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Unconvincing attempt to combine dark crime and supernatural mystery with fluffy romance
On the positive side the mystery and action were involving in the first 6 or 7 episodes and the drama managed to inject a lot of amusement even against a background of graphic violence without becoming tasteless and the characters and their interactions were fun to watch、 then for me it sagged in the middle due to over emphasis on romance and the plot lines flashbacks and characters from the past became so complicated I had to constantly re-wind to figure them out and I noticed the drama had to periodically stop while characters gave us a summary of who was related to who and how this was related to that and from there it just went downhill and the denouement was really too silly for words。most important of all the rationale for everything that happened、 on which the whole drama was predicated 、was completely undercut [spoiler comment: the whole drama devolves round Seong Mo's attempt for he and his mother to escape from his monster father and protect his mother but it ends with him confessing and getting a long prison sentence leaving his mother literally abandoned on her own in his flat with An unkindly packing his bags and leaving to follow the rainbow of romance （I mean doesn't this guy feel any sense of obligation to the man who saved him and brought him up and that man's mother？？）]. some allowance I can make for the supernatural element in the story to excuse plot holes and coincidences but、 the use of the psychometric element was not well handled it、 was never convincing as a real part of An's character、 just something convenient to push the story forward and cover up for the usual police incompetence 。 to integrate such an ability and lead anything like a normal life would be far more difficult than shown in this drama if not impossible and the drama completely ignored that issue。 it seems to me they apparently wanted to combine a hard crime and supernatural drama with fluffy romance and soap opera elements and it just does not work 。if I read correctly the two stars here are k pop idols branching into drama and maybe this is why it was written in this way？ the epilogue was too long and too syrupy。 not a re-watch for me I'm afraid。Was this review helpful to you?
thin novella not bestseller
Last chapter began delightfully and there were some tender moments during the drama 🩷🌈 however、considered as a whole for me the story was rather thin and after the slow-burn angst for 7 episodes the plot was rather quickly and conveniently wrapped up in the "Last Chapter"；this is also another case where the ost is nice but too intrusive maybe producers should learn you do not need to mark every change of scene with the same refrain and this is not a substitute for script and acting 〜〜or even silence。so very good but not a perfect 10 for meWas this review helpful to you?
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mixed feelings
mixed feelings about this sweet in parts but an elliptical and flawed storylineSPOILER FROM HERE：
first： storylines using the one year later type formula for me are really a failure of writer's imagination and weak device to skip over plot continuity ；second ：the harsh terms of rejection at start of episode 7 really make the longing and regret one year later （and 2 minutes in the drama）not credible 。 maybe this is a function of limitations of time but these are fundamental flaws in the drama that good imaginative writing could overcome、apart from this the characters and actors themselves are sweet
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Fine but flawed Taiwanese bl
mixed feeling about this one。 this is a fine bl drama with a nice balance between seriousness and feel good I have found with most Taiwanese dramas compared with j drama and good character development。 for me it seemed to lose momentum toward the end though it is true Taiwanese dramas allow more space, time for story to develop。for me the ending was unsatisfactory [see under spoiler comment]。 I found OST rather intrusive especially in last episode and some producers should remember OST is no substitute for script and acting or indeed sometimes silence is better than noise 。Was this review helpful to you?
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Fantastic!
Fantastic in almost every way 〜starts as investigative mystery and soon combined into high action drama。why have I waited so long to watch ？48 episodes is not a huge mountain at all it was climbed in record time⭐️the strangest thing maybe was how this started out as investigation with Li Bi as central character and he faded out in last episodes while a side character suddenly becomes the genius to unravel the links of the plot but then himself goes unrecognized and unrewarded ；second how this drama ends on such a muted note、 no great unmasking of villains and rewards and punishments but then maybe this is in keeping with the arch of the drama； much is left not stated （maybe too much ）and must be understood ；the climax was amazing but the working out in the final episodes quite good also、 but for me if there is a failing it is in the somewhat rushed ending and because the fate of various characters is left in the dark〜
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dull grey box
I can find so little empathy with any of the main characters here and the two twisted ones and twisted psychological plot complications become almost hilarious。 I assume the metaphorical grey box refers to the emotions swirling inside them and the apartment box in which they all live and breaking out of it、 however for me the ending is hardly credible。 as for the misleadingly tagged LGBT theme I was looking for、 it was so minuscule it almost escaped my attention〜 if you are looking for a dorama with this as a meaningful element don't waste your time。a dull grey box indeed〜Was this review helpful to you?
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No courage
this began quite well and promised positive development then after half way and the focus on the divorce settlement went completely down hill ruined by Nagisa's character： maybe the intention was to show his magnanimous character so everyone would live happily ever after、 actually for me it showed his real character as completely selfish and self indulgent not to say narcissistic、 that is if we look at the history of the story： first he abandons Shun then appears from the blue and with the child of his marriage ! expecting to be taken back years later〜this may just be credible if we assume Shun could not surrender his love but it says nothing good about Nagisa's character but、 then having settled Sora in a happy household we have the unbelievable denouement in the divorce court： the mother cannot give up her career gets drunk and Sora is picked up on a busy road maybe just avoiding accident it is exposed in the court but then Nagisa who all the first part of the movie shows as a deeply caring father apparently has a dramatic attack of remorse towards his wife based on having taken care of Sora without giving her a fair share in Sora's upbringing！ this is literally incredible nonsense of a story 、of course the reason for that situation was not his selfishness but hers wanting to pursue a career、 so his ：magnanimous： gesture giving up Sora is both stupid and selfish because he is not thinking of the vulnerable child but the ineffectual wife and maybe it's also self-hating if ーwhich the arguments in the court case heavily portrayed ーhe accepts the homophobic premise that a gay family is weird unconventional and will make it difficult for Sora to grow up。 sorry but if this was part of his motivation ー which I think if we think deeply about it the denouement implies ーit is just an exercise in reinforcing discrimination when the movie could have shown a positive outcome of a happy family based on a gay relationship。 I cannot avoid the suspicion also that it suits Nagisa's selfish character very well to be relieved of the burden of looking after his child to indulge in a "straight gay" relationship [if I may underline with oxymoron]。as noted above the denouement is also based on the completely ridiculous idea his wife would undergo a transformation into a loving and caring mother when she realises Sora is doing badly in her first weeks back with her： completely unrealistic we are not told what happened about the career demands they have magically disappeared it seems with no idea how she will now support herself and her child、 this just does not happen in real life only saints undergo overnight character and personality changes。 in short the whole movie falls apart in a confusion of contradictions and unrealistic impossibilities when it had the chance to make a real contribution to showing a positive picture of a gay family overcoming social discrimination〜 why show acceptance of the relationship by the very conservative village people and then having their support break up the family?? it does not make sense unless lacking the courage to live and work out a happy life as a gay family as part of the society ー courage lacked by Nagisa because I note it was Shun having the courage to declare his love before the villagers but Nagisa who ultimately broke up their family。of course a more positive outcome does not mean taking Sora completely away from her mother but giving her the happiest safest background to grow up in、 but then given the selfish character of Nagisa as ultimately confirmed by the outcome perhaps he could not after all have done that、 but the turnaround completely contradicted the more positive first two thirds of the movie。 I do not know if the writer thought this was some clever artistic twist in the story but it was a complete failure of artistic touch as well as a sell-out reinforcing the homophobia LGBTQ people must still continue to fight against even in western society and still more in Japanese。Was this review helpful to you?
fate and friendship
this is very good drama though it is sad to see from flashbacks and forwards the fate of these friends； some criticise this but for me it deepens the tragedy as most tragedies like Greek tragedy you know the characters are tied to an inescapable destiny〜this drama is dark from the start with violence in korean schools and descends into predictable gangster violence and fight for survival of poor people with only small episodes of relief and hope in romance and loyalty to lighten the story。 I was interested in the school episodes and transition from this to the gangsterism though less in the formulaic gangster drama itself・ taking account of development of many episodes there is a certain sympathy for one of the friends but this evaporates from episode 16 as we see them equally caught in the net [there is a sea/fishing motif appearing at the start and at points throughout the drama] of evil。 part of sang taek coming in later is used to work out broader plot of organised crime and corruption though his move from diligent student aiming at law career to going into the army and journalism for me lacks credibility as with how he is brought back into relation with the other school friends as part of the plot。 the element of romance is rather straining for effect and real purpose in this drama and also seems formulaic〜still a very involving and good drama of its type though I do not think this is one for re-watchWas this review helpful to you?
weird mix of fantasy and reality comic and serious
fantasy mixes with reality in this movie as a teenager's weird sexual obsession is the background for many stories of other inhabitants of his apartment block and middle school。 there is a lot of silliness in this movie but also、 if you are open minded a lot of interest and amusement though not entirely lighthearted some serious developments in the story though、meaning it did not drag for me at any time。 hiraoka plays his role well and his contortions bending and stretching maybe made him taller in the end！ it ends with more obvious manga parodies and an unexpected ironic outcome in one point of story。 worth watching to fill two hours WARNING: if you are a real middle school-er let your parents see the title only not contents unless they have liberal views as there are some really "explicit" scenes here they may not take in the comical way intended！！wwwWas this review helpful to you?
Emperor in August
very good historical account of the attempted coup against Japan's acceptance of terms of allied powers to end Pacific War and Showa emperor's central role in achieving it〜 the production values are good although the lighting is rather dark、 whether intended is not clear but even so maybe adds to claustrophobic atmosphere of tension as ministers argue and small group of conspirators drawn from military elite try to gather support for their ill-starred enterprise： the swan song of militarism that dominated Japanese politics and society through 1930s to 1940s〜10/10 as interesting history and likely I will watch againWas this review helpful to you?
Touching historical drama of a family and Hiroshima
I decided to watch this drama having enjoyed Matsuzaka's other dramas〜 episode 1 has a slow gentle start、I was expecting more impact of historical events to be show in the drama but initially it sets the scene of a provincial family's story but it more than makes up for this as the series progresses to the awful climax of the Hiroshima bombing： the the settings, costume, production are very authentic〜I like the ML and FL： both very pretty and Matsumoto honaka has nice character but all the characters including the support actors and actresses I can really empathise with。 very much recommended if you will like serious historical drama and becoming attached to the lives and futures of a family living through the personal and historical events of its era〜Was this review helpful to you?
gentle quirky humor with a serious side
on this drama I revise my original view：if you expect a proper sci-fi story do not look for real sci-fi hereーany sci-fi element here disappears pretty quickly and it really becomes a slow but fun and homely drama with nice characters that also touches on some thought-provoking and serious life issues as it goes on。 if you do not mind a slow kind of youth drama and Japanese quirky provincial humor it is worth sticking with this drama it leaves you with a warm feeling in the end 〜music not especially to my taste and re-watch value low but 8.5/10Was this review helpful to you?
dark madness
unremittingly dark and depressing 〜my final perception of this film is that what starts as a scenario just barely plausible as real presents through increasingly destructive imagery a metaphorical descent into madness reflected in the surreal final twists。as film it was well done with the lighting and camera work conveying the dark and claustrophobic atmosphere (？the enclosed space of the mind within which it takes place) I can not give it top score because though I recognise its merit at an intellectual level for me this film is devoid of anything uplifting： why do we（or maybe better why do we have to）produce such films？Was this review helpful to you?
seriously weird mix
seriously weird show and becomes more so as it goes on but it did fasinate me〜first half seems serious rational mystery thriller but second half is completely weird ’supernatural’ with twists and turns and endings I am not sure if intended to be serious and chilling supernatural or comical 〜really becoming comical for me！it did keep me waiting to see what happens next almost hypnotically 〜good if you like this sort of drama and can tolerate the strange mix I would not completely dismiss it as ridiculous though it verges on itWas this review helpful to you?
good fights
I must admit I struggled to finish this drama〜 the best parts were the fight scenes and comedy butsome very boring parts in between。 the main ending was predicatable、 although Shinagawa and Ada coming together was a surprise [I was not attending]。 I liked the moral that being yourself as yankee or not is ok （after all it is very useful to be able to fight off bullies）。Naka Riisa plays the part to perfection very funny、Narimiya wasted in this kind of show。I will not watch again〜 good show for junior hi students 7/100
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