Reviews

Inconsistent drama, amazing Jang Nara

I loved all the episodes up till episode 10, and I loved episode 12, but everything fell off a cliff after that.

Sell You Haunted House is basically an episodic series with an underlying arc being the exorcism of Hong Mi-jin. The show was consistently good in the beginning. It is actually a relatively well-written supernatural drama with good world-building. We know from the very beginning how exorcism works: exorcist + name + hairpin + medium + stab + memory. The biggest puzzle was also written down plainly right at the start. Why is Hong Mi-jin still dwelling in the human world? What is needed to exorcise her? We know what's happening and we have a direction for the story, and that's a good thing.

Every few episodes depicted the story of a lingering spirit. The pace was good, the execution was slick. I was especially impressed with episode 10, because I genuinely had a heart in the mouth moment. The action sequence was exciting, the improvisation was smart, and everything was just perfect. That one scene pushed the drama to a high. What was even better was Jang Nara's performance in episode 12. Simply legendary.

However, I wonder if this "high" proved to be detrimental to the series, because in comparison the remaining parts of the story lacked punch. After episode 12, the preview for the next episode was like telling the viewers "don't watch". Episode 12 was not a build-up, it was the climax. And so it was difficult for me to continue with the series, because I didn't think it was possible to Jang Nara to top her performance (not because of her, because of the flow of the story) and I didn't think it was possible for the series to give more excitement. I was right. I had to force myself to finish the show.

I do appreciate how the clues were given and how the solution to our puzzle was logical. However, I already guessed how the egg ghost could be exorcised, and I guessed how Hong Mi-jin could be exorcised. A better approach will be to push it further and make it smarter. The show needed a surprise, a eureka moment, but the writers failed to do that. I would prefer it if another episodic plot was added in to make the unravelling of the main story much quicker, and the quicker pace would've also allowed the writers to cover the flaws of their plot.

Overall, this is still one of the better K-dramas of 2021 though. Even if you don't like how it ended, I would say that the first half was a good watch anyway.

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Most disappointing drama of the year

The Worm Valley was one of my most anticipated dramas of 2021 having watched both its predecessors. Tomb raiding plus a good production crew is a sure-win formula in general, so I was shocked that it failed so spectacularly. I actually extended my WeTV subscription specially for this but still I did not finish the series, and that tells you how bad it is.

I have seen many domestic reviews of this series saying how it is a departure from the original novel and due to censorship there are scenes which cannot be filmed and the excitement level took a huge drop because of all these restrictions. I am not concerned about these things. I will admit that I have read the novel before, but I cannot remember anything from it so I am looking at things without bias.

The biggest issue about this show is pace. The show spent about 8 episodes getting into the tomb. Mind you, the length is just 16 episodes. Literally half the time was spent dilly-dallying on things which are not supposed to be the focus. What was more outrageous was that the tomb exploration itself was lame. One episode fighting an invincible worm and another episode fighting a cluster of monsters, with very basic background digging and puzzle solving. There is no excitement at all. It drained my interest in the lore, and the fights were just run and gun.

The next thing which bothered me was how deliberate the jokes were. They were so not funny that it became awkward watching all these scenes. The romance subplot was another thing that turned me away. Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang should not making long eye contact inside a crashed plane. The romance subplot should be subtle and natural. This is NOT a romance drama! There is no need and no place for inconvenient, cringeworthy tropes. These are recurring scenes in the drama and I had to fast forward through all of them.

I am not sure what happened, because the show is wrong on so many levels. It is perplexing because I had so much faith in the cast and crew. Unfortunately, the drama was a huge let down. I still have my fingers crossed for the sequel though.

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Disturbing? Yes. But I just know we're all simping for Sae-byeok.

If I was just going off the title and didn't see the poster, I would be so disturbed by this show that I wouldn't be able to sleep for a few days.

Let's dissect the story. I love how it not only quickly introduces the main character, but also briefly brings up the other few main characters all within the first episode. It is fast-paced, and it brings about a new 'topic' every few episodes -- though not disconnected. The one thing that prevented it from having a 9/10 was the ending. It is the typical Netflix Original ending, as with Love Alarm, Extracurricular, and Vagabond; it gives you that unsettling ending that makes you long for a season 2 or explanation.

Let's now talk about the cast. I didn't really like the main character, but mostly because I couldn't relate with his character. His actor, Lee Jung Jae, did an amazing job portraying his desperation and poorness. As for all the side characters, I think I really fell in love with Sae-byeok and Ha Joon. Sae-byeok's role and her scene with Ji Yeong really made me cry; I always remember scenes and characters that make me cry. As for Ha Joon, I was just always a fan of the actor that played him. Unless there is a season 2, I don't really get the significance of his character at the moment though.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this drama--but do not watch if you are looking for wholesome or romantic content.

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First time I really really like the acting of Hu Yi Tian. Here his character is very different then his usual character. I think this is the first time i see that curling naughty eyes in Hu Yi Tian eyes.

But for the story itself quite boring actually. The cases is quite complicated, but somehow toward the ending the more bored I became. The romance between Bai You Ning & Lu Yao help me hang on to the drama. But I really like the twist in the plot in the end.

Really like the interaction between Bai You Ning & Lu Yao. Their feelings build slowly through admiration & friendship. Admire the loyalty of Qiao Chu Sheng to Bai Qi Li,. Like the friendship of our trio.

Overall this is one good detective drama that quite have everything actually, not only about the cases. They have a little bit politic, romance, friendship & of course good plot that still can surprise us in the end.

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The best romance drama in Chinese. lightweight and sweet love story.

No heartbroken or no hard feelings and no jealousy. Even that first partner(Ryan Zhang) with that FL is also so real-life person. I mean He is like real-life CEO who see life is to enjoy with parent money. Even though he's shown as a playboy in that start He has his own reason to be like that. In the end, He realize the truth and moved on to make his life better is make him a better person. (His goodbye message to ML and FL ) is so touching.

Initially, I thought Oh This drama got 30 episodes hmm let's see how many episodes I can watch before the story turn into unfear or Too immoral. But When I watching the 29th episode I felt each and every episode Is important and I very hardly skipped any scenes. Also, I wonder at the 29th episode it's almost ending why there is another episode. later when I watch the 30th episode I realize wow Even though He is rich and already owns that FL heart the real challenge is meeting that FL parents and they showed it well.

About the main Couple, After "General's Lady (2020) [It also has 30 episodes]" I'm feeling this drama showing a true couple. I mean they never doubt their love even though they face many hard times thinking like that. The main FL(Bei Wei Wei) looks even very good in that game with that contact lens.

About the second couple, They didn't disturb too much in the main story of the drama. So it's all about only the life of FL. Another good thing is all the girls in this drama are looking good. It's nice to watch.

In that drama, everyone is telling that Main FL roommate second FL is not good looking but I think she is cute. she is pretty just like the main FL.

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so.

my mom and i put this on to clown the show as we often do with bao qing tian remakes (the 1993 cast and production just reigns superior!) and well…. the story is actually great. and douban has absolutely roasted huang weide for his supposedly poor acting (the way he like widens his eyes perpetually) and i think they’re a bit remiss for it. wasn’t bao qing tian always known for its operatic performances? maybe huang weide and the director’s choices are a bit dated but i feel like the criticism is excessive! i really enjoyed it. just the first few episodes are a bit of a tearjerker already, really touching! i may continue watching this passively alongside my mom in the meanwhile and update thoughts here as i go.

i think a general warning for anyone going into any of the bao qing tian dramas is the abundant colorism and brownfacing. every actor who has portrayed bao qing tian has painted their skin darker for it lol, because, i believe, when he was originally portrayed in operas, his skin was especially dark/almost black to show that he is a symbol of uprightness and honesty, but also that he’s “ugly”! the first episode is filled with people calling him “little black (xiao hei)” and recoiling at how scary he looks, partly because he has dark skin. speaking as an asian i absolutely despise colorism in asian culture and it’s utterly inescapable in the bao qing tian dramas, so… yeah! here we are.

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Well Executed Drama

I didn’t read up about the drama beforehand but I am glad I went in without any expectations.

The concept of the drama really intrigued me - the calls at 10:33PM & the fact that they were both 1 month away from each other (31 days). The significance of this was explained in the later episodes & I think this perfectly wrapped up the question of why this specific time period/minute was occurring.

However, I was quite confused between episodes 12-15
when the past Seojin figured things out & regained his memories. It felt as though the time period got messed up between future Seojin & past Seojin. But, I chose to ignore that aspect in order to continue the drama. This definitely was solved towards the end.

I am glad the characters did get character development which I believe Ep 8 was the trigger to.

I am pleased with the characters’ stories and the plot overall. It all connected at the end. I’m glad they didn’t choose to focus too much on more than what they did as this would have confused the plot.

Hyun-Chae (the wife) - her story concluded in the final episode which was good.

Every villain was punished and you could also say Hyun-chae got the poetic justice she deserved. She was greedy and her greed led to her being by herself at the end.

The cast did a wonderful job portraying their characters and the realistic emotions one goes through.

I do recommend others to give this drama a try!

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Very good choice of casts.

I love how this drama showed the equality that should be given to men and women, that men were not higher than because they are men. This also showed that we should never judge someone about their past and records because there's always fake and true. And that money can never give everything. Also supporting our love one's is a must.

Very well done especially bella and not to mention that this was kongthap peak's first lakorn but yet very well acted.

Bella Ranee really is a very versatile actress she can be funny, be a protagonist also make you cry with her act. My favorite thai actress along side with yaya.

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Great family drama

This drama from the very beginning shows you a very dysfunctional family. That over time grows and develops. You need a lot of time to show the changes in the people. No one can change overnight as is shown several times. Characters that you might dislike in the beginning over time you will relate to and come to feel sorry and also root for. Very good acting by some of the veterans and I must say I am very happy with the quality of the acting overall.

Family dramas are hard to do well because there are so many characters that are all involved with each other. There is always a risk that the drama can go overboard and this is often the problem with many daily dramas. I find most dailies are so over done and it really grates my nerves and I cannot continue watching. This drama solves things quickly and the story progresses at a good clip. I have hardly noticed the length of the episodes because most were so much fun. I binged watched this starting from last week.

Don't miss this good family drama.

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Like many had mentioned; A MUST WATCH (for the century!)

This is my 2nd review on a drama (and the first for a period dramas).

Since most reviews has summarized the whole storyline, I shall not repeat what's said.

To me, this is an amazing drama which worth all the busy time in the world to watch it (I personally had watched it, all the 49 episodes for 3x and will do so again)!!
IT'S WAY WAY EXTRAORDINARILY THAN HUA MU LAN!! Many remarkable life lessons to gain from the dramas too!! Seeing the greater good!!

Astonishing storyline!!
Magnificent acting skills from all casts!! Dilraba, Leo Wu and all the rest, fits their role perfectly!!
The production crews, the screen writers, producers, etc.. have all done an incredible job to bring this magnificent dramas alive!!

By far the most successful period drama, I ever watched! Thank you all for bringing us this magnificent dramas!!

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For Everyone Who Can't Get Enough of Jeff and Gameplay

Beautiful if you like Jeff and Gameplay.

Also, you don't need to watch Ingredients to enjoy this film.
Furthermore, you don't need to watch his film if you watched Ingredients... Unless you want to...

STORY:

Marwin can't think of lyrics, so Tops makes him a treat. (According to the title it's before Igredients, but it could honestly be anytime before Marwin leaves Thailand, or any time after he comes back. It's vague.)

Also, there really is no plot. It's just one boy playing his guitar, while another boy is cooking.

While Ingredients was very domestic with a hint of plot, this special is just domestic. It seems to be more for Jeff and Gameplay shippers than Ingredients fans. Don't get me wrong, it's cute, but there is no story so unless you're a Jeff and Gameplay fan then it's not worth it.


OVERALL:

Cute 5 minute video of Jeff and Gameplay being domestic boyfriends playing guitar and eating dessert, but if you're looking for a plot then it's not worth your time.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

This was an epic story that truly exceed my expectations.

Albeit some of it's shortcomings (a.k.a) this one scene i found quite predictable the rest of the story made up for it.

I did not expect much from Dilraba cause i've only seen her do romantic tv shows but oh my goodness her performance here was epic. I felt for her, cried with her was in pain with her, happy with her.... You get the point. I felt every damn emotion that she was trying to portray and to me that is something.

It's a pity that there is not one decent kissing scene from her and the main ML (i was looking forward to that or atleast some kind of skinship that will make me feel like they are desperate for each other) but there wasn't i guess that's the tiny bit of flaw that this series had. I wanted to feel the love between the FL and ML, but that fell short for me. I felt the longing when they were apart and there was always tension when they didn't know any better but when all was out in the open and they were constantly together, it went mehhhh. I guess i was expecting more.

But the rest was splendid! As usual, Rosy Zhao did amazing!! (Honestly did not expect any less from her), and to all the supporting cast. There was not a moment that i wanted to skip. I loved this and will definitely watch it again. Would've been a perfect 10 if the romance bit wasn't lacking but everything else...... SO GOOD. You wouldn't wanna miss it!!!

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Current rating is spot on

I don't normally trust the rating here in MDL because we all have different preference but this time i do agree that this series is good but not so great.

I like the first episode. It left a lasting impression similar to the Titanic movie where the band kept playing while the ship was sinking. It was captivating and sad.

The story is like building a matchstick tower, there's a feeling of fear and excitement as you build up hoping that you'll be able to use your last matchstick without it collapsing. But the storyline were not able to hold its standing. It eventually collapse in the end and did not meet the expectations of a good ending. The main game was ruined by too much talk and less play time. Well, good luck to season 2 where matchstick building will start again.

The main lead is too much, his acting is OTT and you can't feel his sincerity. Whereas Park Hae-Soo and Ho Yeon Jung played their role brilliantly.

Cinematography and music are in sync to the storyline. Overall, its a good watch but except for the first episode, i don't think i will watch it again.

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Beautiful

What a story! There isn’t much happening except for it being real - these are real people with real problems, history and emotions and each of their relationships was so beautifully portrayed. It wasn’t all happiness but raw emotions - family doesn’t mean being happy all the time, it means fighting and hurting each other too even if you don’t intend to. Dear My Friends showed these aspects of toxic relationships that exist between a husband and wife or parents and their children, it showcased misogyny so brilliantly . Another reason I loved this show is because it didn’t take sides, it showed us these flawed characters and gave them whole-ness and asked us to decide what to make of them. It was such an enriching experience to empathise with each of them at various points in the story. Surprisingly, it does get very emotionally wrecking too. Dear My Friends is exactly the book that Wan wanted to write, tell us a story of these not always the best people and still leave us inspired. Such a refreshing watch over the other dramas and what a beautiful take of the slice of life genre. This is one of things I’ve watched in a long time. DMF is like a comforting hug telling you it knows, it’ll be okay.

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