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Tepid romance but great friendships and some compelling storylines
Far from a regular rom-com, this cozzy drama is foremost a slice-of-life ensemble series featuring quite tedious legal cases. If the romance felt very underwhelming, I was impressed by how they established and further developed the frienships and professional relationships. I also liked the approach taken regarding the different cases : rather than focusing on big thrills in court, they really showed the hefty background research work and preparation done to defend their clients. I loved the huge amount of time dedicated to watching the 5 lawyers eat delicious meals and speak about very mundane things.The acting was solid overall but the romantic chemistry felt lacking between Lee Jong Suk and Mun Ka Young. They also hold less interesting roles than Kang You Seok, Ryu Hye Young and Im Sung who each had very interesting and compelling storylines in comparison to them. Their romantic relationship definitely felt more like an afterthought than anything else.
The drama esthetics was also a very strong point and compelling aspect of the series. Like the storytelling, it was quite subdue all in sepia/greyish tones showcasing the dull and tiring office life while still having a lot of mouthwatering foods shoots and enjoyable bits of OST forming a cohesive picture.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a legal slice-of-life series. It never felt boring to me, but it is clearly a series that might not be for everyone given its anticlimactic pacing. If you want ultra dynamic trials or swoony romance, this will likely not be very satisfying and even feel pretty slow because the series takes its time. But if you enjoy relationships build up and characters growth, as well as heartfelt friendships, this could be worth a try.
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Lackluster ending which spoiled the drama for me
I truly enjoyed the beginning of this BL : the plot highs and lows could be seen from miles away but despite the lack of surprises, it was a really compelling watch because the characters were so cute together with a touch of angst and twisted start that I loved. Unfortunately, pacing was a huge issue as main conflicts were resolved halfway through the series and that the plot felt pretty void after than with a very lackluster finale.I would recommend this to people looking for a cute BL. Despite the issues in pacing and storytelling that felt less compelling in its second half, it is just a very soft and sweet watch (while pretty forgettable).
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Every shojo trope, everywhere, all at once
This drama was bonkers : it was entertaining in a way because of all the cheesy and over-the-top storylines. But it also felt very rushed, as you literally jump from one issue to another, most of them being quite nonsensical, without ever really deepening the characters and the romance. What the relationship is in episode 1 stays identical by the end of the drama.Acting was also a mixed bags but I will not fault too much the cast as the scenario does not leave a lot of room for acting range. The characters are really stereotypes and one note, with the actors and actress committing but never really convincing. Despite the overall plot stupidity, I salute Sakurada Dori committment to the super cheesy lines, without him, I might not have found a lot of interest to the drama. Despite him being super hot, I found his chemistry with Fukuhara Haruka not as good as I would have expected. Maybe it is linked to the heroine role, which was truly a bland character.
I would not recommend this to people unless you are looking for some palate cleanser drama, to refresh (or annihilate) your brain cells before moving to another title. It is somewhat entertaining but also very repetitive with little evolution in the characters dynamics and multitudes of cliche storylines.
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FirstOne / Tle good chemistry could not save trashy series...But props to them for committing!
This short BL series made of 81 episodes of 2 minutes, clearly low budget and badly edited, was overall quite entertaining thanks to the excellent chemistry of FirstOne and Tle. It was their BL acting debut and they for sure did not disappoint me, despite the low quality of the series itself.The scenario was really bonkers but also very entertaining as it features two "fake brothers" forbidden love with a touch of cohabitation and a lot of obsession for each other. Their relationship was very toxic and really trashy. Other than FirstOne and Tle having solid chemistry and doing quite a good at saying their lines despite the crazy script...unfortunately, nothing worked. The editing and subtitles, the acting of the remainder of the cast, the limited soundtrack with violin coming from nowhere : everything was really poor quality.
I would not recommend this to people unless you're a fan of Tle and/or FirstOne and if you don't mind trashy show with nonsensical and over-the-top scenario. It was definitely an entertaining mess with a mediocre story, poor subtitles and editing, in addition to a very limiting format.
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Quite symbolic encounter between two slightly odd human beings
I liked this indie film with the image of the rake, it really made me think. Are you erasing your past ? Are you erasing yourself? If this central question of the story is interesting, pacing could definitely have been better, even for a short film.The soundtrack was ok but nothing really memorable, and I also felt the acting was very green. It is very understandable why the characters gravitate towards each other, but the attraction factor was missing from the acting. While those elements felt lacking, filmmaking was good, with some striking moments illustrating the questioning of the movie.
Overall, I was pretty impressed by the meta aspect as the film, featuring students of an Art school while the movie is really made by aspiring filmmakers from the Film School of Tokyo.
I would recommend this to people that enjoy indie movie . It has a subdue atmosphere and feels almost phylosophical in its meta aspect and the constant questionning made by the characters.
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ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×20 FILM “Record of Memories”
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A must-watch concert movie if you are a fan of Arashi !
I truly enjoyed my time watching this concert of Arashi. Being a fan, the nostalgia factor was very strong and it moved me quite a bit ! They played most of their iconic songs and it was a real pleasure to see the japanese public singing along with the idols.If the songs were great, the atmosphere and the view of this huge audience really impressive, I must admit that both costumes and dancing could be better. Most of the dance routine felt relatively easy and similar. It absolutely did not diminish my enthusiasm but I surprised myself several time watching the concert thinking that the moves were a bit repetitive. For costumes, I admit that it is much better than years and years ago, they are not doing as much bulky/box costumes with many layers...But still, some felt a bit plain or simply lacking a wow factor.
What remains a constant in the group and ultra visible through the screen is the friendship between the members, their charisma and their happiness to be there, performing all together. The way they adress the public : they still have the same manner and it made me slightly tear up to see how much fun they had. If dancing did not blow me away, singing was really good. Listening to Ohno and Nino singing, Jun and Aiba specific tones and Sho rap was great and brought me up many good memories.
I would obviously recommend this to people that are fan of Arashi. If you have seen some of their past concerts, you will for sure experience nostalgic and happy feelings, remembering the past. A really uplifting watch !
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Interesting concept that could have gone deeper
This thriller follow up the investigation process of Woo Sang, a popular online streamer, while he is gathering clues on unresolved murders and streaming it live for his audience. While focusing on the mystery, the scenario let the viewer see the behind the veil of the streamer life, the need for likes and the rush to get viral, stay on top, in a very competitive world.While I liked the approach of the story and the way that it was filmed, I am a bit more doubtful on the substance of the story and the ending itself which felt abrupt and would have benefited from a longer epilogue. The morale of the outcome is left voluntarily ambiguous but I feel that there was a lot more that could have been exploited given the topic and its voyeuristic nature. It is quite a short movie but I feel the pacing could have been better as well and that some of the twists (if not all) were very predictable.
Casting-wise, Kang Ha Neul does a solid job. His character becoming more and more unhinged until a critical point was quite fascinating to watch. The remainder of the cast is good as well, without any weak link. Production-wise, the camera work was quite well done with the way it allows the viewer to feel like the direct audience of the stream. Whileit sometimes may feel a bit too neat and easy to be realistic live-stream but overall, it really does the trick in immersing the viewer into the "live" investigation.
I would recommend this to people looking for a different kind of thriller. The twists are not super astonishing but the way it is filmed, making the viewer follow a "live-stream" of an investigation is pretty interesting. In addition to a better pacing and a longer epilogue, I wish they would have gone deeper on the streaming topic and all its consequences. More than the mystery, this is the aspect I found the most fascinating with all its inherent psychological and social elements.
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A healing journey on Jeju Island
A cute mini drama that takes the viewer on a friends road trip, one of them is heartbroken and the other two take their bestie on a trip to cheer him up. The friendship between the three boys was definitely the best part of the series : all their moments felt believable and sincere. However, I wish the romances(s) would have been better as I felt the chemistry was a little bland on that aspect of the scenario.Casting-wise, Hwang In Youp was clearly the stand out of this short drama : both his acting and his role itself. The remainder of the cast did an an okay job but were a bit lacking in the strong moments.
I would recommend this to people looking for a short series featuring friendship amongst heartbreak. If you like Hwang In Youp, it is very worth your time as he has some really impactful scenes in the series.
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A thrilling series with a lot of unhinged moments and serving culinary esthetics treats !
This Japanese drama is at its core a enemies-to-lovers romance combined with a murder mystery set up in a reputable traditional Japanese sweets shop. It is a series that push the viewer to theorize about a lot of elements, as the pieces of the puzzle revealed themselves. If I very quickly guessed some of the twists, I must admit that the finale did surprise me. I was both happy of the surprising outcome but quite disappointed because it felt relatively illogical to me.There were also a lot of forced misunderstanding in the relationship which I felt were a bit heavily handled writing-wise. But overall, despite my frustration at those and the consequent wounds (self-inflicted and totally avoidable), I really loved the relationship between the leads.
Casting-wise, I really liked finding back Hamabe Minami and Yokohama Ryusei in the main roles. Their dynamics together was very convincing : I believed in the twisted love they shared. I wish the script offered them even more moments because there were so many possibilities to make this even angstier and spicier given the nature of their characters' relationship. The ensemble cast was pretty good with maybe the exception of Mizuki Alisa who had quite an unbalanced performance. Some of her scenes were really over-the-top and taking me out, while some others were excellent.
In addition to enjoying the romance as well as being quite invested in the story, I definitely appreciated the most the esthetics of the drama. The way a wide variety of delicate Japanese sweets was featured into each of the episodes, as well as the numerous beautiful kimonos worn by the cast, were the biggest part of my enjoyment of the series. I was really captivated by the atmosphere highlighted by chilling nursery rhymes...
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a mystery series set up in a traditional Japanese house. The artisanal talk around the Japanese sweets making, as well as the overall elegance of it all was my favorite part of the series. I come out of it having learnt a lot on this art form. I really liked the story in its first half but then felt that soap opera scenes got overboard. The ending felt definitely lacking to me as the mystery unfolded in a unhinged way. If you enjoy melodramatic moments with a lot of shock factor, you will be served for sure !
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Unconvinced by the writing but properly subjugated by Kim Young Kwang's character
This drama focus on an interesting question : what would happen if illegal guns were spreading in South Korea, one of the nation with the lowest gun per habitant rate ? I was pretty intrigued at first but at the end I found myself quite unconvinced in the hypothesis offered by the showrunner on how the situation would unfold in terms of collective impact. I think the writing did a great job when focusing on individuals in circumstances in which they would be brought to litteraly push the trigger of a gun obtained illegaly. However, the big picture for the overall country felt definitely less believable to me. The plot armor of the hero, who was really strong and smart, was also a bit too thick for my taste.The acting was overall good for the main characters. Kim Na Gil was solid even if I wish he had a role that allowed him to emote more because he was quite "stone"-faced all along the series. Kim Young Kwang was incredible in this : all his scenes (except the ones in English which were unfortunately quite a fail), all his attitudes and costumes were just chef's kiss. He gives a lot of charming vibes and craziness to the overall series. The filmmaking was excellent with some very powerful imagery. The tension and urgency were palpable, making the series quite thrilling.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a thriller exploring a very interesting hypothesis regarding the impact of guns on a population with very low firearms usage. The deep diving on the psychology of targeted specific people (when in possession of an illegal gun) was really frightening and captivating at the beginning. Unfortunately the way it devolved into a larger scheme was much more doubtful.
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Lot of unexploited potential, writing weaknesses and a WTF ending : quite memorable but frustrating.
What would happen if people were able to see "red lines" connecting sexual partners ? This intriguing idea hooked me from start. Unfortunately, I feel the writing failed to exploit well enough this powerful concept. There were a lack of logic at many points of the series. The "one crime by episode" format prevented to build properly the overarching common arc. It led to an absurd ending that what quite stylish but clunkily constructed with little rhymes nor reasons.The acting was good. It is my first time watching Lee Soo Hyuk and I found him incredibly charming in his role. Lee Da Hae does also a good job providing nuance to a part that could have definitely been better scripted. It is a bit of a shame both did not interact even more. Given the length of the series, I wish the showrunner would have spend less time following the teens (played by A Rin and Lee Eun Saem) and focusing on the adults side of the story. Especially because A Rin's character remained so much of a blank caneva during the course of the drama, I was disappointed that the focus was so much on her.
Visually, there were a lot of impactful scenes. It was quite icky at time with a really immersive dark atmosphere and a fitting soundtrack. There is an artsy vibe to the series that I really appreciated. While I feel the story in itself never really reached its full potential with an ending that felt very lacking, production and making remaining of a very good quality from start to finish.
Despite all its fails in writing and the failure in exploiting fully the concept, I would still recommend this to people that are looking for a dark thriller with an innovative central idea. It is a let down for many reasons but at the same time the premise in itself is so strong that I think it is worth giving a shot to this quite short drama. Be mindful if you have any trigger, there are some very dark and disturburing scenes that could be upsetting.
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Bingeable, uncanny and dark but felt lacking as ended when entering the real good stuff
A really enjoyable short series featuring a very odd family surrounded by mystery and violence. I loved the characters and their dynamics : especially the parents roles hold by incredible Bae Doo Na and excellent Ryu Seung Beom. Their characters' strange relationships with each other and their kids was the best part of the drama. If the pacing was good, the storytelling could have been better, in particular regarding the growth of the kids and their evolution. Production was excellent : it was gritty and violent fighting scenes were well-filmed.I would recommend this to people that are looking for a thrilling action series with a solid cast. It is quite comparable to the manga "Spy x Family", in a darker version with a touch of "Black Widow" and an "Adams Family" vibe. Quite a tasteful combination ! Unfortunately, it can feel a tad frustrating because of its short duration. I wish some of the most interesting elements regarding the family relationships would have been exploited more, especially regarding the past of the characters. If there is a second season, I will watch it for sure.
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A "pick me up" mini-drama with bite-sized episodes, packed with humor and very entertaining
I had a super fun time watching this series which features two neighbours with a very awkward and then wholesome relationship. The plot is totally surreal and ultra parodic, with a lot of diverted staples in the BL genre. It is not really a BL but much more an humorous take on the odd relationship between two guys. Friendship or love, that's left to the viewer's interpretation for sure and that's not really the point of the series.The cast was quite good. I like a lot Choi Woo Shik and he did not disappoint here: he has an excellent comedic timing. Jan Ki Yong is an excellent discovery : his character is very dead-panned and attractive. Definitely an excellent pairing with his costar. Jang Hee Ryung is completing the cast. Without her character, I feel the comedic aspect would have been lessen as she is really the one creating the awkwardness and the laugh at the actions of the two boys.
Production value is quite modest in itself but good enough for the series. The behind-the-scenes were a nice addition to the watch as it clearly showed how much the actors had fun shooting this mini drama. The soundtrack of the series was pretty good as well, with a couple of songs that made me very nostalgic.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a fun and short watch. If you like parody and BL stories, this one will definitely make your day brighter and lighter. It is very short (maybe even too short, i would have loved to see more, I feel the concept could even have been further exploited) and totally worth a shot.
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The cliffhangers will keep you pressing play on the next episode button!
Pretty gripping and entertaining gameshow : it was intense and different, with a lot of twists. Not all the games were as interesting and the level of difficulty truly varied. Collaboration was a key element: forming and breaking alliance was the most important skill to foster. I liked how the production made the participants live together : it was just one week but it clearly helped them in creating relationships and therefore some interesting moments for a few of the departures.I felt sometimes frustrated to see bright candidates leave early while people with seemingly less capacity in developing strategy and finding solution were kept and protected, while mooching on the strongest players. At the same time, while frustrating and seeming unfair, it is definitely a very important soft skill to be able to have enough social intelligence to be part of a group and win thanks to the team rather than solely on your own strengths.
The cast was varied enough, I did not know most of them but I quickly got some favorites and I am very happy with the winner who had a great storyline. The set were pretty good with the game area and living area, and I think the production team managed to make the game quite understandable thanks to clear visuals.
I would recommend this if you enjoy game show involving strategical alliances. If you enjoyed shows such as Elite League, it might be right in your alley. The second season has just started and I will for sure watch it as well, hoping for stronger participants and less moochers (even if very sympathetic).
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Not enough stakes, not enough sparks.
This vertically filmed South Korean BL features the encounter of idol Do Ha and stuntman Jae Yeon. As the latest is teaching how to handle action scenes for his next movie to the former, feelings arise. Honestly, I found the story pretty forgettable overall and I think that chemistry could have been better. I was pretty interested by the set up, but looking back at the ending, I feel that the pay off was too modest given the set up done.I would not recommend this series as I feel there are better BL out there. It is a pretty bingeable watch due to the format but I feel that nothing really exciting happens. The vertically filmed scenes did not help to showcase adequately the fighting scenes and the close up on the faces of the actors, rather than creating an impression of intimacy, left me with a feeling of disconnection.
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