Reviews

A good conclusion to the story with some predictability but impactful with its great cast

This is the second part (and conclusion) to the drama Death's Game in 4 episodes. I quite enjoyed the story, it took some very interesting turns with once again the incarnations being the main stars of the series. There was some predictability with the ending and I wish as a viewer to have been treated to a longer epilogue but there is a certain beauty in ending the series like that.

The cast remains fabulous with some of the new incarnations shining through in various ways depending on their backstories. I particularly enjoyed the 8th and 9th reincarnations which were the most developed with the expected 12th reincarnation as well. Kim Ji Hoon really once again impressed me, so far I have seen him playing extreme characters and I'm curious to see him in other type of roles because he was crazily impactful here.

The production value is as stated in my review of Part 1 quite outstanding and I still enjoyed a lot the ending song for each episode (which was kinda the unique music of the series). I loved the titles of each episodes, super insightful and I found the gore and violence really well done with some truly horrific and frightening sequences.

I would recommend this to people that have seen Part 1 of course. It is a proper conclusion to the story, it does not aim for subtlety but is impactful. The performance of the cast (from both Part 1 and Part 2) makes it a very good watch even if there are some little things I wish would have been a bit more developed regarding the lore itself. As Part 1, be aware that this series is super violent and graphic, so you might want to check the tags if you have any trigger.

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need season 2 for that last scene!!!

started watching for the cast specially PSJ and HSH. the show was good watch but the cliffhanger....
the story of drama was good and it have potential to have more season because it doesn't show more of past of cast. there are many question that are unanswered in the drama.
I personally like the Fl as villain and she done very good job, her scenes with PSJ was very good and the tention was all over the scene. the cast have done a very good job as expected but wanted WHJ role more time period and korean actor playing Japanese role was not that much good idea. their accent was clearly not good enough.
the chemistry between the leads was very good but somehow I thought it was forced or rushed.
as always HSH have stolen the show and hearts too.



P. S. waiting for FL to come back as a creature and save ML LOL..

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How I feel about it…Spoiler alert

Spoiler alert?
Spoiler alert?
Spoiler alert?
I wrote this as I got towards the end of the 11th episode. The series is good no doubt, however I was so pissed with white’s communication. I could feel Sean’s pain. Loving someone and willing to do anything for them but they don’t trust you enough to open up and know that you’d still be by their side. (The OST didn’t even help with the pain, it was so good it made it worse ? Then Tod and blacks relationship. The anger and pain I felt when he was drowning black can’t be explained. I liked his character at the beginning but towards the end of 11th episode not so much.
Let’s not even talk about Dan and Rok, I’ll just wait till I’m done to say what’s on my mind.
Just finished 12 episode and I must say I feel better, still anxious but better. I’ve paused it and will continue later. I need a break from the roller coaster lol.
I will edit this when it’s completed.

Continuation…Ep 13 got really got me saying “this is some bullshit” every minute. Cause what was that? I really don’t think I can sympathize with Dan like white did. That’s just another level of betrayal. If he knew he couldn’t risk anything, he should have stayed away from that group. Sorry not sorry

Ep 14…Am I supposed to believe that black took down able police man but couldn’t fight Tod properly?
So all it took was just an apology and a blow, next minute Rok forgave Dan? Am I the only one pissed?

Some of these characters drove me crazy. My chest still hurts from the pain I felt as I put myself in the shoes of some characters. All in all the series was good.
Btw did I mention I love how cute White and Sean’s relationship was in the last episodes? ?❤️

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One of the best historical Korean dramas

Another review I'm writing from a second viewing perspective. It must be about 6 years since I first watched it and seeing it was airing on my national channel, I had to watch it again. It's in my top 3 all-time Korean dramas, that's how good it is to me.

Even at second watch, it was amazing! Firstly, the episode length shouldn't be a hurdle to anyone: there are so many things happening! The fast pacing is one of the strengths of this show, yes, one of it! 99% of the drama is about the road to becoming an empress. There are so many obstacles until she gets there that you are about to throw a party once that happens.

Let's talk about the acting: Ha Ji Won was absolutely magnificent, she never disappoints! I like so much the fact that she was at first presented as a very strong woman with fighting skills and then you could see her vulnerability. But still, what a strong character interpreted by one of the finest actresses of South Korea! Ji Chang Wook was so good, his character was alone and used like a puppet by almost everyone! Joo Jin Mo was great too, felt so bad for his character. My favourite character from the entire drama has to be Tal Tal, one of the smartest characters ever, always taking the right decisions, so calculated in everything he did.

Beautiful OST!

For sure, one of the best historical Korean dramas and one of the best Korean dramas ever!

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WOW --- Now who am I?

In this review, I will include some thoughts on Part 1 as well. I honestly wasn't invested from the start. I had a really hard time following the first two episodes, because they couldn't catch me. That's why I put the drama aside and watched others first. I am so glad, that I continued watching. The show was getting better and better. Especially when we got to see Lee Jae Wook's and Lee Do Hyun's stories. By the end of episode 4 I was devestated. And shocked to see my theory, that the two bodies we were seeing were Yi Jae and an innocent person he killed with his suicide, was wrong. I still think that this theory would have made sense for Death's reasoning to punish Yi Jae. But the Drama went a different direction. After Part 1 I was excited for Part 2... and part 2 did not disappoint.

Some thoughts:
- These "reincarnations" I found especially intriguing: Cho tae Sang (Lee Jae Wook), Jang Geon Woo (Lee Do Hyun), Jung Gyu Chul (Kim Jae Wook) and Ahn Ji Hyung (Oh Jung Se)
- I personally preferred Part 2 to Part 1, which is really refreshing to see since it's often enough the other way around
- It felt like Part 2 took more time to really explore each of the characters (even though some characters fell short in Part 1 and 2, the Baby & the homeless Man for example)
- I really enjoyed the narrative of the drama... it made you wonder why and how each "reincarnation" was going to die
- The drama hooked you to see if Yi Jae finally learned... he appears to not be the brightest star in the sky (a german saying... don't know if it's actually translatable). But the way he acted as Ahn Ji Hyung (the police officer) was really satisfying to watch
- Him being as Ahn Ji Hyung was captivating and the drama led you to think this was going to end painless and guess what ... it didn't
- The drama made me think and reflect and what's actually important and what not. It moved something inside me. And a drama that can grab my attention, hold it and eventually leads to interesting topics and contemplation, is a 10/10 candidate... and here we are :)
- Do I personally loathe people that decide to take their own life like Death does in this series? Absoluteley not!!! But this drama felt more like a personal process and message to Yi Jae as a character who was unable to see and feel the love and devotion of his mother and girlfriend. It leads attention to those people who are left behind after losing a dear person. That's the way I interpret this drama.
- I mean it could be that we have to take into consideration that in this drama God exists... but I don't want to start a religious discussion and instead interpret the drama like I said in the point before, since that's the way I watched it
- The way everything and the characters were connected is amazing. It made the Story feel more cohesive and well-rounded
- At the end the story felt circular
- I loved the OST
- Made me think "Who am I?" and "At the end, what's actually important?"

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Objectively good just not for me

This is a drama that I can objectively see is good and objectively understand why someone would recommend it it to me and most people. As it has a great cast, a new take on supernatural investigations and a whole lot of good to offer.

However the male lead is as stupid as it gets, and is just alittle bit to stupid for me to enjoy watching him. And I am just not one who enjoys episodic mysteries that much. While I did enjoy watching them raise some issues once the show gave life and emotions to objects they kind of lost my interest, it felt a little bit to silly for me.

So actors Great!

Female lead- Amazing!

The mom- Loved her!

Story- actually pretty good

So for those who like supernatural, objects with emotions, investigation with fun twists and mostly lovable characters this is a great place to find it.

If you are like me who needs to connect more with the story, cast and so on you might as well watch something else.

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A masterpiece for everyone

Couldn't wait for Part 2.

Let me start light: it has all my favorite kdrama actors and they made me feel every bit of their charachers emotions. Well, Kim Jae Wook with long hair tottaly throw me of the meaning of the first episode (ladies will understand) and seeing Kim Ji Hoon as a bad guy after "Love To Hate You", just proved that he can be more than a second-male lead (Do stick to romances though, chebal!) . Park So Dam as Death is... well, if you have watched it (OR WHEN YOU WATCH IT), just great.

Now, to the heavy stuff: we can go around the Butterfly effect and everything being connected, but let me share a personal story.

I have a friend, who's brother commited suicide around my frieds birthday. He is over 40 and still refuses to celebrate it, because he never saw it coming: his brother being in such a dark place. I had not met his brother while he was still alive, but still, everytime around my friends birthday, we all feel it: how one's choice could affect strangers even after death.

We all have had hard times and difficulties to face, but I refuse to believe that there is not a single soul in the whole world, we could reach for help: it's the matter of asking for it. Maybe pride gets in the way or we have become too independent and do not want to burden others with our troubles and pain, but if you feel even a little bit like this, PLEASE, WATCH THIS: there are more people in this world that love you, care about you, love spending time with you and do want to see you again than you can imagine!

Starting crying in episode 2, so I am still a bit emotional about this, but that is my take from these series.

And his last incarnation, once he gets the memories back... (Well, I know whom I will hug super hard tomorrow).

There will be Part 3, right?

Get the tissues ready and enjoy to have another look at the people around you.

Maybe one of our New Years resolutions (that we actually keep) should be: Be more caring and loving to the people around and remember, that you are loved too.

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Not as good as expected

Oh well, where I should I start? I started watching this drama because Lee Yo Won was in it, I like her acting so much since The Great Queen Seondeok and because the drama had only 12 episodes.

Guess what, in this case, even 12 episodes were too much. Why? Because the story was dragged. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed so much watching these three women helped by a high schooler, all coming from different backgrounds, joining their forces to get their revenge and coming out of their shell. Revenge is, I think, too strong a word, they just showed those men their place and they paid for it! There were funny and touching moments, the actors did a really good job but for me it wasn't just enough. I guess I had too big expectations because of the rating, this time I was fooled.

The OST was quite forgettable but the opening BGM was nice!

I'm sorry but I don't feel rewatching this.

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hilarious, poignant and heartwarming

Overall: Ossan's Love Returns was my favorite in the franchise. The writers managed to balance several different genres (comedy, fluff, angst, mystery) well and we had character growth. 9 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (along with the rest of the franchise except Ossan's Love Hong Kong) and Viki.

Content Warnings: past death/murder, past violence, grief, non con kiss

What I Liked
- how Haruta and Maki had their flaws but they communicated with one another, apologized when they messed up and continued to love and care for each other, there was some excellent character growth
- clever ways they integrated the episode name
- sweet moments
- funny moments (I laughed so many times)
- realistic parts (like the bed head)
- ongoing physical interest/affection
- Moonlight Chicken (Earth/Mix) cameo
- how they integrated rainbows into the episodes

Room For Improvement
- the non con kiss with the new characters
- perpetuating the stereotype of a mother in law who is mean/exacting to a spouse
- wish we had a bit more time/resolution with several of the characters instead of a mad dash at the end
- if characters aren't comfortable doing something like at the end of episode 9, then the production should cast other actors

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"Story about us" or is it just life?

Just Resonated so damn hard with yourself, living in this present world, struck with anxiety depression, hopelessness about life, the drama puts in perspective the value of life. what matters in life, what we might be chasing, what we might be carrying around a baggage, what we might be feeling and every fear, anxiety and things that is stopping you, none of them matters. things will pass. things will move on.

whoever is reading this, i hope you can find hope, peace and happiness in this life, and find and never forget what matters the most to you. i hope the world finds peace and lets everyone live loved and pass by happily during their short time here. i just hope world will stop being greedy and evil. but in the end world will fail. world has already failed. . .

Ps: even though i had doubts watching it first, but now, really thankyou for making such a series. you may have saved me for all i know. i hope this emotion last long within me

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My Opinion on Mekong (2023)

I would've say P Louis and P Mik did amazing job saving all the people from the those monsters almost eat them but instead we should at least give P Louis credit because he save plenty of people every episodes. All cast members did amazing job which is P Jayda, Mhoo, Preaw, Mik, Louis, hope seeing more friendship duel again long future of Thai Lakorn series like more action scenes, but the most it cringe my teeth was that P Henri drugged his uncle even though his uncle raised him when was a kid, all them wants gold and etc. Thankfully P Louis and P Mik, his team saw what happen they don't wanna say anything about it. Overall I would say y'all just watch "Mekong (2001)" they have more romantic scenes btw they won't able have English subtitles. Keep up all cast members

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There is only one you in this world

Death's Game is a drama that talks about living, that people become comfortable with the pain that exists in their lives and throw themselves into suffering, they don't live, they just exist. Only one thing can make someone give up on everything they haven't experienced yet, even if the future is good or not, they will never know, because they didn't have the opportunity to allow themselves to live.
And Yijae learned this the hard way. Living in different age groups with a clearer mind, learning about life is important in all of them. That we should give everything an opportunity before giving up. This may seem like toxic positivity, but it's what you can believe about life.
I loved Deaths Game, because I was able to see the vision about life that already existed in me, and now I know that this is a beautiful way of seeing the world. There will always be pain, but you can live with a positive mind and everything will work out in the end.

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Some promising story arcs but not well executed

The series is enjoyable enough in parts. Some of the acting is good. Some of the interactions between the leads are credible. The story has its moments. Overall though the series suffers from lack of continuity or arc. We come to undersand Mangkorn's motivation to some extent (an early crush), but Yai's transition from rivalry and disdain to sexual dependency to affection is just bizarre. We aren't given enough story to make sense of it, nor are the actors given enough of a story to build believable emotional arcs on.
Some moments are interesting and generally well done, e.g. Yai's flashback to his childhood while eating with Mangkorn's mom.
Too many of the scenes suffer from manneristic acting where more realism is required, and most of the story suffers from lack of depth.

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Original to an extent...extent sufficient to warrant disruption in emotions

Original story. Handsome leads. Quite good acting. But what mattered the most is the chemistry made sense.

Thank the Lord (!) that they were attentive to the build up, so their relationship was believable outcome. You can feel in the first couple of episode that nothing was hurried and it paid off.

Utterly enjoyable watch up to the confession episode and then it kind of drags into kind of unnecessary drama.

I was hoping to get healthy response from both leads to tribulations but they went the trope way and did not exhibit much new.

Not many hot scenarios but the tension was so palpable that it could be cut through the air with a knife. Love that. I felt emotions and it is immediate rewatch because of it. Shows both leads did a wonderful job at their characters.

Here the second couple just did not click for me. I can see they were trying to explore the bad boy trope who is also an uneducated man who follows his heart instead all of them educated bunch overthinking everything. However, ring ring, you do not have to be (un)educated to have exclusive access to any of those two mind states. Anyways, I could not feel chemistry from them.

The somewhat of antagonist, the ex, did a great job at his character. Zero cringe from his side. He should have been given more screen time.

The cast was very good and pleasant to watch. I think the key here is that they BOTH acted well, and looked good. It raised the bar and high-brow feel despite the budget. The atmosphere of drama was very expensive, for the lack of better words.

Overall,
Definitely not a skip. Wonderful backbone story that powers more than half of total episodes to be a delight without plot holes. They abandoned the backstory and did not develop its potential fully. Instead they imbued the story with meaningless office drama, in latter eps. However, the build up to them coming together was done brilliantly. Then the last episode seemed pointless. I felt a large decline in meaning of what I am watching in the last two episodes. So you see, up and down. I was surprised at high score output for this drama but I did enjoy how genuine it was. So do not let yourself skip it. It will move you. The attention they paid to the backbone story at the beginning is certainly something refreshing that I hope to see more of in bl.


Enjoy and thanks for reading.

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Too Much and Not Enough: The Goldilocks Syndrome of Pit Babe

I really wanted to like this series. I watched Boys Journey leading into it and absolutely fell in love with the cast.

And for the record, that is the one thing that has not changed. The cast is the only thing that makes this series work. Pavel is fantastic. Nut as well is a stand out performer for me. But all of the others are solid, well rounded performers as well.

This series dies by its writing. The problems start within the main couple- who somehow have no palpable chemistry, despite the fact that the actors who play them have chemistry in spades. They are written into an insta-love corner that the show never bothers to write its way out of. Eight episodes in, and the main couple is as hollow and vapid as they were in episode two.

There are too many characters. Many of whom serve no purpose to the plot, and ultimately serve as a pointless distraction away from the main story. There are too many ideas shoved into one show. Is this a racing show, is this an action show or is this a romance? Some series can pull together multiple genres to make a compelling series. The Sign, for example is a show that manages to balance several genres at once and still be coherent. But these writers are not up for that challenge. As they get completely lost up their own plotholes, it becomes increasingly clear over the course of this series that these writers don't have a clear direction for this show. And worse, it's become blatantly clear that they have no interest in writing a BL.

The one positive I will give the writers, is that they did manage to make compelling tension. I would always leave each episode feeling a desperate need to see the next one and find out what will happen next. Unfortunately, they are never able to pay off any of the tension they successfully build. Arguments are forgotten from one scene to the next, characters are constantly behaving in ways bizarrely devoid of emotion. These aren't characters. They're walking plot devices used to push the story around. And I do mean push the story around, because the story never seems to actually push forward in any kind of believable way.

So we're stuck with this Goldie Locks syndrome. Too many characters, too many ideas, too many pointless scenes where characters only exist to lob exposition at each other. Not enough character development, not enough time given to side couples, not enough emotional believability built up between the two main leads.

There's a good story buried somewhere in this. Unfortunately, it seems that these writers were unable to find that plot.

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