This review may contain spoilers
Overall it’s a decent drama that wraps up everything decently well. To me, the drama happened in three arc: 1. Beginning - hired as a stay-home pretend girlfriend, 2. Middle - her becoming lead actress at his company, 3: End - romance and their wrap up. Honestlys, I think the first half is more interesting than the second half. I think I enjoyed the stay-at-home nurse/maid/pretend girlfriend portion of the drama more. The biggest problem with the drama is its overuse of tropes and cliches. It’s not just a few sprinkled here and there, it’s literally the whole story. The entire story is build on tropes and cliches. I mean I can stomach quite a few of them but at a certain point it became tiresome. What I like
- Actually I like a lot of the couples in the show. I thought most of the are adorable and had pretty decent chemistry
-A lot of likeable supporting characters: ML’s mom, FL’s manager, ML’s cousin, director,
-A lot of nice feel good moments
-It wrapped things up decently I guess
What I don’t like:
-Some terrible characters: rapey director, terrible manager, annoying exes everywhere…lol. I’m fine with good well developed antagonists…but most of them are just shallow and one-dimensional
-Tons of cliches and tropes. I actually like a decent dose of cliches…but only in moderation and only if it adds entertainment value to the storyline. However, it’s just a little to much here and I feel like it takes away from the drama and sometimes just unnecessary
-Some over the top scenario and weird unnatural behavior from characters. Like you can't be a competent CEO of a media and hired a random girl who's acting you're not familiar to become a top star.
-There's so much repeated exposition, my god. Exposition is fine and use a lot times in detective drama. Here let me give you an example. At one point the evil ex who was a big star finally realize her behavior and thinking was wrong. It goes like this, she has a dialogue with her assistant/manager explaining why her behavior is wrong. She then had a scene with the ML's mom explaining why what she's doing is wrong. Then next episode, she had another monologue explaining why what she's doing is wrong (as a self-reflection) I guess. Look I get...she finally realized her behavior was wrong...but do we need to spend so much time and scenes on this?
Couples:
-Main couple - like the female lead and she’s a pretty good character overall. I liked how she handle her situation from the beginning to the end and how she handled her romance and life. Though she is Mary-sue-ish at times but it’s not overbearing. The male is decent most of the time but sometimes borderline annoying but overall I thought he’s tolerable. Their romance is sometimes cutes, sometimes romantic, and mostly reasonable. The biggest problem with them there constant pull and push on whether they like each other or not. It’s ok to have a bit of that but sometimes it’s just too much.
The secondary couple between ML’s friend and FL’s friend. They’re a very sweet and cute couple together and they’re both very likable character. The biggest problem I have with them is their story. There are constant overused cliches employed in their story: bad romantic history, bad rapey producer, misunderstanding…again and again, random fiance, disapproval mother, different class and social status. Imagine if you brainstorm a bunch of romantic couple cliches…that’s literally their entire story. Otherwise they’re extremely cute together, moreso than the lead.
The third couple is the director and the FL’s manager. Not a lot of screen time but I find their romance but be more subtle, simple, and cuter.
The ex boyfriend and his gf/fiancee. They play thei
Just some thoughts:
I’m on a modern Chinese drama binging run. Most of these light hearted romantic comedy drama is full of cheese, over-the-top behavior, and weird scenario so for most part I’m ok with it as long is it blends well together in a decent package. For this drama the two random ML and FL throw together in a fake relationship is a standard trope. One that I enjoy for most part, it’s ok here but not as well developed as it could’ve been. That there pretty much sums up what I feel about this drama by the end. It’s all just a bunch of popular tropes thrown together. If you wanna focus on standard tropes, I think the best is to have an interesting take on it. However, this drama seem to written by a committee of people brainstorming popular trope and using everything they can think of in it.
I love the characters but the story just isn’t there. And when the story is not well developed, 36 episode seems like a slog. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re a fan of these type of drama.
Some rant I have [MAJOR SPOILERS]
- That whole ML's obsession with finding out the girl with butterfly tattoo who I think he mistaken as a birthmark is just borderline weird. It's fine to try to find the person who saves your life and thank her. But to hinge that as the pivotal drive to your lovelife...is just weird. I mean the guy clearly never know her since he didn't even know how she actually looks like. This is one of the most important point that drove the entire drama. It's what led him to his ex and it's what caught the ML's attention on the female lead. And here's the twist, which is clear even since the beginning. Let me just spoiled it for you. Turns out, the FL is the women who saved him. That tattoo/birthmark was a temporary tattoo she had drawn on her based on a picture of the his ex (cause I guess she was a big fan of her....who at the time should have been a totally unknown...but let's not get too caught up on that). It's just thats such a weird crucial plot point.
- Is that cancer fakeout really necessary? It was just so abrupt and random.
- The way they wrap up all the antagonist is just weird. Pretty much they all come to the realization that they've been acting like jerks. It's find but the way they did it is so abrupt...AND it happened all at the same time. It's like the writers suddenly realized we're near time end so abruptly make sure the character repent and apologize for their behavior. They did that and gave all them all that and their personality just changed completely. Note that this all happened back to back to back. First, ML's ex realize she's wrong...and then FL's ex realized he was wrong...and then FL's exes fiancee realized shes wrong...:/
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The things that I liked about the drama:
-The storyline is unique. Not the one-person's-soul-entering-another-body thing. But the part that came after that.
- The acting is top notch. You can feel every emotion of Song Huun Chul, Hye Jin and Yun Hwa. Their struggle with this new reality that they face, that they never expected is portrayed wonderfully.
- The music is good. Specially the song 'Monochrome'. It fit the settings perfectly.
- The kid actors did a good job too.
- Not to sound like a fangirl or anything, but Kai is wonderfully and deliciously beautiful.
- The drama focused on human behavior. And the mesaage it send is a good one.
The things that I wasn't sure about:
- This was more of a slow paced drama. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But around the middle part, it did seem a bit draggy.
- A lot of moral dilemmas involved in the drama which I wasn't sure how to feel about. While the drama wasn't solely focused on romantic relationships, to the extent that they were present, they were quite...well, complicated. I, as a viewer, wasn't sure if what the male lead was doing could be considered "right". If, there could be a right and wrong in such exaggerated fantasical situation.
Overall, it's a drama that deserves a chance. And it's quite enjoyable. So, go ahead and give it a try.
Happy Watching!!
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Okay, so this is one of those drama which could be thoroughly enjoyed when you're binge watching it. As it was aired only once a week, the story may seem a little dragy if you were following it from start. But as a binge watcher I immensely enjoyed the straight 15 hours of this little slow placed but a fairly written drama. The setting was lovable, story was good enough to keep the interest on, character developments were good and man do i love the inner monologue of the main female protagonist? The way she expressed the growth of her first love through her thoughts with such subtlety was nicely written. The story may seem to go around the circle when it comes to male protagonist, but you would forgive the writers by the end for it. Over all i think it was surprisingly well written drama, given I was not planning to watch it at all in the beginning.
Acting/Cast:
I personally think that all the main characters except for few minor ones did a very good job with their roles. Kudos to Joanne Tang and Prince Chiu for amazing performance. I really enjoyed Shao Xi's character. She calmed down alot in the later part of the drama, her expressions were on point, initially I thought that I would be annoyed by her but then I really ended up rooting for her love for Yen Li Zheng. Li Zheng on the other hand killed it at his role. His trauma, insecurity, confusion, jealousy and acceptance- everything was portrayed well by Prince Chiu. One could really see his struggle for the quest of love and the pain of not being able to accept his own feelings. He also turned into Yoo Jung from 'Cheese in thr Trap" from time to time. I swear he gives me such chilly Yoo Jung vibes. The second leads were really nice too. I found the second lead guy very annoying at first but the curse got me at the end and i even shed a tear or two for him. On the other habd Angelina or the second lead girl was a gem. She might annoy the hell out of you at first but then you would grow to love her character. She was the real QUEEN!
Music:
I loved the music. All the songs were really really nice specially the intro and the ending themes. And ofcourse the special mention goes to the song "Close to you". It was soo catchy and pleasing to hear.
Re-watch value:
I would really like to see it again in future when i am bored or if i am missing few characters. This drama was really the character's show.
Ovwrall:
Overall I think it was a really nice drama. I never expected to watch it. I only started watching it because there was nothing else to watch and soon I was on episode 10. It literally took me only one and a half day to fish it. Go watch it guys, you won't regret it!
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Healthy relationships and communication all around!
This drama is very cute. One thing I especially love is how it evolves around the two main characters' relationship - even after they got together! I really missed a drama where the actual realtionship had screen time, since many dramas end at the getting-together part, so thank you for that.Also, the mc's relationship is so pure and supportive, they respect each other, listen, talk honestly. Although the story may build on many clichés, I don't mind, as all the characters were so nice and wholesome and amazing. The story has many hidden gems in the characters' backstories, and it all comes together in the end. Truly a happy ending for all.
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This review may contain spoilers
The best thing to happen in a BL industry
If I could, I would give this show 10000 stars, but MDL only allows me to give it 10. It's worth much more. Beyond more, and nothing would be enough.I have to say, I started watching this show from the first episode just for fun, not expecting much. I expected a cute, enemies to lovers storyline, something to kill time. Instead, I got more - so, so much more. Maybe I'm still a little bit too overwhelmed to put all my feelings into words, and that is because this show is it for me. It does everything right, from head to toe. And just when you think it's going to fall under your typical BL tropes; it doesn't. Instead, it fights them, even subtly makes fun of them at some point, and it's just so, so wonderful to watch, from start to finish.
First off, the plot.
It might seem very basic at first. It might seem like you know exactly where it's going to go and where it's going to take you. But the thing with Bad Buddy is, it took a basic plot, and turned it upside down. The basic enemies to lovers trope suddenly became so much more, and oh, look! They aren't really enemies, they aren't really friends either. But they are something . Then we have their parents who absolutely despise each other. And again, we think we know the story here, thinking it's something cliché. We hate on Pran's mother, thinking she's just a crazy hysterical woman, when, in fact, there's so, so much more depth to that whole plot and her hatred towards Pat's father, it leaves you astonished. Now? I want to give that woman the world.
Second off, the characters. Because I can't write anything else without mentioning the superiority of the characters.
Pat and Pran. What a perfect, absolutely stunning match. You can say whatever you want, but those two are just a perfect couple, played by superb actors with the chemistry that's out of this world. These two... they have drama happening around them. So, so much drama, never having a moment of calmness. But them? No, they are complete opposite. They are a steady, sure thing, not letting the drama around them affect their relationship at all. If everything around them is chaos and drama, they are a calm breeze keeping everything at bay. Sure, there are times where they get shaken up a bit and their relationship goes through small trials, but they resolve it quickly, with COMMUNICATION, and understanding and care for one another.
But you know what they refuse to let it affect their relationship? It's the biggest trial - their parents, and everyone around them who don't want them to be together. Breaking up looks like a typical, logical thing to do, to make things easier for everyone. But do they do that though? No, they don't. Instead, they find a way to still be together, to ease up their parents to the idea, even when things didn't look so bright. This is exactly why I never doubted them and didn't for a second thing that they broke up. That preview was a bust and it was obvious. It wouldn't be Pat and Pran if that happened.
Another wonderful fact about them is, they've been officially together from episode 7 till the end of the series, which is RARE. It's so rare to see a BL do that, and I am SO over the moon they did because it's the least they deserve. OhmNanon delivered their characters perfectly and I honestly cannot see anyone else doing it better than them. It's so refreshing to see how genuine they are and how it looks as if they seriously enjoy acting together and have a blast. It shows, it truly shows throughout the whole series.
Ink and Pa. What can I even say? I just want to thank the director for bringing such a nice, healthy, adorable GL relationship to a BL drama. It was such a nice surprise, I was doubting they were truly going to go with it till the very end, but I'm so glad they did. They also serve as a nice contrast to Pran and Pat, in a way where it's obvious that homophobia really isn't the main conflict as to why their parents don't want them together. It shows how their relationship could've been, if they weren't from the rivaled families. Even the dinner scene in the last episode, it's something Pran has imagined happening. Pat and Pran can't have that yet, while Ink and Pa can.
Hopefully, in the future, Pat's parents will call Pran their second son as well.
Korn and Wai. Listen. I am so glad, SO GLAD, we didn't get a typical "Oh, they are together as well!" Instead, they made them become good friends and colleagues, burying their old rivalry and deciding to do something together. It's nice. Even though I still didn't and don't forgive Wai for the way he outed Pat and Pran. That was a shitty and pathetic move and I'm glad he's become a better person since then, and I hope somewhere, behind the scenes, Pat and Pran got their much needed apology. However, he still didn't apologise in front of us, viewers, so I cannot really condone his actions. That being said, the complexity of his character plays a really important role in a better part of the series and I guess it's a good message. Each one of us makes some bad decisions, each on of us has prejudices that sometimes take over us. Not everyone is a good person. But everyone can change to a better, and do better. And I guess Wai kind of did that. Korn, though, Korn is a legend. Enough said.
Such tridimensional, well-written characters is what makes this BL what it is. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be half as good. Characters make this story not basic, it makes it for what it is. God bless all of the characters, honestly.
Third off, music.
Goddammit, if I could sell my soul for Nanon's voice, I would. Bad Buddy incorporated music so, so well within the story, there is not one moment where it's awkward. I have three of my favourite scenes which are related to music. First is the one where Pat plays the xylophone, the second one is Pran singing Our Song in ep 11. Third one is in the last episode, where Pat and Pran are playing around, playing their songs, and their parents hearing them, and finally showing some kind of acceptance. Everything around them is related to music. Music plays such a huge part in their relationship. Music is what broke them, but it is also what mended them together. Even though Pran's mum took him away when he was playing music with Pat, years later she smiles and lets them have their music. Together.
There is so much more I could write about this wonderful series. I could talk about it for days and why I think it's as impactful and downright amazing as it is. I would strongly recommend everyone to watch it, although it did ruin other BLs for me and raised my standards even higher, but we're going to ignore that.
Thank you, Bad Buddy. Thank you, PatPran for making my fridays better. It was a wonderful journey.
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This review may contain spoilers
A movie that had great potential and wasted it all
NO SPOILER FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEWThe fact that some people are rating this movie higher than a 6.5 is honestly baffling to me. I don't write reviews that often but I had the urge to do it for Midnight because of how big of a letdown it was. So, here's my review of a movie that had amazing potential and could've been a really good thriller, but unfortunately ended up being a barely decent enough movie.
Midnight is good at first; the plot is promising and there's a heavy atmosphere efficiently set thanks to the scenography and brilliant acting. Many good stress-inducing mechanics are introduced to make us feel the anxiety and distress caused by the main character's, Kim Kyung Mi, deafness (e.g. audio detection devices, lights reacting to sound).
However, despite the potential and innovative ideas it all crumbles down very early on. Sure, I was quite excited when I started watching Midnight, and was even truly enjoying it. But if you have a good time during the first twenty minutes or so of the movie, you'll slowly become too frustrated to think about anything except how dumb these characters all are, completely ruining the thrill.
Every stressful situation is built upon questionable/idiotic decisions that no human being would ever make, even under that kind of pressure, because it simply goes against what survival instinct and common sense dictate. I'm sure there were ways to have the characters be gifted with intelligence and keep an interesting story still.
Overall, the movie is not completely bad and still enjoyable to a degree, simply thanks to the fact that it is entertaining enough to watch until the end. Still, it doesn't mean it's a good movie. The beginning is great, the ending is fine and everything in-between is... sort of a mess. If you were curious about it I'd still advise you watch it but be aware that your expectations will probably not be met, and if you won't be bored, you'll definitely be annoyed.
SECOND PART OF THE REVIEW, BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW
First of all, I'd like to mention that I'm usually not particularly nitpicky. I'll accept a lot of things when watching TV shows and movies, I won't necessarily notice every single detail or plot hole. That being said, even taking this into account and letting my suspension of disbelief play its part, it wasn't enough. This review is not me exaggerating for the sake of it. So let's now dive into it and detail the things that bothered me.
Let's start with the outsiders, aka everyone that's not a main character.
Okay, fine. I'll accept that the police might have some prejudice against disabled people and that they can be utterly incompetent. It honestly wouldn't be that surprising or unheard of. It is frustrating, but not in a 100% unrealistic way.
Fine, I won't argue that it is possible for a crowd to not help someone in distress. Bystander effect, confusion, fear or simply not knowing what to do/how to react can all factor in on this. These people don't have the full story like we do, they just see a panicked girl who is not explaining what the problem is.
Sure, the military personnel bringing back Kyung Mi to Do Shik, thinking they're helping her "brother"... that's barely acceptable, but you know what? Now we're reaching but I'll let it slide because similar things can happen in a very unfortunate turn of events.
Since all these characters are outsiders to the story and only get snippets of what we see, with which they have to piece everything together, I'll be lenient. It's all exaggerated for the sake of the plot anyway.
I won't even mention Do Shik's irrational and erratic behavior too much, for the obvious reason that he is a killer with, more likely than not, many many issues. Him being overconfident, thinking he can outsmart everyone (not like they're making it hard) even when being so careless, and get away with it scot free, is actually not that crazy or unbelievable.
But Jong Tak, this dude! My brother in christ, give me a break. He is by far the most frustrating and dumbest character in this entire movie. Here you have a grown man who has the ability to communicate freely, who knows exactly what's happening, but decides that calling the police is apparently overrated. Granted, they have proved they were dumb and incompetent, but still?
Or maybe that poor guy suffers from a disorder preventing him from doing two things at the same time and I'm just being very mean, who knows? Or well, maybe he can't use his brain, my two cents. I mean, seriously. Why can't he just run to Kyung Mi's house AND call the police at the same time? Same thing when he gives up on her after Do Shik "reveals" where his sister is.
And for the love of god, why does he take narrow little streets when trying to catch up with Do Shik, risking to lose his track, instead of properly following him? How is he even able to not lose sight of him that way? Or maybe he knows the area so well he has a mental map stuck in his head and can predict exactly where the killer and his victim will run to, even without seeing them. But you won't have me actually believe that lol.
Then towards the end of the movie, he fights Do Shik in a back alley but looks away from him TWICE despite having been tricked into thinking he had fainted the first time already (after a 2 seconds chokehold, that is). Brilliant. You might also wonder why he doesn't try to scream/get back to the main avenue to draw people's attention? Well no one knows. It's not as though Kyung Mi can do it for him. If I were that poor girl, I'd rather be stabbed in that alley and just end it already instead of having to be "saved" by someone so useless.
Also, why does no one ever stay together? I lost count of how many times that happened but it was way too much. I don't really get why Kyung Mi and Jong Tak's sister had to split. They were right next to the place where they can press a button that turns on every light in existence and blasts an alarm waking up the entire neighborhood, then puts them in direct communication with the police!
Later Kyung Mi's mother and Jong Tak also split up, and after that him and her daughter did too. And for what? You tell me because I have no damn clue. Could've been a running gag if it wasn't just poor writing.
There are other details I'll skim over because this review is already too long:
-Right at the beginning of the movie, a woman (completely alone outside, at night) is approached by a guy being weirdly insistent about her getting in his car. Nevertheless, she walks to his suspiciously "deserted" van, that totally does not look like a set-up, a few minutes after? I assure you, no woman would ever behave like that. At least call someone at the same time, just to be safe;
-When Do Shik and Jong Tak were fighting in the police station, why did it take so long for Kim Kyung Mi and her mother to bring back the officers inside? It definitely shouldn't have taken this much time as they were standing quite literally 5 meters away from the entrance;
-How did said officers not hear the commotion inside?;
-After that incident, why were none of the characters kept under police protection, at least for the next 24 hours?;
-When Do Shik infiltrates Kyung Mi's house, he knocks many heavy things on the ground... that girl is deaf, not completely numb to the world. She would definitely feel the vibrations or something. I'm pretty sure your other senses are sharpened when you're lacking one;
-I believe most countries have a special number for deaf & mute people to contact the police through text messages. I might be wrong, but I doubt there's nothing like that in South Korea. Kyung Mi and her mother would definitely know about such a thing. Even when panicking, I'm sure that would still come to your mind.
There are still many things I could mention, or some criticism I don't necessarily agree with, but I think you got the rough idea already. Ultimately, I am angry not because of all the inconsistencies themselves. I spend my time watching shows that are full of them and still manage to have a good time. I am mad because this movie could have been something greater. It had so much potential, and seeing it all go to waste like that right in front of my eyes feels like betrayal. This movie has some good in it, but the bad easily overtakes it. Midnight would barely deserve a 5, if not for the atmosphere and acting. And if I'm being honest, I'm betting my life that if Wi Ha Joon wasn't in this movie (but was replaced by an equally talented yet less attractive actor), the ratings would be way lower.
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If you have lots of patience then you should watch it.
It was good but just good for me cause I'm not fan of slow paced dramas they quite a lot irritate me sometimes and I hate misunderstandings and miscommunication I guess that's why I didn't liked this drama that much.But I do loved the friendship between them! I felt that it could have been executed in the better way, I liked FL's character she was independent and hard working but I didn't liked some of her decisions that's why I was annoyed by it sometimes. But I felt it was kind of realistic that we all do some mistakes in life and we should know when to backoff and correct them .... even if it's late. Aww and I really liked ML I mean he was such a gem and did many things without any expectations.
It's not normal length jdrama it's quite long... but you'll enjoy journey even sometimes it's get irritating but you'll like it's ending... sometimes ending is memorable than the journey itself.
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The drama changed the characters to be more lovable, relatable, and endearing and the plot was not slow or draggy at all to me. Yankee to Megane is one of those dramas that has a manga/anime-esque feel to it, and by that I mean that the whole story revolves around small events, like Hana Kimi. It's not going to be a show with a gripping plot that'll keep you at the edge of your chair or anything because it has a different style. So I disagree with the previous reviewer that the events are out of place, because that's how these dramas are stylized to be and the way the drama portrays it is actually a lot more coherent then the manga.
The drama is a great light and funny story, but also has heart and good points of friendship. The acting is also great. The main leads were fantastic and I love how the actors portrayed the characters. The supporting cast, was average, but unimportant to the focus of the main characters.
As I am stil reading the manga currently, it makes me miss the slight differences in the characters and even though I just finished watching this drama a couple days ago, i already feel like watching it again.
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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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A Better Tomorrow was the film that launched John Woo reputation as an action director after few failures in other genres. Through this film, Woo broke the usual Hong Kong ways of making action films that should always be either Kung Fu or Wuxia; he made a gangster film that became an absolute classic.
The film itself has a deep involving plot. It’s true that I admire John Woo films because I am an action junkie and I am forever in love with violent films but that’s not everything that I love about Woo’s films. What I also appreciate is his ways of making us feel the characters and care for their destinies as well as the relationships between them. The story within A Better Tomorrow is not some shallow action telling; there is the suffering of characters, the angst, the friendship, the brotherhood, the loyalty, the sacrifice and the rest of John Woo favorite themes that he never fails to make them shine.
If we leave the drama behind, we get an amazing action film with well-choreographed gunfights even if they were in a lesser amount than John Woo’s later films “The Killer” and “Hard Boiled”. You see, the usual John Woo pie of making action (heroic-bloodshed genre) is: guns, lots of guns, many people (preferably dead more than alive), two (or sometimes three) heroes who kill and kill then kill again, explosions, crazy gunplay and bullets flying everywhere. A Better Tomorrow was the film that started it all.
The acting was great, this was also the film that launched Chow Yun Fat’s stardom and made him take a big leap of success as a films’ actor. After this, he took the main role in almost all John Woo Hong Kong films. Then there’s Ti Lung and Leslie Cheng as a somewhat third lead; the three of them had a great combination but Chow Yun Fat had the strongest performance.
The characters weren’t always cool; they had their own pathetic pitiful moments which help the audience relate to them. And let’s not forget that their development was quite wonderful.
The cinematography was nice; I recently re-watched this film and it wasn’t even obvious that this was made in the 80’s. Needless to say, this is a great re-watching material especially after a long time of first viewing.
Watch if:
- You like John Woo action films because this is the one that started it all.
- You enjoy gangster films with brotherhood and friendship themes.
- You’re in the mood for a great action film.
Do not watch if:
- You dislike Action or violent films.
- You dislike John Woo’s work.
A Better Tomorrow is a classic out of its genre and a deep action film that still feels so good even after 30 years.
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The story started out strong and there is good development throughout up until episode 8. There were less noticable cliches than other Thai BL dramas like too much unnecessary 'classmates seating together in the bench with irrelevant conversations' scenes. This is not a teenybopper show and the sexiness has even surpassed the first season.
The cast also did a good job, especially Boat and Ryu (Em and Pun). Tar also did good with the little time he was given. The weakest of the bunch is the main lead Net (Sib)- his character and his acting was annoying as hell and that says a lot considering the one supposed to be annoying is the female lead, but still, even with that mentioned, I enjoyed their delivery overall.
Just like in some of my other reviews and as a decorator in real life, id specially like to mention the good quality of the sets. The one thing i hate is that eventhough the homes were all beautifully decorated, it was too obvious that they were using the model units and all of them were in the same condominium (the logo of which appears so prominently throughout the show - this is not how you do product placement).
But like I said in the beginning and unfortunately, for me, the last 2 episodes were a mess - some of the characters were making questionable decisions while the main actor was stucked in indecisiveness. That time jump in the end was also arguably unnecessary - they cant even bother to change the looks (at least a haircut) of the 3 characters just to show that 3 years has really passed. Also, it feels like the writers cant decide who is the best match and totally blotched the ending making me feel so sorry for Em and Tar cause they totally deserved better.
I gave it an overall score of 7 stars out of 10. Would I rewatch, i dont think so, unless Pun somehow magically chooses Em.
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i need more
Hey Strongberry, sit down here, let's have a friendly conversation. You guys will really make me fall in love with every movie that you guys do? mannnnnnnnnn we need a SERIES, this movie suits more like a first episode of a series. then you can explore a great relationship and fears, and maaaaaaaaaan you guys really have talent and make the Korean Bl's the greatest. I'm really sick of the Bl korean series having the same format and strongberry are out here to make everything different and unique. you guys for SURE have my support! the actors are so pretty and act so well, the soundtrack it's good too. I need more.Was this review helpful to you?
However, at the beginning of the movie, Cho Won’s mother made a statement where she wanted him to have self worth. I think in her pursuit of this, she kind of lost her purpose and doubted her reasons. Me, personally, I applaud her for doing it.
The acting by the leads, Kim Mi Sook and Cho Seung Woo was outstanding. The attention to detail that not only Mi Sook focused on as the mother but Seung Woo as an autistic man was definitely believable.
No stone was left unturned; from Cho Won’s treatment by so-called normal people to the jealousy his brother had because of all the attention his brother got. I was glad they didn’t leave that out. I believe the actors spent a lot of time researching the subject as well as talking to the real life Mother and Son. Yes, this is a true story that reflects the life and accomplishments of not only the mother but the son, in his pursuit to run!
A great real-life story!!
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After I finish watching this drama, I'd dare to say it is THE BEST school drama ever made in Japan, if not the best ever made by ANY country. Only one show is good enough to be apple-to-apple comparison with it, namely Kinpachi-sensei (though I just watch one season, the 6th). Both are equally excellent, but for those cannot stand very numerous episode you will most likely end up not liking Kinpachi (it has 23 episodes@ 1 hour!)
OK, let go to the review. It tackles current issues of middle school students in Japan (as well as in my country, actually), including free (minor) sex, freedom of speech, mental age, and even at one episode it involves bullying. Seems unremarkable, isn't it? Unlike many others that trying so hard to agitate audiences' feelings by bombarding them with cliches, Suzuki Sensei comes out naturally. Everything in this drama looks so naturally, from the ambient, dialogues, responses, and even every students...everyone of them looks just come out of reality. Just like what your middle school classmates do in real life, if you had experienced one.
Everything in this drama is also in gray zone, not in black neither white zone of morality, which I really like. Perhaps the most ground-breaking feature of the drama is its way to deliver its message to the masses. Like I mentioned before, this drama does not rely on overused cliches- something like the teacher saying moral message very straightly and everyone cries all the sudden. Middle school kids need logical explanations, and this drama provides and delivers it in good manners. You might be offended by opinions by characters (usually by Mr. Suzuki himself) in this drama, but that's what this drama made for. You will see, the students are becoming more and more open-minded to criticism and others' opinion, and eventually gradually become better person.
Technical-wise, this drama also triumphantly awesome. Hasegawa portrays Mr. Suzuki, the imperfect but smart teacher very well. In fact, this is his best performance so far. The kids are also very well picked. It's not surprising many of the Suzuki alumni become involved in many good coming-of-age shows like this. I'm hoping the kids get their well-deserved breaks, since they are really good. I also enjoy the opening, as well as its soundtrack. They really represent what this drama is all about.
If you identify yourself as a J-drama enthusiast, I urge you to watch this drama. Finally, all of those explanation enough to warrant this show a must watch.
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Fun to watch
I think this show deserves a better review. I actually really enjoyed watching it. Admittedly, a lot of the criticisms are true, the story is highly unrealistic, stretched thin, and uneven in many places. Some of the acting is not convincing, especially from some of the newer actors, though Claudia and Simon were both amazingly portrayed.In my opinion, what sets this series apart are primarily two things. First, they tried to create something fun, exciting and most of all entertaining. It's a comedy-drama that succeeds in making the audience smile most of the time and occasionally cry. The characters and situations are exaggerated beyond expectations, but it isn't meant to be taken too seriously, it's more like a comic book brought to life. The second thing that makes this series special is the styling. Lot's of bold, saturated colors, fast camera changes, energetic music. It's almost like watching a music video. To underline the styling, one of the characters is a free-runner, emphasizing the energy of the production. Everyone looks like they just walked off a fashion magazine photo shoot. One memorable scene is when the wealthy Jennista walks down her spiral staircase wearing an all black dress with a white cat in one arm, probably inspired by Vogue from the 1930s or 40s.
In an interesting twist on the typical love story, here it's the men who are pure, innocent and devoted to their lovers while the women are fighting and generally making a fool of themselves. It's nice to see the stereotypes switched around.
If you're on the fence about whether or not to watch it, just watch the first 15-20 minutes or so. You will get a feel for the style of the show. It doesn't get any better - or worse - after that.
I would love to see the production team create a new season, though perhaps with new characters.
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