very average in many respects. But I like it because nothing is BAD. Nothing is cringe, no one is badly cast, the actors aren't annoying, there's no bad soundtrack in the way, and the plot, pacing, writing, and direction are all fine. If you want epic, this is not the k-drama you're looking for. If you want spicy, this is not your drama. But if you just want something light and refreshing to pass the time, this one is good. I will definitely be watching the whole second season.
Which are the other four? I like your reviews. Very insightful
I guess I'd say CLOY, Shopping King Louie, Crazy Love, Oh My Venus, Love and Destiny, Doom at your Service, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes... I've given them all 9/10.
I thought it was AWESOME. The aesthetics and cinematograpy are nice. The casting is all beautiful, and all have a sort of other-worldly look to them. Combined with the aesthetics, it gives it sort of a dreamlike, surreal quality (kind of reminded me of the way 'A Korean Odyssey' looked style-wise, only softer and more intimate, in that distinctly Japanese way). The story is bare bones, like SKIMPY plot. Everything seems very mysterious. Don't get me wrong, this drama is a piece of fluff basically. But all the characters are just slightly mysterious, the soundtrack adds to that effect, and while there was very little soundtrack, what there was was good, and added to the scenes.
They give you no reasons for a lot of the mysteries in this drama. That makes them seem pointless and stupid if you look at it one way. I could see someone describing it as vapid even. But seen from another angle, this story could have been about a ghost, a vampire, a gumiho, an alien, a wizard, a superbeing, or the outside layer of some other deeper plotline. In other words, this drama was flexible. Capable of containing so many different possibilities. It doesn't impose anything on the viewer, leaving so much to the imagination. That in itself is an art that seems easy but isn't.
Strangely, this drama is also a love letter to coffee. But this almost gave it a tiny little 'Twin Peaks' edge to it. And the drama was completely sincere in it's love for coffee. It wasn't ever making fun of coffee, or blatantly using it as a tool to set something up. Except for that one scene in episode 4 where she puts the full portafilter in the machine, and then the phone rings and she goes to answer it without starting the shots - honey, you just burnt those shots! But even the espresso shots they film look beautiful and perfect.
ML is HOT. FL is plenty good enough. And those kisses are straight FIRE. Some of the best kissing I've ever seen in an asian drama. And there's lots of kiss scenes. It has moments that are spicy af, but this drama doesn't ever really cross the line the way Kakafukaka does, it's not that explicit.
I thought it was perfectly balanced, well executed, and exquisite both in the ways it satisfies, and the ways it doesn't satisfy.
This drama was like a beautiful mystery box that you can put whatever you want inside it. I'm giving it 8/10, even though its practically plotless because there are just so many things to enjoy about it.
This drama was very cotton candy, but it was the best cotton candy ever. The situations were somewhat believable, the casting was perfect, it was spicy, it was cute, it was kilig, it was touching... I didn't love it, but I liked it quite a bit. Gave it an 8.
This was kind of like... where most romances end, this one picks up. Sort of like "what happens directly after happily ever after". Its overly cheesy, bare bones plot, not the best but not the worst casting, actors, and soundtrack. Because of that, even though it has a lot of skinship, and a lot of spice, it has nearly no angst. So the kilig moments arent quite as strong as they can be in some of the angstier love stories like "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" or "Devil Beside You" or TMOPB/ELOD romances. I gave it an average score. It was nice that it was spicy. But I did miss the angstiness I like in romance dramas, and didn't think the ML was as drop dead gorgeous as the character he was portraying. He was handsome enough, but he's no Seo In Guk or Lee Soo Hyuk by any means. And FL was playing up the "baby doll" routine just a little bit too much, but it wasn't too bad.
This is one of only a handful of movies I've ever watched where the sex scenes aren't gratuitous. Each one conveys something different, and when you add them all up, you have a very beautiful message, in which the director is trying to convey how for some people in some situations, sex and love aren't a straight line. Sometimes people, through complex situations, get wired differently in that area of life.
I see this movie as controversial because in a very distinct way, it romanticizes prostitution, and romanticizes dysfunctional sexuality. Yet the opposite side of that is that it humanizes sexual dysfunction, so that a person isn't defined by their kink, it's just another aspect of their personhood. Also in defense of the film, it is highly respectful of how it treats the topic of AIDS.
If you skip the dialogue and just watch for the smut factor, you miss the entire artistry of the movie. If you skip the smut and just watch for the dialogue, you also miss the artistry of the movie, because each sex scene has something to convey. In this sense, the movie is sort of genius. A very deliberate movie.
We have all seen shows that depict sex work as seedy, dirty, depressing, hopeless. This is the opposite side of that. I think it's relying on the concept that most of the viewers already have seen the sordid side of the sex industry and know what it entails, and this movie is almost like an apology to that. A serious attempt at an explanation for why people end up in the industry, why they stay, or why they support it.
I don't agree entirely with some of the viewpoints the film takes, but I respect that at least it wasn't at all just another piece of smut. There are very deep emotions running through this movie.
This drama is so wrong in so many ways. The side story is about a tender, loving bond between an ex-serial rapist and an underage girl whose self esteem is so low that she realizes how much the ex-serial rapist really cares about her after a fight they have wherein he chokes her out with his bare hands.
And that's just the side story. So yeah, it's pretty messed up.
I just finished this. I could give a thoughtful detailed review, but the ending was so so terrible, that I won't even bother. Maybe one of the most UNromantic endings i've ever seen in a drama. Ruined the entire thing.
Not bad at all. Not the greatest thing I've ever watched, but very decent. The only thing that bothered me was the female villain character. She's overacting really really badly. The way she acts belongs in an opera, not a j-drama.
This movie seems to me like it was meant to be more artistic than popular, like a scorcese film. It reminded me a little bit of the movie Raging Bull. It's really difficult to describe what you saw after just one watch. It leaves a strong impression, and you're just not sure of what. The emphasis in this movie wasn't on the plot, it was on the characters. The characters are beautiful and charismatic. Everything in the movie is pared down, simplistic, elemental, and yet elegant and breathtaking.
Considered as a piece of entertainment, I'd say this maybe worth one watch, and no more. Considered as a piece of art however, I'd say this is worth several watches with ones full attention. The director has a distinct voice, and it seems like he is trying to use this movie to show his audience what that voice is. It may not be your cup of tea, it may not rank as "great" the way scorcese does, but it is unique. It aint Raging Bull. But it still, IMO deserves a least a modest measure of artistic consideration.
This is a slower paced drama, with sort of a basic straight-ahead plot. There are many times in the drama where they could have taken it somewhere more intriguing or dramatic but didn't. The ending isn't that bad but seems very disjointed, you sort of feel like you must have suddenly skipped 30 minutes of plotline, things aren't really explained.
Pros - Acting is good, dynamics between characters is good, and there is good chemistry between the FL and ML, although it is subtly expressed. Cons - Handheld camera shots are annoying every now and then, some of the character's reactions and feelings are not that believable, 2FL and 2ML had no chemistry, episode 7&8 are pretty draggy, and it had near-zero spice or skinship. Plot didn't have enough intrigue or hairpin turns.
The ending was so superbad, because if they had shown the FL leaving the husband for good, that would have been a good healing journey, even the breakup with Haruto would have been positive and justified, because after an abusive relationship it is possibly the worst idea ever to jump straight into another relationship, so she could have been a positive role model for other women who find themselves in that kind of situation.
And if they had shown her breaking down and getting back together with the husband, it would have been a realistic portrayal of how abusive relationships come to be, and how they are so toxic. When he's crying during mediation, anyone could see his bullshit behavior, but she didn't see it at all, it moved her when it should have disgusted her. You could see her making the same repetitive mistake that led her into the abusive relationship in the first place. The ending could easily have been taken in that direction.
But for her to somehow feel victorious because she still shares business and money with a man she divorced because he was a physical abuser... honey that is not independence! You didn't win, girl! He did. You let him redeem himself at your expense you dumb #%()*&%$#()@(!!! And on top of that you're still not independent. With an abuser, financial dependence is the worst kind of dependence.
So they picked the worst ending possible for this show that could have given it any meaning. Which is nearly criminal considering how well everything else was portrayed. This show could have had a message, and chose not to. The ending makes the painstaking realism of the entire drama worthless, imo.
Excellent acting by ML and FL. There is not a lot of nuance to this movie, it's a very simple and straightforward plot. So these aren't the kinds of roles that challenge an actor, not a lot of subtlety. However, the actors gave their all to their roles and gave great performances. This is a spicy movie, and the ML/FL chemistry is palpable. The comedy is really well done, the parts that are meant to be funny are very funny. Direction / cinematography / soundtrack, while not noteworthy, are definitely not bad. Not a bad movie at all, if you are looking for something spicy with a light plot.
The acting here is excellent. The cinematography is gorgeous. The story is simple and pared down, and builds up to an ending that is both dramatic and sweet. I would have given it a higher score if there was a bit more sophistication and depth to the story, but I think the rewatch value is pretty good. Something nice to watch between dramas.
This was cute and spicy. There could have been more kiss scenes, but it was kilig anyway, at least to me. It also was actually funny in many spots. Short, light, and satisfying watch.
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I will definitely be watching the whole second season.
They give you no reasons for a lot of the mysteries in this drama. That makes them seem pointless and stupid if you look at it one way. I could see someone describing it as vapid even. But seen from another angle, this story could have been about a ghost, a vampire, a gumiho, an alien, a wizard, a superbeing, or the outside layer of some other deeper plotline. In other words, this drama was flexible. Capable of containing so many different possibilities. It doesn't impose anything on the viewer, leaving so much to the imagination. That in itself is an art that seems easy but isn't.
Strangely, this drama is also a love letter to coffee. But this almost gave it a tiny little 'Twin Peaks' edge to it. And the drama was completely sincere in it's love for coffee. It wasn't ever making fun of coffee, or blatantly using it as a tool to set something up. Except for that one scene in episode 4 where she puts the full portafilter in the machine, and then the phone rings and she goes to answer it without starting the shots - honey, you just burnt those shots! But even the espresso shots they film look beautiful and perfect.
ML is HOT. FL is plenty good enough. And those kisses are straight FIRE. Some of the best kissing I've ever seen in an asian drama. And there's lots of kiss scenes. It has moments that are spicy af, but this drama doesn't ever really cross the line the way Kakafukaka does, it's not that explicit.
I thought it was perfectly balanced, well executed, and exquisite both in the ways it satisfies, and the ways it doesn't satisfy.
This drama was like a beautiful mystery box that you can put whatever you want inside it. I'm giving it 8/10, even though its practically plotless because there are just so many things to enjoy about it.
I see this movie as controversial because in a very distinct way, it romanticizes prostitution, and romanticizes dysfunctional sexuality. Yet the opposite side of that is that it humanizes sexual dysfunction, so that a person isn't defined by their kink, it's just another aspect of their personhood. Also in defense of the film, it is highly respectful of how it treats the topic of AIDS.
If you skip the dialogue and just watch for the smut factor, you miss the entire artistry of the movie. If you skip the smut and just watch for the dialogue, you also miss the artistry of the movie, because each sex scene has something to convey. In this sense, the movie is sort of genius. A very deliberate movie.
We have all seen shows that depict sex work as seedy, dirty, depressing, hopeless. This is the opposite side of that. I think it's relying on the concept that most of the viewers already have seen the sordid side of the sex industry and know what it entails, and this movie is almost like an apology to that. A serious attempt at an explanation for why people end up in the industry, why they stay, or why they support it.
I don't agree entirely with some of the viewpoints the film takes, but I respect that at least it wasn't at all just another piece of smut. There are very deep emotions running through this movie.
And that's just the side story. So yeah, it's pretty messed up.
Considered as a piece of entertainment, I'd say this maybe worth one watch, and no more. Considered as a piece of art however, I'd say this is worth several watches with ones full attention. The director has a distinct voice, and it seems like he is trying to use this movie to show his audience what that voice is. It may not be your cup of tea, it may not rank as "great" the way scorcese does, but it is unique. It aint Raging Bull. But it still, IMO deserves a least a modest measure of artistic consideration.
Pros - Acting is good, dynamics between characters is good, and there is good chemistry between the FL and ML, although it is subtly expressed.
Cons - Handheld camera shots are annoying every now and then, some of the character's reactions and feelings are not that believable, 2FL and 2ML had no chemistry, episode 7&8 are pretty draggy, and it had near-zero spice or skinship. Plot didn't have enough intrigue or hairpin turns.
And if they had shown her breaking down and getting back together with the husband, it would have been a realistic portrayal of how abusive relationships come to be, and how they are so toxic. When he's crying during mediation, anyone could see his bullshit behavior, but she didn't see it at all, it moved her when it should have disgusted her. You could see her making the same repetitive mistake that led her into the abusive relationship in the first place. The ending could easily have been taken in that direction.
But for her to somehow feel victorious because she still shares business and money with a man she divorced because he was a physical abuser... honey that is not independence! You didn't win, girl! He did. You let him redeem himself at your expense you dumb #%()*&%$#()@(!!! And on top of that you're still not independent. With an abuser, financial dependence is the worst kind of dependence.
So they picked the worst ending possible for this show that could have given it any meaning. Which is nearly criminal considering how well everything else was portrayed. This show could have had a message, and chose not to. The ending makes the painstaking realism of the entire drama worthless, imo.