I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCH!
Our Unwritten Seoul really highlights how much Park Jinyoung has grown as a lead actor. His performance feels calm but deeply layered, especially in emotional scenes where he expresses more through silence than dialogue. There’s a natural sincerity in the way he carries the character, making every moment feel genuine rather than acted. He anchors the drama with a quiet strength that’s hard to ignore.Was this review helpful to you?
PARK JINYOUNG'S ACTING!!!
Still Shining proves that Park Jinyoung is more than just a good idol-turned-actor—he completely carries the emotional weight of the story. His micro-expressions feel so natural that even in silence, you understand everything his character is going through. There’s a quiet intensity in the way he delivers pain, making every scene linger longer than expected. It’s the kind of performance that doesn’t try too hard, yet hits deeply.Was this review helpful to you?
Must watch under rated C drama
At first I thought that generated to generation normal C drama but after watching first few episodes it became my one of my favourite especially the romance and the character of mu qing yan for cai zhoa the love he expressed its definitely!!! I'll do we have many heartbreaking scenes in the drama it is such a good drama that you you definitely watchWas this review helpful to you?
Here, it’s mainly told from the point of view of a young man, whose past hold a tragic event, and who finds not only solace in painting but also a new way forward in life.
As such, this film is less straightforward about showing and explaining the art of Sumi-E than “Every Day A Good Day”, which introduced us to the art of tea making,. I still loved the many close-ups of the brushes painting ink on the paper and the insight the film gave us into the art. The connection between human and nature is much more subtle than in “Every Day A Good Day” but it’s still obviously there. The subtlety also makes the film not obnoxious about the message it carries (unlike in “The Zen Diary”).
Another thing that I liked was that there was no romance at all. I feared that there would be when they introduced the young woman, who is only two years younger than Sosuke – but they connect over their art and their struggles, and it all stays very, very platonic. I would have liked it more if the film had placed Sosuke firmly in the “still a beginner” category and have her stay on a much higher lever of expertise in the ending scene (as it is, it feels too much like the tired trope of the man who starts as a beginner and supersedes the female teacher in the end) – I do think the script made it clear that they both have learned that it’s painting their own lines that’s more important than any outside appreciation, but it was nevertheless slightly disappointing for me.
Having Sosuke as the beginner who is still not in the lime light would also have been a better fit for his overall humble personality.
As always, whatever is on JFF Theater, is of high quality regarding filming, editing and acting and with great attention to detail. I admit, I was a bit distracted by Sosuke’s hair – but even here, the way it was styled reflected his state of mind.
Was it good?
It was! It had a good story with a clear emotional arc and still gave insight into the art of Sumi-E.
Did I like it?
Surprisingly, yes. I wasn’t too sure about the subject – painting is really not something I connect to and the “Spirit of Dō” collection and all JFF films that get philosophical can feel too overbearing very quickly for me. I even shed a tear or two.
Who would I recommend it to?
To painters and appreciators of painting. But with the caveat that one should be in the right mood for a slow film.
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I started this show for Ryan Ding – and I kept watching for Ryan Ding LOL
I started this show for Ryan Ding – and I kept watching for Ryan Ding LOL. I will give the plot credit but I won’t lie, I skipped some parts when he wasn’t on screen.Overall, the plot was entertaining and not too dull. I was expecting it to feel repetitive because of the mortal tribulations but each one was pretty different so that was a nice surprise. That said, I did enjoy their heavenly realm time more than when they would be doing a tribulations. The demon realm was also nice because they actively knew who the other was and it was still the “heavenly realm timeline”.
I wasn’t super convinced with all the comments about Ryan Ding as a demon being the *best* version in this show, but he played a cat demon very well. I was literally screaming during the aphrodisiac scene (end of ep 33/start of ep 34). Ryan Ding literally played played like 5 different people including a body switch with the fml and a BELIEVABLE CAT DEMON. I could literally just watch him walk around in fantasy/historical costume for 5 hours.
Aside from Ryan Ding, I enjoyed the chemistry between him and Yang Chao Yue, the shows general plot cadence, and the nuance to Jin Lian’s character. Also, Xiu Ming was an antagonist in many ways, but I liked his overall story as compared to Love in the Clouds’ Situ Ling. Xiu Ming was just suppper loyal to Cang Hai since she really took him in and cared for him. I def don’t support his choices for blood thirst in the first tribulation, nor his lying in the second, but it seems like after each one he learns that his negative choices "are bad" and “improves” throughout the story. I am confused as to why he was made interim emperor though lol.
Similar to its “sister story” Love Between Fairy and Devil, the show’s plot peters out near the end. I started the show not emotionally invested and I basically stayed that way. The deaths didn’t really affect me in this show (which is kinda a plus for me tbh) but I think it’s also because death seems to not really mean anything. The main leads die in the mortal world to end up in the heavenly realm, but even in the heavenly realm the deaths just felt so abrupt so as to whether a person is really dead is always in question.
My issue with the plot specifically was:
- How did Immortal Li know about the change of the prophecy and WHEN? Was it as soon as he saw the emperor’s doom mark so then he yeeted to warn them via the next tribulation?
- The emperor was lame, predictable, and very one-dimensional. He was jealous of his better and cooler brother but also had an obsession with being the most powerful immortal in a way that just didn’t really make sense imo. He was already the leading ruler for the last 30,000 years lol.
- I still don’t understand how Chu Kong survived after losing all his primordial spirit? I am happy for a HEA but because it made no sense, I just feel like I am still missing something. Thus the ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been.
- Similarly, I loved Jin Luo and Zi Hui but don’t understand how he also reincarnated. The show never sets us up to understand that even after you DIE DIE, you can still be reincarnated. I thought reincarnation was only for people that “die” but their spirit is still intact, especially when both these men seem to remember if not their *entire* past, at least their love.
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Disappointed but not terrible.
O Han Byeol and Kong Tae Seong were a cute pair. I liked the history of their relationship and that they’ve always been a frenemies type of situation that care for each other. I also loved how puppy Kong Tae Seong is once he realizes he loved her. Just absolute cuteness and feels. I also like that O Han Byeol had a crush on him but was hurt so she built up her walls to his silly behavior. I also enjoyed Han Byeol’s friends - Park Ho Yeong and Cho Gi Ppeum - romances though I wished their stories started a bit sooner and where given a little more screen time. I also found it interesting that Baek Da Hye’s character has this super crush of the MML without it being a complicated jealousy love triangle. All of this is decent and enjoyable.What I didn’t like? Basically every other secondary plot point execution. The rich maid storyline was weird and barely added anything to the plot, same with “smileboy”, and again with the 14 year old kid. All three of these “antagonists” exist for antagonisms sake without any rhyme or real reason. Even worse, there resolutions are simple and barely satisfying. I didn’t mind the message around “celebrities are hated for no reason” but I just think the way it’s executed was as if the show was a melodrama but it really wasn’t so these plot point land flat and annoying. Similarly, the college friend’s death was clearly part of the main leads’ dynamic and personalities, but still it wasn’t “tied up” properly. His death and his manager’s remaining anger about the death could have been a way better antagonist plot line to explore than the random three characters I just mentioned. In fact, I was waiting for a resolution on this and we never get one. Super frustrating. Minus points also specifically for the “Africa” depiction…
Overall, I really wish they had just leaned into the romcom and left out the melodrama because the melodrama parts flopped. My favorite parts were when it was just silly goofy – I was giggling, I was happy. But outside of that, it was so dumb that even the romance was held back by the nonsensical storylines.
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Cute and funny tropes speedrun
pretty much it, this is just a cdrama tropes speedrun and it references some iconic cdrama from back in the day. This felt like a lot of short cdrama wrapped into one. It was fun, it was cute, the acting was subpar, the cinematography and costuming was vastly varying in each lifetime. Overall my fav life was the first tribulation (lu changkong X xiangyun) it was cute, fun, cliche but heartfelt, really satisfying too.I would recommend to people who are new cdrama watchers and dont really know the 'classics' of the genre.
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A (mostly) good adaptation
I finally sat down and watched the film adaptation of Paradise Kiss, having read the manga and watched the anime many years ago. For the most part, it stayed true to the source material, which I highly appreciated. The original story is short and sweet just like the film, though it did feel a little rushed at times (in particular Yukari and George's relationship progress). Though I'm not normally a huge fashion person, the fashion aspects of this series were always very cool to me, and the film definitely lived up to it, too.I've never really liked George as a character; he was always too pushy, intense, and arrogant for my taste. So, if anything, I guess Osamu Mukai did a great job, because those feelings I have towards manga and anime George stayed the same while I watched the film. (Didn't like the almost-sexual-assault scene, though. I get what he was going for, but that was still a bit too much just to prove a point.) Still, despite my feelings re: George, his actor did a great job, and so did the others. My favourite portrayal was Keiko Kitagawa's as Yukari. I always watch live action film adaptations of anime and manga with a bit of scepticism, which might sound 'snobbish', but I've seen my fair share of awful ones to warrant keeping the suspicion around. That being said, the acting overall in this film convinced me that some manga-to-film adaptations can be good.
Oh, and I really adore the approach to and portrayal of Isabella here. In the anime, she's voiced by a woman, so it's a lot less obvious that she's trans until someone says she is and she then has the conversation towards the end of the series with Yukari. But in this film, they had Shunji Igarashi portray her (brilliantly, by the way) and properly convey the fact that she's trans, not shying away from the subject. I know people always say that only trans actors should play trans characters, and I can agree to *some* degree, but I still think there are ways for cis actors to respectfully portray trans characters. And that's what I saw in Paradise Kiss. The scene with her and Yukari before the fashion show made me cry in the anime and goddamnit, I cried again while watching the film.
It was a great watch, overall. Didn't overstay its welcome, held my attention from start to finish, and left me wiping tears off my face at the end. Will definitely rewatch.
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Falling in Love, Falling Apart
I really liked this. It portrays reality well—how a relationship can fade over time. The story captures the growing distance between them, along with her struggles at work, in a subtle and believable way. That one confrontation between them is particularly well written, with sharp dialogue, strong performances, and a palpable sense of tension.The female lead comes across as almost sociopathic—not in a purely villainous sense, but in her detached curiosity about human nature, which makes her fascinating to watch. The second male lead is genuinely endearing, and the drama weaves in understated societal themes, as you’d expect from a J-drama.
In the end, the characters reflect on their mistakes, revisit how they met, and remember why they fell in love in the first place. The climax, underscored by classical music, is especially striking. The final scene then settles into a quieter note, as they exchange a simple “good morning” and look at each other with a mixture of regret and affection. It all comes together for a deeply satisfying conclusion.
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Just not my cup of tea
As much as I love Chen Xingxu I don't feel like wasting my time here. It was a sweet and light hearted romcom but the type thats more on the cheesy side. I could've sat through this during my teenage years but NOT now.CXX's character was making me cringe so badly. At first it was cute but once the misunderstandings started piling up I could not sit through it. I think they have decent chemistry though.
I like how the lawyer portion of thet stories were quite interesting and how she cares about her job. I enjoyed the side characters plot but nothing about this drama stands out that much imo.
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SPOILER -
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NETFLIX WHY???!!
The ending of Season 2 was good.
Sure, in the books there’s a “spin-off” with the Joker.
But I don’t think it was necessary.
Here, we find them a few months/years after the end of Season 2. They’re living their lives together, and then suddenly she starts thinking about her father and his suicide again. She was already thinking about it in Season 1 and 2, but now she meets this other crazy guy in a wheelchair, who manages to convince her to commit suicide so quickly, even though she’s living with Arisu. From that point on, I found it weird. How can one person mess with your head that fast after just one meeting?!
Plus, her following him into the games yes, he manipulates her, but if you look at the story from another perspective, it’s both logical and illogical at the same time.
On Arisu’s side, he learns he’s going to be a father and then commits suicide with Ann’s help (I KNEW SHE WASN’T DEAD AHAHAHAHA). Anyway… Then we get some really good games, I can’t lie I loved the games, the new characters we discover, and the really sad deaths. There are a lot of them in a row. In that aspect, it’s just like Season 1 and 2!
Then comes the first reunion, which is really touching but too short. Then the accident happens (I really thought he was going to die), but then I remembered that no series would kill off a main character in the middle of the season lol.
Then we get the real reunion, which is genuinely very emotional. They see their “future,” realize they’re not holograms, and then comes the famous scene where he punches her really hard I loved it. HE PLAYS HIS CHARACTER SO WELL THAT I HATE HIM. Then comes the scene I call “Squid Game”: the extra player, the baby. Yeah… we all saw that coming!
And then more sad deaths, and even sadder ones!
Then the ending where Arisu “sacrifices” himself even though the guy knows he’s going to be a dad. I didn’t understand that choice at all. How can you make that decision? I mean, there were older players at the end who could have taken his place logically, but no nobody moves. They just watch a young guy “commit suicide” even though he’s about to become a father. Totally incomprehensible!
Then comes the scene where he pulls out a gun but can’t kill her, so when they fall into the water, he decides to hold her so they die together. Honestly, this guy is a massive piece of shit, let’s just say it. He had no balls!
Then the final ending where she’s alive, he’s alive too, they lived happily ever after and had lots of children.
In short: the games are perfect! But the story is incomprehensible!
The acting is very good, and the visual effects are great too.
You can very well stop at Season 2 for a logical ending! But if you want to see an alternative ending, go ahead and watch Season 3.
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A Mature (Not Really) Urban Romance
Read the novel that it comes from (Records of Sweet Romance) and thought that it was an okay read. Unlike a lot of current novels and dramas out there, it explores the path of a divorced woman who (despite the odds stacked against her) succeeds in the hotel industry.The plot is fine in both the drama and the novel. There are moments of cheesy scheming but the villains are not OP and their plans are easy to foil. My real bone to pick really is with the ML. Many didn't like the novel because of the ML and I think a lot of drama viewers might not either because he is not the 'ideal' ML. The ML is someone who's portrayed as an elite (the best in the industry) that begrudgingly helps FL and then falls in love with her. But the real issue is his attitude. Novel ML is a jerk. Drama ML is not much better. While we see that he subtly starts to fall in love with FL and protects her, we also have random moments where EQ and emotional regulation flies out the window. Every 5-6 episodes we get the ML lashing out at FL with lines like "I have the ability to help you out, but why should I?" and it really makes you want the FL to pick the 2nd ML because he's always supportive of her. Keep in mind that this line came at about 25+ episodes in and as a reflexive/defensive mechanism to him realizing he's falling in love and is getting jealous. For a 'mature' romance with a 'mature' cast, it comes off as really childish.
In a world dominated by Hidden Love, First Frost, and Pursuit of Jade, the standards for how a ML should behave and treat FL have changed from the early 2010s tsundere/macho man. While there may be some who like this type of ML, I think Epoch of Miyu may not be able to compete with this sort of dated character.
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Spicy and cute
when i watch this drama i didn't excpect thai drama to be this good tbh,but this drama surprise me,
i like the story and also the most improtant things in this drama is SO SPICY, the story is light and cute overall, also VISUALs......
sorn is hot, jun is cute, their chemistry is also good..
recommended, my favorites BL so far, can't stop rewatching.
don't forget to use earphone and make sure you are alone when watch this drama,,, lol
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MORE HARDCORE
Spoiler-
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Here’s my review for Season 2, just like I did for Season 1:
We stay in the same vibe with the iconic group that we all know. First of all, let’s talk about the games — just like in Season 1, I loved them. Brutal, intense, gore… everything I like!
Deaths everywhere! Tatta’s death was really sad but logical for his character.
A great ending where we finally discover what happened and why they all ended up there.
The visual effects are still perfect.
The acting is still incredible, just like in Season 1.
You get hooked on Season 2 very quickly if you liked Season 1. Very well done, bravo!
I also recommend Season 2!!
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