Reviews

I was really excited to watch this drama after watching some of the romantic scenes. I grew very excited and finished the drama in two days! But I was very disappointed with the ending... I'm really sorry to say, but it could have been better. I thought that the drama was good and all, but that ending really hit my heart and made me mad, and my heart was crushed.... Overall, the beginning of the drama + the romantic lovey dovey scenes were perfect, (I totally fangirled over every scene) but I really hated the ending. Right now I'm very sad...... I had such high hopes for this drama...

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Amazing drama. It really is. This is my first taiga and with certainty I can say that I'll never find some better Japanese historical drama than this one. A real epic tale about war, power, family, betrayals, friendship, loyalty and above everything story about three glorious historical figures who made their mark in this world for a big time. Oda Nobunaga, Kuroda Kanbe and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
I've never watched some drama where the side characters were so interesting too, all of them, where villains are amazingly written, where the whole cast is beyond superb. Kanbee is such drama.

I met one man who was worth every praise, whose mind was so ahead of time, who was loyal, brave, with pure heart filled with love and courage. Yes he was ambitious but never to the point where he'd become sleazy backstabber. In time of war you had to be ambitious and prepared for anything from everyone.
Okada has won me forever, with his portrayal and acting Kanbe really came to life, with all of his expressions, gestures and thoughts, I was glued to the screen 100 % all the time. His three vassals were something the best in drama, they carried the whole show constantly. Relationship between four of them I'll remember whole life and strongly believe that such friendship does exist, with such unquestionable loyalty and care. Yes maybe there was over idolizing Kanbe in this drama but still those men were loyal to him till the end. Zensuke, Tahe and Kuroemon are people whom we all need in our lives. Kuroemon became my all time fav. side character in drama, I like his coldness and emotionless in tough and difficult situations, his intelligent moves, his funny and sometimes sarcastic sayings, he was indeed the sweetest and most caring guy. Like Kanbe said, those three really were his rare treasures and without them he wouldn't succeed anything.

I don't know which actor to choose as the most outstanding one cause it's just impossible. Every one of them was brilliant, all of them gave their maximum without flaw to portray their characters. I love some of them, some I like, some I hate, some I respect and admire so much and for some my heart broke. They all brought all these emotions to me.
Takenaka Naoto, Eguchi Yosuke, Tanihara Shosuke, Tanaka Kei, Shibata Kyohei, Takahashi Issei, Hamada Gaku, Hayami Mokomichi, Nakatani Miki, Kiritani Mirei, Uchida Yuki- just WOW. So many incredible folks in one drama, I still can't believe. They gave penetrating performances, they made all their characters alive in front of me, they manage to pull very difficult performances and to be excellent without flaw.
But one thing is sure- Eguchi-san is the best goddamn Oda Nobunaga ever. EVER. I expected that from him, grand and marvelous performance as usual and he did it, the guy is a genius.

I love women in this drama too, they weren't maybe main characters and they weren't in fights but for sure they carried so much heaviness and difficulties in their lives, standing proudly beside their husbands and sons, always ready for battle and protect their loved ones. Teru, Dashi, One, Nou- amazing women indeed and very smart. ?

Battle scenes were definitely the most realistic ones, pace was very slow and then after some time and certain episode, the next period is after 3,5 or 10 years. But it was nicely done.
There were some things that bothered me but they definitely didn't spoil my excitement and overjoy from watching this astonishing drama.

One thing I specially appreciated here is relationship between Kanbe and his dad, I think this is the most wonderful relationship between father and son I've seen so far. How he always consulted his dad, how he always asked for advice from him, their endless conversations full of wise and caring moments, it got me teared up so many times.

I could write so much and talk about Kanbee all day but I want to leave that for you guys, you just need to watch this drama. Especially if you're into realistic historical dramas with amazing cast and characters. If you give a chance to this drama, I guarantee you'll want more of Japanese history to see and watch and suddenly history will sound cool. ;)

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This really had em excited and I enjoyed watching it, no doubt about that. Only problem is the ending. I already noticed around 12th episode that only two left can't be enough but I thought "we'll see what they will do". In the end, it was a good ending but it wasn't really the ending. We have no idea what happened with Juniors or did manager Han really leave (I think she did but then again). No idea how the scandal about a girl being in boy group effected the company in the end. Also the M2 story is a bit sloppy. It's not boring or senseless but it has these holes...like unanswered questions.
It's only because of the ending that I gave it a point less.....everything else I really liked. It wasn't boring even once and I wanted to watch more and more. It keeps you going. But the ending was rushed and forced and that can't escape ones eye. Anyway, you will have a good time watching this, if you chose to, it's just that it will leave you with a feeling of "can I get another two episodes, please? Things are left unsaid.".

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This web series is a must watch! Starting the series I didn't expect it to be as good as it was but I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself hooked after the first episode, and I managed to finish the series in just one day. I have to say that the content and character development were unexpected which is what made this series all the better for me. The acting, the storyline and the music were great by all means.

Looking back, Huang Jingyu (Gu Hai) and Xu Weizhou (Bai Luo Yin) were so talented in their performances I think they had a real connection. The chemistry and the make-out scenes were the best but just seeing how they interacted with each other was worthwhile. With that said, I think the title is totally accurate "Addicted Heroin". The love that Gu Hai has for Bai Luo Yin is addictive, it gives you the feeling that even if he wanted to stop he wouldn't be able to.

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I am a fan of Makjang and revenge dramas, but this one has something lacking. I can't put my finger on it exactly. I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters except the little girl and Kang Il Ran and the drama wasn't about them. The main characters were just too boring. After a while I didn't care that much about anything except Kang Il Joo getting what she deserves. I can't post spoilers, but the ending left a lot to be desired. The characters were complex and there was pretty good development. The plot wasn't too convoluted considering the genre, but it felt like it went round and round over the same thing. I finished it because there is also something intriguing about it. I don't know if this review will be helpful because even I feel wishy washy about it. LOL

The acting is fine. Nothing to get excited over though. I'm learning to hate Cha Ye Ryeon as this is not the first crazy woman she has played as Il Joo. She is really good at it. :-)

The music is appropriate and doesn't suck.

I will never rewatch this.

There are some better Makjang/Revenge dramas out there, but this one is an okay watch.

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"Signal" is an extremely ambitious drama. I watched without knowing anything at all about it (other than it involved cops), but it's hard to review it without giving parts of the story away. I'll spoil this review and say I am going to recommend you watch it, so you can stop reading now, and immediately start watching episode one the same way I did. If you want to know more about what you're possibly getting yourself into, keep reading.

This drama is primarily a crime thriller. It claims to be adapted from "Memories of Murder", but I saw that movie, and the two only seem to relate on a surface level. What this show really focuses on are unsolved cold cases, and it uses a mysterious partnership between an ambitious cop from the past and a cynical cop from the present to attempt to solve them. The idea of manipulating the past to change the future is not new in KDramaland, but it is hard to do well, and this show manages to do it very well.

Much of the show's appeal comes from the 3 main characters, and the actors who play them. Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han is the ultimate everyman hero. His determination is inspiring, and frustrating to watch. He brought a humanity to the idea of what it takes to be an effective cop. Then there is Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong, another character with a lot of depth. I loved watching him go from being a cynical know-it-all to going above and beyond. I think his character was so well written, and liked that the more I learned about his backstory, the more I connected to his choices and actions. Then lastly there's Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun. I love that she is a total bad@ss. I will admit that I was definitely more of a fan of her in present day, although I understand showing her transformation from how she started out. Watching their frustration, eagerness, regret, stubbornness, impetuousness, tears... made me have so much empathy for their characters, even though I didn't cry even once (and I am a cry baby).

The supporting cast is good, really good, even when their characters aren't the most likable. The cases themselves were also all interesting, which means I was never bored.

Although there are romantic aspects to the plot, it's the partnership chemistry that drives the show, so reviews that call this a "romance" aren't really accurate. I will admit that I was more into the chemistry between Cha Soo Hyun and Park Hae Yeong, than her chemistry with Lee Jae Han. Some of the scenes when she was a rookie made her seem a little like an emo-stalker, which didn't seem as cute to me as it was meant to seem. I think their past was the only weak part in the plot for me, and although I understand why it was written that way, it made it seem like she was always overreacting when it came to her senior. Meanwhile, I wonder if I was the only one who sensed some kind of unspoken attraction between her and Hae Yeong. Fine, Was it just me? Wishful thinking? lol. Either way, I thought they worked really well together.

I saw that some people complained about plot holes, which you will always find if you look hard enough. I thought this show did an excellent job of tying up loose ends, avoiding useless scenes, and answering questions. It may be confusing in the beginning, but it soon starts to make perfect sense. There are a few things that are left open ended, or without explanation, but I think keeping a little bit of mystery added to the story. The fact that the story is so cohesive is why I gave it such a high rewatch rating. I think it would be cool to see the whole thing again, now that I know whats's going on, and my guess is that I will see things differently than I did the first time, which is my favorite reason to rewatch anything.

It's also not all depressing, or gruesome. They actually manage to find places to add some comedy, without it being glaringly inappropriate (well, there are the obligatory fart jokes... )

I should mention too that the OST fit the show very well, complimenting the atmosphere, but it's not something I feel compelled to listen to on it's own.

Overall, this is a must see for any thriller fan, but still has enough appeal to convert fans of other genres. I don't agree that it's the greatest drama ever, or the most original ( I saw "Frequency"), but the fact that it has so many fans makes complete sense. This is one of those shows that it's really difficult to find fault with. From the very first episode I was sucked in, and I had to keep watching 3 more episodes just to see what happened next. This is the kind of drama that can make you lose sleep, because once one thing is resolved, a new equally/more interesting scenario begins. It's that way up to the very last episode, so I understand people being excited about a possible season 2. I know I would watch!

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I found it really interesting to watch and it was the series that pulled me into watching dramas however after a while it became a bit of a chore and i ended up dropping it. I got attetched to many of the characters, but to an extent, the medical scenes seemed more real than the relationships (as i've found to be the theme in many dramas actually.. the whole budget always seems to go towards overly graphic medical scenes).
I loved the music and the plot was really well thought and planned out; when trying to explain it to a frend it got a little to complcated to say in words and thats honestly what i look for in a drama.
I may go back to it some day but I'm honestly satisfied with having watched half of it.
Despite not finishing it, I'd still recommend anyone to give it a chance (unless heavy medical scenes are a bit too much for you as there were for me.)
I'd also recommend if you want a reason to cry.

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As a fan of James, I had to watch this. This had a Neung Nai Suang 2015 feel at first mainly due to the time setting and, of course, the fact that James was also the male protagonist. I'd say, though, that's where the similarities stop. Differently from Neung Nai Suang 2015, where the main character's love relationship is extremely childish and lacking in communication, Padiwarada delivers a very mature perspective of love and that was intensely refreshing for me. The concept that love is something you build over years of understanding and caring for the other is rarely explored in dramaland and in my opinion, was well presented in this drama.

Rin was a good female protagonist, had great sense and presence. From beginning to end I admired her and, to be sincere, if I ever come to marry I hope I'll be able to be at least 30% of the wife she was. Even when the female rival plotted against her and Saran's wedding, she always acted accordingly with elegance. It's hard to find a main character like her in dramaland in general, so I was really surprised to find one in a lakorn of all things.

I think some of that also applies to Saran. From the moment he started opening up to Rin (what happened really early, another good surprise) he was really sweet. The only thing about him that made me a little mad was that he was too gentle for his own good at times. His first love didn't deserve 1% of his consideration towards her... That bitch really irritated me.

Now, besides the usual bitch character that is always present in any romance drama there is, the only other thing that I must complain about was the "White Tiger" and his magic thing. For me, that part of the lakorn was totally unnecessary and what would cause me distress if I ever were to recommend this to someone who isn't really into dramas and lakorns in special. Watching that part made me extremely silly, I wasn't even believing what I was watching at times and every time someone would enter my room I would simply stop watching out of embarrassment. I mean, really... Magic powers and all that in that kind of setting was horrible. This wasn't supposed to be a fantasy drama!!

The OST didn't really stand out to me. I would rewatch this only to see Saran's and Rin's beautiful relationship develop again. I just wish there were more kisses on the mouth instead of kisses on the forehead (which was seriously over used... I mean, there was this one episode where I counted at least five of them!!!)

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I loved this in the beginning, the first episode introductions got me hooked. The story developed then probably around episode 8/9 I pieced it together and knew what was going to happen which probably spoilt it for me. There are a lot of misunderstandings stemming from a lack of communication which annoyed me, there were times where I was almost screaming at my screen "just tell them!!" Lol. Loved the characters apart from squad leader, his whole bad guy, low voice, long ass speeches irked me greatly and the female officer was a bit annoying and easily mislead.
What was great about the drama is that it was a great idea and you really felt for the criminals. I really enjoyed it, the action was good and they didn't waste time getting into it. I would love a season 2 just to see the all together again!

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Do you know what? After all the controversy behind this drama I still really enjoyed it. There were parts of the webcomics that didn't flow and made no sense but the way the drama flows it does all add up. The ending was a bit annoying but it was still an enjoyable and understandable storyline. All personalities made sense, I was annoyed the Seol began to like Jung considering what they went through but then again he is a good looking guy that is giving you attention lol.
The music is amazing! The OST can be found on Spotify.
The characters work, all of them kind of look like their webcomic counterparts without looking fake. It draws you in and even though, like I said, there was a lot of commotion about screen time etc. It should still be given a chance especially so you can hear the music lol.

So not 10/10 it's an 8 for me.

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