michelleoc

Might have been better as a series

Usually, I prefer movies because they leave out all the unnecessary filler. In the case of this movie, I would have preferred more information. I have not read the manga or watched the anime, so maybe it's my own fault. The biggest thing missing for me were the emotions of the main couple. When and why did he fall in love with her? Didn't see that at all. They spent time saying that he was a terribly mean person, and multiple women had already run away from him, but he was nice to her from the beginning, and I could never feel why he liked her specifically.

It was about time for some niceness to her, after the horror of the family that she had to live with.

The special effects in this movie were really good. There was a lot of action packed into it as well. I also liked the feel of the movie regarding the time frame. I tend to not like historical dramas, but here, the time frame was somewhat blurred, with the women in beautiful kimonos, and the men in suits. Shout out to the costume designer for the military uniforms and kimonos. And whoever was responsible for hair and makeup - the long silver hair was so effective on the ML, as well as the "tattoo" markings on their faces when they used their powers.

So, while I didn't absolutely love it, this movie has a lot going for it and it was time well-spent to watch it.

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Great premise

When I read the synopsis for this show, I was excited about the original concept. Add to that, I love the actors that are in it, and I was really looking forward to it. I was let down by the writing. I thought the acting was terrific, and if they had taken out all of the repetitive scenes/dialogue, this would have been excellent.

The FL went from being a strong character to a person that just kept saying "Haru" in practically every scene. They couldn't think of other lines for her? It was written in such a way that intimated that she only had strength when she was the main lead, but as a secondary person she had no control.

My biggest problem was the repetitiveness of the whole thing. I'd still say watch it, but keep your fast forward button ready. The acting was very good.

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A good show to watch, but irritating at times

I was looking forward to seeing the leads together. I've loved her in everything I've seen her in, and he was my favorite part of Alchemy of Souls. They were extremely cute together. They had some serious scenes, and they also had a lot of scenes that just made me smile. For instance, once they were dating and they were deciding what to call one another. Their shyness with each other was very endearing. I didn't necessarily feel "chemistry" from them. Watching them as a couple, the word that comes to mind is "comfortable". I don't know if this is because they both just so extremely young, or what.
LIKED:
1)The storyline was interesting, but sometimes they used the gong sound for truth, as well as for lies, so that was confusing.
2)Kim So Hyun as Sol Hee was good for this part. Aside from being beautiful, there is something about her that men and women are both drawn to, men want to date her, and women want to be her friend. Those are my favorite type of character. Hwang Min Hyun was okay in this. He was very understated, and I did like his ability to portray distrust, fear, and loneliness. There wasn't a lot of range from him, but I think that was more because of the way the part was written.
3)I think my favorite part of this show was Seo Ji Han as Lee Gang Min. He has very expressive eyes and was able to portray a lot of emotions with just his eyes. This character was a classic example of perfect boyfriend material. He loved her so much, he wanted to be with her and protect her, but the most important thing to him was her happiness. At the end, when he was on stakeout and was watching her walk by, his face just showed every emotion.
4) I loved the gang leader. There was a sort of a gray moral code about him. Him sticking up for Sol Hee and helping her was heartwarming.
5) I liked the OST, but I especially loved the background piano playing throughout, moving from Chopsticks to classical pieces. It was very subtle and playful.

NOT SO MUCH:
1) Wow! There were so many unlikeable and irritating characters! The stalking singer, both moms, the "friend" that keeps extorting money from Do Ha, plagiarism company guy, as well as Do Ha's ex-girlfriend in flashbacks. I was especially irritated by the singer that was following him around, paying people to find him, etc. I really don't care for the trend in Asian dramas about the scheming woman willing to do whatever to get the man. They did, ultimately redeem her.
2) Again, the gong sounding at different times.
3) I also felt like they had so many characters to keep the mystery moving forward, to keep us guessing. But after the mystery was revealed, there wasn't much going on. This could have been a couple of episodes shorter.
4) I guessed early on who the perpetrator was, but the reasoning was a surprise.

So, I can definitely recommend this one, frustrations and all.

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I am exhausted!

This show was so well done and I'm glad that I finally took the time to watch it. My brain feels somewhat fried, trying to keep up with the twists and turns in the story line, and attempting to keep the past and the present sorted out. I'll admit that time travel, butterfly effect shows are hard for me to grasp. Since this show is from 2016, the whole thing is kind of grainy in its film quality, both in the present and in the past, so it was sometimes hard for me to figure out which time period I was watching. A lot of the characters looked pretty much the same in both time periods, which you wouldn't expect from a 20-year time difference.

Corruption, unfortunately, was a big part of the drama, and that seemed to be the cause of so many unsolved cases. That got a little old. Plus, working under people that you know are corrupt was very hard to watch, their efforts were stymied more often than not.

The acting was excellent, most notably Jo Jin Woong as Jae Han and Lee Je Hoon as Hae Young. Especially impressive was the fact that so much of the time they were acting alone, with just the walkie talkie, and not face to face with other actors. I felt a whole gamut of emotions watching this, excitement, fear, sadness, and hope.

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Calming/healing

First, if you are looking for full-on romance, look elsewhere. We don't get many scenes with the ML and FL, the romance is more in what he does for her.

This is a drama about loss, healing and found family. The beginning credits, camera work and music are reminiscent of a Japanese drama - slow, peaceful. I think you probably need to be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy this one because there is more happening emotionally than physically, and that's what moves the story forward. The use of flashbacks was very effective, allowing us to see what brought Yoo Ri to where she is.

All of the actors did a very good job, but I was especially impressed with Kim Bo Ra as Yoo Ri and Sung Byung Sook as her grandmother. To be honest, I didn't even recognize Bo Ra. She usually plays secondary, somewhat irritating characters. This was a very mature role for her, and she did an excellent job conveying her emotions. Byung Sook as the grandmother was warm, wise, and she has a sweet, soothing voice.

I love a good story about found family, and the melding of these scarred people into a family was lovely to watch.

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A better romance than a lot of romances!

Someone on MDL recommended this as a good romance. Wait! It doesn't have a romance tag, and it's a drama about zombies! I'm so glad this was recommended to me and that I watched t.

The two main characters are friends from high school and get married so they can get an apartment in a new apartment community. We saw the progression of their relationship in each episode and I loved watching it. You could see how and why they started liking each other and they always had each other's backs.

Park Hyun Sik as Yi Hyun - this actor is very gifted in the way that he shows his affection for FL's that he plays opposite of (Soundtrack #1 is another great example). He bulked up for this role and was excellent as the detective that always wanted to do things the right/legal way.
Han Hyo Joo as Sae Bom - Strong FL, she had a strong sense of justice and didn't take anyone's BS. Her relationship with the little girl was so sweet.

All of the actors did a great job, and there were so many actors that I have seen in other works. I have to say, this drama had a plethora of unlikeable characters. Just when you think they can't be any more self-serving or terrible, they surprise you and do something worse. This drama talked a lot about the class system, determining your value by what you had. Disasters bring out the best and the worst in people and boy, did it bring out their worst!

The music was very good, suspenseful when needed, and otherwise blending into the background. I also appreciated the graphics at the beginning of the episodes.

This drama wasn't about zombies as much as it was about "What would you do?" Though it made me a nervous wreck to watch it, I really enjoyed it.

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Not worth my time

Where do I start? The acting is pretty bad in this show. Add in the obnoxious dubbing and it was painful for me to get through. The female lead's character was absolutely horrible through the first 8 episodes or so - she was either stalking him, trying to seduce him, or pretending to get mad at him and stomping off. How she could think she could magically fix his psychological problems is beyond me - I thought her behavior would make it worse. The concept for the show was interesting, but again, I felt that the actors were wooden. The female lead did redeem herself in the last couple of episodes, which brought my rating up a star. But what was with the ending?!? After forcing myself to get through all the long episodes, the ending was rushed and abrupt.

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Watch it until after the credits

Satoh Takeru - yup, that's why I watched it. He's intense and, as usual, I enjoyed his performance. The scene where he sent her away was heartbreaking. His hair was too long and you couldn't see his eyes, and it seriously needed to be washed. But, I digress...

This movie is hard for me to rate. It left me feeling dissatisfied, for lack of a better word. Maybe there wasn't enough time to develop the characters more fully (but I don't care enough to watch the Korean version for more story). Part of my problem is that I don't like liars. That part of the story didn't go on for too terribly long. That she was a high school student was a little problematic, but it didn't seem too noticeable.

Everyone just seemed not too terribly likeable. I was bothered by the fact that the ML had money, fame, etc. and walked around like he'd just been given a death sentence. That's the point, I know, but it just irritated me.

Maybe it was my frame of mind when I watched it. If you want to try it, at least you won't be out too much time.

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I would have preferred the series, I think

I haven't watched a lot of Thai movies, let alone one that is a fantasy. This movie seemed to have been made on a very low budget. It seemed to be a much older film, production quality-wise. I struggled with the overacting of most of the side characters, and the bad make-up. I think this is what made me not love the movie.

I will say that the ML and FL were lovely, both in visuals and in their story line. There was such a calm warmth about both of them (I don't know if that makes any sense). They were very sweet together. The story was somewhat confusing to me, but I love the idea of love that transcends time.

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I was annoyed a lot watching this

This was a cute friends to lovers story. I liked watching them getting to know one another, but wow, the repeated scenes in such a short drama, getting different points of view, I know, but come on! I liked watching the leads together and even though the editing was pretty choppy, I liked watching the progression of how they came to like one another.

However, I hated the evil girl/triangle story. For being such a short drama, she got too much time in the story. I didn't like the bullying or how the FL never told the ML what was actually going on. Learn to communicate! I was also bothered by the fact that the evil girl started these terrible rumors, which everyone believed, and they spread like wildfire, but there were no consequences for the evil girl. Also, if everyone is very vocal in trash talking the FL, there is no way the ML wouldn't have heard anything.

The time jump was necessary but confusing in that the characters looked pretty much the same and hadn't aged at all.

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Cute watch, but...

I loved the actors in this. Mori Nana as KiKi was just precious. Though often immature, which was slightly problematic for me if I was supposed to believe her with Asaba, she changed those around her. I liked her energy and how she wasn't the typical J-drama female that kept her head down and apologized for absolutely everything she did. Nakamura Tomoya as Asaba - he needs more romantic ML roles! He's very charismatic, and there were a couple of times where he would suck on his bottom lip slightly...my! Nakano Taiga was just lovely. It helped that, for the most part, I liked his character, but he did serious very well, and he's got good comedic timing. He portrayed Makoto's sweetness, but also his caring that he had for KiKi. I enjoyed watching him.

Which brings me to the problem that I had - the romance part of the story. My biggest complaint - if I'm supposed to believe a romance, part of that is convincing me that you are in love. If you are in love, you don't want to be with anyone else. 1) Asaba's relationship with his past girlfriend bothered me, not only because I didn't buy them as a couple, but they were basically living together. Call me old-fashioned, but one of the things I like about romance (though I know I'm living in a dream world, which is why I like watching these things!) is when the couple hasn't been with others. This one left an especially bad taste in my mouth, because the girlfriend had LITERALLY just broken up with him, and she had to tell him that he liked KiKi. - Get a clue, dude! 2) KiKi - she's pining after Asaba, but then suddenly decides to date Makoto. That, to me, was wishy washy, and unfair to Makoto. She's even ready to pick Makoto before Asaba shows up. 3) Which brings me to Asaba confessing to KiKi when he knows she's in a relationship with Makoto. Asaba and Makoto have been friends for years - not cool! You had your chance and you blew it. 4) Extremely short time for Asaba and KiKi being together - not only once they were actually together, but the lead up. There really wasn't anything to show us them beginning to like one another, not much of a build up. I felt like they ended up together because they were the leads and it was SUPPOSED to happen. I even cheated and watched part of the last episode when I was only halfway through the show, because I had no idea who I was supposed to be rooting for! The scene where Asaba and KiKi are running to one another and he is telling her that they have nothing in common and have no chemistry, was sadly true up to that point.

A couple of other minor points. The "villain" (corporate guy) did everything he did just because he didn't like Asaba - that's not a good businessman and you going back to doing things the way they used to be done (but weren't working) out of spite? Nope! Finally, in Japanese dramas, why is there always at least one person that is completely overacting? The older convenience store worker was too over the top.

So, my bottom line, it's a short, cute watch at 10 episodes, so you don't have to make too much of a time investment. It's enjoyable if you don't want to be too invested in the outcome.

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If you've ever developed second lead syndrome, this one is for you!

I watched this last night on YouTube, and at just seven episodes it's a quick watch. It was very cute. You don't necessarily get attached to the characters much, because each male gets the opportunity to be the male lead - Rowoon, Zuho, Dawon and Chani each get to win the girl. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide who she should be with. Clever, actually. It doesn't happen often, but I hate when I'm watching something, and I think that the FL should be with the 2ML.

The acting wasn't as cringy as I was afraid it would be. I thought the guys did a better job than the girl did. She spent a lot of time pouting and pursing her lips to be cute.

Because it was so short, there wasn't much opportunity to show how clumsy she was. They spent quite a bit of time at the beginning basically warning the whole school to stay away from her for their own safety, but then that wasn't really addressed.

Since it's an older show, it was fun to see actors/actresses that I've since seen in other roles (mainly the teachers talking in the office).

It's cute and it was fun to watch on the heels of a drama that I was very disappointed in.

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Getting friend zoned

This was a short, four episode drama. Whenever I watch older shows, I get stuck on the fashions and the graininess of the camera work. This is a good show to watch when you don't want to make a big time commitment, or if you need a break from heavier shows.

Everyone in the world knows that the ML likes the FL, except, apparently, the FL. She's a little dense that way. For how short the drama was, there was certainly a lot of drinking going on.

"I don't know how I feel" is a phrase that I never like to hear in a drama, right up there with "I THINK I like you". I couldn't quite see what the FL's confusion was regarding her feelings.

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Short, sweet and to the point

I didn't particularly care for the character of Woo Ri. I think because the series was so short, it was hard to flesh her out. She definitely had self-esteem problems (loser boyfriend!), but once she ran into Park Jun Seok, she found herself again, and I think she was able to remember what she used to like about herself.

I'll be honest, I watched this for Kim Young Dae, and he didn't disappoint. There is something very charming about him, and I'm sure he doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as an actor, but he should always play the nice guy male lead. He's a natural at it. For anyone that has not seen him in Sh**ting Stars, watch it!!

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Oh, how I wish they'd ended the drama with episode 19!

A complicated, convoluted, interesting, fast-paced story with lots of characters, CGI, stunts and color. It was beautifully filmed. I loved the color palettes used, the juxtaposition of the lights and darks to represent good and evil. The scenery was beautiful, the stunts and CGI were really good and I was all in until the end of episode 19. I will come clean and say that I’m not a historical drama lover and I don’t go out of my way to watch action/fantasy. Give me a good romance and we’ll call it a day. I loved how we got a bit of 21st century in the way they talked at times, as well as with the hair and makeup for the cast. THANK YOU for not putting all the men in the giant, ridiculous hats. The hairstyles were pretty much current, without all the extra, complicated ornamentation that they tend to use in historicals.
THE CAST was really good overall, but the standouts for me were:
Lee Jae Wook as Uk. Played immature very well, and I really liked watching him grow into his powers. He’s gorgeous to watch and he’s subtle. I am fascinated by him for some reason, I've liked him in everything I've seen of his. PLEASE make him a ML in a true, honest-to-goodness 21st century romance!
Jung So Min as MuDeok. She did amazing things using only her eyes and facial expressions. I could totally buy into her role, and becoming more human as she went along. She was able to change from being the master to the servant in such a way that you weren’t pulled out of the drama. I have liked her in all the roles I've seen her in, she's very natural.
Hwang Min Hyun as Seo Yul. For the first few episodes, all I could think of was Che Eun Woo every time he was on screen. That eventually went away, and I loved his acting. This was another part that required subtlety, using eyes and micro expressions. My heart hurt for his character. Strangely, I cried for him.
Shin Seung Ho as Go Won. Initially, he was kind of a caricature, larger than life, obvious makeup, stiff hair that looked like a football helmet. I thought, “Oh, I’m going to hate him.” His character was wonderful, and I liked the bromance between him and Uk.
Jo Jae Yoon as Jin Mu. I think I’ve only ever seen him as a bad guy, but boy, does he do it well! With that silver hair and that ice stare of his, he was creepy.

Characters/writing: There was a lot to keep track of, but I didn’t really feel like anyone was a throwaway. The writing was necessarily confusing, with all that was going on and I felt like I needed a flow chart for the towns, the characters, and the convoluted love stories (past and present). I loved how the characters called each other by their first names.
Chemistry: I can see why romance is third on the list of tags. If asked, romance wouldn’t be the first word I would use to describe Alchemy of Souls. However, the romance was wonderful from the standpoint that the leads had absolutely no idea how to go about being in a relationship. Their foreplay was arguing, and they did it well. Kisses – just wow. I also really liked the chemistry between MuDeok and Seo Yul, and MuDeok and Go Won.
Music: Fabulous OST. From the haunting opening song, the powerful instrumentals that sound like they are making use of Taiko drums, to the vocal tracks, the music fit perfectly. BIG Naughty’s Love Letter, is beautiful and dreamy. Gummy whispers her way through Raindrops. Car, the Garden’s Scars Leave Beautiful Trace fit perfectly with the Joseon feel of the drama. Jeong Sewoon, Just Watching You – I think he could sing the dictionary and I would be enthralled.
Rewatch value: This is low for me, because romance wasn’t the driving force.
Ending: RANT and SPOILER!! From a romance standpoint, episode 19 was wonderful, because after all the darkness, bloodshed and evil, we got an episode full of sweetness and light. This drama could have ended on episode 19 and I would have been perfectly happy. But noooo, you had to go there, you couldn’t let people be happy! The ending was set up specifically for a second season, which really irritated me. I hate open endings, I hate cliffhangers, and I hate being forced to watch another season of a drama that pretty much tied things up. So, I’m thinking season two will create more of the same problems that our main characters have already gone through. Of course, I have to watch it just to see what happens, and I’ll try to reserve judgment.
Should you watch it or not? I’d say definitely, especially if you are into historical dramas, fantasy and action.

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