Reviews

Pretty paintings and crime

DISCLAIMER: My opinion, that's all!

The concept of this drama reminded me very much of many US shows, police procedurals in which they usually pair up a gruff but extremely honest policeman and a quirky highly intelligent civilian (mostly mathematicians or psychology professors or some such profession) who comes up with the right remark/discovery at a crucial moment thereby solving the case gaining admiration by everyone!
It is the same here: this time an art history professor and highly skilled painter is brought in to help with investigations. At first there is animosity between him and the detective but that quickly vanished when the painter skilfully solves the case in the nick of time, impressing the detective who becomes his main fan.
I was actually a bit disappointed that the conflict was resolved so quickly: I hoped for the tension to last a bit longer. From episode three onwards, we were on the full bromance(not chines censors' one though which it could have been seeing the physical differences between two characters who looked like they just came out of a shounen ai manhua!LOL).
Once their relationship was firmly established, we were treated to a series of "case of the week" episodes featuring different stories: murders, scams, suicides (the slightly GL overtone one did not sit well with me: it sent the very wrong message!)
Over these 20 episodes we did not find much about the main characters: their past and their families are barely mentioned.
And this is where the plot holes come in: the detective comes from a well off family but was caught being a delinquent in a gang fight. Painter looks like he was a homeless kid, taken in by a kind art teacher but still living as a rebel? He was nearly drowned to death (who saved him the first time?) and forgot the face of the woman who asked him for a sketch (that too: why did she have a photo of a 3yr old to find someone easily found 30 years later?I must have missed the explanation!LOL). A psychologist told him he needed to have another near death experience to jog his memory but he had had another such event just a few days previously and nothing happened to his memory. As the plot progressed, the painter got to have many new capabilities: highly observant, highly knowledgable in anatomy, highly competent in psychology (the way he manipulated the computer baron was amazing and of course chess master and extremely talented painter.Makes you wonder how the police managed to catch anyone before he joined with his drawing skills.
Last but not least, the police is painted in such a positive light; everyone is nice, honest, competent, trustworthy and cheerfull, supporting each other for the greater good! Amazing!

The paintings and the drawings were beautiful: in the last scene we are shown sketches of characters from the cases they solved and each sketch is in a different style! There are some really pretty pictures! The painter who did these for the drama production is a very talented individual!

I must admit that as much as I enjoyed this at start, I was getting bored with it by the end. It is not half bad, a fun watch but I just have trouble getting used to c dramas. Again I had the impression they first filmed everything, edited everything in a block then chopped it up into 40min pieces: sometimes the episode would end mid-sentence. They should really learn how to make a cliffhanger cliffhangy!

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?

The series' captivating atmosphere and the female lead's exceptional acting were highlights for me. The inclusion of a realistic-looking orchestra added a strong dimension. However, my issue arose as the initially intriguing story became predictably linear. Despite this, the series shines with a commendable selection of songs. My disappointment stemmed from the underdeveloped characters, particularly those in the orchestra—I would have loved a deeper exploration of their backgrounds and stories. Additionally, the narrative seemed overly self-centered around the female lead, detracting from the potential richness of the ensemble cast.

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Nothing to enjoy

After reading some comments here, I decided to watch this drama, and also because Yang Zi that I loved in several other dramas. Some comments said that maybe you had to pass some episodes before enjoying this drama. But as I saw more episode it was still boring. Just for starts, the 1st episode could have been told in 10 minutes, but they keep on showing the same situation to make sure we understand they will miss each other ! The the following episodes introduce new people, but dialogs and situations are so dull that all the magic they put cannot even make interesting any of the characters . The male leads have no expressions, it seems they are just told to put a nice or sad face and say the lines .... Anyway I found it boring all the way and I had to speed many episodes to get to the end. Sorry bu I cannot agree with the majority.

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no decent subtitles for last 3 episodes

i so wish there were good subtitles to get for this show. they start out kinda okay, but get worse until you have to become a master detective to find three last three episodes that have autogenerated subtitles that stink.

im sure if they had good subtitles that i would have enjoyed this a lot more. Still a fun show. it had some zingers, some events that blew my mind. it was great. its almost worth it to watch it just for that big thing. can't say what it is though.

the people are fun and they have different personas so they feel unique. sometimes in these dating shows there are you many similar people, but these do not feel like that.

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A piece of art visually a bit empty at core

It is a k-drama to the core and nothing more and nothing less. Does it mean it is bad ? Absolutely not. (I mean don’t seek for originality)

The thing I like the most about it is that it is a mature drama. Most kdramas nowadays involves young generation of actors and a childish setting and development. It is not a problem, but a preference.

I haven’t seen kdramas as I described it with mature cast, a bit less childish recently. To name a few, Goblin, Nine tailed, my love from the star.. those are mature kdramas to me which we all enjoyed. Even King the land developed itself to be a very childish kdrama. So it is refreshing to watch this one even tho it is not perfect.

The second strongest asset of the series is how beautiful it is. Maybe one of the most beautiful cinematography we haven’t seen in a long time in a korean series.

I personally liked the series how it was and the directing choices that were made. But I can understand some people who disliked it. Like I said it is beautiful visually and the soundtrack is too. And it was a directing choice to make it looks like a piece of art literally. In that process, the dialogues are sometimes flat and it can seem long sometimes and so boring to many because of this choice. Also you can tell they try to convey a story nevertheless as things speed up oddly and fast at some point. And that can be a drawback to me and to others. I was fine with the poetic boring side because it was pleasant to me.

Should you watch it ? If you like mature kdramas a bit poetic and beautiful yes ?

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Friends Coreano

Non sono la prima e probabilmente non sarò l’ultima che fa questo confronto però siamo sinceri è così. anche se questo devo essere sincera è “meno spicy”, ma sono onesta anche qua, a me non frega nulla dello “spicy”. allora la storia è abbastanza prevedibile, come anche le coppie che si vengo a formare e tutta la plotline ruota attorno a questa guest house che non si è ancora ben capito come stia in piedi visto che sembra ci siano ospiti solo ogni tanto e attorno a questi tre inetti che sognano di sfondare nel mondo del cinema, uno come attore, uno come regista e uno come sceneggiatore. a questo cast di inetti si aggiungono le controparti femminili, la sorella del director wannabe (che è una reporter wannabe e che ad un certo punto riesce a diventare una reporter vera e propria), una ex modella, truffata da un tizio e un single mother, con figlioletta appresso. e nulla la storia ruota attorno a questi sei personaggi e attorno alla loro vita quotidiana, con incontri strani, balli con tartarughe e corsi di cucina. insomma chiaramente è fatto per intrattenere e far fare una risata agli spettatori, ma è anche un modo per toccare temi interessanti… con una risata. l’unico mio dubbio è il perché di una seconda stagione, perché questa finisce con questa wired found family che è cresciuta e maturata e che si sta muovendo in maniera preponderante nel mondo… insomma si chiudeva bene, quindi non comprendo perché continuare. bene, vedetevela per farvi una risata, perché merita

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Why are the ratings so high ?

Maybe my review is too subjective but I really don’t understand how this drama got so much liked nor do I understand the ratings here.

The only 3 really good things are : SIG’s acting - the gorgeous cinematography - interesting topics within the main topic

But then it is lacking in a lot of aspects. The top review on it said the ditector was too narrow minded about their opinion on suicide. To me it is not a problem. In order to convey a message, directors often need to be narrow minded… Then if it meets the public’s opinion it is a win. But what troubles me is the lack of originality in the main topic and that, with all those cases and beautiful scenes, we are waiting somehow for an ending twist which we do not get. Let the end be very open is not what I consider an ending twist as it is not surprising.

It is ok if you don’t want to be original but when you decide to make a series in order to convey a message so simple or seen over and over there is a disappointing feeling in the end. That is where originality is lacking to me.

You get sometimes engaged in one special case but hardly on his own fate.

GYJ is great and some others I didn’t mentioned but I am not convinced one inch by the female lead here… I might get so much hate but it is the first time I want to call out an actress telling her this is quite a bad performance..

Anyway, I apologize if you find this too subjective but this is my honest opinion on it

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Fresh, Deadpan and Cute

I've seen the manga around but was a bit reluctant to read because you know Student x Teacher but man I'll have to pick up the manga to get my fix because I need more of Haijin and Mikoto!
I don't really knoe how to give a real review so I'll just give some points;

- The OSTs are bloody amazing, they fit the vibe and theme of the show perfectly and are a permanent part of my playlist
*Kimikimimai, the upbeat opening song that always got me hyped to watch a new episode and I could never skip it, and
*Matomo Janai no ga Choudo Ii no, a cute calming ending song accompanied with cat visuals! 10/10!

- The comedy and jokes, which translated over wonderfully might I add. Each episode had me giggling and of course looking forward to the next scene.

- The actors were just amazing. They delivered the jokes well, had good rapport and chemistry and those backhugs had me kicking my feet.

- The story was just so good, the mix of dark and gloomy topics with humor will alwasy be a good combo and this show does it so well!

This review isn't good but if you're still contemplating watching, atleast try the first episode. More people need to watch this
<3

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Hello Hello Disappointments

It leans towards the heartwarming and over the top sentimental department but the show majorly struggled to stretch the story into a 16 episodes, their solution was a series of subplots and fillers that felt hollow. It's like the 3 writers didn't agree with what direction they wanted to go and did their individual scripts instead.

One big major flaw was the writers ditched what seemed to be a major plot that they were brewing up from earlier episodes only to change direction midway.

A stalker follows and observes everything Dae Hyong does, he noted Dae Hyong's whereabouts and his change in moods and behaviors everyday. They even altered his voice to add to the mystery. But by the 2nd half, they revealed he was obsessed with Si-a instead. It unfolded in a very underwhelming way that lasted like a minute, everyone quickly moved on from it. The writers basically bait and switched. You would think the stalker was part of the major plot that would affect the main characters by how they were showing it from the beginning. Their workaround to change direction he was to make him be Si-a's stalker instead. It didn't add up and didn't make sense at all. This is such a bad writing, on top of already dragging story full of hollow subplots and fillers.

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green flag!

I’m not really open to write a lot of reviews but I came to this way later than everyone else. I now see why people were said the pairing split up.

but I have to say the way Ae constantly checked in with Pete was such a refreshing experience. it reminded me of Win and Team from between us. Ae really was out here trying to protect Pete just because he was a good guy, no other motives.

I knwo a lot of people either like Perths new pairing or him with Saint and some won’t watch this because of that. seriously give this a go. I was surprised how much I ended up loving this.

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Meh, it was good, not amazing

Death’s game

I thought the concept was interesting. I like stories that take on the supernatural, so it picked my interest quite fast. The main downpoint for me would be the whole suicide is a sin thing, I’ve never been a fan of this and it comes as insensitive most of the time. This time, surprise, it’s the same, it annoyed the crap out of me. Still think it did better than tomorrow on that subject, but barely. I still find myself enjoying quite a lot of this drama woudl probably rate it higher if I went with feeling, but objectively there are a lot of points that must be talked about.

-My life was hell every day (MC)
-How about the real hell ? (Death)

The ending was predictable. I wished it to go in another direction, but it chose the most predictable path.

The Story:

The main character sees himself as a failure. He ultimately kills himself after a series of hardships and misunderstandings. Death is not pleased with this at all, intercept his soul before going to hell, to prove a point, I guess. He is destined by Death to die 12 other times. Death puts his soul in the body of a person about to die, if he can prevent his death, he gets to keep living the rest of his life in the body he saved. Simple enough.

Some points are unbelievable, especially in the 4th episode.

1-      He was in a relationship for 7 years, but doesn’t know his girlfriend’s brother ?

2-      7 years and he is not living with her? it’s easier to be two, than one on rent.

I disliked that the baby story was only there to point out that at least MC has a mom who loves him. It could have been easily the most horrifying live in any episode but was brushed aside so quickly it made no impact.

The moral of the story could have been better than blaming the MC for the heartbreaks of the people he left behind. He took control of many lives where money was a key point in their life and ended up killing them. The 11th life should have been an eye's opener for MC ; the man lived the life he wanted, job, marriage, and kids, but it didn’t mean everything was going well for the guy. He wasted his chance and triggered his misfortune by killing the guy.

It was also ridiculous to put him in the body of his mother. 1-Nobody wants to see their mom naked (just kidding) 2-he lived more years as her than he as himself lol. Why, because he doesn’t want the body of his mom to die, not his mom, just the body, she is already dead.

I get it was to connect him with his mother, but I still laughed and it failed to bring the tears where there should have been.

Will his girlfriend die like she was destined to on the side of the road? will the Evil Chebol and the serial killer go unpunished? Does he retain the 32 years and 12 deaths in his memory, or just the feeling of it remaining, pushing him in the right direction? Unclear.

Suicide is a heavy topic, and this drama is not doing a good job of tackling it. The Problems that the MC faced are never put up front, never brought to light to help him fix them.
The resolution boils down to ‘’Dying = people sad = by the way you go to hell too’’

The ending is quite underwhelming. 

Pro :

+good actors
+The concept is interesting and original.  (it feels webtony, guess it was a webcomic)

Con

+ The chebol plot point was unnecessary.
+ Suicide is seen as egoistical/ sin.
+ the constant gaslighting of the character about his problem not being real.

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i loved it

i laughed, cried, got mad, screamed, cried and laughed some more but most importantly i loved it.

the story and characters are great, but the message about everyone having their own trauma's and getting over them or learning to live with them is so important. that there are always people around you that care for you no matter how lonely you feel or how much you tend to push them away.

i think everyone should watch this drama because there is a good message behind it, you'll learn a lot from it. you never know what happend in someones life no matter how much they pretend to be fine.

i really needed this in my life and i am glad i watched it.

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Magical, mystifying, dripping in rich culture and history

Strange tales of Tang Dynasty is originally a book written by Pu Songlin during the Qing Dynasty, which makes it more than 260 years old. There are so many adaptations of this book's stories but this drama's version is my favourite. These drama showcases quite a few cases and in the journey also manages to put together a very lovable cast.

The first case is of a kind of black tea that everyone in the imperial capital is addicted to but it actually causes hallucinations. Here we meet our detective duo. The older Su Wu Ming (the brain) and the younger Lu Lingfeng (the brawn). I loved their chaotic banter so much. Political upheaval forces them to leave the capital and go south, where they chose to stick together. They cross several places like Nanzhou, Ninghu, Luoyang, before returning to the imperial capital Chang'an. They solve mysteries every place they go, and make the lives of the local people so much better.

But obviously the duo is incomplete without the most lovable team ever. Pei Xijun who is in love with Lu Lingfeng and leaves her house to follow him. She is a brilliant painter and her portraits are often crucial to solve the cases. Chicken Fed, a beggar our duo randomly picked up, who turned out to be a genius doctor who knows everything. Chu Yingtao, a girl from the Jianghu, who can best her way to solve the case (also Su Wuming's love interest). And lastly Xue Huan, an adorable kid Lingfeng takes as his disciple. Without this half harmonious, half chaotic, but fully funny cast this drama wouldn't be so enjoyable.

I even like the smallest of the minor roles, like the guards and soldiers. Yes they all have actual personalities in this drama. Another thing I absolutely love about this drama is every character is well thought out. There's no villains just for the purpose of being evil. Everyone has their reasons. The crown prince and the princess are such complex and well written characters. Even the emperor that only appears for a few minutes in the last episode seems to have his own motives.

The bgm and ost are really good. The cinematography fits well with the story. It's beautiful, sometimes eerie, sometimes dreamy, sometimes magical. Very befitting the plot of the drama.

One of the only detective dramas I have watched without skipping a second. Highly recommended. It has mysteries, supernatural stuff, slight horror, sweet romances, hilarious moments and also emotional moments. It has everything!

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Slickly produced but ultimately formulaic and empty . . .

Let's start with the good: 1) High production values, great costume design, attractive actors 2) Our immortal character is a more immature Puck/Peter Pan and loses his powers first episode - making this a more relationship of equals than other dramas.

Otherwise, this is just a bunch of ideas thrown into a script, with unfortunately little chemistry between the actors, little depth of character development or themes, and of course the ever-present serial killer storyline. There is no redemption to be found in the secondary characters or plots and the jokes/humor heavy handed.

This is a pitch or story concept with the director and writers desperately trying to stretch this out over 16 long episodes. At one point in the story, our main male lead gives a review 'boring all the way to the end.' I couldn't agree more.

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