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This drama will have you laughing (literally) non-stop.
The main cast is very good and the cameos are just as great (and countless), wit some of them beeing: Song Joong Ki, Jung Joon Young, Kim Jong Kook, Laboum and others..
Also, the music is unexpectedly good, I personally had no idea MFBTY participated, so I was pleasantly surprised. And aside from all the comedy, there's also romance and lots of character development!
This is a very sort webdrama even though it's 20 episodes long, so you can easily finish it in a day. If you watch this You definitely won't be disappointed.
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Kurode Kanbe is an acknowledged figure of the Sengoku period –the most chaotic era of Japanese history. He came from a humble clan in Himeji Castle but he distinguished himself through his impressing battle tactics. I will stop here to not spoil those who are unfamiliar with the history of the main character.
This taiga drama illustrated the life of the historically-famous strategist. It wasn’t only a numeric retell of his life story. On the contrary, Gunshi Kanbei was more focused on the emotional side more than anything. Which implores that you will get to know the story without the clinical heavy/slow pacing.
Sengoku Jidai is known for its numerous battles, renowned generals, political clashes, lots of betrayals and utter turmoil. This drama didn’t only illustrate Kanbe’s personal battles but it also included all of the major events that occurred during his lifetime. And since he was close to several main figures of the era, Kuroda Kanbei found himself entangled in all of those continued wars. He was forced to make critical decisions and became a key character in the unification of Japan.
That aside, Kanbe’s familial life was also put in the spotlight. His relationship with his vassals, his wife and his offspring was vastly explored and beautifully dramatized. But the over-idolizing was probably a bummer. Kuroda Kanbei wasn’t exactly a selfless man like the screenwriting pictured him to be. He was known to be quite ambitious. They didn’t focus much on that side except near the end. But again this isn’t a documentary and the main historical points were left untouched.
As usual in Taiga dramas, the cast was relatively loaded. Okada Juichi was marvelous as Kanbe. He’s definitely a rare Johnny’s –an idol of high caliber. I am so glad I got to first meet him through this. Other cast members were pretty fitting. But the ones who stood out the most were Egushi Yosuke’s Oda Nobunaga (one of the best portrayals of the legendary character), the penetrating performance of Takenaka Naoto as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nakatani as Kanbe’s wife, Tanihara Shosuke short yet amazing portrayal of Takenaka Hanbe and other remarkable talents like Tanaka, Kuroki, Uchida, Ikuta, Matsuzaka, Hamada, Tsurumi and Takahashi.
The directing was noticeably improved from previous taigas but it’s nowhere near perfect. The cinematography was catching. The sceneries and outfits were as usual historically accurate despite some insignificant flaws.
The smooth flowing of events in Gunshi Kanbei proves that this is an impeccable example of how taiga dramas are supposed to be.
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The story has been dramatized many times on film. Besides this version, released in 2000 by director Im Kwon-taek, there was also a retelling of the story in the 2008 film, The Servant. Another version from 1968 exists. It stars one of South Korea's most well-known veteran actors, Shin Seong-il.
In the Story of Chunhyang as depicted by this film, the young nobleman, a scholar, takes an interest in the beautiful daughter of a courtesan at first sight. As custom dictates that a courtesan's daughter is also a courtesan the young master orders his servant to fetch the girl, thinking she'll be an easy lay. To his amazement she rebuffs his advances & reveals she’s no light skirt, but a scholar herself, gifted in art and poetry. This makes him fall for her even more and so begins their story.
And a beautiful, simple, upbeat story of love it was. I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters featured in this film are younger than those featured in The Servant (2008) & Chunhyang (1968). And ahh, the wonders of young love, new love. I never get tired of it. Never.
The film turned out to be so unlike what I expected. I had no prior knowledge of the folk tale so I thought this was going to be tragic & indeed there is this Romeo & Juliet feel to it, but that’s about where the comparison ends.
The acting was reasonably well done considering this was the acting debut of both leads, and the chemistry between these two love birds was sizzling. They made a very cute couple. I could watch them frolic & dilly-dally around all day. Female viewers can look forward to serious eye candy in the form of Cho Seung Woo. Though he's really young in this movie (around 19 I think) the guy is a distraction, perhaps THE most photogenic South Korean actor I've ever come across. You know who's gonna be stalking him from now on... LOL
Strong themes of duty, everlasting love and loyalty make up The Story of Chunhyang, as well as class differences and the role of women in pre-modern Korean society. It was all quite fascinating to watch. I felt like I gained a deeper insight of Korean culture & history.
But more than anything else I'm giving this movie high scores of 10 because this is what I consider a filmmaker's film – where a good balance of both creative & technical excellence was achieved to create something artistic & unique. I don't know if I'd go as far as to say it's a masterpiece, but there's a strong sense of the director's voice here. And I liked that voice. It was captivating. It pulled me in, made me smile, made me wonder what would happen next. The story is told with traditional linear narrative, but with an unconventional twist. I suspect audiences who are not appreciative of movies as an art might find this a bit off-putting simply because it is different & not what they might be used to.
Personally, I think director Im Kwon-taek deserves props for this unexpected, but refreshingly original unveiling of the story. I won't reveal exactly how or what was done, except to say you've probably never seen a movie narrated quite like this in a long time, if ever at all.
The OST is a wonderful mash-up of old Korea sounds that were always beautifully matched with interesting, pleasing to the eye pictures.
I thought it was pretty well done.
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This review may contain spoilers
THIS DRAMA IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED
I decided to write a review because I have noticed a lot of comments about this drama and that the rating is low probably because of what was presumed to be understood.I have watched 12 subbed episodes and 4 unsubbed ones. I am currently learning thai and I understand little by little of the language, the rest I just use google translate and base it on the scenes and how it was executed.
I will try to stay away from spoilers as much as possible.
I got curious with this drama because I wanted to know how Ben will fall in love with Fah despite the complicated relationship chart. After watching the first episode I got hooked mainly because of the actors.
PLOT: the main plot of this drama is revenge over revenge. The cheating was a product of the revenge scheme by Vichuda. We have the first generation love triangle (Orn-Tharn-Vichuda) and the second generation; their children with their romantic feelings and complicated side characters. Aek loves Fah not as a sister but I am not sure if Fah feels the same. PP has romantic feelings for Aek (or she thinks she has). This is already complicated and then comes into the picture the other characters.
This is not for the faint hearted because we do not normally see a mother who sleeps with her daughter's husband. That is just top notch immoral but at least in this drama the mother and the daughter are not biologically related. (doesn't really lessen the disgust).
This drama has emotional and mental abuse from parents. Vichuda emotionally abuses PP whilst Orn emotionally, mentally and physically abuses Fah.
This has attempted suicide, drugs and alcohol.
This has a lot of cheating in it.
The men in this drama are actually useless and to be honest. I am waiting for character development from them.
As seen from the trailer and relationship chart the characters are entangled in a very complicated manner with their feelings making it worse.
This is usually not my cup of tea as I know that this drama will give me stress. WHY do I still watch it? Despite the drama basically full of negative things it is still so juicy that it makes it really addicting to watch. Even with the lack of morals obviously, I still watch this drama because I wanted to know how the writers will wrap this up. The drama is fast paced, almost each secret gets revealed each episode so you really wonder, what is then left and how will it end after all is revealed?
What I also liked in this drama is dialogues, even with subtitles, some dialogues have double meanings. It is like mind games, you dont know what's next.
ACTORS: The main reason this drama is as it is is because of the actors.
ORN ( The mum): Ive seen her in some dramas as supporting roles and I must say she acts the crazy mentally unstable mum perfectly well. You just love to hate her because she portrays her character without conscience so good. She can haunt you in her nightmares. I compare her character similar to the Grimm's brother fairytale version of the evil witch step mother who is jealous to snow white as well as the witch who kept Rapunzel captive all her life. That is how evil her character is.
VICHUDA (the older sister): from the ones that I have seen, you can clearly see and feel the change in emotion when she is hot and cold with her daughter.
THARN: This character, aside from being the father... He has no balls from the start, not sure if he will grow some as the series will progress
FAH (FAH also in real life) : This young newbie actress can act. I love how she portrays from being hurt to scared to conflicted in just few seconds. Her subtle smirks, grin and eyebrow movements can convey disgust, sarcasm and provocation all at the same time. She portrays the character of a woman with strong will despite the abuse. You understand her character and why she endures with the situation and tries to live well for what is in front of her.
I actually love how she is indifferent but polite at the same time. With her and Ben, it is believable that she portrays annoyance with him but at the same time respect him as a husband. She is so pretty even without make up, very fitting for like snow white or rapunzel trope haha.
BEN (BIE THASSAPAK): this is my first time seeing this actor and I have to say that he really plays his part well. I believe that if he is not the actor the story might not be as interesting because he made his character not a one dimensional playboy. You as a viewer gets curious with his motives and see how he will deal once he finds out that he bit more than he can chew with the mother.
AEK (JOSS): Joss fans might hate me but the actor is weak here. I dont see any chemistry with Fah, or as a brother in love with his sister. Alongside Ben, you cant feel the tension. I only felt his character and was able to finally see that tension on episode 9. I know that he has Fon as a love interest here but his portrayal of Aek is weak that I dont want him to be with Fah. The character of Aek is careless and rash and does more harm to Fah than good. If he would portray his character better despite those characteristics I would probably really root for him. I have other actors in mind, if they were Aek, tension would be greater and that you will really do not know who Fah will end up with. As for now he is just giving me nothing.That aside he does have chemistry with Fon.
Thinking other things, Lee Thanat could be Aek because he also has chemistry with Fon.
PIPI (PLOY)- she plays the part of a rebellious teenager well for me despite her being actually older in real life than FAH. Suicidal and depressive teen, with her mood instability, I think she did it well portraying where her behavious is rooting from. Good chemistry with her love interest.
OFF (RON)- being a supporting and side character, as usual OFF is good at whatever is given to him. Ive seen some of his works but not BL. I dont watch BL
FON (NARIN): Ive seen her in some dramas and she has been stereotyped into cute roles. At least in here she is believable as a serious teacher and her character is at least different from her usual cute characters. (she is still cute here though)
AUNTIE: haha whoever she is I am rooting for her. She is basically the conscience of this drama. Does she not fear being fired with the things she does haha...spoiler that surprise menu served to Orn haha.
MUSIC: othe music is melodramatic full of pain and hurt with love trying to emerge.
that other song though the one played when one is in pain is just emotionally great
That is just a short review Ill come back again when this drama is finished
Okay Ive finished this drama for quite some time. After episode 14 it went downhill from there. Few scenes for the main characters and more on Pipi and Ron which I hated.
The talent of Faye and Bue got wasted when their storyline was set aside.
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From the first Episode to the last one I had a smile on my face.
Seeing how Asuka is trying to hide his true self is somehow exciting.
I liked how his arch rival Tonomine turns every woman into a butterfly.
How Tachibana stalks Asuka and Ryo tries to protect Asuka.
Every character has its own cuteness they are the reason this drama should be watched.
Its not one of the super great manga adaptions like Hana Yori Dango or others, but its a drama I´m happy I watched.
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So Much Potential...
It started really strong, and I loved the interaction between our leads. However, things got a little draggy in the middle, and it felt like everything just derailed during the last several episodes.I love seeing supportive, trusting relationships, and boy did this drama nail it. Watching the ML and FL work together to face obstacles was so satisfying and heart-warming. Those were my favorite parts. I enjoyed the more mature character for ZLS, and YY was delectable as always.
But boy oh boy... the story... I can't believe I'm saying this, but this drama should've been longer. If you know me, you know I hate long dramas, but I repeat: this drama should've been longer. Or at least paced better. I noticed the pacing was quick in the beginning but didn't mind it much. The first time I was like hol' up was when a certain character went through something emotionally tragic and magically recovered within a few scenes. I initially shrugged it off cause fine whatever.
But as the episodes went on, similar things kept happening. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, I refuse to be shamed. However, a fool I am, so I kept watching all the way to very end hoping that maybe the problem would fix itself. "Welp," I said as I watched the story explode with a fiery crash in the distance. The uninspired army battle scenes, untimely time skips, unresolved/rushed plot points, and generally bizarre out of character behaviors transformed the ending into a surreal experience that left me wondering very intelligently, ".......what?"
Don't get me wrong y'all. I had a good time (like... who can resist YY with that ponytail hair?? certainly not me), but the last third of the drama had that "trying to clean up my college dorm before my parents arrive in 10 min so let's just shove all my dirty clothes under the bed and hope they don't notice" vibe.
My advice: watch for the YY and ZLS visuals/romance but turn off your brain for the story.
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I'm aware that it's probably cliche at this point to have romance-driven revenge and undercover Chinese shows are certainly not new. However, I can say that there's 0 romance in terms of development. The show is as simple as it comes (drugs, boss, undercover agent, police, gangs) but it is also neither black nor white in its portrayal of the main characters. You'll fall in love with some you shouldn't be and you'll hate some that you shouldn't be. Personally, I'm very attached to the characters, and knowing them, I fear the ending as soon as I grew attached.
The most important aspect of this show, to me, is the relationship between the two male leads. There're lies, truths, deceptions, covers, and twist and turns that you might never see coming. But through it all, it only melds the two together. Their relationship is more or less build on lies, as expected between a drug leader and an undercover police officer, but it's exactly that that makes the whole story satisfying yet difficult to watch at times.
So if you're looking for some thriller/crime/action without it being entirely romance-driven, or having the main character be pulled astray by a female character, or losing excitement, or lacking 'human' characters, then this show is definitely perfect to add to your watched show collection.
also the male lead is perfectly competent without being naive like some random rookie officers. (MILD SPOILER) Honestly, gwad, no wonder all the drug dealers want him to work for them.
Edit: While the ending does fall a little flat, I'm still very pleased by the drama and the whole ride it took me on. It's not a bad ending, don't get me wrong, it just is flat compared to how amazing the other episodes were.
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A cheesy well produced GL historical drama, an hour well spent!
I am always searching for good GL shows to watch because as much as like BL shows, as a lesbian I want more content that caters to me. A lot of the dramas with lesbian/sapphic characters and relationships is awfully serious and/or tragic which is fine, but sometimes I just want something that is cheesy and ridiculous. Let me tell you that this was exactly that! And it feels really, really nice to find that content.With a runtime of about 1h, this drama won't take too long to watch, but manages to create a story that got me emotional in the last few episodes because I had started to care about the characters.
The first few episodes of the show are quite humorous and full of clichés of the genre with a character (Xiaoqian), very excitable and decidedly cute, travelling to the past and meeting Muyun, the stern and serious character, and then said character travelling to the modern world and discovering said modern world with every moment that you would expect (special mention for her meeting Xiaoqian's cat). The story then starts to become stronger and denser with the introduction of the character of Hongyan. I don't want to reveal too much, but this arc which culminates in the last few episodes is what made the drama go from a cheesy romcom to a feeling of "dang, this is actually quite good".
They manage to pack enough backstory and background world information in an hour to make a somewhat coherent story and world that works within the limited time.
The actresses do a good job at portraying their characters and the archetype they each represent whether the peppy happy Xiaoqian, the serious Muyun whose shell was broken by Xiaoqian, or the broken Hongyan. They managed to sell me those characters which I wasn't convinced would happen when I first started watching the show. Wang Laoji (Muyun) and Peng Jingxian (Hongyan) in particular do a good job. Wang Xiaoyu manages to sell the character of Xiaoqian well enough, which can be hard (it's like being able to sell the character of the Prince in Cinderella without making it too cheesy or a caricature).
There is clearly 0 budget, but with that limited budget, they got some nice costumes, some nice music, and created a coherent whole in terms of photography and cinematography. It is very in line with this type of historical Chinese drama from what I am picking up from my watching (the slow motion in fights, the close-ups, the looks, etc.) and it works well. The editing isn't done really well, but the story flows well enough that it is not too much of a bother. If you don't have too high of expectations for it, you'll be fine.
I don't know that I would necessarily rewatch it on my own, but if a friend wanted to watch it and asked me to watch it with them, I would for sure rewatch it without an issue.
In conclusion, it delivers on what it promises and gives me exactly what I wanted. A cheesy and slightly ridiculous, but well produced within a limited budget show with a nice story and pretty girls who fall in love. What more could I ask? (A lot more, but for tonight, this is just right.)
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Slow-burning, often-overlooked drama of 2020
When My Love Blooms also went under my radar with its melodramatic tone and emphasis on flashbacks. However, WMLB is not so overtly melodramatic, especially in comparison to other kdramas. And, the way flashbacks are incorporated into the story is ambitious and novel. The major weakness of WMLB is that it takes too long to show its main merit and charm.By committing to longer flashbacks, the drama tells two intertwined stories that make it challenging to buy-in to either. In the beginning, it feels as though we are watching two sets of characters, and it takes the better half of the series to believe that they are the same “people”. This drama needs a longer runway to fully capture its audience, so do not judge on the first 2 or 4 episodes.
Story:
With the concurrent telling of past and present, When My Love Bloom’s plot is surprisingly tight. Flashbacks are not shown just to explain a specific present event, rather they are given their own fully fleshed out story. Splitting time between flashbacks and present does take away from the development of the main plotline, especially because it is hard to believe, at first, that the past and present characters are really one another.
Acting:
Lee Bo Young and Yoo Ji Tae are what I first noticed from their respective 2013 and 2014 hits. I Hear Your Voice and Healer are both considered kdrama classics, and seeing the two leads in 2020 is a treat. No more needs to be said.
Their past counterparts Jeon So Nee and Park Jin Young also deserve praise. Within their storyline, their chemistry and performance are strong. The only minor criticism is that the two pairs could have better aligned their mannerisms because it may have helped bridge the disconnect between them. Still, I prefer the way the past and present are shown in WMLB over the usual where one pair of actors pretends to be 20 in one scene and 40 in another.
Music:
Music is a key point throughout the drama, from the use of 90’s music to the Female Lead’s piano background. The blend of oldies and classical with the more familiar sounds of kdrama ballad/OST is appreciated. But like the story, When My Love Bloom’s novel approach does not quite break away from the typical kdrama mold.
Rewatch Value:
Even though the drama exceeds expectations, it is hard to promise a rewatch. I hesitate to call it slow paced. It is more that there are two stories that could each be a standalone show. By the time the two “stories” fully connect, When My Love Bloom is already at its end. The finale’s lasting impression is that WMLB fails to stand out even with its novel storytelling and directing.
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Tissues
Be in the right mood to watch this drama, it’s a sad one. As I was watching it, I realized it was a different storyline than what I thought it was going to be. Halfway through, I knew it was going to be more than just a breakup with a sad ending. As you watch it, you will realize that it could only end one way. I knew it was going to be a love story, but I didn’t quite expect the plot to turn suddenly into a break up for the reason that it did. It had happy times in the beginning, but mid point turned really sad. It is definitely worth the watch, but be in the right mood, it’s a downer.Was this review helpful to you?
Highest selling point of the drama? Its plot. I was expecting kids running a good grades related business, instead I got a high school outcast who could give any gangster/killer/healer dramas a run for their money. You would think this is not very realistic and yet through the screenwriting, acting and directing they effortlessly make you believe it's real.
More impressively they make you root for our main character regardless of how immoral or unethical are the things he does.
Extracurricular offers a refreshing take on the high school genre far away from cheesy and innocent first loves and yet much closer to today's reality of high school (to a certain extent). I'm glad this is a Netflix production, in fact had it been picked up by any other channel I doubt they would have shown such mature and triggering subjects at least not at a high school level.
TL;DR: Must watch drama! Probably one of the best dramas this year.
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There really is no true plot to this movie. It takes place in the span of a few weeks and encapsulates a time period in this man's life. Unabashed and raw; showing all the nonsensical violence of the world he lives in whether it be by himself, those he keeps company with, his enemies and just about everyone in his sphere.
When I was finished watching the movie it took me some moments to think of what to say here in this review. This is a violent and dark movie and I came away from it having almost no sympathy for any of the characters save one. And it wasn't Gu. I suppose I had a sliver of sympathy for him in certain moments because Shota has impressive acting skill but ultimately the character was undeserving of very much. That said; overall, the acting in this was really great and as unsettling as the film is, the story is well told. They certainly were convincing but it is more than disturbing to think that this kind of world actually exists. Most of the characters showed almost no caring or sympathy toward one another. So harsh.
There are some movies out there where you can watch, appreciate the quality of writing and acting but yet have no desire to ever watch that film again. Hard Romanticker is one of those movies for me.
I gave the re-watch value a 'fair' (6) because even though I might not watch this again for the subject matter I don't want to lower the score unfairly and have people mistake it for bad quality.
The music was fitting. I am not sure what to say about it other than I don't believe this movie is the kind you walk away from even wanting or needing an OST. But the score was right for the film; sometimes comical and sometimes dark.
If you appreciate darker (and I DO mean darker) fare and don't mind intense subject matter than this is the film for you. But you have been cautioned here...it is graphic. And fangirl moment...even at his darkest, Shota impresses me with his ability to absorb into a character for good or ill.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly I really wanted to like this movie. I really loved Yashiro's character, I just wanted to hug him and tell him he was beautiful and didn't do anything wrong. He definitely deserved someone better than Momose. He made me cringe and want to strangle him every time he interacted with Yashiro. I really tried to give Momose the benefit of the doubt and say he was just naive, but he crossed so many lines in this short movie idk how anyone can call him endearing or loving. He's creepy as hell. "So what should I do??" How about deal with your own desires and stop trying to manipulate Yashiro? I know Yashiro needed encouragement to feel more confident but Momose was way out of line. The attempted rape scene really made my heart break because Yashiro should not have been apologising and asking for forgiveness for changing his mind. Was this review helpful to you?
You've been warned.
Such a movie is impossible to rate. It's really hard to make the difference between the true story that captivates and shocks us, and the form, the way it is told, the movie. Personnally, on my MDL list, it is still rated N/A.
Story...well there is no story, those are facts. Those facts are, of course, adapted and the way this movie deliver that adaptation to us is outstanding. The dark atmosphere, the suspens that keeps us on edge, and the flashbacks system that makes things so vivid, everything is done to captivate the audience.
Thanks to all the members of the cast (who did an amazing job portraying their characters, especially the children and Gong Yoo...well Gong Yoo was simply exceptional) you will be trapped into this movie from its very first minute to the last. You will feel horror and despair as well little pieces of moved joy as you see the events happening as if you were there.
The music isn't a beautiful melody designed to make you cry every times you hear it, but it will make you feel calm, tense, or angry. It's really a part of the movie.
Rewatch value...honestly, it would be torture to me to rewatch this, but I'll still do it, because this movie is amazing and the acting astonishing. But I won't say it was beautiful. Although this movie is a piece of art, I'd feel sick to call it beautiful.
Since he got the main part, let's talk about Gong Yoo in this movie. His Kang In Ho is true, sincere, so kind and pure in front of all the horror happening before his eyes that it is impossible not to be moved by him. Gong Woo is definitly a top actor and I can't wait to see what he will do next.
But there is something bothering me about this movie, like all movies involving young actors.Even though this is all acting, I wonder how those children felt, when they were shooting some scenes...sometimes, I felt this movie was going too far...but this is only my point of view...
I know that my review is a little dark, but I just saw Crucible, and this movie is dark.
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