Kate

Comedy on point, messages and plot - not so much.

The comedy in this show is so good that even someone who is not that into the genre will appreciate it (I’m talking about myself here). The jokes always made sense in the presented situations, were driven from the characters’ personality and the cast never failed to deliver them in the most amusing way.

These are the highlights of the show - comedy, performance and the chemistry between Satoh Takeru and Watabe Atsuro as the bickering son and father. Honestly speaking, the show did not need more to be amazing. That’s why the “evil threat that lurks in the shadows waiting for the last fight off” Kaizuka Takehisa truly lowered the quality of the show.

This guy had nothing to offer as a character - the motivation was weakly explained, how resourceful he was made no sense, his plans were ridiculous and the big finale with him in the ast episodes was not set up in a proper way, feeling painfully disconnected from the rest of the show.

The main villain was not the only aspect that felt disconnected, so were the episodes. At times they started in weird places and I had to check if I skipped an episode or something. The show honestly did not flow too well.

There was also the issue of questionable messages in some episodes. I am sorry, but we should truly move on from using "I can only offer you money" as an excuse for bad parenting and dads who are never home.

Do I care though? Not really. I went in for the comedy and that aspect was truly aced. I could not ask for more. Shimao Akimura was such an eccentric character, whatever he did seemed like a comedy goal.

Overall, great comedy with (at best) mediocre cases and an awful villain.

Ps. That intro song is amazing.

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So much entertainment and fun in one movie.

When a movie starts with a demon making some good points, you know it’s gonna be a hell(a) ride. I almost cried from laughing while watching.

So much of this was just ridiculous and funny. The characters had no brains and it made the movie even better. The dialogues between some characters were truly gold. I honestly want a spinoff with the two priests arguing about exorcism and Satan.

The only good things about the movie were the visuals and acting. And by visuals, just the practical makeup, because the design was more or less any other possession/zombie stuff. Honestly, what’s with Korea and zombies and possessed folks looking the same?

The plot? Extremely predictable - same old possession story. They took it a bit further, casting no mediocre demon though.

There were so many overwhelming moments (for various reasons) I truly had the time of my life watching. It’s been a long time since I laughed so bad watching horror. It was exactly what I needed. Metamorphosis would be an amazing buddy watch.

Overall - great watch for fellow atheists to have some fun. No idea how scary it would be for people who believe.

Ps. Described some highlights in a comment below under a spoiler.

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Kingdom’s older brother with cheeky Hyun Bin.

Quite an enjoyable tale. One that you know the ending of from the beginning, but you still enjoy the journey itself. Nothing too deep, too complex - nothing that requires much brain power. Perfect for a fun evening.

Since I saw Kingdom first, this zombie in a historical setting did not feel as groundbreaking as it actually was. Giving credit where credit is due, even though I was personally spoiled with this fun mix of genres with Kingdom.

Except for that refreshing mix though, the movie does not really serve any innovative ideas. Stereotypical characters following the arcs we all are familiar with from other stories. It’s not exactly a bad thing - the movie is obviously made as an entertaining historical action flick and it delivers in that aspect perfectly.

The thing I had complicated feelings about was the villain and especially the moment that led to their downfall - it was both anticlimactic, leaving me with “that’s it?” feeling, but also surprisingly fitting based on how he was built from the start. Quite some time before the movie finishes we know, he won’t win - no matter what. Keeping him in the story was, from that moment, quite pointless.

I enjoyed most performances, but the one that caught my attention the most was Han Ji Eun - great emotional delivery, both when she was in the spotlight, but also during the action scenes, where she was more of a background.

While I don’t really remember the majority of the soundtrack, the instrumental that played during the big finale was amazing and perfectly fitting the scene and the great fighting choreographies.

Overall, I had fun. Could have been slightly shorter, could do with a better villain.

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Long story short - failed casting and awful directing/editing.

While I love each and every cast member as individual, the casting crew did not do enough screening and interviews with them, otherwise we would not get this mess. It's important to cast people with different ideal types and romantic expectations to give the show more variety of interactions. We did not get it here. It was one man and one woman story with 6 "supporting characters".

All that could still be saved if there was some kind of directing involved - forcing the cast members to go on dates with different people. Asking them to pick someone they have not been on date with yet, or random dates, or making contestant pick dates for each other.

Still, the first half of the show was great and I'm actually far more interested in watching After Signal than I was finishing Heart Signal 4.

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A simple story executed in an almost perfect way.

There are countless romantic comedies showing how opposites attract. The opposite gives as the comedy bits, while the attraction leads us into the land of love and romance. Even though the opposites here were truly extreme, unexpectedly they worked well together. As a viewer, I could slowly observe how strict and perfectionist Lu Jin and free-spirited and messy Gu Sheng Nan start to adapt to each others' ways, and go from hate to love in such a fun and exciting manner.

The thing I loved the most about this movie was Zhou Dong Yu acting - it's so amazingly raw. All the emotions seemed so real, rich and clear. Not one scream seemed fake, not one tear forced, not one laugh insincere. Not to mention, she presented probably THE BEST acting drunk scene in the history of cinema. If someone told me she was actually taking some shots here and there in the middle of filming the scene, I would believe them.

The movie is quite honestly beautifully shot. Some scenes were stunning - adding emotional value to what was happening on the screen. Some had fun and exciting filters and effects added, which exaggerated the comedy just the right way. It was just smart and well planned: where and what to use to enhance the vision of the director and writer.

Any complaints? There was exactly one scene where I was completely not connected and not convinced by Ming Xi acting. Zhou Dong Yu was slaying on her end and Ming Xi's performance just felt flat in comparison. What's more, even though I appreciated how they took the time for the leads to make this bond over food before they had a chance to actually confront each other face to face, I wish the movie was about 15 to 20 minutes longer. This way we could get a bit more story behind how, why and when they started to have feelings for each other, especially on Lu Jin's side.

Overall, it was a truly funny movie, with great acting, amazing scenography and cinematography. The characters, even though extremely exaggerated in their character traits, were still believable. I laughed a lot, I cried a few times and I enjoyed myself throughout the whole watch.

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Tips on how not to construct your story - killing the vibe.

All I needed was more linear storytelling and I would be sold. If they paced the tension well and built up the story, by the finale I would be jumping from excitement. Sadly, the weird jumping between the plot lines and cutting off the hype with weirdly placed cliff hangers borderline ruined the show for me.

I definitely did like all the separate plotlines, but the way they were presented was honestly harming the amount of focus and attachment I had to the story and the characters. The moment I was invested they switched to a different character’s story and it made me frustrated and want to just skip whatever new plot they were presenting to get closure from the one I was watching so far. Does it all present a cohesive picture by the end? Sure. Was it the best way to present the plot? Not for me.

What this drama has: fun action scenes, characters you want to root for, good chemistry between actors, solid variety of backgrounds and motivations, easy to follow plot, great performances.

What it does not have: real meaningful message, interesting villains, good CGI, balance between the characters and plots.

Surprisingly with a rather detailed plot and world building, fun characters, stellar cast I do not really have that much to say about this drama? Weirdly it felt rather empty. The characters I was the most interested in and felt like they had the most potential (Frank and Lee Gang Hun) did not get enough screen time which was also a bummer.

Also, me the whole show: so like… where the fuck is Kim Du Sik?
The writer truly shot themselves in the foot with this one. Creating a character that is presented as unstoppable, best of the best to then keep them behind the scenes and never truly use their full potential. Probably the biggest disappointment.

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Let me fix it for you: The Bad Mother.

This is such a mid show I am amazed how many people recommended for me to watch it. The only actually truly good aspect of it were the performances.

Long story short we have a bad abusive mother having a second chance to abuse her son again after he gets into an accident. From limiting food, socially isolating, emotional and physical abuse, to literally wanting to get your mentally 7 years old son to get married and have kids (this was such a “low-key” moment in the drama, but for me it was so gross) - her trash actions had no boundaries. All explained by her “good intentions”. And sure, if the story was about her using her second chance to fix the mistakes she made the first time, I would be fine with the title. But she did not, she willingly made exactly the same mistakes and abused her son in similar fashions the second time around too - blessed with her good intentions.

Just make the show psychological drama, rename it as “The Bad Mother” and it would actually be a good show about the consequences of abuse and how much of an impact it can have on a person even in their adulthood. Because there is nothing wholesome about that parent-son relationship and the fact ML felt guilty about everything that happened is wild for me. He needs therapy. Like most MLs in kdramas.

I enjoyed the village and interactions between everyone living there, but even that aspect brought nothing new nor innovative - pick any slice of life set in the countryside and you will get exactly the same content, but without all the anger and frustration that comes from the main plot.

The aspect of the show I liked the most? Friendship between Mi Joo and Sam Sik. Their scenes were easily my favorite and they actually had fun, wholesome and upbeat chemistry going on.

About the crime plot - it was good when it lasted. It started and ended the show. Now that I think about it, it’s like watching 2 completely different dramas. The whole middle part does not really connect that well with the beginning and the ending - be it by themes or tone. Still, the investigation storyline was better than the “mother-son relationship” plot. If I had to pick, I’d say episode 13 was my favorite and yes, it had the least interactions between Young Soon and Kang Ho.

As I said at the beginning of the review - the only truly great things were the performances. Ra Mi Ran aced the awful self-victimizing egocentric mother and Choi Kang Ho delivered solid acting be it as a confident and scheming prosecutor, or confused and cheerful child. I don’t think I have even one complaint about the cast.

The production value was exactly what you expect from mainstream kdrama. They have a really well polished specific flavor to them. They all blend together and have little to no lasting effect on the viewers. They look generic pretty.

Standout soundtrack - Andy Love’s Home and Dry.

Overall, if it was not for the recommendation challenge I would probably not finish it. It does not really have unique takes or plots. And the themes we know are not especially well presented.

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Teacher turned uncle turned love interest?

That’s the crack show. The low key straight version of Midnight Museum and I liked it a lot. Even if I was extremely entertained watching, I cannot pretend like it’s some fine piece of cinema. It could have been - with a better paced story, more episodes and someone to review the writing a bit.

The premise is exactly what a supernatural horror loving fan would eat up - black magic and unfortunate events. What’s great is - they actually did try to make it spooky and managed quite a few times. It was far less silly scooby doo than I thought it would be. I appreciated how they tried to hold the tension instead of just relying on jump scares.

What made the spooky vibes work so well was the editing. Some transitions were so nice and smooth I was genuinely impressed. Editing and directing did the heavy lifting in this project for sure.

On the other hand, the writing was… juvenile? I think that's a fitting description. I actually have far more hope for season 2. This was just a quick introduction to what can potentially be a great story. As much as I love Win and Prim as an on screen duo, this character pairing was just… a misunderstanding. Dude be pretending to be her teacher, then her uncle, while also flirting with her when nobody's watching and I’m just sitting here confused about my existence, because my brain does not compute what I’m seeing.

I did enjoy both as individual characters. Ajin and his fake ass clumsy persona, when in fact he is this hot tattooed black magic wielder. Fa who is so smart, yet desperately wanting excitement and purpose in her life. Great. Yet something about their dynamics was off putting. Rather than being excited to see them on screen for the potential low-key romance, I was excited to see how much of a clownery their next interaction will be.

I want to be perfectly clear though - I did have A LOT of fun while watching the show. It’s a perfect short binge watch material. I could not stop myself from starting the next episode. And with that hype I will be patiently waiting for season 2.

It's only 7.5/10, but it's not:
I'm disappointed and expected more 7.5
It's the: holy shit that was a lot of fun even if many things did not make sense 7.5.

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There is no justice when seeking revenge.

Revenge will never give you a peace of mind, because it will always create victims that will hunt you till their last day. Never ending spiral of survival in the world that does not care.

It’s a drama that requires a lot of patience - 10 episodes in I still felt rather clueless about the past events and their impact on the current timeline. Maybe not completely blind, for sure not seeing the big picture thought. The writer takes their sweet time to explain the murders, their motive, connection between victims and the wanted outcome depending on the side. While the actual explanation is more or less spoon-fed to the audience, it does not feel like they tried to insult my lack of perception, but rather elaborate on the vague idea I already had in my head. It was delivered in a way that seemed appropriate taking into consideration the long and detailed set up.

I am not sure how much of a main character Qu San Geng was. For me I saw him more like a vessel for narration. While the story directly impacted him, somehow he seemed a little bit detached from it. Technically he was the force driving the investigation forward, so why does his presence feel so passive? I’m not mad about it, I think he served his purpose perfectly, but maybe I just expected to connect to his character a little bit more?

Ripe Town is a story about injustice - be it legal or social. About the power of status and money. About idealistic ideas that are crushed by reality. This is not a fun investigation, one could even say the ending feels unsatisfying. But that unsatisfying ending actually perfectly fits the story. I felt deeply frustrated more than once and even the more lighthearted moments left a bitter taste in my mouth.

That said, it was not all pain and suffering. Thanks to many interesting main and supporting characters, I can with full confidence say it was an enjoyable watch. Song Chen easily being the best of them all - not exactly good, but definitely not bad. Sticking to his convictions and morals. I also really like the “sidekick trio” Leng Gui Er, Gao Shi Cong and Feng Ke Zhui. Their dynamics were the ray of sunshine and fun that gave me a little bit of peace of mind.

One thing the drama did a phenomenal job with was making me switch my opinions about characters back and forth depending on the amount of information I had. It clearly shows the depth of the story and the characters’ actions. Nothing is quite as black and white as it may seem.

Performance wise, Yu Yao as Lu Zhi was probably my favorite along with Ning Li and Bai Yu Fan. Personally these 3 were the true main characters for me, and everyone kind of faded into background compared.

As for the production, I loved the color schemes used - the grays, blues and greens with hints of warm tones from lanterns created a somber and grim picture that accompanied the at times bleak reality of the characters.

Overall, I would for sure recommend it, but it is better as a binge watch. Be patient with how the story unfolds, you will get your conclusions at the right time.

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Could've been a thrilling ride or an emotional journey. Wanted to be both so it became neither.

It might be a “me problem” since I caught myself having similar complaints about other dramas too - they are not simple enough. And this is also how I felt watching this show.

On one hand it was a crime “who did it” mystery with twists and new revelations at every turn. We followed a few characters, all with their individual stories that at the end connect into a whole picture. On the other hand it’s a one man psychological drama about how obsession over your own regrets can affect your life and lead you to a point of no return. And these two just did not mash well for me.

The tension was rising when the plot was following the mystery bits, but then we got a full on episode that seemed like a borderline slice of life drama of romance between Xiang Dong and Fen Fang. Then we go back to mystery, but we focus on a completely different set of characters, and then come back to Xiang Dong and turn it into a character driven show. But then again we are back to following Yong Hong, Yao Xin and Wen Guo and I was getting whiplash from all these switches. Whenever I got interested in the “who done it” aspect, I was put back on the path of Xiang Dong’s obsession. When I was getting invested in his character, they switched the focus completely to someone else.

I really enjoyed all the elements, characters, plots and themes. The stakes were high, the progression of the plot made sense. The acting was fantastic, but I just could not get that invested with all that switching of the focus points.

Directing and production wise it was visually beautiful, but unreal about intentions from time to time. Some scenes had your typical grand revelation editing, but the content of what was shown was obvious by all the previous hints given. I honestly did not know if it was stylistically overdramatized for no reason, or if it was the big revelation because the writer thinks I am an idiot and did not figure it out a few episodes ago with all the obvious hints…

Overall, I still believe it’s a solid show. It has its ups and downs, but it can for sure maintain your attention and interest.

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Failed transition between plot points ruined this drama.

First half was a solid 9/10, second half was a solid 8/10 - when combined it gives me a mediocre 6.5. How they concluded the first half left the bad taste in my mouth as I was watching the second. How they continued the second half of the drama made me feel uncomfortable with what was in the first half. They completely failed at transitioning between two plot points, ruining the whole experience for me. It does not matter how many good ingredients the dish has, when one of them is crap. This is how I felt about this show.

It starts with a rather good depiction of various disorders presented in a way that even people who have little to no professional training in any field related to mental health would understand. The visual pictures they created to showcase the inner struggles the characters were facing was such a great touch to make the issues feel real and not just “in their head”. What’s more, I honestly felt like they managed to humanize the patients - while the focus was on their issues, it wasn’t the only thing we saw. What I saw was more than just their symptoms.

The second half is a great representation of various stages of depression - getting ill, denial, struggling to accept it, treatment, and slow recovery. The raw performance by Park Bo Young was gripping and horrifically realistic. You could see her pain and torment. I appreciate how they did not sugarcoat it too much as if getting treatment solves all the issues. The perceptions the society has on you will be changed forever, you might feel limited by many external and internal factors. In just 6 episodes they were able to show that getting better is a long journey not a sprint.

So where’s the issue? The complete mistreatment of Kim Seo Wan as a character. The issue is not that he died, but how his death never got a proper closure and became just a way to give female lead mental disorder to make the second half of the show happen.

You want to tell me that not one person except for the female lead was questioning discharging him, when he literally just got out of his delusion and was clearly struggling with depression? They literally talked about how his mood is down. His parents talked about how he wants to go back to studying, when studying was the trigger for his mental health issues in the first place. He literally faked relapse not to leave. And they still discharged him. The arc was honestly ridiculous and made everyone feel unqualified for their job. Still, I could look behind it if they gave me a proper closure. If people involved in his wrongful discharge at least admitted it was a mistake. Apologized to the parents. If they had one conversation about what and why it happened. But no one took accountability. It was just something sad that happened and then everyone played the victim calling themselves “suicide survivors” - I was so angry I was seeing red.

Then there is the fact that without even giving a good closer to such a devastating and tragic story, they decided to use it to give Da Eum depression. That’s why he died? Not to make the story more deep, to present his characters’ struggles, how sometimes the system fails, how sometimes good intentions to help are not enough. It was there to give Da Eum depression and focused the story on her and her recovery alone. How infuriating.

So when these two halves are combined, I’m just angry. Angry about how they made one of the best and most caring characters' death into a cheap plot device for the female lead’s progression which made me question the sincerity of the presentation of the problems all the other patients were facing. Angry how disrespectful was the set up for the female lead’s struggles and how because of that I could never truly connect to her arc.

What’s more to hate? The romance. I am sorry, but why was it needed exactly? Not only was it painfully unnecessary, the way Dong Go Yun’s character was written gave me a weird type of chill. There was something weird about him.

That said, I still enjoyed the first half of the show a lot. I also really liked the second lead couple. I found the toxic family issue Deul Re was facing and how it was resolved extremely refreshing. Instead of the typical “family is family, one apology is enough, you need to forgive, everyone changes” crap, we got a clear message: abandon your mother. When Yeo Hwan said it I literally clapped.

The acting was perfect. Obviously Park Bo Young aced the role. I don’t think anyone would disagree. One more performance that stood out was Noh Jae Won as Kim Seo Wan. Yes, the way the character was written was extremely charming, but I think the acting had also a lot to do with why I loved him so much.

Overall, I was thinking about writing a more in-depth review, but I’m honestly too annoyed with the show to do it.

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All the sweets are served with HOT TEA.

What a dramatic melodrama it was. All the twists, all the angst, all the pain and toxicity served with the most beautiful Japanese sweets. Great combination.

This was not a smart script, but it was for sure entertaining. “Wait what?” was my default reaction to a lot of scenes. Sakura was not the brightest of the bunch, but I appreciated how she was not backing down no matter what. Tsubaki was painfully hot with his kabedons every episode, even if there were no firing neurons in his brain. While the drama did not try to hide who was the evil mastermind even for a second, I appreciate how “who she used” was quite a surprise and twist by the end.

The plot was just a full on crack and they knew it. They warned me from episode one when even the female lead was clearly stating undeniable facts: “Something is wrong with me”. You, male lead, everyone in his family, and me for binging this show in one sitting.

I read that quite a few people were not crazy about the performance of Mizuki Alisa as Tsubaki's mother. I loved it. She delivered that evil mother with over-controlling tendencies and inferiority complex perfectly. All the other actors delivered great performances too. Yokohama Ryusei did not really have to do much with this role - he just had to look hot. Hamabe Minami aced the emotional scenes, though I would maybe like a bit more dramatic reactions here and there.

Overall, I had fun, but I am not fully sure if it was for good reasons :)

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The questions that were never asked, the answers that were never heard.

As humans we have an awful tendency to fill the blanks with things that fit our own perception. We are both egocentric thinking our view is the correct one, but also think we are insignificant and our actions don’t have much impact. And we are wrong.

I went into this movie knowing close to nothing and it was a perfect choice. Rather than just watching a movie, I felt like I was learning important life lessons, forced to face my own shortcomings and reflect on my own biases. I felt the whole range of emotions and I don’t think I’ll stop feeling them any time soon.

It’s a movie that will confuse you, touch you, teach you and most likely humble you. The movie is divided into clear chapters that uncover layers of perspectives and depth.

The performances were phenomenal. There are no words to describe how well all the characters were presented. Extreme props to the youngest cast who in my eyes carried the heart and soul of the whole movie.

Directing? Perfection. The way the message of the movie became so clear with every minute, even if initially I was so confused. The way it highlights the importance of the context. The way everything mattered.

I’m one to write essay-long reviews, but I’m honestly still wrapping my head around what I just finished watching and I think I will be in that state for some time. This movie calls for a discussion and brainstorming of the ideas, opinions and perspectives. It’s a story with a huge impact if you pay attention. It’s a movie on human nature, our flaws and mistakes. Strangely, I also think it’s a movie about cognitive laziness and how it affects us and people around us.

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If you look at all the separate scenes, if you describe the plot, if you look at most of the acting alone: this is a great movie. What’s the issue then? It was glued together with an old chewing gum - it just does not stick together. All scenes felt disjointed, nothing transitioned smoothly and it ended up as a confusing mess.

Honestly, what was wrong with these weird transitions between scenes? They showed a really well acted, emotional scene - a dialogue of a mother describing her pain of losing her child who went missing. But in the middle of it, they just cut to flashback of her looking for the child on the day she disappeared - all the emotional impact gone with this weird cut. And then they came back to the mother now describing what was shown… So why even show it? Usually I’m more of a show don’t tell, but here the tell was important, because the emotions the mother was feeling were the focus.

It would be a decent thriller if they did a better job in the post production and completely removed the laughable supernatural elements. It’s not like the plot could not happen without that aspect and it didn't even take that much screen time anyway. It was just another not well executed idea the writer and director had…

The detective was amazingly hot, so that’s a plus I guess.

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It feels like a passion project for someone who really dreams of making movies…

but are not quite there in terms of skills.
I could feel that a lot of care was put into this movie and it was taken seriously. I could also feel all the limited resources and how they impacted the final result. The plot had quite a number of twists, but the writing and directing was not smooth and detailed enough to truly tell the story well.

I think one of the biggest issues I had was the fact, I was not exactly on board with male lead. I don’t know how old he is supposed to be, but clearly old enough to know better. Yet he acted like a teenage boy. Sure, his mother would not win an award for the best parent, but he completely disregarded her struggles and just dumped all his grievances - whenever justified or not - on her. Dude had some issues and I struggled with rooting for him.

As for the storytelling - it was a bit confusing. The main lead investigates the attack on his grandpa, keeps referring to the attacker as a killer, barely does anything, but still finds more information than the police? And there is also a dirty lady in the forest that lurks here and there. Also a lot of focus on romance and romantic feelings people have. It all does make sense at the end, but to get there, you need to truly push forward feeling like nothing connects and it’s just a few random scenes put together.

Every character had their traumas, and they yelled about their traumas… and yet we as viewers did not really know what said traumas were. Everything felt extremely detached and awkward because of that.

The acting was decent. Some actors did better than the others, some scenes and lines felt more natural than the rest. Nothing major to praise nor to complain about.

The production was kind of all over the place. The transitions between the scenes were distracting and rough. They had hard-cut the background music during some scenes, not to mention some choices of the songs were rather questionable. The views though, some were quite beautiful. Also… I was over 6 minutes into the movie and they still kept showing credits here and there…

Overall, it dragged painfully. 30 minutes in I felt like I already watched 2 hours. It picks up by the end, but I feel like too much information and actions are dumped in that last 20 minutes so the whole pacing of the movie is off.

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