No time to die.
I have never watched a Chinese drama quite like Joy of Life. It Is pure entertainment, a heady, masculine cocktail of science fiction, political intrigue, espionage, martial arts and laugh out loud comedy. A dying young man laments his life cut short before he experiences the joy of life. He finds himself reborn an infant in another time with intact memories of the 21st century. Raised by his grandmother, this cunning, cynical know-all kid is expertly schooled in martial arts by his uncle Wushu (pun fully intended) and in medicine by a deadly poison master. Summoned to the capital by his distant father, Fan Xian sets off eagerly, anticipating the beginning of his carefree, happy existence. But his glee is short lived as someone wants to kill him dead. He finds himself saddled with a political marriage he is hell bent on squirming out of and his mother's legacy - control over immense wealth and the incredibly powerful Oversight Bureau. This is at odds with his desire to indulge in joyful pursuits and worse, catapults him right in the middle of a power struggle between two princes. Soon it appears as if everyone wants him dead. But Fan Xian literally has no time to die as he is swept away by a whirlwind of timeless secrets, murky political conspiracies, shocking betrayals and sinister encounters with opaque characters that could be friend or foe.Fan Xian is the central, core character that the plot revolves around;, there isn't really a female lead or a second lead. Fan Xian is a smart, ruthless and cunning rascal with very strong survival instincts who is not about to let anyone short change him of his second chance. His life philosophy and indifference to common inducements stymies family, friend and foe alike, leaving them at a complete loss as to how to motivate or manipulate him. Unlike his mysterious mother, a woman beyond her time, lofty aspirations like changing the world in the pursuit of social justice couldn't be further from Fan Xian's more self oriented goals. Until the world changes him when someone with joy of life shows him that there are things worth giving one's life to protect. This moves Fan Xian unaccountably, makes him do things against his nature and better judgement, it stays with him and forces him into the fray, to risk his life for what he wishes to protect. This pivotal moment and how it sparks a growing flame adds a defining dimension and substance to Fan Xian, one of the best written, most layered and entertaining characters I have come across in a long time.
This serpentine political chronicle satirizes the ruthlessness of man's ambitions and how it coincides with life's cruel and random vagaries. Most of the characters, including Fan Xian are scheming, ruthless, violent, deceitful and utilitarian. Bad things happen to good people, actions have consequences, people die, forgiveness and justice are not always possible. This underlying dark tone with its bitter notes and philosophical questions is so artfully disguised by the wit and humor that drenches this drama that it easily passes off as a comedy. The entire tone of a scene or a conversation can just shift with a bizarre interruption or a non-sequitur mundane question or digression that shouldn't even be funny but somehow is. The wit and comedy from clever word puns to baffling allusions to 21st century concepts are not merely for laughter's sake they are intended to hint at character traits, hidden motives and unspoken truths. The plot is action packed with many twists and is littered with thrilling martial arts encounters where moments of imminent peril can be unexpectedly broken by well timed comic relief.
To put it simply Zhang Ruoyun simply owns the character Fan Xian, it is unimaginable that anyone else can pull off this jaded, irreverent, manipulative and utterly irresistible rogue in such a compelling way. Even though this is not much of a romance, Fan Xian seems to have an affinity for and way with women that recalls Jin Yong's lascivious and vile Wei Xiaobao but in today's day and age, it is only acceptable that he is limited to one true love. From his hilarious sidekick the venal and wily Wang Qinian to his riotous siblings Sizhe and Rou Rou to his numerous antagonists, Fan Xian is surrounded by exceptionally well cast supporting characters that are properly fleshed out and have agency and free will. My personal favorite is of course the emperor, who is the best example how this drama dazzles with the art of the unexpected. I was completely nonplussed to see an emperor slither around in dishabille; with escaped hair tendrils and in oddly sensuous low cut nightgowns that flaunt his tanned bare chest. I was right there with Fan Xian in refusing to kowtow to such a slob and surprised he didn't have to leave a thumb or two behind as a result. Multiple clues to one of the big plot twists hide in plain site, from the oddly misplaced pieces of wardrobe and styling to the borderline goofy, eclectic 1980s subtly Latin background music. The unique and creative combination of casual (much dialed down) violence, cartoonish character traits, strange props, out of genre music, and the odd wit and humor in mundane dialogues reminds me of Tarantino, something I did not at all expect here.
This is of course just the first of three seasons. And I must admit I dropped this after 5 episodes when it was airing. I don't even remember why I didn't like it at all at the time. On my second attempt, I was addicted from the first episode and enjoyed almost every minute of it. I do think that the Bei Qi arc was not at the same level of the first arc, which set a very high bar. I was less invested in the characters in the Bei Qi arc and I found Xiao En's big reveal too long winded and his giant secret overly built up. One of the main roles in this arc is very poorly acted and noticeably several notches below the level of the rest of the veteran cast. The actor tried so obviously to be opaque and inscrutable that I pinned them as a backstabber right away. Their fixed wooden stare failed to connect with Fan Xian at any level and in several scenes I felt like Fan Xian was talking to a mannequin or to himself. This made it look like after being so smart and distrustful for so long, Fan Xian inexplicably let his guard down way too easily. Into the final moments of the last episode Fan Xian continued to be dumbed down and was pretty much thrown under the bus to force that completely unnecessary ending "shocker" that I could see coming a mile away.
The biggest drawback of this drama is of course the long wait for season 2, which still has not even started shooting as of May 2021. However, this shouldn't hold you back from watching this now due to its high rewatch value. I rate this a 9.5 for now but it has a potential to be upgraded to a 10.0 if the next two seasons deliver.
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Characters here are never out of tricks
And finally a great female lead that stands out unique to other female characters strongly…The female protagonist here Mu Wan Qing (acted by Jingyi Zhang) suggests them ideas, shows bravery when needed & do not hesitates to help or take risks to get something. She's cool, gives answers to insults, not your typical crybaby. Male lead & second male lead are there to help her but she isn't a burden on anyone. She knows many languages, is hardworking & knowledgeable not only for problems in life but also in business. The way she deals with her evil step sister is so pleasing to see like originally female leads must be sobbing in some corner but this female lead makes that evil one cry instead. The way she supports Xuan Lin unconditionally is also amazing.
Male lead — Tan Xuan Lin (played by Chen Xing Xu) is also a good character. He is always cool, fun & cracking jokes. Even when situation is complicated, he has the time to joke around & bicker with other leads. But the deeper part is that he has an emotional side too. He has his own reasons & rules. He is quite intelligent too as he tackels his problems in the best way possible. His relationship with his sister is adorable.
Another Male lead — Xu Guang Yao (played by Evan Lin) my poor boy Evan, it's just his second work as an actor & he has been really acting so well but why you gave him a second lead role. Poor him T_T… then this character Xu Guang Yao is a righteous man who doesn't know much to play tricks but he's still intelligent. He is like the definition of Nice male lead. He's caring, kind & protective towards our female lead, Wan Qing… he has 2 best friends who try their best to support him. I liked their bond too.
The positive part of this drama is that though there's a lot of politics but it's not so boring, I was actually enjoying people tricking each other like that. Every character is important, has their own background story & are clever. No one accepts defeat easily & comes back with new ideas. Overall, the drama gets more interesting as we go ahead… well, everyone wants to save their position but who will save the people? That's a nice point presented here…
MUSIC / OSTs
♪Eyes like star♪ — by Si Nan (the lyrics is beautiful, so is the voice and music. Soothing & slow… it's the opening theme song)
♪Clearly know♪ — Cai Yisheng (I liked this song too)
♪Horse ride♪ — Zhang He Xuan (this is the ending theme song)
♪Your promise♪ — Dai Yutong
♪Swaying♪ — Liu
Rewatch value… No, I am not rewatching this again. Well, I am not a frequent rewatcher and It's kinda lengthy so… though I enjoyed it, its a one time watch drama only.
TO CONCLUDE… it's a 9.5 out of 10 overall. There's politics for getting power, good supporting roles who keep us entertained throughout. Interesting characters with their own story & stuffs to deal with & how the leads make their bond more stronger while sorting out the complications is what the story is about.
Reasonable characters knitting a wonderful story…!!
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?????
this film has many problems, perhaps some viewers (mainly men) did not notice. the fact that Rei during the film says that she lost her virginity only at the age of 29 and that she had a relationship with a woman, there was probably sex in him too, as if her virginity was intact just because she hadn't had sex with men, that it is a view mostly present in men. another thing that bothered me a lot was Rei having quoted and thinking that she could only "complete" Nanae sexually if she had a penis, extremely nonsense. the obsession that Rei felt for Nanae doesn’t make sense either, killing someone who didn’t keep in touch for 10 years and who NEVER showed an affective interest in her .... in fact, during the entire film Nanae only showed romantic interest in Rei last 15 minutes of film, the most beautiful scene in the film is just one of the final scenes where Rei is in the cabin with Nanae and they talk about the past. the sex scenes in the movie are very long, I had to stop the movie several times because I couldn't stand watching it without saying that Rei spends half the movie fucking men even though she always says it is LESBIC, the scene she has with the taxi driver seems that was introduced in the film just to perform sexual fetish of the men who watched it, it does not make sense and there is no plausible explanation of the reason for the sex, at first I thought it was for money, but when the man offered money to Rei, her face makes us think the opposite. Nanae clearly uses Rei's feelings for her own benefit, it gets disgusting, and it seems that Rei's only life goal was to have sex with Nanae ... Rei knew that Nanae used her and left it just to keep her close, that it is noticeable when Nanae said that she called the police for Rei to surrender and Rei did not question whether it was a joke or not, she simply knew that Nanae was capable of doing such a thing! hitting a woman who suffered domestic violence? ..... this film is problematic in so many ways .... it is two hours of film made only for men to satisfy their fetishes, a lot of boobs, a lot of nudity, although the movie " The Handmaiden "also having sex and nudity scenes is completely different from this: the handmaiden scenes are more artistic and visibly beautiful, while in" She "it looks like porn.If you want to watch a good LGBT-themed film see "The Handmaiden" this is a true masterpiece.
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I am not rating this an 8 to balance poor reviews. I really liked it.
There are a few qualities to this show that I think are special, and I'll put it in list form to respect your time.1. There are no toxic female characters. In fact the female character is very strong. She handles getting dumped like a boss.
2. The lead is openly and unselfconsciously gay from the start.
3. There are no manufactured crises thrown in for drama. The drama is all in the interaction between the characters. Although a real life crisis in the form of COVID torpedoes the ship and they needed to patch it up as best they could.
4. While there are screeching predatory trans characters, They're only in the first two episodes then disappear forever. I assume the producer sent back the script with a note to add more screeching predatory trans characters "because that's how it's done", and the writer hoped he wouldn't read the revised version past the opening eps.
5. No fem shaming. When there are screeching trans characters, the attractive boys are polite to them, and there doesn't appear to be any opprobrium attached to femininity.
6. People actually communicate when they have problems and conflicts, and they talk things through and find a way to forgive and remain friends. There's a character that likes another, then finds out the guy was in a secret relationship with someone else. The character's reaction was "If I had known, I wouldn't have burdened anyone with unwanted attention." I almost choked to death on a cookie when he said that. Nobody ever acts like an adult in these situations. Or, two guys are dating, a third boy that one of the couple knows walks by and there's a brief and awkward conversation. The other boy in the couple can tell there's something between them so he asks, and the first one tells him the full truth that he's a guy he used to have a crush on. I almost choked to death on another cookie. The usual formula would mandate a lie which is soon discovered followed by insane jealousy, sulking, and a montage of good times spent together with a sappy ballade blaring. The new bf is happy the explanation is so harmless and that's it. The exception to the authenticity of conversations is that people don't seem terribly curious about the god that lives in their house - I might have some questions about god life, and god friends & stuff.
7. Absolutely zero seme/uke dynamic - just two guys. It's so refreshing that they don't pigeonhole the characters.
8. No tropes. (a couple of them, but limited) No accidental kisses, no "I'm not gay, I only love one single guy (forever)", no agonizing over liking a man, no parents agonizing over their son liking a man, no falling so their faces end up too close together and they stare at each until they turn gay (it does happen once, but it's subversive), no evil girlfriend, no insane jealousy over their gay bf talking to a woman. Actually, there's almost no jealousy at all.
8. There are NO ENGINEERS.
9. Plenty of cuteness.
10. The main character has a certain something. Sort of an effortless manliness while still being boyish. He's a good actor - not a huge range, but he does what he does well, and he's never cringey. He also looks unusually good with his shirt off. He's a reserved character, but when he needs affection, he's adorable. And he has a moment of romantic aggression that's very wow.
11. It's not completely predictable. There is no possible way you could predict how it ends unless you read spoilers or have superpowers. Even the beginning parts - you think it's going to go a certain way, then you realize it's not, but it makes sense how it went.
12. When he's feeling heartbroken, Tae does something that a normal person might do, and has a normal-person reaction afterwards.
13. There's some funny use of classical music, especially Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.
The bad qualities:
1. The production is average. Better than most low-budget series, but not to the standards of the mainline shows.
2. The acting is uneven. One of the main characters is good, a few of the other characters are good, but overall pretty meh. Cupid is such a naive doofus that he's charming and cute, but not a lot going on in the acting. He's not the same actor that was in the initial promos, so something went wrong somewhere.
3. The directing is not too good. It's fine for scenery, and it's clear the Chiang Mai chamber of commerce is a sponsor of the show, and maybe the tourism board, because there is a LOT of time spent walking around and going into random stores. But they also visit temples, which are interesting. You learn how to ff through things that bore you.
4. The subtitles are OK, but maybe take more effort to read than they should. It's not a dealbreaker, and it's 10 times better than So Much In Love, where I never did come to understand why the principal wanted to destroy a volleyball team.
5. Editing is not great. There are scenes that are too long.
6. The first episode is bad. They're lucky that many people stayed with the series. Confessing my shallowness, there's a good fifteen minutes of the main character showering and walking around in a towel, or I might have dropped it.
Not exactly a bad quality, but if you watch it, it's better to be prepared, You can skip this section if you want to just be surprised:
This was filmed some time ago, and was interrupted by COVID in a major way. It was originally supposed to be 10 eps, not 12, and sure enough, the main crisis happens in Ep 8, and then "poof!" They resumed production months later, and apparently a lot of actors were unavailable, so they had to make some big adjustments. They way they resolved the problem will not be to everyone's taste. As it was airing, some people were upset, but other people thought it was much better than before.
The acting and the production are better in the last four eps. The main character's hair is a lot different, but I liked it. He also wears more flattering clothes and it's a bit of a shirtless goldmine. A new character joins the cast who is super-cute and a good actor, with a lot of charm - he won most people over. The ending is not what you were expecting when you started watching, but it does actually fit perfectly into the story. This series is about the main character finding his soulmate, and there are suspects that aren't really viable and what the production chose to do gave it a lovely human quality.
Recommendation
So do I recommend it? Definitely, with some caveats. If you don't like it by the third or fourth ep, you probably won't enjoy it, but if that's the case, you can abandon it and move on to Ep 9, because the last 4 eps will make sense as a stand-alone romance that is sweet and special. But Ep 1 is pretty bad, so you have to look past that if you want to give it a chance. The people who liked this REALLY liked it - I've bonded with some fans over it. To me, Tae is gorgeous - not just his body, his face, those beauty marks, lips, personality, everything. In the last 4 eps you'll probably see it, due to the changes in his appearance. And I'll be 100% honest - I know that 1,000 Stars is roughly 100 times better than this show, but I looked forward to this more, because it just has a unique pleasant quality and 1,000 Stars stresses me out.
There are really wonderful and unique elements in this show, and if the next production by this company can fit them together in a more expert way, they could have a top-tier series.
Explanation of Ratings
Story: The plot doesn't deserve a 7, but the avoidance of tropes and the skillful post-COVID shift were impressive.
Acting: It's heavily focused on Tae, who is good & there's a good actor in the last 4 eps. Otherwise I would have rated it lower.
Music: Generally standard, a couple of good moments here and there that stood out.
Rewatch Value: I've rewatched a lot of scenes, so I gave it a high score.
Overall: The ratings suggest a 7.5, but I gave it an 8 because I liked it so much - that it drew me in and made me happy is a good thing.
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All of the acting was good. I will just point out a few things. Love him or hate him (I happen to love him), Lee Seung Gi can kiss. I had no idea that Go Ah Ra that plays Na Jung in Reply 1994 was the same person as Eu Soo Sun. She just shot up the ranks of actress that I like. I love Cha Seung Won's dorky characters. He is just too cute. Is Jeong Dong Hwan going to play freakishly scary characters in every drama from now on? He seriously gives me the creeps when he does that smile. BBBRRR!!!
The music is appropriate and sometimes funny.
I will rewatch this at some point. I'm tempted to rewatch it right now. Seriously.
I highly recommend this drama.
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A Background Story Review
P.s. this review focuses more on the background story, hope that others can grasp what's going on better.Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities (镜双城) is a xuanhuan drama, adapted from the novel with the same title, 镜·双城by 沧月 (Cang Yue). The novel is broken down into 6 series: Su Mo, Bai Ying, Zhen Lan, Na Sheng, Yan Xi, and Yun Huan. But their stories are all correlated. Mirror Twin Cities drama adaptation focuses more on the story of Su Mo and Bai Ying.
A little background story for those who didn’t read the novel nor watched the donghua yet, the story takes place in the Yunhuang continent. In Yunhuang continent, there are 6 countries (Kongsang, Cangliu, and more). 7000 years earlier, Kongsang destroyed the sea kingdom. The previous sea emperor made a pearl to preserve his power and bloodline; and 7000 years later, a mermaid unaccidentally swallowed the pearl. Thus, Su Mo was born.
In Yunhuang, the mermaids were tortured and enslaved. A mermaid’s tears will turn into pearls, the mermaids were forced to cry; and if they cannot try, their eyes will be gouged out. Mermaids were tortured, forced to break their tails, and sold as a commodity and slaves. Both Su Mo and his mother are also very miserable. His mother has her hand and leg amputated and turned into a human swine. Su Mo was also tortured, and in order for others not to have his eyes, he gouged his own eyes. So Su Mo itself is a very dark character and he hates Kongsang people.
Mirror Twin Cities drama narrative centers around Su Mo and Bai Ying. Su Mo is a merman who also bears the identity of a sea emperor, he has the responsibility to bring the mermaids back to the sea. Meanwhile, Bai Ying is the eldest daughter of the Bai clan who has the responsibility to marry the Kongsang’s crown prince. The drama story timeline takes place when Kongsang was invaded by Cangliu, and after the sea emperor resurfaces again and wants to bring the mermaids back to the sea.
The first few episodes of the drama tell the flashback of what had happened 100 years ago. It has very weird and fast pacing, everything is thrown at you so sudden that you might need some time to process what’s going on. And you also won’t feel their chemistry yet. But stay and keep watching, it gets better! It has a pretty average script, but it has gorgeous landscape shots and CGI! But the editing and set are lacking, there is a lot of choppy editing especially during their fight scenes. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed, but the shots and choppy editing makes it hard for people to understand whats actually going on. In addition, the set is also poor, this is a S+ project but the set looks like its a low-budget project. The "real" locations such as forest, houses, mirror tower were still okay but some like the sea kingdom, underwater scenes are poorly executed
Mirror Twin Cities is led by Li Yifeng (Su Mo), Chen Yuqi (Bai Ying), Zheng Yecheng (Zhen Lan), and more. This drama is Li Yifeng’s comeback historical drama after almost six years. Li Yifeng's portrayal as Su Mo is right on the point. A lot of people may say, “his expression stays the same”. But that’s what Su Mo was like, he is a cold and emotionless man. And also Li Yifeng looks REALLY GOOD in a historical drama. Meanwhile, Chen Yuqi's portrayal as Bai Ying was fine, she did improve a lot from her previous projects. But I can’t help but to notice that she has almost the same expression throughout the whole drama (except when she’s crying). Last but not least, Zheng Ye Cheng acting in a historical drama never disappoints, from his fighting scene, articulation, looks, everything is superb. Zheng Yecheng is also really commendable for being able to portray two totally different characters
In addition, Mirror Twin Cities also has an amazing OST lineup with star studded singers! And I love how there’s a specific OST designed for each character and situation that’s happening. The line up for Mirror Twin Cities OST includes:
1. 念归去 - 周深
2. 无惧 - 阿YueYue
3. 爱若无声 - 毛不易
4. 不为喜欢 - 张碧晨
5. 我是你的雨 - 银临
6. 相思不相忘 - 利胜
7. 风月唱 - 锦零
8. 问酒 - 姚晓棠
Sung by Zhou Shen, Mao Buyi, and Zhang Bichen, you can expect how much angst this drama has.
As someone who has read the novel, I’d say the drama has changed around 80% from the novel, especially character-wise. In the novel and donghua, Su Mo is a very cold and ruthless character. In the novel, Su Mo has no real feeling for Bai Ying at all. All he did was use Bai Ying to overturn Kongsang and try to rebuild the sea kingdom. It was only after Bai Ying jumped the tower, did he realized he was long fallen for her. However, in the drama, he is someone whose more emotional and compassionate (not that it is a terrible thing). For instance, during episode 1, you can see Su Mo as a bright young man helping other mermaids passionately, but that was not the case in the novel. Going through torture and betrayal when he was small, he was a dark and cold character. But in the drama, Su Mo has a straightforward attitude towards his love for Bai Ying. All in all, the drama focuses more on the romantic side of the story. If you have read the novel or watched the donghua, you may find the whole Mirror Twin Cities character deviate from the novel or donghua, except Zhen Lan. But when you are watching the drama, just try to forget the novel and donghua.
If this drama premieres after The Longest Promise (Xiao Zhan and Ren Min), the audience would probably grasp better whats going on.
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From the beginning this drama draws you in. This drama made me cry my heart out (no joke I cried for hours...yeah i dramathoned this drama). The story is just amazing. Despite Kim Tak Goo facing many difficulties he always has a smile on his face, moving everyone around him. His character just captures your heart. Kim Tak Goo Fighting!!!
So if you are in the mood of watching a drama that will make you cry, smile, laugh, then I recommend you to watch this one.
This is a must see!!!
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Let's start with the main couple, handsome Hoon Nam and Jung Eum. I'm used to having mixed feelings about Hwang Jung Eum's performance, but I thought matching her in a romcom with Nam Goong Min would be awesome! I was a fan of Can You Hear My Heart , so it's nice to see these two reunited as co-leads. I will admit that Goong Min hasn't been the romantic lead in a drama that has impressed me yet, I prefer his darker side, so maybe this isn't all Jung Eum's fault. Either way, their chemistry started off great, building up to romance pretty quickly, but then their story became incredibly boring. She would get hurt and stare blankly into space. He would do his weird smile to charm her into taking him back. Then insert flashbacks, silly side characters, and obnoxious product placements, and that is literally the whole show.
There is one saving grace for this whole drama and that is Choi Tae Joon as Jun Soo. He deserved his own spin-off show, he was so good! He definitely justifies second lead syndrome. His character was the only character I really cared about at all.
The rest of the cast is mostly silly, annoying, cliché, and unnecessary. Besides Jung Eum's dad, and maybe her supervisor, I was completely uninterested in their stories. You know it's bad when seeing what the supervisor would wear with that ugly jacket started to become the highlight of the show. The couples looking for love had such superficial stories that insulted my intelligence more than it made me laugh. Maybe I don't get Korean humor sometimes, but some of the moments that were supposed to be funny felt too corny, and even sometimes mean. The coach/best friend and cousin, had way too much screen time (The Coach was also the worst friend). Susie and Jun Soo didn't have enough screentime together (I was hoping they would distract me from the boring lead couple, but their story went nowhere)
I would talk more about what went wrong with this plot, but it was so forgettable, I have a hard time remembering everything I hated.
The soundtrack is pretty cute, but every time I heard "Slowly, Slowly..." I was reminded of how much of my time was being wasted by stubbornly watching this drama until the end.
So was watching the end worth it? NO! They basically forced a bunch of the characters together for a random event, and tried to give some characters "closure", but it's hard to have a clean ending to a drama that is such a random mess. Would I watch this again? Bahahahahahaaa! No Thanks. I'll pass.
Obviously I would not recommend this one. Some of you will watch it anyway, but heed my warning. I went from not being able to wait for the next episode to not caring that it was finally over. If I skipped the last 8-10 episodes I would have missed nothing important. Yes, It's THAT boring.
But if you really like commercials, watch all the inventive product placement moments, which made me laugh the most... like that app, which I clearly need to download. Sigh... I gotta learn how to drop dramas more often!
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Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?
Kure.
Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.
As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.
Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.
Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.
Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).
Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.
I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.
Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.
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1Although some people had commented it becomes all stale and boring in the long run, I don’t see that. All I see is Song Hye Kyo and that cute chemistry she had with Rain. The bickering and never ending I-hide-my-feelings-because-I-think-I’m-falling-for-you-now charade is what made me love it more. It was a romantic comedy which made me laugh my ass out and then squirm in the insides for the main character’s cat and dog antics.
I’m starting to like you. You’re starting to like me. BUT we’re SO not going to tell each other about these absurd feelings.
That's the whole concept of the main character's convoluted feelings.
In Full House, it was all fair in love and… eerrr debt? That’s how everything started. A contract (oh what a cliché!) and the jealousy induced acting between strangers. In the story, the ever bright Han Ji-Eun is a wacky lead female which lead to a ridiculous story line. Crazy as her character is, Lee Young-jae is the logical one but eventually becomes irrational when it comes to Ji-Eun.
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This review may contain spoilers
Soooo boring
Honestly, I've seen slower paced shows than this one, without being this bored.Throughout the entire show, all I remember is constantly checking which episode I was on and thinking "How is it only episode 8??" or "How am I supposed to make it through another 20 of these?!"
The cast was good, the music was okay, the plot seemed interesting. All the ingredients were there. And then you start watching and you don't really care about the FL, and you get tired of all the marriage talks, and you're no longer sure whether the characters have chemistry or not, and the only interesting person ends up being the CEO.
And then that ending. That stupid ass ending. What's the point of deciding to never get married if you're going to exchange the couple rings. And then hold the ceremony where you exchange promises to each other. And proclaim your love and announce your life plans to your entire extended circle of friends and family. That's exactly what weddings are, dammit!!
Just. Skip this.
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The story contained a lot of lessons, which are realistic, and it was not only focused with the two young student, who happened to get to know each other unexpectedly. I like how the ending left a strong impact to its viewers and somehow it successfully made me feel how weary and guilty the characters are.
The theme of the story was truly melodramatic which was given justice by the cinematography, music, dialogues and even the characters. Everything just fits well, great enough to make me feel what the director and actors were trying to portrait. Probably the reason why I was deeply affected and bruised at the end, so a great kudos for that!
The story was meaningful and realistic to this generation specially to the young ones. Romance was just right, enough to make the viewers feel the connection behind the Minsik and Yejoo. I'm glad it wasn't overly done like a typical romantic movie to attract most of the viewers taste. Like I said, romance was just right for the story plot.
The acting was great! I guess I wouldn't feel as wrecked as this if the actors/actress did not give justice to their characters. Yejoo's character was on point. An isolated girl, who only wanted an acquaintance and comfort. She was only being tough to everyone but she's really a soft and kind hearted. I love to see her smiling at most parts. And, I really like the way she opened up with Minsik. I felt relieved somehow. Minsik's character was also on point. Although, it's somewhat hard for me to describe his personality, I personally think he was locked with his own self, which caused him to restraint his actions, making him like a coward. Most of the viewers will probably hate him, and I did because he just triggered my every nerve! But I honestly felt bad at him more than how I felt bad at Yejoo. The ending was impactful to the viewers and it was strongly addressed to Minsik...
I think the story wanted us to step forward and act ourselves because no one will act for us. Guilt will forever serve us if we acted too late. Also, it tells us that attending Church meetings wouldn't cleanse our souls if we do not act and think accordingly to what was being preached there.
I don't know what else I am missing but this story is too meaningful!
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Girl Who Got Loved In A Painful Way
This was a very unique, creative and well acted black comedy psychological thriller series. There are three departments where i absolutely adored the show.Firstly, the production quality is visual stunning and stellar. Starting from cinematography, background music, editing, lighting, color grading, styling, set pieces to locations. Everything was refreshing and eye pleasing.
Secondly, the acting here is award winning, amazing and heartwrenching. Each and every character be it positive or negative has left a mark of their acting chops on me. I personally loved everybody's performance. Yes it was damm amazing to watch such a star studded show.
Thirdly, the storytelling is very unique and engaging. The X factor about this show is that each character here be it positive or negative is always a protagonist of their own story. The characters are extremely complex and the narration shows that very well through giving equal screenspace to every character.
Every episode shows different kind of drama. There is office drama, school drama, prison drama, sex drama, family drama. Each episode tells a different story keeping one protagonist in constant but with 3 different faces. So i would like to applaud the webtoon writer for being so creative and Mask Girl team for being so unique with their visualization that they presented such a highly dark and gritty psychological story through elements of adult and black comedy.
Overall i simply loved and enjoyed. For me this is a sheer masterpiece. I only wish this had more episodes so i could have enjoyed it a little more.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is so intense and dark... it’s way darker than voice 1. The story outline is so tight and detailed... maybe that’s why it took 2 season to finish this arc.The brutal scene and music that can make you cringe and hold your breath for a few seconds.
I didn’t even expect the cannibalism part... that was so unexpected.
For the ending... it’s the most suitable and realistic. Try to understand that it’s not easy to fight his demon... let’s give him a break and hold your idealistic happy ending.
There’s a post credit. Hoping for next season.
If you haven’t watch this... then give it a go and prepare yourselves.
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Story: Having seen the Japanese version, it was nice to see this version change things up slightly. I really enjoyed these changes and really liked the ending!Acting: 10/10!! I number of times I cried watching this. The Kids were amazing!! The chemistry between the maknae and the housekeeper just make me emotional, they were the best! All of the actors were fit for role! I have no faults! If you must, just watch it for the maknae :')
Music: Beautiful/emotional songs like Lim Kim-I'm Asking You with the emotional/tense scenes just turned me into an emotional mess. It was perfect! Gah
Overall: I would highly recommend this. It is a bit long and I asked myself at episode 9 "What are they going to do for the rest of the episodes?'! It could have easily ended at episode 18 but I'm glad for the last two episodes, as we got a clear ending which wasn't rushed.
Gah I can't get over how well the kids acted. I loved watching them so much!
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