Charbonnel

You are correct. Simply put, a bit of thought at the beginning could have saved everyone. This also applies to the witch hunt in season 1 - in that simply checking if the person already dead was the witch would have saved everyone.

I think the zombie game is weaker writing personally. The witch hunt has this revelation that the witch killed herself in order to save others, only for many to die. Meanwhile, we are scarcely made to feel remorse for most of those who died in the zombie game, and not a single character even alludes to the possibility of a no-death scenario, which feels like a writing oversight considering Arisu in particular is meant to be quite clever.

The entire ‘death’ factor relies on the stigma and danger of being on team zombie. Human vs Zombie? Zombie as a word already has unpleasant connotations, and everyone starts with a shotgun card, so you could get killed at any time. The same applies even if you turn everyone, in much the same way as in this scenario, the cure card could be used to kill an enemy if used on a zombie in the final round.

Infect everyone AND nobody uses shotguns or final round cure cards, and they all live.

Both seasons 2 and 3 had sloppy final segments in my opinion, but all in all a good show. The games were a yes, but for me the relationship between Arisu and Usagi never felt like something I wanted or the series needed, and in many ways, although it shows nice progress for Arisu, sets up a potentially interesting female character in Usagi, only to regress back into a gender role through the implication of marriage and having a child as fulfilment. I love Jdramas, but often do not watch straight romances because of this gripe.

I’m pretty sure this is why I had a gut feeling I would never truly like Usagi from the get-go in season 1, as she’s set up to be independent, only to become damsel in distress when needed for the plot.

Loved the zombie game but the solution was painfully straightforward. Some nice new characters this season too.

Edit: Possibly a hot take, but this being an entirely tv-original season showed, and it lacked the continuity, soul, and integrity of the previous two seasons. It wasn’t a BAD watch, but it wasn’t as strong or half as meaningful in my personal opinion.

I couldn’t hold back and binged the rest. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best in the niche of romance-with-a-may-be-criminal / crime, mystery, psychological, thriller, romance all mixed in together. It’s a niche theme but Koi wa Yami delivered it wonderfully.

This really is wonderfully, delectably dark and angsty. 5/10 watched and really enjoying every second of it.

I like the cast but I’m not feeling it. I think the shift away from psychological and the quite blunt way in which the horror is presented is what’s not floating my boat. I will finish it, but I suspect this will be one of the remakes I am less fond of. I often prefer Japanese adaptations but not in this case.

Will come back to this comment when I have finished watching this entirely.

I enjoyed seeing them both in previous works and honestly them starring in this drama together is a treat and they really nailed their roles. Best styling I’ve seen for him yet, and as for the female lead, I preferred her styling in Call Me By No-name (also short hair), but different characters so the gap makes sense.

In a way although it can feel very over the top from the female lead at times, it is a bit refreshing as the more anxious people I know can be this way. As much as it can feel a tad awkward to watch at times, she’s doing her job very well.

A wonderful watch from start to finish. The deeper messages of self-acceptance and acceptance of others are lovely, the characters are all flawed with good intentions (human), everything about this show brought me joy. No unnecessary misunderstandings, no major communication issues, no trust issues, just a natural growth from an unexpected friendship.

This is a perfect example of how the relationship does not have to be the major point of conflict in a show, and seeing instead a focus on inner growth and reflection was refreshing!

Was wondering and looked it up. The fact the actors all put in serious time learning the instruments to actually play it themselves in the show is a major feat that deserves appreciation.

I’ve been a trombonist and singer for over a decade and seeing the actors also performing in lives outside the drama really is heartwarming to the core - and I reckon the experience will have in some ways been meaningful, as acting too is a performance art.

As much as I found the drama bittersweet at times, the musician in me very much enjoyed and appreciated it, so this really is the cherry on top for me.

Superb. I especially appreciate the humanisation of characters who most dramas would not have had viewers routing for. Everyone’s performances here were stellar, soundtrack was also a treat that I will be learning the songs from. Hit home in more ways than one, and I certainly won’t be forgetting this drama, as much as I would love to watch it again for the first time.

The casting of this drama is an insane level crossover for me as I’m a massive fan of all 4 main actors (and have seen quite a bit of one of the supporting cast members) yet have never seen any combination of them in the same show. Very much a moment of pinching myself to check I didn’t dream up this casting. Seen quite a bit of Shison Jun and Machida Keita too.

That’s fair. I’ll just wait for it although had I known the channel I could have watched live. I do recall hearing Netflix is usually a week behind cable with this one and quite a few other doramas

Doesn’t seem like it - I haven’t checked cable but on Netflix JP it’ll be the 16th. Could have aired on cable but not sure.

Finally got a wuxia, AND it actually committed to putting the plot first? Very much happy. They did very well working against their smaller budget too.

One thing I wondered is why the actors always had fake nails / nail polish on. An odd detail to fixate on I know but it bugged me. At first I thought it was for the qin (zither) because you are required to have short nails on one hand and long on the other, but it wasn’t only Shu He so that doesn’t explain it.

I really feel the story was well done and besides some initial confusion when trying to work out who’s who, everything else played through beautifully.

Page needs updating since there’ll be another episode. Also, started this yesterday and binged it, such a sweet and good feeling show 😭

It was on my list but I didn’t get around to it for ages and thanks to jet lag, finally for to watching it, no regrets at all, really a mood booster. Also a big fan of both leads so this is a great combo for me.

An airplane watch - one I was delighted to have the chance to see. It was coming out right after I left Japan and I had picked up the free poster at the cinema but never had the chance to see it. Glad I watched, and there was definitely interest in the characters here. Haven’t seen the other works in the same universe but I do think it’s cool as a concept, although not needed to enjoy the film.

I had no idea about the soundtrack so when I got to the end I was delighted to hear that familiar voice 😌✨

Watched this on the plane and it was decent, but not unforgettably good. Not a reader of the original material, and like the review says, the script / book is scarcely mentioned in spite of being a major player in the synopsis.

Acting was good and the whole whodunnit aspect was most certainly fun, but that’s kind of all I have to say about it. I like and know the cast from other watches and it was enjoyable, if perhaps slightly underwhelming for a thriller.

I love Natsuo as a character through and through, such a sweetheart and very much a great big green flag. Possibly odd to say I relate to Hiro but hear me out - the bit of venom he gained from his past is very tangible, and I relate to it in a sense that it isn’t something others typically see because it almost never gets acted on, but it is there.

I really enjoyed the entire show and while I would have been happy without that scene in the last episode, it was well done and I also appreciate the way it doesn’t follow the stereotypes.

This is about to be a very strange comment (for MDL at least). My mother picked this up on dvd second hand, and it sat on the shelf a long while. Today, after finishing the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we watched this. It was an interesting watch that calls back to a different era of filmmaking. I enjoyed it for the most part. The irony here being that Michelle Yeoh has starred in Sector 31 just this year. Not only did I have no idea, but the way Sector 31 is relevant in the lengthy finale of DS9 makes all this a funnier coincidence.

Also recognised Chow Yun Fat from his appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. No crazy coincidences with watching that recently though.

On the dvd, the English audio is completely and utterly different to the English subtitles, which we had started with due to my mother’s preference. Suffice to say, switched to Mandarin with English subtitles, and the accuracy was there from my understanding of Mandarin. Interesting to encounter, since I never watch dubs I wouldn’t know if this is common in older dubbed media. Also, strangely, I struggled far more when trying to listen to the English than the Mandarin, and considering I have never formally studied Mandarin while English is my native language, well…

I found the twist of teams becoming rivals to be great, but then the lack of discrimination (i.e. the women actually all getting picked for teams, unlike some shows) made their odds somewhat slimmer for the third challenge. I adored monkey bars as a kid and also do judo so would have loved it.

The sportsmanship and humanity here is refreshing. Watching as teammates-turned-competitors cheered the member who got eliminated to the finish, and everyone celebrating when she did was honestly heartwarming.