Worth Watching
This was a very cute and entertaining drama for younger audiences. At first I was disappointed in the stiff and emotionless ML character and worried that I would be watching yet another drama where the ML has to be emotionally stunted. Even though I hated Meteor Garden, I was impressed by Dylan Wang and felt he had potential. What a pleasure to see him on screen once again. Dylan Wang plays Dongfang Qing Cang, a demon lord whose spirit is imprisoned by the enemy fairy realm and a fairy named Orchid who accidentally sets him free. Although, our main leads fall back on the overplayed tropes of cold, domineering, tough guy and annoyingly childlike adolescent girl, both characters develop into better versions of themselves. I love character growth in dramas. The best part was the love story between this couple. You feel completely invested in them and how far they are willing to sacrifice for the other. It seems that Dylan Wang gets better and better with each drama he is cast in. I hope he continues to hone his craft. He has a beautiful onscreen presence.The costumes and set design are gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking and with great attention to detail. The demon realm had a dark Western feel while the fairy realm was light, ephemeral and heavenly. There is the typical formula of a secondary supporting couple who are either friends, or servants. of the main couple.
The OST is amazing. There are some beautiful themes that have now been added to my playlist of Asian TV soundtracks. I recommend this romantic drama.
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Where it All Began
Usually I don't like watching school drama's but since this series was popular enough for two other remakes, I needed to find out why it was so appealing. I suppose if you are a young, 15 year old girl, this would have some kind of appeal. However, I have always thought that any girl who picks a bad boy over the one that treats her like a queen deserves whatever she gets. Luckily this is done in an entertaining, albeit, cliched way.The entire premise is completely implausible, the characters one-dimensional, and the storylines contrived. The cast is cute but it isn't enough to save the stinky plot and the acting is atrocious. Makino is a really sweet girl, but she is a doormat when girls bully her, yet tough when boys are the bullies. Perhaps she has figured out just how demented mean girls can be, and far more evil. I think the worst message this show can have is to make young ladies believe that they can change a bad boy with just a little TLC. People like Domyogi don't change.
It has entertainment value to some degree, but everything is on the surface. The characters were just not believable enough. All I know is that everyone is shallow and crazy with the exception of Makino. The bullying is way over the top here and just not realistic. There is a lack of authority, but perhaps this is the way the manga is written. It is definitely better than Meteor Garden, so thank God for small wonders.
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Cliche melodrama
Ever since I saw Kim Woo Bin in The Heirs, I have been a fan of his. He is a wonderful actor and I felt that he stole the show from main leads, Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye. When you look at him, he is present and you can see the inner monologue within. He is also incredibly handsome, making you unable to keep from looking at him. I knew I would look for more work from him and I came across Uncontrollably Fond on Viki.Unfortunately, the drama itself is nothing great. It's full of unoriginal story lines and ridiculous nonsense. I found myself questioning the choices the characters made in the drama and could only chalk it up to foolish youth. If anyone of us had a terminal illness that we were young enough to battle, we would choose to go to the hospital and have it treated. Our main lead makes some very foolhardy choices, all the while bemoaning his fate when he could have at least tried to save himself. How does a person having everything going for them make such a choice? Is revenge worth it? Sometimes living happily is the best revenge against your enemies.
The other characters are no better. I was underwhelmed by Suzy Bae's performance and found her character one I could not feel for. They also make choices no one in real life would ever make. It was a nonsensical melodrama and I wish Kim Woo Bin would get better scripts because he has enormous potential and can play a variety of characters from villains to leading romantic love interests. I hope now that he is back from his 4 year health hiatus, he will dig in and demand better material. He is so worth it.
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Get Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer
This was quite a gem in psychological thrillers. An aspiring novelist moves to Seoul to begin his writing career but can't afford rent, so he winds up in a run down hostel where most of the residents are especially weird. This sets the stage for the ensuing creepiness that occurs and we slowly see the mind of our ML unravel as he fails to grasp the gruesome happenings around him.What I loved most about this show is the fine performances by the ensemble cast, especially Lee Dong Wook. He has appeared in many dramas I have watched over the years, but this one best showcases his talent. He was so creepy in an understated way. He made your skin crawl with his wide tooth grins. Kudos to the young man who plays the unfortunate novelist. His metamorphosis from starry-eyed youth to unstable and angry is the most fascinating journey to watch. Also, it was totally unpredictable. Everyone had their roles down pat. The only person I didn't much care for was the girlfriend. She was too dumb and wrapped up in herself to notice what her boyfriend was going through.
There were some plot holes that left me questioning some parts of the story but, for the most part, the writing was virtually air tight. The length was perfect at 10, one hour episodes. You can binge watch it in one day. Loved the soundtrack and will add it to my Spotify. Great choice for those in the mood for gritty.
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Unrealistic portrayal of romance
I was looking for more Song Kang dramas since I was quite impressed with his performance in Sweet Home. His wide-spaced doe eyes are so expressive, he makes it hard for you to look away. Unfortunately, this drama was not my favorite so I will move on to Navillera. The unrealistic storyline is what I had trouble with the most. Girls do date guys like Park Jae Eon, and I was one of them. However, they seldom end happily. You see, there is no way a girl can expect to have a friend- with-benefits type of relationship with a guy and expect more from it than what he offers. It never works and no amount of showering him with affection will change the damaged outlook he has on romance or how to properly date someone. You wind up with a mangled heart.I have to agree with other reviewers that the chemistry was excellent between our main leads. The sexual tension was through the roof and the first 6 episodes were so well written, they made me feel like part of the action. The writers took their time and patiently set up the foreplay even before they got physical. The anticipation was almost unbearable and it made me want to keep watching.
Unfortunately, it starts to unravel at the second half of the drama. The students behave like middle schoolers, constantly preoccupied with each others' business instead of their own. They play spin the bottle, sit around teasing each other about their love lives and act lame teenagers instead of college grads. There were some interesting storylines among the supporting cast and girl love is handled in a dignified way. Kudos to the writers for that! The most disappointing and unsatisfying part is the end because I didn't get a real sense that our ML had really changed. He should have been the one to ask for a second chance, not her. Deep down, I felt it wouldn't last and it's almost alluded to. Young women will gobble up this type of drama, but it doesn't exist in any realm of reality, and giving them the message that it could is irresponsible.
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Creepy mystery.
Most of the time I tend to stay away from the horror genre because the writing is always last on the priority list and heavy on the jump-scares and gore. Not this one. This has an actual story which begins when a series of unexplained murders take place in a small coastal town in South Korea. After a series of tragic events that affect the lives of three children well into adulthood, they are once again reunited to solve a series of murders that are gruesomely tied to their past. Now a cop, a priest, and a taxi driver, these three must uncover the sinister secrets in order to solve the mysteries that have altered their lives and threaten to destroy their futures.The three MLs are well-developed characters masterfully played by Kim Dong Wook as the taxi driver, Kim Jae Wook as the priest, and Jung Eun Chae as the detective They are all damaged adults changed forever by tragic pasts and reunited in friendship to fight crime and battle their dysfunctional personalities. The cop is angry and unfulfilled by loss. She has a chip on her shoulder, a loner, and feels she needs to prove herself by catching the bad guys. She is a force to be reckoned with and that leads to trouble among her colleagues. Jung Eun Chae embraces her character and plays the abrasive and distant detective well, yet brings out a fiercely protective and caring side in the face of danger. Kim Dong Wook is the amateur sleuth taxi driver who is much more interested in solving mysteries than driving his clients to their destinations. His tragic losses have also kept him from forming meaningful relationships due to a struggle to trust others, including those who want the best for him. My favorite character, though, is Kim Jae Wook as the young priest. Jae Wook portrays his character as a quiet brooder, who is very courageous and vulnerable at the same time. He doesn't shy away from his duties no matter how much they affect him. He is ready to sacrifice himself for his friends to the point of pushing them away for their safety. (It also doesn't hurt that he looks so slim and appealing in his priestly garb!) These three are, in fact, masters at pushing each other away until they realize that they are much more effective as a team. The journey of blame and mistrust giving way to fierce friendship is one of the aspects I most appreciated in this story. Stellar performances even from the guest and supporting cast make this show a treat to watch despite the subject matter.
The writing is excellent for the most part. It is gruesome, disturbing,, and downright creepy. At a little over an hour per episode, I could only endure two episodes per day because it is a scary, edge-of-your-seat kind of show. The circumstances surrounding the mysteries keep you guessing until the very end as to whom the culprit might be, Even then there is a twist. The OST is awesome and carries the drama beautifully. This is definitely one to watch if you like creepy mysteries.
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I will start with the relationship between the MLs which is the best part of the entire show. Two people come together during unconventional circumstances and manage to make their relationship work. The beauty in this is watching our hero accept his love for the object of his affection without reservation. He doesn't dwell on whether others will accept it, he doesn't shy away from it, just accepts it and follows his heart. He is mature about it. This earns the highest marks from me. It shows and usual amount of respect and integrity in the writing not often found in these types of comedies. The show was heartwarming and hilarious, there are plot holes but the airtight writing around the main characters allows you to overlook that.
The show is full of cliches and ridiculous behavior. It can be over the top and cheesy in a very funny way, supporting characters disappear for large lengths of time without explanation and some story lines did not have adequate wrap ups. I think the sub story lines were just not as important to the writers as the MLs were, so they didn't spend a lot of time on fleshing them out. In my opinion, they had some really good characters which I would have liked to have seen more of but, perhaps the focus remains where it should. Just watching the MLs flirt shamelessly with each other is a treat given their excellent chemistry, I wouldn't be surprised if these two wound up falling in love in real life because that's how good they were. (I was able to catch some of their behind-the-scenes banter and the chemistry and fun they had was present there as well. You could tell they were 150% comfortable with each other.) Our MLs are beautiful and I just want to run my fingers through Baron Chen's hair just once! His hair is amazing! Kudos to the costumers and makeup team who made them look cool and stylish.
I recommend this show for anyone who is tired of watching shows with immature, dysfunctional couples who behave like idiots. This show makes you breathe a sigh of relief that there are artists out there interested in actually writing something more realistic. It's funny, romantic, and rewatchable. The music is one of the best parts of this show. Bii's "Back In Time" is played often throughout the series. He has a nice singing voice and has a part as the secondary romantic couple opposite Katie Chen.
I will be adding this series to my rewatch list.
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Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
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Excellent performances by the entire cast makes this edge-of-your seat thriller engaging from beginning to end. You are drawn in by the kindness of the policemen investigating the case, scared out of your mind by the evil killer, and enchanted by the adorably young and brave witness. The well-written script grabs you from the beginning and keeps you from catching your breath until you finally hear those police sirens signifying the end of climax.
Watch this one. It’s worth it!
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The best part is that I totally bought this couple in the sense that they were convincing as a pair. They are both people in the fringes, wounded birds that are seeking a place to belong. They find each other and you root for their love. But there are secrets that threaten to rip them apart and the conflict comes from a heart full of fear to own up to the truth and that is where this movie falters.
So, that brings me to the question, is there a sequel? There are still room for many questions left unanswered and our ML doesn’t confide the truth to his lady love. More needs to be said to wrap this story up. I’m left with anticipation that these two young lovers have more to say.
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The supporting cast was very strong in this drama and that is a plus. I loved Lizi, Erduo's long suffering best friend. She is a hard worker who enlists Erduo's help to make her show the success it needs to be. She is tough, resilient and totally in control. Her storyline is heartbreaking as it is engaging. I found myself rooting for her just as much as Erduo. She is a fine actress. I really enjoyed the performances of all the actors.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the writing in this drama. Even though the couple is young and the drama geared for a more youthful audience, their relationship is very mature. As a couple, Bei Erduo and Ye Shuwei brought out the best in each other. There was no bratty, self absorbed behavior between them. They truly understood each other and did their best to treat each other with respect. The chemistry between these two was phenomenal. They trusted each other and it showed. Everyone did a great job and turned a show with a cliched plot into a sweet, endearing love story.
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Complicated
I liked this show. I came to care most for its characters because the actors made them lovable, unlike the story itself, which is sloppy and muddled in its lore.This is a fantasy romance, which are usually up my alley. However, this one could have been better had the story stuck to its own rules. What ensues are quite a lot of plot holes and overly dramatic performances. I suppose the writers are hoping you will overlook its many flaws and focus on the romance between our MCs. That is fine for some. I like my dramas to be a little better thought out and organized.
A lot is going on here. We have a young, high school aged girl who is lonely and looking to belong. We have a god/guardian who has been living in immortality since a tragedy caused him to be what he is. He is searching for his bride as she will have the power to end his long existence and give him peace. Enter grim reapers with complicated backstories and gods playing with human lives, and the story becomes a complicated mess because it doesn't stick to its own rules. Some things are never really explained and it leaves you with a lot of questions. Above all this, it's still highly entertaining and I am a sucker for a good romance, even though the first episodes exasperated me to no end. Our goblin likes to play games with the girl and their silly banter runs the gamut from idiocy to deep tenderness, once the nonsense between them is cleared away and Mr. Goblin realizes he is in love,
What makes this drama watchable despite its flaws are the beautiful actors that make up this ensemble. They are wholly believable, in the moment and completely invested in their characters. No one does this better than Gong Yoo, our handsome goblin. His expressive eyes make you feel every emotion emanating from within. His despair is our despair, his joy makes us feel warm. (Because of this ability to give himself completely to his role, Gong Yoo has won the top spot in my list of best actors in South Korea. He is also, in my opinion, the most breathtakingly beautiful man I have ever set eyes on.) There are some downright hilarious moments and clear messages of friendship, compassion, loyalty and forgiveness. The soundtrack is amazing. The songs range from typical pop pieces to some very different sounds which fit the drama perfectly. I would watch this again just to relive the dreamy spark of Gong Yoo's eyes.
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What a ride!
I haven't enjoyed a drama like this since SKY Castle. Very well written and acted, this drama just carries you away with it and makes you feel like a voyeur in the characters' private lives. You grow to both care and abhor them because they are imperfect. You wonder why they do the things they do instead of letting go and moving on. If anything, this is a lesson in human behavior and the consequences of our choices.A friendship between two women is destroyed when one makes a bad decision, leaving the other to pick up the pieces and plot her revenge. This drama was a well-written race to an explosive end. The train is out of control and will eventually crash, leaving the lives of the those around them in shattered pieces.
I have to commend the performances of all the actors, particularly Shin Hyun Bin who is the polar opposite of the character she played in Hospital Playlist. It was refreshing to see her explore her creepy, darker side. Kudos as well, to Go Hyun Jung whom I fondly remember in her role as Park Wan in Dear My Friends. Both women carry this drama beautifully and kept me glued to my seat. Notable mentions also to Kim Bo Yun as the meddling mother-in-law and Choi Won Young as the wronged husband.
Unfortunately, the last two episodes tried to wrap up the drama in a very unrealistic way. I can overlook how unwanted people are constantly breaching this upscale neighborhood to cause all kinds of mischief, but the ending was just too implausible. I wish the writer had been able to put as much effort into the last two episodes as she did in the first 14. She wanted to give it the ending audiences might have wished for given the circumstances, but I found this ending a little hard to swallow based on the vindictive personalities of all those involved.
OST is beautiful and perfectly suited to the drama. I would definitely watch this again.
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Although there are some cliche situations, the story is well written and engaging. I loved watching Ji Soo as usual. He has a charisma that draws you in and you can’t help but love him. He is annoying but sympathetic and I would love a big brother like him. I find his overprotective attitude of his best friend endearing.
Although there are only 8 episodes filmed, I am liking it very much and am looking forward to see how it ends. It keeps me guessing about what the outcome will be and I like that it’s not quite predictable yet.
Acting is so-so. Some performances are weaker than others but nothing noteworthy. Looking forward to the next episodes.
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