. Too much time wasted on dialogues between side characters that you could not care less as a viewer. Season 2 generally feels like a setting for Season 3, but it could be done better.

Characters
I dislike what was done with the survivors from Green House. Most of them was killed just to make some screen time for other (mostly bland and uninteresting) new characters. This season introduced WAY TOO MANY side characters and gave too much screen time to them. I could not care less about them. Most supporting characters that we cared for from season 1 are dead. Park Chan Young is the only good character introduced in this season.

Acting
Acting was great but I still find season 1 superior even in this aspect. Not much more to say.

Would I watch it again? Probably not, mostly because of pacing. I still enjoyed it, it was just not what I was expecting. Hoping Season 3 will be what Season 2 was supposed to be.

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Throwback to the 90s, where forced happy endings didn't come to save the day

TL;DR at the end with no spoilers.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for happy endings, just like you. This one's not happy, but it's arguably one of the best assets of this show. Hear me out.

I think When We Were Young has a rather weak start and markedly improves as the episodes go by. The main reason for that is the ML, of whom in all honesty I wasn't really a fan early on. He's this Gary Stu that can do anything better than anyone: the first time he enters the classroom they have him run his hand through his hair in slow-mo like the world revolves around him, he tops the school rankings for his year, is kind of a science genius, can play basketball, can kick everyone's ass in a fight, can repair his own house, and can even sing and read sheet music—though, to be fair, this last point is revealed much later on. On top of that, he enters the FL's life at full throttle without regard for personal boundaries, as if he had read the script and already knew he'd get the girl in the end. I realize this tries to appeal to a certain audience, but still.

In the same vein, for the first few episodes the show wasn't really able to get me to suspend my disbelief. For instance, in Ep. 2 the ML carries two iron pipes in his backpack; we're later told that he's building a handrail for his grandma at home, but he gratuitously brings those iron pipes to school and the teachers don't ever acknowledge that—you know, normal student behavior. Later in the episode, the FL is jealous of the ML because he was named the new class representative and sets up a fight between him and some random dudes to teach him a lesson; she's lucky that the whole thing is handwaved with comedy, because it could have gone ridiculously wrong. Again, no one ever acknowledges it. The show has some more moments where the gravity of a situation is clumsily written off via comedy, but these two stood out the most for me as my suspension of disbelief was at its lowest. All that might be perfect for a show like Nichijou, but not if you want your story to be taken seriously.

Fortunately, it gets better. By that point I'd rolled my eyes a few times and was ready for another disappointment, but I don't regret seeing it through. As the story progresses, the relationships between the ML and his new friends settle in and develop, and his personal circumstances start to seep through and give nuance to his initial Gary Stu-like characterization: it turns out he's poor and his only relative—his grandma—is visibly declining due to Alzheimer's, and the plot doesn't give him a cheap way out. I'll admit that one of my worst fears is developing any kind of dementia one day, and that I'm biased by that, but I think the struggles he goes through help make the character believable in the end. Also, kudos to him for not turning into a jealous, passive-aggressive bundle of insecurities whenever the FL doesn't look his way, which was driving me nuts in the previous two dramas I watched.

The FL and his childhood friend, who are the other two thirds of the love triangle, also get their fair share of character growth. I don't have any significant issues with them aside from how the improvement of the FL's academic performance (a key point of her character) was shown on screen; I felt the plot couldn't decide whether she was hopeless or not and that made her eventual success seem a little bit ass-pulled. Excluding that, I liked their evolution beyond the initial archetypes of "stupid but athletic girl" and "unexpressive boy who bottles it all up".

The way the remaining two main characters (it's a group of five friends) are fleshed out is not at the same level, though. The new-rich kid uses his dad's money to help his friends and is kind of a comedic relief, but the show also wants us to take his family hardships seriously while at the same time refusing to elaborate; he feels neglected by his parents but, apart from a couple arguments with his father, a random scene where his mother briefly comes back from overseas when he gets injured at school, and another one where his mother leaves them for good, we don't get much insight on how it all came to be that way in the first place. There are also a few scenes with him and the head teacher that hint at potentially some kind of positive dynamic between them, but that path was discarded too. All in all, he feels like a Doraemon of sorts whose job is to produce unlikely plot devices to serve other characters' own development. As for the girl with overbearing parents, I really thought she would get a nice arc where she made her parents see her as an independent person, maybe by doing things her own way and succeeding, but that's far from what happens. She eventually locks herself in her room for days and then proceeds to fail the university entrance exam, after which her helicopter mother does an absolute 180° and comforts her at the gates and takes off again mere minutes later. And, just like that, her lifelong family problems are officially fixed. I mean, failing the exam due to not studying enough is a fair outcome—even if she was under unreasonable pressure—but the attitude change of her mother comes out of fucking nowhere. For the most part these two characters are fine, though, it's just that for me they lack depth for all the screen time they get.

Anyway, this is getting long, so I'll wrap up with the original point I raised: the ending. By the end, all the main characters must make difficult decisions due to either their own actions or their circumstances. It would've been tempting to force the stars to align for a cheap happy ending, but luckily it didn't go down that path. Now, it's not spectacularly sad nor ground-breaking, but it does a good job of tying together everything the show had been building up emotionally. It doesn't come up with last-minute time skips that throw away an entire season's worth of storytelling, or force incompatible people together because the script said so. Here, the main cast part ways with each other and they know it's the best (or only) option they have, and make peace with things they can't escape. Regardless of whether you like how they got to that point, at least it follows through with the consequences. This alone is more refreshing than I'd like to admit.

TL;DR:

Gary Stu ML transfers into the FL's school and makes friends with the rest of the cast while steamrolling everyone with his talents. As the story progresses, the character gets more nuanced and the show improves as a result, which is relevant if you're less than impressed at the beginning. Three of the five mains have the most focus and development, but I expected more for the other two, which is a bit of a shame. Their interactions are fun and interesting to watch, although some situations they're put in felt a bit unlikely to happen. The ending is bittersweet but coherent in that making it happy would detract from it, and I like that for a change.

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レビュー

ストーリーは良いですが、時々非常に遅く感じられ、ストーリーは複雑です。私もキャストは良くないと思います。主人公はロマンスドラマや悲しいドラマに最適です。完璧なドラマ、完璧なキャスティング、完璧な演技、完璧な表現、完璧なストーリー、完璧な演出、完璧な音楽、素晴らしい一連の出来事、あらゆる点で最高のシリーズの一つに分類される素晴らしいシリーズディズニーによる2023年の。これは、プロモーション、予算をかけて待つ価値のあるシリーズです。

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cute

WOO! i loved this drama!!! i really enjoyed the romance of yanhui and tianyao! the drama was also liek super funny throughout (minus the emo end) and i LOVE! plus the “she falls first but he falls harder and now they are soulmates and would die for each other” SO YUM!! i hate how at the end they couldn’t be together tho. i wish they spent more time together. plus like how did she revive… like i need more backstory… they dragged out the dark lord and the evil witch girl TOO LONG. i want my hui hui and yaoyao scenes😭😭😭😭my fav part def has to be when bai ???? was match making them and they had to act all lovey. so cute hehehehe. or when the two of them went into the screen thing to master the ghostly wuology. CUTE! but so many deaths. and i want more with them interaction. BAD KISSES BRO! like 3 maybe but nothing good 😴 ok pretty good tho! a better cdrama!! I LOVE YANHUI!! her character and character development! girl boss. AND HER ACTRESS IS SO PRETTY!! basically the reason i started watching this.

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This drama talk about good & bad thing being a Mukbang in YouTube, or I think can also be applied to all kind of celebrities & influencer.

Being someone behind the camera you always have to prepare urself for the critics or people just plainly jealous or hate you, more over the unrealistic standard of the industry. If your mental can't take the pressure, you gonna put all the pressure to urself. Just like what our FL facing in this drama.

This short drama startnwith our FL already begin the early symptoms of PTSD, her body rejected food. And our ML as the chef who really hate see people wasting food or being fake. Like he think about our FL. This is the journey of how An Sul Ha & Joo A Ran getting to know each other more...

Overall this one quite good short drama to watch...

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So great and entertaining! Knew since last year that Ui Myeong was actually Sang Won

Sweet Home season 2 is an electrifying rollercoaster that doesn't just meet expectations but exceeds them in every aspect. This gripping series not only continues its heart-pounding narrative but elevates it to new heights. The character development is profound, diving deeper into their complexities while maintaining the perfect balance of action and emotion.

The storytelling remains top-notch, seamlessly weaving together multiple storylines that keep you on the edge of your seat. The visual effects are nothing short of spectacular, bringing the monstrous creatures to life in a way that's both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

What truly sets this season apart is its ability to explore profound themes amid the chaos, delving into the human condition, relationships, and the resilience of the human spirit. The performances are stellar, each actor bringing an undeniable authenticity to their roles, making you empathize with their struggles and triumphs.

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Two Maddies Catch Some Baddies And Pi$$ Off The Condo ☑ Association Too! °7.7° °VG°

He's a cop with anger management issues. She's a fearful, paranoid mess.

They run into each other on the street. She feels threatened and pepper sprays him, so you could say they didn't hit it off. Next they see each other at the therapist's office. Apparently they've been complaining to the same therapist about each other. And next they see that they live next to eachother. WHOOPS!

From that point on, it's the mayhem one could anticipate from two unhinged (but good, underneath it all) persons who each try to bend the other to their will, and in doing so, give no space for peace. They drive each other truly crazy.

Before the end, they'll get the gangsters and drug dealers involved, another neighbor will help Nah Hwi-oh dress up as a woman so he can go undercover while on suspension, thus, the cops jump in for a round along with the convenience store clerk, a deliveryman, parents, the condo association, and the neighborhood watch. High drama it ain't. It's meant to be fun and to make us smile. It is. It does.

They include a K-drama trope in the last couple scenes that usually is awful, and it is the same here: MSS, or mandatory separation syndrome. MSS involves couples, who once they get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period. In MFE it is brief, we can let it go with a warning.

MFE is 13 half-hour episodes, so it is less than half the usual length of other Kdramas. So get the popcorn, sit back, watch, and grin.

Directing 8
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 5
Warmth 6
Action 6
Thought provocation 5

Age 13+

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What if Humans are Virus and Monsters are the treatment? Damn, it made a huge impression on me ?

Season 2 took a different approach than Season 1, and while some folks might not think it did justice, I see it as a season where we saw how people live in constant fear, with the real monsters being human. It's like a build-up for Season 3.

Despite Song Kang's absence in several episodes, I didn't mind it, as it allowed a connection buildup with other characters.The director gave us what we were waiting for from S1 ( I shouted around 5 am when i saw that scene).

Eunyoo's character glow up will standout to everyone I can bet on that, that girl became such a bada**, and I'm all for it.

Season 2 left me craving for those unforgettable OST moments that Season 1 nailed. Like that heart-wrenching scene when the character who believed in God died in the elevator—the OST there made me feel every character's emotion. So yeah, Season 2 missed the OST magic. If those tunes were there, it would've been a solid 10/10 without a doubt! ✨

Season 3 is coming in summer 2024, but the wait is tough, like 8-9 months.

Overall, Season 2 left lingering questions, creating anticipation for answers in the upcoming season. Recommend to watch it with an open mind for a fulfilling viewing experience.

Psst, just a heads-up, you'll be admiring a lot of characters' physical assets, and hey, no complaints here! It's all in good fun.

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Light-hearted with a good dose of doki doki

It's your typical best friends to lovers story which begins as a one-sided crush. The story development is predictable but the screen writing didn't make it boring. Expect the usual miscommunication and missed opportunities, and characters plagued with doubt and self-worth, as well as the "love guru" friend who helps to finally move things along.

And also expect plenty of doki doki. Some scenes (e.g. the bridge scene) were shot beautifully, lighting (japanese film makers never cease to amaze me with their ability to capture natural light in all its glory), music, shots/angle, coloring. Comfortable pacing and had a nice build up of tension to create those moments that gave me butterflies in my stomach.

Overall a feel-good, light-hearted series that doesn't overdo the angst. Actors were suitably casted but a little wet behind the ears and some scenes were delivered awkwardly. A good "filler" BL series to turn to when there's a dearth of good dramas.

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