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A 2 minutes Jollibee ad - too short for me to care
Full disclosure, I watched this as part of the MDL 2024 Challenge, otherwise it would probably never caught my eyes.There is not a lot to say : it is a Jollibee ad with an attempt at doing an emotional story set on Valentine day. I see what they tried to do but the over-the-top and thick product placement (which is the point of course as it is an ad) prevented me to connect emotionally to the story. But I must admit the ad team had the merit to try some storytelling instead of just putting up a fluffy ad. It is just I did not connect to it.
The cast did not do a bad job but it is very neutral and average overall.
I would not recommend this to people, I did not get a lot from it. Unless you are looking at it for completing a challenge, then it is just 2 minutes of your time...
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I did not exactly like it "per se" but I found it interesting
This movie is foremost a dark comedy about marriage as the main male lead Doo Hyun cannot stand living with his wife anymore but do not know how to face the situation other than being conflict avoidant. I found this premise very interesting but at the same time some of the over-the-top comedic moments mixed with some really dramatic moments did not work well with me. I did not enjoy the way the humor was set, it was a bit too absurd while trying to make it as what felt like a life lesson on marriage and relationship overall.Except the "Casanova" character that I found properly repugnant all along, the main characters (Doo Hyun, the husband and Jung In, the wife) who were really not likeable at first to me, grow on me as their story unfolded.
Despite me liking the cast (- with Lee Sun Kyun, Ryu Seung Ryong and Lee Kwang Soo being actors that I enjoy), I found the acting was bad in the most absurd and comedic scenes (especially on the side of Ryu Seung Ryong but maybe it is because I disliked strongly his "Casanova" character). Lim Soo Jung was probably the best in terms of acting and with the evolution of her character.
I found the production value pretty good, there are a couple of scenes with mouth-watering food which is always a nice bonus in my book. However, I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack tough it clearly fulfilled its purpose at creating a certain ambiance fitting the plot of the story.
I would recommend this to people looking for a dark comedy. It is for sure not a fluffy romance and there are a lot of absurd moments that are a bit strange because of the shift in tones given the intention of the story. Despite its flaws, it has an interesting premise, so I think it is worth a watch.
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Heartbreaking and painful watch
This short movie of about 31 min. was quite heartbreaking and painful to watch. It was not bad for sure and it made me emotional in a kind of angsty and melancholic way. The "what could have been" thought and "timing is everything" life lesson are the key points of the story.It is very unlikely that I will rewatch it as it was not that enjoyable "per se" but it was evocative and thought provocative while depicting a somewhat very classical melodramatic and romantic story. The ending scene was brutal and gut wrenching.
The cast did an overall good job. Nothing really outstanding, as there were almost no dialog, I wish they had pushed even more the gazes and silent acting work. But it was suitable enough to get the feelings across.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short movie featuring a rather melodramatic story in a library setting. Personally I found it quite painful to watch but well done for what it is trying to say.
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Hyung concept brought up a very savory flavor to the romance and made my heart flutters
This BL series of 6 episodes (which has also been released under a full length movie format) features a gripping story between two childhood friends. The "Hyung" cultural aspect gave to the drama a very savory flavor that I particularly enjoyed. I would have loved for the epilogue to be a bit longer but was overall happy with the poetry of the conclusion.I really enjoyed and believed in the chemistry between the two main actors: more specifically, I was fascinated by the infirmary scene. It was beautiful and made my heart flutters. There might be room of improvement for some of the most serious scenes but they were credible together.
The budget felt relatively low but in a quite expected way I feel for this type of production. Filmmaking was efficient in conveying the story, but not really outstanding and the overall soundtrack was quite forgettable as well.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for BL with a well executed childhood friends-to-lovers trope. Chemistry and story was good and overall 6 episodes are highly bingeable (which is expected with the original format being a movie).
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Enchanting tale, beautifully filmed and acted with a strong message despite some flaws in writing
I truly enjoyed the thematic of the series and the atypical mix of the genres the writer and director went for. I like the message of the series and the take it took regarding some of the more fantastical elements. Pacing could maybe have been a bit better and I wish the heroine would have had some stronger moments to shine like it was the case for the two other main male roles. The mystery side was pretty easy to figure out but its resolution was also satisfying.The main cast was really key in insufflating life and feelings to the story. With less talented main actors and actress, what was a magical tale could have felt very bland or at the least relatively not as fresh and original as it was. Indeed some of the storylines were pretty common for the fiction school genre and still they managed to get me invested in what was happening to the characters. In particular, Ji Chang Wook and Hwang In Youp are both excellent and took my breath away several time with gut-wrenching emotional moments. Choi Sung Eun did a good job as well but her character was less interesting to me and did not evolve enough throughout the series for me to be totally satisfied.
In addition to the acting, the overall making and soundtrack are the most impactful part of the series. There are numerous beautifully filmed and directed scenes, it is a feast for the eyes in addition to be very symbolic and elaborated tableaus. There are a couple of very memorable musical numbers and I was impressed by the singing voices of the main cast. The quality of the production is impressive, up to part with some high budget movies.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for magical tale with a tad of mystery. If you enjoy Disney animated movie, musicals pieces of cinema such as La La Land or The Greatest Showman, or even if you have some affinity for the Peter Pan fairytale, I would strongly advice you give a shot to this atypical drama.
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Dramatic & angsty romance with fantastical twist that got me hooked despite filmmaking limitation
This drama features an intricate romance intertwined with a well conceived time slip concept. I was properly captivated by the story of Huang Yu Xuan and Li Zi Wei : it was pretty dramatic, with a lot of angst and high stakes which made it an intoxicating and enchanting cocktail. The nostalgia factor was also a key aspect that got me hooked.The series is not without flaws. First, I think that even if I found the ending in overall satisfying, I wish the landing would have been smoother and better paced. I also would have appreciated a longer epilogue so that the writers get to the bottom of the time slip gap between their main characters. Second, I truly wished that the budget limitation will have felt less strong. There were quite a few time when I could not help myself to think that a better budget and filmmaking would have elevated some of the scenes to give them an even more fairytale and nostalgic vibe.
Regarding the main cast, I found them pretty good overall. I was completely under the charm of Greg Hsu (not sure if it is character or actor related but for sure he had me swooning during the whole duration of the series). The main actress had what I felt was the most complex part and she did a good job handling the various layers of the role. I honestly wish sometimes that she would have upped her acting game even more for some of the most emotional scenes but it was certainly not a deterrent to the story. I also felt that having the female lead and male lead playing high schoolers was unrealistic but at the same time, I understand that this choice was necessary for the sake of clarity in very entangled storylines.
I would recommend this to people looking for a captivating and quite dramatic romance with a fantastical twist. There is some minor writing points that I would love to be improved and I also wish they had a bigger budget for some of the sequences. But despite these few nitpicking points, it is really worth your time and will take you on an emotional and mysterious journey. I will be curious to give a shot to the other remakes of the story at some point.
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One of the best watch of the year: dark, gripping in the best way
I love a lot this truly thrilling dark movie. It was torturous and violent, gripping and fascinating in the best way. The pyschological aspects coupled with impressive action scenes really got to me. I was on my toes during the full duration of the movie. It does not feel outdated at all (minus maybe the special effect and again it was still quite good to express what needed to be expressed).The cast is amazing. I love Yeo Jin Goo (since he was acting as a kid in Iljimae) and I have seen quite a bit of his work. He was probably about 15 years old maximum when he filmed this movie and his performance was astounishing. There are many very well-known faces in this movie, actors that I really enjoy and who also delivers strong performances. It felt like a real feast to see actors that I knew from other works: Yeo Jin Goo but also amazing Jo Jin Woong, incredible Kim Sung Kyun, great Yoo Yeon Seok, as well as to discover very talented (and new to me) people: Kim Yoon Seok, Park Hae Joon,...and more.
I truly recommend this to people that are looking for a dark action movie that will take you on a thrilling journey with its main character. The psychological elements behind the characters actions and bonds between them are disturbingly captivating and pretty memorable. It is very violent and dark, so if you have any triggers, of course proceed with caution.
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How is it possible for an horror movie to feel so boring ? Cast could not save it
This horror movie about a MMA fighter confronted to evil had too many flaws to entice me. Its main qualities reside in its cast as well as in its filmmaking. Indeed, the esthetics was quite good as well as the special effects, you can feel there was quite a big budget.However, the scenario in itself felt poor and repetitive. The editing could have been better to amp the angst as well. The villain is quite a blank canvas and the introduction of the hero to position him in the action takes up almost half of the movie. The pacing of the film is sluggish at best, which is kind of a big issue for a movie belonging to thriller/action/horror genres...
It is my first time seeing Woo Do Hwan and even though I found the character clearly lacking in terms of motivation and background, I'm curious to see what he can do with a better script. I am quite biased toward Park Seo Joon, so he was the saving grace for this movie to me. He is always good and believable in action scenes, and here again he brings the charisma up. Unfortunately, as for the antagonist, there is not a lot offered by the scenario for him to do much acting-wise with his character.
I would not recommend this movie to people unlike you are really a big fan of one of the main actors. If you are an avid fan of horror movie, you might like it but honestly because of its very generic story and strange pacing, I don't think it is worth the watch.
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Angsty and fun in an over-the-top way, I wanted more regarding the characters storylines
The context of the drama is pretty entertaining and angsty. Indeed, in Hyakkaou Private Academy, students climbs or fall down the social ladder by playing various gambling games against each other. The unlucky ones are becoming "slaves" of the victorious ones.I have not read the manga and not watched the anime, so I am not sure how close the drama is from those. For sure, I found the series very Shonen-like in its approach. All the characters are crazy, the focus is clearly on the various games rather than any characters / relationships developments. The games are fun and for most part are easy to understand, I did not find them too repetitive even if the mechanics are quite the same every time.
The actors and actresses go all in on the overacting...I is clearly a directing / stylistic choice as apparently all the gambling made the characters feel very stimulated. Women are hyper-sexualized but I feel it is probably totally in line with the type of story the manga and anime wanted to convey. The main male protagonist is used as the narrator of the series. It seems very theatrical with all the aside he does, while shouting out / reacting to the situation. .Over-the-top and caricatural is not my favorite style of acting but here it fits very well the drama.
Production wise there is not a lot to see. The wardrobe / styling of the characters is really what make them and there is nothing outstanding relatively to the games directing and filmmaking. It feels small, especially when comparing to other shows featuring big games with money at stake. You can feel the limitations in the budget but at the same time I must admit it is enough to convey properly the story. I liked the opening song with its rocky vibe.
I will recommend this to people that enjoy mind games stories. If you do not mind some overacting and just want a short and entertaining series featuring in a very Shonen-way gambling matches between highschoolers, you will enjoy this. This first season is clearly just an adaptation of an arc of a manga. I will probably be watching the sequels to get to a more conclusive ending...But not immediately as I am satisfied where we left of. I just regret that there are not much in terms of characters relationships evolution and that it is quite predictable.
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Lovable rookie pre-debut reality show ~ Super fun & cute, with some emotional moments !
This reality show features NEXZ (the new JYP Boy group formed through the Nizi Project Season 2 survival show) before their official debut on the 20th May 2024.As auditions for the survival program started in first quarter of 2022, and that some of the members (Tomoya, Haru, Seita and Hyui) even trained prior to that together at JYP, they have all know each other and worked together since quite a bit of time. You really feel they are close and that they love their team members.
I wish that in addition of the snippet of "Miracle" (NEXZ's predebut song) in the generic, we had more music challenges incorporated into the show. But as the aim was focusing on developing the variety skills (and also seemingly the Korean language skills) of the group members (who are all Japanese), I understand this writing choice. Overall, the soundtrack of the show and sound effects were nice in hyping the boys.
I strongly recommend this to people that enjoy idol programs. It is super fun to follow and even if you have not watched their survival program, it is very good at introducing the boys and their dynamics. The editing and production are really good, you feel they had some budget to film the various missions which are all very different. It is on par with similar experienced idol groups shows (such as SKZ code with Stray Kids, To Do with TXT, En-O'clock with Enhypen to name a few). If you have enjoyed any of those, I am pretty sure you will enjoy Club NEXZ. My only regret is that it is too short and I would have loved to have more episodes.
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Not surprised by the end result & satisfied! Impressed by growth spurt & evolution of some trainees
After a month break in terms of release schedule with Part 1, the second Part of the Nizi Project Season 2 was published on YouTube. We find back our 12 candidates selected during Japan audition process through various challenges but this time they are sent to Seoul for the 2nd part of the show aiming finalizing the building of the new JYP Boy Group.I enjoyed even better this Part 2 than Part 1. Now that we know the contestants and that there is only 12 of them left, you feel very attached to them...There is clearly some time that went through between the filming of the two parts and some participants have clearly had a growth spurt and a glow up. I love how as a viewer we see them grow. They have also clearly received more training and practiced a lot before entering this last round of the program. Their progress in skills is really a testimony of their will to succeed and debut together. The bounds between them are stronger as they become closer through the show.
There was a bit more variety from the songs choices vs. the audition: you still got a lot of JYP staples but there were some others artists featured as well as a couple of original songs which were overall nice and at least offering something new to the table. The challenges and structure of the program was a bit repetitive but that is bound to happen in survival shows.
There were no overdramatic storylines and it was full of good vibes. No fight, no rivalry...Which can feel a bit flat and leading to a very expected result...But I appreciate the fact that there was no artificial moments of tension. The relationships felt true and not manufactured which is a good sign for the newly debuting group. They faced challenges together and were truly a unified bunch sharing a common mindset. The end result did not surprised me at all : my pick one as well as other favorites all made it through and I felt pretty confident that it will be the case. Even if it is a bit of a loss in terms of angst and thrills on the program, it is better for the members. I will take good vibes over suspense in this case, for the long term pf the group.
I will recommend this to people that have seen Part 1 of course. It is better than Part 1 on many aspects as you focus on a smaller set of individuals and get to know them better. Their growth in terms of skills is truly impressive, there are very likeable. The angst is overall low, with no evil editing. It can feel a bit repetitive at time in the way they build stories around the challenges...I still found it entertaining and I will be for sure following the group that came out from the show as I found their dynamic refreshing and want to keep following their evolution.
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Well-acted & filmed, interesting story twist but wished for more in terms of relationships
I enjoyed the nostalgia throwback of this movie. The bound between past and present as well as the different timelines is interesting but I think the romances fell a bit flat. It was cute but no as heart-fluttering and gut-wrenching that I would have wanted.I still fell a punch in my gut as the events unfold but it is more due to the fact that I loved the main character played by Yeo Jin Goo rather than because I was totally convinced by the romance from the past. The characters from the present had a better romantic storyline. Still, I found the pacing adequate, they spend enough time at the beginning for the viewer to be invested in the stakes...I would have loved to be even more immersed in the romance and to see even more of the friendship that develop across time.
In terms of acting, I think it was solid overall. Especially Yeo Jin Goo who is carrying most of the movie. I am not sure that I would have enjoyed as much the movie with a less talented actor in the role. I also enjoyed Na In Woo in his role, such a dream boat <3. Cho Yi Hyun and Kim Hye Yoon were also quite good in their respective roles. I think Kim Hye Yoon had a not easy role to play as the character on paper can feel a bit flat and relegated to a love interest without a lot of agency. Overall, I will keep an eye out for other works from this quartet of actors/actresses that I enjoyed.
The filmmaking is youthful and bright in both timelines, fitting the atmosphere of the movie. I enjoyed the OST, there were some sweet and soft songs but not very memorable as well.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a youthful romantic movie mixing different timelines, with a nice 1999 nostalgia throwback. The acting and filmmaking is pretty great and even if I have some details that could have been better regarding the story (or at least the development of some of the relationship), I still found it to be a lovely watch with a nice twist.
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I binge watched it: ready to dive into Part2 for my favorite participant and a few others <3
I binge watched the first part of this survival show. The objective was to create a new Japanese boy group following the footsteps of the successful NiziU Japanese girl group launched through the same process by JYP in 2020.From what I understood, there were some delays into production and release of the show, first auditions were held in the first quarter of 2022 and the survival show was only released into two parts in the last quarter of 2023. I did not watch the girl season but I was very curious to see the show as the boy group made their official Korean debut on the 20th May 2024 and I wanted to catch up with the show without knowing any of the members to keep the suspense going during my watch.
I enjoyed it overall. And I am glad that my favorite candidate made it to part 2. There were some really talented individuals and I am happy that at the end we have a mix of experienced JYP Japanese trainees as well as newcomers that grabbed the opportunity and got to the next step of the program. In terms of casting, I am overall satisfied. I was a bit surprised at first to see that there were cities in which auditions happened where none candidates made it. Out of the pool of participants, there might seem at first sight to be a bit less number of extremely talented people to chose from (compared to some other survival shows I have seen)...but some of the ones that made it have clearly a lot of star power quality.
The show could have been edited to be better paced. I liked the audition process with the various challenges, it was a bit formulaic but at least allowed us to see the cast under various angles and also under quite a bit of pressure. JYP is sometimes tough in his critics (you feel the pain especially when one of your favorites is under it) but at the same time, I felt the program worked because of his presence and (not always but sometimes) insightful sentences. There are no dramatic moments between the candidates: not sure if it is because they are all Japanese and that culturally it plays a role in their interaction on screen, or if it is more linked to the way they edited the show...I did not miss the angst but without JYP insufflating a bit of pressure, the show would have fell a bit too flat.
I enjoyed the music overall, all JYP company ones of course (Stray Kids, NiziU, 2PM, JYP,...). But I must admit it was a bit repetitive sometimes...I would not have minded a bit more variety and hopefully it will be the case in Part 2.
I would recommend this to people that enjoy boy group survival shows. There are no evil editing between the candidates and overall I found the participants quite likeable and driven. Not all, but enough candidates spark my interests thanks to their performances, and I feel it is always fun and motivational to witness the progress of young people trying to do their best and honing their skills. Show was a bit formulaic with some repetition in the songs but still it is pretty enjoyable.
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Flawed in terms of romance but some elements of the story resonated with me...
An enjoyable Korean BL from which I expected maybe too much. I enjoyed the very different dynamics between the two couples as well as the way the series showcased characters flaws and explained why they acted the way they did. However, I wish the secondary romance would have gotten more screentime as it was the most interesting to my eyes. I also found the romance arc of the main couple a bit too expected and forced.The acting was okay overall but once again, I clearly found more believable the chemistry between the secondary couple rather than the main one. They looked cute but it felt a bit lacking somewhat. I enjoyed the variety in the character as well as the female role, a bit more atypical than the usual BL formula but still quite superficial (which is understandable given the short length of the drama).
Regarding the production, I found it pretty good with some nice clothing choices for winter. It was rather low budget but fitting the context of college romance. The soundtrack was good, quite relaxing but not memorable.
I would recommend this to people looking for a BL in a college set up. It is a bit unbalanced in the way it approaches some topics: it feel sometimes deep on some aspects as well as totally unrealistic on some others. Despite its flaws, it is still a nice watch...I just would have loved for it to leave me with a more durable impression.
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Yamazaki Kento shines so much as an anti-hero host! Great concept solidly acted!
I truly enjoyed the scenario of this drama which mixes time leap concepts with a host club as a starting point. I always liked "second chance" and "revenge on life" stories and I found it was done here in a particularly exciting and rather innovative way. There are unfortunately some loopholes inherent to that kind of supernatural element but it never really impacted my enjoyment of the series, except maybe in the last episode where I felt the solution chosen was a bit too abruptly put together and not very coherent. I was there for the emotional payoff but a bit more time for the resolution would have been appreciated.Yamazaki Kento did an incredible job as the anti-hero, a host without morale and caring only about money, using women as tools. He managed to make the evolution of his character really believable and had some incredibly well-executed emotional scenes. It is probably my favorite role of his so far. Mackenyu, who I discovered here and who plays the antagonist, was a really good counterpart in terms of acting skills. I was totally invested in his character's storyline: it was so painful and dark. Not sure if it is due to the writing or the actor's performance (or more likely the combination of both), but I found it super interesting. Kadowaki Mugi and Araki Yuko were also very good in their respective parts, even if their characters had seemingly less agency than the male roles, they evolved all through the show, becoming stronger in advocating for themselves.
I liked the overall production of the series. It was super efficient in conveying the various time leaps. At no point as a viewer I felt confused about where we were on the timeline, it was very simple to understand. I really appreciated the opening generic and the OST as well. Suda Masaki’s character singing, as a street musician, was such a highlight in the drama. I loved it.
I would recommend this to people looking for a drama that will take you on a journey alongside its (anti-)hero. It mixes genres well with supernatural, thriller and romance elements.The acting is very solid with some passionate and captivating moments. There are some loopholes and the ending would have benefited from more time but I honestly found the watch incredibly rewarding with a lot of emotional payoff.
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