Reviews

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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No one ever said drama shows were reality and this is no exception. The plot is highly contrived. It is a rom com at its best. It is not the typical Cinderella story where a poor woman finds an arrogant rich guy and turns him sweet. Rather, the theme is that money doesn't buy you love and happiness.

Lynn Hung pretty much steals the show. She plays a gorgeous model who is out to net a wealthy tycoon. She is the discerning buyer who is out for the best deal. For sale is her beauty and charm and she can sweet talk her way into any man's heart. She is friendless: women hate her because of her beauty and success, men hate her because they can't keep her. She's off to a better conquest. The best parts are her manipulation of men. Her rejects are out for revenge. I never laughed so hard at her scheming.

Enter Vaness Wu as the poor, babbling, lovelorn guy whom she falls for. I would have liked him better without the punk rock hair, but he is romantic. Some of his rescue scenes are a bit slapstick with silly suspense music accompaniment. At times it seems the drama is a romance spoof with some of the silly melodrmatic scenes, especially at the end.

But even if you don't like the story, you will feel like you are watching a runway fashion show. In every scene Lynn Hung has a gorgeous wardrobe and unique hairdo. She is possibly the most beautiful actress out there. In real life she is a Chinese supermodel. I wish there were more shows with her devouring men. This watch was delicious!

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Jpn dramas are the best when it comes to human stories

If it wasn't because a regular subber started working on this sub, I wouldn't have picked it. Boy, am I glad I watched this! One of my favorite dramas of this season. It was sweet, with a wonderful cast, soothing OST, and amazing script. Like Kounodori S.1. Medical dramas in the pediatrician department is usually more moving, and it always depend on the scriptwriter to not make it corny, and it worked with GD.

I have to apologize to Yamazaki Kento, since when I've read he was going to be the lead, I wasn't interested. He is OK, but that's all for me. But he was amazing as Minato-sensei, since the very first episode. Portrayed wonderfully a sweet guy with Autism and Savant Syndrome (I've read that he did a research over the subject, so he was well prepared). I have not seen Freddie Highmore's version so I can't compare.

Of course, to me the MVP was Ueno Juri, such an amazing actress. Very natural, and looked very comfortable working with YamaKen.

I think I shed tears in every episode. I loved each one of them. Every episode was heartwarming, emotional and to the point.

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This truly was a drama that reminds you of a cold car that has been sitting for awhile; like that cold car, it takes it awhile to start; so too does this drama. The first 5-6 episodes, I kept asking myself why do people like this? The next 10 episodes were a lot better but I still didn't see the fascination; however, from that point on it kept getting better and better. The bromance between the brothers; the individual romances, even though the second brother and his wife's story will grate on your nerve, hang in there. However, the highlight romance and story, you must give to Uee and Joo Won. I was so glad to see him again and have a great chemistry with his co-star lead. Their chemistry was so sweet and so was their story. You really didn't want it to end. The conflicts, even though serious, you hated to see them. I loved the brothers, the women in their lives, everything. Great story! Great acting!

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Even better than the movie!!

As a fan of the movie and BNK48, I was really excited for this remake (the lead actress is from a Thai idol group, BNK48). There are two main reasons why remakes fail; either it's too simple or it told a completely different story.

Bad Genius (2020) was able to retell the story that we love without being redundant. That's what makes it so good.

I personally think the series was able to give justice to the characters more compared to the movie. The movie had a lot of elements which were jam-packed into the limited movie runtime. The series was able to expound on those elements which I really appreciate. The characters were given more time to develop and it's not simply an exam cheating story; it's a story about friendship, family, betrayal and many more.

There are many unexpected twists and turns which keeps me interested. The intensity of this drama is on another level. I would say, the ending broke me. I was mad, but a part of me feels like I don't have the right to get mad. I was also happy. I don't really know how to explain since I don't want to spoil the story.

This series is a must-watch! Actors are really great, Plearnpichaya Komalarajun (Lin) and Sawanya Paisarnpayak (Grace) really stood out. Great cast, great story, great series. I will definitely rewatch this someday!

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1) The reason I watched this:

I have no idea, I just found this film in one of my collections while I had nothing better to do so I just watched it.

2) Storyline/Plot:

This was a multiple stories film, oe of the genres that I like to watch.

Positive points:

*A romatic comedy that had more interesting events than other films from the same genre.
*The three love stories were combined together in a way that would allow the final twist to happen.

Negative points:

*The film's story isn't unique or special. Actually, it was full of cliche and cheesy moments.
*The stories took a boring level at some point.

Story: 6/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Lee Sun Gyun and Lee Min Ki were probably the main reason I continued watching this film until the end not only because of shallow feelings but their characters seemed more appealing than other characters in this film.
*The acting was a strength point that counts for this drama but I can't say the same about charachter because most of them felt annoying most of the time.

Cast: 6.5/10
Acting: 8/10

4)The ending:

An intresting twist accured near the end which made this film a little special than other romantic comedy films.

The ending: 8.5/10

5) My impression (How did affect me):

*There were a lot of boring moments but I didn't fell asleep so that's a good point.
*I only enjoyed the twist near the end but I will probably forget this film very soon.

My impression: 4.5/10

6) Overall:

*If you like romantic comedies then you may like this if you don't expect much from it.

Overall: 6/10.

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Goblin S2 anyone ^^?

Goblin is my all time favorite! Everything about this show is just pure unadulterated entertainment! Lets not forget the beautiful visuals that is Kim Go Eun and Gong Yoo! Amazing chemistry from beginning till end. Stellar cast, amazing storyline, melodious music that makes this one of a kind show. The concept is so outstanding you cant help but cheer for everyone. Character growth especially for main cast comes in at the right pace and stays with you. Not to include any spoliers but KGE can make you laugh and giggle but also make you cry like a baby. Im so glad Kim Eun-sook picked KGE and Gong Yoo for main leads.

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Excellent Mesmerizing

Goblin was my first kdrama and I regret not a second I gave to this drama . Everything is so perfect and it's amazing ..this drama.made me fall hard for kdramas but nothing can beat my goblin n grim.

This drama is a must must must watch . If you haven't watched it , you are missing a big deal !

The acting and chemistry is par excellence. Everyone is a delight to our eyes ...

I have left not a single drama of Gong yoo after this drama ...and I have watched Goblin , God knows how many times ...I started this drama after my friend emotionally blackmailed me in watching a kdrama. I started this one for 5 minutes and man ..there was no going back since . I watched it in one day and night and then three times more lol 🤣 ...
It was 3 years ago but today I am.again watching it.

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“ Youth starts with ─ a taxi, telescope, and supermoon.

I wasn't familiar with any of the actors, so watching this movie was a fresh experience for me as a viewer. I haven't even seen the trailer of it before and only got curious after watching a beautiful edit on YouTube.

I must say, there is this calm and almost nostalgic vibe in this movie that made it somehow peaceful. The genre or the story is not something unique or not seen before, but delivery of the cast was beautiful. The characters were genuine with their perfections and flaws, nothing so complicated ─ it was as if someone was mentioning their youth memories, and you just listened and noticed how every generation could find something relatable in it.

The ending, especially, was quite adorable. Throughout the whole movie, you think he fell first, and he fell harder as it took her some time to notice her feelings. Then, they show a unique twist and summarise the scenes that have been forgotten in shadows from her point of view.

I also liked how it took one invitation from her for them to see each other again ─ as if they haven't been away for a while. This, I guess, shows they are each others' best friends [and sometimes rivals] first before lovers.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this movie and am planning to check other works of the cast as soon as there is an opportunity.

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Piano Teacher, Good Wife, Trash Husband and Mistress

I watched this because the episodes are short and sometimes I like to watch dramas that get to the point. This one had many points. :")

Let me try to describe the plot: Wife and Trash Husband are married, he wants her to sleep with some creepy dude so creepy dude would invest in his company. She doesn't want that so he works with Piano Teacher to make it look like she's cheating on him and get divorce because he has a Mistress. Plot twist Mistress and Piano Teacher work together, plot twist Piano Teacher wants revenge, plot twist Piano Teacher now likes the Wife, plot twist Mistress now works against Piano Teacher... You get the point, it's like that till the end.

Honestly, it's entertaining. It's so bad it's good. The characters are fun. When you think that's the lowest they can go, they can go lower.

Wife:
- FL
- You think she is naive but she is not. She screwed them so nicely.
- She does have her stupid moments like going to see the Mistress alone but it's fine. She has more smart than stupid moments.
- I like how she didn't forgive the husband and she saw him for what he is, trash.
- When she told Mistress that she is now responsible for Trash Husband and his mother and they are her hell now, badass.
- If he treated me like that, what makes you think he will treat you differently? *Chefs kiss when she said that.

Trash Husband (let's just go though all the shitty stuff he did because he makes me so angry):
- Told his Wife to go and sleep with creepy dude so he would give him money.
- Set the Wife up that she is cheating so he could take the kid.
- Cheated on the Wife with the Mistress.
- Took the kid.
- Married said Mistress and called Wife to the wedding.
- Got into debt and pinned everything to Mistress.
- Beat up Mistress.
- Told Mistress to sleep with creepy guy so he could get money.
- Blackmailed Wife with their kid to sleep with creepy guy for money.
- He is also responsible for things in the past if what he did in the present isn't enough.
- I think I missed some stuff but every time he opens his mouth or even moves, he does something shitty.
- Ohhh, I remember the moment when he cemented himself as trash at the beginning. He said to his wife he can have ten years younger Mistress because he is the man and that will elevate his status but she can't have a younger guy because she is the mother of his child and that will ruin her image. He also said when the younger guy gets into his prime, he will leave her like he did. Wow, what trash.

Piano Teacher:
- ML
- Good? Bad? Anything is good next to Trash Husband, I will take it.
- He is first working with Trash Husband to make it like Wife is cheating.
- Later, we found out everything he did is for revenge.
- It's fine, even when he is working against Wife, he is helping her.
- He always saves her and he is cute.
- The funny thing is how he spawn's into scenes. Doors, what's that? There's a scene where he takes her home and then when Trash Husband opens the door, he is gone. How?????? The window????? I have no clue.
- Whenever Wife is in trouble, he appears out of thin air.
- He does leave out of the door so that's something.
- The angst with him and Wife was a nice spice to the story, I liked it.

Mistress:
- The definition of you reap what you sow.
- She married Trash Husband for money but ended up in debt.
- Obsessed with Piano Teacher when he doesn't even want to look her way.
- Asks for help from Wife but then betrays her instantly.
- Little less trashy than Trash Husband but just a little.

Overall, I recommended it if you want to watch something dramatic. Something where you will laugh even though it's not comedy.

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Going into this drama, I was alarmed by the plot summary but proceeded anyway and wow...It was so so insightful yet painful to watch the events happening to the protagonist. The relationship between the leads is unique and everyone can have their own say about the ethics of it but it's just...everything in this drama leaves the leads in such a unique position that what may be wrong can be right. That's all I can say, it definitely takes a toll on you emotionally and the psychological factor is big for the viewer here. Yet, I still would encourage everyone to try it out, see what you make of it....

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Subversion of Chinese Rom Com tropes with love and feminism

You're not going to understand this drama is you haven't watched Chinese Rom Coms before.

The whole drama is a satire of Chinese Rom Coms. So if you're viewing it as a pure Chinese Rom Com, you're going to miss a lot.

It particularly aims at Gu Man and Zhao Qian Qian's Rom Coms, and makes constant references to both. But in holding up the tropes of rom coms, it also aims to subvert them with a lot of love and inject reality into the drama.

Gu Man always has the rumor mill as part of her writing as why the characters get together, but this drama plays heavily with the idea that rumors can get characters together.

And Zhao Qian Qian's dramas always plays with the woman/girl being in humanities, like English/Lit/Chinese, etc and then the guy being in science of some sort. But the drama plays with this trope and inserts a sweeter message about this idea. It particularly takes shots at "Put your Head on My Shoulder", but also some of her other dramas (with a lot of love).

Lu Wan Wan ends up being the person who is the science major. And looks like she'll earn more money. And Ren Chu isn't made dumb at a cost of this. Ren Chu is more smart on the humanities side--mentioning foreign languages, etc.

The basic format is to set up the trope, then subvert the trope (this is second and third act), then insert a sweeter message about the philosophy of love. The setting up of the trope always comes with a bit of second-hand cringe which comes from the inexperience of the characters and I'm always finding myself hiding behind blankets, pillows, etc as it is happening and then going wrong. The subversion is always, always funny, as what you expect to happen never happens and what the characters state should happen never happens in some of the funniest scenes. But the thing that really captures your heart in the end is the ending messages of each of the episodes on various subject matters. Some of the subjects include how to deal with rumors, love contracts, forced and accidental kisses, "trapped mystery room", "Best friend knows best", evil girl, etc. And the ending message is always uplifting about what love is and could be compared to how it is portrayed in dramas.

The top complaints about this drama are probably unfounded based on the fact many of the commenters don't seem to understand how subtle of a hand this drama has.

The comments about how long it takes for the characters to get together--the drama justifies this up front with you and tells you this is going to be the case--because that's not the point of the drama. It doesn't sacrifice character development to do this, if anything, it's spending time on each of the "How they get together" tropes to develop the characters and their sense of what love is so you really, really believe the ending of the drama that much more.

The writing's downfall is because it relies so much on tropes, it can make it seem slower than people expect it to be. Sitting through uncomfortable tropes makes it a bit difficult, but it always pulls out of the nose dive and inserts feminism later. And the other weakness of the writing is that the "evil" best friend isn't really fleshed out--but I kinda feel like this was cut out of the drama rather than intentionally ignored/cut down. But the better messages about what love is and is not are worth watching the drama for. (The Second Lead's love story enhances the Lead's love story and is wrth the watch for the character development and message it says).

The acting and directing though--there are some really gorgeous and well-thought out camera work from the director, as the director uses various types of shots to communicate how the characters feel, but doesn't substitute that for the trust in the actors. And the acting exaggerates the character types to the nth degree on purpose, so it reads as overacting in some parts, but doesn't betray the character's write up. This shores up some of the weaknesses in the writing and enhances it, so I did find it stronger than the writing.

The production values are probably around 7 or so. They didn't have the highest budget in the world, BUT they used it well. There are various locations, there are filters naturally applied, the actors are (mostly) not dubbed over without their voices. So if you don't pay attention that closely you won't notice the budget is not really that high. HOWEVER, it doesn't scream to you they had over-the moon budget.

This is slow, steady, slice of life and delivers laughs throughout with the best messages about what love is, if you're willing to take the time with it and not treat it as a fast food drama, but pay attention to some of the details.

Feminism tests:
Mako Mori: Clean pass, but it takes a while for the female character to find what her goal is and that is for herself. But it's done in the sweetest way possible and the drama constantly promises you along the way it'll get there. So when you do, your jaw drops at the feels. (I wasn't crying. No really. And I wasn't pounding my chest. I swear.)

Bechdel Test: Clean pass first episode within a few minutes of the episode, without question. Two named female characters talk about... medical issues related to the class.

Sexy Lamp: Easy pass first episode and keeps passing into the second episode with an even cleaner pass. Lu Wan Wan is not a sexy lamp. She's shown to be smart, able, makes decisions that affect other characters which changes the direction of the plot definitely, definitely more than one time and isn't only a pretty face. This is true throughout the drama where instead of losing agency like in the melting or evaporating woman trope, she gains agency and makes more firm decisions which naturally grow with her character development. (Honestly, this made it a pleasure to watch since the drama promised from the first it would do this, and really delivers on the promise.

Other feminism it does includes, but is not limited to, examining codependent relationships, asking questions about "wanting to change the romantic partner", and gendering of some of the rom com stock characters.

If this were food... I'd rate this Taro Cake. You were expecting sweet, but did you expect the taro to be nutritious and in there? No. But do you enjoy it anyway? Yes.

I tried knitting to this drama, but made a lot of mistakes because it was too good. So I wouldn't craft to this.

Front burner type of drama, not back burner. Pay attention and you get rewarded highly.

If you pay attention well enough, it'll ruin all the rom coms you watch after it. I'm struggling with some rom coms currently where I can't help but think back to this drama and how they showed how love could be done better. Only one other drama has ever done this to me--The King of Dramas (Korean). So that says a lot. (And I watched a TON of dramas, more than listed on my profile.)

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A good Republican-Era drama focused more on investigative style.

Deep Lurk is yet another Republican-Era drama about Japanese, Communist, and the National Republic parties in the troubled times of the Japanese invasion of China in the late 30s and early 40s.

I typically don't like this genre, but this drama was well-made. Its plot focuses on investigation rather than the Japanese invasion, which Cdramas overly make.

There was little to no romance between the main CPs, but Cheng Yi and Ying Er acted well in this drama. They acted better in this drama, especially the emotional parts than in all the other dramas they were in.

It kept you guessing who the real Japanese spy was, but it was also predictable. The ending was not great. I was hoping that the main CP would get together and she would join the communist party with him, but it didn't show. It only shows him.

Synopsis: Set before the Battle of Changsha, this story is about unsung heroes during warfare and follows a man who learns to fight for a greater cause in his journey to find his father's killer. To occupy Changsha, the Japanese resort to using the 'black butler,' a strategic agent lurking in China for 15 years to carry out a long-planned deception. Yun Mu Zhi, a member of the underground party of the Communist Party of China, is killed while investigating the "black butler." Without knowing his father's true identity, his son Yun Hong Shen returns to their hometown of Changsha to track down his father's murderer. His father's friend and comrade reaches out to help him. Yun Hong Shen joins hands with Wen Ye Ming, a young woman impassioned by her sense of patriotism as they fight against innumerable odds. Setting aside his vendetta, Yun Hong Shen engages in a deadly game with Japanese agents to earn his countrymen a chance to win the war.

My Reviews:
1. Good acting from Cheng Yi and Ying Er.
2. The plot is good and keeps you guessing as Yun Hong Shen tries to discover who the real Japanese spy is and who killed his dad.
3. The main CP has little to no romance. It barely shows their romantic connection.
4. Overall, I enjoyed it and gave it a 7.5 rating.

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If you are into fast flow, comedy romantic genre,looking for happy ending all the time (well that's a human nature) then this is NOT your pie, you might get bored. You don't wait, you feel this to appreciate the movie. Well, that's how I view this and think about it.

The movie is heavy, serious, not tear jerker but you'll feel down, you can feel the sadness, regrets, lost and pain the characters are portraying in the verge of divorcing. IF you dont pay too much attention and do not feel what it is, you wont appreciate the movie. If you just got out of breakup, then don't watch it because you may relate into it and you might cry (hehe).
In my opinion, they perfectly portrayed it, no matter how the male lead wants to go back things as they were (he decided to move his office in the basement of the house so he can be with her since he's been working all day till night---car scene) things won't be the same. It is true that some, or mostly women, when they get tired, fed up and already find somebody new (in this case, she cheated on him, and he admitted that he is also to blame, he neglected his wife), it's too late to mend a broken relationship, and it is very seldom that a woman will change her mind and heart (to be back in their marriage again), and the guy is correct, "Getting mad won't change anything.".. You can feel the sadness, the regrets, the wishes but things in reality are not that easy. And I think this movie have best showed that not all relationship that is undergoing "rocky road" will have happy ending.

The cinematography is great, it was able to portray the dark and down emotions, the large and beautiful house became dark, with some roof problems (rain is pouring to some spot)...Personally, I like the movie, some may not appreciate it, but I like it, I felt it.

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