65
129
14
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Interesting twists and well casted
This drama start off pretty mediocre having not much interesting happen during the first episode, not really reeling in the viewers, but as the story unfolds it becomes more and more interesting and less and less predictable leaving each episode with the feeling of wanting more, and not having the slightest idea of what is to come, ok some parts where a bit predictable, like pateley order of death but the rest seemed to literally jump out of nowhere. Keeping me on my toes from episode 2 and on.The story is certainly interesting to watch and had my otherwise heard to get to watch dramas husband taking initiative to both start watching after we left off and keep going in to the night.
The cast here is plain brilliant, all do their job well, the characters are over all well written, no one is just there as comic annoying type comic relief. The main characters are complex beings allowed to show both a tough and soft side to them making them more human. There is a slight mix of issues, cuteness, ethics, politics, and dooms day feel to it mostly well balanced adding to the plot without making it too confusing (with a few side steps but they are forgivable) . The cinematography is also beautifully done. but I must warn you there are some pretty grose scenes as well...
So all in all this drama worth a watch for those who want to be kept on their toes while enjoying some pretty good acting and visuals.
Was this review helpful to you?
Soju wrapped up in a show...
This drama is about 50% drama, 50% soju commercial. Sometimes Soju will be fun and sweet while other times it will taste bitter and if you drink to much at once it will just not be fun... But this will not give you a hangover so it is a lot safer than actually drinking soju.While the bingabilaty is low and there are a bunch of annoying high pitched elements, and some really awful crying scenes the show is fun, has great food shots, it is fresh shows great friendships while sneaking in an issue or three to the mix of episodes without having to much depth...
All in all an enjoyable watch and I am in deed looking forward to seeing a season two of this. I hope they will talk a little bit quieter and not have to cry as much in the next season though.
Was this review helpful to you?
okay, painful for the ears but has a bunch of sweet moments too
Some dramas seem to be made to be watched in 1,5-2x speed and well so is this one, the story itself is a tad confusing (could be the double speed, but I do not think so) some parts are rushed others take forever and some even seem slow in double speed... The drama does however not have one single overly annoying character making you want to skip scenes, the dialog has a whole lot of great gems and the characters are mostly lovable...There is a great bromance that at times made me wonder how they got thru Chinese censorship seeing there was obviously something there even if they where in denial.
The male lead made one of those mortal sins in my eyes so he lost a whole lot of points even if even the drama has a pretty healthy take on unrequited love and does seem to be able to differentiate overly persistence from flat out stalking. The female lead is pretty cool most of the time and I did like her. And did enjoy the moments of sweetness between her and the male lead.
I also enjoyed the pets, the friendship, the grandparents and the huge amount of balloons used for this production as well as the aesthetics of the umbrellas and the stage.
A lot of this drama seems to follow other logic than human logic, can it be that it follows some kind of opera logic that I am not aware of?
The sound of the Chinese opera is part of the story, but my very sensitive ears did not appreciate the sound as much as the story... So for those of you who are like me I would like to point out that the mute button is your friend (sorry opera lovers). The other OST was actually pretty decent, so was the filming (ok it was sllllooooooowwwww) but the aesthetics in this drama are just gorgeous.
All in all not really my cup of tea but an okay drama to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Fluff meets gaming
This drama has allot of sweetness, cute animals and some interesting issues. The characters seem to grasp the notion of consent, the only toxic people are some mild side characters, fans and the media it is pretty low conflict with allot of interesting fun moments great one liners. this drama also deals with some interesting issues so why only 8 stars?I was actually debating 8,5 but decided to give it 8 stars because well it did not really excite me, do not get me wrong I found myself looking forward towards every episode something in the female leads character bothered me she is not annoying or overly stupid or anything like that but there is something about her that kept me from falling for Smiley ;) the male leads actions where at times odd, being in desperate need of a lesson in communication as well as ownership... but he did redeem himself and had this great charm to him that definitely left me wanting more of him. He also seemed to have had allot of bottled up sexuall frustration seeing once he started kissing he never seemed to want to stop,,,,
When it comes to side characters the second couple was adorable! The the male leads brother was annoying in the beginning but grew on me. A side character named Fatty was way to stereotypical and though he was very sweet there was quite a bit of fat shaming in this drama. Yes that is common in may dramas and yes it bothers me. Fat people are people too and more thaan snack eating punchlines. The teammates where allot of fun and did a great job assisting the couple as well as lighten the mood with some great singing. And then wee have thc pets! Sweet, fluffy adorable pets that definitely stole the show and where allot of fun to watch,
So all in all worth a watch but not WOOOW this is the beast thing I have ever seen...
Was this review helpful to you?
Like a mixtape of classic dramas with an unique lead couple
Nothing really screams romance as much as a woman in a wedding gown surrounded by a SWAT team… yes beautiful men in black and big black jeeps...At first, I thought this was a mixture of Decedents of the sun with, Love is sweet and my little happiness. Then I realized that the creators of this drama must of had allot of fun brain storming classic drama plots to call out or just twist and turn. I assume it sounded abit like this: so where can we put in an evil childhood lover and what can we do with it... and how many close to death encounters can we fit in to this drama? I don’t know if it was meant to be funny but I definitely laughed at them.
The main couple is probably one of the sweetest c-drama couples out there. They make you wonder if it may be worth being taken hostage if it means you will meet a guy like him, but then he was the only one like him in his team so I wouldn’t take the risk if I had a choice... They truly evolved as a couple and had this great awkwerdness at first that turned in to this fun and mature relationship with allot of humor such as:
Ml - my sister will skin me alive!
Fl - what are you worried about I will stitch it back on for you.
Though the male lead did have light stalking tendencies in the beginning it was more of a I want to help you without you knowing because otherwise you won’t accept my help, and not a I’m going to find out everything about you so I can own you kind of stalking so I forgive him.
The male lead actually never forced himself on the female lead not even the classic kiss her in her sleep or when she is too drunk to remember kiss. Though he did make the classic mistake of listening to his dumb friend he was otherwise a truly amazing guy who didn’t mind showing his abs…
The female lead is smart, funny, self-aware and really kind without being overly naive. A truly lovable character.
The side characters have their ups and downs some of them are awesome others mid annoying to sweet at the same time and one was truly a nuisance, a good looking nuisance but still a nuisance.
To sum this up this was a fun drama, with an adorable couple and lots of everything
Was this review helpful to you?
Insecurely, crushes, gender conventions and sweet smiles
Nothing (okay maybe somethings) bet the smiles on these leads faces, as we are invited in to 20 shades of handling ones insecurities and finding ones own path and love on the way. The drama also offers a whole lot of great self aware lines, and a whole lot of "Ha??".Here we get to see long time crushes meet new love, as well as questions about kindness, gender conventions, and what is love? what is attraction?
Our female lead is so insecure yet blunt at the sam time I can't help but love her smile, honesty and all round awesomeness being true to herself and others.
Our gender fluid/crossdressing lead is such a sweetheart juggling armour, jealousy, expectations and shock over and over again. Can I be loved for who I am or do I have to throw away my wig and make up? For the person I love, for society or for myself?
The male lead is such a cutie too, while he may not war make up he has more or less 0 macho tendencies (honestly the gender fluid one has more macho/manly than this guy) and is such a clueless little sweetheart I just wanted to give him a hug.
Actually all the character in this play around with gender conventions, beauty, crushes, and insecurities in various ways offering us the viewers a whole palette with an added bonus of amazing dimples, smiles and people who truly smile with their whole face especially their eyes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Short, Sweet, Simple
This is a showcase of 4 different genres of first love youth, sch-fi, tragedy and office all of which seem to be slightly obsessed with the number seven.The delivery is simple and so are the different settings, there is a sense of longing and bubbly meets introvert in all four couples but other than that each story takes very different paths and turns. The delivery is decent for a low budget production as I could feel the emotions even if I wouldn´t count on any of these boys winning any awards any time soon.
An okay watch, but nothing really special either.
Was this review helpful to you?
Gender rolls, oh gender rolls....
A generous 8, I should probably have rated this a 7 oe a 7,5 but the acting and characters where all portrayed pretty well but the story just did not sit well with me... having me wish for divorce over and over again... Making me wish for the female lead to end up single, with her ex, with her pregnant best friend honestly I would settle for someone who knows how to do the dishes at some point.As for the male lead I wanted to send him off to live hon his own for a while so he could grow up. learn to take care of him self and stand up agains his mom... or just stop using her as an excuse. Fine he had his sweet awkward adorable moments, and I do get why a person would fall for him (also he does look pretty decent) but people! We deserve more equal relationships.
As for the mother in law, she brought out my even less civilised side and would easily make my list of people I wish would fall of a cliff, move out in the woods, or I don´t know just loose their voice so they'd stop hurting other people...
Why I rated it an 8? besides the over all characters done well... The female lead has some really good monologs and moments 8mostly in the first half), and the female leads ex is such a sweety... Also they did show some pretty interesting issues, not always doen well... bit indeed did show soma angles we do not get to see so often.
Was this review helpful to you?
An easy binge, fun characters and interesting takes on marriage
An easy binge that shows a whole lot of relationships and ways to approach the issue of marriage... Be it facing the pressure to get married, finding ones own path or the whole system of marriage.To be honest it does get a bit preachy at times and seems to have a very clear agenda telling the viewers to question the restrains the institution of marriage often brings.
It also has a whole lot of interesting discussions about healthy and less healthy relationships as well as the diffrence between slight jealousy and possessiveness driven by male rivalry. While slight jealousy can be cute and may have elements of love possessiveness does not. There is also an interesing show of different perspectives to the same situation. And while a lot of western shows will show women desperate to get married it is kind of refreshing to see men try to hold on to the institution of marriage while the women are the ones to try to oppose it.
The characters in this are lovely, while there are a lot of "eeeh" the over the top comedy is held to a minimum.
The found family, friendships and ways they talk about life in general can get to be a bit draggy and is not what I would say revolutionary but it is pretty ok and holds an okay balance between fluff, prechyness and just a slice of life in general.
A decent watch, that even htough it has some episodic elements is still easy to watch and has a decent red thread that runs through it...
Was this review helpful to you?
“Flowers make no sound, yet they contain words that can convey many feelings”
I started watching this drama and before I knew it, it was already over, as it mangaged to captivate me from the start and just kept a hold of me with interesting characters, connections, fears and dare I say one of few dramas with a whole lot of helaing elements that do not make me want to fast forward or throw a shoe at the screen.
The characters are human, real humans with real emotions struggling with love, life and dealing with the world around them all in their own way. Lovable most of time but in need of a lesson or ten in making their own decisions instead of making decisions for others.
I am not sure if I love teh main couple, the siblings or or the best friend, female leads mom or the sign language teacher the most as they are all so different yet so lovable.
I love the dialog, the symbols, gazes, the way they do show a bunch of issues without becoming preachy or pitiful, even the tears in this are well done. And while there are a bunch of stuff I admit could be done better the overall feel of this drama is positive making me overlook the less great parts and giving this a well deserved 9.
Was this review helpful to you?
Slow paced, depressing and slighlty messy
If you are looking for something cheerful and happy, you may think that a tittle named city of sadness should give you a clue to look away and find something else and well you would be right. AS this movie is true to its name and will offer you a bunch of sadness and cries as well as symbolism as far as the aye can se. As I do not think it is a coincidence that the movie starts of with a boy named light making his way out from the darkness of the war/womb and in to the light as Taiwan was libirated from the Japanese.This is a movie that shows human being living in a time where when one war ends another takes over. Day to day life meets a guy running towards you with a knife. Babies cry as they are taken out to a court yard to be shot with a bunch of other people.. The enamy changes and the wrong answer to the question are you japaneese, Mandarin or Taiwanese can get you killed by, showing an added dificulty to those who can not hear. a mob... but than again even the right answers can get one killed at this time...
But rest assure!
"I want to assure those who love peace that this decree is for your protection,, take no notice of roumers about spies. because suspicuion leads to fear, I assure all citizens that obay the law that nothing will happen to them. Meanwhile I announce the reintroduction of martial law Our objective is merely to punish rebels and traitors, for each day they are at large peace loving people will have to put up with another day of disorder" -
This movie is highly acclaimed so while I did not really find it entertaining I am sure it has a lot of qualities for those who are more well educated than I am as I found it kind of boring and hard to follow
Was this review helpful to you?
This was fun
Finally a drama about bad parents, bad spouses, bad friendships, and a hint of divorce is no only necessary but may save a persons life... Done kind of odd. As this drama mixes a bunch of my beloved clices ads a moment of confusion interesting twists (some more predictable than others) and mote or less enjoyable characters.The good ones may do questionable things but are so good they make you cringe at times.... The villains are so evil it is hard to feel for them. That said they did make it very clear how difficult it can be to break loose...
Even while knowing the ending... fighting back agains those close does take its tool.
That said there are several parts in this drama that made me go :Oh come on... and oh no shi***.... As some twists could be sensed a 14 episodes in advance.
This is not a. masterpiece but a fun watch for those who can appreciate a man who can wait, wrist grabs, evil, gaslighting and a different twist to the secound chance go back in time romance.
Was this review helpful to you?
Poetry at its darkest
This is one of those grey movies that tackle a very serious issue or maybe even several serious issues by looking at them from bystanders point of view. With very low entertainment value but high artistic, depth and I guess emotional value. An in-depth window to the value of the less affluent female population of the world.This is a mans world, a world obsessed with the third leg... A world where that third leg can be used to completely opress someone else ln the name of boys will be boys or in the name of a mans got needs...
Like poetry every word is a symbol in this movie every shot seems to symbolise something, nothing in this was left to chance from the color of the flowers to the direction of the wind.. Though there are a lot of flowers and somewhat colorfull patterns they all seem to be shown though a filter of grey... and the only light that seems to be in sight is the fading memory of our female lead...
Was this review helpful to you?
A bag of chips/crisps...
This is a pretty little production, with steamy kisses, lovely banter and a surprisingly entangled story for the short format. It is also one of those shows that you know lacks all substance and is probably not really good for your health but you watch it anyway,The leads do a decent job acting have great chemistry and do look at each other like pray, ready to devour the other at any moment, the OST has this 007 feel to it and so does the cinematography. While the leads seem to be able to act, the money did not cover acting lessons or any type of coaching for the rest of the cast as they had less expressions than an icile lead at the begining of a drama. The little sister supposedly grown up acted like a toddler and well that is a bout it.
An okay watch for the gazes and the banter but nothing wow.
Was this review helpful to you?
BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen
3 people found this review helpful
Cotton Candy With a Cherry on Top
This is one of those fluffy dramas, a true cotton candy type of drama with some sweet insecurity, and lovely inner monolog and just enough drama to keep the cotton candy from melting in the sun.Though the characters are at time a little bit over the top in their execution of emotions and I am not really sure if this actually has any substance (it is cotton candy drama after all). I still enjoyed it as the over the top did not over top the fluff... And indeed I did feel like the show left me wanting more an not less...
So for those in need of a little extra dose of sugar this is a good place to find it.
P.s. the side characters are lovely, you may want to look at the vase on the table and there is a really pretty picture of an umbrella in the background.
Was this review helpful to you?
