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Just feels right
Everyone is cute, (almost) everyone is nice, no horrible horrible angst, just a bunch of lovely and brave kids growing up and turning into adults. It's relaxing, the friendship is solid even when there is obvious romantic feelings budding and there is no awkward second hand embarrasment for us viewers. The acting feels natural, nothing over the top, and the main couple is just adorable. ML and SML have this weirdly nice husky voices that I enjoy a lot. The FML makes sense most of the time. The only thing I find annoying is when they switch Bull's Nikon camera to Canon.Was this review helpful to you?
There is no first love and young romance, childhood friends, even no simple motive of revenge.
This is a political drama with strong characters who carry the entire show.
Motivations of people's acting, a desire of the power, dreams of perfect society and state are portrayed excellent.
The main question of this story is that: does the end justify the means? Is this a true what Machiavelli said that everyone is evil and you must do anything to gain a political power?
Surprisingly, although there are some corruption motives, this drama isn’t about corruption, but rather about what politics do and what it looks like.
Director’s job is splendid! The director (Kwak Jeong Hwan) is also an author of Miss Hammurabi, and if you like Miss Hammurabi, you will like Chief of staff too.
The acting is brilliant, because:
Kim Dong Jun acting is better and better.
Elliya Lee, after her odd and makjang appearance in The Last Empress, has a real character to play here and I like her.
Lee Jung Jae and Shin Min Ah (the leads) are amazing. They present serious relationship involved in job and moral dilemmas.
Kim Gab Soo (the true lead!) is AWESOME. Try this drama to watch his impressive performance! I hope he will receive an award.
We all know that dividing drama into two parts has no sense, but in this case it breaks in a perfect time.
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If you watched the drama you'il probably dislike this but as i said earlier seeing the old tricks worth wasting your time on it.
Yes it could have been better but the effort is granted.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best Kdrama
I rarely give any review to a drama but this one is one of the best! I love the push and pull moments where they break up and be back to one another. I love the characters and I am in love with the plot. It was a cliche story but the characters did justice to the plot that is why I really loved the whole drama.I love tragic ending but I rarely cry to it and youth of my had given me another night to remember. The whole scene of myeong hee lying on the ground while hee tae being pulled by the soldier was so heartbreaking yet a satisfying scene to watch. I cried the whole night thinking about how miserable the ending was but nevertheless it was an amazing journey to watch such a indescribable drama.
From myeong hee sacrificing her life for others to hee tae respecting myeong hee's decision. I bow down to their relationship. I learned so many things watching the youth of may. I will miss every minute of it.
I recommend to everyone to watch this. Its so worth it!!
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A beautiful memoir to the Gwangju uprising and a even more beautiful Love Story
I started this because I fell head over heels in love with Lee Do Hyun after watching 18 Again. So I anxiously counted down the days to its release and watched every episode while they were aring, waiting and checking for subs. Staying up late just so I could watch the next episode.AND. LET. ME. TELL. YOU!! THIS DRAMA!! Thiis FREAKING dramma!! Right heere is...everything.
There are so many things i absolutly adored about it. The music was perfectly chosen from the uplifting lighthearted tunes to the heartbreaking balades, it all fit the mood and the charachters so perfectly that it just completly melted into the story. You know the Ost is good when it just feels natrual for it to be there, almost as if its just backround noise.
Plus watchign Lee Do Hyun play the guitair is always a straight way into my heart.
The acting was "Chefs Kiss"
I already knew that Lee Do hyun is a great freaking actor. I stan him for a reason after all but Go Min Si really also positivly suprised me. The intimacy between them felt tangible and real. Every emotional scene, kiss and hug was just wow. Hands down has one of the best Kiss scenes i've seen in K-Dramaland. Not because it was dramatic but because you could really feel the emotions in they'r slow tentative actions. The kisses were always filled with love and you could feel it as a viewer.
This drma was just overflowing with emotions. When they cried you could feel the pain and desperation. And daaamn I just wanted to scream who hurt my babiiies.
Knowing the historic backround of the Gwangju uprising I was expecting angst but daaamn I was not prepared. All I will say is that I bawled my eyes out more than once watching this so be sure to keep tissues near.
I absolutly adoored the characters. All of them, even if they were anyoing at times (yes I mean Lee Soo Ryun) were lovable and human. They all had their own struggles and passions and developed throughout the story. Lee Soo Ryun, even if i wanted to hit her at times, i can also understand her. She had her reason for acting the way she did and you cant fault a girl for being passionate about the things important to her.
Hawn hee Tae was so freaking lovable and adorable and passioante like a puppy. I just want to hug him. And Kim Myung Hee my giirl. Ughh I just want to give them all a hug and keep them away from the big bad world.
One of the things i absolutly loved about this drama was the way the love story progressed. You dont see this kind of passionate but at the same time sweet and pure love often portrayed. Theyr love really felt like those once in a life time kind of loves that are larger than life. I loved that the characters were just head over heals for each other. No pretending not to like each other or acting coy. Oh noo boyy these two love each other deeply and they show it. Of course bad things happen, but the way to love was never a straight line. But through all the desicions they make I never doubted their love for each other. For my Romance loving heart I got everything I wanted in this. The Angst was delicious and I felt butterflies during the fluffy scenes. They had a really good balance between the fluff and angst. The story never gets stuck or stays rooted in a problem for too long. And when a problem gets solved it was always so freaking satisfying. Not to spoil but daaamnn so many good and satisfying scenes that just make the angst and heartache soo worth it!
And last but not least the Gwangju Uprising. I loved how at the start of the Drama its just about normal people living theyr lives. You get to know these characters and love them and then you see what happens with all these characters when tragedy strikes out of nowhere. Pesonaly I didnt know anything about the Gwangju uprising before watching this drama and I was even more schoked after looking it up. How such a thing could happen is beyond me. And my heart really ached when I imagined that this really happend. Real and inoccent people lost they'r lives and loved ones. And maybe this show didnt show everything that happend during the uprising but it did show the sheer violence and brutality used by the military and just how freaking unfair and unjustified it was. As a plus point you actually get a lot of different points of view throughout the story from characters in the military to characters who gave the orders. Even the smallest character got a full story and development. Which Kudos to that. It aint easy with little screentime but they even made me love the small side characters.
So do I need to count down anymore reasons to watch this? I dont think so. If you havent already, give this Beautiful Piece a try.
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No sunshine and No Rainbows. Pure love with emotions.
A coming of age story that follows LGBT+ characters. This film is set in 1988 just after martial law has ended in Taiwan and follows the story of Han & Birdy throughout their self discovery and dealing with all that entails, both for themselves and the society they live in. One of the best Taiwanese film to be ever made. So beautiful! It's no sunshine and no rainbows, It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There were few references of "Happy Together", a classic Hong Kong movie. I cannot stress on how much I cried.Was this review helpful to you?
I already watch the movie version, so i thought this drama would just be a draggy version of it.
But i was wrong! It got me hooked from the 1st episode.
The siblings fight, funny side kick, unique classmates, and the monologue at the end are the most memorable part for me.
Shi Fen and Shi Miao are the usual quarreling siblings. Meanwhile the Wan brothers are unrealistic dramatic siblings, but they're just refreshing to see.
Even though i dont really like dramas with school setting, this one is an exception. I love how the classmates and teachers weren't just one dimensional characters. They had their own story and good development.
Sun Qian and Joseph Zeng had great chemistry playing as siblings. The side characters did really well too. However Mark Ma, who portrayed Wan Xing stole my attention. It's amazing how well he play the character of a matured 12 years old.
The drama itself is full of hilarious scenes, but i find a lot of unnecessary fillers in it.
I would've give it a 10 if ending were much better. After 29 episodes of adventure, it ended rushed and bland when it could've been more impactful.
The intro song were funny, meanwhile the outro were more mellow which suits the mood
However this is truly my type of drama, no romance just siblings hood and friendship. They keeps the comedy coming and you'll laugh all the way from the beginning to the end. So for me I'd definitely be rewatching it
I recommend it to people who wants a light hearted comedy watch to pass the time
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It was a really tragic story but sometimes I like these type of ending... I loved how Hee Tae remember her and tried to found her alive.....
My mom used to tell me when you can't end up with your lover , there will be a pain inside of you forever ....this pain will give you a pleasure forever how you remember only good things about him .... Now I think my mom is right ... We saw how Hee Tae remembers about Myeong hee after so many years and think about only good things ... There wasn't a moment they hated each other for a second... Whatever today's youngsters should watch this drama to know history, to know they are leading a better life ....
this drama doesn't need so many words .. it's simply awesome and I really love this dramaaaaaa....😍😍🖤
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It started with very strong plot possibilities and excitement, which made me wonder what would be the best possible route
I would like the plot to take. But after a few episodes drama works its magic and you fall into its flow of tone and instead of imagining all the scenarios, you just look forward to the drama.
The acting was the stronger aspect to look for in the drama as Im Joo Hwan totally nailed it. There were times I was frustrated by his character's decisions to continue the revenge and all but well his character is a killer and t would be strange if I understood all his decisions :)) . Even until the ending his character was well expressed.
What catches you most is the editing and drama style with great use of slow-motion and subtle scenes with equally good music in the background. The drama followed this way throughout the episodes and it engages you in the story more emotionally.
As all dramas have some backfall it does have its own. Well, the scriptwriting was done good but I was tired of hearing the same sentences again and again. It would have been great if they had been a little more creative while delivering the same dialogues.
As a drama junkie, I felt the chemistry between leads developed a bit faster than in other dramas. but they wrapped around it well enough because of the continuous plot which slowed down and picked speed but never stopped for fillers.
This drama was satisfying in many ways and made me look forward to the next episode every time. With a well-written ending and the last couple of episodes, it wraps up with a smile on your face and contentment filling your heart.
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The drama centers around a group of friends, struggling with the pressures of adulthood, but not quite ready to give up on the dreams of their youth. The four leads have great chemistry from the start, and I really felt like I was watching real friendships. I think that's this dramas appeal. Of course, it's also a romantic comedy. The rom com elements center mostly around close friends who begin to realize/admit they have feelings for each other, but there is also a complimenting storyline of a longtime couple who's relationship gets tested. Both couples are really realistic, even dealing with some super corny and cliché moments.
I've seen Park Seo Joon in quite a few dramas now, where he definitely knows how to turn on the charm, and this role is no different. He plays fighter Dong Man, who leaves the sport behind after a fight leads to controversy, and is just making ends meet with an annoying job and without any passion. Kim Ji Won plays Choi Ae Ra, his girl bff, who has a natural talent for public speaking, but can't seem to find a way to make her announcer dream come true. Before watching I heard a lot about their chemistry, so I was excited to watch, but in the beginning I wasn't impressed. I thought she was annoyingly bossy, and he was so dopey, that their moments together seemed more childish than romantic in any way. Eventually, as their silliness grew on me, so did their romantic chemistry, and I was suddenly completely invested in their relationship. I also loved that they were so comfortable with each other. As their passion for each other develops, so does their passion for following their dreams, and both were inspiring to watch.
Song Ha Yoon and Ahn Jae Hong were endearing, and sometimes heartbreaking, as Seol Hee and Joo Man. There were times when I cared more about their storyline than the main couple, and they definitely made me much more emotional. I laughed, cried, and yelled at the screen over their relationship. I will say that I think Jae Hong is the MVP of this whole cast. She has a seemingly simple, and passive role, but she brought so much depth to the character that she brought me to tears.
The supporting cast was great. I adored the kid versions of the main characters, and thought the supporting cast had some pretty memorable characters (I loved the coach). Even when the writing was lacking, the characters pulled it off and made me keep caring. I do wish that Kim Sung Oh and Jin Hee Kyung had stronger storylines, and think that some talents were wasted by bad writing.
The writing is my biggest problem with this drama, especially towards the end. The most frustrating for me was that Jin Hee Kyung's Landlady character deserved a much better storyline, and they took too long to get into it, so the ending felt way too rushed. The land lady's son also wasn't given enough time to develop into someone I cared about at all. The Fight story was completely predictable, even if the fight scenes were entertaining, and hearing Ae Ra complain, and Tak Soo scheme started to get way too repetitive for me. The ex girlfriend seemed almost forgotten about completely at one point. The sister looked like she had the potential to be interesting, but was more like a glorified extra. I do have to give the writer some credit, because with each episode I was still entertained, and couldn't wait to watch the next episode... for the most part. The last two episodes, however, were pretty disappointing, and although it was a satisfying ending from the character's standpoint, I was more aware of how many loose ends or weak stories there were. The last scene was cute, but ridiculous, and felt like they just didn't know how to end it and gave up. I almost think that the drama could have used an extra 2 or 4 episodes to tell all the stories well, or cut the extra stories out completely and maybe make the whole thing shorter.
Overall, this is a fun drama, with a good soundtrack, and likable characters, so it's hard to complain too much. Also, I wish I had that secret rooftop bar in my life. That may be my favorite thing about the whole drama! I could watch "Fight for my Way" again, just for the interactions alone, but it's not high on my rewatch list. I think it's easy to relate to, so I understand why it has such high ratings from viewers, and I definitely recommend watching it if your expectations aren't too high. This is definitely the kind of cast you will want to cheer for as they fight through quarter-life-crisis feels, and support each other along the way.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Wholesome Take on High School Romance!
I highly recommend this show if you are looking for the following:• Wholesome and healthy relationships
• Engaging characters progressions
• Solid chemistry between the cast
• Moderate comedic tone
• Excellent music
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SPOILER BELOW
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What I love:
1. Gun and Tinn's relationship develops steadily and does not go backward. It's a fun and rewarding experience to root for Tinn and Gun because each episode culminates in a milestone in their relationship stages. They have a healthy relationship and resolve any potential conflict through meaningful conversations. Viewers are continuously rewarded in this journey with a simple yet effective ending scene in each episode, such as Gun realizing he may like Tinn in episode 3, the little fingers interaction in episode 4, and Tinn blushing when Gun starts reciprocating his feeling in episode 7.
2. Gun and Tinn have contrasting character progressions, which is refreshing to watch—in contrast to Gun's, Tinn's significant personal development happened prior to the first episode. He had changed from whom Gun called 'NobiTinn', a seemingly less sociable bookworm, into this unyielding, reliable, and ever-supportive individual before we were even introduced to him. As we observe Gun's character growth through many ups and downs, having Tinn in these scenes with Gun assures us that things will be alright. Apart from his eventual relationship with Gun, we can say that Tinn has not changed; he is very much the same person that we knew from the first episode.
3. Despite the different approaches that Tinn's mom and Gun's mom take in nurturing their sons, they love their sons just the same. It's almost natural to like Gun's mom from the start, as she is the more understanding and easygoing mother of the two mother figures. Viewers were challenged with the possibility of Tinn's mom being the villain of this series. But, despite relatively more limited scenes, Tinn's mom has proved us wrong through her masterful performance in the later episodes. Both "I love whoever you love" and "It's okay, I was the reason you were afraid to tell" are equally powerful messages to their sons and the viewers.
4. This series uses humor smartly. The earlier episodes have plenty of slapstick and comedic scenes, effectively showing the innocence of high school students. As Gun matures and has to focus not only on his band but also Tinn, more serious, pivotal, and romantic scenes are added to sustain his character growth while staying true to the comedic nature.
5. Music is an integral part of this series, and the cast performs passionately. Each episode has 1 or 2 covers or original soundtracks effectively integrated into the plot. The singers are excellent, and their emotion flows nicely into the scenes. My recommendation for the original soundtrack is episode 12's ก้อนหินกับดวงดาว (Rock & Star), and the cover is episode 5's ฟัง (Listen). But, honestly, it's hard to pick favorites because all the OSTs are amazing.
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What I wish were different:
1. The overall message about Hot Wave was centered only on winning it. From the early episodes, Hot Wave has been set as the band's endgame. We have observed the bandmates growing musically, academically and becoming a better team until the Hot Wave final result in episode 11. Unfortunately, after losing in the final, the band focused only on the outcome, not the journey. Until the Hot Wave arc's closure in episode 11, Gun apologized for failing to lead the band to victory. This is mainly addressed by the 'Once Upon a Time' song, but I wished there was a scene to remind the band that the Hot Wave result does not and will never invalidate their immense growth.
2. The other bandmates need more backstories and serious scenes before the conflict in episode 11. As viewers are more used to watching them on a lighter note, the sudden tonal shift to a heavy argument scene will come as a surprise.
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Best Episode -- Episode 3!
This episode has a special place in my heart; it reminds me of my relationship in high school, from preparing for mid-term examinations together and sneaking into an empty classroom to slow dance and enjoying the moment while the band was playing music during the school festival. Unfortunately, it didn't work out between us after graduation, and I honestly wasn't settled with the closure that I got.
But this episode helped me remember and process my feelings at that time. And looking at it from the 3rd party point of view through this episode, I understood that regardless of the outcome, those tiny pockets of moments were special. I am grateful!
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Takeaways:
The director (Au Kornprom Niyomsil) and his team are fantastic. 'My School President' now differs significantly from the trailer shown during GMMTV 2022. The amount of effort to research and pivot in such a short time must have been tremendous. Thank you for the great effort and for delivering us this masterpiece.
The main cast is incredibly talented. Fourth and Gemini are perfectly cast as high school students starting their coming-to-age moment. No matter what the scene is about, be it comedic, romantic, or emotional, they manage to do it flawlessly. And they can sing very well! I am sure many people are hooked from the very first note that Fourth sang in episode 1's อยากร้องดังดัง, or their duet in episode 2's ข้างกัน (city).
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I look forward to cheering for them as they grow and get many more meaningful projects to hone and showcase their talents.
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Sometimes it's slow-paced and uneventful, sometime it's so good it's the best Kdrama ever
It's hard to wrap it up in a few words. But i would say this is probably the longest buildup i have ever seen.It has 16 episodes, and the actions and dramatic parts start at around ep.11 12. Before that it was about character building and bonding (those memories will be used effectively against us later).
The fantasy romance story is intriguing. It has good plot twists and back story. Although the pacing is sometimes a bit slow, overall it sends meaningful messages of love, hate, afterlife, regret, loneliness and forgiveness. It can break your heart and also make you smile
The acting is good, nothing to complain about. The chemistry between the second lead couple is so good at all time. At the beginning the main couple feels a bit lacking, near the end it gets a lot better. But the best chemistry has to be the bromance between Goblin and Grim Reaper!
The characters are well built and developed, relatable and make reasonable decisions. But mostly they are madly driven by love.
The music is so beautiful and sad, wished they had kept the ending song till the end though. The special effects feel natural (the glowing sword and the power of grim reaper), but the flying moments were a bit off.
The atmosphere changes so fast. One moment it's fluff and romantic (with a little too many staring-straight-at-each-other-for-a-century), and a second later it's heart wrenching and full of dramas and actions. It's was well-balanced, i just wished it was more consistent.
Overall, i would recommend this series if you are looking for a romance story sets in the present, with wholesome bromance, fantasy elements and a tragic backstory from a past life, which would now affect the choices and emotions of the characters.
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I was very disappointed. So if you have seen the series and watch this, just think of it as a bonus episode and not a movie. If you haven't already watched the series then I suggest you do because it is quite clever and enjoyable.
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Cliche but cute light watch
As a long-term modern Chinese rom-com watcher, I expect storylines to be reused. But I'm just here to watch a feel-good rom-com. Chemistry between the leads is aight and they try to add the little twist with placing this drama in the dubbing industry (its not much of a twist lol). The OST, some cute moments, and no real pea-brained character made this drama a nice light watch. I would rewatch if I'm ever bored and looking for comedy with no strings attached. I'm only up to episode 22 but the writers have been playing it pretty safe so I don't expect a bad ending. Also, the acting isn't bad, Sun Yi Ning (Amy Sun) performs pretty well once again.Basically, don't expect this drama to leave you shook. But it was a quality production (esp that OST) so this drama still ranks aight in my eyes.
update: I finished and my views stay pretty much the same
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Here's why...
1) The diversity!
It's not every day that you come across a film that features SIX different languages...yes, six. There's Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, German, and English (a tiny bit) O_O
It was an amazing experience to see the perspectives (somewhat--it's literally not much) of different nations during WWII with the progression of the film. What I really liked about that, is that by doing so, no one nation was definitively tacked as the "bad guy," because this film's purpose is not to show that; rather, it is about two rivals and their trials through war, and ultimately the bond they form.
2) The effects!
There was not one second my eyes were not glued to the screen. 'My Way' is a war movie, as in LOTS of fighting scenes, people being shot--death, explosions...you know ;) Now, if that kind of scares you, no worries, this is not a gore-type war film. There's no flying limbs or guys lying around with half of their body still intact while you see all their insides pouring out >:p yuck! Although, there was one incident--I won't say exactly, but it has to do with pus *cringes*. TBH, other than that, just expect blood and dead bodies.
As far as explosions go...superb. Scenes with airplanes...well done.
Anytime there was fighting, I found myself holding my breath, because it was so hectic and unpredictable...really captured the feeling of war. There were numerous occasions when I was chanting "Please don't die!" in my head with my fingers crossed haha ;)
The effects are awesome, but I should add that you'll see a lot more than just "war effects," since the film begins before the characters go off to war.
3) The characters!
What can I say? I mean from the main cast to the supporting cast, each character had an understandable motive and development, because all the characters were affected by WWII. I found it fascinating just to see all of these characters change over time due to the war and the fear of dying.
The character, Hasegawa Tatsuo, is definitely my favorite from the film. You'll see him as a kid, as a teen and as a man, and will never wonder (perhaps like me) why he is the way he is...that's really thanks to an incredibly written story.
Which brings me to...
4) The story!
It's based on a true story, which is why it comes across as being so realistic.
Although this is a war film, that's just the setting, the story itself is very heartwarming. I cannot say enough how much I loved it...I really did. For a film that's over two hours, it's unlikely that you will ever feel bored. I mean, if you heart is not pounding from the action, it might be breaking during the emotional scenes. I really want to say more, but I don't know how to without repeating the synopsis or spoiling the film for you, so I'll just say this; look forward to watching a darn good film :D
5) The acting!
Trust me it's outstanding. These actors aren't rookies; they know what to do, and they do it well. Plus, it's Jang Dong Gun as a lead, as well as Joe Odagiri of which I am now a fan. These two leads and the excellent supporting cast make this film well worth watching.
So, I feel like I've written quite a lot, but have said just as little; hopefully not too little, because I hope that I've said just enough to encourage you to watch My Way. If I am not helpful (at all D:) do please look up a better review, because I really think this film is good enough to deserve a view :)
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