Completed
Marry My Dead Body
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 4.5

lovely

I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I lovedloved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it it
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Completed
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
4 people found this review helpful
by Anarya
Aug 13, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

An Unforgettable Jianghu Bromance

Mysterious Lotus Casebook came after a very long wait - and a long C-Drama drought. I can say - it was definitely worth the wait and is the best Wuxia drama this year after Blood of Youth (in my opinion).

The story is as much about friendships as it is about uncovering mysteries and conspiracies of the past. Li Lianhua becomes a “miracle doctor” after helping bring two “dead” people back to life. He meets Fang Doubing, an up and coming martial arts hero who is fiercely protective of his “shifu” Li Xiangyi (who is presumed dead after certain events that transpired a decade ago). Unbeknownst to Fang Doubing, Li Lianhua is none other than Li Xiangyi, but instead of wanting to go back to the martial arts world, Li Xiangyi is perfectly content living his life as Li Lianhua. After solving certain cases in jianghu, Li Lianhua bumps into his old nemesis, Di Feisheng. What follows is a gripping tale of friendship, bromance, betrayal and letting go.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook for the most part is pretty outstanding. It has all the elements that make it one of the standout shows of this year. In no particular order, these are my thoughts about the show:

THE BEST BITS:

MAIN CASTING: Our three leads - played by Cheng Yi, Zeng Shun Xi and Xiao Shun Yao are PERFECT for their roles. They have incredible chemistry with each other and are magnetic whenever they are on screen. Without this trio, I don’t think this show would have been as good. Cheng Yi exudes a wonderful and contemplative maturity as Li Lianhua - he is both world-wise and world-weary. Whenever he lies through his teeth, he leaves us laughing, but when he expresses the pain of betrayal, it is heartbreaking to watch. He plays 20-year-old Li Xiangyi and 30-year-old Li Lianhua very differently. On the other side of this is Zeng Shun Xi, who plays Fang Doubing as a young and naive puppy. He’s very adorable and needs a lot of guidance from his one true friend (Li Lianhua). ZSX does a great job here too and the age difference between him and the other two is very obvious. Xiao Shun Yao’s portrayal of Di Feisheng is so magnetic. He exudes a maturity and yet an intimidating aura suitable for his character. Some of the best moments of the show come from the interactions between these three characters.

THE FIGHTS: The fighting sequences were very well done and interesting to watch. I wish there were even more of them, but I am happy with what we got.

THE WRITING: Linking the plot to conspiracies and mysteries that needed to be solved was an interesting way of unravelling the story. I love how the characters - particularly our main characters - were written. They had such snarky ways of talking to each other and it was a real treat to watch.

PUPPY: Fox Spirit needs a place on this list. At least he was a regular on the show and wasn’t forgotten ?.


THINGS THAT WERE LESS IDEAL:

Although I liked most of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, it misses out on a full rating for a few reasons.

THE VILLAINS: The villains, although not bad by any means, felt too on-the-nose. The maniacal laughing could have been toned down and perhaps they could have been given some more back story so that we understand their motivations a bit better. In addition to our main antagonists, Zijin was really the most annoying character on the show. He would show up at the worst moments and try to force LLH to jump or fight to the death. He was so one-note that it was annoying.

UNDERUSED/MISCAST ACTORS: The supporting cast is largely good, but some actors seem quite underused, and others miscast. From one of the main supporting actors, I thought Chen Duling (Wanmian) wasn’t exactly the best choice. She somehow seems to be crying ALL the time. She didn’t look like she was a martial artist either, but a rather weepy woman. Unfortunately, this is similar to the way she portrayed her character in Till the End of the Moon. Huang You Ming (Zijin) was also very miscast. He is a good actor, but he had extremely little to do here.

MISUSED MUSIC: Whereas the show has a good and extensive instrumental OST, it is often misused and inappropriately used. It often detracted from what could have been an impactful scene.


OTHER THOUGHTS:

The Sigu Sect sucked! But maybe that was the whole point of showing how these so-called virtuous martial arts sects are actually hypocritical. They were quick to believe all the defamatory things said about Li Xiangyi and somehow were quick to believe that he had suppressed the Bicha Poison. They really did not care about him at all.

THE ENDING: I felt that the ending was rather tragic and sadly Li Lianhua ended up being a rather tragic character. We do know this is how he is - that he accepted that death was coming to him. He did not want to be a part of the pugilistic world but wanted to be free from those burdens. When he left his Lotus House and Fox Spirit and snuck away without saying goodbye to FDB, this was expected. But I wish he had stayed and allowed himself to be taken care of by his best friend. I wish he had given DFS a chance to fight him. After surviving for 10 years to look for his martial brother, only to find that his martial brother was the reason for his miserable existence, he would have felt that his life was a lie. Cheng Yi seems to love playing such tragic characters. Li Lianhua probably hated who he had been as a youth and did not think he deserved to be doted upon or that he deserved to stay alive. Like FDB kept telling LLH - “you don’t care about your health at all”, and that is so true. I just wish we had gotten a closed ending instead of an open one. I usually like sad endings, but I would have liked a happy one for this, where LLH would have survived and roamed Jianghu with his besties. Is that too much to ask.

All in all, I love this show and will really miss all the bromance. Definitely worth the wait and worth a watch!

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Completed
An Ancient Love Song
1 people found this review helpful
by Shiro
Aug 13, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.5

An Ancient something

Time can be confusing indeed, and this is a story about questioning what you read in history books as well as accepting the things you can not change or something like that as we meet a man who is supposed to be smart but is oddly stupid for a smart guy and a really cool female lead who is awesome in every single way in this time twist Moon Lovers light meets One and Only light, very light and with a twist... offering us a really cool female lead a bunch of questions some cringe and slow mo dialog and pretty scenery here and there.

To be honest I kind of lost interest after a while but kept at it for the female lead and lack of things to make me drop it. So it is an ok watch, not very good, not very bad it just is...

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Dropped 13/16
Crash Course in Romance
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
13 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 3.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Boring and a waste of time

The storyline was really boring, predictable and contained too many unnecessary scenes. The actress playing the FL was a bad choice. The Fl was obnoxious. The leads had no chemistry. The only thing i liked about the show was the scenes showing how bad the education system is and it's effects on the students mental health, as well as the scenes showing how obsessed parents get when it comes to their children's education. I also really liked the students scenes they were much more fun than the leads scenes. The show wasn't funny at all, i don't get why it's labeled as a rom com. Overall I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone

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Completed
When I Fly Towards You
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

my favourite ever

OH MY HEART????????? I LOVE THEM SO MUCH❤️ I COULD REWATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN? THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS I HAVE EVER WATCHED AND WILL ALWAYS BE IT. I CANT GET OVER IT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH??

if you are looking into watching it, you should definitely do it, right now, no hesitation. i was a little late to watching it as i was in the middle of other dramas.

i regret not watching it earlier, but at the same time i don’t, because if i watched it while it was being released i don’t know what i’d do during the weeks that i’d have to wait for a new episode, so i’m kind of glad to have started later than everyone else and was able to watch it all in one go. it would have been a lot of very long weeks

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Completed
King the Land
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Amazing chemistry

Rich boy falls for poor girl - a story we've all seen a hundred times. But so lovingly executed. I binged this in one weekend. The chemistry between Yoona and Junho is amazing and the side-plots are really good, too. Pure feel-good rom-com, with laugh-out-loud moments and some tearjerker scenes in the finale. Only the product placements were a bit much and the OST could have been more epic. But those are both just how post 2020-dramas are, I guess.

(Also, Junho is just too darn beautiful, I was mesmerized the whole time)
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Completed
Extremely Perilous Love
11 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

How Many Times Can You Stab the Hero and Not Kill Him?

Light watching when you need something in-between serious titles. The ML's character got stabbed by the FL's character so many times it became tedious. Her quest for revenge became tedious. One minute she would realize the truth of the situation, and then in the next breath go right back to her revenge quest. Not too smart, that one. And then there was the 'twin' fake-face twist that was just unnecessary after a while.

I like this ML and he was just playing the part he was given. I hope to see him in better and more worthy productions in the future.

It was very uncomfortable watching the torture scenes - stabbing and more stabbing. I think the writer and the director must have some kind of fetish.

Again, not to be taken too seriously - this one really is just for weekend watching of filling time.

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Completed
Revenant
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

Humans are worse than ghosts, the moral of this drama

Revenant, starring Kim Tae-ri who is known for her acclaimed projects The Handmaiden, Mr. Sunshine, Twenty-Five Twenty-One and more, is a supernatural horror drama that questions wishes that comes with sacrifice.

Revenant’s supernatural chase has a beginning and hopefully an ending (that doesn’t end with many more deaths). The evil spirit that goes on possessing the characters is an outcome of inhumane cruelty and greed of the society which has to reap the seed it has sown. It is not just a tale about a supernatural mystery chase but a tale about regressive traditions, of unravelling the darkness that lies in being human, of denying the right to live.

Overall, the show is fast paced with thrilling and simultaneously terrifying scenes. The mystery lies in identifying the spirit while the spirit is aware of every step that one takes. And the stakes are high, especially when the professionals have been killed in the process. Needless to mention, the cast is doing a fantastic job especially Kim Tae-ri who changes into a different person in every episode.

My Rating : 9/10

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Completed
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

Best drama I’ve seen in a while

Fast-paced plot and wonderful characters keep you hooked from the very first moment and unable to stop watching all the way to the end. The relationships between the main leads were amazing and the actors really brought their characters to life, along with good character development that can be seen as the show goes on. The drama combines humour and heart-felt relationships with action-packed mysteries that connect to solve a greater truth from the past, while also exploring personal growth and teaching valuable lessons about forgiveness, letting go and valuing the present. 一念心清净,莲花处处开。

I also must add that the fighting scenes were so well done and top notch. This drama is a gem and does the Wuxia genre proud. A definite must-watch for everyone!

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Completed
Fireworks of My Heart
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Enduring Love Wins - And a Smoking-Hot Hero Helps!

Right off the bat, I chose this drama for Yang Yang. Despite some of the nasty remarks and reviews I read; I think he did a very good job with this character. The hesitation to trust, holding himself back, his sincerity. I loved Song Yan more than any other character. Yes, the camera has a love affair with Yang Yang, but he is talented in his own right - and we are the recipients of his good looks and his talents.

The ensemble was great. There was such chemistry between the firefighters - there was such chemistry between the family members - even the dysfunctional ones. Xu Qin's parents and her brother gave compelling performances. I don't think there was one character who wasn't convincing, and I loved the side couples a lot too.

The story itself was ok - the writers and the director scored pretty much on their telling of the bravery and commitment of these first responders and gave them all very human sides. Even the bystanders and general public were both as heroic and sometimes as disgusting as people can be in real life. I think there could have been a tad less action and more interaction between the individuals to develop their connections - but I appreciated the moments of sentiment and emotion. The most touching part for me was Dapeng's parents reading his letter. There was not a dry eye in the house (or mine either) - the raw emotion of every firefighter in that room was real and raw.

Wang Chu Ran scored as Xu Qin. Her character, in my opinion, was the most flawed of all. She managed to bring all of that dysfunction and insecurity to life. Xu Qin was an indulged, insecure, protected woman who understandably was so impacted by her upbringing and her own personality. She finally managed to stand on her own two feet and appreciate the love she had in Song Yan. It sure took her long enough! Best scene for me? When Zhai Miao dropped the bomb on what Xu Qin's mother had done to ruin Song Yan's career efforts and reality bit. Hard!

Some reviews said there wasn't any chemistry between the ML & FL. I don't agree. Although Xu Qin's feelings for Song Yan were a little conditional at first, Song Yan's love for Xu Qin was always obvious in his touch, tenderness and the way he looked at her. As their relationship grew and Xu Qin began to realize the true wealth of his love, her own feelings blossomed. It was an understated but intense love portrayed so well by these two actors. (On a purely superficial note, I do hope they are a couple in real life).

I didn't need a wedding to wrap the ending up - but we didn't need a crisis either. It would have been more satisfying to spend the time to wrap up the side-couples' stories a little better.

Rewatch? I'd gladly sit through 40 episodes again for Yang Yang.

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Completed
Durian's Affair
0 people found this review helpful
by CLN 20
Aug 13, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Recommend drama anti mainstream story drama atmosphere however best makjang with relax situation

You can try to watch 1/2 episode if u enjoyed u can stay if not u can walk away but this drama makjang will not make u into high blood pressure like penthouse this drama makjang u can enjoyed in every situation u want to be like.. still chill situation character the dialogue too made up well like they’ll give u more make sense dialogue plot not like graceful famil(sorry??) however
‘This is fun drama makjang but need more episodes or next season to explain the ending of the main lead woman’
And Next My review for team production this drama and it contains the ending of this drama
SPOILER ALERT
Don’t know is there season 2 or not but i just patient cause the ending wasn’t satisfied for me ? and i will make conclusion of this drama that “Karma is real” it’s happen in future, that’s theme of this drama lol,

how waste it is...
the story was made so good but how could they make ending like no climax when u just got a hot night fantastic enjoyed the drama and the ending u got nothing for the main lead cast called durian... where she is??
Atleast give audiences a few minutes to explain what happen to durian? Whichas as main cast lead ! This might be advice to team production of this drama to make season 2 for the more clearer of this drama called durian affairs!

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Completed
Durian's Affair
37 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

RomCom, crime, historical drama, fantasy & Makjang make the dough for something standalone new

"Durian's Affair" is set among the wealthy - ´here´ (2023) and likewise ´there´ (long gone Joseon days). The time may have changed for Du Ri-an and her daughter-in-law, but the place has not. They are instantly catapulted from their Joseon days to recent today. Some of the wealthy family, who own the property today, have apparently reincarnated again in this family. They are especially well known to Du Ri-an. Now those involuntary time travelling ladies have to deal with the culture shock and the traumatic leap in time that actually seems as incredible as a dream, whereas in their own days they were actually in the midst of grieving over the loss of their beloved son/husband...

This bizarre, four-dimensional dramaturgical setting is providing a load of finely knitted entanglements and arising questions, yet unanswered. What had really happened back then? What's going on today in this family? Why the time jump? So what's next for the two Joseon-day ladies? How is everyone going to deal with this weird practical (and for some even emotional confusing) situation?

This production is full of zeitgeist of the 2020s, in which Anglicisms and Banmal (informal speech) are a matter of course, while in mass consciousness the curtain between different times and spaces has become extremely permeable. Yet, the icing on the cake: relationship dynamics in the fourth dimension. The people of that long gone time are not those of today. And yet... There are notions of their life back then, even if they cannot consciously remember it, as well as the option of making new decisions in their life today. Broken hearts, cupid's arrow, greed and passion, as well as a sense of responsibility or noblesse oblige... it's all mixed up through the perspective of the time-travelling ladies of days gone by. Situation comedy breaks through encrusted structures. The strangely insane is tossing and turning the minds of reincarnates and time travellers alike. Likewise, the strangely familiar is, too.

"Durian's Affair" is one of those KDramas that wants to break with established genres. The South Korean, but also the international market is currently being flooded with excessive KDrama productions. Thus there is increasingly space opening up for experiments... and that's what “Durian´s Affair” is, too. This KDrama is no RomCom, no crime thriller, no historical drama, no fantasy and also no classical Makjang. However, elements of each are richly included. Together they create something independently new. Anyone who is open to such an experiment should sit back, relax, shake off the usual expectations and get involved with the KDrama. It's entertaining. With some open questions that keep the suspension throughout all 16 episodes. There are also love interests. (Yes, plural.) All multi-layeredly entangled across time and space. Additionally, “Durian´s Affair” is even exuding a pleasant scent of humanness.

Be prepared for deliberate Sostenuto! The pacing is characteristic, since the production sticks consistently with the two outdated ladies from Joseon days. And in my opinion, those ladies are the ones who make the show as remarkable as it is. Regarding Du Ri-an and her daughter-in-law, all characters in the show as well as the audience alike can work themselves off. Nice!








----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIDENOTE: --- A reckoning with the lost virtues of a conservative South Korean society ---


“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucius

In my opinion, "Durian's Affair" is kind of a reckoning with pseudo-virtues of a conservative South Korean society. Du Ri-an and her daughter-in-law are catapulted into Seoul 2023 and show the elite clan around the Dan family what true Confucian virtue actually means. At the same time, they are caricatures as those virtues come along as an almost unattainable ideal. The two ladies from back then embody i.e. propriety, righteousness, integrity, benevolence, wisdom and trustworthiness in such an uncompromisingly consistent way that one cannot help but be amazed. Confucian virtues are inextricably linked to patriarchy. But the lesson in this idealistic self-image of a dignified, respectful life is given to us by two women! Adaptably creative, intuitive, respectful and well grounded. Timelessly human, righteous, wise and trustworthy.

Du Ri-an and her daughter-in-law embody the Confucian virtues, but more than that, they have transcended them without realizing it and found an answer for what these (and every other virtue, too,) are actually intended for: A source of self-confidence as a human being and dignity, from which a person can draw strength and grounding - even in the most adverse situations! In general, this as a prerequisite for any human, compassionate, authentic encounters. Those virtues had to be (necessarily, involuntarily) adapted by those ladies into a completely foreign century. (And they prove themselves again and again in every one of the three different households of the Dan family.) So it is actually about the core essence of any virtue: providing a human being with dignity and inner values as a compass – reaching out with the power of respect and thus transcending boundaries of specified classes, too.

The two time travelers come across as idealized caricatures of the bygone Joseon period, that is generally considered virtuous. As foreign ladies in Seoul 2023, they embody rather unreal, almost exaggerated ideals of virtues that are still upheld and (as it turns out) actually largely lost. And yet, the two ladies prove it: true, authentic dignity can grow from the upright embodiment of these virtues. This dignity matches its dramaturgical equivalent in the overall deliberate Sostenuto pacing of the K-drama.

The timelessness of the old values stands in apparent contrast to the growing western internationalized coolness and the elitist arrogant version of the new nobility, which however seems to have lost any grounding unless it is for money. It is rather obvious: a bit more humanness, morality, integrity, wisdom and trustworthiness would be nice here and there. What is offered above all is a shiny facade cushioned by the bank account. More or less covered underneath you find any human topic irrespective of class or wealth: longing to be loved, self-doubt, jealousy, gender issues, fear of aging, love in old age, temptation...

In "Durian's Affair" the head of the family clan may be a (actually surprisingly liberal) woman. Homosexual love can become a topic here, too. And then there are a few more time-sensitive issues in play. Yet, authenticity and sincerity are primarily triggered by the two noble, upstanding Joseon ladies... They may remind one or the other just by their attitude towards life, that human dignity is deeply rooted inside - even though one may have lost or forgotten about it along the way.

Don’t get me wrong. I'm not standing here for Confucian virtues. And neither does the KDrama. But it holds a nicely presented mirror to South Korean society, which to this day may hide behind the 'old, time-honoured' values. For better or for worse. If so, then it might be crucial to fill these virtues with life. Message: The present is far from that. Fascination? Yes. Attraction? Perhaps. But embodied? No. Two ladies from the past must be landing in 2023. (And actually they had to carry their baggage at home back then - a baggage whose weight was characterized by a questionable virtue (also) of the people of that distant time.)

“Durian´s Affair” rejects any kind of idealization. How nice, indeed! Yet it upholds authenticity (as a new and needed virtue?), basic for any respectful human-to-human encounter. As a value! As the true virtue! And with that - against this background - "Durian's Affair" becomes quite a progressive KDrama production. What a delightful surprise!





PS:
And then, the ending. It is open for all you can imagine. Any direction. You choose, where to go next. Drama just like the human condition (la condition humaine.) Like the wheel of existence, fueled by Karma! It goes on and on... A never ending story of birth and rebirth...

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Completed
Vincenzo
0 people found this review helpful
by Kk2
Aug 13, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Plot did not follow through.

I am upset with this drama because to start out I really liked it. great acting an exciting plot, however the writers did not follow through. The beginning shows Vencenzo learning to form real relashinships for the first time, this makes him begin to feel guilty for the thing he has done in the past, because of this he makes I promise to our FL not to kill anyone, later he brakes that promise and she is perfectly ok with it? the writers had us expecting all this character growth and big explosions and we got none of it not to mention the messy plot point with the money.

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Ongoing 8/8
Laws of Attraction
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

in love with this

I love this show so much ik there's still so many episodes left but I would rewatch a lot for the people who haven't started it yet do it now I kinda feel like I'm being overdramatic but it's already so good there voices they picked the roles for this show perfectly they fit the characters the plot is good I'm just overall so happy with the show already would watch a thousand times and there chemistry don't get me started it's just beautiful the grandma is funny tho loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee thisssss showwwwe
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Completed
Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?
0 people found this review helpful
by Giuca
Aug 13, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Catch as catch can!


Somewhere between a manga and reality, that's where the story can be found! Looking at the poster, I kind of expected a comedy. Not the case!

A couple of mangakas, who have been married for quite some time are quietly going through a crisis. Toshio is suffering from writer's block and currently is only half heartedly helping his wife Sawako ink her mangas and frolicking with the editor in his spare time, he apparently has a lot of. The marriage is on the rocks and they are barely speaking to each other. When Sawako receives a call about her mother being injured, they both go to the country to help her out. Sawako needs to start a new manga. When her editor refuses her fantasy themed idea and demands a reality based one, Sawako decides to take inspiration from her own life and write a manga about adultery. At the same time she starts taking driving lessons and apparently falls for her instructor. She draws everything and when her husband discovers the drawings he is lost, feeling hurt but knowing he has no right to say anything.

The movie is on the slow, dreamy side, going from reality to manga to reality, so much so we, the audience, just as much as Toshio reading the new manga drawings daily, are lost not knowing what is real. When confronted, Toshio refuses to admit to adultery and therefor Sawako insists upon her own adulterous relationship through the manga. And while he is loosing his wits, trying to figure everything out and most of all how not to lose his wife, she disappears.

The revenge for adultery through a manga is an original plot device and it is keeping us in suspense to the very last minute and the surprising ending. Unfortunately the film is very slow, and I found my attention wondering., The characters are well played and we can see their development. Sawako is surprisingly strong behind her calm and quiet demeanor, while Toshio is a talented artist but ruined by weak character, immaturity and a low esteem. The question asked is whether she will forgive him or not when he eventually comes clean! That's for me to know and for you to find out!

There are three other characters: the editor Toshio is having an affair with who is outspoken and perspicacious. Sawako's mother, quietly observing the goings on without making judgements and supporting her daughter. And the driving instructor. He is a good looking younger man and we are made to doubt if they are really having an affair or not until the end.

I was surprised to find no deeper criticism of adultery: it is just a fact of life, there and it is what the people make of it. There is no general rule. What is important, though, is honesty. Do not lie and bury yourself deeper! is the lesson that comes out of the movie. They did not insist on respecting the society rules, staying together for the sake of marriage vows or what the "people" would think. The most important is your own happiness. And Sawako found it in the end!

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