Reviews

Beautiful and irritating simultaneously

PROS: Unique idea, good acting, on point soundtrack, beautiful cinematography. Good recommendation for people who enjoy crying and suffering while watching. Kim Hae-sook and Oh Jung-se are a quality guarantee in the cast.

CONS: There are some parts of the story that irritated me. Why did Hae-jo automatically assume he inherited the disease from his father, and not his mother? Why was Jae-mi in the clinic to begin with? Menopause symptoms? She was acting as if she was pregnant already and even asked the doctor if there was any possibility for her to get pregnant in three days, although obvious she never intended to sleep with Heung to begin with. What happened to the bag filled with money that Jae-mi had? What's up with Jae-mi's life in general - does she have no friends? No job? No apartment? There is a time space between her break up with Hae-jo and her meeting Heung, what was she even doing during that time? How did Hae-jo find her biological mother?

Jae-mi and Hae-jo's relationship being a middle point between healthy and unhealthy is obvious and I don't think their bond is meant to be romanticized, but Ko Mun-young was also abusive towards Moon Gang-tae at IOTNBO so I guess the screenwriter has a type. Heung has the best character arc and, although I am not in favor of age-gap relationships and Jae-mi never truly loved him and would be unhappy at his house, he was the most sympathetic character and the one that grew more as a person.

Lire la suite

Not very inventive

The premise is interesting, no one can deny that. The problem is that you know from the start exactly what’s going to happen and how. Zero creativity, and everything is delivered in the tone of a very conventional, formulaic romantic comedy. You’d expect Pai to be less nice to Tim; and North’s immaturity eventually becomes hard to stomach. The acting is fairly decent overall, except for Ohm, who doesn’t seem to believe in what he’s doing at all.

Once again, the goal is to highlight two actor pairings that will probably deliver great fan service afterward. But as for the series itself, it’s too soft, too flat, not deep enough. You end up yawning while watching their little stories that are bound to end well. I honestly wonder how I made it through 10 episodes.

Lire la suite

Mame's BL => Good starting plot, but loses its way

PLOT: Namnuea is a wedding planner. He meets Sailom and his fiancée Yiwa as clients. However, the two fiancés don't seem very interested in the wedding, and Sailom takes every opportunity to see and flirt with Namnuea. The truth about this marriage (a cover for Yiwa, a lesbian with a girlfriend since 13 years, and Sailom, who's gay) gradually becomes clearer. How will the two girls and the two men (all lovers) manage the situation?

+++ Some of the psychological analyses of the characters seem relevant, but their behavior is deeply irritating.
+++ The actors give their all to bring this story to life, but it just doesn't hold up :(

### The tone, the caricatured characters... Yiwa, super selfish, takes every advantage of the situation without thinking about the harm she does to others. Nothing seems right !

=> Sorry, I couldn't get into this series, which I watched in FF.
******************************************************
Mame's BL => Bon plot de départ, mais se perd en route

PLOT: Namnuea est 1 wedding planer. Il rencontre Sailom et sa fiancée Yiwa comme clients. Cpdt, les 2 fiancés ne semblent pas très concernés par ce mariage, et Sailom profite de ttes les occasions pr voir et draguer Namnuea. La vérité sur ce mariage (couverture pr Yiwa, lesbienne dotée d'1 girlfriend depuis 13 ans, et Sailom, gay) devient peu à peu plus claire. Comment les 2 filles et les 2 hommes (ts lovers) vont-ils réussir à gérer la situat° ?

+++ Certaines analyses psychologiques des personnages semblent pertinentes, mais leur comportement est profondément agaçant.
+++ Les acteurs donnent tout pr faire vivre cette histoire, mais elle ne tient pas la route :(

### Le ton, les personnages caricaturaux, ... Yiwa, super égoïste, qui tire ts les avantages de la situat° sans penser au mal qu'elle fait aux autres.

=> Dsl, je n'ai pas réussi à accrocher à cette série que j'ai regardée en FF.

Lire la suite

Fuí feliz mientras duró, y supongo que eso es lo que importa al final.

Fueron 34 capitulos de felicidad, de esperanzas, de ilusiones. Ganas de ser trabajador, de superarse con tus esfuerzos, de tener una vida feliz y plena junto con tus seres queridos. Entender que los obstáculos no significa que no puedas conseguir tus objetivos, solo que necesitas esperar un mejor momento, aceptar que se puede empezar de nuevo y que las segundas oportunidades llegan, aunque no siempre de la forma en que lo pensabas.
Inicié este drama totalmente sesgada, amo a Zhou Ye y estaba dispuesta a ver este drama solo porque ella sale, amo su forma de hacer los personajes, su forma de verse tierna y frágil, aún así fuerte y determinada. Es su imagen, su esencia y su luz lo que me hace seguirla.
Pero, de hecho, todos los personajes se desarrollan muy bien, no todos inician con ese impulso que tenía Xiaolan al saber ciertas cosas del futuro, con la seguridad de sentir que es la vida de otra persona y que no podía arruinarse más de lo que ya estaba, pero aún así cada uno enfrentó sus propios demonios y entrenó sus capacidades.
Es una trama simple y muy positivista, hay muchos más factores que dificultan el crecimiento de los demás, pero sí te deja esa sensación de esperanza, sobre todo como persona en sus 20s que no hace mucho terminé una carrera y estoy trabajando, es como un alivio de sentirse menos perdida, por eso me gustó.
Totalmente soy fan de Liu Fen, ella pensaba que no valía más, que proteger a su hija y sobrevivir era lo único que le quedaba, pero solo necesitó un chispazo para empezar a construirse a sí misma. Creo que eso también da un sentimiento de redención cuando ya tienes más años de vida: puedes divorciarte, puedes buscar un nuevo empleo, puedes conocer nuevas personas y aprender nuevas cosas.
También amo a Zhenzhu, ella no tenía ninguna información privilegiada, simplemente es resiliente y trabajadora, le dieron: “aquí hay chamba, aquí se sale adelante" y ahí iba, sabiendo que no tenía nada que perder, que su patrimonio solo estaba adelante, que si no es la más lista del mundo, no será la menos trabajadora. No le daba miedo los matones, no le daban miedo los riesgos, simplemente comienza de nuevo y ya, simplemente se vuelve a levantar. Incluso su romance con Pan San es de ese tipo, no necesita nada de él, solo seguirse acompañando, porque ella es resiliente y autónoma. Creo que es una forma preciosa de feminidad, porque en ningún momento ella se avergonzó de su fuerza física o de su personalidad impulsiva, tampoco cambió su imagen para ser como Xiaolan, desde el principio ella dijo que la ropa tiene que ser cómoda para ella y nadie intentó tampoco ponerle un vestido o maquillarla.
Y bueno, Zhou Cheng es simplemente irreal. Feminista y al mismo tiempo caballeroso, ingenuo e idealista al mismo tiempo que maduro y centrado. Le gustó una chica y fué capaz de seguir ahí, se dió la oportunidad de conocerla y enamorarse, incluso de creer en ella cuando todos difunden chismes. Aceptó que ella tenía objetivos que cumplir y la acompañó, sin presionar pero igualmente siendo claro de sus intenciones. Siempre respetuoso de los demás, sereno y apegado a la justicia... en resumen totalmente irreal jajaja
Lo adoro, pero no hay un hombre de 18 años que sea tan dedicado y al mismo tiempo tan maduro de aceptar el rechazo. Lo adoro pero cómo podría simplemente aceptar que ella viene del futuro. Lo adoro, pero cómo podría simplemente decir: no importa si desapareces, te buscaré. Lo adoro pero sus único momento bajo fué cuando se murió su compañero, y aún así lo canalizó en seguir buscando justicia para él. Incluso su amiga de la infancia o algo así, incluso ella es demasiado madura y la amo, porque no necesitó tener una nueva pareja para simplemente aceptar que él ya tenía una relación estable y no tenía nada que hacer metiéndose en ella.
No, y el Sr Tang, ojalá todos los hombres maduraran tan bien para aceptar que el divorcio es algo que puede pasar, sin culpar a su ex esposa ni estar resentido (ella sí, pero equis, ella sí estaba mal jajaja, pobre de su prometido). El mismo Xia Dajun lo aceptó solo a medias deseando regresar con su ex y su hija pero sin saber protegerlas ni acercarse.
Pero no, el vicealcalde maduro no solo en edad, haciendo su chamba y también cortejando con paciencia sin presionar en ningún momento, aunque yo también esperaría por Liu Fen (seriamente me enamoré de ella, perdón jajaja).
Un montón de personajes escritos con amor, ojalá existieran vidas tan armónicas y bonitas en la realidad, pero ese es el objetivo.
Y luego están los últimos capítulos, de la venganza estúpida y suicida de Xia Ziyu, que obviamente ya había sido abandonada, porque tuvo tantos momentos en que podía dejar atrás su odio por Xiaolan y salir adelante con los recursos que si tenía: pudo simplemente ir a la universidad, porque sin ayuda de nadie ella fué admitida; pudo simplemente cuidar su lugar como amante de Du Chengrong y darle a su hijo para asegurar su patrimonio. Pero insistía en regresar a vengarse de Xiaolan, y eso fué lo que la arruinó.
Y luego Xiaolan regresando al presente por solo 10min, dejando el vacío 30 años atrás. Deja tú Zhou Cheng, él sabía que era de 2026, pero su mamá, la abuelita, los amigos, todos ellos sin saber qué pasó y por qué desapareció... o ¿significa que eso no pasó? ¿Liu Fen siguió encerrada en la casa de su suegra? ¿No se desmanteló el contrabando de los Du? ¿Jinsachi no existe? ¿Cómo llegó Zhou Cheng al futuro? Tantas preguntas sin respuesta, no me parece justo.
No me arrepiento de verla, incluso ya suponía que pasaría algo así, pero no quita el coraje de quejarme con esas dudas.

Lire la suite

Recommend to those who enjoy the mystical and supernatural genres

I haven’t read the manga or watched the anime, but the theme of yokai really interests me. And this drama is exactly my kind of thing. I liked absolutely everything about it: the plot, the meaning, the cinematography, the costumes, beautiful scenery, special effects, well-executed stunts, music, acting, and of course the actors themselves.

A 14-year-old delinquent dies while saving a child, and he is met by a grim reaper who offers him a job as a ghost detective. That’s where it all begins. The eternal struggle between good and evil… And it’s shown well here that even evil can feel compassion and not be purely evil, but only partly so in form. The drama does a great job revealing the story of each character and showing their relationships. Overall, the film is very easy to watch. There are no meaningless dialogues; everything is to the point, and there’s even humor in some of them. I liked that people and yokai unite to achieve a common goal. Thanks to films like this or “Youkai Sharehouse,” you can get acquainted with yokai culture and learn more about Japanese mythology. The on-screen portrayal of some yokai is truly impressive and astonishing. Just think of the little fox with poisonous flowers or the boy with a dragon arm. There’s also an interesting character in the heavenly office — a guy with a pacifier.

I definitely recommend it not only to fans of anime and manga, but also to those who enjoy the mystical and supernatural genres.

Lire la suite

overhyped and underwhelming

I don't know if it's just me, but I was not impressed with this drama. After all the hype and everyone praising it, I went in with high expectations. The beginning was promising, but the more I watched, the more my interest faded. In my opinion, this drama is seriously overrated.

To be honest, I never felt any attachment to the characters. I simply didn't care what happened to them. The storyline had potential, but the execution fell flat for me. Also, I couldn't vibe with Jong Hyeop at all – something about his performance just didn't click.

I made it to episode 7, then gave up and skipped straight to the finale. And honestly? I didn't miss much. The last episode basically summarized the entire story.

Verdict: An overrated, average drama that fails to live up to the hype.

Lire la suite

An anti-hero between demons and gods

Ko ChenTung plays Han Chieh,an enormously attractive reformed bad-boy with a heart of gold, whose sad eyes stay with you long after the 8 eps of this Taiwanese supernatural drama are done (at 42minsea. = 5.5 + hrs runtime) He was hired out of hell to atone for his sins by straightening out the problems with ghosts whose attachments hold them back. The gods live close to the hearts of the people in this story, and the Third Prince, who employs our hero, communicates via talismanic messages and a small bird whose cage door is always open.

I am not generally a fan of the scenographic of grimy hallways combined with neon colored spiritual phenomena. But the cinematographer somehow gives the shots depth and movement, and the nighttime of Taipei in moments achieved a tranquil beauty in moments that melted my heart. The plot is relatively simple, a demon long-held in check has a plan to break free. A group which includes Han Chieh, his detective friend, a stray waif girlfriend and the inhabitants of a decrepit building, (both ghosts and humans) must detect the plan and defeat the demon king. It is funny, sweet, thrilling and desperate and I loved it.

Lire la suite

Inguardabile

La cosa più cringe e noiosa che abbia mai guardato. Ho visto solo 4 episodi trascinandomi a fatica. Per il 2022 mi sembra un po' troppo datato, con la solita trope del capo tiranno e della segretaria povera, disperata e sottona. Tutti i personaggi sono insopportabili, dovrebbero essere nell'età adulta da un pezzo ma mettono su delle scenette patetiche che manco i bambini all'asilo. Protagonisti che hanno il carattere di una pera marcia buttati in una trama che voleva essere divertente ma mi fa accapponare la pelle da quanto è cringe. ML incommentabile per tutte le cattiverie che si permette di fare solo perchè è il CEO dell'azienda, che poi, scoprendo il suo passato e le origini umili, a maggior ragione è ingiustificabile. FL ci va a braccetto perchè è la segretaria disperata che potrebbe benissimo andare via ma resta lì a frasi maltrattare non si sa perchè e addirittura si finge la sua fidanzata dopo l'amnesia di lui. Se me lo volevano spacciare come un enemies to lovers lo hanno venduto proprio male. Non mi dilungo oltre perché direi che è sufficiente così.

Lire la suite

Una verdadera serie

Acabo de terminar la temporada 2 de Sabuesos y, sinceramente, superó muchísimo mis expectativas. Me encantó de principio a fin. Fue una mezcla intensa de emoción, adrenalina y momentos muy fuertes que incluso me hicieron llorar.

La historia estuvo muy bien desarrollada y logró engancharme bastante. Aunque al inicio me costó retomarla (porque había olvidado cosas de la temporada 1 y tuve que volver a verla), valió completamente la pena. Todo conecta mejor así.

Las escenas de entrenamiento fueron de lo mejor. Se siente la evolución de los personajes y eso le da mucho más peso a cada pelea. Y hablando de peleas… estuvieron increíbles, muy bien logradas y con mucha intensidad.

El elenco es otro punto fuerte. Todos, sin excepción, aportan muchísimo, y sí… también hay que decirlo: son demasiado guapos, lo que hace que disfrutes aún más cada escena 😅.

Uno de los momentos más impactantes fue cuando aparece Lee Doo-young en el momento justo para ayudar. Esa escena fue épica. Sin embargo, su final queda incierto, ya que no se muestra claramente si sobrevive o no después de todo lo que le pasa. Eso me dejó con mucha intriga.

El cierre de la temporada también deja muchas cosas abiertas. Aunque logran capturar al villano, en el camino ocurren situaciones que hacen pensar que todo continuará. Además, se introduce a un militar que parece tener conexión con uno de los personajes muertos (posiblemente su hermano), lo que abre aún más la historia.

También da la impresión de que en una posible tercera temporada los villanos tendrán un papel aún más fuerte, incluso trabajando juntos, lo que podría hacer la trama mucho más intensa.

En resumen, fue una temporada increíble, muy completa y emocionante. Sin duda, una de mis favoritas. Le doy un 1000/10.

Lire la suite

Not a bad representation of the novel "Bringing Home the Nation's Husband"

Read the book. Then watch the show. Then question every decision you've made.
Listen, adapting a web novel is basically performing surgery on something people love with their whole unhinged hearts, and this one mostly survives the operation. They smoothed out some of the novel's rougher edges, made him significantly less of a disaster, and reigned in the villain women to a more digestible level of terrible. Purists will have FEELINGS about the cuts. I had feelings about the cuts. We move.
What they kept? Perfection.
Wang Hao Zhen as the ML is not a performance, it's a war crime. The man KILLED this role with his bare hands and felt no remorse. Every scene, every look, every moment of restrained chaos — flawless. As usual. Annoyingly, consistently flawless.
Guo Yu Xin as Qiao An Hao is exactly who I pictured reading the novel, which almost never happens in adaptations and frankly deserves a trophy. She didn't just play the character, she WAS her. Together these two are so combustible the screen should have come with a fire warning.
The steamy scenes delivered. We don't need to elaborate. We all know why we're here.
The highlight of the entire show is them filming a drama WITHIN the drama — actors pretending to be actors acting in a show, inside another show. Filmception. Absolutely unhinged creative decision. Completely brilliant execution. Someone on the writing team deserves a raise and a nap.
The novel gives you everything. The show gives you the highlight reel. This highlight reel is worth watching.

Lire la suite

"Beach Boys" is very cozy and heartfelt drama.

"Beach Boys" is a good old Japanese retro from before modern technological wonders and all those smartphones—very cozy and heartfelt drama.

It’s like a life-affirming ode to youth: summer, sun, ocean, beach, the sound of the surf, as well as complete freedom and open roads—a real healing cocktail for melancholy, light and pleasant in taste, warming but with a slight bitterness, garnished for the mood with an umbrella of humor. Recommended for any time of year!

Are we happy? Are we satisfied with life, and how do we find our path, our place, our “own ocean” in this world?
The question of self-determination can be pressing not only at 17–18. At any age, people can rethink and change their lives, if only they have enough strength and courage—and the support of understanding, close people is very important.
But even if you yourself can only timidly dream of turning off the comfortable, well-trodden path, just watching it on screen is incredibly inspiring.

Young, wonderful Sorimachi Takashi and Takenouchi Yutaka form a magnificent male duo in this drama. The characters have completely different personalities and life experiences, but between them we see a true bromance, chemistry without any hint of ambiguity. By a twist of fate, finding themselves neighbors in a cramped little room, they gradually get used to each other—irritation gives way to patience, then comes understanding and genuine, sincere friendship.

Lire la suite

Half Baked Script

It started off well, like most of the kdramas these days, but then lost its way from 5th episode onwards.

Positives : Good acting from everyone including Park Min Young, since she could only move her lips, eyes and eyebrows, it maintained the suspense till the last episode.
Negatives: Half baked screenplay, or misleading dialogues.A cool investigating officer suddenly falls in love with suspect, yes, she is a seiren but don't make him say such cheesy dialogues. One person takes the photograph of the killer, another person has seen that person doing the act, and they all have closely interacted with the suspect, but couldn't recognize? And there are many questions which I can add - about the wine bottle and the letter from one of the victims and many other - these don't add up with the confession from the killer or his motive.

Another point which I wanted to add - when someone dies from a building after a party, why the police investigation or alibi is asked only for the FL. This same issue was there for another kdrama -Idol I, except for the killer everyone else will be asked to prove their alibi.

Lire la suite