Reviews

Enjoyable

The suspense and thrill is very enjoyable but story wise its senseless killing imo. Very few smart and witty deaths but there are far too many idiotic civillians, and majority of the “smart” students became mafia.

The plot twist at the end revealing that it was all just a game created by grieving parents whose child were bullied to death from a rumour the students created does answer some questions story wise but it just feels incomplete. The integration of se eun’s story in a mafia game is just her parents wanting revenge and justice for their child but what is the point when the students dont learn any of this and no reflection of morals is done? Its just a cycle of inflicting psychological pain over and over again, except yunseo now has her memories.

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Hot take: It's better than season 1

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Park HyungSik and Han SoHee's duo, but I PERSONALLY am not a big fan of friends to lovers....Probably that's why I loved the story of this Soundtrack more.
I loved the "PASSION" our main leads had for each other....
I saw many people criticizing the female lead, but as a person who unfortunately suffers from inferiority complex, I TOTALLY understand her being cautious about taking SuHo's help.
So, I can say I loved how, instead of being picture perfect, our leads had flaws, and they did overcome it....

Ending was a bit rushed but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SOUNDTRACK...♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

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Simple and worthwhile

This movie was a lovely surprise. It's a straight-forward, well-realised coming-of-age story with a strong focus on sports and friendship, as well as a delightful romance.
The audio and visuals are strong, the script - while not perfect - is solid, and the story quite skillfully tackles some more serious issues like sexual abuse and homophobia even if it doesn't focus on them too heavily.
Watching this honestly felt like watching a classic 2000s teen sports movie, it had such a wonderful sense of nostalgia about it. It reminded me slightly of Bend It Like Beckham except, you know, actually gay.
If you consider the story by itself it may be nothing too special, but it's earnest, fun, and delightfully queer - a perfect watch for a cozy weekend.

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FL character was sooo annoying!

I really disliked the character of the FL. Her personal issues were really annoying. She couldn’t accept help from anyone. I’m glad she finally realized how selfish and self centered she was. The ML truly loved her but she didn’t even love herself. She had no redeeming qualities which makes the love story overall less appealing. The ML was always very accommodating and loving even in his pursuit of success his focus was their future together. She on the other hand had no real vision for the future. it’s bittersweet overall and it’s not the type of romance I prefer.

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A common man's take on Justice

An adrenaline rush, Vigilante stands as one of the better originals Disney+ has put out this year. Not a single second of the K-drama is never really wasted on filler or unnecessary scenes.
Although not exactly an innovative premise, Vigilante is still worth a watch: if not for the expertly choreographed fight scenes and masterful cinematography, then probably to reflect on the judicial system and what it truly stands for. 
The acting was decent and the action was good which was based more on suspense and violence. The story was great. The characters were diverse and interesting l, although the message delivery could have been more impactful.

My Rating : 7/10

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EYES THAT ARE LOUDER THAN VOICES

I don’t usually watch these kind of drama because I consider them to be boring, full of dull moments and silences.
But thank goodness I decided to give this a try!

STORY
Slow paced and beautiful, but the female lead confessing her feelings at ep 6 gave me more than butterflies in my stomach!! A love story about a deaf man and an aspiring actress who is still figuring out her life quietly. This drama was executed in such a lovely way which also shows that even disabled people deserve all the the love in the world.
especially the second couple who are also friends with the male lead, a man who owns a cafe married to a dead woman too and they have a baby together. I feel that the writer is using them to show our main couple that it’s possible to stay with a person who is hearing impaired. And still understand each other so much.

ACTING AND CASTING
IMO , the male lead was made for this role! The female lead too. Even tho they’re both introverted, every scene with them is so beautiful that even their silence makes me giggles. The way they’re so into each other and the way their communication is so amazing even with the difference in language. Kudos to the female lead for such wonderful efforts she put just to learn sign language in order to communicate with the man who has become her comfort. Then to the side characters, everyone is suited for the roles they were given.

MUSIC
I just have three words to describe the music
BEAUTIFUL, SOOTHING, PURE BLISS.

REWATCH VALUE?
Hell yes!! I would totally rewatch again.

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Justice comes at a price

Overall, I rate this drama highly. This detective story was interesting - it was difficult in most part of the drama to pinpoint the real villains and there were some surprises.

Zhang Ping, an impoverished orphan who did not know who his parents were, went to the capital city for the imperial examination and ran into Lan Jue. Zhang Ping was an impetuous fanatic who wanted to become a detective with the Imperial Criminal Investigation Bureau. Lan Jue was a well-groomed mandarin who was secretly investigating the case of his father's treason. He believed that his father was righteous and wanted to prove his innocence.

Zhang Ping and Lan Jue started off at loggerheads over the case of a stolen bead on the belt of a foreign merchant. Zhang Ping was convinced that Lan Jue had something to hide and was the one behind this thief. As the drama progressed, they were drawn into the investigation of various murder cases. These eventually led to uncovering a massacre which dated back 20 years and the uncovering of two hidden identities.

What I like about this drama?

- The most important success factor in this drama was: the story was interesting and full of mysteries. Who was the mastermind behind the massacre 20 years ago? And who was the culprit behind the series of murders, and why was he doing these?

- The main leads especially Jing Bo Ran, Song Wei Long and Hong Yao performed their parts very well and so did the rest of the cast.

- The camaraderie and bromance among them were very well played out, with no suggestion of homosexuality - that's how I prefer it. I am not homophobic but do not appreciate display of same sex affection - it does not arouse any empathy with me.

- The story was very tightly woven, so you won't be left wondering how things fit in. And there were no questions unanswered.

- Most importantly, justice was served. I am happy that the mastermind behind the massacre was uncovered and punished. However, I did feel a little sorry for the murderer who was actually a victim of this hideous massacre - for him, the price of justice was high.

What I dislike about this drama?

- Some details were a little laughable. For example, when attacked by a poison mist, the advice was to cover their face with a wet cloth. Had anyone tried this? You don't get killed by the mist but you would get killed by suffocation.

- The English translation of the title is deplorable. A league is a group of people, countries or groups. So Nobleman is a grammatic mistake. The plural version Noblemen should be use. But Zhang Ping was not a nobleman, so this is wrong as well. Then, it could be A League of Noble Men, with the meaning of Noble being honourable. But Gu was not an honourable person. Perhaps a more literal translation, A League of Gentlemen is more appropriate, accepting that Gu was a gentleman despite being a little evil.

I give it a thumbs-up. If you like detective stories or mysteries in a period setting, you would likely enjoy this.

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Best chinese drama of 2023. Favorite Female Lead of any drama.

This was a beautiful drama, everything from the makeup and costumes to the fight scenes was done exceptionally well. Acting was on point the entire time, it wasn't overly funny and cutesy like china likes to do, and it wasn't boringly serious either, they hit just the right note.

Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou are perfect main characters, they both stand briliantly by themselves, and form a perfect couple together. The Female Lead, unlike what is popular, is not dependant on the ML, and doesn't cry every 5 mins. She's strong, dependable, smart, and acts like a mature grown woman instead of a child. The ML is the best at what he does, but instead of being cruel like most other drama leads in his position, he is kind and affectionate towards his brothers. When they are together they form a beautiful sight.
The Princess is the one who really rises up throughout the show, it is so rare to see a princess show such growth, it was an amazing progression throughout the season. I would love to see more of her in a 2nd season.

The soundtrack was great, the combat music for the female lead is so hype it always gets me giddy with excitement.
I've already begun rewatching the show.
The only flaw to point out is the rush in the last 6 episodes, with the amount of content they rushed through, they could've done an entire 2nd season for the show instead.

Definitely watch this, you will not regret it.

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A movie that will annoy you

A movie that would want you to jump and intervene through the screen. The bullying scenes made me squint my eyes I was fighting the urge to skip in some scenes.

Now regarding the story I wouldn't say it is far fetch from reality in a way. Social status, wealth, and reputation are something that is known to us. After hearing about teachers quitting and committing suicide due to student-teacher bullying, this drama made me think how bad it is in real life (hopefully not to this extent). This drama is a friction but I also felt it represents a desire and 'IF ONLY'.

I have read someone write that the villain was straight from hell and I couldn't agree more. His acting is next level, it wouldn't be too far-fetched if I say he is a psychopath cause that wasn't normal. One thing I'm not a big fan of is when high school bullies don't look like high schoolers. in this case, the villain looked way older. the fighting scenes were top-notch (coming from someone who knows nothing about it).

Now about the ending I don't know, it was somewhat of an open ending but not really, we know she will expose and turn the school into a safe place. we also get that her former colleague might have told her to join this new school.

Overall, I wish this was a drama instead, I think I might have enjoyed it more. Maybe cause I love backstories and also love to know if the villains are facing the consequences of their actions. but as a movie, I will say it is okay not the best and not the worst too.

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bom...

Esse drama tem um estilo muito interessante de contar a narrativa, tendo a premissa uma vingança da secretária, apos descobrir um diagnostico de câncer terminal, para com seu chefe, um homem frio; calculista (trocadilho por ser professor de matemática) e perfeccionista as coisas.
O enredo é legal,mas ainda possui pontas soltas, além de se alongar demais em coisas que ja foi resolvidas nos primeiros capítulos da trama. Acho que poderiam ter diminuido um pouco desse enredo no meio da história pra que as informacoes dos 2 últimos episódios não ficasem so jogados.

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Not my cup of tea, but still worth watching

So this one just wasn't for me. I'm usually a sucker for soulmate stories but here the concept didn't really work for me.
I will say, however, that the production quality is fairly high for a short little indie movie and I very much enjoyed the final message and the spirit in which the story was told.
This was clearly a passion project for the film makers and that love really shines through.
I am beyond thrilled about how YouTube and the like have become platforms for queer creators to realise their vision over these past two-ish decades and this short film is a perfect example of exactly such a vision come to life.
Give it a shot, maybe it'll hit just right for you even if it didn't for me.

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SHOULD HAVE LET HER GO TO SANTIAGO ALONE

The start of the drama raised my expectations high but the last few minutes were beyond me. Apart from that it was overall a good one. The first impulse on seeing the show is to compare it with the soundtrack 1 but that would not do justice to this one. That soundtrack had a different universe this one has a different one. Maybe it was the fear of this comparison only that the writers and the directors tried to give this one a haphazard happy ending.

The beginning really served the ex-lovers troupe where the two leads meet again after a long time with their changed situations. Everything was amazing honestly the characters, the emotions, the setup everything. Especially the chemistry between the leads goodness I wonder what a good execution could have brought out of the gem of this chemistry.
The plot development tried to show how just getting back together is not the endgame for the leads and even if they do get together the breaking apart can happen again if there is no clarity on the character's part about what they did and why they did what they did and what do they want. However, they did not answer any of it they did not even show the female lead side of the story of why they broke up in the past properly.

Also, there was no need to put that poor second male lead i mean the lead characters already had enough of their problems to work on and I don't think either of them cared about poor K. (I didn't even feel bad for him. He was very extra.)

The last fifteen minutes did not make a single sense to me, everything was so rushed I wondered if I skipped something important.
it's not important to give a happy ending, where the leads always end up together to make a good drama.
Personally, I would have felt much better if she had gone to Santiago all alone and discovered herself even if that meant them not ending up together. Her just accepting the male leads company on her Santiago trip defeats the whole point of going there since she wanted to learn about herself and love things just the way they are without letting her inferiority come in between. It was so very unsettling.
Like what's the point of sending her on a trip, closing the shop and breaking up again if that's how they were going to end it, she could have just done that in Korea only why spend so much money. A trip like that will not help her.

I think I took this a little personally but was kinda self-destructive and contradictory.

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