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Very funny at times and Tomoya Nagase has great knack for comedy.
Also, one of the few dramas with Gakki in a high school uniform. Rest of the cast is okay.
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If you're like me and you've watched your fair share of crime dramas you won't find the premise of this show exactly unique. You'll be able to guess most of the plot twists (if not all) and see a lot of things coming beforehand. Defendant comes with it's flaws. There are a lot of convenient coincidences that aid both our good guys and the baddies. Sharp tools just happen to be lying around jail cells just waiting to be used by the inmates, a circuit somehow just happens to break resulting in a power black out whenever it is needed, a very useful recording device disguised as a pen just happens to travel around wringing confessions from the evil doers left and right and our antagonist somehow conveniently transforms from an up to no good loser to an identity stealing mastermind overnight.
How very interesting.
However, with its slightly rocky plot comes a masterful execution. Even though you know what's going to happen, when it actually happens it feels like a completely new and exciting experience. Our good guys seem to be trapped in their own version of real life flappy bird. It's one step forward from the abyss of doom and twenty steps backwards. So when convenient coincidences happen to rule things in their favor, I'd be damned if I have a problem with it.
This is the kind of show that banks on the watcher's heart rather than the mind. It will make you blinded with emotion and leave all logic behind. But the real reason this show is a hit is the excellent acting put out by all the actors.
Ji Sung as always is phenomenal. From Secret to Kill Me Heal Me and finally to Defendant, you can see his acting evolve and grow more powerful. He's an extremely skilled performer and many a times I suffered through a serious case of gooseflesh while watching him. By the middle of this show I was completely invested, horribly torn apart and crossing my fingers for him to turn the tables on all the assholes that had done him wrong.
Usually in melodramas, when you see the main character go through tragedy after tragedy, it turns from heartbreaking to frustrating real quick. Soon you go from wanting to wipe the hero's tears to slapping his mouth shut and putting an end to the sob fest. However, Ji Sung got me every time. His pain, helplessness and tears always made me wail like a baby. I didn't realize I was rocking so much H2O in my body until it came out gushing from my peepers. I think I felt quite a lot dehydrated after finishing this show.
Uhm Ki-Joon with his Cha Min Ho put out the acting of his life. He's heartless, ruthless, evil without a cause and at last, pitiful. He's probably one of the best antagonists of Dramaland and undoubtedly one of the most hated characters. His impulsive acts of violence leave you shaking with fury and you'll find yourself thirsty for his demise.
A lot of people thought that his situation was a little unrealistic but as a daughter of a detective, I can say that I've seen many real life cases where the criminals start with seemingly minor and thoughtless crimes and commit far worse atrocities to cover it up. In Cha Min Ho's case, he sticks to it to the very end. His bag of tricks is endless and you never find a peaceful moment with him.
Even though this show truly focuses on the two main men, some other characters will weasel their way in your heart and take permanent residence. These were the characters that I wanted to hide in my back pocket and protect from all the cruelty of the world. And even though my wishful thinking did not save all of them, I treasured every moment they were on-screen.
My precious and loyal Seong Kyu, my shady but hilarious Optimus Shin Cheol Sik, Prosecuter Choi Tae Hong who never once lost faith, Jeong Woo's merry band of prison inmates and the resilient Seo Eun Hye all brought their own flavor to the show.
This drama has a deep underlying message about how family makes or breaks you. How people are willing to go to every length to save their loved ones and how it's never too late for justice. With an extremely satisfying ending; giving closure to all the characters and answer to your every question, Defendant takes a spot among dramas that are consistently amazing from start to finish.
A dark and gritty suspense drama that comes with its share of heartbreak.
An absolute must-watch
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The second season of Ode to Joy sees the characters more developed and set in their life. Some characters return with an existing relationship, while others were ended or didn't have one. Family plays a more prominent role as the relationships with the girls and their partners become more serious.
Andie comes into Season 2 from a fresh breakup. She gets over her previous boyfriend and begins dating Bao Yi Fan who had a minor appearance in Season 1. Season 2 mainly revolves around her relationship with him. My biggest gripe was the the plot between or involving family. It took the characters to a point where I no longer felt immersed in their world. The best takeaway from Andie's storyline comes from her development as a character. By the end of season 2, you get the sense that she's developed into this wonderful well rounded woman.
Ying Ying starts off with the continuation of her budding romance with Ying Qin. Things seem to go really well until it hit their down point. There was nothing particularly wrong with the plot however the issue was in character development. Ying Ying does a complete 180 and regresses to her season 1 incarnation. The final result of her journey that puts that 180 into perspective is fine, but as a viewer, it wasn't pleasant to see the same mistakes from last season repeated.
Unlike the rest of the girls, Guan Guan did not have a boyfriend but she was secretly pining for one of the character's existing boyfriends. One of the unique and high points about Guan Guan's storyline is her development as a character. She begins as a naive young career woman who doesn't know anything about relationships to realizing the complexities of life. Her eventual romance with Xie Tong was the high point out of all the girl's relationships.
Qu Xiao Xiao, the character that you love to hate ends up as the character you can't help but love. Her relationship with Zhao Qi Ping goes through it's ups and downs but further solidifies them. The story with her family takes a darker tone however it was solidly executed. It felt realistic but fictional. Overall, I think that Qu Xiao Xiao's storyline was one of the highest in quality.
Finally we get to Fan Sheng Mei. Sheng Mei continues her relationship from the previous season with Wang Bai Chuan. Apart from all the other girls, Sheng Mei takes the most traditional and practical approach. Sheng Mei is put under considerable pressure & as a result, she places her pressure onto others. The resolution of events brings a realization of her character flaws but also brings forth her inner strength.
Acting:
The breakout star this season was Jiang Xin as Fan Sheng Mei. She played a multi-faceted role where she had to present a strong confident front for the ladies of the 22nd floor while on the inside, she was a very vulnerable person. Jiang Xin did a wonderful job showing so many sides to Sheng Mei and making me immersed in her world. I also loved that her character broke the 4th wall a few times which added to the realism.
Wang Zi Wen as Qu Xiao Xiao brings a notable performance. She takes her character from quirky, fun, to being condescending, and ultimately bring her to a point where Xiao Xiao is level with the other characters.
I did not particularly like Yang Zi's performance as Qiu Ying Ying but I don't blame that on her, the actress, rather, the material she had to work with wasn't good. Qiao Xin did an wonderful job as Guan Guan. She is just so lovable from start to finish. In my opinion, Liu Tao was kind of held back by the material but it doesn't detract from her as an actress. I liked that we saw the spontaneous & lighthearted side towards the end.
One more performance I want to take note of is Yang Shuo as Bao Yi Fan. In season 1, he was this suave, charismatic guy and his acting reflects that. In season 2, as we got to see more situations unravel, the less range that we didn't get in his acting.
Music:
As I watch more and more drama, I notice that lots of tracks are reused. Ode to Joy Season 2 is no exception. I liked the music, but I just didn't like the replays. Most notably with the vocal tracks. The incidental music was fine and I think it suited the scenarios it played in.
Conclusion:
Ode to Joy season 2 is a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs. The ladies are as lovable as ever. Their journeys take me as a viewer into the world of 5 ladies living in Shanghai. I think that there was a perceptible drop in quality compared to Season 1 but it's nothing that cannot be fixed if there is a season 3. If they left it as it is, I'd be happy with it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Regret. That's what I felt after wasting more than 3 precious days of my life binge watching this hot mess. But if you asked me how I felt, say, 28 episodes or so in, I would've gushed loudly and happily, rambling on about the great chemistry, suspenseful story and amazing atmosphere. Sure, I would've admitted to plot holes and glaringly obvious breaks of logic, but my love for the passionate romance would have made me gladly overlook the negatives.
What went wrong, then? What made me go from giving this show a solid 7.5 (or even an 8) to giving a measly 5 (which I have given very reluctantly, considering how I actually want to give it a 4)?
To start off, I'll say this: The female lead is utter bullcrap. I have never, in ANY of the dramas I've watched, seen such a fickle, pushy, entitled and naive female lead- she's about as frail and intelligent as a dandelion. There is a limit to how dumb you can be, but this heroine surprises me every time. I can't say anything without spoiling the show for you (if, you know, you're still adamant to watch the show), but she acts VERY immature and heartless sometimes.
She's beauty,
She's grace,
She's a COMPLETE waste of space.
The male lead is dense. There's no other way of saying it. He constantly pushes around the female lead, directly or indirectly dictating her life and clings like a vine. I get it, you like her (for reasons beyond my understanding), but, sheesh, get yourself under control, man. But I'd take him over her moody ass any day; he was at least likeable.
But despite the problems I had with the characters, the story was engaging. It made me stay up till 3:30 in the morning on weekdays, desperately trying to find out what happened next...
...which is probably what made the shit that went down after (maybe) the 30th episode feel almost like betrayal.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The heroine chooses, CHOOSES, to believe some random seedy looking dude she just met over the male lead (who she, by this time, already hooked up with and has his bun in her oven) that he killed her parents. She doesn't bother to confirm what she heard or to even ASK the male lead on if it's true or not. No, she just packs up and LEAVES.
And then, through some miracle of god, somehow ends up joining a group of rebels whose aim is to drive away the Japanese from Shanghai (and possibly, China). Yes, this chick, who has never held a gun in her life, got magically chosen to train with an elite group of rebels, who just happen to have the support of high-ranking officials in Shanghai, such as our male lead. Not only her, even the pissy and spoilt second male lead who just smells of bad decisions manages to snag a top spot with the group.
But maybe she's actually good? Maybe she actually learned some moves? WRONG! In the first fight we see her participate in, she comes in an expensive coat, loose hair and heels. HEELS! Not even practical block heels, but freaking 3-4 inch pencil heels!
Alas, somehow, I'm not even surprised at this point.
Final thoughts: Skip. Escape. This should go to the dustbin of Chinese drama history, where it should never rear its pitiful head again.
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I started with the first episode and it was good.I thought of continuing further (ofcourse because of Ji Chang Wook).And then....last few minutes of episode 2 and it turns out that this is a thriller-suspense drama! (haha I hadn't seen the teaser or the trailer before selecting this drama )Also,tbh, I love mystery-suspense-thriller dramas and the fact that I wasn't expecting this one to be a thriller-suspense drama was even more awesome! That's when I decided that I just had to continue with this drama!
Since Episode 3 till now,this drama is just awesome! The story is great! The actors have played their roles well .I like Ji Wook & Eun-Hyuk bromance (lol) and ofcourse the chemistry between the main leads (Ji Wook and Eun Bong Hee.) :D So I'd like others to watch this drama(although it's a suspense drama,the more you wait,the more exciting it is to watch the new episode.Btw there are 2 episodes every week so YAY! although they are 30 mins each;so that would be an hour altogether).
Overall:9.5/10
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The romance in this was real. Others may say the couple didn't have chemistry but I think that's missing sight of what a true relationship is about. Chemistry is one part and that fizzles eventually. This couple had substance and caring between them, were willing to understand, to stick together, to grow together. This is a depiction of a real life couple interaction. They were eager to hold hands, to kiss, to be together and that was one thing I absolute loved about it. There was none of that 'hesitant to touch each other to stand too close' that often happens in kdrama. This was a real couple and the story showed it very well. No separation or dramatic fights here, just caring and understanding for the other person's feelings and perspective. How many kdramas give us that?
The above alone is why this deserved the 8 star rating.
Then there is all the relationships between the characters, all the curves and jagged edges that makes no one a villian and no one perfectly good either. They all had their little problems projected onto one another and they worked through it. This is a reflection of real life. I liked it.
Their acting was very good. They are largely new to this and no one is perfect from the get-go. If you expect perfection from new artists without giving them a chance to gain experience... well that's just unreasonable. They performed admirably for being a relatively new set of casting. I liked all of their acting a lot. Especially the two leads and the male lead's apa.
The music... I hope it wasn't the focus of the show and that the romance / friendship was. The music could have been better. It;s quite forgettable, not as passionate as I thought a top composer would produce - except that first song.
I liked this a lot.
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ACTING/CAST: Both the younger and older selves are cute guys. They did a fine job.
MUSIC: If I could have given an 11 or more, I would have. Outstanding music.
REWATCH VALUE: It's practically required to get the most out of the story.
OVERALL: A great BL story with cute cast and amazing soundtrack.
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Characters: Some of the characters were well developed - others not so much. I liked that the main character was smart but there were also times where I got infuriated at how slow she was. The eldest sister Chang Le had no redeeming qualities and fell in the category of the cliched evil love rival. The second sister's development on the other hand was pretty impressive.
Acting: Quite average - Once again the second sister had some pretty nice acting skills.
Rewatch: It was a long and tedious 54 episodes with a few spots of happy scenes void of misunderstandings. I don't think I could do it again.
Overall, not my cup of tea. I completed it - kinda. But there were many areas where I just started tuning it out as it moved way to slowly and was full of annoying misunderstandings. If you are a romance fan, it may be worth a try. If you don't want angst and melodrama, stay away...
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Plot: One word: Cliche - you could probably predict the ending from the first episode. The best part of the plot was that there was really no big "problem" and so the main couple just had a nice a happy journey without any melodrama/angst. But because there was no central "problem" the story was lacking.
Acting/Cast/Characters: The main leads were cute but kind of stiff. I honestly enjoyed the banter of the side characters more. The acting is a little forced but not terrible. The characters were cliched - to perfect with literally no faults that indicated that they were human.
Rewatch: It's not something that I would rewatch. I finished it with a mixed feeling of satisfaction (that everything resolved the way I thought it would) and disappointment (that I wasted my time on something that I really didn't get anything out of).
Overall it is just a cute little drama - one that you will hardly remember in a few years as it has melted into a blob with the rest of cliched romance dramas. You aren't left thinking afterwards and I don't think that the script writers meant it to be something complex and memorable. For what it is, it's alright. If you want something a little deeper, skip this one.
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Story/Script: This is not your average revenge drama. It's a story about wanting to set things right, to obtain justice for a case that was misjudged years ago and it's beautifully done. It may start a little slow, but rest assured that the pace will pick up. There are also some really funny but jokes/puns in the script which may be hard to get if you are not a native Chinese speaker, but they really add a lot to the drama.
Characters: Honestly the best part of this drama. They are complex, emotional, human characters. Unlike many other dramas which cause you to unconditionally hate the villains, the villains in NIF are just as human as the protagonists and have their own hardships and reasons.
Acting: Very well done and in character.
Music/setting: Beautiful music and amazing cinematography. The wordless opening is perfect and really gives you the feel of the drama through the use of music and art.
Rewatch: I have rewatched this a couple times and every time, I discover something new. Definitely worth several rewatches. The only thing is that the politics discussions get a little windy and so I often skip through those.
Truly a masterpiece. I understand many romance genre fans are unwilling to give this a chance due to the lack of romance, but romance is there (as is a lot of bromance), just not the main focus. The romance in NIF is a pure form of companionship/friendship which I honestly think is harder to achieve. Give it a try, and it may just top your list :)
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Plot: I honestly liked the plot. It was original. Although the ending was kind of cliche and the entire story a little predictable, it was quite well written and left you with a satisfied yet somewhat cheesy feel.
Characters: Some of the characters were really enjoyable but others were quite infuriating. At this point, I am resigned to the fact that most dramas have one or two scheming, selfish, and extremely annoying women but I am honestly a little sick of seeing them. They are always the same - blinded by love to do stupid and evil things. I wish the villains were were more original.
Acting: Most of the main leads did a great job acting. Kudos to Yang Mi for portraying so many different personalities. She did a great job bringing out each and everyone and was really the star of the show. The only thing that bothered me was the "crying scenes" of some characters. It was at times painful to continue to watch this drama simply because people were crying so much.
Sets: Chinese drama CGI - what more has to be said?
Rewatch: Uhhh probably not - too much crying and moping/misunderstandings (probably 50% of the second half) to properly enjoy a rewatch, but some scenes were pretty nice such as Episode 30.
Overall not bad. If you are a romance fan, you are sure to enjoy. If you prefer action, it may be worth a try but just a warning, it's really watery and slightly cliche.
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I believe that this is my first show with Joo Won as an actor. He had to grow on me a bit as Cha Yoo Jin, but I warmed up to his character somewhat. Nae Il was my favorite though, withYoo Il Rak coming in a close second (that bleached blond hair though....yikes). I also thought "mini Min Hee" was adorable and hearing them call her by her nickname was super cute. I didn't really warm up to Park Bo Gum's character Lee Yoon Hoo very well at all though. He seemed very tacked on to the rest of the group with nothing much to do except cause the teeniest tiniest bit flicker of jealousy in Yoo JIn. I honestly didn't feel like any of the characters were developed well enough and that is part of the lowering of points.
The music was fantastic and probably one of the main reasons to watch this show. Both the piano and violin parts are so moving to hear. The story didn't progress as much as I hoped and there was not enough justification given for some of the character's actions for me. So it was a little messy and the story was a little flat, but the characters were kind of engaging. This drama has a romance tag, but the romance is very minor. I was disappointed in Cha Yoo Jin the most. Seol Nae Il was very open about her feelings, but Yoo Jin was very reserved. This was understandable in the first 3/4 of the show because his character is learning to open up to other people. However, I was expecting even the tiniest bit more from him by the last episode and was it was very unfulfilling and had a lackluster ending. I don't want to give away anything, so that's all I will say.
I won't re-watch this simply because I wasn't completely satisfied with the plot. It wasn't a bad show, by any means, and is worth a watch if you just need a casual filler. And if nothing else, the music is beautiful!
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