This review may contain spoilers
Not a Traditional Love that transcends two worlds
First of all with this coming out right after Pursuit of Jade, definitely will probably have a run for its money.Dilraba & Arthur Chen amazing acting, as always. Even the supporting cast was amazing, there were some supporting cast members that I could tell were newer to the screen (probably had smaller rolls in other shows) & senior actors/actresses I was not expecting at all in a show like this. They all did an amazing job portraying the parts they were meant to portray. Always support the cast & crew because they put so much work into creating something amazing for the public to view & enjoy.
OST was amazing, it hit & influenced where it was supposed to for the viewers. So moving in fact that some of the music I can't stop listening to, it is so amazing.
Loved the fact that He Simu at first wants to take a sword from Duan Xu but then ends up finding out that he is her spell bearer. They both end up falling for each other & eventually getting their wishes granted. I like the fact that the director & crew have provided some special scenes to continue on the story to completion for the people who feel like it wasn't a good ending.
This is one show I would recommend, not a traditional love story like people would expect but it does give a different view & how all things fantasy or real world love in their own unique way. I have had this on my "wishlist" to watch since I saw the first teaser or even before that, so happy it was done so beautifully.
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This review may contain spoilers
Compelling Story That Ultimately Disappoints
Sorry, this review does include spoilers but it's important to why the movie ultimately disappoints. Overall, it was a compelling story covering the years of the Sino-Japanese War. The visuals were beautiful covering large cities and the countryside. It had an epic feel covering a huge event in a chaotic time that ushered in huge changes, however it didn't feel overwhelming as it was told through the experiences of two very different men. The patriotic commander, Zhang Yun Kui and everyman cook, Meng Wan Fu. While their stories helped tell the story of Japanese resistance and the somewhat glorified role of communist forces, it almost could have been two movies. The men fight together in one of the first major battles but soon go their separate ways.Both men experience changes and Wang Yang is great as the heroic military man who completely changes his understanding of what values are actually important in warfare. I just saw him play a very different minor role as a shady character and he was good in the role but he embodied the stoic, fearless commander and I think he was perfectly cast in the role. However, the plight of his family along with Meng was the heart of the movie and Zhang's father, wife Ding Yujiao and especially Meng made the biggest changes from who they were at the beginning of the series. Huang Cheng Cheng was excellent in the role. It seemed to be so much more dynamic to see what was happening in the city and the experiences they went through set the tone for the changes in all three of them. The story seemed to move quicker in the city and there was more political maneuvering, insight into the supplying of communist forces, competing interests with business and Japanese co-operation, and just surviving in a small area increasingly occupied by Japanese forces.
**Big spoiler ahead***
Along with the political and battlefield danger, there is of course a love story and again I think the story of Meng and Zhang's family is the more interesting one. The love of people who grow as a family and the platonic love story of Meng Wan Fu and Ding Yujiao. At various times, I loved that it was platonic and sometimes I wanted them to become an actual couple and I think it's really up to our own imagination if they do. As impossible as it may seem to really happen, the real and fake marriages of each other's spouses/fiancées kept me wondering what would happen when they all met up. What happens when you meet up with the spouse you thought was dead and you have remarried, and you know have to work with them for a larger cause. The lead up to them all meeting was played out wonderfully but when they all got together, it was unfortunately disappointing. It was rushed in the last 3 parts of the series and other than a quick conversation, everyone is fine and moves on quickly. In fact the whole end of the series is rushed. After so much detail and story building for the first few years of the war, the last and final victory is a quick recap of a huge battle and ultimate victory.
Zhang Yunkui and Han Xiao Yue's story wraps up neatly but I think it does a disservice to Meng and Ding's story to not let the other 2 know that they weren't really married. Zhang's wife loved two other men in different ways but she remained true to her husband and couldn't let go of his space in her life. Similarly Men Wan Fu so respected Zhang that he couldn't imagine replacing him in his widow's heart. This could have been explored so much more and I wanted to see all of them navigate this admission and how Zhang and Han dealt with it in spite of the fact that they actually fell in love. We don't even get a scene where Zhang learns the extent of all Meng did expresses his thanks for taking care of his family. Usually I don't mind an ambiguous ending where Meng and Ding are overjoyed to find each other after being apart and we don't know what happened after, but in my imagination, they grow to love each other as a real couple.
So, overall, a strong start and great weaving of historical events into personal stories but ultimately disappointing by not bridging the 2 separate stories more at the end, rushing the events at the end and downplaying the dynamic of the couples all coming together. I was waiting everyday for new episodes to come out and felt a huge let down at the end.
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Definitely a cash grab for the cast because this was so unserious.
I was genuinely excited to start Siren’s Kiss. On paper, it promised everything I usually enjoy: dark themes, drama, mystery, glamour, and a cast that should have delivered. Park Min-young was there, the ever-gorgeous Wi Ha-joon was there, and even a familiar face from Mr. Queen: Kim Jung Hyun was stepping into villain territory. I was fully prepared to enjoy this.But oh my word.
This drama is what we’d call in my culture "nonsense dzega dega" which basically means something that tries very hard to look substantial, deep, or sophisticated but once you scratch the surface, it is pure hollowness. Empty spectacle. All style, no sense.
And that is Siren’s Kiss.
I genuinely could not make head or tail of what was going on. The plot was contrived from the beginning, the logic never settled, and the ending somehow managed to be even more ridiculous than everything that came before it. Its why I watched the first 4 eps,dropped and tuned into the finale hoping it could resolve its foolishness but dear oh dear.
What baffled me most was the cast. How do actors of this pedigree ,people who have proven themselves in genuinely strong projects end up here? It honestly made me understand why people sometimes say actors take certain dramas purely for the cheque. Because I struggle to believe seasoned professionals read this script and thought, yes, this is the one.
This was so unserious in all the wrong ways.
A total complete miss.
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Re-Dirt
Big budget, high production, talented cast, costumes, extras and all the you'd need to build an epic. But in the end, with all this money at their disposal, the producers got a script from the dollar store. This is case 101 of what happens when you have everything but a good script on hand. Like a pricey lambo without tires, this drama goes nowhere. I skipped and skipped trying to ignore the plot holes but kept landing on swiss cheese everywhere.One notable hole is that the ML needed an antidote and neither him nor the FL started doing anything about it until ep 25. If the FL really loves him and owes him her life, wouldn't she try to save him from the get-go? Nope. I guess we'll have to wait until ep 25, probably because they smelled the stink from the now moldy MacGuffin across the hall. Oh, and the producers matched a 17 yo FL at the time of filming with a 29 yo ML. An artistic choice or a cynical ploy to drive publicity? As if they wanted to drive the point further, they chose an actress that can even play middle school. The petite FL is even shorter than most of the women on cast and we're supposed to see her as imposing general able to wrestle men twice their size. Okay. I guess everything goes now and we can ask Tom Holland to play the Hulk.
Too bad. All this wasted potential and another reminder that it's best to invest on a good script first. Perhaps the producers already knew they had a turd, but needed to keep the industry's gears churning at all costs. Seems like something Hollywood would do, but it seems that this slop fest is picking up steam worldwide. Somebody call the pumper truck because the septic tank is getting full.
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A Whole Lot of Vibes, Not Much Substance
Pursuit of Jade is very clearly geared toward a teen / young adult audience. And I don’t mean that in a negative or disparaging way at all. I actually think this is firmly in the teen lane. It reminds me of what Gossip Girl or The Vampire Diaries were for that demographic: glossy, dramatic, a bit fluffy, and very much teenagers doing adult things with unrealistic adult stakes.So if you’re someone who’s used to more “serious” or consummate dramas like Six Flying Dragons or Eternal Love , I strongly think you’re probably going to find this a bit… shallow. There’s definitely some slop and fluff here. And if you’re a more seasoned viewer, it might feel tedious at times.
For me, this wasn't a flaw , it’s just about expectation management.
That said, I didn’t hate it. I actually found parts of it fun. The world-building was decent enough, and it works well as a filler drama when you don’t want anything too heavy or demanding. It’s easy to watch, a bit cutesy, and sometimes that’s all you need.
But would I call it great? No.
Deep? Not really.
Memorable? Probably not.
It’s just… okay.
For me, it sits at about a 5/10. Watchable, enjoyable in moments, but ultimately not something I’d describe as essential viewing.
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Relationships Matter
This series is a thoughtful exploration of how people deal with trauma. The children at the beginning of the series are adorable and they demonstrate a child's perspective of how they react to trauma. We see them as teens and adults as they work out their more mature perspective and try to grow past their hurt. The dad, played by Choi Won-young, is the emotional anchor of the characters . Kim Hye-eun's character is horribly toxic--I hope people don't think that the son's repeated reception of abuse is the "right" path to take with an abusive parent. Neverthless, the interaction felt real and was well acted.Overall, this series is heartwarming, brilliantly acted, and well-paced. It's one of my all-time favorites--I highly recommend it.
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Best Barber in Town
Can’t wait for season 2. A longer stay would be even better. A big happy mural on the front wall would be fun! Sang Yi needs to start charging as a nail technician lol AND Bo Gum will get his full license!! 😍❤️🙏🏾. A visit during a local festival would be fun to watch so I hope they are able to return to the same village together someday.So many special moments, some of my favs:
* Sang Yi putting on weight
* Sang Yi losing then finding Da In’s bracelet repeatedly saying ‘This is the worst’ 😂
* Ms Jeong Ja 1st and last customer with her constant ‘Aigoo’s filled with passion and support for the boys
* Sang Yi not getting attached during any of his work on a reality series, then promising to keep in touch with Ms Ra
* Clueless Seo Hyeon after Sang Yi’s phone call to come pick up the photo…’Which Uncle?’ 😂
* When Sang Yi gets truly passionate he speaks english lmao ‘Wow yes come on’ when he found out their last lunch would have pasta
* Seon Hee little sous chef always heading straight to Dong Yeon in the kitchen
* Ms Ra is the bomb
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Important Story, Uneven Execution
With an A-list cast led by Ha Ji-won and Ju Ji-hoon, the drama dives into the dark relationship between money, celebrity, exploitation, and the entertainment industry. It touches on the kind of sinister power dynamics the world has seen repeatedly and tragically and for that alone, I think Climax deserves credit. It agitates an uncomfortable but important subject in a raw and necessary way.IUnfortunately, where it lost me was in the actual execution.
As strong as the premise was, I found the cinematic choices weak. There were stylistic flourishes, blurred transitions, nonlinear storytelling decisions, and visual techniques that felt more distracting than effective. Instead of elevating the material, they often made the drama feel oddly amateurish and flat. It gave the impression of a director who perhaps didn’t have a full grasp on how to shape such heavy subject matter.Kudos though to the queer storylines. They added a good mix of push and pull factor but yet again, the show flails around.
The screenplay also felt tired in places. Some arcs were rushed, others underdeveloped. In particular, I thought the prosecutor’s storyline had real potential and nuance, but it never received the depth it deserved. Too much focus was placed on Ha Ji-won’s character at the expense of other compelling threads.I also felt the actors weren’t always guided properly. Ju Ji-hoon, who is usually excellent at portraying intensity and layered charisma, felt uneven here.
Because of all this, I ended up dropping the drama after the first few episodes and only tuned back in for the finale.
That said, I still think Climax is significant. Social commentary-wise, it’s aiming high. Thematically, it’s saying something important. But dramas need more than intention - they really need craft.
There was a genuinely good drama buried in here somewhere, unfortunately, it just never fully emerged.
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Very overhyped
So yeah, I watched lots..lots of videos on instagram about this kdrama, fortunately managed to avoid spoiler ones. And almost all of the were like "It's a masterpiece!", 10 out 10 etc. Trailer didn't impress me, but I still decided to give it a chance. Well...can't say that it was terrible decision, but I was surprised in a bad way.Production here is not really bad, but it feels very low budget, like some low-budget trashy japanese series. And btw, this kdrama looks more like jdrama. Especially because of amount of blood. I instantly remembered japanese drama "Crow's Blood". It was also very silly and very bloody.
Story is not very interesting, twists are very predictable, characters not interesting, except maybe Na-Ri. Brother-in-law character is comedic relief here, and this is also one of my problems. Too many silly, stupid moments, like in comedy, and with sudden comedic music...in horror show! And as far as I know, it wasn't promoted like a black horror comedy or something like that. Also, the ending...No, I will say in general - after first couple of episodes story went downhill, except maybe episode 6. There are a lot of confusing story elements, and some of them just lead nowhere, or didn't get a proper resolution.
Can't really say much about acting - it was ok mostly. Kim Siwon and Hyeryung actresses and Kang Mi-Na are propably the best here, their acting was great, but their storylines felt really underdeveloped. Jeon So Nee was good, but nothing special, main heroine was ok, others - mediocre.
So, I don't understand the hype and good ratings. It's not completely terrible show, but not good either. I rated it with 5, mostly because it's short, with fast pacing, good concept overall, but really simirar to the german series "Wishlist", and with some good acting, but that's about it.
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Unlikable leads, repetitions, cliches and tropes
Do you like wasting your time watching something you hate? Do you want your leads to be unlikable and annoying? Do you enjoy watching one cliche after another? Do you like watching filler episodes? Do you like repetition? No? Then, this is not the show for you.It takes a lot to make me drop a show altogether. There are shows I've watched at 2x speed or skipped through scenes. But even at 2x speed and skipping many scenes, I couldn't keep watching this.
I didn't expect a masterpiece or a 10/10 show. I just wanted a xianxia that's enjoyable. It was too painful to keep watching this. I feel sorry for the actors and other talent who had to be a part of this.
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This review may contain spoilers
Before I write this review I wanna mention that I don't support Joss. This is a personal decision. I don't care if you do support him or not but I do wanna let you guys know I don't, although this does not change the way I see the series. Neo and Aj are in this series so that makes it way better and I also like Gawin. This review is made after watching it a second time btw!!What I like about Neo and Aj is that their characters are always these type's and I love it. Neo's characters is always chaotic and 'stupid' which I loveeeee about Neo and Aj (and his twin JJ aswell) are always these chaotic by standing characters who just want love and third wheel. I feel soooo bad for Tonkla and fucking Tong was NOT nice to him. Like yes he liked him but Tong was way too busy with his own stuff. I feel like Tonkla and Nankan would've been a couple if.. yk.
To be very honest I do not like miss Nuan atall. She was nice and her actions weren't that bad but like she still didn't treat Tong the same way as the others and it clearly affected Tong.
The fx effects were good but the 3d art was horrible, like the spider and the butterfly. Did gmmtv not have the budget? Was it done with a reason? STOP THE GUITAR SCENE'S IM SICK OF THEM!!!
Had to laugh because I recognise the house hahahah (from love in the air and some other series). Tong did not need to ignore Mark so much. It was quite confusing why he kept having feelings on and off. Like it genuinely irritated me. Never did I fully trust Thara, she was acting sooo Sus
Them adopting kids is so cute wish they had given us more content of it. Anyways 1
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Lesson in Story Structure
Absolutely loved this series. It examines the structure of the Rom-Com through the eyes of a self-aware comic book character. It explores the ideas of fate and how to create self-identity in a constrained space. The main actor roles are fluid and the acting and screenwriting are good. This is definitely a series that I will be rewatching!Was this review helpful to you?
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GREAT MOVIE. HONESTLY.
Starts off strong with si min, a teacher, who was an aspiring athlete in the past as a boxer, yet had to pull out due to her dad’s debt, which led to her becoming a contract teacher at a school that is labelled to “excel at anti-bullying”, only to find out that it’s a school thriving on violence, with a boy named Su gang being the main perpetrator. As Si min finds out Su gang was targeting his classmate named Jin hyeong, she decides to wear a cat mask, and disguise herself and fight Su gang to get justice. This was working GREAT until Jin hyeong’s friend, byeong Jin, a graduate from the same school, and Su gang’s old target, finds out Si min’s identity as the “kitty cat” as the students labelled her, and begs her to save Jin hyeong. After some cracking down, Su gang also finds out who the kitty cat was, and decides to go against si min by planning a match at the school festival, only to notice that everyone was supporting si min, and now FINALLY AFTER ALL THE BS SU GANG GETS ARRESTED AND WHEN HE’S ASKED WHY HE DID ALL THE VIOLENCE, HE REPLIES THAT HE JUST DID IT FOR FUN. LIKE IT WOULDVE BEEN SO GOODD IF SU GANG JUST HAD A TAD BIT MORE DEPTH. SOME JUICY BACKSTORY, A TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD, ANYTHING WOULDVE WORKED, BECAUSE SU GANG JUST SEEMED A LITTLE BLAND TO ME BUT GREAT MOVIE OVERALL.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Hook, Amazing Journey
This is an amazing series. Absolutlely loved it. The actors were all excellent and the characters/story well crafted. The story arc of all the main characters were fascinating, from the foolish ineffectual emperor, the king of Goryeo with many regrets, and the girl with many talents who uses resolve in interesting ways. The side characters, too, were colorful and played interesting roles in moving the story along. 51 episodes is a difficult proposition to start but totally worthwhile.Was this review helpful to you?
