Reviews

Misogynistic trite

I understand that one has to put up with cultural differences in everything one watches, but it is 2021, and Viki and the like are still purchasing licenses for series that put down women from the start to the end. The message is of accepting and normalising that a woman can and should be happy with being called idiot absolutely non-stop. That bullying behaviour is shown as acceptable and desirable. Young women would watch this and think that this is ok. Men would watch this and be reinforced in these kinds of behaviours and beliefs. This is how it becomes normalised for women to be bullied and harassed at work, and to be subjected to pay inequalities. This is how women’s confidence and self-esteem are destroyed on a daily basis. This is how women become victims of violence.
As I said, it is 2021. It doesn’t matter if this is still accepted in Japan, but as Viki and others broadcast this kind of content, Viki and others are responsible for disseminating misogynistic beliefs and behaviour worldwide. As a company, Viki and others should urgently reconsider their ethical and moral code, and stop supporting and contributing to normalising the abuse of women in any way, shape or form.

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Easy to watch sweetness overload

This drama is a perfect dose of sugar in a pretty messed up world, it is very easy to binge with very little conflict and more cuteness. Portraying day to day life and flirting during lockdown, showing both some measurements that would seem completely absurd less than two years ago (for me they still seem a bit to much, and odd), but are a clear sign of life in most parts of the world 2020. The drama portrays loneliness, flirting, insecurity and how the effects of covid go beyond the illness itself and over to spreading fear and the mental strain it can have on otherwise healthy people.

The drama also shows quite a bit of humor showing covid-guards just casually taking of their shirts and working shirtless as if that was the most natural thing to do. The guards where lovable for more than their abs, and so are the rest of the side characters. Not a single one is annoying or overbearing.

I was also very impressed over the way the main leads smiled with their eyes, one may think it is hard to see emotions thru the mask but those eyes and body language did one h*** of a job making up for the lack of mouths seen.

All in all this drama was highly entertaining and very refreshing, and definitely worth the little time it has...

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As an RN, I was initially very annoyed by this show

I'll start with the positives:
Cute show, no angst, lovely second male lead that wants the object of his affection to be happy, fun/funny co-workers. The premise was far-fetched but enjoyable to watch, for the most part. I felt that the male lead's attitude toward the female lead was misogynistic, but was willing to overlook this just to continue to watch actor Satoh Takeru, who was wonderful in this role. Their relationship was easy to watch and I kept holding on for the change in his attitude. And can I just talk about his stares and the kissing scenes? Worth watching this show if for no other reason than that. There is one scene where he gets emotional and you finally get to know his heart. I think Takeru smiled twice in this show, and those smiles were a treat because they were so rare.

Things that bugged me:
Sakura Nanase was loud, somewhat irritating, inept, immature and clueless at the beginning of this show. I mean, the second time you meet a man you tell him that you love him and you've followed him to his place of work?!?! I don't care for these types of women in the shows that I watch, they seem so spineless to me. I found myself getting angry during the first two episodes. I realize that she was a new nurse, but she was like a bull in a china shop and all I kept thinking was "how in the world did she pass nursing school"?! My next thought was, unless Japan has completely different metrics for patient-to-nurse ratios, there is no way that these nurses would have time to wander the hospital, sit in the cafeteria with patients, etc. It was very unrealistic. And there was so much gossiping going on among the staff. The character of Tendo Kairi was a TOTAL tsundere. He was actually mean to Sakura and called her names throughout (which apparently was supposed to be an ongoing theme), but I didn't care for that. And with him being a brilliant doctor and her being an idiot, I didn't see how he could like her. One more pet peeve (this applies to SO MANY shows!) - why in the world does she continue to call him Sensei when they are dating? That just puts a distance between them that doesn't need to be there.

The positives definitely outweighed the negatives, it became more enjoyable as the episodes went on, it was concise at only 10 episodes, and I'm glad I watched this show.

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This zombie is sexy af

The first two episodes are bad. Although what they tell is interesting, they are slow and boring. I was about to let go. Then luckily a review here on mydramalist convinced me to go on. And now that I've finished it, I'm satisfied. I had fun! The investigations are full of suspense and the twists and turns are unexpected. ML as a zombie is great. Sexy af and a lot of fun. The chemistry between ML and FL isn't bad either. It is not a true love story but they are cute. I could have given a higher score to this drama if it hadn't been for the "comical" duo, the two neighboring detectives. I did not like their comedy and serve no purpose in the beginning. so I skipped all of their scenes, except in the 2-3 last episodes when they become important.

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Sweet and uncomplicated

As the title claims this drama is sweet. I sometimes find Chinese romance to be stiff with the female lead being over the top, either incompetent or clingy and the romance to be forced. This is not the case here. The female lead Ding Yi Yi’s character Tian Tian De is likeable and is well matched to the male lead Zhao Zi Qin (playing Su Mu) Chinese dramas often reinforce traditional female roles so it was nice to see some nods to respecting women in this series. Su Mu listens Tian Tian. When she tells him to stop drinking he does. He knows she is conflicted about studying abroad so creates the conditions for her decision to go. As an audience you are willing to forgive plot gaps like Su Mu’s Aphasia (a condition where one loses the ability to speak) which comes and goes as well as his OCD, because the couple is so cute to watch and SuMu’s repeated affection for Tian Tian is endearing. Also nice is there are no evil women in the series trying to plot against this couple. SuMu’s ex even grows to love Tian Tian after she saves her from a scammer. The only downside of the series is the ending which was rushed and confusing . You don’t know what happened to Tian Tian’s study in the UK, or how much time has passed before they end up in the container together. Have two year’s passed? The ending seemed unsatisfying after such a nice drama. Don’t let it deter you though. It’s an enjoyable watch.

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I guess it’s cute, but it doesn’t add much

I wasn’t expecting these 3 episodes to add much, but I still believed we’d get something more. The only real thing this proves is that the Zol’s romance was not the factor for Saifah and Non to be together. So we know there’s no magic and it’s all real life. We get to see Son and Saifah right after their first kiss and then after they come back from the beach. Yet, they are still awkward even after the beach and it doesn’t look like the chemistry developed.

On that note, I’m not the type to say that couples have to kiss every 5 seconds in series, but doing kiss on the forehead after kiss on the forehead get’s boring. If you don’t want to include a kiss, just make it as a hug, it’s better than a kiss on the nose.

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A Recommended Watch - Especially for the Acting

This series has a little bit of everything - good and less-than.

I think the premise is relatively standard. It's a survival horror/death game type deal, however, with the participants being there of their own free will. Yes, even after the killing starts. The team does a very good job of building the tension during the first half, but as the number of participants decreases, so does the coherency of the plot. I think this drama could have used a couple of more episodes, maybe 2-3 more, to progress and conclude the plot better. There are a lot of the participants who have interesting backstories and possibilities for torture. What about the married couple who had decided to join? There could have been plenty more scenes showing the pain characters like them would have felt. The husband is forced to kill his wife in one of the games, and we see nothing of it? How can you leave something like that out? What about Mi Nyeo who has a baby? It's mentioned twice and never addressed again. The doctor harvesting organs? What was that about?

The story gives a lot of focus on the main three characters, but even that isn't a lot. But how can you give any more depth when you have so little time to do it? Gi Hoon and Sae Byeok definitely get the most development. Sang Woo is rather quickly made out to be a manipulative villain, and it never goes beyond that. Gi Hoon and Sang Woo's past seems so dishonest when you know how SW is. SW's betrayal feels genuinely weak, because the viewer already knew what kind of person he was.

At times, I feel like the production team was so obsessed with making this big story, that they sacrificed the plot and characters along the way. Everything just feels rushed and sort of incomplete. There are certain times where an incomplete story works out really well, but here it just seems lacking. Sure, there are some tragic deaths in this, but they just did not have the impact they'd have if you knew the characters a little better. The B-plot, even with it's lacks, was actually a lot more interesting to me than the A-plot.

Of course, I can't leave out the things I liked: The casting and acting is AMAZING. I love how the different characters interact with one another, and how everyone bond over their shared situation. But they were still different from one another. Some are in debt because they're shitty people, and some are just trying to save their loved ones. It makes for an interesting dynamic. The actors go all out, and I love it. Especially Mi Nyeo - I love how unhinged she is. Big kudos to the amazing actress. Everyone is great in this, no matter their role.

I also want to mention the set design. I normally hate the survival game genre for how boringly realistic it can be. However, I adore the visual theme that was used for this drama. The bright colors, and the focus on children's playgrounds really emphasizes the disparity between the basic premise of the games, and what actually goes on in them. I mean, the people betting on the players are supposed to be having fun, so of course the surroundings should be fun looking!

As I said in the beginning, this series has it's good and not-so-good sides, but I definitely feel that they are worth living with. I do recommend watching this series, especially for the characters and acting. If there will be a season 2, I'll be looking forward to see how some of the unanswered questions are dealt with. If there won't be a continuation, I won't be disappointed. I'm content either way.

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An innovative concept, but finished a bit hastily

Squid Game had one of the best concepts, with mystery around few people who participates in a game with millions to win. The story is simple yet creative and it works most of the entire series.

The start was strong, with violence and bloodshed during the games which built an intense environment to leave us guessing what would happen next.

The story went through well with a good last episode as well. But it still felt that it was not finished as it should have been ended, with an open ending hinting for Season 2 (Although I would have preferred this to end in a single season).

My Rating : 7/10

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On hold....

I started watching this because I thought the storyline was interesting but I had a hard time trying to finish up the second episode. I'm putting it on my hold list and I'll think if I want to come back and re-watch the series.

Thoughts so far:

I get that he has to become a hitman, kind of the main reason for the story but the one thing that I couldn't stop thinking was "how did he become a hitman without going through proper training?" Don’t you need years to become a professional to "maybe" be an accurate hitman? But as you continue watching, you see this hilarious off-timing when he tries to shoot her.

There was also a reference to karate kid wax on wax off. I couldn’t stop laughing. I knew this was going to be more of a funny series rather than serious. Maybe this is why I'm putting it on hold, I was expecting a sad hitman love story. I don't know what to think about it so far so I'm giving it a 5/10. I hope this rating changes if I ever go back and watch.

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The reason why I dress up

I watch this not knowing the English title. It was after watching this towards I did more research on the series. When I realized the title, I couldn't help but chuckle and think "what a cute and fitting title!" Being an influencer, FL has to show the best part of her life, it doesn’t show when she having a hard time crushing on her boss or crushing on her new roommate. When you dress up, you want people to see the best of you - chasing your dream, finding romance, seeing the beauty of the world through your eyes. But we all have our bad days, but people only see what is on camera. Once the camera is off, behind the scene, the pain and the burden the individual has to carry as an influence, no one knows.

What I like:

The cast, I’ve always had a crush on the Boss. Seeing him play a different role from a hot temper good looking guy I enjoy watching him in this role. I've also seen a lot of Yokohama Ryusei's previous work and a lot of them were memorable roles so I was excited to see him as a carefree guy who lives life by his own rules. It was fun and lighthearted that I didn’t think I would like his character so much.

The OST. I searched the entire internet trying to find the ost, I even ask Siri if she knew the song ? “Your story” was the instrumental piece that I love and it always plays at the right part.

The chemistry between the characters. The main lead and the supporting roles. This is what I love about jdrama, each supporting and leading character always has a story. FL is this uptight individual showing her best and ML is the opposite – marching to the beat of his own drum. They were so opposite but because of food and (ahem) alcohol they slowly draw close to each other.

The relationship between Haruto and Ayaka! I didn’t think Haruto had any feelings for Ayaka, seeing how the conversation was going between him and ML about FL. For the longest it seems like it was one-sided, I’m so glad that Ayaka realized her feelings and went for it!

The dog!! OMG, the dog looks so much like my dog; I couldn’t stop watching. So cute!

The catching lines and phrases they use. There were many but the one I love the most was when they were at the sakura picnic and Saotome Kouko mention the problems we all face. When you’re 20 you’re chasing your dreams, when you’re 30 you’re thinking of marriage and settling down or having children, and when you’re 50 you think of your parent's health. Each point was a direct hit to my heart! Which is why I love jdrama, one of their specialty and charms!

I recommend this to anyone who likes a slice of life genre. This is a cute series that focuses on the relationships of people, the struggles we all face no matter what age we are in life.

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There is something about this that makes you watch it!

There is nothing much to this drama. The acting of the ML is average. The FL in spite of being portrayed as an intelligent mind behaves like a floozy till she takes a stance. The story is average. Then why did I wait for every episode eagerly every week?

Sometimes there is not much to the story and the acting, yet there is a pull. And this is what this drama has done for me.
I was ripping them apart yet somewhere I could sympathize with the FL. She idolized the ML and did everything she could to be like him and work with him, even if it meant disguising herself as a boy. She agrees to the marriage because she is crazy about him.
Doesn't love do that to the most intelligent of us too?
Love can literally make you do things that you would never imagine doing. Maybe that's why her character appealed to me. She was willing to take any steps just to be with him and when she realizes that her love will never get reciprocated (that's what she thinks), her self-respect makes her take a stance, and hence the separation. If you look at it from this perspective then maybe you will realize that the FL has actually done a great job.

The other leads are not worth mentioning ( i saw them in fast forward mode)
The Mother in law is too cool and needs a mention.
I know this is going to end well yet I am waiting to see it finalized in front of me.
Watch it only if you don't have any expectations.

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Good Script, Great Cast

A great drama. The actors are perfect, they have shown the images of prosecutors, policemen, and chaebols in a very realistic and skillful way. I've watched a number of Yoo Jae Myung's dramas, this is the one I'm most impressed with. Also, when I watched Shin Hye Sun's small roles in many dramas, I couldn't imagine what an excellent actress she is, I'm glad that her talent shines in recent years. she has a very graceful, cute and natural way of acting. Also she is very beautiful. Bae Doo Na is really cool, I kept rewinding the scenes to see her facial expression. This drama has a good plot, the motives and psychology of the characters are reasonable, the details of the case are shared fairly with the audience. Plot twists here is built meticulously, slowly. I like how the writer never throws a twist indiscriminately like many other dramas. Overall, it is suitable for viewers who like the genre and have enough patience.

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There is so much I want to say about this series but only one word really sums it up – masterpiece! It has been a while since I’ve been on edge, waiting, anticipating but thoroughly enjoying each episode! I end up binge-watching this within a short time because I couldn’t wait to see what happen next!

What I like about this series:

The chemistry between the leads. I know FL is a big star and she has done a lot of movies rather than series so I wasn’t expecting much. But I was taken by surprise. Being an experienced actor, she really did a great job here! Half the time besides admiring each and every different outfit she had on, I kept watching her expression and her gestures. I also enjoy ML performance. I forget what a great actor he is. He plays the great warlord, he is able to conquer all his enemies on the battleground as well as the emperor court. I can’t stop thinking about his love for FL. He was a man with principle, integrity, and love for his wife and his brotherhood. Often his choice was for the good of the country, his wife, or his army. Quite honestly, I was expecting a bit of a rough time when they got married. ML was not her first choice but as a chess piece, she was thrown into an arranged marriage. I love how the plot opens with them having an open heart to heart conversation, kicking off their relationship to a good start. I gotta admit I stayed because I knew from that point on, this was going to get good! I’m glad I stay for the whole ride! It was very impressive. There was so much that happened! It made you questioned who can you trust? Is blood thicker than water? Can you really hold your integrity as a poor humble being or will you fall for the beautiful temptation of what the emperor court offers? I’m actually glad we got seasonal actors because I don’t think a new face can pull off such beautiful acting, chemistry, and feelings!!

The plot and storyline. I was on edge and couldn’t wait for the next devious plot. If you read my previous reviews you know I don’t like fighting for the throne and emperor politics but this series got me thinking so hard I could barely sleep. All I can think about is, what are they planning next!

Cinemograph - the colors, the details, the outfits, everything was so appealing I didn’t know where to look.

The bad:

Just small little things that I chuckled at. There were a lot of scenes where it was slowed down to emphasize and heighten the emotion that was going through your head. One, in particular, got me chuckling, the scene where FL ran to the gate door after seeing that it was ML on the other end.

The other scene was when ML found out about her miscarriage, the doctor told him that she won’t be able to give conceive anymore and if she did, she can die from it. He grabs onto his heart from the attack. It was a bit over the top for me. His character was always this calm demeanor, no how bad the situation is. He took his time listening to the complaint, took his time understanding the issue, thought through the situation before taking action. I kept thinking about the time he stood outside waiting for her to respond.

What I often thought about:

The chemistry between the two. There is this mutual understanding, this love they have for each other. ML will do anything for her, even risking his life with his army to save her. They even had a fight for the first time about money, why can’t every couple's fight be this cute! I want and demand a Xiao Qi now!!!

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Love is Love

Amazing lakorn, I really love it and enjoy the ride even if contains the usual clichés: most of the caracters scream a lot instead of talking, acting like histerical people. This is one of the things that I cannot understand in asian dramas, including Thai series. Why people act like they are always loosing their minds by sreaming all the time, beating each other all the time and females leaders and/or support leaders acting like they are children always having a tantrum....

I've seen some of the dramas starring this couple but this is my favourite one until now. Nadech is fabulous here, he deserved a Oscar with this character, because it plays the female role perfectly beter than YaYa when she plays the male role.
The support roles are also good at acting. I've loved all the characters even the villan

If you want to laugh and like action and romance so I say this is for you to watch.

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Just how long can you endure?

This is a story of life's suffering because of not letting the past go and tried to patch it with newfound happiness without clearing everything first.

At first, it was so peaceful and as everyone said, it's like healing your own heart and taught you how to be brave, facing the harsh life with hope but in the middle, it became so depressing and the new love became toxic because of self-pity, insecurities, and misunderstanding until they sort things out and found that deserve happiness.

It's the first time that I watch Kim Min Jae and I just want to applaud his fantastic acting. I can feel his loneliness, burdened, and that sad smile trying to cheer them up even if he was struggling inside. Bravo Kim Min Jae!

And Park Eun Bin is still amazing as always. What I'm bothered about was her hair, laying in front. I just want to put it on her back but overall she was great.

Great wrapup so I'm not complaining about the flaws. It's just that I feel bad for KMJ and he deserved to have more scenes how he sorts things out until he got that great ending.

Overall. If you want to watch this just go with the flow. It was an amazing drama. Do not hesitate to watch it. :)

Everyone will find their own happiness. Do not worry.. We are struggling right now, I know it's hard. Keep moving forward and learned from your mistakes in the past.

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