Freespirit1221

My new comfort show, with great romance and strong found family concept

My new comfort show. It has great messages about women empowerment and great supportive bonding between women. Its concept of found family among the ladies is very strong and amazing. It's always great to see women supporting women, especially in an Asian drama.

Also, the romance between the leads is beautiful. They have a slow burn and genuinely healthy relationship, with great chemistry. Their love grows gradually and they treat each other with care and respect. Other side couples are enjoyable too.

I love most of the characters in this series, except for a very few male characters. Besides the leads, my 2 most favorite characters are the fifth prince and his wife. The guy is so funny and has a pure heart of gold, and his romance story is fun to watch as well. :)

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This is the best live-action musical series I have watched so far!

I always have a soft spot for musical films, especially films with classical music. I love classical music, and love the piano the most. So "Nodame Cantabile" is a perfect series for me. It makes me fall in love with classical music one more time and also gave me the motivation to start practicing the piano again. As a piano learner, I'm kind of like Nodame who does not read the music sheet very well. Of course I'm not as talented as Nodame. My level is quite basic. I just learnt it to play for fun, but paused for a long time because I don't have a piano with me, and the teacher forced me too much that made me stressed. So this time I'll buy a small piano and try to practice on my own while maybe looking for a more suitable piano teacher.

Anyway, "Nodame Cantabile" is so special and precious to me. I love every music performance throughout the series. I can feel the love for music in every character in the series. I love most of the characters, except the foreign Maestro character. He's just a perverted old man to me. The way he treats women is horrible, and I don't like his fake foreign look and accent either. I felt annoyed every time he appeared. However, as this is an old Japanese drama and as I love everything else and the music just touched my soul every single time, "Nodame Cantabile" is still a 100/10 series for me. I will re-watch it from time to time.

Besides music, this series is also special because of other reasons. I love our girl Nodame so much and also love her beloved senpai Chiaki. Nodame is so adorable, innocent but definitely not a stupid girl. She's a talented piano genius in disguise because of childhood traumas. Chiaki is also a genius with childhood traumas. I enjoyed watching Nodame and Chiaki's character development through each episode, and I loved the way they helped and supported each other in overcoming their own fears to find their real selves and discover their talents. Their romance is so pure, beautiful, and supportive, and it starts out of the love for music. I specially love the scene in the last episode where Nodame was talking about her dream of performing on the same stage with her senpai as a golden pair with full of excitement. Nodame is just too sweet and adorable! No wonder Chiaki hugs her from the back!

Also, they are so hilarious together. I enjoyed watching Chiaki's reactions and his facial expressions every time he's with Nodame lol. I laughed so much while watching them together. Of course I don't take the violence seriously. I understand that's the slapstick comedy style, as this series is adapted from a comedy manga.

Besides the leads, other characters are also very loveable. My other favorite characters are Mine and Kiyora. I love them as an individual character and love them as a couple as well. Their romance is also pure, beautiful and supportive and starts out of the love for music. Not only a wild and sensitive artist, Mine is also the best boyfriend and also the best buddy! While Kiyora is a strong ambitious and brave woman who dares to dream big and work hard to chase after her dream. She’s also a kind and supportive friend. It’s always nice to see this type of female character in a Japanese series.

Another thing that makes "Nodame Cantabile" so special to me is that there is no drama, no villain, no toxic love triangle, and no misunderstanding throughout the series. I just feel the absolute love for music from every character, as well as their desire and dreams, and their struggles while chasing their dreams. I can see myself in every character's struggle, and they also encourage me to face my fears to find my real self and follow my dreams. As how much Chiaki is grateful to his orchestra at the end of the series, I'm also grateful to "Nodame Cantabile" in the same way. I also feel like it's time to end a part of my life, and feel like it's the start of something new. I will move forward to a new journey and discover myself more in that journey. Although there are still fears, but I will stop doubting myself and start to believe in myself more. :)

There are still many more things to talk about this series but I'll stop now. I'm not sure if anyone will ever read this review but I wrote it to myself as the main purpose. Maybe it's a bit lengthy and boring to others. :)

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A non-toxic mature series for adults - Yoo Eun Ho is the greenest forest ever!

I love mature romance stories, with healthy relationships where nice people fall in love and treat each other right. This series is like that. Plus, I've watched Lee Joon Hyuk since her debut projects and it's really rare to see him be a male lead in a romance, and he's paired with Han Ji Min! Both are my beloved actors, so why can I miss out on this series?

"Love Scout" is a lighthearted slow-burn mature romance Kdrama where both the leads equally love and respect each other. I'm satisfied with it. The leads have great chemistry, while both second leads are very nice, and them ending up together is the best part. There's no toxic love triangle, no toxic ex coming back and meddling between the leads. And the ending is just perfect. I would feel awkward if they got married right away at the end but luckily it didn't happen, because it's not realistic in their situation.

Most of the characters are likeable. The leads are surrounded by kind-hearted and supportive people, except for the female lead’s business rivals who go shady against her. That is understandable, as our female lead Ji Yoon is a CEO. Being a businesswoman means you have a lot of rivals and have to go through hardships.

This is also a realistic office-themed and slice of life series with great messages about self-value, self-discovery, and what to prioritize in life. There is great career advice as well. I relate so much to the characters that want to quit and change jobs but they're still stuck in the same position because of the money and other things, or they don't know what is suitable for them. I wish Ji Yoon's company really existed so that I could register as their candidate.

Besides being a supportive partner to Ji Yoon, our male lead Eun Ho is also a role model as a loving and caring single father. His daughter is his first priority and he always tries to be with her when she needs him. It’s rare to see a single father like him in Kdramas. It's usual to see single mothers like this. That's another thing I love about the show. I hope it will help to break the stereotypes and help people realize that men can be a caring father too.

I love how Eun Ho talked about parenthood and said how his daughter had 'raised' him so that he could become a great person like he was at the moment. I also love what Ji Yoon told Byeol that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to love, that having both parents doesn't mean that you receive double love from them, but one parent loving you wholeheartedly is enough. I agree with this to the bone. This is actually quite a new concept in recent Asian series too, since a lot of Asian people still consider divorce as some kind of a crime and think that being a single parent is not good for the kids.

I also love the relationship between Eun Ho and the second female lead. I find it very interesting. Both are single parents and they are 'parenting friends' who help each other take care of the kids when the other is busy with other schedules. This is a new type of relationship recently and I think it's a beautiful platonic relationship in this modern society.

Another light of the show is the two little kids. They are just so adorable. Byeol is such a cutie pie! I love watching her father-daughter relationship with Eun Ho, and especially love her interactions with Ji Yoon as well.

There are only 2 little things I didn't like much about this series, but it didn't really affect my viewing experience in general:

+ First, why don't they just let the leads meet each other in a natural way when they are adults? Why do they have to add a traumatizing childhood past to make them be more like "destined to be together"? When I watched the episode that showed Ji Yoon's father had died in a fire accident, I really whispered to myself: "Please don't let the leads be related to each other through that accident". And what I had feared came true! The moment Eun Ho freaked out when hearing the sound of a fire truck, I knew right away that Ji Yoon's father had died while saving him. What happened next was quite predictable to me. After years of watching Kdramas, I'm too used to this situation. Luckily it didn't stir up any drama between the leads, and instead it gave them some space to reflect on themselves and their relationship. That's a great thing.

+ Second, why don't they just let the second female lead be a real single mother, instead of an aunt adopting her nephew as her own son? This situation is also quite familiar in Kdrama plots. I found it not very creative but it's not a big deal either. Anyway, as I've mentioned above, our second female lead is a nice person and kind at heart. I'm happy that she finally meets another great person who cherishes her. Although it was obvious that they would end up together from the beginning, it still felt nice to see their love growing through each episode. Besides the leads, their romance story is also slow-burn and mature.

Everything in this show is mature. I love it so much!

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A beautiful and heartwarming love story

9.5 out of 10 for a beautiful, heartwarming series that has warmed my heart in this winter.

It was on my watchlist for a long time and finally I was able to finish it. I discovered this series because of its ost song performed by my favorite artist Suda Masaki. I have been listening to this song for years. I was so excited that he also did a cameo appearance in the series.

Anyway, I love the series very much. I've watched the movie first and already loved it, although it felt rushed. Both 2 versions have their own beauty, and for me, the series feels much deeper, heavier, more serious and realistic, and also more dramatic compared to the movie.

The story in this series is very beautiful and well-performed. I like almost every character, except for the nurse. She's annoying. Other characters may also cause different difficulties and misunderstandings for the main couple, but I find their behaviors understandable, but the nurse's behaviors don't make much sense to me. She treated the female lead badly as if she was a criminal for loving the male lead, hurt her feelings and manipulated the female lead several times. That's the only thing that I don't like in this series. The story would feel better and more complete if they didn't did her so dirty, in my opinion.

To sum up, Perfect World is a heartwarming series that has strengthened my belief in love and the beauty of life, and appreciate more little things and live more in the moment. I'm grateful to this series.

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A beautiful masterpiece - Best Kdrama of 2025 so far

"When Life Gives You Tangerines" is a beautiful heart-warming series. It touches different aspects of life and implies beautiful messages in each episode throughout the series. It's also a powerful feminist Kdrama. I can see myself, my mother's and my grandmother's life in this series. I am forever grateful to all the women in previous generations. They have been through a lot of hardships and battles so that we can live in a world that we are today. It's also a beautiful tribute to our grandparents' lives who have sacrificed a lot for a better life for their future generations.

Another thing that makes this series so special is that it's inspired by a real life story. Gwan-sik and Sun-ae's love story really exists in this world. It gives me hope and strengthens my trust in love and humanity. This series also raises my standards higher and encourages me to love myself more and to follow my dreams. It encourages me to stop torturing myself and let go of something that's hurt me so much for a long time, even though I've wanted it and liked it a lot. There is a stage of my life that I need to end so that I can move forwards into a new stage.

I love how the series is divided into 4 volumes, like how a person's life is divided into 4 stages. We all live in a cycle of 4 seasons in our life: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. We experience both great joy and deep sorrow. Everything in our life happens for a reason and each season teaches us a lesson we need to learn. Afterall, we will live, no matter what. This beautiful message really touches my soul, as there were times I really wanted to end my life, but now I'm grateful that I'm still alive and able to breathe.

I really enjoyed the loving daughter-father relationship between Gwan-sik and Geum-myeong. I am not lucky enough to have a great father like Gwan-sik to Geum-myeong. My Asian father chose to be a good son, while my father's mother and siblings hate and look down on my mom for being a little poorer than them. Although my mother has done a lot of things for her in-law's family, they take it for granted and torture her a lot. My father is quite an absent father, and he looks down on me and my mom because we are women. Now I have a very awkward relationship with him. Everytime I watch or read a story with a loving husband and father like in this series, there is a very indescribable feeling rising in my heart.

I think of my grandmother (my mother's mother) a lot while watching this series. At her funeral, when others were praising her about how great she was as a devoted mother and grandmother, I thought her life was so miserable and cried. She was devoted to her husband and children all her life, and she was a mother whose 4 children passed away at young ages. Her husband passed away many years before her too. She never wanted to hold any celebrations when she reached 70, 80, and even 90 or didn't want to receive any rewards. My mom said she blamed herself for the death of her children, thinking that she could live a long lifetime because she stole her children's years of life. I couldn't imagine how much pain she had to endure when she was alive. My heart aches everytime I think of her life, and my mother's life too. My grandmother was a wonderful woman. My mom told me she was the most talented daughter in her family, and so did my mom. Both of them were the breadwinner of their family and also great at a lot of things. My mom expects me to be great too, and I used to feel so stressed comparing myself to them, but at the same time I swore to myself to never live like them. I also told my mom that, like how Geum-myeong told Ae Sun in a scene in episode 4. However, also thanks to that scene, now I think of my grandmother and mother's life in a more positive way, when Ae Sun told Geum-myeong: "You're right. Don't live the life I lived. But you know, I found happiness in my own way. There was sunshine in my life too. I've had so many picture-perfect moments. I just want you to acknowledge that my life was worthwhile too." I'm still trying to break the cycle of generational trauma, but I will never underestimate their lives again.

I can see myself in Geum-myeong in her relationship with her mother. I bicker a lot with my mom. There is a big age gap and generation gap between us, so we have different perspectives about life. There are times we hurt each other with words, but we also have great moments together, and there were times my mom used the whole world to me. My mom also told me she used to bicker a lot with my grandmother too, and she was also considered quite a rebellious daughter when she was young, like me. So basically my mom gave birth to a daughter who is exactly like her. Children are the mirrors of their parents. This message is perfectly portrayed throughout the series. Just like how Ae Sun’s mom and Ae Sun herself try their best to improve their daughter's life, I understand that my mom also tries to improve my life. I'm going to live a happy life so that my mom can be proud, and so that my future daughter can live a better life too.

I'm definitely going to re-watch "When Life Gives You Tangerines" with my mom! I think she will think of her mother a lot too. I'm sure she will cry a lot but it's going to be a good cry.

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A heartwarming medical and slice of life series

Such a beautiful story. I’m speechless!

It’s not just a medical series but a heartwarming picture of life and humanity. The romance feels so unique, natural and beautiful. The character development is great and the acting is really impressive! I love most of the characters in this series. And the ending is just amazing. It gives me a sense of fulfillment. But I wish it could last longer and show a little more scenes of Sanpei and Miyabi together. It ends way too soon!

There are only 3 things I don’t like much throughout the series:

+ They let a long-term brain patient (the female lead) drink beer like every day, and no one warns her about it. Alcohol is harmful to the brain, and the female lead has a serious brain disease, had brain surgery before and has to take medicine every day! This doesn’t make much sense to me. Maybe because they want to add some commercials for the beer product?

+ The hospital is such a big one but doesn’t seem to have many patients, as the doctors and nurses are quite chill and hang out at a familiar restaurant, drink beer and chitchat all the time. All the main doctors and nurses are there at the same time! Lol. And sometimes they all gather at one place in the hospital as well. I think it’s not very logical in a medical workplace. I do understand they want to show the great bonding the female lead has with the colleagues and how kind and helpful they are towards her. It just happens way too much. If the workplace weren’t a hospital, it would make more sense. :)

+ The creepy hospital chairman and his way of eating really pisses me off. It’s so painful for me to watch him eat, and he eats in almost every scene he appears. 😭

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