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Boring
Blue of Winter may as well rename itself to the most 'Boring of Winters', with their 8-10 minute episodes feeling like feature-film length with how slow and uneventful it was. I always say to myself that the worse thing a drama can be is boring, and unfortunately, this is one of those dramas. Thankfully however, there were glimpses of potential, and when there was something that caught my full attention, I really liked it. For example, the last episode was really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I had enjoyed more episodes like I had with the last episode, this review would look way more positive. There was also a pretty good OST present and I did like the little attention to detail for a few things that I have not seen with big budget dramas so far yet.Main negatives would be the acting, dialogue, directing, camera work, sound directing. I understand that this was probably done on a small and tight budget, but it was hard not to notice these things in my eyes. I don't really like to dive into detail on the negatives unless I am angry at something a drama has done to me, after all, other human beings made this.
Would I recommend it? Well, the reason I tried this was because it has the 'sports' genre on it's page. For fellow sports drama lovers, I would not recommend this. There was not much sport. For people into romance? I'd say... probably not, only try it out if there really isn't anything else you fancy.
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Legendary
The Silent Sea is a legendary drama that hopefully will be watched throughout many generations. In my eyes, a faultless masterpiece that provides the best-of-the-best story, acting, cast, production value, special effects, OST, costume design, directing, editing, and more. There was only one tiny thing I wasn't a fan of, but even that didn't hinder my enjoyment too much at all (I felt the first episode was little too westernised for my liking). From the first episode it had perfect pace, and even until the end, perfect pacing was the norm. It had the perfect amount of action, tension and mystery, and nowhere did I feel confused or felt like the story was either too confusing or rushed.The Silent Sea is a must watch drama, the eight episodes went by so quickly, it's binge-factor is definitely present. Eight of the 'roughly 45 minutes' long episodes felt less than half of that amount, and since there were times where dialogue was scarce in order to world build, I have given such a strong rating in regards to "Rewatch Value".
All in all, I believe everyone must try this. The Silent Sea. Legendary drama.
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I'm glad I tried this
A miniseries that overperformed thanks to two superb actors that completely stole the show: Jung In Sun (the FL) and Song Jae Rim (the SML). I am familiar with the brilliant as always Song Jae Rim but this was my first drama starring Jung In Sun - she is great and I cannot wait to see more of her work! Kang Min Hyuk (the ML) also showed great acting, but I absolutely hated his character. Normally it takes me a while to notice toxic traits in a character but for me I found this character to hold a bunch of red flags. Nearly all other characters I did like however. I loved Song Jae Rim's character.This is also a rare occasion where I would have preferred more episodes, but liked the episode duration length. The 20 minute episode length was perfect, and it complimented the drama really well, but it could have had at least five more episodes, especially to give more depth and closure with the supporting cast.
Re-watch value is quite high for my usual rating standards as the pacing was perfect for Korean language absorption.
I recommend people to give this a try, especially if you like to watch dramas with a shorter length.
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A surprisingly decent drama with a disappointing final episode
'Sexy Central' is a surprisingly decent drama with a disappointing final episode, although the current overall rating of 6.8 is still quite harsh. Honestly, the overall rating was the reason I started watching it. From what I saw, it seemed like one of those "so bad it's good" dramas, but it was genuinely good. What I loved most about this drama were the characters and sismance. When it comes to sismance, this is one of the best dramas I have seen with this. The characters in the group were great, they were all surprisingly likeable and their personalities were written and portrayed well. Some points of the story felt a little rushed, and I'm pretty sure there is one or perhaps two plot holes, but I managed to overcome them quite well since the subtitles provided by Netflix weren't the best, meaning I can't fully blame the drama for this - perhaps it is a full fault from the people providing the subtitles!A few things I didn't like were the production value (mainly in the camera work, but also in directing). Also, like I mentioned before, the plot holes. Most actors played their part, especially the main cast, but I felt like quite a few of the supporting cast had quite a significant drop in quality when it came to the craft. Re-watch value is a tad lower than what I hoped too. The final episode really was a let down, honestly, and the reason I have given this an overall rating of 7.5 where previously I thought an 8 was the lowest rating I was going to give. Although 'Sexy Central' is one of those dramas where your head will want to rate this drama really low, but your heart will want to rate this really highly.
Anyways, I do recommend people to watch 'Sexy Central'. It seems like hardly anyone has watched this, which is honestly quite sad. It's definitely not a bad drama at all. It was surprisingly good.
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Life, the wonders, the mystery, the pains to be forgotten, in a Baseball format
'Our Baseball' is a wonderfully produced, acted and written sports (miniseries) drama that showcases life on this world, the wonders, the mystery, the pains to be forgotten, in a baseball format. It is one of the strongest sports dramas I have ever watched and I think everyone, no matter if they are a baseball fan or not, would love this. It had a near-perfect balance of sports and story, and the fact that each episode mainly focused on a different player in the team made it always an interesting and unpredictable watch. The different dynamics of people and their everyday lives, whether they feel lost or abandoned in society, all make for a great message that there will always be someone going through something similar, even in the same community as you (in this case, baseball team).Each episode is quite short but there will always be the right amount of story in each one. The OST here was quite non-existent but played its' part well when needed too, which I personally think is the most important role of an OST: to not 'take over', but to 'add'.
All in all, this is a definite recommendation to watch, even if you're not much of a sports fan! I think everyone will love 'Our Baseball', perhaps even more than I enjoyed it!
So, what are you waiting for now? Watch it!
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Has the ability to make your heart 'thump'
Thumping Spike, apart from a few notable cringe scenes and minor plot holes, is a decent and heart-warming sports-themed short-length drama that can easily be binge-watched. When it comes to the typical drama in the sports genre, the storyline isn't too unique but it wasn't predictable either, which is what I think was needed here. When sports dramas are either too unrealistic or predictable, it can ruin the drama for me, or at least the sporting elements and thankfully, Thumping Spike and its' creation of the Daehan Volleyball Team (the name of the volleyball team in this drama) had the right characterisation and chemistry to avoid this potential catastrophe. It wasn't perfect though, I would have definitely liked to have seen more screen time regarding the playing of volleyball - I understand that due to shorter episode length, this is a difficult feat to get everything right, but there was at one point when I told myself while watching "Oh, wait, they play volleyball, don't they? When will we see that again?", which is something a viewer shouldn't really be having to remind themselves of.Acting was mostly solid, with a few exceptions, which can also be said about the casting choice. Maybe it is just me but when it comes to a school setting, I do prefer actors who actually look like they could be in school. One cast member was purposely chosen to look older, which I did find funny, but there were other members who were put in there seriously, but I wasn't too 'fooled' by it, if that is the right term or phrase. OST was absolute perfection however! Every song made my heart flutter, and I cannot wait to listen to each amazing song on this OST as soon as possible. I was also pleasantly surprised by the production value, I thought the camera work was done perfectly. Re-watch value may be 'low' in your terms, but I am known to have a lower-than-average 'rewatch value' rating so don't look into that too much.
All in all, would I recommend this drama? Absolutely. Check it out right now!
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A little too bizarre at times, but still a decent watch
'Happy And', a decent watch for someone who may be experiencing a slight drama slump and is looking to return back to watching dramas, due to it's focus on the vast range of different stories with multiple mains in a 'miniseries' type format. While some stories are certainly greater than others, they all focus on love, relationships, marriage etc. with some exploring this with the 'affair' route, and others without. I did quite like the seriousness of the relationships, although some storylines were just too bizarre for me to take seriously. Production quality was also pretty decent for 2011 standards, and I also liked the involvement of the sweet but subtle OST that lingered here and there.Now, the acting. We have four female leads here, and I believe all four are involved in three separate stories each - while some support actors were in more than one story - confusing, isn't it? One thing I liked about the acting, when it worked at least, really showed the ability of the actors and their versatility playing different characters. However, this didn't work all the time, as some performances weren't that good (although I would be curious to see each female lead in another drama to see more of their acting). Acting wasn't terrible though, and like I said, for the most part, it was good!
I managed to finish this just in time. Netflix's 'last day to watch' is tomorrow on December 14th, 2021 in my country. Let's hope, if you're wanting to check out this drama (which I do recommend) , you'll be able to find a platform to watch it on.
'Happy And' - a little too bizarre at times, but still a decent watch!
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Amazing, but a little too much at points
My Country: The New Age provides some sensational acting, bromance, and chemistry through a perfectly selected cast that is sure to leave viewers on the edge of their seats, as long as they don't mind a story that can be confusing at times, contains a plot hole or two, and is also far-fetched at times, also. Now, when I mean confusing, I'm not on about the whole duration of the drama - however the first few start and final episodes is where I am pointing to the confusion. Also (spoiler warning) I know the ML's are strong individuals, but a sword that penetrates their bodies, and they are pretty much fine after a little amount of time? At least show the recovery process even if it's only a few minutes of air time! (Note: If I have missed something regarding this, it wasn't well shown or explained for that matter, so my feelings will stay intact no matter what).OST was pure perfection, re-watch value is a little low as I consider this to be quite a "heavy" drama - the ending was pretty shocking too, and really made me appreciate the drama as whole, especially the cast and characters, like I pretty much mentioned above previously.
All in all, I highly suggest watching this drama. I hope you find some enjoyment in watching this!
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Lee Se Young carried this...
Lee Se Young carried 'How are You Bread' for me, and now I truly know the meaning when someone else says 'this [person] carried this drama'. Don't get me wrong, the story definitely wasn't the worst in the world, there have been worse, but feel like I only cared about the story once I was immersed in the performance of the talent that is Lee Se Young. The ML (Suho) by the way did do well in my eyes too, and I did feel like there was chemistry between the two main leads which is always good. One other thing I really liked about this drama was the OST - a bunch of relevant and catchy songs that will be in my YouTube playlist for a while - each song was addictive to listen to!There were definitely parts of the story where I was confused, and I'm not too sure if I'm a fan of the ending, but, again, there have been worse! Some acting was very average in this too, and some dialogue also felt very basic, rushed and forced. If I was to give this an overall of 8, I think I would be a tad too generous. An overall of 7.5 here I think is the best call.
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Beyond Evil? Beyond Amazing.
A thick story with some logical yet sudden twist and turns, leaving you to guess what will happen after each episode, alongside some amazing performances from a stellar cast, that's right, this is what happens when watching Beyond Evil. I feel like Beyond Evil is best watched when you take it slow, episodes are "heavy" so you will need to take your time with it, but it's definitely worth it if you do. Shin Ha Kyun absolutely shone in his role, as did many other cast members, but I thought I had to mention Shin Ha Kyun himself here as I will remember his performance in Beyond Evil for a very long time, I definitely need to watch more dramas that have casted him.The OST is, for me anyway, the strongest OST of 2021 by far currently, I have literally been listening to it when exercising at the gym. Re-watch value could be considered low here, however, there are two things to consider: like before, episodes are heavy; and also consider my re-watch value rating is normally considered lower compared to most people when writing reviews.
I highly suggest for everyone to watch Beyond Evil!
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I like a good plot twist, but...
I like a good plot twist, but I felt like 'The Light in your Eyes' didn't need one, thus I felt wanting more than what I received. However, with that being said, the story was still enjoyable, especially in the first eight or nine episodes. My favourite thing about this drama were the stellar performances by the cast, alongside a sweet and subtle OST that I will most likely listen to for a while. The re-watch value is low only from the fact that I felt the last two or three episodes drag like hell - the overall rating would've been higher also.The plot twist wasn't terrible, don't get me wrong. I just would have preferred something different. Han Ji Min is now one of my favourite actresses and I was surprised that I enjoyed Nam Joo Hyuk in this role!
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Hit or Miss Drama
One episode is action-packed and great, yet another will be completely boring and dull. I believe My Holo Love has an amazing concept, but fails to deliver with a rough half of their episodes. It seemed very start-stop to me, as some episodes were very enjoyable and wanted you to watch the next episode instantly, whereas some episodes were pretty dull and boring, making you reconsider if you want to binge-watch the entire series. I normally am able to watch one episode a day, but My Holo Love made me watch an episode every other day just because I wasn't too thrilled/hyped about wanting to watch another episode. Perhaps I was overhyped with this drama, but unfortunately, for me, this wasn't a great show to watch. Nothing terrible in the slightest, just definitely not my favourite.Was this review helpful to you?
The first episode did also catch me off guard but by the third episode I believe the show really starts to pick up it's pace and you'll want to find out what happens next which is always great. The cast have an amazing chemistry together and the acting scenes were great, production also was top notch.
I believe that everyone will find this show great, I just believe that the episodes could have been spread to more, and instead of the 90 minute length it would work better with a 60 minute length per episode, but hey, that's just my opinion!
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THE PERFECT TIME LOOP DRAMA
THE PERFECT TIME LOOP DRAMA ACTUALLY EXISTS Y'ALL!!!!!!!!! As someone who is obsessed with this trope, I can finally live with no regrets! Love in a Loop is the greatest time loop drama I have watched, and even though it is an adaption to its' Korean counterpart, excels in every way possible compared to the earlier Korean version. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Korean version (which by the way was the first K-Drama to make me laugh out loud), this topped it by making me laugh out loud in nearly every single episode. The characters, story, directing, editing, cinematography, costume... the list goes on and on... was absolutely flawless and I feel like it has been a genuine privilege to be able to watch this drama.The romance was perfect. I am very particular about romance in dramas, so this was amazing. The balance of comedy, romance and drama was absolutely perfect. It never really felt that one was overbalancing the other parts. The use of the time loop trope was absolutely spot on, and the ML and FL especially were absolutely flawless - I rarely 'ship' couples in dramaland, but if I ever get asked that question now, I can confidently say Bai Zhen Xiang and Li Lu Duo are my favourite couple in all of dramaland.
Some other quick points to note: OST is absolutely sublime. It is perhaps the first song that gives me Goosebumps each time I hear any of the music, especially the song at the end of each episode - wow! Re-watch value is very high for my standards. The only reason it is a 9.5 for rewatch value instead of 10 is because I think with a couple (maybe a few) episodes, there was a slight off-balance with the pace, although this did not hamper my enjoyment at all with this amazing spectacle.
I could easily go and analyse the story as a whole but I think everyone should just go and watch this right now!
Love in a Loop will forever be a part of me now.
Thank you.
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Last Episode kinda ruined it..
Lily Fever is a short but (mostly) sweet drama that really flourished when it came to the acting, cast and chemistry, but unfortunately, due to a horrid last episode story-wise, suffers a lower rating than what I hoped to give this drama. It's a shame because if it wasn't for that, I would have included the story as one of the main positives, too.Initially I was sceptical about how many scenes and story points they could fit into such little episodes, but somehow this drama managed to create two strong FLs with different personalities quite well. I thought the dialogue was a little amateurish at times but this was only something I had thought of when writing this review, so it's probably not too noticeable.
The OST is very bizarre at certain points, I was actually taken aback the first time. However, over time, I actually started to kinda like the unique OST.
All in all, I still recommend people to watch this. Just be wary of that final episode!
Personal Note: my first GL!
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