Reviews

Extremely straightforward and simple storyline

I usually have a lot to say about most stories I watch. I tend to get deeply and passionately engrossed in fiction and want to talk about the story in depth with whomever I watched it with after completion, or I struggle to write concise reviews because I have such strong feelings about the story. That is not the case for The Guest, and it’s because I have no particularly strong emotion about this show. I would recommend The Guest depending on your approach to how you engage with fiction. If you watch for simple entertainment value plot-wise then move on quickly to the next show rather than for extreme immersion and connection with characters, this might be the show for you.

I found the plotline of The Guest to be incredibly straightforward, simplistic, and somewhat predictable. Simple stories aren’t always bad, and predictability doesn’t always have a massive bearing on writing quality. But I do think this story was simplistic bordering on feeling like the script was like what you might expect from a children’s show but with dark visual/subject content. Basically, this story deals with dark topics like exorcism and demons, and it has grim lighting at times, but it mostly lacks the depth necessary for emotional connection to the characters or for the theme of the story to feel dark or insightful. Dark things happen but the story doesn’t treat them with huge depth, and dialogue is often quite repetitive and shallow. I went into this watch having heard a lot of people call this kdrama “very different” and “unique” but I really do feel that it’s just dark in visuals but without being very rich in commentary or meaning. It’s a show you watch to see things happen, not to be touched or psychologically mind blown. I feel like this warning is warranted, given that people who tend to like this show’s genre tend to lean toward favoring depth and heavy psychological themes and may be disappointed.

One of my biggest complaints with the story is I was anticipating a very interesting and strong friendship to bloom between the three protagonists. While I appreciate the nontraditional gender lineup for the main characters and that the female character was not a love interest for the men, I was expecting much more development, growth, and camaraderie between the characters. It felt like not much more was fleshed out for the characters beyond their initial backstory, feeling guilty toward one another because of their shared involvement, and feeling an obligation to protect one another to lessen that guilt, which felt more like internal conflict than evidence of true closeness. I was looking forward to seeing more dimension to the characters and bonding over their character traits and liking each other as people for who they were, but they are not developed much beyond their premise. (The scene where Yoon buys Hwa Pyung food and left it for him while he was sleeping was probably one of the most genuine signs of care we saw in the story outside of appearing to want to protect one another out of moral obligation; I would have loved to see more scenes like this.) Relatively more development is poured into each of the main characters’ relationships with their pre-existing social circle outside of one another, such as Gilyoung’s relationship with Bongsang, Hwa Pyung’s relationship with Yook Gwang, and Yoon’s relationship with Father Yang.

Overall, if you tend to like more simplistic watches and are interested in the relatively more unique visuals and concepts of this storyline in terms of the exorcism, it may still be worth checking out. Another reviewer described The Guest as an “easy watch” and I would say that is pretty accurate; you will be able to have some fun at guessing how the plot will unfold without having to think too hard and the content is not as emotionally heavy as a different writer could easily have made it. Many people seem to have a soft spot for this series because of the originality of its premise for a Kdrama, so definitely check it out if you think it is up your alley.

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Not as good as I expected

People have been raving about this film and one of the leads, Yoo Teo, became a favorite after I saw him in the Kdrama Love to Hate You so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I feel let down after seeing this. It's definitely not a bad film and the cinematography is stunning. But the characters are underdeveloped and I especially had trouble with the FL who I found neither likable or interesting. As someone from a non-English speaking family who moved 3000 miles away from home as a young adult, I expected to relate to the story's characters and themes but instead they mostly left me cold.

The saving grace of the film is Yoo Teo, who delivers a wonderful, melancholic performance as a man who can't bring himself to stop asking what if. His eyes hold all of the emotion and poignance that should've been present in the film's writing and the FL's characterization. Alas, he was the only person I empathized with.

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Criminally underrated masterpiece showcasing the horrors of warfare & bigotry

I am so astounded at how underrated this film is when it honestly deserves to rack up big time on awards and is an absolute must watch. I’m not usually a big movie enjoyer and I am disappointed by most films I watch, but this film is a masterpiece and I think on par with big-name films like Parasite. I find it unfortunate that it seems to only be EXO-Ls who have watched it to support Kyungsoo with few outlying viewers. I think this film would get more accolades it deserves if there were simply more eyes seeing it than there are.

One of my biggest issues with war movies is they’re constantly used as propaganda to fulfill an agenda of favoring one side over another. Depending on the nationality of the writer, there’s often going to be a massive slant to paint one side as the hero and one side as totally evil. There’s also often little humanization for the innocent civilians and casualties. In doing so, these films desensitize the horror of war and we forget there’s a name and life and passion behind every human being who is lost to the war. This film does justice to everything that war movies so constantly mess up. It humanizes the civilians and it showcases how love and passion can transcend borders, nationality, language, political ideology, gender, and race and bring people together despite our differences. Simultaneously, it showcases how war is often fueled by ignorant leaders and racism that takes the lives of those aforementioned humans who have a name, life, and passion.

This film utilizes its contrasting tones and genres masterfully as a weapon for an ulterior motive, which is something movie critics who faulted these opposing storytelling elements seemed to not understand. I will admit the ending of this film is extremely heavy, and I really had to sit with it and think to reach acceptance. When engaging with fiction, we often jump to conclusions that upsetting events in a finale are bad writing, but that’s not always the case; not all fiction exists for escapism. This story is so heartbreaking in order to get its point across. Sometimes art makes us uncomfortable on purpose. In this case, Swing Kids’ grim ending and contrasting tragedy and comedy was meant to bring attention to a cruel reality. It does not matter how well we know someone, how happy they seem, how passionate they are about something (in this case, tap dance), how much growth they’ve made, how much we love them. War takes and it takes and it takes, and no amount of love we have for a person makes them exempt from being casualties. This film did a disquieting job of humanizing all of our main protagonists from different nationalities and walks of life and showing their love and shared passion for tap dancing, but with the chilling reminder that these jolly people who made us laugh and who we rooted for ARE the casualties we lose to war and racism in reality.

I would also like to take a moment to appreciate Kyungsoo and Jared Grimes’ incredible work in this film. From what I understand, Kyungsoo learned to tap dance for this role, and Jared Grimes learned to act for this role. You would not know that the two of them were treading such unfamiliar territory from their impeccable performances. Stellar film overall.

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Beautifully Produced, Medium-Heavy Psychological Exploration.

Recommendation value 8-9 if you're in the mood for something uniquely interesting, thought provoking, and beautifully done. *It feels more like a psychological thriller than a romance BL!* It's not perfect, but it's different, hooked me quickly, I enjoyed the whole thing, and I will definitely rewatch. General spoilers only at bottom of review.

Story/Script 8, Acting 9 (Yoo Jun was a 10 & story is from his POV, Hur Hyun Jun was a 7), Cinematography/Lighting 8.5, Editing 10, Music 9.5, Audio 10, Chemistry 5 (leads fairly comfortable with each other but attraction feels more like best friends than love interests), for intimacy there was a lot of close physical proximity, some skinship, and flat kisses, Angst level (mostly resolved) 9, Rewatchability 7.

It's a fast watch with eight 15 to 16 minute episodes. Given the time constraints, I think the story did a decent job building the connection between the leads. It definitely could have benefited from more time, to give more weight to their deepening bond, but there was enough there to elicit an emotional response from me as the series went on. Yoo Jun as Yeon Woo is the main reason for this- he got me invested in his character very quickly with his captivating performance!

I was especially impressed with the visual and audio editing. It was seemless, perfectly enhanced scenes/emotions, and created a cohesive feel. Certain parts of the audio track (music, silence, or ambient sounds) would subtly crescendo and decrescendo within scenes to emphasize certain lines of dialogue, create/build tension, or underscore emotions. Sometimes the part of the audio that swelled was brief and sometimes sustained, and it all seemed purposeful. I thought it was really masterfully done.

GENERAL SPOILERS

Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and attempt.
It is a hopeful ending for the leads.

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A lot of mixed feelings

Some parts of this show were quite cute (the beginning and the last few seconds lmao). It started out with promise and I was enjoying it, but before the halfway mark I was bored and it was falling flat. The acting also wasn't very good, it seemed that they all had one tone for every situation.

NC: ?
Happy: ?
Danger: ?
Sad: ?

I was very interested in this couple and their mysterious back story from the Cutie Pie days, however finding out everything I was like really???? I personally found the big secret so so SILLY. ? Now that might just fall on the OG manga, but the acting in this series did not sell me, nor did that CGI tiger. & did the dad even like his son? Why did he randomly try to steal his guard and go, "remember he is the reason your dad is dead." hello??? he was a literal child when the tiger accident happened.

Zee and NuNew were my favorite part, as well as the poor bug eye dog lmao.

It wasn't AWFUL, but I don't think I'd watch it again.

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A wonderful adaptation for fans! For first timers: check out the story so its less confusing

My Happy Marriage is a popular light-novel that has been adapted into various versions such as a manga and recently as an anime that ended its first season with plans for a second season in the making. I have long been a fan and had previously mostly read the manga and watched the anime and felt like this was perfect for me.

Imada Mio in the main role as Saimori Miyo does an incredible job and she really interpreted Miyo as how I read her in the manga. All of the cast felt good and delivered with what they were given to work with.

That being said, the main issue in the movie is the fact that they try to squeeze in too much in the time-frame that is offered. If I hadn't had a previous knowledge about the story and the worldbuilding, this would have been very confusing. I did feel like the story was unfortunately rushed and would've loved it more if it had focused on the main leads relationship and Miyo's past struggles in her household she grew up in instead of the emperial storyline. There were many plotpoints that were shaved off or stripped down to the bare minimum for the story to fit into the movie and if I had no prior knowledge of the storyline I do feel like many things would have flown over my head completely.

The story mainly centers on the romance between the main leads so this is definitely a budding romance movie at its core with alot of fantasy and action in a historical setting.

You can't deny, even with the changes in pacing, the budget for the special effects and for the cinematography is really nice and you can see how much care they have put into the movie visually. It is also quite clear that they released the movie with plans to produce a sequel movie. (Do check out the ending credits for a mini-extra scene hinting that they are planning the sequel!)

I really do suggest to watch the movie but I highly recommend to do some research about the story by reading the manga/light novel or watching some episodes of the anime if this is completely new to you. That way, it will be easier to follow the story and you can enjoy the visual aspect and the acting without struggling with the plot.

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Not quite there...

It started off with a big war and lots of action. Ships, canons, battles and massacres, but that was only for the first 5-6 before dialing back the clock to the very beginning of the ML's childhood days and turning the drama into a massive snoozefest. That was a massive bait to hook the viewers in. It took 1 singular eternity before the drama managed to pick itself back up. The entire first half was the admiral backstory with little to no action. You don't get to see the admiral in action and you don't get to see what the drama promised until the second half which is way too delayed to stick around for. The production value is acceptable when taking into account that this was made 20 years ago. It's a bit scuffed but they had to work with what they had. It wouldn't matter much because that only shows with the action/battle scenes of which there were only a few (out of the 104 episodes). One of the most jarring things that is holding the drama back, aside from the aforementioned points, is its characters. A lot of characters got benched regularly regardless of their importance, relevance and prior investment. Making emotional scenes less impactful and key characters less memorable. Which also takes away from every climax and transition period. This is due to a combination of uneven pacing, long runtime, and frequent transitions. By the end, it seemed everyone was expendable, other than the male lead of course. On the other spectrum, the drama had a lot of anime-esque villain moments that I wish we had a lot less of.

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Okay

It's a watered down tale with low tension and disappointing baddies which all made the insane runtime just a tad bit more unbearable. The entire story is confined to in-palace drama where the king likes a commoner while another woman grows to be super duper extra jealous. You may imagine how the story will pan out for 60 episodes. Its length turned out to be its biggest weakness, this is further emphasized with its first and last 5 episodes of which they were dull and redundant. It would've been significantly better with a short runtime since the main leads were likable. Speaking of which, the main leads scenes were generally enjoyable, they had a good chemistry but only when it's NOT romantic. Their romance sucked! Making the king physically a weakling was a nice touch. Although the drama is named after the historical character and we were shown and told about her having ambitious ideologies but we rarely got to see that side of her character in the drama, just a few scenes in the middle and around the end. Instead, we got a typical melodrama in a historical setting while borrowing small bits and pieces from the real historical character for world building. The main leads were doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep the drama afloat. The drama is okay but it doesn't have much to offer and the long runtime is really hard to justify.

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BEAUTIFUL AND REAL

This drama is not for everyone, but at times you need a realistic relationship like this. Not everything is lovey-dovey all the time, and at times you have to let go of someone you love as it might not be the right time, but that does not mean that they never shared a connection. I feel like people really just want a happy ending and find it frustrating when there is some kind of open ending. Believe me, I am the same lol, I try to look for hints and go over the drama again for details. I think this is the case for Doona, there are some hidden but important details and clues in the last episode and in the intros and outros to each episode that personally made me think that the director very cleverly wanted them to be picked up by the viewers themselves.

The drama as a whole was beautiful to watch: the cinematography, the ost, and all the actors were superbly talented. I loved the friends group, and all the support cast was amazing in their roles. I do like more straightforward dramas with more rom-com elements as well, but I also love it when there is a more realistic twist and here, there was a realistic portrayal of how your twenties are such a tumultuous time of your life, and how complex love can be when paired with all the other things one has in their plate in this period of their life. Doo Na can be very unlikable and almost toxic at first, but as all her layers come down, you see that she's just a girl struggling to understand what makes her happy and who just wants to be accepted and loved. It showed us how tough things can get for idols, how little help they can get when they are struggling with anxiety and confusion, and how quick people are to hate them. Of course, this does not mean that all that she does throughout is acceptable, but I could see where she was coming from. Won Jun also just loved her for what she was but also told her when she hurt him and eventually let her go so that she could be herself while doing something that she loved, which was singing and being an idol. But at the same time, he let her go for his own good too, because he realised they were not happy together at that time and prioritised his and her individual happiness, but never stopped loving her. By the end, they were both doing what they wanted to do, and from the hints I picked up from that last episode they might even have given each other another chance at being together, as this time they were older and knew how to handle some things better.

I feel like everyone should try and watch this drama as it is, and try to understand the underlying meanings and the characters. I personally really loved it and I felt so understood while seeing all the various characters go through all their different experiences, feelings and emotions. The director was really clever, he so beautifully gave us the ending without actually giving it to us directly.

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I didn’t want it to end.

I enjoyed Five Enough so much I didn’t want it to end. What I liked the most was that their differences was all about family. I found it so refreshing that there was no angling for inheritance.

I found the merging of the three families so heartwarming. Sang Tae’s former in laws and their maid ended up being some of my favorite characters. They made me laugh so much.


I also just loved the pairing of Yeontae and Sangmin. At first I hoped that Taemin and Yeontae would get together until Sangmin showed up.


The most useless couple was the cheating couple. I fast forwarded through most of their scenes because the dialogue was always so selfishly stupid. How anyone would think that that guy was a catch is beside me. They were a waste of airspace.


I couldn’t wait for Sangmin and Yeontae to get together; loved how Mi Jeong won SangMin’s former in laws over; Min ho turned out to be the sweetest grandpa. In other words, I binged watched because it was like a good book that I couldn’t put down.


I will probably watch it again because it was such a feel good drama.

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YOU WILL GET INVESTED!!

Okay i’m not exactly sure why it says 36 episodes when everywhere I searched there’s only 18 episodes available ?? BUT, I loved this kdrama!

The concept was sketchy at first, I was curious how they could possibly make a romance show between a human and a robot, like I get these dystopian concepts but when you think about it, how could that possibly happen when robots are easily controlled by humans? I was very scared this show would turn into her sorta manipulating him into being with her but they made their story beautiful!

So much development between Sobong and the robot, their romantic scenes were honestly swoon worthy but that might just be me cus I have a crush on the actor hehe…

There were some admittedly stupid scenes in the show, like how most of the characters reactions to something shocking happening being like 3 days late, like I get it’s shocking but, stop gawking like a statue!!! It was honestly annoying a bit but i digress!

I was a little confused why the villain was shown so mysteriously in the jail looking off into the sun whilst his secretary talked to him, it just feels like there were still some plot holes left in the final episode, also about how they fixed up the robot after being practically killed like…yeah just so much happened. Somehow in the last few minutes of the final episode, everything was magically in its right place , it was satisfying but from a plot hole point of view it was just a big …eeeehhh…

Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed this show, I wasn’t bored at all and looked forward to every episode. I wish we got to see the ML and FL intimate a lil more often— granted he IS a robot so maybe that was always out of the script but whateverrr the actors had so much chemistry with each other, I needed more smh!!!

It’s a good show especially for it being in 2016, I guess that year was a prime year for K-Dramas. Really good !

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Starting off so good only to end with lackluster

Tonari no Otoko wa Yoku Taberu/ The Man Next Door Eats Well starts of great with a good theme of the main leads being neighbours who start to share meals. It's definitely not a "food"-centered drama in the way that some other series I've seen, instead, the food is just a means for the couple to get to know each other.

One of the best things about this drama is that it is fairly short given the 20 min episodes. The short episodes start to be a blessing in disguise since the story turns into a lackluster struggle of the main couples relationship. The biggest flaw in the drama is in fact the relationship between the main leads and their personalities. I got so disappointed in the story and the fact that the writers dragged out the conflict with lack of communication, insecurities and trust in their relationship for so long. Add (various) people wanting romantic relationships with both female lead and male lead (aka "romantic competition") and mix it up with the main leads being disappointed in each other whilst not talking it out and that is the latter part of the drama.

The OST music is nice and every episode ends with a cute montage of the two apartments where you progressively see them get closer and further away depending on the episode. I actually enjoyed the ending montages alot and found them to be a good reflection on how their relationship is going as you watch each episode. The main actors do a good job in their roles given the fact that the writers fail to flesh out their respective characters and if you are a fan of the actors you will probably be happy watching nonetheless.

In conclusion: the drama started off GREAT but as they actually develop a relationship, it gradually starts to sink and at the end its just frustrating. The ending is very rushed and lacked the spark that the drama had in the beginning. It's conclusion does have a happy ending! If you are in the mood for a shorter japanese drama about an age-gap relationship with some struggles this could very much be it.

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DOONA! - A Satisfying Yet Not Exceptional Drama

DOONA! is a series that undoubtedly has its charms and qualities, making it an enjoyable watch. The well-written characters and a fantastic cast contribute significantly to its appeal. However, it's clear that while DOONA! has its strengths, it falls short in certain areas, particularly when it comes to the plot.

The characters in DOONA! are undoubtedly one of the series' standout features. Each character is well-crafted, multifaceted, and brought to life by a talented ensemble of actors. The cast's performances are outstanding, and they manage to create a genuine connection with the audience. The characters' development and interactions throughout the series are truly engaging, drawing viewers into their lives and making them care about their fates.

Unfortunately, where DOONA! stumbles is in its plot. While the story is serviceable and keeps the audience engaged to a certain extent, it lacks that extra layer of depth and complexity that could elevate it from being merely enjoyable to being truly exceptional. The plot feels somewhat predictable and falls into the realm of familiar storytelling tropes. It doesn't take as many risks as one might hope, and this can leave viewers wanting more.

That said, the plot is not without its merits. It manages to hold the series together and provides a platform for the characters to shine. It's clear that the creators have put thought into the story, but it doesn't take as many innovative and unexpected turns as some other dramas might. The potential for greatness is present, but it doesn't fully realize it.

In conclusion, DOONA! is a series that, while thoroughly enjoyable, falls short of being exceptional due to its somewhat lacking plot. The characters and the cast are undoubtedly the series' strengths, making it worth a watch for fans of character-driven drama. However, if you're seeking a truly groundbreaking storyline that breaks away from traditional narrative conventions, you may find DOONA! somewhat disappointing in that regard. Nevertheless, it's still a good series, but it might leave you wanting a bit more in terms of plot complexity and originality.

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Best fight scenes with perfect OST

From the first to the last episode, the series doesn’t have a dull moment. I was impressed by stunning fight scenes accompanied by perfect music. It was complete harmony.
The fact JCW did his own stunts makes it even better. Story is interesting, keeps you guessing till the end.

Besides stunning Kim Jeha and Yoo Jin, I also loved Se Joon. Not sure why people keep complaining about Anna- she was traumatised girl, being imprisoned her whole life- I am not sure how people expect she should behave or how different Yoona should have portrayed her. To me, it was good enough. The fact that she chose to be good despite all that has happened to her speaks volume.

Would Yoo Jin became same if she had her “Je Ha” besides her? Probably not because her father’s influence was too great.

Besides all this, I absolutely loved the moral story behind, and how Yoo Jin and Se Joon came to realisation of their own faults and accepted the consequences. Along with poetic justice to the main villains- that was great to see.

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