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If you don't have the budget, you should you use it to your advantage
Overall, I liked the idea -- people coming into a café where its barista can make a coffee flavored drink based on the cup you choose and then, when you drink it, it will help with the problem you currently have.It's an interesting twist on shows with similar ideas like the Japanese "Three Star Bar" or the S-Korean "Would you like a cup of coffee".
I also don't mind that it is basically just a long commercial for the Vibie platform.
What I do mind is that the production is lacking.
In episode one, there are serious sound problems, which do get better in the following episodes.
The acting is bad to mediocre -- considering that most of the people are just internet personalities, not actors, it is probably to be expected.
The set is ... obviously a set that is trying very hard to be a real café. I can only guess why they couldn't rent an actual café for their filming or why the set looks so cheap (what café has only one table and a sofa and is an office space converted to a café?) -- probably they did not have the budget.
In my view, if you don't have enough money to make things look good, you should either choose a story to something you can afford (the new "Fake Buddies" did this very well) or you "own" it. Why not go all the way and make it obvious that this is a set? Let it take place on a theatre stage, make the props look like props -- except maybe for the magical coffee -- theatre is magic, and the way the drinks help people is too -- and with this, you'd have made a mediocre story with a small budget into something special.
As it is, I can only say: Nice try, do better next time.
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Until this project, the YouTube channel "옆집남자 GuyNextDoor" had only made short comedy skits -- most of which are really good! They used their history and experience with these shorts to their advantage for their project "Fake Buddies" by filming and releasing the seven parts as comedic shorts, without any indication whether each one would be the last. The first four or so were even complete little stories in themselves, at first I wasn't sure if they should be seen as part of the same story at all. The wait and the guessing game (Will the story continue? Will we get a backstory? Which couple will we see?) enhanced the experience for me.
Even as a finished product, this short story (the complete version is 44:35 min) is charming -- the acting is well done, the comedic timing on point. The plot is simple -- the way it is told make us root for all four of the young people. The budget was obviously non-existent -- for this story about people "next door" more wasn't needed.
GuyNextDoor show us that you can tell a good story, even without budget, if you use your strengths to your advantage. I'll be looking forward to their upcoming projects.
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Tomorrow, won't the world be a little better than today?
Slice-of-life drama about a team of prosecutors in the South Korean province, whose office branch is so insignificant that the top-most official forgets to visit them.This show is not at all flashy or fast. It delves into the everyday lives of some prosecutors, shows how they struggle to make the best possible case before they go into court.
Whoever was responsible for the sets did a great job in underlining the day-to-day of office life. I noticed that the paperwork in the offices never looks the same over time.
Regarding the cases, there are some which seem very mundane (but are important to the victims), and I liked that they are taken very seriously by the team. Usually, there are several cases which belong to a similar topic per episode -- there's no trial shown though, so we usually don't know what the sentence is going to be. The focus is on the process that comes before the trial.
Having said that, the drama is not all serious and sombre. There are a lot of hilarious scenes, that had me chuckling or even laughing loudly. The humour more prominent in earlier episodes but it's still there until the very end, unlike in some other K-dramas.
I loved that all of the team (and other people in the branch) get their own character and their own share of time during the drama -- at the end, I felt that I'd grown close to all of them.
I've seen comments on VIKI which called them a family -- it's not quite that, I think, just a very good team with people who like to spend the odd evening together, who are interested in the ups and downs of their lives -- but normally don't get actively involved in each other's private or family lives.
(If there is one flaw in this show, it's that the family lives are only brought up in one episode per prosecutor -- which is especially noticable in the case of the mother, who has altogether too much time to hang out with her colleagues, considering she has two small children at home.)
These characters are first and foremost --- people.
People have strengths and weaknesses, they might be warm-spirited or cold-faced, all of them struggle in some way or the other.
But what counts is how you face your struggles: Will you bend to pressure? Will you keep your moral compass? Will you learn from your experience? What will make you compromise? Will you be able to look at the humorous side of things?
There are no heroes; there are only people trying to do what they think is right. And if you can say "Tomorrow, won't the world be a little better than today?" (cf. ep. 16, 1:08h), I think that you've lived your life well.
I had hoped to be able to add this show to my "No Romance!" collection -- but there is just enough of a romance arc (barely) that it doesn't fulfill my rules. Still, even so, the romance is cute, nicely developed, and really only a very minor part of the whole drama.
Very much recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
How do romantic feelings change a friendship?
Living with Him is a slow-paced, slice-of-life, friends-to-strangers-to-roommates-to-lovers story. It's one of those very gentle J-BLs which are not so much about the story but more about the characters.The strength of this drama lies in how it is showing the dynamics of two childhood friends who are most comfortable together when they just live in the moment, don't think about what they are to each other, don't think about how others perceive them. As long as they are in their own world, everything is fine. It's when one of them starts to overthink things as well as when they think about what they are to each other that this closeness falls apart, and suddenly there's this chasm that they feel can't be overcome.
But they want to be near each other, so they try to find that balance, only to lose it again in the next moment. And this is what makes the drama interesting, not the plot but the change of distance in an evolving relationship.
The actors are quite good at showing this; unfortunately the story telling is quite different. It doesn't manage to build up the kind of tension the premise deserves, everything feels a bit flat. The scenes where Natsukawa and Kazuhito are very close to each other have the same overall feeling as those where there should be uncomfortable distance.
What also does not help is that Natsukawa is not a consistent character -- he says he is glad to be free of his obligations to his younger sisters but proceeds to fill exactly the same role in his new household with Kazuhito. And the question remains: After he realizes his feelings, what is holding him back? This is more than just the usual Japanese communication difficulties. Does he think he's not worth it? As the one who took care of two sisters for years, and seems to be mature beyond his age, his sense of self-worth shouldn't be that low. Does he have some internalized homophobia? Then it should have had more room than just that small scene.
In my opinion, a focus on one solidly developed inner obstacle and a consistent characterization for Natsukawa would have helped a lot.
The drama is worth watching for the change in distance romantic feelings can bring to a life-long friendship, just be aware that this is definitely not fast-paced, and much of what happens seems very mundane.
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This review may contain spoilers
Question: Is the Kim Pilheung the same character as in To My Star, just a few years younger?What I liked:
* I actually liked that there was no inner dialogue, which is there in the series -- it made things a bit more ambiguous for me, which suits the characters' developing emotional state.* I liked the acting of all the actors.
* The girl's mother was cute :)
* We still don't know what is so different at the end of the story that it is possible for the couple to be together. I actually like that.
What I did not like:
* The premise is interesting (though similar things have been done already), but things don't really add up, unless Gang Gook is in some kind of indentured servitude? If they are both 18 or so, then 15 years ago, when their master-bodyguard-relationship began, Gook must have been three years old?
* Even if he started his role later, he would still have been a minor.
* Tae Joo's father seems to regard Gook as some kind of whipping boy, which is otherwise not seen as a problem, but it is an archaic practice that should not have a place in modern society.
* All of this imbalance of power between Tae Joo and Gook is adressed several times but never resolved between them. It makes the happy ending unfinished, for me, and leaves a bad taste...
The last points of both my lists would make an excellent starting point for a second series, in which their difference in status and the need for balance in their relationship would be the main theme. (Could even be as good as the second series of To My Star, I think).
Compared to the movie, I like the series less, since the movie's music score fits it better, and also I liked that we don't get the inner monolgue, which I found more distracting than helpful.
So, overall, it's not that bad, if you can and want to watch the story, then watch the movie.
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The story:
* I like the cases, which usually take several episodes to solve. They are engaging, and it's easy to follow Su Wu Ming's and Lu Ling Feng's train of deductions -- until it isn't because the audience doesn't get all of the information in time, for a more surprising twist. Which I can live with, it's not as if other detective series haven't done this too.
* The cases are not solved quickly, it's a series that has quite a few red herrings, and solving the case is often enough helped by finding out motivations of the suspects.
* Usually, there are one or a few aspects in the cases that can't be explained rationally by Su Wu Ming, and seem a bit supernatural. I like that it's open to the audience's interpretation if it's truly supernatural or if the people of this era just don't have the knowledge.
* When things get dangerous, and there's fighting, then the scenes don't tend to be very long. I not able to say say much about the choreography, but it seemed solid. It found it interesting that Lu Ling Feng usually gets help if he knows that there will be a fight, and does not try to be heroic and take fights on his own, if he can avoid it. The most dangerous of enemies are usually taken down only because there's a communal effort.
* I love the banter between Lu Ling Feng and Su Wu Ming -- and how their relationship evolves so that they know what the other thinks just by looking at each other.
* While I loved the portrayal of the crown prince and the Princess, who were very ruthless and loyal to family at the same time, the nationalism was obnoxious, as usual in Chinese dramas. Seems that Tang (China) just can't do anything wrong; it's always only singular black sheep who have been led astray, never the system.
* The plot point about Lu Ling Feng's background was a bit contrived. But since they did not milk it too much (and also served a point both for the plot and for Lu Ling Feng's characterization), it was all right.
The romance:
* Is almost non-existant, but not completely. There are two couples, Pei Xi Jun / Lu Ling Feng and Sun Xue Ning / Su Wu Ming.
* The first couple is all right. I don't like (het) romance very much, so I'm usually very critical. But here, it works, in my opinion. Pei Xi Jun, yes, is completely infatuated in the first episodes, and a bit annoying about it. But that is toned down later on, to the point that there are almost no romantic interactions between them for most of the series. We get small interactions between the two young people though, that show that the attraction is definitely not one-sided, but it's more that Lu Ling Feng thinks he has more than enough reasons not to pursue anything with her.
* The second couple though. Oh man. That was definitely NOT needed in any way. It doesn't fit with the character of Su Wu Ming as we knew him until that started, and overall, it feels more like a "no homo"-type of romance than actual interest. Su Wu Ming was *very* close to Lu Ling Feng, so authors might have felt they had to counter that. That romance arc really diminished my enjoyment of the last episodes. Again, a forced het romance where it shouldn't be.
The characters:
* Su Wu Ming, the brains in this series, has little to no character development. He is, basically, the same intelligent and shrewd detective over the course of the drama. He feels very one-dimensional, and probably is supposed to be the good hero, who can do nothing wrong -- but I feel that there could have been more behind the facade of the humble genius that just wasn't explored.
* Lu Ling Feng, on the other hand, evolves from an arrogant, "hit first, talk later" general to a thoughtful gentleman with great potential as an official of the state. He is much more fleshed out than any of the other characters. That his actor is good looking also does help, I admit it.
* Pei Xi Jun could have been an annoying one-train-of-thought kind of girl. She wasn't. After the first few episodes, she calmed down a lot. She still stayed headstrong during the whole drama, following her goal of marrying Lu Ling Feng -- but she also knew where to push and where to retreat for a bit. She has grown up very sheltered, as a girl of noble birth, but still faces danger with a strong heart. Also, with her special skill, she was a valuable member of the group, without whom cases could not have been solved, not just a follower-on.
* Sun Xue Ning is a superfluous character, and it hurts to say that about a female character, because I'll always want more women in my dramas. But she doesn't bring anything to the group (we already have a fighter with Lu Ling Feng, and knowledge of poisons is covered by Fei), apart from being the romantic interest of Su Wu Ming. Her character is also the one where the typical macho tendencies show most -- she is both the fearless warrior woman and still has to be protected and shielded by the stronger men who try to send her away from danger "for her own good". Whenever there's a fight and both her and Lu Ling Feng are there, she is relegated to the side and has to protect the weaker characters. Oh, and also, in one fight, her clothes were torn so one of her shoulders was bared -- that has never happened to Lu Ling Feng. Strange, huh? And in this case, I don't care about historical accuracy. Either write your strong female fighter so she is equal to the men or don't write these characters at all.
* Another intriguing character is Master Fei ("Chicken Fed"). He brings the knowledge of the healing arts (and with it, the knowledge about anything poisonous) with him, as well as the much needed comedic relief. It's unfortunate that, even though we get to see part of his back story, his interesting past is never fully explored. Maybe in the second season?
* Xue Han was cute. Not much more to say. He had his bit of development, but remained a supporting character.
Overall, if you're there for intriguing mysteries and plots, then this is definitely a drama for you. If you are there for the romance or for cool fighting scenes, then not so much.
I admit, because of the misogynistic treatment of Sun Xue Ning, I won't rewatch it and probably also won't watch the second season.
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I'll drink this cup, even though I don't like coffee.
The most stressful parts of this series are the previews for the next episode.This is a slow-paced slice-of-life drama, and although it addresses heavier topics (illness, death, financial problems, social injustice etc.), all the episodes end on a positive note.
Each episode focuses on one question or person -- but there are enough recurring characters from the neighbourhood that the shop feels like a part of the community.
The coffee shop is not just a backdrop for the stories, but the process of making a cup of coffee and the pleasure of drinking it are a integral part of the series -- even I, who do not like to drink coffee, was tempted to go and try some of these. In later episodes, the focus tends toward the beans and their origins, and that lost me a bit; my investment in the characters was strong enough to continue regardless.
Also, I liked that they incorporated the pandemic -- a lot of shows just ignore it, even though it has had a huge impact on most of us over the last few years.
The open but hopeful ending suited the slice-of-life theme of the whole show -- life does not have a Happily Ever After.
All in all, I can recommend it.
Although the show reminds me of Japanese shows like "Rokuhoudou" oder "Three Star Bar", it lacks that certain je ne sais quoi that those shows have -- so it's worth watching and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I don't think I'll be coming back.
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This review may contain spoilers
Forget it; I did.
This show is forgettable. And I mean this in the most literal way: I first watched this series some time the summer of 2022. When I came across the title again in the autumn of the same year, I had no idea what story this was supposed to be -- only during watching had I the feeling that I knew it somehow. And that happened again a few weeks later.I have no idea why the series was such that I forgot about it -- even after I watched it a fourth time. This is what could have contributed:
* The storylines are stereotypes -- friends to lovers / trusting a new relationship after a bad one / secret identities; they all seem to develop slowly but fast at the sam time? Maybe three couples was a bit much for 6x40 minutes. I am not even able to give a description of the stories (see above).
* The actors all look the same to me. Not only those who are brothers IRL, but also Chris and Ton Fah looked rather similar.
* The music was amazing in itself but made the whole show feel a bit dreamlike and apart from reality. I think a second soundtrack for the more dramatic and the emotionally heavy scenes would have helped.
* It feels as if there's a lot of backstory that we don't see, and there are also several inconsistencies.
All in all, I don't think I've made a connection to the characters in the series, maybe due to one of the points above, maybe not.
That said, the show is not bad, even mediocre is not the right word for it, it's just ... bland.
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It's a slow and gentle story -- both the school bullying and short violence in the beginning and the initial coldness of Tae Seong's make the thawing of feelings and the beginning warmth between the couple clearer.
I really like the progression of the story, the pacing is right, the camera work is solid. I like that the young men change their hair style and their clothing when starting university. I also think both their body language changes with their changing feeling, though that point is more subtle.
There's one thing I wish would have been different. I feel that the sets and the colour palette of this series are very cool, too white, sometimes even a bit sterile. While this makes sense in the beginning (Hae Bom's room looks more like a guest room than a teenager's room -- but then again, he feels like a guest in this house), I would have like a shift to warmer colours in later episodes -- spring colours to go with the plot. Unfortunately, Tae Seong and Hae Bom's flat still looks impersonal and cold -- personal effects, a bit of untidyness could have helped. The strings of lighting, I'm sorry to say, only feel artificial to me. Still, this is something that I only can put in words now, after having watched this series several times, so it's really only a minor thing.
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What I liked:
* The main lead's acting. I loved how he portrayed his character's emotional turmoil and, especially in the first half, his confusion about his feelings.
* I liked the pacing overall. There was a bit of a drag around the 2/3 mark, and the last episode felt rushed, but I really liked how the story, the parent's history and the love story, unfold.
* The action scenes were well done, and there was no excessive violence, only what was needed by the plot.
* I like the underlying message. Namely, that a free press (Free of politics and free of commercial restrictions) can be very powerful and that is why we need it.
* Something which I loved: At the beginning of each episode we were shown the last scene of the episode which came before -- which is not that new, but that scene always had something new, either just an extended version or the pint of view of another character, which sometimes even made me re-evaluate what I saw before. I don't think I've seen that done before, at least not that consistently.
What I did not like:
* Maybe I'm spoiled by dramas like "The Good Detective" or "Stove League", where there are multilayered characters and no clear line between good and bad, but I was disappointed by the "mystery", which was basically the "evil group who controls everything with an even more evil leader" trope. That trope is old and overdone, and I think audiences can and should expect more respect for their intelligence.
* I especially don't understand why they had to introduce a new plotpoint in the last two episodes. I'm sure they wanted to resolve the "item" and the murder of the first episode and maybe they wanted to finish with a bang, but it did not feel as an organic part of the rest.
* The female characters (apart from "Ajumma") also stayed remarkably passive during the whole show. The plot was mainly driven by Healer and the male reporter, while the young female reporter and the lady in the wheelchair usually followed behind, although both women's lives were equally, if not more, affected by the bad guys. Also, they are meant to be reporters! I expected them to take the lead at least in the later episodes.
All in all, it wasn't a bad watch but I'm not sure if it's worth a rewatch.
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You could probably understand most of what's happening without knowing the first season but I'd recommend watching season 1 first, as the regular customers are I introduced there.
The food, the acting, and the general atmosphere ware delightful again.
There are a few minor things that made me subtract half a point:
* I felt that in season 1 the customers interacted a bit more. The Izakaya felt emptier and not as lively. In season 1 it felt like a centre of a community.
* It felt like the food had less variety? I'm not sure why though.
* The hairstyle of some characters looked more anime-ish than in season 1.
* I missed the characters from before, especially Nikolaus. But I liked how they gently wrote most characters out and did not just let them disappear.
Overall, another mouth-watering, light and mostly fluffy series, a great watch if you just need a diversion from the Real World.
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A drama about contemporary societal problems not only in South Korea
Topics in this court drama are sexism, corruption, greed, power imbalance and the question of how to make a just and lawful decision.I think as a European person, I probably was not able to understand the intricacies fully. South Korea is still young as a liberal democracy, but within an old, patriarchial and strictly hierarchical society. So, some themes, like how the old order between younger people (and people in lower status) and people with more seniority (higher status) clashes with a new system of ethics, where everyone is equal in front of the law, are things I will probably never really understand.
What I liked:
* I loved the team dynamics, and that every one of the recurring characters had their own personalities.
* The romance between the judge of court 43 and the secretary was cute. I liked that they both changed for the better during their courtship, and neither of them -- especially not the female character -- lost their core personality traits.
* The cases were, for the most part, interesting.
* It was also fascinating to see how the judicial system in S.Korea works. According to Wikipedia, the script (and the book it was based on) was written by a senior judge himself, so I don't expect there to be any glaring inaccuracies.
What I did not like:
* The last episodes were too cheesy for my taste. That happy ending felt too forced for me. Two main points:
* Especially the relationship between Ba Reun and Oh Reum could have remained platonic -- until the second to last episode, I loved their dynamic, and how they were learning to listen to the other. Sometimes love remains unrequited, and men and women can work together as nothing more than colleagues.
* They could also have left the story arc about NJ group more ambiguous. In real life, you don't have this kind of closure.
All in all, I don't regret watching it, although the last episodes made me change my rating of a solid 9 to a disappointed seven.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have not seen the Korean drama or read the original webtoon, so I cannot compare them to this Japanese version. Nevertheless, this version has a distinctly "Korean feel" to it. Especially the love triangle (quadrangle?) and the fight against a power-hungry chairman of a huge conglomerate are plot points I've seen in several Korean dramas.(But I trust that the story was Japanese enough for the Japanese producers to make an adaptation.)
I liked the basic idea of a young man seeking revenge for a wrong done to him and his father -- with the help of friends he makes along the way.
(I wonder; if this had been an original idea, what would a Japanese writer have done with it? More friendship and group action, less love triangle, I hope.)
Also, the pacing and story managed to keep my interest until the four-year time skip. After that, I found a lot of the plot points superfluous and the rest dragged on.)
--spoilers start here--
I also did not like most of the characters:
* Aoi who was introduced as a high school brat, is suddenly a more than capable manager? At twenty? I find that not believable, especially as her main motivation is her "love" for Arata -- which feels more like a childish crush to me.
* Arata who is supposed to have strong morals, and put people before profit in the first episodes, becomes more and more ruthless and lives only for his revenge -- he even has no answer to the question "What are you going to do after?" for most of the series. That character devolpment could have been interseting but then they should have addressed it more.
* Riku, who was fine as a character, but until her surgery looked more like a FTM transgender person than a MTF transgender person. Also, why did they choose a biologically female actress? Were there no adequate male actors willing to play her? (I have no idea whether there are actual transgender actors in Japan who could have taken the role, which would have been the best choice.)
* Yuka was interesting for a lot of the episodes, because her actions were rather ambiguous. She was a character with shades of grey -- but unfortunately she was also too passive, waiting for Arata to "save her", whatever that meant.
* Ryota, the ex-criminal, had not enough screen time to develop his character. He's an example why I am not fond of time jumps -- what happened to him in the time when RC grew and he had to change his position? He started a an uneducated ruffian -- how did he manage to change to managing director?
* The one I felt the most sympathy for was Ryuji, who was the most likeable among the bunch. But why does his only reason for doing what he does have to be his "One True Love"(TM)? There are so many other motivations than that!
The Nagayas (father and elder son) were fantastic enemies though! No complaints here!
All in all, I do not regret watching it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to others -- there are better dramas out there.
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A light-hearted, cute simple little love story about two marathon runners in college
While this is not my favourite BL of all time, it is one of the go-to BLs whenever I need a short pick-me-up.The series and the drama are identical, there are just a few scenes swapped around where the episodes end / start, probably for narrative reasons.
What I liked:
* They chose a story line that is adequate for the length of the series. Anything more complicated, and it might have become frustrating (again).
* The series is focused on the two main leads, which are supported by only a few other characters, which also fits the drama's length. I loved all of them, the coach was like an exasperated but loving uncle, the friend insightful, the two loan sharks hilariously cute.
* They did almost everything to keep the story light-hearted, from the sometimes cheesy dialogue to the upbeat music.
* The story, though straightforward, shows quite a bit of character development for BOTH main characters.
What I did not like:
* To keep it consistently light-hearted, I would have liked if the scene with the loan sharks' boss could have been less violent -- I'm sure there was another way to put pressure on SangHa than to beat him up.
Overall, a sweet and short drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is one of the worse short K-BLs I've seen. The premise is fine, but how they told the story in the second half made it fall apart completely. Did the people who were responsible not get feedback from someone else?What I liked:
* I loved the relationship between Yeong Woo and his father. Even if there are only a few scenes with them both, I have a distinct impression on how growing up must have been for Yeong Woo with this father, and for the father, raising is son to be an independent, and kind person. You see, it IS possible to establish how people feel about each other in just a few minutes of screentime!
* Stories not set in college or high school are always a plus for me. I liked that Yeong Woo was of a lower or middle class background. I also found it very relatable that he did not know what to do with his life.
What I did not like:
* The two main leads got too close, too fast for my liking. I've never talked to people I've only met three or four times about my most initmate dreams and hopes for the future.
* The show seems to follow the precept of "show, don't tell". The thing is, if you show only fragments, and we, as the audience have to guess what is going on, we won't be very satisfied. This becomes especially clear just before and after the time skip, where we only get to see disjointed scenes, sometimes without context. If we don't even get clues to guess, then it only becomes an exercise in frustration.
Some examples: Why the crying at the traffic lights? Where was Ki Jin during the time skip? When did Yeong Woo become a model, and how does he balance this with his delivery job? Where is his mother? Why is the friend also back? Did they ever talk about their breakup? What happened between Yeon Woo and the friend in the past? (Were they lovers? Friends? Rivals? Just classmates?)
I don't get why "follow your dreams" and "be with the one you love" have to be an either-or-decision. Long-distance-relationships? Talking about things and then compromising? That's apparently nothing that exists in this world.
All in alll, the drama feels more like an outline for the first few episodes of a longer story, not something you would consider complete and fit for release.
You can watch it, if you like, since the show is rather short, but I'd recommend to give it a miss.
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