Reviews

Of Modern-Day Ninjas and Their Possible Existence

I finally finished House of Ninjas after a lot of cursing and chants of "Kill Kill Kill". As a whole, it is a great series that showcases the shadowy world of the enigmatic shinobi, revolving around the fictional descendants of Hattori Hanzo, the famed shinobi who was a loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The series captured my attention because there have been very few movies or shows that elaborately depict modern-day ninjas and do it in a more believable or conceivable fashion. I give credit to the writers of the show for creating such a rich world of ninjas filled with colorful and relatable characters (except one). Kaku Kento is an absolute badass as Haru, the skilled but reluctant shinobi who refuses to kill and rebels at the idea of complete subjugation from the government that employs them. Kora Kengo is equally brilliant as his conflicted older brother. And of course, there's their beastly dad played by Eguchi Yosuke who is known for playing Saito Hajime in the Rurouni Kenshin movies and Ichigo's dad, Kurosaki Isshin, in the Bleach live action. But I think my favorite is definitely the grandma even though I found Riku adorable. In fact, I loved most of the characters, including the villains like Yamada Takayuki, because they are so good in this. I loved everyone except Ito Karen (I don't want to search for the actress' name) whose damsel-in-distress and nosy reporter character just bugged me from the get-go. My god, I have never wanted a character to die so bad! 🤣 All she ever does is get herself into trouble and have Haru rescue her. Her pursuit of the truth gets her in deep shit and all because she wants to know everything. Not everything that is kept in the shadows should be brought to light. There's a reason why it is being kept secret and most of the time it's because it will only cause more harm than good to reveal it. She is basically like a cat whose curiosity almost gets her killed. She is such a waste of space. I am hoping they will leave her out in the succeeding seasons and introduce a different love interest for Haru. As for the fight scenes, they are well choreographed and executed, especially the boss fight between the brothers. That was so cool! Kudos to the stunt team and action choreographers for crafting some of the coolest ninja action I've seen in years. Looking forward to the next season, but please, no more Karens.

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A totally new storyline !!

I have never watched this kind of short drama before and was kinda hesitating before watching and was also doubtful after looking at the picture..😆😆😆

But then well i said let's give it a try.. so started watching this and well.
It was a really good one. Not the usual sweet fluffy romance or the "i loved him once but now know my worth and leaves the male , then male pampers and they get back together" and not the any other old plot.
But was really a new one.

The female was afraid to love someone but then got the male in her life from her high school.. time and after years of pursuit they got together and also married later. But the present day she, even after his love for her, he cheated on her and she knew it from the day her mother died.
And then she decided to take part in her mother's research to..erase all her memories and start a new life , but she had to be preserved for 50 years.. later the male got to know that the female already knew that he cheated and regretted , But of no use °!!

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My Favorite Drama 2024

The female lead’s acting is outstanding, bringing her character to life in a way that feels so real and relatable. She perfectly captures the emotional depth of her role, making it easy to connect with her journey and feel invested in her story. The chemistry between Shen Yue and Lin Yi really stands out. Shen Yue's lively, comedic portrayal of Gu Yi contrasts nicely with Lin Yi's reserved character, Liang Daiwen, creating an engaging dynamic. The drama's exploration of the daily struggles of young generation. I'm a big fan of Shen Yue and that's the reason I was excited to watch Smile Code. Please don't stop watching Smile Code too early because If you leave early you will miss some absolutely amazing moments and storylines! I rewatching almost 10x times now.. I can't move on..Their love story is impossible to describe. They are sooo adorable and cute. If you haven't watched it yet, don't hesitate and go watch it. I had butterflies in my stomach every time I saw each of their episodes. Unquestionably, this is a must-see drama of the year. Linyi also ask to watch again this year, and ask we to dreaming to chase a star together. Lets go watch again the best drama ever!!! I also want Shen yue to act drama like Autumn in my heart.. Because her crying scene it so hurting and so painful to watch. 😭😭😭😭😭

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Something beautiful, watchable and amazing

This story is one of the stories that made my 2024 better, i love how this was narrated and given, light plot, heavy romance and definitely the bonding was toptier
Ohmleng supremely
They easily did everything like it was real, the comfortability between the lead roles could keep you at the edge of your seat, they were more like a married couple than actors,
Leng's Acting
Despite being bashed by the ex fandom, Leng shut many people with his awesome improvement in acting, dude always showed something new every episode, he was so loveable and could capture hearts in seconds
The Music
Oohh don't get start, Tui's From Now On still echos in my ears, whoever chose him for this really deserves a higher salary, dude gave the series a whole new meaning with his voice, ohm and Leng's songs were also like adding butter to the bread, i love the perfection inserted in the music selection of the series
The Supporting Actors
They all felt like they were leads, every person that appeared on the screen left a perfection mark
I can rewatch this for a million times.....Too Good

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Really don't get the negative reviews about this show

I've been seeing too many bad reviews on "Abyss" honestly for me i enjoyed this show alot. Watched it 7 or 8 months ago and the storyline was interesting. Its about a marble that can revive people back from the dead. The murder, mystery everything just blended in fine. The actors did a good job here too. I was totally hooked till the last 10 mins of this show. The ending was bad and had alot of questions unanswered but honestly if i compare how much i enjoyed this show till episode 16 to the last 10 messy mins then it was actually worth it. I would ask you to gice this show a shot. The first 2 episodes maybe a bit unclear but you'll understand the whole plot from episode 3. I didn't want to make this review too long because I'm scared i might give major spoilers. Plus i don't want to ruin anyone's experience of this kdrama. Watch it for yourself and see how interesting it actually is.

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Between love, youth and friendship

Reply 1988 is a nostalgic drama that shows the lives of 5 childhood friends who live in the same neighbourhood in seoul and their lives between 1988 to 2015. The best part about this kdrama is that it has so many different characters and parts to it that there is something for all to enjoy. All the characters were important definitely however i feel at times the kdrama felt a bit too long for me. Since each episode is 1hr 30 mins long and some being even longer it was hard for to focus on some parts that i felt were unnecessary. I can say too many good parts about this kdrama. It beautifully shows the phenomenal beauty of youth, strong bonds between people who are not family by heart but by blood and sacrifices made by certain characters for the others to remain happy.

The ending wasn't exactly happy for me- it left more of a bittersweet feeling inside of me as i came to realize that our youth lasts for only a short minute and just like the characters in the kdrama oneday we all will become busy with our jobs and lives. Its sad that we lose ties with people who we were once the closest with. Even though i wasn't born in the 80s i still enjoyed reply 1988 for the most part.

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Touch Your Love

Listen, Jiang ShaoPeng's love language is touch, and I respect him for that. My man got himself a boyfriend, and we found his innocent face was just a facade, cuz every second he was lifting his lover up, then it was kisses here, touches there, and ignoring that his parents are in the house. Homeboy was wild, and I loved him for it.

"I can't hear, but I can see how you say you love me." -- And they showed us how he saw that love, in this very beautiful 13 episodes drama. See You Love is one of the best dramas that released in 2024. Arguable, it's one of the best bls out there. The drama is about two lost souls, one spoiled rich kid with a kind heart, who found love and realised he was not useless or weak, and shouldn't live for the approval of others, and about a loving deaf boy who never thought he was enough because of his disability, but learned to love himself and accept his limitation did not define him.

This drama made me laugh, cry, and in some cases, annoyed the hell out of me. Let me explain.

I CRIED When:
= Jiang Shaopeng couldn't find a job, although he's been working so hard and was more than qualify. People suck.
= When Yang Zi Xiang was explaining to Shaopeng that he's useless and weak in his family's eyes, and basically saw himself as someone who was worthless. Baby looked so small, and that fake smile had me tearing.
= When we found out Zixiang slept in that closet. Poor boy.
= When Jiang Shaopeng broke down after his mother was hospitalised, admitting that because he was deaf he has to rely on others for help, care and sympathy. 'Haven't I tried hard enough, haven't I been patient enough' made me sob.
= When Jiang Shaopeng's hopelessness and sadness made him fight with Yang Zi Xiang. When Zi Xiang was yelling at him for pretending to be strong, I had to pause the drama for a bit and get myself together.
= When the next day, Yang Zi Xiang wrote him that letter/phone note but said he wasn't going to apologies for what he said during their fight, and that being strong did not mean that Jiang Shaopeng couldn't also be weak. And although he himself is weaker, he want Jiang Shaopeng to let himself be weak and show his vulnerability when they were together, cuz he'd be there for him.
= When we found out how Jiang Shaopeng's friend Shu He blamed him and his disability for what happened to her. Girl how does that make sense? Why was it his fault?
= When Jiang Shaopeng finally gave in, rushed to Yang Zi Xiang in the hospital, hugged and kissed him. I clapped and cried happy tears when they finally got together.
= When I saw Jiang Shaopeng finally working where he wanted too and being happy about it.
= When Jiang Shaopeng said Yang Zixiang was part of his family. That was as good as getting married.
= When Jiang Shaopeng put his hand on Yang Zi Xiang's throat/vocal cord to hear/feel him say his name over and over again, while they cried. That scene emotionally broke me.
= When Shaopeng said that 'If in the future I become a burden to you, just tell me you want to break up, no need for any reason.' I yelled at my screen like, 'Boy dafug you saying?' Was so glad Zixiang reassured him, cuz dude was out there talking nonsense and making me angry sad.
= When Yang Zixiang wanted to sacrificed himself for his love and cousin. That boy is so pure, I love him so much.
= When Zixiang slept in the closet/wardrobe again, but Shaopeng said it was okay and they had lots of time to work through his issue together.
= When I saw that ring on their ringers in the post credit scene. They're married y'all.

I LAUGHED When:
= Yang Zi Xiang thought Jiang Shaopeng was the perfect hire cuz he was deaf, but Shaopeng was not having it, quitting when he saw through Zixiang's bullsh!t. Lmao, the way he aggressively quit and refused to come back had me rolling.
= When the second leads, Wang Xinjia was trying to kidnap and kill Jonathan, but my man ended up in his bed instead, and proceeded to fail miserably, until he even moved in with them and started working for them. Lmao, you call that being an assassin? he sucked so bad, it was funny.
= When we found out how WILD Jiang Shaopeng was after the two got together. Dude had zero shame, was always ready for a kiss, and did not care his parents were home, and could hear them. My man was on, and I respect that. But like in the scene when Zixiang first visited Shaopeng's room and immediately started rolling on the bed, sniffing his pillow, boy was just asking to be eaten, so I don't blame Shaopeng for losing control.
= When Jiang Shaopeng got jealous of the cousin, and then tried to run and hide his face cuz he was embarrassed.
= During that shower scene I was swooning and going... awww he has to step on his feet, ooofff hot, the chemistry is chemistrying, but before that I was laughing cuz poor Zi Xiang was like, let me take a shower, and Shaopeng was like, sure... but that doesn't mean we have to stop what we are doing. Boy, Shaopeng's innocent face had me in the first half. WILD.
= Not laughing, but I coo and smile whenever I see the size different between our two leads. Shaopeng is so tall, and it's so cute whenever he sits on Zi Xiang's lap. They are soooo adorable!
= When Jiang Shaopeng's father tried to fight Zi Xiang after he found out they were dating but immediately broke his back. LOL, that dude was so cureless, he didn't get a hint that whole time??
= When Zixiang was trying to figure out what he should bring as a bride price for Shaopeng. I was like, nothing, that boy is so gone for you he'd marry you on the spot.
= When Shaopeng looked pissed off and annoyed for being kidnap. The way he was calmly writing back his answers.
= When Shaopeng's dad was like, 'nope, ain't telling those love boys to break up. But thank you for the second son, I can see you don't want yours, I'll take care of him.' Goated, and I loved it.
= When Xin Jia's drunk arse thought he was in control and sober. LMAO, the whole time he actually believed that lie.


I ROLLED my eyes in Annoyance when:
= Shaopeng's female friend started getting jealous and wanted to cause trouble. The audacity after what she did.
= The slow build of the second lead, or I guess they're going backwards build, cuz they did the deal and now they just sort of roommates? Like are they supposed to be a couple or not? I've waited so long and nothing is happening with them.
= That random fiancée showing up and trying to start sh!t. Why were the females in this show so annoying?
= When Shaopeng's female friend was warning Zixiang not to hurt him or else. That girl seriously have too much audacity.
= Whenever that cousin of Shaopeng showed up. He was unnecessary mean for no reason, literally what the hell did he want? Shaopeng didn't even want the business and dude was still planning to assassinate him.
- That Cousin. Waste of screen time.

Plot wise, the story wasn't something new, but the execution and the chemistry of the leads carried the show. The main focus was on the two leads, and I hoped the secondary characters could have been well developed and have more scenes, but with 30mins episodes, it wasn't possible to give everyone the screen-time they deserved, nonetheless, they got their point across. Personally, I enjoyed almost everything about this show. The main couple were amazing in their roles, Raiden Lin and Jin Yun had such an amazing chemistry, and played off each other very well. They were able to convey the emotions the plot needed for us audience to connect with the characters, which made me enjoy it more.

All in all, although it wasn't perfect, it was a great show with lots of emotions and laughter. I'll highly recommend this to all bl and drama lovers. This was among my top 3 most favourite dramas of 2024, so yeah, give it a watch you'd like it. I really hope to see Raiden and Jin Yun in a drama together again. I'm gonna rewatch this one a lot this year, cuz it simply stole my heart.

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entertaining enough to pass the time but unworthy of ever being called 'good'

listen y'all..... when i heard that this was a new project by the same director as 'go princess go' i knew i HAD to watch it. the king of camp, and one of the only c-dramas i've seen with explicitly clear queer and trans themes, it was one of my favorites. unfortunately, his characteristic style choices such as dramatic slow mo fabric waving in the wind with falling petals and zoomed in close up shots of the main leads... as well as the stupid goofy campy humor that carried over was NOT enough to make this drama good.

plot is very entertaining, enough to make you want to click next and just keep binging it, because things are constantly happening non stop. i would say the pace is really pretty fast, with one scheme/case after the next. however, i would say that the actual quality of the small arcs of schemes and plots are quite average. often recycled from other revenge/political court dramas, or unsatisfying in their conclusion or how they are solved. sometimes, they just show a quick montage and offer that as their only solution and i'm just supposed to believe that everything is cool and fine now?? esp the luyang silk poisoning case ending was extremely disappointing. a positive note i will give this show is that while the schemes are average and forgettable in quality, the actual longterm plot was simple, straightforward and didn't fall too far from the original set up. meaning that the ending wasn't completely wack and out of the realm of expectation, which is what i have come to expect now unfortunately, from c-dramas. the plot of woman is betrayed---> gets revenge is never lost, and the final ending for xue fangfei and shen yurong is satisfying. otherwise, the plot is ehh.... okay... there's definitely a lot of parts that if you thought about for even a second don't make sense, and there's a lot of meaningless scenes as well. sending xiao heng to battle at the end and killing his side kicks was completely unnecessary.... the story already ended!!! everyone's revenge is fulfilled!! why we gotta drag this out and create meaningless problems for the main leads??? because the only way they know to create conflict and tension is to separate them and have them yearn??????? stupid as hell.

the most disappointing part of this drama was the two main leads. while the plot moved quickly enough for me to stay focused on the show, characters will always be the soul and heart of a story. creating interesting and dynamic characters who make you FEEL something should be the priority of every screen writer.... or else how can you truly feel committed to a story? xue fangfei and xiao heng spend more time staring blankly, making meaningful eye contact, sitting backlit against a window, slowly walking by a wind fan and giving soft smiles than having any kind of deep character exploration. they are the main characters, and yet they are just hollow and empty shells with beautiful faces. it is incredibly clear that the primary motivations of the director was to make a Beautiful drama, rather than a good one. similarly, wu jinyan and wang xingyue's primary motivations were to look beautiful, rather than act. if that's the goal, they may as well have just made a really long music video or photoshoot that's been turned into a fan edit lmao. literally they are both so soulless and wooden with nothing behind the eyes.... and that is saying something because shen yurong also looked like that the entire drama but that was what we call ACTING!!!! it is clear that both wjy and wxy are just too afraid to emote too much for fear of looking ugly or scrunching up their faces too much, and neither of them are good enough at top tier idol micro expressions to properly convey the emotions in this drama. it's just a lot of raised eyebrows and slight lip trembling as one or two tears gently fall. just kind of looking constipated which gets exhausting after a while. tbh ive seen several wjy shows at this point and she really wasn't this bad in yanxi palace??? like i feel like back then she was more willing to make expressions and now she's become less and less able to act out of fear of looking ugly. i dont presume to understand the pressure that idol actors are under but i've seen plenty of idol shows at this point and it's v clear when the actors are still committed to ACTING.

ok but BACK to the characters.... both xff and xh grate on me because they are so blankly simple and good and incapable of ever making a real mistake. they are both beautiful, smart, powerful, good at everything, talented, etc. etc. etc. went through some kind of immense trauma and are dedicated to revenge, but would never hurt an innocent, etc....... like...... yeah they are good people, but does that make a good CHARACTER???? a character that is worth rooting for, has some bite to them, some complexity??? even just a shred??? i cant just root for someone because they are right and good, they also have to give me a reason to truly love them, to relate in some way, or some extra layers of complexity. xff is actually just a mary sue FR and xh is her beautiful empty flowerpot reward bf for her struggles. there is nothing of substance to their characters, nor is there any substance to their relationship. xff being so perfect only hits with people who enjoy the fantasy of 'what if i was beautiful and gorgeous and smart and talented and won at everything and got the hottest man too,' and for anyone w a modicum of taste it's just endlessly boring. like, everyone always accused wei yingluo from yanxi palace of being comically 10 steps ahead of her enemies in the game and being a mary sue w protagonist armor but like.... at least wei yingluo was also notably DIFFERENT from other cdrama leads. she was also violent and ruthless and would actually stop at nothing for her goals. because it was unusual, it was also refreshing and satisfying to see her leave no mercy for her enemies. she may have won every time but her character was flawed, and she had to LEARN kindness, empathy, and patience. xff is like her sad cardboard cousin who only looks good in a photoshoot and terrible in actual time based media. xh is even more of a joke, we are told that he is violent and ruthless and we NEVER see him get his hands dirty. only his subordinates. because xh is never personally torturing or abusing anyone, you get to continue the narrative that he is a good man, while also pulling girls in with his domineering and powerful character type. i would much rather contend with a xh who is actually cruel, violent and maybe makes us uncomfortable who has to learn how to solve his problems without violence, rather than one with no teeth who's just a perfect idol husband fantasy w a canned sad backstory. there is ONE scene where the emperor puts him under house arrest for 2 days and yells at him for being too impulsive and violent and that's ALL WE GET. and nothing even happens after that anyway! so blaaaahhhhh. meanwhile xff went through something so horrific, and instead of ever dealing with that trauma, she is just devoted to justice, and offers endless wisdom to the people around her. like... there isn't even an ounce of fear or distrust in her, when that would only be NATURAL for someone who went through what she did, would also make her more interesting, and her relationship w xh more difficult. their relationship was already built on him being the great and powerful audience far above a small pawn, so why should she trust that he won't sacrifice her to extend his own goals.... just like syr??? i'll admit that the fact that there was 0 conflict in their relationship, and only good things like mutual support, trust and respect etc. was refreshing to watch after seeing so many c-dramas fall to endless miscommunications and plot-information reveal led conflicts. but what i think people fail to realize, is that a couple having conflict is not bad writing..... a couple having BAD conflict is BAD WRITING. and when you just remove conflict entirely, you remove relationship complexity and development as well. it's literally just... xff does something.... danger happen aaaahh... xh flies in like tuxedo mask to save her and flies away... they have a chat and flirt a bit and have meaningful eye contact... scene ends with wind machine blowing and camera slowly shifts focus to like a flower or a tree in the foreground, repeat 300x until the end when they shyly admit they like each other. it's so funny that people say they have rly good chemistry... my friends i did not know good chemistry just meant sustained eye contact while a wind machine blows and they say a couple lines of witty dialogue at each other. nothing about their interactions w each other feel natural or real or easy and comfortable. I know it's not a romance drama so fine, i won't get too up in arms about it, it doesn't matter, but it never hurts to have a nicely written romance!!

can you believe that the characters i like best in the drama are jiang ruoyao, ji shuran, shen yurong and wanning????? because they were literally the only characters with ANY DEPTH TO THEM WHATSOEVER!!!!! (i guess jiang papa had some too, but he was never properly punished for his crimes lmao) even though it was poorly written for the most part and just straightforward, oh they had an abusive parent, or a hard upbringing, or some kind of trauma and that's why they suck :( like i can't even say that they were that well written, in particular ji shuran was the most bleh, but at least they had more going on than the main leads!!! wanning def made me feel the most, and easily she and syr had the better actors in the show. i was prepared to not really like her at first, but she grew on me, and i came to look forward to her and syr's scenes of emotional power struggle and manipulation because it was more interesting than whatever blank staring - gentle smiling xff and xh were doing. by the end they actually got me to feel real pity for wanning, which is an accomplishment for this show. in her, i could see a shadow of zhen huan zhuan's iconic villain, hua fei.... but just a shadow, because she could never measure up!!!! but it was specifically the simplicity of her truest wish, that was almost childlike and innocent, that kind of reminded me of hua fei. i wish she existed in the hands of better writers, because she did have some potential. i am so sick of c dramas w their perfect blank slate good people main characters!!!!! i too, like wanning, would like to drag them into a muddy puddle!!! sick of it!!!!! i may be an american, and used to the likes of our bad guy complex main characters in dramas but like, i'm not asking for walter white or bojack horseman or succession!!!! just like!!!!! something deeper than i am good and perfect and smart and without flaws!!!!! like at least give me a wei wuxian or a xiaoyao or a dongfang qingcang! it's just so irredeemably boring and cowardly to do this jfc.

anyway as much as i complain about the show's characters, a part of me also recognizes how pointless it is.... the main characters weren't characters, they were models here to serve a fantasy..... and that's all this show is!!! it was not meant to be well written, it was meant to be a 40 episode vanity photoshoot! that's all it ever was!! i know that and yet i still get frustrated when i see bad writing!!! but whatever. watch this is u want to numb ur brain and look at pretty people, or scroll on tiktok for several hours and watch fan edits for the same effect.

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Incredibly heartwarming and realistic

Not going to spoil anything, but I’m going to say that this drama is one of the best Taiwanese dramas I’ve ever seen. It’s probably up there with one of the best dramas period. I believe the storyline is quite realistic. I really enjoy that the characters each have their own arc, and they also all connect to the mass shooter. They each face their unique battles in different ways, and the ending was very satisfying. There are a lot of times where there were tears shed. 10 out of 10 would recommend. If you like anything to do with drama, but that’s not over the top. This would be perfect for you.

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Chong Sheng Hou Bei Wan Ku Lao Gong Guan Huai Le (2024) is a nice rebirth miniseries with : Yi Tong Ceng as Leng Yan and Hou Cheng Yue as Mu Xue in the leading couple’s roles. On her second life, she accepts Len Yan’s marriage proposal and, from then on, a strong alliance and a steadfast love between them make them a force to be reckon with. They joined hands in bringing down the ones who wronged them and also had their happy ending. There are some plot holes on the drama and some on the supporting cast need to improve their acting skills but the main couple really did a good job bringing their characters to life and they had very good loving and playful interactions. The drama can be found on YouTube under the caption: After the girl was reborn, she married her cheating boyfriend’s mortal enemy and was spoiled rotten.

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