Freespirit1221

Love is all around, and it's not just about romantic love

When watching this series, I had a similar feeling when I was watching my favorite Japanese series Life's Punchline. I feel these two series have quite a similar vibe. I love it.

This series has a different vibe from a lot of Kdramas. The story, the music, and cinematography is just so perfect. Just like the title, I felt like watching a movie, not a series.

This is a beautiful realistic slice of life series, with romance being a part of it. It's a mix of love, family, friendship, human relationships, dreams, passions, trauma, life and death. It touches different aspects of life. I was surprised that it was able to cover all those aspects in just a 10 episode series. Of course it cannot be too deep, but it’s enough. I was left fulfilled after finishing this series.

Love is all around in this series. Everything in it is connected to love, and it's not just about romantic love. First, it’s the love between our leads, Mubi and Gyeom. Their love isn’t just romantic, but it’s a deep connection and understanding. It’s so special. They love each other and are each other’s home. My heart feels warm and calm everytime they hug each other. It’s just so beautiful.

Second, it’s the love among the family members. We have Gyeom and his older brother, and Mubi and her parents as the two major focuses throughout this series. Gyeom and his brother truly love and care for each other dearly. Gyeom is the light in his brother’s life, while his brother is like a big tree for Gyeom. Gyeom always behaves like a kid around his brother. They rely on each other. However, Gyeom has developed a fear of being abandoned by his brother since he was a kid.

In Mubi’s situation, that her father is an absent father leads to her daddy issues. Her lack of fatherly love also leads to a fear of being abandoned and makes her always crave for love. It’s a kind of trauma that both our leads share. That’s why Mubi’s mom told Gyeom that he and Mubi are exactly like each other. And “Melo Movie” is their healing love story.

Other forms of love are friendship and human compassion, the love for one’s passion and dream, and the love for life. Each form is beautifully portrayed in this series.

Like Gyeom, my dream used to be watching every film ever made, and also reading every book ever written. However, the older I get, I understand that it’s impossible, because we have a limited time in this life while there are too many things to explore, including books and films. I can see myself in Gyeom’s development throughout the series. Oh, there was a scene where Gyeom went to the cinema with a girl who probably had a crush on him, but he didn’t care and just focused on the movie. I laughed at that scene and wondered if such a situation ever happened to me. I only go to the cinema to enjoy a movie on screen, so I don’t like talking with others when I am watching and I don’t pay attention to the person either. A lot of people may think that’s a place for dating, but it’s definitely not the case for me. I go to the cinema alone a lot. As an Asian, it’s not a common thing to do and people think I’m weird. I’m glad I’m not alone in this. :)

Like Mubi, I also love romance films and one of my favorite movies is “Love Actually” as well. I don’t understand why people don’t seem to take romance movies seriously. Maybe because I also have father issues like Mubi?

Other things I love about this series is the ending for the second leads. I’m glad they didn’t get back together at the end because it’s not realistic. In the first half of the series, I didn’t enjoy watching these two exes’ interactions and I didn’t like Ju A. But as the series goes, I think their relationship is realistic and relatable among young people. They are so young, passionate about each other and make mistakes. They once had each other in a period of their life and had a beautiful love story. I think Ju A owed Shi Jun an explanation why she broke up with him at the time, not just left him without any explanation. I think that’s the reason why Shi Jun was still stuck in the past when she was able to move on. I’m glad they met again so that Shi Jun could finally move on. Although I still don’t like Ju A, her character does exist in real life and it’s understandable.

After watching this series, I have the urge to rewatch some of my favorite romance movies and series. :)

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An important medical drama

Fast-paced, straightforward, intense, and full of comedy and action. It also has some emotional moments and the ending is perfect. The important major message is well-conveyed throughout the series. I hope that the series can help to change the world’s medical system for the better.

There are some parts which I find illogical and unrealistic but it’s fine. I think it’s the director’s intention. The main lead is built with the image of a superhero doctor with a great passion for saving his patients no matter what and with the best surgical skills, so it’s understandable that a few things about him are exaggerated. The only thing that annoys me a little bit is that they don’t wear helmets when riding a motorbike. And it doesn’t happen once. Call me a nitpicker, but as someone who rides motorbike every day, I would say it’s actually very dangerous to do that, not as cool as it looks.

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Comfort series

It’s still a heart-warming series with a lot of good food and different bittersweet stories from different patrons at the midnight diner. I think the characters' backstories in the second season were much deeper than in the first season.

Although I didn’t empathize with some patrons, I guess those types of people do exist in real life. I think ‘Master’ did a good job as a sincere listener and witness without interfering deeply into his patrons' personal issues. I think it would be nice if there were a midnight diner like that in real life. I would love to become a regular patron as well, even though I can't even drink.

I don’t remember clearly every patron’s story now, but Ryu-chan’s backstory in the first episode made me cry a lot. I also cried in a few other episodes. I’m also glad that I got to see most of the regular patrons from the first season. I loved those people very much.

It's a drama that I enjoyed watching slowly. I sometimes picked one or two episodes to watch before bed. I have to say I was surprised every time, about how the stories turned out. Wow. What is life? Even Odagiri Joe's character, who always had some iconic lines about life in a lot of episodes from the first season, became speechless for once in episode 9. I was also speechless in that case.

As I just mentioned about Odagiri Joe’s character, I felt so sorry for him, after seeing his backstory in the last episode. It was so bitter and painful to watch. I wanted to root for him, but I guess the other ending was pretty impossible in that case. His old life was already lost and he couldn’t just take it back. Once again, he took a lonely path for himself and left the diner again, without anyone noticing, just like in the first season…

Although I watched this series on Netflix, I never skipped the opening song and intro and the ending song in every episode. My heart felt so warm every time I heard the opening and ending song.

One more thing I love about this series is that the regular patrons always gathered at the diner in the last episode, and ‘Master’ cooked them a lot of fancy food, like they were celebrating a special event together.

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It has a beautiful soundtrack but the story is forgettable

I’ve been listening to its soundtrack song Endless Love for a decade and now finally I’ve watched the whole movie. I can’t say I enjoyed it. I love Kim Hee Seon, and she was so beautiful in this movie. Jackie Chan’s fight scenes were also great. Obviously, he’s Jackie Chan after all. And those were the only three things I liked in this movie. The storyline was poorly written and so was the love story. I couldn’t feel any chemistry between Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Seon either.

Plus, there were scenes that I guess were created for humor, but all I could feel was how disrespectful they were towards archaeology and some cultures.

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So sweet and adorable!

This is such a sweet, soft, gentle, heart-warming and adorable romance series. I enjoyed every minute from the beginning till the end. The chemistry between the characters is so natural and amazing even though there are not really any intimate scenes. I also love every character in this series so much. All of them are beautiful human beings.

OMG I need a season 2 asap! I need many seasons of the 2 couples. I need to see the wedding of Fumiko and Fukami, and more scenes about the future of all of the characters. 10 episodes are just too short!

Also, I noticed that in other dramas, usually only one person in a couple is adorable, and it’s often the girl. But in this drama, both of the leads are so just as lovely as each other! I love them so much.

I may write a longer review later.

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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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Beautiful messages about life

This is one of the dramas that I put into my on-hold list because I got spoiled about the ending when I was watching it years ago. Recently I had some time to pick it up again and watch it with my mom.

I have mixed feelings about this drama. I already knew the plot twist from the start this time, so I didn't have the first time experiece with it like other viewers. I'm sure it would be less fun this way. But I still enjoyed the drama very much and I understand the messages that the screenwriter and director were trying to tell viewers through each episode. Instead, the fun for me this time was to watch my mom's experience with the drama without spoiling the twist. Plus, I paid attention and realized how everything made sense from the beginning, knowing the twist behind it.

Even though I already knew the twist beforehand, it didn't stop me from crying a lot in the last two episodes. I think the team did a great job in casting Kim Hye Ja for the female lead role. She's the star of this drama. Her acting is amazing. I would totally believe her if she told me she's really a 25-year-old young woman trapped in the body of an 80-year-old lady. Her voice is also beautiful and soothing. I think it had a big impact on making me tear up in the last episode. I also loved the acting from the others, from Han Ji Min, Ahn Nae Sang, Lee Jung Eun and especially I was really impressed by Nam Joo Hyuk's perfomance in this drama.

There are a lot of relatable messages in this drama, aiming at both young people and the elderly. I think the core and strongest message is to encourage people to embrace life and love themselves more, to live more in the present and enjoy every moment we are living.

Besides that, I can feel the struggles of young people while chasing their dreams and trying to survive in this modern capitalist world. I see the importance of a healthy bonding between parents, between children and parents, between family members, friends, and lovers. I see different types of loneliness that young people and the elderly would experience. I think this drama also did a great job in raising more awareness about aging and how the elderly view the world and other people around them.

The drama also touched a few issues in the society, such as scams and fraud targeting the elders, elder neglect, and toxic abusive parents who bring nothing but misery to their children and never deserve to be parents in the first place. It also touched a bit about the corrupt Korean police and government in the past who would frame and kill off innocent people for their own purpose.

There are a few things I didn't like in this drama. Most of them were from the comedic scenes in the drama. I think Hye Ja's loser brother had too much screentime. I mean, a lot of his interactions with Hye Ja and her close friends were funny and I enjoyed them, but at some point, it was a little too much. I also didn't like that they paired him up with one of his sister's best friends. This trope was not new in kdramaland anymore. However, I think I know the purpose of his character in this drama, so it didn't bother me very much. Without him, the drama would be much heavier and full of sorrow.

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Hong Kong and Teresa Teng's songs - Perfect combo

When they showed Tesera Teng and her songs in the end, I cried a bit. She was the reason I discovered this movie. I think her songs were also a great inspiration to this movie. Basically they even used the name of a Teresa Teng's song for the title: "甜蜜蜜" (Tian Mi Mi) and used some other songs throughout the movie. I'm pretty sure most of her fans would watch it.

I always love to see Hong Kong's life in the 80s and 90s, and it's interesting to view it in a story about Chinese people coming to Hong Kong for a better life during that era. Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai's perfomances were amazing, as expected. Even though I didn't really sympathize with the leads' romance, I'm glad they ended up with each other. Let cheaters be together. Xiao Ting deserved to be with a better man who loved and cherished her wholeheartedly.

My only issue with this movie is that: Why did this have to be a cheating love story? Why didn't they just let them be single lonely souls who found each other in a big city?

I guess AIDS was a big issue in the 1990s era. It was also mentioned in a few old Hong Kong films that I've watched. I remember it was also a big issue in the 2000s. People used to be so scared of it. Now I think the fear of it has lessened but we have new serious issues to fear of.

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Unbearable

I put this one on-hold for years, after watching one third of it as a kid on TV, as I couldn’t find which platform to continue. Finally finished it and I must say the only good thing in this drama is the little kid. She’s very adorable. The child actress is amazing. Jung Da Bin was literally so cute and talented as a child actress. She’s still very talented now.

Except for the little kid, the plot and all of other the characters are unbearable. Although this is considered a childhood drama of mine and I discovered Lee Min Ki through it, I couldn’t rate it high. This drama is very problematic. Nothing is connected with each other. It was very tiring and irritating to watch.

I started this drama because Eugene was my favorite actress back then, but I couldn’t stand her character for just a little bit. By the way, Eugene is still one of my beloved actress now.

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I love spicy food but didn't enjoy it much

I know this is supposed to be an inspiring series for office workers to try their best and work hard at their job, but what's so wrong with wanting a work-life balance? To be honest, no one really wants to work. We work mostly for the money and the benefits it brings to us, right?

The character Ryusuke might appear as a lazy young person according to the propaganda all the companies have told us, but I think that's a wise thing to live like him. As long as I fulfill my tasks at work properly, I'm free to relax and live my life how I want to and nobody has the right to ask me such questions as 'what do you go to work for?'. Obviously it's because of money! Anyone who tells you that it's not is a hypocrite, and they are trying to gaslight and manipulate you to make you work harder than you should. If it's outside working hours, that's my business and please mind your own business and stop teaching me how to be more passionate about work. You don't live to work, but it's the opposite. I've been there and it's exhausted both my physical body and soul. I want to be more like Ryusuke and enjoy my life more. I'm trying to create a work-life balance for myself but it's not so easy. Seriously, I think it's one of the hardest things to do. Not many people can do that.

Another big thing I couldn't stand in this series is how it's propagated that carbohydrates are unhealthy to our body and bad for diets. That's kind of an eating disorder that might mislead a lot of people, especially young ladies, who want to stay skinny and think that's healthy.

As a person who loves spicy food, the only thing I like in this series is the spicy food and the philosophy behind why people are eating them. It sounds interesting and it makes sense, although I'm not sure if it's true in my case. Maybe it's true at some point, and it does feel refreshing after eating spicy food. However, I have to admit the food in the show doesn't look so spicy to me. Tabasco is not spicy at all and the food looks kind of pale. It still looks delicious though, and the way the characters eat even makes the food look tastier, but it just doesn't look spicy. I heard from a friend who's been living in Japan for a while that Japanese people can't really handle spicy food, and hot sauce in Japan tastes like ketchup. I hope I will visit Japan someday to try some spicy food there and clarify that. :)

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Kahoko and Hajime are really cute, but I don't like the concept of family in this drama

The only two things I love in this series are Kahoko and Hajime, and them as a couple is the cutest thing ever! Unfortunately, they didn't get enough screentime, as this is a family drama, and that's what I dislike about this drama.

Except for those two, I find all of other characters so annoying, especially Kahoko's mom. I couldn't stand her and there were too many scenes of her!

I don't like the concept of "family is family, we should stick together no matter what". As a person who grew up in a dysfunctional family, I think it's not really that necessary to stick to your family members if they hurt you, and it's totally fine to cut off with toxic blood-related family members.

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Silly plot and illegal romance

I gave this 5.5 out of 10, because I love the main cast. Also, most of the supporting characters are quite good and enjoyable people, except for the Geisha lady and the cheating husband. I specially like the grandmother and the male housekeeper, and the female employee who is close to the female lead.

I’m okay with the 10 year age gap but please at least make the male lead 1 or 2 years older. He’s underage and immature. The romance in this series is illegal lol. If anyone disliked them and reported them to the police, the female lead would be arrested. Also, the plot is dumb and annoying too.

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The cast’s acting is impressive but the plot is such a shame

Not a good movie to be honest, but the acting from the cast is phenomenal, especially Park So Dam. Kang Dong Won is the reason I knew about this movie in the first place and he also nailed the role. His appearance makes my viewing experience more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the plot is a such waste of the actors’ talent. I find it boring and dragging, especially in the first half. The second half is better, but also mainly because of the cast’s acting. This is supposed to be a horror movie but the scary parts are too few and mild. 

Kim Yun-seok’s character is also very annoying with his rude behavior. He plays a Priest and keeps insulting his deacon, Kang Dong Won’s character. Do they really think that would make him a cool or funny guy? Because I don’t find that cool or funny at all. That’s bullying.

Not to mention that they sacrifice the piglet. Poor little creature! And that’s the deal breaker for me. 


5.5 out of 10 for the cast’s efforts.

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A fun action drama, with good bromance and slight side romance

After years of watching Kdramas, the plot of this series is quite predictable. I can easily tell who is the real villain from the beginning, the plot twists aren’t very surprising, the villains aren’t evil and smart enough, and there are a few things that feel a little bit inconsistent to the characters’ personality. However, in general, it’s a good series. It has good action and comedy, and the slight side romance is fun and adorable. I enjoyed the interaction between the 2 brothers.

What makes this series good is the acting. It is perfectly casted. Everyone did great with their job in bringing the story to life. Yeo Hwa is the kind of female character that perfectly fits Honey Lee. Also, except for the villains, most of the characters are quite likable. There are a few supporting characters I like besides the leads: Bi Chan, Suho’s boss and his youngest daughter, Suho’s brother, Yeon Sun, the business lady, the little girl, the husband, and the business lady’s male employee.

The character that let me down the most throughout the series is the King. I think he’s quite a coward and just like Yeo Hwa said, he hasn’t tried to do anything for the poor suffering people but only waited for 15 years. He also doesn’t do anything to repay what Yeo Hwa and her deceased brother have done for the country.

And the years are also way too long. If it were reduced to 10 years or even below, I think it would make more sense and fit the characters’ personality more.

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