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Dental Hygiene is Obviously Important, But There is a Limit!
I'm accustomed to product placement in Asian dramas, but great googly moogly, this was beyond obnoxious. I think this was supposed to be a censored boy love story about overcoming mental blocks, but it was really about dental hygiene: floss, toothbrushes and their sanitizers, mouthwash, and breath spray. I recommend this for people in the dental industry only.I added an extra star, because my Rewatch Value was extremely low (I would never rewatch unless I was incarcerated with no other entertainment; hence, the one star), and the leads didn't deserve such a low score, being such sweet boys.
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A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love
1 people found this review helpful
Kiss the Cousin, Married Man, or Your Student?
Harumi Junko became 32 without going to the university of her choice, getting a good job, or finding a husband. As often happens in dramaland, she went from a complete dearth of romantic partners to three, all with Western taboos: a married man, a cousin, and a 17-year-old student she was teaching. The drama is highly rated, but I couldn't cheer on any of the relationships, even though I liked all three MLs. They were decent people as rivals, which is rare to find in dramas. The problem, for me, was with the heroine. She was exceptionally dense and used noble idiocy as an excuse to lie and use people. Yes, she was fairy beautiful, and I realize men are sight stimulated, but 32 is a bit late in life to have the awareness of a potato.I've allotted an extra star for a love square involving sweet, kind people.
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An Engaging Fairytale about a Dragon and a Spunky Girl
The leads were anime-pretty, especially Hou Ming Hao's eyes. The story suffered a bit from too many episodes, loose ends, and unanswered situations. The ending made little sense. It had been 15 years, yet when ML met Xian Ge, her oldest child was about seven years old; she'd been heavily pregnant the last time he saw her! This could have been an 8.5, but it lost its way.Still, it was worth the watch to see Hou Min Hao as a baby dragon in an adult male's body: the look of innocence mingled with indignation and ire, culminated in tiny spurts of dragon flame shooting from his mouth. I'd watch the drama just for that. I've awarded a half star for that cute baby dragon.
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A Quick Bit of Nothing
This was basically an infomercial to introduce the judiciary to the public, especially to young people. It's presented as a love story between two adults who act like adolescents. There's nothing terribly wrong with the drama, but there's nothing much to see except for Kim Min Kyu's always adorable dimples. I've awarded an extra half star for those alone.For those new to Kim Min Kyu, may I suggest watching Business Proposal instead?
https://kisskh.at/693591-in-house-confrontation
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This review may contain spoilers
Prepare to Cry a Hankie Wet
So much emotion packed into such a small drama: first love, tragic loss, soul-crushing guilt, regrets, deep depression, and, finally, acceptance of grief. A nice OST accompanies the story well.I could withhold a half star for not following up on the Grim Reaper, but I'm too busy consoling myself to bother.
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Light, Funny, and Sweet
I needed a short, funny drama, and this fit the bill. Was it silly and nonsensical? Absolutely. And I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I realize my rating is too high, but I derived that much pleasure from it, so judge away (or wait to judge me further, because I'm going to discuss Bruce as one of my cats again).Bruce Hung played the merman, and his performance was delectable. I'd seen him as a sweet, adorable romantic figure in Hello Again! As a merman, he was fierce, irritable, and clueless. Excuse me, while my brain goes wacky here, and I reveal I think he's the embodiment of my cats. My review for Hello Again! stated he reminded me of my most beautiful cat. As a merman, he evoked memories of my most simple-minded cat, S. He, too, didn't understand human actions or interactions. He didn't understand personal space or respectable behavior. He'd walk across the back of the sofa and decide my head looked like a good spot to land, or he'd jump up next to me and stick his butt an inch from my face (my cat, not the merman). So when the merman climbed on the back of the ML while he was at his computer, I had flashbacks of my cat S doing the same. I could never stay annoyed with S, because, like the merman, he was so adorable. The scene where the merman was eating hotpot in the bathtub with the anticipation and enjoyment of each bite was exactly like my S looking forward to his treats.
Besides the merman's dimples and attractive torso, watch for the wonderful chemistry between the MLs. The story arc had them both growing and learning, and the bond they forged was pleasurable to watch. The supporting cast was warm and supportive. All in all, a life-affirming drama.
I've added a half star for the sweet memories Bruce evoked of my ridiculous cat.
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A Game That Teaches a Philosophy about Life
I've never played Go, but I was drawn into the competitive world of that game by the endearing characters of this drama. Shi Guang was a naughty, lazy child when the spirit of Chu Ying came into his life and introduced him to Go. Shi Guang naturally rebelled and rebuffed Chu Ying's attempts to teach him. Their interactions and growing relationship were rewarding to watch develop.All of the relationships were realistic, as were the villains—which were run-of-the-mill bullies and trash talkers. The viewers watched the leads grow from young children to seniors in high school, and the character growth of each was gratifying to watch. With such a large cast, it would have been easy for some to be filler cardboard characters, but most were developed and distinctive.
I had put off viewing because it had 36 episodes. Sixteen hours is generally my sweet spot, but I would have happily watched at least 40 with this cast and story. The drama could have used more episodes to tie up loose ends: Hong He's love interest and his future; why the monk was so unhelpful; explanations surrounding Chu Ying; I would have liked to have been shown some championship wins of the two MLs together.
I highly recommend for those who like slice of life, rich relationships, and universal lessons about dreams, loss, and adaptation. I also recommend watching with a box of tissues at hand, because it's surprisingly touching.
I added an extra half star for the pure enjoyment factor.
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Obsessive Detective and Mysterious Woman Carry the Show
A maverick detective and a mysterious woman with an organized crime background joined together to take on cold cases. The detective was haunted by the brutal death of his junior partner; the woman was working towards an unknown goal, which maintained tension, as no one was sure whose side she was really on.The leads were exceptional in their parts. I'll look for more of their dramas. The criminals were over the top, like comic book villains. The poor police force seemed inept and perpetually late. But it was a well-paced paced show, and I was never bored.
Added a half star for Takahashi Issei and Shibasaki Ko's acting.
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Bad Wigs, Worse CGI, and Icky Ending
For the most part, it's a lighthearted romcom with a cold man and lively girl: perfectly fine for a mindless romp. Both leads were enjoyable to watch, especially their interactions with one another.The wigs were bad—think Halloween costume quality. I would buy that when a person gets a shot of magic that her hair could turn silver, but I find it hard to believe her bangs would grow six inches into a really bad wig where I can see the cap beneath the thin tresses.
The cat in the story was cute but, obviously, not a compliant actor, so much CGI was needed. Such bad CGI. I'm usually not one to complain about sets being really phony (like that ridiculous peach tree that had "fruit" year 'round), but, even I couldn't overlook such cartoonish CGI.
The ending? It nearly sucked all the joy out of the show for me. I've rewritten it in my head as two adults reuniting for a happily ever after. I suggest skipping the last minute of the show as it makes no sense and is unnecessarily stupid. If time travel makes sense, we can choose at which point in time we want to arrive, can't we?
I'd subtract an entire star off for that ending, but I like cats and the leads, so I'm letting it slide.
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Smart Women Face Their Fears
A modern story about women and their relationships isn't my usual fare, but Viki showed this as a "leaving soon,"; it had high ratings and was short, so I gave it a try after a long, heavy drama. I used it as a palate cleanser of sorts, and I was pleasantly surprised.In a limited amount of time, the drama introduced characters, set up the story, and came to a satisfying end with a healing journey taken by both FLs. The leads were attractive and intelligent (and dimples galore) and played their roles well. The shots of the cocktails were enticing; I wanted to try them all! It also had an OST that suited the vibe. Can't ask for more than that in such a short offering.
As I said, this isn't generally my cup of tea, so let me give an extra half star for enjoying something outside of my comfort zone (I generally avoid anything tagged with "infidelity").
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Striking Cinematography, Perfect Leads, and Powerful OST
Sometimes I just want an story with an elegant vampire, don't you? Even better if it was set in the Republican Era—dramas I've just recently discovered. I love so much the look of them: the clothes, hair, cities, interiors, and cars (oh, those cars!). Such style and class.I can't say enough good things about the FL. She was charming, sweet, brave, and such a nice change from the silly, ineffectual girls that are often portrayed in Chinese dramas. The actress did an amazing job depicting an abused girl slowly being transformed by love. The ML was mesmerizing as he transformed from cold and aloof to cautiously looking forward to a future filled with happiness.
There were some cheesy moments and exasperation that some people refused to die and stay dead, but I overlooked all that because the main leads were so charismatic, the visuals were stunning, and the music was fitting. It's worth watching just for those alone.
The drama was hampered by censorship. The word "vampire" was never uttered, no fangs were shown, and no direct feeding was depicted. The romance was greatly hampered. I realize there was a theoretical age gap of 82 years between the two leads, which could be problematic for some. It didn't bother me and I was rooting for them (they both deserved love and happiness in their lives and were optimally suited to one another due to their damaged psyches), but the censors downplayed the romance due to the age difference. Even so, the chemistry was deep and strong. I'm left to wonder how amazing this drama could have been without censorship.
The last episode was rushed and unsatisfying. I wasn't happy with the ending, but it made sense, and I've made peace with it. I wasn't the only one displeased: after the drama ended, there was so much vitriol directed at the production team that the director had to disable his Weibo, and the screenwriter posted a happy ending epilogue on hers to placate the viewers.
An extra half star was awarded for beautiful images and lovely music.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kHrHfFAqfpc&list=PL_cn955nlB8Tsq16mP_RBZIYoOLvHqbkM
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A Mini Drama That Could Teach Larger Dramas How to Start, Continue, and Finish Well
I don't expect as much from short length series, but this one pleasantly surprised me. The drama had three lifetimes compacted into one tale, and it did it well: the iris fairy and the aloof god; a demon and member of a sect; an empress and a rival prince; and full circle back to the fairy and god to wrap up the story well.An extra half star awarded for the OST. The music was more than I expected from a smaller series.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aC25UGdPqwg
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This review may contain spoilers
Fun RomCom
Cliches done right! Rich, cold guy/poor, warm girl, love triangles (at least five?), misunderstandings, amnesia, comas (both leads!), falling into a kiss, obligatory fan service male torso shower scene, etc. It was entertaining to watch a gentle satire of Asian dramas.The editor of romance novels found herself inside one of her novels, and her knowledge of their inner workings helped her leverage out of the second female role into the lead female's place to capture the heart of the cold CEO.
The romance was sweet once things were straightened out from misunderstandings. This is only my second drama from Taiwan, and I'm going to have to check out more, as I'm impressed! I realize I'm looking at a tiny data point, but if other Taiwanese dramas are done this well, they've made me a fan. The two dramas I've watched have known how to make a happy ending. I was given that dopamine hit that Korean dramas often fail to produce in the last episode (they are killer up to that point, but I've often been bitterly disappointed by the ending).
I've awarded an extra half star to the ML for his quizzical looks as he read FL's romance novels. I found his bewilderment amusing. "Cheetah, again?"
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Noble Idiocy Practiced as a Fine Art
The pointless misunderstandings went on far too long, but I liked the leads and the supporting cast. There were no villains, and once the ML and FL learned to communicate (they broke the fourth wall and spoke to the viewer more than with each other!), there was resolution. FL was cute, but she never varied her orange/blue manicure for a year. Things that make one go, "hmm."Was this review helpful to you?
If You're Going to Bubble Wrap Your Daughter, Make it into a Princess Dress
I expected this to be a silly piece of fluff, and the addlebrained expressions of the FL in the beginning seemed to confirm this (seriously great performance by the lead actress; we have a tendency to admire dramatic performances but rarely realize the talent needed to play a comedic role). However, as the drama went on, I was treated to a slice of life with flawed humans who struggled and learned to overcome through the help of family. FL's development from an overprotected, coddled child to a competent adult was satisfying. Much more than fluff.I loved the bubble wrap princess dress at the beginning of each episode!
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