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When a show tries to be dark, then light, then melo... And THEN yet something else
This show opens with such opening credits that show you they tried to make this look DARK (and actually overdid it a bit, lol), but then the "molested student" in question looks like he's about to hit his thirties soon. And you can see it since minute 1. THAT early and you can ask yourself: what's going to be believable about such drama? In contrast with the opening, following episodes insist on cutesy, lighthearted atmosphere and we watch a montage with someone going around the school with a camera and casually interviewing students on what are their thoughts of teacher-student romance. Like it's something the evolving society is learning to accept, similarly to gay love, for example. Everyone on the show answers lightheartedly and it's not made clear that this is NOT the same and it SHOULD be condemned. Same like with the early bullying sequences: they were brushed off so lightly like they intended to signal to the audience that vievers are to watch a guilty-pleasure show here, not a DRAMA...As for the main couple, we have contrast again. One look at Edward Chen says that the guy has to be really stupid to repeat at least 10 times to still be a "high schooler". He looks like rogue even in the cute school uniform. He is too old for the role. Not a very good actor either, BUT not afraid of skinship scenes:) The main actress is completely different. She's the kind of heroine I want to watch in romance drama. Way more than any student girl, to be honest. No problem to believe the boy should be smitten: Tiffany Hsu is absolutely charming, even more now in more subtle, quiet form. She was always strikingly attractive, now she's like delicately withered... Does she look good with Edward Chen? Hell, yes.
As soon as episode 3 we can see (a dreamy) bed scene. Woow... I'm afraid that got me hooked on this show, lol. But WHEN will drama makers understand that high schoolers are like 15-18 yrs old, not 25-32? LOL. So, I enjoyed, because I watched guilt-free, knowing the age of the actors. But being her student, and in high-school at that, was a bit too much, and morally disturbing (also quite corny). While there seemingly was no reason why would the hell of a woman be interested in a schoolboy, there WAS something between them: they had understanding, kindness, humour... Else I would not - despite wondering why the woman was so careless - liked them together...
Then, at 1/2 of the drama, it is revealed, why the main heroine, the teacher, should have a motive to get into an affair with her student. It is like something from hispanic telenovela. Also it is a major disappointment in the main character. Because what I did like about the woman was that she was COOL, level headed. She was not supposed to be all livid because of some kitchy family feud. The romance line got spoiled, the boy's mother, nicknamed "Devil", also ceased to be impressing, after we watched her hispanic telenovela background story in detail. Sometimes less is more. My fun was gone, suddenly I was watching a family melodrama. And I'm not interested in family melodramas...
The writer then played with a possibility of the two lovers actually being half-siblings: but even with such a desperate card, I ceased to pay attention, and since episode 6-7, I just watched the pretty pictures (the bedscene does not disappoint) and quit caring about the "drama", which in my opinion was worse and more incompetent than had they just let this be "shallow" guilty-pleasure show. Lesson in love? This was not.
With the "family secret" being now the only plot, after 10 episodes I wouldn't mind if the "drama" ended, it was annoying and going in circles, the hot scenes were over and for the angst Edward Chen was not good enough actor. I just smirked at his reaction when his "teacher" dumped him, and scenes like him running after her car were so ridiculous that I openly laughed. Thank goodness they got back together soon. I really didn't need anything but a nice couple of couple scenes from this couple;-)
Any attempts for something "deeper" didn't strike it with me. I couldn't care less for the boy's mother, or his classmates, or for the fellow teacher/director who knew her situation best, and was such a good friend to her, yet suddenly insisted on being her suitor. Just the fact she still did teach in the same school where everyone knew she had an affair with her student made the whole thing ridiculous. Like watching Edward Chen in that uniform. They should do more scenes when he's NOT wearing it. Yeah, I mean it that way, lol:)
Final episode keeps solving "problems" I didn't care rat's a** about, but I liked the scene where father & son went together for a drink. And then the following scene of both the main boy's parents. Yeah, weirdly enough, after I've already given up on the mother, my interest was brought back in last episode by the side-character of the father. Well, at least the father's actor was decent. Unlike Edward Chen, who was practically constantly making faces, which presented the majority of his "acting". Still, kind of symbolical of this erratic show. Yes, erratic: good, SIMPLE scene is followed by a scene where I had to smirk, when reporters appeared with so many microphones, like they were to inquire about a state-level incident, lol.
But, what was NOT out of proportion in this series? What was not the writer's failure? Why was I glad for the couple that saved their marriage, who were not exactly the characters I was supposed to care about most? Why the most levelheaded character ended up to be the one I was afraid will rape the main heroine or something? I'm not even mentioning the last 25 minutes of the runtime had yet another Genre change. This was SO all over the place. But, to find that out, just watching 1st episode should be sufficient... Decide for yourself, whether a few skinship scenes would be worth the time for you;-)
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It's more of a Comedy. It's full of embarassing moments: for the girl. Though she's supposed to be more experienced and successful in dating. The boy is cool. Though he's supposed to be just a 16 year old brat, lol.
During the few epis this show does have, he receives love confession from 3 different girls. It looks like every girl he knows is in love with him:-) Then, last episode is all about him suddenly missing the main girl. I couldn't help reminiscing the 1st epi: he plain told her that if she's hitting on him, he's not interested:-D Something like that is like a slap in the face. Somehow, it did not make it up for me, him looking wistfully at her FACEbook later, lol.
But, with the last 10 minutes on the runtime... We have to have an ending. So, try your guess whether it's a happy one;-)
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I instantly shipped her with the chief:-) I didn't care for the ex-husband at all!:-)
Well, they met in the hospital at circumstances that were most dramatic and funny!:-) The first episode drama peaked on THEIR first introduction. And it continued... If it was not romance, then it was fromance, I didn't care. I just ENJOYED it...:-) And so, the other people in there, I considered those all side-characters. Her family as the sister and her guy, the ex-husband (typical korean girly face, and the character was not that likeable either), or the ex in-laws (pretty unwatchable)...First, I thought her past was just something she needed to get... well, past. I didn't realize the scriptwriters intended some kind of getting back story. But it's true she's got her ex and he's got his ex, there in the hospital every day. So, instead of the two people I liked getting together, they were both supposed to get back to their respective exes?
I never watched the opening credits till when I was 10 episodes in... Then I finally realized that the leading role seemed really to be the ex-husband. So, the whole time I shipped different couple than was intended!:-) At epi 9-10, I could see the script TRIED to look romantic for the two leads, but why was I only looking forward when the chief would show up? Epi 12, the ex-husband started to act real creepy. NOT what I wished to watch here... I really don't like Choi Jin Hyuk and his type of face (even after a decade of watching korean dramas, I'm still having trouble to accept how their MEN look like).
Epi 18, I had to smirk when the lead girl ran several floors upstairs and then let the ex husband listen to her heart thumping as a romantic "proof". That way I am in love with my aerobic trainer, LOL. But the chief... he admitted to his ex there is someone new to his heart! Aw... So cute!:-) And episode 14, there is him interacting with a little boy with no parents, which could be so annoying or soppy but instead, it was touching in a brilliant funny way. So, was I really shipping the wrong guy? I don't think so!:-)
But, I admit my viewing enjoyment rather dropped... When I was occasionally having a good time during an episode that had a lot of scenes with the chief (he was SO cute and funny at the same time:) then still the ex-husband got in the middle of it and spoilt the party for me. I really didn't get what his "drama" was. That story of their past marriage was so dead from the start. Why didn't they just let the new drama flow? The new surroundings, chief was clearly dominating the scene. I might not just as much as NOTICE the ex-husband if not for the constant inserted flashbacks. But then, even the chief had to split his endearing scenes in between the main heroine and the ex-girlfriend of his own. It's really like the opening credits. We just HAVE TO have her and her ex. Him and his ex. Not just her & him. *Sigh*.....
I grew more and more bored and disengaged with the main story (I found even the hospital cases more interesting)... By episode 19 out of 21, I was still rooting for the chief. And it was not just him, also her. She repeatedly showed more than common interest in him. I do know many k-dramas suffer with the "second lead syndrome". Still, this seems rather extreme case. Right from the start to almost end of this drama, I mostly ignored the supposedly main guy and the drama did not suffer for it.
But seriously, I just don't see the point of having a second guy for the main heroine there untill the LAST EPISODE, watching wistfully as she kisses somebody else. Even if I imagined that he's NOT more likeable than the lead, why keep having him there? Why for TWENTY ONE episodes, he must keep hanging? Is this called drama writing? Forgive me, but I consider this weak writing, morelike. GOOD romance doesn't need a third person. Having additional one to keep the story going proves there's not much good about the main one to begin with. Also, there will always be some viewers liking the other guy more and I don't see any reason to undermine the lead romance like that. Even in less extreme cases as this. Anyway, the final was as draggy and uneventful more than anything else, lol. The most emotional moment was when a SECONDARY character received a POSTCARD. Now, read the previous sentence again, as it speaks best about this drama on the whole.
I liked the main actress, also her character. She knew how to be humble, not just feisty:-)
NOTE: I don't like the poster. The main girl has different hair colour, her face is unrecognizable, plus she's there with the wrong guy.
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This review may contain spoilers
A MDL user called 'Empress' recommended this one among "Sexy Hot steamy Dramas": so I did go to watch it, as that is precisely what I look for in my drama, LOL. (Even if Empress called it 'Love is the Beast' incorrectly, but I think that is even a better title, LOL. )It has many episodes to look forward for all the steaminess, which is not really there (and if it is, it's some kind of awkward/fake kiss attempt) but I liked the lead couple (both the male & female counterpart) tremendously, so I kept on.
Had I not shipped the two of them to be together so much I might have quit watching out of boredom, the story's progress is not satisfying for a long time. By the 2/3 of the drama's length, I repeatedly thought it was long due for the main guy to tell the girl clearly that he loved her. It would have helped things a lot and finally move a bit forward, but instead we watch stagnation at one same point, or her getting closer to another suitor who is his brother (why do we always have to have a brother as a love rival?), which is not necessary as I've mentioned, the main couple is good enough. There's the evil sister too, getting an awful lot of screentime, but it doesn't really matter whether she's there or not.
I don't know what 'Empress' saw in this but I felt like taking imaginary scissors and just cut out the leading guy and girl, then put them into some other story. Hopefully, a story more about the two of them and less about other people. Perhaps that's what the scriptwriters can no longer write and that's why they need the side-characters so much? Or is it a production thing. They always need to employ more cast. Be it whatever, I'm starting to get frustrated.
And the steamy hot bits? Somehow I even forgot to watch out for those. As the series progressed, it was clear we won't easily get to anything much for quite some time. There's lot of repetitive background music that is dated. There's lot of repetitive scenes, for that matter. 31 episodes is a bit much if nothing is happening (MDL lists 33 episodes, even... but I watched 31 and I'm pretty sure the 31st was final).
It's like the main couple is forbidden to simply talk things out and get some real story, instead we watch LONG string of misunderstandings and half-finished conversations that lead nowhere. Both sides of the main couple are never able to say the 1 sentence they really need to say. While the side-characters never fail to give lengthy speeches. Or something outside happens, so that the lead cannot speak. If that's the way to keep "drama" going, then my aunt could probably write better dramas.
When the lead heroine got kidnapped in episode 24, I tuned out completely... Is there going to be a rape and amnesia, too? So, I fastforwarded a bit, she was already free and talking to the brother ("great", the brother again). I skipped again. There simply is nothing watchable except the scenes featuring both the male & female lead. I am really watching this for THEM. Literally. Oh, the guy did what he was supposed to at least 10 episodes earlier. It's too late. But the two of them are really hot. I could watch more of the bed scene.
When I got to the phase where he tells her and SHOWS her that he loves her I was happy, I really loved them together. For a moment, it felt like the whole drama was good. It just needed to be decrapified and now we'll have lots of main couple scenes and their interactions, so it's practically perfect... Of course, that was what I just was telling myself:-)
Soon we are back to the cr*p of course, solving still through the last episodes. That INSTEAD of her telling him she loved him too, for once. Telling him about the things he did not know that caused him to misunderstand for so long. Which is what the viewers were waiting for almost 30 episodes! They have the conversation but it's unfinished. Very frustrating... And him attending a TALK SHOW (seriously), was not what I had in mind for the happy last episode, LOL.
Btw, I didn't see improvement in the character of the mean sister till literally the last minute, though I liked the way it happened. But I had to laugh when the final happy end came. Instead of them clearing things out, she just comes up in the wedding gown with the newborn twins, LOL. No need for further talking, heh.
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The first half of the lakorn is shot on the same beach (I guess in Phuket?) where they shoot ALL the beach scenes in all lakorns, this time it's supposed to be some fictional island to where the viles of civilization haven't yet fully reached. Everyone is open and honest here and in all that naivety they attempt to create some kind of blue-lagoonish romance between the two. Then the reality strikes.
Alongside with that comes Mint Natwara in her usual nang'rai role (but wait, lately I have watched several of her earlier nang'ek roles, and she redeemed herself with me, she CAN do both:) where she can break her neck in trying to get the main guy while all the time there is Pope Thanawat (once again more decent acting/looking than the lead) devotedly waiting for her. You could say: what the...? But, you know how it is in lakorns.
After that, there's loads of drama, of course. Not working on me, of course: as I need to feel for the characters and their emotion/humor, first. Never mind, this lakorn just joined my average forgettable material.
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'Touch Your Heart' fullfills its title's promise
Touch Your Heart? After watching it for 4 episodes or so, it already did. Touch my heart. It was Romantic & Funny:-) It was also nothing special, I overall give it 7 out of 10. BUT it was the drama you'd give like 'Miss Congeniality' award. It was simply sweet. Nothing unnecessary added to annoy you much (there's some obvious product placement, and obvious fan service, but nothing in the actual drama).Let's start with the cast. The leading actress, 37 years old but looking really youthful AND CUTE, is actually a good actress. Whose good acting gets often lost in how cute she is. But make no mistake, she IS good. Her partner in this, the 38 year old Lee Dong Wook, forever burned in my memory for his 2005 'My Girl', has changed. And he's not the same hot and sexy, oh no now after his face got all whitened and "perfected" he looks a bit like a porcelain doll. I no longer like him, and thanks to that I was not really that invested in the romantic side of this show, to say the truth. As for the rest of the cast: I immensely appreciate every single face in that law firm (though the name of that law firm was ridiculous, for korean law firm especially), their casting was SPOT ON, and THEY were the ones that made this simple and not-outstanding story WORTH watching.
Apart from fromantic, this show was FUNNY. It even had funny background music! So bizarre at times (like, what was up with the ethno playing each time someone was falling flat on their face? LOL). There were court cases which were engaging enough, made you laugh or cry. Practically all the people in the law office were HILARIOUS. And the boss could not be MORE gay if he tried. I LOVED his clothes, just taking a good look at those sent me laughing each time, including his socks. And if the actress was assigned to that divorce lawyer in episode 1, the whole show could be even funnier. Shim Hyung Tak was great. Also enough good looking to be the lead. Lee Dong's fans forgive but I would not expressly miss him in this show if he wasn't there. Everybody else was cracking me up. But him, I did not really care whether the actress shall start dating him or not. Nevertheless, she started liking him pretty early and also took the first initiative. It was not very exciting for me on the romance front, though it was occasionally cute and funny, mostly how he was clueless. 1st kiss is at 1/2 of the series and it's not very exciting one to say the least.
Then we have a plot with a stalker whose face is actually kinda girly... But, we ARE in Korea. Weirdly feminine men EVERYWHERE. Then it gets all dumb by episode 13/16, when the main lawyer must try and save mentally incapacitated man from being sentenced for life in prison, even if we are in south korea, not north. So the lawyer (beside the obligatory noble idiocy break-up with the actress) needs to break every kind of code in his profession to take his case personally (which is not needed, he might as well get another lawyer do it) to show that he is "nice". The only thing keeping the show going by that time is the funny secondary couple. Because watching Lee Dong Wook making sad faces at bus stops (with his "new" face already distorted, so that when a huge tear is falling over his cheek, I get nervous it might start actually falling apart - kinda Michael Jackson moment there) was more creepy than touching.
But, apart from this stupidity, what I appreciated most about this drama were the things which were NOT in it: clingy secondary females, loud screamers, dragging love triangles with secondary males, "funny" secondary characters which were not funny (these the hell WERE), totally skippable secondary plots (these were all organic and interested us at least a little), uneccessary "shocking surprises" (like exes coming back from the dead, etc.) and many more you can think of. Yes, I appreciated all the things that were MISSING more than those that were there. I was not really thrilled for the main couple romantically, but I had a pleasant warm feeling. All the secondary cast was adorable, and eligible for some kind of 'Team Super Cute' title:-))
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At present, she has 18 years old son. He has his own viewpoint on his mother's relationship, which is probably supposed to be funny... Also, his line with the girl-stalker was totally unwatchable so I skipped the son entirely.
Saitoh Takumi is a bit hidden in his long hair in this one, at times he looks a bit funny but on the other hand, he'd be too hot for the woman otherwise:) There's the "Sexual Content" Tag... After the two meet, they get to be alone as soon as episode 2. At one point, she starts crying and he starts kissing:) Then they become lovers but it's heavily subtexted by the childhood backstory and that he lies about something which interrupted the viewing flow for me (but it's not that there are long or explicit bedscenes in this anyways). After some anticipation, it fell flat for me when they got together as I was not interested in all the past stuff. (Including the recent past, like the woman he dumped for the main heroine, but we keep watching her.)
The last 3 episodes, I finished them only out of courtesy. (When on the top of everything someone is revealed to have brain tumor, I really wished to turn the show off.) It was a pitty because Harada Tomoyo was really cute and attractive in this drama in her unique way, I actually liked the more the longer I watched her. And her Kasumi had enough character charm even for younger, successful man to fall for. This did not need all the added stuff (I might even say, all the added cr*p). Unfortunatelly, that got to dominate and it whole did not prove to be as sexy as it promised to be. (Even Maho got no nice scene with Kaichi.)
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Good airport drama/ Bad fantasy melodrama
'Where Stars Land' centers around Incheon Airport. Unfortunatelly, set in some alternative reality.At the airport, we are introduced to many people. They are all professionals (except the main girl, who does not behave professionally), plus even their characters are all really interesting and/or funny. Except the main couple (more about that later). The "ordinary" airport dramatic situations were handled well. It all had good standard until we had to solve the supernatural problem. Then it dropped.
Yes: the airport-drama side of this was actually good. I was NOT enjoying the melodrama-fantasy. Romance was working only for the secondary couple/s of just ordinary humans. As for the characters, the more interesting they actually were, the less screentime they had, and vice versa. Typical episode was like: The main guy is possibly dying and I only find it corny and boring. A random secondary guy is solving an airport problem and he ROCKS. So, while I do cheer for Chae Soo Bin, who got well noticed by producers in 'Sassy Go Go' and deservedly got main role, as for her 10 years older partner in this, I definitely preferred him crying over unsolved murders through time-travel radio, than being/not being wheelchaired. I'm sorry, but thumps down for the main couple. Girl might as well tried dating her friend Eun Seob, for all I cared.
The added fantasy melodrama actually made the drama less good, not better. Less is more, I say it always. But drama producers never say this to themselves.
It's a pitty because what we can see more and more clearly when dealing with all the "normal" airport problems, is that the whole huge machinery just tries to ensure that all the people get on with their travels peacefully and smoothly. No matter what human emotion rises at the moment, it always follows logic. But then, when dealing with the supernatural, all logic is thrown out of the window, for the sake of the "drama". It's actually a step backwards to dated drama. What's refreshing is to show just how much effort is needed only to maintain peace. No corny villains are actually needed, it's always the simple human recklessness, laziness and folly which is enough to create danger. That would be a modern drama. That could be this drama. Just if the producers deemed it ENOUGH without the "fantasy duo" put in.
I actually cared about many of the airport side-characters and would welcome seeing more glimpse of their fate, but obviously the writer wanted me just to be thrilled whether the main guy does return as the "superhuman" or not. As for the "action final" epi & final scene, I would rate it 3 stars, tops.
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Super-frustrating journey with super-likeable mains
It's the exact opposite of what the english title says: Main girl & main guy (they're both really hot... sorry, I just had to mention it:) obviously love each other already. But they are confused about it, because many years back, they decided to be only friends. I must say that as soon as episode 5/16, I already felt kind of sad. Something was up, there were things half hinted, but the two never really talked it out. This even reminded me of telenovelas or thai lakorns with the Arranged Marriage / Misunderstanding trope, where the main couple's "story" usually drags for 100 episodes or whatever long runtime they need the whole series to have: because the two people aren't able to talk basic things through, despite living together in 1 room the whole time! So, while this drama has all the qualities expected from j-dramas, it DOES work with an exceptionally poor quality story to begin with. This irony represents itself in this j-drama having 16 episodes instead of the usual 10. While I would jump with joy in case of practically any other j-drama to be a bit longer, because I tend to love them, unfortunatelly this is the case of super frustrating over-drag, inherited from the original, which caused the episode boost.First, I thought: They CAN work it out, just the reason why in the past he had insisted so much that he would never, ever fall for her, had to be revealed. I felt that until the main girl learns about this, she would not be able to really proceed with him. Instead, we got the super clingy secondary female... She's like scary since episode 5. I was afraid that she will plague the whole drama, never leaving main guy's side (who was way too nice to tell her to get lost). While what happened was she actually tried to help a bit, in the end. And then instead...
Other secondary character "unexpectedly" returns to the scene. Main girl's most notable ex, in fact. He appears, has very open conversation with main guy, during which he openly speaks the truth. Including the truth about main guy's feelings for main girl. Not afraid to describe things by their name, he calls a spade a spade, and that sets FURTHER to display how much the people of concern have omitted to say. And yes, there they are right in the following scene, endlessly conversing about FOOD. The more I shipped them together, the more frustrating it was that even when the most romantic kind of situation offered itself, the two of them didn't grab on it and fully express their feelings. Instead, the secondary characters got involved even MORE.
Then, at 1/2 of the drama, we have our main guy finally ready to confess to main girl immediatelly. But any time he tries, circumstances prevent him from completing 1 single conversation (it's like in hispanic telenovelas). Plus, her ex is coming for her. Would HE be quicker to speak to her? Of course. Episode 8, the two do have their crucial conversation. The two mains DON'T. Epi 9, main guy's mother lectures him about success in love being Feeling,Timing,Happening. Well, this guy certainly has enough feeling for his girl. But his problems with timing went to the absolute extreme. Just why did he tell her years back that he will never, ever consider her as a girlfriend? Why the two were so extremely cursed with bad timing whenever one/both of them felt like expressing they actually felt more than friendship? They had countless chances during the long years. Even now, each time they meet, they don't mention the most important thing they need to say to one another, because at the current moment there is always something they can argue about. That's repeated over and over. It's like I mentioned above: the root cause is in the bad writing inherited from the taiwanese original.
Therefore, I decided I should probably just resign on what the hell was HAPPENING in the drama, and just enjoy all the other qualities it has to offer... Since I loved watching both the two mains (they both are really attractive, they have charm, ML has very captivating face, and I loved how FL dressed at work), I went from there. Just tried to enjoy their scenes without hoping they would actually make their love story satisfying. That was the best way to keep watching this drama... I remember there was nothing like that to keep me with the 2011 taiwanese original. I dropped that after 1 episode. I knew I won't drop this, but I admit my frustration. It looked like the writer REALLY wanted both the mains to date other people. There is so much of past flashbacks and follow-up development of main girl with Asaka Kodai's side character, that viewers might start doubting whose love story this is. Is it actually about THEM getting back together? Answer is simple, no, just another side-effect of the bad writing. But feel free to get frustrated, drop this drama or call this drama bad. I watched enough thai, philipino, vietnamese, some of taiwanese and chinese television to know what's BAD, lol. But! While I know this is not a bad show, it IS portraying a colossally bad story. I am repeating myself in this review... But, it does repeat in those 16 episodes.
It goes on for so long that even the viewers who did ship the main couple together might quit wishing them to succeed. I was like that, too. That is the biggest proof that romance has failed. And if romance fails, how good can romantic drama be? So, after all, I do understand the viewers calling it bad. Scenes like "him going to confess but catching the girl the exact second when she got hugged by her ex and then leaving before at least also seeing that she pulled away" exhausted my patience decades ago and long before watching them here. But, after all, who knows how old the source material for the script actually was. Soon after that failed confession they make the two mains have a Misunderstanding conversation which will put any future confession in a wrong light... It's because they both ALWAYS avoid the word love and start conversation on some side-point instead, hoping to gradually get to it. Instead of the converstation to develop the way they wanted, it of course gets stuck on something that prevents it. While the supporting character rivals never fail to say "love" right away. Thus planting the seed of romance into main's hearts. We can watch main girl getting hugged by other guy and to almost receive a kiss, despite her struggling her ex is seen to still not give up and kisses her cheek at least, giving her his "poison", again. The one who really loves her LEAVES before even attempting anything and throws flowers intended for her into garbage. It's then difficult to cheer for such "couple".
Yes, it's difficult to watch a "story" where the love rivals are so apt in taking every opportunity and make the most of it, while the mains fail every time at the basics. How do you fight against such script? So, soon the rival brings his own flowers. And THOSE get accepted. Other reviews commented on how the couple-moments between main girl and her ex were the kind of moments they would wish for the main couple to have. That says it all. Episode 10 is perfect example of what happens when the writer goes too far on this kind of sub-plot. It's in every under/average romance plot dating back decades. LONG before "Team Jacob" T-shirts. And the dated drama prop of "leaving a letter/note/sms/voice-message to convey the most precious information" cements it. We're back to stone-age way of writing dramas. Are we enjoying ourselves?
Next episodes, there's many real kiss scenes with FL & Asaka Kodai... WHO were the producers cheering for, here? Why these two look so adorable together? This really got out of hand. LOL. Episode 13, they're still at it. How long will this go on? Then out of all the possible options, FL learns about ML's feelings the worst possible way, and the worst possible timing (aw, this show's main theme:) Then, even as late as the last 2-3 episodes, we have the mains tell each other the most important things only through (unlistened) voicemails or (unsent) postards...
While this review sure does list all the complaints about the frustrating "storytelling" and writing, it should also be noted that the main couple had their qualities. They were both likeable and perfect for each other, I loved their relationship (their badly written fighting excluded) and honestly believed that they should marry. It was well portrayed that despite Asaka Kodai's side character seeming to be the more romantic kind of boyfriend, he wasn't the true love and the right one and I appreciated that. Any other drama would let his guy be the lead. On the other hand, when the mains do finally get together, it's a bit anticlimax. There's just 1 kiss scene, I loved it, but it was a very brief thing in long sea of screentime. They should have shown more of them having attraction, than being good friends, we watched them being good friends for 16 episodes already. Still, I watched this to the end. I loved the final episode, where we could watch the main girl having her life journey symbolized by her love for shoes. It really was more than just an occupation for her and the final scene with her family was precious. I loved the main leads of this. Now the Thai remake is ahead of me, "starring" Pae Arak whom I cannot stand, so I guess I'll be done with that one very quickly, LOL. In the end, I rated this drama higher than I first expected (I was SO set to give it a low rating:-), for the message it left in me.
Note: The ending credits song is WAY better (Enon Kawatani!;-) than the (crappy) opening song. They should have used it on opening credits, too... Or other one by the same artist.
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A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love
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Okay, about the romance drama:) Despite FL's friend (cousin?) Masashi being hot and trying to tell her that he would in fact like to date her (she's a funny one to court, her character is oblivious, also some scenes her back is acting out and she needs to use a cane to walk:) that's more or less swept under a rug and she repeatedly keeps running into a bunch of high-schoolers, which is presented as a major plot. Indeed there is one high-schooler in particular. He has a cute, attractive face, somehow that is even magnified by the ridiculous pink hair. For his age, he is also rather observant and his personality is not uninteresting. His life is currently at crossroads, similar to which the main heroine once passed. So, she kind of finds her fulfilment now in helping him. And he, kind of starts liking her as a woman...? There's quite an age gap.
I continued watching on and I did like. I liked the characters, the cast (the main actress looks great of course, and she doesn't seem too old) and the relaxed slice-of-life kind of vibe it all had. By the way, Nagayama Kento looks gaunt and tired on this show (though still very handsome), it looked really convincing when his character fainted from being overly exhausted. Junko indeed is in a reverse-harem situation, as apart from Masashi she has yet one more suitor to choose from. While I thought both the other guys were more suitable for her than her student, I was definitely drawn in the small story about whether he suceeds in his studying. It also meant whether she succeeds in teaching him.
Things turn quite dramatic at one point (8/10), the lives are seriously affected and it turns out, all 3 suitors our main heroine has are not only exceptionally handsome, also exceptional people. She's almost ordinary in compare, but she is likeable. Then we continue like almost nothing happened, only the boy improved his relationship with his father and one of the suitors got definitely side-lined. Then it's only between the guy who's like a brother to her and the one too young for her.
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They are both cheaters
Got your attention, right? Anyways, that's just a black and white version of this story. But this drama is not called 'BlackAndWhite And Moonlight', it's 'Dark Blue And Moonlight'...So, first off, to deal with the moral issue some viewers would definitely have. When I first watched the 1st episode, I openly laughed and made a comment right below here. But, it DID get my attention;-) So I continued on, of course I do understand people's reservations. But, people are not computers, human feelings and emotions are not limited like memory or disk space. If it was like that, then if you'd have 10 children then what, you would no longer be able to love some of them? Truth is there is absolutely no limit to how many people we are able to love, each in their unique way. So, we all know this that we can love more than one person at the same time yet most of us wish to maintain good relationship so we need a strong moral compass to navigate in the huge ocean of relationships. That's life. That's why there are so many wisdom advice about how we must control our emotions, how relationships needs work, how we can't follow our every impulse. It's nothing new. This little drama just tries to depict the reality of how the right person might not always be the one available. How we are incredibly lucky to even meet. How it's possible the right one might not be the one we were able to firmly lock in our life, how it might be the one we only briefly held for a few moments. Though the way it was shown in episode 1 it did come across as ridiculous (there is even a follow-up scene when the characters themselves mock it a bit:), I think the intention here was to honestly potray how the right one, though not necessarilly the morally right one (the one who did stay and did take care of us) just slips out and both Hai Qing & Yan Fei were not just able to turn into stone and wait for the next super coincidence to meet again, no they would have to be immensely weird actually, to just live alone and wait, to not interact with the great person who was right there, to not feel for them. Yes, they lived with somebody else, I was able to understand that, and I think the drama portrayed all this in very humane way.
Now, about the actual drama. One of the reasons this might feel slightly shallow is the short runtime. Things seem to happen one right after another due the short screen time, though it might not be that short time for the characters. The cast is attractive, with the type of looks that fits the role, they make a good contrast, and share decent onscreen chemistry. There are enough side characters who are likeable, though their backstories are only hinted, again with the short runtime. The drama works well with colors, music score, visual poetry (it does follow the moon theme, etc.) and the songs are just beautiful. Some scenes had obviously lower budget, used wherever location was available (though they managed to find a few that looked interesting), there is background noise clearly to be heard along with the dialogue, sometimes dog barks during important conversation, etc:)
As for the climax and ending, I love skinship scenes, clearly episode 1 & 7 I was the most happy, then there's the beach trip in episode 8, which in my personal taste would suffice for cute happy ending, then more human drama follows and sort of an open ending (did not appeal to me that much).
Overall this is a small canape, not a full-course meal;) Still, it has a nice re-watch quality and none of the characters has a happy-go-lucky mentality (they all have issues, actually) so it's not really that shallow.
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Also, while I like short & funny, with Chap Suppacheep, I want more than just a funny 1 minute thingy... It is a disappointment that this guy got sidelined from doing dramas to do just this. There are guys I WOULD like to get rid of and just send them do funny shorts. But Chap Suppacheep, I'd give him big role.
While this is funny & cute, and there's the funny use of songs, in the end it's not much more fullfilling than watching Chap Suppacheep in some side-role, like 'Lovely Writer'... What of it? Basically, we get to watch him and the girl in some completely unrelated bits, where mostly we can see that he is hot as hell, also totally cute... Yeah, but we knew it already after 'Lovely Writer' or 'Y-Destiny'. Here, we did NOT get to watch a satisfying romance story with him once again. But it WAS sweet. And short, and hot;-) So, I won't rate it badly.
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This is FUN. All the 1 HOUR long k-dramas, LEARN.
I just finished watching this and couldn't resist giving it a 10 rating:-)While I did discover short-length web dramas already, and have been watching more than 1 in parallel, like 'Noble, My Love' or 'Hot And Sweet', so at first I did not actually give that much attention to this one, in the end I must rate it even higher than 'Noble, My Love'.
This was a show in which I LOVED the funny side-characters EVEN MORE than the lead romance! Which is NOT typical for me at all. I laughed SO hard at times. Loved the music (잉키, 전세진), too.
The only stumble was the characters said directly to the camera that they'd "meet in season 2", which never happened. But I think this was perfect already.
This show is SUPER hilarious & SUPER romantic AT THE SAME TIME. Which is precisely what I seem to love the most... I'll definitely re-watch this and keep it in my k-drama collection.
EDiT: Just re-watched this for the 3rd time... I LOVE this:-)))
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This review may contain spoilers
You might discard first 9 episodes. Then, listen to nice music:)
Besides Win & Bright, there are Frank & Drake, too. I remember these two VERY well. Drake's hair now got longer (too long) and he looks slimey. He was actually more hot in 'My Tee' where he was only 18, lol. I seriously think thai tv (and not only thai) should improve on male hair. Nobody seems to have a proper haircut. Why not cut the short male hair actually short, so it doesn't need to be combed into slimy 'do, using I don't know how much of hair-product? That's so eighties. Can we finally move past that, even in Thailand? I'm afraid I can't take not only a gay guy, but even "manly guy" seriously, if I can clearly see exactly which direction he combed his hair so vigorously, lol. Drake needs the scissors desperately: he has such wild eye-brows he doesn't need to have also a ponytail sticking out of his head, lol. Frank also looked better in his debut drama. It's not such a big difference like with Drake, but even his hair looks worse plus he's got sideburns now, so it's not what it was. I watched 'My Tee' ('Cause You're My Boy') and found out these two had astonishing chemistry together. The series itself was complete failure, it looked it was all done by amateur volunteers, but boy do I remember the cast. They are not the main ones here, though...No, we watch Win Metawin's character's story, here. This boy, ordinary but with full lips totally like a girl so I suppose he's the gay holy grail, is shown as someone who has plentiful options & offers on the dating field. However, most of his female dates proved annoying and after all that he gets pursued by a "toot", meaning openly gay guy. The gay is very persistent & takes no for an answer. First, Win Metawin's character asks his friends to help him to get rid of him. They suggest one idea more stupid than another, just anything but telling the guy the truth. Of course Win's main guy gets more and more entangled as a result, instead of losing his interest. Then him and all his friends figure that the only logical solution is for Win's character to find a fake date who would finally firmly tell the gay to leave him alone:D
Bright's character then gets introduced. I don't find Bright that much more attractive than Win, actually (and I already heard that he is going to be "new Domyouji"), but at least his character here is tiny bit more likeable for not having any social media account, lol. Despite that, he's got even more fangirls than the main boy, so he's supposed to be the one who is credible enough to stop his persistent gay suitor. If you got lost in the logic, then I wasn't alone.
Since episode 3, the unexplicably super-popular boy agrees (also unexplicably) to date/fake date (who cares) the main boy. Seemingly without reason. The only explanation could be this boy is gay, too. Only doesn't show it so openly as the other suitor he's supposed to block. Also, he must like main boy already. Else it all makes ZERO sense. The synopsis describes this story is about them both realize their feelings slowly, but it could not work that way. Had he already not have some, then at such early stage Bright's character would not do all this.
To be fair, it's not that straight dramas are different, as their romance leads also tend to invest plenty of their time and effort into each other from the start, even though they claim that they don't like each other. But, with them we know that even 180-degree turn would not mean changing/questioning/revealing their sexual orientation.
I found it best watching this "drama" as it goes, just "enjoying" each single scene within itself. And pay no mind to however it does/not fit into the whole picture. The best example is the music club (they spell it "musical club", but they don't really do musicals, so I think they just don't know proper english) the main boy enters. On the scale of only 3 episodes, the club is desperate to find new members, evaluating and expelling members, recruiting new members (again)... I simply ceased to pay attention.
Nevertheless, both the boys like music, which means we get to listen to them play guitar and sing (it sounds like a toddler whining). After just 5 episodes, the two sleep at each other's lap, and Bright's character, who is literally besieged by girls wherever he goes, says to main boy that he never had a girlfriend, and when main boy asks him what is his type, he stares at him intently and says that he actually likes... There he gets interrupted, but like I said, it all looks like the falling in love began since day 1 and not like "slow realization". I think during episode 5 Bright's character does little things that show he's already in love. Either way, at the end of that episode he even kisses main boy.
Now, as for Frank & Drake's characters, they began interacting in episode 6. It's nothing very exciting at first, I found even Mike Chinnarat's side-line more fun...
Episode 9, the two main boys are already close. They get into situations which could be viewed as romantic, but now they no longer kiss, they tease each other in friendly manner, instead. So, did the show really hit the brake and now tries to turn this into bromance? I don't have any problem if the two boys just like to be friends. But, just what was all the stuff before about? Lol. Then, in the end of this episode, he asks him to be his boyfriend. There you go. Try and make sense of it!
Episode 10 out of 13 opens with the main boy sitting with his friends with them asking: "So, was he asking you to be his boyfriend for real, or it was just a part of the show?" So ironic to actually hear in a show's dialogue the main question its viewers would like to ask. To be this far in the story and to still not be able to tell what the heck the main relationships are, I'd say then the show has a problem, lol.
Not that this was UTTERLY without humour. The only running gag I was able to perceive was one of the boys being obsessed with touching the other boy's "boobs". Considering he did not have any, it was probably meta-humour. Silly me. Aww... Alright, the two boys MOVE IN together and THEN they become really cute! I admit their moving-in, living-together montage WAS funny and finally what I should expect. So, okay, they are boyfriends. I would not be sure from the previous 9 episodes, but now I know, and I like:) Perhaps the series should have started at THIS point and not earlier.
Wow, did the writer AND director change, else how is taht things are suddenly SO much better after the two mains moved in together? Amazing. Now even I want to ship Tai & Sarawat, lol. Then, Tai's stuck-up brother also moves in with them for a while, to terrorize the couple:-) And Mike Chinnarat's side-line blooms now:-) Hilarious. Frank & Drake have a first good scene! We got the flutter and laughter... Overall, we got to the stage where "the party got started", like they say. Good, only we have now just 3 episodes left.
Well, better than nothing. But, episode 11 starts rather boring. But then, there are many flashbacks, showing us the first lame 9 episodes in new light. And, it's about one of the boys liking the other from the start. Just like I wondered in episode 3. Then episode 12 the fun stops, and instead of the two guys ENJOYING living together, we give importance to some side-girl and having one of the boys secretly jealous. I say, when there are only 2 last epis left, we should be over these games... But like I mentioned, this show's script was always rather empty... So, we have the girl hugging one of the guys and the other crying jealous just before the final. In the end it was more intriguing to watch even Mike Chinnarat's line, which also only barely started, basically after being obsessed with a boy he randomly met and searched for the whole time, he discovered the boy is stuck-up and serious kind of a person way too different from him, and all his friends look down on him.
Overall, what is most fascinating about this show is the music. Like that band which is there with so many songs you really wonder whether they needed the promo so badly that they bothered for this kind of "series". And it's not just the songs: also the electric guitar background music, I absolutely loved it. Else, it's been rather primitive in terms of storytelling... if there WAS a story, actually. I didn't catch anything between Frank & Drake's characters that could be called that:) In the end, we just watch another concert of the band and that's it, lol. But, perhaps it was wrong of me to concentrate on the story here. Actually when we no longer care about how the three couples got "2gether", and just enjoy that they are cute and listen to the nice music at leisure, it's the best watch since the beginning;-)
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Okay, the main couple is supposed to be 38 year old Bee Namthip & 27 year old Film Thanapat?
Not only that, in 'My Name Is Busaba', Bee Namthip is often purposely made to look ugly. As for Film Thanapat, he is hot. So, I enjoyed watching him, for the first time in a lakorn blissfully lacking any criminal plots or plastic surgery identity swaps. Moreover, this had comedy and very cute moments not hiding the age gap. Like when she was crying in front of him about a betrayal of a guy she dated for SEVENTEEN YEARS, lolz. Be it age, work or dating issues, most of their scenes were precious. I often laughed aloud watching. It was clear Bee & Film got in sync by working together previously, their onscreen rapport was spot on. The comedy tremendously helped. As a blessing, no stupid crime themes were present in the drama.Episode 6, there comes Utt Uttsada. According to his year of birth, he should be 47. He does look well preserved, lol. And he's all over Bee Namthip's main heroine. The two look good together, and she doesn's have to be "aunt" with him. They start flirting soonb and Film Thanapat's facial expressions while watching this are priceless. Still, I couldn't help but cheer for the Utt-Bee couple. They had cute dynamics, and Film was seriously too young for Bee.
Nevertheless, I accepted Film gradually as her heart's choice, who wouldn't fall for him?:-) But then we literally spent WHOLE EPISODES watching our main heroine participating in 'SuperChef Thailand'. Which was bit like turning on a tv, to watch someone watching a tv, but as a result we got the screentime filler filled. Which could otherwise undoubtedly consist of classic lakorn "plots" that thankfully didn't have a place here. Rest of the time, we were focused on what's there in romance most to enjoy (another adorable couple in this one was Chef Pao & Noei), though it WAS a bit questionable to keep Bee Namthip's beauty SO toned down (though I did understand it was for a good cause) that she practically looked like a dude. (Last few episodes she started wearing obvious, thick mascara, which looked like a child applied it for the first time.)
There were plots involving family living and bussiness, but emphasis was put on human relationships like friendship, even with "annoying" or bit villain-ish side characters. The parent-child scenes were simple, but powerful and very well delivered. Busaba has colorful family. Nang'rai has her father. Film's praek has a couple of great scenes with his mother. It was actually more enjoyable than the romance in later stages, where Bee kept wearing the obviously fake hair and fake eyelashes and Film's character, who had such a good rapport with her being friends, is suddenly all over her. It seems rather forced, and the kisses look awkward. We then have "plots" like the noble-idiocy separation or writing someone a letter that does not get delivered and misunderstandings and meddling third parties, which was precisely what I previously appreciated we did NOT. The ending is corny, but kinda sweet.
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