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Great vibes and story, but needs more
I felt like the allegory here was really captivating and I actually loved the entire vibe of the movie — I know there have been complaints about the CGI and VFX but I had no issue with it; it actually fit in with the vibe of the movie really well.I really liked the theme of betrayal as well, but for some reason, I felt like it didn't really have the same impact that it tried to have. I kind of have mixed feelings about the dual timeline style — I did like how things were revealed later on, but the way it also played out also seemed to dull some of the power of the reveals.
I don't love the plot itself and how social/political decisions were partly romance-driven; it always seems to cheapen plot developments to me.
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Wholesome but confusing
I had heard about this drama being really wholesome and healthy beforehand and that was indeed what I got. I really liked the eccentricity of the main leads — their dynamic was awkward but comfortable and it was really different from all the other dramas I'd seen. I especially really liked the main male lead and the way he handled family situations and conflict was just really unique.If you're looking for a plot-driven drama though, this isn't it. It was very character-driven. I don't have a problem with that, but there were also a lot of side characters I just didn't really care about, including the second ship.
Overall, I just felt like aside I started clicking less and less with the characters; I do chalk this up to the writing style, as something about the way every character talked just was very confusing and obscure. They discussed things in metaphors and it all just kind of went way over my head. I wasn't sure what they were talking about and it made the drama kind of meh to me.
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Heartbreaking and morally grey
This is a movie that started out kind of slow; I was a little bored at the start and didn't really like any of the characters.But this movie has a cast and a vibe that just grows on you over time. Around the 80% mark, it just got so good and I love the morally grey questions that it was asking, very subtly. I cried so hard at this and at the ending — It was sort of bittersweet but I think it's amazing when a movie makes you question what you think is right and Shoplifters definitely did that for me.
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Perfectly heartwarming, fluffy, adorable, funny
If you want a wholesome modern romance, this is pretty much the best it gets.Starting with my favorite part — the main ship. I just love the bickering couple dynamic, where the FL and ML always teased and fought with each other, but you could always tell they could handle each other and it was in good fun. They were always there for each other when things got serious. As always, they each had their own backstories and obstacles, and they're smart, strong and independent people — sometimes to a fault — but at the end of the day, they were so realistic and I loved how they grew on each other and grew together. Of course, the jealous scenes are there in abundance on both sides, and they're both funny and satisfying to watch.
In terms of them as individual characters, I also just loved how their individual stories weaved into how they cared for each other. The ML was independent and hard-headed as a team leader should be, but also dealt with the burden of it. The FL was strong and stubborn and a badass when it came to gaming but she also never lost her femininity and the parts about sexism in the gaming industry were actually really well explained.
The friendships were also undoubtedly my second favorite part. It really felt like all the teams had their own identity and their own friendships within the team. The repertoire between teammates was so fun to watch, especially in ZGDX where each supporting character had their own personalities, hobbies, speaking styles, and backstories. I really appreciated seeing different family situations and everyday conflicts that different characters had to deal with, and even though time-wise it might have not been long, I really felt like it helped me get to know them and care about them.
The themes of how celebrities are human too, how professional gamers have their own lives too, was really well shown in a multitude of ways, both through our main leads but also through the secondary ship, which was just as endearing and lovable in their own right. They did a really good job in comparing relationships between gamers (main leads) and with relationships with people outside of gaming and how people in the latter can still love and support each other, that they still are people outside of their work.
To be honest, there are some plot points and conflicts that aren't too well explained, but it still really just feels like everyday conflicts that come up and if anything it makes the characters more real. I just wish more time was spent on developing these plot points.
Another part I really liked is that there's no evil villain character that stays throughout the entire drama and messes everything up. Don't get me wrong, there are people who get in between others or people who try to pursue things the wrong way, but it doesn't mean they're bad people. And the few actually bad people come and go, just like they do in real life.
The acting was pretty good to me (I know some people have taken issue with the FL's acting and called her expressionless, but I'm a pretty expressionless person too so I thought it was realistic and relatable lol). The only thing that was kind of difficult to get through was the dubbing, especially when there was Korean being spoken and it sounded so obviously like a voice actor, but at the end of the day this is just a small thing and I'm not going to drop a rating just for it.
The cinematography is great; the video and audio editing really makes the funny scenes work, and I felt the intensity of all the competition scenes. I'm not a gamer but whew, I was definitely stressed for the characters.
Overall, this was such a gem and it honestly breaks my heart that the rating is so low in China. I'd definitely recommend this to everyone. The ships are adorable, the friendships are fun, and the story is just so inspiring and heart-warming from start to finish. I'm not one to rewatch things from start to finish, but this one definitely feels like one I would.
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Beautiful, but the backstory is what got me
Yes, just to get it out of the way. The cinematography of this drama is just gorgeous, IU rocks every single outfit, and the OST is also pretty great.In this entire drama, however, I have to say that plotwise I was just so much more invested in MW's backstory and in the enemies-to-lovers ship. I completely fell in love with the flashbacks and the high-stakes dynamics between the characters, even while knowing that everything was going to end in tragedy.
While I still enjoyed the modern story and the unusual dynamic between the main leads, I didn't love them as much as I loved the backstory couple, and I almost didn't feel any romance at all. I think part of this is just the time taken to the modern plot.
I wasn't a huge fan of this kind of episodic writing in Master's Sun and I felt the same for this one. Other than the subplots that connected us directly to the main or supporting cast, I didn't care much for the individual ghosts and their stories and pretty much just waited with bated breath to find out about MW's story.
She was undoubtedly the most interesting and layered character out of everyone, and I wish we had dedicated just as much time to the male lead as we did to her or even to any of the supporting cast (the hotel workers). Even with his backstory, his character and plot seemed a little shallow.
Ultimately, it was the backstory of MW that stole the show, my attention, and my heart.
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A mixed bag
There were some parts of this that I was absolutely in love with — the main ship, the thrill of the mystery, the backstory reveal...And then there were some characters that just went into a downward spiral and made me want to tear my hair out. I'm not talking about a villain or evil character; I'm talking about characters who are just downright annoying and hypocritical, or side characters who have no business being there inserting their opinions into the plot.
I knew the vibe of the ending before going into it, and though I was still emotionally satisfied with the way things turned out, I felt like logically, the actual unfolding of the last episode was disappointing and nonsensical.
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Fizzles out
This actually has a really good premise, even with all the cliches — disapproving parent, generational secrets, amnesia, cohabitation, contract marriage, etc. I felt like it actually started out really endearing, especially because the main male lead wasn't the typical cold and abrasive character, but was rather playful, fun, and nice to people who deserved it. I also liked the second female lead was nice and reasonable.As the drama went on, however, it started to feel like we were reliving the same plot over and over the characters either became static or got worse. The entire drama was driven by the disapproving parent and even the music and the drama sub-plots seemed to take a backseat. The potential generational secrets fizzled into nothing, and both second leads just became irrelevant and horrible. I also just could not stand the second lead in this, so the fact that the love triangle was dragged on for so long (and mainly by external factors) was really annoying.
Our two main leads also just seemed to lose their identities, especially the FL who started off so strong — optimistic, yet able to stand up for herself and be mature. All that went away when the parental figures started to take up more screentime, and any plot elements just fell flat.
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Cute but has its flaws
Overall, this was really cute and I liked the development of frenemies-to-lovers, of two people coming together because of the people they associate themselves with and not completely just due to random misunderstandings. The flow of going from high school to college to work-life was smooth as well, and I liked the feeling of slice-of-life.At the same time, I felt like this is one of those dramas that needed to be longer; because it had to cover such a long period of characters' lives in a short time, I felt like they tried to hit that nostalgia factor and evoke the sentimentality of growing up, but there wasn't nearly enough time for me to feel that the characters were that close.
The love triangle wasn't dragged out and progressed in one direction, which was nice, but there are aspects of the romance plot that I felt could have been developed and explained better. During these periods I actually preferred the second ship's story. I definitely did not like all the side characters equally.
Something about the FL's acting or character just kind of bothered me; it's like she's always cooing to a baby or pouting, even after she grew up I felt like her personality didn't develop as much as I wanted it to.
Still, this was overall a fun watch — one that doesn't require you to think that much but still gets you to smile.
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Cliche but cute
I felt like the weakest part of this was the overarching story and the side characters; on the other hand, the main leads had a great dynamic together and I especially loved their college days.The main leads were pretty much the only characters I cared about and I utterly loved their dynamic and them individually. The FL was shy in public but wasn't the typical stupid, ditzy FL — she was open and warm around people she trusted, she was smart, and she knew what she wanted in life and never let her relationships define her. The ML was outgoing and fun, his character development tragic but understandable.
Unfortunately, this drama suffers from the same issue that a lot of short college dramas suffer from — wanting to give side characters a romance arc and yet not dedicating time to their backstories and personalities. FL's best friend was annoyingly peppy; the other roommates and all of ML's friends were the same and I couldn't tell them apart.
The dual timelines were a little hard to tell apart — I'm not sure if this is more of an editing issue where the ambiance of the scenes and the look of the characters weren't different enough.
The overall plot with why the ML had to leave is ultimately really cliche; it's definitely a trope that I've seen before and expected. I felt like the development of the relationship post-time jump could have been done better, but ultimately I still liked how you could see hints of the characters' old personalities as well as their growth during that time.
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Beautiful from beginning to end
One of the most beautiful dramas that I've ever watched, both literally and figuratively.The characters are all so lovable and realistic — and your heart hurts for every single one of them, even the side characters that get featured for a few episodes. The thing about their character development is that it's just all so NATURAL, and it comes from the small, everyday interactions that we see between them. And to add to that, the drama did an amazing job giving everyone growth and yet maintaining their personalities throughout it.
The plot was amazing and not a single episode was unnecessary. For a drama that handles such heavy topics, IOTNBO made me shed ugly tears or laugh out loud in all the right places. It's also super refreshing to just have a plot that flows naturally, uninterrupted by dumb drama tropes like noble idiocy and miscommunications.
There's a main plot point in the backstory about MY's mother that have left some people questioning and saying that the writers left out a decent explanation — while I understand that, it's really not a problem with me for this one big reason: it's really not the point. What matters is that the characters WERE scarred and used by people in their past, and regardless of what exact form their past comes to haunt them, they're finding ways to heal together.
With that being said, I still enjoyed the first half of the drama better — before the mom sub-plot, because it felt much more emotional when their pasts felt like a dark cloud hanging over all of them. The latter half didn't quite have the same gut punch.
Still, the entire vibe of the drama is just beautiful, especially the transitions in the earlier episodes. Throughout all sixteen episodes though, the aesthetic remained consistent and everything, from the OST to Seo Yi-Ji's wardrobe (!!!) was top-notch.
This drama and its actors deserve all the Baeksang awards — ESPECIALLY Oh Jung-Se.
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Really fun!
Well, that was honestly a fun ride!! The best part of this was undoubtedly the banter between everyone in the group, and they all really grew on me. We got to see really good character development and backstories from all of them — and I will say my favorite out of the bunch is the Hacker!I do honestly feel like the Big Mission was a little underwhelming, compared to how inventive their previous ones had to be — for this one they just broadcasted the meeting and that was it, even though everything WAS wrapped up nicely.
One thing I kind of wish they extended further were the subplots for each character; it felt like the side characters just sort of dropped off the face of the earth after their roles were finished.
As a whole, I still REALLY enjoyed this and it pretty much had everything I want in an action drama: action (duh), friendship (with banter!), and a thirst for revenge.
Final thing: the OST sounds hella badass. I’ll definitely be listening to it while imagining my own revenge plot.
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There were a lot of characters that annoyed me during this, but plot-wise it was pretty strong, aside from the bout of noble idiocy at the end, which I hated.
The topic of being gay was, for the most part, handled really well, and I was really surprised they had a great gay character — Director Choi might’ve been one of my favorite characters in this, though he made me so SAD.
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Nana was a terrible female lead. It felt like they tried to spoonfeed the audience — every other sentence about her was that she was strong, badass, independent, and just not scared of anything. But her character was honestly really weak, both physically and mentally. Nana was a damsel in distress, but her constant "Wow, you aren't afraid of anything!" and I'm-such-a-fighter attitude honestly made it really annoying when she needed saving every other episode and never really got involved in the scheming, which is what annoyed me with MLFTS as well — the female lead was practically just there to be a love interest, to be used as a hostage, and there was barely personal growth.
With that being said, the fact that they focused so much on the romance was honestly annoying and I fast-forwarded through all the montages of their moments together. I was much more interested in the vigilante/action aspect than the romance, and the romance was also extremely cliche, with "I'm bad for you, don't love me" being the only reason they weren't together yet.
Jin-pyo was an annoying character as well, but he was the most intriguing by far, with the whole anti-hero thing going for him. I couldn't see his story going any differently than the way it did.
The action twists were really good and the backstory was fleshed out well. The fact that there were these mini plot arcs throughout the drama for each of the corrupted officials and how they were dealt with made things really interesting and I kept looking forward to the next one, especially seeing how the prosecutor's view of things would play along side-by-side.
Yet, I don't think anything really surprised me, and something about production style made a lot of scenes seem less dramatic than they could have been. I felt like the ending was kind of anti-climactic as well, and Nana stayed annoying til the very end.
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For me, just starting to learn about Taiwan history, the movie just felt like a historical movie. For my mom who grew up under KMT martial law, the movie means a lot more, especially since she remembered watching it in theatres back in 1989.
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This review may contain spoilers
Made me cry like a baby
Damn. I really didn't expect to love this so damn much, because I've had a bad rap with Taiwanese dramas, but this was actually so close to perfect, and it made me SOB.The friends-to-lovers trope is probably my favorite trope ever, and this show did a damn good job of portraying it. As cliche as the "don't want to ruin our friendship" excuse is, it was easy to see how big of a deal it was and why our main characters would choose to keep their mouths shut, even though Da-Ren acted so much like a second lead and broke my heart every single episode. This show is SO good at displaying the little subtleties in their relationship and emotions, especially through the flashbacks. There were definitely some extended flashbacks, but they were paralleled and done so well that I wanted to see more.
The beginning was honestly a little offputting, with the female lead running away from a gorilla looking creature meant to symbolize time. Thankfully this wasn't a long-lasting metaphor, and as the drama progressed, I started to really appreciate the cinematography a lot more, from the (day)dreams that the characters had (which broke my heart too) to the phone calls that brought them closer.
Something about the main female lead, You-Qing, is so damn relatable. She's the sort of everyday badass that stands up for herself, and doesn't need to resort to punches to do so. She can be a little arrogant at times, but that comes with the territory. And even though she's so straightforward and domineering in every aspect of her life, when it came to love, everything became so confusing and scary that she found herself away from it. SO. DAMN. RELATABLE. And when she finally grew from it at the end—it was so refreshing yet heartbreaking that I couldn't help but sob along with her.
That scene where she was apologizing to her parents and didn't want to embarrass them by calling off the wedding, but all they cared about was her happiness...honestly hit me hard, and it exemplified everything I loved about their family. The same could be said for Da-Ren's family, but something about the more subtle way it was shown in You-Qing's family was more effective.
Even though friendship wasn't a HUGE part of the story, I really really loved the high school gang, especially when they were at the bachelorette party and basically collectively knew that Da-Ren had been in love with You-Qing since high school. (Sidenote: Jasper Liu is hella fine)
I also can't remember the last time I cared so much about a side ship. Maybe because it was ALSO friends-to-lovers with one side unrequited, but Ping An and Ling Kai were adorable, and I honestly also love that they played out realistically and it wasn't a random happily ever after.
A few things that I didn't like as much:
1. Something about the time jump in the last episode where we saw You-Qing go traveling was very unsatisfying to me. I'm all about the FINALE where the characters finally reveal everything and are honest with each other, and I never really got to see that. I'm okay with the concept of You-Qing needing time to find herself through traveling, but...What did she say to Da-Ren? What was his reaction when he found out his unrequited love wasn't unrequited? These questions are going to kill me.
2. I kind of wish they didn't make Ding Li-Wei a cheating scumbag at the end. Even though it might be realistic, I liked the idea that he changed his ways and You-Qing had to repent completely for leading on a guy she didn't love. Making him cheat felt like an attempt at justifying You-Qing's actions by basically saying "hey, we both did bad things to each other."
3. A minor last thing: it's true that the drama dragged a little longer than I thought it would because You-Qing didn't speak up, and I hated that especially because I hated Ding Li-Wei that chauvinistic controlling pig with a burning passion, but at the same time—and I'm also saying this for everyone saying that she was horrible for leading him on, crying about being 30, and getting so far as getting engaged—it's easy to see how a thirty-year-old woman in Taiwan would be STRESSED out about still being single at that age, considering how women in their late twenties are already treated like garbage (ex: "leftover women" in China). Add the fact that Ding Li-Wei was an ex who she still had lingering feelings for and it's honestly harder to break up with someone than it sounds...what might've been an annoying character became heartbreakingly realistic and relatable for me.
LAST SIDENOTE: Why does Ding Li-Wei randomly burst into lines of English? Even though his English is good, it still makes me cringe.
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