1This review may contain spoilers
Slow-Burn Pining Into Wildfire, Great Through Ep 6.
Spoilers only at bottom of review. 8 Episodes total. Finished series & updated review 10/15/23.I'm conflicted on how to rate this because Ep 2 through 6 are great, very enjoyable, and I would easily rate a 9/10. I know I'll re-watch them multiple times. But Ep 7 & 8 are cringy for multiple reasons and I would rate them a 4/10. Such a disappointment. Still, I loved most of the main couple's story so much that I've decided on 8/10 as my overall rating. When I watch again, I will likely either stop after the first scene in Ep 7, or skip to the 2nd half of Ep 8 to finish. In Ep 7 & 8 there's a good amount of affectionate skinship and a couple of emotionally charged kisses, so you could fast-forward the rest if you can't stand it.
Wonderful acting by the two leads, decent plot Ep 1-6 but ridiculous plot Ep 7-8, smooth-flowing dialogue *until Ep 7, some lovely cinematography, okay music, meh side characters.
The first episode is a bit overly goofy, and though it did get a few chuckles out of me, I was glad to see that toned down in the second episode as the character interactions and emotions became the focus.
The actors playing Yang and Phumjai are fantastic. There are a lot of sweet moments between the characters and the actor's chemistry is palpable, like magnets. They both also really nail the nuances of overlapping feelings; puting on a certain mask to others while the character's true emotions are just under the surface and still visible for the audience to see. Their chemistry and the way they interact with each other quickly drew me in and got my emotions invested. Their characters and the way they act them are my favorite thing about this series.
The friend Tag and the girl Tammy are acted well and feel like real people. I especially like how Tammy is written; I didn't like her character at first but her actions and communication skills won me over.
The brother is not acted or written well, he feels like the weak link, though his character gets slightly more likeable by the end. The other side characters are more like caricatures; over-the-top and lacking depth. Because the series is only 8 episodes, I was okay that they didn't spend a lot of time rounding these people out in Ep 1-6. But then Ep 7 & 8 relied on them more heavily and the simplistic writing and acting got annoying (especially in situations that were supposed to be serious and dire).
There are some beautiful shots utilizing space and lighting that, to me, underscored the bitter-sweet lonliness of pining. The feeling of being a part from others as you hold your thoughts to yourself.
Sometimes the background music was good, but at other times it did not fit the mood of scenes well (for example, positive major chords being played during an emotionally sad moment). It's probably not obvious enough to bug most people, but it distracted me from scenes a couple of times.
GENERAL SPOILERS:
The intimate scene at the end of Ep 6 had a similar feeling to Love In The Air nc-17 scenes, and I learned it had a similar approach: the actors improvised the scene as their characters (except for a couple of lines). It is BOTH emotional and hot, the best combination in my opinion. It feels very real. And this scene will be memorable for a couple of reasons, you'll see ;)
Ep 7 & 8: Ugh, what a way to unravel the magic. The writers, director, editors, and most of the actors created a muddled mess. There was obvious confusion about what mood/tone was the goal. On one hand, there's a very serious situation, on the other, the side characters continue their over-acted comic relief. Things that were supposed to be serious were undermined by lightheartedness or ridiculousness, and what were supposed to be feel-good moments or humorous were not because they were poorly done (& poorly timed) and ridiculous. Tension is completely disolved.
!SPECIFIC SPOILERS!:
Further frustrations with Ep 7 & 8 (I just needed to vent):
Why is it that in most BLs calling the police (or for an ambulance) is treated like an afterthought? You think you're boyfriend is kidnapped and you call and wait for your brother, your employees, and your friend to show up and ask "what should I do?"? This is so obviously unrealistic it's just lazy writing for plot contrivance trying to wring our emotions.
The older brother didn't have any savings of his own to help out instead of "being a hostage"? And neither of the brothers thought to ask their very weathly parents for a loan (instead of one of their sons being a hostage)? Get real. If the situation was as dire as the script pretends it is, something could have been worked out with the loving, supportive parents.
The creditor goes from being set up as a scary mob-like antagonist (though this is not pulled off well), to a waffling basic business man. A dire situation spearheaded by a buffoon lowers the stakes and can't hold tension (or the audiences attention).
The completely unnecessary and eye-rolling cliche of the discovery of a young childhood connection. Thankfully, it was brief and didn't have an impact on the story.
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The complexity of the plot coupled with the controversial themes set against a backdrop of historic events made it a compelling film to behold. The beauty of this film lies in its hauntingly terrifying realism that most people don't usually think about, the thought of cultures evolving in such a brutally fast way while we all struggle to keep our problems under control not noticing how the rest of the world changes so drastically around us, makes this movie one of the best social commentaries ever filmed.
Created in 1993 it might appear old-fashioned in form for those who are used to today's blockbuster films but it is certainly modern in psychological dynamics, it’s a film that you can lose yourself in, one that washes over you like a pleasant nostalgic memory.
Its beautiful cinematography combined with powerful symbolism certainly deserves all of the awards it earned, masterfully crafted each scene is so poignant and engaging you don't even realize you're holding your breath while watching it. And despite the film’s length reaching almost three hours, Chen Kaige (director) certainly cannot be accused of it being draggy or slow-moving. The pace snowballs towards the last hour, with 30 years of history compacted into its final sixty minutes.
A few words must be spent on the quality of the acting, for both the adult and child cast, which was immaculate. Leslie Cheung once again showing us how versatile he truly was.
Our protagonist Dieyi is easily one of the most relatable characters, going through endless tragedy our little concubine delivers an iconic show for everybody to see. Witnessing the dark behavior of human nature through this film can only make you empathize with the people who suffered from countless hardships and misfortune.
The political dimension of the film, its social commentary and its relevance for today, where questions of how can one still put on makeup and play-act when war was breaking out the following day, gives us pause to reflect.
Despite (ironically) being initially banned in China but shown to international acclaim such as' Cannes & The New York Film Festival, Farewell My Concubine is a motion picture experience that only a few will soon forget after giving it a try.
For me, this film represents beauty in its purest form, a masterpiece that stands the test of time.
I will give this movie a full 10/10 .
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Just as good as the series!!
The movie/series: Both had a great storyline and script. The cast was great and did a great job with their characters. The cinematograph and graphics were awesome.The movie: Overall, they did a great job editing the series into a cohesive movie version. There are a few scenes that were edited differently (same footage put in a different order) and some scene placements were changed. There were also a few scenes deleted or cut short, I’m assuming due to timing purposes. There was one scene that was cut short that I wished they kept completely in. However, all of the changes did not impact the quality of the series in anyway. I enjoyed the added bloopers and behind the scenes footage at the end of the movie.
Before I continue, it’s important to know an individual’s definition of added scenes. My definition is when the director adds scenes that were deleted due to timing restraints or when additional scenes was film after the original production has ended to add more meaning. A good example of this is “Life-Love on the Line”. Because of this, I do not count the bloopers and behind the scenes footage seen after the movie. I did not notice any added scenes the first time watching the movie. However, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything and watched the series and movie at the same time (split screen). What can I say, I wanted to be thorough. I only saw two added scenes almost 2 hours into the movie. The truth is it really does not matter if you notice the additional scenes or not because they don’t really add anything to the movie. Don’t worry about it and just enjoy the movie. Yes, it's almost 3 hours long but it's worth it.
Random Notes:
I personally preferred the English subtitles for the series over the ones in the movie.
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Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
At twenty-three, Lin Zhaoxi lives a life of quiet desperation. She grows up in the shadow of two natural math geniuses - her father Lin Zhaosheng and his mentee and love of her life, Pei Zhi. Despite her passion, her aptitude for math is not intuitive and falls short of true genius. Discouraged, she majors in philosophy and is resigned to a mundane existence. She also loses touch with Pei Zhi after he leaves to further his studies in Germany. Her world unravels further when she discovers her father Old Lin has early onset Alzheimer's. Then out of the blue, she is whisked away to cheese world, a parallel world with a childhood classmate Ji Jiang. In order to return to their world or strawberry world, they must win Math Olympics. This was a challenge she failed as a child. It was arguably the great inflection point that put her on a less satisfactory life path, one that is lacking passion.Don't be put off by the math aspects of this drama; the writer does a good job making abstruse concepts and theorems quite approachable and avoids getting bogged down into the weeds. The storytelling indulges in almost ten episodes of sheer childhood delight as the young Lin Zhaoxi, Ji Jiang and Pei Zhi try out for Math Olympics. The child actors led by Wang Shengdi, Fu Bohan and Lin Zeyi blew me away with their natural and uninhibited articulation of joie de vivre that conquers all. The young cast steals the show with their empowering message that genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. The Harry Potter allusions were brilliant - it just cracked me up that no one wanted to be Harry! It also pays proper homage to Snape, one of the most complex, fascinating and moving fictional characters ever written. This is indisputably the strongest, best arc of the drama.
The middling arc is a struggle by comparison as both Zhang Xincheng and Zhang Zifeng take time to get in character and are not that convincing as lovers. It is not a bad arc at all, in fact the father daughter dynamics are very enjoyable and touching. It is just that the first arc is just too good. Initially, Zhang Zifeng seems mis-cast because unlike Ji Jiang and Pei Zhi, I could barely see any vestiges of the child that was Lin Zhaoxi. But upon reflection, it is intended that all of that youthful optimism and sense of invincibility is extinguished. The actress really redeems herself in the latter episodes, especially in her chilling encounter with her doppelganger. Oddly it is Zhang Xincheng's performance that doesn't hit all the right notes in this. I think he is much less comfortable taking on grey or flawed roles. I didn't like Pei Zhi for most of the drama and only empathised with him after his heart to heart with his father Pei Donglai in cheese world. Both the young and grown Ji Jiang is far more charismatic and is seamless portrayed by both actors. As always the veteran actors Lei Jiayin, Wang Xiao (Zhang Shuping) and Geng Le (Pei Donglai) are the ones that save the day by extracting the best performances from the younger actors. In this one, even they are outclassed by the amazing kids. Ni Ni's brief stint as an omnipresent and unforgettable character is both delightful and heartbreaking. The drama picks up pace and comes together in the final act. It finishes strongly with a few good mind blowing twists and reveals to end in a good way. Some may not like how it was all wrapped up but I did and I explain why in a spoiler in the comment section of this review.
The Heart of Genius is a well-crafted and intriguing story about life, love and friendship that is comical, inspiring and heartbreaking. Everyone makes mistakes and has regrets; Lin Zhaoxi didn't try hard enough, Pei Zhi lost his father too soon; Lin Zhaosheng didn't fight to clear his name; Zhang Shuping did the wrong thing... This drama tantalises with the impossible fantasy of re-writing history, to have a chance at a do-over of the big what-if moments in life. It proves that even though assholes are still assholes in each world, the grass is not necessarily greener in cheese world; that there are always consequences and trade-offs that are of unknown, unknowable value. Thus we must be consoled by the wisdom that life is not a fairy tale and who we are and who we love are the sum total of our shared experiences good and bad. To live in the moment and to accept what we can't change. It is a very engaging and thought provoking drama that does not seem to get the appreciation it deserves. It is one of the most enjoyable dramas I watched recently and am happy to rate this an 8.5 overall.
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Golden Cross can be divided into two parts: Before episode 15 and after episode 15. The first part was gripping; events kept getting more intense with each minute passing by, the revenge built up was going smoothly, the characters were more rational and interesting to follow. Prior to episode 15, most of things were impressive; I even called it a high-class piece and one of the most underrated currently airing dramas but I guess too much arrogance crushed my dreams to select this as the best K-drama of the year.
After episode 15, everything started to fall apart drastically; the plot lost focus and the story took a dangerous turn. The drama went forward and backward leading all wrong directions without finding its right balance. A certain twist ruined it all for me, I am very disappointed with the writer-nim; she was the woman who wrote a fabulous drama like The Bridal Mask so I thought that she can handle an economical revenge thriller in a better way than this. The woman just couldn’t keep the drama going for 20 hours. I think the right length for this drama should’ve been 16 episodes, if it ended right there; then things would’ve been great.
You simply cannot hate a drama because of five disastrous episodes; but it really depends on thir location in the drama’s airing plan; if these episodes were at the beginning, at the middle or came in separately then the viewer could be lenient but delivering those types of episodes at the end back to back is unforgivable. It’s a fact that the latter episodes of each drama tend to be the most important ones so yeah, it’s absolutely intolerable.
The acting was high-class; there were absolutely mesmerizing and well-chosen actors for this one. You can’t say “no” to Kim Kang Woo’s penetrating acting, Jung Bo Seok’s veteran style, Uhm Ki Joon’s charismatic skills and all other actors’ dedication to their roles. I loved the 100% idol-free main cast; they simply open your appetite for real acting. The characters on the other hand weren’t all appealing. For instance; the female department suffered so badly from laid-back characters without much changes or depth.
The music and cinematography for this one were nice but forgettable; they didn’t add too much impact on the story.
Watch if:
-You’re hardcore fan of revenge dramas.
-You like idol-free dramas.
Do not watch if:
-You’re looking for mind games and mental war.
-You’re looking for a masterpiece out of the revenge theme.
-You’re looking for romance.
Golden Cross was an amazing drama up until episode 15 when everything started heading to the wrong direction. I didn’t hate it but it’s a shame since this drama held too much potentials to become one of the better K-dramas of the year.
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Really cool Gender swap Romantic thriller!
I heard Kim Jieun (FL) saying that this show is a Romantic thriller in a radio interview and that's what it is exactly! A really interesting one at that! It has short 24 episodes of almost 22-25 mins each. Easy to watch, mostly light-hearted and quite well acted. Picks up pace after Ep 4.HIGHLIGHTS :
1) ACTING: Actually I have become a fan of both FL and ML (Lomon) and went back and watched most of their old shows because of how good they are here! When they gender swap the change is so smooth it's like they actually swapped! They both have done a really great coordinated job here! 👏👏
2) CHEMISTRY : It's simply Fire! Both the leads look so hot together! 🤩 And I am sure many of you are here because of those kiss scenes YT shorts! 😁 But mind you, the actual romance part is really subtle, don't expect fireworks romance and sweeping declarations, you just have to imagine those things yourself! 😭 LOL (EDIT: Now that I have completed it, I can say that romance gets more visible towards the end and for that I am infinitely happy :D)
3) STYLISH SHOW: When you watch it you will realise they have added all elements to both aesthetics and the plot to make it modern and stylish. All the Marketing ideas they come up with in each episode is so new and cool and overall very interesting and I really enjoyed those scenes in each episode!
4) I personally like a no nonsense strong headed FL and here she is perfect as one! she's no saint and don't go expecting her to be one either you will be disappointed! She's superbly grey! (EDIT: For people looking for character growth, let's just say they all become better versions of themselves in the end.)
Mild spoiler :
5) It's a thriller so be ready for huge plot twists! Things may not be as they seem in the first 3/4th half of the show! 😉 But they are totally worth it! Accept things as they come, it gets better and better! (EDIT : It's certainly all worth it in the end! *HEA* <3 )
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It might have been better if they made it into a 12-episode (at least) drama as it was obvious that they rushed the story in this movie (a lot isn't covered and it just doesn't seem complete nor as fulfilling).
However, I think the actors portrayed their roles amazingly well, especially Yamazaki Kento. He is such a good actor and so good-looking too!! >< The female lead was also really good. The only biggest problem I find with this is that it is way too rushed due to the short time available in a movie. I hope they decide to make a drama version of this movie soon!
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Watching the first few episodes- I fell in love. It was heartwarming, cute and refreshing. It was able to reeled me in (despite the terrible animation editing, it was painfully cheesy). This was mainly due to the acting of the younger actors. The younger cast was amazing!. They were able to portray the true feelings of innocent young love (if that makes sense). Their acting made you never want them to grow up. It was a sweet cute love, and the actors really had chemistry.
Moving forward to the older main cast, I was worried they weren't going to be able to portray the feelings the younger cast did, but they did. The older cast had great chemistry, I could feel the love, (although there was a lack of kissing scenes).
The story was great at first, but as it developed, it became mostly predictable. There was also a constant battle of I-have-to-give-you-up-in-order-for-you-to-be-happy-because-you-deserve-better situation between Soo-Wan and Dong-Joo that became really tedious.
(Side note: Although there is a lot of people who have became annoyed with Ku-Hye-Sun in this drama, it's not her acting that was bad, she acted upon script written by the writers. She tried to portray her character, which was perfect and annoying at the same time. It's not her fault, her crying scenes were on point.)
I enjoyed parts where there was cheerful interaction between the main characters, or scenes with Dong-Joo and the father. I also really loved the side stories with Teddy, Ellie, etc. It was more interesting to watch the side stories with the 119 team.
You might have to push yourself through "evil" parts, it gets boring and skipping is an option!
Overall, it was an enjoyable drama, it wasn't a waste of my time, but I did wish it was shorter. This drama had a good concept and story and all, but the directors did a poor job of executing it. It could've been paced a bit faster, and there were some unnecessary scenes. I DEMAND MORE KISSING SCENES. Other than that, it's an okay drama. The casting was perfect, and the music was refreshing and catchy. The directing needs improvement.
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This review may contain spoilers
War of Faith: Best Financial Espionage Drama
History would tell us that Shanghai in the 1930s was, to say the least, wild. In the midst of all of this, enters a poor young man named Wei Ruolai, played by Wang Yibo. Wei Ruolai has little to no money, came from a province controlled by the communist party, and was having a hard time receiving his diploma. It's a recipe for a bleak future. But with grit, determination, and his genius brain, he managed to secure a place at the Central Bank and work alongside distinguished officials like Shen Tunan, played by Wang Yang. Here begins the gripping story of Wei Ruolai finding his faith and fighting for it. No matter the cost.To be completely honest, I am a fan of Wang Yibo. His acting has been improving rapidly and all his films released in 2023 were a massive success so naturally, I was looking forward to this drama. However, I was not expecting to get so much out of this than I actually did. Republican era drama is my least favorite genre in dramaland. It's suit porn but I think this genre is the least famous internationally for a reason and my username is what it is, also for a reason (LOL), I watch romcoms and healing dramas! It's a finance drama set in the 1930s-- how riveting could it be to watch people talk numbers, right? Boyyyyy, was I so wrong!
The story is told in the ML's POV. Viewers get taken along his journey of finding his place in the world, finding confidence in himself, and finding his passion only to lose them all. He goes through a series of pain, heartaches, and grief-- and in the midst of it finds his true faith and his true passion. We see the ML transform several times throughout this drama. Through this journey, viewers also get shown the world of finance during the troubled times of the 1930s. We see how finance plays such a huge role in war and economics. We see people's greed. We see how innocent people get sacrificed, and we see how the government can turn a blind eye.
The series in itself is very action-packed. There is no dull moment and the story keeps moving very rapidly. A lot happens in the first 4 episodes to set-up the drama but everything that happens in the story has meaning. No fillers. It's 38 episodes but it is very fast-paced without sacrificing compelling and complex storylines. Every episode makes you want to watch more. I was watching earnestly and the foreshadowing in this drama is so smooth and clean that I probably missed some tiny details along the way. I'm already excited to rewatch this drama now that I know what I'm looking for!
This is an original IP so my hat is off to the screenwriter and the director for creating such a marvelous piece of art in television. The cinematography in this drama is also of high quality that is rarely seen in c-ent. It felt like watching a movie, and despite the 2.5 weeks of airtime, I wish the story goes on. I want to see more.
The casting of this drama is also top-notch. No holes anywhere. Everyone down to the little girl acted so incredibly well. Wang Yibo was such a star in this production and it is his best acting to date! Wang Yibo's Wei Ruolai feels so incredibly human and real. He conveys very complex emotions with his eyes and his face. His performance is so captivating because of the precision and nuance he gives the character. You can feel through the screen every single thing that Wei Ruolai feels throughout the drama-- and to be honest, it was a lot to handle!!! This drama also spanned 6 years and many transformations for Wang Yibo's character and if you compare his transformations, you can clearly see the contrast between each one. From his starry-eyed full of hope young man, through the disappointments and desperation, and to becoming an integral part of the communist party. Wang Yibo did such a stellar job and as a fan, I am so incredibly proud.
Wang Yang, Li Qin, and the rest of the supporting characters also deserve their flowers. Everyone was captured in such a humanized way that you can feel empathy for every character. You believe everyone's storylines and you get to feel that a lot of the big players in this drama are morally gray. Everybody had their purpose and I was hooked! The storyline and acting did its thing for me. I hated who they wanted me to hate, and cried for the ones they wanted me to cry for. I've never felt a story so real and close to me like this in a very long time. Certainly not in c-dramaland, and not in a Republican era drama. A gem of a find for me is Lan Xiya who played Niu Chunmiao. She was introduced halfway through the story with such a very firecracker of an entrance. I loved Niu Chunmiao as a character and I loved Lan Xiya for her talent in acting. She's so new and young but her ability to act is very high. I'm so impressed with her just as I was impressed with her character. Another treasured character for me is Wei Ruolai's best friend, A'Wen played by Li Weilong. A'Wen allowed us to see many layers to Wei Ruolai so very early on in a drama. Also, special shoutout to Zhang Tianyang's Lin Qiaosong-- he put me through the ringer all 38 episodes!
Lastly, the music. I think all I gotta say is Zhou Shen.
This has been a very long review but if you're still with me, please go watch War Of Faith. It will be worth every second of your time. You can find out how apropos the English title War of Faith is. And if you don't believe how a Republican drama can be so good, check it out yourself! :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Same Actors Different Stories
Episode 1-Started off confusing as they didnt explain much. I wasn't sure how it was going to progress and if the soul mate plot was suppose to make it an alternate universe. The acting and the ending was good though.Episode 2: Completely different story line. The rolls, personalities and attitudes were swapped. Actors did amazing portraying the difference. Very Versatile. Again had a beginning to end plot in this episode just like episode one.
Episode 3: Yet another story! And again amazing acting by the actors for how different the roles, attitudes and personalities were again. There is one big difference though with this one, it continues into episode 4! There is a detail though that i hope most of you pick up on but Im pretty sure thats the reason they are extending it past a single episode like the previous two.
Episode 4: I cried, but, maybe because I know there will be a whole new story with a whole new ending next week, I am not sad. I cried because I felt the emotions, I believed it, their acting convinced me. 1 thing I would have liked explained....why a different country and what was that last conversation with his friend....to me the conversation insinuated he chose when and maybe that's why he went to the other country....
Episode 5: It looks like they are extending them to 2 episodes a story now. I did not feel worried going into this story after the last one as I know all Endings are different. I still love the back and forth of the dynamic of this couple. there wasn't much of a story in this episode as there was in episode 3 but it's still a lovely watch.
Episode 6: More context was given in this episode for episode 5 and was an adorable cheesy ending. There was still a larger amount of time left in the episode after the 'end' of this story and it looks like they are going to tie together the after scenes that are at the end of some episodes
Episode 7&8: Definitely i feel tied everything together even though the majority of the last story was only using the bts of only one of the previous story lines.
Please Watch, you won't regret it!
The more episodes i see the more it truly brings the series name to life, 'Every You, Every Me'.....Everytime, Every Life, no matter what.
I think this series is a unique and amazing idea, especially for the actors and their careers as it shows just how versatile they are. I am looking forward to the entire series.
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Life is a strange thing; funny and worth living for, as well.
"Be My Dream Family" truly defines what a family should be like despite of difference in opinions & personalities, least communication and distance. I watched this with lots of anticipations after finishing "Once Again" earlier this year and this, for my 2nd Korean soap opera, is very pleasing to me, if not as good as Once Again. Rather it has more realistic elements and less melo stuffs than Once Again.Soap operas with big fat joint family drama, do not have a solid plot development; instead a goal at the end, leading to a happy family life for everyone and this drama is no exception.
Geum Jong Hwa & Kang Mo Ran are in their twilight ages and happen to be single when they meet each other as neighboring business owners. As they hang out with each other, both fall in love so much that decide to marry only after 6 months. Both of them have their big families already but now that they become family, they have a hard row to hoe in order to bring all of them together to one plate. The drama is about the journey of the family members going through various challenges in their personal lives as well as fighting among themselves, until they come to embrace various shades of each individual, finally accepting each orher as their own.
Both the screenwriter and director have done a good job in this drama I swear, it's like developing a perfect partnership. The way the script is interlinked between different scenes and director's editing work upon that are very nice. For 80% of the story, one scene starts with a conversation on the topic upon which the previous scene's conversation had ended. The 120 episode dailysoap might feel a bit slow for the first 10 episodes but it definitely gets better as you watch further. There is almost no background score for majority of the drama but again, that's another feature of Korean daily soaps.
Since soap opera family dramas don't have a solid plot, rather daily live happenings are showcased with an ultimate goal leading towards a happy family life, together, I don't there is much to talk about things. So let me just talk a bit about the characters.
I loved the character development of all the characters...
# Geum Jong Hwa: Lonely, aggressive old man to a loving father.
# Kang Mo Ran: Loves and cares for every single family member and tries her best to bring everyone together despite problems.
# Geum Sang Gu: Naive, jobless, family man to a good businessman. Loving husband & father.
# In Young Hye: Responsible mother & wife who craves love. Becomes close to step-in-laws very fast.
# Geum Sang Gu: Rude, arrogant drama PD to caring son and loving husband.
Oh Min Hee: Ambitious actress coming back to industry after 20 years hiatus. Despite difficulties and public backlash she holds onto things and detrmines to do better. One of the best character development of the drama. Loved the way she changed over episodes.
# Geum Sang Min: Twin daughter. Hardworking yet struggling & dirt broke artist of years. Becomes a better son.
# Geum Min Ah: The 20yo SNU student, hardworking yet stubborn and does things without any thought. The cutest probably.
# Geum In Sol: Twin Son. Another best character development. The 20yo guy was neither studios nor decisive. Clueless with what to choose, he tries various job in order to decide what he wants. Regardless, a very good son to parents who thinks clear and takes care of his family.
# Han Geu Roo: 32yo single, with a closed heart. Protective of her family to a great deal and does a very good job work as an editor.
# Han Da Bal: Widowed, a single mother and an amazing judo artist. Loves her daughter and family a lot but still not open to have another partner.
# Min Ga Eun: Orphaned girl living with sister inlaw's family. Very ambitious at work and works hard. Soft-spoken and bubbly.
# Min Sol: Thoughtful despite of her age, loves her mother a lot, loves to befriend everyone.
# Choi Ji Wan: Divorcee, loving father, an amazing CEO of Aarang Publication. The humblest yet clueless.
# Hyun Shi Woon: Temporary marketing head at Aarang. The friendliest and mood maker. A cupid to many lovers. Loved the way he talked.
# Choi Yi Jae: Very shy kid, stuck between separated parents. Changes a lot by opening up to his father with Da Bal and Min Sol's help.
# Ki Young: Physiotherapist, alcoholic, divorced, friendly yet hard to open up to.
# Im Heon: 20yo brilliant student yet a stupid guy just like his wife, Min Ah. Causes trouble together.
COUPLES:
Jong Hwa & Kang Mo Ran: Married at their twilight years after falling in love. Becomes closer with time. Together, bring the 2 families together.
Sang Baek & Young Hye: Felt in love in highschool, married despite situations, care for each other and together manage their small family. Concerned for their children.
Sang Gu & Min Hee: Fall in love as asst. Dir. and rookie actress, marry after pregnancy. Maintain a bitter relationship but later turn in into a loving couple and embrace each other's flaws.
Sang Min & Ga Eun: Formerly student & teacher, met each other after years as step families. End up staying under the same roof, working together and finally falling in love with each other.
Geu Roo & Shi Woon: With a embarrassing first impression, both avoid each other at work but while helping Geu Roo as a cupid both fall in love unknowingly and faced difficulties to maintain it.
Da Bal & Ji Wan: Both the single parents had to go through various challenges to end up together till the end because of their children , family and situations. It was like contrasting characters attracting each other.
Min Ah & Im Heon: Married at 20 bcs of unexpected pregnancy. The cutest couple, both clueless and immature. Cause trouble for family but decide to do everything for their baby to come.
So many important things anf factors of life at different places like home, education, workplace has been portrayed along with various aspects of life. A number of relationships and their various shades are beautifully represented. I am very glad after watching this drama.
Many other things that's also been thrown light upon are: stress from study, early pregnancy, failed business, family responsibilities, alcoholism, fraudulent, cheating, extramarital affairs, highschool first love, dirty sides of entertainment industry, hatred & online abuse, sincere worker, struggle in performing and creative art sector, atmosphere in publication company, child mental health, divorcee life, widower life, love & care within family, understanding, privacy, concerns, etc.
Ep 100-115 were the peak of the drama where life-changing events happened for most of the characters. It has literally everything summed up and despite many problems, the last 5 episodes ended the drama in a very good way. Loved it.
I am happy I decided to watch it soon, bcs I don't really watch daily soaps (this is my 2nd). This drama brought out all kinda emotions from me and I was laughing, crying, smiling widely, cursing and all through out the drama. This drama is in fact more of a funny comedy and ngl, my laugh has become uglier after watching this TT. Korean daily soaps grow on you no matter how you watch it, ongoing or binging.
PLEASE GO FOR THIS.
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This review may contain spoilers
No bullshit BL...
I don't know if we can describe this mini-series as BL. It's more in the realm of a queer mini series. Besides that, MDL says it has only three episodes and say's the second part is a side-story - which it's not! It is a continuation of this series.A young man has a breakup because his girl friend just tells him, he's "bad" in bed and does all the things wrong. She recommands that he should take lessons. He made a post somewhere to search for a tutor and he found one. But he does not know that his tutor is also male - that's the story in this three episodes.
This is not fluff, this is not a love story (not yet, anyways), but the teacher does just teach. This is a really unique concept to take all the bullshit of any BL out and just make it about learning how to respond to your sex partner, how to make him hot and how to do "stuff".
While this mini-series has not much story (yet), the actors are really naked, no BL make-out under the blanket or just the foreplay. It's also about penetration and how to do it right and you may think it's p0rn but it's not. I find this concept refreshing and something completly different to nearly every other show. The next three episodes will get more story and I can only hope they will continue the story because the story itself has potential. And I bet some people could learn from it!
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Compared to many other overrated ones, this one had at least good acting for the most part and a interesting storyline.
The directors made the plots twists appear slightly overdramatic when they were not but the story was still very interesting to me.
I really liked how they portrayed the work of judge and the characters were overall very refreshing.
The romance part was not smothering the rest of the story which was GREAT, and I was happy to see a more mature and realistic romance story instead of the usual cheesy cringy stuff between bright girl-cold guy.
In this drama, I was able to see more realistic main leads with more complex personalities.
So I recommend!
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The good:
1) its so easy to watch - its just 6 episodes;
2) Off-Gun, do i need to say more? ;
3) the cats and the dogs, i wish they added more;
4) light hearted and fun.
The bad:
1) cliched story;
2) the never ending thai concept of a straight guy falling for another guy;
Its a good watch when you have about 5 hours to spare. See it while eating your dinner and dont think too much about the plots and loopholes, just enjoy. Will i rewatch the series - maybe, but id probably just skip to the BL parts. Is it awards worthy - hell no! Overall its an 8 for me.
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