BrightestStar

It's not an easy watch, overwhelming and needs a lot of attention, so it took me a long time to finish it, but oh boy I don't regret watching any minute of it. Writing like that doesn't come along often, specially from South Korea!

I think it's because the synopsis was misleading. Thankfully it looks like the one here has been updated to a more fitting one ;) I find the drama brilliant. Not perfect but brilliant! It's just that it doesn't have that mainstream appeal.

Come on I liked the husband, he sure showed courage and thanks to him the people that were captured with him managed to overcome their capturer. He's just not as amazing and gifted as the brother. The sister though, her eagerness to save her brother is what killed him. I wish he lived though, but if she was killed it would've been a worst punishment to have him survive.

"Fear, you simply face it straight on"

This one is mainly action, and oh boy was the action great. It kept me on the edge of my seat. All main characters surprised me how much they kicked ass. The last 15 minutes was so intense though. If anything wasn't too great, it'd be the effect used on a certain animal :P

Other than great action, the movie did have something deeper that made you invested in the main character and absorbed to the screen the whole time. The is the bonding of brother and sister, of loyalty, of moving on and changing life, but mainly of FACING OUR FEARS. I guess what made the action so intense is the presence of fear. Thanks to the acting, every hit they get, or missed but a close call, you see through the eyes of the characters the shock, and having to overcome it in a matter of seconds. Anyways had a great time watching it ;)

As you can tell, I REALLY liked that movie. I really LOVED Go Soo here. He was pretty different from EoG :P His love here is as selfless as selfish he was in Empire!

What caught me by surprise was the relationship between Kong Jin and Dol Seok. It was my favourite in the story. They are men of art, and they understood each other well, but unfortunately their background and values differ greatly, putting them at odds with each other. I liked Park Shin Hye as the queen. She's all class, so having her in a role where she may be looked at pitifully but still holds her elegance and class with dignity makes it perfect for her.

A big portion of the movie is all fun, but as expected with Sageuk, it escalates quickly to a different tone. Somehow I was invested enough with the characters to follow with the tone.

THAT was a rare breed of weirdness XD Just perfect for my Odagiri and the amazing Ziyi Zhang. I didn't really get the ending but I really enjoyed the directing, incorporating musical and theater-like acting and setting, and colours.

Everything about the setting and fashion felt very Japanese folklore-ish, despite having a Chinese leading lady. And the inverse is also true, Having Ziyi Zhang felt spot on despite having a very Japanese setting.

Since it's about Tanuki, the weirdness kinda reminded me of the anime chouten Kazoku ;)

Bubblegum!! So excited about that one!! Love the leads!! :D

Thanks for sharing those quotes! XD

I wish I watched this drama way back when I started watching dramas. I think the timing would've been perfect since I'd be around the characters' age and stage in life. Now I feel too old :P

That was a sweet ending. Though this drama could've ended about2 episodes ago, I'd be alright with another 2 episodes of Ling and Qi Luo just hanging together. The chemistry between actors, and the harmony between the characters they play makes it fun just watching them together.

When I started watching this drama, I didn't know what it'd be about but people gave me the impression it'd be very dark. It explored dark themes yes, but it wasn't particularly dark. That doesn't take the drama down in any way though.

What takes the drama down is that one character who's like "I've been spoiled all my life, how DARE you NOT spoil me". The worst part that makes it more annoying is everyone seems to agree that this is a reasonable demand. Once that character disappeared, the drama SOARED.

Even that episode that pissed me off, episode 14, it pissed me off because it was shocking, and because I couldn't believe how some characters reacted. It wasn't unreasonable, and realistic actually. As disgusting as it is, it happened. Like some comments that I got "It is what it is". True enough, that is life. The next episode was an effective follow up. What I loved about the follow up episodes is that it really explored that traumatic event, and how it is handled in society, and the drama overall sure never took it lightly. I really respect the drama for that.

Ling's family back story was really interesting. One selfish act just lead from one trauma to another, making the whole family go through ordeals and misery. By facng the truth, they were able to actually get over it.

As for Tong Dao, I don't know man I wasn't too impressed with the character. I felt he was used as a plot device, and never truly explored what was going on beneath.

I just have to talk about one last point, Vic Zhou's hair! AWE!!!! What amazing hair! So smooth, beautiful and suits him perfectly! Actully my hair right now is quite similar just and itsi bit longer XD

lol it looked like a sumurai right? When I checked again I realized it's not :P

Must watch: Fake Couple (Gisou no Fuufu), Siren, Love Me if You Dare, The Stars are Shining.

Will probably watch: Designer Baby, Asa ga Kita, Good Time (depending on the reviews), Kiss Me (Since I've seen every single adaptation), Nirvana on Fire (depending on the reviews)

Granted they all get subbed :P

I think Prison school is movie. Well it's a must watch for sure I like the cast ;)

I have seen Trick season one. It has the Japanese sense of humour that I love so much, but I just found the drama generally was missing something to make it memorable.. I love both Abe Hiroshi and Nakama Yukie :D

Miyazaki Aoi wasn't the only wasted talent here :P but I have to agree Takahata Mitsuki was my favourite. Her character showed so many feelings and she had the most interesting dialogs. Her character is also the one I connected most here for personal reasons but the performance was outstanding that's for sure ;)

This movie connected with me on a personal level. The movie has its pros and cons, but was heartwarming and nostalgic, with such a bittersweet ending. Seeing this point of view of Japanese people was refreshing. The English dialog was a bit around the edge, could have been better, but definitely could've been much worst.

More than a sports story, it had a great emphasis on identity. as a second-generation immigrant myself, I know the feeling all too well of trying to belong in the country I grew up in and the only one I know, and being still being regarded as an outsider because you look different. Then trying to go back to your roots and still be considered a foreigner, because your brain is set up differently. No matter what you do you can't run away from it. I guess that is why I connected mostly with Reiji's sister Emmy. First time seeing Takahata Mitsuki she is so lovely and talented ;)

It was a huge cast, with many recognizable faces and names, but not much was shown of them. Most of the focus was on Reggie (Rejie) and his family, and his team to an extent.

I can't believe there was a time in Canada (and Vancouver of all places) was this discriminatory. Present day it's not heaven, but it sure is better than many places when it comes to racism.

I gotta add, Tsumabuki looked particularly good here XD

Edit: After much time passed and becoming wiser through lived experiences... Canada has A LOT to work on when it comes to racism. It's just great at making it LOOK like they aren't racist.

It is an extremely long comment, but it didn't feel long while reading. The way it was written and divided in paragraphs ;P You said it all that I had in mind perfectly!

I have written a comment earlier on about how each of the subject needed an article of their own. Also depiction of abuse and condoning are two different things. I don't think dramas are JUST here to entertain us. I mean yes they are but it is also a vehicle to discuss issues society is suffering. Just wanting those things not to appear as if they don't exist is ignorant. I don't think that is what the author of the article is aiming, but I agree we need more of the context for the example she is showing. Basically the article needs a bit of polishing, while otherwise bringing up great points that are important to discuss once in a while ;P

A lot of us tend to want to impose while own culture on them because what is different makes us uncomfortable.

I don't really watch those dramas that romanticize abuse, since they don't make sense to me. However I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying them, as long as we differentiate between reality and fiction, and we stop once in a while to talk about it seriously.

Oh really I didn't notice :P but true it's too extravagant hospital rooms look more like prison cells so at least something like that.

Yup feel the same ;) I think the character writing was uneven. It's like until episode 10 it's all about ghost and chef, then from 11 to the end it's bong sun and chef. Bong sun just resigned to the ghost instead of learning to take what she wants. Her change felt to sudden since we didn't see any development for it. I think it's mostly a writing failure since the acting and chemistry between everyone, specially the people at the restaurant, Soon Ae's family, chef's mom and the lady shaman is what elevated it.

Oh and that ending... So he goes off on a killing spree and doesn't get punished?

You're not the only one. I have a lot of issues with the story and character development, but what elevated it for me is the acting and chemistry of THE WHOLE cast.

Some jokes were still laugh out loud while others got old. Action was as entertaining as ever though sometimes they over do it. Just a bit :P I wish it didn't have the tragic turn (its prequel as well) oh well still pretty entertaining ;)

LOL I had such a great time watching that XD I didn't not see the comedy coming it was hilarious! Oh and that Mother-Son combo - Unbeatable! That was my favourite part of the movie. Of course the fights did not disappoint, specially in the creativity of the fighting "grounds" :P