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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
a healing journey indeed
first, if you are here for the actor kim jae yong, he does not get so much screen time which is understandable. The story revolves around our main character Yeo Reum, about her own self discovery journey. This drama is slow paced, healing, and more focused on sceneries and human emotions.what i loved and you might love:
-----------------------------------------------
1. Yeo Reum is rather a relatable character. she is trying to find herself, yet she seems to be more of a background character=not special(as many of us feel sometimes). Her goal is to find her own place in the world.
2. her growth does not involve only personal struggle, but also continuous learning from her clients that she substitutes. Those are people with nuanced stories and lives that we, along her, get a peak into. we learn about their past. regrets, and their life lessons
3. the sceneries are no joke, especially if you are like me and trees are your spiritual animal lol
4.no fully-fledged romance but we get crumps dont worry lol! i think the director felt that going for a full romantic story might overshadow the depth this drama wanted to convey. it could have also undermined the sense of self that kang yeoreum has been trying to establish throughout her journey.(maybe that is reserved for the s2)
what i disliked and you might too:
------------------------------------------------
1.as i ve mentioned it is understandable but maaaaan, i missed kim jae yong while watching this drama lol. i ve been anticipating when he would show up but let s say i was disappointed enough times before making peace with the dramas vision
2.the end was a little bit ummm...it closes with a cliffhanger. i mean it s a so so for me.
3. i wanted more from kang yeo reum more nuance let s say. i still felt like we are just scratching the surface with her.as i mentionned she grew vicariously through her clients, but i would like to see more going on in her own life.(maybe in season 2 )
4. i love this actress yet she sometimes fell short in depicting despair and sadness. she seems a little bit disconnected or flat for me.
overall, a good drama to heal your soul. It lets your mind wander about the meaning of life and success, while you enjoy breath taking landscapes and you get engaged in the human experience. A moment of mother nature's beauty comforting you.
Was this review helpful to you?
If My Wife Becomes an Elementary School Student.
24 people found this review helpful
Kudos to the child actress
I picked this without much thought at first because usually I like to watch Japanese slice-of-life dramas with some supernatural or fantasy elements in them, but didn’t expect to like this as much as I did and am surprised that there are so few reviews written about it.What I liked about this drama:
Firstly, yes, the Japanese are good at making slice-of-life dramas. I believe this genre is their FORTE. They are able to make ordinary, everyday happenings interesting and very ordinary conversations touching.
Secondly, this drama touches my heart. It shows a family being torn apart by death of a family member, one who is always full of life, of good cheer, keeps the entire house proper, does the housework for the family 365 days a year, cooks all meals for the family, yes, sounds all mundane stuff, but the reality is that when this person is no longer around, the whole family simply collapses. The entire world becomes gloomy and dark for the remaining family members who simply live their lives like zombies day in, day out, year after year. And then, out of a sudden, one day, when they are given a second chance, that is, when the supposedly dead family member comes back (in the body of an elementary school kid), the family gains newfound cherish and happiness….but alas…this second chance is taken away again…..
This drama executed all the above very well. The emotions of the main leads were just right, the words said were appropriate and simply able to strike a chord.
Thirdly, the female lead. The elementary school kid who acted as the wife whose spirit had gone into this school kid’s body. This drama’s title is ‘my wife became an elementary school kid’, so obviously they had to find an elementary school girl to act as the wife and wow, I think they found a really suitable child actress. I am not familiar with Japanese child actresses, but this particular actress really acted convincingly as a 40-plus year-old woman, although she was merely a 10-year-old girl in real. It is not easy for a girl as young as her to act like a mature adult woman, but her mannerisms, body language, vibe, right down to her facial expressions and speaking, were all convincing enough in this drama. Kudos to this actress! I think her exceptional acting was the key to the success of this drama because 98% of everything in the drama was about her and her family.
Overall, the pacing was good, neither too fast nor too slow, there was never a dull moment I could remember, even when what they were doing or talking about were just ordinary everyday stuff.
I have to specially mention the OST. The drama was not filmed in the 80s or 90s, but somehow, there was a nostalgic feel to the music which was soothing to the ears.
As with most Japanese dramas I have watched, loose ends were tied properly at the end, closures were properly made, goodbyes and words of gratitude were properly said, leaving no regrets and nothing hanging in mid-air or unsettled. The ending gave a sense of satisfaction and positivity towards the future.
It reminded us that even if our loved ones were to leave us one day, we should still face life positively and live it to its fullest.
Negative comments? I did think hard, if I really have to comment, it will be that the stories of side characters were not developed much, BUT they were not irritating and did not at all worsen the main storyline. This is perhaps the characteristic of most Japanese dramas, short and focused (on only the main story and the main leads), but really, other than that, I cannot find anything negative worth commenting because EVEN IF there are, the positive ones above far surpass any negative ones.
I highly recommend this drama if you like heart-warming Japanese slice-of-life, family dramas with a supernatural element, but I have to mention that the supernatural element in this drama is not the focus and does not play a huge part at all.
There are numerous such Japanese dramas out there, but this is definitely one of them I did not regret watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Worth every second.
Though Japanese BLs (and J-Dramas in general) tend to be on the shorter end watch-time wise, this drama is a great example as to why that is. You don't need that much time or endless drama and build-up to tell a good story.Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai managed to deliver something that felt real. It managed to deliver a story that you could easily see in your daily life, yet still keep your attention. It has lovable characters all around (especially the teacher side couple), and delivers a sense of nostalgia and optimism that hits at all the right spots in the brain.
Give it a try. Unless you desire in-your-face romance, this drama should not disappoint.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
While the first part focused on the set up, characters and politics; the second part went straight to the battle itself. This film is made as a package so you simply can’t watch one and ignore the other. They’re strongly attached in a way that makes them feel inseparable.I will skip the history in this review, I wrote about it in the first part and any extra historical information that I give in this film would be considered a spoiler for those who aren’t familiar with history. But let me just make something clear, John Woo didn’t exactly follow history. He changed many events for the favor of his storytelling, so the outcome and some facts can be misleading for those who want to take this as an accurate “historical reference”.
Red Cliff 2 is all about war and everyone knows that everything is allowed in war; whether be it contaminating the enemy’s camp with deadly contagious diseases, using the enemy’s spies against them or burning down the Navy. That’s war, it’s ugly and everyone loses at the end, the deadly battles and the horrible truth are definitely there. However, that’s not all what war in John Woo’s film is all about. There’s more to tell through the splendid battle scenes.
The heart and soul of this film is the epic battle of the Red Cliff that marks one of the greatest wars in Asian history whether because of the number of soldiers involved or the smart distinguished generals who were leading armies. It’s 800,000 against 50,000; the first is led by the outrageous yet politically clever Cao Cao and the other is headed by the combination of Sun Quan and Liu Bei with the magnificent aid of the intelligent Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu. The battle was all about tactics and strategists where the two advisors play an important role at confronting a huge army. The famous 36 Stratagems and 'Borrowing the arrows using the scarecrows' are one of the greatest psychological war techniques I ever read about in history and John Woo did an superb job by making them come to life.
The amazing strategies aren’t the only thing that clicked about this film; there’s also the astonishing portrayal of battles scenes, the blood spilling, the wonderfully made fire scenes and most of all the emotions and the reactions of characters’ involvements.
In this part, there’s no further explanation of actors; I already made everything clear about their amazing job in the first part. As for characters, I still insist on the over-use of the female characters, they weren’t only all over the place but they also were historically wrong.
The other characters’ developments were well-noticed between the first and the second part. We get to see more impressive sides of historical heroes especially Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu.
This film’s cinematography was stunning. The visuals, colors and the sceneries were well-fitting for an remarkable piece of Chinese war epic.
Now, if I speak about the film as a whole; I would say it’s one of the best war strategy films ever made and absolutely one of John Woo’s better works. This is not a sequel; it’s a second half of the same film so you should understand that this is supposed to be watched as a whole. Do not see the American or the European cut versions; you should search for the original release of the two films or you won’t be able to feel the whole magic.
Watch this if:
-You saw the first Red Cliff because they’re inseparable.
-You like war films or John Woo’s HK works.
-You like strategy films.
Do not watch if:
-You’re expecting a historical documentary where everything is accurate.
-You do not like war films.
Red Cliff 2 is the second part of an amazing Chinese film that deals with the famous “Three Kingdoms” epic displaying the Red Cliff battle with all of its spectacular strategies and tactics.
Red Cliff as a whole is one of the better films’ that successfully demonstrated the art of war.
Was this review helpful to you?
one of the best afternoons I've had in a while
At first it feels a little weird, ngl. BUT, HEAR ME OUT, it's actually really really good. There's a lot of time-jumps and it's gonna come off as stressing but once you get used to them it's the coolest thing ever, specially because the two mains didn't even know each other, it's through time-jumps and side characters that you see how their stories intertwine. I loved the coloring as well! if it had more soundtracks I would give it a 10 tbh, because it made me laugh so many times and the characters' interactions are mostly wholesome stuff.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I hadn’t planned to start watching this yet.. Really, I hadn’t.. But somehow, I fell straight into its trap... I thought I would just take a quick peek at the first ep and before I knew it, it was six in the morning five episodes down and no way to stop.. It’s that good, no wonder the ratings are so high..Whenever I watch an enemies to lovers kind of story, I never get tired of that slow shift when they slowly grow into each other.. They begin to learn things about one another.. Their deepest secrets, the softest parts that were never spoken about, the little facts and even their weaknesses.. The enemies to lovers trope here is done exceptionally well.. It’s neither rushed nor slow.. I would say it’s perfectly executed.. After what happened in the first two episodes, I was curious to see how they would ever go from enemies to lovers.. Seriously, they hated each other so much and he really did torture her pretty badly..
FYX and FSG’s love feels incredibly strong and almost beyond ordinary, something that truly left me amazed.. There are so many small, subtle moments that quietly scream how deeply they love each other.. Their love is the anchor that holds the story together through all the tumbles it takes.. Fu Yi Xiao’s emotional and moral journey, from someone bound by loyalty to a woman willing to risk her place, her safety and even her heart for the truth and for her supposed enemy is deeply compelling.. Her transformation mirrors that of our ML Feng Sui Ge, the prince shaped by vengeance and duty who slowly learns that power without compassion is just another kind of cage.. Their love is forged through loss and courage and through the painful realization that sometimes, love itself is the most defiant act of all..
Something that really stood out for me in this drama is the couple and their relationship.. I know I am writing too much about them, but bear with me.. Their relationship isn’t like the cliche ones you see in most dramas.. Their relationship is completely and sensibly balanced.. They respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses.. Both are capable, confident and competent individuals who don’t lose sight of who they are just because they are in love.. This is what I love about the writing, they are intentionally kept as equals.. Neither is portrayed as weak or dependent and she never becomes someone who needs the ML to protect her.. Even the ML understands her strength and intelligence, he lets her take risks when she has to, never forcing her to hide behind him or stop her out of overprotectiveness.. That’s what I hate in most dramas, when they fall in love and suddenly all that ruthlessness or individuality disappears and they just turn into fools in love.. But here it’s not like that at all, and I absolutely loved it..
Visually, this drama is undeniably beautiful.. They have done wonders with the cinematography, framing and color work.. The direction isn’t flamboyant, it’s careful and deliberate as if the story itself is afraid of revealing too much too soon.. I do agree, though, at times, the pacing falters as if the director momentarily loses sight of which emotion to frame, grief or resolve, tenderness or deceit..
The supporting characters were good as well.. I really liked the ML's team.. They were utterly loyal till the end.. But I feel the show spent too much time on the other side characters who didn’t really deserve that focus.. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but personally I didn’t enjoy it.. Nothing about those parts felt worth the time and none of the characters made me want to keep watching.. There was hardly any real character development, maybe with the exception of the Emperor of Jinxia.. But again, that’s just my opinion..
Talking about character development, one character was a complete disaster from start to finish, the Princess of Susha.. She was frustrating to watch, constantly making poor choices and falling for the wrong man.. What she needed was a knock on the head, not sympathy.. In the end, she literally got a sword to her stomach from the very man she loved and sacrificed everything for.. She never had any clear motive and kept walking straight into her own downfall.. Even her revenge felt so shallow, what was she even avenging?? The story tried to frame it as if the SML wronged her, but he was honest from the beginning that he would never love her.. Then she went on to team up with another terrible man in the name of revenge.. The Emperor and the princess were just two broken people making things worse for each other.. He was an awful person, much like the SML.. His last minute redemption does count as character development, but it doesn’t make him a good person nor does it turn their story into some tragic love worth mourning..
The ML at least had one sibling who had some sense and did the right thing, the Second Prince of Susha.. Despite being raised on lies and manipulation, despite having every reason to protect his mother and hold on to power, he still chose what was right.. He stood by his brother when it mattered most.. He has my absolute respect..
All the other characters had fitting endings and every arc was wrapped up really well.. Feng Sui Ge got his revenge on everyone who wronged him and his family, every backstabber met their fate and it was incredibly satisfying to watch.. And through it all, Fu Yi Xiao stood by him, protecting and fighting alongside him, just as she promised she would..
I wanted to mention a few other things..
There was one thing I think they overdid, the face filter.. It was just a bit too much.. They really could have eased up on it.. At some points, CZH looked like he might melt if the sun hit him..
These Chinese historical weddings are just so beautiful.. The attire, the colors, the whole aesthetic, it’s pure bliss to watch..
I have to mention the torture scene, when she tortured him, he seemed to enjoy it a bit too much for it to be called torture.. The man was out there thriving in pain..
There have been quite a few female general characters this year and a lot of talk about who did it best.. But now, we finally have a clear winner.. Hands down, the title goes to Li Qin and her character Fu Yi Xiao.. She was absolutely perfect, fierce, graceful and beautiful.. The way she carried herself was simply sublime..
Overall, this drama was an absolute feast to watch.. I would have rated it a solid 9.5 but all that beautiful buildup led to what felt like a small firework.. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked that firework and thought it was beautiful but deep down, I was hoping for a grand finale of explosions, a huge, epic scale war to end it all.. And also, putting a character who didn’t do a single right thing throughout the entire drama in charge of a country was just plain ridiculous.. She never once showed intelligence, responsibility or even basic morality.. There was no real character development that could justify giving her the responsibility of ruling Susha, that was a huge misstep on Feng Sui Ge’s part.. Chengyang on the other hand, showed far more potential and leadership qualities.. For these two major reasons, I couldn’t bring myself to rate it any higher than a nine.. As much as I wish I could give it a perfect score, these two glaring flaws held it back for me..
Was this review helpful to you?
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!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Rarely a BL series will have a sequel, and when they have, there is a handful that is equally good or better as the prequel. Most, fell short. I guess given that there is a "blueprint" in the form of the prequel, one will have a hard time not to expect especially when it ended like with this sequel's prequel.
This one of the very few that figured out how to make a successful sequel. Why so? It is a direct continuation for the prequel, coupled with growing and maturing of all the characters. Making the main couple's world bigger with the sense of responsibility with real-life consequences. Introduction of the side couples didn't interfere nor takes away time from the main couple. And that's where a lot of sequels failed to do that after watching one you will ask yourself, is the sequel a way to introduce a side couple to be the main? "What the Duck: Final Call" is one of the classic example how to ruin a good enough prequel with a side couple that didn't interact with the main one. Hence, the main couple had lesser scenes.
Same how the prequel, this season has a special episode as well.
STORY
===========================================
Personally, when a relationship falls apart, there is one who is at fault and the other had/have shortcoming(s).
Equally, communication is what keep relationship healthy and can make it stronger, open communication that is. Once it lacks, doubts seeps in then and cracks develop. Little by little, cracks grew bigger until it breaks it apart.
The question becomes, after it is broken into pieces, thus one of the parties ready to endure the pain in picking up the pieces, putting it back together for the love to be whole again?
After the "surprise" episode of "We Best Love: No. 1 For You", a follower of the series will definitely have a conflict for this sequel set in mind. Questions like "What stop Shi De?", "Why Shu Yi didn't confront?", to name a few. It turns out more than a lack of communication.
Can things go back like they were used before when maturing happened, when there are new factors to consider. Will perseverance can make the person trust you again? Flirting perhaps? She Di and Shu Yi world got bigger, way bigger and it no longer involves the two of them as others may be largely affected with the decision that they will make. After all isn't that what adulting is about? More responsiblities and consequences.
When you get to choose between options, you also need to consider others' welfare and not only of yourself. Or are you willing to be selfish in dispense of others just to win someone's love, again? Can you charm back your way to your ex-partner's heart? Are you ready to endure the pain just for the person's heart to be put back together and make it whole again?
Those are dominant conflicts of having a partner when you were a student, lost it and only to meet again in the future. Carefree versus responsibilities.
How can you expect forgiveness if you haven't apologize or say sorry? "I am sorry" goes a long way.
In any kind of relationship to last, it needs open communication, and I for one couldn't stress it much more.
Those are just some of the take away a viewer can have.
Obsession. How bad can it be? If you are following, okay let's settle for stalking, someone, it is actually bad? Or what is more important is the action that can happen after? However, one can never tell what in a mind of a person obsessing over someone. Is this a case of mental health concern?
The very last scene though, the very last scene.
ACTING
================
YU as SHU YI - one can feel that the tenacity turns into angst, despise. Both emotions suits YU's facial features as he barely needs to act to expression those emotions with those sharp looks. With his snappy moves, glares and stares. Shu Yi tsundere is back and it is all over the place! Can it be tamed once again?
SAM LIN as SHI DE - the ever low-key and waiting for the right moment to hit. He is not the "strike the iron while it's hot" type of guy, a very calculated guy which he was able to carry from season 1 up to now. Noticeably, he lost weight. Nice touch to indicate that years indeed passed by. However, one of the most difficult to act out is being drunk, Sam is no exception but still like his overall acting. And he is a cute drunk. >:)
As for the rejected guys, will they be more involved for the two to get back together or drive a wedge to make sure that won't be reunited?
Also, one can clearly see how the boys now turn into men. You can clearly see how they matured in their actions and demeanor.
MUSIC
================
Episode 6 is when the songs were masterfully woven into the scenes. It gives more depth and meaning but kinda hard to be "in the moment" while reading the lyrics. Nonetheless, watch out for the scene where someone is returning things.
REWATCH VALUE
================
Like all of my reviews, not even one I have rewatch and this will not be an exception. The magic won't be there anymore.
Was this review helpful to you?
Legend of the Female General
123 people found this review helpful
by PeachBlossomGoddess 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1
1 2 1 1 1 1 1 A Sword-Grabbing Saga That Will Tickle Your Bones
The Legend of the Female General is a hilarious drama that I enjoyed immensely. Its entire premise is a crater-sized plot hole, so if you can't suspend disbelief big time, best give this one a skip. The title makes its mythic, Hua Mulan-esque aspirations obvious (Mulan, of course, being a legend herself). The indisputably romantic and lyrical Chinese title, 锦月如歌 (Song of the Brocade Moon), makes it clear this is more Art of Love than Art of War. And in that, it delivers in spades as a sword-grabbing saga that will tickle your bones.For me, the unwitting humor here far surpasses that of A Dream Within A Dream (which I dropped), which tried so hard to be a parody it was more stressful than amusing. This drama comically embraces a bunch of the best, most incredulously well-loved tropes with abandon and just runs with them, not caring if they are well-stitched together. While I found it a nonsensical riot, I totally understand why it's been panned.
To preserve their military status, the (dumb-dumb) He family swaps out their sickly, all-important male child, He Rufei, for their robust and completely expendable daughter, He Yan. They couldn't find a big and tall girl, so they made do with a short, scrawny, and chesty one. She grows up wearing a mask and achieves glory as the redoubtable General Feihong, whose military successes are so awesome they make the real He Rufei wish he'd been born short and scrawny sans boobs. He stages an epic recovery at the height of her fame and swoops in to steal her glory. Of course, no one notices the one-head height difference because this kingdom is a classic Darwin 101 example of a state doomed to extinction. After reclaiming his name, he arranges for her to fall off a cliff, evidently unaware that no one dies falling off a cliff in a Chinese drama.
Disguised as a man, He Yan later joins the Yezhou army led by the no less renowned General Feihong—her old classmate, Xiao Jue. Suspecting "he" is a spy, Xiao Jue gives "him" the hot side-eye many times until the thrust of his mighty sword is parried by a pair of boobies. Yes, shame on me! I loved all the dirty jokes and naughty-but-nice innuendo that had me gawking at my big-screen TV with a stupid, lovestruck grin. I wasn't bothered at all that the cross-dressing "pretty boy" He Yan went full-on girly on Xiao Jue with her shameless flirting and half-innocent innuendo.
The truth is, I don't dislike trashy idol romance dramas when they are made like this. Most of the time, I drop them because I've seen the leads go through the same tired motions with so many other pairings that the chemistry feels contrived. There is nothing more nauseating than the dreadful dead-duck stare that so many third-rate traffic actors try to sell as infatuation. This drama works because I was hooked by Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei's chemistry. I saw an explosion of sparks every time he side-eyed her and she ogled him right back like she was ready to misbehave. True story: after the hot moment of enlightenment in Episode 4, my old big-screen TV literally died on me, and I had to rush-order a new one.
I won't bother shredding the plot and logic holes—there are lots of them, and far more articulate voices have already gone to town on it. Undeniably, the compelling chemistry and strong portrayals by both Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye carry this drama, bolstered by solid performances all around. I was charmed by how naturally Li Qing brought to life the face-swapped role of Cheng Lisu, and his romance with Song Tao Tao was cute and funny. Chu Zhao is the best-written, most multifaceted character in the story. The conflict between his ambition and his morality is well-played by Zhang Kangle. I had to laugh at how Bai Shu totally hammed up his cartoon villain with wildly exaggerated facial expressions; he seemed to be having the time of his life.
By far the strongest aspect of this drama are the fight scenes—they are brutally intense, fast-paced, and thrilling. This director is known for problematic storytelling, but his action choreography is really something else. Some of the war tactics are creative takes on famous Three Kingdoms battles.
As for Zhou Ye, she is a total firecracker who absolutely lights up the fiery scenes as delightfully as she owns the cute, girly bits. On the surface, she may not look the part of a female general, but she certainly acted it in the fight scenes. Too many idol actors shirk hardcore action, daring to pass off a few showy twirls and wimpy sleeve-swats as fighting. As He Yan, Zhou Ye really wielded her spear and sword powerfully and vehemently; the strain of demanding moves was visible on her features. She is a professionally trained ballerina—incredibly strong and athletic despite her size. Not all generals have to be tall and physically imposing; many famous ones were more brain than brawn. Zhuge Liang of Three Kingdoms fame was skinny and runty with mediocre combat skills, wandering into battle with his fan. While the fearsome Cao Cao was a killing machine, both he and the unbeatable Yue Fei were allegedly quite short and possibly even stocky. Oh, the preconceived notions we have! What pains me most is that no one asks why cast such a tall actor as Bai Shu as He Rufei instead of why cast Zhou Ye as He Yan.
I'm not trying to deflect the well-deserved criticisms. This is indubitably not an award-winning masterpiece, but it won my heart with its cheeky adult humor, melting romance, gripping action, and overall engaging rehash of cheesy tropes. Even with my 9.5+ rated dramas, I'm not much of a re-watcher. But this is one of the few trashy gems with scenes I can see myself replaying when I'm bored. Happy to rate this 8/10 as a top-tier guilty pleasure.
Was this review helpful to you?
Best start to the year 2024!
Probably the best modern c-drama of January 2024! Do give it a try for the main leads chemistry!It is a wholesome mixture of funny, fluffy, cute, funny and romantic at the same time. It is not overly cringe at all. The female lead is smart, cute and kind, and most importantly she is NOT a Love Brainer... she knows how to separate her relationship with her work, which makes it stand out from others. She doesn't need her man to protect her always.
Male lead on the other hand is rude and unsympathetic at the beginning but as the story progress he turns out to be the most caring and kind boyfriend who would do anything to protect her girl.
Oh and how can I forget the people who make this drama so damn funny, Wu Jun (ML's friend) and ML's mum had me every time it was their scene. Plus ML's mum is the best Mother-in-law out of all c-dramas, she is the cutest lol!
Edited- This drama had so much potential till episode 30 but lost all its momentum after that. My expectations were not met by the ending... to much happened that too in a short span of time. The writers did an amazing job till ep 30 but after that it got bad and worse! Overall it is still a good drama for light watch
Overall a very good drama to watch if you are looking for something light and cute but not cringe... It's a Must Watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I completed this drama with Chinese subs. I will give my general sentiments before providing a summary of the whole plot. Overall, the plot was tame; nothing too extraordinary, exciting or surprising. It had a happy ending though. While I do not regret watching this, I believe that those who are unable to watch this because of incomplete subs are not missing out either. I am also not someone who typically rewatches dramas, hence the rating of 5.
Now, for the summary of the drama. If you dont want spoilers then stop right here.
Maejima has a secret affair with Takuma. One day, Shinonome, who transfers from the company's New York branch to Japan's branch, catches Maejima and Takuma acting intimately secretly in the company's library. Shinonome then begins to persuade Maejima to break up with Takuma, because he believes that she is worth so much more than being bound to a married man. Convinced she should not limit herself and can find a better love, along with her blossoming feelings for Shinonome, Maejima breaks it off with Takuma. Later, her colleague, Ono, and Takuma warn her to stay away from Shinonome. Knowing full well herself that she is already in too deep, she ignores their warnings.
Maejima and Shinonome grow closer, and they go out on a date. Unfortunately, they spot Takuma and his wife having a great time. Shinonome stares in a dejected? Defeated? Longing? manner at the two. This is when Maejima recalls the warnings from Ono and Takuma, and correctly guesses that Shinonome had been in love with Takuma's wife all along. She guesses that Shinonome only got close to her so that she would break up with Takuma, so that Takuma would go back to being a faithful husband. She runs off and their relationship halts.
The drama then rewinds to tell Shinonome's backstory, about how he fell in love with Takuma's wife. He loved her and had a relationship with her before finding out she loved Takuma all along. Being unable to have the woman he loves, Shinonome decides to at least make sure she is happy. Thus his plot of flying to the Japan branch and seducing Maejima and making her break up with Takuma.
The drama replays several of the interactions between Maejima and Shinonome, but this time in Shinonome's POV. At first, he thinks of Maejima as despicable and sought to make her pay. Over time, as they interact more, he begins to empathise and fall in love with her.
Fast forward to present time, where Maejima's and Shinonome's relationship is still estranged. Maejima decides not to pursue this relationship because she believes Shinonome still loves Takuma's wife, and hates her for making the woman he loves suffer. On the other hand, Shinonome has already fallen in love with Maejima, but decides not to pursue her because he has hurt her and believes he has no qualifications to get her back.
A bunch of work stuff happen and Shinonome tells Maejima that Ono (who has a crush on Maejima) is the man who can give her happiness before flying back to New York. Eventually, Maejima realises that Shinonome had loved her all along and flies to New York to look for him. The two meet and reconcile, and the drama ends.
Hope this summary was useful :)
Was this review helpful to you?
