Reviews

A journey of fantasy, friendship and love.

This fantasy story, magical powers, immortals, friendship, journey of self-knowledge and love, definitely won me over. It's a beautiful story in which each character has their own facets and development. And the mysteries and discoveries continue with each episode of this magical journey. The main couple has their charms, but there is an ambiguity in their feelings. There are two more male characters full of charm and mystery: Murong Zhing Ying (the young man in blue who fights demons) and Xuan Xuan (the young man in the silver mask). Both have a journey ahead and we discover the mysteries wrapped up in their past and present. Ling Sha, the female main character, is full of nuances and many facets and personalities, but carries her innocence and naivety. The main male character is very innocent, he seems like a small child discovering a completely unknown world. He is the owner of the sword, the rightful one, he is discovering his love for Ling Sha.

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Good idea, bad execution

I'm going to preface this by clarifying that I'm not a fan of Mame's shows, but I liked loving the air and I knew both shows were in the same universe, so I wanted to give this show a try. I would say that the first two episodes are very well done, they look very promising and I enjoyed them a lot. Now, after this, the development of the story becomes a little bit messy for my liking, especially because the way that the issue of the fake marriage gets "resolved " could've been done way better (and way sooner). In repeated occasions I found myself wondering why Lom wasn't being honest with Nuea; that would've saved them way more time, and would've given more space to show how their relasionship developed. Maybe this is a personal interpretation of the show, but by the end of it I still didn't know how the couple got together without knowing practically anything about each other...
Lastly, the actors are playing the main couple have good chemistry and look good together, but at the same time I feel like there's something off. I still can't pinpoint What it was, but there was a spark missing when they were being lovey-dovey on screen. To me, a good acting is when the actors make me believe 100% the characters love each other to the moon and back, and here I could see that they were trying very hard to do so, but there was something missing.

About the good parts, the side couple was really lovely and I enjoyed everytime they appeared on screen. The wedding planners were a family, and I loved how one of them was fiercely protecting Nuea. Although Lom's family wasn't the best, Nuea's was supporting enough for both of them.
Oh and my favorite part, the LITA cameos were amazing and had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout those 5 minutes of screentime they had.

Overall, it was an entertaining show and something nice to watch if you have free time to spare, but it's not one of my go-to recommendations.

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What can I say? After watching all 40 episodes, this show does a good job of not letting the heroes always win. The story moves pretty fast, and if you're someone who loves mysteries and being a detective, this show is for you. The plot is something that caught me so off guard and you can never really guess what the real truth to any of these case is.

Something I really apprentice in this show is its ability to portray what actually happens during the cases that they solve. Every case they solve, it shows us an actual play of the scene. However, one issue that comes with this show, is Li Lianhua is a bit too smart to the point where you don't even get a chance to guess what happens. Because everything that happens in the show is almost unpredictable, and Li Liana can guess what happens every single time.

Li Lianhua's character is very interesting. He is very observant and conniving. He is very slick and knows how to calculate, which is very impressive. It was such a pity to not see much of his fighting scenes, but there was other fighting scenes which caught my attention especially with Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng. Those 2 characters make the show give a bit more comedy.


Now the ending, not exactly a cliff hanger. He could have saved himself, but he didn't. I want to believe that he isn't dead but considering the fact that he was poisoned and he gave away the only thing that could save him, it was such a pity.

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Good different.

I have to say this oddly turned out to be one of favorite Japanese dramas.
Japanese dramas tend to start off nice and normal then they veer off into some highfalutin pretentious concepts, in my opinion going for “trying to be different” pathway, that inevitably turns into jumbled up mess (I’ve dropped more JDramas than I have watched)

This show on the other hand takes that inevitable turn that most JDramas do and some how manages to pull it off.

It’s simple and old fashioned, but modern and edgy at the same time. It’s not something I’ve quite seen before.

In summary I recommend this because it actually manages to do different well.

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(7)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Costume-Design/ Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(7)

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Short but Well Told

I'm still not the best at writing reviews but I loved this little drama so much I decided to write one anyway..

This drama might have been short but they weren't "short" of anything in it.
The cast was perfectly chosen with the leads having chemistry that set my little soul on fire. Sometimes when things are short they tend to be lacking somewhere or another, but that wasn't the case with this BL. They managed to tell an amazing story, create in depth/precious characters and build tension within 4 short episodes.
Even the music was pretty and fit perfectly within the scenes.

I would recommend this short little BL to anyone who loves a drama that will make you feel every emotion within a short amount of time. You will not regret it.

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Lifeless Script, Acting, and "Intimacy".

After watching 2 episodes: I want more than just pretty faces! Melodrama with extremely poor writing, cliched and unlikable side characters (male, female, and trans), and weak/flat acting (and a lot of people using headshakes as fillers because they are inexperienced and because the script is so weak and unnatural).

I watched the uncut version on GagaOOlala.

It is *not at all* believable that these two characters (Foam & Chris) have been in an intimate, loving relationship for awhile. Their NC17 interactions are more what I would expect in a one-time Tinder/Grinder hook-up with two people who aren't very attracted to each other but couldn't find anyone else.

Ep 1: It's unfortunate that the first NC17 scene happens before we're able to bond with the main character (let alone the 2nd lead who's dead for basically all of Ep 1) so emotionally it feels pretty empty.

Ep 2: Fewer irritating characters but nothing else improved. The writing is so awkward, unnatural, and insipid. All of the actors are obviously rookies and can't compensate for the terrible script. The NC17 scene is just as lukewarm as the one in Ep 1.

Overall:
Camp shows some varied facial expressions and at least pretends like his character is having some enjoyment in the NC17 scenes. Jimmy however, remains very flat in expression and tone of voice no matter what situation his character is in (his response to highly emotional events or tragedy is not believable at all). Since the story so far is from his point of view, it's incredibly boring. And he doesn't look quite comfortable in the NC17 scenes; he doesn't look engaged or like his character has any interest, let alone much pleasure, in what is happening. Almost like his character is half asleep or bored.

Uncut on GagaOOlala vs cut on YouTube: in Ep 1 the NC17 scene (at 32min in) timed from first kiss to the watch glowing is 4min 20sec on GagaOOlala and 1min 30sec on YouTube.

While it's very poorly crafted and I have no interest in continuing, it didn't traumatize me in 2 episodes, so it gets a 2/10.

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Modern Fairytale

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(6)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(9)

Starter/1st Act ~(9)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(9)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(10)

The concept was very simplistic and has been done before, but the script writer was given simple tasty ingredients and managed to flesh out a script that avoided to many cliches, and stuck with the simple straightforward theme. The script avoided the biggest mistake that plagues a lot of writers, trying to put an overly realistic spin on the story and trying to be different. The classic are that for a reason nothing wrong with “tried, true and tested”.

The director did a good job of staying out off his own way and let the story flow naturally.

The actors overall did a nice job and avoided overacting which generally plagues Makjangs, making this one of the few off this genre I can watch.

Sets where okay, no great emphasis on production value, the wardrobe was good with minimal emphasis on costume design, everyone’s wardrobe reflected their character, which showed that thought and planning went into them.
The product placement was not over the top and intrusive like you see a lot of the time.

Pacing was good and crisp, no lagging.

1st and 2nd act were smooth like freshly churned butter in french country side boulangerie. And thank goodness there were not crazy breakups in the 3rd and we got revenge served with a great heaping helping off the warm and fuzzies.

I’ve rewatched twice already, enough said.

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Plot was spread way too thin

When the best parts of your series are the cameos of other characters from the same universe of stories then you have a problem.
I like the cast and I thought there was a gentle and lovely chemistry between the leads but it was dull. I am all for a slow and sweet story but this was not it. I think it would have suited a shorter run. Maybe 6 eps? But there wasn’t enough here and it was disappointing.
There were elements of the story they could have delved more into and side characters too but instead it felt literally like sitting in the restaurant for half an hour each week for maybe 2 minutes if plot.

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Go watch Not Me it is much better

This story is similar to the Not Me serie by OffGun.The concept is almost the same the only thing that is different is this serie includes sports.while I would have liked it if the writing is not poor.There was no need to extend the truth to the last episode.There are many things that are missing.I am saying this with my experience that gagaoolala is not providing good content.If this channel is giving you 30 series in a year.Only 3 would be great.I am not saying it without any reason.Me as a bl watcher thinks that why everything in these series have to good in the last episode.I mean this is the purpose of last episode but if they have revealed the truth earlier and then Pfirst should be upset.Then sprite should reconcile with him that would have been a very good plot.And PZee should consult with his mother that she only cared about her wish and that ruined the relationship between the twins.Like guys I am really disappointed in this series' poor writing.

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A bag of chips/crisps...

This is a pretty little production, with steamy kisses, lovely banter and a surprisingly entangled story for the short format. It is also one of those shows that you know lacks all substance and is probably not really good for your health but you watch it anyway,

The leads do a decent job acting have great chemistry and do look at each other like pray, ready to devour the other at any moment, the OST has this 007 feel to it and so does the cinematography. While the leads seem to be able to act, the money did not cover acting lessons or any type of coaching for the rest of the cast as they had less expressions than an icile lead at the begining of a drama. The little sister supposedly grown up acted like a toddler and well that is a bout it.

An okay watch for the gazes and the banter but nothing wow.

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Worst show for both the leads

This is definitely the worst show done by bothe shin Hye soon and jcw..
Story is beyond ridiculous with almost 40 years old Virgin ML pining for his ex girlfriend of 8 years back who is changing boyfriends every year..
In conclusion, ml is a loser as well as simp and fl is whiny, annoying, selfish and bratty who only drink and cry in the whole show..
There is some comic relief by side characters, that's the only good point..
The ridiculous story arc of ml father and fl mother adds insult to the injury of already crippled plot of the drama..
IF YOU ARE HUGE FAN OF LEADS AND TOO MUCH TIME TO WASTE, ONLY THEN THINK ABOUT WATCHING THIS WITH ATLEAST 2× SPEED WITH SKIPPING MOST SCENES OF SML AND ML'S FATHER..

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Realistically Wholesome

Slice of life kdramas are my favorite genre to watch. It embraces everyday life stories and events. There's no fantasy, no chaebol family drama, no serial killings or murder, just real life situations and welcome to samdalri served that well.

Away from the busy and bustling city of Seoul, a successful photographer (Cho Sam Dal) who has experienced a fall from grace and has become a topic for ridicule due to betrayal from her assistant relocates to her hometown, jeju. There, she reunites with her old love (Cho Yong Pil) and childhood friends. Adding more liveliness and stimulating tourist instinct is a peek into the life of jeju inhabitants and beautiful parts of jeju island. That is the story of welcome to Samdalri.

The storyline is simple, lightweight and very relatable.The drama portrays the fact that hatred, envy and jealousy mostly doesn't live far. It comes from our circle and people close to us. Who would've thought that Samdal's assistant who wanted to debute as a photographer at all cost would be the same person Samdal's boyfriend cheated on her with.

One likeable thing about this drama is that it focuses more on self-growth than revenge, that's on Sam Dal's part. She could have decided to get back at her former assistant for what she did and expose her but instead, she focused on herself, embraced and discovered other parts of herself and ones she has forgotten and grew through the process bearing in mind that her talent could not be taken away from her. Thus, she came back stronger. This show is a classical example of "people can try to imitate you as much as they want but they can never truly be you". Also, Yong Pil's father let go of the grudge he was holding against Sam Dal's family for a long time and allowed her to be happy with his son.

Additionally, the romance in the drama is subtle. It is not too intense and it is not too dull and that complements the drama well.

The entire drama gives off a warm, healing and peaceful vibe and captures realism in the most beautiful way. I loved it.

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