Reviews

More of a Murder Mystery than It is Sports

The drama starts off in the world of Ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling), which led me to believe this would be more of a sports drama that would introduce me to the sport. Instead, it ended up being more of a criminal investigation drama that takes place in a small town. The investigation part of the story was incredibly boring and forgettable. I've never been so uninterested in knowing who the killer was. The wrestling part of the story was also a disappointment, but it got better in the 2nd half for the limited scenes it had. The most impressive thing about this drama was Jang Dong Yoon's weight gain transformation for his role. My favorite character was the dog. It was an odd mix of murder mystery + sports + small town drama + friendship/youth. Whatever this combination was, it did not work for me.

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Want to camp? Rent a mate!

It was slightly confusing. Pai gets dumped by his girlfriend, while Third and his girlfriend are on kind of a break. The thing is, Pai and Third’s girlfriend are travel companions while their partners are not. So, Third hires Pai to travel with him, saying he wishes to understand his profession more. The two end up at the same camp as their (ex)girlfriends. How unexpected! There was no passion between the two boys, I am not even sure if there was supposed to be. I found the girls cute though. But there are certain things that could have been done differently.

The plot is kind of lacking. Nothing much actually happens, and what does is not really well connected to other scenes. The acting was okay, but it also felt weak at times. The comedic aspect of it was not really done well either.

I don’t think we can say this is a two-part series. Why? Because the breakup scenes have been played like 3 times each! Instead of giving time for the story to develop, to maybe flow a bit more naturally without all the weird scene cuts, we get to watch the breakups (time apart) speeches and arguments again and again. With no changes. And the first few minutes of the second episode are the same as the last few minutes of the first episode. A waste of time.

Things were left pretty up in the air in the end. Certain things were hinted at, but if they actually used up their time wisely, things could have concluded a lot more nicely. And in a way that made sense with the story progression they could have included. Now, it just seems rushed and not really making much sense.

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I got tired of nothing actually happening

I liked the leads together, I think they really fit for each other. But it was a little disappointing that when they finally become a couple it lacked emotion and... idk... catarsis is the word maybe. They just talk and that's it. Maybe that's a lot like them and how it should've been anyways, but I missed smth more wow yk. And now that they're a couple I don't see any change in them. They just look like friends that hold hands sometimes. I think as a romance story this drama has failed a little. It lacked, at least in my opinion, those swoony-butterflies-in-the-stomach-romantic moments. Maybe it was just me, maybe it was a chemistry thing, maybe not, I really saw potential in the couple, but they just didn't happen for me. I think they focused too much on the running and translating thing that they forgot that this should be a romance drama above all. Both leads are boring. I think it was a narrative thing, but it had to do with their personalities as well. I didn't hate them, they were just meh.

Yeong-hwa was the highlight of this drama. The best character. He carried the whole thing by himself. He was funny and he might've seemed silly and easy to be laid over by Dan-ah, but when it was too much for him he just walked away. He didn't let her do whatever she wanted with him, which I thought would kinda be their dynamic, but it wasn't and that was good. Way to go man. I actually think they were a better couple than the leads. Both of them are more interesting characters than the leads. Maybe because their relationship has those aspects we are used to see in dramas, which the leads don't. In summary, the second couple was more engaging to watch than the main couple.

Seriously, what was that sort of break up in the 12th ep?! I mean, why would his father getting in the way of their relationship be a problem if he never really gave a damn for what his father thinks?! He broke up with his father way before dating her, right when he decided not to run in that competition. I couldn't bring myself to watch the drama after that. I got tired of nothing actually happening.

The osts are actually good, not so memorable, but the drama isn't as well. The photography is good too. The vibes overall were good It is a beautiful drama apart from its story. Liked the film references. The production work was really good.

Overall, this was purely a median, neutral, wishy-washy drama. It wasn't a bad watch but not good either. I didn't get irritated by anything but it didn't give me the feels yk. It was boring and dull.

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Terribly Flawed Last Minute Revenge Plan

Eighteen years of planning a revenge just for it to be executed so badly, and exposed so early on.

For 4/5 of the bullies, Moon Dongeun really had zero leverage over them from the beginning. She was only able to come up with a plan AFTER Son Myeongoh provided her their dirty little secrets. What made the show really hard to watch is the lack of backstory for Moon Dongeun's planning of the revenge. Things just happen and you have no idea whether it's by her own hands or somebody else. Her so called "planning" is flawed and unstable. How can she confront the antagonists boldly when she doesn't have concrete evidence on their crimes yet? She sets up traps for the antagonists and it's up to them to go against each other. In other words, she relies purely on luck.

The ending is unsatisfying with so many unaddressed loose ends. The bullies got their revenge, but the emotional damage done to them is nowhere equal to what scarred their victims. There are so many terrible crimes revealed throughout the story that were never brought to justice, or even brought to attention to the public. For example, the sex trafficking at the shaman shrine.

It's a shame that the drama doesn't expand more on school bullying, SA, and domestic violence. All the director wants to do is put focus on romance, and useless side characters. Anyone could have taught Moon Dongeun chess. The ML barely contributed. Also, what was the purpose of having Kim Kyungran stick around during adulthood if she's going to be completely useless to the plot? That woman had so much potential. Either give us a proper development, or cut off their characters completely.

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A good university series, relatively realistic

Romance between 1 foreign language student and 1 doctoral student / replacement teacher. The series deals with the university life of a group of 4 friends from the same dormitory, in a fairly realistic way.

PROS:
+ slice-of-life where everything doesn't go well: lover of a married man, ex-lovers who can't be together, good reasons for a break-up, etc.
+ the characters are complex, tortured, endearing, and the actors bring them to life with great talent.
+ Fairly well-written story (except the last part which contains quite a few inconsistencies).

CONS:
- Friends of the ML don't know the rule "no drop of alcohol for an alcoholic in withdrawal"? The relationship with alcohol seems complex in China...
- The last episodes are too long (3-4 episodes without the ML)
=> skip 21->23
- Ending which leaves a taste of unfinished business...
+ Fortunately there are 3 special episodes because the ending of the drama is too abrupt!!

*************************************************************************
Romance entre 1 étudiante en langues et 1 doctorant / prof remplaçant. La série traite de la vie universitaire d'un groupe de 4 amies du même dortoir, de façon assez réaliste.

PROS:
+ slice-of-life où tout ne se passe pas bien : lover d'un homme marié, ex-lovers qui ne peuvent pas être ensemble, bonnes raisons de break-up, etc.
+ les personnages sont complexes, torturés, attachants, et les acteurs leur donnent vie avec beaucoup de talent.
+ Story assez bien écrite (sauf la dernière partie qui comporte pas mal d'incohérences).

CONS:
- Les amis du ML ne connaissent pas la règle "aucune goutte d'alcool pour un alcoolique en sevrage" ? Le rapport à l'alcool semble complexe en Chine ...
- Les derniers épisodes sont trop logs (3-4 épisodes sans le ML)
=> skip 21->23
- Ending qui laisse un gout d'inachevé...
+ Heureusement qu'il y a les 3 épisodes spéciaux car la ending du drama est trop abrupte !!

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Innovative C Drama

Having watched numerous CDramas this one breaks the formulaic mould. Great writing with just the right amount of twists. The casting is perfect with Cheng Yi, Zeng Shunxi work brilliantly together at the start and are joined by Xiao Shunyao, he adds another dimension to the mix. The supporting cast members are just as good. The protagonist’s characters are well developed and the intertwined storyline works very well.

Cheng Yi laconic performance as Li Lianhua reminded me at times of Johnny Depp

There is enough here to keep the viewer watching and interested in the next mystery to be resolved with the main mystery running throughout. The comedic elements are refreshing.

I would watch this drama again in a few months time and hoping there is a second season.

In conclusion a drama that is worth the watch…

I would love the blueprint for the Lotus House.

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A RomCom with too much Com and not enough Rom

This is pretty much the tale of how two stalkers fell in love with each other. Pi stalked Mork's best friend and Mork stalked him back, so basically a kids' version of Lost in the Cloud (if you know you know lol).

I feel like this series had a few plot hooks that went nowhere, like that whole thing about Nan having problems at home or in the very last episode where he talks about having an impossible love. I saw in the comments on youtube that's a reference to the novel where Nan is in love with his step-brother or something... but if they weren't gonna develop into it, this should've never made it into the script in the first place. I guess they just didn't have enough budget for Mix to appear in every episode lol.

Now about Mork... this dude pissed me off so bad, he stepped all over Pi's boundaries over and over again. At some point he just found Pi's adress and started showing up at his door uninvited???? By the end of the series it was getting harder and harder to root for him. "You shouldn't care about what people say about you, just get off the internet for a while" idk man how about YOU stand up for the guy you promised to care for and protect??? GO KEEP YOUR CRAZY FANS IN CHECK!!!! he was so bold all the time, but bc he took pleasure in people calling them boyfriends, he allowed them to keep on with the craziness. I liked him way better at the beggining of the series bc i really enjoy the rivals to lovers trope where just one of them is the rival and the other is already a lover lol his teasing at the first few episodes was top tier.

Moving on... the secondary couple did the secondary couple's job PERFECTLY: distract the audience when the main couple was being insufferable (and in this show, that happened WAAAAY too often). I got so excited everytime i saw those two black bars showing up at the top/bottom of the screen bc it meant Dueanmeen moments were coming up!!! And btw Duean was a TOTAL SCENE STEALER in this series. He had the funniest lines and moments and his Duean vs. Narrator segments were HILARIOUS. Pi being in denial about liking Mork for 10 episodes meanwhile Duean quickly realizing he likes Meen bc Meen smiled so cutely it gave him a b0ner was PEAK secondary couple behavior LMAO. They always know how to get the show on the road and i don't think i'd be able to get through this whole series without them.

Even though this show relied a bit TOO MUCH on cringe humor and second-hand embarassment, it was really funny and it made me cackle more often than not. It's a solid watch if you want something you can just relax and enjoy mindlessly (and if you ignore the fact that Mork was only able to get together with Pi bc he wore him down like a 2010's sitcom protagonist. Ted Mosby and Leonard Hofstadter style lol.)

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Intense but also comedic

This had the perfect balance. It was an intense story of revenge and some gruesome things happened. Without the added comedy it would have been too much.

Song Joong Ki played the part perfectly. I have only ever seen him in The Arthdal Chronicles so to see him in a modern role was completely different. He is a great actor. Although he really only looked cold on the outside, this role demanded many different emotions from him. I especially loved the episode where he had to pretend to be gay to stop an investment from happening. That was just hilarious.

Jeon Yeo Been was fantastic. She was great in A Time Called You but I think this role was far superior. I loved how free she was to speak her mind and dance around and even skip.

Let me say this Taecyeon is an amazing actor. We all know he’s a nice guy but he used none of his real personality for this role. He was either goofy or a monster. This was the first time seeing him act and I plan to watch more. I need to wash this monster character from my mind.

I was super sad and cried for Kwak Dong Yeon. When he asked Vincenzo if he did good, I lost it. This is the second time I’ve seen him die: Vincenzo and Love in the Moonlight.

This was a great series and I rated it 10 but I just don’t think I could watch it again.

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Don't judge it by its poster!

I almost skipped this because of the poster that looks like it comes from 1990s LOL

I was initially worried that it'd be depressing or heavy, but it turned out to be more lighthearted than I imagined. Don't get me wrong, it is still sad at lot of parts, but it has lots of funny cute loving moments too. It evens out, I'd say.

It also has depth, like it's meaningful with life lessons while being romantic at same time. It also makes us think of the importance of cherishing little moments in life, not to wait until tomorrow as there might not be another chance, and so on.

Most importantly, the ending is satisfactory. I almost got worried for nothing. I mean, how can they break up?! That 3 years apart must have been challenging, although looking back, I do agree it makes them independent and become a better partner for each other.

I really love and miss their sweet couple moments already, especially that fish tank moments where Mhok look at Day across the glass tank!

I really want to see Mhok an Day in a special episode or sth!

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The Producers (2015)

A unique and creative premise built outside the boundaries of a normal TV series.

The show operates under the guise of a mockumentary offering a look into the inner workings of the "industry". Even excluding the four main star leads you get an impressive number of cameos from well-known faces in the business which makes for a very fun watch overall.

But, I can see how the stylistic choices could throw off the typical Korean viewer. Though I'd imagine audiences familiar with shows like The Office or Parks and Recreation would feel right at home. With that said, I was disappointed when they seemingly abandoned the mockumentary format and leaned more heavily on the typical romance/drama aspects. The dry satirical humor, fun character interactions, the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes--- awkward at times, sure, but it was what made it fun.

A shoutout to the many hardworking staff members that work their butts off to ensure viewers get content to enjoy; the writers, cameramen, directors, sound, visuals, and importantly, the producers.

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You can't get an STD from a toilet seat, or from watching this show. thankfully.

Details from above: "Park Jae Eon finds dating a waste of time but likes to flirt. Even though he is friendly and cheerful towards all, he does not pursue others. Park Jae Eon is a master of “push-and-pull” who doesn’t get swept up in emotions. Jae Eon draws firm lines between himself and other people and doesn’t reveal how he feels."

Friendly and cheerful towards all? Um. No. Park Jae Eon is a complete slut who has sex with many women a week, and probably gives them all STDs. He sets up dates with women, then ghosts them to have sex with someone else.

He finds himself "drawn" to FL. why? because her name is Butterfly and he has a butterfly tattoo on his neck. They meet for the second time at a party. He's deciding (out loud in front of everyone) whether he should stay at the party or go get laid at his prior engagement. He decides to stay, and "gets together" with the FL. More correctly, FL sees him tonguing another woman in the alley behind the restaurant, and when he sees her, he sends the other woman away and says to FL, "I really wanted to kiss you..." Oh, the romance!!! She's smitten. He doesn't even wipe his mouth before he tongues her too. She tells him he smells like cigarettes. No, not the other woman's mouth.

They get together. He proceeds to cheat on her. Over. and Over. and Over. 2ML is kind, attentive, smart, gorgeous - everything you would want in a guy. So of course: ew. Gross.

FL finally dumps him? Or he leaves her. I can't actually remember. Then poor ML suffers. Will she have mercy on this disgusting, sleazy low life? Will they get the happy ending they so desperately deserve? Can he be cured of his syphilis? Maybe. Watch to find out. I don't want to spoil it for you.

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Blech - read Crime and Punishment instead. it's a fun read comparatively

Actor who plays ML has the dubious distinction of being in two of the worst Chinese dramas I have ever seen: Nevertheless, and this piece of garbage.

Utterly depressing story about how people are so dependent on apps to tell them who they like, that they don't even think for themselves. After they kiss in the alley upon meeting (gross) they have to check their love alarm app to see whether they like each other. They are relieved when the app tells them what they want to hear. More storytelling that is complete crap. Not a love story, not "feel good". You will leave feeling completely depressed, hopeless and broken hearted.

SPOILERS AHEAD
2ML "loves" FL from afar for years but never even speaks to her. He tells his ML friend/brother new on the scene that he likes her. So ML goes for it. Then the checking of the apps begins.

FL bullied and abused by her cousin for no apparent reason. Aunt hates her and abuses her and treats her so badly that she doesn't even feed her. She lives with them because her parents died in a fire. Cousin likes the ML and to break them apart, she threatens to reveal FL's "dirty little secret": that she failed to drag her parents out of the fire when she was 5 years old. And this "dirty secret" will apparently mark her as evil. Are the characters completely stupid? How is this a character flaw? The abuse is so relentless that FL feels "forced" to dump her boyfriend so that cousin will lay off her. Storytelling is complete crap.

Then there's the "love" story. She breaks off with him, resulting in us watching the ML being completely broken for years. At the end he can't love anyone else.

In the end we're supposed to have hope that maybe this broken ML can somehow love because the FL eventually found love even in this dystopian, depressing, tragic show.

END OF SPOILERS

I beg you to spare yourself. I wish I had.

Music, didn't pay any attention to it, so just gave it a 3.

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A Mixed Bag of Emotions: Ji Chang Wook Shines, but Empowerment and Chemistry Fall Short

I recently immersed myself in Welcome to Samdal-ri, eager to witness the brilliance of Ji Chang Wook's acting prowess after watching him in Healer. While he undoubtedly delivered a stellar performance that left me in awe, I couldn't help but feel a void in terms of female empowerment and on-screen chemistry.

Ji Chang Wook's portrayal was nothing short of captivating. His nuanced expressions, impeccable delivery, and undeniable charisma added depth to the character, making it difficult to look away. His acting prowess alone almost carried the entire show for me, and I applaud his dedication to his craft.

However, the storyline left me yearning for more when it came to female empowerment. Despite the potential for a strong, empowering female lead, the narrative fell short of delivering a character who could stand on equal footing with Ji Chang Wook's. It felt like a missed opportunity to showcase a more balanced dynamic between the male and female characters. I guess her wanting to lean on him was literal.

The chemistry, unfortunately, failed to ignite the screen. While both actors individually gave commendable performances, their on-screen connection lacked the spark that could have elevated the romantic aspects of the plot. This absence of palpable chemistry and incomplete storylines (like what happened to Sazal Kim's character Man-Su) left me somewhat detached and wanting more.

While the show had its moments, the missed opportunities in character development and resolution left me with mixed feelings about the overall viewing experience.

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