Reviews

The only way to enjoy this is by erasing from your memory manga, anime, Japanese or Korean live-actions and simply watch this drama as though it were a completely new story, only with faces you've already seen and names already heard.



The constant comparisons won't help; on the contrary, they'll spoil the fun. All in all, I DID enjoy this second season of Meteor Garden. The acting of all has improved tremendously, and so are photography, direction and characterization.



Meizuo and Ximen's side stories are addressed and completed, something I thought was sadly lacking elsewhere. Shan Cai grows into a truly likable character and the second female lead is, for once, a delicious person, instead of the usual viper-like, scheming character. So refreshing! Honestly, I've had enough of girls portrayed as if they were incapable of true friendhip or generosity and who seem to live only to target the guy of their dreams. In this sense, this second season is way more romantic and realistic than many other adaptations.



It has some dragging parts, mostly when the whole plot is compared in length to the pretty rushed ending, but as a counterpart to this, some details are truly satisfying (I can't elaborate this unless I spoil the end).



Overall, I am convinced this drama is much better than what's usually expected and deserves a try.

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I love love love love love the members so much, I ult them already (it takes a lot for me to stan a group, let alone ult one), the only thing that really got on my nerves was the insane amount of stalling when big things were announced. I cried like 5 times because I'm a baby. 10/10 would recommend. I may not watch it again though, only because I don't want to go through those long stalls, and all of the sad stuff. If you're a SK stan, or you're interested in them, though, I highly recommend you watch it at least once!!
Support SK!! Their debut is insanely good. At least give them a chance, regardless of if you watch the show or not. You won't be disappointed.

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Dysfunctional family to touch. True to life. Rough. Surprisingly on a positive note though

"Boomerang Family" refers to the term 'boomerang kids': adults who for pragmatic reasons move back in with their parents - mostly for financial reasons, because of unemployment or because of divorce. The protagonists of this KMovie are the mother, her three adult children and her granddaughter. Together they form the boomerang family.

In South Korea, family is the greatest good. Family is omnipresent and gets involved everywhere. This does not mean, however, that family is therefore only associated with happiness, love and warmth. On the contrary. There's a lot of pain associated with it. Much is and remains unsaid. Punches are often included as well.

That's what "Boomerang Family" is about - the dysfunctional aspects of a simple family. Strife and rivalry and fights. Envy and inferiority. Pride. Yet also moments of happiness. Eventually not being seen. Yet, being seen, too. Unspoken truths that will sooner or later be told anyway. Very private, often rough, unsightly, even downright repulsive manners in everyday interactions in the smallest of spaces, which we actually (if at all) only share in the closest, most intimate circle. E.g. in family, that takes you as you are. (Inevitably.) (Out of habit.) (Because one is just so familiar due to the proximity in time and space that one has shared.) (Out of love?)

The bottom line in "Boomerang Family" is love, which, in its most screwed up way, slumbers and lurks somewhere behind the curtain of mostly ugly, all too familiar patterns of everyday, long-established, well-established manners. Strangely enough, it is simply there.

In the world of the protagonists that curtain is rather shabby. Life is simple. The language rough. Proximity is created through shouting, scrambles and fights. Community can be experienced through shared meals, though. Those meals structure family life and become a connecting, binding medium. The common meal is the place of communication and encounter under largely regulated, peaceful conditions. Everything before and after, however, can quickly (almost certainly) get out of hand.

A special aspect for South Korean conditions, where the direct bloodline is still enormously important: Over time, it becomes clear that the protagonist family is actually a rather progressive variant of a patchwork family. Because of that fact, at first glance all seems to be in question. Nevertheless, this realization cannot erase the lived experience as a "family". The simple, unnamed, tangible, rustic, crude 'love' between siblings that is celebrated with this movie, is not in the genes, but has grown out of shared experiences. In this message lies the magic of this otherwise rather brittle, sometimes dark story. Eventually the heaviness is balanced here and there with a breeze of quite idiosyncratic humor.

Everyone in the family has their own stories and small, medium or big tragedies that bring them back together under one roof. A dysfunctional family to touch, true to life, authentic, in all obscenity. As a spectator, you are brought up close, sometimes closer than you might like. Heaviness and pessimism may want to impose themselves in the course of events, but they ultimately fail to determine the emotional space. You wouldn´t believe it, but the story ends on a consistently positive note.

The KMovie is a film adaptation of a novel. It could also be a theatrical performance. It touches, repels, shamelessly places the ugly next to moments of happiness. Who actually is to judge life? What is good? What is beautiful? What is valuable? What is happiness? Ultimately, all protagonists feel (not only, but ALSO) valuable and happy in their affiliation. So what are the criteria for evaluating the quality of life? "Boomerang Familie" chooses a very idiosyncratic, but ultimately soothing perspective - beyond lifestyle, image, aesthetics or monetary wealth.

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Well, I liked it!

DISCLAIMER: I do have notoriously low standards haha

I did go in with very low expectations after reading the main review but NO regrets watching it <33

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STORY:

PLOT OVERALL: It was like a cute little on-shot written with the synopsis ("Actors Play and First being made to live together for 10 days in a house to find/whip up chemistry for their upcoming series ") as prompt.


-1- I am pretty much sucker for a good "OBLIGATORY-LIVE-IN" plot, especially when mashed with an "HATE-TO-LOVE" ingredient. And I got it here.
Actors Play and First being made to live together for 10 days in a house to find/whip up chemistry for their upcoming series - was an acceptable and believable excuse. (I've seen series coming up with much more ridiculous reasons to push two people together).

-2- CHARACTER GROWTH: Personally I DID FIND subtle growth and changes in character - and that was all I needed. The story is of 10 days span and they pretty much had an slow steady built relationship, catalyzed by situations of close proximity and a third party, maybe hindered by personal inhibitions - common plot development but always realistic and understandable.

-3- DEPTH: Was lacking, or I am missing some details. But again, for a 5 episode plot explaining 10 day story with lot of fanservice scenes, it is not expected in an average show.

-4- PACE: Was slow, even super slow at times, I could safely skip 5, 10 seconds instead of waiting for something to happen and that's saying something. I was thankful to the speed controlled widget I have lol, I watched a lot of scenes between 1.2 to 1.8 speeds.

-5- HUMOR: It was a little bonus, to my humor sense, some scenes were funny, and I lowkey like Penelope (even though she was a little "clingy" at some parts haha).

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ACTING: GOOD.

MAIN LEADS: IMO CHEMISTRY WAS GOOD - their acting could show growth of their chemistry well, and the awkwardness in the beginning too. Nothing in to make me feel cringed or that it was unnatural.
There was indeed a little something missing in the chemi - a tiny little bump I cannot quite place - but as a casual viewer I was satisfied.

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SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:
I liked the variety in natures of the casting team. PRAEW was either aloof or just acts that way and probably a Y-girl, FAH was strict and more of a cold minded professional, PENELOPE was colorful character who could does have flaws but is also sensitive and fun, DIRECTOR pretty much impressed me in the tea scene lol-he gave his all, CHAI too surprised with acting skill in "that one scene". PLUTO was the sweet kind of second lead who in a well produced drama can give SLS induced heartaches.
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REWATCH VALUE: I am not big into rewatching but this definitely makes my list!!!!! It could be a cute comfort show for another day.

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A story of love, deceit and survival!

The drama throws you headfirst into a gritty, neon-soaked world where revenge is messy and love can cost you almost everything. From the start, it makes a bold impression with adrenaline-pumping action, some good and real visuals. Though the storytelling is very layered, it does wobble a bit in the middle but eventually it drew me back.

Sun, freshly out of prison and burning with rage and revenge, set up his own gang. His journey starts off looking like a typical revenge story but his story wasn't that straightforward.
It quickly becomes clear that it’s much more than that. Beneath the surface lied a complex power struggle, where nothing is as it appears and every choice he made came with an emotional fallout.

On this journey, he meets Peace, the son of very man Sun is at war with. (Also I found his name very iconic xD) .Their love story felt heart breaking from the start. The relationship was delicate and beautiful but it was built on manipulation and lies even though the intention might not be wrong. The push and pull made sense and to be honest, I enjoyed it.
They really had good chemistry and the Korean-Thai blend worked for me. It didn't feel forced and the backstories were solid enough to support it.

The antagonists were cold and calculated, as they should have been in stories like this. They didn't just solely relief on the physical violence but a lot of emotional manipulation too. Especially Jihun, I found his character very smartly written compared to other villains here.

But somewhere in the middle, the drama seems to lose its focus. Too many new plotlines were introduced which weren't logical or realistic and some of the twists seemed unnecessary, only to overcomplicate an already complex story. It also started to feel a bit repetitive.

Acting-wise, everyone seemed to be doing a decent job though some emotional scenes could have been better. Visually, I think the drama did a good job with those dark alleys to those intentionally chaotic cityscapes. The fight scenes were sharp and well-choreographed.

The ending does seem to hint at season 2 but I feel they tied up the ends neatly and if there wasn't a next season, I wouldn't mind.

Overall, this was brutal, smart and intense that it occasionally stumbled under the weight of its own complexity. The love here wasn't the saving grace but it held the power to heal and harm. I would recommend it if you are looking for something gritty, where everything revolves around love and choices and their consequences but not "romance", though I feel there is plenty.

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I just finished re-watching this film and I came to MDL page then Shock! There’s no review for this legendary action film? It looks like I have to change that.

Let me keep this review shorter than most of my other detailed long ones. This is a classic action film produced in Hong Kong by the master John Woo and it’s definitely one of his better works to date. When I say action, I target every meaning behind the word. This is the epitome of the action genre that puts the majority of Hollywood action films to shame.

Is there a plot? Not really, is there realism? Heck no! The guy fires hundreds of bullets without even reloading, what common sense are you talking about? But who cares about that? The lovers of the genre don't watch for the plot or for realism, what matters in action films is the intense style of violence, bullets flying and once again violence! This is an extreme action film where everyone holds a gun (or two) and fire until they die. People are everywhere, explosions, motorcycles blowing up in the air, cars exploding and bombs. It’s all there, the camera was everywhere and those slow motion scenes are just magnificent. Nothing less from John Woo’s explosive directing style.

The main leads are cool just like John Woo’s typical main leads. The acting is superb, on one hand there’s the great Chow Yun Fat that lacks recognition and on the other hand, there’s the well-known great Hong Kong star Tony Leung. It’s a dreamy powerful combination that allows John Woo to make use of the brotherhood theme that he loves so much. There’s also a nice performance from Anthony Wong as the bad guy but he falls behind compared to Yun Fat and Tony.

Watch this if:
-You love action films because this is one of the best.
-You’re looking for action entertainment.
-You like John Woo’s films (especially his HK ones).
-You like any of the cast.

Do not watch if:
-You dislike violent films because this is the essence of violence.
-You’re looking for a certain plot because there’s nothing special in this film’s story.
-You dislike the genre action.

So why does this get a 9/10 from someone who’s very cheap with his ratings? It’s because I am an action junkie and Hard Boiled is one of the best Action films ever made in the history of cinema, PERIOD.

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This drama got me hooked from beginning to end.I binged watch the first ten episodes in just one day. I commend them for their acting especially the male lead.
Zhang zhe han never failed to surprise me. He can portray characters who looks really cold and tough.I remember him as Prince Qin in his previous drama and it was good to see him back in a modern drama .He looks dashing with his new hair. His eyes are very expressive.
I loved how adorable the Lou Xi is.I became her fan the moment I saw her onscreen. She has a natural charm and no doubt she will land in more bigger roles.
But damn I had no idea Riley speaks English well and being raised in Canada he speaks smoothly. Not really a fan of him but he can really act. The only character that annoys me was Wena and i think she was so good playing the spoiled rich princess.
Tao Lun and Wena are supporting characters but their characters exist for a reason and they are part of the main conflict of the story.
Though Zhang Min replaced Tao Lun and perform his duties as a son but his father never treated him well. I feel sorry for him because he was living a dual life and was deprived of his right to live as Zhang Chi.
Family problems really gets complicated and as you grow older you are left with no choice but to protect the ones you loved.
He had to protect his mother at the same time lived as someone else's son.
Tao lun was still very fortunate because he had foster parents who really loved him.
But when you think of it Zhang Min and his mother suffered for losing Tao lun.
The ones greatly affected are the children.

I strongly recommend this drama and I am loving the natural chemistry of the leads. The way he stares at her makes me melt. Where could I find a boyfriend who looks at me the way he looks at Lou Xi.

The plot seems cliche but the pacing and storyline is good. Just the right amount of sweetness and angst.I'm gonna miss this drama.

So if you ever watched a melodrama and wants to brighten up your mood you should check this out.


The ending was a bit rushed and the real culprit apologized for his mistake in just one episode and it was over.They could have done a lot in a 36 episode drama.It gets draggy the moment they found out the real Zhang Min.
I want a better ending but I am more than happy to see the leads ending up together.

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A charming modern fairy tale with a fresh love story

I refused to watch Goblin for a long time, kept skipping it until it finally ended up on my "Not Interested" list. A few days ago I came across an article about it, the topic was Korean fantasies on Netflix, and this time it piqued my curiosity and I decided to give it a chance. I didn't regret it.

What did I like so much about this "Goblin"? It wasn't the main character by any means, though he was a nice guy. It wasn't the chemistry between the couples, which was teased in the story of a larger-than-life fate that brings two couples together over several lifetimes, because I didn't feel that chemistry.

I'm a fan of the fantasy genre, but I wouldn't prioritize this series as fantasy because I missed it driving the main thread of the story.

And the love story was kind of weird - no strong passion or heartwarming scenes.

Finally..... Without hesitation, I rated "Goblin" a 9/10.

I wonder, I really wonder, how this series won me over. Now, as I write it, it may crystallize for me. First of all, the two main female characters were just adorable - sweet, pure, sparkling, gentle, with a fragile feminine air, though not fragile characters. The "goblin bride" was such a fresh image - a woman-child oozing energy that floods you with good feeling. Actress Kim Go Eun (the second season of "Yumi's Cells" is currently running with her) is super cute. The other lead actress whose performance I liked is Yoo In Na, who later starred with the same partner in "Touch My Heart".

The men, aside from the sole villain, were gentlemen with a history of tragic bad guys - a king and a general who endure punishment while living the lives of a goblin and an angel of death. However, the viewer sees nothing wrong with them. They are so considerate, caring, sensitive, sacrificial - every woman's dream men. There was also a cute minor character - a young boy, a third generation heir, who added spice to the story without his character actually undergoing development.
Aside from the king's uncle and the main character's aunt, the typical spiteful, ugly, morally repugnant lost Korean souls that are so stifling in any series were absent. Two cursed enemies become good friends, outgrowing loathing and revenge.
There is no shortage of humor in the crisp dialogue between all the actors.

All in all, this is a drama of pure relationships and genuine people - like a brochure of life as we would like to live it, labeled "Feel good story". There's no intrigue, no attempts at someone wanting to take someone else's man/woman away, no parents opposing the relationship - well, there's no intrigue overall, but I didn't miss it. And the ending was nice - I won't spoil if anyone hasn't watched it.

Overall, I recommend anyone who hasn't seen it and likes romantic fantasies to give it a try. It leaves a nice feeling in the heart and is watchable in one breath.

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Exceeded expectation

I started this drama with no expectations at all. It turned out to be one of the few dramas I didn’t drop and watched till the end.

The main leads have amazing chemistry!! First time watching ML and I was very impressed by his acting and micro expressions (plus point he is sooo good looking and a cutie :P). I hope he will get more main roles in the future.

The supporting roles (classmates, ML father, FL parents, teachers) are great too. I love that the story didn’t only focus on the main leads and touched on other character’s story (i.e. teachers and classmates). Overall, a drama worth watching and (somewhat) satisfying ending,

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I'm giving this a high rating, because this two-episode series (less than 30 minutes) says more than many series with 12 or more episodes.

For me, the actor who plays Neung is fantastic. I hope we see him in more roles, he really is THAT good.

The story is powerful in a lot of ways. Neung has a girlfriend, he gets drunk one night with his friend Keng and they have sex. The next day they are hanging out with friends and the two of them are very awkward with one another because of what happened. In private, Neung and Keng argue and Neung claims he's not gay and storms out. Later, the two of them get together again and, after what seems to be some S&M foreplay, they spend the night together again. The next morning they are really happy and Keng gives Neung a key to his apartment.

Word gets around that the two of them are together and Neung is confronted by his good friend Tui (and two others), with Tui saying he won't be friends with someone who is gay... all three of the friends desert Neung, who goes back to the apartment, only to find an empty apartment and a note from Keng, saying he has to go to a new school, but he is leaving the apartment to Neung with the memory of the time they spent together. Neung is devastated.

Neung goes out walking near a bridge, and Tui and the other friends approach him and apologize. Tui is especially affectionate and he and Neung end up as a couple after that. The End.

I've heard some viewers resent the fact that Tui "suddenly turns gay" after he shuns Nueng. But I see it differently:
many young gay men in the closet are the first ones to turn against and make fun of other gay people, because they themselves are struggling. It's not nice in any way, but it's a process that a number of gays go through.

There is also a nice metaphorical touch, involving two fish in a tank at the apartment.

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Cute, Meaningful, and Heartwarming

Omg I love this show, and why shouldn’t I love such a cute show?
Here is a very short review:
This show is like Back to 1989(Taiwan show) female version with similar concept but better executed. As a huge fan of time-travel and youth(high school) dramas, this show was definitely my type. Things I enjoy most are mother/daughter relationship and main characters’ development. FL can be annoying at times but it is not unreasonably annoying and she has her own reasons for that.
Casts are not super well known, but acting is quality, especially our two female leads; Amy Chen and Zhaung Da Fei. Though male characters aren’t as important, Chen Jun He and Duan Xiao totally captured my hearts
High School part is well done and I’d rate it highly for nostalgia.
But again, it is not a perfect drama, and it has some flaws; some parts should be explained more clearly and Wu Zhi Xun character development is a little disappointing
But it is understandable...
Overall, I love it!
If you are a fan of time travel or high school dramas, I highly recommend it
And watch it for nostalgia, it is worth your time.

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Red or Black, Fan Xiao is loved

I thoroughly enjoyed this series from the first episode to the last. This was truly entertaining, the main requirement of any production. Fan Xiao has set the standard for the most likeable villain. He plotted his way into Shu Lang's life and suffered for it. While his intentions were diabloical, he did free Shu Lang from the parasites of his life. Unfortunately, he in turn, became the main destroyer to his happiness and peace.

I felt no pity for Shu Lang's ex boyfriend and brother. They were both expertly played with and discarded. The fall out due to the duplicity from Fan Xiao destroyed his pride. He did say, "If you are lying, keep lying, don't ever let me find out." Ultimately, the bond between them would see them run through the gamut of emotions and whoever stood in their path. Fan Xiao's retribution was always sure.

The characters were beautifully brought to life by one and all. Li Hua showed himself to be the most loyal friend to Fan Xiao and was just as humorous. This would not have been the same without him. Yun Qi, Hao Yi Ran and Kou Wei Long did great. The 15 episodes each held a moment or moments that would make it not feel tedious to view. Some portrayals did border on melodramatic, but that's China. The budget and production was on a bigger scale than most which proved to be an asset. Script was a bit expected but not completely so. The deftness at which Fan Xiao smoothly schemed his way through needed to be told.

This should be viewed as a fantasy and not with morality to be enjoyed. They did well. Loved it and can't wait for the special.

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It's pretty surreal for a show to bring change in a person but this stirring show has brought change in me. I could realize the beauty of life, death, love & punishment by this show. The acting was very touching . In my whole life it was the 1st show that made me cry( it was my 3rd Korean drama) Even though I gave myself spoilers & tried my best not to cry, the acting of the cast failed me. Even though there were plotholes & some part of the story didn't make any sense, I'd love to watch this heart fluttering show again & again. The chemistry between the leads was on another level. Definitely worth watching.

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