51
183
4
7
2
6
4
1
2
5
1
3
3
4
1
6
1
2
1
1
7
7
11
3
The very beginning was interesting, so I was already thinking I was in for a treat, but ten, possibly 15, minutes into the film, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Yes, it was THAT slow! The best part of the film are the last 30-35 minutes of it.
Story: The story was interesting, I just wish they had done more with it. Or at least, made it more interesting.
Acting/Cast: It was sort of ok, but I didn't feel connected to them or like I cared about what was happening to them.
Music: It wasn't that great. There is one song which sounds beautiful, but the rest is not memorable.
Re-watch Value: I will not be re-watching this film in the near or distant future.
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I loved this drama from the very beginning. The characters were well written and made me feel sad, happy, angry with them when they were feeling it. The melo part of it didn't seem forced or over the top and fake. For me, it flowed naturally from the actors portraying these characters. The cute, "mushy" moments made me gush every single time. Even the minor ones were great. They brought comic relief when it was absolutely needed.
This drama felt like watching a movie the whole time. The directing and cinematography was excellent. I also loved the OST. I think it went perfectly with drama and it completely enhanced the feelings the actors were portraying. I didn't give it a full 10, only because Ha Na's incessant crying for a few episodes got a little too much for me. But who knows? I might change my mind and give it a full 10 later on since for me this was a great drama, complete with great directing and great touching music.
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Rude Awakening towards the End
Love Between Lines initially used both real-world and virtual-world interactions between the main leads to build its story, which was what originally drew me into the story. The drama also stood out for its beautiful aesthetics, both visually and acoustically. For the first twenty episodes, I loved most of it. So much, I was certain I was going to rate it above an 8.I really enjoyed the premise, even though the virtual world aspect mostly faded from the story a few episodes in. The main leads had amazing chemistry, and their interactions were fun to watch. They were very cute together, and I even enjoyed the petty jealousy the male lead exhibited from time to time. At first, it added to his charm.
However, starting from episode 21, everything shifted. While the drama was airing, I used to look forward to coming home from work and catching up on the day’s episodes, but that excitement slowly disappeared. The angst simply wasn’t angsting. The struggles the couple faced in the final eight episodes felt blown out of proportion and could have been resolved with something as simple as a text message. Instead, the drama relied too much on cute, domestic scenes that ended up dragging the story down for me. These moments felt like unnecessary fillers when I just wanted the story to flow. I went into full avoidance mode and ended up finishing the drama days after it finished airing, despite having the express package automatically unlocked.
Pei Zhe, who was the second male lead, was done incredibly dirty. He deserved so much better. While I don’t excuse his behavior, his actions made sense given his background. He had lived a life where no one genuinely cared about him, and every interaction he had was transactional. It’s not surprising that he developed a “what can you do for me so I can do something for you” mindset. He was a complex character with so many layers that could have been explored, yet the drama completely wasted that potential. Even his final scenes felt like a slap in the face, not just to me, but to many viewers who were hoping he’d receive more than what he got.
The first 20 episodes of the show felt like a dream I never wanted to wake up from, but then a bucket of cold water was thrown on me, and I was back to facing reality.
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The Silent & Blind Wife
Of course it's only a happy ending if the main couple stays together.The drama definitely has a possessive male lead, but this is the kind that makes me rage and want to stab him. I was definitely feral, but it was not the type of feral I enjoy the most. While he’s married to the female lead, he’s using and abusing her, all while obsessing over another woman. Listen, I understand he had selective amnesia, but I can't rationally explain the fury my soul felt when he accused her of seducing men, emotionally and physically pushed her away, and then kissed her within an inch of her life.
It was a mini, so I didn't expect much, but I would have loved to see her walk away from him. Not all main couples need to remain being a couple by the end of the series, but that would require having female lead that is the main character in her own story and not just hopelessly in love with the male lead. You can forgive and move on for your own mental sanity, but never forget how you were treated.
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Fun, if You Leave Your Brain at the "Door"
I woke up at midnight. Instead of attempting to go back to bed, I watched two verticals. First, Escapade of the Baby Bump Besties (Iqiyi, could not find on MDL) followed by this one, Triplets Tame the Cold CEO. Both shows featured Wen Zhi Cheng as a male lead.The show was not great. But to be honest, when I watch verticals, I am not going in expecting a masterpiece or a life lesson teaching drama.
The male lead was possessive which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It was sexy went he went all tiger stalking his prey. The female lead was a cute doormat and a damsel in distress, which I normally dislike but in this case it didn't bother me. Why? Because I went in for "the plot" and I got exactly what I wanted. I managed to turn my brain off through it, laughed a few times, and enjoyed it for what it was. Also, Shen Yue was funny.
The drama has romance, kisses 💋 , a whole lot of jealous workplace wenches , trash family members, older family members begging their heir for babies, men who can't take "no" for an answer, and a whole lot of nonsense, but it was fun even if the ending was abrupt.
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I Only Want You When I Don't Have You
This show is only two episodes lasting less than 15 minutes each. Yet, I still found myself scrolling through my phone since it did not grab me. The acting wasn't great, the story could have had potential though if the execution was better. I will say though that the show depicts the fickleness of human nature really well.Was this review helpful to you?
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What Was That...?
So, this drama. I am in a mystery/horror/thriller/sci-fi period right now and this drama fit that while also having the upside of being short. Initially, I thought the show was not great, but it was watchable. Especially after the previous drama I watched with him. I was very curious about serial killer’s art… And I’ll just leave it at that. The acting was lackluster, as was the whole show. The intelligence of the characters was questionable. There was what felt like insta-love, at least from Dong Soo’s side, that was strange and I am not even talking about the wormies. And I have been told before, but finally experienced that Jung Hae In really loves doing these loser type of characters. Dong Soo was a very frustrating character, to the end, and I felt like all he did was get attacked from all sides and get kidnapped, from the beginning to the end.Also, I usually don’t mind open endings. If it fits, it fits. But I detest endings that feel like the show was cancelled in the middle of it. That’s the vibe the ending of this gives. And I was disappointed because I felt that is when it was starting to get good.
If you get queasy easily, detest hearing squelching sounds, seeing blood, body parts get cut off, and don’t like tentacles or the wormies, this is something you might not want to watch.
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Not Just a Cute School Drama
I went in expecting a cute school drama, but got so much more. When We Were Young is a coming of age drama that follows a group of five friends through their last year of high school. Together, they share many experiences, both positive and negative. The show is set in the late 1990s. This, despite growing up across the world, resonated with me. The show does an excellent job at portraying adolescence and issues teenagers go through. While watching, I was reminded of the antics I used to get up to as a teen. It was both nostalgic and, to be honest, a bit embarrassing. But fun nonetheless.There were scenes that were so funny I cried tears of laughter. These were so much fun. However, there were also scenes with serious undertones which tackled more profound issues, like taking care of an elderly family member. I was invested in both equally. Some of the characters were annoying, but I focused on the main ones and their stories. The acting was really good, the story was good, accompanied by excellent cinematography, and the ending was realistically bittersweet, evoking a feeling of nostalgia and unfinished business. And I wouldn’t change it for anything, even if it left me contemplating my life and my own choices as a teenager. As a bonus, Neo Hou sings two OST tracks for the show which fit really well with the theme and further drives home the feeling of nostalgia. I hope these friends find their way to each other unlike many of us.
Thank you to dusty for being my drama partner and Ari for keeping us company. You made the experience that much more enriching and enjoyable.
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An Easily Forgettable One
I watched this show because I am trying to complete a 2024 challenge and I had previously watched Takahashi Fumiya in a movie. I didn't have high hopes going into it. I am honestly glad I didn't.I believe that if the drama had been just about a coming of age story of seven young adults trying to make a name for themselves in the already over-saturated idol industry, it would have been a better story than what I got. However, as with many other dramas regardless of the country they were produced in, they tried to squeeze in romance where it doesn't belong. The romance aspect of the show was awkward and underdeveloped and it seemed to be used as a catalyst to make Dan realize there was more to life than the group and so he would rethink his attitude towards the wants and needs of his fellow bandmates. Since you know, now he has aspirations outside of the group. Asuka, the object of Dan's affection, had been Dan's high school teacher before she burnt herself out with her people pleasing behavior and then she was their housemother. Because of this, it was difficult for me to see her as anything else than their mentor. Hence, the little bit of randomly shoved in romance scenes were difficult to swallow. Why does there always need to be romance? Why?
The characters were superficial, but the acting was decent enough for me to be able to sit through the whole thing. My biggest gripe when it referred to the characters was Asuka. She like many other female leads in J-dramas I have watched, was irritating due to their pathetic and people pleasing disposition. However, despite my dislike for her character, Honda's acting was also decent. If you learn one thing from this drama, I hope it is how to say "NO". The one surprise (at least for me) and that I enjoyed was that there were quite a few gay characters in the show.
The songs were mellow, generic, made to sound pretty, and so even the worst of singers could sing it without too much effort. The last song they sang sounded terrible which is why I believe they were made this way for the non-singers. Because of this, t lacked any emotional impact. Additionally, the choreography did not seem to match the mood of the music.
Despite this drama being fairly short, I watched it in just one day, I will not watch it again. So, it has a very low rewatch value for me. These are my thoughts about the drama, the review is not made to convince anyone to watch it or not. If you enjoyed it, good for you. If you want to watch it, go ahead. Decide for yourself if it's worth your time or not.
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Short & Fun
I don’t have much to say about this one. It was a cute little drama that was fun watching. While the episode count says 42, the episodes are less than 30 minutes, so it’s also a fast watch. This makes it perfect to watch when you are commuting to and from work or when you want to watch something which doesn’t require using much brain power.The show was interesting and funny, I did not fall asleep while watching this one and I didn’t even have to multitask. I enjoyed all the characters and they all had great chemistry with each other. The main couple was adorable and they had some good kisses. I think my favorite part of the story is that there were some gender reversal elements, like the men were the ones carried on the sedans and who covered their faces with a fan on the wedding day ceremony. While many were probably swooning over Muyang and I don’t blame you, he is a man who is able to protect you and still look prettier than you while doing it, I would prefer someone like Lai. He can be my stay-at-home hunny and mend my clothes, clean my house, run my errands, and cook my food.
The show was not without its flaws, the ending was typical of censored transmigration dramas, and I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but it certainly hit the right spot. I enjoyed the relationship dynamics of the cast, the romances, the story, and the ost.
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What If?
When this show first came out, I had planned to watch it, but ten years later had passed and I hadn’t. I have loved Kaku Kento since I watched him in Asuko March, over ten years ago. It had been a while since I watched anything with him and after watching House of Ninjas, I decided to watch a few more dramas he has done in the past. So, Testimony of N finally made it back on my radar.I should start by saying the drama is very slow paced. However, it is a steady type of slow pace that kept me engaged throughout the show and made me feel like I was traveling right along the characters throughout their journeys. The acting and emotional portrayal of the characters was great and that along with the mysteries and the heartbreaks they experienced along the way kept my attention. It was truly an emotional roller coaster for me. The drama had complex relationships where they experienced trauma, hardships, laughs, secrets, sadness, understanding, even betrayal, and lastly, forgiveness.
The drama also is not told in a linear timeline. It constantly switches back and forth between multiple key years. This storytelling method is one I usually detest if the whole show relies on it and, while Testimony of N, used it through the entirety of its story, I felt it made me appreciate the story more and made me want to stay tuned to know more.
The OST was decent and the songs felt, for the most part, adequate. For me, an OST can help make or break a drama. Especially when it’s one of this kind.
I cried throughout the drama in different parts, like when they portrayed the struggles of Sugishita Nozomi, Naruse Shinji, and Masato Nishizaki with their families, and probably for the last episode and a half. Even after I watched its last scene, tears were still falling and the feeling of longing, of “what if?”, has stayed with me even as I write this review many hours after finishing the show.
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A Short & Fun Watch
I watched three shows about serial killers/murderers back to back. So, of course, a zombie drama was the perfect show to unwind. Although, the show is set during a zombie outbreak, it's not really about the zombies, it's about the people. This also means that although zombies are shown multiple times, they are used for comedic effect more than for horror, except for one event in the beginning.This drama had it all; comedy, friendship, bromance, girl love, first loves, toxic relationships, insecure attachments, codependency, and even one effective, at least for me, jumpscare. The selfish nature of human beings is also highlighted throughout and it's especially noticeable through an event just before the last scene. Some of the characters, two more than the others, irritated me so much, but, overall, it was a fun watch with a quirky OST.
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The first 30 or so episodes of the drama were highly enjoyable even if I was constantly irked, annoyed, feeling sudden spurts of anger, and frustrated by the actions taken by the characters. But I still had hope that all the nonsense would end. Oh, useless hope...
I love Huo Wallace and feel he's a great actor. He did indeed act well in this drama, but I ended up hating his character in this soooo much. It made no sense that if he was the swordsman, he had no great show downs which ignited my excitement. And he was kind of the village idiot, if you know what I mean. I also came to think he was a player or a hippy. It seems he had a love all philosophy and he practiced it so much, I had no idea who he really loved.
Even if I felt it had been a waste of my time by the time I had reached episode 42, the drama did have wonderful costumes, music, and Huo Wallace. And overall, the acting was decent. If not, you can bet your life savings I would have dropped it.
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I was completely disenchanted with the few special effects the movie did have. They looked fake and did not make the movie any less dull.
Story: The description of the movie "sounded" great, but they could have done so much with this.
Music: The music was nothing special and sometimes I felt like it didn't fit the scene.
Acting/Cast: It wasn't brilliant, I had a hard time believing their distress over certain issues most of the time, but it wasn't horrible either.
Re-watch Value: It's not likely I'll watch this movie again.
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Average But Watchable
I really liked the first six episodes of the show, surprisingly enough because of the male lead's cringe-y lines, and hoped it kept its momentum. However, like most dramas of this genre, it hit a speed bump and it felt draggy and boring after the sixth episode. This is not to say it did not have highlights afterwards. Episodes 13 and 14 were amazing, with episode 14 being my favorite in the whole series. After this episode, I wished the drama had taken place in the Joseon era setting and that it would have the same tragic ending that their characters had in that time. I felt the acting in the past life segments was great and the story was more compelling than the one taking place in the contemporary world. The last two episodes were mostly boring and the ending was lackluster. I found the characters to be neither special nor unique. They were pretty much the basic characters you can find in most dramas. The story had a lot of potential, but it was wasted. It's a watchable drama, but a very forgettable one that I will not be watching again.Was this review helpful to you?
