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You simply cannot compare
I always find it interesting when people cannot objectively review a series or a movie because of previous bias or rumors they read somewhere. When "2Moons" ended everyone fell in love with Kimmon and Copter and some of the other actors in that series. Then, when it was announced that a sequel was coming but with a completely new cast, people went crazy because they couldn't understand how the company was managing its actors. But, "2Moons2" aired, with all new actors and then people fell in love with Earth (playing Wayo) and the steamy scenes between Pavel and Dome (playing Forth and Beam) were also incredibly popular (just go to Youtube and you'll find A LOT of reaction videos on that). So, the world didn't end because the cast of "2Moons" was completely replaced, right?All this preamble is to say a similar thing about Color Rush S1 and S2... you simply cannot compare both just because the character of Go Yoo-han is not present in season 2, and here is why...
1. The acting of Yoo-jun (playing Choi Yeon-woo) remains as one of the solid points of both seasons. In the first season he deals with the fact that he is a mono, his mother is also a mono but is missing, and he finds new friends and also finds Yoo-han who is also his probe. He experiences the rush of being able to see colors and also the disappointment of losing that ability after the decoloring effect begins. In season 2, he goes from the uncertainty of his mother still being missing, to the dread of witnessing Yoo-han's kidnapping, to the potential of uncovering all the illegal activities the Gray Scale/Woksun/Nerve Candy people (led by a mono that goes by the nickname of "Monowife"), to dealing with his new feelings towards Kim Se-hyun, to finally finding out his mother did die but being rather calm about it.
While I think some of his facial expressions still need a bit of work, his eyes do manage to express a lot of the feelings Yeon-woo goes though in both seasons while showing the calm but decided character that Yeon-woo needs to be.
2. The acting of VIXX's Han Sang-hyuk (playing Kim Se-hyun) was also a nice surprise as he never doubted or was hesitant about acting in a BL story (according to an interview he gave) and showed a very strong character that goes from befriending Yeon-woo, to trying to help his sister improve her condition as a mono and not be bullied by others, to mourning her death, to seeking revenge while protecting Yeon-woo, to confessing his feelings for him despite knowing he might never get a chance if Yoo-han returns. Sang-hyuk was able to mix some serious tones in his acting with some comedic moments, like in ep. 8 when he daydreams he is kissing Yeon-woo.
The chemistry between him and Yoo-jun was quite strong as they acted like a married couple in some parts (like when Se-hyun moves in with Yoo-jun) or like Sherlock Holmes & Watson when discovering the truth about the Lapis Lazuli tea, the Lapizata pill, and the illegal probe surgery or like Batman & Robin in the action scenes in the final episode.
3. The storyline had a bit more action. Season 1 was a slow-burner in many things because we needed time to process the mono-probe world, the introduction of each character, Yeon-woo's mother being a mono and also missing, Yeon-woo's aunt being a reporter trying to uncover the truth and find her sister, and then also go through the color rushes that Yoo-han made Yeon-woo feel along with all their interactions.
But, season 2 had nothing of that as we already knew the mono-probe situation and Yeon-woo's familial situation. A bit of a complain is that a lot of the action happened way too fast and we jumped from scene to scene without proper time to digest what just happened. Further, several things like a) Yoo-han's kidnapping, b) the introduction of Se-hyun as "someone who wanted to get close to Yeon-woo but couldn't because he was always glued to Yoo-han", c) Se-hyun's sister life as a mono and her part in the secret society, d) the secret society of monos trying to see colors through drugs and illegal surgeries, and e) Se-hyun's being a mono himself but being able to deal with it in secret, were not completely explained/introduced and then not fully developed... so in most parts, we need to either remember things that happened or were said in season 1 or figure out by ourselves how the characters get to the point we see in that particular scene. And also, do they never go to school? Not much happens inside their classroom this time and the secondary roles of Yeon-woo's friends are relegated to a few scenes here and there.
The only truth about this series is that Hur Hyun-jun (the actor who played Go Yoo-han in S1) was not present in S2 and honestly, I'm not sure that his absence made much of a difference. Sure, we heard the name "Go Yoo-han" many times during season 2 because of him being kidnapped and Yeon-woo's wish to find him... but at no point I felt like, "geez, it would be great to have Hyun-jun acting here". There are many rumors about Hyun-jun's exclusion from season 2... rumors about him not being happy about his first major role happening in a BL story, rumors about the production crew/staff being unhappy about his "lack of professionalism", rumors about the production company being unhappy about his "lack of acting skills", and rumors that this was all planned along because of the storyline/plot that season 2 was going to have. Whatever the real reason is, the only real fact is that Hyun-jun was not part of season 2 but comparing both seasons or how Hyun-jun would have acted instead of Sang-hyuk ends up being a useless and ridiculous exercise because, you simply cannot compare.
The storyline (especially the after credits scene in episode 8) sets up the series for a third season with Monowife going into Yoo-han's hospital room and telling him to wake up as Yeon-woo "needs him" and him opening his eyes. Could we have a third season with Yoo-han coming back and now having a love triangle if Yeon-woo and Se-hyun remain in the series as well? Could we have a third season that explores Monowife's connection with Yoo-han? Could we have a third season with a whole new plot twist?
Who knows! But it sure is more exciting to think about all these options than waste time lamenting the absence of Hyun-jun or complaining about what this season could have been like if he acted in it, don't you think?
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May I Help You?
At first, one would think it is just another comedy, 'feel good', “very fictional”, TV series. It was easy to drop it just because. But, a fair warning, doing so would be to your detriment. This series is about life, the value of relationships, and yes, what death means for you and me.The story transcends faith and religion. This was beautifully depicted with the Catholic priest and the Catholic confessional box; as well as, by the Buddhism beliefs of the other characters. Life, relationships, and death, are universal, and commonly have the same depth of meaning regardless of one's faith and religion.
It isn't about ghosts. In fact, there is nothing paranormal in the story, rather, it is more supernatural. A higher being supernaturally allowed the female lead character to have a spiritual “Stella's touch”. One last opportunity to for the dead to make their wishes known; and for the living to have peace.
The ending is a must-watch, but only if one watched the series from the beginning without skipping anything. It is rare to see an ending that blows the audience, and leaves a long-lasting impression. An ending deserving of the beautifully woven story of the male and female lead characters, and their relationships with their loved ones, their regrets, and their hopes.
This TV drama is a story about you and me. It is a story about the living and our dearly departed. It is a story of healing and moving on. A story of regrets and hopes. It is painful, sad, and you will definitely cry no matter how strong you may be. But in the end, it reminds us how good it is to live, and that all the pain and hardship of life we may have gone through and will go through, are nothing compared to having been loved.
May I Help You?
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Originally posted on my blog: Snoworld | YourOnly.One (https://im.youronly.one/snoworld/may-i-help-you-일당백집사-2022-review-2022357/)
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This review may contain spoilers
Incase if you can’t get this movie this might be helpful!
At first, The Great Flood may not feel like a “bad” movie, but it can definitely feel confusing, especially if you’re used to traditional K-drama or Korean films with a clear emotional or linear storyline. This movie suddenly shifts tone and narrative, which can be disorienting. However, once you understand what the film is actually about, it becomes deeply meaningful and emotionally powerful.The world in the movie is already ending. Humanity is almost extinct. The experiment exists because humans are trying to recreate humanity, not just biologically, but emotionally. They realize that without real emotions, especially love, the new humanity they create will never truly be human.
This is where An-na and Ja-in come in.
An-na is part of the Emotion Engine Experiment. She agrees to have her brain implanted into a simulation where she relives the same scenario again and again which is loop as y’all know.
Her role is to demonstrate genuine human emotion, particularly maternal love, because nothing is more raw or instinctive than a mother’s love for a child.
Ja-in, the child, is technically “just a subject.” She is supposed to abandon him. She is meant to choose logic over emotion. But she doesn’t. She loves him like a real child — and that is the entire point of the experiment.
An-na is tested to see if she can:
• Form real emotional attachment
• Make moral choices
• Choose love even when logic and rules tell her not to
She fails thousands of times.
The drawings scattered throughout the movie are not random. They represent past loops of the simulation. Each drawing shows Ja-in remembering her words: “I’ll be back. Wait for me.”
That’s why he keeps hiding in the closet every time. That’s why he keeps drawing the helicopter scene — and why the drawings slowly get better and more detailed. He remembers. He learns. He feels.
When An-na once tells him, “Draw me with some color,” the drawings begin to change. This proves emotional memory exists — even inside a simulation.
Her shirt changing numbers shows how many times she has repeated the loop. Each number represents another failure. Another reset. In total, she is trapped for 13,499 attempts, spanning around five years from her perspective (or even longer depending on interpretation). Some theories place it closer to 21,499 days, roughly 58 years, emphasizing the unimaginable emotional weight of the experiment.
The AI systems try to stop her ( mans with gun’s) They want to reset the simulation because the machine only activates when the subject reaches their version of emotional perfection. The world ends over and over because the simulation can run thousands of apocalyptic scenarios faster than real time.
The truth is:
An-na and Ja-in are already dead.
This is a machine using their memories to learn how human emotions work so it can create the next generation of “humans.”
In the end, An-na passes the test because she chooses love over logic.
Ja-in separating from her shows free will — something artificial intelligence cannot fake. When she is allowed to return to Earth, we see others who have also passed similar simulations. Humanity doesn’t survive because bodies are recreated — it survives because love was successfully learned.
The final message of the movie is clear:
Being human isn’t about being real or artificial.
It’s about love, memory, sacrifice, and the choices we make.
This movie isn’t confusing — it’s layered.
And once you understand it, it’s devastatingly beautiful. Also including few extra words I would say the experiment proves humans are defined not by survival instincts, but by who they choose to save, plus many of people have asked why “love” they would better come with something else but going deep down maternal love is used because it’s the hardest emotion to fake or replicate while AI can simulate logic endlessly, but love requires irrational sacrifice…
That’s it!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Playing Peek-a-boo With the Interesting Plotline
Khun Dad!?! Dafug you mean Khun Dad??? And what the hell was that dancing pose? Dude out there looking like a confused triangle. Look, I’m used to people in love having ridiculous nicknames like my Mosquito net, Donut lips, Baboon butt and Chicken thighs. But I draw the line at effing Khun Dad. Dafug?? Can’t believe Bank was able to say that with a straight face and Mos didn’t throw up on him every time he said it.Anyway, I’m sure y’all remember that abomination when Pit Babe made us throw up our lunch going ‘Mama, Papa’ *race car noises*, right? Yeah, prepare to wanna throw up last christmas’ turkey, cuz there’s a whole new cringe in town.
This week on BLs Cringe Hot 100
#1 Khun Dad. [NEW]
#2 Mama, Papa, Pitbabe. [-1]
#3 I’ll Kiss You Till You Drop, 2gether. [=]
#8 I'll Be Your Vaccine, Fish Upon A Sky [+3]
This was legit me when I heard that nickname for the first time.
SALIN: We are soo in love, let’s have cute nicknames. I’ll call you, Khun Dad. *in love noises*
ME: Did he just say…nah, *shakes head.* I must have misheard.
SALIN: Khun Dad.
ME: God forbid!
WHY Child??? May this level of inlove-ness-ness never locate me! Mister effing Dad?? Why? Peoples, he said Khun Dad with his whole chest!! Maybe I found this repulsive because I’m as romantic as those bl scenes where they think giving their partners that yellow ice tea and drinking it slowly is romantic. Khun Dad. The devil is a liar!
Listen, thanks to dramas, single people have not known peace in this fandom. There’s always some romantic nonsense to make people look 1000 times more single. And in this show, there are so many romantic scenes from both the first and second leads that make single people look like they live in a hole, alone, with 21 cats. And yes, good for them, they are in love. But gawwwd do some of the romantic gestures makes me cringe.
- The Khun Dad
- The I love you in 6 languages or more
- That woman/Salin prisoner who turned into a light in the finale and promised to spend her next life loving Sun in a wig, who is a half snake lord of something. It vexed me, cuz the eff you mean after he locked you up for centuries you wanna be born again and love him? People in love should be abandoned at disneyland on their birthdays.
And do y’all remember that dancing Salin and Sun did on their first? date? That pose at the end was the most effing awkward, embarrassing, unsexiest thing I’d ever seen. Homeboy out there looking like the cousin of that one gingerbread from Shrek. Literally, what the hell was that? Whose idea was that? Get the hell outta here.
Khun Dad. Why, just why? What did we do to deserve this? What did I do to the writers? Why they gonna subject me to that? People In Love Are So Disgusting. Ew.
PLOT
SunsetXvibes feels like a fancy arse dessert I ordered, but when it came, it tasted like cupboard paper with pink sparkles. Cuz, why was the show playing peek-a-boo with the interesting storyline? Mfers had a naked guy napping in some water and spent 98.6% of the drama in the office talking about necklaces. Going in, I thought we were going to see behind the scenes of what happens in these sort of companies. You know, there'd be fashion shows like in the finale, biddings wars to see their designs worn by famous celebrities in magazines and events, you know, the ins and outs of the glamorous world. Instead we got them clicking on computers, talking about designing and meetings.
And okay sure, what I got wasn't want I expected, but interning at a jewellery company, cool, nice, but what about that butt naked dude? When are you going to tell me about him? How does it connect to this main plot?
The screenwriters were like: how many random flashbacks you want with no context or development?
Director: Yes.
Literally, were the flashbacks supposed to intrigue us? The first two times sure, but after we kept getting barely there glances with no correlation to the current plot-line, I straight up went and filled in my own thing.
ME: Ahh, so in his past life, he used to moonlight as a naked river god, who knew some woman. Either that or he went swimming one time and someone stole his cloth. Then I was like ‘hmmm, is it like The Sign? It reminds me of the sign, is a dragon looking snake gonna show up? Then bam, it showed up.
No, but the writers? ruin this. They had a good plot on paper, but they were so busy having the leads act all cutesy, and acting below their adult age with unnecessary nonsense misunderstandings, that, they forgot the actual plot, dragged the flashback reveal and forgot to connect the two stories. Plus that flashback seems to just be hanging around, you know, like that one uncle who comes for christmas and just sits in the corner? He there, we can see him, but like, we all pretending he has on one of them Harry Potter invisibility cloaks. When they finally told us what the hell the flashbacks were about, I’d lost all interest and was like ‘Oh, okay, sure, whatever, move it along. Did I remember to turn off the iron?... Wait, I don't own an iron.’
Although there was no connection of that flashback plot and this current one, cuz it's randomly inserted with no follow ups, it felt far more interesting. Because, the flashbacks plot had: unrequited love, Salin being the reincarnation/spirit? of the trapped lady, Nagas, Sun in a wig from Shein was like some lord or another and Salin killed someone. Interesting stuff, tell me more.
Instead, we get Salin designing something that always gets stolen/patented, the company turning into a dating app for Salin and his friends. Also, what does Yo and Pim do all day? Sure they on the computer but are they designing stuff or just ordering lunch? Then of course in-between the two things happening there are lots of NC scene. From the pool table to that artsy painting room, to Sam's office sofa, to that dressing room... which were all...hihi...yeah...stuff. Having soup while watching/hearing that NC in the finale was unfortunate.
So yeah, I wanted a correlation between the two stories, instead the writers threw the plot with the Naga and murder away to make room for unnecessary stuff. And what the hell was that finale? Talk about if irrelevant lived next door to uneventful and anti-climatic. The finale was filled with awkward cringy scenes. Which meant the flashback plot was quickly wrapped up with nonsense. Literally when did we see lord Sun in a wig always being there to protect Salin? And that was it? that woman who has been trapped for forever turned into a light and died? And since when can Salin close his eyes and summon Sun in a wig? LIKE??? arrgggg. meh. I’m sure the writers wanted the flashbacks to intrigued us, but with no real connection to the main plot it became uninteresting. Cuz really, what was I supposed to be looking forward to with 3 seconds flash back every two episodes?
Also, that man person with a gun in the finale. Who the hell was he? What was his job, and why the hell did he want to steal designs? I'm sure he was introduced in the start, but he's so forgettable and irrelevant that he could have been replaced by one of those necklaces and it wouldn't have made a darn different.
And can we talk about when Salin finally found out what the flashbacks were about? I expected more reaction from him, but homeboy came out of the flashback, ignored everything he saw, and instead went to design a necklace. CHILD??? You not even gonna wonder how this lord who looks like Sun in a wig likes you in this lifetime?? You gonna save your past self or? What kind of dollar store arse reaction was that??
Literally this was him when he finally found out what his dream/nightmares were about.
ME: Wow, Sun's the reincarnation of the lord/guy in the wig???
SALIN: Did you see his necklace?
ME: OMG your past self, who is still in the cave, is alive. There's two of you. You gonna save her?
SALIN: She was the one who gave him the necklace.
ME: You killed that woman. You murdered a person with dark smoke magic.
SALIN: I'm gonna design that necklace.
ME: But---but there's literally two of you in existence right now, and you killed a sister.
SALIN: Anyone have some crayons, I need to start designing.
HOW? Just---HUH? No, but really, dafug was that reaction? If the character himself doesn't think it's important, how are the viewers suppose to be interested or take it serious? That whole flashback story-line felt like it was written so Salin can design a gothic looking necklace to win the competition, which was completely unnecessary. Not gonna lie, that whole award competition felt awkward with unnecessary cringy dialogue from the staff. I'm gonna comfort myself by believing Lin's design won cuz it was different looking than the rest...cuz ain't no way.
And while the flashback plot wasn’t giving us much, the main plot wasn’t keeping my interest either. Lots of cutesy stuff, with adults acting below their age and not much else going on. Cuz the plot with who has been stealing/patenting designs ended in 0.2 seconds. It was so anti-climatic and ended so quick, they needed another character to overact and explain it to the viewers for 5 unnecessary minutes complete with an ad. No but the finale was... did they run out of ideas and had 1 hour to fill? Cuz literally, the eff was that work bathroom scene? On the plus side, some of Sal's outfits in this drama slays, so at least I can comfort myself with that. yaay me?
I think MosBank can do so much better than this plot. I saw them in Big Dragon, so seeing them act different here, all calm, cute and innocent, and being all in-true-love is refreshing/different to see. Although they are the leads, I don’t think they are the reason for how unremarkable this turned out. The plot is just very mediocre, sort of repetitive and boring. They didn’t have much to work with. Yes, they had the chemistry to keep fans watching, but unfortunately, their chemistry couldn’t save this. Everything was so meh that in some scenes they seem to even loose their chemistry, and those two has a lot of it, even on random Tuesdays. And there was only so much the supporting cast could add. I hope in their next work, the plot is more interesting, and it doesn’t rely heavily on the actors carrying the show of a poorly executed story.
CHARACTERS
The supporting cast didn’t have much going for them. Still, they each had something small going on, though the ones that stood up the most were the second couples. They were cute. I was cheering for Sam and Yo from the start. Their chemistry was chemistrying. And they knew the correct way to call each other, P'Sam and Nong Yo, very cute, no vomit in sight. Also, was everyone as surprised as I was to find out Sam goes to the gym in-between buying hair gel?
LMAO, was I the only one who laughed at Sam's new look after his secret of being the second son of the company was revealed? Homeboy showed up with a whole new hairstyle, minus glasses, and a single strand of hair threatening to poke him in the eye. I was like, okay, arite, I guess poor people don’t use hair gel, good for you. LOL.
I feel the gl couple could have developed more, instead of Prim spending most of the series being nonchalant. When they did get together, I couldn't really vibe with their chemistry, they cute, but I wanted more reason to cheer for them. Like with Sam and Yo, where they had those little moments that all added to them falling in love. Looking back all I recall of the gl couple is Prim always saying no to whatever Pim was asking her. So yeah, they were there.
My fav scene in this whole series might be when they found out Lin’s dating the CEO. Sam’s face going ‘I can’t believe I’m related to this dumbass’ made me roll with laughter. I also liked when Lin dropped kicked that weirdo. Oh, and how the friends were not surprise that Sam and Yo were dating. I mean, you could cut the intense with a bread knife.
Oh, and what the hell was up with those random foreign language one liners they kept inserting? Is that whats cool these days or am I not chronically online enough to be in the known? First it was just Pim, but then everyone was suddenly doing it...okay? And like, was it me or did the finale never seemed to end? Whenever I thought it was over, another scene popped up.
Now, Back to the Khun Dad debacle. Anyone else wanted to throw tiny rocks at Lin every time he said Khun Dad? That shit was corny and cringy as eff. People in love deserves no rights. And Salin didn’t even say it once and got over it. Every second he was like, Khun Dad do you want to dance? Khun Dad do you want to eat shrimps? Khun Dad see my necklace. Child!! will you keep quiet??? I’m gonna be haunted by this until MosBanks next drama.
Anyway, in the end, it is what it is, and the bad execution of the plot ruined an otherwise interesting story. I expected a lot more from this. I hope MosBank gets to work with a great story(well executed) for their next project, so people see how talented they are. I'll still recommend this to fans, and anyone interested in boss-employee relationship. And to those who like CEO sons pretending to be poor stories, cuz you'd like Sam and Yo.
EDIT: HAHAHAHAHSKJWPRISKEJR.... soooo in the special episode.... Lin is pregnant? Or is gonna get pregnant. Literally, what in the random arse plot was that? sudden... mpreg? well it was planned, but whomst?? who's driving this thing? what's even happening?
That being said, the main song of this drama was soooo good! At least they got one thing right.
Anywho, Khun Dad I guess.
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Interesting short stories only told at surface level, and a lack of understanding in AI
Okay, this movie is... weird. It feels like an incomplete draft with missing scenes, actually it's almost like they had shot a short series and edited the key scenes into a movie. There is not enough context and world building which makes it confusing. I get that the science fiction aspect of this movie is not its focus, but it really needed an extra 15-20 minutes at the start to properly explain how exactly this Wonderland service works. Like how are the AI characters programmed and what are they programmed with? There are so many ambiguities but they'll be spoilers. It's almost like the movie itself doesn't know the answers. I can't tell if the director is inexperienced in the sci-fi genre or they cut out those scenes because the basic foundation to make a coherent story wasn't there. At one point towards the end it was straight up a fantasy movie and not science fiction anymore lmao.But then, I actually like the subject matter, the actors and parts of the movie especially in the first half. Most of the scenarios were actually interesting and complex -- but they weren't fleshed out at all. Which brings me to the point that this movie just has too many characters. Basically every story was only on surface level, some were just left hanging or abandoned. Suzy and Park Bogum's arc especially suffered from this, it needed way more screentime to be properly developed. I hate to say this but some of their parts felt half-baked and wasted their onscreen chemistry. Tang Wei on the other hand had the most complete arc and probably the most touching one.
It's a shame because I think if they expanded the material and went more in-depth for each arc, or removed all the arcs other than Suzy/PBG and Tang Wei's, it would have been way better. But alas the potential was wasted. Nonetheless, I think at the very least this movie can spark some interesting post-watch discussions.
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1Authentic, Moving, A True Treasure of 夫妻一唱一和
"Destined" is like a breath of fresh air in the world of historical dramas, breaking free from traditional norms with its liberal ideas. Forget about bloodlines determining the monarch or sticking to one family name, this story embraces diversity and challenges the importance of lineage. Gu Jiusi toys with the idea of giving his children different last names, mixing it up like a name buffet! Talk about breaking the rules!Our leading lady is a timid girl who finds her groove and inspires others to do the same, even that "bad" boy who transforms into a remarkable person. And of course, we have the ultimate villain who's the result of a dysfunctional family. That's one twisted family reunion!
Let's talk about Gu Jiusi, the lovable slacker from the wealthiest family. Sure, he has a reputation which is not so flattering, but deep down, he's got a heart of gold. Bai Jingting nails the role, bringing a playful charm and an unexpected sincerity to the flamboyant Gu Jiusi. He's like a lovable troublemaker with a heartwarming twist!
Now, Liu Yuru, our girl-next-door. She starts off powerless, a puppet of fate. But as life throws her curveballs, she discovers her inner strength and uses it to help her family and support her husband's journey to greatness. Song Yi portrays her beautifully, capturing the delicate yet strong essence of Liu Yuru.
And let's not forget the rest of the cast! From the one-dimensional characters like General Zhou Gaolang to the weak and insecure Fan Yu, everyone brings their A-game. Bravo, folks!
My Verdict
The underlying theme of "Destined" is all about harmony, and they drive that point home! Forgiveness, unity, and letting go of hatred are recurring motifs throughout the story. It's all about finding inner peace and spreading good vibes. Gu Jiusi sums it up perfectly when he says, "Nothing is bad or evil in this world. Stay true to your heart, live happily, and leave no regrets behind." Wise words.
This drama is like a sweet duet, with every note harmonizing perfectly. Sure, there are ups and downs, but in the end, you're left with a blissful feeling. It may take its time to unfold, but hey, good things come to those who wait! So, grab some popcorn and dive into this world of good triumphing over evil, light conquering darkness. It may be slow at times, but trust me, it's worth the watch. Don't miss out on the "Destined" magic!
Bravo!
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Maybe some people compared it to Kill me, Heal me, and let me just say that I have watched and completed KMHM before watching this, and yes I loved it. But although both dramas have DID as a theme, they're totally different.
I loved how Hyde, Jekyll and Me had another perspective on the subject. It's deep and actually addresses issues that had not been central in KMHM. Some people thought it was boring or nothing happening. Well let me just tell you this, this drama is all about the internal stuff going on! It's all about the people and their feelings and although nothing major is actually going on, it's all about the little changes that make you go from the situation in episode 1 to the ending. Some people also said that it was too long and could have been just 16 episodes. I disagree, all the steps were necessary, all the dialogues were necessary. For once, I actually thought the characters had a way of approaching the story logically. I don't understand what people don't like about HaNa, just think for a second if you were to be in her shoes. I thought she acted rationally (or emotionally but it MADE SENSE).
The actors played well in my opinion, but I guess everyone has their opinion. But it just doesn't make sense to me when people go crazy about a lame drama like Sensory Couple (Omg... at least in this one the police doesn't seem as incompetent, but I digress...) and bash out at something as awesome as Hyde, Jekyll and Me.
So the only recommendation I have is that you give this a try yourself (and we all know giving a chance to a drama means 5 episodes at least) and don't take into account all the negativity surrounding the ratings, which honestly I still do not get.
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This review may contain spoilers
Excellent drama about Love, Life and Career
At first I had my doubt since I'm the type of person who easily drop a drama. Moreover, I'm more into mystery, detective or thriller drama than slice-of life. But I love watching sport anime and I'm a fan of Wu Lei so I give this drama a chance. I watch it without any expectation and got surprised at how much I love this drama. I want to review the + and - of the drama, but then I realized that something that I think positive might be seen as negative by someone else. So I would just list things that I like and I don't like about this drama.Things that I like:
1. This is a drama with quote-worthy lines, have realistic description about work life & struggle, and problems in family
This drama is not only about love, but personal growth and people's effort to live the life that they want. The main theme is how love can make you be a better person. How love can give you courage, whether the courage to let go or the courage to start over.
2. I can identified myself with the protagonists & they make me want to root for them
This is the first thing that attract me to this drama. I can relate very much with the struggle of the female lead Liang You'an (LYA). As a working lady in my 30's I experience the same problems with her. Horrible bosses, no work-life balance, stagnant career, you name it. I was like, "why this is hit close to home?" Same as the female lead, I also have bad experience in love and everyone around me seems to have not-so-happy marriage, making me kind of afraid to meet the wrong partner and get married. But after watching this drama I think, "hey, maybe if I meet someone who is right for me, romantic relationship might work". I can also relate with the struggle of the male lead Song Sanchuan. I'm someone who excelled in my education, but I've faced several failures at work that sometimes make me lose confident in myself. I know how our state of mind can affect our performance and I found I'm rooting so much for SSC to overcome his struggle and develop his potential to its fullest.
3. The romance between SSC & LYA progress naturally with natural sweetness
I prefer drama with a relationship that progress naturally. Romance in this drama is not industrial saccarine, it's full of natural sweetness. Which I think is excellent and match my preference. But for people who love heavy romance drama with a lot of skinship, the sweet romance here might not evenly spread in every episode and they might need to patiently watch the love story unfold. The amount of sweet scenes are more in later episodes after SSC & LYA got together (start from episode 30). Those episodes are full of sugar.
3. Directing, script & overall production
I just love the cinematography in this drama. For example the scene after LYA reject SSC and show us how they separate that day in the parking lot (with LYA shown to slowly go away by car and SSC still standing there). The way the drama show the community where SSC live. They pay attention to show us every character's living condition. Even from the clothes we can see LYA's high-class clothes and SSC's middle class clothes and have a sense of the difference in their living condition.
4. Some of the supporting characters
There's a lot of lovely supporting characters in this drama. An Cong is a very nice father figure to SSC. I love how they bonded, bickered and love each other despite not having blood connection. LYA's best friend, Luo Nian, show us the stuggle of being a single mom. I'm surprised at how I can like Liang Tao. I hate her at first. But after I finally see her background and thoughts, I think I can see where she come from. The boys at the tennis club so supportive to SSC & I love their friendship.
5. Protagonist with no-nonesense attitude
In a lot of drama, I was frustated at how some of the protagonists act illogically and annoyed me. Make the same mistakes numerous times, childish, etc. Sometimes the protagonist here doing something that I don't like, but I still understand why they do it. This has a downside tho. Some people love protagonist who act silly & unpredictable, and character who act mature and sensible all the time might not seems interesting to some people. They might seems flat. But for me, I love this kind of no-nonesense protagonist.
6. The problems are resolved quickly
Some drama drag the problem for too long. Thankfully not in this drama. Every problem are resolved quickly and there's happiness in every episode. Just like life itself which sometimes challenging and sometimes fun.
Things that I don't like:
1. Some supporting characters.
While I do think there's a lot of lovely supporting characters here, there's also a lot who are annoying. I know the screenwriter flesh out their story because she want to send a message. For example, Jiang Jie the horrible ex-boss of LYA. I understand what the screenwriter want to show with his story, but it doesn't mean I care and I still wish his screentime is reduced.
2. I feel like they can simplified some side story and make the drama more compact. Some parts feels a little bit draggy for me, particularly when it show the story of the characters that I don't really care about like what I said in poin 1 above. There's also some product placement in this drama. While it's not annoying at all and placed nicely, but I still notice that it's product placement.
Overall, I really recommend this drama to everyone. I give 10 for actings because I really like how natural they portray the characters. You need to watch this drama, particularly if you like:
- urban/slice of life/sport drama
- sweet romance
- deep talk
I'm not recommending this drama for people who are:
- too young. I don't expect teenager to relate with the struggle portrayed in this drama.
- expecting heavy romance or a relationship that has bloom/intimate from the start. The romance in this drama is sweet but that's not the only focus here. It's also a drama about life & career. This drama also aired on national TV so they remove the hot scenes and make it tame.
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I guess you can say that I'm thrilled and charmed by the simplicity of the drama. There isn't much new to the plot, in general, but you see a lot of freshness in how they approach the subject. Either Jin Hyuk found a drama that appears to ideally fit to his own character, or they changed it a bit to fit him, because he is superb in it.
Jin Hyuk has an ability to play characters, that seems simple and lighthearted, at the same time, being incredibly deep and sophisticated. I think this is the main charm in this drama. He plays his role perfectly and at the same time gives depth to the plot, writers have given him to play.
I do believe that either people see this drama and can't get enough of it, or they will dismiss it for being too simple and easy. But at a closer look, you love it more than (almost) any other.
Also have to give production crew a thumbs up. The choice of actors is pretty darn good and as I am usually pretty negative in my reviews about female leads, which usually appears in me not posting about them at all.. :) But this time I have to say.. I'm impressed.
Ha Yoon is at her strongest in here. In 'Fight for my way', she made an impression as a great actress, who could really play a part I'd enjoy, in an emotional drama. I was right, she's perfect for this, in this. She makes me smile and she frustrates me.. and she makes me feel her emotions, and relate to her life..
Everyone, the writers, producers, the actors. Have done a great job on this project(will do). Can't wait to watch it until to the end. Hope to feel surprised a bit, but whichever way the plot goes, I'm sure I'm gonna love it until it ends.
(BTW) Not sure about this remark.. But I really do like Hoya only, when he's dancing.. I've seen some, or a lot of his acting. But somehow.. his character, wherever he plays.. has not gotten a lot of recognition from me. He plays well, but I don't like him as an actor. As a dancer, sure.. I could watch him for a long time :D
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It starts off with a girl that has a traumatic past that goes through something mentally and it sucks because she doesn't know what she needs to do or how to help it in any way. You have a business man that really just minds his own, has a funny assistant, has a strained relationship with his brother and all in all, this show is like What's Wrong With Secretary Kim but like...not as dramatic honestly. Lol. The two cross each other because of fate really and the rest is kind of history. The perks of this show is the female lead is sweet and adorable, hard working and understanding. The male lead tries to be aggressive and mean but he's really sweet, has a soft spot for the FL and even when he's trying to be tough, he cares for her and I love that for them. LMAO. At first things are a little put off because of misunderstanding and your average bickering but the chemistry they had and evolved into was wonderful and the kisses were...*chefs kiss*; also the side stories, not even bad. I also LOVE that the girl that had a crush on the ML didn't come and try to be a home wrecker lol love when it's not toxic.
The acting was great! I personally have never seen the main leads in any shows but they did fantastic and I like that they clicked together. I liked the brother a lot more in Girlfriend because he wasn't a jerk but he played a good actor because you couldn't tell who he was actually helping. I also liked the best friend, she was great in Go Go Squid, great in this show too. So all in all, I liked everyone and everything.
The music was sooo nice. Like so nice. I really liked that they timed the instrumentals perfectly; it's a rare occurrence for that.
You know what? I rarely rewatch shows, but I think I just might. They were honestly so sweet together, had great kisses, were not toxic at all and they really were just trying to do what they need to do for each other and I dig that. So overall, a great show. A fluffy kind of show with a cliche storyline but you know what I say, old but gold in my book.
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Utsukushii Kare: Special Edit Version
51 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
Skip the Series and Just Watch the Special Edit Version!!!
•❅✧❅✦ What's the Difference?!!! •❅✧❅✦It's hard to point out all of them since I just watched it in theaters today in Japan, but I will write a few off the top of my head.
1. Hira/Kiyoi's narration - A lot of the narration is cut or altered because the film is now in a movie format and there's no need to fill in the audience with what happened in the past. Also, some of the narrations are placed on different scenes or have different timing from the series.
2. The music/bgm - A lot of the bgm that was playing behind a lot of the scenes were cut and replaced with ambient sound. Also because the film isn't episodic the scenes that were affected by the opening/closing themes had more ambience or a different bgm giving more impact to the scenes.
3. Lack of flashbacks - This really helped the story because when I rewatched the series after viewing the film, I got really annoyed with the flashbacks. The lack of flashbacks made the audience was more invested in the scenes.
4. Cut Scenes - They also cut a few scenes out (like the cell phone in the water scene) which really helped the film flow more smoothly. Nothing too noticeable though.
5. Extended/New scenes - While this film advertises "brand new scenes" it actually means extended scenes. Some of the scenes are extended to make easier transitions, while there are a few that are extended to help the story flow better. The extended scenes also hint that Kiyoi was into Hira from way before the kiss scene. The extended scenes (and narrations) also present Koyama as a better option for Hira rather than Kiyoi.
Some of the extended scenes are:
• Hira and Kiyoi walking to the shrine after Hira discovers Kiyoi's dance lessons.
• Kiyoi turning around to look at the person following him after he loses the competition.
• The time skip to Hira being in college and Koyama's introduction.
• Hira calling Kiyoi to tell him that it might not be a good idea to come to practice at his place after Koyama gets sick, but Kiyoi doesn't answer.
Honestly, the biggest difference is the narration and music/bgm. I think this is what makes the film flow more smoothly than the series. A lot of the bgm was replaced by ambient sounds and it felt more real. Also all of the scenes that had the ending theme playing over it felt like they had more impact due to the lack of music during the scenes. For example, when I watched Koyama's confession to Hira in the series, the ending theme was playing and I felt like I want to skip to the next episode to find out what happens next for Hira. But when he confessed in the special edit, I felt so bad for him. He was presented as a better option for Hira (even Hira himself admitted it), but Hira still chose Kiyoi.
•❅✧❅✦ My Thoughts on the Special Edit Version •❅✧❅✦
Overall, this special edit version was so much better than the series. Maybe because the series itself is short, the movie format fit the story much better. There wasn't any dramatic cliff hangers and because of that the story seemed to flow more smoothly. The emotions the characters were feeling felt more real since we the ending theme wasn't interrupting any crucial moments.
I really recommend watching this special edit version if you can because it made me love the series even more than before.
Also if you haven't watched the series yet, don't worry about watching it and just watch this special edit version. You're not missing anything and you're getting more.
•❅──────✧❅✦ Utsukushii Kare Review & Book Comparision ✦❅✧──────❅•
Utsukushii Kare is the best Japanese BL of 2021!
It constantly pulls at your heartstrings and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
A rare gem in the Japanese BL.
•❅✧❅✦ STORY •❅✧❅✦
Hira suffers from severe stuttering when he is nervous. This has caused him to be ostracized from his classmates throughout his entire school career. During his final year of high school he meets Kiyoi, the resident "king" of the school, who saves him from class introductions by walking into class late. Hira is instantly smitten by Kiyoi. Even though Hira tries to keep his distance, the foul mouthed Kiyoi always seems to pull him back into his world. When Hira accidentally reveals his love for Kiyoi, and despite being quite open about his love and admiration for him thereafter, Kiyoi calls Hira disgusting, but doesn't outright ignore him after. The two unknowingly form a bond that's not quite friendship, but become closer than friends.
After a very eventful graduation, Hira and Kiyoi lose contact with each other until they are accidentally reunited in college. Hira finally has a friend, while Kiyoi is trying to make it big in the entertainment world. Hira still idolizes and loves Kiyoi, but Kiyoi is confused and can't express himself well.
Honestly, the plot and story isn't very original, however, what makes Utsukushii Kare different from the others is the characters. The characters are all very vulnerable and have their flaws. Hira is quite obviously the sympathetic lead, but King Kiyoi also has his doubts and is very relatable. He's not the invincible princely with a foul mouth that the usual troupes would have. Also, because we get two sides of the story, Hira and Kiyoi's, we sympathize with both Hira and Kiyoi. We also get annoyed with both Hira and Kiyoi too. Kiyoi is too tsundere for Hira, and Hira is as dense as a rock.
Aside from the characters, the plot, despite it's unoriginality, Ustukushii Kare didn't try to cover too many storylines. The entire series was focused on how Hira and Kiyoi got together. There was no extra storylines for side characters, no extra stories from after they got together. Most importantly, there was no obnoxiously long backstory for an character, nor was there any attempt to gain sympathy from the backstory either. The entire series was focused on how they got together and what they were feeling as they got together. Due to the focus on the characters and their feelings, everything felt real, raw, and amazing.
With the character driven storyline, Utsukushii Kare had it's work cut out, but I'm glad they found outstanding actors to fill in the roles. If the actors had performed poorly, I doubt Utsukushii Kare would have been a great series. Hira's actor was very good at playing that naive, yet dense character, while Kiyoi's actor was perfect with his tough, yet vulnerable, tsundere character. At first I hated Kiyoi for being so hot and cold to Hira, but as the story shifted from Hira's point of view to Kiyoi's, I fell in love with Kiyoi. His actor's performance when he had to portray Kiyoi's vulnerable side made me cry so hard. I've never seen an actor switch between hot and cold as great as Kiyoi's.
Kiyoi & Hira
At a glance, Kiyoi is a terrible person to befriend. He's mean to Hira and calls him names. You could even say he takes advantage of Hira, but it's not until the later half of the series, when you hear Kiyoi's side of the story, that you finally understand Kiyoi. Kiyoi's clumsy with his feelings and can't express himself well. He's also trying to navigate his feelings for Hira, who isn't exactly normal. Meanwhile, Hira's obsessed with Kiyoi to the point it's a bit stalkerish. The audience is made to sympathize with Hira, but Kiyoi does have a point, Hira's behavior is stalkerish.
That being said, Hirai and Kiyoi balance each other out perfectly. Around Kiyoi, Hira is able to express his emotions openly, while Kiyoi isn't very comfortable with expressing himself. Hira's not bothered by Kiyoi's insults because he knows Kiyoi is a tsundere, who doesn't mean what he says.
My personal favorite thing about his couple is that the seme and uke are not who you would expect them to be. I was presently surprised when we got a glimpse of it.
•❅✧❅✦ Book/Drama CD/Manga vs This Series •❅✧❅✦
If you haven't read the book or manga, or even listened to the drama CD you need to do so now! You'll get a different experience of the same story each time. . . and it's amazing! Each version of Utsukushii Kare is just different enough to keep you interested in each version.
Book - The book is the original and it is amazing.
Drama CD - The drama CD is my favorite because of how amazing Kiyoi's voice actor is. I really love this version of Kiyoi. Vulnerable Kiyoi is my favorite. Anyways, some of the scenes are changed to make it easier to listen to, but nothing too major. However, it's their voice acting that will give you the chills. Hira's V.A. sounds a little too deep to be a high schooler, but if you can get past that this drama CD is amazing. You'll really see a different side of Kiyoi that no other version can replicate.
Manga - Volume 2 was just released in Japan, so I haven't been able to read it yet, but Vol 1 was nice. So far it's not as memorable as the Drama CD, but it still allows us to visually see everything that we couldn't in the book. Because of the visuals, I found myself more drawn to the manga than the book, but it's still not complete so I won't say more.
Live Action Series - The producers were probably not expecting to be such a hit because they made a lot changes to the story. In the series we don't see Kiyoi and Hira hang out together as "friends" as much as they do in the other version. In the other versions we already get hint that Kiyoi might be interested in Hira from before Kiyoi's competition, but in this series it's a little vague until after the competition. Also, because the series chose not to have Hira move houses from his parent's place to his cousin's place, Hira offering and looking for a place for Kiyoi to practice his acting loses it's meaning in this adaptation. It's very important in the other versions, and it shows not only Hira's dedication to Kiyoi, but also shows how much Kiyoi loves Hira. Not having Kiyoi practically living with Hira and acting as his "boyfriend" during their fight in which Kiyoi "confesses" his love to Hira really had the live action series lose out on how much Kiyoi actually loves Hira.
The series is still amazing, but it's definitely a watered down version of Kiyoi. Does that mean it's bad? No. Kiyoi is still amazing and his actor did an amazing job with such a complex character, but it's still a shame that we can't see just how obsessed Kiyoi is about Hira. He's honestly just as obsessed with Hira as Hira is of him. Not as psychotic as Hira, but he's still thinking of Hira 24/7 in the other version. Here Kiyoi's just an average ikemen in love with his weirdo.
Anyways, there's nothing really bad to say about any of the variations of the story, so I definitely recommend checking out all version of Utsukushii Kare. It will fill in all of the details and background that each version misses out on. It will also make you more obsessed with the series.
•❅✧❅✦ OVERALL •❅✧❅✦
I really enjoyed Utsukushii Kare. It's a great series that's so unpredictable that you are at the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. The actors were also amazing to the point I actually cried when Kiyoi got emotional.
Words can't describe how amazing this series is, so don't sleep on it and watch it now!
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A SECRET GEM!!! A COMEDIC MASTERPIECE!!! 11/10 ✨???
This is the first review I write after having watched almost 300 K-Dramas and 100+ movies. And I'm doing it because "Seoul Busters" is worth every type of PRAISE!!! 👏👌🤌🏆This rightfully took a place in my top 20 BEST KOREAN DRAMAS ever!!! 🔝And here's why:1) THE CAST. 🔥Every single member of this cast did a stellar job.✨They delivered amazing performances, in both comedic and dramatic moments. They had such wonderful chemistry with each other, they clicked perfectly. 💯I couldn't see any other actor/actress in their places. They're literally the PERFECT combination. 🤌
2) Sometimes you need a good laugh, not complicated things, just something to brighten up your day. 🌞And boy, does this drama provide you with endless laughs. 😝I haven't laughed this much with a piece of cinema or TV before and I'm not referring to just Asian content. "Seoul Busters" made me CRY tears of laughter, so much, my belly hurt from laughing.🤣 I watched all episodes with my mom and we made sure to watch them in a time during the day where we could laugh loudly without waking up any neighbors!!!😜I looked forward to the new episodes each week because they lifted my spirit and even during bad days they never failed to put a smile on my face. ☺️It's not easy to make that happen but these characters, these super talented actors made it happen.❤️
3) You think it's only humor?? You're WRONG. Despite its obvious comedic tone, the drama has plenty of touching, even tragic moments that will break your heart. 🥺Especially the second half of the drama will definitely make you shed some tears. 💔But it's all perfectly executed and ties in with the plot well.
4) And what about the cases of the week?? 🚓So many cases, so many suspects, so many plot twists. 🧐Each case intriguing and different than the other. And also, very good guest stars making things even more interesting. 👍
5) The action??💥 PLS!!! They were all so badass, I loved the fight scenes and their planning, and going undercover.🔥 Each member of our Violent Crimes Team at had something unique to offer and put their skills to good use.👌
6) Rewatch value??? Trust me, I'll be having all 20 episodes on repeat for a long time. 💯It just makes me feel so good watching and hearing these guys, they won such a special place in my heart, I'm so grateful for the good times they gave me!!!😊✨
7) SEASON 2, PLEASE, I'M BEGGING!!! 😭This drama wrapped things up very well but it left the window open with a perfect opportunity to continue for a second season. 😁I have never had such a passionate desire for a K-drama to be renewed for a second season before!!! ✌️Where do I sign the petition for S2 to be announced ASAP???? I don't want to say a final goodbye to my favorite characters just yet!!!🥺
To sum up, "Seoul Busters" is a K-Drama I would recommend to EVERYONE, it would be such a shame to lose such a gem!!!✨ It's perfectly balanced in every aspect and has a wonderful group of actors who bring unique, unforgettable characters to life.✌️ I'm so glad I decided to watch it, it didn't disappoint or bore me for one second!!! I'll treasure it forever ❤️😊
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1
1Catfish of the year!
It’s rather amusing how this show tried to convince viewers that it was deeper and darker than it actually ended up being.I struggled with the first few episodes, but the middle stretch managed to pull me in. A lot of that was because P’Jane was such a fascinating character, and it was fun to speculate about his actions and motivations. While I criticized the writing for relying too heavily on exposition to build up its characters and reducing side characters to plot devices whose sole purpose was to move the main relationship forward, I was still entertained during this part of the series.
Unfortunately, the final episodes didn’t deliver on what the show had promised. The story became repetitive, the tropes became increasingly ridiculous, and the plot holes became more obvious. My amusement with the show slowly shifted into frustration and eventually turned into boredom and indifference. Sadly, I also couldn’t emotionally connect with the characters, so I didn’t really care about what happened to them.
Overall, the show had some good ideas and an interesting premise, but the writing ultimately didn’t live up to its potential.
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