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My major frustration is with the three leads. I loved them as a trio. Those moments were my favorite in the show for sure, and their friendship was also the source of many of the emotions I felt while watching. Still, from the very beginning the show is set up as a love triangle, and that's the part where I think this drama falls short. I'll give it credit for not being cliché, but it still didn't really work for me.
The story centers around Im Shi Wan as Wang Won. It's Won's story, so it makes sense that he was the character I liked the most. I thought Shi Wan did a great job in all aspects. He was funny, he was clever, he was stubborn, he was impulsive... and I enjoyed watching his character navigate all of the palace drama without being passive. I think he did an awesome job.
Hong Jong Hyun plays Wang Rin, his partner in bromance. Rin is the straight man, to Won's uninhibited personality, and their dynamic is awesome. I loved that we get to see the start of their friendship too. The show really explores the deepness of their friendship in a way that got me in the feels from the very beginning. It gets very complex, but their love throughout it all is the strongest story in the drama.
Then lastly there is Im Yoon Ah as Eun San. I loved her character in some ways, but she was also the reason for most of my frustration. When she was being brave, impetuous, and independent, I loved her, and her camaraderie with the guys. However, when the obligatory love triangle comes into play, she spends far too much time looking like a deer in headlights. I won't speak too much about specifics, because which guy you root for is mostly about preference, but it really bothers me that by the end all the romance was still questionable. I thought maybe it was the writing, but I honestly think it's that she had trouble pulling off the romantic parts of the story. I've seen better actresses, Ha Ji Won for example, pull complicated love stories off, but I think where Yoona shined in action, comedy, and even some emotional scenes, she left much to be desired in the romance department. Cute moments with Won worked, because their banter was funny, but anything involving serious romance fell flat. I don't think she was bad, but I do think the role was a little out of her league in that respect.
The rest of the cast was good. I loved Jang Young Nam and Oh Min Suk the most out of the supporting cast (both so good at being bad), but there were a lot of great performances. A few characters made no sense to me, but that wasn't the actor's fault, just weird writing. There are a lot of duplicitous characters to keep the story interesting. If you like ancient Joseon political drama, this story definitely has a lot of that to enjoy. If you're not a fan, you will probably get bored about halfway through.
To be clear, this show is 40 episodes, but the episodes are 30 minutes, so really it's like watching a standard 20 episode drama. I thought the show started strong, and ended strong, but somewhere in the middle I began to stop caring. Still, for some reason I just couldn't quit watching. I think that's because of curiosity, and probably because I became attached to the characters, even when the shows seemed to drag. In those times it helped that the episodes were shorter than usual.
Would I watch this again? I'm torn. If I did I would probably be tempted to skip too many scenes. There were a lot of great moments, and like the characters reminiscing, I would probably enjoy revisiting those moments again. Maybe it will feel different watching while knowing how it will all play out, but I think my main frustrations would remain.
Overall, this is a good drama for sageuk fans who want a different kind of story. It is more bittersweet than completely tragic, and there are comedic moments too to add some balance. I think it's far from perfect, and gets messy in the middle, but it all ties together for a touching ending that made me boohoo cry, and smile through my tears. I never heard of the novel before watching, so I am curious what fans of the book thought. It's not the best or worst sageuk around, but if you're in the mood for something a little less typical, this may be exactly the kind of drama you are looking for.
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the biggest WHAT IF
I'm editing this to add: if something is wrong it's better to fix it and show the right thing instead of burying it and everyone involved in criticism. make them be a lesson for the rest. past bullying? let them do community work or a movement against school bullying. "inaccurate" history? force them to show a documentary at the end explaining how things really were. you don't fight a problem by cancelling everyone.... the only thing people will learn from this? don't waste your money and time at making historicals..I'll just use this space to vent a little more. as a fan of JDY I've been waiting for this since last year. and as a historical fan who's bored of the repetitive palace politics, this was going to be one of the most unique stories. Kingdom explored zombies but this was bigger and had more characters. this combined vampires, zombies and demons. it sounds overboard but the combination was so fitting. they bit people in the neck and they were as brainless and lost as zombies, but they were evil spirits controlled by the biggest demon
this was going to be so much fun!
JDY was Sejong the Great ! I did not know that TT_TT no wonder why he was such a sweetie, honestly if they wanted great representation of the past they had the bestest boy to play their bestest beloved king TT_TT
the biggest mistake on this was the timing and the fact that historicals don't seem to check facts beforehand.. every historical right now is under some sort of fire but this got the biggest blow...
and even if they let the dramas air, they turn their pitchforks onto the actors.. the issue seems so easily avoidable, there needs to be a big historic association so people can check their facts
like we all knew this would be about king Taejong from the start, so like they (whoever they are) could've showed their stance before. if they didn't want a historical figure to be showed as a person who kills possessed people then they shouldn't have let them film it!
it'd have been easily avoided by naming them differently. and they didn't even let them change that. they just attacked this until the canceled 14eps worth of hard work. the actors got injured... we'll never know how they'd have dealt with the process, but the promise of the plot was unique and it will forever be the biggest WHAT IF TT__TT
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It feels like reading a beautiful novel...
The legend of TANNIANG, THE LIFE AND MEMOIRS OF SHEN JIA LAN.The Life and Memoirs of Shen Jialan
The way the finale ended may again divide viewers, but for me it was a fitting and grand ending for a woman who lived through a life filled with tragedy, servitude, sacrifice and love.
I’ve watched this entire drama through the eyes of Shen Jialan. It is her life story after all. The writers wanted to tell her story almost as if we were reading her memoir.
The passage of time is one of the most beautiful parts of the writing. Instead of simply telling us that years have passed, we see it through the people around her. Children grow, servants marry, families expand, and even a young lotus root vendor returns years later with a child of her own. The world keeps moving…and so does Shen Jialan.
There are no grand visuals of heroes arriving on magnificent horses, no wire acrobatics, dazzling fight sequences, not even romantic kisses to keep us satisfied. This is a thinking person’s drama, where answers are not always given…they are learned.
The writers rarely explain everything. Water, the eagle, crickets, poetry, ants eating away at the roots…things that initially seem insignificant eventually mean something. I actually found myself rewatching episodes because sometimes there was another story underneath the story.
In many ways, it feels like watching a Jane Austen novel come to life, where our heroine simply keeps living despite everything life throws at her. It is about perseverance, survival…and maybe even outliving everyone.
Tan Song Yun carries that lifetime beautifully. So much of Lanxiang is expressed through her eyes, her posture and the smallest movements rather than grand speeches. Liu Xue Yi matches her with Jin Qi’s quiet restraint. Their romance may have very few kisses, but sometimes one look between them says more than a kiss ever could.
Sometimes the smallest, most subtle movements make the biggest sound.
But this story still belongs to Shen Jialan. The story of Tanniang, told in the middle of the series, became much more meaningful to me by the end. She was the woman who sacrificed herself and eventually became the eagle, forever watching over everyone else. For me, Shen Jialan was Tanniang.
And whether one likes it or not, Jin Qi was only one part of her very long life. An important part, certainly. But like her adoptive parents, he gave her the love she needed to overcome some of her sadness and eventually find happiness again. Together they found strength in each other, but Lanxiang’s journey was always larger than their romance.
After watching over a hundred Chinese dramas and God knows how many Korean, Japanese, English and Spanish shows, I can say this is one of the best written drama series I have watched.
It will not be for everyone. Some will find it painfully slow. Some may dislike the finale. Others may wish there had been more romance.
But I don’t think this was ever simply a romance. It was the life of Shen Jialan.
In the end, we enter and leave this world alone. But life was never really about the destination anyway…it was always about the journey.
And the final words of the drama say it all. Not completely spelled out for us, because just like the entire series, they leave us with something to think about:
“Love given returns as love, blessings bestowed return as blessings.”
Jia Yi, Han Dynasty
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This review may contain spoilers
In Love With Mr. Queen!
This drama really exceeded my expectations. As a person of being choosy regarding comedy genre who would have thought this drama had so much potential! Surprisingly I enjoyed It throughout. But the results are soaring with high ratings making it the 5th highest rated TVN drama and 7th highest rated cable drama. Can't be happier!South Korean chef Jung Bong Hwan finds himself transported into Kim So Yong, the queen of Joseon era. While Joseon is beset with corruption Cheol Jong is a king for namesake. Queen Dowager Sun Won and brother Kim Jwa Geon are the main power holders and the root of corruption. But things are not as they seem. King Cheol Jong is a capable king but in disguise.
After the soul transfer, the antics of the queen will surely entertain you. The twist and turns are so satisfying. The intriguing struggle to gain power gives another dash of emotion. The plot itself is interesting.
The cast did a brilliant job. The King and Queen were adorable. I loved how they portrayed the friendship between the queen, courtlady Choi, Hong Yeon & another trio Prince Yeongpeong, Hong Byul Gam, Kim Hwan. Courtlady and Royal Chef Man Bok's romance was another thing. The ending was good. At least it did not have a sad ending like the parent story "Go Princess Go!". Although I felt sad for Kim Beong In, he loved & protected the queen till his last breath.
The OST's deserve separate appreciation. I personally loved Xiumin's "To My One & Only". It was so soothing. Others including Kim Jong Hyun's tracks were also good. They captured the essence.
I can't get enough of this drama. The lines of Jang Bong Hwan "You can make a change in the world by changing yourself" was adept. I'm gonna now keep myself busy in the spinoff. Hope 2021 gives us more dramas to binge.
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1Is there really a monster or is it just us?
Μonster is being advertised as a Hirokazu Koreeda film and indeed it is directed -splendidly as always- by him. However, the man behind the script is Sakamoto Yuji, the person that wrote Soredemo, Ikite Yuku (Still, Life Goes On) and if you have seen that series, then you know that Monster is not going to be just a good film, but it will stay with you for a while.I don't think I can explain how good this movie is and honestly I don't want to try nor I should. If you are by chance reading this, let me tell you that it is better to watch this film, without knowing anything about it. Don't watch the trailers, don't read the synopsis, don't even read what kind of awards it earned.
As stated before, directing is magnificent, acting is great from all of the cast involved, with two astounding performances by the two younger actors, portraying Yori and Minato. The music, composed by Sakamoto Ryuichi is heartbreakingly beautiful and it feels so sad and hopeful at the same time.
The plot is magnificently written from beginning to end. Even if at first you may feel that some scenes last too long, they are not just there for the atmosphere. They are important and that is the beauty of the film. Nothing is there just to exist, just to lengthen the movie, just to make the audience feel melancholic, just to make it feel more cinematic. It needs to be there, because it wouldn't work otherwise.
Without giving away anything of importance, I will just say that every detail matters, every character is vital and realistically written. Everyone is so flawedly human, you can't really hate or love them. They are just important, they matter, because they exist. They are so real it kind of makes you ache for the beauty, complexity and ugliness of human nature.
It is a film that is character-driven, slow paced and it truly shows the power of perspective. It deals with so many subjects in a very delicate manner that doesn't feel forced nor preachy. I can't thank myself enough for watching this on the big screen.
I understood how truly beautiful this movie was, when I couldn't stop thinking about it hours after watching it and when I ended up crying with all the little details that have such a huge impact and importance.
Many times, with all these critically acclaimed films, I feel like I am getting forced to like them, to overanalyse them, to convince myself that they are something better than what they actually are -or maybe I don't have the ability to fully understand them-. This is not the case here, though. This is truly an exquisite film. It is better than I ever expected. It is one of those movies that you get to discover something new with every watch. It needs to be watched, because at the end of the day we are all humans and this is a film about us.
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Stunning! A masterclass in storytelling. Deeply emotional and affecting.
Expertly filmed and acted, this Priest adaptation offers more than the average BL. It’s about love but also about survival, found family, and commitment.Here’s the premise: Wei Qian and Zhi Yuan are orphaned boys trying to survive. The older boy, Qian, joins a gang in order to earn money to feed himself and his younger sister Lili. He finds Yuan, who is around 4-5 years younger, literally sleeping in the streets. Taking pity on Yuan, Qian takes him into his home and they live together as chosen found family.
Zhi Yuan looks up to Wei Qian and will do anything to make him happy, including joining the school running club or working part time after school to contribute to the family’s income. Over time, his feelings for Qian transform from gratitude and brotherly affection into romantic love.
There is a natural progression to the way we see Yuan express his feelings for Qian. He loves him through his actions, taking care of him when he's sick or exhausted. Eventually, his feelings bubble to a bursting point and he confesses. (This isn't a spoiler because ep 1 opens with this scene, and we return to it later on.)
In contrast, Qian is singleminded in his focus on his work and family. He doesn't seem capable of romantic feelings toward anyone. It's the last thing on his mind. Yuan and Lili are the most important people in his life, and all he cares about is ensuring they are secure and healthy. This all comes to a head, however, with Yuan's confession.
Content warnings: In the first episodes, we see that these boys are dealing with harsh realities, including parental abuse (shown on screen) and homelessness. Their traumas aren’t downplayed but are sensitively represented. We need to see these scenes so that we understand where these boys are coming from and what they’re overcoming.
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Misaeng's path of story transcends the typical office narrative. It's not just watching office workers struggle, suffer, get praise, or be joyful. We know these characters; we know their faces and names, their pasts, their hang-ups, and their fears. However, we don't know them only as Jang Geu Rae, Oh Sang Shik, Kim Dong Shik, Jang Baek Ki, Ahn Young Yi, or Han Suk Yeol. We KNOW these people; they are our friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and often, ourselves. That's what Misaeng brings in its storytelling, its cinematography, its constant image of being small in a big world and finding what we can do to be significant.
That path was taken by, in my opinion, one of the greatest ensembles I have ever seen in a drama. The entire cast has this way of making one completely identify or not identify with their actions. We see how everyone starts--naive, raw, rough, intimidated, at times, arrogant and ridiculous. Yet we also experience their growth, admissions of success and failure, and admissions of self-centeredness or guilt.
Behind the ensemble, traversing the path of Misaeng was an exciting and memorable soundtrack. Each piece told a story. I enjoyed the somewhat folk storytelling of the OST tracks because it mirrored the narrative of the day-to-day experience of the office workers. One could argue that the music is a character in and of itself as it travels the visual text.
Through its story, cast, and music, Misaeng took me on a journey. At times, I felt like Jang Geu Rae, wondering and asking myself the same questions. That's what I loved about Misaeng. I'm not an office worker, but I identify with their struggle. I ask myself the same questions. I feel defeated at times. At the end of the day, I'm just an incomplete life looking for completion.
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1This review may contain spoilers
We could have had it all.....
Up until ep 9 this was a solid 10/10 drama for me.... but then the last two episode happened and I don't know anymore.For the past two months this drama gave me immense joy and happiness.... maybe that's why the disappointment at the turn of events feels enormous. I wish they had taken a better, different route for the journey they set sail for.
At the end there I couldn’t even recognise the characters I came to love so much in the previous episodes. I don’t understand what the whole point of the journey was anymore. These two very different characters were healing each other and growing together towards a better life. And that journey ended at ep 9. That should have been the end.
Everything after that feels kind of pointless…. Especially the last two episodes….
I wish instead of so many time skips they had actually delved a little deeper into Mhok’s character… the trauma he had because of his sister’s death… how he didn’t want to leave Day because he was afraid of losing time with the people he loved…. I also just do not understand why he was the one who was apologising to Day when he was genuinely afraid about losing Day from his life.
“Thank you for breaking up with me”????????? Yeah no. That did not feel right at all.
I’d have preferred if Mhok and Day had an actual conversation about Mhok’s feelings and fears…. for Day to understand where Mhok was coming from. I’d have preferred if they had talked it out and then decided to do a long-distance relationship while Mhok gets to go forward in his career….
Oh well…. You can’t have it all I guess….
I would still say that it was good, well written story till ep 9. If I ever rewatch this drama that's where I would end.
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Best 20 hours of my life
Never would have thought there could be such a storyline. The clueless acting of the ml was Oscar worthy and I am sure fl won the hearts of many people. Shin hye sun(fl) I had watched her in a lot of other shows but this character was just built for her.The music for the show was spot on, especially the outro song at the end of each episode was so good. Plus all the music or sounds at funny moments made those scenes even better.
All the supporting characters where making this already awesome show even better.
I don't know who the author/writer of the shows but you can definitely tell I am gonna check out his other works until I die. I just want to thank all the people who where responsible for this show , amid all the covid-19 problems you guys kept me happy. Truly best 20 hours of my life
Ps. I am a picky guy , I find fault in everything but no mater how much I tried for some reason I can't think of any. This feeling is certainly wonderful.
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This review may contain spoilers
A deeply flawed drama with absolutely phenomenal acting, gorgeous sets, elaborate costumes, layered characters bogged down by inconsistent pacing, questionable editing and unsatisfying scripting, especially towards the end. I love this drama a hell lot, followed it from its initial broadcast which I've never done for cdramas. After watching the making of documentaries, I deeply appreciated what this team tried to do, but its flaws are also so apparent and hard to overcome that I don't know how to recommend this to anyone, but I still want to so I'm going to try.The plot is actually about princes' power struggle with sprinkles of romance, the focus is on Ning Yi, Feng Zhiwei plays second fiddle to him, do not come in looking for romance, you will probably be disappointed. Their interactions were actually pretty jarring compared to the rest of drama due to its different tone. It was super restrained, there were no real kiss here, I'm serious! There were just scenes hotter and cuter than kisses. I do like what's shown of their romance, it's nice to have an OTP who understand each other on a fundamental level and have similar ambitions, even if they disagree when it comes to methods. It meant they don't really go through misunderstandings, until the drama crashed and burned in the last 10 episodes, but I digress. It's lovely to have a drama that cared so much about details and trusted the audience enough to interpret things that's half said, the schemes were fun since everyone, including multiple antagonists who were smart, so it was always multiple parties trying to further their own agenda and screw up lead to unexpected circumstances. The protagonists weren't infallible either, they disagreed and sometimes they end up doing things that would seem unwise to the audience. This drama doesn't really play by the books.
The thing is, the first half of the show, up to ep 45 is fairly steady, packed with lots of information in each episodes. Then Minhai arc got shaved off probably 75% because of NRTA*, which ugh but can't be helped, we can make out important things that happened (it's all in the dialogues) but that's a pretty bad viewing experience. It returned to normal with some explosive acting, Jinshi arc was relatively simple because scriptwriters couldn't really touch it but I think it was mostly fine, Dayue arc got probably 30% cut, but it was mostly still there. Then came the last arc, which I'll just say features a lot of sudden appearance, sudden deaths, sudden misunderstandings (which will get cleared up, no worries! but it sure as hell shouldn't have happened) I suspect that the ending was a very rushed rewrite (which would explain all the plot holes) and the pacing was 3x of the earlier episodes, making everyone who stuck around for 60 episodes fairly confused. The events and character motivations do make sense if you analyse it and fill in the gaps, but they needed more lead up, foreshadowing and detailing that it was so good at before. Never have I, after watching 70 episodes, wanted to have more episodes so the story wouldn't feel so jarring. I honestly think when they edited it, they should have repaced the drama, if latter arcs were cut due to main plot not popping out, this is NOT how you pop it out.
Ning Yi, as a protagonist is one of most layered character I've seen. He is a gifted manipulator, but also someone who care deeply for people close to him because of his childhood. He can be ruthless to his brothers. childish and awkward with Zhiwei, utterly broken when it comes to his mum. He deeply wants a father-son relationship with the emperor but they sort of can't, as being an emperor means being on guard even against your son. He's pretty morally grey, but some of his lines were dubbed over due to NRTA (most notably, end of crown prince arc and the ending). Chen Kun did an astounding job playing Ning Yi, I was quite bemused by his overacting in the first episode. which I know can put off people, it's just Ning Yi likes to be on the edge and taunt people. I was also not a huge fan of his long hair look, but it did signify Ning Yi's carefree attitude. Chen Kun can definitely overact at times, rather like stage acting, but he's also very good at microexpressions and small gestures that just make some scenes so much more real.
Feng Zhiwei is the female lead that I love through and through, even if I'm somewhat disappointed with how they wrote her. To make her more realistic (compared to how OP she was in novel), she was made into a smart but bit naive and impulsive girl who gets dragged into power struggle for the throne and had to grow. That's fine, except Minhai arc was basically her time to show her abilities is equal to Ning Yi got cut (because the main plot doesn't pop? political reasons? idk). Jinshi and Dayue both had limited time and significant changes, so while she wasn't helpless, she was still partially damseled to prop up Ning Yi more, who honestly doesn't need more focus. I know the romance is linked to the plot but it's just badly plotted. I do appreciate that FZW is more straightforward, so she tends to lead the romance. I LOVED Ni Ni who portrayed her, she's gorgeous as a man AND a woman, and neither looked jarring. She had some of the best crying scenes I've seen and had wonderful chemistry with her co-actors. I shipped the otp so hard and was deep in otp hell for a long time after this drama.
My other favourite character is probably the emperor, who was the smartest I've seen in recent years. Emperors in these kind of dramas are usually overly suspicious or useless, and he's neither. He's not a good father or even a good husband, and I'm pretty sure he's sort of an antagonist but that doesn't stop him from being a complicated person. Thanks Ni Do Hong, I'd watch all your scenes all day long. Headmaster Xin had great chemistry with Ning Yi, they shared the same goal but had very different methods and priorities making their scenes a blast to watch. The various princes all had their shining moments too!
It's such a shame most of the people around FZW's characterisations weren't as layered. Her mum was rather conflicted between reviving the kingdom and having her live peacefully, but she was one of the big reason the OTP didn't proceed as well so it's somewhat hard to like her. Her brother is kind of an idiot but had a few nice scenes that I really liked. Gu Nanyi had awesome lines and decent character development, but we weren't show how that happened. I'm actively mad about how they cut out Hua Qiong, who was originally promoted as a main character, and reduced to essentially cameos. Her scenes were largely in Minhai arc, she appeared later and played pivotal role as a best friend and in a scheme then was promptly written out of the story, excuse me?! There wasn't even mourning for her? Helian Zheng actively seemed like he was in a different drama just because of his behaviour and he literally couldn't follow along what Zhiwei is thinking, good as comic relief I guess. I suppose he could also be used as a contrast against Ning Yi, but they also hastily wrote him out of the plot.
Honestly, I think they were too ambitious when they wanted to fuse power struggle + romance, where the OTP can go head to head, they lost their balance. The romance and anything involving the female lead had noticeably more plot holes and was weaker. They also tried to make it more realistic but still fuse in book characters, I love them a lot and would have liked to see a realistic version of them, but I'm in the minority. They should have cut their loses and fused more characters or plot lines. Jinshi is honestly not really needed as an arc, FZW could have gone elsewhere. If it was for uniting the kingdoms, the drama didn't really accomplish that either (whereas the novel managed to establish an alliance there). Dayue had very nice characterisation moments, but it wasn't plotted that well, they could have written other scenes to get the idea across.
I must emphasis this was recorded live while filming, which is super rare in recent years in historical cdramas due to noise pollution, accents and actors' acting. The drama usually have ambience sounds as bgm, and only play its insert songs during important moments. The sets and costumes are exquisite, I did spent fair amount of time just staring at them. I loved the use of go/weiqi, the tea pouring, the small differences in manners in different countries. I'm a little mixed about the dialogue, I have been taken out of the drama by some rather modern words, but it also quote a lot of classical Chinese, some rather cleverly (like when FZW became imperial adviser) , some I had to look up but got its meanings through context, some were just plain wrong. I appreciate the attempt but they could definitely have made it flow better, rather than feeling like they just dropped it into the drama to look well studied.
Despite all of its issues, I still loved this a lot and will probably rewatch it just for acting and characterisation, which is something I basically never do, as someone who largely care about plot. I deeply wish the female characters played bigger roles as they had likely intended before, but even as is, I still love them because they are different and varied, and they are allowed to be flawed, to make mistakes, just as male characters are. I would love to see more effort in fusing more serious elements with romance because that's much closer to life than just fluffy fun times or only serious business time.
P.S: *NRTA is the government agency that all cdramas have to go through, this drama went through it at least twice and they also had people come in half way through filming to check on their progress, and part of the script were rewritten on set. Historical dramas, especially ones that go on prime time slot (this one is, the only other one this year is Ashes of Love) are subjected to stricter scrutinisation, this year have gotten even tighter. Main characters can't be overly dark which is why some of Ning Yi (and maybe Zhiwei?)'s lines were dubbed over.
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Sweet, Sexy, Submissive, Consensual ... slightly complicated too
This movie has a little bit of everything, fun informative beautifully shot and will have you thinking a lot of thoughts at once while still managing to make your heart flutter thinking oooh they are so sweet,.. and awch that must hurt but ohhh so sweet.Knowing very little about the subject I found myself intrigued by both the plot and the informative scenes here and there making this not only fun and pretty for the eye but also a source of learning.
I love how this shows deals with the extremely important issue consent as well as shows the difference between consensual acts of dominance as well as non-consensual ones with the main focus being on consent, acceptance and growing together.
The characters in this movie are complex, lovable (most), there are PLENTY of pets (human and non human), lots of humor and not a single annoying character in sight. So what do I say a rom-com done right, that I may just re-watch with my husband for some inspiration, or just for fun ;)
I would say this is probably the funnest rom-com movie I have seen so far, so I strongly recommend people to watch it.
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The most youthful youth drama!
The best youth drama I have watched this year. Felt like I lived the high school life I always wanted through them. The scenes did not feel like cringe at all but showed how crushing on someone at that age looks so innocent and lovely. No unnecessary dramas and no dull moments. The love between them won my heart and got me kicking the air and dying of jealousy. However, I find the lines to be more powerful and even a simple line went really deep to my heart. A simple drama that I can't recommend enough!Was this review helpful to you?
Story:
The story is well developed but a bit rushed since this is quite short for a movie. There are several things I could see being fleshed out better with more time, but they use the time they have well. I'd give a summary, but I probably would end up spoiling something.
Acting/Cast:
Alright, this is my favorite part. There were three scenes I watched maybe thirty times each because of how raw and real the acting was. The cast knows what they're doing. The gang boss we see the most of frequently over acts and it threw me off at first until, after a few more interactions, I realized his personality was extra, not his acting. Chisoo, our protagonist, almost pushed me to the brink of tears and I have literally never cried over a movie. The combo of Chisoo and Gitae and all the emotion the shoved into every scene didn't bother pushing me; it punted me past the sun and directly into a galaxy of ugly sobbing. And I was damn glad for it. Okay, let me not get to into this, the short version is simple: the acting is amazing. The cast is amazing.
Music:
If you watch this movie and happen to notice the music, I don't think you're watching hard enough. It took a couple run-throughs before my brain could focus on anything but the immediate action. The music that I did hear and process was good, more so because it fit and blended into scenes instead of snatching me out of them.
Rewatch Value:
I rewatch no movies. Ever. I just don't have the attention span, especially if I already know what happens. That said, I have watched this movie three times in as many days and I'm not bored yet. In fact, every time I watch it again, I have a bit more fun (and bemoan how short it is a little harder).
Overall:
Watch this movie. Watch this movie because there is absolutely something in it that will make it a favorite of yours. I was wary at first, but it was 100% worth my money and I'd pay for it again even. The happy ending is just a bonus, because this would be my review even if it was a tragedy.
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We Best Love: No. 1 For You Special Edition
112 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Barely Any Differences Between the Normal Ver. and the Special Edition
What's the difference?Episode 5's Bing Wei and Zhe Yu's confrontation scene and the locker room is extended. This is probably the most important since they are a featured side couple in the 2nd season.
They also tacked on the Season 1 special episode 6.5 into the last episode, so it eliminates the need to watch the special episode.
Other differences are just extending small scenes here and there worth a minute or two. For example, Zhou Shu Yi staring a few seconds longer at something. Or adding a few seconds of B-roll for a smooth transition. There is also a few extra seconds added into the hugs and kisses between Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi.
Season 2 is where the Special Edition is important because it's drastically different from the normal version.
Should you watch the Special Edition if you've already seen the normal version?
For Season 1 is doesn't make much difference, but I'd just watch the Special Edition for Bing Wei and Zhe Yu's scenes in episode 5. But YOU NEED TO WATCH SEASON 2 SPECIAL EDITION!!
Should you watch the Special Edition first or watch it on the re-watch?
I would just watch the Special Editions. But if you want to watch the normal version and Special Editions then... How do I put this... Watch both normal versions of Season 1 and Season 2 then watch the Special Editions on the rewatch.
YES - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 (Skipping the Normal version is okay)
YES - Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2
NO - Normal Ver. S1 → Special Edition S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S2
(You won't understand why they extended some scenes)
NO - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 → Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2
(The rewatch will be boring. Especially Season 2's rewatch. You'll probably claim that you wasted your time watching the normal version since you watched it the Special Editions first.)
~~~~~~~~~~ We Best Love: No 1 For You Review ~~~~~~~~~~
This is the perfect BL. It encompasses everything that is BL. Season 1 has the whole student/university innocent love story while Season 2 has the adult angsty drama. It's the whole package.
Anyways, I'll focus on Season 1 now.
Story:
Gao Shi De has always been a thorn in Zhou Shu Yi's side. He's always excelled in everything and should have been number 1 in everything, if it wasn't for Gao Shi De. When Zhou Shu Yi got into college, he thought that was in end of it. Gao Shi De went to a different university so everything should have been good, but now Gao Shi De has transferred to his university. His life is a mess again. His female friend that Zhou Shu Yi has been crushing on is in love with his best friend and now he has to deal with Gao Shi De. It doesn't help that Gao Shi De saw through his pathetic crush and is trying to help him get over it. Zhou Shu Yi's supposed to hate Gao Shi De right?
This is an amazing story. Enemies to Lovers is not anything new in BL or in Romance, but what is new is that Zhou Shu Yi is half-Japanese and it incorporated it into the story. Zhou Shu Yi often uses Japanese phrases to express himself when he's talking to himself or doesn't want to be understood. His friends also accept that and use Japanese phrases too. It's really realistic to someone who is mutli-ethnic. (I'm half-Japanese, and I also use Japanese phrases when talking to myself or when I don't want to be understood. Sometimes there are words in Japanese that express things better than in English too.) I love how Gao Shi De nor any of this friends address the fact that he's half-Japanese and just accept it. In a usual story the fact that Zhou Shu Yi's half-Japanese would be high-lighted and constantly brought up. There is none of that in this story.
Another thing that's different from the norm is that Gao Shi De isn't seeking to be Zhou Shu Yi's boyfriend. He literally just wants to be friends. Yes, he's in love with Zhou Shu Yi, but he spent so long being hated by him that he just wants to be friends and be able to talk to Zhou Shu Yi normally. It was so heartbreaking when Zhou Shu Yi found out about his crush, yet instead of saying "Yes, I'm in love with you. Please date me." He literally told Zhou Shu Yi, "It's none of your business." He was pushing his feelings to the side because he thought Zhou Shu Yi wouldn't accept his love and he didn't want to break their friendship. Such a selfless love!
Acting:
The chemistry between Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi is amazing. Gao Shi De doesn't even have to speak and we can already see what he's thinking and feeling. Gao Shi De might be stoic, but just look into his eyes and you feel every emotion. Such talent! Zhou Shu Yi has significantly a lot more lines than Gao Shi De, but that doesn't mean he can't express himself either. Zhou Shu Yi is more in touch with his emotions and let's them out. He physically shows all of his emotions be it happiness, anger, or pain. Zhou Shu Yi also has the best teary-eye/emotional scenes in the whole BL industry. I can barely name any actors that can compare with him when is comes to scenes that are so emotional they make you tear up. Anyone can cry when they're sad, but to be so emotional that you have tears forming in your eyes, and you don't know why you're crying? Zhou Shu Yi's actor is amazing.
This BL is so amazing that there really isn't much to criticize. If there is any criticism it would be Zhou Shu Yi's Chinese language skills. I don't speak Chinese, so I can't say too much. That being said, since he is acting right next to other Chinese speaking actors, even I can hear it sometimes. Again, I don't speak Chinese, so it doesn't bother me, but I can understand why it would bother some people. However, I can chalk it up to Zhou Shu Yi being half-Chinese, half-Japanese. Realistically though, if Zhou Shu Yi was born and raised in Taiwan his Chinese would be better than Japanese. But seeing as in Season 2 his dad speaks better Japanese than Chinese, I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. Everything can be explained nicely though the storyline, so it works out for me. I do feel bad that the fans are knit-picking at Zhou Shu Yi's actor's Chinese skills (even to the actor's himself) when he was born and raised in Japan, so obviously his Japanese is better than Chinese. If you want to start knit-picking at language, aside from Zhou Shu Yi's actor, when the Chinese actors speak Japanese they have terrible pronunciation. It doesn't bother me though, since they are Chinese and not fluent in Japanese. You can't have everything perfect in life you know. Can all of you criticizing him even speak two languages fluently with perfect pronunciation for both languages? I think most of you can't, so I think it's time we all just sweep this topic under the rug.
Overall:
We Best Love is amazing. One of the best BLs out there. If you haven't watched it, you should.
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The characters feel like real people that actually have impacts on everyone around them. This is awesome because many times writers of dramas tend to forget characters that aren't in the main couple/triangle. I love that this drama shows actions and reactions of so many people, all while being able to keep the viewers absolutely in love with the main characters. No one felt overshadowed or forgotten, and you can feel how everyone involved really cared about telling this story.
The cast is filled with some of my favorite actors of all time, so of course the acting is superb. The mark of a great actor is that you completely forget that they aren't their characters while onscreen, and the entire cast pulls this off perfectly.
As for the OST...probably the best I've ever heard. This is the first time I've purchased music from an OST, and I bought not one, but two songs from this drama. One particular song is used to drive the plot further emotionally, and in the two biggest scenes it's used, it works perfectly to really capture the viewers' entire being into that scene. Those scenes hurt so much, yet I found myself watching them over and over because of how heartbreaking they were and beautifully they were put together.
I already want to watch it again, and I've just finished! This has definitely become one of my favorite shows (not just kdramas!) of all time.
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