palmedacocco

W survival to help gifted young people gain visibility

All these young guys are so cutie and amazing.
Their commitment is commendable and their fragility is endearing.
The challenge of 3rd episodes was to give birth of a performance in only 24 hours. It seems an impossible mission but both 2 teams (A and B) at my personal opinion were great.
The campus was a good occasion to compact the group and create mates.
4th and 5th episodes, formed groups A and B with a particular method. They split in two according to the favorite's ranking, even in a side and odd in the other. Not great performance but a lot of commit.

I like all these survivals that give the chance to have visibility of so many youngs talented people who work really hard to "emerge".

The last episode was a very tough and sad selection.
A total pure TORTURE for those poor boys... which from 16 people takes them to 8, and then once again to 7...
In January 2025 we will see the realization of project they created for them. Surprise.

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What a shame

I was enthusiastic and would have given 9 stars until the 10th episode but the last 2 episodes lowered my rating.
Bad episodes (for me): 8th and 11th.

A woman has the gift of seeing the future of the people she kisses. By an accident she happens to touch her boss's lips and discovers that they will have an affair. While for him kissing someone is an experience that makes him feel bad and sometimes even faint, but with her it's different.

Great cast! Many beautiful and interesting actors already seen in other roles, for examples:
-the boss (Yoon Kye Sang): "Chocolate"
-the sensitive (Seo Ji Hye): girlfriend in "Crash landing on you"
-her mate and friend (Hwang Bo Ra): many support roles
-her cousin (Kim Ga Eum): friend of girl-lead in "King the land"
-his doctor and friend (Tae In Ho): many support roles
-the director/producer (Kim Ji Suk): "Angel Eyes"

I've been a fan of this odd couple since the beginning but I didn't like so much the last two episodes. They lost their "abilities" and began to have divergences. The change is too much. Why this ending? Everything perfect and then... what a shame!

PS: I liked watching their work which consisted of advertising items, in this case a bed and a car, starting from a concept and developing it, looking for locations... I found it interesting.

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I loved the boy who plays the young prince, a real star.
The prince, D.O from EXO I follow him as a singer but he's great as an actor too. I love when he walks with his hands behind his back and doesn't want to be touched (oh oh) even if he doesn't remember to belong to the royal family.
However, the question of marriage between the two is dragged out too long (even a second imposition of marrying young people) and the punishment for the villain was too light. He deserved much worse.
Up until episode 10 it was interesting, from 11 onwards a little less.

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shame about the ending

A rich girl and a lawyer has married and after 3 years he wants to divorce but his wife tell him she has 3 month to live so he decided to resist next to her untill her death.

Kim Soo Hyun's role reminds me of "It's okay not to be okay", such a man who is always calm and super kind, submissive to a strong and crazy woman, who is in love with him.
There is a palpable chemistry between the couple. They act very well.
I personally liked her aunt and also his lawyer friend.
My least favorite episode was episode 11th. When the bad guy blackmailed her, I hated these moments. A trash man who takes advantage of her weaknesses even though he knows she isn't interested in him.

The last episode disappointed me a lot.
She who still keeps him on edge with marriage (after what happened, hasn't she learned that life is short? She should have been the one to propose to him), the sight of his tombstone could have been spared, the brief glimpse of their daughter without seeing the joys of this event is a sin as is the hasty summary of all the stories, including the aunt's relationship.
Then, when he runs away from the hospital in his condition (absolutely not), when he is shot with all the special forces present and no one moves to see his condition (not real).

This series is compared in terms of share to the series "Crash landing on you" which still remains my favorite.
Certain scenes seem copied, for example the field of flowers at the end, but the sensations they convey are not the same.

NB: Is Mercedes a sponsor of this series by any chance? It wasn't clear enough.

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Friends & Enemies at the same time

When I saw that the series consists of 29 episodes I was a little discouraged, but the dynamic rhythms pushed me forward and it was a pleasure. Even the opening soundtrack doesn't get boring after listening to it over and over again.

The plot initially revolves around the search for the book of war and the killing of Prince Sado after which the theme shifts to the trade in fake ginseng and the killing of Crown Prince.
After the training of these boys, the small group of new warriors is divided into two: those who side with the prince and those who ally themselves with the assassins. Baek Dong Soo is part of the good guys while Yeon Woo turns his back on them and becomes a real bastard in charge of the assassins.

What did I appreciate?
- At the end of the fifth episode the young people become adults and therefore the actors change. Baek Dong Soo starts to be played by Ji Chang Wook and Yeon Woo by Yoo Seung Ho.
My congratulations on this change because all the new actors were very similar to the younger ones.
- I also liked the team of 3 guys who looked like the 3 Musketeers, while the leader of the assassins looked a lot like Jack Sparrow.
- interesting loves triangles
- Baek Dong Soo goes from an awkward child to a master of swordsmanship and martial arts.

Something I didn't like:
- First: The role of the sword master in this series is disappointing. I thought he will be the most tough character but he proved to be a useless person almost whole time. He stays aside and then mourns his dead friends, he's never there when you need him, he loses the baby then he goes away for 20 years (?)...
- the story goes that the real Prince Sado was not at all the kind person we see here (discordant).
- stupid King, believe everything, says the bastard and concedes everything (events, fights, archery,...), basically a puppet;
- Many warriors have been killed and there are always more and more. Where do they go to find them and recruit them?;
- Ga Ok gets pierced by an arrow and dies, "Jack Sparrow" gets pierced here and there and comes out alive? Nonsense;
- Bad 12th and 13th episodes (many good people died instead of bad guys) how nervous!
- I didn't understand why Yeon Woo wants to be the bad guy at all costs and fights against the people who helped him, even though he sometimes shows compassion and helps them. Being nervous, I admit that looking at how he acted I vented by calling him a "bastard". If the traitor had put his forces at the disposal of good, everyone would have been happy. He made a bad choice that he regrets.
-The Sword Master's daughter becomes a fighter?
-How nervous when they clashed with the bad guys and didn't kill them. In general, I never understood why they don't kill the boss first, instead of wasting strength fighting with the others and then letting the boss escape. Clear example with the son of the Minister of War? Cut off the snake's head.
-I felt sorry for how the story ended. The final "stab" from the third companion, I honestly didn't expect it. It may make sense but equally they could have found another ending.
-Cho Rip should also have been dead, given the blows inflicted on him.

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Great Queen

A Queen and 5 princes. The LOVE of a mother for her children. A great woman who fight against everything and everybody to protect these poors guys. I admire this great queen clever and heartgentle. A big support and teacher of life for princes.
Instead I hate the bastard grand mother, mother's king.
I also admired the king who support and trust her queen.
PS It's the first time that I discover this "election" of new heir prince. Cemissò / interesting.
Court life is quite dangerous, eventful and stressful.
I also loved the ending, these brothers hugging each other and this umbrella that symbolizes protection for the family.

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These 2 friends who have grown as a brother and sister, they like each other but, she goes to Seoul while he stay at Jeju island. After 8 years she come back to the home family with her 2 sisters and niece and they meet again. Theirs feelings are the same that in the past but also another mate love her.
Great acting of Ji Chang Wook with his fast speech, his smile and the deep voice.
Many things are great: the cast, some gestures (for example the niece that take the shirt of her grandmother), I love when he call her mom "omma", the fact of a multi parenting (two mother each), the relationship of these 3 sisters, the boy friendship like power rangers, when these fishing's women (Haenyeo) drive their quads, the "adult" niece, the kindness of the new couple of dolphin boy and the little sister,...
I informed me about the activity of these "Haenyeo" and I learnt is so precious in Jeju that since 2016 become a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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I'll start with the PLOT: who gets married without even having met her once or at least having seen a photograph of her? They want a divorce, yes, no... A passage that I particularly remember was her clever idea to sign the contract with the imprint. There I thought they had a good idea.
CAST: no goosebumps, the faces of the protagonists are always the same, not very expressive, no chemistry, cold kisses, then his attitude of taking her rudely against her will I didn't like much his character.
OST: nothing special. Usually when I like it I look for who the singer is and add it to my playlist but it wasn't the case.

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The story itself is nothing special. In short, one could say that out of spite a woman wants to take the company away from its rival and even succeeds. But the best part is the relationship that develops between this director and her assistant. I like how he is attentive to everything that concerns her. A true gentleman and also a sweet father.
Then I was struck by certain shots, such as zooms on the hands which were scenes that speak without words, as well as the good OST, I particularly liked them.
A small note to the make-up artists, they could have dulled the protagonist's face a little, who always seemed sweaty.

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You never know people fully

An ex-prosecutor, mother and lawyer lost her husband in a car accident. Apparently he met his death in a cliff and the police believe that he committed suicide.
She faces debts and many dangerous situations, but the biggest surprise comes when she discovers that her husband is alive and not at all the good guy he seemed to be. Kidnapping, twists, lots of bad news... all ingredients of this series.

Revenge is the key word and I won't say anything else.
The plot was quite well constructed.

Great wife! I admired this tough and intelligent woman. Even she was scared, she faced situations head on.
I also like the character of her prosecutor friend.

The end of 9th episode seems to be the conclusion of the series, in the meantime there are other "troubles".

I found it right that the series was made up of 12 episodes and not 16.

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#proposal

I appreciated the beautiful locations, like the boat at the beginning or Budapest (not so used usually), the soundtrack well adapted to the scenes, a fantastic cast always well dressed, a singular plot.
Choices, sacrifices, emotions, misunderstandings... all in one.

It all starts when Xi Yi wants to propose to his girlfriend Anna on a cruise boat, but the girl thought well to put her career before her life as a couple and agrees to go dancing in Paris and leaves him alone on the ship. On the other hand, Jia Xin, this simple girl spends all her money to offer this cruise to her boyfriend, but she will be disappointed to find out he was a liar and cheating on her with his lover. So these 2 find themselves consoling each other. They will later discover that they are legally married and that she is also pregnant. He loves Anna, but he is also a responsible man who takes care of others and has decided to live with his "wife" until she has the baby, then divorce and be with Anna.
But... Months pass and the time will come to choose between these two women: one, his first love, a selfish girl who puts her career before him, or the other girl who carries his child in her womb and does everything for him.
When he chooses the second, the first fights strenuously to win back his love.
Jia Xin feels guilty for having "stolen" her boyfriend.
Something bad happens and this boy is left alone, only this so-called "friend" by his side and the memory of his great lost love. A very sad moment.
After 3 years, when he goes on a business trip to Hungary, he will find himself face to face with his ex-wife and try to reconnect with their lost relationship. Very difficult with the memory of the past and two friends like Anna and Dyland, false and manipulative.

What can you learn from this story? If you are a very kind person, people take advantage of you and most importantly, you can't love someone on command.

I liked the funny and combative couple of friends, as well as the grandmother version of cupid. Above all I loved the character of Wang Xi Yi, a man who is upright, sensitive and so in love that he wears his wedding ring even after 3 years since he was dumped. A man who channeled his pain by continuing to write the diary, making her plans come true, refusing to sign the divorce papers.
I was moved when he confessed to her that he had also suffered and had hard times and that she wasn't the only one who had pain. She has always been altruistic but in that case she has been 100% selfish.

I was afraid that 36 episodes were a lot but I watched them in just 5 days, I was really addicted to this series.
A small note: I would have avoided putting the image of their wedding under the opening titles, it ruined the surprise.
Then I would have avoided putting Anna among the wedding guests. The way she behaved, a simple "Sorry" was not enough at all compared to the pain she caused. Even if they are good, I don't think I would have forgiven her.
Instead, I found the final scene on the ship to be the right conclusion, like a circle closing.

NB: The Eternal Love (2017) has the same two lead actors. News from August 2024 says that after 7 years they will also get married in real life.

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