Reviews

An okay follow up to a great season 1

Season 2 lacks the historical context/backdrop that made the first season so compelling, but it's still worth checking out for the leads...I guess.

In season 1, the characters all had to contend with numerous external and internal conflicts that tested them mentally and morally. It was both inspiring and heartbreaking to see play out each episode. There was a certain emotional depth that made the stakes real.

This time around, we shift the focus to present day where old horrors remerge to give our leads a hard time. The horror element is still there which is great news for those who loved seeing grotesque monsters and intense gore. The action is turned up a notch as well. But again, the emotional depth isn't all there considering a majority of the cast from season 1 is obviously not present. Sigh, I miss those interactions.

This isn't to say season 2 isn't worth watching. As I stated in the beginning, watch if nothing else but for the always stellar performances by the leads. Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee practically carry this drama on their backs. Performances of other cast members were ok. They did their jobs. No complaints here. But the leads? Honestly seeing them together made the story tolerable due to the fact there's a history between them.

Overall, this season seems like its own thing. Yes there are flashbacks spread out here and there, but it feels stand-aloneish. So yeah, watch it for the reasons I've mentioned above, but keep your expectations low if you're expecting a similar emotional thrill ride like season 1.

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At first I thought this would be one of those shows tackling disability as if it was a plot device to keep a relationship going, but while it may have started as how Yukiko and Morio know of each other, it wasn’t a show to gratify the condition.

Whereas other dramas might fail in undertaking the topic of blindness, this one succeeds. This drama does not give you a chance to feel pity for Yukiko, because you see her determination to overcome her inability to see like others. She uses the resources available to her, and where it is lacking, she creates and looks for opportunities to improve.

Instead of feeling sad for Yukiko, I ended up rooting for her like how Morio did in the show. His belief in her strength and tenacity was adorable. And while I appreciate how he supports his girlfriend, it only highlighted the time he has on his hands, that I forget he had a part-time job only after he met Yukiko. Nevertheless, Morio’s redemption arc from delinquent to dependable is to be noted.

Speaking of redemption arcs, I have a beef with the second leads. I cannot fathom how Shishio, who used to fight Morio all the time, ends up being actually in love with him? Logic not computing, but also makes sense. Is this like: boys who bully girls, secretly have a crush on the girl? He gives Morio a job at his grandmother’s store, helps him be his wingman, and later becomes his potential brother-in-law even though he’s gay? What in the fantasy world is this? Meanwhile Izumi, who is Yukiko’s sister, has poor taste in men. She’s also overprotective of her sister, and yet she seems to be the weaker of the two. And because everyone needs a partner, they just lump these two incompatible characters with each other.

Aside from its flaws, this show is a decent watch, especially when they included the educational snippets from Hamada Yutaro, a blind comedian whose jokes flew over my head because I don’t have cued-canned laughter.

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Not unexpected at all; the ending was totally spelled out

1. Story

a. Characters
I hate everyone. They all had such awful personalities or were completely stupid. The mc himself was completely stupid. If you're that creeped out of the residents, move out. idc how inexpensive that place is. Safety>>. Plus, the place was going to be redeveloped in 6 mos anyway so he was bound to move out and his pay just isn't enough.

On the otherhand, I hated his girlfriend too. Not once did she listen to him or even entertained his worries. I get it she's stressed too, but she said he should learn to defend himself so people wouldn't step on him, but she's the exact same—she always just let her boss bully her. Aside from that she can just rant about her life to him too? What is the effing point of being in a relationship when you cannot even rely on each other. L girlfriend. I hated her more than her boss and the MC's nerdy co-worker and boss.

Speaking of which, I was just waiting for them to die. Too bad it was just the ceo. Well at least the nerd got what was coming to him. I'm not an advocate for violence but don't bully people if you cannot handle the consequences.

b. Plot
As I said it made no sense for him to stay. If you feel that unsafe that it was making you crazy, leave. It wasn't like he absolutely did not have money. I'd so go back home if I can't stay at Seoul. There's no point in trying to make a living if I'm dead. It's just so stupid.

And I'm just not convinced by the scarriness of the antagonists nor their capacity to drive him to insanity. They weren't scary nor really good at their jobs really. They're sloppy. We're just told through the narrative or through camera work how scary they are. Like he killed them all so easily at the end even when they were so cocky.

2. Acting
It was solid. They were believeable except for their scarriness and all.

3. Overall
Expected ending and tbh boring. They could have expanded it more, could have shown us how deadly, capable, brutal and without empathy the antagonists really are but no.

I don't get whose minds were being blown at the ending. Unless you're a five year-old who has never seen a movie then it was pretty much spelled out that he would go insane and murder someone at least. He wasn't going to go out sane in any situation. Idc how that's rare in kdrama. There were literally no other options with how they set it up so no it was not u expected, not mindblowing and certainly not a masterpiece. They could have done more with the promise and could have actually made it terrifying and actually made the viewers question morality and sanity of humans.

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I just couldn't continue with this one for some reason and it's no fault of the actors. Because I've seen both main leads in other works and I enjoyed those ones (The Forbidden Marriage and Eye Love You). I don't have a problem with Tae Joon's characterization, it's the Tae Yang's that I'm not on board with. I mean, I am not expecting a perfect, strong Female lead with no weaknesses, but it's just frustrating for me to see how this young lady who was once the darling of the tennis world, wastes her talent by hiding her tail between her legs. Then she somehow feels that her ex-friend bullying her is justified of what happened in the past.

I can sympathize with people who are victims of injustice or maltreatment where they have no recourse to defend themselves, but it's another thing when the FL inflicts this suffering upon herself. And when I found out what REALLY happened in the past, how everyone ostracized her and sees Tae-young like an infectious disease, I just lost it. It's so easy to blame someone else for your misfortune, and this "sucks-to-be-me" pity party is one I refuse to watch.

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Boy oh boy

I finished this series after two entire months of it ending when I had a single episode to get through because, for some reason, I was so traumatized by ep. 11 that I dreaded watching the last one (I'm being kind of dramatic but still).
And. I have mixed feelings.
Overall I'd say I enjoyed the series- I went back to see what I rated each episode and overall the average is at 7.5/8. I think the last episodes were the ones that contributed to a slight drop in the final score.

What I liked:

- Chemistry. I say this in every review but I don't fucking care because it's especially true for this one. The actors apparently knew each other beforehand and are pretty good friends, and you can TELL. There's a sense of comfort and familiarity that it's so hard to get, but they did it, and my God did they do it right. The friends-with -benefits aspect of their relationship is ideal for their dynamic, and they play it really well. Consider this 90% of the rating because I was having so. Much. Fun. watching their scenes together.
- I found the setting of a gym and the focus on a professional boxer quite intriguing, to be honest. I liked that they portrayed the intensity that comes with competing at such a high level and the psychological pressure that they endure. And also the hospital setting, obviously- they encouraged each other to do their best in their fields and it was so wholesome to see.
- Bless Wandee's friend for the much needed asexual rep, I don't think I've seen an ace character in a BL show before. Good for him. And also healthy sex ed! (even though it bordered on preachy sometimes, I felt like I was watching an ad from the Ministry of Health lol).

Just unadulterated ranting:

- The ending. Why they always flop right when it's about to end, I have no clue, but it needs to be researched. It's as though every single thing I liked about the show plummets to the ground in terms of quality and watchability: the acting, the plot, the interactions.. everything. So, let me say this: 1) why the fuck do we like Dr. Ter now? Explain that to me because he's still an asshole in my book. 2) They love that shit but please for the love of God can we not have a public confession of love for once? And let's also take away their mics and forbid them from singing, for good measure. Why is a doctor singing at a formal event, dressed in some shitty king costume? We'll never know. 3) What do you MEAN he has to leave now? Why the drama right at the end? Oh well
- Acting. As good as the leads are in light-hearted scenes, they are abismal at the emotional ones (I'm sorry). I've seen what GMMTV actors can do (hello OhmNanon, JimmySea and GeminiFourth), and this doesn't even come close to it. The show should have stuck to the goofy banter and slightly kinky vanilla sex, instead of trying to give its character a deeply traumatic backstory that the actor couldn't accurately portray. Wandee's actor as well-- reaction acting is as important, and I don't think it worked for him either.
- The drama didn't work, outside of the acting problems. That goofy-ass guy in a hoodie was more funny than anything, and it wasn't really made clear that he represented trauma until someone said it word-for-word. And I would have loved to see more of the gym's struggle to find funding while keeping up with Yoryak's competitions.
- Dr. Ter is a creep and I think the competition thing between him and Wandee was sort of forgotten until the last ep? I also don't fully get how it was meant to work, it seemed very unprofessional for a health institution to pit its workers against each other in some sort of ego contest. Idk how it works in real life but surely they don't have to go around having presidential rallies??

I gave this a 6.5 and spent like 1000 words ranting lol but I promise it's a good time. The chemistry carries most of the show, because it would otherwise be quite mid, and it makes the most of the friends-with-benefits trope.

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Warning: Rant ahead. Cringe fest

Wotakoi was my first ever romance anime in 2018 and I love it till now to bits. I later read the manga too that too was fantastic. So, when I found out yesterday about this movie, I was really excited. However, within the first 15 minutes in, I was cringing hard. The song, lyrics, conceptualization, everything was off. Why musical!!! This is not Broadway. If the director wanted to still make it into a musical, please incorporate it into the story seamlessly not just throw it away somewhere randomly. Such choppy editing and direction. What a waste of the actress's talent! I had to drop to preserve my happy memory of anime. I needed to cleanse myself by binging the anime for 1000th time lol. And that is all I am thankful for. I wasted my 20 minutes trying to get into it. Then ran to MDL. As expected I was not the only one cringing hard. The disappointment is huge!!

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Story with an amazing storyline of 2024

I am absolutely in love with this series. I'll share the things that kept me hooked up till the end. I really hate rushed storylines or too slow story too, for me this story have an absolute balance it's not too rushed to make them fall in love immediately or too slow that the characters doesn't come close till the end of the series. Another thing about the story is the way the dialogues deliver their emotions especially in a poetic manner, the deep meanings attached is my favourite. As for acting, I don't think kissing or being close define chemistry, it's way more than that in BL for me and the actor had the capability to show the chemistry even without being close, especially their eyes the love, pain, fear were all in their eyes it was so evident. The actors did an absolute fabulous job, the cast not just main but also the support actors are well suited for their parts, all are doing an amazing job. The show delivering not just love but complications of age, family, friends all in one, that so, so beautifully that I can't wait for the season 2. I am literally ready to beg on my knees for it.....??‍♀️

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Mid-way Review = Excellent.

I have watched till episode 15 so far.
And I am thoroughly convinced that the remaining half will surely not disappoint me.

The production quality, the superb acting of every lead, support and guest actor is just surprisingly in sync and amazing.

The detailing of the direction is praiseworthy. The storyline is very well charted, with logical progression and reactions to each event that happens and its domino effects!

The veteran actors are obviously amazing, however what is even more impressive is the range of Chen Zhe Yuan as an actor…! Fantastic portrayal of Lin Shao Bai!
Kudos to the scriptwriters and directors for such a beautiful depiction of each character’s growth as they experience different circumstances.

The antagonists are equally praiseworthy in their acting! ?

The “Underscore” of the drama compliments the tension and emotions of the moment on screen so so very well! Many viewers overlook the overall importance of the sound effects and the background score / underscore of a movie or a drama…. In this drama, the dubbing and sound is surely of great quality.
As I said, superior production…

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Great concept, weak plots

It's an interesting supernatural idea that limits the power to see the future in the span of 4 minutes only. But with a plot that should make the audience in awe but diverted to having a messy ending. This is another typical Be On Cloud’s project that only showcases a high-quality start with an extremely disappointing finale. I understand that the script is trying to give us shocking revelations but the execution was poorly done. If they had enhanced most of their scenes during the last two episodes, everything about this drama would have been a chef’s kiss.

I highly appreciate and am well-devoured by Bas’ extremely outstanding performance as Korn in this series. He stole the show and uplifted the drama’s charisma. The presentation of his role was flawless. The love triangle of Korn, Tonkla, and Inspector Win is way more entertaining than the main couple. They nailed their characters and stole the spotlight even playing as supporting casts. But I must say that Bas and Bible’s chemistry as siblings is so cute that I want to see more of them as sworn brothers in the future.

The intimate scenes are also the best! It was tremendously romantic and amorous. Fuaiz and Bas made the finest sequence of passionate acts in the show. JJ became the third wheel here and I liked it better since the two mentioned paired above were explicit and intense.

In general, 4Minutes is a pretty average BL drama with a fascinating start that loses its spark from the dissatisfying scenarios established in the end. Nevertheless, the acting from everyone was great and set up a unique storyline that distinguished them from other BLs from this year. Nice work!

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Not a single likeable character in this drama.

Moreover, the main storyline involves a woman reconnecting with and once again being pressured into physical intimacy by her first boyfriend, who sexually assaulted her in junior high.

It’s never outright stated that he assaulted her, but it’s hard for me to read that scene any other way. And it clearly leaves her traumatized well into adulthood, with the effects echoing out across all parts of her life. Pretty tragic.

All of this is romanticized, but in such a way that even if this weren’t a story about a rapist, I would hate it. There is zero chemistry between the leads, even though they spend a lot of time in physical/sexual contact and talking about sex. The FL is not so much a character as a cardboard box with eyes drawn on it. The ML is at least supposed to be stoic in character, but the ML’s actor took this as a free pass to not bother emoting at all and just looks like a personified brick wall in most scenes.

I also hated the second leads. Everyone in that house was a trainwreck. “Screw-Up Adults Sharehouse” indeed.

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Unbeatable drama

This drama was released on 2013 and today is 2024. It's been so long and it will always be engraved in my heart.

As a child, I used to watch the dramas that my mom watched on TV. This drama is part of my childhood. For many years, whenever I'm bored out of new dramas or when I suddenly miss my yound days, I would just watch this drama. I really cannot count how many times I've watched it.

The plot was everything and the actors made the drama alive. This drama teaches us that sometimes people are greedy and they don't really show their true colors unless you find out in the worst way and that's a reality of this world.

You will encounter many dramas, revenge, as well as romance and many likeable things.

- Review by sukimatchagirl

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