2
6
Kang Doo and Moon Soo come as strong leads, always being by each other's side, supporting each other and bringing out the best of each other. They are the ultimate relationship goal for me. Simply because, they are mature and wise. They talk about things that worry them, instead of creating misunderstandings and heartbreaks. They don't try to get the other person jealous for stupid reasons. They understand each other. They give each other space.
What I loved the most was even with the hint of a love triangle, they didn't go too much into it. I HATE triangles. Here, what I liked was that no false hopes were given and the triangle was broken as soon as it got made.
Now onto characters :
What I love in Moon Soo is that she isn't like the normal female leads. She doesn't get jealous, doesn't create unnecessary drama and isn't a damsel in distress. Rather, she's strong, opinionated and support for so many characters in the drama!
Special shoutout out to the Grandma! Her, Sang Man, and Kang Doo! Always look out for their dialogues if you watch this drama. They'd teach you so much about life with their simple sentences, it's crazy!
Another good point is that no character is angel and none is the devil. Everyone has their set of negative and positive points. And, I really loved that cuz that made them more human.
Also, this drama isn't for you if you like fluffs. However, if you like to see a relationship where feelings feel real, monologues that pierce through your heart, and characters you can see yourself in, give Just Between Lovers a try.
But, warning, it's angst. You'd keep on crying till the last episode. So keep the tissues near!
I wanna write more but it's almost 2K words lmao! (Also, not grammar checking it,so forgive the mistakes)
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I wanted to love this movie SO BAD
We are introduced to our protagonist, the ‘breadwinner’ Bambi, who is living her entire life - working one job after another, in Taiwan, with the hopes of building a house for and supporting her family back in Philippines. Once she’s convinced that her new home is almost complete, she decides to go back home and surprise her family… clueless to the shock that awaits her instead.I do think the heart of this story was in the right place, but boy oh biboy! the execution was so bad that even though I am interested in the premise of the plot, I can’t bring myself to recommend it to other people. The movie sadly suffers with the very basic requirements of storytelling. The structure, continuity, character motives, character developments and tonality is all over the place.
The movie feels half an hour too long where they waste time with choatic “funny” sidelines where jokes don’t land, and having the same arguments again and again when just a scene ago it seemed like they’ve already talked through it. The climatic breakdown scene could have been impactful but it feels tiring instead to see the siblings have the very same arguments again, and then magically resolve everything in the most cop-out fashion with no actual takeaways. The ending doesn’t bring anything to the narrative, because none of the siblings changed because they grew as people but rather because life happened to them and so they changed their ways to wrap up the film (you'll understand if you watch it).
I wish a better film with a tighter script is made on this story, so I can then recommend it unhesitatingly.
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Imagination is more important than knowledge.
TLDR; GO WATCH IT!We follow along the protagonist Pae as he is forced to transfer to a new high school, with an ultimatum from his father to make to and pay for his university on his own — or else, he is to join their family flour mill, something he has no interest in. Frustrated with his situation, Pae is solely focused on just completing his last semester of high school with no longing for friendships or bonds. Much to his irritation, he is assigned to a deskmate whose first sentence to him was, and i quote (well, paraphrase), “A scientist once said that we only remember 150 friends in our lives. You are my 150th friend.”
This movie reminds me of the art that 'storytelling' is. You can tell your story in any way you want, but there’s a separate art in knowing how to introduce characters to the narrative, how to reveal information not yet known to the audience/other characters, how to take a good story and make it great with the way you present it. It knows how to make you feel, and my god would it make you feel.
Young Thai directors are lately killing in the game that is celebrated Asian Cinema; movies like these make me look forward to the future of Thai cinema.
I wouldn’t go in depth writing about the characters, and acting, and themes and so. You shouldn’t be learning of them through this written response to the movie; you should experience them. Long live, cinema!
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She's Barbie... He's Just Ken.
Cliched, Corny, Cringey, and somehow still Charming.The plot is truly as old and as predictable as it can be. There’s nothing new to it, but it has been given a “Green Flag” twist. Going into it, knowing it was a wattpad adaptation, I of course had no high expecations of lifechanging cinema from it — I just wanted to add more Philippines titles to my MDL Watch Challenge.
Having said that, this drama does get some things very accurately and seamlessly that I didn’t expect it to. First, was the usage of social media. We all are living in a world where having an online profile and using it as means of communication with/information on each other is a second nature. And yet, watching this drama I was thinking, “hmm I dont see other contemporary stories integrate our socmed lives to their storytelling this much” we see texting and so, but how many dramas and movies show social media as part of our being without villianising it? I can barely think of any.
Second, I personally thought it got female friendships and girlhood somewhat correctly. The way even though this was Luna and Kalix’s story, the girl gang was just as important part of the story — peak girlhood. much appreciated.
Third, the Female Lead — this show truly is “she’s barbie and he’s just ken”. She embarasses you a LOT at first, but man she grows on you. and Heaven? oh she carried this entire show. a lot of her mannerisms in this reminded me of Rachael in FRIENDS. she's a TREAT to watch.
Fourth, the chemistry is definitely there. Philippines is definitely doing something right with their idea of “love teams” cuz a) these people have great chem, and b) audience love them together — SO WHY NOT KEEP CASTING THEM TOGETHER?! i wish other countries did that too. the only issue with the chemistry though, and this is purely my personal pet peeve, is sometimes they truly take it to the point where it feels like i’m watching an adult film. so yeah, if that makes you uncomfy, here’s your warning.
For me, where this drama disappoints is with the Male Lead and the Dialogue writing. The dialogue writing is especially jarring — it fully takes you out of the story, again and again. It feels like someone google searched “what would a Green Flag person say?” or looked up a WikiHow article on it, and added the results with zero tweaks into the script. It feels so robotic the way some conversations play out in this show - as if it’s an educational/tutorial video on how to validate feelings, or how to apologise to your significant other. This is NOT how people talk.
Also, now that we are on the subject of how people talk, the second disappointment. The Male Lead, for the most part of the series, delivers his dialogues as if he’s barely reading them off the script — like he is rehearsing pre-recording. I know they were trying to make his character mysterious, but it just comes off as a bad performance. I can’t tell whether it was the director’s call or the actor failed at it — as I have seen him in one more project before this, and in that at least, he didn’t feel like a bad actor.
All in all, I dont think I would rewatch (or remember most of it), I wouldnt recommend it to IRLs, but I did find it engaging enough to decide to carry on with the series (at least the Yanna and Sevi ones — i loved them as characters).
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"You always think you are different, but who doesn’t?"
No Major Spoilers, but I have tagged it as so anyway.The spin-off doesn’t have a lot to offer as plot — we see a “comic relief” character’s point of view of the same world and characters, as he constantly believes the world owes him more. While ‘No One Like Me’ isn’t especially deep, it isn’t superficial either. I was forced to think, throughout the movie, of the amount of times I have felt the same, the feeling of deserving more and/or better than what I have. This drives the main conflict of the movie, along with asking the question of every “chosen one” fantasy — is fate already written or do we write it?
Surprisingly, this story treats the main character with a lot of respect. (minor spoiler) While we are made to believe the characters did him wrong, Xu Qian becomes the character who doesn’t deserve to “show” his face in this spin-off. The narration ofcourse is not fully reliable, as the main character himself admits near the end, since his worldview is tainted by his own grudges towards the world, (spoiler end) he still is not made out to be a joke. His view is potrayed with respect and care. Hence, you still relate with him, you root for him.
The original GoTD also dealt with the theme of “where does bravery end, and stupidity begin?”. This spin-off makes you question the same even more. It doesn’t debate at either side of the argument though, the takeaway and lesson learnt is fully yours to decide.
Liu Guan Lin fully, and easily, carries the movie on his shoulders. I’d imagine it’s hard to convince an audience to empathasize with you, for till now it has only considered you a joke. Yet he easily does it, from the very first scene. While He Hua didn’t have much to work with, her performance was enough to support the story move along.
Having talked of the things I liked, let me try and point some things that didn’t work for me.
1. The CGI remains mediocre, but that is true for almost all Chinese costume dramas, so I wouldn’t put it against this web movie which I imagine was done in an even smaller budget.
2. The pacing at times felt slow to *me* for a movie, but that could be my own lack of attention span.
3. This too could be a personal issue, but it took me quite a while into the movie to place the timeline for this plot happening in respect to GOTD.
All in all, a good GoTD nicotine patch that stands on its own legs, but I am not sure how memorable it is, or whether I’d ever feel the want to rewatch it.
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Fukushu Kareshi: Dekiai Shacho no Kao ni wa Ura ga Aru
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Wattpad Romance but questionable takes
I went to the show expecting a wattpad romance and this IS what I got, but I still had a few things that rubbed me off in a way that I can't rate it higher even when I watched it without expectations.1. Both the leads are almost thirty (29 i believe to be exact) and yet their behaviour is so immature and frustrating. for eg,
a. Male Lead wants to take revenge from Female Lead. why? well as a kid he was overweight, the FL treated him like a friend instead of bullying him and when he asked her out she said they weren't a good match. yep. That's it. This almost 30yo wants revenge over that. (and the way the drama wants to justify it later does nothing to what an alarming thought process he has -- in the last episode he says "in next 12 years too, i would be here supporting you" and all i could think was who fucking knows brother, maybe youd think she didnt treat you correct and would demand revenge over it)
b. FL has absolutely no personality and i know plane janes are the first requirement for a wattpad romance but MY GOD WOMAN DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING, OTHER THAN LOOKING TROUBLED and/or telling yourself/others how ML saved you.
2. The 2ML literally sexually assaults her - hugs her without her consent twice, things that should call office HR but it is all brushed off and he gets a redemption arc ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!
3. Apart from the FL, it feels like every woman was a b*tch, no other word to explain their roles - the FL's mother, the ML's mother, the ex's gf, the ML's fiancee. Such weird writing choices because how is every woman bad in this universe (or irrelevant) other than the FL? Did the FL even have female friends?
4. Also, yes I questioned the writing choice to make women villains, but in a contradictory point I would also like to express my hate for how many asian dramas, including this one, just excuse abusive parents under the "oh they just want good for you" carpet. the parents never apologise, the children are just expected to understand -- and pulling this trick in the last 15 mins of the show? DERANGED.
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THE MOST INSANE REACTION TO FISH BEING COOKED!
and no you won't be able to guess what it is. like actually make a guess what a reaction could be to seeing someone preparing fish for dinner, and then go watch this shitshow of a drama.i have seen bad fiction trying to be good fiction, i have seen bad fiction that is bad it is good entertainment. this... is just a waste of time. this drama having 6.0 is actually offensive.
there's no plot, that much i expected. but there are no character intentions or motivations, there's no flow from one scene to another, there's no chemistry... there's no proper ending or beginning even. you are just dropped into the first episode with the FL getting kidnapped and the ML assaulting her.
though i didnt find the drama triggering, i'd advice not to eat while you watch it, you might vomit it all out.
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there wasn't anything bad or wrong about it. nothing problematic either. but similarly there was nothing really great about it too. it was painfully mediocre.
the actors did a great job with the one dimensional roles they were offered. but the plot was so average, i was bored throughout it. and it wasn't even two hours long. that's a very short movie for someone like me who has grown up watching bollywood.
i think the main issue with this movie was that everything was so surface level, that they all ended up doing nothing for the plot. the things just happen to move the story forward and nothing was given enough emphasis so the watchers could actually connect and empathize with the characters. every side storyline too - like the murder case from the past and his relationship with his mom, felt so small and flat that i didn't care about them.
overall, average.
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If you like Bollywood Rom-Coms, you'll like this show too.
Things that you are going to find here :
- non-layered characters. literally none of the character is layered except kanata ( who is a cardboard cutout of a tsundere character) and kaede who doesn't play much purpose in the story line
- cliches : you name it. this has all of them
- communcation gap & fights. but surprisingly i didnt find them THAT annoying cuz they were resolved pretty fast and easily.
plus, if you're gonna watch a show with tsundere character, communication gap is a given.
All in all, it's a pretty light and engaging watch. I binged it all within one night. I'd recommend if you don't mind cliches and communication gaps, and are looking for a light, fluffy watch between your heavy, character driven dramas!
(spoiler)
one thing i REALLY liked and want to mention separately is how she didn't choose man over her career. she still went to new york and they still worked it out. THANK YOU for that!
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alright, this review might be too emotional instead of objective because i just finished the special, and my tears won't stop.i didn't know two episodes (with SO much plot) would be enough to make me cry.
i watched this special just to tick off a prompt in 2020 drama challenge. i didn't read the synopsis and just gave it a shot because i liked the male lead of the special in Be Melodramatic.
watching the first episode, i was so freaking sure that this is that this a show with the typical "hate to lovers" trope. that they'll fight, they'll separate, they'll miss each other and then realise voila! i love him/her.
but I WAS SO WRONG!
also, i don't think I have ever seen poop being used as a plot point. lmao. this was new and realistic. it made sense and wasn't a cheesy way to make the characters share space together. loved that.
and, thank you for portraying mental health in a realistic way. it doesnt become instantly better just because you have a good love life and a loving partner. you still have boundaries, you still push people away, you're still scared. i think this show did a fantastic job in showing that.
the only reason i'm not rating higher is because i wished it was longer and i could have watched more of their fluffy relationship.
i'm glad 2020 challenge made me watch this.
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"Can you come to me, and hug me? So, I can hug you too. So, we can stay warm like this forever."This show is exactly like the warm cup of coffee that Eun Seop keeps on making throughout the show. It may have heartbreaking and sad moments, but the ray of hope never disappeared. Maybe it's that ray of hope that made this weather fine.
Although yes, a warning, this show is a slow burn melodrama. The themes are very relaxed and laid back. That is not to say that the themes aren't serious or important. In fact, it totally the other way round. But if you need something to just binge, that'll have unrealistic twists and turns, and k-drama cliches, and rom-com fluffy moments. This isn't the one for you. This keeps it very real.
"Trust is like a glass. Once broken, even if you fix it, the cracks will forever remain."
"It can't even have a single crack? Even the table you're sitting on, even if it has a crack, you can still use it to serve food. It's only natural for things to get wear and tear with time. There's no such thing as a perfect relationship. What's wrong with a little crack? And, what's wrong with hurting each other's feelings a little? No one is perfect. That's why we do things we have to apologize for, say sorry, and then, mend things. That's how life goes."
I loved this quote, because I've heard and lived by the first quote. But the answer to it was quite unexpected and made me really think. What's wrong with a little crack?
The show is about imperfect humans and them making mistakes that they'd have to apologize for and then mending things. (Though I still think that Myeong Yeo made no mistake. That was no crime to me.) But that is what life is!
The only critique I have is that the second half of the drama dragged a little and the same revelation was done too many time that had me thinking, "yeah we already know this, can we move on?" Apart from that, I loved everything about it.
I hope you give this drama a chance, and enjoy it as much as I did.
With this, everyone, I wish you Goodnight! :)
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We Were Rooting For You, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!
Almost two years and 100+ reviews later, I doubt that I have anything new to add to the conversion but let me speak out my thoughts regardless.You can tell it was written by the same author as Cang Lan Jue; in fact it is so similar you can call it a re-imagination of that story, now with tribulations! Let me point out some of the similarities I could catch, off the top of my head.
1. A tribe is shunned by the heavenly realm on the accusation of being demonic — only to later be revealed that it was the heavenly emperor who’s the actual “villain”.
2. Charles Lin’s character awaits the "demonic" tribe’s leader's return.
3. FL is assumed to be a young, naive, weak fairy only to be revealed that she’s actually one of the strongest immortals to live, who has forgotten her real self.
4. ML sacrifices himself at the end to save the FL and the six realms, only to reunite with her in the very last scene of the drama.
So, I think we can safely say the plot is nothing original. Even so, the initial conflict of the prophecy announcing the return of Cang Hai, forcing the ML and FL to go through love tribulations in order to restore his primordial soul DID catch my attention — i binged 12 episodes of this drama in one sitting for crying out loud.
However, the “catch” of the seven lives/tribulations that created the curiousity and novelty for the plot is exactly what broke it in the last ten or so episodes.
The protagonists start off as most WuXia/XianXia leads do, sworning to never love each other. Even with that obvious set up, it was very entertaining to watch them live seven different versions/lives/characters — my favourite still remains Cat Demon Chu Kong, what an aura! But, the tribulation in which they travel back to 30,000 years ago is when it all went down the drain. Insta-love? In the big year of 2023? Yes, I understand the bond through a future perspective where you have lived and died through vairous lives together, but why are you two promising each other infinity when you have known each other for like FIVE DAYS MAX?!
Everything since that subplot started happening with a logic of “because the script says so”. Demon King Chu Kong is to lose his memory of her but he wouldn’t, because the script said so! He would imprison her so she doesn’t get taken away by the emperor, but she would ofcourse easily break the magic because? the script said so! He would enter the void to get her power back, but the “power” would warn him if he does so his soul would be destroyed; he comes back fully fine with little to no injuries because? YOU GUESSED IT! SCRIPT SAID SO! I could go on and on, but it’d be pointless to put in so much effort into the logical reasoning, if the makers didn’t.
I obviously watched this drama for Ding Yuxi — he is easily my favourite actor when it comes to chinese costume dramas. Unfortunately, the praise can not be extended to the rest of the cast. They were mediocre at best, cringey at worst.
One takeaway from this drama though would be the opening title track, you understood my love, instant addition to my spotify!
Most likely would not be rewatching, but *would be* streaming Cat Demon Chu Kong’s edits; send them my way!
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