IF YOU LIKED IT...YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T READ THIS REVIEW
It's hard to believe a story about a family with superpowers could be so boring. With a couple of exceptions:What I liked:
1. The special effects were good. Don't want to give it away, so I won't mention specifics.
2. I really liked Bok Dong-hee, Gwi-ju's sister. She was hilarious and charming.
3. The father, Oh Man-seok, also plays the dad in SOMETHING ABOUT THE RAIN.
One of the reasons I like Oh Man-seok, other than his eternally cheerful demeanor, is because he's one of the few Korean actors in a major series with less than a lily-white complexion. Hey, Netflix, how about more brown-skinned Asian actors in your series? Thanks.
4. A satisfying ending.
What I didn't like:
1. My main problem is that this series lacks any logical coherence. Why is there an elaborate wedding--with no guests--mind you, when A) the groom didn't actually propose, and B) the bride never accepted the non-proposal? Did either of these two ever say "I love you"? Did I miss something? This is the stiffest, least-convincing marriage ceremony I've ever seen.
And each person in the family is aware that the marriage is a fraud, and an attempt to steal their money. And everybody goes along with it. Really?
2. Then there's the matter of the brother, Gwi-ju, who apparently needs to "save" someone. While at first, Gwi-ju is out to "save" a dude that he worked with, suddenly the target of his obsession changes.
He's now set on "saving" Do Da-hae, a woman who's moved into the house under suspicious circumstances.
But as Ms. Do points out to Gwi--ju, in a rare display of logical thinking--rare for this series anyway, she actually doesn't need saving as she's a healthy, fully functioning woman. Therefore she must have survived whatever horrible, no good, very bad thing happened to her in the past. You know, that thing that Gwi-ju has a bee in his bonnet about.
3. Firemen don't stand around giving speeches to someone they're trying to save while the building's going down-but someone does that in this drama.
4. The actress who plays Gwi-ju's daughter is adorable, but the romance between the character she plays and the most popular boy in the school is, well, hard to believe. This is middle school, folks.
TO BE CONTINUED... *************
Later: This series is so illogical it's impossible to suspend belief or care about anyone in this family. A couple of questions:
4. What exactly are the rules for Bok Gwi-joo's superpower? At first, he can only revisit times when he was happy-until Do Da-hae enters the picture. Then the rule changes: he can only revisit happy times when he was with her. But then the rule changes again-he goes back to a happy moment he shared with his classmates, without Do Da-hae. Then it changes again, he watches a happy moment between his mom and dad-but wait! A very young Do Da-hae rides by on her bike. Whaaa?
It feels like the writers made it all up as they went along.
5. What side of his neck is Bok Gwi-joo's mark on? Is it on the left? Is it on the right? On both sides? "They say it will never go away." Who said that? I don't remember anyone consulting a doctor.
The ending made up for a lot...but, but, but...why couldn't Mr. Time Travel come back on his own recognizance? It's not like he hasn't done it 1000 times.
Writers, you can do better!
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A Touching Drama
All in all, this was a very solid series.What I didn't like:
1. The music was intrusive and sometimes schmaltzy and sentimental.
2. The plot had touches of Hallmark hokiness.
3. At times, the writers pounded the message home with a lack of subtlety.
But what I did like far outweighs the negatives:
1. Convincing acting featuring likeable characters. The secondary characters were appealing and had interesting stories of their own, more than just placeholders.
2. This series showcased different kinds of human love-not just romantic or parental love-but love between friends, love between student and teacher, or siblings-and even love of craft.
3. In spite of a few false notes, this story was extremely effective. No easy answers to life's problems here. Just flawed human beings doing their best in an indifferent world. Touching but realistic
4. Unusual subject matter-how many ballet movies or series focus on male dancers? And the theme was an important one and worthy of the lengthy treatment it got here.
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OK...but not my favorite
The actors and characters are appealing, and I like that they feature a strong middle-aged woman as one of the leads. She even occasionally gets a few good lines, although basically she's there to play den mother to the rest of them. This series started as an interesting fantasy that turned into (yet another) variation on a police procedural. Too much school bullying and endless fighting scenes. The vision of the afterlife is unimaginative and ludicrous. Everything is white, including the file cabinets and there are some crazy rules: "We want you to catch the evil spirits who are embedded in bad, bad human beings, but, hey, don't get involved in human affairs." And what is all this stuff about the "territory" boundaries moving around. Nonsensical twaddle. I know the tousled, disheveled look is in, but it's not working for Ga Mo Tak. He needs a better hairdo.Was this review helpful to you?
Mr. Magic is a stud muffin...
I prefer series with a bit more depth than this one. It was a bit saccharine and sentimental, but for what it was - it worked. Even the sound track was enjoyable. I'm a sucker for magical special effects, so I was able to excuse the simplistic message and just enjoy the visuals. I know the poor kid didn't have a mother, but someone needed to tell Ah-Yi to keep her mouth closed and trim her bangs. For 4/5ths of the series she could have done with a personality transplant. She was a little too bland and vapid for my taste. On the other hand, Ji Chang-Wook more than made up for it. When he says, "Do you...believe...in...magic?" it's to die for.Was this review helpful to you?
Poignant and engrossing
LOVE IN THE CLOUDS is the third fantasy in a row, starring Hou Ming Hao, that I’ve watched.In each of the other two dramas, Hou Ming Hao played a demon of sorts, but neither of those characters was as dark, nor as multidimensional, as Ji Bozai. Both those dramas, while entertaining, had moments of gauzy meaninglessness.
The plot of this drama was solid and believable in a way the other two weren’t. Hou Ming Hao seemed more relaxed, more compelling, and altogether more likable as a human being in LOVE IN THE CLOUDS. The plot never deteriorated into terminal silliness, and the secondary characters were appealing and impressive.
I had a particular soft spot for Situ Ling, the FL’s rejected lover/villain–who pulled at my heartstrings, even as he descended into evil. (How did I know he was evil? His irises turned red, of course.)
The writers and director seemed to have a clear vision of where they wanted this story to go–and they took it there.
As usual, this wasn’t a perfect drama. Yes, it dragged a bit in places. And I found the FL’s lies and deceptions tiresome and not too convincing. The OST consisted of one particular melody, played over and over and OVER again. While it was a lovely piece of music, the repetition was annoying and tedious. Still, overall, a strong production.
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One of the best
I’ve sometimes been critical of certain popular Korean or Chinese dramas. But I’m having a hard time finding anything negative to say about GO AHEAD, a 40-episode Chinese family drama made in 2020. It’s certainly not a perfect production. Still, it’s entertaining, interesting, and touching. And it dodges so many of the common traps that these kinds of series fall into, that all I can say is: Bravo!Most of the actors were impressive, especially the three male leads: Weilong Song who plays the older brother (and also the young actor who plays him as a child), Steven Zhang/ Zhang Xin Cheng who plays the younger brother, and especially Tu Song Yan the Dad, the owner of the noodle restaurant, where so much of the action takes place.
Whenever one of these three incredible actors was on screen, I was totally immersed in the drama, and emotionally convinced that I was watching a slice of reality and not a fictional work. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Yi Sun who plays the best friend of the FL. She’s convincing as a kind, generous, but inhibited young woman who’s oppressed by her overly-dominant mother.
I did have some problems with Songyun Tan, an actress in her 30s who plays the FL, Li Jianjian. For half the series this character is supposed to be sixteen years old. When playing a teenager, the actress seemed to be working too hard to make the character spunky, cute, and childlike. She came across as childishly petulant and performative way too much of the time. Also (as is often the case in older Chinese productions) she seemed more like a twelve-year-old than a sixteen-year-old, throwing whiny tantrums and hitting her brothers in fits of pique.
But I really can’t blame the actress. Because this is such a common problem in older Chinese dramas, I suspect it’s due to other considerations. Perhaps she was given instructions to play it that way from the director.
In the second half, when the same character is in her late twenties, Songun Tan is much more appropriate and believable in the role–more relaxed and also more likable–although still a fun-loving, cheerful tease.
The series got a little too sentimental for me in the end. “Emotions aren’t like a faucet where you can turn them on and off at will.” Too many bromides along with the schmaltzy music...but by and large the skillful acting sold it–so it was OK.
A winner.
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Entertaining
1. Of all the women our brilliant alien friend met in 400 years, a shallow, scatterbrained, selfish, vain narcissist was the ONE? Well, OK. She was a babe, no doubt about it. It would be nice if there was some explanation for it–other than hormones.2. Why do they keep talking about this dude’s original home as a“star”? Unless he can withstand temperatures of one million degrees F (or more)--to say nothing of the crushing gravity--my guess is that he comes from a planet, not a star.
3. In one episode Do Min-jun points to a bright point in the sky, obviously a “star,”and tells his startled Joseon acquaintance, “That’s where I come from.” Later, he tells Song-Yi who wants to know the same thing, “You can’t see it from here.” Which is it?
In one of the first episodes we hear that he comes from “another galaxy.” But any other galaxy, especially Andromeda our largest neighbor which is 2.5 million light years away, would look like a smudge in the sky, not a star.
4. Not to go all nerdy here, but there are some other problems too. Hey, Korean movie makers, get a science advisor.
5. Dangling plot points. What did the young girl who looked like Song-Yi, the one he met when he first came to Earth, have to do with anything? She’s totally irrelevant to the plot.
What I liked:
1. I thought this series was very funny in places. Often the humor in Korean Dramas doesn’t work for Americans. This series was an exception.
2. I came to like Song-Yi much, much more toward the end. She showed some really likeable characteristics. Loved her honesty and sensitivity.
3. I’ve seen reviews that were critical of Kim Soo-hyun’s acting in this drama–but I thought he was absolutely great. It’s true he was poker faced in most scenes, but he somehow communicated deceit, tenderness, anger, confusion, disdain, and a host of other emotions. And he did it all with an almost imperceptible change of expression.
4. The compositions of the various settings and the wardrobe choices were exquisitely done. That library in Do Min-joon’s house was to die for.
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No connection between leads
Some positives and some negatives. The story held my interest.Most of the energy in the script centered on the main conflict and the FL’s various problems. But the script just didn’t give the secondary characters, who were apparently supposed to be a group of lovable eccentrics, any good material to work with. The over-acting of the semi-hysterical principal, the scatterbrained dancer, the guy who was supposedly possessed by spirits, as well as some of others was painful to watch.
The male lead seemed warm and likeable, but the female lead was a bit cold and imperious. I didn’t feel much connection between the two of them. Couldn’t she have at least put her arms around him when they finally kissed? She acted as if she could barely stand to touch the poor guy.
By the way, teachers who specialize in early child education (kindergarten and pre-school) are committed, trained professionals, although no viewer would get that from this drama. A kindergarten teacher would never leave children unsupervised or allow random people to wander into the classroom. It would have been nice if we could have seen the FL actually teaching something (yep, there’s actually a curriculum) or doing something other than reading a picture book to the class–which any parent could do.
Not my favorite K-drama of the year.
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This review may contain spoilers
WHEN TWO PEOPLE DON’T SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE...
I was really excited after viewing the first episode. What a great idea! The clever Hong sisters base this series on both the literal and metaphorical idea that human beings “speak different languages.”The FL is a Korean actress–who speaks only Korean. She has a professional relationship with two potential love interests. Male lead No. 1 speaks only Japanese. Male lead No. 2 speaks Korean fluently (as well as five other languages).
But No. 2 doesn’t understand the FL’s emotional signals. In fact, he has communication problems of his own, which she doesn’t fully appreciate at first. Nevertheless, he’s the person who touches her heart.
We find out gradually, that the FL is mentally unstable. She suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a real condition, thought to be triggered by a severe childhood trauma.
She’s also in the middle of a prolonged film shoot, which takes place intermittently in various picturesque locations. Other people’s livelihood, and her own self-worth, depend on her ability to tough it out and finish the job.
This drama gets a lot of things right. The settings, the symbolism, the music, and the atmospherics are all effective. The day-to- day life of the film crew is something you don’t often see in K-dramas, and I liked that.
The dialog, especially between the FL and the second ML, is confusing. The FL keeps laying her heart on the line, but he keeps rejecting her. Is he afraid of getting hurt? Is he misinterpreting her? And she also has communication problems with dude No. 1. This drama is a bumpy ride, and the plot doesn’t altogether make sense. Everyone seems to be working way too hard to get it right, and, unfortunately, the effort is showing.
Still, this is an extremely original drama. But it may be that the premise is stronger than the script.
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Among other things–deliciously zany
A lot of series these days recycle the same old bland mush replete with prefabricated tropes picked up from Ikea. BACK FROM THE BRINK has a few items from that warehouse, but it’s also quirky and fun.For example, I loved the way Yongzhou City was a nest of vipers and general daffiness. In one episode, YanHui, gives all her money away to a scammer in exchange for some useless, but hilarious, medical advice (“A powerful force will cure your heart”). Her would-be suitor, Guan Peng Yuan, rides down main street on the back of a giant tortoise. In a later scene, when the flaming dragon sword comes swooping back to the ML, the audience sees it coming–not in the sky–but reflected in one of his eyes. And I like the really creative way they sometimes transition between scenes. Little touches like this, added a boatload of zip to this drama.
I liked sections of this drama, but in other places the plot verges on idiocy. The “Bamboo Butterfly,” in episode 26 who manifests as a vain, middle-aged woman–a harridan who shrieks at Tianyao to divorce his wife and marry her is one example of overacting tinged with misogyny. I was embarrassed for the poor woman who had to play this role. To “win” the Ghostly Eulogy, our main couple must solve a series of ridiculous riddles, unworthy of a third-rate quiz show.
Overall, though, the cast–including most of the minor actors--was impressive. For example, Bai Xiao Sheng. Who doesn’t love a bad boy? (Hands go up.) OK, not everybody. Some of you would gladly strangle him. But personally, I like a little rascality in my demons.
And those pixie orphans, are to die for. Speaking of dying, one adorable little girl does just that. When I was about to get mad at the writers, I saw her eyelid twitch, reminding me that this is Fantasyville. Will Yunyun be back? Anything’s possible in this crazypants drama.
As for the ML, Hou Ming Hao’s face is always a perfect reflection of what his character, Tianyao, is feeling. How does this dude do it? For example, we (the audience) know that he’s sick with jealousy the minute he lays eyes on Bai Xiao Sheng’s dimples.
A few random criticisms:
Where does Yanhui and her female companions get those gorgeous gowns that never seen to get soiled when they wander through forests and deserts–and even when they get dunked in the water?
In spite of the fact that Tianyao is a demon who stabs his honey in the heart–not once, but twice–he can still convince the viewers, and eventually he convinces Yanhui, that he’s steadfast and true.
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Mostly good
I subtracted one star because of the last item listed below...What I liked:
1. The wooden box and the book of spells. Audience never quite knows if the spells worked or not–but they were lots of fun.
2. Kim Ro-Woon transforms from a cold-hearted attorney into a spurned lover and a kind-hearted boyfriend. Jo-Boah was cute and appealing at times. The romance between these two was a little clunky, but if you don’t look too close, it’s believable.
3. The co-workers in the Environment and Greenery office weren’t funny. But I really liked the buffoonish Mr. Gong
4. The Environment and Greenery Department–a government department with a focus on plants, flowers, and greenery. The cherry blossoms, the walk in the meadow at the end were gorgeous–nice to get away from the unrelenting urbanization in some of these dramas.
5. Appropriate and tactful sex scenes.
What I didn’t like
6. Jo-Boah’s acting was over the top and way, way too self-conscious. Never-ending mannerisms, posturing, simpering, and over-acting. Tone it down, Girl!
7. Too many plot elements borrowed from other Chinese and Korean series (My Demon).
8. Hey, K-drama writers...there was one scene that was really stomach-churning. It shows a certain character grabbing an octopus and throwing it in boiling water. C’mon. Octopuses are sensitive and intelligent. If you have to keep eating them, at least don’t show people torturing them too. Thanks.
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Enjoyable but weird
A mostly well-conceived, but weird, drama - 8 starsThe first sentence of FAMILIAR WIFE blew my mind. And not in a good way.
We hear a newscaster proclaim the following: “The planet Wolf, 68 light years from Earth, ahead of its extinction, is rapidly becoming a black hole.”
As a science writer, all I can say is, “NO! NO! NO!” Black holes are never, EVER caused by the “extinction of a planet,” imminent or otherwise. To be clear, large stars occasionally collapse into black holes, but never planets.
The rest of the newscaster‘s report explains that there may be a “change between the Earth’s and Moon’s calendars,”which--excuse me for pointing this out--is absurd gobbledygook.
Hey writers! This kind of thing should have been tweaked.
BUT...to change the focus a bit here--the rest of this series is mostly quite good. I’d even call it a hidden gem--not counting the last four episodes which seem to exist only for the sake of product placement.
The drama focuses on the daily crush of ordinary life and the toll it takes on well-intentioned human beings. How marriages get destroyed. How people forget to be kind and considerate.
As for the acting, the two leads do a fine job, and a number of skillful actors are showcased in minor roles.
In every office there’s someone who marches to a different drummer, and in this office that’s Kim Hwan. Kudos to the writers for imagining him and to Cha Hak Yeon (N) for bringing him to life.
One of my favorites, Lee Jeong-eun, plays the FL’s slightly demented mother. If you want to see what a masterful actor this woman is, watch OUR BLUES, another outstanding K-drama.
I’ll just mention two weird things about the plot--although there are others:
1) How come (except for one scene near the beginning) neither of the main characters seem at all interested in the fate of their two children. These poor kids have been zapped into nothingness due to the ML’s need to change wives. The fact that they’re never mentioned again is downright weird.
2) From episode 9 or 10 onward, everyone suddenly starts wearing stripes–striped shirts, striped blouses, a striped jacket. Why?
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Good series
To be clear, the creepy looking sea animal that appears in several shots in this drama–-the one that called certain characters “murderers”---is NOT a squid. It’s a cuttlefish. Why do all these fictional scientists get it wrong?Any real biologist (and a lot of the public) would know the difference. Just consult a science advisor next time, folks.
I’m guessing there are two reasons.
1. The villain calls himself “Squid.” Would he really have the same menacing gravitas if he called himself “Cuttle”? No? It sure wouldn’t work with the English speaking crowd. (Sounds too much like “Cuddle” and no one wants a cuddly villain.)
2. And, also, live squid are difficult little suckers–-sometimes even cannibalistic. So you’d need a separate tank for each–and they have to be fed six times a day. Better to hope no one notices that a shy little cuttlefish is masquerading as a squid.
Moving right along to the plot...I liked it. I admit I was worried about getting bored with all the do-overs–-every loop day repeating five times–-but it turned out that was no problem. Each of the five loop days had interesting plot twists. Portions of the overall story kept being revealed. The writers would double back and fill in a few details each time–-and each day the story went off the rails in a different direction.
If you’re muddled in the middle of this series–-stick with it. It gets better.
I thought Jingting Bai did a great job in THE FIRST FROST, and I was afraid, at first, that he wasn’t going to measure up in this production–-but he brought it home. The sound effects really enhanced the tension and some of the visuals were breath-taking.
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Enjoyable and worth watching
I'm really surprised at the low-ratings this Chinese drama has received on certain platforms. It deserves better. Yes, it's uneven in places, it drags at the end--and the acting chops of the numerous characters range from overly-dramatic to reasonably competent to blanked out, poker-faced bots. BUT...by and large the female leads are magnetic, energetic, and convincing as the five clever and spirited Li sisters-all of them in the market for a marital match made in heaven.What the ladies get instead is a plethora of trouble, involving in-laws and outlaws and just plain craziness, as each daughter, in turn, finds what appears to be the "perfect match," but in fact--is not.
Mother Li (played by an outstanding actor) has her work cut out for her. For each of the five, she has to find an appropriate husband, with a modicum of wealth and a propitious astrology chart–someone belonging to a socially respectable, congenial family. And, of course, she has to provide each of her five girls with a sufficient dowry.
Is Mother Li looking for someone her daughters will like and get along with? Strike that last requirement. Personal compatibility was pretty low on the priority list in that day and age.
Not to worry, though, these incredible women are all resourceful, capable, and able to finesse the various situations--marital, familial, and legal--as well as the chauvinistic society they find themselves in. Not all of their shenanigans work as planned and the plot isn't always believable. In fact, the fifth daughter's marriage situation was so ridiculous that I fast forwarded through most of it. Shades of "I Love Lucy" reruns in some of the antics. Her attempts to whip her would-be spouse into shape (and I do mean "whip") went on waaay too long. Personally, I don't find marital abuse funny, no matter how richly deserved or who's doing it.
It would have been nice if the servants were depicted as real human beings instead of props for the nobles to use as they saw fit.
But the costumes and hairdos are to die for. And the absolutely delightful "lion contest" in episode 32 made up for a lot of the cheesier moments.
Who knew that 1000 years ago the Chinese city of Bianjing was such a nest of vipers?
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This one's a gem
I wasn’t expecting such a smart–and genuinely funny--drama from China in 2025. But FIRST FROST is not for everyone. If you want an action-packed thriller, look elsewhere. It’s a slow-moving character study of two imperfect, vulnerable human beings who are trying to find a way to connect, in spite of a lot of misunderstandings and obstacles.The writing, editing, and acting in this drama are first rate. But most of the credit goes to Bai Jing Ting, who brilliantly embodies the romantically obsessed, insecure, brutally honest ML, a devilishly handsome bad boy, a little too smug for my taste (he criticizes her kissing!), although he’s basically a good guy. The target of his affection is the disengaged, oblivious FL who, episode after episode, doesn’t seem to notice the efforts he’s making. She’s convincing too. But later in the drama, I stopped having sympathy for her when she abandoned her cat. Not OK.
The two secondary characters were fun and enjoyable to watch. Totally different in personality and style from the main duo, they were both likable. Yes, these two had their hang ups. But they weren’t so self-involved, and they even had time for friends and family.
I’m glad somebody did. The main couple only had eyes for each other.
Unfortunately in the last five or six episodes (rife with product placements) this drama began to drag. If not for that, The FIRST FROST would have gotten one of my rarely bestowed ratings of ten-stars. The many unnecessary flashbacks went over and over and OVER the same events in the past and made me want to scream. And then there was way too much schmaltzy sentimentalizing at the end. Still, by and large, a real winner.
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