An exquisite slice-of-life drama with poignant characters study, like the ones writer Noh Hee Kyung has gifted us with over the years. With a great cast of talented newcomers at the time, NHK successfully managed to bring these complicated characters to life through their compelling and dramatic journey of confronting the lonely, pretense life they have been living -due to their secrets and regrets- in order to start over and create the life and happiness they seek.
Beautifully shot, with magnificent scenery, filming settings and costumes and an ethereal, subtle performance from Nakatani Miki, this movie's weakest point is its story narration and pace.
A slow-paced, quiet, dark, sad movie that depicts the re-connection of young Zhen Chen with his mother and reveals the mystery behind the reasons she abandoned him. The cinematography, its gloomy tone and color schematics imposes a unique melancholic, nostalgic mood to the atmosphere. Jang Dong Yoon and, particularly, Lee Na-Young’s performances were powerful and compelling.
Sayounara is a quiet, subdued, pastel colored coming-of-age indie movie that tells the story of a high school girl who dives into depression, internalization and distancing -after her close friend dies- and her journey of coming to terms with grief, as life carries on around her.
An unconventional film, being shot without a script but with only a rough plot and using improvisations by its newbie cast, who speak out their true feelings in each scene and each moment.
Light and entertaining slice of life j-drama, depicting the love-life, friendship and work related problems of three single friends. Excellent cast, a bit simplified story and a great bromance, which was the stronger element of this overall pleasant drama.
Thanks for sharing OAL! THE HEAD, Hanzawa Naoki Season 2, BG: Personal Bodyguard 2 and Midnight Runner adaptation are the ones I'm mostly looking forward to, only after they are fully subbed ;)
I started watching this wonderful feel-good, slice of life j-drama after the recommendation of a friend in the feeds and it was a total success! I am not an expert in manga culture, but I was instantly immersed in the story and learned quite a lot about editors’ work in the manga world, the marketing side of it, as well as the mangakas and the struggles or demons they have to deal with. What can I say, without being too biased, about Kuroki Haru! She gave life to one of the most enthusiastic, positive characters I’ve encountered recently! With her brimming smile, her shinning eyes, her colorful outfits and her bubbly energy she was a ray of sunshine that could brighten up even the gloomiest atmosphere. Kuroki Haru found the perfect balance and essence to her animated character, Kurosawa Kokoro, which was indeed not an easy task: she was over-enthusiastic but not annoying or too over-dramatic for a manga adaptation. While Kokoro was the center of the story, she wasn’t not the only focus: many other quirky characters, with their mix of traits and personalities, played by talented cast members had their own role, purpose and significance to the plot. Wholeheartedly recommended :)
An excellent sports drama, where the plot isn't focused mainly on sports, but on the people involved in sports industry. A very well-written character driven story, with fascinating characters' depiction and development, definitely underrated but worth watching :) Nam Goong Min was excellent and the scenes with his conflicts and bickering with Oh Jung Se were the most entertaining ones!
Welcome back @Jeana! I thoroughly enjoyed this new article of yours :) These gifs and their captions were just brilliant! Couldn't stop laughing! Hats off xD
Entertaining, visually impressive, with rich imagination and intriguing creativity. The jokes were a bit weak/cheap and the stellar cast weren't able to show their full potential, but overall it was enjoyable and funny.
Although this season was more focused in the political/palace power struggles, there were a lot of intense and suspenseful moments -the well-fitted music wisely enhanced the angst-, and some needed characters' backstories. The acting and characters were great again and the cinematography more than superb! and that ending cliffhanger...
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With a great cast of talented newcomers at the time, NHK successfully managed to bring these complicated characters to life through their compelling and dramatic journey of confronting the lonely, pretense life they have been living -due to their secrets and regrets- in order to start over and create the life and happiness they seek.
Satoh Takeru at his finest :)
Hoping for better luck next time ;)
The cinematography, its gloomy tone and color schematics imposes a unique melancholic, nostalgic mood to the atmosphere.
Jang Dong Yoon and, particularly, Lee Na-Young’s performances were powerful and compelling.
THE HEAD, Hanzawa Naoki Season 2, BG: Personal Bodyguard 2 and Midnight Runner adaptation are the ones I'm mostly looking forward to, only after they are fully subbed ;)
"Queen Seon Duk" is another gem I'd recommend :)
What can I say, without being too biased, about Kuroki Haru! She gave life to one of the most enthusiastic, positive characters I’ve encountered recently! With her brimming smile, her shinning eyes, her colorful outfits and her bubbly energy she was a ray of sunshine that could brighten up even the gloomiest atmosphere.
Kuroki Haru found the perfect balance and essence to her animated character, Kurosawa Kokoro, which was indeed not an easy task: she was over-enthusiastic but not annoying or too over-dramatic for a manga adaptation.
While Kokoro was the center of the story, she wasn’t not the only focus: many other quirky characters, with their mix of traits and personalities, played by talented cast members had their own role, purpose and significance to the plot.
Wholeheartedly recommended :)
Nam Goong Min was excellent and the scenes with his conflicts and bickering with Oh Jung Se were the most entertaining ones!
These gifs and their captions were just brilliant! Couldn't stop laughing! Hats off xD
The jokes were a bit weak/cheap and the stellar cast weren't able to show their full potential, but overall it was enjoyable and funny.
The acting and characters were great again and the cinematography more than superb!
and that ending cliffhanger...
And this was a graduation thesis for film arts? Hats off!