Reviews

It pains me to say that this drama would’ve received a far higher rating...

from me if it wasn’t for the FL...Like genuinely the FL was what stood in the way between the rating I gave vs a rating that was 1-2 stars higher. I simply couldn’t stand her weird dialogue and acting since the very start of this drama. Although the drama itself kind of grew on me toward the end (not enough tbh), I consistently rolled my eyes at her and cringed at least once every episode. There’s a night and day difference between Su Zaizai and Jiang Jia (and I LOVED Jiang Jia) and I genuinely think they could’ve allowed Zaizai to keep her bubbly personality without turning her into a 5 year-old in a 25 year-old woman’s body. The plot here should theoretically be my cup of tea, actually, but for some reason I ran into the same issue I run into with some youth cdramas where for some reason I’m just kind of bored the whole time. I don’t think the drama did anything wrong per se, I might just not be one to enjoy youth cdramas as much as I think. However, I really enjoyed the fact that there was quick and easy conflict resolution and nothing super dramatic that happened. It made the watch very enjoyable and positive and is why I say that it’s technically “my type” of drama. Funny enough, as much as I complain about unresolved misunderstandings, I would’ve been okay with some of them being resolved a little later (the not annoying ones ahah) since they added some entertainment in the sea of “no problems whatsoever the couples are together and happy as can be” eutopia in romcoms that gets boring QUICK if you overdo it. Anywho, I personally don’t really think the drama deserves a 9.0 rating since there were personally quite a few issues I encountered that I’m sure other people have as well, and I felt like there was just little to no emotional impact with the characters for me personally (I’m comparing to how I felt watching dramas like Hidden Love or Someday or One Day who did great in this department). But if you don’t mind an incredibly cringey FL (gahh) and enjoy the youth genre, I would still recommend you watch this one as you’re likely to really enjoy it.

Read More

Did we even watch the same thing?

I am utterly flabbergasted at the high rating for this show. I went into this thinking it would be a light-hearted and fun love story with a side of palace politics and power struggles. What I ended up watching was a show with ridiculous characters and nonsensical plot that circled around the frustrating love story of the two main characters. I am under the impression that Xu Kai fans are what has inflated the rating for this show because the drama itself is not worth watching.

To address Xu Kai; I actually liked him in this drama and thought his acting was done much better than I have seen in many of his other works. He had great chemistry with Jing Tian and the other male cast members in his army. His stage presence is great and he pulls off the carefree soldier that is being forced into his role of royalty. Jing Tian also acted her role well according to how she is written. I did not like the character very much but she was acted well and the chemistry between the two helped tremendously. The character herself was just frustrating and I often times wanted Li NI to just give up because she was not worth it.

But having two great main actors will not make a show great if it is written and directed poorly. And that is exactly what this is. It is so poorly written that it is laughable. Almost all of the characters are cartoonish in their representations of their roles. The main lead's father that becomes the emperor is spineless and ridiculous. He acts and reacts in ways that are childish. His two older brothers are witless and ambitious but just plain dumb. The writer of this show obviously does not have a firm understanding of politics because the way this drama moves in circles with with nonsensical reasoning for their moves and countermoves. Every villain that is introduced, and there are quite a few, are one dimensional characters making decisions based on one specific desire and the people around them just follow along as if that person is not dumb. And these actors were even directed to make the most ridiculous facial expressions that make them cartoony to portray evilness.

I was already struggling to get through this after the main leads father, whom you can not convince me is a person that could have ever held power, became emperor. Even if he was a puppet king he was so ridiculous that I could no longer watch scenes with him in it. Then came the tedious and LONG storyline where the female lead is angry that the Li Ni did not save her useless Young Master. I could have gotten past it and said it was her grief reacting but it went on for soooo long. When they finally find that cute and watchable area where the two are clearly in love you have the intrusion of the love scorned Young Master returning as a villain but in a way that made absolutely no sense. Did no one ask where he had been for months? No one questioned anything and just let him back to lead the army with authority higher than Ying even though she was very close to the general. The forced wedding episode was unbearable to watch for its nonsense. Move on and you have the female lead then forcing the unwilling male lead to become crown prince in order to marry her. It is one ridiculous plot point to another with no connecting strings or firm reasoning for their actions.

The only reason I am giving this a 5 is because the costumes are pretty, the main actors do well, and the OST is nice. But the CGI is horrible, the rest of the acting is bad and the story line is ridiculous.

I really just can't tell you enough to please skip this drama.

Read More

Tanked.

I just wanna start off with this is my personal opinion, so take your fights elsewhere.

I feel like this season had a whole different writer or something cuz it tanked so bad. Not even sure why or how anyone is listed as a main character when there were no mains. As much as I wish there was, it might have made this shit show bearable.

Episode 1 made sense and then it's like they forgot what happened in season one so they were like "oh but I remember Hellbound, let's just make it like that!" Or something. And not gonna lie, with making us wait that long, we really needed episode 1 to be a recap. Least I did. For the longest time I thought I was going insane because I couldn't remember most of the cast..... Little did I know, I wasn't meant to because THEY WERE NEW CHARACTERS!!! How are you gonna jus drop new characters (a fk ton of them) and expect people to know them?
While I felt bad for some characters, I had no connection to any of them. I felt more sympathy towards the monsters than anything else.

The back and forth back and forth was horrific and gave me a headache. And that ending felt like a cop-out. If I'm honest, I'd rate this a 3 and call it a day. The only reason I kept going and didn't drop it was hoping more of the old cast would pop up *cough*SongKang*cough*. We were robbed. Lol

Read More

The story unfolds very slowly and can be boring

Watching this drama, you need to sip your wine slowly, enjoy the background music and observe the hand gestures. The conversations were largely silent. I saw a man, given away to an orphanage as a child, who lived a lonely life, steered away from people and relationships. A kind and sweet woman, struggling as an actress, opened her heart to him, and he reluctantly accepted her feelings.

His ex-girl friend returned, hoping to rekindle their relationship. Their relationship then seemed perfect and unbreakable, but their affair broke after a fire accident. He lived a broken life until FL appeared. Likewise, FL's childhood friend decided to pursue her. a quadruple relationship is formed.

The deaf students introduced another aspect of him as art teacher and mentor. He saw in them, his own struggles growing up as a deaf child. He was generous with money and time to help people and his orphanage. I never knew a deaf person is allowed to own and drive a car.

He has established a good career as an artist that give good income and comfort. Yet, her family were sad and objected to their relationship. Her mother cried after learning her boyfriend was deaf. Doubts seeped in her, FL feared she won't be able to endure a relationship with a deaf person.

Read More

The little things brushed up onscreen, and a little more

“Your next life form will be an anteater.
.
.
.
Alternatively, if you would like to rebirth into your desired life form, you can restart your life again to collect enough good karma.”

~~~~~

The choice is obvious here - of course many would pick to restart and try again. Unless you are okay eating ants. But since Kondo Asami doesn’t want to, she pick to restart her life again.

Rebirth stories aren’t anything new. In fact, it has likely developed into a popular genre on its own these recent years.

What’s unique about Brush Up Life is the simple plot on collecting enough good deeds to qualify being human in your next life and the focus on the relatable, little things in life. As we follow through Asami-chan’s 2nd, 3rd and so forth chances at life, we see her going through the relatable daily grinds most of us has been through. Such as puberty, friendship, studying, dating, fitting in, and of course,
.
.
.
helping out a little more so Asami-chan can cultivate good enough karma to be human again.

It’s not the adrenaline pumping stuff like stopping a terrorist or saving the life of her lover.

Rather, there is something heartwarming about Brush Up Life’s relatable conversations and internal monologues on the day to day stuffs we experience in life - rebirth or no rebirth. Situations like giving a lot of caveats before complaining about unwanted freebies. Or texting emojis with blank expressions. I especially enjoyed Asami-chan’s chats with the Rebirth Officer at the station. Her reactions and the subtle personality shifts are apt.

Things that likely make you go “Yes, that’s right, I do that too”…maybe. The little things in life.

Another thing that is done interestingly and equally relatable is the account of Asami-chan’s day to day struggles in her various professions. Each life, her chosen profession is different. Each time, while there’s something a little different that she stumbled on, they remain situations and moments that we will relate to.
In her 1st life, she was a government worker who struggled with layers of cumbersome approval process and choosing the right greetings to customers.
In her 2nd life, she was a pharmacist who went through thorough checks to ensure right medicine were prescribed and constantly reminding her loved ones to drink medicine with water because it affects the absorption rate.
In her 3rd life, she was a TV producer who worked hard to arrange the right order for artists on closing credits and dealing with childhood friend’s request to be casted on dramas for friendship appearance.
In her 4th life, she was a researcher who patiently researched on scientific breakthrough and diligently resetting the focus of shared microscope in the lab.
.
.
.
until the little more Brush Up stuff happened. The adrenaline pumping stuff to spice things up.

In her 4th life, Asami-chan found out that she’s not the only person who went through multiple rounds of rebirths. Mari-chan, her childhood friend who always got top grade back in school also went through rebirth. What’s more, it’s her 5th cycle.

Turns out Mari-chan was the one that got the typical main character rebirth script. Since her 2nd life, she has been trying to save a plane crash that took 2 of Asami-chan best friends. 2 whom were also her childhood friends.

There’s no brainer what Asami-chan would choose when she was given a 5th chance. Even if this time she finally accumulated enough karma to be born human (not as Kondo Asami). Even if this is her final chance at rebirth (meaning there’s no more trying again).

To round it up, Brush Up Life successfully drums in the message that it’s the little things in life that matters. No matter which profession we are, there’ll be many little struggles we deal with. No matter how long we live, the thing that make us feel a little less lonely is the connections we made and maintained in life. Because they are the ones who made the little things not so little and worth living.

Read More

A season worth forgetting

As of me writing this review, I have not watched season 1 of Singles Inferno.

A lot of factors have contributed in making season 3 a very forgettable show.

It honestly felt like everything was going in the right direction for the first 2-3 episodes because the production team managed to introduce something new and interesting to the show. They also tried to replicate what made season 1 & 2 so successful; however, they failed miserably in that aspect.

This season tried to copy:
Song Ji-a:Kim Gyu-ri = not enough presence
Kim Jin-young/Dex:Cho Min-ji = not even close

Season 1, and also season 2 to an extent, had at least 1 female contestant that was commanding attention from a lot of the male contestants.

Season 2 had a new contestant join in mid-show that completely stirred everything up and introduced a new dynamic to the show. An interesting character that everyone was talking about which eventually became the main character of the show.

Both seasons had a contestant that we knew just from watching the show had the potential to become famous outside of Singles Inferno -- and one of them actually did. This season has none.

What else was season 3 trying to replicate? Lee Nadine = Hye-seon? Valiant effort but Nadine just has quite a strong grip on international fans.


What really felt apparent to me is that Singles Inferno 3 became a very casual, non-serious, and light kind of show compared to season 2 (and that is magnified by the production team's way of editing scenes and the added screen time of the panelists and their funny commentary). Season 2 had this heavy tension I felt when watching, season 3 has none of that.

Season 3 will leave little to no impact on me after the show; I won't be interested in the contestants and what they'll be doing in the future. Season 2 on the contrary left a hole on my stomach and kept me interested in the contestants for a quite a while after the show (still interested in Dex till this day).

Casting really felt bad this season. You know that things are bad when you have to rely on Gwan-hee for the entirety of the show. Everyone is absolutely hating on him, but he's probably at least 60% of the show. He's definitely good for the show, but there should have been a contestant casted that would place higher than him. Gwan-hee would have fit in better as the antagonist of the show against the actual main character. I'm just not a big fan of Gwan-hee's Inferno.

Who are the contestants that are needed in the show?
Top: Jin-seok
Top: Ha-jeong
Top: Gwan-hee
Mid: Min-kyu
Mid:Hye-seon
not needed: Min-young
not needed: Min-ji
not needed: Gyu-ri
not needed: Si-Eun
not needed: Won-ik
not needed: Min-woo
not needed: Ha-bin

This is purely based on possible contributions of the contestants to the potential show Singles Inferno 3 could have been if they managed to create a better cast alongside the 5 contestants needed I listed above.

On a sidenote, Dex's addition to the panelists was such a great move. His raw and relatable commentary was needed in the show.

What else felt weak this season? Timing, going to paradise, staying in inferno. It felt like these things didn't matter much, most contestants were sure of whom to pick. The games and their corresponding consequences also felt weak. The entirety of the show felt weak because inferno and paradise felt weak.

I didn't collect my thoughts well enough to make an actually good review (to which I could've done better) but this is how I feel. Singles Inferno 3 was honestly a disappointment; Singles Inferno 2 had me craving for so much more after the show, but this season only had me wishing for an actual good season next time around.

Read More

A great sageuk with D.O. as ML, Nam Ji Hyun as FL and Kim Seo Ho as ML2.

A great sageuk with D.O. as ML, Nam Ji Hyun as FL and Kim Seo Ho as ML2.

PLOT: The FL, daughter of a nobleman killed after being accused of treason, has been hiding for years in a small village. The Crown Prince discovers that the Crown Princess, daughter of the Minister who really governs the kingdom, is pregnant even though he has never touched her. The famous minister decides to kill the Prince. But he survives thanks to FL's adoptive father, even he has amnesia. All the bachelors having received the order to marry, the FL marries the man taken in by her father, the ML-Crown Prince.

PROS:
+ Addictive series, with D.O. who is absolutely masterful in this role.
+ All the actors are excellent.
+ Well-written story, with constant suspense
+ Dynamic and intelligent production, with very beautiful sets, costumes, framing.
+ Well suited OST.

## The kings of Joseon are often shown as weak, powerless, or even stupid. The ML's father, here, is no exception...

CONS:
- Some lengths on the last part.
*******************************************************************************************************************
TB sageuk avec D.O. en ML, Nam Ji Hyun en FL et Kim Seo Ho en ML2.

PLOT: La FL, fille d'un noble tué après avoir été accusé de trahison, se cache depuis des années dans un petit village. Le Prince héritier découvre que la Princesse Héritière, fille du Ministre qui gouverne vraiment le royaume, est enceinte alors qu'il ne l'a jamais touchée. Le fameux ministre décide de faire tuer le Prince. Celui-ci survit grâce au père adoptif de la FL, mais il est amnésique. Tous les célibataires ayant reçu l'ordre de se marier, la FL épouse l'homme recueilli par son père.

PROS:
+ Série addictive, avec D.O. qui est absolument magistral dans ce rôle.
+ Tous les acteurs sont excellents.
+ Story bien écrite, avec un suspense constant
+ Réalisation dynamique et intelligente, avec de très beaux décors, costumes, cadrages.
+ OST bien adaptées.

## Les rois de Joseon sont souvent montrés comme faibles, impuissants, voire stupides. Le père du ML, ici, ne fait pas exception...

CONS:
- Quelques longueurs sur la dernière partie.

Read More

great cgi, romance plot

8,8/10. Sumpah harus mulai darimana ya ??? ini tuh konfliknya ga sebanyak di s1. Mungkin karena dulu si jang uk belum punya kekuatan sepowerful sekarang, makanya konfliknya bejibun ABIS. Klimaks konflik s2 cuma di eps 9 - 10 doang, selebihnya full romance between jang uk - naksu & kim doju - park. Jang uk - naksu hubungannya gemes karena tarik ulur, kim doju - park gemes karena sama2 kocak. Di ending beneran ngira si ji mu bakal idup terus makanya semua org butuh s3, taunya yaa k.o juga doi walaupun dgn cara yg kureng sadis ?? kalo menurutku knp semua org butuh s3 karena ending yg kaya kurang penjelasan. Jujur pas liat ending tu aku harus ulang 2x baru agak ngeh dikit sama maksudnya. Juga jang uk - naksu pas sama2 inget satu sama lain tuh sedikit bgt partnya jadi kayak AKSHSJSNSJK lebih banyak pressurenya dibanding happy. Untuk sinematografi & cgi ya gausah ditanya, beneran bagus drama ini bikinnya. Dari s1 gapernah ngecewain ?? yg disayangkan mungkin part naksu yg powerful cuma ada di awal2 sama ending doang, jadi kaya kurenggg gitu padahal bagus bgt pas dia punya kekuatan itu. Tapi ya balik lagi mungkin emank plotnya ditujukan naksu itu hadir di saat yg emg genting bgt buat warga daeho. Ostnya suka di part kedua ini, lebih ngena ?

Read More

It really grew on me

When I first started watching this show I only liked it fine until somewhere around the half-way point when all of a sudden it dawned on me that I'd not only become invested in the characters lives without realising it, I'd also wholly fallen in love with the entire story.
This series has its flaws to be sure, but it also features some incredibly compelling story-telling delivered through beautiful cinematography, solid editing, and fantastic performances by the entire cast.

The set-up may seem contrived at first, but quickly paves the way for some fascinating characterisations; the story at times feels like a character study more than anything else and I personally really enjoyed that aspect of it. The characters are all given a lot more depth than strictly necessary for a light, romantic drama, as well as the agency to sometimes act outside the simplistic bounds of black-and-white morality.
Yu Zhen, for instance, is shown to be clearly aware that his "Single Rule" is not strictly legal, he simply bets on his employees being too invested in the company's continued existence to report his wrong-doings to any authorities.
Similarly, Shi Lei's meddling in the affairs of a client proves to be largely successful, but it is also made clear that his actions are ethically questionable.
And of course there's Yi Zi Tong, whom viewers appear to either despise as an unnecessary addition to the plot for the sake of drama, or appreciate as a necessary instigator of Yu Zhen's character development.
His addition to the story may in fact not have been strictly necessary, but he is a very complex and interesting character. He appears out of nowhere as Yu Zhen's self-styled saviour, presumably out of some lingering sense of guilt over how their relationship ended, and thoroughly derails the leads' budding relationship. He has nothing but good intentions, he's correct in a lot of his assumptions about Yu Zhen's mental state, but for the most part his actions seem to cause more harm than good.

It's these small, unusual elements that, to me, elevate the story way above the level of a silly rom-com.
Yes, it makes liberal use of tropes and cliches, but the characters are three-dimensional, they are flawed, likeable, often genuinely hilarious, and feel like real people, which makes the relationships depicted feel real and believable in turn - a personal highlight for me is Qiqi and Gang's relationship, which is a wonderful depiction of a healthy age-gap romance. Their age difference isn't ignored or put off as irrelevant; their different life experiences lead to differences in opinion and relationship expectations. This in turn leads to conflict, which the two then resolve through open and honest communication and compromise - it is truly a joy to watch.

So if you're looking for a rom-com with great acting, lovely queer representation (there is even a very touching coming out scene, if that sways you either way), and a very sweet slow-burn romance which has some bite and intelligence to it, then look no further.
If you just want something light and easy to watch that's perfect for a lazy weekend on the couch, then this series will deliver as well.
I will say, however, that this is a show best enjoyed in one or two sittings. The slow, gentle pacing best lends itself to binging rather than to watching one episode at a time :)

Read More

The Equity Man

It amplifies the sarcastic mid-2000s melo cliches to the max, something about is just endearing to watch despite its comical nature, that's why it worked back then. But this drama kept it going for too long and it started to get annoying. Some scenes were too obvious they were added to pad its length, I would say these were the worst part about the drama. These useless scene were more important than the story according to the director and writer since the story was filled with incomprehensible skips and gaps in every other episodes that each left its own problems. I'm not asking a melodrama cliche to be logical and sensible because they'll never be by definition, but at least don't go too far like that insane 13 years time skip! On another note, Han Ji Won was pretty useless despite being the FL, little to zero contribution before or after the blindness episodes. One last thing, I wasn't a fan with anything they did for the last episode. The drama gets an extra point for the skewed morals.

Read More

Worst season

First of all, the selection of participants is extremely questionable. Instead of presenting interesting personalities with different backgrounds and life experiences, “Love Chaos” relies on stereotypical clichés. The characters are shallow and superficial, making it difficult to connect emotionally with them. It seems like the production was looking for appearances rather than authentic stories. I'm disappointed with this season. The participants couldn't have been chosen worse. I don't understand how so many people could get hung up on a red flag. The guy is the epitome of red flag. He was given too much airtime and the others significantly less. I almost felt compelled to fast forward from this one man. I hope that next season will be significantly better. I was really looking forward to the new season

Read More

i was waiting this for a long timeeee since cutie pie, i fall in love with YiDiao Storyline and immedietly brought the novel cause i can’t wait anylonger to know their completed story, when i found out Domundi gonna made NB as a series I WAS SOOO EXCITED even it was postponed, i’m still waiting patiently

I Dare to say this cause actually the storyline is heavy and complex, the story filled with family issues and their relationship itself is very interesting and rarely found in other BL, the author makes it impossible to actualize it into a series in terms of luxurious facilities, Hi Yi's complicated work until the beginning of the story how Diao becomes traumatized by a tiger attack, i was crying mutiple times in kon diao's story (his family is so cruel and this kid don't deserve it)but it turns out Domindi and all of the actors are able to made it well

The atmosphere is really intense and looks like a mafia movie, its like a war between wealthy, throne and love. gratefuly they added a bit comedy so the audience doesn't get a headache, finally watched them having a happy ending with the beautiful and creative production, really pleased with everything comes out like my expectation, the budget for this series ain't lying, everything shooted really well expecially the car accident, airport, tiger scene and the wedding is SUPERIOR. i would say Max and Nat's acting improved a lot and delivered the story really really well

also HIA YI IS SO HOTTTT THATS INSANE

Read More

I enjoyed every second

The casting was exceptionnal! I've seen a lot of Bai Lu's dramas and she was just as great as always, but it was only my 2nd time seeing Zhang Ling He and he really made an impression on me. Some scenes were so intense and powerful I had to watch them twice or 3 times just to focus on there expressions without needing to read the subtitles. Same for the princess, great choice.
I would say I liked a lot of the characters, even the vilains, they were well written and truely usefull to the story.

The writting of the drama was also really good : great storytelling, interesting dialogues: no basic or common "wise" sentences - after watching so many Cdramas, they kind of all sound similar at some point - but these ones were truely original and adequate.
I really liked the concept of finding, NOT the best person you can find, but someone that truely fits you and understands you. There are so many dramas where you don't actually understand why the main leads are in love with each other... okay they're hot, but what else? Why are they so willing to sacrifice everything for this one person? Well this drama did an amazing job showing that.
I'm the kind who likes to skip ahead when the political games get too boring or take too much place, but I don't think I've done this once in this drama. Despide the main romance not being at the center of the show, they still managed to keep it interesting.

I look forward to watching other dramas by this screenwriter and seeing those actors again.

Read More

Worth watching!

i find the story really interesting and how storyline progression was easy to understand. it may not be the best one out there but definitely worth watching. of course if expect something like "Love me if you dare" than i am sorry to inform you its not like that. lets say for begginners of k/cdramas its good. so if are interested in something more light i recommend watching but be ware of some explicit scenes as it may be a little too hard to see for some. But don't worry. the series has a lot of funny moments and the characters interactions and story are pretty well explained and shown. Peace!!

Read More

This is a series not for everyone. For those familiar with screenwriter Kitagawa Eriko you know how her love stories develop and they are not everyone's taste. I personally love the slow build because it makes the relationship so much more meaningful and interesting. 

Things I love about this series: 

The cinematography is so beautiful and the color makes the series so homely. You know that feeling that gives you comfort and warmth. I love some of the color settings for the scenes, it just draws you into the moment. Personal favorites are when she is inspired by her theme “live in the moment, not the days” and when Oto and Soremame hang out in the yard either playing with bubbles or running into each other after he moved out. 

The cast especially the soremame. I just adore her playfulness, creativity, and the attitude to never to lose oneself. I personally haven’t watched much of oto works so I think he’s a new face. I didn’t know what to expect with his character in the first few episodes but after a while you realize just how comfortable he plays his character and the conversations and the spark between the two just made everything better. And because of that, I can’t hate his character or his acting. Maybe his character was just an average Joe kind of guy?? 

And as I mention the relationship between the two. I especially love the lines they have. Eriko always just knows when to tug at your heart with some of these lines. First episode the line I can’t stop thinking of is “a person’s back is so warm” for those who know you know. 

And lastly, if you’re a fan of the screenwriter like me, you just have to watch this. There are so many tender scenes that I missed so I know I have to go back and rewatch and just enjoy the moment. 

Read More