Reviews

Cute Little Love by Chance Story

Overall, I thought the series was pretty good. It's the story of two young men, Ae and Pete, who happen to meet by chance and Ae begins to help and take care of Pete (especially with a homphobic bully trying to blackmail him). Of course, Pete is gay and begins to confide to Ae, whom is very understanding and helps Pete to deal with the complexities of being a young gay male in certain societies. As a result of Ae's kindness, understanding, and assistance, Pete begins to develop feelings for Ae. Ae, who is "presumably" straight, eventually begins to develop feelings for Pete, and this is where we get the "Love by Chance" idea. Ae and Pete throughout the series go through numerous and sometimes humorous trials and tribulations establishing their relationship. Although some of the sex scenes between Pete and Ae were a "bit much". LOL However, the sex scenes are somewhat believable, given that their supposed to be upper teenage boys exploring their sexualities...

The series was cute and kept your attention, especially with the growing relationship between the other main characters, Tin and Can. Tin is a rich , egotistical snob, and Can is just a average soccer "jock" whose a little naive when it comes to relationships. But, Can is a staunch defender of Ae and Pete's relationship... especially, against Tin, who doesn't think Pete should be having anything to do with "The Thai Program" as he calls Ae, Can and their friends. Tin and Can's relationship start off as the typical Love/Hate, Rich/Poor scenario, but eventually starts to develop into something else. I really liked that relationship, (especially Tin's character). To watch Tin's development during the last episodes, learning of the abusive and arguably cruel treatment by his older brother (a person whom he most cherished and trusted in the world at that time) --- to watching him learn to love and trust again with Can. It's a good basic storyline.

Now, I know that BL dramas have to have their tragic situations.... But, there are a couple of disturbing scenes in the series that will make you want to throw an item at your TV or computer. The scene included a rape, which was not only perpetrated by someone the victim knew, but with the assistance of a family member of the victim. The other tragic turn in the series dealt with Tin and Can's relationship and how the storyline was left unresolved. This was most upsetting mainly due to the possibility there might not be a season 2. Hopefully, they'll at least do a mini-series (about 4 episodes) or possibly a movie, featuring the Tin and Can storyline, and give them a happier resolution... I think the fans would go absolutely wild!!! LOL

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Skip the Series and Just Watch the Special Edit Version!!!

•❅✧❅✦ What's the Difference?!!! •❅✧❅✦

It's hard to point out all of them since I just watched it in theaters today in Japan, but I will write a few off the top of my head.

1. Hira/Kiyoi's narration - A lot of the narration is cut or altered because the film is now in a movie format and there's no need to fill in the audience with what happened in the past. Also, some of the narrations are placed on different scenes or have different timing from the series.

2. The music/bgm - A lot of the bgm that was playing behind a lot of the scenes were cut and replaced with ambient sound. Also because the film isn't episodic the scenes that were affected by the opening/closing themes had more ambience or a different bgm giving more impact to the scenes.

3. Lack of flashbacks - This really helped the story because when I rewatched the series after viewing the film, I got really annoyed with the flashbacks. The lack of flashbacks made the audience was more invested in the scenes.

4. Cut Scenes - They also cut a few scenes out (like the cell phone in the water scene) which really helped the film flow more smoothly. Nothing too noticeable though.

5. Extended/New scenes - While this film advertises "brand new scenes" it actually means extended scenes. Some of the scenes are extended to make easier transitions, while there are a few that are extended to help the story flow better. The extended scenes also hint that Kiyoi was into Hira from way before the kiss scene. The extended scenes (and narrations) also present Koyama as a better option for Hira rather than Kiyoi.

Some of the extended scenes are:
• Hira and Kiyoi walking to the shrine after Hira discovers Kiyoi's dance lessons.
• Kiyoi turning around to look at the person following him after he loses the competition.
• The time skip to Hira being in college and Koyama's introduction.
• Hira calling Kiyoi to tell him that it might not be a good idea to come to practice at his place after Koyama gets sick, but Kiyoi doesn't answer.


Honestly, the biggest difference is the narration and music/bgm. I think this is what makes the film flow more smoothly than the series. A lot of the bgm was replaced by ambient sounds and it felt more real. Also all of the scenes that had the ending theme playing over it felt like they had more impact due to the lack of music during the scenes. For example, when I watched Koyama's confession to Hira in the series, the ending theme was playing and I felt like I want to skip to the next episode to find out what happens next for Hira. But when he confessed in the special edit, I felt so bad for him. He was presented as a better option for Hira (even Hira himself admitted it), but Hira still chose Kiyoi.


•❅✧❅✦ My Thoughts on the Special Edit Version •❅✧❅✦

Overall, this special edit version was so much better than the series. Maybe because the series itself is short, the movie format fit the story much better. There wasn't any dramatic cliff hangers and because of that the story seemed to flow more smoothly. The emotions the characters were feeling felt more real since we the ending theme wasn't interrupting any crucial moments.

I really recommend watching this special edit version if you can because it made me love the series even more than before.

Also if you haven't watched the series yet, don't worry about watching it and just watch this special edit version. You're not missing anything and you're getting more.



•❅──────✧❅✦ Utsukushii Kare Review & Book Comparision ✦❅✧──────❅•

Utsukushii Kare is the best Japanese BL of 2021!
It constantly pulls at your heartstrings and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
A rare gem in the Japanese BL.

•❅✧❅✦ STORY •❅✧❅✦

Hira suffers from severe stuttering when he is nervous. This has caused him to be ostracized from his classmates throughout his entire school career. During his final year of high school he meets Kiyoi, the resident "king" of the school, who saves him from class introductions by walking into class late. Hira is instantly smitten by Kiyoi. Even though Hira tries to keep his distance, the foul mouthed Kiyoi always seems to pull him back into his world. When Hira accidentally reveals his love for Kiyoi, and despite being quite open about his love and admiration for him thereafter, Kiyoi calls Hira disgusting, but doesn't outright ignore him after. The two unknowingly form a bond that's not quite friendship, but become closer than friends.

After a very eventful graduation, Hira and Kiyoi lose contact with each other until they are accidentally reunited in college. Hira finally has a friend, while Kiyoi is trying to make it big in the entertainment world. Hira still idolizes and loves Kiyoi, but Kiyoi is confused and can't express himself well.

Honestly, the plot and story isn't very original, however, what makes Utsukushii Kare different from the others is the characters. The characters are all very vulnerable and have their flaws. Hira is quite obviously the sympathetic lead, but King Kiyoi also has his doubts and is very relatable. He's not the invincible princely with a foul mouth that the usual troupes would have. Also, because we get two sides of the story, Hira and Kiyoi's, we sympathize with both Hira and Kiyoi. We also get annoyed with both Hira and Kiyoi too. Kiyoi is too tsundere for Hira, and Hira is as dense as a rock.

Aside from the characters, the plot, despite it's unoriginality, Ustukushii Kare didn't try to cover too many storylines. The entire series was focused on how Hira and Kiyoi got together. There was no extra storylines for side characters, no extra stories from after they got together. Most importantly, there was no obnoxiously long backstory for an character, nor was there any attempt to gain sympathy from the backstory either. The entire series was focused on how they got together and what they were feeling as they got together. Due to the focus on the characters and their feelings, everything felt real, raw, and amazing.

With the character driven storyline, Utsukushii Kare had it's work cut out, but I'm glad they found outstanding actors to fill in the roles. If the actors had performed poorly, I doubt Utsukushii Kare would have been a great series. Hira's actor was very good at playing that naive, yet dense character, while Kiyoi's actor was perfect with his tough, yet vulnerable, tsundere character. At first I hated Kiyoi for being so hot and cold to Hira, but as the story shifted from Hira's point of view to Kiyoi's, I fell in love with Kiyoi. His actor's performance when he had to portray Kiyoi's vulnerable side made me cry so hard. I've never seen an actor switch between hot and cold as great as Kiyoi's.

Kiyoi & Hira

At a glance, Kiyoi is a terrible person to befriend. He's mean to Hira and calls him names. You could even say he takes advantage of Hira, but it's not until the later half of the series, when you hear Kiyoi's side of the story, that you finally understand Kiyoi. Kiyoi's clumsy with his feelings and can't express himself well. He's also trying to navigate his feelings for Hira, who isn't exactly normal. Meanwhile, Hira's obsessed with Kiyoi to the point it's a bit stalkerish. The audience is made to sympathize with Hira, but Kiyoi does have a point, Hira's behavior is stalkerish.

That being said, Hirai and Kiyoi balance each other out perfectly. Around Kiyoi, Hira is able to express his emotions openly, while Kiyoi isn't very comfortable with expressing himself. Hira's not bothered by Kiyoi's insults because he knows Kiyoi is a tsundere, who doesn't mean what he says.

My personal favorite thing about his couple is that the seme and uke are not who you would expect them to be. I was presently surprised when we got a glimpse of it.

•❅✧❅✦ Book/Drama CD/Manga vs This Series •❅✧❅✦

If you haven't read the book or manga, or even listened to the drama CD you need to do so now! You'll get a different experience of the same story each time. . . and it's amazing! Each version of Utsukushii Kare is just different enough to keep you interested in each version.

Book - The book is the original and it is amazing.

Drama CD - The drama CD is my favorite because of how amazing Kiyoi's voice actor is. I really love this version of Kiyoi. Vulnerable Kiyoi is my favorite. Anyways, some of the scenes are changed to make it easier to listen to, but nothing too major. However, it's their voice acting that will give you the chills. Hira's V.A. sounds a little too deep to be a high schooler, but if you can get past that this drama CD is amazing. You'll really see a different side of Kiyoi that no other version can replicate.

Manga - Volume 2 was just released in Japan, so I haven't been able to read it yet, but Vol 1 was nice. So far it's not as memorable as the Drama CD, but it still allows us to visually see everything that we couldn't in the book. Because of the visuals, I found myself more drawn to the manga than the book, but it's still not complete so I won't say more.

Live Action Series - The producers were probably not expecting to be such a hit because they made a lot changes to the story. In the series we don't see Kiyoi and Hira hang out together as "friends" as much as they do in the other version. In the other versions we already get hint that Kiyoi might be interested in Hira from before Kiyoi's competition, but in this series it's a little vague until after the competition. Also, because the series chose not to have Hira move houses from his parent's place to his cousin's place, Hira offering and looking for a place for Kiyoi to practice his acting loses it's meaning in this adaptation. It's very important in the other versions, and it shows not only Hira's dedication to Kiyoi, but also shows how much Kiyoi loves Hira. Not having Kiyoi practically living with Hira and acting as his "boyfriend" during their fight in which Kiyoi "confesses" his love to Hira really had the live action series lose out on how much Kiyoi actually loves Hira.

The series is still amazing, but it's definitely a watered down version of Kiyoi. Does that mean it's bad? No. Kiyoi is still amazing and his actor did an amazing job with such a complex character, but it's still a shame that we can't see just how obsessed Kiyoi is about Hira. He's honestly just as obsessed with Hira as Hira is of him. Not as psychotic as Hira, but he's still thinking of Hira 24/7 in the other version. Here Kiyoi's just an average ikemen in love with his weirdo.

Anyways, there's nothing really bad to say about any of the variations of the story, so I definitely recommend checking out all version of Utsukushii Kare. It will fill in all of the details and background that each version misses out on. It will also make you more obsessed with the series.


•❅✧❅✦ OVERALL •❅✧❅✦

I really enjoyed Utsukushii Kare. It's a great series that's so unpredictable that you are at the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. The actors were also amazing to the point I actually cried when Kiyoi got emotional.

Words can't describe how amazing this series is, so don't sleep on it and watch it now!

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One more drama from the 90s without any review. So I decided to write about this one, too. Honestly I think these old dramas are the best in every way you look at them, especially dramas with romance as the main focus. I wanted to watch this one because I liked the story and because of the brilliant cast, Mikami Hiroshi, Toyokawa Etsushi and Suzuki Honami. Those actors are really so talented and I enjoy in their works especially in Etsushi's dramas. This was his first drama, his first role so I guess that's why he wasn't the main lead and didn't have so many scenes to show what he's made of but he was good enough, exactly what was his role he portrayed it in the best way.

As for the Suzuki, that woman is just too beautiful, I watched her in Tokyo Love Story where she was fantastic but in this drama she was way too brilliant and amazing, I was hypnotized all the time when she was in the screen. Hiroshi as the main guy, I was mesmerized by him, he just know how to portray tormented, lonely, tortured soul with a serious psychological problems, I've seen him in Lipstick and there he was fantastic and I thought that he couldn't play better any role. But I was so wrong. This is for sure, 100 % his best role, the most complex one and I've never seen that kind of acting like his in some drama.

One thing is sure about this drama and that is that there isn't no darker and more depressing Japanese drama than this one. Literally. I've watched many of them, old ones, new ones but like Kono yo no Hate, never. I mean there are no happy things at all, rarely you get to see some smile, some light, well maybe only in the last episode. This is the first drama I saw that there was a drug addict as the main lead and that someone from the top, a married man with career, a famous pianist fall so deep down in a a gutter and become worthless. And that is what fascinated me and wanted to see more and more, how Hiroshi played a heroin addict, you know how Japanese are the masters in creating some drama to be so realistic one, and I really thought that he was on some drugs. He starts from the top, a man with money and power who accidentally meet Mariya and fell in love with her, then the next stage is how he leaves everything for her, they start to live a happy life but not for long because some things begin to happen and slowly everything starts to fall apart. What left me with the most impressions was that man Shido, how he became wreck of a man, you could see how heroin had an affect on him, how he destroyed everything he had and the woman he loved because of that drug. This drama showed us how no matter how much you love someone if you abandon everything, your life, your career for that person and the most important if you lose yourself, start to lose self confidence and doubt in yourself and the woman(man) you love causing to become jealous and obsessive, you'll lose everything and that's when you turn to other vices and destroy your life and all that love you had for someone. It was very difficult for me to watch this drama because I am a person who hates drug in every single way but I always want to hear the stories and to listen to people who have gone through that hell and that's why this drama had such a big effect on me.

As for the main girl Mariya, she was the most gentle, kind and selfless person in this drama, actually the most selfless character I've ever got to meet but not the stupid one. This girl should have a medal for everything she's gone through, she was not typical girl at all, dressed more like a guy with short hair, smoking cigarettes all the time and with a quick temper. But how strong she was, how smart, how she was helping selflessly her sister, her mother, Shido to the very last breath. She was also a very tormented young soul with tragic past and you could easily see through each episode how she was struggling with everything, with all the insults, offensive words, rude behavior and remained strong, positive and cold from the outside, I think she is the woman I truly admire and respect.
In this drama I liked also the side characters, especially the guy with a scar, he was such a hero and cool guy, and I liked it how you get to see their stories, not only of the main couple.
There are no perfect and happy people in this drama, everyone had their own flaws and issues in the brain, simply that is the thing with Japanese, when they make a drama they make it more realistic and more darker than anyone else. And I admire that completely.

Kono yo no Hate is a drama with tragic events, dark issues, depressed atmosphere, crazy people, many tortures souls, with music in the background which suits so good with all the non happy things and happenings, I truly think that this drama is no doubt the most complex one I've ever watched but also a drama with the biggest and strongest emotions ever.
A true love story about a man who had everything and lost everything because of his stupidity, immaturity and jealousy and a woman who didn't have anything and who fought 'till the last breath for the people she loved risking her own life and not stopped believing and trusting her man. The story that showed us how love great and strong can be that nothing couldn't stop or destroy her but that sometimes just love isn't enough.
A true masterpiece for me.
If you look for something very different than all other dramas, if you don't mind real human stories, if you don't mind dark, depressed, problematic and mind issues plot with the complex characters, if you love a full development of how and why things happen and if you love not simply, not fairytale, a very serious and complicated romance story then this drama is a must watch for you. Also what was a big plus to the drama is how at every beginning and ending of an episode, Shido narrates and telling us his own thoughts from the time he met her until the end and you could easily find yourself to understand and feel everything he tells you through those sentences.
For me it was a piece of art. And in the end left me with so many lessons, deep messages and gave me a light in that dark atmosphere.

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Strong, capable Male Lead & Cute Female Lead

I really enjoyed the show right from the beginning. I chanced upon this show because it appeared via some algorithms on my YouTube and I could not stop watching this drama at all. I had to keep on going!

Watch because:
- show moves fast and there are just 30 eps
- there is great chemistry between the male lead and the female lead
- Caesar as Chu Xiu Ming rocks big time - he is super manly, capable and very tough as Jiang Jun and yet, super loving and warm as Husband - I melted over and over again just watching him. OMG! *love to see him on my screen*
- hot kisses abound between the two leads
- Caesar is perfect for this role - he’s tall and his acting is very good. I love to see his expressions change from ‘I love my wife so much’ to ‘how dare you’ to ‘try me if you dare’ to ‘I miss my wife’... *aww*
- this drama is exciting as there are many things going on in this drama
- things get solved and questions are answered
- drama has a happy ending and I’m a big lover and sucker for happy endings!

Watch!
I know that I’ll definitely rewatch this!

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Gold medal for underdeveloping… everything.

What happened? Someone explain, because I am confused. What started as a loveable cliche mess, ended as just a mess. Around half way through I could sense it - no development, no quality of writing, no details to the storytelling, no real stakes…

Personally, I just think there were too many characters and plots for that many episodes. We did not need the stupid siblings duo - truly brought nothing to the table. The side romance was cute, but also unnecessary. The writers should have picked either a tragic mysterious past or the power struggle in the company and focus on developing it more. Random ex to show up 3 times to cause a little bit of trouble that led to nowhere? Why?

I was watching the second half with constant thought - so much is happening, but why does it feel like nothing is happening? Maybe because the plot seemed more like a brainstorm on a whiteboard rather than a full narration with detailed setup and development… The way almost nothing got a proper closure…

What carried the show for me were the characters of Ah Jung, Ji Han and one and only unproblematic powerful queen Chae Won. These three were fun, entertaining, dynamic. Their scenes always left a smile on my face. These three also had an amazing chemistry.

On the other hand, every character other than these three was boring or frustrating, with little to no redeeming qualities.

What’s more, the quality of acting was on average mediocre - either because the characters were too poorly written for the actors to make it work, or because the actors just could not connect to the emotions they were supposed to present.

Overall, what a waste of time. Another case of a great first half and disappointing finish.

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Doctors was a show that had a very promising beginning. It showed us a different side of Park Shin Hye (PSH). We begin by seeing Dr. Hye Jung, PSH's character, single-handedly take down multiple gangsters with her martial arts skills. Boy was that a red herring. Kind of like the introduction that I just wrote. Unfortunately as the series goes on this strong physical side of Dr. Hye Jung disappears. Instead we learn how PSH's character was able to grow mentally. We learn how she grew mentally by seeing all of the ordeals that she went through in her past, before she became a doctor. These first few episodes were probably the best part of the drama. As this was where most if not all of the character development happened. We see more of the main character's daily life as a doctor as we proceed to the middle and end parts of the drama. This is a medical drama after all! The problem with the middle and ending part of the show is that it has very little plot. Either that or it had very little meaningful plot that viewers could enjoy. Please keep reading if you'd like a better understand of why I feel this way about Doctors.

Story: [6.5/10]

THE BAD

The story in this drama was probably its' weakest part. The story simply lacked meaningful events. Most other medical dramas had something that made it special. Whether it be a genius doctor or a doctor with a disability etc. Doctors had none of that. I could probably just watch episodes 1-7 and 19-20 and still get the main gist of the drama. The other problem I had with the show was that a lot of the doctors seemed very playful. Personally I was not fond of the fact that the director/writer of this drama deciding to go on this route. Many medical dramas opt to go the serious route and have serious doctors. It makes sense because doctors and constantly stressed and constantly handling life and death situations. Of course that's just my own personal opinion.

THE GOOD

On the flip side, a bunch of playful doctors gives this drama a much more light-hearted feeling. Some of these Korean (medical) dramas can get very depressing at times with all of the people dying. Doctors will perk you right up. Another thing that I enjoyed about this series was that there was a strong character who did not bend to the will of others. Dr. Hye Jung used all of these negative events from her past to make herself stronger. For the most part, she did not let past events bother her. One part that really struck a chord with me was when she took responsibility for a mistake that she and several other doctors made. She did not just only take full responsibility for her actions. She also stood up for herself and made sure that the villains of the drama did not win bully her around. I would have probably gave the story a lower score (5 or 6) if the writer's had not included a strong main character like Dr. Hye Jung.

TLDR: Weak Plot, but strong main character.

Acting/Cast [8/10]

No one's acting really stood out to me. None of the acting was overly bad or overly good. I'm just a big fan of PSH. I've been a big fan of ever since I saw her in Stairway to Heaven xD. Also, this is kind of off topic, but I did not feel the chemistry between the two main characters. Although I probably feel this way because of the whole teacher-student relationship.

Music: [8/10]

The music was okay. I like to focus my reviews on the story because I feel that the story is the main reason why someone may want to watch a certain series. An 8 for me means that the acting and music was ABOVE AVERAGE, but not perfect.

Overall: [7/10]

Overall this drama lacks a strong plot. This is not the drama for you if you're hoping for a complex plot. I suggest watching Beautiful Mind (a plot-filled medical drama that aired at the same time) for that. I personally continued watching this show because it was a light-hearted show that helped cheer up my day.

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I was so excited for this drama. With actors like Sung Joon and Uee I thought nothing could go wrong. But, a lot went wrong.

It was a story bogged down by a messy predictable script and two lead actors with about as much chemistry as a goldfish and a tree. Throughout the first eleven episodes, we see little no character development in either of the lead actors, and then are left with so much sudden character development in the next five that it's completely ridiculous.

Though, had the story a fast enough pace and a more well rounded script the show wouldn't have been such a bore. Had they cut out all the needless parts and really gotten to it sooner, the later character development and the development of emotions would've made a whole life more sense, as we'd have had more time to see these changes. Instead, the ending was rushed and messy, and also somehow boring and skippable. This series was eleven episodes of utter waste, and five episodes of trying to make it all make sense.

The one and only redeeming quality of this series, was the second lead couple. Ji Yi was smart, down to earth, and willing to work hard, and Chang Soo was fun and cute. Together they were honestly the best part of the show, I often skipped to their parts. Their chemistry was off the walls and their romance oddly believable. I would've much rather watched an entire series about them doing cute couple things and arguing than having to watch the cringe worthy romance between the main leads.

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Despicable Me.

This sublime wuxia revolves around two atypical protagonists and their scorching, profound connection. A bold BL adaption that makes no attempt to suggest the relationship is just a bromance, the love story is so charismatically portrayed that it will captivate even mainstream viewers. Both protagonists are morally ambiguous and flawed characters with their own code of conduct. They fall far short of conventional da xia/大侠 or martial heroes but still manage to beguile us into caring and rooting for them.

What elevates this drama is the scriptwriting , the writer put her heart into this and while I cannot compare it with the book, I couldn't be more satisfied with the drama's storytelling. Important plot and character points are planned and planted well in advance and the story unfolds in a way that pulls us into various the plot threads and the partial reveals. Many questions, including when Zhou Zishu recognizes Wen Kexing; are never clearly answered but can be surmised upon re-watch from  hints in the dialogue and the characters' subsequent actions. The playful, flirtatious dialogue heavily laced with double entendre and layers of meaning with its facile parlance of idioms and ancient parables has won widespread praise from educators and broad audiences, inspiring young adults to dust off their classical texts with renewed enthusiasm. This winsome first work of a young scriptwriter sets a high bar for historical dramas going forward and puts the often lazy and tired works of more experienced writers to shame.

At surface, the backdrop and many characters are classic wuxia themes and anachronisms - various jianghu sects are vying to recover five shards of liulijia, a glazed artefact that can unlock a hidden repository of the most elite martial arts and miraculous medical manuscripts. Sound familiar? Its been done many times. But it scarcely matters because the two main protagonists, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing immediately sweep us away with their outrageous, titillating courtship. Gong Jun's shamelessly flirtatious Wen Kexing, is the most predatory, lecherous, and utterly delicious display of physical attraction I have seen since John Malkovich's iconic Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. I am quite certain most of Zhang Zehan's eye rolls were not acting and I just love his improvised comment - even my fart smells good! Both actors deliver immersive resonating performances - Gong Jun with a wild vengeful ferocity behind flashes of vulnerability and Zhang Zhehan with a subtle nuanced complexity that hints at a multitude of emotions within micro expressions. Classic wuxia themes and archetypes are woven into an addictive tale of friendship, love, betrayal, loyalty, ambition, sacrifice and of course revenge.

While a bit heavy on the slow motion, the fight scenes are stunningly choreographed and delivers enough hairy, scary, dicey, slicey moments to have me at the edge of my seat. I was stunned by the raw ferocious rage and naked hatred that spilled out of Gu Xiang in the epic finale. The bloodthirsty, brutally lethal and absolutely berserk final mortal battle where the master of the Ghost Valley emits rage with the wild light of cruel insanity flashing in his eyes is without doubt the highlight of the action. This of course excludes Lao Wen and Ah Xu's exuberant fight scenes because everybody knows its really a mating dance where they are actually just ogling at each other. The story is well paced with a good balance of mystery, action and and ends spectacularly with enough twists, surprises and a breathless cruelty that pays homage to the true spirit of the genre. If I have to find fault, there are too many sects and side characters that don't advance the plot. The relationship between Zhao Jing and Scorpion King also feels off in a creepy way and even though the role is very well acted, Scorpion King's motives are not well developed. In general the villains feel rather two dimensional but perhaps this is unavoidable given how grey and complex both protagonists are.

Even though this is hands down one of the best wuxias I have seen in years, this is more of a character drama in the sense that the core characters are what really brings this story life in a differentiated way. I am going to discuss them in greater detail in the following paragraphs. Be warned there are mild spoilers so you may want to stop reading here and revisit after completing.

*Be warned - mild spoilers ahead!*

The narrator Zhou Zishu is a dark character and while he is not a villain, he is amoral and thus the story is told via the lens of a world view that is defined by personal loyalties and relationships rather than some over arching sense of morality. In Zhang Zhehan's own words, Zhou Zishu has thousands of layers and is thus the most fascinating and difficult character to both write and to portray. In this both writer and actor delivered brilliantly in striking that perfect balance of revealing not too much but just enough to create an enigmatic character with insidious lingering impact. Zishu is a cynical and disillusioned cold hearted assassin who is  only bound to and motivated by his word of honor - yes for once we have an aptly titled c-drama. He doesn't blame Jin wang for his fall from grace nor does he try to avenge his fallen sect brothers because like himself, they all must live and die by their oath, their word of honor. By the time he encounters Zhang Chengling and Wen Kexing, he is resigned to his self inflicted fate and means to spend his remaining days wandering the world drinking himself into oblivion. He epitomizes despicable me, stricken by self loathing for his weaknesses, for his failings that led to the deaths of his sect brothers and Four Seasons Manor's downfall.

Zishu is pulled back into the world of the living by his promise to see Chengling to safety - his intent is to do no more than that and is indifferent to the boy's pleas to accept him as his disciple. Although he was attracted to Kexing, he dismisses his outrageous overtures and distrusts him but lets him stick around to keep an eye on him. It is only after Kexing hallucinates and calls him Zhou Zishu that his attitude changes. That must be when he suspects who Kexing is and for the first time, sees a path towards keeping his promise to his shifu by resurrecting Four Seasons Manor and thus he accepts Chengling as his disciple. But he is really only putting his affairs in order so to speak. Even though he acknowledges Kexing as his soul mate, he does not deem himself worthy of a long and happy life.

Wen Kexing on the other hand is innately a good person, who is driven by hate and vengeance into doing some terrible things. Unlike Zishu, he still longs to be a good person and deep down still believes he is indeed a good person. While Gong Jun brings the many facets of Wen Kexing from the terrifying to the vulnerable alive vividly with his expressive eyes, the character itself is a more easily understandable, angsty, revenge driven wuxia archetype. Zishu is a much darker character than Kexing and he does not save or redeem Kexing, it is actually the other way around. Although Kexing at surface gets more screen time, as the narrator that always seems to know more than he reveals, Zishu is omnipresent and invites the most mind share. As they change each other and extend their found family to include Chengling, Gu Xiang, Cao Weining and even the irascible and hilarious Ye Bai Yi, Zishu subtly comes to embrace life again.

This drama peaks spectacularly in the gorgeously shot penultimate episode that has everything - clever final reveals, plot twists, shocking, shattering losses, violent clashes and epic showdowns. I screamed, I jumped up and down, I cried, I couldn't believe my eyes! This is the way a drama should end, at its peak. Yes, there are small loose threads but overall, I am very happy with the ending. True, the final afterthought episode is a bit of a non sequitur but everything else was so spectacular I am willing to not look that hard at it. This is by far the best wuxia I have seen in many, many years and I can happily call this a perfect 9.5.

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I'm going to start by saying, I will defend this drama in this review so please if you don't agree, feel free to ignore me.

I don't understand the amount of hate and scorn this drama has been collecting from basically before it even aired. I get it might not be your cup of tea, but no need to destroy it without even giving it a chance. [To defend the robot/human category I should write a whole article on its own, but. Ever heard of Bicentennial Man (1999), with Robin Williams? I, Robot? Or, most recently, the tv show Westworld? We've always been intrigued by the possibilities hidden in the A.I. realm, so really, what's so weird or wrong or hateful in a drama that takes this concept and turns it into a love story?]

I really loved the original manga and I've been waiting for a transposition that would do it justice, and honestly, My Absolute Boyfriend did not disappoint (much, but not because of the plot, which wasn't that different from the original material). I mean, this drama didn't pretend to be something it wasn’t - it's a rom-com, cute and light and fluffy, and you'd probably enjoy it much more if you don't start watching it with too high expectations.

Yeo Jin Goo’s ability to jump from a dramatic role (The Crowned Clown) to this one is fantastic, and he tackles the both of them with the same professionalism, despite the raw difference. As terrifying as he was in the role of a psychopath king, he is just as adorable in the role of a newly awaken robot built to be a Dating Companion, and clings to his girlfriend with the same eagerness and enthusiasm of a pup (every time he called her 여자 친구 my heart melted a little). At first he simply follows his code, which is why Eom Da Da doesn't trust him, or his feelings; of course, she's also dealing with the abrupt end of her seven-years-long relationship with actor Ma Wang Joon, so that's why she's cold and tries to keep a distance between herself and the robot.

I didn’t know Bang Min Ah before this drama, but I liked her despite some awkward acting in the beginning – it almost feels like this was her first job and she still needed to get her footing right. But she’s a very expressive actress, and made me cry almost every time she was even a bit sad (she’s either really good or I’m simply too empathetic, lol). It was a bit annoying at first for how she acted towards Yong Goo because instinctively I wanted to protect the pure robot boyfriend, but she managed to grow on me.

As time passes, however, we start to notice a change in Yong Goo: whereas his code should make him act in a certain way, he defies all logic and does all the opposite, to the point where he even manages to 'wake himself up' from a reset that would have supposedly taken all of the memories he had with Eom Da Da – thus preventing from ever remembering her. As his love for Eom Da Da grows, so does his intelligence evolve and advance, making him become self-aware: he wants, he feels, he longs for thing he shouldn’t – he pretends to be loved just as he loves, placing the first stone towards him becoming more human.

[The man who built him used to read him “The Happy Prince” before he was released in the world (something that tells you how this story will end from the start, so you keep watching all the cute and fluffy moments with a bitter sweetness that make them all the more precious), so really, Yong Goo was made to be a hopeless romantic: it’s not surprising that he ended up developing those kinds of feelings.]

Of course, the drama has its flaws. Like the one-dimensional "villain", Diana, who really is nothing more but a spoiled little rich girl; she’s the original owner of Yong Goo, the one who paid for him to be clear, who was however famous for destroying her robots and being generally an awful person. Which is why the man who built Yong Goo kidnaps him and sends him to another owner instead of her – he loves his creation too much to risk letting him end in the wrong hands. Ugh every time Diana appeared on screen I had this urge to hit her, which is bad because I don't like violence, but, you know - one of those sharp slaps that kdramas are so famous for?? That wouldn't have hurt. Instead, we get to watch her act badly and gloat as she hurts people, purposelessly.

And don't get me started with Ma Wang Joon - the personification of Can't-Take-No-For-An-Answer. The guy believed that he and Eom Da Da never actually broke up, so had the nerve to be jealous and annoying whenever he saw her with her new boyfriend, without all the stupid consequences of that behaviour. They were trying to justify him in the beginning with the unoriginal "he's being an ass and a terrible boyfriend because he's being threatened and doesn't want to put her in danger", but you can imagine how that worked out for him. Spoiler: it didn't. Even the writers shrugged and gave up on that storyline at some point, lol.

Some episodes are slower and more boring than others, something that can happen with 40 episodes to fill when one does not have a clear idea of what to do with the characters and the plot as it’s evidently the case with the writers. It’s like that meme – they’re a little confused, but they got the spirit. I personally wouldn’t have given Ma Wang Joon so many scenes with the protagonist: there are way too many episodes with him as the lead in the relationship with Eom Da Da, considering that they didn’t plan to make them go back together – something that it’s very, very unclear up until the last ten or something episodes, by the way and that leaves you with some weird aftertaste because you wasted too much time with him instead of deepening the relationship between Da Da and Yong Goo: it’s as if they did want to make her go back with her ex-human-boyfriend, but changed idea half-way and didn’t know how to salvage that storyline. Letting it just die and – ruining the flow.

So, the plot could have been better developed, no doubts – we could have done without a few characters or some useless plot points – but that doesn't take away too much from the final product. It's a sweet, funny, uncomplicated love story between a young woman who has been disappointed by love and is now a bit cynical because of it, and a gentle, kind robot who falls for her so much that it breaks him, in the end, and makes her fall in love with him in return. Loving her makes him human, and he prefers to 'die' instead of losing all memories of her love to save himself. Damn, the last six episodes made me cry like a fountain, but it was worth it. I never felt like his feelings for Eom Da Da were forced or fake – it’s pretty clear that the poor robot truly loves her, you can’t help but cheering for him. #protectYongGoo2k19

I personally think that the cast made a marvellous job with the (objectively scanty) material they had been given - something that with another crew of actors would undoubtedly be cringey and a bit lame, they managed to turn it into something pleasant to watch and lovely to enjoy. The actors did a good job, and made me watch the whole show without skipping a single scene, keeping me entertained until the end.
I would definitely recommend it, and 10/10 would watch again.

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This short drama is a masterpiece

This is the type of drama that makes you feel respected by the entire cast and crew. The acting was well executed, costumes, cinematography etc… all delivered what they needed to deliver.

I found this drama by accident and I’m glad that I pushed through the title and the picture (didn’t appeal to me) and gave it a chance. There was no single awkwardness in the drama, there was no cringe moment.

If you want an intelligently written drama with actors who are invested in their roles, this might satisfy you. The ending of the drama was expected so it was good how it ended.

What I personally didn’t like but it didn’t take away from the acting and screenwriting was the excessive filter imo. The actors had no pores.

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It is heavy opera. Nothing light-weight about it. And a rather outrageous (national) affront, too

"The Last Princess" is about Princess Deokhye, the youngest daughter of the 26th and last King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty. The (sad) story is told in haunting images.


----------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Historical context of Princess Deokhye ---
Under pressure from Japan, in 1907 the King had to abdicate in favor of prince Sunjong. Princess Deokhye herself wasn´t born at that time, but five years later, in 1912. The former king was then already 60-year-old. Being the daughter of his concubine, Deokhye initially received no official status as a princess. Yet she was very much loved by her father. However, the still young princess had to leave her parents and country at the age of 13 and grew up as a hostage in Japanese exile...
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In taking on the princess´ story, the KMovie is simultaneously portraing a truly gloomy chapter in Korean history. Thus the movie itself makes you feel not only sad but even angry at times. One could say, the plot is about ´makjang´, written by history itself.

Although the historical facts are mixed up with a bit of poetic freedom, this (in my opinion) doesn't detract from the authentic circumstances of the Korean people being oppressed by the Japanese at that time. The producers of the KMovie have been accused of portraying the princess (despite her mental instability) in an overly sympathetic attitude towards the Resistance. Additionally her supposed engagement obviously was fictionally romanticized and falsified for the smoothness of the plot - on the other hand historiography doesn't know everything and why not fill the gaps with life by your own imagination und thus get a lively look&feel of almost forgotten times...

In any case, via the horrified eyes of the princess you will experience what colonialization might have felt like. There is plenty of heart and soul, as Son Ye-jin splendidly brings the tragedy of the princess back to life - with all her traumatization by the numerous personal blows of fate and forced by the historical circumstances of her time. Eventually, the movie brings this traumatic past vividly back to memory for those who experienced it themselves, and closer into the consciousness of today's society as well.

In short: It is heavy opera. Nothing light-weight about it. Nowhere. It is confronting the audience with a rather outrageous national affront. The movie want´s you to make a stand. And it actually succeeds in emotionally catching your compassion.

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There's some changes in my review

Let me be honest, the reason I've been looking forward for this drama is because of Kubota Masataka and Ishihara Satomi. They're both my favorite J actors. But as I finished this drama, I've fallen in love with all the actors from UDI. The acting is on point and all the characters are awesome, well except from the villains of course lol.

Whenever I watched an investigation drama, I will mostly judge the drama based on the cases. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the case in episode 1 is quite boring BUT other than that, all the cases in this drama is very interesting and intriguing. There are few cases that touched my heart and make me shed tears because it's so touching and sad.

This is my first Asian drama about pathology and Unnatural certainly set the bar high for my next pathology drama. Watching the procedure and the conclusion is very fascinating. I learnt a lot from this drama.

I hope there will be season 2 will all the same cast because this drama is perfection and I totally recommend this!

------------------------------------------------------ UPDATE ------------------------------------------------------

Hello, this is me in the year 2021 and I want to share something.
Recently, I re-watched this drama and I noticed that I stated "the case in episode 1 is quite boring". I want to slap myself lol. With this pandemic that's happening all over the world for already 1 year, it made me appreciate the case in episode 1 when I re-watch this drama. It hit too close too comfort with the pandemic that we're all currently experiencing. I understand the panic and chaos that happened in the drama.

With my changed statement, I hereby announce that all the case in this drama is very interesting and intriguing lol.

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I entered this drama thinking it was a cute fluffy little love story but man does it change your mindset fast.
Story
Where do i begin? The first few episodes made it seem like it was your typical “poor girl meets rich obnoxious guy”, it may seem really draggy but by around the 5-7th episode you’re just only getting started on the rollercoaster ride. The “plot” twist about each characters backgrounds and motives always left me in awe,, i found the second leads back story really heartbreaking ???? Although there are “dark” scenes, there’re still countless numbers of lovely dovey scenes but honestly, the “dark,gloomy” episodes are still so much more entertaining!!! I’ll stop here and let you in on your own ride!!
Acting
LET ME SAY THIS FIRST.
SIMON. IS. SUCH. A. SMOL. BEAN.
you don’t understand how i was so attracted to him? his acting in this drama was so well done!!!! he was able to pull off the “cold” guy, the “caring” guy etc (with great expressions) amazingly omg. Yiren also delivered all of her lines perfectly!! The crying scenes weren’t draggy and annoying like most cdramas show. The chemistry in this drama tho,,, dang there was so much chemistry between them.
Music
I don’t keep track of the music but the opening theme is catching
Rewatch
Absolutely!!

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Amidst all the positivity and perfection that others see in this drama, you can count on me to be a real grinch and center in on all the reasons that it was not entirely flawless. That is not to say I hated it; far from it, but I fail to share the unwavering, absolute love that many others seem to.

Many things about A Love So Beautiful was a surprise to me. I'll be the first to admit that I harbor a real prejudice each time I enter the realm that is a Chinese drama - watching them throughout my childhood, they were unfailingly littered with a) tragedy, b) horrible CG, and/or c) gagworthy storylines (typically, an entertaining combination of all three). And quite honestly, few nowadays seem to impress me. Call it bias, but I still think the Mainland has much to learn regarding what constitutes a good show.

A Love So Beautiful was different from the moment I picked it up. It does not present melodramatic conflict for you to brood over, but instead focuses on the innocence of a teenager trying to get through the struggles of school and first love. I did not grow up within the Chinese education system, but there is something incredibly charming and nostalgic about seeing a group of five friends trudge through their high school years. Having teachers scold you, finding unpredictable friendships, secretly liking someone...A person is only naive in such a way for a small amount of time, and this drama perfectly captures that foolish yet heartwarming attitude of youth.

It only helped that the cast consisted of young, yet capable actors. How annoying is it when you watch a show about high school and the actors are in their mid- to late-twenties? And then you spend the entire duration brooding over how old they look and how nothing about them reminds you of a cute teenager. A Love So Beautiful never suffers from this issue; because not only do the main actors look young - they are. They act their parts perfectly, accurately presenting the turbulent feelings of their characters and how they grow over the course of the drama. It's difficult to find five lead actors who interact with one another with so much natural chemistry that it's hard to believe that they're acting.

But turn on the sad music - I'm done gushing about all the things I absolutely adored. Here's what dragged it down from a perfect 10: as soon as the characters left high school, the plot began to wander. There is a distinct imbalance between the warmth that is their high school lives and the confusion that is their "growing up."

I would like to ensure you that I don't hate the fact that they got older. It was the delivery; how the writers depicted their "maturing" that was irksome. What I found particularly problematic was how you spend over half of the drama watching them in high school - and you love it to pieces - but then you have less than eight episodes to watch them speed carelessly through cliche relationship problems and time skips. The transition is rough and the trip doesn't get any smoother. It would have made far more sense to me to either limit the story of this show to their high school years, or add more episodes to spread out their time as they age past university and through adulthood.

I simply didn't feel the magic in the latter part of the drama, which follows their post-graduation lives. It's still fine to watch, but it just isn't the same. I wanted to see the ways they carefully sort out problems between themselves and thus mature, not watch as they get angry at one another and resolve it merely because - well, merely because that's the way the writers want it to be. I did not feel as connected to their characters; not because they aren't bubbly teenagers, but because the story slowly becomes more about their problems and less about who they are. To me, their characters are one of the greatest strengths of the plotline, and as it fades throughout, so does the show's primary charm.

I would feel bad shutting this drama down entirely, since that would be unfair to the refreshing fun that it brought to me as I marathoned it. It is not without its flaws. However, it made me remember my first feelings of romance and filled my heart to the brim with both happiness and bittersweetness. It's hard to find a drama capable of such an effect on a viewer - and I'm glad this one found a way.

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