Reviews

Totally thrilling ride ..worth watching

First things first, I didn’t understood the backlash the show received. I even read articles to understand the backlash but still came to the conclusion that the hatred this show received is bit too much. Although I am angry at the writer for other things like dragging the hostage situation and making the show just about it.

It’s the first episode that captures my interest in a show and snowdrop grabbed my interest fully with the beginning episodes. I loved the first 3 episodes, the 80s vibe, the first encounter of the main leads, the way jisoo’s character hid soo-ho in the dorm (ah women in love are something else), the open house event, and the bicycle scene ❤️It was all magical.

But it went down for me with the hostage situation. Especially when I realised in the 6th episode that this situation will probably last till the end of the show. I found it similar to money hiest with the hostage situation so thought to skip the show. But then I continued watching it for soo ho and was surprised to discover how every episode peels a new layer of the story and characters. It was thrilling to watch because there are soo many twists and turns within that dorm hostage situation that kept me hooked. I am not the one to watch a show if i have to forcefully drag myself to finish it but this show really kept me hooked until the last episode.

As it was jisoo’s first role as main lead, she did an okay job not very good but okay job . She overall not bad.

Lim Sooho has my heart, portrayal of his emotions in the hostage situation, his action scenes ,those cold expressions literally everything about him was superb. Loved his character.

I wish the writer had not prolonged the hostage situation that much and added few episodes before the hostage situation about love story between main leads.it could’ve been better. I feel bad as the main lead couple hardly had any memories outside the dorm.

Read More

Had too many loop hole

Storyline

The storyline had me hocked and when I saw the cast was like it's going to be one for the books

Well that did not happen. The moive was to short to begin with it had me guessing why she had to take the revenge for the best friend and why the best friend lived the life she did. Not to to forget the ML had to many missing parts from his character.

Character
The character had no life to them it felt like they where one dimensional

Acting
The acting was really good it did not feel forced and the fight scenes where really good so that was 100/ 10

Music
Hated the otp it did not go with the moive

Rewatch value
I would not recommend anyone who has.never watched a k moive. Would never watch it again .

Read More

Weaknesses Kept Pulling Me Out Of Immersion.

Slow yet mentally intriguing. I really wanted to like this but the frusterating and unbelievable aspects kept accumulating and pulling me out of being immersed in the story. Mentally I was really intrigued by the premise and curious about what would happen so I kept watching. At 7 episodes in, however, it was not really engaging my emotions.

Update: I completed the series on 11/19/23 and episodes 8-11 were the best to me. The story was more focused and things did start to get emotional, mainly due to Bright's acting as Yai. There's also a little less stupidity by characters overall. I did love the change in family dynamics with the mother, that was one thing that was written well. The intimate scenes were full of love and emotions and beautifully shot. I appreciated that the eroticism of undressing each other was frequently included.

Ep 12 was rushed, choppy, not explained well, and thus not very satisfying. The set up for a second season was interesting though and I will probably give it a try out of curiosity if it gets made.

The director and screenwriters have worked together before and their weaknesses are consistent throughout their work. This series is their strongest work to date though. Maybe it helped that they had a whole book as source material to work from.

There's a lot of telling vs showing. It's like we get the highlights but the stuff in-between is skipped over so sense of time is really muddled (and not in an intentional way). Characters will say things like 'we've been together a while now' or ''you've been avoiding me for a while' or 'since this time' and we see the most recent example of being avoided but not the multiple times leading up to the current conversation. Because of this, the emotions of the characters feel rather shallow and mercurial because we don't get to experience the building of their emotions in-step with them.

We see Yai's process of falling for Jom over multiple episodes, but not the other way around. Yes, Jom has to go through some things/emotions before he can fall for someone new, but Yai is obviously drawn to Jom like a magnet and that doesn't feel reciprocated.

At the same time, the way the story is directed and shot is super slow. I would have dropped this series if I didn't have the ability to watch at 1.5 to 2 x the speed. And even then I still skipped through some bits. So the script could have fit in more examples of the main characters interacting and growing their connection with each other.

There's also a huge lack of self-preservation instincts in an era that was even less accepting of queer relationships, which is unbelievable enough to pull me out of the fantasy they are spinning. Especially since they are depicting social sentiments in a serious manner and in-line with an older era. So to have a 20 year old young master (Yai), with a very strict and traditional father, and frequently in the spotlight, who is not at all paranoid about showing affection out in the open or in broad daylight (but will jump apart and act nervous when caught), is ridiculous to me.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

Example, in a later episode Yai's dad confronts him about his relationship with Jom and tells him his man has been watching them. Yai is alarmed and nervous and says "we never do anything explicit in public". Yet, even knowing the above, the very next day he has his arms half around Jom & is holding his hands out in the porch on the river in broad daylight when, gasp, someone "unexpectedly" comes upon them. JUST like someone did before at that exact spot. It's so reckless it's just dumb and obviously contrived by the writers. It makes the characters seem way less believable AND of low IQ to boot! *Facepalm.

Other things that keep pulling me out of the story:
Jom is acted pretty woodenly and he comes across as a simpleton the way he's written, directed, and acted (seriously, the amount of times he's asked a question and takes 10 to 40 seconds to answer while there's not much going on in his face or behind his eyes is frustrating).

Yai is supposed to be 20 but isn't written or acted like he's that young until a much later episode when young naivete and determination bubble up.

Robert is reportedly able to be charming because he's won over Yai's father, but all we and everyone else sees is a very obviously bad man, which makes that important plot point unbelievable. (And it's a missed opportunity to make in interesting two-faced, charismatic but dangerous antagonist.)

Read More

A very entertaining drama !

I watched it and binged it . Han Ji Min is a favourite actress of mine and she did not disappoint . She was so funny , convincing , entertaining , full of life opposite the detective from Seoul who thought that everyone in the town was either queer or a pervert and who looked down on everyone including his new team mates ( beautifully played by Lee Min Ki) . Hilarious moments , dark moments , mysterious moments , and chilling moments when the murders begin to occur , suspense . . Then it is all systems go for the team to investigate what is happening in this peaceful corner of their town . Until almost the very end after the police suspect was killed , I wondered who on earth was this evasive murderer . It is all beautifully revealed and the future looks bright for both our main characters . Delightful .

Read More

Rowoon's acting was just joss ?

I completed this drama just in 3 days... It's reels make me crazy watching it... but I waited for the last episode... For me It's quite boring to wait so long for each episode.... And after all my crazyness gone after watching it fully....I'm so happy... some people found this boring... but for me it's an exciting one....Both the male lead (Rowoon) and female lead (Jo Bo-Ah) did grate...Their chemistry was so so so good... Why Rowoon is so cute..♥️. Actually both of them are cute.. But I liked Rowoon's acting skills most... Almost in every scene I thought that how that can be an act when it seems so real...
Some more things I must say... The second main lead was great also ... It was also funny and pretty watching Mr. Gong and Ms. Ma's chemistry... And Shin-yoo's father and mother... Those characters were also amazing.. And about the story... I liked it... I Love it... ???

Read More

yeah no...

I feel like I'm missing something since all the reviews are positive...

Segasaki was very toxic, it weirded me out tbh. I'm usually not sensitive to some toxicness in dramas since it's just a drama but this was too much for me. He was highkey stalkerish and abusive. Like that ain't cute at all to me, idk. I was waiting for his character development but it never happened, he actually got worse.

Yoh was fine but he really made me frustrated when he just let him be like that to him.

The couple wasn't even cute. They NEVER talked. I'm not even exaggerating, where's the communication? 2 grown adults living in the same house should be able to communicate. I don't even get why they like each other when they just misunderstand each other and never talk it out. I felt like I watched 8 eps of two guys making out with each other all the time. What was even the point of this drama? Nothing improved, no character development at all, what was the point?

The actors were good tho :)

Read More

Criminally underrated

This drama is in all honesty criminally underrated! The chemistry of the leads is amazing, the acting overall more than just great and I absolutely loved the slow scenes which brought out all the emotions perfectly! I cannot understand how this drama is not better rated!
I love the character development of the FL though she nearly breaks with all the pressure that she is put under. Her mother, who is never satisfied, her workplace where SA is a daily common happening and let‘s not forget the general expectations people have towards women her age. She is an amazingly strong character who learns to stand up for herself and fight for her own life.
Seo Jun Hui though younger than her shows his matureness in guiding her through quite some of this process and does it beautifully. He is not to blame that even for him the pressure has become too much towards the end. It was wonderful to see how he gave in to his heart in the end.
The OST is the only issue here… the three songs were beautiful but clearly overused and not always fitting the scenes. I think it would have been better using a wider selection and I wouldn‘t mind if the songs were in Korean instead of English… but that is really the only issue I have with this drama.
I will definitely rewatch it, for all the beautifully shot emotional scenes, the chemistry of the leads (their intimite scenes left me speechless) and the story of a struggeling woman who starts to stand up for herself and fights for her rights as a human being who is capable of making her own decisions instead of listening to her mother, her boyfriend or society.

Read More

Good if you don’t have expectations

This is an above average jdrama that goes well enough to be enjoyable as a daily / preferably weekly once watch. It doesn’t push boundaries or have extraordinary stuff……... But it’s enjoyable and not too much over the top.

It’s about a small restaurant and each episode generally focuses on one of the employees.

Cast acting and music is the most admirable. Light and short watch.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Read More

Betterr than what I expected, worse than what it could be.

Frankly this drama could have been better if it wasn't for the unnecessarily things that happened in the middle of the drama and some plot holes. I think the author could have explained better. Also, sometimes less is more. I feel like the author tried to put a lot of things and at the end of the day he didn't know what to do with it.

Saying that, I don't think the drama was bad. I had fun watching it and the couple was entertained enough to watch. Also, I did like some episodes and I was very interested in their backstory and such. It wasn't bad to the point of not sticking to it until the end. At least this drama is entertaining and not just a copy and paste from some American show or something pushy. It was okay.

The OSTs were okay to good. I think I would've liked them more if the drama played them more in a better way. Besides the one with Park Won and one from Lyn, I don't think the other catched my attention to the point of even commenting about it.

The actors were good as well, nothing to complain about it. Their characters were okay. Could they have been better? Oh yeah! Especially the FL. But as someone who is used to old FL style, this one didn't sound so bad. Again, it is a okay drama. Something you would watch because you have nothing else to. However, since almost the dramas nowadays are very bad. This one is quite fair.

I still reconmend it to the ones who have watched a lot and need some k-drama.

Read More

Give it a try

If you're hesitant to watch it, give it a try of 5 episodes then decide, because it's an amazing Drama and you'll regret not watching it before. If you feel the craziness of the characters well you'll laugh your heart out. I feel so satisfied after watching this for an unknown reason. The bromance, romance, comedy, tactics all are pretty good. It's worth your time with many morals in a simple method. Namgoong min is such a talented and versatile actor. My first intro to him was Doctor prisoner in a sophisticated role and after it Villian role in Remember & in this one being Crazy TQ Chief just blew my mind away. Junho did a great job of being a cute villian with screaming wherever and whenever, I've seen him many times but I've come to to acknowledge that his acting in this role is my favorite one out of all.

Read More

Gone with the wind

About half way through I realized this was a Korean version of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind". (American book and movie). I liked Gil Chae better than Scarlet O'Hara, but Rett Butler better than Jang Hyun. Eun Jin and Yeon Jun were exactly as incipit as Melanie and Ashley.
Even the title, "My Dearest" relates to Rett's famous last words. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give damn".
Very good show, but is this plagerism?
The ending was different. In the American version Scarlet marries Rett and has a child. They are happy until the child dies accidentlly. Will this be a second season?

Read More

How am I supposed to go on with my life now?

This series has been a huge surprise for me.
It started with a bang, keeping me glued to the screen and eager to watch the next episode every week.

The characters are interesting (maybe a tad bit toxic... yes, I'm talking about Segasaki), and even though it is not the most sexy BL I've ever watched (the manga is way hotter/explicit), it was still great to watch.
Both main characters are just handsome af. There's no other way to describe them, they are just aesthetically super pleasing in their own way.

If I have to find faults, I must say that the misunderstandings between the 2 are a bit odd at times, but still have sense, and after episode 6 the story took a slower pace. I expected much more from the last episode, but, again, I'm satisfied with it and I highly recommend the series. I wish there was a little more time to explore better their relationship, and maybe have more steamy scenes in some points (like the manga), but given they are also at their first experience with BL... they did great!
In the manga there was a lot more sex and smutty scenes, there were a lot more discussions and the development of their relationship was a bit more clear: This was absent in the drama.
Even though some things were "not said" but clear between the couple, communication between the 2 was not their forte, and I wished that the director took more time to develop their story and explain how they arrive at this point - I mean, it seems almost like nothing happened from the time at school and the present time.
Other than that, I enjoyed the show due to the mysterious aura of it all and the great visuals. (But after episode 6 I was a bit disappointed, cannot deny it).

I cannot emphasize it more, but I think the actor who plays Yoh (Mashiko Atsuki) is incredibly cute, and from some angles he resembles WayV's YangYang. While Higuchi Kouhei, with his super defined features, is like a statue.

Read More

His love for FL is amazing!

This drama is quite interesting, the villain is trying to break them both. ML will win her back because his love for her is overwhelming. The ML is a versatile actor. His voice movement gestures and facial expressions described his excellent expressive skills. both of them ML and FL are good pair the level of their acting skills are the same.
Both of them try their best to deliver their acting naturally. We have to consider that they never had any intimate connection with each other they have their BF and GF so delivering false intimate emotion is hard too. But they did a good job.

Read More

Ballerina; A Messy Pirouette Marked With Blood…

2023 has seen a great lineup of action thrillers, especially with strong heroines and Ballerina certainly tries to follow suit. However while did have some heavy action scenes and subjects, was it really a worthwhile watch?


Lee Chung Hyun directed and wrote the movie. Ok Ju ( Jeon Jong-seo) is a bodyguard who holds her own in fights. However, her life turns upside down when she discovers her friend and ballerina Min-hee (Park Yu-rim)’s fatal aftermath in the wake of being sexually assaulted by mid-level boss Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon).


Now seeking her revenge, she is put on a bloody path to enact vengeance on Choi Pro and his cronies by ending him once and for all.


It’s suffice to say Ballerina is very much what it says on the tin; a revenge movie where the heroine gets revenge by tracking down the big bad and leaving a wake of carnage in her way. The film is gory and filled with adrenaline, but that’s about it.

This isn’t necessarily bad. A lot of revenge and action films work on the premise of mindless violence to keep viewers engaged and it was evident to see the film’s influences from John Wick to Kill Bill. However, Ballerina never really gives us full scope that it tries to do with its characters and plot. It always tethers on potential development before tearing it away to focus on a fist fight and action scene.

The problem is that doesn’t really give the narrative or characters a lot of backbone. Even some of the most disturbing revenge Korean films over the past few decades such as Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Burning are able to balance out their narratives with adrenaline, and tension, but equally compelling storylines and choreography. In Oldboy, we see plot twist development shock us beyond belief, Lady Vengeance is filled with complex characterisation and compelling fight scenes, while Burning explores tension and thematic issues such as capitalism in its core narrative . The problem with Ballerina is that while it doesn’t have to be a complicated movie at heart like some of its predecessors , it struggles with simple basics such as characterisation and development.


Jeon Jong-seo is a good actress but her character Ok Ju is very paper-thin. The audience never have any opportunities to warm up to her. It seems quite ridiculous when we consider the fact that we’ve seen Jong-seo lose a close friend and numerous hardships, yet we never see this develop or understand how this is such a devastating impact for her character. We do see some flashbacks to understand their relationship but this felt a little convoluted than explained or poignant, lacking a lot of potentially sincere emotional development. Sure, she’s a certified pro- fighter and brutal, but that’s pretty much in the space of this movie’s duration, all we get from our heroine’s character.


It was Kim Ji hoon’s role as Choi Pro which did shine through here. His cartoonish heinousness did help during some of the more questionable pacing and writing issues, by at least giving some appeal for the audience to root for the heroine.


The pacing is pretty variable in parts. When the action comes into force, it’s quick and adrenaline rushes. Yet in its patchy narrative and writing moments drawn out for sobs or seeming development, the gaps in writing often make these scenes drag out longer than they should.


Naturally, action choreography and actions scenes are where Ballerina excels. Lee Chung-hyun’s direction is simultaneously ultraviolent yet sleek. Its mesmerising to watch with the pure adrenaline of movements and camera angles really bringing these scenes to life.



Ballerina is a fairly mindless action movie. While probably not one of the best films released this year or winning over fans of revenge action films and cult classics, it is adrenaline infused and brutal. The writing is patchy but it’s well-directed through its camera angles and the fight scenes are well-executed also. Overall probably decent enough to watch one time when bored or killing time and that’s about it.

Read More