38sai Batsuichi Dokushin Onna ga Matching Apuri wo Yattemita Kekka Nikki
9 people found this review helpful
"People never change. They just become more of who they really are."
This drama's synopsis looks like a middle-aged woman's thirst diary. Is this really, though? The answer is yes and no.Five seconds into the drama and I felt naive female protagonist who wants to have "fun" with young boys and I dropped it. It was so for like weeks until I came across "it is getting dark" comments. The thought "How dark can it get?" pulled me back to restart the drama. Translator's note of "this is based on a real story" kept me going.
Yes- The main character, Chiaki's desire, who for whatever reasons ended up being a divorcee, is relate-able as who doesn't want to have some fun companionship by going on dates and getting treated in a lady-like way. And this show doesn't end there. It is neither a fantasy genre nor "just" shows the woman's fantasies having dates with handsome guys.
No- Every action is bound by consequences; likewise, what follows is a series of abuse, violence, and (almost?) rape like situations. (I can't really put a finger at whether she is in pain or pleasure.) Several questions pop up: "Is she liking it?" "Is she a masochist?" "Why can't they take no as an answer?" "Why not stay away from all these?" Does she quit her hobby after devastating events happen? forms the rest of the story.
The ending - Hint: read the headline.
Acting is convincing, not great and the cast is suitable. Music really brings in the chills.
Rewatch value: unless you are a masochist, it isn't worth the pain to watch it again.
Final note, this drama neither shuns away from showing ill consequences of dating app nor does it offer any positive character growth.
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Cliched but its magic works!
Hello Me! is a predictable story filled with clichés like a struggling FL, a immature ML, the random job offering, the truck of doom, unwanted misunderstandings, childhood connections, etc.Yet there are many enjoyable elements in this show. One, the comedy. The scenes between the ML & SML and ML & his co-worker ladies are such a laugh riot. Some of the antics of the Younger Ban Han Ni are hilarious.
Two, the character growth of both Ban Han Nis. Younger BHN is very audacious, outspoken and confident teen. Her actions lead to innumerable troubles. She can come off as an incorrigible person nearly the entire show. But, in odd turn of events, she turns a new leaf and becomes more mature. Older BHN is a broke and ill-fated person. Interactions with younger self, makes her take better charge at life.
Three, the character interactions. Be it interaction of both BHNs with her school friends, and her family, or ML with his "assistant", brother, dad and aunt. Everything is very cordial and warm.
Four, the message "You're doing well. You're the most magnificent star in your life. That is, if you refuse to give up and get back on your feet once again."
Five, the altruistic take on unfortunate events especially forgiving bad people, and supporting family members.
There are hardly any downsides to this show. It keeps you entertained, makes you laugh, makes you feel warm and strive at life.
I had an expectation that younger BHN will mature and change older BHN's life. The story doesn't flow that way which was new take on these past and present self interactions stories.
ML calling FL "Ahjumma" felt comical but it made their relationship more like sister-brother and not romantic. Even romance is barely there.
Anthony's closure felt good but it could have been different. Society requires to "evolve" to be more forgiving. Given the recent events, the social commentary felt coincidental.
The show is well produced. Acting of younger BHN felt a bit dramatic and artificial sometimes. Other actors are really good. Eum Moon Suk's acting style reminds me of his The Fiery Priest character. Music is really good given that the younger BHN is idol aspirant especially the 3!4! song. Rewatch is good for comical scenes.
Hello Me!: Invoke the child in oneself to heal oneself.
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Cake topped with cream!
Horimiya is an usual high school jdrama adapted from shoujo manga. It depicts coming-of-age theme with first love. The only thing new is that the main lead is a loner who has an alternate personality. Everything else is predictable and precedent. Sometimes, quite silly too.Romance is cute, intimate and personal.
Acting is good.
Both Suzuka Ouji and Kubota Sayu look cute.
Music is okay.
Like school dramas, it will take you back to your school days.
Production is of good quality.
We never see more of either leads' parents and their backstory. School jdramas normally don't focus on parents, so it was okay.
Horimiya neither disappoints nor exceeds expectations like a convenience store's cream cake. (A comfort treat indeed!)
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Short and sweet
Firstly, the story is though predictable but addicting to binge.It is cute but with a sensible plot for a Kdrama.
The ending is satisfactory. I just wish there was more to it.
The acting is good.
Just that the fight scenes seem fake.
But for a web series, the CGI was good enough.
The music is memorable and suits the scenes.
For a rewatch, it is worth if you just wanna see their moments together. Bonus, I really liked how they handled the girl shaming scene.
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Adrenaline Rush!
The drama begins with a glimpse into the normal life of Alice, homebody and gamer, from a rich family but regarded as "parasite" by his family, who finds solace with his good-for-nothing friends. (Everybody is kinda trashy and loser, I thought) Troubled by their life, they escape the reality, by running wildly in the busy streets of Tokyo. That's the only moment to see so much liveliness and happiness in Tokyo. Because one thing leads to another, they land in this new Tokyo, completely empty. (Man, hats off to the production team for the amazing visuals of empty Tokyo!), where 'play or die' is the only rule to survive.The survival games are very interesting and logical too. Pro-tip, you could pause and think for the answer, if you like. With games, comes new characters and things get bloody and gore. (Boy, I was so wrong for thinking the original trio to be trashy but almost every character we meet is a lot more trashy.) Cynicism, betrayal, and mind games become the new norm.
Soon, Alice seems like the most decent person besides Rabbit (giving an unthinkable reunion of Naho and Kakeru) but of course, not without undergoing a 'do or die' situation himself, which was quite an emotional ride. Another pro-tip, don't get attached to any character, or pay for the consequences. As the story moves, new games and new friends, so many die but got to keep going. That's just the first half of the episodes. Now the big question is, "If there is a game, then there must be a gamemaster right?" which leads to another killer thriller ride for the second half of episodes.
Once again, new games and new characters. If there is a dystopian world, there must be a utopia and if there is no authority, then someone assumes authority. With authority, comes the division of two groups "US" &"THEM" and their own power struggle. This all infused with the madness to survive, back-stabbing pushes everyone to the edge. More blood, bodies and betrayals. The ending, like with usual Netflix shows, it was only a teaser for a much, much bigger thing.
What was Good? And Bad?
The entire series was so well produced. Everything top-notch. The games were superb and mind-blowing. The story was tightly packed. It felt like a blend of game movies like Jumanji, Zathura and English drama, Black Mirror. It starts out as an adventure fantasy developing into a dystopian thriller.
Themes: This drama touches so many themes like how the idea of death can bring out a new side of people, a new faith, manipulating others, seduction, and worst of all, fake hope. It also shows the narrow gap between sanity and insanity, friendship and enmity. Sometimes, the drama tries to give humanity messages like altruism but which soon fades away as the story moves forward. Oh, on the sexual content and violence: for starters, there is too much blood splattering and bodies. There is definitely sexual content. (I'm not going to word it but I almost thought I was watching an American show, they don't substantially add much to the plot so skip it if you don't like, there are only placed to understand the intensity of their newfound freedom and reality)
Although almost all characters have some sort of backstory to understand them better, only a few make it to the end, of which, Alice undergoes the best character growth and Rabbit is such a powerful and admirable character capable of rescuing herself.
Acting: Like always Yamazaki Kento excels in portraying as Alice. The agony, the anger, the happiness, every emotion was so perfect. Tsuchiya Tao, as Rabbit, no doubt she must have undergone rigorous training for her role, exudes the strength of her character. It was surprising to find Machida Keita in a new role and thug-like look. But the biggest surprise was Sakurada Dori. He was almost unrecognizable in his character. (It was the most unlikely Orange squad mini-reunion) Asahina Aya's character had such an amazing fight scene.
Music was apt and lifted the suspense to a higher level.
It is definitely worth the rewatch for its plot but would be a hassle to undergo the same emotional turmoil once again.
Final note, adrenaline rush inducing drama which can sometimes make you think and sometimes anxious and disturbed, all the while keeping you entertained.
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Several unanswered questions
I just watched for the challenge thinking it is only 10 mins but those ten minutes felt like 100 minutes. In those 100 minutes, I had several questions like- Who is under the table? Why watch that tv show? How did she end up here? Do they eat that? etc. It was more of peeking into the life of the couple and nothing more. Was it enjoyable? Not per say. I liked how whistle was a nod to the classic movie Psycho. What did I take from it? Nothing. Was it boring? not at all. It was a very disturbing, yet, different experience. Made for the art.Was this review helpful to you?
Four 10-minute fillers
Firstly, I was really anticipating this drama for no particular reason. And all I had expected from its description was some comical scenes between Kang Chan and Dae Yeon and some flashbacks of Min Joo and Kang Chan.What did it turn out to be?
Noise issues
Opening into a drinking scene with Dae Yeon narration overlapping with drunken live streaming of Bang Hee, this series has many noise issues. Sometimes, it's the OST and sometimes, it's the narration.
Story/screenplay
It did make me laugh and sometimes it made me cringe. Much of the screentime was wasted in the live streaming and product promotions of Bang Hee which could have used for an additional scene of Kang Chan and Dae Yeon or Dae Yeon and Min Joo. Even the amateurish editing can be a pain for the eyes.
Acting
It was doable for a 10-minute series.
Closure
The ending was rushed. Proper closure could have been given for Dae Yeon's moment.
Final Verdict
Watch it for its duration. Watch it as a filler. Maybe between binging or when you have a few minutes to spare. Neither you would remember it nor you would be disappointed.
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An understated entertainer!
Times starts out as story of a daughter desperately trying to save her father from assassinations with the help of time altering. Just when one expects it to drag out, it quickly resolves the issue and switches focus on other things like elections, journalism issues etc.As it switches from one theme to another, it luckily avoids monotony. Unfortunately, in a way, it betrays the audience as well. For instance, someone who started watching for time altering might drop the show as it exhausts the theme somewhere in middle of the show. Or someone who doesn't like time altering might misjudge the show and miss out a good political thriller. (On a side note, why do people find politics boring?!)
Times episodes could be split into two parts- one where FL plays major role and other half where ML plays major role. Times works if you focus on these parts individually. Writer could have even made two different dramas by splitting the story.
This style of letting one lead be the focus for half of the show gives more insight into the character and also gives better scope of performance for the actors. Negatively, this makes in-person interaction between ML and FL minimal.
Despite the leads' interaction is mostly over the phone, the actors managed to portray it well. Too bad, that the story didn't convert this good work "chemistry" between the leads into maybe potential romance. In another perspective, glad that they didn't force any romance and kept things professional.
Ending was well done. One couldn't expect more. It did make me wish there were more episodes because I kept asking "That's it? What?!" Although you can predict the minor twists, main twist was unforeseen. Glad that the writer kept the best parts for the finale.
Times has its flaws. One, convoluted narration, if I were to start out to tell this story to someone, I might confuse myself. Two, sometimes the story progression and characters' actions simply feel random. Writer makes it seem effortless to write any implausible twist into the story and we are bound to believe.
Despite its flaws, Times is an understated time altering entertainer with heavy political thrills, journalism overtones, and subtle social commentary.
~~
I am going to vote in a week and I learned some new things about politics from this show.
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A realistic age-gap couple story which doesn't stay away from unnecessary drama!
Contrary to the popular speculation of being a sugar daddy sort of plot, which it didn't turn out to be, my interest was piqued due to very straightforward and rational female lead, 24 years old, who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind and to make the first move when her dad sets her up with 44-year-old divorcee from his business circle. I was baffled at her dad; for no dad in his sanest mind would do such a thing, and what for? That was one of the two questions which I expected this drama to answer. Another one being why FL falls for the ML. But the answers come in a roundabout way, with going down the predictable-plot way, adding unnecessary characters, who do certain actions, and the reasons for those actions aren't revealed or are bland. Other than that, a slice of life age-gap story, with normal conversational type romance. The only thing I liked was their generational gap of pop culture references and their honest conversations.Toshi no Sakon (Marriage with a Large Age Gap) manages with parental support, a nice male lead and spunky female lead but fails to impress.
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Light hearted drama
Mairuvonich is a story of simple and light-hearted girl who is less confident about her appearances. With the help of Tenyu, she transforms both her personality and her appearances and finds true love of her life.This is a very simple drama adapted from shoujo manga. On that note, it is targeted towards younger audiences suiting their tastes. Mairu has about 3 to 4 romantic pursuits which slowly helps her grow as a person.
I totally agree that it is a personal choice to have a makeover. Although in life, beautiful looks aren't everything and beauty is subjective as well. Here, Mairu's makeover gives her psychological boost to her confidence. This in turn, gives her new experiences at high school.
Sometimes, the views expressed are *cough, cough* critical. This can come off as condescending but that's alright.
Above all, this drama is really comical and has a very imaginative take on youth.
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Dear The Fiery Priest,
If there was an ideal type for dramas, then you would be mine. You got everything which I want in drama.
1 You got the cool male lead, aside from saying he is so cool innumerable times, he is an angry young man too. He
2 has a secret identity and that too my favourite one with a
3 tragic past. I got so empathic and almost tear jerked despite me being a cold person.
4 He can fight. Real action scenes, I couldn't say no to that.
5 He fights for social justice. Bonus, he has soft spot for kids.
6 He can ride a bike. A bikkeeeeeeee. If the male lead is this awesome then often female leads are weakly designed. That wasn't the case here.
7 Female lead, doesn't hesitate to fight dirty, has
8 good character growth
9 brings her own value to the plot
10 can do comedy. Even cringe comedy nonchalantly. Although, she can't do action well. But there's another
11 strong female character who can do fight scenes. Not just her, there are
12 other characters who can fight. How can I forget about the
13 comedy? Comedy was top-notch. There were comical fight scenes, cringe comedy and everything in between. For action genre,
14 Music was really good. Then there are
15 powerful villains or
16 more like good side takes time to score goals.
Nothing is completely ideal. Even ideal types have flaws. What is yours?
Hardly was there an element of surprise. For me,
1 every plot twist was foreseen. Without the comedy, I might have had a hard time finishing the final 2 or 3 episodes. There are
2 all sorts of cliched mass action tropes.
3 There were some plot logic misses. I get it; it was often for comedy and that's why I couldn't
4 take the whole social justice part seriously.
From a fan.
There are certain roles which can change the life of an actor once and for all. This drama offers that once-in-a-lifetime role for the male lead for which any actor could fight for. The very fact that this role ended up to an actor who was definitely a dark horse, for which I'm glad and glad I got to know about this actor. He undeniably succeeded in carrying the charisma of the MC and additionally that of the drama on his broad shoulders.
The fiery priest is the checklist to search future dramas as my type. Despite being a mystery drama, I didn't have to use my brain for this one. I only had to use my mouth to laugh heartily.
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Heart warming Love Story of a man and his cat!
Reasons to watch this show1. About cats- If you are a cat lover, or planning to adopt a cat or already have a cat, then this show is definitely for you. From buying the cat essentials to first vet visit, this show depicts those tiny moments of joy and sorrow of having a cat as pet.
2. Healing effect- Pets have always been the best healers. After losing his wife, the protagonist, a renowned pianist, goes into a slump. This story is about how he heals himself, with aid of his cat, his friends and moves on with his life.
3.The interaction of Fukumaru (cat) and Kanda (man) is a love story in itself. The first sight, the first meal, the first day at work, the "missing you" thoughts and so on. Every scene is so cute.
4. Good music and top-notch acting- A show about pianist means music is expected to be good. This show exceeds expectations. I really liked the end track and concert songs. Also, the acting was really good; expressions of characters when an unfortunate event happens was so realistic. Even the voiceover of Kamiki for the cat was so lovely, nyaa!
5. Secondary couple- I mean, another man and his cat. Their story is also heartwarming. To be honest, I liked their story more.
6. Moriyama- His presence itself lights up the scene. He is such a lovely character. He gets the best closure too.
Why not A 10?
1. Gone are days of cats getting pleased by a plate of fish, it seems. The amount of cat consumerism makes me feel glad that both the men were rich. I know pets are high maintenance, but sometimes it felt way too much.
2. Somewhere in the middle, the story felt a little boring for me, it felt too long with 12 episodes.
3. About the cat, Is it a plushy? Is it a puppet? Is it a robot? Is it a CGI? I don't know. I didn't watch BTS. But sometimes it felt convincing and sometimes it didn't seem like a cat at all.
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Okay but Cliched
A jdrama by the same team of Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo (2020) with same actress. I can safely proclaim this is even a spiritual sequel to that, the themes are very similar, a timid girl trying to balance work and love.Initially, it seemed like Japanese version of Devil wears Prada but this one is more focused on administrative working of the magazine and lesser focus of fashion.
Oh My Boss is something which will never disappoint. A show will which make you feel better when you are down, will make you pass time when you are bored, will make you squeal at fanservice. A show - in its own words - tries to give a glimpse of hope and dream.
That doesn't mean it will exceed your expectations. A drama which works because it is enveloped in a myriad of clichés. Scene after it will make you remind of some other drama where you saw similar scene. For instance, childhood friend turns to jerk, FL gets hired for random job, FL's random encounter with ML who happens to be a heir, FL who just wants to get married, Ex-girlfriend comes back, etc. Bear with logical inconsistency for its shoujo theme.
The acting was good, filled with fanservice of puppy Jun. The OST, luv bias was really good as well. Rewatch for romance scenes.
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A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love
4 people found this review helpful
A Reverse Harem packed with study tips!
There are two ways to look at this show, one, it is a reverse harem story, with a female protagonist who is so dumb at relationships that you might feel the need to break the fourth wall and flick her head and two, it is such a motivating show filled with study tips and quotes, that you might wanna drop everything and start studying or working towards your dream. And I was very much fascinated by the latter part that I graciously ignored the former aspect, howsoever, the cliched and outlandish romance of a teacher and student. Although she waits till he joins Todai, it was just too unrealistic for me. I might wanna rewatch this again for the numerous motivating quotes.I really loved the "Happy Birthday" by Back Number which depicts the sadness and yearning of the Male lead.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable show given that I haven't found the substitute jdrama which gives so much motivation to excel in life.
~~~
List of Favourite quotes
1. What are you going to do if you can focus only when you’re comfortable? A human brain can’t understand the word “no”.
2. Life being hard is not the same as being unhappy. You both worked hard in your own way. There’s no point in comparing like that.
3. People who’ve worked hard in sports, people who’ve studied hard, people who worked hard finding their purpose in life, people who’ve worked hard to make their parents proud, and people who’ve worked hard to overcome loneliness. Everyone takes the same exam and your result determines your path. That’s what makes it an exam. There are no excuses.
4. Raising your score is like going on a diet. You don’t just raise it a little bit at a time. If you reinforce your foundations and keep practising, you’ll see a drastic change one day. It’ll come even more drastically if you haven’t studied much before so look forward to it!
5. This world isn’t always filled with good people, but if you keep trying, I promise you’ll always find people who will become your allies.
6. But regardless of work or something else, as long as you’re striving to reach the top, you’ll always have to make tough decisions.
7. Your dream will come true if you work hard. That’s not something I want to lie about. Everyone is working just as hard but only a fixed number of students can pass.
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Running on towards quirky dialogues and characters!
2 episodes into the drama, you realize the story isn't that special. Heck, it is reminiscent of older Rich Man/Poor Woman dramas. ML, a silver spoon, can't stand injustice, expects equality (duh!) and has a life dictated by his father. FL, orphan, unhesitant to take white envelopes, trying to survive against all odds. Sounds nothing special right. But something in it makes you keep watching. To decode its charms, I kept watching.Charm #1 Dialogues.
There is something very different about the dialogues. Kudos, to the dialogue writer and to the translator. (Was that intentional given the context of FL's profession?!) Normally, any drama would offer dialogues which help the plot in some way or create the mood. Here, the dialogues are so in the moment. If you don't see the context, you might lose its meaning. Sometimes, I had to replay to understand what they were actually conveying. Sometimes, I had to look at what was happening in the background to understand the meaning. This would have more enjoyable if you are a native speaker not having to concentrate on subtitles and screen at the same time. Even the confession was a bit unconventional. I definitely want to rewatch just for the dialogues. But sometimes, this can feel very tiring too; having to think and observe a lot for this genre was unexpected.
Charm #2 Characters.
Initially, the four main characters almost seem familiar. But their actions are a bit unpredictable. When was the last time second FL wink teasingly at FL?! And the reaction of FL?! I don't remember.
Both ML and Second ML are probably the most gentlemanly, softest and cutest characters kdrama has ever given to us. I'm referring to their personality and not appearance but I agree that they look cute as well. Heck, these men are setting goals for ideal type BF!
Understanding ML is another piece of work. If you ever had a friend who pretty much lived under the rock, you could find it relatable. Or if you ever lived under the rock, then you might know the communication gap.
About Seo Dan Ah, I don't know where to begin. The moment I saw her I fell in love with her. She looks pretty and empowering at the same time. She can flirt and she means business too. She can pull off both business suit and tracksuit. This review is escalating into Seo Dan Ah stanning.
There are other cute characters as well like Seo Tae Woong, and Kim Woo Shik.
The casting was apt. SSK had good English. And ISW looked convincing like an athlete.
Okay, Charm #3 Healing Effect.
This drama is so light and heartwarming that even being an insomniac, I could fall asleep. Not in a negative sense, but there are some dramas for some moods and this is one to see after a tiresome day and feel relaxed. There are motivating moments and dialogues. I'm surprised with the healing theme it does not have that cinematography of snow feel or spring feel. It has a very summery feel to it. There are good comedy scenes and interactions especially SDA and OMJ's sismance. There are these imaginative scenes where OMJ imagines herself in the movie she is subbing which was interesting.
Bonus #1, agreed that the main couple is adorable. This was the first time I was more curious about the second couple. They had more butterfly moments than the main couple.
Bonus #2, As for music, Run to you and Sorry sounded interesting.
Bonus #3, Given the professions of ML and FL, I learnt one or two things about sports and film industry.
Run on, an unconventionally written, nice and warm feel-good drama to fall asleep to. It can sometimes be like an art piece at a gallery. If you understand its meaning, you'd keep staring at it (like Seo Dan Ah staring at Young Hwa's works). If you don't, then this might not be for you.
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