Acting/Cast: I have no complains for the acting of the main couple. Zhu-Lie seems to exhibit more emotion towards In-Jun who seems to be the naive, honest-to-goodness Busan boy type character. The only person with acting problem is the guy who plays the role of Zhu-Lie's friend who can speak Korean...it was obvious he's new and his acting was odd at places. Other than that, everyone's done a good job. There were a couple of odd 'bridging' scenes where ppl do not speak (or speak little) and just look at each other with multiple expressions on their faces. I put that down to the awkwardness of communication when one is speaking Mandarin and another, Korean. That can be interpreted as a natural scene in real life when you have ppl speaking different languages trying to communicate to each other. You'll end up using nonverbal communication and one letter words instead. The actors and actresses in this movie use 3 languages:- Korean, Mandarin and English. If you ask me, where international romances are involved, this is a very normal situation.
Music: Love the OST sung by Park Si-Hoo and the faster beat ending OST.
Rewatch value: I give this a pretty high rewatch value simply because it's a movie. This is an easy watch -simple love story and just require 1 hour and 45 mins of your time. Some ppl complain about the slower pace but I find the pace acceptable. I've watched many melodramas, a bit of an expert in Chinese movies (hence used to their style of story-telling) and trust me when I say the pace of this movie is much better than a typical melodrama. Everything flows nicely towards an ending that did not feel rushed. If you are bored out in a weekend and just want to watch something passable and uncomplicated, this is the movie for you.
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Story: I have to be honest here and say reincarnation and time-traveling stories are a dime in a dozen in Chinese dramas to the point the Chinese authorities had to regulate it! Melding modern with ancient Chinese settings is also pretty common. Having deities, ghosts, vampires etc as characters has been done for the umpteenth time! The strength of the story lies in the love triangle between the three main characters. Love triangle? Yeah - common amongst commons in Asian dramas! But the selling point here is......you can't really tell who's the male lead! In fact, I believe both men in the love triangle are the male leads. They are equally outstanding and equally worth your support as they both fought for the female lead's affections. So, you'll end up as either Team Ya Long or Team Si Yin. And true to Chinese drama, the romance is of tragic nature. That, however, shouldn't deter you from watching this drama because if you're like me in appreciating a good story and good characterization, you'll agree with the ending of this story. The good news is, it's not an open ending and it is one that will give you a sigh. I actually feel that after all the three people had been through, it's a fitting and compassionate ending.
Another nice addition to the drama is how first impressions may not be the right impression. Ya Long was characterized as the evil vampire - indiscriminately killing, possessive, arrogant, looking down on humans as food etc. First impression and even throughout the drama, he played the role of the vampire to a T. Then, he fell in love and didn't know what to do with it! At first, he dealt with it poorly but slowly, you start to see his point of view and before you know it, you are rooting for him! Then, at the end as his past-life story is revealed, you start to have split feelings about whom the female lead should end up with. His character was dealt at least a couple of twists! I also love Si Yin's character. First impression and throughout, he played the character of the nice guy who sacrificed all the time for the female lead. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him when it slowly became clear that his is most likely gonna end as an unrequited love. Then came the twist and you start to question if the female lead actually did feel something for him! She has many touching and loving moments with him. Just as you think you should switch your loyalties, his past-life story revealed a different character and you'll realize that Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy ain't Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy after all! There is a reason why he out of the three of them, got punished in the worst ways throughout all his reincarnations! And lastly, our female lead's character is pretty standard in most Asian dramas - bright, bubbly, innocent, bumbling, sometimes incorrectly street smart....she provided the bulk of the comedy in this drama. However, you'll find out at the end of the drama that where female leads are concerned, you'd prefer not to be in her shoes. Without giving too much away, I can summarize her character by saying she is the comedy and the tragedy of this drama.
There are also clear indications in this drama that the author of this story is influenced by both eastern and western beliefs and culture. Ya Long is very much a western vampire - with his sensitivity to sun, silver and the wooden stake. You will also be treated to some popular western myths re. creation such as the creation of a woman from a man's rib. I will not comment re. the author of this story (Vivibear - she's Chinese-Swedish which explains the western influence) and her fame as the Queen of Plagiarism. I'll just leave my review of the story at this: it's interesting enough to capture your attention and is worthy as a drama marathon material, BUT it is not outstanding! Hence, I rate the story at 8.5/10.
Acting/Cast: It is not often that we are treated to two male characters who are equally deserving as the male lead. Both Ma Ke and Fu Xin Bo shone through the drama. They embraced their characters to perfection! The female lead, Zhou Yu Tong, though not the prettiest and most outstanding female lead, adequately portrayed Ye Yin - a modern 18-year-old at the cusp of womanhood but still very much a little girl at heart. When you watch the drama and realize that the female lead is just 18-year-old, you'll understand why Yu Tong had to switch from being sometimes a girl and sometimes speaking and behaving like a mature woman. She's very much a modern teenager in ancient times! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao as Fei Niao (Ye Yin's senior). For a newcomer, he's doing really well. I hope to see him in a main role soon. The rest of the cast did an excellent job too! Hence, I gave the acting 9.0/10.
Music: The OSTs are worth downloading. My personal favorite is the ending OST by A2A. "....the happiness I once had, has come to the end of the road...your love is too blinding... what I wanted I cannot stop...in the end, there is only loneliness......love becomes a burden...." The lyrics aptly described the story.
Re-watch value: It took me 2 days to marathon this drama. I will not be re-watching it anytime soon but I think there will come a day when I become bored and unmotivated with the currently available dramas (aka Drama Slump) and this drama may serve as an adequate reprieve to that sort of boredom.
Overall: This is a drama worth watching but it is not a 9.0 and above sort of drama (if you get my meaning!). My only beef with this drama in terms of the production is the poor visual effects. I understand that it's not a big production like Eternal Love or Novoland, but the special effects can be better. However, if you can grit your teeth and turn a blind eye to the poor visual effects, the story will shine through. Overall, I rate this drama 8.5/10.
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Story: It is a simple story. Boy and girl grew up together. They are as close as close can be - BUT, they never fell for each other. Girl turn 30 and starts to mourn the lost of her youth. Suddenly, she realised what a waste her life had been - living with her mum and sister and writing stories that never get to see the light of the day. So, she made a life changing decision. She decided to move out of her home, but hold on..! She is too broke to afford a place of her own. At times like these, can't we all rely on our BFF for help? Likewise, she turned to her best bud - who happens to be a man with commitment issues. Due to a bad first relationship, the bloke lost faith in love. So, he spend his days flirting with women. When she approached him for help, he refused but later, due to some 'monetary issues', he allowed her to move in and live with him. Surely, there will be no harm - despite societal perception of a single man and a single woman living together.. right??? After all, in his eyes, she is a 'man' and she never regarded him as a man. How wrong!!! They fast learn that being BFF and knowing everything about each other does not equate to harmony in a live-in situation. Suddenly, there are things about each other they never knew - like what a pedantic clean freak he is and what a irresponsible sloth she is! Oh, sure... they knew about that long ago... but to live together and to endure such traits...God help us all! Soon, BFFs are turning against each other!
You may ask - how is it that this is a romance drama? This is for me to know and you to find out. *wink*
This drama reminds me a lot of the TDrama "In Time With You" and since this drama came out first, I am not surprised if In Time With You got its aspirations from this drama. The difference? In Time With You has a much serious tone to it while this one, despite its mature storyline, does contain some funny moments.
This is a very realistic drama and even the funny moments are realistic/natural. If you are tired of "highly processed and manufactured" idol-infested dramas with unrealistic storylines, this one will provide the relief needed and bring you back to what a solid romance drama should be like. Watch it and find out!
Acting/Cast: No complains. It is not an idol drama, hence no great lookers. Acting is top-notch!
Music: Not a highlight here. Appropriate music for appropriate moments.
Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch dramas, so a 8/10 from me means this is a keeper for the times when the offerrings are meagre and you just want to indulge in dramas. Rewatch and re-live real love.
Even my husband likes it - him, a non-drama person. We will re-watch this together for a quiet evening with wine together. :)
Overall: Go watch it! A good one to teach youngsters what real relationships are like least they forget; what with all those highly 'manufactured' romance dramas out there nowadays!
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Story: The start sets the story. A young woman fell from the sky out of nowhere. A young man dived into the lake to save her, disregarding his own life. She woke up without any memory of her past. But she was blessed with a mother and an older brother who seemed to dote on her. This young woman is Ying Nan, the female protagonist of this story. Her older brother is Ying Qi - a man born to be sacrificed so that his clan can survive. Ever since her near death experience which caused her to lose her memories, Ying Nan was plagued with a mysterious dream. In her dream, she saw the silhouette of a man. This man felt familiar. She was convinced that her dream man is the man who saved her. Nevertheless, Ying Nan led a free and happy life until one day, Ying Nan got lost in a forest while searching for her family. In this forest, she met the man who will forever change her destiny - Bai Gu Yi. He saved her from an attack and she fell in love with him; convinced that he's her dream man. Following Ying Qi in his quest to save his clan, Ying Nan ended up joining the Zu Mountain sect. What will happen when she realized that Ying Qi is not her birth brother? What will happen when the survival of the world is once again threatened and the only people standing between world annihilation and survival are the very ones who may well destroy it? Who is Ying Nan? Where did she come from? Will Ying Qi survive after sacrificing his life for his clan? Who will Ying Nan end up with - Ying Qi or Bai Gu Yi? This is a prequel in that this story happened 60 years before the events of Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). This is also a sequel because this story started and ended after the events of the 2015 series.
I love the story in this 2018 installment! There is some time traveling involved, but the 'time loop' makes sense. The story ends where it started. The love triangle (or should I say square since there were 4 people involved in it?) was nicely done. You'll find yourself either in camp Ying Qi or camp Bai Gu Yi. I also love it that a writer is brave enough to include an imperfect personality (or should I say partially evil?) as one of the main male character. I love that there's character development throughout the story. The ending was just perfect! It wasn't rushed and all events and characters explained. This is one drama where the ending created a strong and unforgettable impact. Watch it till the end and let me know if you are not emotionally affected by it!
Acting/Cast: A mix of young and experienced cast. Despite the lack of experience, young age and lack of star power (unlike the 2015 installment with well-known superstars William Chan and Zhao Li Ying), the cast did an excellent job! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao (as Bai Gu Yi).....I've noticed this young man since The Journey and The Journey 2. I look forward to see more of his work!
Music: Let me gush about another aspect of this series that I absolutely love - the music! All of the OSTs are amazing! I've saved them and am enjoying them now.
Rewatch value: I re-watched this almost immediately after finishing it. Like less than 24 hours later! Partly because I was downloading the episodes to save them into my external drive but also for re-watching some important scenes in this series that became so much more meaningful because of the ending. This is a good example of how having an unforgettable ending increases the value of the entire drama. Boy am I glad that they didn't muck up the ending!...... and yes, Bai Gu Yi, I agree.....this is the best ending!
Overall: I give this drama a rating of 9.0/10.0. Amazing story, cast and music. Enough said. Go watch it!
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Acting/Cast: All veteran actors and actresses. No complains in this department. Despite all his wacky styles, JGS is definitely a more solid actor that many idol actors in the industry. He just need to select his script more carefully and really test his strength in acting by moving away from the cliche type idol dramas. In Pretty Boy/Bel Ami, he somewhat redeemed himself after so many not so high ranking idol dramas since You're Beautiful. This is again, thanks to the change in drama direction halfway through towards a more melo type drama.
Rewatch value: I am not in a hurry to rewatch this. The story and acting is good but the drama has so many twists and revelation that watching it the second time will take away some of the impact of why it is good.
Overall: A solid 8/10. Definitely worth watching but if you are expecting something that will take your breath away and stick to you mind for years after that will turn you into a rewatch maniac, this is not it. Nevertheless, it stands out as a worthy entertainment amongst all the mediocre KDrama offerings from 2013.
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I would like to reiterate that this Korean version was not written by the original Bu Bu Jing Xing writer. This is entirely a Korean written drama. The biggest difference are the characters. The main male lead in this drama is a bit of a ruffian and pariah with tendencies towards brutality. The female lead of this drama is a weak character who is always the victim and never a success of her own (which is so unlike the female lead in BBJX!). Maybe the idea of a strong, arrogant, cold male with tendencies towards brutality and a weak, simpering, without backbone and a blur-bordering-on-being-stupid heroine appeals to the Korean audience as per the rich, arrogant, powerful, abusive chaebol guy and the poor, happy, innocent woman formula. In any case, the lack of strong lead characters (including that of the second male lead) totally spoiled this drama for me.
The charm and success of BBJX relied heavily on its unforgettable characters. The storyline of time-traveling and involvement in palace politics itself is not new and pretty 'standard' in the Chinese drama scene. Popular examples include Palace: Lock Heart, The Myth and the recent web-drama comedic hit Go Princess Go. The Chinese have been making such time-traveling dramas for decades now. What made BBJX achieved such a big success was mainly because of its unforgettable characters and not necessarily the storyline itself. The Koreans went and adapt the main idea of the story and the open ended ending but pretty much made a mess of all of its characters.
Do not get me wrong here. I am not comparing the Korean version with the Chinese version. To do so, will be like comparing chicken to duck. Both are two very different products although from the same story idea! I am merely stating that if the Koreans had decided to do a drama based on time-traveling, palace politics and romance - they could learn much from their Chinese counterparts about writing characters that create lasting and strong impacts instead of following the usual mold of what constitutes a successful Korean romance pairing (rich abusive guy with poor weak woman). I believe if they had dared to break away from this mold and give the audience a strong female character with a strong, upright and strategist of a male character against a kind but ambitious second male lead, the drama would have been a much bigger hit. The only characters that this drama did well are the characters of the 10th prince and his wife. To this day, I cannot decide if I like BBJX's 10th prince and wife better or this Korean version's 10th prince and wife. In both versions, the characters of the 10th prince and wife were given good justice although both had different stories and endings for the 10th prince and wife.
Acting/Cast: Most of the male casts did well, as did the supporting actresses. The female lead, however, was a total let down. She only had three expressions: shy smile, expressionless and shocked. Her body language was a bit stiff too - making it hard for me to be convinced that there's even chemistry between her and the male leads; hence making this so-called 'great romance that caused brothers to fight against each other for the throne' less convincing. Even the shocked look looked rather unconvincing. In cases like these, there are 3 possibilities: 1- This was how the character was depicted in the script, or 2- The actress is bad in acting and shouldn't be acting, or 3- Both 1 and 2. I do not know much about the female lead as I do not follow news of Korean young idols and since this is the first drama of hers that I'd watched, I cannot make a concrete judgment of her acting skills. The jury is out on this matter. What I can say for absolute certain was the lead female character was the reason why I dropped this drama after 6 episodes and only caught up after it has finished airing (with fingers firmly on the fast forward button!).
Music: Nothing that stuck in my head.
Rewatch value: I will not be re-watching this.
Overall: Enough said. I recommend that you go watch Bu Bu Jing Xing instead if you haven't watch it.
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Story: The story follows the basic story as per the Korean original Full House, but with much better credibility and elaboration of story sequences. More is invested in exploring the development of relationships - be it between the main leads, between the male lead and his family, between the leads and the second leads and so on. Everyone has their story told adequately which made each scene progress with better logic. The ending is so much better too - well explained and not rushed. Of all of the Full House versions, I must say (to my utmost surprise since I would never expect this of a Thai lakorn!) that this Thai version of Full House is the best ever made to date!
Acting/Cast: Perfect cast and better acting all around. When I say 'better', I refer to comparisons with the original Korean Full House. Although this Thai version uses young Thai idols, I must say that they can act better than many Korean idols out there who only relied on their looks to pull through their stiff acting! There can be no better combination of leads as these two leads in here. Super cute, super sweet and very compatible! The chemistry is so much more believable than the chemistry between Rain and Song Hye Kyo! Plus the female lead in this one is so adorable and definitely not annoying like Song Hye Kyo's character in the original Full House! And the kissing scenes (especially the ones involving a certain ice cream!) will change the way you view an ice cream forever! I also like how they cleverly incorporated Korea into the drama; thus acknowledging the story's origins. The sceneries in Korea featured in this lakorn are also beautifully filmed.
Music: Melodic and sung by the male & female leads. I am no fan of Thai music, so I gave this a 6/10. I know many young women/fans out there who will be rating the music as 10/10. It's all a matter of preference.
Rewatch value: Extremely high. This lakorn thrives on funny, sweet and scenic scenes that you'd love to re-wind to again and again, and because it is such a light story to watch, it does not require much brain power to just sit back, relax and fall in love all over again.
Overall: For a light romantic comedy, it is a great honour for it to be able to achieve anything from 8 and above from me as I am very picky when it comes to storylines and the dramas/movies that get high scores from me have very good storylines. Since the storyline of this lakorn is to-some-extent-, a "recycling" or "re-telling" from the original one, I gave it a 8.5/10. I really enjoyed this lakorn.
Lastly, I would like to appeal to the powers that be in MDL to please include more Thai Lakorns in here. There are a couple more lakorns that I can think of from the top of my head that have very good ratings, besides the Thai Full House. I am more than happy to write reviews on them. :)
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Acting/Cast: Excellent acting from the casts. The reason why I gave a 9/10 was because I thought a couple of the casts were not as experienced in acting and it showed, though the fault is not too serious that it ruined the enjoyment of the drama. For newbies, they did very well.
Music: Only two OSTs stood out for me. The rest are forgettable (that's just my opinion!). The OSTs served their purpose well though and went well with the situations in the drama. Conclusion: OSTs are not the strength of this drama. The story and characters are.
Rewatch value: I would buy the originals and keep them under my collections of good dramas. I will definitely re-watch it one day but not in the near future. This drama gives you a happy, relaxed feeling - high entertainment value, but at the same time, it is not SOOOOO good that you'll be going back to the episodes again and again. Keep this for when you want to re-visit good memories from the kdrama land,,,, someday in the future.....
Overall: Excellent entertainment value. Solid ending. Enjoyable characters. One for keeps but not THAT outstanding to form a following or trend that'll get people talking for years to come.
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Story: At 18 years old, Tang Yi Bai stood at the pinnacle of his career as a swimmer. He was set for the world stage and to realize his dream to be the fastest swimmer in the world. Unexpectedly, after winning the very swimming competition that will push him to the world stage, he was caught doping. Just like that, four years of his youth was lost. For four years, he trained hard and never lost sight of his original dream. The 22-year-old him returned to professional swimming - winning a college-level swimming contest. His excellent performance caught the interest of a trainee reporter, Yun Dou and together with the teammates and coach who believed in him, they faced the challenges of professional swimming and life together.
There are many often used scenes and ideas in this drama such as the infamous "Gone with the Wind" poster posture, male lead being caught showering by the female lead, memory lost, love triangles etc but they are done in such a way that it didn't feel cheesy and repetitive. The storyline and characters are the strengths of this drama. It has 36 episodes but each episode has excellent pacing. It didn't feel rushed or dragged. Total marathon material. As it is a Chinese drama, there were some flashbacks but they were used appropriately and not excessively. I actually watched this drama without fast forwarding any parts....which lead to the sleeplessness I am experiencing now! The romance is sweet and simple but I enjoyed watching the characters as they struggle through their confusions and choices as they try to balance work, life and romance.
I like the 'natural' and realistic progression of the story and characters. The drama gives off a relaxed but inspired feel. The OSTs are excellent and used appropriately throughout the drama. I downloaded all of them and will probably be listening to them on repeat for the next few days! Another praiseworthy aspect of this drama is how they didn't butcher the English language! Characters who can't speak English or claim to speak broken English did speak in broken English without thick pretentious fake accent many Chinese actors try to imitate. Characters who can speak fluent English spoke fluent English with correct accent (eg: the swimmer who trained in Singapore spoke proper Singaporean English and not fake American or British English). Inspiring quotes, motto, signs, props and ads around the characters were written in grammatically correct English. For those of you who can't understand Mandarin, the English subs are also grammatically correct. All of these gives the drama more credibility and a realistic feel to it. As an International viewer who can speak, read, write both English and Mandarin fluently, I can see the honest effort being put into the drama and I really appreciate it! Well done to the director, producer, screenplay and script writers and the casting staff!!!! This is a product you can all be proud of!
Acting/Cast: Young actors and actresses but they can act. The young bloke who acted as Tang Yi Bai has such a sweet smile and his character in this drama is a very likeable, easygoing young man - who although experienced setbacks in his swimming career and life - continued to maintain a smiling and easygoing character till the end. The female lead is also another likeable character who makes mature and ethical choices. Their love story is quite typical of young couples in their early 20s, especially when both are new to love and relationship. I can totally relate to their confusion and choices and some of the silliness or misunderstandings they had as I reflected on my first relationship in my early 20s..... it was similar. Of course, when you get to your 2nd, 3rd etc relationships, marriage, kids, grandkids and aging, your perspective on love and romance will change and mature, but for the young couple in this drama.....what they experienced and the decisions they made are appropriate, mature and realistic for their age.
I also enjoyed the stories and relationships of the side characters. There were little comedic scenes and interactions here and there which were nicely done and again realistic for men and women of the characters' age. The older actors and actresses that played the roles of parents and coaches all did well and gave appropriate and mature advices. There are no annoying or unrealistic characters in this drama. No bad or good guys. Just normal people with aspirations, behaviors, thinking, character and understanding appropriate for their age and situations.
Music: I love the OSTs - all of them! Which is so rare to find in a drama. Usually, it's just one or two OSTs that stick out as good but in this drama, all of the OSTs are worthy of a permanent spot in your playlist!
Rewatch value: I am downloading the entire drama now. That's how good it is! I think my kids will enjoy watching this - so I am saving it up for them for when they come visiting!
Overall: Enough said! If you are like me who doesn't watch sports-themed youth romance type drama and am skeptical of them, give this a try. If you are into sports-themed youth romance type drama and have been watching all those Korean ones and thinks they are fantastic, according to a friend of mine (of my age group) who watches them, this Chinese drama beats all of them hands down! This is a gem and really deserves the 9.5/10 I gave it. Highly highly recommended!
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Each of the four main characters were approached online by an 'entity' that identifies itself as the 'demon'. The 'demon' promised to fulfill their wishes but they will never find happiness. The main characters agreed to what the 'demon' offered and signed a lifelong contract with it. In return, the main characters received special powers that at first came in handy to help them but turned into curses that they slowly regretted. One by one, people around them disappeared or died and all of these crimes were somehow related to this 'demon' website. Through a series of circumstances, the main characters meet and after finding out they were all 'contracted' to the 'demon', started to band together to solve the mysteries. One by one the puzzle pieces are fitting together as the 'demon' prepares for a showdown with the world in what can be traced back to the mass murder case from 15 years ago.....
This drama is the perfect blend of mystery, action, sci-fiction, medical fiction, investigation and paranormal. There are some comedy as well when things get a bit too intense - which was a welcomed relief. The story started out with the 'demon' but towards the end, it makes you wonder about the opposite side of the 'demon' - the existence of 'good'. There was even a mention on the concept of Gaia at the final episode which totally delighted the sci-fi cum religious fiction geek in me! At the end of the day, you are left with a sense of wonder about human nature; just like what one of the main characters kept asking in the final episode: "Are humans naturally evil or good?"
Watch to find out! The ending explains everything - no loose ends left!
Excellent special effects and good acting. This drama is available in Youtube in HD and with English subtitles hard-subbed; so you never have to wait for Eng subtitles to watch it. What more are you waiting for?
Acting/Cast: Mostly new faces but they can act, so you won't be disappointed with the acting.
Music: Not much of music but the beginning and ending OSTs perfectly reflected the mood of this drama.
Rewatch value: I would say that this drama is split into five main parts:- Four parts on the stories of the four main characters and the final part begins when they meet and started to investigate the mysteries together. Hence, you can re-watch the parts or episodes of the character that you like. However, all of the parts are connected -which you will realise once our characters meet. Personally, I like the part when they meet and start to band together; that's when things start to come together and bits and pieces from the back stories of our main characters start to make sense. And of course, I love the ending! I am glad they extended this drama to 17 episodes to give us a perfect and unhurried ending. Well done!
Overall: If you haven't check this drama out yet, you should! This is an unexpected and delightful gem for year 2016! What a wonderful way to end the year and just two sleeps away to Christmas! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2016 everyone!
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Story: A masterpiece! Although 18 episodes long, the story was told at a nice pace- you will nto realise 18 eps had come and gone! What I like to the storyline is the multiple layers it has. What I meant by 'multiple layers' is the writer & director's ability to incorporate a few storylines into one episode. There are many detective/investigative/law type dramas created and most of them follow a typical "one case per episode" line. This drama follows this time old formula but to a less obvious degree. It incorporates a few storylines happening simultaneously. There are also instances where the main characters need to deal with more than one case per episode while dealing with their personal issues. I love it when a story is able to pull off such complexity without confusing the audience or killing the main storyline in the process. The comic relief throughout the drama is a welcomed addition. It is tastefully done without unneccessary exaggeration. The characters' reactions and rationale are very believable & realistic. It is a mature and well thought off story! One of the best and natural ending from a drama. You will not be left with a rushed ending or feeling as if something is missing. In other words, a complete drama! Therefore, I give the story a very solid 10/10! My heartfelt congratulations to the writer & director!
Acting/Cast: All good actors & actresses. No complains in this department.
Music: A couple of ear & save-worthy OSTs.
Rewatch value: Whilst it is very addictive in the first watch, I doubt I would re-visit this drama again in the near future. The thrill is in the finding out but once you already know what happens and the ending, it will not be as addictive. Unlike purely romantic dramas, this one do not have many memorable scenes you would like to rewind to....unless you get kicks out of re-watching verbal courtroom battles or ppl acting out the crime. This drama is more of a whole package thing. The most memorable quotes (and repeated throughout) is one from the female lead's mother about "an eye for an eye; if you live that way, then the whole world will be blind..." (something along those lines). The main impact of this drama for me is the moral learning (or reminders) that it gives to the audience. I love it when a drama teaches ppl good things!
Overall: If I am to rate this based on story and acting, it is a solid 10/10. However, considering its lower re-watch value, I'd decided on a 9/10. If you had not watch this piece of gem, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!
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Story: This is a story that follows a pair of lovers since childhood, their personal struggles and the dilemma of those around them. True to the spirit of melodrama, you should expect bucket loads of tears for this one. Should I even bother to elaborate? Nope. Watch it and find out yourself. It can be rather draggy in the middle (and normally this is the part where I doze off on the coach!) but it picks up in the last 2 episodes towards an acceptable ending. Suffice to say, there is nothing exceptional about the storyline. If I must put my money into it, I'll bet on the cast.
Acting/Cast: This is one good example of how you do not need to have superstars to make a good drama. The stars just aligned for this one where the cast is concerned. Great acting from everyone. Great chemisty between the leads, and if I am honest with myself, I'll admit that it is the good acting that make me want to re-watch this drama again and again.
Music: Mediocre to say the least. Good sleep therapy material.
Rewatch value: A keeper for those long, cold winter nights.
Overall: Watch it if you have the patience and stamina for a good melodrama. Otherwise, skip it and go for comedy.
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The story is fairly simplistic as in most action movie. Mother and father met, they had some 'happy times' together, she was conceived and father got kicked out of the scene. So, she was born autistic and raised by her mum alone. Growing up, she is fixated with Thai kickboxing and all forms of martial arts. Being autistic, she learned all of these martial arts very quickly. One day, mum got sick and she found a list of names of some very dodgy people owing her mum some money.... hence the action begins!
For those of you action freaks out there, this is a MUST WATCH. When this movie first came out, it made history with Jacky Chan himself caught saying he would like to collaborate with Yanin (the female lead) to film an action movie together! We sure hope that would happen soon!
Overall, an 8.5/10. Dig in, peeps!
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Acting/Cast: 10/10 for the experienced cast and acting. Despite the language barrier, everyone did well with expressions and their acting. YSY is dubbed but there are times when they allowed his real voice come true when speaking in Korean is needed. There's also another character in the drama who is a Japanese and occassionally, they allowed his voice to come through too; for the Japanese speaking parts. Being a veteran in CDramas, I do not mind the dubbing and multi-lingual premise of the acting, though I can understand how some ppl might find the dubbing annoying. Second male lead's a hottie as well and I spotted a few more hotties in there (for those of you who value aesthetics). The female lead is pretty and contrary to the noisy annoying chinese actress syndrome, hers is a very solid, mature character- no unneccesary screaming and shouting.
Music: Mediocre but suited for each scene.
Rewatch value: The part that hold me back from giving it a high rewatch value is the sheer number of episodes this drama has. 40! It is not one for a quick rewatch. It does not have memorable scenes that you will want to keep rewatching as it is more of a WHOLE drama than a SNIPPETS drama. Although YSY is the male lead, everyone gets almost equal air time and their stories are told well.
Overall: This is somewhere between 7 and 8. I decided to give it an 8 because despite its often tauted image as being "same as Baker's King, only China version"; the storyline is actually quite different. Good on YSY for landing himself a good chinese drama! I love all the scenic places in Hanzhou.... makes me want to visit Hanzhou! The restaurant and houses were all so grand looking! All in all, an ok drama if you are in the mood for a family, pseudo-melo (at certain parts) type drama.
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Acting/Cast: No complaints whatsoever in this department. Aesthetic wise...I thought the female lead could have been a prettier actress but having said that, the male lead is no flower boy either... so, I suppose, that's ok.
Music: Sweet OSTs. Makes you wanna snuggle up to your loved one.
Rewatch value: I actually think this one here has a pretty decent re-watch value. It is not a difficult or complicated watch. It has plentiful of sweet moments and moments of tension between those involved in a triangular love situation. I certainly can see myself kicking back on the sofa with popcorn and coke in hand for a relaxing holiday re-watching this.
Overall: If you are looking to find that love feeling again - that sweet fluterring of your heart and that soft sigh that brings a smile to your face, try watching this. It has a mature storyline that does not bore. With INR 3, the INR writers redeemed themselves after a rather disappointing INR 2 that could not rival INR. I give this drama nine sweet potatoes out of ten! :)
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