kara

surprisingly good

it was on my planned to watch list for quite some time, so i'm glad that i finally watched it. this drama's strongest point is the bond between the women from different backgrounds. currently, a lot of kdramas are struggling with portraying friendship between 3 women without one of them becoming more of a supporting character. another thing ,which i loved about this drama is that comedy isn't forced (despite it being an older drama). it's all thanks to the great acting by three leading ladies and storytelling. this drama def isn't for hopeless romantics, but slice of life enjoyers. the moral of the story is finding OWN way in life, despite age

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trying to please people with happy ending isn't always a good thing

when i started watching this series, i thought that they would make their break up make sense, and they would properly solve their issues. it didn't happen. instead, we got two episodes of fluff, and three episodes of present. i feel like the writer was just pushing CH and AJ's differences aside until the final scene was taking place for the viewers. CH felt random quilt over the break up in last episode for some reason. AJ neglected her until she packed her bags and left. It makes you wonder if they're going to fall into the same rabbit hole.
despite the writing flaws, this drama has definitely an excellent cast, and cinematography.

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bitter hell

this drama really had many loop holes, draggy plots, very dumb main characters despite their degrees, a villain from comic books (can't believe that writer let her get away without punishment for so long). two things that kept me watching were the two leading ladies: kim hee sun (also, her character was the one i was rooting for this whole series) and lee hyeyeong for their masterclass acting despite this horrendous script and cinematography which was so breathtaking. what made me extra bitter was the ending of NYW. i can't believe that writers made NYW give up her career for a suicidal psycho.
for people who are considering watching this please threw logic out of the window.

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could've should've ending ruined the last episodes of the series

i had to narrow down my ratings after seeing the last few episodes but overall it was an enjoyable watch. let me start with the strong suits of the drama that kept me watching:
- good acting by everyone from the main cast
- great cinematography
- interesting plot
- lovely support characters (i really liked that all characters had their own ambitions in this story . we even got flashbacks of their past which added a lot to the story)
- chemistry is out of this world
- moral of the story: don't trust men
- women were portrayed as smart people, especially XFF
now the things i didn't like that much:
- at some parts downplaying SA
- promoting it as an angsty romance (there was no angst since the beginning, only yearning)
- cheap cgi effects (but it's slowly becoming a trademark of a popular drama)
the biggest mistake writers ever made the messy ending of the show. they were trying to please core audience the book lovers and viewers at the same time. it ended up blowing up to their face
- SYR just offing himself after writers portrayed him as the obstacle
- WN's forced ab*rtion
- don't get me started on the battle scene where everyone got offed followed by peaceful epilogue of the leads

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might be triggering...

My Broken Mariko is a visually stunning Japanese film that explores complex themes like mental health, grief, and redemption. The story follows Tomoyo as she travels across Japan to deliver the ashes of her best friend, Mariko, amidst the struggles of her painful past.

Through the visually striking imagery and outstanding performances, the audience is transported into Tomoyo's emotionally-charged world.

The music is thoughtfully composed and helps to create a vivid atmosphere, heightening the emotional impact of each scene.

Overall, My Broken Mariko is a journey of self-discovery and redemption that serves as a reminder of the human capacity for resilience and the importance of accepting help from others. The main reason why I can't give it a higher rating is because it has a low rewatch value because of triggering themes.

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can music carry the series?

this drama is carried by two things: the acting, and the music. unlike other people, i personally see music part is more of a weakness. the heavy reliance on music makes the dialogue between characters feel a bit monotone, especially since the story itself is quite straightforward and easy to follow. the performances especially by the lead actors are strong and give the story emotional weight in slice of life genre, making the characters believable and easy to connect with. also, their on screen chemistry is another highlight in this series. i'd recommend this drama to anyone who likes music centered stories with a tip of slice of life.

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mothers are mothering

This drama really surprised me with how good it was. The best way to describe it is: a hidden gem. It feels like an oasis in the desert (current kdrama landscape). the number of female-centered dramas seems to be decreasing every year like the population of pandas, and I find myself hunting for them more and more. this drama's strengths are strong leading ladies, solid storytelling, and high rewatch value which most of the dramas lack nowadays.
i recommend this to anyone who enjoys the mystery genre with a little bit of slice-of-life.
personally, i'm already looking forward to confirmed season 2.

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addictive mess

let me start by saying that i loved how messy this series was in the beginning- emphasis on the beginning. it lost me because the male lead turned out to be the dumbest man who ever lived. i felt bad not only for the female lead (whose life was destroyed) but also for the child of the second female lead and the male lead. Imagine having a spineless dad and a psycho mom as parents. the best parts of this series were the acting (everyone delivered peak telenovela-level performances), the editing, and the camerawork, all of which helped bring out the drama's genre. i really hope we get another revenge jdrama with slightly better writing in the future.

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don't go into this drama expecting something extraordinary

despite good acting, portrayal of characters is heavily biased. all the morally grey or outright negative characters are non-communists, while communists are uniformly depicted as virtuous and compassionate (usual propaganda). this lack of nuance detracts from the realism of the story, as no group is entirely free of flaws. another thing that really bothered me was the handling of a romantic relationships. if screenwriter intends to tease romantic subplots, it would be better not to do that. these tiny moments make watching experience more frustrating. despite WWs being overused theme in cdramas, this drama is able to stand on its own

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weirdly addicting

when i started this drama, i thought that i wouldn't like this drama but i grew quite fond of it (to drop it). the setting was unlikely to average jdrama. this story is centered around two women: imai natsu who accidentally inherited a huge sum of money as a care taker, and motomiya mitsuko who is helping her to gain leading role over the company. the story ends on a good note for both of the leads. now, one thing that bothered throughout the series was camera work and whatever kind yellow filter they were using. if there are more than two people on the scene this japanese style directing doesn't work. in my opinion, acting was the highlight of the series, especially the leads. the major issue that i have with writing were the lack of intelligence of some characters (natsu has the intelligence of a four year old), and poorly executed plot twists (that also might've been on director). regardless of everything, i couldn't look away.

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too much going on for it just to be a film

i'm going to keep it sweet and short and say that this film had a mini series potential. there were a lot of things that i wish we would've seen. i feel like we got a half-baked conclusion for all the main story lines. yes, wonderland helped all of them to move on, but i really need them to find their true happiness outside of AI bubble. even the main couple's (TY and JI) story feels incomplete.
overall the concept of portraying AI as an device to deal with grieving/ reconnecting was interesting. writers would've gone more in dept with the wonderland, if it was a series. they could only portray the positive side of AI in the film , but i was curious about the negative side. fake remains fake in the end.
here is the list of scenes i wish that we would've seen
- how did wonderland's developers come up with an idea?
- did TY and JI ended up together?
- how is BL's family dealing with her death?
- HM's funeral (this grandma was the most precious character in the whole film)
one thing that bothered me personally was the amount of cameos. it was hard to focus on the film since it's filled with a lot of well known actors

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the chemistry was chemistrying ... but

let me start by saying that alice ko and jasper liu are both fantastic actors. they delivered solid performances and did nothing wrong. in fact, their chemistry was the glue that held this series together. unfortunately, the writing was the show's biggest flaw. the decision to focus on emotional cheating, a messy marriage, and a pushy mother-in-law as central themes had potential, but the execution fell flat. additionally, the "plot twist" was underwhelming, and the characters showed little to no growth until the very last scene, which left me disappointed. however, i hope alice ko and jasper liu won't be discouraged to on make another drama together.

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