Reviews

Good Enough

The third season of the extravaganza of the drama 'The Penthouse: War in Life' was not as good as the rest of the seasons, as it was mostly a repetition of what had happened, with overplayed twists and a thinly stretched main plot.

The revenge plan and the conclusion should have come earlier on, however, they dragged it so much that it ended up tiring to watch. At least, this season didn't hesitate to eliminate many of the key characters, but they didn't give the chance to pay for their crimes at the same time. The ending was just too cheesy when it came to the fantasy element, which was unnecessary, and questionable, when it came to the result, but nevertheless, still a letdown.

But it did have some good moments too, like the short exploration of the main villain's past and the raise and fall of Seo Jin. The performances were mostly enjoyable.

So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama 'Sweet Home' has awful CGI, but it makes up with the on-point atmosphere. The settings, the costumes, the music, the performances, everything is and feels perfect, as the group of residence is trying to survive. However, this season felt more like the introduction, as we start to get to know each character and bond with them, without, nevertheless, getting too deep into the mystery of what is happening and why and how to move forward. Still, this season sets strong foundations for those to come.

In addition, everything is well constructed, with enough screen time for each character and each storyline. The pace is also perfect for the action element of the story. Finally, the performances were all quite emotional.

So, overall, 7 out of 10.

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well paced, motivational drama ! worth watching

this is now one of my favourite dramas of 2021, i didnt expect to enjoy it as much as i did!

i loved the cast, the leads chemistry was great both before and after they started dating. the character of chu li was especially my favourite, her passion and motivation to do what she loves and what she believes is right honestly really motivated me haha, she is vedy confident in what she does despite having to be put down by miao while he was still there. she never gave up on others and her character is how i hope i am irl.

i didnt find there to be boring episodes, i think it was well paced in relation to the number of episodes it has. if i had to comment on one thing i didnt like about it then it would be the girl who tried to get zhou chuan to date her even though he has a gf and she was literally right there - feel like this is so overused in dramas but it only lasted a few eps so wasnt a big deal lol

good drama to watch if you want something light and romantic but also focuses a lot on the work life and family/friend relationships. there are no breakups and there was one misunderstanding but it was solved pretty quickly!

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I am only watching because the leads are good looking... so far.

They tweaked the storyline a bit to match Thai market.



So far i don't care about the stories, i just kind of enjoy the scenes of the FL and ML. It's my first Thai series, though kind of shallow, it find it entertainjng.



I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series. I'll ad more to these after completing the series.

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Give me vibes of Parasite but more melodramatic and not as Dark

The Story centers around Lee Young Kook, a widower, his family which is a bit complicated
and Pak Dan Dan and her complicated family of 4 (maybe her mother as well who left her)

It is interesting how the Pak Dan Dan father becomes the driver of Lee Young Kook, her step brother becomes boyfriend/lover of the step sister of Lee Young kook. Even the step mother of Park Dan Dan crushes in with her father/ now live in Driver of Lee Young Kook. Similar to a Dark and twisted movie Parasite the family is more or less interacted/ engaged with the household of Lee Young Kook. Though I hope it would not be just as dark

there are plot stories of the children, the family dynamics and how everyone will adjust to the already complicated situation
plus many twist and turns are expected making it more interesting to watch in a span of 50 episodes.

Will love if the villains are made sympathetic yet hatable at the end . Love how Dramas sometimes makes us realize to see their point of view, so that we as viewers know that what they were doing was bad but was still justifiable

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Melodrama and Plotholes

Where to begin?
To call this Drama "dramatic" is an understatement.
It starts of quite light and fluffy, but also fast. They seem to rush the relationship between the FL and the second ML quite a bit and then turn it into an overly dramatic star-crossed lovers theme (which we are kind of used to by cdramas up until a few years ago)--- only to completely disregard its existence for more than 2/3 of the drama?! Really??!?!
In my opinion it could have been quite interesting to see everyone (including the main couple) cope with the feelings developing between the FL and her lovers childhood friend.- but we get NOTHING. Somehow the writers forgot about every plot entanglement developed in the first 10-12 episodes and NEVER TOUCH ON THEM AGAIN! - Again: REALLY?!?!?
At points I still found myself rooting for the main couple, because the actors actually do have some great chemistry - but the plot-holes made their relationship so inconsistent that I found myself not caring at the end.

Again writers: How can you never touch on your dead best friend when falling in love with his almost fiance? How can you jump over the main leads mysterious first meeting? How is the FL suddenly nonchalant about the relationship between her father and her almost-mother-in-law, when this is the reason for her breaking up with her "great love" and also ultimately the reason for him DYING!! Again - how can you disregard the consequences of DEATH?!?!

Ultimately, I couldn't bring myself to care about any side storyline, as those characters felt bland and as inconsistent as the rest of the drama.
I would only rewatch it for the actors and for the first 10-12 episodes... but then probably would regret it and hate myself, as I can see the nicely set-up storyline take a sharp turn for plot-hole-ville.

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A clean simple beautiful heart warming drama to watch

It's been a while since i watched a beautiful slice of life romantic drama like this. The best part is that it only have 8 episodes. Very light with simple and clean narration makes you feel very heart warming every single bit of it. Plot is also looks refreshing and the duration of Episodes is around 45 min.

I don't want to enter into the plot or synopsis which you can simply read on MDL website, i prefer not to read anything before you watch, its better to kept that curiosity with you while watching.. so many good things were there, it deserves much more attention. May be subbing is from viki they delayed too much. But thank god they bought the right if not then we could have miss this beautiful drama.

The mood which the ost create was so magical to see and every time we watch a slice of life drama you will learn something from it, here also nothing changes, the hardships of life they showed was very intense. Also the relationship goals and the friendship everything was fantastic.

Highly recommended to watch.. its very heart warming drama❤️

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My sense of duty motivated me.

I ended up watching Ice Fantasy with a sense of duty that I put on myself and told myself that I should watch the production. Because it's from 2016, because it's on Netflix, because it was popular then.
At the beginning, I even watched with interest and curiosity what would happen next. Over time, I started to laugh at the poor special effects and uncoordinated movements of the actors. Anyway, I noticed later that some actors had nothing to do with their hands and stood in such forced, rigid positions. The outfits and interior design alternately delighted and rejected me as kitschy. When it comes to characterization of actors, too close shots of the face show skin imperfections and stretched skin under glue used, for example, to stick wigs. It cheered me up again. Prince Ka Suo was either unconscious or crying, which made me think of another prince still crying, namely Crown Prince Xiao Ding Quan, ( Royal Nirvana), but while Luo Jin created such a dramatic, indecisive and internally conflicted character, Shao Feng in his role was made of wood. Numerous side threads blurred the action and lost the whole drama of the situation. Over time, flashbacks began to multiply, which artificially lengthened the time. It got to the point where I got impatient that the heroes couldn't die because they were preoccupied with remembering moments from the past. Yan Da's death was spectacular to me because I thought when it would finally be over. In any case, massive flashbacks in Chinese dramas kill the plot. Summa summarum, this production turned out to be a bit archaic in its form and I finally got to the end with fast rewinding. The series tries to convey certain moral values, such as a sense of dignity, patriotism, steadfastness in pursuing a goal, faithfulness to ideals and love. It condemns the soulless pursuit of power, the lack of compassion for others, etc. etc. However, it blurs in the generally poor production, accumulation of threads and problematic acting message. I'll say it. Not all at once. On the other hand, while very unrealistic, the relationship between Ka Suo and Ying Kong Shi was intriguing. So full of sacrifice, so ubiquitous, so tragic. But that was a really interesting thread. And the musik. Musik was ok for me.

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Top 5 dramas of the year so far

A amazing lovely,heartwarming,funny drama.do not let the ratings put you off this drama!

The story revolves around do yong shik a guy who has a hard time since leaving school and is not progressing well in his life,he has no job,low self esteem,very anxious in pressure situations he bumps into his first love by chance after not seeing eachother since school she is now a doctor and treats Ed And do yong shik has ED(You know where this is going) - I’ll get to this because I think this is why it’s got a low rating which is bizarre.

What I love about this show is it so different from other k-dramas it sort of reverses roles where the male lead is the one with vunrablility and in need of help and emotional security,- it’s nice and refreshing to see because not every guy in a kdrama has to be a ceo of a major company or a smart successful confident guy,sometimes people get beaten down by the burdens of life this is just a reality and the male lead does a amazing job of portraying this and everyone of the actors are amazing!

The relationship between do shik and ru da is one of best in kdrama for me,ru da is still in love the do shik that she knew at school but she understands he has changed and is not confident with himself. Throughout the show as ru da spends more time with do shik he slowly start to gain confidence and come out of his shell abit more and it’s just really nice to watch.

Last thing i want to say is they make a comparison from the start of the show to end of the show and I loved it
Do yong shik gets invited to a dinner to eat for a reunion with his school friends,one guy keeps going on about how sunccesful he is in his job and how much he his making,do yong shik feels inferior and feels like a failure because he doesn’t have what everyone else has

Fast forward to the last part of the show he now has a job although it is only with a small company do shik is happy and satisfied with his life,he is content with what he has,the same guy tries to belittle him because he doesn’t have a big salary but he doesn’t care because that isn’t what bring do shik happiness. - my point is having success it’s not everything in life,money is not everything in life,you don’t have to strive to have so much money to be happy,it’s about finding things In your life that genuinely make you happy and no one else

Ps if your rating this low because it has references of sex and talk about more adult topics,think you need to grow up

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REALLY shocking! REALLY visual! REALLY bloody!

Ever been in a bad position in life, where you didn't see any exit? Now imagine that one person approaching you, offering you the solution to all your of problems if you just play that simple kids game with them. Would you accept?
Well, in the series of Squid Game hundreds of people did, but it took a brutal turn.

Carrying a lot of responsibility, the actors and actresses of Squid Game do a hella convincing job. Every little emotion gets recreated at such a detailed level, that makes it easy for the viewer to take part in the fictional world. Furthermore the frustrated, desperate, crazy actions of the different characters, especially in the critical, dangerous and stressful situations, seem truly realistic, which makes the overall experience more frightening.
In addition to that, definitely a few of the plots caught me off guard!! I don't want to spoiler anything here so I keep myself quiet, but I bet YOU can't foresee a lot there, since integrating unexpected spins in the story is that well executed in this series.
The music adds a lot of contrast and support here and there, improving the atmosphere a lot!
Well, at last but definitely not least I L O V E D the character and relationship development. The interactions and background stories were astonishing. When I started watching the series I didn't expect those ups and downs, turns and twists. Moreover seeing the characters grow with their challenges creates kind of a bond between viewer and the individuals, thus the spctator gets more involved in the story.

All in all: recommended , but definitely a heavy one. Not quite for sensitive people.

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Watch it if you're tired of communication issues being the driving force in the plot

The relationship between the main characters is rare in that they actually talk through their issues instead of avoiding each other for the sake of drama.
The actor playing Jin is absolutely amazing, you can read every emotion his character is feeling from his eyes. The other main is a little more stiff, not sure if that's a choice for the character or just lack of skill, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment, the chemistry was very much there.
Another thing that rarely happens was that I liked every character, none of them felt like they were just filling space, the friend groups were fleshed out well.
If there's ever a second season, and for the sake of the side characters I hope there is, I'm definitely rewatching the first as well.

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This blew my wig straight off... and that's ok

Had this on my ptw since I first became a member of mdl (2018) and I finally decided to watch it... wow... just wow.
Anytime a show gets hyped I am reluctant to watch it because 7/10 the show is trash and the only thing getting hyped is the oppa or unnie, in this case the hype was warranted.
When I say everything from the lovely sets, beautiful costumes, AMAZING performances, and addicting story- this drama gets a standing ovation. I literally stopped watching the other dramas I had started before this because every episode's cliffhanger was a nail bitter.
Ha Ji Won portrayal of a strong, kickass girl, who we see developing into a cunning and ruthless woman- *chefs kiss- absolutely love to see it. I now want to see more of her.
Park Jin Tae *le sigh. I've only seen him in one other role 'A Frozen Flower' and just like in that I felt for his character; never matter if he's a good guy or bad guy, I always pity him- that's good acting.
I must give a special shoutout to Ji Chang Wook. I've seen some of his stuff and he seems to always play the same type of character so I blew him off as one of those "pretty face but no substance" kind of actor- I have to take that back after seeing this. It's unfortunate though that he hasn't been given roles as meaty as this and a chance to show off his range.
Not going to spoil it but there were a couple parts of the drama that were...iffy/ meh for me but overall this show is worth the watch ESPECIALLY if you love historicals.

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Immature FL & ML relationship due to inability to communicate ANYTHING!

The description of this drama sounded interesting. In my head it was going to be a mix of bromance mixed with love o20. I will say it was somehow an easy watch despite it being so frustrating. The plot line was exhausting and repetitive, but for some reason I kept watching it. The whole show can be summed up with the FL and the ML both having awful communication and a general immaturity with no ability to think from the others perspective. It was so ingrained in the plot that really I walked away from this show asking myself what the point of it was. Most of the problems between the main couple came from one assuming that one knew something even if they didn’t say it, and somehow expecting there to be trust. A lot of people seemed to think the ML was the worst of the two in this show, and granted he was very childish and made incredibly naive albeit innocent decisions. But considering how the marriage was forced on him, and her never telling him….anything…even when he tried to communicate, I actually found myself understanding his actions better than hers, and by the end her stubbornness was driving me bonkers. ML had character growth while FL’s dwindled. This show was one of the first times I felt no satisfaction in the final couple.

On the upside, I did enjoy the side characters, particularly FL’s best friend and her coworkers. I even liked ML’s sisters character, which some might find annoying as she was rather aggressive and….loud, with the pursuit of her love interest. But she was at least earnest enough that I found her commitment and conviction to him endearing.

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Brilliantly Brutal

"Squid Game" is a tough watch. Really tough. If you don't like extreme violence, or seeing blood, this drama is not for you. What I loved about "Squid Game" is that it isn't just mindless violence. In this case, the violence is important to the story, and the story is much more than the brutality of all of the games. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I will avoid talking about the games specifically, but the childish and cutesy presentation of each game juxtaposed to how anxiety-filled and traumatizing they were is definitely a highlight of this season, and probably the main reason for its popularity. It is definitely what initially sucked me in, but it was the characters that kept me watching.

The main lead is Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi Hoon (or #456). We get to know him as a likable screwup with a gambling problem and a divorced father of a young daughter. He is easy to root for from the start even when his choices are frustrating. I love that through him we can see how good people can make bad, damaging, and even selfish decisions, and it helps that he is extremely relatable. He is approached by Gong Yoo in a brilliant cameo that leads to him joining these mysterious games.

The games are where we meet the majority of the rest of the cast. They are a random group of people desperate for money that we soon learn to love and hate. Yes, many of the players are the equivalent of the "red shirts" on Star Trek, but there are also many memorable players. Besides the obvious leads like Park Hae Soo as Cho Sang Woo (#218), Gi Hoon's childhood friend now turned desperate failed small-town success, or Jung Ho Yeon as Kang Sae Byeok (#67), North Korean refugee turned master thief, there are quite a few characters that stand out and kept me invested while watching. I absolutely loved Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul (#199) and Oh Young Soo as older and wiser Oh Il Nam (#1). I think of them as the main squid-squad.

I do think the thug characters were a bit stereotypical but also well played. especially the dynamic between #101 & #212. Of course, I can't forget Wi Ha Joon as Officer Hwang Joon, who I also liked and I appreciated that on his obligatory quest for the truth he didn't make many silly decisions, and was clever instead of going for the too emotionally invested to be smart trope. Then there is Lee Yoo Mi as #240 who is another amazing standout player. The only characters that were bad... really bad... were the spectators. Their scenes were so long for the acting was so terrible. Distractingly terrible. I know English-speaking characters in KDramas are usually pretty bad but I wish for such significant roles that they could have been better.

Would I watch this again? Definitely, and that's saying a lot considering the extreme violence. It's insanely popular for a reason, and I'm sure I will pick up things I missed when watching it again. I am also curious about watching the dubbed version (Which I never do normally). There are a few times when the script's pace slows, but being such a short series it's easy to just binge watch in a day or two. I was intrigued and engaged the whole time and only took a break from watching when the episodes became more emotional (episode 6 had me ugly crying), but was also my favorite episode. There are also countless theories to explore to keep you viewing some things very differently.

The suspense is consistent throughout this drama, even if some parts of the story felt stronger than other parts. There was one major plot twist that I expected from the beginning, and another that took me by surprise until the moment it was revealed, but either way, it was entertaining watching how it would all be revealed. I do wish they gave it a more definitive ending than just leaving it open-ended, possibly for a season 2, or maybe just to keep us thinking. The lack of a neat ending made it a more haunting story which works too. You can definitely say that the plot isn't perfectly neat, or even completely original... (you know the comparisons already "Hunger Games"..."Battle Royale"..."As God Wills"...), but the execution of the plot (No pun intended lol) is where it excels. Just the idea of us watching the games just like the VIP observers in the show is very meta and disturbing. This drama is disturbing.

Overall, "Squid Game" is a great dystopian spin on capitalism and greed, and human nature/survival instincts. I love stories that explore the good and bad of humanity, and this takes those questions to the extreme. I also love stories that make the viewer question what they would do if the stakes were extremely high, and that's where this drama more than succeeds. Plus it's visually iconic. The sweatsuits, the guards, the giant girl at the tree, those stairs... so many images are now permanently a part of pop culture because of the brilliant direction. I'll never look at shapes the same way again!

I still don't quite understand how you play the Squid Game... it looked kinda like full contact hopscotch gone sumo on a mini baseball field lol! Now that I think about it, children's games can get pretty rough! But I do know that as far as dramas that live up to the #1 on Netflix hype goes, this one definitely wins a spot on my KDrama favorites list!

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Warm sunlight on a cold winter day

It takes time for the warmth to reach the frozen hearts. Yet by the completion the frozen heart starts to melt.

Watched few episodes when it started airing and since I'm so impatient, gave up then and picked it up yesterday only to get my sleep robbed. It's been a while since I binge-watched a drama without skipping a scene. There's suspense, realism and mature romance.

Overall the story is good. The melodrama and the suspense parts are done well but the romance could have been better. All it missing was a little touch. Yes, two broken hearts are really trying to heal and their love language isn't touch but still a hug here and there would've been deep. Also Kang Ji Min and his family's love for Woo Joo moved me. All their scenes are so beautiful to watch. (Step aside silly sister! You made way too many poor choices for me to like you) Ending felt a bit lacking. Glad they included the BTS else I would've suffered much.

I chose this drama purely because of Lee Yoo Ri. Became a fan of her exceptional acting in Father is Strange and I must admit whenever she portrays a character she takes me all of myself into the character's world without me realizing it and the same happened here. I felt the pain, the happiness and all the various emotions of Ji Eun Soo to the bits. Yeon Jung Hoon as the soft-hearted Kang Ji Min comforted me. Can't believe he's the same Min Seok Hoon of Mask. He secured a place in my favorites list. As always Lee Il Hwa never disappoints. The child actress Go Na Hee is a scene stealer. She's gonna be a brightest star in the future. Rest of them are good too.

Music is really good.

Never gonna re-watch this though. Well, who knows it might be a lie. ;)

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