While the plot is cliche, it was cute and entertaining. The scenario of contract marriages never fail to amuse me and this was no exception. It also has a 'Sound of Music'-esque vibe to it but not very much. Like I said, it isn't an original story by far. While its sub-plots were boring and flat, the relationship between the Prime Minister, his wife and the children was more than enough to keep me watching.
I am not a big fan of castings when there is a lot of age gap between the lead actors. This time though, I was pleasantly surprised by the natural chemistry between Lee Bum Soo and Yoona. In spite of their difference in ages, they were cute together. I have to give credit to their good acting skills for that. I was happy to see Yoona having improved a lot since Love Rain. I want to see her in more dramas that suit her like this one.
The best parts of the drama were definitely the kids and the romantic moments (never saw so many we-fell-on-each-other scenes before). It's light, fun and amusing till about episode 10 or so. I would suggest skipping some scenes or episodes in between because they don't contribute anything to the plot.
It's OST was rather good and worth listening to till you get bored of it.
Watch this drama when in the mood for some sweet, harmless fun but don't expect a lot from it.
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Simply put, it blew me away. It hardly took 10 minutes to get into the mood of the film and from then on it goes at a very fast pace. You might have to watch every scene properly and then correlate them as each mystery keeps unfolding. Most of all, it forces you to think and really boggles your mind. I am highly impressed by the entire story. It is the perfect blend of mystery, tragedy, psychology and violence. Probably the best combination I have seen in a very long time.
The plot revolves around a middle school teacher whose daughter has died and she suspects that the students of her class have murdered her daughter. To seek revenge, she tricks them into drinking milk infected with HIV-blood. And then panic ensues, and all the closeted mysteries come out in the open. One by one, we see what happened exactly and why. The whole scenarios have been linked with each other very well. Although it gives a feeling of being too fictional at times, psychopaths are definitely known to exist in real life.
Though I could predict some part of it, rest of it was much more complex than I anticipated. It also raises very deep issues like that of importance of life and valuing it. Overall, this movie is thought provoking. You might question a lot of things that happen commonly. Also, your point of view on juvenile law and crimes committed by children might change (because mine did). The characters and their actions in this film are quite complicated.
The direction and handling of the film was excellent. It had very impressive visuals and editing. The ending of the film was as good as the rest of the film. It gives you enough to feel satisfied and I smiled at the very last dialogue. It has some graphic scenes too, but they didn't bother me much.
I say, if you're up for something highly daring and different then definitely give this movie a go. It will not disappoint a bit. If you do not like experimenting too much, then skip this movie altogether. Because if you cannot handle certain topics and issues raised in this film, then it might be a horrible experience for you.
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The story is a masterpiece. It is highly unique and original. I have probably never come across such a story before. It was something I have never imagined or read about. So, it quickly drew me in because I wanted to know what would happen. Until episode 6, the drama is fast paced and never bores you, but around those episodes it got a bit dull. I couldn't take in the fact that someone could be duped so many times aka the main character Kanzaki Nao. She is portrayed as an idiotically honest person who refuses to believe in anything bad or let herself do a bad deed be it as simple as lying. And because of her morals, she always gets deceived and has to participate in Liar Game's subsequent rounds. While this trait comes off as hard to believe, this is what the whole plot is based on. The writer's idea was to create a stark contrast between goodness and all the hateful and deceitful things happening in this world. I found this aspect simply brilliant. There was a good message regarding that in the ending episode.
While the plot is so good, the characters are overly dramatic. But Nao is a stagnant character and we never really see any sides to her. So that means no character growth because basically, she is supposedly 'perfect'. As I said, the story is too fictional to digest so you just have to accept a few facts and go on with the flow. Apart from this, Akiyama's character was the best. He had more depth and excitement than Nao had to offer. They have entirely different personalities, but what I loved was how he was always there to help her. While there are no romantic hints between them, it could have been explored too. Plus, all other characters were people I never cared about except the game master because his identity was not known.
While this drama has been written well with tricky situations and smart solutions, the direction was rather lacking. The settings of the show weren't too impressive and there was very less lighting. That kind of spoiled the environment instead of improving it. But its background score was pretty catchy.
Apart from all this, I think it deserves full rating in terms of entertainment. It has its less awesome moments too, but the last few episodes saved it. I particularly loved it after episode 8. Those episodes were highly daring and I loved that they didn't leave many loose threads. However, I can see why they decided to make a second season for this because a lot more can be explored. So this is one drama to just sit back and enjoy without overthinking it. Because trust me, I was thinking too much while watching and that ruined a couple of episodes for me. But its rewatch value is good if you are fond of rewatching it, even if I am not. Highly recommended drama!
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I just now finished watching Hotel Del Luna and boy oh boy - it was pretty much the same I felt about it ep 5 onwards.
Most of Hong Sister dramas have been a hit or miss for me and this falls closer to miss than hit.
Story/Premise: I was looking forward to it since months ago when IU started teasing about this drama on her Instagram. The premise seemed fun and the first few episodes were solid. Then from ep 5 it started becoming repetitive and the episodic format lost its pull for me. I was more interested in the main characters than the useless subplots introduced every week in an episodic format. Some were good and most were just meh. There are two parts to the drama : the flashbacks and the modern story. The flashback was solid and a winner for me since the beginning to the end. In fact I was way more invested in the flashbacks than the ongoing struggles of our characters.
Acting/Cast: IU was good for me in her role. This is not the best she has done nor the worst. But she is definitely one of the highlights of the entire cast. She carried it strongly with her presence for most part and was a delight to look at. She is so PRETTY. Yeo Jin Goo did nothing for me here and I say this as his big fan of past projects. I feel like he lacked the maturity to play this particular character and it would be better for him to take on lighter and more youthful roles. Then again, most child actors fail to shine once they get older (I might be triggering some of his fans here but just being honest). I felt no chemistry between the leads although individually they weren't the worst. The hotel side characters were all good actors expect PO. He was just cringey and horrible and even a rookie like Mina was better by a step- but who cast this girl? I LOVE the actors in the flashbacks. I see a lot of potential in both who played Chung Myung and Yeon Woo (I am poor with names). I am not familiar with their past works but would love to check out more in the future.
Music: The OST is solid. I would recommend the tracks by Punch (both), Taeyeon (it is lovely), Gummy and Paul Kim. Rest of the songs are good too but these ones stood out to me. I have them on repeat and will continue to for some time.
Final Thoughts: I feel like they had a nice idea that they failed to execute well. Romance with Yeo Jin Goo was a snoozefest for me. The premise was good but it was a weak and lackluster script. Had the writing and casting been better, it would have been one of my favourite dramas. I did enjoy the random references to variety shows and the celebrity cameos. The ending was fine for me and I wouldn't have settled for anything else after the way they set it up all along. I was not happy with how they ended the 'older story' loop because I was enjoying it too much. The last episode was sad but had nice moments. I think the best part was the epilogue. This universe comes to a certain next stage and watch it yourself to check out who they cast for the "sequel". It was a surprise and I can't wait for it. ^_^
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one of those.
It's actually an old drama- the last installment of the Endless Love series. Its predecessors are all widely loved and were the ones responsible to spread the Hallyu wave. I never found the other installments appealing however I decided to give this a chance. I won't say this is a drama that captivates you immediately. It's like candy with a tasteless exterior. You need to chew it long enough to thoroughly taste its sweetness which is hidden inside.
As the drama progresses, its characters grow on you. The aspect I love most about it was its romance. In spite of the fact that I wasn't a fan of the main male lead, I think he did a good job. I have a thing for characters like him who are musicians with a sad past. The female lead is an ordinary kdrama heroine but that doesn't mean she isn't memorable. Han Hyo Joo did an excellent job of her character. This is the drama I got introduced to her through and she's among my favorite actresses now.
The plot is cliche by all respects. The first four episodes focus on the childhood of the main characters. It has an insecure second lead and bad mother-in-law just like most of the kdramas have/used to have. Rest is some makjang and then the ending- which is the best part about it.
The cinematography of this show is excellent. It has several breathtaking views in every episode and the camera work is really eye-catching. Plus the beautiful pieces for the background score were all very soothing to listen to. The OST is really great.
I think this drama has a decent rewatch value. It's something I would watch later on when I am in mood of old kdramas.
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The story line and plot were engrossing right from the first episode. I loved a political thriller. It had amazing action and marvelous performances by Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young. I think they are the best pair of any drama I have seen so far. Most importantly, the characters were as good as the actors.
This show has the best characterizations I have yet seen in a kdrama. The guy isn't a jerk and the girl isn't lacking in brains or pride. I love that she doesn't need saving from a guy every time because she can fight for herself pretty well- both physically and emotionally. I wish we had more strong female protagonists like Kim Na Na in all kdramas. If that happens, kdramas would be unbeatable.
I was constantly interested in how the revenge would take place and how each operations would be carried out. I was excessively bored because of the plot of the sick mother. The show had much interesting things for me to care for, so I don't think it was a necessity. It was just a plot device for the emotional factor to lure female viewers. Other than that, it had a great ending and I never felt let down. There were some dull moments here and there, but it was never beyond my patience to skip it altogether.
I recommend this show to everyone who is tired of cheesy romances in dramas.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started off boring, was good in the middle and went off the rails towards the last 3-4 episodes.This was promised as an upbeat, youth drama. Instead what I was served consisted of some bits of what was promised with a heck lot of makjang. I think this drama was poorly written and executed. This should have remained as a underdog to riches story instead of the unnecessary revenge, crime and what-not being included.
Kim Dami stole the show. But even an actress of her caliber felt like she was struggling towards the end because the direction in which the plot went made no sense. Park Seo Joon had an ugly hairstyle and was mediocre at best throughout the entire drama. Shame, because this drama could have been one of the best roles he would have had. Kwon Nara is okay for me - never does much, but I believe she did the best to her potential.
There were some cool offbeat things about the drama like the youth culture of Itaewon and a diverse cast with issues like LGBTQ+ and racism being addressed. Some characters were great, others were okay. I feel like my time was wasted while I was impatiently waiting for episodes to come out. I won't even categorize this drama as a one-time watch. My recommendation would be to either skip it altogether or do a lot of skip-watching to get through this.
Park Saeroyi reminds of old-time self-sacrificing characters in old Bollywood films. They only live by principles and only want to be the better person in every situation, no matter how unforgiving the other party may be. Romance felt forced and the friendship focus drifted off pretty badly. Not to mention the time jumps made it all the more uninteresting.
At least the drama had a decent soundtrack.
It wasn't worth my time if not for those few good Itaewon-centered episodes and beautiful city and Namsan Tower views in a lot of scenes. It made me miss Seoul a lot.
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The feeling I got most of the times while watching was of that of a classic 60's Hollywood romance movie from a Japanese perspective. With a likable cast, an easy-flowing story and an outstanding music score, this drama qualifies as a classic in all aspects.
I loved the story. I was mesmerized with the story and its narration throughout its course. I actually tried to find out more about the writer Eriko Keitagawa and I will quote her here- "This classic love story enables those who are in the same generation to feel empathy, or be envious of the characters' lives; and the rest, who were once 20-year-olds, to reminisce about their own "Love of My Life."
I think what the writer said is exactly how you will end up feeling. Since I am the same age as those of the characters, I thought I could relate a lot to them. The interactions of the main couple and the way they acted was so realistic. I found myself envying them during the first half and felt empathy from them in the latter. If you ever had a first love, I am sure most you will find some similarity with this story. There are some heartwarming as well as sad and dramatic parts but it never gets unbearable. There weren't any exaggerated emotions or expressions and the drama continues its melancholic tone till the end.
The drama did drag as all dramas tend to do but I still feel that the writing remained the solid point till the end. I liked Kamenashi Kazuya in his role but his expressions became limited towards the end. He was very good for the majority of the part and was convincing in the role that he played. I really liked how his character was developed. He is a complicated guy and I found him unpredictable. Ayase Haruka wasn't extraordinary but she was sweet and graceful. I liked Erika Toda as her friend and this role was very different from what she usually plays. Rest of the secondary characters were just okay.
I have to mention the direction and cinematography of this drama. I never knew Yokohama was such a beautiful city. I would love to visit it sometime in the future. The direction was also one of the strongest points of the whole drama. It keeps you hooked. I loved that part where they go back to their high school and reminisce about their life then. I related very well with a lot of aspects from the story.
It was simple drama and I could say that it seemed like a toned-down version of Hana Yori Dango. It just reminded me a lot of that story because of the obstacles the couple have to face in order to stay together- which were along similar lines. I am glad I watched this because I was in the mood of some romance. However- as happens every time that I am invested in a drama this also left me tired due to the marathoning.
Last- the rewatch value is high because I loved the story to bits and will keep watching it till I get bored. This is a highly recommended drama!
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While the story is cliche in all aspects, it has a certain charm to it. Rainie and Show both played their parts very well. I loved their chemistry and they were fun to watch together. I would say the last episode was a bit cheesy for my taste but the rest of it was fine. I particularly liked Rainie Yang. I've never been a fan of hers before but she seems quite different from her 'Devil Beside You' days. I liked her acting as well. Show also looked hot in this.
Anyway- if nothing, this show is worth watching just for the amazing camera work. I have to say whosoever the director was did a great job of it. He actually made me want to visit Australia. I think mentioning this is relevant since this movie seemed like a big promotion for Australian tourism. LOL.
Worth a watch and maybe some time in the future, a rewatch. Definitely recommended for Rainie and Show fans!
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Anyway, once again, here is a Japanese drama with a highly new kind of concept. I have never seen a show with flight doctors in it. This was very thrilling to watch. Every episode had something very different to offer and I liked that. I find medical cases to be interesting and they give me adrenaline rush. The execution of the overall plot made the show very believable. I am always awed at the life of doctors because they are such tough people. This drama shows their trials and tribulations perfectly.
The only thing lacking was the lack of good characterization. While the professional life is portrayed well, a little more emphasis on their personal lives could have made this show perfect. Each character had enormous potential to be outstanding but this one aspect is kind of left incomplete. But still, this show is very good and I heartily recommend it to anyone and every one who likes good medical dramas.
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//Gushing of a fan starts
What was this drama? It was sheer randomness of.... attractiveness. LOL. I watched it just ogle at Lee Min Ho and Yoona- both easily among the most beautiful people in Asia hands down. There is no story. There is nothing and no purpose of making this apart from promoting the brand Innisfree.
Yoona is getting lovelier by age and Lee Min Ho is as handsome as ever. I really couldn't and probably never will get enough of looking at these lovely people. The reason the cast gets a 10 is because I'm a gigantic fan.
//Gushing Over
In case you are wondering whether to watch this or not- do so if you are fan of either or skip over and save your life's worth of 15 minutes.
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Drama Special Series Season 3: Adolescence Medley
10 people found this review helpful
I think a lot of this drama was cute. The leads are good-looking and I thought they did a good job with the acting. I really haven't seen the main actors in anything before, even then I thought they did a good job.
I really like the guys in this drama. There was a lot of eye candy.
The story wasn't that original because I felt like it had a lot of borrowed elements from various movies and melodramas. However, it was told with the nostalgia kind of feeling which I loved. The cinematography was nice and the background score and songs were great too.
Overall, I'd say this drama is good for a one-time watch. If you like stories on school, first love and things like that you'll enjoy this one. I at least do not regret watching it for 4 hours straight.
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There are hardly any complaints from this show.
The story line and plot are excellent. I love the whole setting of the Joseon era. It provides gender bender in a whole new perspective. This show is the first ever gender bender scenario I have enjoyed thoroughly.
The show has an excellent cast. I am a very big fan of Park Min Young. She was the one who stole the spotlight as Kim Yon Shik. I have NO complaints when it comes to her character or any others. I think this show is the best I have seen in any language which has such great, over-the-top characterizations. Everything has to do with outstanding writing.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that they are all scholars, but it absolutely brilliant. It has the perfect female, perfect male, perfect antagonists and perfect second and third leads. The actors are equally good who have played their characters so very well. I rate them full where acting is concerned.
The direction seemed to be a bit clumsy at places but considering that this is a periodic drama I have to pat the director's back for the phenomenal settings. I almost felt like I was part of the Sungkyunkwan. I would love to meet such brainy scholars. The show had so many cool riddles that I liked it. Also, they seemed to have used heavy and formal language while speaking. I liked that too.
Not just the lingering mysteries and sub-plots, I was happy with the humor. Every episode had very funny moments, most of them consisting Geol-Oh and Yang Ha. Also the episodes where Lee Sun Joon is attracted to Kim Yon Shik and thinking he is a homosexual were very funny. I really loved the spirit of Kim Yon Hee. She is also one of my favorite fictional characters from tv shows now. I am not fond of females that are pushovers or without pride in stories.
Anyway, this show makes me hungry for more periodic dramas but I don't think any other one could be as good as this one. I would recommend to everyone who is searching for a no-nonsense drama.
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First things first- don't be fooled by the opening sequence of this drama. I do believe it mislead me completely and I didn't get what I thought I would. It was rather a waste to have filmed that scene since it is one of the most attention-grabbing scenes in a drama EVER according to me.
While I appreciate the writer for taking chances to create a bold storyline, I would say it both did and didn't create the effect it intended to have. What started off as a brilliant narrative, got lost midway but picked up in the second half- only to lead to one of the most disappointing closing arcs ever. Till episode 41-42 I thought this drama was the best thing I have ever watched. I had never been this entertained by a drama before- the romance, humour, politics, scheming, tragedy was all a wonderful combination for enjoyment. Too bad it was a steep downward trend from then on and it couldn't just keep up with the quality of its previous episodes. The last 10 episodes totally distracted me from what the drama was before and that's just saddening.
Since no drama can be perfect, I tried my best to overlook its flaws. Although I was much too frustrated with the drama towards the end, I still give it a lot of credit for making me love its characters so much before its degradation began. Seung Nyang is one of the strongest characters in dramaland and the guys who vie for her affection were both likable in their own ways. I thought this drama has one of the most drawn-out and tiring love triangles ever. Not that I'm complaining since that was what drew me to it in the first place. The romance was quite fulfilling and I was satisfied with the moments we got although I didn't like what the writers did to my favourite couple towards the end.
While there are what I call as WTF moments in the drama, they are also the most exciting ones thanks to its awesome antagonists. Tanasiri was the woman I loved to hate! I in fact loved the actress a lot too. She was absolutely terrific. Her whole family was a family of psychos which was just funny. Then we also have good guys turning into bad and vice versa which is another interesting aspect of this drama. We constantly see the characters battling not just others but also themselves.
The cast did a great job of their characters and oh boy!- it introduced me to hotties like Ji Chang Wook and Jin Yi Yan. Ji Chang Wook is not only handsome but really gets under the skin of his character. His performance just blew me away. Ha Ji Won was good too but I always have trouble connecting with her acting in a lot of places- both in this and her previous dramas. The rest of the cast was fine too.
One reason to remember this drama fondly is the music. It's an absolute outstanding soundtrack and they always played the music at the right times. If I could, I would like to get my hands on the physical copy of the OST. I have listened to pretty much every song innumerable times and it never bores me. It's deep, emotional and powerful. Maybe it depends on one's taste too but I would recommend the OST to everyone.
So all in all, this drama is highly flawed. It's got a lot many flaws but the good parts are just as good. I think this drama is better seen at once since skipping the last arc and just getting to the end would be the best thing to do. Don't let the last few episodes keep you from watching this. It's worth a try at least. :)
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A strong plot with impeccable performances from the leads make it worth the watch
Li Changge originally, or The Long Ballad was one drama I wasn't sure about upon watching the trailer the very first time. It seemed like battles and bloodshed and I wasn't too sure about wanting to watch something like that. I literally went in with 0 expectations and knowledge about the manhua and yet, it managed to impress me and keep me hooked. I have to say the credit mostly goes to Dilraba and Leo Wu for making this such an enjoyable ride.PLOT:
Honestly, this drama was quite bloody and at times melodramatic for me. The story moved about very quickly and remained engaging for the most part. The revenge aspect and the slow burn romance were the best things about it. The main pull throughout the plot are the intelligent leads, especially Li Changge and Ashile Sun. I loved the battle talk, scheming until it became slightly dragged and dull towards the end. A lot of people called it a masterpiece, but I think it's just an amazing drama with flaws.
CHARACTERS:
Li Changge is a great heroine, but also a bit frustrating at times. She was cunning but also headstrong at times which let her make mistakes, which was okay for most part. Ashile Sun seemed conniving but he had a heart of gold. Le Yan's journey was also great as she falls and picks herself over and over. Hao Du was also fun for me as he we see his softer side over time- he made me go from hate to genuinely finding him cute (although flawed). I couldn't care that much about rest of the characters but there were a lot of cool supporting ones.
CAST & ROMANNCE:
No surprise here but of course Dilraba and Leo steal the show. The others did a good job as well but let's be honest that people loved this dram due to their visuals and acting. Both are extremely good-looking and had amazing chemistry. I really didn't know about their age gap at all but they played it very respectfully without any cringey skinship between the two. I personally wouldn't have minded it, but maybe the actors wanted it that way. The same goes for Zhao Lu Si and the guys who played her love interests. The chemistry was cute with long stares and warm hugs. For once I am not complaining due to the lack of kisses.
OTHER ASPECTS + ENDING :
After ep 30-something the focus on revenge sort of waned. There were some subplots with the Great Khan, his wife, Sher, the plague, etc. that I didn't care about and skipped a few scenes. I wanted more romance but it was mostly through dialogues. I'm glad we got what we got else they could have just made it a boring war drama too. The ending was sort of unsatisfactory and I thought that they could have had 2-3 more to wrap it up nicely. It's fine I guess as I heard the manhua itself isn't finished yet? Lot of people complained about the animated battle scenes and Dilraba's hair and none of that bothered me. Any more bloodshed and I would have been out.
OVERALL:
A very nice drama and definitely one of the best historical ones I've watched till now. It had its flaws but the journey was great and I will definitely consider the lead pairing as one of the best I've seen till date. It's amazing how Dilraba has great chemistry with all of her male co-stars and just improves every time. She was so convincing as a boy and looked like she worked very hard for this role.
Lowkey excited to check out You Are My Glory after this as I definitely want to watch more of Dilraba. She just improves and surprises me every time.
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