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3
The first episode did very well its job. It reeled me in with Daisuke's family mystery and it made me interested in its main characters. I really liked that both main characters had their own mysteries to solve. Then, the opening of the show rolled in and I was a total goner. I loved the concept of everyone being a book you need to read to know its story. At least, that's what I gathered from it.
I, also, really enjoyed the way the actors portrayed their characters. The chemistry between Gouriki Ayama and Kurosawa Ryohei was really good. And I thought Shioriki and Daisuke were awkwardly cute when they were together.
Although the drama is slow paced and has a really mellow atmosphere I think it fits. It helps keep up the mystery and suspense as Shioriko and Daisuke try to solve the mysteries they encounter in each episode. And even though each episode had a different story, it still had a main underlying one running in the background. For me, this made it feel a little less episodic.
The OST was also good. I loved the instrumentals, they seemed to fit the moment just right. And while I did hum and failed to sing along to the ending credits song "Never ending story... la la la.." I doubt, I will be listening to it anytime soon. Unless I rewatch the drama. I think that's the only way I'll listen to it.
There were some things that bothered me though. Why did she have to dress like a bag lady grandma just because she likes books? I tried not to let it bother me too much since I was really interested in the story. The other was the romance. Yes, there was some, but you had to use a microscope without blinking to get a glimpse of it.
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Story: Let's be honest, it's not original. I've watched, at least, one other movie where the witness of a crime is blind. It, also, falls into thriller movie cliches, which makes it ordinary, but that doesn't not mean it's not good. It's actually quite absorbing and you can't help but to give all your attention to it. Also, I love the camera work and the way they blended the world of the blind with the world of the seeing in some scenes.
Acting/Cast: I liked the acting. I thought the ways the characters interacted with each other were very good. I'll admit I had my reserves about it after watching Kim Ha Neul in "You Are my Pet". She had failed to impress me in it. But I'm glad I watched this. She plays a totally different character than she did in YAMP, and does a really good job of it. Yoo Seung Ho is quite impressive in it too.
Music: To be honest, it wasn't bad, but it's quite forgettable. But it did what it was supposed to do in the moment, accompany the actions and pace of the movie.
I'll re-watch this movie eventually since I really enjoyed it.
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The drama wasn't perfect and there were many loopholes, gaps and unexplained/unfinished situations, many of the characters needed to be bitch slapped and some of the couples had no chemistry at all. BUT it's one of the few family dramas which actually make justice to the theme and that's what I loved about it.
I liked that while maybe it was extended a bit too much, the changes that came to the characters and the unity wasn't sudden. You could actually see the bridges being mended and the relationship between father and children grow in a genuine way. Once I decided to focus on that, everything else became padding.
Note: I don't rewatch long dramas, except for Empress Ki and King's Daughter.
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The acting in this drama was very good. I liked how everyone in the cast played their roles from the very grouchy with a touch of sweet Eisuke to weird yet likable Ebina. I thought all the characters worked really well with each other. I also have to say, I really loved Mukai Osamu as Eisuke (he was my favorite character) and I wasn't even a fan of his before I started this. The only character I truly didn't like was Maria, but that just makes me think the actress did a good job. The OST was awesome and it gave even more life to the drama.
I plan to watch this again someday, but I do have to warn those who like their romance. This drama does not have an overabundance of romance, which made it perfect for me, but it does have its sweet moments here and there.
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Underwhelming
At the beginning, the story had great potential, but sadly it never reached it. The storytelling was flat and lackluster when it had the makings to be gripping. The female lead had mostly one expression. This mostly made me want to go in through the screen and rearrange her features as I taught her "This is being sad" or This is angry". I have watched the male lead before and while I liked him in Mystic Pop-Up Bar, I was not particularly impressed by his dual portrayal here. However, he was not as insufferable as the female lead. It would have helped if their couple scenes had an ounce of chemistry, but the only sparks flying in this drama came from lightning. Initially, I also enjoyed the interactions between the king and the imugi, but even this got old soon.The show was underdeveloped which led to an underwhelming result. Luckily, Kim Ji Hoon was there to carry the show on his back and show us how it's supposed to be done. This show did not need 16 episodes.
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“Do You Know How Much I Adore You?”
I have been watching mini dramas because the angst in the full sized(?) ones that have aired this year are not doing it for me. Or better yet, the lack of angst in those is not doing it for me. This drama delivered what I needed! The story is nothing new. They are basically star crossed lovers to whom fate, and their siblings, played a cruel joke to.The acting was pretty good, except sometimes when it was just okay. Yan’er, the female lead, is a mix between a submissive and headstrong woman. I found this understandable because she does mention the circumstances she grew up in. I actually liked her character and could empathize with her. She was in a very difficult situation since she was devoted to carry out her sister’s last wishes, even when that witch did not deserve her loyalty, but also wanted and was unable to express her love for Yuan. Yuwen Yuan, the male lead, was a perfect example of a red flag at the beginning. I really loved to hate him. However, throughout the show he has more colors than the wind (shoutout to Pocahontas’ OST: Colors of the Wind). He was almost like a chameleon changing his colors with the situation. He was never consistently a green flag though. The chemistry between them was perfectly hot and, at times, heartbreakingly sweet. There were some scenes where I needed to remind myself to breathe. While the main leads’ acting was not perfect, I felt the actor who played the second male lead, Emperor Yuwen Yingren, had the most flaws in his acting as he could be overly exaggerated in his portrayal. However, then there were times when his acting was so on point that I wanted to transmigrate into the show and get rid of him. Like for example, when he started shouting and interrupting the main leads’ moment in ep. 17 (Tencent)/Ep. 9 (Viki). I wanted to appear behind him and push him off where he was standing. He was just a delusional pile of stinky trash.
That scene in ep. 17 (Tencent)/Ep. 9 (Viki) was so well done and it was hauntingly beautiful. I loved, loved that scene. I tell you, I had to hug my pillow for emotional support. I wanted pain and misery, didn't I? This scene definitely gave it to me. Still, I rewatched it because it was beautifully done. While my favorite parts were the angst filled ones, the show does have a few comedic scenes sprinkled in, it was just enough to relieve some of the tension and never over the top. I have to say Zhu Li’s, the male lead’s subordinate, comedic timing was just right.
I only remember a few of the instrumental(s) playing songs, which really fitted the scenes, so I guess the OST could have been better.
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A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You
9 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable & Uncomplicated
This was an uncomplicated watch that I enjoyed for the most part.Some things that I would have loved to see were her character have a bit of character development as his did. It would have been nice to have less flashbacks. The last episode had flashbacks that summarized basically everything that happened in their relationship. This also happened somewhere around the middle of the show. It felt like a sort of recap. For the most part, I don't enjoy an abundance use of flashbacks and this was no different as I feel it didn't do anything for the story.
I did like the chemistry between the leads. However and while I enjoy a good slow burn, their relationship moved at a snail pace because of two reasons. One was his job . Being a navy officer took him away from home for long periods of time. And second, their personalities. If one of them had been more outgoing than the other, there would have been fireworks, at least that's what I would like to think. Although, there were some sweet scenes, the drama was also plagued with dead fish kiss scenes. These made me wish they didn't have any kiss scenes at all because that killed the possibility of any extended fluffy feelings I could have felt. I also enjoyed Taki-kun's jealousy era.
Also, while the ending seems sweet, Benshi comes in breaking the magic once again to remind us that the period the characters live in is the Showa period. I never liked Benshi.😬
7.5/10
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Housewife Kim Kwang Ja's 3rd Activities
9 people found this review helpful
I don't think this was among the best things I have watched, but it was light and funny which is just what I needed after watching "heavy" shows for the past few days.
I, also, liked Yang Mi Kyung in this. I loved how she played her role of a housewife gone fan-girl.
The song which made the protagonist into a fan wouldn't be called a masterpiece by any standards, but it was very catchy and I found myself singing along whenever it was played.
I would watch this again since it kept me entertained and gave me a few laughs.
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Entertaining Watch
Okay... So.... Did I guess a bit of the plans of the villains before it happened? Yes. Now, I don't know if that means the drama was predictable or I need to be locked away in an asylum and have the key thrown away. 👀Still with guessing a few things here and there, I found the show was quite enjoyable. There were quite a few scenes, which I will not mention, that gave me goosebumps, even in this 101 F degree weather. These were there to bring out an emotional response from the viewers and they really got me. Especially, when pairing the scenes with background music they used. I cried, squealed, raged a lot, and clapped like a seal while watching this drama.
I thoroughly enjoyed Zhang Yun Long portrayal of Xu Tong Sheng. I was happy to discover Dai Xu and loved short fuse Shen Ye. The way Dai Xu performed in some scenes left me breathless and full of anticipation for what he was going to say next. And if you haven't noticed, I was obsessed with both characters. This was the first Elvira Cai drama I finished. For the most part, I liked Jin Chun, her character, but Jin Chun and I need to talk about some things. Anywho, some things were questionable about the drama. It also dragged a little bit from like mid episode 34 until the start of episode 37. This makes me feel the drama could have been shorter. Additionally, I found strange how ZYL and DX had so many scenes where they were apart. I kept joking that it was because "they were both being divas and didn't get along" so they had to film separately most of the time. LOL
The ending left me in disbelief. It was definitely not the way I would have ended the show. I rated it 8.5/10 because despite its flaws, I was entertained and invested, except for those 2.5 episodes towards the end.
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It really should have been 10 episodes
Our Generation is the kind of show that feels like it was written by chatgpt and never edited by a sentient creature. Some say that the show suffered because of the extreme editing it underwent, apparently it was supposed to be 40 episodes and after the editing process it became 24, but aren’t the best parts of the show supposed to be preserved in order to deliver a “quality” product?While I was never overly excited about it, I was hoping this drama would be the one that made up for all of the trespasses The Princess Royal committed. However, the show quickly becomes a painfully long mess, a dumpster fire, if you will; plagued by unlikeable characters, zero chemistry between the leads, and dialogue that feels like it was written by a lovesick teenager for a wattpad novel. This results in this being Zhang Ling He’s worst drama to date. I never want to watch this couple pairing again and it almost, almost, makes me want to retake The Best Thing and finish it, just so I can cleanse my soul from this mess .
At 24 episodes, this show drags its feet through scenes that add nothing, say nothing, and that leave you feeling numb. So numb that at one point I asked, "is this what having a lobotomy feels like?". It really should have been 10 episodes. The writing tries so hard to be “relatable” and “deep,” but instead gives a severe case of brain rot, forcing you to question why you started it and why you are still watching.
There’s no emotional payoff and no real reason to care about the characters or what is going on in the story. So, you’re just left with characters who are either irritating, extremely unlikeable, and/or completely forgettable, and a story that confuses obsession and compulsion for everlasting love.
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An ending so satisfying it left me in tears
This drama aired without the fanfare of idol dramas and it ended just as quietly. I would have never found out about it if I wasn’t on the lookout for Luo Jin dramas I want to actually watch.Luo Jin as the male lead was excellent. He managed to pull off a dual role with incredible depth and contrast. His portrayal of Su Mu Fan’s savagery and Su Mu Xin’s gentleness was a delight to see. He really brought to life and convincingly portrayed two completely different characters.
Wang Zi Wen as Qu Tong was great as well. She captured the essence of a woman who thought she had lost everything and felt she had nothing left to hold onto. Her portrayal was so raw that you could feel her grief and the pain of what her life had become was almost tangible. As Dustyhymn said, “She is dead inside”. Both Mu Xin and Qu Tong had been dealt an unfair hand by life. Their destinies were not as much chosen by them but by the decisions of those around them.
But while Luo Jin and Wang Zi Wen shined in their roles, the supporting cast cannot go unmentioned. In Beloved, we had three mothers who made decisions which affected their children for life. One was too involved and permissive, another was involved and too strict, and then there is the boys’ mother who we didn’t see much of but whose decisions deeply impacted both boys from early childhood and left scars so deep that even a life swap and adulthood couldn’t undo. So to say that this drama is a portrayal of how resentment, pain, grief, and abuse has lasting effects on the human mind is not completely off base.
The pacing of the drama was good, the acting was excellent, and the music was just okay. However, I am willing to overlook that because the drama gave me so many great moments, threw a few unexpected twists my way, and the ending was so satisfying that it left me in tears.
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Decent But Flat
The story is one we all know by heart by now and it was executed in an okay way. The acting and look of the drama had a full length drama feel and the way it was edited didn't leave that choppy , "what in the world is happening?" feeling. I also liked OST. However, by episode 9 I was bored, possibly because their infatuation... I mean, their precious love seemed to blossom too fast. Some of the characters, like the female main character, were also initially irritating. Also, watching this on Youtube did not help as they tend to do weird things to the audio or remove it altogether for extended periods of time. I have no idea if Youtube does this automatically or if someone does it, but how are you going to remove the sound in key and climax points?How am I supposed to feel excited with garbled sounds or no sound at all? I wasn't moved at all by any of the events and there are both happy and tragic events that happen as the story moves.In short, the drama was actually decent, but I did not enjoy it. This is my personal opinion and it's not meant to dissuade others from watching the show.
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Light & Heavy at the Same Time
This drama had been on my plan to watch list for a while, but I had been putting it off because I was worried the comedy would be too in your face or forced, which usually makes it unfunny for me. However, and even though I was watching/started quite a few dramas already, I decided to add one more to the list on a whim. This was because the ones I really wanted to watch had entered their multiple day breaks and the other ones I do have episodes available to watch aren’t keeping my interest.During the first episode, or at least the first 30 minutes or so of it, I thought I would end up dropping this because the beginning of the episode wasn’t appealing to me and the comedy did feel a bit forced. But this soon changed as I kept watching.
For me, the comedy handled the comedy aspects of it well. Even when the comedy was too far out there, it had the right amount of angst, mystery, action, and seriousness to balance it out. This for me worked well because they didn’t overdo it on either the comedy or the tragedy. Another issue I encountered was a bad case of second lead syndrome. Don’t get me wrong, the king was endearing in his own right, but I felt the second male lead was better as she would have never have to guess what was in his heart. However, in the last episodes, I am glad he didn’t do what I was yelling at him to do and get what I wanted because the female character introduced then was perfect for oorie second male lead. She was as gentle, honest, protective, and fierce, in her own way, just as he was in his. I would have honestly loved to watch a few more scenes with them interacting, but I am glad they didn’t give him a miserable ending, of dying, becoming a villain, or eternally longing for someone who didn’t love him back, as they sometimes do in other dramas.
This drama was light and fluffy, while also being angsty in the right amount and at the right time. I enjoyed watching a grand queen dowager who, albeit trusted the wrong individuals, was not a raging evil plotting monster. I also enjoyed watching that the king’s main court lady and eunuch were loyal and never betrayed him. And most of all I loved that everyone received their just desserts at the end. The OST was nice and for me this is worth rewatching.
Was it a masterpiece? No.
Was it what I needed at the moment? Definitely, yes.
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And omo! Why was this girl so hilarious?
"Miss Granny" doesn't have a unique concept and it doesn't give a lot of info on the cosmic mechanics of the change, but it still worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed watching SEK acting like a halmoni in a younger female's body. She had the mannerisms of the character's older version down to the last "T", which made the change from old to young seem more seamless. This is definitely not easy to do and requires a lot of skill in acting.
I also enjoyed the rest of the cast. Sadly, Sung Dong Il and Lee Jin Wook don't have a lot of movie screen time. Somehow, this didn't bother me in the least, especially when they absolutely shone in the scenes they did have. I absolutely adored Hyun Chul's and Mal Soon's mother-son moment. The things they said to each other made tears fall from my eyes without me even noticing it. And Lee Jin Wook's last scene filled even me with longing and nostalgia.
This movie also has a great OST.
Miss Granny is funny, yet touching. It shows how far a true mother's love will go.
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Overall, I enjoyed it. I really liked how it begins with a mysterious situation taking place and then going through a series of flashbacks and forwards to tell the story. Also, I think the "speed" at which the story is told is good, since my interest in it didn't waver and I tend to get easily distracted.
I think Okada Masaki did a very good job at showing the different aspects of Jack Black's personality. We see him looking detached, but then acting contrary to his attitude when he decides to save people's lives. On the other hand, I tend to be an easy crier when watching emotional scenes (especially if the music which accompanies the scene helps to set the mood), but his show of emotion in the "tearjerker" scenes left me unsure of whether to cringe or just laugh.
The main actress, for some reason, I didn't like her too much, but I tried to overlook it as much as possible since I was interested in the story.
The one thing that left me really dissatisfied is that it's just one episode. It left wanting more. Hopefully there will be more in a near future.
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