Words of other reviewer, “It’s no exaggeration to say that its background music is another main character. Even if you hate soft music, once you try to listen to its music, it would begin to wear down your defenses. It won't let your ears close even for a minute.”
A reviewer said, “If you miss this movie, it would be one of the goofiest things you've done throughout your life as a movie-goer.” And I'm agree with him/her.
Before starting this movie I thought this movie is going to be average but surprisingly it was far beyond my expectations and now I placed this movie in my permanent favorites list including all Hollywood, Bollywood & all other non-Asian movies.
Don’t think that it’s a typical school romance with tearjerker moments, it’s more than that. I’d say it is beautiful, intelligent and a chiller thriller in a way. It is full of romance and mystery, blending of many genres like School, Youth, Melodrama, Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery and Horror (Not horror but listen ‘The Flashback’ and you’ll know what I want to say).
And about ending; it’ll leave you thinking. Story needs some thinking to be able to understand it fully. You’ll probably think that there are many flaws in the story but there aren’t any because you’ve to think and most of things are logical in movie point of view. I know what happened in the end but whenever I watch it again it makes me confuse. I’m still confused about ending.
Visually it is more than satisfying. Its coloring is awesome and special effects are also good (Don’t expect effects like big budget Hollywood movies).
Lun Mei Kwai is beautiful and did brilliant job. She is lovely and charming.
And bow to “Singer/Songwriter/Composer/Actor/Producer/Director” Jay Chou. Before I thought he’s just another guy who looks cool and sings and because of obsessed fans he’s popular but now I take my words back. Now he is ahead of all those ‘SHOWCASE’ actors but still behind those ‘ACTOR’ actors. Now, I’m a fan of Jay (It’s surprising that he’s actually popular in India!).
Overall this movie is a must watch and after watching you’ll know that this movie will stay in your heart forever.
BTW Secret 2 is announced and currently in production. I hope Secret 2 will be as great as Secret and I also hope that it’ll be a sequel to Secret.
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1Diplomatic impunity.
Go East starts out as a fresh and interesting workplace comedy about Sifang Pavilion 四方馆, which was an institution that hosted guests and envoys from all four directions 四方/sìfāng during the Tang dynasty. Sifang Pavillion is essentially a Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they handle diplomatic issues from issuing visas, facilitating trade, solving diplomatic cases to negotiating treaties. Yuan Mo is loosely attached to Sifang Pavilion and helps oversea foreign visitors at the city gates, under the indulgent eye of Director Ye Deshui. He is a clever fellow with a predisposition for wine, snakes and bird brains but he lacks ambition and shirks responsibility. Alas, he spots a real strange bird, Ashu, at the gates and makes the mistake of his life by stopping her. She invades his personal space, poisons him, bullies him, frames him, helps herself to his hard earned money and turns his life upside down. This poor man is so alone and lonely that he sucks it all up as if he was deprived of attention his whole life. As it turns out, the Man in White, the deadly leader of the Faceless assassins are after her. To help her, Yuan Mo gets co-opted taking on a proper role at the Sifang Pavilion, where he proves himself by solving a few tricky diplomatic cases.Ashu as a character did not work for me from the get go. She debuts as an entitled bully who blames the hapless Yuan Mo for all her issues, makes unreasonable demands and causes no end of trouble for him. She doesn't bat an eye when her servants openly disrespect him and never apologizes or feels a smidgeon of remorse. She puts herself in harm's way repeatedly with her noble idiocy and half baked schemes, endangering everyone that has to rescue her. This is an ungrateful creature that tramples all over the male lead and is so lacking in intelligence and survival instincts that it is a miracle she didn't perish long ago. I never connected with any Zhou Yiran's roles and her portrayal of Ashu is callous and supercilious to the point that I didn't root for her. Her piteous and repetitive crying scenes made me yawn and roll my eyes. For sure, these scenes are exaggerated for comedic effect but her constant smug expression made her seem mean instead of endearing or comical. None of the female characters are written in a flattering way. Yuchi Hua is also a termagant and is a cliché gender bender character whose only contribution is as token muscle. But at least she softens up and she shows she genuinely respects and cares for Wang Kunwu. This is the latest in a disturbing trend of dramas where the female characters get a free pass for toxic behavior towards male characters who pretty much just roll over and play dead. When did it become so unfashionable to have balanced relationships where men and women just treat each other well?
The only thing that salvaged this drama for me is Tan Jianci's incredibly funny and moving performance as Yuan Mo. This is a refreshing role for him and his comedic timing and expressions are spot on. The character itself is not super well written either; he fell for Ashu too quickly and I remain baffled as to why; he lets her walk all over him and he is super intelligent but ultimately only applies himself for her. The gaping difference between Tan Jianci and Zhou Yiran is that he made me love his goofy, slightly wimpy, deeply wounded Yuan Mo flaws and all; a character who seemed to not quite dare to live until he had to find himself for an ungrateful wretch with the brain the size of a watermelon seed. (Why didn't I live thousands of years ago so he could have found me instead?) Even though they looked cute together, the chemistry between them seemed more friendly than passionate so as a couple, they didn't move me. All those wasted Tan Jianci kiss scenes! But I enjoyed the camaraderie between both couples and the broader Sifang Pavilion team and the hilarious rivalry between the East Court and the West Court. Ye Deshui was MVP for me; he delivered as many comedy gold moments as Yuan Mo did and I loved the hilariously pragmatic way in which he ran Sifang Pavilion and appeased domestic and foreign conflicts.
Plot-wise this drama starts out well as I was genuinely intrigued by the foreign relations premise of the story. The first two cases are interesting and tight and the satire made me invested in the team. After that, the romances starts to take center stage and the to-ing and fro-ing between couples I didn't really care for was not funny enough to keep me engaged. That is also when progressively larger holes in the plot emerges and it snowballs into an avalanche at the end. Along the way, the tone of the drama shifts from silly and hilarious to one where the writer kills off good characters with diplomatic impunity. There was only one good twist in the entire plot, which was who saved the Yanle princess. The identity of the princess was too obvious you couldn't have missed it. Likewise, they cast an actor with an unmistakably prominent feature as the mysterious Man in White. He was flagged early on as a suspect in the Red Lotus case and his identity was just given away during Ashilan's kidnapping. Both these reveals were too early, erasing any sense of suspense. I thought Ashu was as dumb as bricks until they get back to Yanle which is when I realized that in the land of the blind, the one eyed woman is queen. The final reveal of the Man in White's motive contradicts the entire plot because given his identity, he never needed any Yanle princess; in fact a cooperative fake one is much better than the real thing. The smart thing for him to do would have been to eliminate her from the start. This is also what Long Tuqi should have done but Yanle is the land of the dumb after all. Even though it ends in a satisfying way, it was a hollow victory because they won because they were out-dumbed by the antagonists. It is this drama's most unique feature; a race to the bottom where the protagonists and antagonists vie to under smart each other.
Overall, the first half of this drama can be enjoyed as a spoof kind of along the lines of the Austin Powers movies but lacking any underlying intelligence. It is worth watching just to see Tan Jianci do comedy and romance watchers who can ship the couple may enjoy it more than I did. I found it a very mediocre watch, one that feels like a 7.0 more often than not. But I am going to throw in a 0.5 for the fresh premise and Tan Jianci's phenomenal, funny and moving acting to call it 7.5/10.0 overall.
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I really liked most of the characters. Female leads were really awesome and that doesn't happen too often in dramas. I really love Ja Eun - she is one of my most favorite heroines now, Soo Young was also adorable - hard on the outside, but very soft and warm inside.
Only characters that I didn't like too much was Soo Young's parents, maybe most of their scenes were there for humor but I've found them a bit annoying.
And I really love, love, love Ja Eun and Tae Hee story! If you like romance, I suggest watching this just for them.
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The Fiery Priest
47 people found this review helpful
Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, yet healing wounded souls of black, gray + shorn sheep
"The Fiery Priest" is all about Korean humor. You might have to get used to it. At least I did. The first time I approached the series I probably wasn't ready and possibly not in the right mood for such cheerful, tongue-in-cheek fun à la Korean style. I gave up quite early (probably after the first episode). On the second try tough, everything just fell into place. And by now I can say from experience: "The Fiery Priest" is ideal for repeat offenders. I had even more fun then... (And that probably wasn´t the last time I watched...)Nonetheless. Korean humor is special, especially when it comes to the fascination of the intestines - often enough they are gladly celebrated in a wide variety. Here as well. Utter confusion and frenzy are also a must. Instead of tried and tested bar fights and brawls of the western type however, the focus here is rather on choreographed martial arts.
Humor reigns supreme in "The Fiery Priest". Humor determines the pace, the timing, the nuances and the ambience. Slapstick, situation comedy, dialogue jokes, parody, irony - hardly anything is left out. "The Fiery Priest" doesn't take itself too seriously. The central storyline says it all: in the robes of a priest a former NIS agent ensures order and justice. Even the Pope has his brief appearance here. But also the 'sects' with self-appointed saviors flourishing in the country.
And yet, the "The Fiery Priest" has some serious tones to offer, too - besides and in the middle of all the slapstick. The plot background is once again fueled by South Korean backroom liaisons between executive, judiciary, politics and crime. With regard to the personality development of the individual characters, touching emotional moments also come along here and there - comparatively modestly, but nevertheless with impact.
Finally, "The Fiery Priest" also plays out another strength of KDrama: Here you can experience a lot of cheerfully and yet subtly touchingly executed bromance and womance. (However, there's no romance. But nobody has to miss it.) Bromance and womance as well as the variety of embedded side plots inspirit dramaturgical facets, that may touch the heart, having quite something to offer between soft touch and punch. It is simply a pleasure to watch the various dynamic personality developments. (Outstanding actors all along, by the way!)
"The Fiery Priest" spectacularly succeeds in balancing a tightrope act - good-humoredly and mischievously dancing above an unspeakable swamp of injustice, bribery, abuse of power and human greed.
Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, thus along the way healing the wounded souls of the black, gray, and shorn sheep.
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This review may contain spoilers
Everlasting Love
I started this drama with no expectation because it was a recommendation from YouTube and I decided to give it a try. Here I am being grateful that I found this gem, a drama with pure and innocent love everyone needs^^STORY: The drama started with Xia Lin Xi a very bright and intelligent high school girl who was given the task to make sure all her classmates were on class,and that was when she met Jiang Zheng Han. Xia Lin Xi managed to make him come back to school and somehow Zheng Han became her tutor just to earn money but he ended falling for her. Later,something happened and Jiang Zheng Han had to leave with telling her about it and Xia Lin Xi thought he broke their promise and was heart broken.
A year passed by and both Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi reunited in university and they both became a couple after so many pleas and confession from Jiang Zheng Han and that led to their Forever Love.
ACTING/CAST: Most important reason why I loved and enjoyed this drama was because of the characters acting,it was amazing they displayed and pulled off an amazing acting. Zhang Huai Wu( principal's son) acting was just great,whenever he was on screen I would laugh so much simply because he is so funny just like his father lol.
Jiang Zheng Han and Xia Lin Xi chemistry was great,their scenes were just so sweet and all the time Xia Lin Xi stood beside Zheng Han when he was a nobody despite her mother telling her to break up with him made my heart flutter. They're just the cutest^^
Chen Yu Chuan bragging about being the second best always was just so cute too lol.
The OST used is so beautiful,calming,relaxing and goes well with the scenes.
Overall I would say,this drama is definitely a must watch for those who love college dramas and those who don't too hehe
It's a light drama,just give it a try
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Coffee Prince is hardly an undiscovered gem, but like the best coffee shops, it’s a warm, inviting place to pass the time. It gently reminds that life’s small pleasures should be noticed and savored, and that choosing love, for a person, a profession, or a place, is worth whatever heartache or stigma may tag along.
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If he says "cute" one more time...
Maybe there are two ways to watch fluffy romance series. One is dressed in your onesie, wearing pink slippers, clipping your toenails with one eye on the screen to admire the soft pout of the FL, or the ML's big brown eyes, and there's nothing wrong with that.The other is actually paying attention to the story, because you like romance, but this story, I assure you, will reach the opposite effect, in more than one way.
First, there's this FL who rarely leaves her house because she works her head off.
Second, she only goes out because her boss orders her to do so with the command to find the necessary inspiration for her job.
Third, the only guy she meets is a hairdresser who falls instantly in love with her, just because WHAT exactly...because he can't resist a makeover? Or because he is a closet-masochist who likes her disinterest in him? She falls asleep when he does her hair, he's stood up by her...and all he can say is she's CUTE? I know this is the typical male compliment to a female in Japanese series, and he says it at least seven times each episode.
Added bonus seems to be she's a workaholic just like him, and still a virgin, and the very first time they actually did it, she reaches for her note book at her bed side to take notes on her new experience. Not to cherish a beautiful memory, but to store information for her new manga.
I'm so happy this is pure fiction, because in reality, the Japanese birth rate would dip to an all time low with unromantic people like that.
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Not a Bl but Queer Story
I’ve seen a lot of mixed (and even negative) reviews about Soulmate, But honestly, I feel like that kind of thinking misses the whole point of the story.Not every relationship needs a label like “boyfriends” to be meaningful. And intimacy doesn’t always have to be physical to be real. What Soulmate shows is something quieter but deeper—a connection built on understanding, respect, and simply being there for each other.
The title “Soulmate” fits perfectly. Their relationship feels like more than friendship, but not something that needs to be defined as lovers either. It exists somewhere in between, in a space that feels very real but is rarely shown on screen.
Another thing I really appreciated is how the drama portrays family. It reminds us that you don’t have to be blood-related to be a family. And you don’t have to fit into traditional stereotypes either. A family doesn’t always have to look like “one mother and one father.”
In the story, two men step up to take care of their best friend’s child after her husband passes away. The three of them build a life together, taking turns, supporting each other, and raising the baby with love. It’s such a simple but powerful way of showing that family is about care, responsibility, and connection—not labels.
What I loved most is how they live together, find happiness in small everyday moments, and respect each other’s boundaries. It’s not dramatic or intense in a typical way—it’s soft, calm, and emotionally intimate.
Honestly, this is the kind of relationship I would want in real life. Just living peacefully with someone who understands you without needing to explain everything.
I feel like this drama introduces a kind of “new genre” for many viewers—one that focuses less on labels or physical romance, and more on genuine human connection.
And maybe that’s why it feels so different… and so special.
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This review may contain spoilers
Really good series but why it isn’t that popular – an analysis!
I want to be clear from the start so I am going to tell you that Tae Darvid is my ultimate Thai person, so I will try to be as objective as I can. However, if you feel that I am playing favourites with him please let me know! Now, let me take you on a journey. I am going to review the series and point out some mistakes that didn’t help the series to be more popular and have more people talking about it. But before that, we must acknowledge the elephant in the room, and sorry for the following microaggression, but…Can we all agree that the so-called rooster was a fuc***g CHICKEN? Like wtf? Do I not know animals? Is this an intended joke? Why didn’t they use a rooster? Plz help me… Don’t get me wrong I love Teriyaki (the chicken-rooster) but it must have an identity crisis. Here is what I think Teriyaki is thinking 24/7:
«Phap says that I am a rooster that knows how to have a slow-life and crows at 10 in the morning to wake everyone up”, Teriyaki thought. “But at the same time, they are eating the eggs that I lay”, Teriyaki continued his thinking and started to question its own existence. «Am I a rooster, or am I a chicken? »
CHARACTERS
Our main couple is Maze and Phap. Maze is the president of his company, is a money motivated person, and mainly uses his head to make choices. As his social status suggests, he has an extravagant lifestyle, wearing expensive clothes, living in a luxurious apartment, and driving a costly car. In addition to other rich BL characters (from other BL series), he is greedy with money and will do anything to have a bigger profit. He doesn’t carelessly spend money, and most importantly he will take advantage of every situation in order to gain anything. On the other hand, Phap is a carefree artist that specializes to abstract paintings. He is the exact opposite of Maze and uses his heart to make decisions. He is not rich, he believes in himself and his capabilities, and he loves nature and animals. He loves animals so much that he has three animals’ pals, Poco – a lizard, Steven – a cockroach (yeah, you read that correctly), and Teriyaki – a chicken-rooster with identity crisis.
The second lead couple is Nueng and Tharn. Tharn is an actor and Maze’s best friend (along with Nae). He cares for his friend’s emotions and is rather mature, soft spoken, and kind-hearted person. He is the balance between Maze and Nae. While Nueng is… Is it too soon to make this spoiler? Well, I am not going to tell you who is Nueng right now because it’s a massive spoiler, and you might not want to know that. However, if you keep reading my review you will eventually learn who he is. YOU WERE WARNED! Anyway, for now I will tell you that Nueng is a handsome actor, with a calm aura that everyone is jealous of.
The other supporting characters are the “As You Wish” gang, the employees in Maze’s company. The leader of the pack is Nae, Maze’s and Tharn’s best friend. She is not a company’s employee, but she is sth like an investor – or vice president, according to her – who helped the company when they were in need. Next, we have Noona, the mother of the gang; she has a colourful personality and is loud (“I am soooo confuseeeed”); Ruj, the workaholic one, who is complaining that has too much work, but always delivers on time; Kuea, the talkative one, and Elle, the quiet one, who becomes talkative when drunk.
Last but not least, we have the managers. Phueak is Nueng’s manager, and Pookky is Tharn’s manager. Between these two a “hate” relationship exists, as both do their best to promote their talent. However, Pookky uses “dirty” ways to get Tharn more famous. I loved and laughed with every scene with the managers.
PLOT
In the series we follow the storyline between our main and secondary couple. After a weird event sequence, Phap (played by Tae), the carefree artist, ends up being in debt to Maze (played by Singto), and to pay back his debt he is hired in the company. However, their polar opposite personalities and lifestyles, make their everyday friction difficult… at first! The aversion for each other could be seen, as they don’t address each other by their name, and they don’t use the honorifics “P” or “Nong”. Instead, they mainly use the informal way of saying “You” in Thai.
In the series we get to see how Phap is the first one to open up to Maze and how he does everything that he can to get the other person’s attention. Maze and Phap throughout the series learn more about and from each other. The artist teaches the young boss that relaxing is mandatory, that relying on other people is not that bad, and that living in the moment is important. However, the most crucial thing that Phap helps Maze with, is Nueng (more for that on “My opinion” section).
ACTING
I would like to start with Singto. To be honest, I don’t follow Singto that much. I have only watched SOTUS and SOTUS S with him (fun fact SOTUS was my first Thai BL series). In SOTUS, I was fascinated by his ability to use his facial expressions, and boy was I not disappointed in Paint with Love. For me, this series bring out the best of Singto and with the combination of funny scenes we have an amazing result. I know that I might not be in the position to say this because this is only the third series that I have watched with Singto, but this is my favourite series with him. He was sassy, angry, confused, mad, sad, and desperate when he needed to be, and trust me when I tell you that I believed him in every scene.
Moving on with Tae, I know that I said that he is my ultimate Thai person, but dude I am not a royal fan. The only series that I have watched with Tae is 2moons the series. DON’T CALL ME A HYPOCRITE! I really like his personality in real life that is why he is my ultimate. I was really happy when I learned that he would finally have a lead role, and I was not disappointed. In the series he plays a character that is quite different from him in real life, and I must admit that I really enjoyed his acting here. He portraits a handsome, goofy, confident, and a straightforward character, in a comedic way, which I loved. However, there were a few scenes in which his character was sad, and I was like “TELL ME WHO HURT YOU BABY!!!!”.
Regarding the second lead actors, everyone did an amazing job. Yoon and Yacht were able to captivate me in their story and you could see them grow together, be more open about their true feelings, and try to distinguish their work and personal life. You could see and feel Tharn’s (Yacht) internal dilemma on whether he should be honest to Maze about his feelings for Nueng, but not wanting to hurt his friend… Yacht did an amazing job there!!! As for Yoon, he was able to share his worries, concerns, and feelings for both Maze and Tharn. To be honest, I felt that everyone had a great chemistry with each other in the series, which is amazing! I think that my favourite for the other cast was Maengmum. Honestly, I love her! Her acting skills are off the roof, and she deserves every award ever! PLEASE GIVE HER A SERIES ALREADY!
MY OPINION AND THE MISTAKES THAT KEPT THIS SERIES FROM POPULARITY!
As an overall, I have a positive opinion for this series. The first thing that I really liked (beside the casting), was the fact that the story wasn’t developed in a university. I don’t understand why the majority of Thai BLs need to be in university, but I really enjoyed the change of environment. Now the second thing that I really liked, was the fact that even though Maze was rich, he was actually greedy and didn’t belittle the value of money, in addition to other series where usually the rich person doesn’t care about money at all. While another thing that I really liked was the lack of product placements! You don’t understand how much I despise straightforward product placements in series; however, here we have none of it, which I loveeeeeed!!!!
Another thing that I really liked, was the real interaction between the main couple. You know, something that I disliked in the other BLs is that they present false expectations on how two people flirt. The other series portray the couples in a cool way, and they only show us the handsome, jealous, confident, side of the characters, while in reality this is not true. In addition, in Paint with Love, we get to see how an emotional and touching scene could be “changed” by one of the characters. For instance, there is a scene in which Phap and Maze are talking about squids, and you hear Phap saying something deep regarding catching squid and how he does not enjoy doing that. For a moment you can see Maze softening up to Phap and looking at him with puppy eyes, but when Maze gets to say something to Phap, the later eats a squid and destroys the moment and atmosphere between them. Don’t get me wrong, but I love it. I feel that this behaviour is closer to reality, and I love it when it is shown in series. Take your always right, and correct behavioured characters, I will stay with the truer moments. Furthermore, you could see the dilemma that Maze had. He really liked Phap but he believed that the artist was someone lame, who wasn’t at the same social status as him. That is why he couldn’t openly say that he liked Phap and that he wanted to be him. Occasionally, he would bring up a wall between them and making more difficult for Phap to bring down that wall. In my opinion, Singto’s acting was on point in every scene. You could see his emotions through his eyes. He is an exceptional actor. Well done!
As for something that I didn’t like, was the story changes. I must admit that I haven’t read the whole novel, because I couldn’t find it anywhere with an English translation, but I must say that there is a huge difference in the novel and the series storyline. Before I elaborate more on the difference between these two, let me make the huge SPOILER right now. Nueng and Maze are stepbrothers since they were young boys, after Maze’s father married Nueng’s mother. That was the spoiler. Honestly, at first, when I was only watching the series, I thought that Nueng and Maze were ex-lovers, but I was wrong.
Now, let me go back to the main difference in the novel and the series. In the series, the two brothers fight with each other at an older age (when Nueng is trying to apply to university), while in the novel the brothers fight at a younger age, when Nueng was in Junior High School, after his mother’s death, for which he blamed Maze for. I feel that they should had followed the original approach and show us the true fight between the brothers, because this would explain Maze’s acting in front of Nueng in their adult years. In the novel it was stated that the two brothers were very close, and they cared for each other. Especially Maze, he adored Nueng, and he loved spending time with him; so, when Nueng blamed him for his mother death (whom Maze loved like his real mother), he is devastated and due to his really young age he cannot entirely understand what happens.
As someone with an older sister, I can tell you that I understand Maze’s actions in his adulthood. He is awkward, goofy, and trying too hard to be liked and acknowledged by Nueng. His true feelings come to surface when he is drunk, and he asks for Nueng’s approval and attention. Those are true actions. I remember when I was younger, I was doing the same thing and I was trying desperately to get my older sister’s attention. That is why I feel that they should have kept the original fight reason between them.
Now the second thing that I didn’t like was the lack of accessibility to the series. Actually, in my humble opinion, I feel that this reason was the root cause of why this series wasn’t that popular. You could only watch the series in GagaOOLala, by having a subscription, or in illegal websites where the episodes were uploaded in a few hours. However, there were cases in which an episode could take up to 4 days to be uploaded in any site with English subtitles. All of you know for which episode I am talking about! Episode 6…. It took approximately 5 days for the episode to be uploaded in Dram***ol. That didn’t help the series to build a momentum and have a loyal fanbase. Now, don’t get me wrong, but when I learned that the series are only available to a subscribed website, I knew that it wouldn’t be popular. I don’t want to use other Networks or Companies names, but it is important to look at what your competitors are doing in order to create your business and strategic plan. I believe that in this case this step wasn’t implemented. The majority of BL series that are currently on air, are offered for free on the official Youtube channel of the company that created the series (e.g. Bad Buddy was available with English subtitles, every Friday, on GMMTV’s youtube channel); while Paint with Love required a subscription. That was mistake No. 1.
Mistake No.2 was the lack of promotion. Pffffff… This series could have so much potential! The company could have created a promotion campaign to make this series more popular and to have fans to anticipate for it. They could use social media on their advantage, and arrange live streams with the actors and interact with the fans, or they could create funny compilations with behind the scenes videos (at first they did upload a few behind the film videos but they were too short), or they could have the actors appear to multiple shows (TV shows, radio shows, or social media shows) to make the series more known to the public.
Lastly, mistake No.3 was the inconsistency in the English translation. Before judging me and telling me that I should be grateful that we even have translation for the series, I will tell you that I know, and I am grateful for that. But please don’t underestimate the power that international fans hold. If I don’t perform research on the target audience on the BL series, I won’t be able to know for sure where the watchers are coming from; but from small research in the comment section of different BL series that are posted on youtube, the majority of watchers seems to be international fans. While watching Paint with Love, I felt that there were many scenes that didn’t make any scene, due to the poorly translation, and that kept me from fully understanding a point. I am not sure if I am the only one who had this issue with the English translation, but again something was not feeling right.
BONUS MISTAKE: I am not sure if any of you felt that way, but there were some scenes that didn’t make any sense because there was no built up. I just felt like they said, “Okay this is what we wanted to say in this scene, now cut!”. For example, in the business trip were Nueng was injured, we see that Phap was also injured but he didn’t say anything to anyone. And that’s it... There was no outcome from this incident. Why didn’t he say anything to Maze? Why was he so sad that day? He was the one who helped Maze make it up with Nueng. Did eventually Maze learn about his injury? WE DON’T KNOW!!!! And that’s bothering me! Another example is when Phap took a bunch of bananas to the office, and he handed them to Nae. THAT’S IT!!! NOBODY ADDRESSED THE BANANAS EVER AGAIN! WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE PLOT? WE DON’T KNOW! DID THEY EAT THE BANANAS? WE DON’T KNOW! For me a scene should have a purpose; an introduction, a climax, and a connection to future scenes! Anyway…
That’s it! Please let me know if I missed something, or if you disagree with my review! It is a shame, but this series could have been more popular than any other BL series that were aired at the same time!
P.S. GIVE THE STYLIST A RAISE!!!! EVERYONE’S OUTFITS WERE ON POINT AND I LOVED EVERYTHING! THANK YOU P’STYLIST!!!
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Story: Prepare for an emotional ride. From the first episode, I just can't let go. A real makjang drama at its finest, it made me shed tears by episode 3. The story will tell you about a guy with painful past, lost family, with nowhere to run, with absolutely nothing at his hand strives to find himself, his dreams and his newly-found family through the world of baking. The childhood part for me was greatly done, it's the family history that made me invest deep emotions; for the 2nd half of the drama were flashbacks has to be made, sad emotions run down and I cried. I lost count how many times I cried in this drama. Most of the lines coming from the teacher were really inspiring and will let you ponder about life in actuality.
The romance is unconventional. It's not I-know-already-who-end-up-who typical love story. It all ends up to a matter of choices. I did like the ending, it's open yet satisfying and will leave you a resting feeling.
Cast/ Acting: The child actors were definitely amazing in conveying heavy-toned drama in the first episodes. Yoon Shi Yoon maintained the well built TakGu character. He was very convincing and his expressions will make you understand what hardships he's going through that seeing them makes it painful. When he cried, I can't help but cry too. Shin Yu Kyung's character is complex and yes, she's also believable. I initially watched this because of Joo Won and I can say, he's also very good in here, the shifting from bad to good was portrayed well, I also did cry for him at the end. The two main antagonists were not a letdown, it seemed nothing can stop them in doing what they want at all cost until the very end.
Music: It simply matches the scenes it has to give enhancements of, and it has a lively yet inspiring feeling as well.
Rewatch Value: It's a heavy drama for me so I will find it hard to rewatch it for sure.
Overall: A great inspiring drama that will max-out your emotions( it is for me anyway) but in a good way! It will make you sad yet satisfied, this is one of those dramas that is hard to forget. :)
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Exceeds Expectations.
Generally, if there is one genre that has been reused too many times to the point that nobody really watches them anymore, Youth dramas take one of the top spots. A River Runs Through It is no different. Dealing with the regular issues of teenagers growing up and their relationship with their parents, it can be compared to the vibes of Lovely Us and Reply 1988 during its initial episodes and proceeds to follow an almost slice of life like plot with the daily on going life of the characters at college and their relationship with their friends and 'person of interest'.(It's also very loosely based on a novel "Yan Lei De Shang You" (眼泪的上游) by Ming Qian Yu Hou (明前雨后) which is literally translated to 'Upstream of Tears.' It dealt with the ignorance of youth and had a realistic portrayal of the 'One that Got Away', if you are curious.)
***THE WARM FUZZIES:
☆ Set during the late 90s and early 2000s, what makes ARRTI stand out from regular youth dramas is the absolutely vibrant portrayal of the various characters, the real nostalgic vibe that it brought along, and the absolutely relatable incidents and events that anyone can relate to. There's always a constant feeling of warmth throughout our journey with characters
☆ Right from the first episode, we come across Xia Xiao Ju, a timid but hardworking girl, who accidentally has an unceremonious first meeting with the naughty Lu Shi Yi. We meet their neighbour Cheng Lang, a compassionate and sincere boy, the fluffy Bao Xiang Xiang and the empathetic Qiu Le Tao. The journey with the five characters from high school to gaokao and their moments of happiness and sadness were deeply touching. Characters, even with less screen time, managed to flesh themselves out as realistic ones, breathing life into the drama. We fall for them, laugh and feel their sorrow with them. One of the most memorable scenes I would pick during their highschool days is the one where the gang chases after the departing train. What I initially thought to be a funny moment was painful. And I related a lot to the 'bidding farewell' scenes. For a coming of age drama, this is one of the best I've seen.
☆ None of the characters were cookie cutters. Everyone were multi dimensional with their own strengths and weakness. Cheng Lang, the studious sweet boy, does have his own share of naughty stuff with Lu Shiyi. Shiyi often plays around, but proves to be one of the best friends that one could wish to have. It was absolutely funny watching this drama on Youtube and each new episode had people saying how much Shiyi was starting to grow on them. Bao Bao comes off as lazy and funny, but is more understanding and his own share of difficulities to face. Tao Tao might be confused, but has more grit and resolve in her. Xiaoju is shaky when it comes to her own internal struggles, but recognizes her faults and attempts to correct them. The variety of characters, each with their own uniqueness and the brilliant portrayal by the actors was one of it's highlights. In terms of acting alone, this drama deserves a better rating than many of the hyped up ones.
☆ I was particularly impressed by Jiang Zhuo Jun's Qiu Letao. I'd found her role in Just an Encore almost forgettable, but from here, I could tell that she deserves characters with more depth and intensity. It was also a treat to see Wang Rui Chang as Lu Shi Yi. The last few episodes were some of the best moments of his and showcased his talent. Hu Yi Xuan never disappoints and this was no exception. Chen Bo Hao was another surprise - his character never annoyed me, even though he was set up as a someone who was supposed to rival Lu Shiyi. In fact, now that I think about it, none of the characters were annoying.
☆ The strong friendships are really well depicted with a hint of realism to it, emanating a lambent ambience that is bouyed by compelling performance by the cast. I couldn't find a single scene where I felt that anyone was trying too hard to make it seem natural. Nothing was forced. It was really heartwarming and relatable. Particularly the original gang: Xia Xiaoju, Cheng Lang, Lu Shiyi, Tao Tao and Bao Bao. Then later, at college, the bromance between Shiyi, Huang Jun and Cheng Lang. Not to mention Xiaoju and her roommates, including Tao Tao. The comedy element was never lost until some of the final few episodes.
Shiyi and Xiaoju's friendship is perhaps the highlight and backbone of the story. Their support, banter and care for each other was what kept us waiting for new episodes each day. In a way, we see them realize where their hearts lie and it was heart warming to watch. (Also a bit frustrating.)
Lu Shiyi just raised the bar up when it comes to best friend standards. Although annoying at times, he is often ruthless with his words and desperately attempts to help his friends when they are at their worst, may it be Cheng Lang or Xiaoju. His character was a standout for me among many leads I've seen - he is usually the kind of guy who is set up as a second lead whereas Cheng Lang would be the leading man. But, all the five of them (six including Huang Jun) had distinct personalities and worries that made each of them interesting in their own right. Their journey along the bumpy road of life was 100% worth my time.
☆ Another aspect that I love about this drama are the parental relationships. I'm sorry to say that I was at the opposite end of the Xiaoju - Mother arc, but some of the way that Xiaoju reacted reminded me exactly of my sister. Her conversations with her father were beautifully portrayed. I also found Cheng Lang's relationship with his mother really touching. Shi Yi's banter and arguments with his parents were absolutely funny. The parents' continued to make their appearance even towards the very end, which was something I've not seen much in many Chinese youth dramas and found it relatable and realistic.
Those moments with the family never failed to make me emotional and kudos to everyone involved.
☆ In terms of relationships, I personally feel that ARRTI covered some of them in a rather realistic/bittersweet manner that was much closer to reality. The last half of the drama particularly has a lot of focus on relationships, but never seemed too mushy and romance focussed. I never disliked any couple or ship, however boring they might be.
☆ The soundtrack was perfect; not flashy or over the top, but nostalgia inducing and warm. I was unable to understand a single word, but nevertheless, they made me feel the exact emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. My favourite ones:
▪Still Singing (依然歌唱) by Liu Xin (刘心).
▪Between the Lines That Year (那年的字里行间) by Guo Jing/Claire Kuo (郭靜).
The ending theme 'Dear Journey' (亲爱的远行) by Cao Xuan Bin (曹轩宾) was pleasant to listen to. I particularly liked the instrumental renditions of various songs. None felt out of place and complimented the scenes perfectly.
The BGM only added to the effects of ARRTI. Some of them were really memorable:
1. A flock of birds flying away.
2. A top toppling. (I read a YT comment pointing it out to be a tennis ball.)
3. A goat braying.
4. A chicken and duck crowing and quacking.
5. A train wooshing.
6. A cat meowing and dog barking - particularly when there was some humorous conversation between Tao Tao and Xiaoju.
***THE COLD PRICKLIES: [Mild spoilers.]
---- Xiao Ju's one-sided crush on Cheng Lang dragged waay too long, about 25+ episodes. It should've wrapped up right around EP24 or 25 so that the story could focus on Xiao Ju's growth and relationship with her family, but it didn't and so much time was unnecessarily wasted on the arc. On the positive side, none of the side characters were affected by this, so there was smooth development from their side. (Plus, I was unable to connect to her character as I had never experienced this. It looked like she was imagining a lot of stuff.)
---- As a result of the above point, the final few episodes are the weakest, particularly from EP32. They were a total rush as expected from a show destined to squeeze everything into 36 episodes. Not to mention, the warm quality and realistic character growth got totally thrown in the bin to give way for a really cliché and uninspired script that could be a part of any drama. We already have an excess of such Youth dramas with the same tropes, so it was extremely disappointing to see such a promising show take the exact same route. I, for one, was dissatisfied by the way everything got wrapped up with a bow as it almost seemed more like fanservice than actual content.
---What makes this more obvious is how closely the writers stuck to the novel upto episode 34. Possibly the most fatal flaw they had made. Had they wanted to give a more fulfilling and realistic end, they should've steered clear off the book's influence. Slow burn romance needs a lot of depth and time to construct; Xiao Ju and Shi Yi's friendship was more memorable than the push and pull crap that kept happening past EP30, completely failing to bring justice to their "romance". It just wasn't a convincing slowburn with only five episodes to stuff everything in. The last two episodes, albeit being beautiful, is plain mediocre; it was clearly a deus ex machina. It was forced and banal, completely forgetting it's realistic slice-of-life storyline in favour of a flamboyant end to satisfy viewers.
---- The character Xiaoju, never really got a chance to face the repercussions of her actions and her realization and growth were stuffed behind several dream sequences or time skips that was unfavourable for her.
Out of all the characters, she had the potential to have a really well portrayed storyline, but I failed to see any significant change in the way she was written. At some points after EP31, I could feel the inconsistency in her behaviour, which might be the result of trying to serve justice to her character, who in the book was a rather depressing one. Some of her actions suddenly seemed indecisive and stupid, often slow with her responses, thanks to the awful pacing and a timeskip that crowded the plotline of several characters together. I couldn't sympathize with her actions as somehow I glimpsed the shadow of the novel's end. It's such a shame when she could've been right up there with characters like Duk Soon and Chengzi, yet the drama failed to live upto it's potential. Time was what she needed, but it wasn't done convincingly. It's also understandable as the original novel wasn't as fleshed out as the live action. I could feel that the writers kept the book in mind and it somehow got unintentionally hinted for a minority of viewers, including myself.
--- There were more scenes of the leads getting support from their friends that I really liked, but when it came to themselves, the communication about their troubles and fears regarding their relationship was almost zero. Shiyi got no better than her - there are still questions and misunderstanding remaining from his side. It didn't help that we see his character's efforts for the first 30 episodes, but get little to no actual response from Xiaoju during the final episodes, where multiple character arcs come to a close, and the story took a very generic turn that was a stark contrast to its original tone. Which is a shame since more than half of the drama was spent on strengthening their relationship, but hits a rocky road after a time skip. It felt off and did both Shiyi and Xiaoju a disservice. Had the scriptwriters chosen a more slow and convincing progress, it would have been much better.
---- The timeskips worked excellently for the evolution of supporting characters. But, the slice-of-life like balance got lost during the last bit. The main leads disappeared offscreen in what seemed like an attempt to give other characters a proper closure. It didn't help that unnecessary misunderstandings were stuffed at the very end, sucking away the uniqueness of the drama. Also, a few scenes that could provide some credibility and continuity to the story were completely cut off, or clipped and locked behind a paywall. Which just might be one of the worst decisions I've ever seen a streaming platform make - many of us waited for crumbs and finding out that minor scenes that could develop the plot got cut off was iffy.
But, I enjoyed the story of each of the original gang members, hence my rating.
***FROM THE BANK OF THE RIVER:
Overall, the cast and crew attempted their best to bring the story to life.
Personally, the drama portrayed the bitterness of youth and the dilemma one faces during those times excellently.
My rating is an 8, minus the enjoyment factor, for which I'd gladly give this one a 9, even if the last few episodes were unnecessary for the leads. The characters and execution made this watching experience a really memorable one. But, for a drama that could've followed it's slice-of-life plot, it fell far off the mark and now I only can lament about its wasted potential.
In a way, I can understand why the Chinese Title of the drama is Shang You/Upstream.
Going upstream is never easy. There is the gravity constantly pulling you down and the river itself that stops your smooth passage. Time and river have two things in common: they pass by and if we are lucky, we find what we want at the right time or realize what we missed out on too late. But, in the end, they are all bittersweet and nostalgic memories that we will forever cherish. And if that was what " A River Flows Through It" wanted to pass on to us audience, they did it really well.
Do I think it's perfect? No way. Did it make me mad at times? Yes, definitely.
But the fact that it riles up such intense emotions within the viewers itself is a win for ARRTI.
And I do not plan to erase this small, flawed story of two lovable idiots and their friends anytime soon.
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Lost and White Christmas had a gay baby named The Stranded
I usually review underlying social commentary and filming/directing techniques so my reviews mention other shows and lots of excitement about camera placement and editing.Let's get it/
Season 1 of The Stranded aired worldwide in its entirety on Netflix on 15 Nov 2019 with 7 x 50 min episodes. It reminds you of Lost, White Christmas and Lord of the Flies all at once while still being fairly unique in this genre.
Lost is an American television show that aired 2004 - 2010 about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island dealing with the Lord of the Flies narrative on top of everything getting weirder and weirder. Due to the time and place Lost as a series was coming from, the patriarchy in it makes the show almost unwatchable for me. So my first title for this was "Lost with less Patriarchy."
You can't help but be reminded of Lost when you watch The Stranded. You have an almost identical and equally pivotal scene of the main character waking up on the ground in the jungle at one point. You have the unwordly creepiness that can't be explained and the mysterious suspense wrapped around everything.
I'm not sure how much influence Netflix had over this series. The lack of product placement throughout was almost jarring to someone who has only seen Thai webseries before. The 24 frames per second vibe and scene changes dramatically split with relevant intriguing backstories were reminiscent of so many Western shows in this genre. Idk, it's so interesting to me, the points where Sukdapisit derailed from that. That's what I was looking for, broken tropes and throwbacks that have nothing to do with Western media.
During The Stranded I also found myself reminded of White Christmas, a short Korean series from 2011 about a group of students trapped at their elite school in the mountains in an avalanche over Christmas break.
There's nothing supernatural about White Christmas, it's purely psychological. The Stranded has a psychological vibe that runs deeper than the character relationships in Lost. The repeated filming of hot shirtless guys and lonely girls with fucked up pasts also were very White Christmas-like.
There's something that The Stranded, White Christmas & Lord of the Flies have that Lost could never. The way the characters react to being trapped on their own with no help changes whether you're writing adults or children into such roles. The internal war between despair, communism*, escapism and hope gets completely skewed and more so than when writing adult characters.
*communism in the desire to successfully work together. Quote from The Stranded; "We must cooperate. Work together and trust each other. That's how we survive."
A lot of these stories show how this kind of purely conceived idealism breaks down against the desperation to survive.
I can't leave out Krit & Jack in social commentary. I didn't want them to be token innocent queers in the background. Props to show how normal gays are to hets. So from a social standpoint, I'm grateful they were sexually active, depressing, and dangerously in love. They're not there to promote a harmless depiction of teenage boyfriends. They add to the whole way the situation of being stranded can carve out human ugliness on all sides.
In the West our need to strictly label genders and sexualities puts me in a difficult spot to describe what "girls" refers to in Thai media. But you will see it here. We're used to it more than the average American clicking on a foreign show on Netflix. The male characters who are there doing "girls" chores. I love that they're not trying to pass and that they don't even have to explain their existence. I love that they are just socially accepted from the beginning without it becoming a plot point. I love that you see the Thai thing where it's less about fighting to be trans than being trans and fighting for your personal gender's rights irrespective of their bodies' anatomies. But I still hate that these characters are minor and still mainly used to inject humor by their default flamboyance. I also wish there would be at least one transboy or nb person at some point in whatever I watch.
The setting from The Stranded creates the uniqueness and non-Western cultural framework that makes it special. The setting is more intense and beautiful than most things you will see in film. The ratio of camera time given to nature over characters is noticeably greater than many films set in remote locations. The intro's lens filter over the drone filming of the forests and beaches is so simple and so effective. You know you're looking at something that is ultimately skewed and that's thematically really important to remember from the beginning until the last scene.
The intro and the show itself have music that is arguably way cooler than what we usually see in foreign media. Passively, it's youthful and non-commercial. When it's used climatically it's a bit intense in a cliche way that I wish would just die in this genre.
Scene cuts come abruptly at times to weave together similar dramatic events been different characters. These types of situations make me so grateful to the writers for their timing of revelations and events.
The actors are all so so good. You never think they're faking anything and you become immersed in each of their fucked up lives. You want to see some of them rise up and some of them fall down where they belong but you're at the mercy of the story. To compliment both the writing and the actors, nothing feels forced out of character and so many points of interest are created between these characters in this story.
I really want to see everyone's theories on what's going on in the story. At first I thought ok, they're all dead and they don't know it. Now I don't know what to think but with what's happened, I just want Mark to come back so much<333
Thank u for reading x
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Top 5 dramas of the year so far
A amazing lovely,heartwarming,funny drama.do not let the ratings put you off this drama!The story revolves around do yong shik a guy who has a hard time since leaving school and is not progressing well in his life,he has no job,low self esteem,very anxious in pressure situations he bumps into his first love by chance after not seeing eachother since school she is now a doctor and treats Ed And do yong shik has ED(You know where this is going) - I’ll get to this because I think this is why it’s got a low rating which is bizarre.
What I love about this show is it so different from other k-dramas it sort of reverses roles where the male lead is the one with vunrablility and in need of help and emotional security,- it’s nice and refreshing to see because not every guy in a kdrama has to be a ceo of a major company or a smart successful confident guy,sometimes people get beaten down by the burdens of life this is just a reality and the male lead does a amazing job of portraying this and everyone of the actors are amazing!
The relationship between do shik and ru da is one of best in kdrama for me,ru da is still in love the do shik that she knew at school but she understands he has changed and is not confident with himself. Throughout the show as ru da spends more time with do shik he slowly start to gain confidence and come out of his shell abit more and it’s just really nice to watch.
Last thing i want to say is they make a comparison from the start of the show to end of the show and I loved it
Do yong shik gets invited to a dinner to eat for a reunion with his school friends,one guy keeps going on about how sunccesful he is in his job and how much he his making,do yong shik feels inferior and feels like a failure because he doesn’t have what everyone else has
Fast forward to the last part of the show he now has a job although it is only with a small company do shik is happy and satisfied with his life,he is content with what he has,the same guy tries to belittle him because he doesn’t have a big salary but he doesn’t care because that isn’t what bring do shik happiness. - my point is having success it’s not everything in life,money is not everything in life,you don’t have to strive to have so much money to be happy,it’s about finding things In your life that genuinely make you happy and no one else
Ps if your rating this low because it has references of sex and talk about more adult topics,think you need to grow up
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My Country is a bit like Six Flying Dragons, and Warrior Baek Dong Soo had a beautiful angsty baby together.
Six Flying Dragons since the story takes place in the same time period and a lot of the characters who were the main characters there and secondary characters in this one. And Warrior Baek Dong Soo that is also drama about two friends who end up fighting against each other and the sad and angsty bromance that comes with that. Yet I feel like My Country managed to be its own show despite all these comparisons.
I recognized and knew about the events that took place here, I knew where we were heading all the time. However, it did not damage the story in any for me. There was plenty of other parts within the story that surprised me.
The main story is so much more than the power of the Lee family as Goryeo changes into Joseon, which was the center story in Six Flying Dragons, but here the story of friendship and relationship between Hwi and Seon Ho is the center of it all – their love story even, if Korea had daring enough to go there. How their friendship and love for each other pulls them apart and back together and then apart again and so on. That is what draws you in and keep you there as the story goes along. That is the emotional core of the show. The politics and all of that is just the structure around it.
Each episode was over an hour in length, but all of them had a rather quicker pace, things didn’t really drag on all too much, things were rather action packed - there were some cool fight scenes in there from time to time – and it continued to surprise all the way until the end. I always found myself really engaged within the story, I was always excited about the next episode and each episode made me feel something; anger, horror, sadness, etc., which is what I'm looking for in a tv show. It really hooked me in and didn’t want to let me go, which I liked.
My Country is quite heavy on the politics, as well on the battles and blood and all that good stuff you can find in a drama such as this. This is no picknick at the park. This is a drama about men fighting their troubles and feelings away with swords, are usually covered in blood at some point in each episode, and nobody is really truly happy outside maybe the first two episodes. I am a rather simple soul when it comes to these things and My Country gave me my fix for handsome warriors in period dramas who are somehow always covered in ether blood or sweat or both.
You can pretty much predict how it ends before you get there, the story isn’t super subtle about it, but the story still takes you on a wild ride. The story sort of just gives you what it promised in the beginning, and I can respect that.
This drama gave you what it promised in the beginning, when it opens with the two main characters about to fight each other. It set the tone quite well. This is not a drama that starts as a cute and fluffy little tale in the first ten episodes and then does a switch and the last six episodes are almost a Shakespearian tragedy, as many other kdramas tend to do.
It’s not for everybody, but I rather enjoy the bloodbath, the politics, the sword fighting and all the other stuff that comes with this type of show. A bit on the heavy side, rather male-dominated or male centric story. But most stories, no matter what form they come in, kdramas or not, are sometimes rather male-centric. Having grown up oh those kinds of stories I don’t have a problem enjoying them, though over the years I have learned to be more watchful and critical over such things.
My biggest (and possibly only) gripe with this show exactly how much space the male characters took in comparison with the female characters. The females started of strong, they mattered and they had their own thing going on, but a little by little most of them kind of seemed to either die or almost disappear as we went further into the story – and I almost did not notice it until the very end, because the story had sort of swept me away from them.
I have said it before that I do not necessarily need to see female characters in these stories fighting with sword (though I do like it when that happens) and being a complete badass like Hwi or Seon Ho. But getting to see them have more influence within the story. See them give advice, solve problems, even cause problems, and in general have something significant to do within the story that helps the plot along is always appreciated. Even requested (from me).
This took place in a very male-centric world; a lot of decisions were made by men and they fought in wars and all that. But I have still seen stories that happen at a similar time, or other period dramas from Korea that seemed to achieve doing so much more with the female characters then this drama did. Like the Six Flying Dragons or even the Rebel Hong Gil Dong did (both rather male stories on their own way) for example. I know it is possible, so I expected a more from My Country then I got in that respect.
My Country isn't really a drama for the average or newbie kdrama watcher who shuns away from most sageuks and especially this one who is more on the heavier side with very little romance - but a whole lot of bromance - and political intrigue. But I do feel like it gave me my sageuk fix and I do think it could appeal to some of other people who might not be too keen on the average kdrama because of the romance and all of that. Like Tree With Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons (even if 50 episodes us a lot).
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Films from this region can be so painfully true to life, not prone to sugarcoat or providing even the narrowest of escape from the unpredictability and cruelty of human existence. There's no compromise. I don't know what to make of it. I both love it and hate it.
The Intimate Lover poignantly unveils our contrary nature as human beings. When it comes to matters of the heart, we want security and stability, but also a constant supply of that heady rush of new love, of being in love and seeing the stars in our lover's eyes. But it's impossible to attain both at the same time, with the same partner for the long haul.
So where does that leave us? Pretty much between a rock and hard a place.
To not chase that high is to commit yourself to a life of probable unfulfillment and what ifs, and to chase it would be like chasing a rainbow. You'll be going around in circles. If you leave one partner for another just to experience the high of being in love, eventually you'll end up back where you started with the same irrational need to begin the process all over again.
So really that sweet, intoxicating love we all want to experience can only last for a lifetime in our memories; and what this film imparts on us is that it's better to experience that love and end it while you're still on a high rather than let it wane from the onset of familiarity. It is the memory of this intoxicating love that will cradle us as we're delivered into the bosom of death.
It's a powerful message, if a little depressing.
All in all, though, this was a good exploration of the human condition. I think the actors did a good job, especially the female lead. I was happy to see some good physicality between the characters. None of this brushing of the lips nonsense or people who are supposed to be intimate acting like strangers around each other.
I've seen where this film has been described as "erotic". Perhaps by Asian standards, but this was just an average film to me. Explicit, yes, but erotic, not really. Because of the subject matter the film attempts to analyze they HAD to show that level of intimacy between the characters. To not do so would have been unrealistic. When you meet someone and you fall in love with them, you want to be intimate with them. Film, being a visual medium, has to show that intimacy to strengthen the story being told, otherwise the movie would have defeated its own purpose.
I must admit even though I had an idea where the movie was headed, and was okay with it, I held a small hope for a different ending. What can I say? I am a romantic. I know how life works. I know we're powerless to its whims. But I don't need to be reminded of that constantly in my entertainment. Be that as it may, however, I'm glad no one had a terminal illness. No one got hit by a truck. No one died or was dying. Thank goodness.
The ending was appropriate, poignant, but not gut wrenching. If you're in the mood for a film that will make you think and or spur an intellectual conversation afterwards, this is a good choice.
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