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Lies, deceit, murder and two broken women on a mission.
I may spend 360 days out of an year complaining about draggy dramas that are slow paced and bore me to death but when the weather hits just right and the sun goes down and I am in a certain type of mood, I spend the remaining five days seeking slow burn, dark, art house kind of movies and shows that feed my soul.The thing with dramas like this is though that they bank heavily on two things: atmosphere and characters. It’s less about what is happening and more on why it is and the psyche behind it. If done well, they can give you a delicious little mental workout while thoroughly creeping you out.
“Lies hidden in my garden” absolutely nails the atmosphere. It delivers on the eeriness, the creep under your skin kind of horror and creates a perfectly unsettling and disturbing mood.
I absolutely love the camera work in this show. Some of the shots are truly stunning cause of how beautifully they overstate or understate events in the drama.
My particular favourite is when a character has this great revelation and the camera takes a 180 degree tilt and it’s almost like you can feel the character’s world turning on its axis.
So absolutely gorgeous cinematography coupled with a decent music score that highlights the underlying tension of the show.
Now, come the characters. I don’t know what it says about me that my choice for the best and most dynamic character in The Glory was Lim Ji yeon’s bully. 💀 I thought she slayed the role and so, it’s no secret that I picked this show up for her.
Her character here, is again not a very likeable one. She is an extremely broken woman, a victim of domestic violence, pregnant, broke with a sick mother and a burdensome brother to deal with, who is as greedy as she is volatile and as helpless as she is tragic.
LJY steals the spotlight as she flits over her various emotions and I think she delivered the complexities of her character fairly well.
The other most promising character is of the husband- the chilling, absolutely terrifying motherfucker who gaslights and lies as a passion. The actor killed the role and proved to be a very promising villain.
Now, here comes the elephant in the room- Kim Tae Hee and her character with an awful lotta screen time. KTH is a talentless and weak actress who has built a career on face value and it shows. My words are harsh but they are true. She is very uninteresting to watch on screen and gives life to a character that’s inconsistent and hard to empathise with because of how dumb she is.
Just because of her existence, the show loses its edge and brings down its standard.
Other than that, the writing of the show is nothing to sing home about. While the suspense element is done pretty well, the twists are hardly things you can’t see coming. Moreover, some plot lines/characters are introduced only to never be properly explored, making scenes with them just pointless and leading nowhere.
It’s like you understand what the writer wanted to achieve but they didn’t do a very good job doing it.
So, overall It’s an okay-ish show that you can enjoy only when you are in a certain mood. Good thing that it caught me at the right time so I did enjoy it but in good conscience cannot praise it for the quality.
Honestly, I think shows like Anna and movies like Burning and Voice of silence are better alternatives for this show. They’ll give you the same mood and take up less time.
So that’s that.
Enjoy!
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To be completely honest, I think the premise of this show is quite exciting and I bet the novel it's based on would be something spectacular. I will even admit that I really liked the idea behind the General's and Ping Ting's character. They were supposed to be strong and witty people in their own right and that was essentially what lured me in. But by God, that's not what this drama really ended up being.
Matters were made worse by the horrible acting. There is a lot of negative stigma attached with AngelaBaby but I did my best to keep an open mind and not be influenced by all the drama. Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort because she literally cannot act. Half of the time she's a blank board and in the other half she looks like a psychopath with her crazy eyes and creepy smile. I liked what her character was supposed to be but she destroyed it quite effectively.
Wallace Chung is a good actor but all the edgy scenes really didn't make him cool, instead, Chu Bei Jie mostly just comes off as an asshole who's trying and failing to assert his dominance over everybody.
The overdramatization makes everything more unbearable. With all that flying in the air, jumping over mountains and exaggerated facial expressions, General and I can't possibly expect the viewers to take its bullshit seriously. I watch Asian Dramas for their sincerity and poignancy, not whatever this superficial serialization was offering. So fucking disappointed.
It didn't help that I started watching it in between episodes of Eternal Love, which is why its flaws were even more noticeable than they would've been if an incredible show was not there for comparison. I really tried to give it a lot of chances but by the nth chance, I thought it better for my sanity to skip most parts.
This is an unpopular opinion and if you are someone who has diligently watched all of its episodes and have arrived on a different conclusion, then good for you. Boos should always do their yous.
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Rookie Agent Rogue is the definition of awesomeness overload. Not only is it as addictive and tempting as a large grilled cheese burger (with extra fries), it also contains the quality and substance of 100 percent organic leafy greens. In short, this is the kind of show that fulfills your appetite and your taste buds.
It's no secret that Zhao Zanilia is my favorite Chinese actress, however, I'm not at all blind to her faults. I know that she's definitely not the best actress in the world; her crying scenes are pretty bad, she can't pull off intense emotions to save her life and sometimes her acting is downright wooden. So the fact that she is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast in this show should be a huge problem for her.
But no, like always Zanilia makes use of the thing she does have an excess of; charisma and grace. And like always, with these two things she wins the masses.
She consistently brings forth characters that are genuinely likable and so it isn't at all a surprise that I love my girl Yanzhi. A lot.
Simply put, Yanzhi's a badass babe; smart to the bone and exactly what you imagine when you think of high-class agents. She carries out brilliant strategies and shootouts, all the while calmly chewing her gum and rocking her dark shades. She's too cool to be true to be honest.
Our leading man has just as much swag. He has his roguish charm, precision in murder and the stoic detatchment which makes him deadly. At the same time, he's an upright and passionate soldier with an extremely conpassionate side. In the beginning of the show, it's very unclear who the main love interest is and I remember literally praying and crossing my fingers that Zhou Hehao was the main guy and later, when I got to know that he was the male lead all along I felt pure happiness. (It's the little things...)
And then ofcourse, last but not the least, comes our second female lead: Feng Manna. Tao Xin Ran often steals the show with her brilliant acting. Feng Mana is a very complicated character; vicious by circumstance, filled with hate and not a woman you can mess with. But deep down she's vulnerable, insecure and just a lost little girl. Even though I hate a lot of things she does, Xin Ran's masterful acting skills stopped me from truly despising the character.
While a lot of shows can be enjoyed solely because of the main leads, you know a show is truly good when you feel an actual connection with the supporting cast too. Every single character in the drama left an impression on me.
From one episode cameos, to the central roles, the eccentric villains and the faithful soldiers- every act was executed almost perfectly.
This is one of the few Asian thrillers that actually thrills. Apart from a few things here and there the show holds a significant amount of unpredictibility throughout. I couldn't for the life of me guess what was going to happen next. Is the mission going to be successful? Will my beloved hero come out alive? Will the leading lady get out of danger unscathed? I had no idea and I often found myself sitting on the edge of the seat with my heart running a marathon and my nails chipped to bits.
This drama is filled with murder, mayhem, violence, political strategies, masterful schemes and espionage. It's a story of war, love, sacrifice and loyalty. Even though there are a lot of character deaths, it's the small things that actually touch and wreck your heart.
The soundtrack of Rookie Agent Rogue is simply epic. The skillful harmony of music and screenplay is beautiful and sets the perfect mood.
Another thing that's absolutely epic is the love-story. Ahh. The romance is so good but so less. I desperately wish there was more but considering this isn't a romance drama, I have to content myself with what I got.
Both Lan Yanzhi and Zhou Hehou are ingenious individuals in their own right and so together they assert their badassery over everyone. And they do it in style.
A fast-paced drama with a consistently intelligent plot-line and an extremely satisfying ending, RAR is definitely not a show to be missed.
Enjoy!
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W, is basically a badly written drama about a badly written Manhwa coming to life.
The moment I started watching W, suddenly a lot of my chores started getting done. I had finished my laundry, a novel worthy dissertation that was overdued suddenly got completed, my cupboards were clean and my room was sparkling. Soon I realized, that my mind's will to avoid the torture that this show subjected it to, was such; that it had me do all the things that I was procrastinating on since forever.
However, the masochist that I am, I kept coming back to it. All these great reviews and high ratings made me think that the next episode would be surely better than the shit I just watched. I kept finding excuses for it and soon, the ending credits rolled in and the show finished being just as horrible as it was from the get go.
To put it simply, W is like a rotten egg that somehow hatched into a headless chicken and proceeded to create chaos everywhere. It's like somebody took a coupla mindless plot-lines, threw it in a blender and went on to whisking it to hell and back.
The plot makes no sense. The characters make no sense. The story makes no sense. The drama is essentially a hotchpotch of confused writing trying to mask itself as 'complicated'. So much is happening but you're reaching nowhere. And the worst thing of it all, is that despite all their efforts to try and have unnecessary events take place left and right; the show still remains boring as hell. Which is a shame because its premise was so unique and had a lot of potential.
There are so many flashbacks and repetition, that half of the show is filled with the same old bs. Seriously, when you see Kang Chul get shot and Yeong Joo faint for the umpteenth of time, you're about ready to shoot and pass out yourself.
However, for me as long as the acting is good I can forgive almost everything.
No such luck here.
Han Hyo Joo sucks so bad that she shouldn't even be allowed to act anymore. All she knows is to open her eyes wide like an idiot, cover her face with her hands and bite her nails. Literally, this is all she does throughout the show. Her acting (or lack thereof) is so monotonous that you can put a cardboard in her place and it would still work.
I don't understand why Lee Jong Suk takes roles like these. I believe that this was probably his worst role as of yet, for there is no growth as an actor here. There is no denying his acting chops or his looks but playing a two-dimensional commonplace character like Kang Chul really dumbed down his potential.
The dialogues often felt scripted and the actors seemed detached from the characters they were playing.
The only memorable roles were the side characters. Yeong Joo's dad was brilliant, so was Park Bong So and the Mad Dog. All of them gave me some feels but the main characters were lacklustre at best.
The kisses were good but the romance like the rest of the show was less than mediocre.
I mean, the beginning was also bad but they really just lost their shit midway. It's like they didn't even care about following a logical story-line anymore.
However, I want to really give credit to the actual Webtoon artists who drew all the manhwa chapters in the show. That's some serious talent there, not gonna lie, but that's about it.
16 hours of total waste, watch it only if you want to have your intelligence insulted.
Enjoy!
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When I saw the first episode, I was immediately struck by the beauty of the main leads. In the start they gave us a few minutes of pure fan service, where Mike flaunts his abs and shows off his dance moves and I was like, dayum maybe I should have picked this drama up sooner- except all of those thoughts were completely incinerated twenty minutes in to the show. The perfect words to describe this drama would be something like: Boring. Dull. Extremely slow. Completely and utterly dead.
80% of the drama consists of filler episodes, where the characters are just staring off into space, lost in their own shit and the viewer is forced to awkwardly watch from the sidelines like an unwanted trespasser. There are so many pauses after which we just get one dead scene after another, that it felt like this was some sort of a documentary instead of an enjoyable tale.
I think they tried to fake depth by showing numerous angles of the character's "deep in thought" faces and playing shitty sentimental music in the background but it just appeared very simplistic and unnecessary. Sure, I'm shallow and I like watching pretty people but I also want to watch them actually "do" something and have a fucking character. If I wanted to ogle them pose, I'd go through a fashion catalog and save myself a lot of time in the process.
There is no character development at all and the characters lack individuality to the T. Who are Mike and Am as individuals? We don't have a fucking clue. There is no proper backstory that tells us about their personalities, they are just one of the many run of the mill knock offs that we see in every unoriginal romance story.
The rest 10% consisted of the characters having flashbacks of the same dull scenes that they showed us before. As if they really needed repetition to help make shit worse. Like, if you don't have new and good content, why waste money and time on making so many trash filled episodes in the first place?
The measly 10% left was the only mercy shown to the viewers, where they finally added some funny and cute moments but it was hardly enough to make up for the torturous 90%. A lot of people were gushing about the character's chemistry but to be honest, I don't really see it. If we cut out the hasty little pecks they pasted on each other's lips, their relationship would be perfectly like that of siblings. There are no proper, mature conversations between them, no sizzling passion, no sexual tension, no actual bond; they don't get to face and solve complications together and evolve as a couple, instead they just fight like little kids and then try to act cute. I mean, sure, they can get away with an "aww how adorable" once or twice but the whole thing becomes rather uninteresting when it's done so excessively.
I'm a sucker for romance but I want my dramas to be diverse and actually have a plot behind it. In Full House all I got was a two dimensional "love" story with no real adversities or impressive events. There's nothing memorable about this drama except that I'll always remember how much I yawned throughout. I couldn't form any sort of emotional attachment with the characters at all.
Mike was admittedly unlike the usual Alphas, he was a kind hearted boy; very caring and childish but not the sharpest tool in the shed. Besides the first shirtless scene, all of his dance moves and actions that were supposed to be "sexy" were just horribly cringey and gay. No problem with being gay at all, except when you're doing a role where you're supposed to play a guy who's straighter than a rod. Also, I wanted to punch him every time he cried because him crying didn't make sense at all. It was supposed to add emotion to the drama but it just looked force and irrelevant, considering he himself was the one doing mindless shit that was creating petty problems in the first place. Crying about it made no sense except to show what a confused and weak personality he had.
Am was a refreshing character though. She was strong, witty and she didn't let anyone boss her around, making her a refreshing change from the Asian heroines of the norm. The actress who plays her is the cutest creature I have ever seen and she did play her part (no matter how superficial) quite well. She was the only one really acting in this show and the sole reason why I even gave it a 4.5.
I literally do not know why I wasted 20 hours on this bullshit, considering it had no story-line, whatsoever. It did not live up to its glowing reputation at all except that I have to say that the widely talked about "ice-cream scene" was a little entertaining.
I recommend this for 12 year old pre-pubescent kids who blush at the thought of matching bracelets with their crush and not for viewers who actually want to see something of substance.
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With a tightly woven plot and an excellent cast that drives the story home, GF is the definition of entertainment. It will make you laugh, cry, jump with excitement and leave you dying to know what will happen next. With a suspenseful murder mystery, shocking family secrets and brilliant character development, GF had no room for any boring moment.
What I loved about the show was that no character seemed irrelevant. Every single person on screen had a part to play. Im So Hyang gracefully delivered as the badass, chaebol heiress on a mission. Mi Seok Hi was the perfect mix of vulnerability, strength and style. A true baddie after my own heart.
They could have done better with the male lead as he was by far the most unimpressive aspect of the show but he did the job as the upright, honest lawyer looking for justice.
The entire team of good guys: the reporter duo, the police officer, the ML's dad- all brought substance to the show. I loved the fact that our heroes weren't out of the world geniuses, they were just simple albeit smart individuals desperate to find out the truth.
The primary antagonist, Miss Han, was a formidable adversary. She commanded respect in the way she did her job, no matter how dirty and ruthless it was. Bae Jong Ok gave her all to bring forward one of the most charismatic villains in kdrama history. She and her TOP team members were horrible people but they were horrible people with exceptional smarts that came with their own set of charms.
And ofcourse, the MC family. All of the family members were psychotic in their own way and each left a mark. Whether they made you feel fury, sympathy, pity or hatred, they never did anything halfass.
Lastly, I think it would be criminal not to mention Wan Soo, the eldest son of the MC family. Lee Kyu Han killed it by bringing forward a character so complex and yet, the one with the simplest motivations. He was a true spotlight stealer.
The back and forth between the villains and the good guys kept you on the edge of the seat. The schemes and mind games made every episode intense. The best part was that all the cunning, witty ways the characters outsmarted each other were wholly believable. It wasn't a ball of hocus pocus plotholes, a confused writer pulled out of their ass, instead effort was made for things to feel mostly realistic.
A lot of people didn't like the ending but it was pretty satisfying for me. Sure, a few minor things could have been more developed but they were easy to ignore.
The OST was perfect and it fit our leading lady and her badass take downs so well. While there wasn't a need for romance, there was enough to satisfy all of you who are looking for it. With veteren actors in the ensemble, it's no surprise that the acting was phenomenal across the board.
Honestly, I don't know what else to say. It was one of the few shows that took on a lot of things at once and managed to do justice to all of them. I loved it and I strongly reccomend.
It's Jeana approved for sure. ;)
Go watch it.
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Well, in that case, take it from someone who thinks that med stuff is boring, the jargon makes you yawn and hospitals are depressing that this drama is amazing and will make you love it to bits and pieces.
Yes, there will be times you might zone out when they get technical with all the fancy doctor-ish words but even when you don't know the terms used, you'll feel the urgency of an operation, the sadness of a life lost and the joy of a successful surgery and that's all that matters.
What really makes this show an excellent watch though is the group of five doctor adolescent best friends who form a band together. Oof. The friendship, bromance and warmth in this show is no joke. Their music sessions are a healing experience and you feel affection for every single character.
The character development is phenomenal with each of the five bringing their own charm to the table.
Jung Won, the handsome as hell pediatrician with a butter heart that gets overly attached to patients; Lee Ik Jun, the goofy, emotional general surgeon and single dad who's your resident nice guy; Suk Hyung, the cute, anti-social introverted gynecologist; Song Hwa, our bomb female lead: the witty, quirky, graceful genius of a neurosurgeon and last but not the least my personal favorite Jun Wan, badass cardiothorasic surgeon who's a prickly hedgehog on the outside but a complete softie on the inside. He is also 100% boyfriend material and you just want to squeeze his cheeks and flick his nose.
The dynamics and chemistry between the 5 is off the charts and not only do you feel the real friendship between them, you want to be a part of their group.
The acting is outstanding and these people make you fall in love with them so completely that without any drama, flashy plot twists or shock value, the show still manages to reel you in and makes you content with watching hours of it just so you can get more of these amazing humans. Even the supporting cast is stellar and brings forth numerous characters that leave a mark on you.
With brilliant laugh out loud moments, emotional turns, beautiful music and a constant feeling of happiness- this show will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Give it a go. You won't regret it. And ladies, if you want some superficial encouragement, then keep in mind that the men in this show are HOT. As if Yeon Suk's beauty and Jo Jung Suk's charm wasn't enough, you have Jung Kyung Ho, who is unarguably the human embodiment of God's greatest gift to mankind.
Are you still here? No?
Good, that's what I thought.
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Don’t know what’s worse - Oppa’s atrocious mullet or his deadbeat, loser dad personality.
While Atypical family started out as a charming love story between a con artist with dubious intentions and a depressed single dad struggling with past trauma, it quickly becomes boring with predictable and contrived writing, lousy time jumps, trauma and death baiting and wasted potential.✔️The good
The younger female characters in this story are probably the only saving grace of the show. I think Chun Woo Hee did a good job in this drama with her cunning, prickly, initially selfish but compassionate, black-bellied heroine who was refreshing to watch.
Other than her, both the ladies of the said atypical family - young Ina who can read minds and is a chronically ignored and neglected child and Bo Dong Hee - the girl who can fly but now only waddles due to her weight gain are interesting characters that bring some flavor to the show.
The main couple definitely has chemistry, there are some good comedic moments and the kisses are good. Other than that, the transitions between past and future as far as the hero’s time jumping superpower is concerned is interesting and executed well. And, that’s basically where the good stuff ends.
❌The bad
The cinematography and styling of the characters are mediocre at best. The music score is terrible with a weird awkward beat playing at all romantic scenes that sucks out all the romance. There is just some extremely terrible writing in the last couple episodes with a lot of pointless death baiting when it’s obvious nothing is going to actually happen.
There is also a time jump that magically has Bo Dong Hee lose all her weight - which is so dumb because up till that point, the drama did a frankly good job of her struggling with her weight loss only to give her the most lackluster makeover ever.
There is also some seriously wasted sismance potential in this drama (though they do try to hastily stuff it in the last two episodes) and all the older characters - the hero’s mom and dad, the heroine’s adoptive mom - all of them are a pain in the ass with their constant yapping.
❌The Ugly
This is possibly Jang Ki Yong’s worst role yet. Seriously, his character has the maturity of a pea, is the worst dad ever, qUirKy in SPADES to a point where it’s not adorable anymore and did I mention his hair is AWFUL? That mullet is an actual crime against humanity.
I mean it’s almost a talent how they were able to make freaking beautiful Jang Ki Yong look so incredibly not sexy. It’s definitely a choice. Man’s is so deadbeat and has 3974392 issues, solves nothing for the MAJORITY of the show and his reaction to basically everything is to start hyperventilating and unleash waterworks that put the best soap operas to shame.
Sure, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in the first few episodes because of his trauma, loss and struggles with alcoholism and depression but if you are going to sell me that love can cure all that then the fact that he can go from ten episodes of development to BUM mode on the drop of a hat is so stupid, I can’t.
Jang Ki Yong’s absolutely extra acting and wobbly bottom lip + flaring nose theatrics at anything and everything just had me yawning. I felt nothing in his scenes because he was enough of a drama queen for all of us.
He has ZERO genuine consideration for his child, only fake promises and emotional crying scenes to overcompensate for the fact that he is a weak man living in the past who could go spiraling any time.
Up till ten episodes, that is 80% of the show, I really didn’t understand the point of all of this because is the drama telling us that one woman could heal all these individuals? Because it’s not healing if she is putting bandaids on their wounds and they unravel if she so much as goes to the loo.
These people hardly change much from the first episode until the tenth episode because Ina is still a neglected child, Bong Hee even with her magical two second weight loss is still cranky and misunderstood, the oppa is still spiraling and the grandparents are still yapping in the back. The only character that was developed and remained strong throughout was the heroine and honestly, her alone wasn’t enough to carry the show.
Then, suddenly, episode 11 hits and EVERYTHING fixes itself. LMAO. Literally even the villains have forced redemption arcs and they put a cute little sorry on their shitty behavior and give it a pass.
Don’t even get me started on how little self-preservation these characters have. In every life or death moment, they absolutely have to waste at least ten minutes, staring into each other's eyes moping or doling out theatrics. None of them would survive a real life accident.
And, finally, the drama ends with the most poorly written, contrived ending I have ever seen. It’s just comedy at that point.
Still, overall, it’s a fine time-pass to watch on the weekends. A slow paced palate cleanser if you will, but it’s nothing deep and shouldn’t be taken as such.
Enjoy!
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Seung Ho has beautifully expressive eyes and he has a lot of talent but he really over did it in this one. His crying scenes were cringe. Park Min Young excelled at being the classic support role heroine who was just an acessory to the plot. The romance was non existent but what was there was pretty stiff.
I mean, everybody promised me that the show will make me cry and that it was just oh so sad but tbh the writing was so awful and overdramatic that I felt nothing. The ending wasn't even tragic bro. Or maybe, I failed to see it?
So why did I finish it till the end? Because of Nam Goong Min. What phenomenal acting. He has to be one of the best k-drama villains I have ever seen. So fleshed out. He was a horrible disgusting monster of a person and unfortunately, the only person that made me stick with the show. Because I wanted to see him pay and also because he was so entertaining and brilliant in every scene. Makes me want to check out all of his dramas now. It's even funny how out of all the characters, it was the villain who got nominated for the Daesang (grand prize) at award shows. Lol
Other than him, Park Dong Ho, played by one of my most favorite ahjussi actors was the only good guy in the show that was somewhat well rounded. Other than these two, the rest of the characters were cookie cutter and pretty one dimensional.
I don't reccomend this unless you want to watch for Nam Goong Min and his acting.
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This Is Me Worshipping You.
Raw, real, emotionally charged live wire of a drama that feels like home; My Liberation Notes is powerful in its simplicity.Have you ever felt down and depressed? Like nothing makes sense anymore? Have you ever felt listless or too lazy to make the effort. Have you ever felt giddy with joy? Nervous about a crush? So incredibly weak and out of control? Anxious about the future? Disappointed from life? Happy about the smallest things? Self conscious without reason? Devastated after a breakup? Struggled with your weaknesses?
Basically, have you ever just lived life and experienced all its beautiful, tumultuous, heartbreaking ups and downs? If yes, you’re living this drama because this is about you and me. It’s about us all. It’s about family, love, heartbreak, growth, sorrow, joy and just trying your fucking best to survive.
It’s about people who each carry their own baggage, they lose, they win, they cry, they celebrate, they are broken but so fully human and every single day they wake up and find a reason to live life in all its complexity.
Here are a few reasons why you absolutely need to watch this:
☑️ Wildly atmospheric
This drama is gorgeous. It makes you feel the emotions through beautiful sceneries and stunning shots. Coupled with the excellent cinematography, you get one of the best sound tracks ever. You feel the summer heat, the lonely winter and the dangerous rain. Every scene in this drama is punctuated with feeling and is brimming with emotion.
☑️ Romance Of The Year
While the story showcases multiple lovelines (each bringing their own flavour to the table) our ultimate ship is our prickly Mr. Gu with eccentric Mi Jeong. What starts as a relationship that’s merely a distraction grows into a sizzling, passionate bond between two people who are flawed but are utterly compatible. The chemistry between them is combustible and they have real and intense moments where they are wholly attuned to each other baring their truest form. God, their love is believable and it makes you root for them fully as you watch them grow and evolve both as individuals and together.
☑️ Dialogues, story and writing
The dialogues in this drama are excellent. To the point, that you want to just grab a notebook and jot everything down. The pacing of the show, while slow at the start is oddly captivating as you go on. It has an aura of mystery that hooks you in and doesn’t let you go. Aside from the slightly rushed last few episodes, plot progression and the writing is almost perfect with little to no loopholes. Instead of a single climax scene, the episodes contain numerous small but powerful and highly nuanced moments that somehow make everything that happens important. Like a detail you can’t miss because nothing is filler.
☑️ Acting & Characters
There’s not a single character in this drama that you aren’t fully invested in. The three siblings are each badass in their own wholly human way and are extremely lovable. Every single person in this show comes to their own phenomenally by the end of the drama. The fact that the acting in this is brilliant across the board just brings it full circle.
☑️ Mr. Gu is the sexiest man alive
Oh my God, that man can walk into my life and I’ll gladly lay down my lashes for him to step on. Not only is he handsome as all hell. His personality makes him the tall, dark, just the right amount of toxic and dangerous mystery man that screams trouble for all women.
He is played excellently by SSK who uses his expressions like a masterful puppeteer and strings us along dancing to his tune. You feel Gu’s rage, volatility, his pain and desperation in a way that gives you chills.
☑️ Full of heart and FEELS
Just after a couple of episodes, it’s clear you can’t passive watch this show because you’re already in too deep. You care about everyone in this drama too much. These are your people and you worry for them, hurt for them, laugh with them, cry besides them and cheer them on.
There are hard hitting moments complimented by some top notch comedy, coupled with a sprinkle of action, served with a side of tears and heartbreak, peppered with a lot of love, nostalgia and feeling of home. There is something for everyone.
☑️ Binge Watch or a Weekly Watch?
I binged these episodes when it was halfway out and wanted more. When I ran out of airing episodes, I waited for it with bated breath, every weekend. And every weekend it felt like a comfort blanket that wrapped itself around me until I was right there in Sanpo with these characters that I had come to adore.
However, because the first few episodes do have a lot of vacant stares, depressing quotes and slow buildup, if you can’t binge, it’s okay to take breaks between the episodes. It’s the kind of show that you can always come back to and pick up where you left off.
✅ Final Thoughts:
As someone who usually doesn’t like slow paced, slice of life shows, believe me when I say this drama has the power to change your mind.
A fantastic journey, that brings forth a delicious, immersive blend of both darkness and light- My liberation notes is possibly the most stylishly executed and deeply captivating drama of 2022.
An absolute must watch.
Go ahead and get liberated, I dare you.
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When Love Is a Game of Go, the Couple That Schemes Together, Stays Together
Redemption and vengeance meet in this deliciously wicked, sinfully seductive and electric love story between two morally ambiguous characters who come together to create the most formidable power couple of 2023.Jiang Xue Ning is an evil empress who has schemed her way to the top and destroyed people for her ambitions, only to meet her downfall at the hands of a ruthless usurper who brings her to her death.
In an interesting turn of events, she gets to go back in time, to fix her wrongs, save the two men who were ruined because of her love and hopefully stop the bloodthirsty rebel and his insidious plans.
However, fate cannot always be changed and sometimes the wrong answer is the right one all along. The Story of Kunning Palace is a fast-paced thrilling ride from beginning to end and comes with its share of pros and cons. Let’s get into it.
✔️The sexiest anti-hero of the year award goes to Xie Wei
He chokes. He kills. He plots but most of all, he knows how to kiss his lady love until she sees stars. Xie Wei is an absolute menace. As vicious and ruthless in his planning as he is petty when it comes to love. He is not afraid to get his hands bloody and use everyone and their mamas if it serves his purpose. Forty steps ahead of his enemies and always one with the backup plan, he is the ultimate edge lord. However, all his plans and strategies come to a stop when it comes to one woman: His Ning-er.
Zhang Ling He did a great job giving life to a character that is both terrifying and vulnerable. A man on a path of vengeance even as a part of him remains frozen with his robbed childhood. He is a person of many flavors as he goes from being the most intelligent and devilish man in the room, to a petulant, almost childish boy in love. He is both dangerous and endearing, villainous and heroic, charismatic and insecure, damaged and wholesome and the ultimate bad guy you can’t help but root for.
✔️The powerful heroine who brings the man to his knees.
Jiang Xue Ning is one of the best female leads out there. She is smart, intelligent and practical even as she has a soft heart. She can be as vicious as the best of men and has a penchant for paying back her enemies. She is a woman who never loses sight of her goal and always stays true to herself. She can be soft when the time calls for it and tough as nails when she needs to be. I think this is Bai Lu’s best role yet and she executed some really great scenes with elegance, grace and a lot of heart.
✔️Steamiest C-drama romance to end all romances
I think this is one of the most rewarding love stories I have seen lately. The two are equally matched in every way and understand each other in a way that nobody can. Xie Wei’s absolute mad, crazy, obsessive love for Ning-er is exhilarating to watch. He is unapologetic, fearless and unhinged when it comes to his need for her. She is the person who shares the darkness in his soul and the only woman who can keep up with his brilliant mind.
For her, he is the man who supports her through thick and thin, the only one who doesn’t handle her with kid gloves, the one person she can break down in front of, be herself with and the man who revels in her wildness as much as she does. Their chemistry is unmatched and their love is believable. There’s no question from the first episode that the two are destined for each other and the angst, obstacles and sexual tension just explodes into the most satisfying, passionate romance on-screen that is complimented with some truly sensual kisses.
✔️Friendship, loyalty, camaraderie and lovable side characters
One of the things I loved about this drama was that they were able to create meaningful relationships for both the main leads that seemed authentic. The male lead’s friends and people who love him unconditionally have their reasons for doing so and aren’t lackeys that exist just for the sake of it. Similarly, Ning-er has strong female friendships that are such a breath of fresh air to watch amidst watching palace women mostly fighting each other over a man.
As such, the drama gives birth to some really great characters like the hilarious fake Dingfei, and Yan Lin who has to be the greenest flag on this earth and the only time an FL’s potential love interest wasn’t annoying.
✔️Action scenes + Dialogues + Music + Comedy
The show has some great action scenes that were especially kind to Yan Lin. The dialogues for both Xie Wei and Ning-er were excellent and captured the intensity of their feelings beautifully. I particularly love the instrumental on this and enjoyed the little bits of comedy that is sprinkled all over the show.
So, overall, the drama comes with a lot of great things. Unfortunately, it also has its flaws, for example:
❌Weak antagonists + false sense of danger
Villains in this story are incredibly weak, overshadowed by the protagonists and make dumb decisions. So, the stakes are never really high because you know Xie Wei and Ning-er will somehow always come on top. The only time the good guys actually suffer a major loss is because of their own lapse of judgment which results in an extremely unnecessary and pointless tragedy. It hardly makes an impact and the protagonists remain overpowered throughout.
❌The boring middle arc + Annoying 2nd Male Lead aka Zhang Zhe the Turnip
A big part of the female lead’s redemption arc right from the first episode is the debt she owes to Zhang Zhe - a man she bargains her own life for. So, it’s unavoidable that the show would devote a lot of screen time to this character. Unfortunately, Zhang Zhe is a poorly written, one dimensional character who is so self-righteous, holier than thou and the unwanted paragon of virtue that not only is he boring to watch, he is flat-out irritating. As a result, his love arc with the FL is the most boring part of the entire drama.
❌Petty politics + low production value
I think others have also pointed out that the production value on the show is not the greatest with some truly terrible CGI. While I did enjoy some beautiful shots, I wasn’t happy about the unflattering close-ups and weird angles of characters that made intense scenes look a little comical. Fortunately, they are easy to ignore.
Story-wise, I think the strongest aspect of the drama is the slow burn love story and while it’s exciting to see Xie Wei and Ning-er plot and scheme and brilliantly execute their strategies, considering the antagonists are so one-note and the palace politics are quite petty and simplistic, I won’t lie and say that the drama comes with an impactful plot or masterful writing. Instead, it’s actually a super basic plot with a lot of tropes that’s done so well that it’s enjoyable.
✅Overall, the drama is mad fun to watch and its flaws are nearly not enough to weigh it down. It almost feels like the younger sister of The Rise Of Phoenixes with diabolical characters in love, except it comes with an ending that’s easy on the heart.
Definitely, Jeana approved.
8.5/10
Jiang Xue Ning, run away then. Run to the ends of the world but I am telling you, no matter where you run, I’ll find you.
-Xie Wei
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The thing is, this is a remake so essentially it can’t really get the credit for the story and all those things that are the show’s saving grace. Because basically the creators were handed an already tried and tested recipe along with extensive steps of preparation. All they had to do was follow the steps and cook a dish putting their own flavor on it. Unfortunately, for this drama the materials used were not very fresh and so the resulting dish came out to be rather bland.
By materials used, I ofcourse mean the characters. If I were to say, that the people telling this story were more or less hollow with zero to very little development, I wouldn’t be really off the mark. The show centers on four best friends with “scandalous” lives (which in my opinion were less scandalous and more “pathetic” but we will come on to that later) who have a murder mystery on their hands. Despite there being four of them, it’s very clear that Jang Se Yeon- single mother/widower- was the main protagonist which in Mistress translates to being the main simpleton of the lot of them.
If we somehow ignore the fact, that for the most part she was a bumbling fumbling idiot who literally had her mouth parted open like a sputtering fish all the freaking time, we still won’t find her character likeable. See, here’s the thing if you are going to show me a mother who is dumb enough to leave her child in the care of a babysitter for more than 24 hours, repeatedly trusting said babysitter after she has been proven to be a shady ass a couple of times, leaving your child unattended in parks, hotels, shopping malls e.t.c, spending literally no time with your child to the extent that you’re unaware your child is freaking dying and then in the next second you’re going to feed me the “concerned mother who loves her child to no end” bullshit where I am supposed to sympathize with the “suffering” she has to go through in order to save her child from all those nasty villains- sorry, but I’m not buying it. And before you bring up the “oh but she is a single mother who has to work to pay the bills and that keeps her busy” shit with me- she works in a stupid ass cafe as a barista which is conveniently ALWAYS empty. For fuck’s sake, say no more.
I have to like my characters in order to feel for their ordeals and with these half-wits I was just like you all are so damn frustratingly dumb that if you insist on making your beds, I urge you to please lie in them and never get up. The other two in the brainless bunch consist of a therapist (who is like a walking talking cardboard because of how dull she is) and a supposedly tech savvy/law-savvy stalker -(?) somebody please tell me her damn profession- whose sole purpose in life is unsuccessfully tailing people and looking pretty. No depth to either of them, their career is used as plot devices and they are there just for the sake of being there.
The only redeemable out of the four is our resident school teacher and husband cheater. She is the one who grows the most, acts the best and has the most interesting personality. But ofcourse not enough screen-time to make a difference. There are some love interests who are meh. The antagonists are more or less meh, except one of them (the shady babysitter lol). And the show itself is also pretty much MEH.
The best thing about this was the sound-track. I loved some of the songs and the instrumentals. The drama is also pretty racy for South Korean standards what with all the random sex scenes which were just funny for me because they were there- like the characters- just for the sake of being there, contributing zero to the plot.
So in conclusion, if you haven’t watched a lot of crime/suspense/thrillers and just want a quick mindless fix, this will work for you but for someone like me who lives and breathes this stuff, not only was it not anything different it was also below standard compared to what’s already there.
Enjoy!
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Dapper, smarter, fiercer Fan Xian makes justice look sexy in JOL S2!
Treachery, schemes, murder, politics and a whole lotta fun - Joy of Life’s Season 2 picks up with a bang and maintains its high quality from the first episode to the last.✔️After the events of season one, our adorably cunning hero Fan Xian is now more guarded, more ruthless, more dangerous and a 100% more delicious. As he navigates through the capital politics with betrayals at every turn, gets numerous harsh reality checks along the way and sees the injustice that plagues the kingdom, his thirst for justice and fairness builds up in every episode.
✔️Zhang Ruo Yun is an absolute star in this show as he puts out a performance that is hard to look away from. Fan Xian flits easily from a highly intelligent edge lord, to a vulnerable broken hearted man, to a surprisingly devoted husband, to a hilarious goof, a wickedly stylish martial artist and back to being an angry God. Nobody does anger and wrath as good as Zhang Ruo Yun because when he gets mad, I am there, seated, on my knees, READY for things to go down.
His dialogue delivery is also absolutely spectacular. Seriously, you know when he wants to spit acid with his words and when he wants to caress you with them - his eyes are expressive as hell.
✔️The best thing about season 2 is the way Fan Xian’s character gets more layers. From the start, Fan Xian isn’t exactly the typical overpowered, do-no-wrong, C-drama character. That’s because there’s no secret that he is incredibly privileged and favored by the most powerful figures in the kingdom and also has the knowledge of the future as his superpower. So, there is always this question: Is he that good or is it because of all the help he always gets from others?
However, in this season, the show really dives into what that means for Fan Xian - the frustration that no matter how much he does, at the end it feels like it is always the King or Chen Ping Ping running the show or that wherever he goes, he has his mother’s legacy hanging over him like a cloud.
And, sometimes he doesn’t want to always have to be in the position to play these mind games or do the right thing. As a result, we get an extremely fleshed out, hopelessly endearing character in Fan Xian who grows in spite of himself and independently of all the elements that are hell bent on pushing him to be the person they think he should be.
So, it's no surprise that his various relationships with other characters also hit you right in the feelings because of their authenticity. Especially considering how political and dialogue heavy this drama is.
Whether it is the begrudging respect he instills in his enemies, or the unwavering loyalty of his friends, the affection that comes from his teachers, the innocent camaraderie he has with his siblings or his deep deep love for Wan’Er - all of it contribute to painting this incredibly nuanced portrayal of Fan Xian and allows you to appreciate the glimpse of pure, tender human interactions and feelings on screen.
✔️That is one reason why, even though some viewers have complained about this season having less action and more dialogue - I felt like there was so much necessary character development in this show that allowed Fan Xian to grow maturely and find himself in a way that was very different than his bright faced, less darker character in season 1 and as a character focused person, I was 100% here for it.
✔️Other than Fan Xian, all the other characters bring their own flavors to the show. Every time a character from the first season comes on screen, it’s like welcoming an old friend. Especially the men who are certifiable daddies aka: the inscrutable, omnipresent king, the sly Chen Ping Ping, Fan Xian’s adorable father Fang Jian and his morally scrupulous father in law.
All of these political mavericks are an absolute delight to watch as they pull out one scheme after another to both use and help Fan Xian as they push him towards becoming the powerful man he is surely becoming.
✔️The drama is a masterclass in cinematography and soundtrack and is so sensually pleasing to watch. It seriously has some of the best camera work I have seen in a long time with an excellent music score.
✔️The pacing of the show is great with something impactful happening in almost every episode. The show beautifully balances emotional, tear jerking scenes with wit and hilarity, coupled with action and intense moments where you just want to jump and holler.
✔️Moreover, it is peppered with some excellent dialogues and you can see how both the writing and direction has been executed with a lot of thought because of the way the drama focuses on and enhances the tiniest moments to add to the overall impact and gravitas of a particular scene.
✔️The acting across the board is phenomenal and the themes of friendship, loyalty, brotherhood, slight romance, camaraderie and family are all explored with a delicate subtlety that makes the drama go down like a well-simmered pot of stew.
✔️As far as the antagonists go, while not all of them are effective, they are all 100% entertaining. Especially, the wily little second prince who is the human personification of a sly fox and the deranged princess.
✅ Overall, I lived and breathed this show throughout its airing period and was impressed with the way they were able to raise the stakes even higher from season 1 and maintained its top tier quality. It also ended with a note that was so on brand with everything Fan Xian is - tongue in cheek, wickedly fun, always having the last word and impossibly tempting you for more.
Undeniably, one of the best C-dramas ever.
A must watch.
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A person is driving a jeep on a rocky mountain. It's a bad idea from the start but he's hoping for the best. Suddenly, he takes a wrong turn and finds himself on the edge of a steep cliff, about to fall in an abyss. He's still hoping for the best.
Out of nowhere, a heavy gust of wind comes and makes his jeep topple over. As it falls the person gets all of his limbs broken and his tongue caught between the teeth. He's still hoping for the best.
Suddenly, there's a landslide and huge rocks fall on top of the jeep. Now the person has his abdomen torn apart and his intestines pouring out. But he's alive and still hoping for the best.
The pressure from the rocks causes the jeep to stumble forward and miraculously an ocean appears in the front. The jeep falls in the water and now the man can't breathe. Finally, when the jeep sinks down among debris and lost souls and the man takes his last breath, he realizes that all that hoping was in vain.
Did that all make sense?
No? Well, neither does While You Were Sleeping.
You want to know how the plot unfolds?
Exactly like the events in the above mentioned story: Unrealistically and taking its merry time from bad to worse.
Wanna know how you'll feel after finishing the show?
Exactly the way the driver of that jeep must've felt. You keep hoping for the best but things stays at their worst.
And now I'll explain why.
The show's biggest problem is the flawed characterization. Our protagonists that are portrayed to be these brilliant and hardworking individuals are essentially idiots, only being able to succeed because 1) they can see the future in their dreams 2) somebody from the supporting cast helps them sort out all their problems.
It's like praising an SAT student for scoring high when he saw all of the correct test answers in his dream. Though he didn't even bring his own pencil to the test and had to borrow it from someone, atleast he was able to correctly remember the answers and jot them down.
That has to count for something, right?
In my opinion, that something is bullshit.
After a very long time, I actually started off with liking the role Lee Jong Suk was given. I always say that he's a great actor who's sometimes given bad roles and in the beginning of this drama, I felt like after a long time he was finally given a good role again. Prosecutor Jung made mistakes, messed up and didn't feel as flawless as some of LJS's other roles. But soon, as the episodes progressed, that bubble burst for me as I saw him again mould into his typical run-of-the-mill T.V persona. I'd still say that he acted good but unlike Ji Chang Wook in Suspicious Partner, his acting alone wasn't strong enough to solely carry an otherwise flop show on its back.
Suzy was unmemorable like always. Not annoying but not standing out either and the chemistry between the couple was non-existent.
Surprisingly, the life of the show was the supporting cast. Han Da Wook; sexy and adorable detective was so precious but didn't have enough screen-time that was needed in order to develop his character to its full potential. The side story lines (consisting of 1 or 2 episodes) were so much better than the main ones. The prosecutors were all a source of bliss and some of the best acting was done by people who were there only as guest roles.
It's a shame when you feel nothing for the main characters and instead, gravitate towards the one's that are used as mere plot-lines. Unlike the protagonists, I found the antagonist to be far better developed and dimensional. Even though he was rotten to the core, he actually used his head and had some brilliant planning. He was far more intelligent than our hero and he didn't even have the advantage of knowing the future.
The OST had some good songs but because of the drab plot, I couldn't get a solid feel for them.
The show has classic Park-Hye Ryun written all over it. While You Were Sleeping is an ignored love-child of Pinnochio and I Hear Your Voice but unfortunately, is less captivating than the both of them.
To be honest, all the convenient plot-devices, medical inaccuracies and ridiculous circumstances could've been ignored if the show wasn't boring as hell.
While the last 4 episodes were the best (since Lee Jong Suk's character finally showed some growth) the rest of the show remains horribly dead.
When you don't feel a connection to either of the main guys, finishing such a dull show becomes a feat. I have to say that WYWS was literally the hardest show I've had to complete and it was only because of my utter aversion to dropping shows, that I was able to finish it.
I personally don't reccomend this drama.
Nobody should have to be the person in the jeep but if you're a fan of the casted actors and the writer, you can give it a try.
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Part puss in boots, part Sherlock and part Robin Hood- Kaitou Tantei comes with its own unique spurn of mystery, a cheeky slice of detective and hilarious laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy.
Let's take a moment of silence to appreciate the brilliance that is Kame Kazuya. Is there anything this man can't do? If being an excellent singer, dancer and beatboxer wasn't enough; twenty minutes into the first episode and he twerked his way into my favorite actors list. The way he's able to juggle different emotions is simply amazing and the fact that he's just so beautiful to look at only helps his case.
Kame's Yamaneko is undeniably one of Dramaland's most beloved characters. Rocking his retro sunglasses, an edgy cat mask and the infamous smirk, he fights crime with crime; one theft at a time.He's the only one who can be tone-deaf, wet his pants, guzzle noodles like they're water, be extremely over-the-top and cringey to the max but at the end, still retain the charisma and cool that defines him. He just has so much swag and style that all I can say is that he's the definition of a badass diva.
Yamaneko is that one rude asshole who comes bullshit free himself and doesn't tolerate anybody else's bs either. He does what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. He's the kind of person that would literally yank you by the hair, shove you infront of a mirror and scream your every insecurity, flaw and your deepest secret into your ear. He'll challenge you to face your worst self and at the end, push you head-on into whatever it was that you were running away from.
However, under all his arrogance and goofy persona hides a deeply compassionate, patriotic and thoughtful individual. Ten steps ahead of everyone and always thorough with his strategies; Yamaneko is an idiotic genius. He won my heart over and over again in every episode and made me feel genuine warmth and happiness
The rest of the cast-especially the versatile Narimiya Hiroki- holds their own against him. Katsamura, Mao, Rikako, Sekimoto- literally all of the characters were people that I felt deeply for. Kaitou Tantei is an acquired taste. It comes with its fair share of contradictions. It's in your face, yet sincere. It has an almost ridiculous plot, yet intelligent writing. It's characters are over-dramatic but not pretentious. It's peculiar, yet simple. A beautiful story of friendship, yet an account of jarring betrayal. Seemingly lame jokes and puns, yet excellent and thought-provoking dialogues. Hilariously non-serious, yet almost tragic beneath the layers. But ultimately, in its core, it's a show that doesn't aim to please anyone.
Middle fingers up, put them hands high. Wave it in their face, tell 'em boy bye.
^That's the motto it lives by. Devoid of the usual tropes and the same ol' bullshit, the Dorama comes with a sort of refreshing freedom that is now rarely seen. It's incredible just how much of the story they covered in as little as ten episodes (only 45 minutes worth).
They started in an almost coy manner and ended with a sly hint of tongue in cheek. While some complain and whine that the ending was rushed and not properly executed, it was perfect for me. It was exactly in line with the feel of the show; leaving you with a feeling of hope and uncertainty of the future and I absolutely loved it.
The dorky cat sound effects and the pink panther style background instrumental served to further increase the show's allure. The OST: Unlock by Gat-Tun (Kame's idol group) is so appropriate for the show and never failed to turn me up. Kame sounds so good in real life that I think that all the purposefully awful singing he did in the show must've done a number on his throat.
I believe I couldn't have picked a better show to begin my J-Dorama journey. I highly recommend this and to those who are having cold feet about watching it; I would like to quote my baby Yamaneko's words: "Don't think, just feeeeeel. And it will be Fanthastic." Cue the tongue swipe~Meow.
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