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Way too predictable mystery, same flaws as the series but beautiful context + location
The story is centred around a singular mystery and I appreciate the fact that there was enough content in terms of plot for a full length movie. I also really enjoyed the context and location in which the characters are evolving.However, I anticipated all the revelations of the scenario, nothing came as a surprise and the resolution of the mystery was super expected from the get go, which tempered heavily my enjoyment of the story. I found the teaching moments provided by the main character interesting in their content but it was too heavily given without any subtlety, for me to really resonate with it.
Acting was okay for the main roles but with some really weak points for some of the support parts. I also regret to have seen almost no Garo, as it is the interactions of this character with the hero Totono that were the best part of the drama to me: it was totally lacking here. I am super happy to have found back Hagiwara Riku in a support role and I am curious to see more of Hara Nanoka as well.
Soundtrack was okay, with the generic song that I like from the drama, very slice of life in a way and less overpowering than in the main series. Production was very good with some beautiful landscapes.
I would recommend this to people that loved the drama Don't call it Mystery. The qualities and flaws are consistent between both series and film. Therefore, if you enjoyed the drama, you will likely enjoy the movie as well. On the contrary, if like myself you had already lukewarm feelings for the drama, the film will definitely not change your mind.
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Very cute in some aspects but lacking too much in storytelling, pacing and developments
The premise of this BL story was pretty interesting with one of the male main lead needing any kind of physical touch with the other main male character to "block" the supernatural element of the show. It has been done before but not necessarily in that context and so I was pretty intrigued on how the relationship was going to evolve starting from there..Unfortunately, I found the overall story a bit boring, it remained quite superficial in a way with lot of questions not really addressed. I must admit that one of the protagonist was really written as pretty dumb (in an annoying and not -at least to me- endearing way), making it kind of difficult for me to understand why the other was so whipped for him (and also so quickly).
Despite those flaws, there are cute scenes that are worth the watch, there is a really good chemistry between the main actors with quite good acting...Some of their kisses were simply beautiful in a stiring way. I quite enjoyed the introduction as well as the last third of the story (even though the ending felt clearly too rushed) but there is clearly a saggy middle which dragged down the story for me. It is a bit of a shame that I felt there was so many issue in the pacing and storytelling given the short duration of the show.
I enjoyed the soundtrack, it gave some fun and almost cartoon / spunky vibe that created a good atmosphere. It will not necessarily remain in my memory but was really nice to hear during the show. The production value was standard for a university romance. They could have pushed more the horror vibe but decided to go for a comedic tone which I understand given the storytelling they were going for. I would have prefer the choice to be much more angsty to amp the stakes but it is a question of preference on the direction I wanted the show to go into...And it did not happen.
I would recommend this to people looking for a short BL romance with a fantasy element and cohabitation trope. If you have enjoyed drama such as "The Master's Sun" or movie such as "Marry My Dead Body", you might enjoy this because they share some similarities (either in the concept or the humour). I find it lacking in terms of story as well as relationship development but there are quite a bit of very lovely-dovey moments.
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Hot ML could not save writing crumbling apart and annoying/badly acted FL
What started at first as a hot thriller with an enemies-to-lovers married couple and some mystery, fell quickly apart as the writing crumbled with no proper characterization and a lot of plot armor for the characters.Even if I cannot deny the fact that the male lead was very attractive despite (or thanks to) all his caveman manners and possessiveness, he got less interesting as his motivations and choices became more absurd with some noble idiocy move that I disliked a lot. The female lead was an even worse main protagonist, that had almost no character growth. She felt like a carpet for most of the series, being dragged by the events with very little agency, wanting to help but concretely being carried by others all along the drama.
Regarding casting, Yoo Yeon Seok delivered a solid and hot performance. Despite the cringy lines he had to say and the writing sinking deeper and deeper, his acting skills shined through the screen. I unfortunately cannot say the same for his counterpart Chae Soo Bin. I was super disappointed and even irked by her acting. She had a vacant / empty expression or a sad kicked puppy look for almost the total duration of the series. Her character is written as passive and quite timid, so maybe she is not the only one to be blame for it...But she did not manage to insufflate any life into her performance making it I feel even worse than what was written in the scenario.
The production value was quite good. Nothing extraordinary in terms of directing and making but good enough for the story to be told. In addition to some support characters that I wish we had seen more, the soundtrack was the saving grace of the drama, I enjoyed it a lot overall.
I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better thrilling romance out there. Some of the more steamy scenes are good but all that surround them is clearly not worth it. At first it was entertaining but very quickly it fell apart because of the crazy writing and insipid heroine.
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Queer chronicles of a gay guy living and loving in the big city of Seoul : a raw and poetic journey
This is clearly one of the most qualitative BL that I have seen so far, not necessarily one that I would easily re-watch but one that really left a strong impression on me. It is drastically different from what I have seen in the genre, as it provides a deep dive into the life the central character of the story, almost like a chronicles of his life. It can be seen as a slice-of-life with a lot of dramatic elements put in a realistic but at the same time poetic way.The main character is a writer who in a way narrates his life to the viewer, which really give it a different flavor to most series. His relationship with his mother as well as with Kylie were central pieces of the story to me. The romantic interests in the series were more like passing boats into the hero's life, not the main focus but bringing up so many thoughts as he evolved through the various relationships. The ending felt bitter-sweet and made sense given all that happened to the hero and the way the storytelling was built from the start. I would not have minded an additional episode to better round it up tough.
Casting was very solid overall with the main actor clearly being the strongest part of the series. I really hope to see him in other works because it is his performance that elevated the watching experience and made me care that much for the character he portrayed. The cinematography was pretty good: the apartment of the hero was a character in itself evolving with him as he went through various life events, the OST was also very fitting to the drama and there were quite a lot of very memorable scenes that were filmed super impactfully.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a different kind of BL story. It is more of a chronicle of a life rather than a standard romance. Of course, I have nothing against fluffy and butterflies romance or angsty tales of passion but here it is a different proposal both in terms of content as well as storytelling. The good writing, the very deep topics relating to what's happening in real life as well as the interesting arc of the main character arc strongly resonated with me and make it worth your time. If you enjoy BL such as 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Eighth Sense', I think you should give it a shot.
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Failed at maintaining its steam
This BL is centred around Il Jo and JeongHan, cousins, engaged in a forbidden and toxic relationship. At first, I must admit I was invested in the story with its high level of toxicity, power imbalance in the relationship, and very hot scenes. The cocktail of "full-on overpowering toxic Chaebol" main lead and "Damsel in distress" main lead is quite a classic one but adding up that extra level of cousins forbidden love made it an entertaining mess !
However, past the halfway mark, the drama became more and more mundane with the story falling into the pit of many tropes and character archetype I usually dislike. Noble idiocy, miscommunication, one protagonist being a repulsive childish obsessive character, one being annoyingly meek...a lot of it ircked me and halfway point it got impossible for me to vibe with the romance. I also was disappointed in the lack of exploitation regarding the cousins aspect of their relationship. Instead of being a motor for angst and turmoil of feelings, it felt like a side gimmick. The characters were not acknowledging it in a way that made proper sense.
Acting-wise, it was a bit of a mixed bag. I was quite convinced by the chemistry but felt that the emotional scenes were lacking. Having said that, the actors were not helped by how caricatural the roles were written, so I will mainly blame the script for the moments that felt very flat to me.
Production-wise, it is very clear that budget was limited but it was good enough to convey the story. I enjoyed a lot the main opening/ending song of the soundtrack. It was emotional and raw, the beginning of the series was embodying it perfectly and I wish the scenario would have kept the relationship in this torturous zone, full of darkness and unhealthiness, instead of developing the romance in a very frustrating, run-of-the-mill way.
I would not necessarily recommend this to people because at the end, it just feel pretty mundane and frustrating to me. The way the characters behaved irked me too much to enjoy the relationship. However, I must admit if you are looking for a short steamy BL featuring a domineering bossy Chaebol, it is a good pick (at least in its first half that I found quite gripping). I guess I just was disappointed by how things turned out.
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This is a fever dream, with incredible visuals : artsy, obscure, lenghty
This movie was quite an incredible cinematic experience. It was really thought-provoking but also quite lengthy and difficult to digest in one sitting, which I did.The story in itself felt like a fever dream, jumping the viewer from vignette to vignette with some striking visuals. Each story had its own graphic palette of colors and tones, its own way of filmmaking...The care on the esthetics, the meticulous attention to details, was the best part of the film. However, while the craft being outstanding, there was also a lack of clarity in the storytelling that felt a bit frustrating to me, making the viewing experience also somewhat tiresome. I wish they would have done the set up and the ending in a less conceptual way, to brought together better the whole movie.
Acting was really good with the minimalist cast doing a solid job. Especially Jackson Yee, who I didn't know and who was incredible in this. I am astonished at how good he is and the range he demonstrated. I will definitely be looking forward to watching him in more roles.
I would recommend this movie to people that enjoy artsy, conceptual and experimental movie. If you want a good brain scratch, this is the movie for you. It is for sure not without flaws in its storytelling and pacing, but it really leaves a strong lasting impression on the viewer who is bound to be left with many questions and thoughts.
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Cute behind the scenes, with a fair share of fan service
This SP is a compilation of various behind-the-scenes of the series Revenged Love.I do wish it was more complete and encompassing the entirety of the show, however it seems to focus mainly on the first half of the drama. Hopefully, the production release more of those snipbit of the shooting process but I would not hold my breath for it as the drama suffered during its run of a lot of external pressures.
That being said, those BTS truly showcase the strong chemistry of the cast as well as how fun it was for them to film some of the scenes. I would strongly recommend this to people that have enjoyed the drama and are curious about the making.
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I had low expectation and this S3 still felt like a let down...
Did the world need a sequel of Squid Game ? Since the ending of S1, I have been adamant that it was unecessary and I definitely maintain my opinion after watching the conclusion of this series with the disappointing Season 3. In terms of writing, the script definitely a less strong point of view than S1, I feel that a lot of the "life lessons" from the original show were lost. The surprise effect was not there and even if there were a lot of impactful scenes, I felt that most of the characters made irrational decisions more for "the gag" of it all than driven by proper scenario build up.In terms of characters storylines, if the police officer was the most useless one, it was the "hero" journey that disappointed me the most. I did not feel the character growth and I was pretty underwhelmed by Lee Jung Jae's acting in this season 3. It felt very one note. To be fair, it is probably more due to the poor writing, preventing the actor to demonstrate any range of acting because the lack of room for growth with his character... Next to him, the other main cast did a solid job, especially Yim Si Wan, whose character's storyline was definitely the most interesting of this season and whose acting deeply impressed me.
The main positive of this season resides in its strong production value and overall visual. The layering of the child games and the bloody murders are as striking as ever with deaths litteraly wrapped in black boxes with pretty pink bows. I was amazed at all the details in the decors and the way some of the games were featured.
Despite all its flaws in writing, I would still recommend this to people that have watched season 2. If you have just seen Season 1, better stop there as it can live perfectly well as a standalone...However, if you have watched season 2, it is kinda a must to watch season 3 as those two are immediately connected and probably splitted in two for commercial reasons rather than anything else.
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Unrequited love with a lot of miscommunication issues : deeply flawed but I liked it...
Usually I'm not a big fan of clueless characters and of miscommunication issues...Here though, despite its many many flaws, I quite enjoyed this series. Could it have been better ? Certainly. Did I like my experience watching the drama ? Yes.The writer took a beloved trope of mine : "friends-to-lovers", and mixed it with another painfully enjoyable one "unrequited love". This mix is an enticing one to me, pretty fitting for my angsty preference in terms of romance. Unfortunately, the writing never managed to really hit the mark with its storytelling. There were so many missed opportunities in terms of narrative arcs, as the writer seemed to not know what to do and kept the characters stuck in the same place for most of the series.
In addition to featuring beloved tropes, the drama made me discover Jung Je Hyeon who played Ji Hun, one of the main three characters. It was his debut role and he is clearly the main reason I enjoyed that much a series that otherwise could have made me mad of frustration. Here, I was fully onboard, even with the character being seemingly pretty obtuse. He played him in a smart and layered way, and I'm very curious to see what's next for this actor.
The biggest flaws of the series to me was not even the lacking writing but the bad and very repetitive editing. There were so many repetition of scenes. The production crew seem to think that the viewer had a goldfish memory, making them repeat ad nauseam the exact same filmed sequences already showed in previous episodes. It is a shame because a series of 8 episodes of about 25 minutes does not require that many flashbacks and repetition in the editing. Using the episode time better, either by developing more the characters, or just adding angst / fluff / jealousy, would definitely have been a wiser choice.
I would recommend this series to people that enjoy unrequited love stories and that have a high tolerance for communication issue and painful unnecessary longing. I honestly enjoyed myself quite a bit despite the big writing and editing issues thanks to the beloved central tropes of the story and my fondness for one of the character.
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Completely missed the mark in terms of romance & chemistry - disappointing
Unfortunately, I did not adhere at all to the romantic aspects of this rom-com...There was so comedic moments that I enjoyed but also a lot that felt flat to me and after the chaotic introduction to the main characters, I never went on board with any kind of romantic feelings they had for each other.I blame mostly the story itself rather than the cast as I like a lot Kang Ha Neul and even more Jung So Min...On paper, this pairing looked so good but in reality, their chemistry was very average mainly because of the set up of their characters themselves...In any case, that suck that I was unable to enjoy any of their skinship as I was truly confuse at why those two characters would ever fall back in love...It was really unconvincing.
It is also disappointing how unlikeable most of the side characters were... The only exception were the mother and sister of the female lead (respectively played by Jo Min Su and Hwang Se In) who were both the most enjoyable part of the movie with a great comedic timing.
I would not recommend this rom-com unless you are a fan of one of the cast members. I feel that really the romance was completely lacking with an ending that felt like a cope out. There were some fun scenes that I enjoyed but some comedic aspects felt also strange in the context of the story.
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Not my type of show but I learnt interesting stuff, pace of stories could have been better
It took me almost 7 months to complete this variety show. I must preface this review by admiting first that "Mystery concept" variety show are not necessarily the ones I gravitate towards the most. I always have trouble to get into the reenactement of crime/mystery because even if the stories are interesting, cast reactions (or rather over-reactions) often leave me with an uncanny feeling. It is also quite odd when they play games right in the middle of it.Indeed, the viewer knows that everything is fake, so it is a bit cringe or strange to see over-the-top acting by members of the show. The idea might be to immerse the spectators as if they were watching a theatre piece, but unfortunately it often produces the opposite effect as I feel quite distached. The rythm of the show was super strange: each episode felt king of sluggish, especially in the middle. However, they often managed to have good endings with some rush and thrills at the end of a lot of the episodes but not enough to make me anticipate the next one.
That's said, and despite all the flaws that I perceive and point out, there are positive aspects as well. First of all, I especially liked the fact that I learnt quite a bit regarding contemporary history and various South Korea news items from different period of time. There is an inherent repetive aspect to the mecanics of the show but I also found that they managed to bring enough variety in the stories to not feel too monotonous. Guest cast members (to be fair mainly Choi Yeon Jun who I like a lot) were also a good way to change a bit and renew the dynamic of the episodes.
I enjoyed the main cast: they had a good chemistry together but it somewhat lacked in terms of balance. I started this show for Lee Jung Ha but honestly the whole actors gang ( Lee Jung Ha, Cha Tae Hyun and Oh Na Ra) were my favorites. The others members Yoo Jae Suk, Yang Se Chan and Jennie do the job properly as well. It is clearly more a colleagues relationship and felt not as genuine as some other shows I have seen.
I would recommend this to people that enjoy Mystery Variety show concept. If you are fan from one of the member of the cast or if you are interested by miscalleneous news items you might also want to give it a shot despite its shortcomings (repetitive mecanics as well as relatively bad pacing of the episodes).
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Despite writing flaws, swoon-worthy romance with a touch of sorrow carried by super strong cast
Given its screenwriter and its main cast, I was expecting a lot from this drama. I overall really enjoyed it (especially in its first half) but I must admit that the writing and pacing let me down in its second half (and more particularly in its finale act). I'm always looking forward to the new work of screenwriter Park Ji Eun: I tend to really enjoy the way she builds her romances, with a lot of details, dramatic elements and fated lovers' narrative. Here again, she writes what I think is an iconic love story with a touch of sorrow, which is really her trademark.The premise of the series is super interesting as it hijacked the classical "male chaebol & poor hard working girl" trope. I loved so much how lines that are usually said by male lead are done by the female lead and vice versa. The series is really playing on the usual tropes of romantic comedy and diverting them, it is excellent on that aspect. However, the ending did not totally hold its promises : the plot got crazier with an overwhelming amount of coincidences, the villains losing their strategic edge to go into full madness territory. As the story unfolds itself, there were also much less gender reversal of dramaland tropes and it went unfortunately back to a more classical romantic dynamic between the two leads. Still cute, but much more expected.
The acting was the best part of the drama. Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won and Park Sung Hoon are actors/actress that I really love and once again, they showcased incredible performances. Even when the writing became clunkier, they made it work and made a lot in terms of making digestible some of the more bonker elements and rhythm issues of the last act. The chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won was off the charts: their characters' relationship went through so many phases and they managed to sell every step of it. Park Sung Hoon's darkening and brooding face was incredibly chilling even when his character fell apart in terms of writing.
The production value was super high. There were some very pretty sets as well as incredibly swoon-worthy scenes (the helicopter one, the lavender field, the castle,...). The making was beautiful and above all, the soundtrack was amazing. With the acting, the OST did a lot in exacerbating feelings for the viewer. I will likely go back to listening to many of the songs of the drama which is clearly a sign of its addictive quality.
I would recommend this to people looking for an emotional love story. Given the episodes length, It is quite an investment in terms of time and there are some issues with the writing in the second half of the series. However, despite its flaws, I truly enjoyed the drama thanks to the incredible acting, great OST and iconic romantic scenes.If you loved other dramas from this writer (such as My Love From Another Star and Crash Landing on You), you are in known territory and should like it as well.
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Pacing issue + unlikeable character made it impossible to enjoy, despite great acting of Lee Joon
I have very mixed feelings regarding this movie centered around Young Oh, a young rookie actor facing the tough reality of the entertainment industry as he rises to famedom. The story could have been interesting but I got honestly bored because of the huge pacing issues as well as the unlikability of the main character.Lee Joon is truly impressive in the role of Young Oh, especially knowing that it is one of his first big role, and a posteriori, it feels like it was decisive in pivoting his career from idol to actor. Despite the fact that he delivers a solid and convincing performance, his character remains unlikeable all along the duration of the film. I blame the script and not the cast for preventing me to care and root for the main protagonist.
The directing of the movie had some real good ideas, there are a lot of scenes that mirror each other as well as help the viewer to see the unstable mental state in which Young Oh is. The first part of the story was interesting but it got very repetitive and slow because of the lack of suspense as it was very clear where the scenario was headed. The OST was average at best and the ending soundtrack was really an odd and bad choice.
I would not recommend this movie unless you are a big Lee Joon's fan and want to see the movie which really made him prove to the public his skills as an actor. Be aware that this movie can be pretty triggering as it is graphic, violent and with depictions of sexual assaults.
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A buddy cop movie with an atypical ghost element
This buddy cop movie is quite atypical as it features a fantastical element with this very interesting concept of "ghost marriage". It contains a lot of the usual elements of such movie with the investigation, the buddying up between 2 very different individuals as well as the comedic aspects but the LGBTQ+ topic approached in addition with the fantastical twist bring some freshness to the genre.It is quite light and does not take itself very seriously, it has almost a parodic vibe. This makes it an overall fun watch which could have been even better with a tighter writing and a better pacing. The acting is quite good: I was more convinced by the comedic scenes than by the emotional ones...Still, I'm quite certain that it is more related to the script being a bit bonkers at times as well as the filmmaking a bit over-the-top than to the actors themselves.
The music did not leave a lasting impression on me and I'm not sure I will necessarily re-watch the movie but I had a good time watching it for sure.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a comedy with an interesting premise and like buddy cop movies. It is not very memorable, nor very deep, gritty or dark but it is quite entertaining and fun, which is sometimes just what you need.
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Pure fluff - cute but quite redundant with the main series
This really short episode of 25 minutes takes place at the end of the parent series. It was super cute: mainly pure fluff and not a lot of plot. Cherry on the cake: it focused on the main couple with almost no intervention of the secondary couple (who is much less interesting to my eyes anyway).Despite all the lovely scenes, I was a bit disappointed because I expected to see more of the couple life of the two main male leads. Instead it felt quite redundant as the story revisit the past already shown in the main series with some little changes. It is clearly not a sequel but rather a feverish dream with quite a bit of flashbacks of scenes already seen.
The music is still really sweet to the hear, it is catchy and romantic. Production value is similar to the main show, it was clearly filmed in the continuity of it.
I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the main series. It is totally dispensable but at the same time, it is super cute...and that can be enough for an enjoyable watch.
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