Reviews

Mansuang Comes Out With a Bang!

One of the movie I looked forward to in 2023 and they delivered every part of the movie well. From amazing production to beautiful cinematography, everything in this movie was beautiful. When it comes to reviewing Mansuang, one of the most important thing to highlight is that every single actor, from main actors to side actors played their role incredibly well. The acting is a 10/10 without any hesitation. One thing that could be improved is that they should release the uncut version as it was reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours. Although the storyline was not impacted by this, it would be great if we can dive deeper into every scene. Overall, an amazing film to watch!

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Do not miss this gem!

This drama is not your typical drama. When it comes to topics this important in the society, i'm always cautious about it. But since i liked the first season i guessed i would like the second one and i wasn't wrong.

Each and every episode was important, a powerful story, a sad story , much more because part of it is true, real people in real life have actually suffered these abuses and that was the scary part.

The acting was fantastic, i mean Jung Hae In was phenomenal in this, i have loved him since his drama "one spring night" and it was an absolute delight to watch him in this one too, it's always nice to watch a versatile actor. Son Suk Ku i noticed him in " my liberation notes" and i was impressed! i am looking forward his next projects. Unfortunately i can't write about each and every actor, they all did a very good job.

If you are looking for a down to earth drama, with realistic acting, and heartbreaking stories and maybe a ray of hope, this drama is for you.! A 9/10 for me, i recommend it.

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Why were the best episodes behind another pay wall?

The two final episodes were the best in terms of acting, story and consistent editing and yet you needed VIP Premium to watch them whereas the rest of the series you only needed VIP Standard on IQIYI.

The final episodes had more story than the first 8 put together. The acting was closer to what I’d expect from a series and there was less of the comedy sounds added over - apart from the scene with Ai. The use of music there really confused me and gave me a slight headache.

Pepper’s acting shined in the final story where he got to express a full range of emotions. I hope he gets to act in more shows that will be able to platform his talent.

I understand that the production needs to make money but why would you hide your best content behind an additional paywall and let the mediocre content be what the masses are consuming?

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a breath of fresh air

Absolutely loved the story! I am a huge fan of such characters where both of them are head over heels for each other <3 Both the boys were a delight to watch especially Kiyoi-he is really handsome The story takes time to develop but if you love the Japanese way of production then you will enjoy each episode. I didn't skip a single second which in itself says a lot about how good this series was!

If you were once a shy person who fell head over heels for someone and just couldn't confess then my friend this one is for you
Be ready to jog some memories with this beautiful story

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breath of fresh air

Absolutely loved the story! I am a huge fan of such characters where both of them are head over heels for each other <3 Both the boys were a delight to watch especially Kiyoi-he is really handsome The story takes time to develop but if you love the Japanese way of production then you will enjoy each episode. I didn't skip a single second which in itself says a lot about how good this series was!

If you were once a shy person who fell head over heels for someone and just couldn't confess then my friend this one is for you
Be ready to jog some memories with this beautiful story

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"It's time for you to stop playing hard to get" -Jang Hyun

My Dearest is about a noblewoman who is separated from a mysterious traveler upon the Qing invasion.

The pacing is great and I like that the external conflict is quickly set-up, along with Jang Hyun mysterious background. The fact that he’s a stranger coming to a new place is intriguing. The most enjoyable part in the series was the invasion, especially the one in ep 4. Regarding Gil Chae’s character, I’m a bit lukewarm to her as she’s a bit wild and too proud of herself.

Production-wise, it is stunning! Seeing as it is a miniseries, it doesn't have to worry about stretching its budget so every single shot looks like a movie. There are a lot of breathtaking scenery, everything is so wonderful. The use of color was both very artistic and engaging.

But to be honest, I was a bit struggling as I don't fall in love with the main plot which is the romance T.T
I enjoy the couple when they're together, but I was not enjoying their constant push and pull. So in most episodes I couldn't feel the emotional engagement of their scenes. Since the closure doesn't feel very "ending" as it is a two-part show, I'm curious on how the story goes; more on Jang Hyun’s story and I am anticipating for on point romance beyond all these emotional sufferings.

(SPOILER part) I think both of them need to be more honest. Gil Chae keeps in denial and does not confess her thoughts to Jang Hyun, while desperately crying for him when he's not around. However, I understand her hesitation because Jang Hyun chooses not to marry, so I agree with her final decision. Even though Jang Hyun finally shows his true feelings too, he still chooses to consistently leave, without enough explanations and believable promises.

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Incompleted

This drama is not bad, i will even say for a low budget drama it is really good, i liked the actors and actress and the chemistry they had, the cinematography was not bad either, the way they shoot it was interesting, good job!
i really hope they get a bigger budget for they really deserve it.

So! you are now asking yourself why i am rating it a 7/10 if i liked the acting that much, well it's because of the story line, i'm sorry no matter how much i liked the couples and their chemistry, i still can't wrap my finger about how they managed to get that happy ending , not that i didn't like it (i am a sucker for stories with happy endings), i just can't understand it. It seems like some pieces of the puzzle are missing .

overall it's a 7/10 for me , i would not rewatch it and i am not sure about recommending it to anyone; but if you are in for a romantic story whitout much logic to it then this drama may be a good watch for you.

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Very messy- but good.

I would like to start off by saying I am definitely watching this strictly because I love FirstKhao’s chemistry. That being said, I find the main couple boring. ForceBook is great together, but I am not really a fan of their relationship in this series.

After finishing episode 3, I was shocked. I really don’t like Boston. He is obsessed with Top. And, he is playing with Nick. Giving him false hope by saying things about going further with their relationship, then getting with Top… no.
And even knowing that Top was trying a serious relationship with Mew, he didn’t care.
Top isn’t innocent either. He was tempted from the start to get with Boston, and it was obvious. Literally what was the point in getting all angry at Ray for talking to Mew, then going and hooking up with Boston instead of taking care of Mew, whom he got drunk then left to fend for himself. I just really hope he gets his act together because I don’t like this cheating trope.

BUT!!! FirstKhao’s acting is just phenomenal. We just got a glimpse of it in The Eclipse, but i’m really shocked to see how great they are in this. I already loved the chemistry they have (probably because they’re actually friends irl) but it’s just BETTER this time. I really like this show being more mature than other GMMTV bl series. It’s more real.

Ray’s character, though, I’m on the fence about. He’s so into Sand but is still in love with Mew? Hmm… And he’s already started playing with Sand’s heart, and just him leaving and choosing Mew over Sand already hurt him. I just hope he doesn’t do anything wrong to Sand. He better figure out what he wants before actually getting into something serious with him, because if not, that’s just messed up. It’s kind of nice though, to have Khaotung play a character that makes me question.

Really looking forward to the remaining episodes. (I might edit this as I watch them!)

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Didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.

The main couple’s relationship was dragged on throughout the entire show. The characters were annoying. And the angst was unneeded and just plain dumb. Not to mention, the plot made no sense. I watched this just because I was bored and needed something to entertain me. It definitely did so, but not in the way I was hoping. Half the time I was watching this, I was trying to figure out what was going on. But I would definitely like to see these actors with better production and a more well made series (also paired with other actors, their chemistry is just not there, i’m sorry..) But I feel they have potential. It just wasn’t shown with this one.

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Some people here aren't doing this series justice - it's good!

The reviews and comments led me to believe this was going to be a fest of miscommunications and bad comedic acting, but it's far from that. The acting is subtle, the chemistry feels natural, and the characters are understandable and nuanced. It's true that some dramas use bad communication to drive the plot forward and I find it as frustrating as the next guy, but don't forget that there are real people who find it very hard to figure out and communicate their feelings, and this drama falls in the latter category. Whatever lack of communication there is comes from their clashing personalities and ways of approaching someone they like, but they're both upfront about their interest in each other, and they don't intentionally hide things from each other for an absurd amount of time (aside from near the end, that felt a little forced). For the most part, I thought the tempo at which the information and feelings were revealed was organic and kept me invested.

The directing was simple, but very effective. Often there was a scene with just two steady cameras showing each of the characters or one long uninterrupted shot, but that setup allowed a more natural flow of a scene and emphasised how good the actors are. I enjoyed how this budding workplace romance intertwined with the subplots stemming from their job as journalists for a tabloid, and I thought the characters were layered enough to make the main romance plot work well.

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Delivered what's expected

I started watching without minding what the rating says. i usually skip series with low ratings but I made an exception for this one since I want to watch more series that has chimon on the cast. Watching this was fun, I was never bored in any of the episodes. But it's quite predictable like most series, and it doesn't make the series any less. Gave this one a high rating cause it's hard to find bl series that satisfies me. The acting can still be improved but I must say, they did good but still far from perfect. The color grading and cinematic feels so calm while watching. I like the ost as well.

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