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This was a weird and wild ride. I didn't really like the series. I guess it was just too weird for me. Too many scenes were disgusting too; very graphic. The cast and acting is great but there is something left to be desired in the writing. Some of the actions by the ML defy logic and I get that he's supposed to he a hothead who acts before he thinks. What foolishness in a new town? Even him and his wife staying in town for their daughter was dumb.
Excellent casting re the young Keiske. I may not watch a 2nd season but the last episode damn sure makes me want to. I'm very confused about the villager's role in the drama as well.
6/19/23
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Donnie Yen Being The Best
Really enjoyed this film. I saw the trailer a few weeks ago and was hoping it would be playing on the big screen near me when it was released internationally. So happy it was. The movie was inspired by a real case and that part was very interesting. It's terrible that the Department of Justice just wants convictions instead of the truth sometimes. I felt bad for Jia Jie and his grandfather when he was convicted for the drug trafficking crime. The truth doesn't always mean a person won't be convicted. The Judge even said he goes by eyewitness testimony, evidence and the jury. All three things can be notoriously compromised. As the film states no justice system is perfect but it should be the job the the Department of Justice to get to the truth!I loved this movies actions scenes they brought levity to the heaviness of the subject matter. The opening scene was fantastic. Played out like a first player video game in some parts. God how much I missed Hong Kong action flicks. Don't get to see them as much as I used to. I really loved the scenes on the train as well; very well done. Donnie Yen never disappoints, he directed and stars. The rest of cast was great as well. MC the actor playing Jing Wei the young detective was so good. Kent Cheng as Bao Ding and Lau King as Ma Bo were great too!
1/18/25
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Typical Cliche KDrama YA Romance Series
I had been dying to see this series for a while especially after I wacthed My ID is Gangnam Beauty but It's not on any streaming service in the US so it took me a while to watch. At any rate, it's not as similiar to My ID like I thought and I liked the FL a lot more in this series. Both deal with Korea's ridiculous beauty standards but in different ways.I enjoyed this series overall for the most part but I absolutely hate the poorly written BS they handed Seo Jun and I'm not a 2ML person. I hated that it happened at all and especially in the last 2 eps. Like WTF was that and why? One of my biggest issues with kdramas is how they have these love triangles between friends and they want us to think it's somehow romantic; these unrequited feelings that never get shared unti it's too late. Way too many cliches in this and yes I get this was made 4 years ago. Also, not a fan of time skips without true growth for the characters.
Anyway, I did enjoy the majority of the cast/characters just wished the story had been better.I really liked, Su Ah, Hee Kyung, Joo Young and Go Woon characters the most. Would have given this series an 8 overall had it not been fir the last 2 episodes.
9/30/24
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Absolutely Enjoyed this Series
This is absolutley one of the better Kdrama's I have ever watched and simpy the best show of 2024 so far. Periodt! Great cast and characters, good plot and mostly good writing. A few things annoyed me but overall a genuinely good show. I loved the cases they worked on and I loved the teamwork. The balance of comedy and drama was done so well in this series.Ahn Bo Hyun as Jin Isoo is perfect casting. The character could have been annoying but he was sweet, loveable and so damn likeable. Literally one of my favorite characters ever and his characater growth was phenomenal.
The show was a solid 10 for me but unfortunately the cliche villian trope was just so unnecesary and that's really the biggest negative I have about the series. Most of the writing was good but this and a few other inconsistent, nonsensical things is the reason I took that point away!! I would still rewatch this though and I rarely rewatch any shows.
3/24/24
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Sadly, The Fantasy Wore Off
I was genuinely enjoying this. Specifically for the romantic fanstasy. Park Bo Gum being the perfect guy who says and does eveything perfectly. Park Bo Gum and Song Hye Kyo also, had really good chemistry and it made for a great love story.But alas, even Park Bo Gum's character, Jin Hyoek started to get on my nerves and the story of the younger man and older, divorcee just didn't do it for me anymore. Way too many filler episodes and scenes. Way too many people in the way and all the mothers are terrible. Can I please just have a romantic fantasy where there are no obstacles the leads have to face to be together and don't drag out over 16 epiosdes???
I will say that they did a good job with Woo Seok, Soo Hyeon's ex-husband. Who knew that I could ever feel sympathy for the rich, chaebol she divorced. I mean yes his actions and not protecting her were terrible when they were married but I felt like he was genuinely, trying to make up for that with his actions throughout the series. The road to hell though is paved with good intentions. He definitely should have done better when they were married.
Overall I give the show a 6/10 b/c I actually loved it up until FL ends the relationship. Plus the cast/supporting characters are joy to watch.
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Absolutely Ridiculous
This movie is terrible. That's it. That's all!The Mimic has a good concept but the the execution of the movie is just dumb. The FL/mother's actions throughout the film were nonsensical and yes I understand she's mentally unstable and that she is grieving the loss of a child. She is warned mutiple times not to trust the apparition and time and again she chose the opposite! MADE NO SENSE. I felt like she didn't even care for her daughter who was alive and well (well maybe I'm really not sure she survived the night!). She totally abandoned her in the end.
The only positive thing I have to say is that the young actress Shin Rin Ah, was fantatsic.
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I thought the story was very interesting. A King grooming young men to serve him while he falls in love with one of those young men which ultimately leads to his downfall and both of their deaths. This is the first thing I've watched with the main cast and Joo Jin Mo was fantastic as the King. He offereed his favorite general and lover to his Queen so that she would produce an heir and this sets in motion the tragic Shakespearean aftermath that follows.
Hong Lim, the King's favorite beds the Queen at the King's request. He does so reluctantly at first but then he starts to have feeling for the Queen, be its lust or love (bad idea). The Queen being touched by a man for the first time experiences that euphoria you get from sex and intimacy which she wasn't getting from her husband falls for Hong Lim. Everyone behaves poorly and the King's jealously is his ultimate undoing.
Overall, a good movie. I gave 7/10. It was almost an 8 but while I thought the first 80 minutes were well done, the last half of the movie was a bit too sloppy.
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Too Serious & Not Enough Fun
I was super excited to watch this after I saw the trailer but I wanted to watch the anime first. I should not have watched the anime first! I mean I just binged watch the first 3 seasons of one of the best animes I have ever watched and thoroughy enjoyed it. Like EVERYTHING about it! and here in lies the reason this movie is just average.Unfortunately, it was just too much to cram into an 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did not like the changes to the storyline at all. Plus the movie just lost the levity of the anime which is one of the main reasons the anime for me is so good.
However, what the movie did extremely well was was casting. I loved the actors playing, Ichigo, Byakuya, Renji, Ishida, Chad and Tatsuki. I loved the costumes too except Ishida's. Where was the white Quincy outfit?? Too bad Inoue and Rukia didn't match what I was looking for. It sucks too that side character storylines were left out all together.
At any rate, I will say if you've never seen the anime this is an ok movie and worth at least one viewing and the CGI wasn't terrible either.
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Shin Ha Kyun is Excellent is all you need to know!
This is my 1st Korean crime drama, and it did not disappoint. Excellent cast, especially Shin Ha Kyun, playing Lee Dong Sik. really good plot It has me by the seat of my pants most episodes. It reminded me of all the British crime dramas I love. The tension I felt watching was palpable. Each episode my adrenaline was high, well up to the point when they catch the serial killer.The reason I'm giving the series an 8 even though I thoroughly enjoyed it is because once the serial killer is caught; the series lost some of the energy it had reeling me in and impressing me with the plot machinations and all the potential suspects.
I mean it's a really good whodunit however, in the end it was more the good guys trying to bring to justice the actual murderer of one of the serial killer's 1st victims. Not that it was bad, and we wouldn't get the excellent acting from Shin Ha Kyun without this secondary plot, I just think it was a lot of deaths and cover up that seemed unimportant. Obviously, Dong Sik needed to find out who killed his sister, but I don't know if I cared enough about that part.
I can't wait to see more show with Shin Ha Kyun and watch another crime drama.
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Smile ear to ear while watching
I thoroughly enjoyed this series.Yeong Joon's arrogance is masterclass!! Park Seo Joon pulls it off rather well!! I was enamored with PSJ before but his turn as the Vice Chairman made me love him all the more. The Vice Chairman is so obnoxious but it's hilarious. His antics would normally get on my nerves but PSJ is so likeable all you can do is fall in love with him.
Park Min Young as Secreatry Kim Mi So was such a breezy, beautiful woman. I loved her too. I usually can't stand the FL is series like this but this show really surpassed my expectations. She was compentent and gave as good as the Vice Chairman gave. I really found the 2 of them charming, likeable and loveable. The chemistry was off the charts!
The supporting cast at the office was so funny but President Park takes the cake. So funny and tried his best to help the Vice Charmain through his predicaments. The dialogue between President Park and the Vice Chairman had me on the floor most episodes.
The reason this series is not getting a 10 overall is b/c there was a small makjang plot in re the Vice Chairman's brother and a kidnapping that happened when they were children that also involved Secretary Kim.....WHAT????? Anyway, in my mind that part didn't happen!!
The Vice Chairman has some great one liners; wish I had kept more of them but these are 2 of my favorites:
When Mi So talks about ordinary he says "I've lived my whole life extraordinarily. I don't know what ordinary is like."
His friend tells him his face is full of love and he says "It used to be full of deadly attractiveness, and now love as well?"
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The positives of the series is that the friends and family were accepting of Yanuo and Zi Feng's relationship from the onset even if they were uncomfortable at first. Those aspects of the series were done really well. And we did get some comedy gold out of a lot of the innuendo and compromising positions.
Another really great part of the story was the father/son dynamic between the villian, Han Sheng and his father Wan Hao. Han Sheng was unlikeabke but you understood his motivations. Surprisingly enough I found the climax to that storyline sad but meaningful and well acted.
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:
The Na Na character was super annoying. I guess we are supposed to like her b/c she is dying but she came across as rude and obnoxious from the onset and I couldn't even care enough about that storyline. I only watched some of those scenes b/c Qing Yang was so damn cute and that was the only way for me to see him.
I also didn't like Du Zi Han sexually harrasing Yanuo or treating Guang Chao like shit just b/c he worked for her. Then they end up together. Definitely didn't like that either not b/c she treated him like shit but b/c she "saw the error of her ways" so that makes it all better but it was just a stupid couple. Not everyone in these thing have to get together.
The soundtrack was too repetitive and the same song seemed to play over almost every scene.
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What is Happening in this movie??
The best thing about this movie is actor Fhi Fan who plays Soichi. If it wasn't for him I don't think I would like much about this movie. Hatsune Eriko who plays Kirie and Soichi's longtime friend (girlfriend) is quite good acting wise but I found her character to be too stupid for word sometimes. I also loved the muted tones used to film this movie. It harkens back to old late 70's and early 80's horror films.The movie is about a town that becomes obsessed with Spirals or Uzumaki. There is some brief explanation about witchcraft and I wish they would have explored that more so that things made more sense but maybe the point wasn't for things to make sense. It was just a bunch of random weird things happening b/c of the spirals all over the place. Soichi was trying his best to convince our so called heroine, Kirie to leave but she was too stupid to listen.
There is only once song I remember gearing in the entire film and it was played while the credits rolled by Raven called Do As infinity and it was a really good song.
This is based on Junji Ito's manga of the same name and I would like to read that and maybe I should have read it before I watched this movie.
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Fun with Food
I enjoyed the series overall. Especially the food elements which elevate the show. I could care less about the political machinations of the Royal family. It's always the same song and dance with someone feeling aggrieved and that they should be the King/Queen or in charge of everything. The show reminded me a lot of Mr. Queen even the political stuff but I still rather enjoyed this a lot.I thought the acting was top notch and the 2 leads were excellent. Yoon A and Lee Chae Min so great together! There were a few other characters that I really liked. Gil Geum, Gong Gil the jester and the King's bodyguard Sin Su Hyeok. I loved all the food too. It all looked so good. The other great thing about the show is it's genuinely funny. So many hilarious scenes but one of the funniest is in the 1st episode where Ji Yeong first meets the King and tells him she knows tae kwon do. Yoon A was absolutely fantastic!
10/4/25
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Overall, this series is meh. It could have been so much better. So many unnecessary and obnoxious characters. No one taking accountability for their actions and behaviors and blaming others the entire series. The ending was terrible as well. In-Ho was the only character with any redeeming qualities. I wished he would have disowned his sister. Nothing but a user and abuser. She should have stayed in that mental facility.
I was and still am team Jung til the end. He lacked empathy but I could understand that with the way he was raised and the father he had. The fact that he always had to be "on" would make anyone act a certain type of way. People constantly using him or pretending to be nice. So he saw something in Seol that he wanted to explore. Of course the relationship is toxic. It's practically a prerequisite in these series based on manwha, manga and webtoons. But I did like that she was trying to understand him and that he was trying to understand what is like to love and be loved for who he is.
2/16/25
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