Chatriel

Love conquers all

Full disclosure, I think I may be in love with Ki Do Hoon.

Fan-girling aside, the amount of sympathy and other emotions coming from emotionless gods, entities willing to die for their humans, had me swooning as I watched this. It's not perfect. It's not intriguing. It has plot holes and a lot of fill-in-the-blanks with your own imagination as to how we got here. But it is self-reflective. It's sweet, and a little bit romantic. A lot of people compare it to Goblin, and I can see the similarities (Goblin being one of my favorite dramas of all time), but at the same time I never once thought to make that comparison while I was watching. Scripting Your Destiny is a sweet little drama all on it's own, and worth watching.

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Amazing friendship

Some dramas are meant to be binged. This isn't one of those. This is something that is meant for you to look forward to. Rarely do I regret binging a show, but I wished I'd have saved some of these episodes for future days. There is a level of energy and excitement throughout the show, and I am sad to say that I used it up all in one go.

I loved the feel of this show. The friendship, the camaraderie, the support of the 4 friends (plus their families and coworkers) made it all worthwhile for me. Having known friendship like this in my own life, I find that it gives me happiness to see such things onscreen. For people to be there with you through thick and thin, you have to have gone through a lot together. Although the storyline wasn't realistic, it was fun and interesting to me. It did have it's sad moments, but then again....don't we all?

I enjoyed all the acting in this drama, and I think everyone did a great job portraying their characters. There was a good mix of character types, but none were inherently evil. Everyone had their own redeeming qualities, even though all of the characters were flawed in their own way....some more than others, but this isn't their story. The OTT characters kept the storyline light and funny. (The music set the tone for many scenes, and was interesting enough for me to look up several of the songs.) I found the friendship of the 4 totally believable, and they had great chemistry together.

Unfortunately, I did not see the chemistry between Ji Eun and Woo Min as a couple, but I think that their acting was on point. That didn't make it any less believable to me, because irl some couples just don't exude chemistry. That doesn't make them any less of a couple though. Although I didn't feel passion between them, I did feel friendship and support and happiness. Sometimes that's enough.

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Thoughts

--People get really offended at a show that is for entertainment only. And if you're not going to watch at least the majority of the program, how can you give a legitimate rating??
--I rarely rewatch anything, so disregard that rating.
--Hwang In Youp is an amazing actor in my opinion
--I hate how K-dramas dumb down children
--I'm going to have to watch more of Bae In Hyuk! As Choi Yoon Sang, he kinda stole my heart!...
--...as did the character Na Se Ryun (Son Ji Hyun.)
--Ji Seung Hyun's character Choi Joo Wan was played much better than I realized....he was one of the most memorable for me, which surprises me. However, thinking about it, this character did lose his wife, daughter, father, job, and obviously his freedom all within a short period of time, so it should have been memorable I guess.
--I loved the camaraderie of the law students (group 8), the 2 that ran the cafe, and the assistant lawyer
--I am sorry that Gong Chan didn't have more screen time. I don't feel that this character was written as fully fleshed out as he should have been. I think Hwang In Youp did an amazing job considering. There was a lot of long dramatic scenes looking out of the window or over the ocean or whatever.....this time could have been better filled with a little more of the romance. It seemed more "hero-worship" than anything.
--Choi Yoon Sang's crush on Noona should have been more evident as well, but it was sweet, nonetheless.
--I loved the 3 sons friendship, even if they were stupid and controlled by their fathers. They were the actual 3 Musketeers in the show, unlike what the CEO said.
--The entirety of South Korea needs anger management. (Don't get me wrong, I love South Korea, but sheesh! the amount of slapping the kids around...and yes, it's a drama, but there's too much of it IRL.)
--Choi Joo Wan jumping over the couch to get to his father was so good, and Gong Chan revealing himself to his step-mother was heartbreaking.
--I kind of wanted it revealed in the disciplinary hearing that Gong Chan and Su Jae were actually working together to find the killer....I wanted a big dramatic scene, and it just didn't happen.

End of thoughts for now. :)

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Poor Win!

I feel sorry for Win.

This drama is totally based on Cha being younger than Irin. It pained me every time the characters called Cha a child, when Cha was fully an adult and knew his own mind. As a citizen of the US, it is my opinion that some of the cultural standards in other countries are outdated, but at the same time, these dramas are based on their culture, not mine. So honestly, if I'm going to watch these dramas, I should keep that in mind. However, I don't understand why there has to be so much unhappiness, so little acceptance.

And OMG, just whose side was Jin on, anyway??? So wishy-washy! There were times when he wasn't even on his own side!

There were so many plot holes and things that didn't make sense. Who was running the companies when Namcha and Irin were off doing their own thing?? Why was Jin's office inside the publishing company? Why didn't they make Inn take another pregnancy test prior to the wedding?? Why was there a 7 year age gap, but also 7 years of non-contact between Namcha and Irin? Did they just date for a few months then never see each other for 7 years? If so, why was Cha still so head-over-heels for Irin? (Didn't Cha say he was abroad for only a couple of years?)

Anyway, I appreciated the acting. Win is getting better. Overall, there weren't too many scenes where they were awkwardly standing there waiting for the next line. And the translator guy? BEST character!!!! Grandpa made me hate him, just like he should have. And I thought Tan and Paeng were great!

Overall, if they wanted to showcase Win in a drama, it should have been a better one. And not one where he's, ironically, a vet, as he is not an animal person. He did a great job at hiding that.

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Can't get through this one

I ended up dropping this at the end of ep 17. I've watched a lot of bad dramas that I liked despite whatever made them bad. I'm pretty easy to please. But when I finally realized that I really didn't care what happened to the characters in this drama, I had to drop it.

This drama didn't know what it wanted to be. An action/mystery thriller? A slice-of-life? A supernatural romance? Chinese propaganda? The amount of footage that I skipped simply because I was bored was bordering on ridiculous. And I'd like to say that's what made some parts confusing, but no. The confusing parts were just confusing. There were too many times that I'd skip, get confused, then go back to see what I'd missed, but there was never any connection to the parts I was confused about. It tried to include morality as a basis for some character actions and beliefs, but there were too many conversations on morality, and they felt more like a PSA than anything, failing to move the plot along.

The only reason I made it as far as I did was that there were some intriguing characters. I wanted to find out more about them. But either I didn't make it far enough or it just wasn't there. And the actors just didn't have a connection with each other. No chemistry, really between any of them, much less the love interests. At least I can say their acting wasn't really bad, just maybe the people didn't fit. But also, I wanted the bad guys to be bad; I wanted something definite. But too many grey characters just kind of made the whole story ambiguous, and that was frustrating.

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Second watch

I just got through my second watch of this, and after watching probably 300 C-/K-/J-/T-dramas, I have to say that the acting in this show is some of the best, in my opinion. Not everyone was perfect in every scene, but I didn't question the actors' reactions any more than I would have questioned the reactions of people in real life. And although there are a few plot holes, I personally have enough imagination to fill in the blanks.

The kids totally stole my heart in every scene they were in, and made the entire drama worth watching. While their delivery sometimes lacked emotion, anyone who's been around young kids knows that's often the way kids speak, so it was believable. And their crying scenes were on point, especially when the boy was chasing after the taxi. I hope he got an award for that scene alone.

My original rating was an 8.5, but I bumped it to a 9.5 this time around. Of all the shows that I've watched, it's rare that I WANT to watch a drama more than once, and even rarer that I actually DO it. But this show is definitely worth it.

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Just some thoughts...

There are already plenty of reviews for this drama, so instead of an actual review, I'll just write some thoughts that may or may not ever be read. Just because. LOL

--Is it really really good acting, or do I actually, truly, hate the mom??? Also, I hate that she never understood that she was the cause of her son's moral deficiencies.

--The plot twist. I wasn't expecting a plot twist. How was I not expecting a plot twist?? I was truly surprised. And honestly, it was informational only....they would have been fine without it. But it did give some justification to the motive.

--I never did understand the relationship between Yu Ji Hyuk (ML) and Lee Suk Joon (Lawyer/HR). I got a sense that there was a familial relationship, but I was never sure.

--Yu Hee Yeon was adorable! It's nice to have a genuinely good character occasionally. Not to mention, intelligent and helpful, with no ulterior motives.

--Poor Baek Eun Ho. He was so clueless throughout the entire thing. I felt so sorry for him.

--Yu Ra's bodyguard/driver/secretary.....he looked so betrayed in the last episode. Not to mention his reluctance to murder people. His role was pivotal in saving some lives. I thought he deserved a better ending than to be left standing in the parking lot.

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Great story!

This is a short drama, but it somehow relayed more story than the 35min x 8eps allowed, with still enough time for flashbacks and bloopers at the end of the last episode. I enjoyed it thoroughly, with my only complaints being that 1) the school bully is 38yrs old irl, and looks it, 2) the adult versions of the ML's look too dissimilar to their high school selves, and 3) the psychiatrist should have had a brighter personality. I had to suspend belief on those matters. Other than that, everything was "gucci" in my opinion. Even the pseudo-supernatural parts have a basis in reality, whether it be actual physical reactions that science has yet to explain, or simply psychological results from changes in the body. (Here I refer to menstrual theft as well as cellular memory. Because hormones make us do crazy things, and genetic/ancestral memory is a thing, so why not cellular memory?)

Despite these things, the drama itself was an immersive, emotional, and overall feel-good story. I didn't even hate the bully as much as I should have, as it seemed to me that he had a depth that was left unexplored. But nothing is perfect, in dramas or in real life, and things aren't always what they seem or what we think they should be. I think that the actors played their characters well, and I liked that the drama didn't have abusive parents or teachers, and the friendships/relationships between the characters were real. Especially the grandma. They boys' love for her made me smile.

I loved this drama and I highly recommend it!

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A love that never falters

This drama was about a love that never falters. Throughout the entire show, the main characters are confident in themselves and their love. Once they actually get together, they do not doubt each other. They believe in themselves, each other, and their abilities. They believe in each other's strength and fight together to ensure that they will be together in the end. The drama they face together, with the support of their friends, results in a happy ending. The writers even gave all the characters redeemable qualities which may be unrealistic, but made the drama easy to watch. The visuals were stunning, especially the ML's bedroom eyes. (Sorry, I'm shallow like that sometimes. LOL) I enjoyed the difference in this drama, in that it started from the end and told their backstory. So while you know how it's going to end, you have to watch to see how it got there.

Personally, I could have used another 8 or so episodes focused on the side characters as well. I would like to have seen more of their journey.

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A trip through Hell

I'll keep this short and sweet.
Spoilers ahead:
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Question: How do you make an entire movie, quite literally, around the twitch of a hand?

Answer: You throw in some dinosaurs, a pack of hungry wolves, some battle scenes, a game of chess, a clay pot, a trip through hell, some fabulous CGI, and an amazing cast of actors!

I personally thought part 1 (Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds) was a better movie overall, but there are many who disagree. Regardless, both movies were very well done and deserve to be seen by those who occasionally enjoy a bit of the fantasy genre. I'd hope they would continue with the plans to make a part 3 and 4, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, sadly.

Are you still reading? Why?? Go watch!!!

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My new favorite

This was the sweetest, most heartfelt BL I've watched thus far. Although it only has 8 episodes, and each episode is only about 15 minutes long, it was enough. I don't think making it longer would have made it better. The script had everything it needed in order to tell the story well. The acting itself, the movements, the emotions, the dialogue, all seemed genuine. The mini-game at the end of each episode helped to show the background of the characters and assisted with story progression, while adding a fun element and keeping the show from taking itself too seriously.

The story centers around Lee Wan, who confessed his feelings to his best friend, Shin Ki Tae, directly after their high school graduation. After the confession, Wan runs away without giving Ki Tae time to process the confession. Lee Wan completely removes himself from Ki Tae's life, leaving Ki Tae searching for him for the next 7 years. Upon reencountering Lee Wan, Ki Tae wastes little time working his way back into Wan's life, leaving Wan to make decisions that will affect whether or not they have a future together.

This drama helps to raise the bar for K-BLs, and for BLs in general. With a total run time of approximately 2 hours, I literally doubled my watch-time by rewatching each episode at least once as it aired. It was well thought out, well written, well directed, well edited, and well acted. (Too much? Am I gushing?? LOL.) I highly recommend this series.

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Just some thoughts...

I've completed the show and glanced through the other reviews. I think that there are enough reviews that give fairly good synopses (I had to google the plural for synopsis...never had to write that word before. Lol). Anyway, I just wanted to leave some of my own personal thoughts on the drama.

I thought that the actors interpreted and delivered their roles well. I was disappointed, though, that while I could feel the friendship, and even the love that the main leads had for each other, I didn't see any actual passion in their love. And while that's ok in real life....many have love and friendship in their relationships and that's all they need...I didn't think that it translated into a good love story for a k-drama. Basically that means the chemistry just wasn't there in my opinion.

What I did enjoy was the relationship between John Jang and Park Ji Wan. I would have loved to have seen much more of them on screen. I thought their chemistry was amazing. Or maybe it was simply the story of the underdog getting a win. But, tbh, although she was portrayed as such, I never considered Ji Wan as an underdog because she was the prettiest female in the cast...again, my opinion.

Also, Dae Hwi. Idk, there's something about him. As a kpop fan, every time I see him on screen, I have a habit of screaming "Dae Hwi!" LOL. (Idk why, it's just a thing. He impressed me on something he said once, and made me a fan.) So, although I hadn't looked at the cast, within the first 2 minutes or so of the show, I was yelling his name in excitement. And the fact that I loved his character just made me like him better. He portrayed Sang Woo, who never gave up on his ideals and never betrayed his principles, regardless of the situation.

(My daughter also pointed out that Choi Si Won was also an idol, and it made me wonder if I'd missed any others.)

The drama overall held my attention fairly well. I thought they could have done better with the "Kingdom of Love" show that much of the drama was based around. If that had been a real show on television, I'd have skipped it. I loved Yu Reum's supportive parents. I loved the friendships that Yu Reum had. And the relationship between Dae Shik and Hye Jin is something for everyone to strive for. Dae Shik is such a loveable character, and his attitude is everything.

I was disappointed that they didn't do anything with the camera exposure of Chae Ri's one night stand with Jang Goon. And there were a few more storylines they could have gone with, and chose to ignore or edit out. So my satisfaction wasn't quite fulfilled.

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Someone please give these actors better scripts!

I'd read comments about how awful this show was, and I thought, "It can't be that bad, I'll judge it for myself." And well....I just want to know who let this drama happen?? Why didn't the director stop this?? Do the writers still have jobs??

The acting was pretty dang good. Especially since they really didn't have anything to go on. I've seen much, much worse acting. But the dialogue, what little of it that there was, was pretty bad in a lot of places. Not all of it was horrible. And there were some life-lessons they tried to address. I appreciate that they made an attempt to deal with problems such as depression, family, friends, relationships, and a few lgbtq+ issues. They just weren't dealt with very well.

I had issues with several of the storylines and plot devices. The sister's storyline was total BS. Taking the kid away? I had sympathy towards her until she did that. The aunt telling Rose to push Dr. Yang out of his job? Nope. And Dr. Pun....I just don't even know what to say about him. I liked him even though he was unprofessional, pushy, and disrespectful at times--I've never seen someone be respectful and disrespectful at the same time, but this character managed it,-- but some of the things he did were, in my opinion, verging on sexual assault....luckily he never pushed it that far. And then there was the flash forward, and for a while I wasn't sure if all of the scenes from that point on were future scenes or if they were flashing back to the past again. It just wasn't done well.

I feel sorry for the actors. Most of them were really good, especially considering they had all those long pauses and drawn out scenes. But there were production issues, sound issues, writing issues, etc. The actual story had such potential. It was simply wasted in my opinion. This was one time that I agree with the comments.

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Live Action Manga

I am disappointed that this series didn't turn out better. I think the actors did a fine job with what they were given. (I even have a little crush on Masayan.) But just because this was adapted from a manga doesn't mean that we should be looking for the manga characters to come to life. It should be the same storyline, but with life-like characters. I will admit that this was done better than some manga adaptations, but still didn't hit the mark. Onoe was still an OTT character and Motoharu was still the cool, unaffected focus of his affections, as in most manga stories. With some realizations, communication, and the help of the side characters, they were able to work things out for a positive ending, but getting there simply felt like a chore. It was a bit choppy. There was character progression but I'm not sure where it came from.

I will not be rewatching this series in it's entirety....but I may go back and rewatch parts of the last couple episodes, simply because they were cute. But probably not.

I would like to see these actors in other non-manga shows though.

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Worthy of a rewatch

I appreciate so much about this film. The acting, the dialogue, the attempt at reality during the love scenes. I really, really liked it. I am one to gloss over missteps, mistakes, and plot holes in order to enjoy the effort put forth by the cast and staff. I understand that it's all acting. It's fantasy for our enjoyment. Mistakes will be made, people will have opinions, and not every thing is for every one. But this is honestly a pretty dang good story.

For you (me) to completely understand what actually transpired in the story, a rewatch or 2 is necessary. I watched this as a movie on GagaOoLala as opposed to the original 'shorts' that it was released as. Watching it in the original would probably have helped with the (however slight) disjointedness of the show. But other than that....after watching a second time, I understood much better about the pulled punches, the slight hints here and there, the noticing of the med kit, etc.

I am glad that Strongberry read and replied to the reviews. That shows me that the company is willing to find out what the public thought about the show in order to continually improve their productions, as well as giving the public what it wants to see. (I do not expect for Strongberry to read or comment on this review, as it's been over 5 years since this came out, and people/companies have to move on, but that's not going to diminish my respect for the company.)

I recommend others to watch this....and then rewatch it for a fuller understanding.

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