Reviews

One of my favorite & most rewatched dramas!

This is one of my all time favorite dramas. The story is compelling, all of the actors are perfectly cast and each one has absolutely nailed their character, the soundtrack is amazing, the costumes/character design are gorgeous, not to mention the stunning visuals & cinematography. I've probably watched this one all the way through 5-6 times now. There's so many layers and details woven throughout the story that I pick up on something new each time I watch it, so it never gets old. It's also a good first drama for someone who is new to Chinese historical dramas, as I feel that they explain nuances well and the story is very easy to follow.

The two leads have undeniable chemistry, especially if you view their scenes through the lens of "these are two old souls who know each other better than anyone else." There is no pretense between them. There's no shy flirtation or butterflies. Instead, they bicker and jab at each other like old married folks. Because really, that's what they are. There's romance, for sure, including a *particular* scene I was surprised was allowed to make the final cut due to being kind of spicy.

I also want to take a minute to defend the 2nd ML. I truly don't understand why he gets so much hate, in fact, the more I have watched this drama, the more I like and empathize with his character. He is well written and his story arc -- his actions, his motives -- makes sense to me and the actor portrayed him very believably. He's flawed and complex. Not truly a villain but not the hero; he's somewhere in between. I think he's one of the most interesting characters in any drama I've seen.

If you want a good palace intrigue story with lots of lovable characters, shocking plot twists, and a hint of time travel -- look no further!

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The Beach has Eyes

Borrowing stock and trade from gnarly American slashers of the time yet never losing the unique qualities of a Hong Kong horror, The Island begins as a leisurely excursion before steadily mutating into a relentless fight for survival as it plays out a pointed class conflict of its educated urbanites against the violent members of an isolated rural community. Beneath its surface lies an implicit clash between modern urban society and isolated, almost prehistoric violence. The humour in this is very much of its time and place, while the violence is way less visceral than the genre films it aspires to. It's well-shot thanks to director Po-Chih Leong, but it's the island itself that becomes the film's greatest asset. Its rocky coastline, dense vegetation and isolated coves create a convincing natural prison where escape feels impossible. The landscape isn't simply a backdrop; it actively contributes to the mounting sense of dread. It's certainly effective, if a little simplistic, and it manages to feel exhausting even after only 90 minutes. All the acting is solid throughout, but it's the score by Lew Dik that is the true highlight, a synth fan's dream. It really gets the pulse racing, enhancing so many of the more memorable sequences, whilst some of the tense moments get the classic horror treatment. Though overshadowed by more famous Hong Kong horror films, The Island is an otherwise solid little feature with plenty to savour, tense, atmospheric and surprisingly uncompromising, proving that Hong Kong filmmakers could adapt Western horror conventions without losing their own cinematic voice.

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Ellie My Love

Genuinely wasn't aware this was a thing until it was seemingly dumped on Netflix last week. An extremely ambitious Japanese–South Korean co-production, Human Vapor does everything a remake should aspire to, utilising Honda's original film as a jumping-off point before going in its own direction to do something radically different with the material. It hits all the right beats, modernising the premise with a darker, more grounded tone that leads into a compelling supernatural murder mystery, gradually evolving into an exploration of revenge and the human cost of scientific ambition. It's just kind of a shame that the whole thing eventually runs out of steam by the end of its lengthy eight-episode run. Visually, however, there's little to complain about; Shinzo Katayama directs his socks off, the performances are superb across the board, while the music by Takashi Ohmama is simply outstanding. The visual effects deserve their own special mention; done by the same team behind Godzilla Minus One, they are outstanding; every transformation is thoroughly unsettling, inventive and seamlessly integrated. Although the momentum slows to an absolute crawl after an opening sequence that literally blows you away, the series never loses you, as you buy into the horror of what the Human Vapor truly is, remaining a hugely entertaining romp that sublimates the atomic-age paranoia and kitschy monster mayhem of the 60s into a thrilling cautionary tale for the modern era, replete with bountiful action, romance, peril and enough renditions of the Southern All Stars Ellie My Love to last a lifetime.

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Mutual pining so thick you could spread it on toast

Starting a drama with dubious consent in the first five minutes is still a clunky way to set the tone. It’s not assault, but it’s messy enough that you pause and wonder if the show knows what it’s doing. I’ve read and written dark romance, so I wasn’t shocked—just mildly wary. Luckily, it drops that energy fast. The ML’s assistant/driver ends up being the unexpected comic relief, tossing in comments that keep things from feeling too heavy. And the FL, who initially looks like she’ll be pushed around, quietly proves she’s sharper and more capable than her introduction suggests.

The mutual pining is the real engine here. They circle each other with obvious longing, constantly tripped up by miscommunication and a few people who seem dedicated to keeping them apart. It’s a familiar trope, but it works well enough because their emotional blind spots feel natural, not forced. And once they finally get together, the shift is simple and cute—awkward, soft, and a little clumsy in a way that feels honest rather than overly dramatized.

It’s not a perfect drama, but it settles into something easy to watch. A rough start, some light humor, and a straightforward romance that lands without trying too hard.

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my thoughts of edge of the horizon

i’m honestly obsessed with this series to a whole next level!!!! the acting 10 out of 10!!!!
i wanted to give it a ranking of 10 over all but couldn’t until i watch the whole series and see the ending.. i just don’t think i could survive them getting anything but happy ending!!!! yeah yeah.. i know that some people want a “realistic” ending but fuk that!!!!! i don’t need more angst!!! i have enough in my life of that ‘realistic’ aspect.. i don’t need it in my shows too!!!! those are my ‘escape’ of the reality.. i don’t need that there as well.. also, they suffer soooooo much!!! every episode they are literally emotionally tortured.. it would be just so sad and heartbreaking if they won’t at least get this happy ending then what was this all about??? why do this to my heart…? at least worn me of a tragic ending… AND YES!!!! THEM NOT ENDING UP TOGETHER IS TRAGIC!!!!

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Enjoyable Watch Despite Flaws

This Japanese effort is a reworking of the Korean original. While it corrects some flaws of the original it has a few of its own.

The basic story remains the same hitting the key plot twists in fewer episodes. This version improves on the original by moving faster, so better pacing, and by eliminating the weird direction imposed on the original acting, in particular the weird facial expressions. It a bit less in that there's less music.

Like the original the switched gender deceit isn't taken seriously and I mean that anyone looking at the lead would know she's a she however she is identifying. She doesn't attempt to change her voice. In Japan females tend to speak with a higher than their normal voice, and males lower. They also tend to use different words e.g. pronouns and phrases, much more so than in English. So to be realistic at a minimum the lead would not only have to carry herself differently, but would use a lower voice, keep to male word choices etc. If taken seriously that would be interesting to watch. In both the Korean and Japanese versions the producer/directors are more concerned to make sure the female lead presents as cute than able to pass as a male.

An irritating aspect is that while in the early episodes the subtitling was average towards the last several episodes the translating appeared to be a tossed word salad. Someone got the right verb and a few words to go with it and called it good enough leaving a confusing jumble of a sentence that required active puzzle solving adding the proper order, and discovering the needed tense given the context.

Possible Spoiler Below

I looked forward to how this version would handle the twin reunion and was disappointed because it follows the sin of the original in that they don't meet or communicate. Throughout the story, the girl never talks to her brother by phone which would be so easy to do. Towards the end, when he returns to Japan, it is inconceivable that they would not get together to exchange information. As she uncovered certain truths and secrets regarding their common past, it is extremely unlikely she wouldn’t tell him. It was therefore necessary to deal with the fact that she would contact him and he would have reactions to these truths which would impact his presence in the rock group. At a absolute minimum there should have been at least a few lines, perhaps a phone call, in which she indicates she told her brother something of these important details, e.g. their mother is in fact dead, how she died, THE MOTHER’S NAME! The script, perhaps because of budget issues and time constraints, left these gaping holes and kind of too hurriedly finished things up.

And the ending felt even more truncated than the original regarding the end point for the leads.

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Chen Du Ling At Her Finest

Chu Zhao (Chen Du Ling) was at her best in this drama, Ashes to Crown. Her performance was masterful. Chu Zhao, a general's daughter, did not know how to use weapons or practice martial arts; she knew strategies. Chu Zhao was very intelligent and she learned how to use weapons very quickly. In this drama, Chen Du Ling was somewhat like she was in her 2025 drama, The Grlory, except better. She was a heroine and had compassion for people. Bad people, evil people she destroyed. That stare....that stare.

Xie Yan Lai / Fu Jiu (Zhou Yi Ran) was an excellent fighter. He was always beaten and persecuted by his family and the people. He was beaten so badly that he spit out what seemed to be rivers of blood. How could a body take such a beating and so frequently?

Chu Zhao grew up without her mother (who she did not know) and her father (always fighting on the border). When she thought of herself as grown, she decided to head to the capital. Her father told her that her mother liked the capital and part of the reason Chu Zhao wanted to go there was to experience what her mother experienced and to be close to her mother. She was excited about the crowds of people, the bright colors, the sounds, the smells, the activities and so forth. She made her way to a crowd. She pushed her way through the crowd, just to witness a sight that made all of the nice things she had just experienced seem unimportant. She witnessed a young man being beaten to death and the crowd standing around him, yelling kill him. She stopped the man from striking the young man and she yelled at the crowd. She was taken away by one of her father's solders. She made such a great impression on XXie Yan Lai for he dared to look up and he had seen someone willing to stand up for him, to protect him.

Eventually, Chu Zhao met Xiao Xun and fell in love with him. She took him back home to meet her father. Her father told her that she could not marry him. The general did not give his blessing. She left home, with her husband to be. On her 22 birthday, she was married to the prince, her love. He had invited the general to the wedding reception / birthday gathering, behind Chu Zhao's back. The prince, Chu Zhao's new husband, behead her father and later strangled her to death. Chu Zhao was reborn years before she married the evil prince. With all of the knowledge of events from her previous life, she would navigate through everything with strategy, cunning and intelligence. During the rebellion between the princes, she made her way into a building in the chaotic capital. There she found a eunuch and a little boy hiding in the dark. She reassured the little boy, the youngest prince, that she would not hurt him. The little prince trusted her almost immediately. They left the building and they were surrounded on both ends of the street. Help came. It was Xie Yan Lai and his men. He took Chu Zhao away on his horse, leaving the little prince and eunuch in the middle of the street. She convinced him to take her back to the little prince. Chu Zhao, the little prince and Xie Yan Lai made their way to the palace. She was able to take the prince into the emperor's palace, where the emperor was able to see his grandson. Chu Zhao spoke to the emperor and the emperor finally decreed that the little prince would be the next emperor and Chu Zhao would be made the Grand Princess. She guided the young emperor and she attended court regularly. Her and the young emperor became older sister and younger brother. She was the main reason that the first and subsequent rebellions were squashed. Xie Yan Lai taught her how to use a sword and bow. She practiced everyday, per Chu Zhao. She gave strategies to win the wars at the border, even fighting on the battlefield. She did meet her mother, who was a former general of the enemy country. Her mother loved her enough to stay away from her daughter, as not to get her in trouble. He mother died in the war, right in front of Chu Zhao. Her mother bas blown up and engulfed in fire, as she looked back at her daughter.

The Grand Princess stopped rebellions, fought in wars, cleaned up the court, guided the young emperor, and so much more. She ended up with Xie Yan Lai. They had 2 children together. She started her own army and peace was in the land.

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Não se engane pensando que é uma série sobre estudantes lutando contra aliens

Quando eu comecei a assistir pensei que era uma ótima série de ação na vibe estudantil, mas é muito mais que isso. É realmente MUITO mais que isso.

Uma sala de aula normal, com cada panela bem dividida passa a ser uma família. Sendo os únicos a quem se apoiar e confiar.

O foco não é a guerra contra Aliens.

O governo chantageia os alunos com bônus pra passar na faculdade e eles arriscam a própria vida pra isso, pra que todo dia desde o nascimento valha a pena e eles consigam se formar e arranjar um bom emprego. Quando o mundo parece estar diante do fim, o que mais preocupa é o exame, são os pontos a mais que eles terão sobre os outros.

Seus colegas, amigos, familiares podem morrer e você vai ficar bem, contanto que passe numa boa universidade?

Acho que é esse lado que o Dorama quer mostrar. O quão longe você iria por um futuro numa boa empresa...

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