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How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies
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Walked right into this one...
So this was an incredibly emotionally touching film. The whole point is to stir the viewers' emotions and empathy and I think they manage to do that.I don't know what I was thinking, watching this. I was so brave and only cried once at the very end but truth is, given the fact that it's been over a decade since I lost my grandmother and I'm still not over it, I don't know why I thought I could handle a story like this.
However, this was very well made. The actress playing the grandmother is truly amazing and she just looks so cozy and grandma-coded too. Like, screw all those ungrateful jerks! How are they not obsessed with hanging out with her?!
Anyway, I have had the unfortunate chance to watch some low budget Thai dramas but this one is obviously of a whole other tier and I loved being introduced to the country through such a movie.
I personally enjoyed this movie. Worth the hype and then some! Obviously the plot was great; so was the acting, production and so on. I would just like to shout out the great set designs. It set the mood and felt so natural that it helped make you feel closer to the story and its characters.
Highly recommend. Prepare lots of tissues though.
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This film reminded me of Neil Gaiman.
This film reminded me of Neil Gaiman. Yeah, I know. I have impeccable timing...Well, this was stupid. I kept waiting for the second shoe to drop but this was merely a crass and unsubtle criticism of the rich class of South Korea. Many have done it with better quality and more finesse so it doesn't even impress as much when you have already watched, like, Parasite! There is an attempt to make this appear as an erotic thriller and I guess it is but it wasn't nearly thrilling enough to say the job was done well. There was also no complexity in the characters' true motives. They were exactly what you see in frame one and remain unchanged all throughout; kind of like two-dimensional sketches. Motivations of certain characters made no sense, like the majordomo whom I would have liked to slap a few times. I don't know, it just felt like no point was made throughout the whole runtime. To me, that's a waste of time and energy. The ending sort of jumps into absurdist surrealism and I hate that even more. Stick a style, please!
As for the acting...I don't know if it was intentionally ridiculous or not but no one behaved like normal humans. Also, I'm wondering, has Park Ji Young ever played a positive role?! She's always bad news! Every time she shows up on screen, I know she's either gonna try to poison someone or cut someone's junk off! She's like a narrative bad omen, I swear!
So, I was so intrigued by what this film could be like and I was excited to watch it. Now that I have, I am underwhelmed. It was nothing to write home about.
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I don't really like or care about baseball...but Namkoong Min is in it
This is one of the most well-made Kdramas out there. The production value, the plot, the acting, everything was A+. The style is sort of similar to shows like Prison Playbook or Dr. Romantic, in which a lot of different characters' stories are told and while there are central characters in the plot, they are not the major focus of the show but rather the conduits though which the story is told. There's a lot of social commentary in this, with attention to the importance of community, Korean ethical values, corruption, passion and empathy, and doing the right thing despite the difficulties. Lots of han, lots of jeong, lots of annoying villains. And by the end, you are supposed to feel this sense of camaraderie with the characters and cheer for their success and cry with their failures.It's a really good show. The casting line-up are insanely talented and they all brought their best as usual. I think there was like a random kpop idol actor in the mix too and ...well, he was certainly an idol...they always stand out like sore thumbs, you know?! But overall everyone was good. And I really enjoyed this.
I can't say that it inspired any intense emotional investment in me that it would make it an all-time favorite though. It was a really good show. It was emotional at parts and by the end you really care about it all but there was also a sense of distance between the characters and viewers that never really slid away for me. There were parts when I was bored or too annoyed at the jerks but overall, this is a show definitely worth watching and a delight. Especially, it's good for watching with family...though maybe not small babies family, since I think there was a lot of cursing and it has a lot of business talk so kids will be sooooo bored. But like, adult child and adult siblings/parents...that would be a good watch.
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Actions speak louder than words.
Objectively a great show, this show falls short of a 10-star review because 1) That's for shows I actually loved and enjoyed every moment of and 2) The storytelling falls short of delivering the proper emotions at parts.I also feel very conflicted about whether I should recommend this or not. The thing is the production level of this is amazing. The cinematography, set design, lighting, make-up, clothes, directing, and acting are on par with the best of the best, I believe. It's a naturalist style, to a fault! Every character, situation, and interaction feels, painfully, like it was plucked from a real moment. And from episodes 1 to 6, I loved that world so much, that I wanted to open the screen and crawl into it and live in the characters' lives. The show just makes Japan look lovable!...and then episode 7 happens.
For the record, I don't think the show is "ruined". They didn't "mess up". The plot works. The doomed, terrible fallout is logical and expected. It's just that that moment feels like a balloon has burst and suddenly the rose-colored glasses are off and you see the grimy, messed gore of the show's underbelly. Nothing in life is that clean, easy, and straightforward forward, and as a show that feels more like a documentary in its realism than a scripted scenario, it was bound to fall apart as magnificently as it did. But just because it's logical and true to style, doesn't mean I enjoyed sitting through it. This was so upsetting. Maybe because it felt so real, it hurt more than your average drama. It was devastating and I felt so much distress during the final hours of the show. So how can I just consider the technical part when the emotional part was so scarring and dissatisfying?
Summary: The story follows three friends. Meiko, a girl with a hardened heart but a deep fear of abandonment, Makki who is the poster child for a manic pixie dream boy but who is actually hiding his fear of being left behind under a sunny personality so people around him don't feel burdened by his sadness and won't leave him, and Eiji a spineless but kind university student who I would like the punch very very hard in his soft face but that's not related to the plot. Meiko has sworn off relationships, and Eiji has recently discovered he's gay. He falls for the INAPPROPRIATELY younger Makki and Meiko who is lowkey 100% also in love with Makki just sort of settles for supporting them and hangs around like a really lovely third wheel. Things fall apart later. Of course they would...ugh!
Plot: I could probably write a whole essay on this show's plot. It's low-key brilliant but it's also so frustrating. So you end up wanting to acknowledge how brilliant it was but being too pissed off by everything that goes down to be able to appreciate its greatness. That's why you would see a lot of reviews either praise what a great show it was but avoid talking about the details or people ranting angrily at how much they hated this and rating it suspiciously low. I'm here to tell you both are valid reactions. I also feel like throwing the metaphorical show out of the window from frustration but also give the crew a standing ovation. Frankly, I'm only just leaning towards praise because I didn't like Eiji's character much and liked the fourth (mysteriously kept out of my summary) main character who shows up way too late into this show. Now if I wanna get real deep into it, this is how I would review the plot. There are two issues with the plot:
1) The core of this story lies in the name of the show: More than words. In order to understand the plot, the characters, their motivations, and their ridiculous choices, you need to pay attention not to what the characters say with their words but what they say with their actions. Characters say they want something but don't really mean it. Others say they don't want someone but actually do. Other characters just don't say much but show their feelings with their actions and ultimately the tragedy of this story comes from the fact that even the characters miss each other's silent pleas. It's beautiful but also...it wasn't totally well delivered? Some bits of the editing work to the detriment of the plot. They manage to trivialize certain dynamics or underplay the importance of certain connections to the point that until the end, I'm still not sure who feels what and how much. And not knowing this, affects how you see these characters. This works especially against the relationship between Eiji and Makki which in addition to having a very imbalanced power dynamic, also suffers from the fact that I could never be totally sure just how committed one was to the other. Meiko is our POV character for most of the show and she herself knows there's a deep part of Makki and Eiji's relationship that she can never gain access to (and she desperately wishes to insert herself into it! Gosh!) But because of this, it just feels like Eiji and Makki are really good friends who are randomly living in the same house! Now, in retrospect, this may have also been due to an unreliable narrative situation involving Meiko's perspective of things (and how she wanted to make it SEEM less deep than it was due to personal...guilt) because, in the last 3 episodes of the show, you get ALL that when Makki is the POV character, lol (and honestly? that's when I started to feel nauseated watching this because a 16yo should never date a 22yo because that clearly fcked up his perception of intimacy and it was just painful to watch during those last few episodes AAAAA) Anyway, I'm getting off track but what I'm trying to say is, I could never trust Eiji's feelings, not the whole time throughout the show and he just irks me, that creepy mf.
2) The second arc is too short. So turns out, this show is an adaptation of a manga called "More than Words" and a partial adaptation of another manga called "In the Apartment". With MTW being the prequel to the main story of ITA. Unfortunately, though, this show is 80% More Than Words and only includes one arc of In The Apartment. Mainly because that's when the narrative set up in MTW reaches its conclusion and this being more focused on MTW, they probably added the extra episodes for clarity. But, In the Apartment is a nice story too! It's not as raw or lovable as MTW, but MTW was actually a mirage so that's why it was too good to be true, anyway. ITA is more realistic in its gloominess but less so in its characterizations because we only get a very very summarised glimpse of it. To be honest, I would have loved it if this show had 3 or 4 more episodes so that we could see Makki's character recover a bit from the messed up indoctrination that his former relationship left on him. He was so flawed and beaten down by the end, I wanted to just sit and cry for the kid.
I also have to talk about the characterizations because, despite her selfishness and bad choices, I really liked Meiko's character too. All the characters are so flawed but so well-written. Even though I want to sucker punch Eiji, I still appreciate his characterization. It's so brilliant. And of course, I feel deeply sorry for Makki because we just don't see enough of his interiority but what little we glimpse of him through the eyes of others is so intriguing and interesting. And that brings me to the next point:
Acting: The acting in this show is wonderful! Usually for me, Japanese dramas are a hit or miss as frequently they have this cartoonish, cutesy, over-the-top acting that I just hate. I simply hate it. There was none of that here. Maybe, some background characters had a bit of that but the main cast was so good, so natural, so level-headed, and so realistically awkward in their performances that I just can't praise them enough. Such a wonderful cast. I love them. They made the characters FEEL complex, like real humans.
Production and music: I already said how wonderful the production is. I will just add that the credits are so beautiful too. So smart. Also, the music on this show is amazing. This is how you score a show! SK and China please take notes...please! I am begging!
Rewatch: Hell, no.
Negatives: There is a freaking minor/adult relationship in this show. It's never properly addressed as being weird and I know, it's not legally wrong in Japan since I think the age of consent is 13?! But still. How do I say this... this must be how the relationship is in the show because the show may not say it but as you watch, you can literally see the bad education and emotional scarring that such a relationship left on the minor. The show doesn't mention it but it's there! Right there! Especially if you have seen this in real life, you will know the signs and they are there and it's heartbreaking. I just wish we got more of the show so we could see more of that aftermath and maybe some form of recovery because no minor deserves to be taken advantage of like that and then just be left to fend for themselves. (now if you'll excuse me I'll go cry)
Overall: I don't know if I should recommend this. I would have recommended it if I'd written this while watching episode 5 but...I've seen all 10 and while I know it's a good show, the lingering emotions I feel after watching this are not what I would like to share with you all. Dive in at your own risk!
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Lingering Regrets
Well, that was depressing.So how do you differentiate BL from queer art? Because...I see people refer to LGBT films and shows from Asia as BL as if the type of queerness is different from Western ones?! That's a bit weird. Gay is gay everywhere, no?!
Anyway, this is a story of sexual awakening in a crappy era in Taiwan and it's appropriately heartbreaking. You can't really expect all daisies and roses from an era where political and social upheaval are piled on top of dominant prejudices. It's not a cute, fluffy story. So the plot and the characters' characterization are appropriately bleak and raw. It's tragic and heartbreaking, not just due to the circumstances but also because of the regrettable choices made by the characters that make life even harder for them. Then, it is no one's doing but theirs.
I enjoyed this but the experience is bittersweet as the implications of the timeline and the story speak of lost time, irreversible mistakes, and regrets that haunt the characters 30 years into the future. But it's done very well so it feels satisfying to watch the story develop.
That said, I did not love the movie from start to finish. I found the conversation scenes with the priest to be stilted and unnatural. They felt too much like preaching and it made the whole thing awkward. I also disliked the flash-forward in the end; not because of the positive or negative ending but because it felt like over-explanation in a way that was not very graceful. There seemed to be too much conversation. Or the camera was following where it was not meant to go? I don't know, it just didn't feel connected to the rest of the film. It felt like a totally different movie and while I liked the atmosphere and aesthetic of the past (not just visually but the cinematography and the direction choices too) the modern bit felt like your run-of-the-mill indie film...I just didn't like it. It felt like there was a break in the film's flow. Maybe if they had maintained the vibes, I would have liked it better.
The acting...well, actually I watched this because I liked Tseng Jing Hua in a different project and came here for that so I knew the acting was going to be good. But the rest of the cast was great too. I really liked Edward Chen. They kind of break your heart throughout the film.
Music is a big part of this film and so they paid special attention to it. It pays off.
Would I rewatch? I would rather not, to be honest. I hate stories about regret the most. They make me so anxious. So once is enough!
Overall: I guess you can watch it if you don't mind a little heartbreak. It's not a feel-good film but it's also not high-art...still, I think it's worth a watch, for sure. The quality is genuinely high, the story is touching and the acting is moving. You wouldn't feel like you wasted your time. It will be well-spent watching this.
P.S.: A bit of an unrelated tangent but this movie just proved to me once more that with proper crew and budget, Taiwan can save us from certain bad adaptations and censored content...just putting it out there.
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Could use more kisses, tbh
Watching this I realised I barely remembered the show, actually. Now, I'm not sure if this had extra scenes and that's why I didn't remember those or if I just forgot big chunks of the plot...we might never know!So my enjoyment of this show/movie is a 10 but if I'm 100% honest the quality is at 8.5 stars. Some plot points don't make total sense to me and sometimes the never-ending onslaught of tension feels a bit suffocating but I like the overall drive of the narrative and the upward development of the story. The plot doesn't feel stuck and the writers always find a way to push the characters forward even when the plot reaches a standstill. I also just find the romantic plotline so cute. This is how you do enemies to lovers! Don't let those tiktok fantasy fanatics trick you! Enemies to Lovers was always about petty crap like the initial tension in this story and this show/movie is a great example of how you develop such a plot in a cute and satisfying way. It's such a wholesome story with the right mix of tension, fluff, and humor that you will feel comfortable revisiting it over and over again.
The acting here is also better-that-average. They are obviously new to all this and still learning but I think they both did a good job. Lots more to learn for sure but they still did such a good job here. Better than most K-BL actors. This one really stands out. The supporting cast were great too. They endear you to their characters and though we see them for a limited time, they all feel fleshed out and real.
Production did such a good job. There's a podcast out there somewhere which explains the use of color theory in semantic error. If you can find it, it's worth a listen. The editing is also good. At 2 hours and 57 minutes, this is officially way too long and it took me a whole day to finish it(...I don't know why the math is mathing like that) and yet, I would say, it's worth it. I swear the show didn't have all this detail, somehow the flow of the story makes better sense here? Hmmm...odd!
I would also say this is a rewatch-worthy movie. It's romantic. It's cute. It's fluffy. It's a feel-good film to revisit when you're down. It's like a bite-sized feel-good pill.
Overall: I highly recommend it. You can also watch the show but I feel like this one is more convenient. Especialy for bingable reasons. No need to go to "next episode" like a procastinator's version of walk-of-shame.
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Revenge is best served in 12 episodes!
I didn't initially have any interest in watching this drama but then a recommendation from a friend led me to give it a chance and I'm glad I watched it. It's such a deliciously satisfying story of revenge and payback.Summary: Woman gets betrayed. Woman dies. She transmigrates to ten years earlier. Woman gets revenge!
This is a very fun show to watch. It's super satisfying too. Though episodes 12 to 16 just nosedived into hell and I can't even pretend to like that bit. The ending was extremely cringe too. This show should've been 12 episodes and finished with an elegant ending but then they dragged it on with silly subplots for way too long. It was embarrassing. However, the run from episode 1 to 10 was probably one of the most satisfying arcs I've seen in any show. Is it a bit cliche? Yes. Are the actors the best ever? Probably not. Was it a total rip-off of Perfect Marriage Revenge? Sort of? But that's actually a good thing! So if you enjoyed that one, you will definitely love this one too.
The acting was also pretty good. I mean, the main actress was a bit melodramatic and her acting is a bit wishy-washy but the secondary actors were worthy. Like the best friend? She was one of the creepiest characters I've ever watched! BOA is a terrible actress though. Whatever she does...she should just avoid acting. That was so embarrassing. I don't get what the director was thinking with that casting.
Also honestly? I actually watched this twice! So it's one of those rare shows that I consider worth a rewatch.
Music, I only noticed one use of music in this and it was the extremely satisfying use of No More Dream at the end of episode 6. I jumped 50 centimeters up in the air. I'm not even exaggerating. My leg hit the table and I had a nasty bruise afterward. Production-wise, it looks like they worked a lot but honestly? The fashion and general vibe of 2013 is all wrong. Just watch one 2013 show and you'll get what I mean! The fashion follows all the current trends and it's almost like halfway through, they forgot that this was set in the past. The only thing they kept diligently correct was the phone.
Overall, I'd say if you want a wish fulfillment, revenge story with over-the-top fashion and an interesting plot, then go for it but be ready to get really annoyed after episode 11.
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Plot: Season 2 doesn't have the majority of the pacing and goals issues that season one had. In fact, it's so good at setting small stakes that not only do the first two episodes have a separate revenge-style agenda set for the main character but the final episodes also have a clear sense of risk and drive. While the main character is still an unpleasant dumbass, the show is finally more at pace with it and it comes across as an inside joke between the viewers and Death than just a badly written MC. Plus, the emotional connections that season 1 lacked are here galore and it can really get to you by the end of the show. I actually liked this part a lot. I guess the issue was always a pacing problem but I give the writers some credit, it feels like a difficult plot to balance. There was still plenty of melodramatic violence and I want to say some was gratuitous but at least this time it worked with what the plot was trying to achieve.
Acting: I feel like maybe this half also had a stronger cast? They brought the characters alive and sure, we had more time to connect with these characters (thank goodness!) so it was easier to have emotional investment in them but the good acting helped too.
Music and production: Same as season 1
Rewatch value: Hmmm still none.
Negatives: The MC really is an absolute idiot! So it didn't ruin the show this time but he does frustrate a lot. And the jump from episode 4 to 5, there is such a dramatic shift from fighting death to revenge plot that I was a little skeptical at first but it was well-executed so it wasn't so bad. But they sure took their time to make a very simple point!
Overall: This half was actually good. I know it wouldn't be a meaningful show without the first half though. So this is a conflicted review. I can't tell you to watch the first half because I really disliked it and 50% is a lot of a show to tolerate for the longest build-up. But if you're willing to sit through that, this half of the show was very enjoyable so definitely keep watching. I mean, it's not a top ten show of the year or most loved or anything for me but it was watchable.
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Shorter doesn't mean good
I'm so irritated by this show because it started with such an intriguing and interesting premise and it kept the suspense going for a while before everything became too complicated but ultimately, it had such a cop-out ending that it just made the whole thing underwhelming. I feel like with a better production, not more expensive but better as in better direction and story development, and a better conclusion, this show could've been basically a perfect suspense mystery.Watch if you like:
1. 10-minute long dramas
2. Gaslighting used in the correct context of its meaning
3. Infidelity plots
4. Sad endings
5.Unreliable narrator stories
6.Mystery/Suspense
Summary: A woman has an accident and afterwards has some trouble with her memory. She then suspects that her husband and best friend are cheating on her. Things get worse when she begins to suspect a deeper scheme at work: that her husband may just be trying to drive her crazy in order to get rid of her!
Plot: Honestly, the plot started so interesting. It was actually mysterious and intriguing and I just feel like the production quality was low and they struggled to perfect the delivery in certain scenes but otherwise, it was good. And to be fair to the creators, the last 4 episodes wrap the story up...it's just that they do it in the dumbest, most convoluted and ridiculous way possible! There is one very simple issue with the completed arc of this story and it's the fact that the linchpin that holds the whole show together is something so unrealistic and illegal that this show can't even exist in the realm of fiction. It's just so dumb that I want to scream at someone about it. But I also don't want to spoil you so -_- Anyway, I would say, it manages to stay afloat but the ending ruined it. It was the equivalent of "it was all a dream" and we all know that's lazy writing.
Acting: It wasn't great. They manage...sort of...but not really!
Music: It was adequate.
Production: Again. I think this show could've thrived in the hands of an auteur director. A lot of the scenes look like they were filmed for a TV ad or some other super low quality purpose but if they had been filmed with intention by someone who knows proper cinematography, symbolism, etc. they would have had high emotional impact. I would actually love to see a better remake of this.
Rewatch: No.
Conclusion: I don't really recommend watching this but I also think most people will enjoy this if they give it a chance and the concepts of the story are among those that usually interest them.
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Grey is the new black!
While watching this show I realized…there are an awful lot of shows about prisons, aren’t there?! Anyway, Prison Playbook is one of the many prison shows out there but don’t get tricked by the ominous concept and poster, this show is not a violent, grimdark view of the place where the deviants go to rot. This is decidedly a comedy-drama about community, empathy, and self-betterment. The story is centered around friendship and hope and it’s full of quirky characters that will steal your heart.Yes, yes, I’ll admit it…I did start watching this show for Jung Hae In, guilty as charged (!), but he didn’t show up until episode five (really, six) and by then I was already invested in the show so that just goes to show how entertaining it is.
This show is way too famous for me to recommend it so I’ll just get to it. You should watch this show if you like :
1. Orange is the new black
2. Prison life stories
3. Ensemble shows
4. Comedy
5. Bromance
6. Slice of life
7. Barely-there romance plots
Plot: The plot is naturally very good. The story is interesting from the start…sort of. I didn’t love the first episode but it slowly gets better. While the main plot revolves around Je-Hyuk, the show is rather decentralized with side characters getting fleshed out subplots of their own. But all those plots would be nothing without the great character work in the show. The strength of this show lies in its ensemble cast and the idiosyncratic antiques of each character, their past, and their uncertain futures. The plots grip you because they rely on the viewer’s investment in the betterment of the characters and what happens to them. Thus, they only engage and entertain because viewers care to know about the characters. A lot of the subplots were meaty enough to be their own shows. For example Captain Yoo’s subplot, while a nightmare-fuel in its own right, could easily be a miniseries of its own. The other subplots may not be able to carry a whole show as easily as Captain Yoo’s plotline can but they too had the potential to be standalone. Yet as subplots, they do not feel overshadowed or underdeveloped. This is mainly due to the amazing character work that has been done. While each character is in focus for a short while, they are all so well developed that they managed to deliver the maximum impact while they can and when they are not in focus, fade perfectly into the supportive position while maintaining the personality and history that was developed for them in their central plot.
The show also has a bizarre flashback format that is a bit disorienting but you’ll get used to it. Romance is not central in the show but what little of it appears, is endearing enough to capture the heart. I would even say the show has one of the cutest romantic exchanges I have ever seen but I won’t spoil it for you!
Acting: Everyone did an amazing job. As I mentioned, the supportive cast is very well-written and engaging and thankfully each actor amazingly brought them all to life furthering their impact.
Music and production: Music was there. Nothing exceptional but not bad either. The production is also good. The show stays in small prison sets for the most part so there's not a lot of variety. I don't really know what prisons in South Korea look so I can't attest to its realism or anything but it looks real enough? The technicalities were all good to my unprofessional eyes too.
Rewatch: I don’t have time to rewatch shows but it’s a good show to go back to.
Negatives: There are a couple of things that bothered me in the show. One thing was how the sexual assault that triggers the plot was treated. I understand that the sister is not the main character and therefore her plot is not central but she had enough screen time that it would’ve made sense for them to at least deal with it a bit. However, the show never even verbally acknowledges the character’s trauma from the event. The thing is only mentioned in regards to how the main character, her brother, felt about it all. Even she is shown to be feeling guilty for causing him to go to jail but showing no sign of PTSD as a result of the event. Speaking from experience one would know that the trauma of sexual assault never just fades away without actively dealing with it. It festers and affects anything from relationships and intimacy to simple daily functions. A little reference to her struggles would’ve been nice. Secondly, this show is the first kdrama I have seen that has a gay character not as a joke but as a fleshed-out human while also not being a BL show. Yes, the character is funny and has some special antiques but he’s never made fun of for being gay so you can imagine my disappointment when he is the only character whose arc ends negatively. Moreover, the only other queer-coded character in the show just happens to be the only “villain” who stays evil throughout the show and is never redeemed. So yes, basically what I’m saying is that the show treats its not-straight characters very badly and I’m a bit bothered by that. That said, the show is still good and right up to the end, that character’s plot was very well-written and he is one of my favorite characters of the show. Thirdly, the romance of Je-Hyuk and Ji-Ho had me squint my eyes a bit...like being into someone you knew when they were a kid and you were grown up?! Sounds fake but okay...
Overall: A really good and heartwarming show. I really needed something that celebrates the better part of humanity while ironically dealing with the worst humanity has to offer. It’s a hopeful show that tugs at your heartstrings in a good way.
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There's not much to say, really
I finally finished the best show on MDL at the moment and I don't know what to say. All that could be said has already been said. This show took dramaland by storm and I think it was fair. It feels like old-school kdramas like Reply 1988 but sort of more angsty. It was beautiful and frustrating, sad and funny just as life would be. The production quality and acting are immaculate. The whole cast and crew clearly put their all into making this the perfect project and there isn't anything to add besides just saying: they all did amazing. The show looks and feels cinematic.Plot: The whole point of this show is to shed light on the lives of ordinary people in order to highlight their extraordinariness. So naturally, it had parts that frustrated as well as parts that inspired. I tried my best not to get mad at the characters for their immaturities because while other shows' immature characters feel like flaws in the narrative, the immature and petulant behavior of the characters here felt like rites of growing up. Their mistakes felt like unavoidable twists of fate, and their broken connections were...well, that's just life! I find it very hard to judge this show for any choice it made narratively because everything seemed too true to life and a part of the realism of it! So yeah! The show gets away by virtue of being too realistic!
That said, I preferred the parents' plotline to their daughter's and the later episodes, because she was just too frustrating and unfair at times. I get that she had it hard too but she just nagged way too much! It was sort of embarrassing and painful to watch her feel inferior to the entitled rich people when those rich people were so pathetic and unworthy. But again...that's true to life! The parents, on the other hand, were so pitiful, you just can't help but root for them. Also that part has romance and family drama and a historical setting...it just hit different!
Acting: I don't wanna add much here: IU was great, I always knew she was great. Yeon Hye Ran deserves ALL the awards and Park Bo Gum was so good here, he single-handedly pushed me from holding massive contempt towards him to actually enjoying his presence. So much so I was upset when he was absent from an episode. Everyone else was equally great; the whole cast was amazing, really.
Music: This show also had perfect music. The theme song (which is called Spring, btw, you're welcome!) was so beautiful and nostalgic that I couldn't bear to skip the intro. The rest, I don't really remember, but it was mostly old Korean music and IU, so it was great.
Production: I wonder what the budget was because everything production-wise was so perfect and spot-on that you don't even think about it. It all just feels real.
Rewatch value: I don't think so! I will end up crying way too much and I feel all out of tears!
Overall: It's great! Go watch it!
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A dancer dies twice.
"A dancer dies twice—once when they stop dancing, and this first death is more painful.” Martha GrahamThis show is hands down, one of the best Kdramas I have ever seen and probably the most touching one since The Red Sleeve, for me. I feel like it should be going down in some book as one of the most poignant shows made about music, art, the artist's connection to their art, tradition, and the slow painful death that culture goes through when the times move on with a faster speed than it can keep up with. This show is a love story. Not a romantic love story, though. It is a love letter to Pansori and Gukgeuk. They have crafted this story with such compassion and care that you are moved by the slow tragedy that unfolds, twice over; once on behalf of the characters who are going through it, and once again as you absorb the enormity of watching an era's slow but dignified death.
The story follows country bumpkin, Jeongnyeon, who loves to sing but is forbidden to do so by her mother. After finally escaping home, she comes to Seoul to audition for a position at a gukgeuk troupe called Mearan. After finally getting in, her true journey starts: honing her craft, learning humility, making friends and foes, and overcoming the unexpected hardships that life puts in her path.
The story is heartbreaking as things first go up but unavoidably come down again, as darkness overcomes the light. And one comes to understand that sometimes determination and love are not enough and despite wanting otherwise, some endings are unfortunately inevitable. The only thing that remains is the love for the music. For singing. For dancing. The joy of bringing that art to the insatiable audience. This is not a love story but it might as well have been.
Unfortunately for this show, it is an adaptation of a webtoon, and as all webtoons cast a curse on their good adaptations, this one also had the misfortune of being a significantly inaccurate adaptation, or so I've heard, and that has come to harm the show's intergrity. The source material being an explicitly sapphic romance, the show falls short of bringing that from subtext into text and in addition, has erased a key love interest out of existence, so it seems to be suffering from a boycott by the original source's fans.
I haven't read the original and, not being a fan of Korean webtoons, it's unlikely I will ever read it so I can't judge the depth of the betrayal but as a casual viewer with no prior knowledge of this webtoon's existence, just watching the show as a show that exists separate from its other associations,I thought this show was magnificent. There was also definitely multiple romantic subplots but the romance is not the center of the story here. At all! But its existence is pivotal to how the characters behave and move the plot forward so despite not being centered, it is a critical part of the story that helps connect every character and their motivations together. That said, the main pairing of the story wasn't my favorite and my investment in their romance was very low (hashtag Team Jeong-Seo 4ever!) I was more interested in another dynamic that never actually developed fully into a romance. However, the sapphic themes are obvious and crucial but not central as the story takes great pains to put the love for gukgeuk at the forefront of the show and I loved that decision, actually. The way that this show talks about music and art is magnificent and something I have rarely seen done with so much love and devotion to the craft. So I still think this is still a love story but not a romance.
The acting is pure perfection. I'm actually speechless. I can't find enough words to praise this ensemble. Every single actress in this show was perfect. They were so good! They were glorious! Artful! Sensational! I don't know! Kim Tae Ri doesn't even need an explanation. Everybody knows she's amazing. But holy f***, I did not know Jung Eun Chae had that in her, woah! Also, the rest of this cast need to be 50 times more famous, already. Shin Ye Eun was so good and so was Woo Da Vi and everyone else too! And I haven't even gotten to explaining what magic they created when they were performing on the stage within the show. I cried so much, watching these actors as their characters put on shows in which they played other characters!!!! That's two layers of acting and they did it with such passion and refinement, I was crying during every Changgeuk performance. Which brings me to...
Music: So the music in this show is a solid 10 out of 10 stars because the music is out of this world. This is essentially a musical, with at least two musical performances per episode throughout the run. Each song is performed again and again by multiple characters in parts before we see the full performances later on. Each freaking performance brought tears to my eyes. I'm not Korean but my god!!!! These songs based on Korean folklore touched my heart like I had grown up with them! I cried A LOT! Because the music was so pure and the artistic value was so high that it did not require education or knowledge to be moved by it. And that's how it should be. I love pansori but I had never listened to it to this extent and honestly, it was a bit heartbreaking hearing this heavenly music of the past and thinking of what is called "music" today. We live in hell.
The production of this show was immaculate too. The quality was so high that I have no comment besides pouring out many praises. Nailed it!
Rewatch value: Girl, I might! I don't know! I already wanna rewatch some scenes, to be honest...
Overall: I don't know. I loved this. Storytelling: perfect! Plot's progress: devastatingly touching. Acting: Awards are not enough. Music: Ethereal. Production: Professional and flawless. I don't know, this was as good as it gets both in substance and production. We rarely get shows that are so uniformly good and I just feel like it would be the loss of a lifetime to miss out on experiencing such a feat.
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Hell is other people.
Happiness is a tv show about the inherent horror of having to quarantine in close proximity to other people! Initially, I refrained from putting this show in my To-Watch list because I thought watching a show about quarantine while I’m stuck in quarantine for the nth wave of the covid pandemic, might be a bit too much on my psyche but I am glad I ended up watching it. It was worth it. Weirdly validifying too. Like, yeah, I have to deal with jerks in my quarantine too. Thanks for acknowledging my struggles!!!Let me give you some rundown: this is not a zombie apocalypse show, nor is it a survivalist show. This is a show dedicated to the complex and unexpected developments of human behavior and psyche when people are forced to stay put in one place due to a crisis. A study of humanity in high-stress situations which is also sprinkled with jump scares, actions scenes, zombie attacks, and so on, yes, but those are the conditions that provide for the real goal of the story: The plague is humanity!
I really enjoyed this show, even though I hate gore and thriller stories and never touch zombie stories. They really scare me because to me nothing is worse than twisting into a monster that no longer has the ability of human thought and control. It’s just terrifying to watch a human distort their body in all the wrong directions, snarling and groaning and making grabby-hand gestures, okay?! But this show was so graceful about it. Because it showed all the ways that humans can lose their ability to think and control their worst urges and instincts while looking perfectly normal. You really don’t need to be a zombie to suck the life out of the people around you! The real zombies are the bad company! (I love all these ah-ha! takes I can have about this show! lol) I just love how this show displays just that.
You should check this out if you can handle:
1. Zombies
2. Humans acting like monsters
3. Seriously. There’s some heavy psychological deterioration displayed in this show
4. Effortless chemistry and romantic dynamic that is super subtle and not overly-emphasized
5. FOUND.FAMILY. (YAAAAAAASSSSSS!)
6. Quarantine shows
7. Thrillers, horror, jump scares, gore and blood
8. People being stupid
9. Regressive narratives (no one is really having a personal growth here in that cathartic way that hallmark-level romcoms will provide with convenient monologues and stuff)
Summary: The story follows three characters: Yoon Sae Bom, a special task force member who after a difficult childhood is desperate to have a home of her own™, Jung Yi Hun, her best friend, and an ex-baseball player who is now a detective and is desperately and secretly in love with her, and Han Tae Seok, a Machiavellian out-hire in the military in charge of containing and managing a new and bizarre disease spreading through Korea. Long story short, people are becoming zombies. Sae Bom and Yi Hun have just moved into their new, fancy little apartment and want nothing but to live a happy life but all that is put on the back burner when their entire apartment complex gets quarantined for being the epicenter for the disease. What comes after is just…human horror!
Plot: If you’ve had the displeasure to come into contact with a little story called “The Lord of flies” then you’ll have a general idea of just what this show is trying to achieve. A definite nod and modernization of that same premise, this show is the most current concept out there, dedicated to all the terrible ways that quarantining and having to stay in closed spaces with other people can just suck the life out of you! The show puts a bunch of characters with personal motives and unique kinds of hidden skeletons in one apartment building where as time goes by, everyone just transforms into a more exaggerated version of their initial vices or rise to the occasion to reveal hidden depths. It’s all about the study of human behavior. Because from the get-go the story presents the zombie situation as a disease, then the show is not about blowing zombie heads off for brownie points but instead, it constantly goes to lengths to highlight the humanity hidden behind their situation. This distinctly differentiates it from a zombie apocalypse story. Because it’s not an apocalypse. I think the whole thing is an allegory. Although the show mentions covid by name, really the zombie disease is also covid. From people who refuse to follow health protocols to those who want to get out of the quarantine even though they have nowhere to go, to the essential workers who have to go out against their better judgment, to those who are just looking to make profits from a dire situation, it's all so familiar and real. The show goes to some dark places about humanity and if you can handle those stuff, it can be so interesting.
And to top it all off, even though this is not a romance show, there is such a dynamic chemistry between the leads, and their harmony with each other and their deep love and care for the other is what carries the show. It’s just a sweet treat in the heart of an upsetting story. At the same time as this, I'm also watching a show, explicitly marketed as a romance and that's just giving me nothing while this show's barely-there romance plot is so profoundly lovely.
I also want to add that the side characters are all so interesting and the more you watch them, they all reveal more of themselves and become more defined in a way that encourages you to care about some and just hope the others die in the most violent way possible... (Plot twist: the viewer becomes a zombie in the process of watching jerks do jerk-stuff!)
Lastly, the show does a great job of highlighting class divisions and social caste systems. I’ve come to notice that Kdramas are particularly good at telling stories about class and this show is another good example of it. There are so many detailed nods to it here and there and it was morbidly delicious to watch it all unfold.
Acting: Everyone did an amazing job in their roles. The show had clear main characters and those guys were awesome with Han Hyo Joon and Park Hyung Sik having some of the best chemistry I’ve seen all year but the show is also an ensemble affair so it matters that the supporting cast members are good in their roles as well. I think they achieved that for sure. This might seem like a super random shoutout but Hong Soon Chang was a delight in his role as the elderly neighbor. His character was not even particularly likable but his manner of speech and body language were just so natural and interesting that he felt like an actual person you can meet in real life. I really enjoyed his screen time.
Music and production: The music was very good. It helped elevate the emotions of that every moment without being too predictable The zombie attack theme was so heart-throbbing but also it wasn't just the same horror movie beat. The music also stopped in all the right places so as to add to the gravitas of certain moments. The production was also very good. It just looked very nice and cool and I don’t know, I liked it.
Rewatch: I don’t really rewatch so probably I won’t but at least I can acknowledge that the 12-episode run makes it accessible. I usually lose interest in kdramas around episode 12 of 16(Unless they have 20 episodes, then I’m fine!!!). That’s where I pause a lot of them, check out my on-hold list, lol. So, it was a great delight that this show ends right before I could get bored/irritated.
Negatives: Um, I saw some people nag that the show’s premise is not realistic and ask for a scientific explanation of the disease…sweetie, it’s a drama...about zombies!!! It’s not a scientific article! It’s all fake. Zombies are fake, sorry if that’s a shock so…don’t expect realistic science from it?! Idk, I can’t believe this has to be said. The characters do stupid things, they are mean and evil occasionally and bad stuff happens a lot and there’s probably a good amount of plot holes but none of it will really affect your enjoyment of it if you are inclined to like this. There’s also the matter of the ending. I already said this in a comment but this is a petri dish story. A bottle episode, if you will. The plot doesn’t care about the cure, it cares about the humans in that very specific, simulated situation and ends right after the situation is no longer held together. It might feel a bit like the ending is left open without a closure. So just prepare for that.
Overall: This is more like a long movie rather than a short show. It has the same beat and flow as a movie and it’s also just a very interesting story. I wanted to give it a lower rating, a 9 or a 9.5 but ultimately, I really did enjoy watching it. It does infuriate at certain points but that’s kind of the point. I think this show captured our very bizarre and traumatic times by creating an even more bizarre and traumatic allegory and I appreciated that. I also liked that, ultimately it had a heartwarming message. At one point in the story, one of the characters says that they won’t catch the disease because they haven’t done anything wrong, and that is very ironic in many, many different ways but it also brings up an interesting concept; that bad things should and will happen to bad people. Not necessarily. Not really. But it sure does feel good when you watch good people overcome bad things just because they are good.
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I knew this was the gay year!!!
Finally! Finally a 2024 kdrama worth 10 stars! And it's such an atypical, unconventional drama! I had been waiting for a drama with a gay lead that wasn't just a low-budget. web drama for ages. We've had some really good short, low-budget dramas like Sematic Error and The Eighth Sense but they were still very basic BL shows. Now, we finally get a quality drama with queer characters that is on par with the best-produced kdramas out there. I love it. While the show is still shorter than the usual 16-episode kdramas, this is unlike any "BL" content we have seen from Korea, so far.First of, as always, I don't like calling this show BL because...I don't know, I associate that tag with a very specific kind of storytelling: no significant female characters, laser point focus on one conventional (sometimes toxic, sometimes overly heteronormative) romance, no plot or character development beyond fluff or whump. This is not that!
We have a very touching story here, following a young gay man in modern South Korea, who appears to be cynical about the probabilities of finding love in the modern age but who is secretly a hopeless romantic, desperately hoping that he can find love. Only to fail over and over. And then when he finds it? He can't recognize it for what it was: rare, imperfect, precious love.
Our main character here is imperfect, messy, and so real. There is no euphoric character development but you can see his personality and world-view change as the story progresses and his experiences shape who he is. Just like real life. I love the whole cast of characters as they are all well-thought-out and developed, in such ways that make the world of the story richer.
Acting: The acting in this is so good. Still, none of the cast members stands out as much as Nam Yoon Su himself who truly knocked it out of the park here. He went out and beyond bringing the character of Ko Young to life. He was so perfect, it didn't even feel like he was acting. He was just so natural that you would think he is Ko Young and has been for all his life. That said, everyone else was so good. I can't pinpoint any cast member who didn't do their part. Everyone was great. Just A+ performances. Jin Ho Eun makes you fall in love with his sincere and open-hearted Gyu Ho, too. So devastating!
Production: Finally! Finally, we get a queer drama with good lighting and camerawork! I could shed tears! Oh, how I have waited for this! The production level in this show is great and I truly appreciate it. It really adds to the watching quality.
The music choices were very specifically designed to match the storytelling and so while I didn't always like every song, I thought everything fit perfectly in the scenes they were used in and that's a bigger compliment than "I liked the song" in my book.
Overall: If you like good shows, watch it! It's a sort of slice-of-life drama with imperfect characters and heartbreaking plots that are beautifully brought to life thanks to the high-quality production, good writing, and stellar performances.
(And honestly? 16-episode dramas are overrated! They all sucked this year, anyway!)
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Drama of the year, indeed!
It is so me to find the best dramas of 2024 only retrospectively in 2025! This show was so good and I knew it would be but I didn't expect it to be this perfect and I had to postpone watching it for a while but I finally got around to it and I loved it!The most amazing part of this show is the main character. The lead actor is so perfect? I knew of him only through the infamy of his viral "oppaaaa" gif but that was enough to know he is a good actor. He was amazing though! I'm discovering (all these already super-discovered, well-known, applauded by literally everyone) older k-actors and I don't know, I may go back and watch all their old dramas!
This show is a murder mystery with a pressure point that is about to explode like a ticking bomb. The main character's personal investment and involvement in the situation, adds a necessary urgency to the plot that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until all is revealed. I have to say, this was very well-planned. The plot moved so smoothly...that said, there were some parts of the final reveals that I did not love. But overall, everything connects, just as the name of the show promises, like fates connected with a red string of fate. I also loved the characterizations. From the main protagonists to the main villains, to the minor characters, everyone seemed well-thought out with motives that moved the plot forward and helped unravel the mystery.
The story is also strewn with melancholic nostalgia. As the plot progresses and secrets are revealed, old connections are dug up and people are forced to face each other after years of estrangement, you feel sorry for what could have been and what was lost along the way.
In addition to the interesting characterization and sufficient plotting, the show had perfect production. You know how I know it was perfect? It was basically invisible! You don't even notice it! Everything went so smoothly that it never stood out like a sore thumb.
I wouldn't rewatch this probably but it was still such a great drama.
Overall: If you like mysteries, action that isn't just mindless violence, tense plots and interesting characterization, look no further! Watch it! This was the best 2024 show I have watched so far!
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