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Almost a Great Series!

This series had me glued to my seat, not being able to turn it off. A very powerful story line with a great cast of actors.
Se Ok & Deok Hui was fantastic. Their characters had the skills of being believable, with just a touch of evil below the surface.
Being a big fan of Yoon Chan Young, I wish he would have had a bigger role, but he was great as a supporting actor in this. He gave a touch of comedy and sensitivity during the really dark moments.
The series did become a bit of a disappointment at the end. Without giving a spoiler, it ended sort of flat, nothing like I was expecting. Without knowing if there will be a season 2, it sort of flat lined the story and really left us waiting for the big moment that never came.
Hopefully a season 2 will happen.

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Strong start, but weak finish

I'm always a fan of Young Woo, because of his great past performances ... so I stuck with this series right till the end. It was a great story at the beginning, along with great acting by the four protagonists in their roles, but somewhere about halfway through, things changed a bit for me. I found the direction of the plot a bit confusing at times, but as I said, I stayed with it, hoping it would correct itself. Unfortunately that didn't happen, it really didn't seem to be as interesting from the middle part of the series through episode 11. The finale did have some good direction toward the very end, but I think it was just a bit too far gone for me at that point. To no fault of Young Woo, Yi Hyun or Kang Yoon, giving all strong performances, but I just wish the last six or so episodes were as enjoyable to watch as the first six.
Looking forward to his future projects!

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Fighting fighting & fighting.

If you like bloody fighting to the death, this is your series. You can't help but get hooked on how Ji Jun get's out of every situation he's in, whether he's facing one person or an entire room of people. After a while, though, it does get a bit tiring how he just keeps killing every single person he comes in contact with. I think the story becomes a bit lacking ... leaving just the fighting to watch as entertainment, but not too much in the way of substance.
The supporting cast give a good back up to all the fighting. Jun Mo played by Gong Myung makes you really wish for a painful death on his part ... which he eventually gets!
Young Woo, who I've become a big fan of, gives us a dark and sinister character of Geum Son. He does a great job at showing his acting ability with a personality he has never shown before.
I wish the writing would have equaled the acting & fighting ... but it did make for some good action, and lots of blood!!!!

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Painful but satisfying to watch

At times this series was extremely painful to watch. It was probably the first time I was watching a series and rooting against the main protagonist, Ba U. Most of the series I found that he was the one that was really clueless, not Hun. It's true that Hun was way over the top possessive toward Ba U every minute of the day, it merely showed us how much in love he was with him for so very long.
To see Ba U list his best friend of more than a decade as "stalker" in his phone, I just felt that was a heartless thing to do, especially since he really did care for Hun so much. Taking the advice from Ha Min, who he only knew for such a short period was annoying, plus that character really needed to get out of the way of these two friends.
BUT, that said, after watching episode 8, I just canceled most of the negative stuff out I was going to write about the character of Ba U. He finalized realized the true feelings they both shared for each other. It's just a shame they couldn't "go back in time" like Hun suggested and do it over again. Unfortunately, none of us can do that ... and the series showed us that. Even Ha Min did the right thing in the end, which kind of surprised me.
The painful part was watching two best friends both living with the pain of not being truthful to each other for more than a decade. The wasted time they both experienced because of it.
Min Ho & Je Hyeon were both great at pulling us into the pain their characters were feeling. In the end, the chemistry between them definitely showed up ... I just wish it would have showed up a bit sooner.
All in all, it gets high marks in the way everything wrapped up!

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Opposites attract ...

This is a very slow moving story at the beginning, but definitely give it a chance. It turns out to be quite entertaining with a good story line & good acting.
The story is pretty basic, being attracted to and wanting someone you know it not good for you, but you can't help yourself.
Kaito Matsukura gives a great performance as a person searching for that special person that will give him what he's looking for in life, excitement and happiness. The problem with his character, Hiroto, is he becomes a bit blinded by what he thinks is love, but is really infatuation. Sone, the girl he wants, is so care free and such a wrong fit for him, but that makes him want her even more. Yuki Katayama is great at playing hard to get, showing a definite coldness throughout the series towards him. She does warm up a bit later on, but it's a long road in getting there.
I think my favorite character was in fact Ryo. Leo Matsumoto is fantastic as showing us his total disregard toward a truthful and monogamous relationship. He's such a smooth talker with the looks to back it up, so he gets away with doing or saying he wants. You want to hate him, but he makes it extremely difficult to do so.
Having been in Tokyo many times, but not actually lived there, this turned out to be spot on & very realistic for me. I think the writing, along with the entire cast was great. There's a line used toward the end of this series that applies to this drama ...
"Love makes everyone frantic. It makes them look pathetic at times"

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You're in it for life!

I must say, a lot of people were in bad moods when reviewing this series. I'm not sure why, because I thought this was a pretty decent drama. It kept your attention and curiosity coming back for more. Was it Wookie's best? definitely not, but overall, the combination of him and the rest of the supporting cast, it proved some good entertainment.
I thinking about halfway through the series, things started to slow a bit too much, and what usually happens, did ... the story got rushed toward the very end. Instead of dragging several story lines too long in the middle of the series, it might have been better to shorten certain parts and stick more with the main characters.
I know the series is called "The Nice Guy", but Wookie's character, Seok Cheol was a bit too nice, a bit too laid-back for a gangster. Nothing against Dong Wook, I think he did a great job at showing us the character he was suppose to be, a guy trying to have a normal life with a normal job and a normal temperament.
The ending also matched the Nice Guy theme .. while it was a happy ending pretty much all around, it kind of lacked a great conclusion to the story. No big surprises, no major revelations to any of the characters. It basically delivered exactly what you thought would happen in the end, a nice finish!!

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Comedy / Drama / Suspense rolled together

This truly was a great series from the very beginning right through the end. I'm always a fan of Kyung Ho and he did not disappoint in his unique role as Chi Yeol. He and Do Yeon make great entertainment together in this sometimes drama, sometimes comedy. I don't get the craziness everyone has for an advanced math tutor, the trillion dollar man, but once I get beyond that, this was extremely enjoyable to watch.
There's much more comedic situations early on, gradually changing into a much more dramatic format blending with some definite suspense tones later. From episode 11 on, everything really takes an enormous change of direction. The shocking revelations that take place in the later part of the series makes for some fantastic entertainment.
Eui Shik & Jae Ha, seeing them in other roles, you really appreciate their performances in this drama. Truly impressive.
The rest of the supporting cast, Chae Min, Yoon Seo & Min Jae really complete the puzzle in making this a great series to rewatch a second time.
I think what stopped me from giving out a 10 as an overall rating was the final two episodes. I really didn't get the long lost mother showing up from Japan, creating a new drama story that really wasn't needed. Not only showing up, but her departure in the final episode was so casually accepted, it was hardly spoken of after her exit. We were still reeling from the shocking chain of events that occurred in the previous two episodes, it was not necessary at all to add that in.
That being said, this is definitely a series to enjoy. Great entertainment!!!

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Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

If ever the motto wrong place wrong time can be used, it would be here!
This was a movie that unexpectedly caught me off guard. I had no idea what the movie was about when I stumbled across it, but one I started watching it I couldn't stop.
This is a very dark and extremely unhappy ending of not just the movie, but the lives of four best friends completely destroyed because of deception and misunderstanding.
The four protagonists in this drama go through such a transformation in such a short period of time. innocent teenagers to criminals in a few short minutes.
The acting is fantastic from the all the main players in this drama. Ji Soo is exceptional with his performance. You wish you could step into the tv to help him and his friends out, but no such luck.
I think the only negative I found was the way it ended. It is true in life that sometimes the bad guys get away and the good guys take the fall ... but you really don't like to see it happen, especially the way it did in this story.
Nevertheless, it is an extremely powerful movie, but definitely not one to watch if you're looking for something to make you feel good or cheer you up. It's dark and extremely depressing and eventually you pass a point of no return.

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Very Suspenseful

This story shifted in so many directions as the movie played out. It was a great concept, but a bit confusing at times. What you think is going on after the first 30 or so minutes changes to a completely different direction. Once you realize what is happening ... it changes direction again. Over all it was a well written and extremely well acted thriller.
Ha Neul not only gives a fantastic performance, but his appearance dramatically changes with the current situation and time frame. It adds so much to the story.
Don't be too quick to stop watching the movie at the end, there's once scene left with the end credits that really makes you think about what you just witnessed with this group of people. It's a chilling and powerful end to a horrible situation for everyone involved!!

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Very Underrated Series

This starts out as a classic story of boy loves best friend and best friend has no clue, but everyone else does. I wasn't expecting too much out of this series ... I came away completely surprised how entertaining this turned out. Through the first few episodes the story kept improving. It did take a few twists and a little far fetched plots in the middle of the drama, but overall it was much better than expected.
All the protagonists in this story are great, fitting a perfect puzzle to each other. The acting, especially by Ryusei Fukada is excellent. The final episode started to lose points with me a bit, BUT ... what saved this series as far as I'm concerned was the extremely POWERFUL & REALISTIC last five or so minutes at the end. I think the final scene between Ryo & Hikaru is absolutely amazing. You should watch that one scene maybe three times over to get the complete explanation and feel of the total understanding these two characters have toward each other. Hikaru shows us he's not as clueless as you think, and Ryo gives us the insight of how their friendship will go forward. Definitely a must watch.

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Adorable coming of age ...

You can see immediately the two protagonists Akari & Izumi are perfect together from the first minute they meet. Jyutaro does a great job at showing his character with such innocents. It's really adorable how these two start off together. Naturally, like any of these stories, other people are going to change things along the way. What makes this story a bit awkward is the fact Akari's past boyfriend turns out to be Yamato, the brother of Izumi. It's an interesting concept. What you can't do while watching the early episodes is jump to any conclusions towards good guy bad guy. Right away you definitely despise Yamato, at least I did, and for good reason. He shows several bad judgement moves throughout this drama, but toward the end he isn't as horrible as first thought. The title may be a bit deceiving, because nothing was done with bad intentions at the onset ... everything was pure coincidence.
When all is send and done, there is a happy ending just the way you hoped for. All in all, it was enjoyable to watch. A few bumps a long the way, but that's life, especially when it's a coming of age drama.

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An excellent story & cast

This extremely long series is worth ever minute of every episode to devote your time to.
The first couple of episodes are to be followed in detail, because it can be a little confusing as they set the foundation to the story line, but getting beyond that, this turns out to be an absolutely outstanding "epic" drama.
Hyun-Joong gives an incredible performance. He's practically unrecognizable from his past acting dramas due to his physical transformation for fighting ... and he does a lot of it throughout. He takes a beating and gives them out as well in almost every episode. It's actually exhausting to watch at times.
Ok Ryeon & Gaya both pair up great with Jeong Tae. The supporting cast is equally fantastic, producing some really evil characters that you just counted the minutes to see them get their demise. I loved Mo Il Hwa played by Jae Rim. He was great at adding drama, fighting & comedy when needed ... was great at the side of Jeong Tae. They start out as enemies, but quickly form a bond of needed friendship & support.
Despite the length of the series, it goes rather quickly ... in fact, in the end you kind of want it to continue because of the attachment you get to seeing these characters.
One of Hyun-Joong's best by far!!!!!

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Very Unique BL Story

This was a really good drama with a few twists throughout the episodes that make for a very interesting story. Both Ritsu & Fumiya and extremely likeable characters in this and you really want things to work out after the accident, which causes the unusual memory loss.
You kind of are expecting something bad to expose what Fumiya has been doing in keeping the past a secret to Ritsu, but you really can't figure out how that's going to play out.
Once everything is exposed, you really hope, but are not sure how things will be corrected. Kyoya Honda & Suzuki Kosuke both do a great job on screen struggling to bring things together again. It's enjoyable to watch them work it out.
I really liked the ending. I thought it was a great finish to a unique BL story.
Definitely worth watching.

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A Brilliantly Written Epic ... One of the best I've ever seen

This series was absolutely one of the best written, best acted dramas I ever watched. It's an extremely lengthy series, but it's so fantastic, each hour & fifteen minute episode flies by.
From the moment Tae Yeong/Deok I & Seung Hwi/Yum Gyeom meet, you know a special relationship is forming, despite their different status in society.
I think Episode 4 is definitely the first pinnacle episode and shifts the entire series into a different direction. Several shocking revelations really work into the rest of the story ... but then again, every episode after that seemed to just extending the storyline with amazing new plot twists. It was great to try and anticipate what direction the writers were going with this tale, and sometimes it was a really shock.
Young Woo & Ji Yeon were absolutely brilliant & masterful with their performance throughout. Not only Young Woo playing a duel role, but he made himself different with body language and personality depending on which character was in that scene.
I'm not sure when nominations for awards are given out in South Korea, but they both deserve winning something for their performances.
Without a doubt, one of the best characters in this drama was Man Seok, played by Jae Won. He was the comic relief in this epic. So many good supporting roles in the cast, but he was the best. That character gave you a laugh just when you needed one. He was teamed up perfectly with Young Woo as well. Two best friends performing slapstick comedy together.
The way this wraps up in episode 16 is nothing less than magical. The plot really takes you in one complete circle. Just when you have nothing but despair in that last episode, don't give up hope, it's a great finish to a great story!! One of my favorites!
"Happiness does not need to be a struggle" is a quote from this series ... but they sure made it out to be.

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A Marathon of BL Storylines

I really was surprised how good this series turned out to be. I enjoyed the first season of Love Class, but never thought the sequel would be so much better. It was kind of interesting to see three different stories going on at the same time, each of them connected to each other in their own unusual way.
The most interesting story, naturally was the main one between Hyeon & An. J-Min & Yong Seok were great. Lots of mystery between these two from their past together, so that made for a very interesting set up as to how they were eventually going to get back together again.
The really comedy part of this, and there were lots of funny moments in this series, came with Sung Min & Joo Hyuk. They were meant to be together from minute one in this drama. It was great to see it unfold.
The last episode was a bit too stretched out between all three couples getting together, but at the very conclusion, the ending was just great, couldn't have ended in a better way.
Very entertaining to watch, drama, mystery & comedy rolled into one series with a great cast working well together.

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