3
It’s the baddies that perhaps make this show
Si Jin for most of its run was a consistent story that had much to offer viewers. The OTP were very good together. In fact, so much so, the ML never doubting the FL was refreshing.The Royal Princess is hard to beat as the pick of the characters. Her performance was fabulous. It’s always pleasing to see such actors give it their all from beginning to end - a ver professional performance. Her daughter, was a mini me and one that even frustrated her mother.
The emperor’s character was criticised by many as he wasn’t the same as in the novel. However, I thought his character was flawed, as it should be, with a solid performance. Forgiving his sister continuously, the Royal Princess was a tiny bit frustrating but it seemed to keep the story moving.
The friendship between the ML, FL’s brother and the upright magistrate was delightful. The latter two also had very nice relationships with their partners.
As for the OST, I enjoyed the song that played over the closing credits of each episode. It very much is a subtle composition that has an ear wig melody going on.
The costuming was also very good.
However, the final four episodes were, although good, too condensed and over very quickly and perhaps diminished one of the key elements regarding the Saintess.
Si Jin is worth your time 😊
Was this review helpful to you?
The Sweetest Drama Ever!
Teasing Master Tagaki-san is an absolute delight to watch. This live action adaptation is reminiscent of a time when Jdoramas delivered well written and beautifully told stories, not unlike (similar to) last year’s Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san.I found myself transported back in time to when I was a youth living in a much more simple world faced with similar experiences. Teasing one another was something that happened. Sometimes, it had the desired effect, a reaction that actually meant something, other times it was not so great.
What we have is a young couple, in all but name, sharing the common bond of enjoying each other’s company even if Nishikata was forever on the losing end of the teasing exchange.
I thought the young actors did a marvellous job. Takagi with her smiling face and Nishikata always looking dazed or confused when he had lost another exchange.
There are some beautiful moments: being with each other at the beach, reaching the shrine at the top of the hill or simply walking to and from school.
This show is worth three and a half hours of your time. I’m looking forward to the movie which is set ten years later. It has its release in Japan within the next two weeks.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A show that quietly sneaks up on you then catches you in its grasp
Hot Spot has a charm all of its own. This is a show that quietly sneaks up on you and then catches you in its grasp. From the opening moments of working in the hotel, the rescue of the Ki by the resident alien, through to saving the hotel, this story explores the true meaning of friendship.There is a lot of talking in this show. Some would say it’s nonsensical chat. However, it has a charm all of its own and is the glue that holds Hot Spot together. This includes amongst the hotel staff at the Lake Hotel, the group of growing friends as they eat out on a regular basis to enjoying drinks at a friends bar.
Takahashi as the half alien is the show’s focus and the FL is the narrator and number one friend. The running gag is him bending a ten yen coin and everyone finding out he is an alien along the way. There is a cost to him using his powers that always results in him recuperating in the hot springs at the hotel. Each time the friends need his help, he starts out unwilling to help but in the end he always does.
A key production feature of this show is that there is no glitz or glamour. It’s like being in a town as you would expect to find that is almost like a sleepy hollow. Underlying it all are themes regarding friendship, acceptance, the challenges of tourism, environmentalism with a tiny touch of corruption thrown in.
I enjoyed the window into this part of Japan with a slice of pared back goofiness along with some very good acting with perfect timing.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Solid Watch To Fill Gaps In Your Viewing Schedule
The North South reunification is one of my favourite Kdrama genres. Each drama I have watched on this issue have provided a different take on the subject whether it’s sleeper agents, defectors, unusual happenings in the demilitarised zone, families hoping to reunite one day or just as a romantic or even comical back drop. So, I didn’t hesitate to start watching My Military Valentine.What I found with My Military Valentine is that it adds another dimension to the list of shows on this subject of reunification that is worth a look.
We have an idol who starts out as coming across as entitled and likes getting his own way. However, this quickly dissipates as we get to see the real Lloyd unfold. When he comes up against who will be his platoon commander and the centre of his affection, the hijinks begin.
Baek Young Ok Is a complex character formed by her military upbringing in the North from a young age. She has a deep grievance as a result but does her duty as required. Meeting Lloyd in essence opens the door on a world where she can maintain her serious pursuits but also let her emotions start to show.
Throughout its run, My Military Valentine explores each character’s experiences regarding the North. We get to see the sadness of experiencing loved ones lost, the hope for a better life in a city designed to bridge the reunification gap and a terror organisation hoping to bring the whole thing down. We even get to see a bit of “bromance among” the elite military team.
Lloyd and Young Ok are solid as the OTP. They have up and down moments due to others trying to get in the way of their blossoming relationship. At times, their interactions, thanks to Lloyd, are quite comical, even endearing.
Show has plenty of action and intrigue. It tries to keep you guessing as to who the bad guys are. Although I had some issues re the technical military side of things e.g. how snipers went about their tasks, I didn’t find show disjointed as some found.
I thought the shorter length episodes worked. Would show have benefitted from another episode or two? Yes. At the end of the day, show doesn’t take up too much time and is a pleasant way to fill in any gaps you have in your viewing schedule 🤩🤩
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Show That Lived Up To Its Name!
The Atypical Family quickly went from a ho hum show for me to one that became a must watch each week. Suddenly, we had a show that dealt with concepts in a clever way.The vehicle used to bring the future into contact with the past was so well done. It made perfect sense.
Was the show insensitive, politically incorrect (or woke for that matter). I didn’t think so. Show was not designed to offend, treat the characters who may have a disadvantage disrespectfully or treat them differently.
We had two huckster families. One that used super powers to secure advantage surreptitiously, one that wasn’t adverse to harming others to get what they wanted. Yet, both were destined to come together. How they did this through their various entanglements quite tickled my fancy.
I quite liked Sauna Mum and her family. The transition they go through from mobster to morally grey was one of the highlights for me.
With SuperGran and her tribe, I’m not sure if show had done enough to convince me of their reform for the better.
Show lost much of its shine for me in the penultimate episodes. We also had the typical kdrama ending kick in. However, I totally enjoyed how show ended. It was clever, neat and really appealed to my sci-fi sensibilities. I gave it 8.5 stars in the end 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🥝
Was this review helpful to you?
A Good Action, Spy, Thriller
This is a movie with many familiar kdrama faces and then some. The actors, made it all seem effortless but entertaining at the same time. Hwang Jung Min doesn’t make many films or dramas, but when he does star in a show, it’s always worth a look.Overall, it was a decent spy/action/thriller that starts to hit its straps around the 45 minute mark. Up until then, it was a bit ho hum for me and not all that interesting except, however, I knew at some point, the leads would start to deliver - and they do.
This movie had a decent budget and the action scenes bear this out. The movie sets were utilised well - not too many, so the budget was used effectively.
Yum Jung Ah as the jaded detective captain who relies on her house husband turned in a very relatable performance. Jeon Hye Jin turned in another good performance and I would like to see her in more roles like this one.
At the end of the day, it was a movie well worth an afternoon watch on the weekend. Grab some lunch or popcorn and a drink, settle in and enjoy the ride 😉
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Trailers Promised Much
Season 2 was watchable. However, what should have been a blockbuster continuation, failed to materialise. It took some time for show to get its game face on.The acting was superb. The relationships well done. The production values, top notch. The direction, very good.
The story however, lacked the level of world building we experienced in S1. I guess it begs the question: How interesting is today’s world?
Some of the elements I didn’t enjoy: the use of Putty Men type characters we see in Power Rangers. Lady Maeda’s beautiful but menacing character gets lost in today’s palette. The creature was watered down. The Korean Drama ending.
When show flashed back to the past and showed us a glimpse of what happened in the handful of years post S1, it felt like the rich experience we were used too.
I’m not sure I will be back for Season 3.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Could have been better but not the worst show out there
The premise of Deep Affection Eyes is the evil mother of the male lead hates her son, who has the lowest opinion of himself, is loved by his grandma and gets married to a beautiful but fiery better half.As such, show stars one of my favourite female leads. Her acting is always on point. In this show she portrays a fiercely independent individual who knows what she wants, is professional and isn’t afraid to get married.
The male lead is dark, broody and believes the world would be better off without him. However, the way his character unfolds, although good at first became repetitious regarding keeping things from our lovely starlet. She in turn really did give him a hard time.
They do have good chemistry. When they are together, you want to see them have a happy and loving relationship. When there are misunderstandings, show wrings every possible ounce of angst there is. Still, you want what’s best for them.
The evil mother in charge of a corporate empire starts out strong. Her partner in crime is central to the misdeeds throughout the show’s run. In the end, I was meh regarding both.
The two grandmas are a delight. They were rivals in their youth but come together to guard our two lovebirds. We have seen both actresses in many shows before.
The second couple were wonderful. However, show played too many games with their relationship in the last third of the show.
In terms of the various friendships - yes, they were good. In fact, the female leads were great. The male leads together were frustrating at times.
So what did we have? Show was well made, great setting and moved along quite well. However, I felt it was trying to unveil too much in the number of episodes it had. We had the angsty theme, the evil redevelopment theme, the sick grandma theme, the misguided sister theme, the interfering boss and ex girlfriend theme, the secretly married couple theme, not one but two loud and irritating friends, the smart kid theme, the woe is me theme as I am the centre of all the world’s problems and finally a passionate couple when they got their act together.
Show is worth a look. I just found I began to fast forward in the last third of the show as it tried to resolve too many issues but at the same time let other issues peter out! It’s one of the few shows I rated below what is on MDL and way below what’s on Viki.
Was this review helpful to you?
Better Than Most Dramas of a Similar Theme
Undercover Affair delivers in terms of its story and as an overall viewing experience. As a micro drama, consisting of 24 ten minute episodes, this show flows quite well. There are some glitches re continuity around the 18/19 episode mark, but it doesn’t detract from the overall story.If you enjoy undercover stories to bring down the evil drug lord, then you will certainly like this show. It has a good mix of villains, the mysterious hero and determined heroine and a good deal of action and some very nice romantic moments.
Leo Young delivers as Sen and continues his good performances in the micro format. It looks like he will make his return to the longer format CDramas playing a main role in Dear Archimedes.
I thought Han Le Yao did quite well as Ling Yi and I enjoyed both Sen and Ling Yi together. I liked how they had a firm trust in one another, even when Elena (the gangster Madam) tried everything in her power to sow discord between them.
Undercover Affair is worth four hours of your time, especially when you have spent between 12 and 16 hours on the longer dramas 😉
Was this review helpful to you?
Life On The Run With Plenty To Keep You Engaged
Shotai deals with what happens to someone who is wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime, and finds themselves on death row and then manages to escape. It also has a parallel story regarding what has happened to the FL’s father who has faced injustice, the show’s main theme. It would seem the Japanese detectives are biased, although troubled by past events from earlier investigations into the ML.The film is a slick production and the two hours passes by quickly. Our protagonist, although on the run, is seeking the truth of what happened that lead to his arrest and subsequent trial. During his life on the run, he adopts different disguises, works in different jobs, but his personality remains consistent throughout - he is kind and thoughtful.
Although we don’t get to see much regarding the legal side, apart from court scenes, show undersells how the Japanese justice system works -which is different to what little we see on screen. In this respect, I marked the movie down half a star for this very point. However, it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of this movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Good Expose on Environmental Governance
Show was a good expose on environmental governance. It showed the challenges that present themselves when trying to implement environmental protection including incompetence, one-upmanship, corruption, facing unfamiliar situations and what it takes to be effective, make good decisions and in fact, being competent.I’m familiar with the environmental issues portrayed in the show because of what I do in life. The issues are spot on. How they are investigated, treated and treated seemed a bit up and down to me. Almost idealistic.
At the same time it was showing the difficulties that a family can face when there are two professionals married to each other, juggling their responsibilities - but guess what - no mention of divorce etc. here we have a mature couple who have a great relationship and just work things out. What a breath of fresh air!
I did feel the show let some characters fade away. That could be the result of show only being 24 episodes long.
Show also highlighted how, even if you did something well or right, you would become the scapegoat. So, there is that insight into not rocking the boat, how the party retrains those who are judged to have let the system down, are interrogated and the importance of joint decision making. However, I suspect we saw a very “smoothed” out version of what really happens.
The other big message: there is more to life! Work life balance is continually undermined.
Overall, I thought this was a good show. The acting was good and I liked the characters.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Feast For The Eyes But The Magic Wasn’t Quite There
In the Name of Blossom didn’t quite live up to my expectations, even though I gave it a high rating. It’s true to say, as many have commented, the sequel to Flourished Peony was up and down and seemed to lack that magical spark found in the first series.In some ways, the lack of consistency with the first series may very well have to do with the gap required by Chinese government policy that no drama is to be over 40 episodes and if it is, it must be split in to two parts, with the second part aired 12 months after the first.
There were moments that were excellent, then others that were repetitive and others that even had some noble idiocy creep into them. Our OTP went from being great communicators to full on misunderstandings thanks to others interfering in the relationship.
Despite these frustrations, the acting continued to be superb, the sound track was very good and the set design just as good as the first time round.
I did grow tired of the villains. They went from competent and guarded to overt and, in my view, outright frustrating - trying to be more clever than what they actually were.
As for the peonies - magnificent. The other couples - delightful, except for the villainous tragic pair. The shop employees - were under utilised and almost non existent.
The key battle in the latter part of the story was underdone and those who were supposed to be competent, weren’t. The way the calvary was used, in my view not quite right. I only raise this because this part of the story used up some considerable time.
In the end, our OTP triumphed and the final episode was a kdrama ending - everything wrapped up in a neat bow.
Was this review helpful to you?
Show had the potential to be much better than it was
Private Banker had layers within layers. I was never sure where the protagonist was coming from. Even at the end, his motivations may have been very questionable.There are a number of old hands in this drama and their acting was flawless. They were able to play caricatures of themselves extremely well. In fact the tone of this show was one of its tongue firmly planted in its cheek.
Like many jdoramas, some episodes were much better than others. They way the Private Banker assembled his team was interesting- very much the case of him seeing more value in his offsiders than they saw in themselves.
Private Banker did highlight the intricacies of the banking world and the business world, tricky deals and the problem of family in business. Who was the true power behind the throne rotated from episode to episode.
Show is certainly set up for a second season and season one is certainly worth a look.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not as engaging as I hoped but worth a look
Uprising is a film that promises much: action, swordsmanship, disaffected friendship and an overview of how persons of the lesser classes were treated. It did not paint King Seonjo in a good light (and rightly so)..What I found during watching this movie is how little it engaged me. I found myself going through the viewing motions. The story in its telling was nothing new. However, if you look at it from the point of view of a historical action film, it has some merit. For me though, I found I was suffering from action sameness.
Now to who I liked. Kim Shin Rok as Beom Dong was superb. I wish I could have moved with such animation at the same age. Her character was strong, loyal and displayed superb martial arts. The Blue Robed God should have treated her with a touch more respect.
The two friends: one is a noble, the other is a very talented slave but his closest friend. The story of how they started out together was solid. However, what led to their difference of opinion and final reconciliation was underdone. Their relationship was complex, A film sometimes doesn’t have enough time or space to show this as was the case here. The acting by both was solid.
The message of how Seonjo viewed his people and what happens as a result of the Japanese invasion is valid. Unlike other uprisings in other nations where there was chaos and war, the King managed to survive and carry on. Why this happened is something that needs more exploration elsewhere.
Overall, it’s worth a look and better than many other Netflix films.
For such a lavish production, I expected more.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Very Good Story re Business, Community and Heart
No Side Game (Manager) is one of those stories the Japanese do very well. The blend of the corporate world, interlaced with impacts at home and underpinned by how important sport can be as a way of life resonates very strongly.What starts out as a corporate war that sees our hero relegated as the GM of the company’s rugby team is a fertile ground for what unfolds over the remaining episodes.
We have a part time rugby team that works at the auto factory at the end of its tether. Along comes the new GM, a strategic thinker who also recruits a coach, a former University adversary, who believes in innovation - revolution, not evolution.
These two together weld a team that discovers its heart, gives chances to those to grow, to improve, to shine. They do so to such an extent that a junior club is also formed.
Over two years, we get to share in their triumphs and failures. We get to see all our characters grow. In the end we are left with a warm glow inside and an appreciation of how a society bound by rules and etiquette knows how to make a shift in its mind set when it needs to.
If you have the time, take a peek. You might be surprised 😊😊😊😊😊
Was this review helpful to you?
