Reviews

OBSESSED!

My 1st ever c-drama was LBFAD and let me say i have definitely fell in love all over again, I love the fact they used Music from both recently aired Destined!!!! To me it just made it even better to watch,im more attached now!

beautiful scenes both heavenly realm and the mortal!!! Very well done making all of the geographic match the tribulation plot, and theme!
To me the acting was very well, 7 different characters! because i have seen worse!!!

I am patiently waiting, unfortunately its still airing at 7am, it s.b 6am since LYF S1 is done! Excited to see this new story, they actors started this tribulation with a body swap, and the roles so far are well executed

Read More

Not (an)other drama - but a masterpiece

This will be my first review, something I thought I will never do. But I am just so impressed that I need to share my experience of this show.

First of all this is the first drama recently that I was able to connect to - it is super relatable.

Characters are not some crazy chaebols or unique geniuses, but your next door neighbor type of people. With their highs and lows. People with struggles, but still pushing through life.

The show was EXTREMELY FUNNY, but not cringey like some sitcoms tend to be. It was romantic, but no one lost their identity or themselves due to it. It was thrilling and suspenseful, but it wasn’t dark or depressing. It was just a perfect amount of everything you need to stay focused and involved with the narrative.

It is an ode to women and mothers. How to respect and love yourself first as only then we can share it with others. By loving ourselves we will know our strengths that will help us push further in life.

Also it got me thinking about my mom so often and it made me so grateful! We should never forget who loves us the most. And it had an amazing message as it has pointed out that there are BOTH biological and chosen mothers. It is not only about the blood we share, but it is about the love we receive and give back. Just beautiful!

Show was progressive! It tackled some basic things we do or feel in our everyday lives, but TV makes it almost like a taboo. Single parents, s*x, hygienic “topics”, same sex relationships and free speech.

Please disregard people saying it was “too much”, as it wasn’t. They have never - ever crossed the line of good taste. It can be only too much for people who come from censored countries and social backgrounds.

All in all, it is one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive stories with well developed characters. It is a healing show as not even a single episode ends with a negative feeling or bad energy. So please give yourself a break during a weekend and take a look, it is well worth it!

Read More

A must rewatch drama!

The acting is top-notch mostly like they were born to play the characters. Actors deliver outstanding performances. Playing complex emotions while maintaining consistency of the character's primary trait is hard. But they do a brilliant job at that.
The plot is engaging as it becomes clear why every character is the way they are after some time. One of the few things that keeps you engaged to the drama is the complicated interaction between the characters. Each character has a side that they hide until the climax appears. The characters express powerful emotions in a mature manner. The drama has one of the best female characters that we can see in Chinese historical dramas. They are simply too good. They are willing to sacrifice their life for peace and justice of the people. Though the drama celebrates the heroine Anle, it also has short but sweet romance between the leads.
I have already rewatched the drama twice. Each time it seemed sweeter than before. The drama also has the sweetest special episodes. Don’t miss them under any circumstances.
A drama that makes you smile!?

Read More

A very watchable production in a difficult to get right genre.

What I like is that this show presents something different, it wasn’t perfect but it was refreshing. The weight is absolutely on the character interactions and with plenty of quirkiness below the surface there is no lack of material to work with.

It occupies the sort of territory that Summer Strike tried to do, but does it much more successfully. Sitting in the overlap of a Venn diagram that includes the genre sets: slice of life, romance, crime mystery, drama and comedy. The cost of inhabiting this territory is that nothing is really dominant and arresting for your attention and the overall effect is a kind of bumbling along warm and fuzzy.

It probably worked better as a webtoon, delivered in bite sized chunks, where the overall flow of the narrative was not so important. Although there was an ongoing plot, it didn’t quite have the punch that it could have had as the relationships took precedence. Neither did it venture into too much darkness, preferring half-lit shadows for its tone. It was slow to take off and the pacing in general is uneven. It sort of lurches along and when it does eventually bite, it’s more of a nip at the ankles than a chunk out of your leg.

The characters are what carry this piece and they have light and shade too, which is what makes them interesting and relatable. I can imagine that some people may find the character Park Jin Hong (older ML) a little creepy at first but he was played with sincerity by Ann Jae Wook. The mother, excellently played by Joon Hae Jin, is an imperfect character whom some viewers might take exception to. I warmed to her, even though I didn't necessarily like her. Her relationship with her daughter played by Choi Soo Young, was especially good, both in the writing and the acting. The rest of the support cast also played their roles convincingly.

The comedy is not overcooked and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to lighten the mood and carry you along. The romance is gentle and the melo was handled with sensitivity, especially at the end. The cinematography and OST follow suit being pleasing but nothing spectacular.

High five to the director for finding the right note and not overplaying his hand. This is the first time I have seen his work. The writer, Min Sun Ae, has no other credits listed on MDL. If this was a first outing for her then I think she did a very creditable job with dialogue if not the pacing.

Overall I liked this drama. It’s not a stand-out special but weighs in as a watchable drama in a blended genre that is difficult to get right.

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.



Read More

A love story with a twist

Wow, just wow! This movie has been on my list forever and I only got around to it today. Why did I wait so long?

I want to talk about the movie but I am afraid I am going to spoil too much. So I'm going to go just with a few remarks.

The plot: a love story between two piano prodigies Jay and Rain, in a special music class. But the girl misunderstands an event and disappears instead of talking. Then she goes on to confide in a teacher who spills the beans to her classmates who ostracize her afterwards. Good teaching? I don't think so! And of course, who does demolition work in the middle of the night? Still, it did wonders for suspense and the scene was well choreographed: a dance between a piano and a wrecking ball! Still the plot was tightly woven and there were no holes so well done writers!

The music: classical and original piano music, variations on classical themes. Those actors are real musicians and Jay Chou is fabulously talented pianist, composer and actor. Piano battle scene is legendary.

The poster is perfect: the shadow a colonnade in school makes looks like piano keys.

Cinematography is top notch: everything was filmed in warm tones of brown, almost sepia, and combined with the music, leaving you feeling like wrapped in a soft cozy cocoon.

Acting: excellent. They have decent chemistry.

In short, a beautiful movie.

Read More

It's a crime that the romance was so good but didn't have room to develop more

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. All characters were well written, developed, and well used for the storyline. That's my prime criterion for judging a slice of life like this one.

There were storylines I liked and ones I didn't, that's life, so I can't complain about not having the fairytale ending when the drama was filled with reality. You don't always get the courage to raise a kid as a high schooler and you don't always get to make that one last call before someone dies. You also don't get the magical everything is all better after a kiss either.

If you're into a Korean drama that's closer to a sitcom and has adult themes (no vulgar scenes; none that I can recall), you'll enjoy this one.

Park Sunghoon - I realized your value once again. I love him in simple roles like this one, looking forward to his next work.

Read More

Everything, everywhere and all at once

When I watched it I felt that it somehow separated into several storylines, but I couldn't get the point why they continue to exist in the overall story. Tbh the drama, despite the high rate and always being recommended seemed like a huge mess to me. I couldn't watch it as a pure comedy, not only because the slapstick and body humor of the drama were not funny to me, but also because of the thriller line that existed in the story, I don't mention the "family situation", which connected Min Hyuk and Bong Soon. Same as with other parts, I couldn't watch it as pure thriller, because slapstick was shoveled in.

Stalking of Min Hyuk and his need of a bodyguard was obvious, especially in the story it connected him and Bong Soon. Thriller played a role with Bong Soon's power. But what was the point of those gangsters? To laugh at their overacting? THAT made you laugh? Ok. Then I'm the part of viewers who don't get that type of humor.

The series started well. The adorable Park Bo Young is as cute as ever, with her being petite she is well-fitted for the cute contrast - someone small, but can kick ass, a true King Kong Barbie. This humorous part was fun to watch and my main motivation to finish the series. But I talk the contrast of her action moments. I think watching the two main leads was the best part of the drama and my favorite scene was when she princess hugged him :)
Park Hyung Sik (never watched anything with him before) surprised me a lot. Although his behavior was cheesy, but he was adorable when he acted cute. Like a little milk dog brother and his overpowering girlfriend. But to me they fitted well.
But couldn't care less about many other secondary characters and that's the gist of it. Many played okay.

STORY was kinda very contrasting in terms of jumping from something light and humorous to a bloody thriller. I don't say there should be no cross-genre, it just felt really extreme in contrast. But it's a bit obvious that it was created for a reason and purpose. After all Bong Soon is someone who is filled with justice and she gets involved in this case. After all we need some setting that will allow her to achieve her dream - live a "normal" life. But is that normal life actually what she wants.
ROMANCE. Not mad that Bong Soon doesn't start as a blank canvas, she has her unrequited love, but in comparison feels more open with a person who knows about her powers and also this someone rushes to protect her, despite her being that powerful. They have this openness about each other, but also reliance she never felt before.
OST. For some reason I wasn't the fan of music or sound effects of this show. Beats me, but it also influenced my dropping impression.
As for comic relief gangsters. These I could do without. They lowered the quality of this show a lot to me. Like why would you drag them, who cares about them? To get beaten again and again, what's so funny? When they switched to those guys I started to skip their parts in later episodes.

It has such high ratings and I understand that many found it worthy. Partially, it is fine to watch it. Honestly, I watched just for two Parks :) It's all personal opinion.

And desppite some criticism on my side, I'll be happy to watch the sequel.

Read More

I loved the second couple

Overall: I absolutely adored Ai Di and ended up enjoying their dynamic/story more. Aired 13 episodes about 25 minutes each on iQIYI, GagaOOLala (not in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, or SEA), Viki & WeTV. Later aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk2gvyPpHLRfpyBmdMhePR2ntRNk3GqGs&si=hjJj5M5ZwqmJN7Rm Watch the post credit scene in episode 13.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, blood, violence, past parental abuse, trauma, non con kiss, dub con sex*, blackmail, manhandling, held against will, 17 year old/22-25? year old** (also teacher/student), stalking, manipulation

What I Liked
- more unique premise
- clear timeline (first scene starts in the present then the rest is 4 years before)
- sweet/caring moments
- styling, especially Ai Di
- secondary couple's dynamic
- cameos of HIStory actors, Be Loved In House actors and Plus & Minus actors
- Bai Zong Yi's family, and liked how they knew about most things regarding his decision/actions
- intimacy/nsfw

Room For Improvement
- overall it felt rushed, this covered a long time span but didn't feel that long, they could have removed some parts like the cliche wannabe girlfriend and spent that time explaining things more/showing time passing
- the ending felt especially rushed with cliche plot points tossed in and one plot point left open ended
- comedy sound effects in the beginning didn't fit with the very serious scenes/tone
- villain should have been smoking a cigarette not sucking on a lollipop (it's explained in episode 9 which was too late for me)
- evil wannabe girlfriend cliche
- I got pretty lost with the the gang plot stuff but I also fast forwarded a bit
- not a fan of manipulation/stupid "plan" between romantic partners
- *with the main couple, one was super drunk/on sleeping pills but it was the fictional scenario where he was an active participant and then seemed sober
- **I really wanted them to have aged up Bai Zong Yi but it actually was important to the plot that he was 17 and I do think 17 year olds can be mature enough to enter into relationships with those over the age of 18 so in this instance it didn't bother me and I didn't take off points, though they could have removed the teacher/student element

Read More

My introduction to actor Hou Minghao

I feel a little biased here for liking this drama so much. This drama was my first time seeing Hou Minghao and I fell for his visual the second I saw him and hence why I feel a little biased for liking this so much. I also watched this drama right after Beauty Resilience in which I dropped so I have low expectation from the get go (I don’t want to disappoint myself). However, the first episode got me hooked. The characters are loveable and it’s actually funny. The comedy works for me. The start of the drama was strong with a plot that was easy to grasp. I’ve watched tons of xianxia and the plot for this one was easy to grasp.
Story wise- I’ve seen a lot of disappointment on the plot where Tianyao stabbed Yanhui witho it warning. And I have to say, I love that plot. it created a great build up for their romance and when it was finally resolved, their bond become stronger than ever. However, towards the end where they are working together to end the villain, it did feel a little anticlimactic for. The ending too is a little too short for my liking. However, looking back at the journey I had with this drama, I still consider this to be one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched.
Acting and casting wise- I only know Zhou Ye from Words of Honour and honestly, I didn’t like her character in there so I didn’t think I’d like her so much more in here. While for Hou Minghao, this is my first drama of him and since this, I’ve become a fan. I’ve watched five of Hao dramas until this point of time and I could see his growth as an actor. And I hope to see him more in costumed drama especially xianxia because he’s gorgeous.
Music wise- this drama has songs that fits the tone of the drama and match the era. I feel like xianxia needs ost that fits the theme of the drama and this drama delivers that. The opening song is strong willed while the ending ost is so sad. Not to mention Hou Minghao singing the ost and despite it being used in a more romantic scenes, the song still remains sad in my head.
Overall- This drama managed to combine great comedy with the cutest love story with tons of angst. I laughed a lot but I also cried with the characters. This drama is one of the best xianxia that came out this year.

Read More

I should have read the previous reviews and spoilers

Plain and simple, I should have read them.
They killed him off, for what reason? That poor man had enough tragedy in his life, to only then become more of a tragedy? I just can't, and despite the fact that both actors in those main roles were phenomonal, my heart broke. I knew at the end of episode 9 what likely happened, but still thought maybe episode 10 would prove me wrong.
This just broke my heart and I know I won't ever watch it again, and actually I'm not sure I would trust any of the other HIStory stories after this. I really need an HEA, an HFN, that is what I come here for.

Read More

WELL THIS WAS CHILLING

Spoilers ahead !!!
I just finished watching it and omg wowwww
What a literal rollocoaster of emotions.
The movie starts off pretty chill and then gets more and more intense.
Nothing felt rushed. I think the movie was well paced.
The story does a good job showing how even an innocent looking boy could be a serial killer which no one could ever know from a norm perspective.
The fact that now in modern days we as people really live on our phones 24/7 and save all our private information that can actually be hacked with software. This does happen alot irl. Honestly watching the show gave me the chills throughout. It was so creepy how nami was being stalked especially thru her phone cameras etc. Ot makes me feel weirs using my phone right now after watching the show ? I will never install any sus apps after this.
The acting of nami was a 10/10. You could really feel her emotions especially at the ending with her dad.
The plot twist was crazy, I was a lol confused but after reading some explanations now I really understand the who the stalker really is
Some parts are a bit plain like the role of the detectives but ig this movie was soley based on the predator and preys pov.
Nevertheless it was a good watch.

Read More

How this has more than 7 is beyond me

I am not sure how this drama has over 7.0 and that would be a very generous rating. I had high hopes for this drama as people around me praised how good it was and the production value seemed high, so I decided to give it a chance.

At the start the drama had potential. The relationship between the male lead and his sister, and the mystery around his traceless mother. The female leads friends even had their own conflicts and I found that they were more interesting than the actual leads. The friends carried the entire comedy angle. The romance is mundane and nothing new. There are so many overused scenes like the male catching the falling female lead kind of bs. There's a lot of unnecessary and long awkward kissing scenes that could have been removed. I find that the male lead is often stupid and simply simping over the female, completely disregarding his goals to chase her around. The female lead doesn't seem all that special or unique either and I am unsure of her appeal.

The only interesting bits of the drama were rushed and haphazardly written in. The sibling rivarly was barely touched and basically unresolved. The missing mother was dangled like a carrot on a stick and then the male lead suddenly says he is no longer interested in pursuing her. The heck? Those who watched knows what happens after. There are so many reasons that this drama is mediocre at best.

Read More