Reviews

I don´t understand why so many don´t like it!

I know it is overwhelming to see all the negative comments!!!
But trust me it was a really sweet story!
First of all I understand that it´s the typical old school school romance BL love story so it can be boring for many,
because there are so many that exist already!!
Also they should have wrapped it up after 8 to 10 episodes .. 12 was to long!
Other than that for me it was a very sweet wholesome story of two people falling in love!!
Yes there was a bit of drama but nothing over the top.. they always managed to get back together
and the reasons why there was some drama was also Ok and nothing that people can´t understand!
I get that people want to get other story´s as the same old school classic stuff...
BUT IF u want a classic school love story this is completely fine!
There are many sweet moments and also really good kissing scene´s!
I completely recommend watching it until the end and not stooping halfway thru...
even if there are some parts that they should have made way shorter!
Over all I love Joong & Dunk As a couple and I think they really improved (especially the kissing)
also the second couple was very sweet as well!
I want to see more of Aou & Boom hopefully someday with an own story!
the only thing was that I did not like that there where to many episodes and that Zo´s (Dunk) mom was a bit aggressive in the way to teach her son...she put to much pressure to him! I didn´t liked that at all! But it ended all well!
So please really give it a try!!!!!

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Loved every aspect of this! All the characters was soooooo lovable! Yes-even LTG. The core 6 was so adorable and cute. Their Journey was filled with so much blood. But even then, they found little moments to enjoy each other's presence and to even fall in love - RY and NYZ. The main couple was so mature about their relationship. They were both clear with what they want. They communicated with one another and confided with one another which brought so much trust even when one was a spy and the other was an assassin. LSS did amazing as always and killed it with her role. LYN did a great job bringing the awesome and talented leader of Six Realms Hall to life.

The character that surprised me the most was Princess YY who had the most character development- from someone so naiive and weak to someone who was brave and intelligent all thanks to her "parent' NYZ and RRY. I am glad that she did not become someone who betrays her people but stayed so loyal. Yuan Lu was so adorable. he trusted and stood by his Six Realm Hall team till the end. His death was expected but unnecessary and ridiculous. uuggggh. Still can't get over it. QZ was the cool guy in the team. He held an unreadable face which at some point made me despise him but still ended up loving him either way.

And last but not YSS, my favorite character. He was the joy of the group. He was the comdeic break- our one and only handsome man. Like the other members of Six Realms Hall, he was loyal, maybe even more than YL and QZ to NYZ not to women. LOL. He was the second in command to NYZ and I can see why. Though he claims to be a womanizer, his heart was set on CY but due to circumstances of the country, he knew he would die thus choosing not to love her. Their love line was so cute and ended when it didn't even start yet-what a pity. LTG was such a baby through and through. When you think "oh he's gonna grow" he doesn't.

The plot was literally the core 6 journey mixed with politics. It was great to see them all grow to be heroes in the end and bringing peace. Last 6 episode, I thought it felt it was rushed, the cutting of the scenes felt off and the death of the main characters were UNECESSARY but understanding i guess. I'd definietly rewatch this again.

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Absolutely worth the watch but know what you're going for.

Firs the big question; is this a BL?

No it's really not. BUT I like this because it is so unique. The author was upfront about that, the novella is a character study for Sunshine. It is a Faustian tale, where the lead happens to have a boyfriend but it really has no bearing on the rest of the plot, it could have been female or male it makes no difference.

This was an art-house piece, it's a stage play in a series, and I absolutely applaud the whole team and their work, especially Atom and Jet, this whole production hinged on them and they put in a solid performance. Adapting this particular novella was ambitious, but I think the director was looking for the challenge, I appreciate that they aren't selling it on fan service, with pointless makeout scenes with overly loud music. There is intent here, and more said in a longing looks than anything else and it's one of the big selling points.

This is not going to be for everyone, and the ending is an open/ambiguous one, but if you're like me and a fan of the off-beat and outside the norm, this will for sure be right up your alley and absolutely worth the time to watch it through, and give the novella a read as well, it's not a big commitment.

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It's Not Horrible but ...

The first time I saw Ji Sung was in Devil Judge, which I ended up dropping about halfway through my watch of it. His performance wasn't the issue, but the story was .. lacking TO ME. I found myself rather bored while watching that one, and that's why I stay away from revenge/revenge adjacent dramas because I know I'm gonna be bored to tears and will not finish it.
Now, I feel the same way about that show that I do about this one and that's why I mentioned it. The premise and story of this show is amazing and I've never seen any dramas about DID prior to watching this one, so I'll give the writing department kudos for their originality and creativity. However, this show is missing something. I'm not saying it's not a fun time because it is. But there is something about this show that I can't quite put my finger on. Again, Ji Sung did very well. His acting was superb; you could immediately pick up on the differences between each personality so I'll give him props for that. However, his co-star was ... interesting. Oh Ri Jin was not boring or dull; she wasn't either of those things but I found that I didn't care about her all that much by the end of the show.

I watched most of this show on mute so the constant screaming that some people have mentioned didn't bother me. However, the character of Oh Ri Jin is forgettable. There's nothing about her that endeared me to her. By the end of the show, I can't even say that I shipped Oh Ri Jin and Cha Do Hyun. The pairing had semi-decent chemistry but the characterization of Oh Ri Jin affected my enjoyment of the relationship/show. I think some people truly underestimate how much the lead character/lead love interest can make or break a show. Or maybe I'm in the minority of not minding a crappy plot as long as the characterization and interpersonal relationships are solid and enjoyable. Either way, I didn't care for Oh Ri Jin. I didn't hate her, but I also didn't love her. She was just kind of .. there. If you're the type of person who doesn't care for the romance aspect of a drama, then I'd probably recommend this show to you. While the romance is there, it's not groundbreaking enough to overshadow anything else and it won't interfere with your enjoyment of the rest of the plot.

Also, how could I forget about her brother? Oh Ri On. I couldn't stand him and I feel like the writers were too sympathetic to him and his plight. Oh Ri Jin didn't hold him accountable for everything he did as much as she should have, and that's unfortunate. Then again, there were many issues with the characterization of Oh Ri Jin to begin with and her relationship with her brother was definitely one of them.

I got to the last three or four episodes before I started fast forwarding through literally everything. I was just so ready to finish watching this show. I'd grown weary of watching this show and I just wanted it to be over! Also, I feel like those last 3 episodes were incredibly rushed. I feel like the show would have benefitted from gradually convincing the alters to reintegrate with Cha Do Hyun. Some of the alters were clearly ready to go, like Perry Park for instance. He should have been reintegrated 10 or so episodes before the ending, if you ask me. It was unrealistic to assume that all of his alters were willing to disappear all at the same time like that. Some of his alters clearly had the temperament of never wanting to leave - Shin Se Gi, for example. He should have been the only one they kept until the end, because it was clear that he never wanted to leave and wanted to experience life for himself. Things were just wrapped up too nicely at the end; it was almost TOO convenient and TOO clean, in my opinion. It's almost like the writers lost their way and didn't quite know how to end this show, so that's how they ended it.

It was an okay show but I feel extremely strange about this one. Hence my writing a review for it. For the most part, I don't like to review most of the media I consume unless I felt an extreme urge to do so like with this one. I highly doubt I'd revisit and rewatch this one.

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Watched this when it first came out. I did not expect to like it nor did I know any of the actors except for Vincent Jiao who I watched a few of his works when he was younger. I ended up enjoying this more than I thought. It is your classic enemies to lovers plot except more angsty. I read the novel before too and watched the original with Wallace Chung so I had a lot to compare it to. The plot shifted a lot and so did the love line. Originally, FHX and CN was lovers-and I love them in the novel. I hated that they chnaged it to FHX and MFL. In addition to that FHX and MFL had too many miscommunicatio- or non communication at all to the point where it was getting annoying and frustrated. Have to say my favorite character is Cui Nong and will always be Cui Nong. They should've just let her die in FHX's arms and leave it at that. Watching this drama gave me sooo much headache and stress. LOL. But because of this I became a fan of Zhu Yi Long. Rewatch Value for me is 1/10.

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A continuation of the series

I'll be honest, the beginning was not as riveting as the previous two, it took me a few days to get through 40-50mn, but once the action started it was sustained mostly to the end. Continuing honestly, I started watching these for Yamazaki Kento (a Naruto-like character) and the action scenes.

The action is good, choreography of fights is cool but... this movie especially (iirc), less believable than previous ones? It's not MCTNA quality, let's say, barely killing enemies as they go, I sincerely doubt enemies would attempt to tackle someone rather than lead with their swords but, characters must survive, I get it.

The cinematography is good, the costumes too (armors excepted, they do have that fake/cheap look but alas).

The acting is as good as it always is, in a... very Japanese fashion (no duh, yes), the dialogue is, well, also simplistic.

I haven't read the original (book? manga?) the live action is based on and can't judge the accuracy of the plot, just that it's simplified for the 2hr format (probably). As seems to be the trend in Japanese productions, women are scarce with a similar amount of lines (we met a new one but naturally died for the cause), there was a lot of backstory I'm not entirely sure was necessary in the way it was done, though we get to understand Eisei's motivations, we don't spend a lot of time developing other characters. Kyokai continues to be awesome, sadly never enough screen time for her skills hahaha, I loved her and Shin sparring. And once again I wonder why Karyoten is still here, probably so they have an excuse to explain strategies to the audience (but does she *really* still need that costume!? Ahem). Shin's on his way to fulfilling his dream(s)? If Hoken doesn't kill him first, lol (he won't, yes yes).

I did not expect OGURI SHUN to show up but omg, HELLO! More please!

tl;dr, it's a pretty fun watch that continues the series, if you watch just for the action you're likely to skip halfway through. Solid production overall, though if I were to rewatch anything of the series it'd be the action (or Shin's good looking face).

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I think I expected too much of this since I adored Zhang Ling He and Jiang Long. It was great in the beginning and then it started to decline. I ended up unsatisfied with the storyline and the ending. Zhang Ling He did great portraying 2 characters: Qian and Yan. Fight scenes were great but CGI was mmmmm.... questionable especially when it comes to the beasts. There were characters that I could not stand *cough cough* all the elders and Qian's sister. The whole Yi Mei revenge plot and her being the villain was something I didn't like. I had a feeling she was sus but they dragged the plot too long to reveal her plans in that last 4 or 5 episode was not it. And then Brick died and so did ZXT. *face palm* Their death was soooo unneccesary not was not emotional at all. Rewatch value is definitely a 0/10 for me.

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Loved and enjoy the first part. Loved and enjoyed the second part. It was so sad that it came to an end. All casts did amazing with their character even the support roles. This part made me fall more and more in love with the king who acted like a father to Ling Bu Yi and queen Shen An who continues to love and care for Shao Shang like her daughter. It was so sad to see her life come an end. It would be amazing to be able to watch this again for the first time. It was more angsty in this part, I dropped a few more tears than I did the first part. Again, Wu Lei and Zhao Lu Si did an amazing job!

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Beautiful Story and Beautifully Shot

First, this is not for everyone. If you're expecting a BL, you can stop expecting a BL - it's not one. There is an LGBT aspect of the story, and the male gaze is present as Atom wears very little thorughout which is a goldmine for shallow people like me, and when he is dressed up, he looks amazing.

Reading the comments section, there is a bit of overstatement of the theatricality of the series. It is intentionally play-like, but the purely visual elements are of equal importance to the dialogue, and I think that because this was deceptively marketed a BL, the audience was looking for BL and not seeing what was really there, and you can't blame the audience for that.

If you approach this as a straightforward story, you may hate it - it's an allegory, so it's important to think about what everyting symbolizes and what is metaphor, and what the message is.

There are many related themes, a couple of the more surfacy ones being the futility of second-guessing past decisions - and the utility of atonement in order to move on.

The structure of the story has Sunshine given the power to totally erase a person from the universe each night for 7 Days before Valentine('s - I wish these productions could get the grammar of the title correct), and the correct decision will bring love back to him. Each erasure has a lessson, but this causes the biggest problem with the series and what I think is the main reason so many people disliked it and/or dropped it:

it's too long, One of the erasures is a self-indulgent political statement by the writer, which didn't belong in here. What would have been more meaningful and universal would have been to erase the Conservative, ending up in a Stalinist far-left conformity, as without balance even the side you're on can become descend into oppression.

Another of the erasures just makes Sunshine evil and malicious and should not have been included, Some of his decisions are bad, but viewed through the lens of his heartbreak is understandable, but this one isn't - it's just awful of him.

The acting in this is fantastic - the series rests firmly on Atom's shoulders, and he carries it. His heartbreak is heartbreaking, his smile is even worse (so beautiful it hurts), and there's a scene with him on stage that's worth it in itself. Jet is good too, but he has a more limited range and I don't think he quite kept up with Atom. The small parts are all very well acted, even "annoying stock characters" that made them all compelling, like Jared the Flower Guy. who could have just been irritating, but it's hard not to fall in love with him.

I loved this series, but I did feel it bogged down in the middle. If you can put up with that, the end is worth it. But again, this is not a BL, so don't watch it expecting one.

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Only thing I can say about this drama is that it is a masterpiece. I enjoyed every single bit of it from episode 1 till the end. Our 2 leads had so so much chemistry. Not only that, they also look so good together. Zhao Lu Si did an amazing job portraying Cheng ShaoShang-bringing her character to life and allowing the audience to empathize with her every step of the way. Wu Lei did an equally amazing job as well. I adored his strong and bold character but loved his soft and loyal heart. The way he loves and care for Cheng Shao Shang was truly impeccable. And then his care for her family was another thing I adored. I expected the king in this drama to be evil and greedy like all other dramas but he wasn't. He was so loving, kind, and caring and so was his queen who treated Cheng Shao Shang like her own daughter when Shao Shang actual mother did not do her part. I honestly cannot find anything bad to say about this drama. I love every single thing about this drama from the plot to the characters.

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"You helped me find my ladder"

From birth to death, we all have the need for food in common. Tampopo put a weird twist on the food genre by combining it with a Western, with the emphasis on weird. The film’s main course was the search for the perfect bowl of ramen. The side dishes ran the gamut from heartwarming to sexual food fetishes. When the character in the opening scene breaks the fourth wall, hold onto your popcorn because you are in for a wild ride.

On a dark and stormy night, two truck drivers ride into town looking for a place to eat. Goro wears a cowboy hat and his trusty young sidekick loves ramen so they stop at small shop. Tampopo is a widow with no experience cooking ramen and it showed. Goro and Gun give her advice on her ramen and before long are helping her to improve. Team Ramen begins to expand to include a homeless ob/gyn, a chauffeur, and a drunken contractor. And this is the most normal story in the film.

Just when you think it couldn’t get any weirder, director Itami Juzo says, “Hold my Heineken.” Like tag team wrestling, a passerby will be tagged in and their story of food begins. Professional and international dinner etiquette, con artists, fetishes, first times, and last times all pop in and out with circle wipes. Tampopo delves into the connections we have with food and dining. How much do we savor and pay attention to what we eat? How memories and food are tied together in a family. There were some scenes with the 18+ food fetish couple that I would rather not have seen but for the most part the vignettes were PG, kooky, and entertaining. When the last breaths of a character were for a wild boar intestines recipe you know the director is hard core about food. While I found myself invested in one of the romances, the true love of the film was for food.

Tampopo will not be for everyone, nor will all the stories in it. I enjoyed Team Ramen as they explored the world of ramen, experimenting, failing, improving, and building a comradery. Some of the vignettes were more humorous than others, but overall, I found it quirky and entertaining. As someone who grew up watching westerns with my dad, I fully expected one character to shout out, “Come back Shane!” at the end of the film. If you are in the mood for something different, grab a snack, and settle in for a film dedicated to food in the many ways we celebrate it.

7 February 2024

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Only for fun but not memorable

Sageuk that I appreciated only for Yo Seung Hoo and Byun Woo Seok's performance but which will not go down in history.

PLOT: For 10 years, prohibition was the rule in Joseon. The FL, a poor noble, lives as an alcohol manufacturer. However, her tenant, the ML, is an inspector for the Ministry of Prohibition. They will uncover the conspiracy behind this ban, looking for clues about their tragic past.

PROS:
+ I had a hard time joining the CL because I don't like Hyeri.
+ The tone is light, it is a comedy, not to be taken seriously.
+ The pace is fast, the actors are good and the OSTs are well suited.

CONS:
- the story is not always very coherent, with a lot of ploteholes and dramaland's twists.

=> Pleasant, but not memorable.
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Drama Rom-Hist que j'ai apprécié pour la performance de Yoo Seung Ho et celle de Byun Woo Seok, mais qui ne restera pas dans les annales.

PLOT: Pendant 10 ans, la prohibition sévissait à Joseon. La FL, 1 noble devenue pauvre, vit en fabricant de l'alcool. Pourtant son locataire, le ML, est inspecteur du Ministère de la Prohibition. Ils vont mettre à jour le complot qui se cache derrière cette interdiction, en recherchant des pistes sur leur passé tragique.

PROS:
+ J'ai eu du mal à adhérer au CL car je n'apprécie pas Hyeri.
+ Le ton est léger, il s'agit d'une comédie, à ne pas prendre au sérieux.
+ La réalisation est rapide, les acteurs sont bons et les OST bien adaptés.

CONS:
- la story n'est pas toujours très cohérente, avec pas mal de ploteholes et de twists "dramaland".

=> Agréable, mais pas mémorable.

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