Reviews

"Everyone lies"

I began Regeneration knowing nothing about it and was rewarded with compelling storytelling. If you have ever watched Kurosawa Akira’s Rashomon, you’ll find they have something in common. Never wholly trust in a witness’ testimony---"It's human to lie. Most of the time we can't even be honest with ourselves.”

At a memorial for conman Fei Ke, five seemingly disparate people were brought together for the reading of the will. For reasons I will withhold, the five began to tell about their relationships with Fei Ke. Each knew him in a different manner, but most were ultimately deceived by him.

Episodes 1-6 followed a similar pattern of how Fei Ke ingratiated himself into their lives and then scammed them out of money. All of the “victims” were innocent and well meaning. From episode 7 on, the tone changed and the revelations poured out. I found the final episode overly dramatic and unfulfilling which lowered my score. A shift in the tale of revenge would also have provided better closure for me. But overall, the characters were engaging, if often unlikeable. This was the strongest performance of Jing Bo Ran’s I’ve seen which was a pleasant surprise. He had to express a wide range of emotions as each interpretation of the past played out. I hesitate to say anything else which might spoil an intriguing ride of vengeance and deception.

I’ll end with an Edgar Allan Poe quote, “Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear.”

18 January 2025

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Very enjoyable drama about average people pursuing their dreams and finding happiness.

Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won play average late-20s friends who have given up on pursuing their dreams because of the cost of living and the need for money. After a number of false starts and embarrassing failure, they finally find the strength to choose passion and happiness over drudgery. These two are fun and loveable leads whose strong friendship and love helps support each other through life. They're a delight to watch.

Kim Ji Won, in particular, gives Ae Ra a perfect mix of vulnerability and badass; combining hilarious aegyo and no-nonsense protectiveness to create one of the most compelling kdrama leads to date. Park Seo Joon is always a nuanced actor to watch and his brainless, hot-tempered but warm-hearted Dong Man will make you fall in love with him.

The second couple in this story are less interesting and, while their plotlines are no-less thematically important, I often lost interest when the attention switched to them. The plotting isn't perfect: there are number of disappearing characters, dropped plot lines and narrative digressions. And the show briefly falls flat when the couple first get together because of the dictates of the kdrama OTP tropes.

But none of this detracts from the enjoyment of the show. More importantly, this show ends well and doesn't suffer from the episode 14 kdrama slump. It maintains its pace to the end.

I could give this a lower rating for a number of reasons but it's such a satisfying watch that it deserves the 9/10.

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有法无天 The Rule of Law

It seems many viewers miss this wonderful series because it was released with all the episodes in one go unexpectedly. Despite its cheesy title, Miss Chun is a Litigator, this is a very enjoyable short drama with not many fillers. Every scene is important that leads to the next. The plot is not too complicated, but the background of some main characters is mysterious, creating excitement for the viewers, spurring on the story. And not to forget to mention the three gorgeous male leads, this is a great series for all.

Chun Tumi (Sabrina Zhuang) is a young girl passionate about federal and local laws. From childhood, she has immersed herself in reading the law book that was written and passed down by her late mother. She becomes very well-versed with the laws. One day, she was forced to defend her father in court because no one else would. There, in court, she is noticed by two court officials appointed by the Emperor. They recognize her talent and want to recruit her. After giving her a deal she can’t resist, she becomes an important member of the judiciary team which is responsible for combing through past court cases to make sure none is being misjudged.

Unlike most other female actors who are usually cute, pretty and flamboyant, Sabrina Zhuang has a solemn demeanor that makes her a good fit for the Chun Tumi character as the character is a rather mature and serious person despite of her age. Sabrina’s acting is believable as a litigator with her matter-of-factly face and calm composure during her litigation fights. Most of the cases involve further investigations which are not shown nor explained, but Miss Chun somehow manages to present the evidence in court.

The three main male characters are amazingly good looking. The writer teases the viewers by showing seemingly all three have love interest for Chun Tumi. All three have a mysterious background which is not revealed until very much later.

The first mysterious character is the Ye Cha (Huang Junjie) character. He’s disguised as a horse footman hired by Chun Tumi. He is cold and quiet, and always hides behind a large farmer hat. He seems to have an interest in Chun Tumi as he always appears in places around her, hidden away, watching and helping her secretly. Huang Junjie’s portrayal is acceptable, but I don’t like how he squints his eyes most of the time to look serious and cold. Ye Cha is introduced right at the beginning, then disappears most of the time, or hidden lurking somewhere, until in the middle of the drama. The focus of the male character shifts to Han Wuwei (Fan Zhixin) and has been on him right from the start to the end.

Han Wuwei is my favorite character. He is a military general, playful, insightful and a very good swordsman. He has no qualm with decorum and seems to appear everywhere where Chun Tumi goes. He is the one who first notices her talent and incorporates her into his team. He seems to have a love interest in her, but puzzles viewers how the relationship later develops. His actual identity is mysterious until the later part of the story. Fan Zhixin is sunny and flamboyant and has acted very well here as Han Wuwei.

The third male character, Kang Zhengyuan (Qin Tian), is a judiciary official authorized by the Emperor to travel around the country to look through closed cases to ensure they are being done properly and justly. Qin Tian’s portrayal of the no-nonsense Kang Zhengyuan is convincing, making him a well-loved character. He and Han Wuwei give the viewers a lot of sweet bromance and it’s interesting to see the men banter.

My Verdict
This is a very enjoyable drama about the ancient judiciary system, justice, and litigation, with a mix-ins of wuxia and conspiracy from a dark group. Finding out the actual truth is important but very difficult. It is hard to distinguish between good info or fake news. Even if a truth is almost 100% truthful, a small percentage of untruth can lead to a devastating outcome. This is the scenario our characters must tread carefully to preserve justice.

Season 1 scrapes the surface of the secret group and stops short before any alluded royal palace power struggle. Though some scenes skip abruptly, it hasn’t destroyed the story or the plot. By the end of the drama, there is a plot twist and Han Wuwei seems to have turned dark. This is a cliff hanger and whets viewers’ interest for Season 2.

Great watch! Don’t miss it!

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BEST DATING SHOW OUT THERE

This is literally the best dating show ever. Nothing comes close to this one. His Man 2 made people believe in love again, Be it straight or LGBTQ+ it can make all who see it fall in love and believe that true love is possible. The production crew hit the jackpot this time with the cast, every single one of them is so good, Of course, we have our main characters, JS and SH, who made the show their pre-wedding photoshoot. The osts were so beautiful, I must give hats off to the staff. I love how all the cast felt like family at the end, I don't think any show can top this one.

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When duty to your family and reality Crush your dreams

Completed: 9/22/2022

“The Hymn of Death” is a beautiful tragic romance when the duty to your family crushes your dreams and love. I found it more satisfying to think of this drama as a 3-hour long movie, than a short 6-episode drama. If I think of it as a movie, my expectations are lowered and I am OK with the fast-paced development of all events. But if I think of this as a drama, I might complain about how fast-paced it is. I wanted more scenes of how the leads fall in love and how reality forces them apart. Otherwise, I can’t totally be moved by their romance. I did not cry at all while watching this, and I am usually a cry baby.

Shin Hye Sun is beautiful as the female lead, Yun Shim Deok. She acted so well, both as an outspoken college student and as a mature opera singer. I wonder if Shin Hye Sun is actually fluent in Japanese, as she sounded so natural to my untrained ears. Her mouth also matches her opera-singing voice and I could feel her emotions. Lee Jong Suk did an admirable job as well as our male lead, Kim Woo Jin. I particularly enjoyed his emotional outburst towards his father, but other than that, the acting is just solid, and pales a little in comparison to Shin Hye Sun. But then, what is up with him leading his woman on the whole time? That’s not cool and such a cowardly move!

The supporting cast is a familiar bunch. I am surprised I recognized so many faces, though they all look a little old as college students. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the scenes of the troupe and seeing their fun and silly scenes together.

I love all the poems in this drama. They really add a lot of feelings and emotions to the characters. I am usually lukewarm about opera music but the songs in this drama are all beautiful. I even enjoy the opera songs, and probably because Shin Hye Sun did such a great job acting as well. I really want to be moved to tears, but that didn’t happen for me. I would still recommend this if you are looking for a short and beautiful drama about a tragic romance.

Other Random Observations:
1. I noticed this about Lee Jong Suk from previous dramas, whenever he cries, it’s always one teardrop from his right eye. 🥲
2. Male lead looks just fine after being released from prison and being beaten. Aside from a few scratches on his face, it’s like nothing happened.
3. I love all the outfits. The leads look gorgeous together.

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Could an ad be this touching?

I honestly didn't expect this short film to be THIS good. Well, given the main cast's potential and the well-executed plot, it is no wonder. Especially Kim Go Eun was a show stealer. Simply in awe with her. Her emotions were genuine and on point. And someone tell her to start a vlog asap?! She is a natural?! Count me in as a subscriber already!
And I never would have imagined that something good could come out of the mandatory 2-week-quarantine due to COVID 19, but here it is, the movie proved otherwise. These two-week restrictions really give space and time for a lot of self reflection and past reminiscing.

So overall, this was a heartwarming, simple, yet moving story. Even though the short film was supposed to be a lengthy product advertisement, the focus stays on the character's relationship, very much alike Makoto Shinkai's (Your Name, Weathering With You) anime ad "Crossroad" or the short film "Relumino" with Han Ji Min and Park Hyung Shik. Now that I think about it, I believe that one too was for Samsung. Also, the product placement was way smoother than in some of the K-dramas I've seen.

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A drama to some it may be a documentary to others it may be a comedy. What will it be to you?

'Birthcare Center' to me, a slice-of-life drama that I have been longing for in years! This drama has brought back my passion to write reviews (something I have lost long time ago!).

‘Birthcare Center’ takes the viewers into a fun ride between detailed reality and a fresh comedy. The initiation to the world of motherhood can be pretty overwhelming to some. Unlike anything else in life, motherhood is a lifetime commitment! Far from what we have mostly seen on screens whether it’s a series or a movie, this drama surpasses anything you’ve seen when it comes to postpartum phase. It highlights the travails and triumphs of motherhood including conceiving a child, going through labour, and everything else that you can think of about a woman’s experience entering motherhood and it does all of that with short 8-episodes in comedic frame.

Speaking of myself as someone who never had the chance to experience motherhood/childbirth, this drama has been such an enlightening journey! It made it possible to witness that side of motherhood that we never actually get to see unless we go through it ourselves. For those of you who have experienced it or will experience it you will find that you can relate to so many aspects if not all and you’ll be surprised that you’ll enjoy it despite relating to the pain and struggle! (you might even find comfort). As an outsider to this experience I actually felt every emotion which is amazing for a TV series to accomplish! I've come to understand that there are probably times when the mother is unable to say that the newborn is beautiful when she first sees the baby attached to its amniotic fluid. Details like these and so much more that will have you falling in love with this drama in no time!

Dear reader, ‘Birthcare Center’ isn’t trying to take you to a ‘beautiful journey’ by making things look beautiful/graceful while disregarding the reality of it. ‘Birthcare Center’ is trying to capture each and every moment of a childbirth/postpartum/motherhood phase realistically and help you find the beauty in the reality of it. Most of the time, things that happen after birth can be things that we would never think of such as the aftereffects of birth, the challenges of breastfeeding, the pressure that comes with parenting, and so on. Just like everything in life, even motherhood things do not necessarily go according to plan. The drama has captured all of that in details while presenting it in the best comedic frame, so you as a viewer would actually enjoy every second of it without feeling daunted by the emotions and without feeling drained by the reality of it.

What impressed me the most about this drama is the narration. Narrations are done by women (the cast characters) and it takes you through this journey and helps you understand what the characters are going through. It made this drama vividly real. I must say I absolutely adored watching the mothers in the Centre bond despite their different perspectives. They all had different backgrounds, beliefs, jobs, personalities and priorities however they all had one common goal, to provide the best for their child. You will enjoy watching their relationship changes from enemies to friends and how their bond becomes a lifetime bond.

Finally ‘Birthcare Center’ is a Korean drama tells us that “A good mom is not a perfect mom. It’s a mom who is happy along with her child”. The most important thing this drama tells is that the mother is also as important as her child and that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, confused, freaked, it’s okay if things is not under control… you will grow as a mother as your child grows… if the child is one month old the mother is one month old because a mother is born the moment her baby is born.

My most favorite quote in the drama - “Everyone says pregnancy is beautiful and pleasant, but it is exhausting, and labor is cruel. And the recovery process is miserable.” Kudos to the writer and the cast for presenting this in such a delicate, fun and fresh manner.

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Lust, Love and this pain engraved here in....

This movie depicts one of those moments in time, and it does it painfully, bruttally and beautifully. The story is that of a boy who is struggling with himself, his surroundings and living in a world that treats people like him like dirt. Can he dare to love? Will the one he loves love him back? If So will ha dare to love him back in a world where men who love men are beaten, arrested and not oney treated like***** but also taught that they will go to hell.

The pain in this movie is so powerfully conveyed that it went straight to my gut:

As this boy finds himself in so much pain that he practically beggs the "father" to be sent to hell:

"Don't all homosexuals deserve to go to hell? Maybe more people would understand me in hell"

These lines are accompanied by beautiful cinematography, well thought of accompaniment music and a variety of shots of happiness, youth, pain, insanity, hope, violence, pain, more pain. As well as a very clear depiction of the difference between Lust and Love as well as people crossing, no crushing other peoples boundaries.

The intense way of showing this boys struggles is very well made but I must warn you that some of the scenes here do cross the line between acceptable longing/loss of control and what should be seen as non consensual behaviour/assult, actually this movie has what one could understand as several scenes with different shades of sexual assult . So beware!

As you may guess this movie will probably make you feel something, it will not make you feel good, or have your heart fluttering but it will probably make you feel something...

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As an Italian, I'm rather used to being (let's not mince our words) often despised in most Western countries; I'm sorry to have to say this, but I've lost count of the people who, upon hearing I was Italian, felt the need to cry out stuff like "Mafia! Bunga-Bunga!" and so on, all while laughing out loud as if it were such a funny joke - seriously, guys...it ain't. Like, Not. In. The. Least. /.___.\
(Oh, and since I sincerely doubt that they'd shout "Apartheid! Bantustans!" to a South-African, or "Hiroshima! Guantanamo!" to an American, that double standard ends up being doubly offensive and simply adding insult to injury).
It therefore feels even more so like total Heaven, to notice how appreciated we are in other places, and particularly in South America, Russia and Japan.
But while the South Americans' (general) appreciation of Italy and Italians is quite logical, given how the Italian immigration down there mostly thrived and ended up becoming, as they say, a pillar of the community, it's on the other hand definitely harder to understand why Russians and Japanese should love us, considering how we invaded the former (without any sound motive, as they hadn't done anything to us! >__<) and backstabbed the latter by switching sides midway through WWII...as correctly depicted in the very first minute of this SP.
And yet, even though Japanese (and Russians) should have every reason to, if not outright hate us, at least resent us, they always shower us with an unconditional love, something which never fails to amaze me - and at the same time, to give my heart such a warm feeling and move me to tears.
Just like when, towards the end of this SP, a kid suddenly says "When I grow up, I want to become an Italian".
Believe me or not, I started crying as if there was no tomorrow, and just couldn't stop it.
And that's why I'm giving this "Sensuikan Cappellini go no Boken" such a high grade, despite the fact that it's honestly far from perfect: the production, let's face it, feels pretty cheap; in all honesty, the script is ok but nothing to call home about; last but not least, the Italian cast (a bunch of total unknowns, I'll admit) aren't gonna win a best actor award any time soon, I'm afraid.
But still, the premise (based on real events) is tremendously interesting, the Japanese cast performed very well (particularly Ninomiya Kazunari, whom I must confess never having been a big fan of...but he was absolutely superb here!)...and the whole thing feels like such a huge declaration of love for Italy and Italians (despite all our faults, because yeah, love is blind, indeed)!
How could I not reward all that with a high grade? ^__^;
Arigatou, Nihon!

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This movie is quite something else. It didn’t really follow the book’s timeline 100% but still, this movie is beautiful. The use of different timeline is awesomely executed in this movie to the point that it is not confusing at all. And you can’t even predict its storyline at all.

There are past that belongs to Mr Namiya and the future that belongs to Atsuya and his friends. And in between there are also other characters in another different timeline. The future will interfere with the past and in the end everyone is connected to each other. Sounds confusing? No, the director did a great job not to confuse the viewer, he followed the event properly.

I will say that Toshiyuki Nishida is the main actor here, without him nothing will happened. He did his role perfectly up until the end. Yamada is an angry young man here, I always think he is a great actor, even in this movie. Both of them didn’t share any scene together, but the link between them will be explained more as we go further into the movie.  Special shoutout to Kento Hayashi. His acting improved greatly in this movie. The woman beside me was crying so hard on his scene to the point that I too, get goosebumps.

The cinematography is beautiful, it didn’t use much sound or song except in a few scenes. There are no definite climax in this movie but the storyline is so clear, it keeps you wanted to know the real mystery behind everything. It is not the detective kind of movie, it is just people trying to make sense of what is going on. In the process, they learnt something very important in their lives which is relatable to us all. I really like the message this movie tried to convey. Recommended.

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A great light-hearted drama

I think this was a wholesome ending for both couples and was very enjoyable for the short amount of time. There was a lot of cute scenes and after watching both Star and Sky this special episode was what was needed to end both series. The story was light-hearted and cute and the actors worked well together. There was a good amount of chemistry and all the cute scenes had me smiling, so I overall think the stroy of the ending was good. The music, just like in both series, was very nice and fitting for the drama. The music definitely added to the drama and added different emotions to different scenes.
I really enjoyed watching this drama and would definitely rewatch at some point and recommend to those who are just looking for a light-hearted drama.

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Beautiful Love Story

I absolutely love this drama! It was well written and the lead characters were very relatable. The FL was so adorable with her fangirling lol I found my self rooting for this fictional couple and sharing in their highs and lows! Truly a beautiful written work of art. If you love romance comedy I definitely recommend but have your tissues nearby because you’re going to have your awww moments, shocked moments and even some sad moments it’s worth it!

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Sorry not sorry, can we be spared from the movie? lol

One of the lowest shows I have come across in a while... oh gosh. Worst plot ever, dog cafe without dogs or costumers, not a single coffe was actually served lmao nothing was believable, majory of the scenes were so cringy and hard to watch.. only made it cuz of the korean main actor. Poor guy to have debuted with this.., I wish he has a decent one next time. This was just awful and terrible, even the decent budget wasnt enough to save it from disaster. Mew was a disappointment in this show but at the same time what to do, all lines were cringy and stupid.
I think if both main actors were korean the result would have been different.
Maybe a cute little drama would have come out of it.

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A wlw anthology series with some cuteness, some smooth moves, and some realistic women

This series is an anthology series produced by Chinese dating app for wlw Rela (which has since changed name to "The L"). I don't know what it is with queer dating apps and short dramas, but I love it (there are also a few Filipino dramas I have watched produced by mlm dating apps). As it is an anthology series, each episode is independent and follows two different women. There are 14 different stories (one of the stories is divided between two episodes), each following one or two women that happen to have the Rela app on their phone.

There is a wide variety of women and a wide variety of stories that encompass a lot of different types of wlw couples and stories. There are meeting up stories, long distance relationships, the "I am in love with my straight best friend" story, a "my girlfriend had an accident and lost all memory of me" story, etc. A lot of different types of stories, each between 2 an 6 minutes. Some are more well-done that others, but all are enjoyable. Some are extremely cute and made me feel all fluffy inside. There are also a wide range of women presented from the most femme ones to the most butch ones (which you really don't see as much in wlw stories, I'd never seen women that butch in stories before), some students, some white collar workers, some bartenders, some musicians, etc. It's really thrilling to see such a wide range of experiences being represented on screen. There's also no homophobia. There can some heartache sometimes, but no story is fully sad and the majority have a full very cute happy ending.
Some of those women have some smooth, smooth moves. Like dang, teach me your ways jiejie because I need that level of skills. Shoot your shot and dare to dream!

You can see that there's not a lot of budget, but that's to be expected from those kinds of shows and it is really nicely filmed still. The audio quality is also good most of the time (there are section where it is hard to hear, but they are not that many and the subs are there) and the production values are quite good. I wouldn't necessarily rewatch the whole series, but some of those short films are nice enough that I could see myself rewatching them if I need some soft content and some smooth moves.

In conclusion, this anthology series only takes around 1h15 to watch and I would highly recommend you do if you need that sweet, sweet wlw content because there is something for everyone and it feels So Very Nice to see such a diversity of women, of gender expressions, and of relationships being shown on screen.

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If you loved the show, you'll love the special

If you were a fan of the show and the characters, you will enjoy this special episode as it feels like a nice little cherry on top for the rest of the series. After all, for a show all about weddings, who doesn't want to see our MC's finally getting their happy ending?

However, if you thought the rest of the show was just ok and weren't too bothered about seeing all the main cast having a reunion, you can probably skip this without missing too much. It is basically more of the same of what you watched before.

I personally really loved the show, especially Nuea's character, so I was glad to see him get his happy ending after everything he went through to get there. The special is full of fluff and sweet words, and a few good kisses sprinkled in for good measure. They also bring back the majority of the main reoccurring characters from the series, e.g. Nuea's coworkers and family.

However, I do wish this had just been the last episode of the main show rather than a paid special.

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