Reviews

I am writing from Bucharest, Romania, a country which had its share of communist experience, hence my take on this movie is heavily influenced by it.
So, I believe this is another PCC request to which the movie industry had to abide, this time illustrating the PCC policy regarding the integration of the rural population into the cities, Shanghari to be exact.
As in other movies set in the present times that I watched with great pleasure, the writer and the director do a stellar job with getting past cernsorship ideas I could not believe were possible to air.
Yes, the main protagonists are two female characters: one is the Shanghai born, financially succesful bitch, while the other is her sister in law, the good girl from outside the city, who married into this Shanghai family which exploits her work with no sign of thanks or recognition.
However, as the story progresses, not so are the two female protagonists who, in spite of their trials and tribulations, prove in the end to stay as they were in the beginning.
The real gem is that this movie adds layers and layers of parallel stories, illustrating the same idea: that marriage, be it fake or for real, works as a main vehicle for assending to the coveted status of Shanghainite, with one of the parallel stories taking a more dramatic turn, very much like in John Braine's "Room at the Top".
The real bummer are the last 30 minutes or so in the last episode, when the writer and the director team rush towards an ending which is counter to the whole previous development. But I take it, if that is the price to pay to go past censorship the previous hundreds of minutes of sheer brutal realism.
The acting of the Chinese actors is so good, at no matter what size of the role, that it aches. One feels like wanting to die and be reincarnated into one of them.
Very good are the male actors Feng Shao Feng and Zhang Song Wen, who, in their supporting roles could have fallen off the horse, but managed not to. The first had a very challanging linear and somewhat clinically depressed character, while the other was in charge with providing the comic relief.
To both of them, cudos, for walking on such a narrow path and yet providing rounded and powerful characters.

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A cute slow-burn

IT'S IN THE NAME! The drama is called "Step by step" so of course it is a slow-burn! i don't see why people keep complaining about the story being too slow. I really liked the drama, especially the main couple (Jeng and Pat are my babies from here on out) did an amazing job and had really good chemistry, even the side characters did a really good job. Some story arcs did feel unnecessary and some were border line awful ( I'm looking at you, Jaab and jane) but all in all, it was a good watch.
If we go by the characters, then Jaab would be the one that really did NOT do it for me, and the actor couldn't deliver the bare minimum. The first two episodes with his scenes were still okay and cute, he could tell he is a spoiled yet nice person and know a little bit about him but the moment they introduced the cheating arc, it was a big no for me. Their entire story was just painfully boring and I could not care less. What infuriated me even more is how he handled everything in the later episodes, his character was honestly the worst and even the actor did not do a good enough job. Jane was just there, i could not care less.
Next, I liked Pat's friend group, especially Ae, she is the power mom of the group and the bestie we all need. Though i did not like her selling Pat's number to Put and a few more such things, in all, I liked their dynamic. (Though i don't see why that other friend needed to have feelings for Ae, CAN TWO PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT GENDERS {and are also straight} NOT BE BFFS? IS IT THAT HARD ? DOES ONE OF THEM NEED TO HAVE FEELING TO BE THERE FOR THEIR FRIEND IN TIMES OF NEED???? )
The story line between Pat and Put didn't bother me that much. I thought it was a good way to show that not all relationships work out, sometimes apologies just don't fix things and sometimes letting go is important too. Pat hurting over their eventual and final break-up was also a nice reflection of someone just mourning over the loss of a relationship. I felt it was nice and fresh to show such sides of the character like Pat who was very much impulsive with his emotions in the beginning. I did not find his crying for all that annoying at all.
Pat did have a lot of break-downs though, and while I am all for showing emotions and embracing them, I did feel that his young age compared to his peers made him look impulsive and a slave to his emotions. but they could have handled his emotional arc a bit better, maybe introducing an arc where he visits counselors and therapists and work out his inner thoughts. Just learning how to say no won't fix all his problems. but all in all, i really liked Pat's character and couldn't help see him as a baby i need to protect too! he is just too precious!
Jeng and his hot-self also wasn't perfect. He had his own set of flaws but at the end, i think all those made him seem more human. and his love for Pat is just perfect, i love for much he pays attention to Pat and i love how much he loves him. he made mistakes with Pat but it also seems like he learnt from them too and that's all that matter eventually.
Also the scene where Pat forgets his birthday and ends up having a breakdown in front of his parents was so perfect. I know how it feels to drown yourself in work so much that you forget about yourself completely. The guilt that passes eventually when you realize how much of life just passed us by while we were too busy to even notice really hits hard. I could also see how he felt awful for not remembering that his parents would visit when he already doesn't have both of them together anymore, being a child of divorce is hard and that scene really made me pause and think a lot.
Chot, our MVP, our diamond diva! she is the moment!! Chot is literally the best character! i loved his everything!!! I'm so happy that he is so happy with Krit and i hope they have a good relationship (i love how krit just showed his face like twice and then just disappeared but it makes sense, i wasn't interested in their arc at all and the bare minimum we got from Chot was enough to make him lovable ).
Overall its a good but slow drama, the pacing is an issue i admit and they didn't do a good job with the time lapses (I got confused many times). other than that, its good for a slow weekend. ManBen did a good job and i hope they do another project together soon!

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it's a crazy trash and cringe drama, but typical of every Korean production, exploiting actors for success.
Set during the righteous and perfect Qing rule over Korea.
The warning "this story is about fictitious events" always makes me cringe, as it seems like Joseon never existed. Nice respect for history...
Already in the first episode we find something Koreans are very good at, erasing history to make themselves great. The Emperor... historically inaccurate since he was a coward.
Cultural appropriation of Chinese sewing techniques, Chinese hanfu. Phrases said to mock China, its history, its culture and its multi-ethnicity, because Korea is poor.
The story is absolutely ridiculous, out of context and the romance context completely unrelated to the real story. A cast of actors who can't act, the two protagonists too detached and modern compared to the historical context. The story lacks a balance between romance and historical context .
The two protagonists are cringe from episode to episode. Th side characters are ridiculous and lacks depth.
Historical inaccuracies every now and then.
Bad direction and camera, without color balance that make the visuals squalid.
It totally falls after half and the ending is bad and casual

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The desire to be loved by everyone is an illusion

Why does Kim Mo Mi have to live a miserable life just because she was not born beautiful?
Do people choose their looks?
Since when did beauty have special standards to be loved by everyone? Should you bury dreams and talents just because you are not beautiful?
The series dealt with the issue of bullying and neglect of raising children and its consequences.
...the series was about telling their life stories in an amazing way
The only thing they didn't mention in the series was why they didn't mention the child's father and why Kim Momi didn't tell the old lady that her daughter 'was her granddaughter.

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one character amazing... the other not so much

I'm almost done, currently at episode 11 and I'll say... I hate kawi with. burning passion lol. As much as I wanted to enjoy this, I couldn't bring myself to do it... especially because the cool concept was just underutilised and overlooked for a whiny ass character. I've never written a review before but my hatred for Kawi mixed with the overwhelming positive reviews praising the couples 'communication' made me want to rip me hair out.

Ive never seen any of Krists past shows, so no, I didn't have a rosy, nostalgia filled lens while watching this show. All I saw was a 30 year old, talking in a baby voice, whining constantly and had an acting scope of a wooden plank. 90% of the time Kawi had one facial expression which was frustrated and annoyed... This made me dislike the dude because honestly I don't know how anyone can stand staring at such an annoying expression especially when u did nothing wrong to him. Call him to dance, he gets annoyed that u called him and then proceeds to do the whole, I'm not good enough, everyone hates me talk. Then when he had a chance to change things... what does he do? He continues to be annoyed and whine at everything. How did the god given green flag like pisaeng fall for this dude. WHAT DID HE FALL FOR?;!! WAS IT SOLELY BECAUSE HE LOOKED CUTE WHEN HE ATE?!!!!

A mess I tell you. I saw more emotional communication and understanding going on between Max and Pisaeng for god sake. Let me tell u, Kawi is still a shit friend to Max and he's still so bratty... The only thing helping him actively change his life and get better opportunities is Pisaeng. The writing makes Kawi look even bad. During the amusement park date where Kawi is worried about his first time, I thought they would use the rollercoaster as an allegory of trying new things and liking it which would then naturally lead to him trying his first time... Instead Kawi gets mad at Pisaeng for even mentioning riding the rollercoaster, gets mad when Pisaeng tried to drive with the hood down and then proceeds to act like he had a good time?!! no... u did not have a good time. You actively made things worst. It's like he isn't willing to do anything his partner wants to do, not even try... Everything has to go his way or it's not happening at all.. WHAT IS MY BABY PISAENG DOING WITH HIM... HE LOOKED SO SAD AFTER THAT STUPID DATE AND HE STILL THOUGHT HE WAS AT THE FAULT AND NOT KAWI. god... then nk explanation, next scene they're having sex. After making such a big deal out of it, that was just how they decided to approach this...

KAWI IS A WHINNY BRAT, AND A COMPLETE VICTIMISATION MINDSET... As someone who's had a friend like him, they're the worst to put up with. Always complaining if stuff doesn't go their way and if you try to do smt your way, you're attacking them... God this character is such an ass

Gawin as Pisaeng was very well done though. his acting improved a lot from not me and I'm proud it did... That's my positive from this show. Pear, Pisaeng and Max... They carried me through it with the plots about their parents, acceptance and more. I'll be finishing the last episode for them.

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Don’t waste your time on this!

I’ve had this drama on my watching list for a long time. So much so that I have finished many dramas while simultaneously watching this one. Many of these other dramas were airing at the time. If I can estimate how long it took me to finally complete this it was about two to three months. Fir me it was just okay until episode 15 from there on it was messy and nonsensical so for a lot of the time I would actually find myself skipping through the episodes. Hobestly I really wanted to give it a chance and not drop it which is why I kept it going until I finally finished it. I usually have at least something good to say about the dramas I watch even if they sucked, but this one was bad as a whole. The story was bad, the characters were difficult to get attached with. The music score was meh. And I could continue to go on and on about how bad everything was executed. So my recommendation to you who is considering watching this… Don’t bother. It’s not worth it. China has produced many awesome dramas but this is not one of them.

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We're IsoKuma

What is love? This is the main question that is unconsciously brought up in every episode. However, the screenwriter will not give a straight answer, that is for us to find out. The series shows the friendship between our two female leads whose chemistry was already palpable in 37.5°C no Namida ( a drama I highly recommend). The lives of these two women are again intertwined but this time, they get to build a strong bond experiencing diverse circumstances in their jobs and lives that lead to changes in their personal feelings, thoughts, and the way they live and how they see love. It is a story that not only involves friendship but also financial problems, romance, marriage, single life, and motherhood. Nevertheless, as it entails a variety of topics, they are moderately shown but that is not a negative point, on the contrary, the fact that the story revolves around many facets of life without being dragged on, is pretty much appreciated. In addition, I applaud the script for how they portrayed the friendship with the metaphor of IsoKuma, marvelous.
Despite the wonderful words I might articulate regarding the series, there are some things that I couldn't be fond of or rather feel warmly towards a particular character, I just didn't find a spark in the lead character's boyfriend nor chemistry with the others hence not a ten, unfortunately.
Overall, this might not be impressive at first sight but in my judgment, it is a simple but captivating story that I will not forget in a long time, Its two main characters will remain in my memory and heart. I hope we get to see those two working together again.

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Why I like Stay With Me

Stay with Me is my favorite drama among others. The story line is very interesting. Among actors, Wu Bi( Xu Bin) did very well. At BTS, he is a little bit shy but in actual drama, his acting skill is excellent. I like the way he acts, he look Su Yi and the way he cares and protect about Su Yi. It makes me one of the fan of WuBi. I am very fond of him since episode 6-7. I watched it several times. I hope forwards to seeing Season 2. Nothing bad happens to actors because of sensor ship policy of mainland China. I ‘ d like to advise all my friend to watch this series. It is worth to watch and the best Bl I’ve ever watched. Thanks.

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Two Men Fight For Custody of Their Dog

Internal dialogue before watching:

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Voice #1: Don't watch this, you know it'll just drive you crazy.

Voice #2: Look! Timmy Xu is in it! He's such a good actor!

Voice #1: But Gulnazar is going to be insufferable.

Voice #2: Zhao Shun Ran is in it too! Waaaatch it! Waaaatch it!

Internal dialogue whilst watching:

*******************************************

Voice # 1: Did she just..... did she just sniff the air like a dog? She just did it again! OMG, she is method-acting her entire role as a canine! The weird facial expressions, the hyper body language.... she's playing the FL as a literal dog!

Voice #1: Did Timmy Xu just.... spin in circles whilst bathing himself in baijiu for absolutely no reason? Yes, yes he did.

Voice #1: Each of my cats have a higher IQ than this FL.

Voice #2: Zhao Shun Ran is such a great actor. Behind his craft is a maturity of character and a sincerity that not a lot of actors have. He has a goodness to him that you can't teach an actor, and very few actors possess it.

Voice #1: These MLs are basically fighting over custody of their pet dog.

Voice #2: I've got nothing to add. Makes Huang Xiaoming seem like a genius actor. She's a piece of wood, but a good-looking yet goofy piece of wood.

The End.

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Through the roof kinda of Chemistry

23 july 2023

8.75 ✨
I loved todays episode a lot even though i didnt it finish it coz i am taking my time with it especially since tomorrow is sunday and there will be no new episode.

I cried a lot when xu qin said to yang that she will be alone if he dies as his family are nice and accommodating of her because of him.

I just love her. Jayo! Xu qin

Also song yan is setting standards soo high lol, he is soo nice to her and just loves her whole heartedly. And the he just recognizes things about her with her telling him is just lovely. Like how he told her to go to her family since its new years and he knows she misses them even though he doesnt like them.

Should i again say i love xu qin, she is just lovely, her cold yet vulnerable and cute personality is killing.

Anyway, u know what i realized that song yan and xu qin relationship is really the most healthy relationship ever given their background.

Like the fact that she can raise her voice ( complaints ) against him without cowering like she is with her family may annoy some viewers or think she is taking advantage of him but to me it shows the kind of relationship they have. Its not toxic in the sense that she doesn't expect him to retaliate in a negative way like threaten get or manipulate her.


Anyway, her concerns are valid. And some may say y get involved with a firefighter to begin with if u cant handle the problems, and as logical as that sounds, most people really don't see those things when they r falling in love or pursuing someone thats y the phrase love is blind exists. It just is very realistic thats why a lot of couples face such problems after the rosey stage ends.

4 aug
Finished

Overall good.
The story could use some improvement like the mother should have faced consequences for her cruelty but it felt like they changed her personality to fit into a digestable mother figure but then it is a c drama intended for the Chinese audience so i get. At least they included the rescueing of the mother so that she can appreciate song yan and his job.

Anyway, i liked the couple / main characters story as individuals was way better than the overall story. But the firefighters have a special place in my heart.

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Crashing and burning

I really enjoyed the drama initially, but a few moments stole it's essence, making it a huge disappointment instead.

While the portrayal of friendship throughout the years warmed my heart, the depiction of the romantic relationship between our main protagonists left it somewhat broken. There were two aspects that I found particularly disappointing:

1) The part where the older Na Hee Do (NHD) doesn't seem to remember going to the beach with her friends, which is such a core memory of her adolescence. I understand they wanted to convey how nothing lasts forever and how, at some point, we may desire to capture a moment and freeze it in time. However, most people remember the pinnacle moments in their lives.

2) Although I understand that this drama wasn't primarily about the main protagonists getting together at the end and was meant to showcase NHD's first love and subsequent breakup, I felt that the reasoning behind their breakup wasn't strong enough. It's hard for me to get over how easily they gave up on such a profound "love." Baek Yi Jin was going through a challenging period, striving for change, and was understandably not available for NHD. She, on the other hand, was busy with her training, and the two had little time to spend together. NHD's rationale for breaking up with Baek Yi Jin, citing that she didn't want to live her life waiting for him and then getting disappointed, made sense, given her mother's career-driven choices. However, her other reason for the breakup, which was that he didn't share what he was going through, seemed a bit harsh. Baek Yi Jin likely didn't want her to suffer alongside him, as some people find it difficult to express their emotions to their partners. Their was a lack of understanding on NHD's part and her behavior was insensitive towards Baek Yi Jin work struggles.
I felt that if they truly loved each other, they could have taken a break, given each other space as they settled into their new beginnings, and then attempted to rekindle their relationship. Even Yu Rim and Ji Woong managed a long-distance relationship because they didn't give up on each other. Yu Rim's father wasn't around all the time due to work, but her parents still made their relationship work. So, Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin could have ended up together if they had put in a bit more effort, which was almost negligible - a disappointing fact considering all they had been through together.

This drama held so much promise, but unfortunately, the last few episodes left me disappointed. It was in the final 4-5 episodes that the charm seemed to fade. While the humor remained entertaining, the overall atmosphere took on a more somber and gloomy tone.

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Minato Coin Laundromat: Where love's spin cycle meets rinse and repeat...and forget?

Season one warms your heart like that snuggly sweater on a chilly night. But season two? More like accidentally dyeing your whites pink. Minato's sudden cold feet with Shin? Imagine realizing you've been using fabric softener instead of detergent all along. And oh, the selective amnesia? Must've been left behind with those missing socks. A tip: Before diving into season two, maybe keep those emotional delicates in a protective mesh bag!

If you’re into those acquired taste kind of characters, give Minato a whirl. But me? Watching him was like enduring a never-ending spin cycle!

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Best drama to make my days beautiful during lockdown.

Firstly, The story is pretty good. NOT BORING at all. Just a more detailed story. So the sceen can be a bit boring for some people.

Secondly, the acting was superb. Every cast tried their best to beautify their role.

Thirdly, I finished rewatching this drama in 2022. But i still listen to that drama's ost. All songs are my favourite.

Fourthly:if you didn't understand the story, you can rewatch it. This drama has also some beautiful moments. You can rewatch it.

Overall, This drama made my boring lockdown days beautiful. It is one of my favourite drama.

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