3
I hated the ending. I can't believe that's how crappy they made the ending to be. This is a manga adaptation!!! The least they could do was follow the manga. I'm mad for the mangaka who didn't fight for her rights. The ending just ruined it for me.
They started the film with a couple of really cute kids whose acting was superb. I love that part were the young boy kissed the young girl so she would stop crying. (Those kids are so freaking adorable!) Then it shifts to the older version the kids, who actually grew up. Here comes in Junior high student Mayu (Mao) and Takuma (Masaki) up to the point they went to high school.
I would have to say, the cinematography was really beautiful and the sound track is pure joy to listen to though the movie was a bit draggy in some parts. The main cast were really good at their role and the story line is so great. Even the manga was quirky, funny and heavy all at the same time. Mao portrayed Mayu as a love-struck teenager who wouldn't let go of a promise made to her. Masaki was great at portraying a guy who is also in love but is afraid to love because he knew he was going to die eventually, *sigh* harsh reality for these two teenage kids.
As the story went on, I was getting too much engrossed because of everything. Even cried in some scenes… but the ending. Oh well. It is a beautifully made movie. But it shows you how much time you are wasting by being an idiot.
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This review may contain spoilers
The movie starts off with the explanation about the male lead – namely Woo Jin and his circumstances in life, then along with it are the visuals. What I like about this movie is how the cinematography works perfectly even in small enclosed areas and the scene would focus on things, which is significant to the main character. As explained in the synopsis above the guy changes his body every freaking day. Imagine changing bodies every time you wake up in the morning. This makes me wonder how long he got used to this before finally deciding to live a life… anyway, that’s just me and my own thoughts. Setting that aside, another fact that got me into this film are the actors. MULTIPLE of them, those who acted as Woo Jin. These actors are not the small time ones whom the director or producer could have randomly selected, but these are BIG names in the industry like: Kim Dae Myung, Park Shin Hye, Park Seo Joon, Ueno Juri, Kim Sang Ho, Lee Jin Wook, Seo Kang Joon, Lee Dong Wook, Yoo Yeon Seok, Kim Shin, Kim Ju Hyuk... if none of those names ring a bell to your memory I’d say you haven’t seen enough KMovie or KDrama. Now is the time to start and get educated. Heh.The story line for me was okay, since it wasn't original and was most likely inspired by the book Every Day by David Levithan, but that's just my theory. The movie was a bit tad slow but I realized that it was how the movie was paced and so I accepted that. There was also some plot holes in which I couldn’t exactly say since it’s going to be a spoiler, so if you are curious about it, you may send me a message so we may discuss on it freely. Music was great, it brought out the emotions of each scene, though it may not be as memorable it worked fine all throughout its run. What made this show amazing was the actors, a whole lot of them. Which I still couldn’t get over with. Han Joo Yoo as the lover was sensational in this film and definitely suited her role, while Lee Dong Hwi who acted as the best friend was such a delight. I wish to see him in more films in the future.
I’m recommending this film for those who are into a peculiar story line which would leave a feel good fuzzy feeling after.
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What I liked about the movie is that it showed how significant a simple thing can be. Like phones, or movies… even cats. Have you ever imagined not having cats around? That being asked, this movie has a statement. It could be an eye opener or a sleep inducing kind of show. Depends on how you would perceive it as you watch. The story line is really heartfelt and yes, sad. I would have to say it hence I put your hopes up that this is going to be a happy movie, because come on and let’s face reality! Not everything has a happy ending. However, along the journey we get bits and pieces of lessons learned and lifelong good memories.
The sub-characters are a plus point for me here even though I find the main character lacking. I have nothing against Sato Takeru as the main lead, but I find his character a bit of a pacifist. For someone who is about to die, I feel that he’s not much determined to live even at the beginning. Anyway, putting my thoughts aside, my favorite character would be the best friend. Hamada Gaku known as Tatsuya the nerdy looking guy who manages a movie rental store. I for one would love to have friend like that, someone who would think that their friendship is a never ending cycle because of a certain connection that they have. Other characters worth mentioning are: Aoi Miyazaki and Harada Mieko. I honestly watched this film because of Aoi and as usual, she never fails to trigger my heart strings whenever I see her on screen. I think her character as the girlfriend has more debt than Takeru’s. Harada on the other hand who acted as the mother portrayed a woman who cared and loved his son as much as she could.
Music wise, it was a beautiful accompaniment to the film’s sad undertone. The mood was perfectly set because of the melody and if the movie ran without the music, it would have been boring and pointless. Cinematography was also amazing, the aerial capture and the video angles gave this vibe that there is more to life than it seems. It had vibrant colors and then dull ones, which seemed to let the viewers feel what the characters on screen are actually feeling.
I rated this movie 7.5/10 due to the main character's flaw and the melancholy feeling the film gave me all throughout. I'm a rom-com kind of girl and being unhappy isn't my forte. All in all, I would still recommend this show even if it’s not a feel good one, but for the lessons we could learn and for the things we take for granted. It has a statement and a very lovely one at that.
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When I started watching this, I simply had to put aside everything else out of my way (including sleep!) just to finish this drama. Aside that, I also decided to edit the subs (which the last time I did so was in 2010) for better quality version and timing for my mom and cousins whom I'm going to share this drama with. I did it all for the sake of sharing the love of this cute dorama, that's how much I got hooked with it.
Truth be told, the drama was full of cliché and since it was basically adapted from a manga... well… for the shoujou manga fans, you know how romance can get out of hand in comic books. For those who don't have any idea, you might want to try reading the manga to understand. However, what sets this drama aside from all the other cliched ones, for me, are the following:
- It's light.
- Easy to watch
- Heartwarming
It reminded me on why I got addicted to watching Jdramas in the first place. I enjoyed them for the short series episodes, simple story line and its uncomplicated humor. It's a mix of all the elements I was looking for a Rom-Com. No politics or heavy conflicts mixed into the drama which really worked well for me.
This is also the first drama I have seen Fujioki Dean act in and I was smitten with the way he spoke in English and Mandarin. I don’t know how his accent for Chinese was, but for his English it was perfect. Undoubtedly, it was given that he'd have a perfect American accent because he did grow up and study in USA. But that aside, I love how charismatic he was as “Shunin”, he was exuding the aura of an irritable middle aged guy but has a heart of a lost puppy (just saying). On the other hand, Fukada Kyoko is another story. I’ve seen her in the drama “Last Friends” a Japanese-Korean drama collaboration which also starred Won Bin. She looked so different from that drama in comparison to this one because she looks younger! Very unbelievable, but thanks to advanced cosmetic technology, it was very much possible. Now she looked a bit like Miyazaki Aoi which was a bit disturbing. Other than that, her acting has improved as well, so it’s quite cool that she came a long way as an actress.
The OST for this drama was done by Aiko and oh how much I’ve missed her voice. As always, she never disappoints, her cute voice suddenly popping out in those sweet or crucial moments throughout the drama leaves an aftertaste of good feels. I might be re-watching this soon in the future when drama drought comes in, but for now, I'm savoring the memory of fluff.
Over all this drama is a fun watch, it won’t leave you heated up or annoyed. Recommending this to all those Jdrama fans who loves to watch Romantic Comedies with lots of cute stuff and good vibes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Initially, I wanted to watch Ip Man rather than this movie, but then my male cousin was insisting on watching this film because he has already started it and kept talking about how awesome it was. I had no idea what I was getting myself into until I started watching it.So here are the things I learned about "The Man from Nowhere":
It was a highly acclaimed film back in 2010.
Won Bin acted as the main character.
The young female actress was Kim Sae Ron.
These names are pretty much known in the Korean entertainment industry up to this day and I can’t believe I missed this film back then. I’ve seen several posters as a reference to this movie in different dramas which states that it was an epic accomplishment for any filmmaker.
But ‘nuff said about that.
What made me like this movie (aside from Won Bin) was how it was action packed and yet emotional. Doesn’t matter that the theme was similar to several old films i.e. Leon – The Professional, which starred Natalie Portman when she was still a young kid. It wasn’t exactly about the story line or the theme. It was more about the character execution of the actors. The young Kim Sae Ron as Jeong So Mi was such an endearing character for so many reasons. On the other hand, Won Bin as Ahjussi absorbed her quirkiness. This emotional exchange goes both ways though, as his character was such an eccentric and aloof person but despite that, So Mi was able to love him as he is, like that of a daughter, while Ahjussi loved her all the same as a father. Their screen time together was so palpable it clenched my heart to watch them all throughout the film.
Then there’s also those supporting characters acted by Kim Hee Won and Kim Sung Oh (oh how I freaking love this guy!!! I always love watching him act regardless if he’s a main character or a supporting one). These pair are the kind of people you would want to bury alive. I was gritting my teeth while watching them, they looked like a bunch of fools but they are both street smart and had evil souls. They work so well as the villains. I sooooo love hate them. Then, put in the thailander Wongtrakul Thanayong as Ramrowan in the mix, the antagonist circle is complete. The guy is such a charismatic assassin, I like him so much because his character is someone who is in for the fight and not exactly for the killing.
On the other aspects of the film, the cinematography and awesome action scenes was spot on and never felt redundant. The heart racing scenes weren’t overwhelming. They were shown with perfect timing which was one of the best things an action film can do. It doesn’t seem tiring to watch. Even though some of the scenes were visually disturbing, I still felt like asking for more because I was looking forward to justice at the end of it all.
For a film with a storyline that centralized about drugs, human trafficking and gangs… it seemed impossible to put in an emotional aspect in all of the chaos happening, but no. The Man from Nowhere is different because it was able to pull in the audience (like me!) in an emotional wreck. I also admire the transition of the main character from his past character to his present and then back again, it made him seem more... human. And then insert the back ground music, things couldn’t be more perfect.
One thing I try not to think too much about is associating Cha Tae Shik to the character of Robert McCall which Denzel Washington portrayed in the movie "Equalizer". Both characters were fearless and mind-blowing-badass that they are so freaking similar. I don’t want to talk too much about their similarities hence the spoiler. You must check both movies to see the resemblance of characters for yourself. I will probably re-watch this in the near future, but as of now, I will meditate in the memory of such an astounding film.
Highly recommending this to all action-buffs out there.
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Upon watching, I feel like the main character Yozo Oba has lived such a bleak existence. He had no sense of purpose and I felt bad for him as he trudged on with his life not knowing where to go, what exactly he wants to achieve or simply not knowing how to live in happiness. Near the end of the film though, there was a glimpse of a little fulfillment and joy in his desolate life, but it didn't actually last long. Things simply happen and life was being a bitch to him.
Music wise, it was melancholic and enough to make the film into what its tone should be but it's not something that has wowed me enough to remember it. I'm having second thoughts on re-watching it, probably I will in the far future if I wanted to re-analyze my own life if it has indeed become as depressing as Yozo Oba.
Overall, I would suggest that if someone would decide to check this movie out simply because Ikuta Toma is their bias, think again. It's not romantic, it's also devoid of anything funny because this film can sap the happiness out of you like it did for me and lastly it has a heavy atmosphere all throughout its run time. That said, I’m still recommending it because it happened in real life, it is a beautiful memoir and it has fantastic actors to back it up.
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The drama starts light and really wacky during the first half of the drama. During those episodes, the two protagonists clashes so much they get into multiple trouble with each other. There were so many misunderstanding that it was hard not to laugh with the absurdity of it all and because of those misconceptions, the two protagonists end up getting married. This was not because of love but it’s due to an incident which could ruin both of their family’s reputation. As they both struggle to live harmoniously with each other amid the forced marriage, both eventually realize that they liked each other but was denying it too much. That’s it for the first half, for latter half of the show, it goes much more mature since the main characters grow up as adults with remnants of conflicts which set them apart for some time.
With this story line, it was fun and entertaining. Gave me little room to be bored since the drama would serve the right amount of serious moments then revert to it's old theme. In additional, the actor's are really cute! Given that their age are a bit mature to be seen as high school students, still, the way they acted was really fun to watch.
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Mao as Saori was a good thing, I couldn't say she nailed the role but she was really good in it. Being that clueless Japanese woman, it was quirky and funny. While Sherr, I seriously loved it when the guy smiles and his Japanese accent was not as slang as I thought it would be, listening to him speak the Japanese language felt nice. Sherr makes me want to have a Caucasian man for myself too!
The movie wasn't perfect, but over all it was a good watch and surely not a waste of time. The sound track on the last part was pure Joy. I always loved it when Aiko does sound tracks.
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Love it for Song Hye Kyo and her leading man, hated it because of how the whole plot line was executed. Though in history, I already knew how it was going to end, I still had that tiny bit of hope that they would do something colorful about it so it wouldn't be much of a hard blow to watch. I guess have put too much expectation on my plate.
Cinematography wise, everything was beautiful, literally. Even the brothel itself was fixed up nicely. Music score was a plus, since it did help out build the drama, but it wasn't something I would remember forever. The story was a bit draggy and berserk, it swung from one plot to another and I hate having that kind of story line in the movies I watch.
So what other perk do I have with this movie aside from the leading actress? It was the fight scenes and Hwang Jin Yi's clothes.
Firstly, the fight scenes were choreographed carefully that it had really great results. Watching these fights were awesome, never mind the blood and gore, it was all good to watch. Secondly, Hwang Jin Yi's Hanbok were breathe taking. It had so many details in it and definitely glamorous even for a courtesan. I guess the fashion designer did put a hint of modernization on her dress although it was supposed to be on the Jeoseon era. Anyways, she was one of the greatest Gisaeng's after all. I guess the least producers can do was dress her nicely to cover off the sub-par story line.
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I like the fact that this drama had the setting of modern day and sageuk at the same time. It was such a good drama and the story line was very much my cup of tea. I love how it began and I love how it ended. I'm not going to dwell much into the story since I don't want to go spoiling people around... but what I would like to share regarding the drama is that it has a very unlikely ending. You rarely find this kind of ending in a time loop kind of drama. Maybe in a movie, yes... but not much in dramas. They usually end up weird and unsatisfying.
But this drama has deviated from the unsatisfying ending for me.
The characters where solid and the actors/actresses in it were really good in portraying them. The main actress was initially annoying but I did find her cute at some extent. Then there is the main actor from Joseon era who can skip time from present to future. He had this aristocratic aura around him and I find it weird that he was able to fit into the modern day time instead of freaking out. It was so logical of him. I usually ask myself why do I like such men from sageuk compared to the modern day? I think it's the hanbok or something. Heh.
As for the music, it wasn't something that grabbed my interest but it was able to convey the feelings on each characters emotion which was good enough for me. As for re-watch value, I'm not sure I would re-watch it due that the mystery was already over for me but I would definitely recommend it to people who are into time jumping themes and all those lovey-dovey shiznits. I'm sure this drama will hook them up.
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Why did I say it was “sort of modern type”? Let me give you a clue… does Hana Kimi ring a bell? Or maybe Ouran High? To make things more simple what about You’re Beautiful? Or Coffee prince? Well, the last one was sort of a far fetched drama concept throw in but what makes it the same with the first two dramas? Ignoring the fact that 1st and 2nd were Japanese and the last one was Korean? The third one has a better resemblance since it is also Korean but it’s still has a different story line than this.
Got it???
Yep! It’s a cross dressing drama all over again. Throw in one girl in a lot of hot boys, make her dress up and pretend to be a boy, that’s exactly the concept of this drama. Then again, I have to remind you that THIS IS a saguek drama setting. A setting of the korean’s joseon era. An era where girls are unacceptable to hold prominence in schools or royal standing unless they get married to the prince, or kings or nobles. If they are caught associating in high ranks like Sungkyunkwan (Joseon’s most prominent ALL BOYS university) they get executed as an imperial order.
If that’s not interesting enough for you to watch, I don’t know how to convince you anymore. All in all, this drama is one heck of a show. With all those hot young actors to boost your esteem and the OST that’s very much modern to listen at but with a taste of sageuk and most of all the natural setting of Joseon with young boys + girl running around… YOU BETTER WATCH IT. Or you’re missing half of your KDRAMA life in it’s youthful state.
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Honestly, I’m not much of a fan when it comes to heavy drama because I tend to really get carried away but then this drama got showed in all its soap opera feeling. It just became too hard to ignore that I had to seat it through and finish it up to the last episode. I would be proud to say that I only cried once around the ending part.
It wasn’t much like the melodrama I have encountered lately whereas in every episode you just had to grovel and cry out loud in sadness or frustration. Autumn Tale was something more on the side of frustrating with this sense of bittersweet romanticism all throughout the show. If it’s possible to pull out all my hair during the first half of the drama I would have done so because it has that redundancy of I’m-not-yours-you’re-not-mine-we’re-not-for-each-other-so-let’s-just-forget-about-everything then it will go back to being I-know-you-love-me-and-we-love-each-other-so-let’s-stay-together-and-forget-everything. Having that out, why on earth am I recommending this?
Because Autumn Tale is worth the sound track, worth the backdrop, worth of SONG HYE KYO herself. The root of the story line may have been too much (having babies exchanged at birth??? puhleeeeeaaaassseee… not again) but the overall concept of the story is worth the watch. The characters themselves and the actor’s and actresses’ portrayal of their roles were amazing that you get to feel all that love, that hurt and that desperation. I say give it a try because it’s just that good despite the short comings.
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Secret Garden is one of those drama where you would have a love-hate relationship with the main characters. i.e. Joo Won’s character was a pure hell-egoistic-bastard but he does have his points to fact. Like being very loyal, analytical and annoying which makes you like him because you have no choice that he is annoyingly always there.
Ghaaaa… where can you find a good looking annoying guy like him?
WHERE???
Only in dramas.
As for Gil Ra-im, the pretty innocent-strong-vibes-persona her character emits is an ace. If a deck of cards tells you what’s the highest card? It’s the ace. Ra-im is an ace. She may not be THAT pretty, but man… if you fall for her your head goes bonkers just like Joo Won.
The writer of Secret Garden has a twisted mind; that I am sure of. If you’ve seen the ending of “Lovers in Paris” and “What happened in Bali”? You would understand what I am talking about. I’m not writing these things because I hate the writer, I am saying this because I am glad that there are writers like her who explores things beyond people’s expectations.
The music score was so-so for me, along with the rest of the cast. The drama had a very good story line and two great actors to lead it with but… it just wasn’t one of those dramas that gave me the “I shouldn’t miss” feel in it. I loved it for what it was but didn’t really look forward to watching it too much. Maybe it’s because of Oska? Who knows? All I know is I watched it for Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won.
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Yes! The eye candy, the smile, the tallness, the oozing hotness and fashion sense… that’s all Lee Min Ho in this drama which he pretends to be GAY.
This is a really hilarious drama with conflicting emotions to watch. Why? It’s so hard to believe that he’s gay and that an older man likes him with the thought of him being gay. Anyways, putting that aside, there’s another reason that made me watch this: Son Ye Jin.
Yes… the epic melodrama actress.
I really wanted to know how she’s going to be in a comedy. I’ve always seen her in melodramatic movies and this one she nailed! Though she’s gotten older and her prettiness pretty much disappeared in this drama, I still love her to bits.
The series was quite hilarious due to it's main concept: guy pretends to be gay, girl accepts guy whole heartedly because of his sexual orientation but ends up falling for him and having mixed feelings because she believes he is gay. With this as your core plot, there are a LOT of things that could happen and eventually it did.
The only downer side of this is when we get to the last 3 episodes and this becomes too serious for my taste. I was sort of disappointed on how they inserted additional conflict to the story along with a twist, when the main conflict - guy pretending to be a gay - was already interesting enough. The twist wasn't even strong enough to make an impact in the whole story line. Just to say.
All in all, setting that disappointing factor aside, I still end up loving the drama :)
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The story line is very simple, a guy named Jotaro came to a province as a temp worker and in this process he gets to learn and find more about himself then touch the lives of the people around him. The people he meets along the way has their own quirks, but upon watching the episode further, these people show some similarities specially in the way they thought about each other, which made it more interesting. One person envied the other for having what they don't have but at the same time, that same person is thinking of the exact same thing of the other.
The characters in this drama were portrayed so well that it left me deep impressions on each actor. I am already a fan of Ikuta Toma so it wasn't much of a surprise to see him back into a bubbly character such as Jotaro. Kiritani Kenta, I've seen this guy in the movie Solanin and Beck, he definitely has that gangster look and he can easily play that kind of character, but his character in this drama, Junichi - I would have to say that he definitely tried hard to portray a guy who can be really gentle and vulnerable despite his looks and he pulled it off brilliantly. Maki Yoko as Nikaido is one of the characters that really stuck in my head, not only is she pretty but her voice... it resonates in my ears and I love hearing her talk. I feel that she's really a good actress despite the fact that this is the first drama I've seen her in. Her chemistry with Toma was great and I really love the scenes in which they start their phone conversation like this even though they already know who's at the other end of the line:
Jotaro: Ore, ore. (It's me, me.)
Kahori: Ore, ore Tada re? (Who's me, me?)
I also like the message the drama is sending its viewers, there is no contentment until you've experienced something without regrets. Finding ones contentment and happiness depends on the individual, people all get to the point when they've lived their lives the same way for so long, think about the past and the choices they made then eventually regret those choices and resent the current situation they are in. Another thing that makes this drama more meaningful for me is that the age of the characters are basically the same as mine, so I could relate so well to it.
The OST was well incorporated to the drama while the opening song was really catchy and very much enjoyable to watch specially when the main characters lip sync along with the song. Because of that, I don't get tired of listening and watching the intro of this drama. I will also surely re-watch this drama as it has been marked as something dear to my heart.
Recommending it to those who are into a dramas that depicts life and reality, those who are at a cross road and for those who just want to watch something good, light and meaningful.
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