This review may contain spoilers
Jyoou no Kyoushitsu is a drama which is intense,significant,educative and addictive. The main attraction of this drama is that it is an exception to the typical school dramas. All Japanese classroom dramas so far have been about the teacher saving the students from their own folly.On the other hand, Akutsu Maya-sensei is the teacher no one ever wants to have.She's Brilliant, manipulative, obsessive, and dead set on making sure that the students fall in line with her rules.
Another good point is unpredictability. The Queen's Classroom breaks from traditional drama with an apparently evil teacher who is out to prove that the world is a harsh place, and so is her classroom.She's a cunning and calculative teacher and systematically removes the parental and academic protection the children had enjoyed, and forces them to deal with their problems themselves.
The Queen's Classroom" is an astonishingly well elaborated and smart drama series, which points at the bad condition at Japanese schools or certain deficiencies in Japanese society in general, and does so in a very entertaining way. The show isn't just thought-provoking;it is also very touching, appealing and persuasive concerning its message.
Last but not least is the outstanding cast. Amami Yuki, the actress who plays Akutsu Maya, did exceptionally well in portraying such a devilish teacher. I think it's because She did so well that for the end credits of each episode, they decided to show her after a take and smiling, a facial expression only used when she does something particularly "evil "!!
Shida Mirai did an excellent job as the innocent-minded child. she's incredibly adorable and became my favorite teenage Japanese actress after this drama.
The two specials were indeed very special and did an awesome job in explaining the reasons why the characters acted the way they did.They reveal all they mysteries,answer all the questions and justify all the actions.
I can write so many things in praise of this drama!! But it’s very hard to continue without giving spoilers.
This is a drama which everybody should watch.If you believe that this is a show solely for teenagers or even children, only because almost all of the main actors aren't older than twelve and drop it half way then you are mistaken. It’s only if u watch it till the end then you would realize how ‘not-childish’ this drama is! This series suffers from minor defects in the story line but nothing is perfect and please don't give unnecessary importance to these occasional faults and belittle this great drama.
Although the atmosphere throughout the series is quite dark, Queen's Classroom is actually one hell of an entertaining show!Hope you'll enjoy this wonderful 'monogatari' as much as I did.
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Love Rain is basically two typical romance dramas rolled into one. The first 4 episodes are dedicated to the first romance, which begins in the 70's. This couple frustratingly hides their feelings, and has to deal with rivals, which is nothing new in kdrama-land. The pace was slow, and the romance takes an innocent approach, but I was not bored. I was never tempted to skip ahead, and I think the 70's episodes set up the characters, and their conflicts, nicely. The general tone of these episodes was moody, so don't expect a lot of cute flirty scenes in the beginning. Episode 5 is the start of the 2nd romance (my favorite episode), and there is a dramatic change in tone. This romance is your typical bickering-opposites attract story, which includes the quintessential mean meddling mother. It supplies plenty of cute/flirty scenes to give viewers butterflies (epic kiss scene included). The way these two love stories were weaved together is what made this drama feel original. I was interested in watching how both romances would unfold.
the cast is great in the 70's, and in the present day. Im Yoon Ah, Jang Geun Seok, Kim Shi Hoo, and Seo In Guk really pulled off creating two distinct generations of characters. I was impressed with adorable Im Yoon Ah, and doubly impressed by Jang Geun Seok. I expected him to be good, but he really shined in every scene he was in. They also had really great chemistry together. I had no problem believing that Ha Na & Jun were completely different from their identical parents, and I didn't find the fact that they looked so much like them farfetched either, since I have often been called my mother's twin/clone. I thought that the older actors (Lee Mi Sook & Jeong Jin Yeong) were well matched as the older versions of Yoon Hee & In Ha, though their chemistry was much more subdued. I thought the entire cast was good, or at least entertaining (loved the assistant & the flaming gay dude), though I would give Jang Geun Seok his own "10" score if I could.
The direction was great, the cinematography was gorgeous, the music was catchy, and the story was mostly good. Around episode 16 things start to fall apart. It was obvious that the story was being stretched to fill another 4 episodes, so scenes moved incredibly slowly (including the dialogue), and the plot started to become repetitive. Many of these episodes are filled with people barely getting a sentence out, or saying "I'm sorry" over & over again. I kept watching because I still liked the characters, but I would understand if someone dropped this drama at that point. Combined, the last episodes have a few good moments that could have probably fit into one episode (maybe two, maybe...). The final episode tries to bring back some of the spark from earlier on, but by then it was too late for me. I thought the ending was a little too corny. Everything gets resolved, but I wasn't quite satisfied. I also think the older characters deserved an on screen resolution, especially after an epic 30+ year love story. The last moments felt ironically rushed, compared to the other episodes.
The homage Love Rain pays to the movie "Love Story" gives you some idea of what to expect. It's not exactly light hearted, but it's not just a tearjerker either. I never cried while watching, but there were moments that I thought were really touching. I did laugh, so there is enough comedy to balance out all the heartbreak. I don't see myself watching this again in it's entirety, but I already want to rewatch certain scenes. I think I could only recommend this drama to Jang Geun Seok fans, or die hard romance fans. I consider myself sorta both so I was not exactly disappointed. My only real disappointment is that a potentially great drama ended up being just ok.
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I am a music freak throughout every atom in my body, no lie. Everything I do includes it, and I can find a way to involve music in whatever I'm doing, I will. That's why I was so excited to see this drama, also after reading some reviews and ratings of it and seeing that Jang Geun Seok (or however you want to spell his name) was one of the main characters. How could this go wrong?
Apparently in very many ways.
I felt like the screenwriters hadn't really put down much energy in this drama. A lot of events seemed to be repeated over and over again and there wasn't much of a plot in any of the episodes. There were many characters and many side-stories to keep track of. My sister and I were annoyed at the main characters through the entire serie because they were just so stupid and made the wrong decisions all the freaking time. They all seemed too immature for their age.
To not be too pessimistic I have to say that I liked the acting very much, the actors did a great job TRYING to give life to a story that didn't exist. Also, thankfully, the music was very beautiful and sometimes created the mood that the viewer was supposed to feel.
I must also express my love to the cabaret-trumpet-playing-dude (Bae Yong Gi, played by Park Chul Min) who was the funniest person and the mood-maker of this drama.
If you want to watch this drama, you can skip everything and jump to the last episode, I assure you that you will understand everything anyway.
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I had this drama on my PTW list for a long time, I've delaying it for ages then one day, I decided to go fo it.
2) Storyline/Plot:
As a person who haven't read the manga and have no idea about this drama's story, I believe that the storyline was somehow strong.
Positive points:
*The plot was set up in a good way plus the story's development was meaningful since it gathered rigid events.
*This is the type of drama that won't let you lose interest in its events simply because mysterious twists were always present.
*This drama's storyline was a great mixture between romance, mystery, psychology and even some little horror moments; that's why I would say that the storyline is rich and enjoyable.
*There were some brilliant suspens moments that would fill you with anticipation and expectations.
Negative points:
*There were some unnecessary events or let's say they were "badly expressed".
*Some moments were really annoying to watch.
Story: 8.5/10
3) Acting/Cast:
*Zhou Vic : he has always been my weakness point but seriously he managed to portray the character in a perfect way.
He completely owned the role whether in sadness, happiness, his gloomy or his cheerful character; he knew how to deliever feelings.
*Hsu Barbie : As an actress she had a good show but I can't say the same about her character which took the wrong turn sometimes.
*The chemistry was one of the greatest chemistries that I've seen so far. I enjoyed every scene they had together.
*The rest of the cast was cool too plus their acting skills were good too.
Cast: 8/10
Acting: 8.5/10
4) The ending:
It one of those endings which anyone would love to see on screen. Overall it was good enough.
The ending: 8/10
5) My impression (How did it afect me):
*It's true that I had to skip some parts in order to make the drama's episodes equilibrated but I never lost interest in its events.
*Zhou Vic was simply amazing here not only as *insert shallow feelings* but also as a good actor who knew how to portray his role.
*Although I liked this drama, I can't say that I was obsessed about it.
My impression: 7.5/10
6) Overall:
*If you want a good change from typical romantic comedies then you like this.
*If you like romance mixed with psychology then this is for you
*If you like Zhou Vic then you need to watch this because this was his best role ever.
Overall: 8.5/10.
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The stories unwrapped in each episode are well written and thought of, it will make you try and guess the culprit and even if you do it's still entertaining to see how they manage to find evidence and conclusion.
Some of the stories I thought were exceptionally good, only a couple I thought of as average. A lot of time is spent on looking into the suspect's backgrounds which brings a lot of surprises forward.
Obviously it feels unrealistic sometimes but that is a given for any "feel-good" dramas. Still there are many moments of excitement and unexpected outcomes as well as warm feelings in it.
So for these reasons I enjoyed this show very much and would recommend it to anyone who likes the main actress and/or crime/detective genre.
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I understand that this might not be to everyone's taste, so if you're looking for a Rom-Com or something light I suggest you watch something else.
On the other hand, even if it is titled as tragedy it's not THAT tragic in my opinion. Okay, maybe a little tragic, too, but not everyone-dies-in-the-end-tragic.
This show surprised me from the start, taking a direction I didn't expect, really making me wonder where we were going.
After watching the last episode I can say that the whole story was very well thought-out and in the end everything made sense.
It did a very good job at surprising once more in the end, when I already thought I had it all figured out.
I also realy liked the dark mood and the tension, especially in conversations between Mako/Satsuki and the detective.
Both Takei Emi and Kiritani Kenta did an awesome job. I have seen Takei Emi several times before, but each time it feels like a completely different character. This time she managed to play two characters at the same time in such a way that the audience is always able to tell the twins apart even when the line starts to blur.
Lastly, I set the rewatch value very low, because it's the kind of drama that won't be as interesting anymore if you know what will happen. It's the surprises that are catchy, but you won't be surprised the second time round.
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The director of this drama really knows his stuff. The cinematography, set design and costumes were stellar. I wish MDL had a ratings section for the technical aspects of dramas because I would have given that a 10 plus. This drama was nothing if not beautiful to look at, both technically and aesthetically.
I really enjoyed Jang Geun Suk in this role. He has improved as an actor and really seemed mature. His acting wasn't as stiff or forced as I have felt from him in other dramas/movies I have watched. I adored Joon during so many moments of this drama. I enjoyed Yoona too. Their characters and their love story was in many ways adorable!
But somehow the writing of this drama fell flat for me...grew redundant and boring. It was likable but I am still confused as to where it went wrong for me. I think somewhere around episode 16 I began to struggle to keep my interest unless the main pairing was on screen together. The plot just didn't grab me and follow through in an exciting way. The final episode was cute but also at the same time, a bit choppy and didn't flow smoothly.
The Older Couple just made me kind of sad and I wish I could have felt the passion carry over in the adult version of the pair that I felt from them during the scenes from the past. It seemed that in every conversation they said the same thing over and over.
I liked the music but nothing really grabbed me, made me groove or move me emotionally.
Ultimately I would have to say that if I could condense this drama down to 16 episodes and keep the main (modern day) pairing on screen I could have given this a higher score. Gah! I wanted to LOVE Love Rain!
And because I was fond of this drama and because of the main leads...I am bumping this up to an 8 when realistically in my head, I think it probably deserves lower.
My re-watch value is set at 5...middle of the scale. I know I probably won't watch again.
But I say this...I have much more respect for Jang Geun Suk as an actor. He was also extremely adorable... And the director really did a great job. If only I could say the same about the writing and plot.
*sigh*
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HUNTER - Sono Onnatachi, Shoukin Kasegi
6 people found this review helpful
A group of women are out there to solve different cases in each episode. There is a great amount of fun, seriousness and a quite some excitement in this series. There is a deeper plot line under the separate cases that unfolds through the whole story.
The four women are very different so that's why I found their conversations interesting and entertaining as opposed to boring.
Top things for me were:
Great character development. Rare to see such satisfying "maturing" and "blooming" in a genre like this.
Barely any filler or dull minutes thanks to great acting.
Super fun scenes and very good mood changes in a well worth to watch chick flick.
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The re-watch value for me is low because it ends in a cliffhanger. It's not a bad thing but for me it felt to be the wrong choice after the whole story line build up.. It's a matter of personal preference however, I honestly think this one is underrated as it is a great show!! It still has a satisfying ending, maybe my problem then was the fact that it was over haha!
Word of warning, the main role is a beginner and fairly naive lawyer portrayed perfectly well for me, though perhaps annoying for others.
It was exceptionally good entertainment for me.
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about the review:every thing about this drama is fantastic it funny and charming i strongly recommend to watch it you won't regret it.
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Story: The story highlights the political status of a certain underdeveloped city mainly because of poor governance and how a civil servant who only knows to make different types of coffee made a transformation for herself, for her citizens and for her love. From a humble coffee-maker to a beauty queen and then a town mayor, these unconventional path towards politics made the story hilarious along the way. I loved the realistic struggle of the main character. She's not someone who rose to heights because of the connections from high-ranking officials that because of it, she faced many difficulties. From someone who only follows orders, she became someone who handled the responsibility to serve her people with dedication and honesty. The interconnecting lives of the public servants on City Hall were also amusing and fun to watch. Its subplots didn't seem to be fillers for the story for they're interesting to see as well. The main couple's love was caught in the middle political ambition and arranged marriage.The romance was a mature one, but there were a lot of cute and sweet moments too. The ending was my favorite episode, it's definitely a happy, sweet and endearing one. But what's more loveable was that there were multiple happy endings here! So, don't miss this one! :D
Acting/ Cast: Kim Sun Ah is really a versatile actress, that's why I love her. She can be funny, serious , and can make me cry as well. Cha Seung Won really fits his character here, he can be funny and arrogant but can also be sweet and loving too. I love their chemistry! They really seemed experts on falling in love onscreen! The supporting casts did a great job too, they played their characters well.
Music: The songs were nice, it combined with the story well. There was a song here that was really fun to hear, it left me a joyful feeling upon hearing it at that time I was watching this.
Rewatch Value: The rewatch value was high because I find it entertaining to watch, I love the couple and this had become one of my favorites.
Overall: Give this a shot if you're looking for something different-- a political drama with comedy and a romance. However, it didn't concentrate on politics only, for me, it's seeing and developing yourself in a different light, you never expect it, but it turned out to be the best in you. :)
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The acting was good, although there was overacting in some parts due to the character the actors and actresses were portraying, but in a way something about the acting just didn't always click with me and I can't place my finger on it.
Music was enjoyable and fit really well with each scene (I love the piano piece toward the end of the last episode when the main guy is thinking -if anyone knows what it is please let me know!!)
I would rewatch this drama, but this is one of the dramas where although I liked it I don't want to watch it again for quite a while.
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The plot will make you really think hard what to do if you are in the main characters' shoes.Sacrificing one's own happiness is something that is rarely seen today,and this drama just portrayed how powerful love is,that when we sacrifice, we feel pain, but it also brings us joy.
I was a bit surprised too to see some kissing scenes because most of the Kdramas i've seen before aren't that liberated, but i think it was okay,they made it quite natural.
The soundtrack is perfect, I wish I could get a copy of the songs.
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I really loved the story, even though, it's a bit complicated, especially in the first episode, I had to rewatch some scenes to understand, also, you can tell by watching it, that the writer really put so much work and effort in it, so much sad feelings mixed with happy, and always wanting to know what's going to happen next, but in episode 14, the drama could have been ended, but I think that they prefered making it longer, afterwards, it's just like another short story, just to fill the gap till episode 16.
ACTING/CAST:
in my opinion,the acting was a breathtaking, the cast really fitted well in this drama, I mean Yoo In Na was so into the character, when crying, she was so good at it screaming and everything, my eyes were all opened at full when she is crying, such a great actress, also, Ga Deuk Hi was a masterpiece in this drama, she was so funny, and really did well at her role, Ji Hyun Woo was very good to be honest, but I really don't like him, he's so not a person that fitted as a main role, but his acting is not that bad.
MUSIC:
I admired the OST of this drama, really fitted with the scenes, although there's so much sad feelings in it, but I really loved it.
REWATCH VALUE:
I don't actually rewatch dramas, but for the ones who do, I'll put a 7, though it's watchable, you'll be bored in several episodes.
OVERALL:
at first I was going to put a 10, but then I changed it, 'cause even though I really enjoyed watching the drama, it's not that fabulous to put a 10, so a 9 will do.
P/S: in my opinion, it's worth watching, but in your spare time.
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