3
13
1
3
1
1
This review may contain spoilers
Watch it for the insights into South Korean society.
This film, from 2001, is in my eyes more interesting for its historical value and the insights it gives into South Korean society then -- and now -- than for its own merit.The story itself is okay-ish, I did not laugh that much even if it was supposed to be a comedy (there was too much violence against innocents for that). In the storytelling, the directing and the camera work we can see the roots of today's masterpieces, it's still uneven but there are also brilliant scenes.
For that, and the insights into society, I'll give eight stars.
I have been thinking for a while now that violence seems to pervade South Korean's society (which is not that surprising, considering people lived under a military regime until 1987, and also the strictly hierarchical structure that's still there). In this movie, this idea was confirmed.
Yes, it's a film about gangsters, and a comedy, so a certain amount of violence is to be expected. But let's have a look at the different situations where people use force:
1. The violence amongst the gangsters is, as I said, expected. But I want to point out one aspect -- the boss casually slaps around his subordinate. If you've seen other K-Dramas, you've probably seen this kind of violence a lot. It's only interesting in the light of ...
... 2. the bullying of the newbie by the class bully and his cronies, which is probably intended as funny. The roles are inverted, the boss is now the victim and can't fight back (because he, in turn, is pressured by HIS boss to get an education). The bully, in turn is ...
... 3. bullied by another gangs of students. Violence begets violence -- but this circle of violence is not even worth mentioning for the protagonists. Instead the main character "defeats" the bullies by beating them up.
4. Teachers slap their students around habitually. This was, until a few years ago, a practice condoned by society in South Korea. I don't know if it still is. Slapping, beating students when they are already on the ground, beating them with sticks -- all of it is obvously "okay".
4. The violence against teachers (by students, by parents) is, in contrast, very much condemned.
So, violence against subordinates, against those lower in seniority, against those lower in status -- this is absolutely all right in this movie. As media are just a mirror of society, this is what people who are now adults, have learned. You can see this in the interaction between fathers and sons, between bosses and subordinates. It becomes clear when an older man in a drama has difficulties to understand that young people (especially women, but that's a whole other kettle of fish) are allowed to speak their minds.
If you, dear reader of this review, watch your next K-Drama, maybe keep this in mind while interpreting the drama, you might see certain scenes in a new light.
Was this review helpful to you?
I haven't read the manga, and haven't watched the anime adaptation, so this is solely for the movie.
First, what I liked:
As usual with Japanese productions, the use of light and colours was exceptional. It's especially noticable in Kaizaki's old workplace, where drab greys dominate -- and the light is changed according to the mood of the scene.
I also liked how background music was only used very sparingly.
The ending was also well done -- we really don't need more than the "ano" at the end. We had been told that they will retain their memories. so anything more would be redundant. I also would have liked if the film had ended after Yoake had left his reports on his desk. We don't need to be told everything, we can think for ourselves sometimes.
I don't mind so much that the six characters stay relativly bland. In a film with a runtime of two hous, there will be limitations. I do think that the other subject could have had a deeper backstory -- or the writer could have committed to only focus on the main protagonist Kaizaki and his journey of change.
Even so, none of the characters' stories managed to capture my interest -- except for Yoake, whose story I'd really like to hear. (Really, I think he is the most fascinating one, and *his* story of change, what he feels and thinks when he, the one who is supposed to be the unemotional observer, begins to like his subjects? *That* would have been interesting.) For a story about character development, it is a huge minus that I feel kind of meh about the main characters.
I can imagine that other people can relate more to Kaizaki's struggles and the story of the last year at school and their message of "Treasure the Now" than I do, so this is extremely subjective.
For me, I wouldn't have missed anything if I hadn't watched the film, but it wasn't so bad that I regret it either.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This film feels more like a pilot for a series. I'd even say it feels like an exposé for a series -- the movie's plot could have been the first half of the episodes, with the later half dedicated to the resolution of the main character's backstory.The plot seems unfinished, some parts of it feel rushed, and it's unfortunate that a lot of backstory just gets told via the older detective's thoughts. I also would have liked to see more of all characters, and more of how they grow to like the main character. As it is, we still get a surprising amount of character development, especially from the team leader. (Heo Sung Tae is a highlight, as always.)
I think if the writer might have originally planned to have this produced as a longer series. There's a surprising amount of world building there, the characters all seem to have much more backstory than what we got to see. I certainly would like to watch this as a longer series, if it ever gets made.
Well, who knows what happened, at least they got a small budget for making this film, right?
One thing that is probably better because of the short duration of the movie: There was no time to force a romance subplot into it.
Overall, the movie does what it can with its short time and low budget, and it is a nice watch for a rainy afternoon or so.
Was this review helpful to you?
1980s action movie cop meets progressive millenial
Mao Bang Yu and Wu Ming Han couldn't be more different -- while the latter is a walking 80s action movie cop cliché, complete with casual sexism, homophobia and fast car chases, the former is an enviromentally aware, gay and family oriented millenial.What could go wrong, when those two are tied in a ghost marriage and Wu Ming Han has to help his "husband" move on to the next life?
Don't let yourself be fooled by the macismo in the beginning, this movie will show its depth later on.
This movie combines the best of old-fashioned action movies with a healthy dose of humour, criticism of sexism and homophobia, and a story about personal growth.
The bickering between the two main characters made me laugh, the grandma and her circle of aunties giggle, and the father's story cry.
Only one aspect is rather unfortunate, that with all the good messages about tolerance and equality, the fat, gay cop remained an object of "comedy", and did not get his own moment to shine.
The acting is great overall, the pacing fast, but lets the quieter moments breathe. I never would have thought that an action film could move me to tears, but this on did.
Was this review helpful to you?
This becomes very obvious in this film. The question of what Mu Ran will find when he arrives -- thee meaning of "Su Chen", who he is and where he is -- this is not the point of the film (also very obvious after a while).
The people he will meet on his journey, who live very different lives but are all part of the queer community, who will tell their stories about love and loss, about family and partnership, these people and their stories are at the heart of the film.
Mu Ran, and with him the viewers, will learn what it can mean to love. Will we regret having taken or not taken the opportunity to find happiness?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Honestly, I have never been so bored with a show before. I don't know how I managed to finish it.* The storyline was dragging on and on, and I had the feeling that nothing much happened at all. I even drifted off during later episodes. The thing is, I do not mind slower paced series, if -- IF -- it fits the storyline. Also, twelve episodes of basically the same over and over again gets boring whatever the content might be. The plot could have been tightened to maybe four episodes or so.
* The writer seems to have only a passing idea of how the music industry, cafés or workplaces in general work. Examples that annoyed me most: Sentences like "Now that you are debuting, you are a real artist!" (or something like that), an employee mopping the floor during opening hours without reason, taking breaks just ecause you want to, "trainees" that practice unsupervised and are something like eleven years old(?), a freelance composer who then has to got to Shanghai (?). Overall, it feels as if the writer was one of those "trainee" children.
* The camera work was uninspired and kind of static.
* The acting was stiff, which was most apparent in group scenes, where those actors who did not have something to say just stood around like mannequins.
* The sets showed the tight budget, and putting a rainbow flag doesn't improve things. Although I did like the colour scheme they chose.
* Other people have already commented on the band's musical abilities, which I cannot remark upon, since I myself have no abilities in this field whatsoever. I don't think the pink-haired guy's singing was very good though.
* If the story is about tasty coffee, then I want to see tasty coffee! We haven't even seen how Plengrak brews it -- show us how the grounds look like when the water is poured into the filter, at least. The director responsible should maybe look at some Japanese shows who excel in showing food and drinks and make the audience crave them.
All in all, I'd say to give this series a miss.
Was this review helpful to you?
Neither funny nor thrilling
45 minutes in, and I noticed that I did not care about the serial killer. I did not care if he even existed or if it was [spoiler]. I did not care about the company's new marketing, I did not care about the three main characters.Ten minutes later, and I noticed that I did not care how the movie would end. So I stopped watching.
I admit, in the beginning, I did laugh a few times -- and then the jokes either were of the same category or I did not even notice them.
There was no tension, the "scary" scenes never were exciting, let alone thrilling.
Scenes were often too slow, or not contributing to the story -- why should I be interested in how they market their shirts(? I think they make shirts.)? And I say this as someone who has a high tolerance for slow pacing, if it's done with purpose.
Come on, there are excellent Thai comedies, and great Thai thrillers! You know how to do it!
Two good aspects:
* Three woman in main roles.
* Very good acting, especially of the Boss.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
During the first few episodes this series seemed a bit bland, but it picked up in the fourth episode.* The main couple are just adorable! I love how gentle they are with each other from the first moment they met until the very end. The progression from comfortable silences to learning how to express their emotions with each other was also really well done.
* The scond cuple was a bit ... weird at first, with the "bunny" and "owner" it gave uncomfortable vibes. Also, Phu playing hard to get took a bit too long. Overall, they have a similar progression, in that they have to learn how to give and take -- and not one only giving and the other taking.
* I hated the het romance, if you can even call it that. Starting from Khim, who ships real-life people and posts their photos online without asking for permission, and ending with Dr. Lies -- why two people have a crush on him, I'll never understand -- this whole storyline was a mess. It also didn't have anything to do with the others. Khim's illness was only there as long as it was usable for the plot. Overall, too much screentime for a (badly written) het romance -- there are already enough het romance series, I don't need them in my BLs. (Maybe as a very small side couple, but this here was too much.)
* I don't really get the father. I have no idea what he thought, and why he acted that way. They could have done a "Gui has to prove himself" subplot without a fiancée, and without that much pressure. It also changed the tone of the drama a lot. Instead of the het romance, it would have been much more interesting to develop this further.
* There are some smaller inconsistencies, but they can easily be overlooked.
* The cinematography was good though. At first I found it a bit beige-y and dull but it got better later.
* Also, the slow pacing of the first ten episodes was nice and appropriate for the development of the relationships. The music underlined this feeling.
Overall, I'm glad I picked this series up again (after dropping it last year after three episodes or so), but I probably won't watch it a second time.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I should have liked the film, I wanted to love it -- but there was one major thing that annoyed me so much I even dreamed about it the following night. I tried to keep this review spoiler-free anyway, but I don't think I managed.For the most part, the film just shows an old man (Tsutomu) gathering vegetables from the hill and from his field, cooking and eating them; and writing a book. Alongside this, we hear his thoughts about food, and about life -- his own life and how it shaped him specifically. In the film, what we hear is what Tsutomu is writing -- it's probably the essay the film is based on.
It's an interesting choice, to take an essay with Zen thoughts about life and try to turn it into a film -- and until the one hour mark, it works.
We see the season change, the landscapes and the vegetables change with them. Occasionally, the man's quiet life connects to the outside world -- a visit by his editor, by a carpenter, or when Tsutomu visits his mother-in-law.
I liked that part, I was looking forward to see the rest of the seasons. Even the motive of death, which was introduced at the end of the first hour, was fitting -- life and death are interconnected, which is why we like to eat together after a burial or a wake. I even liked the change of pace then, that death made Tsutomo's life more hectic -- that is a beautiful juxtaposition.
But after the scare he gets, his voice-over thoughts start to sound like those motivational quotes on greeting cards / calendars / facebook posts -- every single sentence has this feeling to it. This is no longer like the flow of thoughts of an old man, with some deep thoughts and some more personal observations, it's more like a compilation of "The Best of Zen" you could buy in the gift section of a book store.
I would have liked it much better if there had been more silence in this part of the film, only occasionally enhanced by a single sentence or thought.
Since this film is based on an essay, I suppose that everything we hear in the voice-over is from the essay, and that everything from the essay is in the film -- so unless either the film is longer or parts of the essay had been cut, there wasn't much else to do.
I'm also not too impressed with the relationship between the man and his editor -- is it friendship? Something romantic? It's implied that it's the latter, but the apparent age gap and some other smaller things make it strange.
Let's go back to the good things:
I loved the acting and the looks of the main character. Tsutomu is just an older man who is living his life. I like that he looks just like an ordinary man. With just a few changes in his movements, the actor shows us the change from the sprightly man who ambles through the woods and chases after pigeons to the elederly man who feels as if he's at death's door.
I also loved watching nature change from month to month -- and whenever I met the little frog again, I thought "Hello friend, there you are!" -- and also how the ingredients and the food preparation was filmed, which is something Japanese dramas or movies excel in.
And then, the last few minutes had everything I loved about the film, we also went full circle; but not quite -- as the year is complete, and things go back to the start, we'll have changed and the new year will be the same, and different.
Was this review helpful to you?
The tropes quickly come one after the other, and the whole drama is very fast-paced.
I loved all the side couples and the couples in the background. Also the parents really are the epitome of "mob"!
There is one, maybe a minor, point I did not like:
* I don't understand why "Mob" is so desperate to avoid a romance storyline -- I get it in the beginning, when he's reading about "Meriba"-endings, which I wouldn't like for me either, but after a while it just feels a bit homophobic, especially as he doesn't want his little brother to end up with a guy too! I wish we'd get a better explanation for that. As it is, the whole thing feels a little off for me especially regarding the ending, which kind of comes out of nowhere.
Recommended, if you need a laugh and if you know a lot of BL tropes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not even Pond could save this
I will admit it, if not for Pond Ponlawit, I wouldn't have even considered starting this, and I could have spared myself hours of bored suffering.I do like the occasional Thai college BL; and didn't even expect much in the way of originality. But this one has several points I don't like, and in combination these are deadly for a series: stereotypical "top" and "bottom" characters, nonsense story, bad directing.
This will be somewhat of a rant although I tried to write it like I would for any other drama, so if you loved "Fourever You" and/or North and Johan's story, go back and stop reading *now*.
The four (potential) couples very obviously follow every stereotype there is: Each of the "tops" is older, richer, more popular, more into sports, taller, more masculine in looks than their "bottom" counterpart. The "tops" are also stereoptypically cold on the outside, while the "bottoms", at least the two we saw most of in the first episodes, are childishly over-the-top emotional.
That alone is a warning sign for me -- I do know that a lot of people like these dynamics.
The first couple -- Ter and Hill -- is at least mostly balance in their power dynamics, but that gets offset by Ter's 13-year-old mentality, which creates drama where there shouldn't be none. And where Ter is over-the-top, Hill is exceptionally bland; after six episodes with them at the center, I know *nothing* about him, except that he seemed to be in love with Ter since forever, and that he's quite well-off and does well in his studies. Their story is quite nonsensical -- we get told their backstory in short flashbacks; those are not shown chronologically, which would be fine on itself, but if we put the information together, it doesn't make sense! It seems that Ter thought Hill was dating a school mate at the same time as he had a crush on Ter's sister. Up to epiosde 8, we also saw two short scenes that don't fit into anything else. Maybe those wil be picked up again later, and I would love to know how this is explained, but it's not worth it to suffer through North's and Johan's story.
Because the second couple (North and Johan), which I have heard is beloved by fans, has the same kind of power dynamics that made me drop "Perfect 10 Liners" earlier: The "top" has some kind of power of his love interest, and abuses it to make him do things he would never do, like spending time with him, doing errands, making life decisions. Here, the power imbalance is a (fictional) debt of several 100 000 Baht North has to pay back to Johan, and it's made worse by the fact that North makes it very clear that his livelihood depends on the money he gets from his part-time jobs. Of course, super-rich Johan doesn't care, and keeps North away during working hours, which could have cost North his job. And no, Johan, buying your love interest an iPhone does *not* make up for your abusing your power.
So, I can deal with boredom, I can deal with nonsense stories, but I cannot nor will I ever be able to see how a mutually respectful relationship can ever come from a starting point like this.
And as a last point, the directing.
As I said, I started this drama for Pond Ponlawit. I noticed him first in "The Death of Khun Phra", and in "Century of Love" -- and after that I saw him in "180 Degree Longitude" and "Reset", as well as the short edutainment series "Criminal People 5G". In each and every one of these, I was blown away by how *different* the characters are. If not for the same face, I would never have guessed that this is the same actor. I wanted to see what he would do with a standard Thai BL "top" character.
So, I *know* he has talent. I *know* he has the ability to pull it off. But it seems that not even he could make a bland character without personality into something interesting.
And, watching him, it felt like Pond was directed to forcibly stop himself from acting -- sometimes there are slight movements of arms or the whole body that he stops, and then he goes back to an awkward stance with his arms hanging down at his side. This can only be because the director wanted it to be like that, I cannot think of another explanation. Maybe the director had a vision of the character that unfortunately the script didn't support (as I said, Hill has no personality at all)? I wonder what Pond would have made of Hill, if he could have acted the way he wanted under another director.
The same goes for Earth Katsamonnat, who also has shown his abilities in previous productions, although his character is already written as if Ter is a 13 year old girl, so he didn't have much leeway. And it's also very obvious that Bas Hatsanat as North did his best to give his character a well-rounded personality.
Which brings me to my last point of contention: This is one of those BLs that are very obviously aimed at very young teenaged girls, who can identify with the "bottom" roles and crush on the "top" roles -- which might make money and might also honour the heritage from Japanese BL manga -- but makes for such unrealistic behaviours that it's really hard to watch, especially if the rest is already making me want to drop it.
Was it good?
The only saving grace of the first five and a half episodes was Pond Ponlawit trying to make the best out of a character without personality.
Did I like it?
No. The drama uses stereotypes I hate, and doesn't even try to give them a bit of a twist. Once Hill became a background character, my interest droppped sharply, so I dropped the drama.
Who would I recommend it to?
I don't want to recommend this at all.
Okay, maybe to hard-core Pond fans.
And maybe to people who also liked "Perfect 10 Liners".
Was this review helpful to you?
So, if you want to choose, I think the movie is a bit too long to watch it in one sitting (it's easier to find your place again in a series). Forthe series, I found the flashing light and the electric noise at the start of each episode grating, especially when I have a headache.
Things I liked:
* To do an "enemy-to-lovers-trope" is not easy. You can easily draw things out too long or have a power imbalance -- if the relationship reads more as "bullying" than as "mutual antagonism" it's really hard for me to understand how they would ever end up as lovers. (Looking at you, Make Our Days Count) But here, it ends relatively early, both give as good as they get -- and especially Jang Jae Young as the first instigator backs off when he realizes that he's crossed the line.
* I also loved Chu Sang Woo's character, which reads as somewhere on the autism spectrum for me. It's done better that in the original material, imo.
* The supporting characters were great in rounding out the story.
Things I did not like:
* I think I'd have liked to see the discussion about excavators and the subsequent drawing of one on Chu Sangwoo's arm (rather than the ugly veggie thing).
Overall, the pacing was good, and even if the general storyline was predictable (which is par for the course in romance dramas), the journey of both protagonists was lovely to follow.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ten minutes in, and I already checked the comments here if I was the only one who was reminded of mflow productions or maybe "A Secretly Love".
Thirty minutes in, and I was ready to stop watching. To give this drama a fair chance, I finished the first episode (which means I've seen 20% of the whole drama), but no more.
So, what made me drop it?
* The show introduced too many characters too fast. If I hadn't read the synopsis, I wouldn't have known who the main characters were for a while -- and it's not very clear how many of the side characters will even be important. Having that many side characters in a series with five episodes can only mean that either most of them are not important or they won't have any personality or their own story at all.
* It feels as if too much happens at once, and at the same time, nothing at all. Scenes that could have told us something about Cake and Kla felt rushed, while other scenes seem to have no purpose at all.
* The acting is miserable. There were two or three small instance where it was good, but overall -- have these people taken acting classes at all?
* If you're doing a drama with high school flashbacks that are more than a minute long, you should choose actors who can pass as a teenager.
* I don't usually mind Thai sound effects, but there were at least two scenes when the sound effects did not match the tone of the scene at all.
* Also, in a scene with Game and Boon doing a live stream, there was an obvious cut while they were sitting in front of the camera. These kind of scenes should only be shot as one long take, or, if you can't avoid cutting for whatever reason, show something else for a bit.
* Game wears glasses without lenses.
* I couldn't build a connection to Cake and Kla at all. Who are they? Why should I care about them? It's a bit better for Kla, but Cake is completely bland -- they obviously tried to make this character fit into the "bottom"-mold with cutesy behaviour but forgot to tell us about his personality.
If it had been only two or three of these problems, then I might have continued or, at least, not give na rating. But all of these combined make for a poor drama.
I did like the setting before and during the Covid epidemic (gave a point for that), and a lot of details reminded me of that time -- but there are also questionable choices, for example, why did Kla meet with the client in person? Shouldn't have that been a video call?
We also don't get a good time line here. I thought that we were still at the beginning of the pandemic, but then Kla did a home test -- those were only available after months and months of the epidemic (at least in my part of the world).
After the first episode, I already have enough of this drama. For those who like it, enjoy!
Was this review helpful to you?
Might be better for viewers during a second watch
tl;dr: A simple story told in very subtle ways, with excellent acting and interesting camera work.The first episodes make this series seem like a more depressing version of "BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita" but it is not -- the dynamics and the background stories are very much different.
It's a slow-burn romance and does have the often used tropes of non-communication, self-deprecation and mutual pining -- so if you're not a fan of these tropes, you might want to give this one a miss.
The narrative choice to tell only Shirasaki's point of view first and to show Hayami's story then only later, in episodes 7 and 8, is something we've seen in other J-BLs (Mr. Unlucky, Senpai This Can't Be Love or the newer Living with him come to mind). Usually, it works fine. In this case though, I think it was not a good choice.
When we meet Shirasaki first, he is at his lowest, full of self-deprecation -- he is not at all a reliable narrator. Hayami, on the other hand, is quite unreadable -- not because the actor is bad at his job but because this is part of the character (Hayami's friend tells him exactly that in episode 7). So, for the first six episodes, we only get one (skewed) side of the story.
Because of real life issues, I had to take a break in episode 8 -- and after that I restarted the whole series. With the knowledge of Hayami's backstory, I was able to see things differently -- and what seemed depressing and a bit flat the first time, was actually just very subtle acting by both main actors.
Regarding the acting, the main actors are, in my opinion, excellent. Minuscule movements and facial expressions show the inner life if a viewer cares to look closely. Quite a few scenes have been taken in one single shot -- which shows the how good the actors really are.
Speaking of shooting the drama: I was intrigued by some camera angles -- we look through windows and through cameras, sometimes we are in vey tight spaces, feelinga bit claustrophobic -- and then some sces are wide-angle shots, and everything is only seen from a distance. Use of hand-held cameras in some scenes show the instability of the actor's emotions. Even just finding out how these choices relate to the character's emotions would make a rewatch interesting.
While I don't like the opening song, I do love the background music -- the piece itself was lovely, melancholic but strangely uplifting at the same time. Silence also played a big part in enhancing the scenes.
Overall, I think this series is not one to watch and forget immediately, rather it is to be savoured, and deserves a close look at its details.
Was this review helpful to you?
Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store
0 people found this review helpful
Most of the scenes are relatively unconnected, there's not much plot development (and certainly no character development), and apart from the last episode, most of the scenes could have been swapped around without any detriment to the whole.
These unconnected skits remind me of the best of British comedy of the 1960s to 1980s in the heritage of Monty Python. The absurdity rivals skits like "The Cheese Shop" or "The Dead Parrot". It certainly wouldn't have been out of place in shows like "Not the Nine o'clock News" or "Fry and Laurie", only that the humour is, of course not in the English style but very Japanese.
The characters -- obviously caricatures -- are excellently done by the actors, and, if all of them did not have the great comedic timing they have, I'd suspect a lot of ad-libbing, this feels just so fresh and spontaneous.
You might find it too weird if you're not much into the surreal and absurd side of life, but if you are, you should give this series a try!
Was this review helpful to you?
