Experimental Science
Intriguing plot… innovative concept… poor execution… but great music. This sums up for me the entire experience of watching this drama and why I rated it a 7. For more details, please read on…LUCA: The Beginning is based on the premise of scientists creating a new species of mankind by integrating the DNA of several different animals that makes this breed of humans stronger, faster, more resilient to the ravages of time and nature, along with superpowers to boot. These experiments are backed by a shadowy entity, called “The Establishment”, with seemingly unlimited resources and broad influence that stretches far and wide into the upper echelons of government and subsidiaries in various industries. One such subsidiary fronts itself as a “Church” where its mysterious cult following is headed by a villainous woman who styles herself as the prophet for the second coming of “Messiah” – the new human hybrid. Enter Zi-O, the first of such hybrids.
The drama chronicles Zi-O’s journey from being a lab experiment to escaping the clutches of this cult while adapting and finally learning what it truly means to be human. Along the way, he encounters the intrepid policewoman Gu Reum, with whom he shares a connection to their past. Armed with the knowledge of the synopsis and having seen the captivating trailer, I started this show fully expecting a similar approach to Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy. It turned out rather differently, with mixed results.
The drama is decently-produced, reasonably well acted for the most part, but the plot and characters are quite inconsistently and illogically written. The special effects are nothing to write home about but generally well-rendered, in a minimalist manner, and mainly used to depict Zi-O’s electricity-charged superpower, and pyrotechnics for certain scenes. The production team is led by the hugely experienced director Kim Hong Seon, no stranger to dark thrillers, who helmed notable shows such as The Guest, Pied Piper, and Voice. The screenplay is written by Chun Sung Il, who mainly specialises in comedy with Chuno being the sole non-comedy tagged production in his repertoire of works. The cast contains a number of familiar faces the likes of Kim Rae Won, Kim Sung Oh, Kim Sang Ho, Park Hyuk Kwon, Ahn Nae Sang, and Jin Kyung. Look out for memorable guest appearances in the form of Lee Won Jong at the very beginning and Jung Eun Chae who had a more prominent role towards the end.
The drama starts out brightly at an engaging pace that’s filled with sporadic moments of thrills and intensity. Both leads’ backstories and shared connection are revealed little by little in every episode via numerous flashbacks. The tags for this show are spot on, where here we have mystery, melodrama, and romance in addition to the science-fiction and action. Watching this turned out to be quite an attritional viewing experience from around episode 3 onward and a pretty wild ride overall in what has been an emotional roller coaster, beyond what I had initially anticipated. It’s the kind of show where the good guys persistently get outwitted, take the (numerous) hits, fall down, get back up and repeat. Over and over again, like the wash cycle of a washing machine.
The scenario of our leads being incessantly chased by the same team of bad guys and the FL consistently getting beaten up and having her head bashed against the wall does get tedious up to the halfway point. As it turns out, for a normal female human without the additional exotic DNA, her skeletal structure is in no way less durable compared to the human hybrids because she emerges unscathed every time with nothing more than superficial wounds. As for the ML, given his inexperience in combat and lack of control over his superpowers, he ends up being constantly overpowered by the battle-hardened and ruthless professionally trained villains.
The pace slows down for three quarters of an episode just past the midway point where the FL temporarily ceases to suffer needlessly and, together with the ML, attain some much-deserved rest, among other questionable events that transpired. The momentum picks up again soon after and reached its zenith in the business end of the show where action, tragedy and more plot twists blended to produce the impetus for a thrillingly breath-taking and bitter conclusion to Zi-O and Gu Reum’s story arc as well as the overarching plot. Many viewers felt that the ending is an open one with a possibility of a second season but personally for me, it represented adequate closure where we allow ourselves to write our own epilogue to this whole affair.
I feel that the storytelling would have been more compelling with less episodes. The backstories and the plot set up dragged out more than was necessary, and included too much of the ceaseless running around and fighting (getting beaten up, more like) and meaningless sub-plots with unfulfilled romance undertones. Even with 12 episodes, certain character arcs remained unexplained and plot holes were littered throughout.
As far as the acting is concerned, Kim Rae Won and Lee Da Hee each gave a commendable portrayal of the main characters which were quite poorly conceived, in my opinion. The individual character development, (excessive) pain, and agony along with superfluous misunderstandings between them were frustrating. In particular the FL Ha Neul Ae Gu Reum (why they came up with such a long fictional name in the first place is beyond me) was written to be infuriatingly lacking in any common sense, or even the street-smarts as befits a police detective of her experience. This character continuously places her life and the lives of others in danger, and favours brawn over brains. The depiction of her taking on swarms of villains alone in unarmed combat throughout the entire show is utter nonsense and unrealistic.
The villains are an eclectic mix of characters. For me, Park Hyuk Kwon nailed it with his version of the unscrupulous and conniving NIS official Kim Cheol Soo. Whether as a protagonist or antagonist, he’s always enjoyable to watch due to his versatility and range. The award-winning Kim Sang Ho, as usual, is one of the best supporting actors in the industry. His characters are always layered and brilliantly portrayed, as is the case recently in Sweet Home and now here in this drama as the conflicted cop, Choi Jin Hwan. Jin Kyung’s cold blooded false prophet, Hwang Jung Ah, is rather theatrical and OTT at times but quite convincing especially when spouting sermons from the pulpit. Ahn Nae Sang’s role this time is a little more understated, as the lead scientist Ryu Joong Kwon. Kim Sung Oh’s Lee Son is largely one-dimensional with the stoic and cold exterior, except for that singular moment of tragic loss, a clichéd plot device, that he experiences towards the tail end of the show. Other than that, his main role is simply to inflict physical pain on others. Jung Eun Chae’s Attorney Jung is a scene-stealer, despite her limited guest role, and is actually rather fun to watch.
One of the very few pleasing aspects of this show which is done right, is the soundtrack. I thoroughly enjoyed every song in the album, in particular both the original and acoustic versions of the hauntingly evocative song, Your Eyes. Track listing as follows:
1. Sun Woo Jung A - Your Eyes
2. Jemma - LUCA
3. Lee Da Hee - Your Eyes (Acoustic)
4. KLANG - Gone
This show had so much potential to begin with, being based on a concept that is both innovative and refreshing. The entertaining and riveting start was unfortunately proven to be a false dawn. The production is hampered by the lack of quality screenplay and the resulting downward spiral of the storytelling finally culminated in a hugely incredulous and dissatisfying end.
Was this review helpful to you?
The only problem is the continuity of the show. Is continuity too hard to remember by the writers? In the previous series:
1. It was revealed that the friends knew about PeteKao in the Kiss series, why the F did they forget about it in this series?
2. Kao was intially portrayed as a photographer in Kiss me Again, even being able to take a job because of it. But then here they showed Pete as the photographer and Kao was acting like he didnt know how to use professional camera, even asking Pete to teach him.
3. The houses - pete and Kao's houses were entirely different from the other series. I know Pete is rich, but then here they are kind of showing that Kao is not as rich. Did they become poorer to end up selling their house from KissMeAgain?
And then again, ill say it one more time TayNew is reason enough for me to watch the show, so im giving it an 8.5. Please, if anybody can tell me where to buy Pete, im in desperate need of one.
Was this review helpful to you?
The story is just basically simple but enough to keep you interested and make your heart go doki-doki (flutter) with every cute scenes. I was actually envious of Mirei (or Misaki's character) for having the opportunity to live with the brothers, such a lucky situation, plus they adore her and almost fall for her.
Some may think that some of the acting or portrayal of the actors are way too exaggerated or over-the-top, but as a more jdrama fan (specially a live-action adaptation), I am more used to it, or just kinda expected that to happen, and for me, that adds more charm to the drama.
I think Yamazaki Kento's acting keeps on improving as he takes more roles nowadays. Shuhei Nomura, as Touma - the youngest one is my favorite character in this story. He is so free-spirited, playboy, and tactless, but somehow his words makes sense. And I love how he is so supportive of Misaki, even if he have a little crush on her.
Another reason to watch this drama is the food, specially those mouthwatering display of desserts!
Though as much as I wished that this drama have more episodes or at least reached until 12 episodes, I am satisfied how it went till the final end. It didn't left me feeling something missing, it just went how it should be. I only want it to last long because I still want to see them all together because I love how each of the actors played their characters, meaning they have a very good chemistry working together.
The soundtrack is also good. I haven't checked out the meaning of the lyrics, but it is nice to listen to.
I would watch it again, in fact I may be watching it this weekend. Please watch it too, and hope you enjoy!
Was this review helpful to you?
1A 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 ❤️😊
Was this review helpful to you?
Why isn't Jun Ji Hyun in more dramas? I absolutely adore her. She made Song Yi so real to me. I will watch anything she plans to do in the future. Honestly, I'm not much of a fan of Kim Soo Hyun. However, he played Min Joon very well. To me his character was a good blend of controlled emotion with feeling. Park Hae Jin and Yoo In Na as well as the other characters were also good.
The music is pretty.
I will probably rewatch this at some point.
I think everyone would enjoy this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Unique and Worthy
Moving is literally those extremely good, rare television dramas that come out every 5 years.I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t expect much as I thought that Moving would be a ‘recycled’ drama where the theme and some parts of the plot would be a copy and paste, but I was wrong. The fact that the creator thought of the way of starting Moving by showing the students perspectives as a ‘build-up,’ then slowly, but perfectly showing the parents history to lead up to the climax to combine both, is a job well done. Furthermore, the considerate amount of effort put into each character involved is amazing, and really, you can tell. Whether it be the main characters or the minor characters, or those with abilities or not, they are all involved in the story and have unique personalities and stories. Their stories impact the drama, and their history adds on to how the climax was created. Even the introduction of new characters wasn’t tiring because they all have a purpose. Every episode is thrilling, and every episode ends with a cliffhanger. My eyes were glued onto a screen the entire time watching Moving and I would not leave my couch because I wanted, no NEEDED more.
The line-up of Moving is truly a rare sight, in which even my parents were shocked at the amount of stars involved in a single project. Ranging from the legendary icons that brought Kdramas and KMovies global fame (Han Hyo Joo, Ryu Seung Ryong, Zo In Sung, Cha Tae Hyun), to the rookies that absolutely exceeded my expectations (Lee Jung Ha, Go Youn Jung, Kim Do Hoon), this star-stunning cast, portrayed their characters extremely well throughout the drama. Yes, you can be sceptical at once and even confused after seeing Han Hyo Joo playing a mother, but trust me, once you keep going forward, you’ll know that she is the perfect person for the role. I can’t say anything different for the rest of the cast either, because they did so perfectly well portraying their characters, their emotions, and their thoughts. Everyone involved is extremely talented, and their outstanding acting could even get you wondering just how talented they are.
The cinematography involved is outstanding, and so is the music. Believe me, I’m obsessed with one of the BGM because it’s just so perfectly made. The editor really knew when to add each sound in because they relate and fit into the scene so much.
I really enjoyed watching Moving as it’s a really amazing show. I’ll be down to rewatch it another, no, multiple times because it’s definitely those shows that you can watch again without getting bored. The drama is a well executed, well made masterpiece that the Moving staff and actors created what most dramas couldn’t do. Easily a 10/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
pretty faces, no value.
overall, boring. i mean, i did like that in some ways, but there shouldve been more to it.
considering this show takes place on an island you think they would take advantage of their surroundings and maybe go on hikes or zip lining, or challenges for contestants like surfing or something. instead there were like three “challenges” where they ran into the water or push each other around in mud. all of the contestants also just stay on the beach and complain how hot it is all day. which btw, how will they call this hell when everything is provided for them and there aren’t any actual hardships besides lack of phone lol. like why didnt they have them explore together or do something challenging?
it felt like i was mostly just watching them have excessively deep convos about their feelings for each other. it’s ridiculous how attached they get to other contestants because theyd have been there for a day and theyre obsessed. i wish the series had taken longer so the relationships made more sense. and none of the contestants were sincere, it was clear they were there to promote their social medias or business. the ones that were sincere had no screen time.
as for the commentators, they kept trying to make drama where there wasn’t any. like a zoomed in shot of someone’s face suddenly meant that they were torn apart on the inside. plus, they kept excusing a lot of the male contestants behavior, calling sehoon admirable for chasing after jiyeon even though she stated she didnt like him.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Huge failure in the writing
WHAT I LIKED:-Ra Ra : little princess lost in the world. She is naïve but optimistic and she would tell you bluntly what is ok and what is not. She has an adorable cheerful personality and she slowly shows a mature side of herself.
-Jun: a mysterious but kind guy who does his best to survive by himself but also to help everyone around him.
- The great chemistry between Ra Ra and Jun
- Ha Young and Seung Gi : usual friends who become lovers. They are cute and friendly people
- The women at the hair saloon: crazy women but warm and funny people
- Grandpa: a kind person who helps them all openly and also secretly. I liked his background story
- The head of detective agency : the most fun of them all.
- Dr Cha : I really had a problem with him at first as he was weird with Ra Ra and tried to woo her. He became more likeable though.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
The writer managed to portray very endearing characters with their interactions describing a lot of love and care from one to the others. It made the general athmosphere nice, fun and heartwarming. But the problem is that the writer never knew where to head to. There is no clear plotline and it navigates from a situation to another situation which are either cute (grandpa story, Jae min's story) or confusing (Ra Ra's father's death, stalker story), or irritating (fake cancer, fake wedding) until the final episodes with silly useless revelations and a ridiculous ending.
The writer basically never managed to tell a story and was mostly leading on the audience to manipulate it and extort emotions from it. Lame.
MUSIC: It was ok
REWATCH: Why rewatch? Don't even watch.
OVERALL : 10 for the main characters. 2 for the story. Overall: 6. I clearly don't recommend this drama. It is a waste of time.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Thriller/Comedy with a touch of warmth short drama
This is by far one the best T-drama I've watched in years. It has a touch of comedy, thrilling adventures, warmth feeling and life lesson all in 12 episodes.I watch this without any expectation and got me hooked from the 1st episode.
The writer of this drama did a great job in depicting each story in all of the episodes.
I love how the characters developments for all 3 main characters were portrayed nicely.
Every actors and actresses portrayed their character very well.
(SPOILER)
I’m surprise that Derek Chang can play a villain as he has that good boy look and often play a good character (boy next door kind).
I love how they made Pu Yi Yong (PYY) become more mature as the story progresses and how he mastered the skill he was given after waking from his coma skillfully. His empathy towards others made him to be a great person despite all the lack of education. He was deemed as hooligans because of this. But he was actually a great person.
As for Cao Guang Yan (CGY) and Chen Chu Ying (CCY), they both became his faithful companion and sidekick ready to defend him anytime.
PYY's mom and CGY's dad were hilarious and make the drama fun to watch too. (of course other side characters were good as well, too many to mention).
Here are some life lessons can be taken from this drama (and maybe apply it in real life):
1. “You are most important” (this is an advice PYY’s Dad gave at the last episode). Although many will interpret this as being selfish, I actually think the dad wants PYY to love himself despite all the weaknesses in his life. One’s compassion and empathy are not a weakness rather it’s a skill that many people lack these days. I love how wise the dad actually is despite his silly actions.
2. “Never give up” This is what I also get from all the “creatures” that PYY help through his writing. Although they are not human but their persistence help them to move on.
3. “Obsession holds others down” This is why most “creatures” PYY encounter existed. A human obsession can be a scary thing just like hatred and jealousy. People blinded from all of these often can’t see or appreciate the things they have in life and beside them.
If you still hesitate to watch, don’t… just go and watch it without expectation. You’ll enjoy it much more. Every episode keeps you on edge (like I did). I’m totally gonna miss this drama every Saturday. I’ve gone attached to Pu Yi Yong character. I will definitely rewatch this drama later on.
Hope there’ll be a second season although Taiwanese drama seldom do more than 1 season.
Wishing other fan of this drama enjoy the drama as much as I did. ^^
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
High Jumping Comedic Romance
What drew me to this series was the sportiness with a side of romance and drama. Wanted something fun and easy while watching heavier stuff. Only know Gina Jin from a previous show this year which was also an older woman/younger man thing but this one actually had a plot and good acting.Pros: I really liked the underdog kid ML who was always critiqued for being too short to do the high jump but nothing slowed him down. There was only an 8 year age difference between the leads and the ML was 20 when they got together. So to those who feel skeaved out by these kinds of scenarios; don't worry, everyone was an adult in this one. The chemistry between the leads was palpable from the get go. But it was the sportiness, comedy, and the ML's iron clad determination to continue to do what he loved that kept me watching. The FL was a great beginners coach and was very credible in her role.
The beginning and ending credits and OSTs were beautiful and all perfectly placed. I liked the pace of the story as it never dragged nor felt cliché. As a fan of track and field in the Olympics this peaked my interest and I was even more impressed that they cast an actual high jumper athlete to both help/encourage the lead in his role but also as one of the supporting characters; just made it feel more authentic. Was it 100% perfect in all of the sport parameters? No, but this was a drama, not a documentary, so it wasn't expected.
For a c-drama, this had very mature romance which was a nice added touch. There were no lips pressed together and wide eyed looks of confusion from whichever lead. Each kiss after the first and romantic first night together were very convincingly done.
Cons: This would have gotten a rare 10 from me had it not sent this great and light-hearted for the most part drama off the rails in the last 3 episodes with the crazy reporter and her unnecessary garbage plus all that other junk that then had to quickly spin a plot of ML going overseas to train with FL's dad. If this thing was to be included, it had to start way earlier. But honestly, it really was unnecessary because they could have had him enter into some competition and show him winning or something and build up to the last 3 minute proposal that was then quickly turned into a wedding in the last episode. It was very haphazardly thrown together and if not for that last out of left field portion, could have had a very satisfactory and strong ending. I also wish they spent more time on the sports then the romance; had it more 50-50 especially towards the end. Sadly, editing went out the window via a javelin throw and that portion missed the mark.
Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Despite the last 3 episodes being just essentially fillers, it was a very funny, easy on the brain, natural, and great show to watch which I enjoyed very much and will totally rewatch my favorite parts.
Was this review helpful to you?
The family that slays together stays together!
House of Ninjas was an entertaining mix of action, humor, and conspiracies with a little romance thrown in for good measure. Three generations living in the same house can be a source of stress on any family, especially for one that has a dark secret.After a mishap on a mission six years before, a family of ninjas may live in the same house, but they are all going in their own direction. Dad Soichi runs the failing family sake brewery and wants his family to lead a normal life. Mom Yoko is a bored stay at home mom and shoplifts in her spare time. Daughter Nagi is frustrated and puts her own spin on theft. Like his dad, son Haru wants a normal life and spends his nights refilling vending machines and having dinner in the same place so that he can be near the young woman who has her daily meal there. Retired Grandma Ninja keeps an eye on everyone, especially the youngest, Riku. The ninja code puts a crimp in Haru's love life when he is reminded that he’s not allowed to date just anyone, especially a comely reporter. When a rival ninja family reappears, the family will have to pull together to help save the nation.
House of Ninjas had a good balance of humor, romance, and bloody fight scenes. The ninja battles were entertaining and well choreographed if you don’t look too closely. The grannie-on-grannie ninja action was a hoot. The characters could make some inexplicably poor decisions at times. Apparently, ninja families are bad at interpersonal communication. When the going got tough, the family did pull together and have each others’ backs-literally. Each of the actors portrayed their characters well, glum Haru, mischievous Nagi, inquisitive Riku, and two parents who got their groove back. Throw in a deranged cult leader who thought he was god and you have everything you need for a fun ninja, excuse me, shinobi ride.
If you’re looking for a completely serious and blood-soaked drama, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a funny satire of ninjas, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a full-blown romance, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a ninja drama with high stakes, some light and dark humor, family drama exasperated by the ninja code, and a nice little romance, this could be worth a try. I found it compelling and entertaining, with some flaws.
15 February 2024
Was this review helpful to you?
Never have I seen such a contrast between a form and substance of one movie. The substance – full of brutality, mindless violence and helplessness, against the form – breathtaking shots and subtle, soothing music (my discovery of the movie - Debussy’s Arabesque!), makes this movie really disturbing and unforgettable. This dissonance is sickening, but also brilliant and makes the film different from anything I’ve seen so far.
Another thing worth mentioning – chronology of All About Lily Chou Chou. At first, nothing makes absolutely no sense, we have no idea what is happening, not to mention why do all those things happen at all. It’s a commonly used trick, present in many other movies, but frequently it makes the viewer confused and utterly lost, without a chance to understand what the heck he just watched. In this case… you will feel the same. At first. But then, when you sit back and think once again about what you’ve just seen, you will most probably see a logic between all this madness. The transformation of Hoshino is shocking, but possible and that’s the most depressing thing about this movie.
Even if I think All About Lily Chou Chou is groundbreaking, it’s not a masterpiece for me. Why? Sometimes I had the feeling that this mentioned opposition between the beauty of the form and brutality of the characters was too overbearing. Also, this movie was dangerously close to being draggy, nearly two hours and a half with so little dialogue and so much pain can be really tiring.
To sum it all up – this movie is not for everyone. If you’re not scared of this eerie, weird atmosphere of some Japanese movies, try All About Lily Chou Chou, most probably you won’t be disappointed. If you’re more of a traditional watcher, who prefers movies with a solid plot and conventional characters, do not press play - but definitely go listen to Debussy, his music is just brilliant.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
There is a reason why the tragedy tag is there. The setting of this movie itself is during war, in a war camp where all sort of people is there. The good and the bad people, the honest and the one with ulterior motives. The story itself is unique to me. Usually, movies in a war setting are heavy on tactical or political but Swing Kids focuses mainly on tap dance. When I watched the trailer, it got myself thinking too how did this one ended up as musical movie? The music was necessary to accompany the tap dance. I don’t really know much about American music during war times but it is pleasant to hear. The movie focuses on the hero, Kisoo and how he fell in love with tap dance. How tap dance changed his life, the consequences he got when he accepted his love for tap dance from his fellow countrymen and enemies, and the dream he wanted with his talent. It was a beautiful journey to watch his character development. The other characters are necessary for this development, one leads to the other, and another, until they completed each other. And these characters will be tested on their ideology and loyalty; either to be freed physically or to be freed mentally.
Do Kyungsoo is so incredible in this movie. The way he talked in North Korean accent, the way he potrayed as a bully and the most important is the way he tapped dance. It was so beautiful to watch his character. The second lead for me is the character Jackson. The actor, Jared Grimes, is really into his character, I am so impressed. Jackson is the person that introduced tap dance to Kisoo. The relationship between them is so beautiful, it transgressed language, skin colors and ideology. Park Hye Soo’s English is wonderful and she certainly can tap dance; while Oh Jung Se and Kim Minho completed the comic relief in this movie.
The movie started with a good humor here and there, and later it changed into a serious tone due to a major event in the movie. But the beauty of tap dance is featured in the movie from the beginning until the end. The director is clever to use music as the momentum, mostly the pacing of the shoe’s tap itself, and there are some scenes I literally held out my breath, the tap dances in this movie are that good.
I would love to rewatch it again in the future. This movie is certainly different from the others. Recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet and Understated
STORY:Though this drama doesn't really bring anything new to the table in terms of story, it has a sweet, understated vibe to it that made for an enjoyable watch. And while it premiered in 2021, I felt like I was watching something from five or six years ago, but the warm feelings of nostalgia were nice and comforting. Second Chance brings not the annoying ex-girlfriends, obnoxious fujoshis, and slapstick sound effects that seem to inundate more recent Thai BLs and instead takes us back to that feeling of discovering one's self and one's first love in the midst of emerging adulthood.
There are three main stories here: Paper and Tong Fah, Chris and Jeno, and Near and M, with the main focus being on the first two. I do think the writers were ambitious in attempting to deliver so many plots given the number of episodes, and, as much as I adore Near and the actor who plays him, I agree with others who said that his and M's storyline could have been left out due to the miniscule amount of screen time and development, in favor of advancing the other couples' plot lines. But that said, although some parts of this drama felt rushed and/or underdeveloped (and at times I felt like I had missed something), there wasn't a lot of filler fluff, and I do think the writers tried to devote every minute they could to advancing something, for which I'm appreciative.
I also just need to point out that the scene in episode three where Tong Fah and Paper are dancing in one of their bedrooms is one the best I've seen in a BL. So raw and vulnerable—got me all in the feels—and I applaud the actors in evoking those emotions.
ACTING/CAST:
The cast overall did a nice job portraying their characters, some better than others, but none were terrible. Each character was charming in his or her own way. Even the antagonist was devilishly alluring and made me really intrigued to know his (and Jeno's) backstory. The actors had good chemistry with one another, both as friends and love interests, and there was a natural ease about their interactions with one another.
OVERALL:
Do I recommend? Yes, totally. It's short and sweet and hearkens back to the BL days of old which was (perhaps surprisingly) a nice break from the more loud and chaotic Thai BLs we've been seeing lately. This gives me vibes of Love Sick and I Told Sunset About You (note, for the latter, I said vibes, not production quality, so don't compare it on that end lol), and if you're a fan of those and the feelings they give you, I think you might like Second Chance.
Was this review helpful to you?
I have to admit 39 episodes are somewhat of a challenge. But after ep1 the director made very efficient use of cliffhangers. Hence, you'll just watch on and on and the 39 episodes just fly by!
Story: A beautiful Chinese time traveller story. Qing Chuan gets zapped back to the Qing dynasty. And we follow her meet the great Emperor and his numerous sons. The story is full of love, hate, revenge, intrigue!
While the emperor's sons struggle for favour in court and for the position of crowned prince Qing Chuan is right in the middle of it all.
I loved how all the Princes were portrayed with different characteristics, worries, goals, dreams, faults. Over the course of 39 episodes there was room enough to develop every character. And while we start out hating some and liking others, the story convincingly takes us to other perspectives, different problems and we may just change our minds about some of them or at least find it harder to judge them in terms of black and white.
The actors were doing a great job. Every single one of them did a brilliant job. Yang Mi (Qing Chuan) was probably my favourite character. She was able to portray Qing Chuan so well with all her different facets.
Feng William and He Mickey were just unbelievable. Playing the two may male leads (8th and 4th prince) they excelled at playing intrigue, ambition, hate, cruelty, love, cold heartedness, softheartedness ... the whole range really.
But the Royal Consorts, Princes, Ministers, Eunuchs, Palace maids ... deserve merit as well. This drama was huge. Not just cast wise. But also as far as locations and sets were concerned and the costumes were so detailed and beautiful. The directors and producers put a lot of effort into this drama and the result truly reflects the passion they must have had making this series.
Sometimes the scipt was just a bit lengthy. And the intrigue was getting slightly out of control. In some episodes you can really feel the artificiality of the script. With the Qing Chuan Doppelgaenger, I really feel that was not a necessary episode.
Anyhow I thought all the tiny side stories of some characters were well interwoven with the plot and made the whole drama richer and more complete.
This was my first Chinese historical drama and I had to get used to the difference after being used to historical k dramas. All in all I think i like chinese traditional clothes better than the korean but that hair ornamentation... phew must have been really heavy. I also liked that the females here were all far away from being silly, naive and spoiled. They were all very believable characters.
A must watch for every one who enjoys historical dramas!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
What's with the infantilizing of grown ass male celebs?27 minutes ago -
Role Reversal (RR) Drama Lovers Club2 hours ago -
-
what was the last book you read?3 hours ago -
