The biggest reason being that this movie at times felt a touch too muddled in what it was trying to convey. It deeply explores an issue very well but yet not deeply enough. Deep issues are at times downplayed due to very stereotypical assumptions, and the end for me felt like a cop out. I admit, that viewpoint can be countered but I felt in the grand scheme of things, it allowed the audience to still retain their view of "normalcy". However, this isn't what made me dock points largely.
This movie deals with a topic that I rarely see and as a review mentioned, where a man trying to become a woman isn't the butt of a joke. Here, there is no laughter, little room for it. This movie cleverly approaches the topic as it takes this Herculean and manly guy who isn't happy with himself. He wants to become a woman. It creates an interesting and refreshing dichotomy as here is a guy who can easily fight any man and easily conquer a horde of attacking gangs yet he wants to be a woman.
The strong point is definitely Cha Seung Won's character (Ji Wook) and he carries this movie for me. The rest of the plot for me is kind of fodder as are a bunch of the characters. There were certain characters in here that for me had no legitimate reason to be here or to be included in the story as they were. Mainly because they muddle vs aid the story. There are other characters though I recognize their importance because they add to Cha Seung Won's character. For example, the antagonist here the sub-leader of a gang and while I find his character to add very little in terms of plot, he brings out Ji Wook's character. What I mean is that most of the action sequences come from the interaction between the two which allows for the story to cement the manly image that Ji Wook has. However, while a good portion of the action scenes are relevant, I have to pick a bone with a good number of them. I feel this way about a lot of movies and dramas that bring to the table an unsettling topic or a very intelligent topic. There are always dramatic actions sequences involved. Yes, it's a way for the director to sell the plot but it would be nice to just directly approach the topic. In this case, the topic is interesting enough to be the sole focus. I just feel that the action sequences at times distract from the main topic.
On a personal note, there were quite a few things in this movie I wish I could alter. I also wish I could make this movie go hard in terms of really exploring this theme. I feel like this movie should have shocked the viewer more than it did. It makes it feel a little regrettable in that regard. Nonetheless, definitely one to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending is what diminished it for me
7,5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 (Josean era) fictional drama with 16, 60 minute, episodes.Ha-seon (Yeo Jin-goo) leads a relatively care free life traveling around performing comedic skits that primarily make fun of the royalty. Yi Heon, the King (also played by Yeo Jin-goo) was a benign noble as a Crown Prince but became a paranoid, vicious and crazed king. He is bloodthirsty which is driven by opium induced delusions about being killed. When one of his close advisers comes across Ha-seon by a chance encounter, he is stunned to realize the clownish actor looks exactly like the king. The king has become increasingly concerned about assasination attempts and has tasked his close advisers to find a way to get him out of danger. The adviser who encountered the look alike proposes to the king that he be used as a stand in and the King is more than willing to have the doppelgänger stand in for him. Through a combination of coercion and persuasion they talk Ha-seon into playing the greatest role, that of the king, while the real king slips away to a quiet retreat. As Ha-seon becomes acquainted with palace life and gets to know the inhabitants, Queen Yi Kyu (Kim Sang-kyun) quickly steals his reluctant heart and is surprised herself to find that this new side to her husband is stirring romantic feelings for him she did not have before. Nothing could go wrong - right?
spoiler 🚨 I liked the first half of this very well I thought the male lead did an excellent job playing both the clown who was kind and the king who was bloodthirsty and crazy. I like the female lead who played the queen as she was calm and kind. However, the way the king was and all the palace intrigue reminded me of the American show “Game of Thrones“. As is often the case in Royal courts, it seemed as if everyone was out to poison or kill everyone else for the throne. In the middle of the show, there was a part where the Crowned Clown bowed down to one of the evil villains and I wound up fast forwarding because I knew that eventually he would win out and I couldn’t take watching it go on for so long. After that part it got good again and I thought “well there’s just that one part that doesn’t detract from the movie too much.“. At that point, had it ended well, I probably would’ve given it an 8.5 or possibly a 9. The show literally went down in the last episode or so when it seemed like nearly every character I liked had something tragic happen to them or someone they cared about. Then to top it off, the male lead steps down and gives the crown over to someone we were barely introduced to. After everything that he had gone through as well as all the people that supported him it seemed like a waste for him not to reign longer. The Queen also had been made barren and it would’ve been nice if they would’ve found out that wasn’t true after all. Because it felt like Ha-seon did in part step down because she was unable to bear an heir. Then they aren’t done with the tragedy because as he steps down and leaves the palace, one of the last characters that I still liked gets killed as some crazy ninjas say they are avenging the dowager queen who died a year before and we never really got to know these people to know why they would be so loyal to her even a year later. In fact, when the dowager was alive you didn’t really see her do anything all that great nor did they refer to any great things she had done in the past. Then they make you think the male lead is dead and you get to see the queen, who had stepped away from the throne to be with him, grieve for over two years. Then he just suddenly shows up and says he’s been in what would amount to a coma (how they would’ve supported someone in a coma in the Josean era is a bit of a mystery) and they have this long emotional moment. Rather than being heartwarming, their reunion felt a little bit cheesy and over done. It is a shame that it did not end better because it could’ve been a good show. This is the third TV series I’ve seen with this male lead and I have to say all three have not ended as I like them to. It is to the point where if he is in something I will likely read spoilers to make sure it doesn’t have a poor ending. If you don’t mind tragedy and like things that are a bit nebulous, you may like this better than I did. It is worth watching because a lot of the show is quite good and if you’re able to look past that middle part and the end then you may enjoy it.
#TheCrownedClown
#YeoJinGoo
#KimSangKyun
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The series is mostly a murder mystery that intertwines evil spirits and other horrors into its narrative, which is not so different from many other horror-kdrama I’ve watched. The plot builds the tension within the narrative rather well, and each episode usually ends in such a way that you have to see the next one as soon as possible, but it does have a bit of a pacing issue.
The story works more like a mystery than a horror story in my opinion, but the evil spirits and the Korean folklore about such spirits and shamanism is used in an interesting (but perhaps familiar way if you’ve watched many such dramas) as such a tool to communicate moral questions about society, as well as the weaknesses and behavior of the characters to the viewer, like horror stories of this nature do. That’s the purpose of the horror.
For a while it seems like the story goes in a few too many circles with the main characters’ quest to get rid of these evil spirit, and the narrative loses a bit of momentum towards the middle. There is a lot of repetition and too little progress whether it was in the story itself or the characters own personal arcs, even though we are always learning more and more about these evil spirits and the past that explains the present. But towards the end the story does pick up the pace again.
There are plenty of great, interesting characters here, and of course Kim Tae Ri, like the other actors, is doing a great job in their roles but the drama struggles to give all of them time to tell their story while managing to keep a good flow to the story. There were almost too many character and it breaks the flow. The story affects the characters, but the characters don’t affect the story too much. Therefor the story overwhelms the character a little.
In some instances the narrative does seem to drag things out just because they need to fill the time with something. I’ve seen this screenwriter do horror very well before, as well as murder mystery, but mixing the two together seems to have been a struggle at times. Perhaps if the drama had been allowed to be longer, it wouldn’t have felt like it was holding too many balls in the air at once and allowed the story to breath a bit more or add more things in so it felt less repetitive.
An exciting story that allows the story to unfold through the characters and their actions, but ends up dragging them a bit unhesitatingly forward for the sake of the narrative. There is always something hooking you within each episode, but the build up between each cliff-hanger could have been better in some places. It makes the narrative a bit uneven, and I personally would have liked more horror. But overall a very entertaining watch despite the hiccups in the narrative structure.
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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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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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such a disappointment
I swear I want to scream at the screenwriter! UGHHHH... Why is everything so damn downplayed?? The story sets up these HUGE emotional bombs and then delivers them like… a casual Tuesday lunch chat. Le finding out who his mother really is should’ve been a massive turning point — raw, messy, emotional. Instead it gets tossed out in the middle of a meal like someone mentioning they forgot to buy soy sauce. And that’s literally just one example.I kept watching thinking, “Okay, maybe it’s slow-burning, maybe the payoff is coming.” NOPE. It’s just anticlimax after anticlimax, like the script is actively allergic to drama. How do you ruin your own plot twists?? How do you make every reveal feel like a footnote??
And honestly, Qin Lan’s acting is not helping. At all. She just refuses to go anywhere near heightened emotion. It’s like she’s scared of showing anything stronger than gentle disappointment. It’s the same in every drama of hers I’ve seen — beautiful to look at, elegant, calm… but the moment the character is supposed to explode, break down, do something, she stays on that same soft, neutral wavelength. It kills the momentum.
I’m frustrated because the premise actually had potential, and the setup hinted at something deeper. But nope — everything is toned down, flattened, and delivered like the actors are reading text messages instead of living through trauma. I thought it was going to get better. It didn’t.
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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?
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It may have some minor subplot issues, but is still an utterly underrated Kdrama
Go Ah-in (Lee Bu-young) is a no nonsense woman whose only purpose is to do her job as a creative director in an advertising agency in the most perfect and flawless possible. At first glance, she was able to finally achieve her ultimate career goal when she was promoted as the first woman to be an executive director (Chief Creative Officer/CCO) at her company. However, Choi Chang-soo (Jo Sung-ha), Go Ah-in's superior had another plan in mind.At first glance, 대행사 (Agency) is an office drama comparable to Misaeng, but given with a company director's POV instead of an employee's. Both are great in their respective stories, and just love them both.
But for this show specifically, I love that it has a fast-paced flow and deals with the intricate office politics and complex world of the creative industry well, especially for people without creative industry background like me. Each episode increases tension between the main characters, and their rivalry really makes the plot interesting. One may think that this "rivalry" may be tiring for the remaining episodes, but with the addition of new stories and characters along the way, the story just keeps more interesting as more layers are being uncovered.
It's also great to know their respective characteristics and alliances on each factions in the office politics drawn early on. It may be seen as boring as we already know which side a side character is, but it didn't bothered me as much.
Jo Eun-jung (Jeon Hye-jin) is the most "fleshed out" character other than Go Ah-in in terms of her background story. It's quite remarkable to see how she is able to balance out her duties in the office, despite her son's disapproval for his mother to work and resign instead. Also, it's great to show that despite her dilemma, she is fully backed with support by her husband and mother-in-law. With this stigma against working mothers in a conservative yet competitive Korean society, it's quite good, if not refreshing, to know how this show addresses this issue. But then again, I didn't like that the MIL and the father wasn't that helpful to Eun-jung in convincing the son for her to work.
Personally, I knew what the outcomes would be, but would is still gagged with how each outcome are shown. It's like knowing that there would be a plot twist, but doesn't know what that plot twist would be. This is true most particularly with the presentation cliffhanger at episode 8.
The only production lapse that I noticed was during a throwback scene on the second ep where the creative office used modern-type computer monitors when it was set in 2004.
After the 1st half, this show now focused to complex corporate drama and chaebol problems care of Kang Han-na (Son Na-eun). She has an eccentric character and seems reckless on the outside, but is actually smart, if not cunning on the inside.
One complaint is that it would have been better pacing-wise had Han-na be developed into someone who can stand on her own despite facing failures, rejection, despair and loneliness. The romance subplot was just too transactional and there were virtually no chemistry between her and Park 부장. But if the writers really decided to insert this storyline, it would have made more sense had it was inserted towards the end (at least the last 2 episodes). I would have no complaints even if it was rushed since then again, I can't see the chemistry of said romance.
Being nit-picky as well, there were some things that this show failed to explained more. First, is Ah-in and her mother's story. After the episode 12 confrontation, I really hoped that there is more to be discussed and more emotions be shown to really have a a fulfilling closure on their issue. It ended even only through a text, which was appalling since it was built-up very well on the earlier episodes. Second, Ah-in and the budding romance with the CEO of a gaming company. The spark was already there and Ah-in could've enjoyed said romance, but it was just forgotten midway. What happened?
The ending was satisfying in a way that it wrapped the main stories very well, in a compelling but not overdramatic fashion. Yes, it was expected, but then again it was executed perfectly in such that it was not boring. The last episode was very engaging in terms of portraying the cooperation of Ah-in and Han-na for their "common enemies". It was the definition of women empowerment in a society where men are still dominant in many corporate aspects.
Still, every episode ended with a bang. I think the reason why it has a lower MDL rating is due to its delayed subbing. It's very surprising how this is not picked up yet by major international streaming platforms given its high ratings in Korea. It may have minor subplot issues, but is still an utterly underrated Kdrama.
SIDE NOTE:
It will be an unforgettable watching experience for the last 2 episodes. At times, I was reading English subtitles, and at others, it was Indonesian. I was really able to maximize my Korean and Indonesian skills just to get the gist of what they were saying. Still, it is a very rewatchable Kdrama and I enjoyed watching it despite some minor subplot issues.
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What A Satisfying Ride!
I have seen dozens of BL shows, but the experience of watching My Stand In was top-tier. Whether it was watching it or turning to social media, My Stand In kept me in a 12-week choke hold. The way I felt about the characters in episode 1 was not how I felt about them at the end of episode 12. There was so much drama, but also so much character growth. I hated Ming at the beginning of the series but loved and wanted the world for him by the end.I've watched many toxic romances, but what set Joe and Ming's story apart is that the viewer watches events happen and those events change the character. Relationships that began like the Manson Family ended like The Brady Bunch. Every turn and twist was earned and felt. The chemistry between the main couple is electric. Even as you wish they would stay away from each other you understood why they couldn't.
Action, sex, messy emotions... it's got it all. I highly recommend My Stand In to everyone, it's that good.
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An epic fantasy immersed in island lore and mystery
I am basking in the afterglow of this drama as I write this review but I shall try to be impartial or as impartial as I can be considering I have given it a perfect score.So with no further ado, here are the reasons why I loved RLIAGL:
1. It has a mix of genres: fantasy, mystery and romance seeped in mythology.
2. The leads are working adults. (I am old and if you are too you know why this point is a good thing)
3. Great script writing and intriguing story board. Every episode brings a new meaning to the overarching storyline and keeps you hooked. The format of the episode also lends well to the mystery and keeps it interesting.
4. Good acting by everyone involved. Also, leads are cute eye candy.
5. Amazing score! The OST for this show is really really good.
6. Production quality is high and the visuals are also good. I loved the cinematography of this show.
The reasons why you may not like RLIAGL:
1. The romance is a slow burn. Its slower than a sloth climbing a tree. Its so slow that you might think there is no romance. And that would be because the romance is not the main part of this show, it's the mystery of why it ain't gonna rain in this land no more.
2. The story also starts of slow. It takes the first few episodes for this show to grow on you and while it does it might bore the socks out of impatient people.
3. The female lead could have done certain things better (a lot) . But that is no fault of her own it's because of the script writer.
4. The audience as well as secondary characters get the drift way quicker than the main leads. A few times I wished people asked the right questions instead of going about in a tangent, but that was the fun of the show and I didn't mind it as much.
5. It's quite melodramatic. Everything has an epic consequence like the world ending or people dying.
6. I was dissatisfied with how they resolved the environmental degradation issue. (You'll know what I'm talking about only if you watch it. :P )
7. It is not a Kdrama. It is from Taiwan and a lot of people don't watch shows from here. On the other hand, I have no idea what you are doing reading this review in that case.
Story/Acting Overview:
A woman believes in the stories her grandmother taught her when she was young and before she was abandoned by said grandmother. This is her journey as she navigates through life, meets & parts with people and begins to question her beliefs.
With a great cast, production and unbelievable scriptwriting, this show has all the right elements to be a blockbuster in my book. I enjoyed the acting by the entire crew. Toem was my favourite actor with Fali coming a close second. Loved the layers in their character.
As mentioned earlier, the story is infused with island lore and mythology with small folk tales at the beginning of each episode which portend some major events which might occur in each episode. The format was great and lends to watching it one episode a time as it feels like each episode is a chapter in the RLIAGL book.
While the romance is a slow burn, I enjoyed it as I never thought of this story as a romance but as a fantasy mystery. I was more interested in understanding the characters and Kawas than I was in Tian-Di & Orad's love story. As we move further into the story line, we also come to understand why their romance is such a slow burn. Past events and future situations play a vital role in their romance.
Overall:
Overall, I enjoyed this show way more than I expected to at the start and by the end it had grown on me. As the story reaches towards its climax the pace also picks up leading to an amazing ending. There are plot twists that I wasn't expecting and therefore, was quite blown over with the revelations.
A perfect 10 from me (9.5 ~ 10 all the same) as I know I will end up rewatching this and it's perfect OST.
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I liked it less than Season 1, but I still appreciated the new season!
I was literally in the middle of randomly rewatching season 1 of Yumi's cells when season 2 finally appeared! Yay!!! If you were a fan of season 1 then season 2 tries hard to recapture that magic and continue Yumi's story right from where the last episode ended. I was glad to see all of the old characters and cells return, but I will also confess that I am unapologetically team Wung, and was rooting for him more than Yumi at the end of season 1. I say that so that my bias is clear, although I will try to not let that cloud my review too much.I think the main issue I had with this season is that unlike season 1, which was a clear linear plot about the evolution of Yumi & Wung's love story, season 2 tries to possibly do too much. Yes, as you can see from the poster art, Yumi has a new main love interest, Yoo Babi from season 1. We do get to see their relationship turn romantic and get introduced to Babi's cute and festive cells, but a lot of time is also spent on Yumi's writing career, some new characters, and an appreciated update on Wung too. I didn't read the webtoon, so maybe they just tried to fit as much of the original content as they could into the story. Sadly, although Yumi's emotions and the storytelling overall is still super creative and often relatable, the actual plot starts to drag and get repetitive about halfway through. And although watching season 1 first makes the most sense, there are plenty of flashbacks for context just in case you skip to this season for Park Jin Young as the male lead.
He may not have been the ship I wanted to sail but he is cute, so I understand.
Speaking of Park Jin Young as Babi, I do think he played his role pretty well, but once Babi became the center of the story he also became super boring. He and Kim Go Eun do have some cute chemistry moments in the first episodes but there are also quite a few cringy-trying-too-hard-cute moments too. Their cells often have to save the day to keep the story fun, or make their fights much more engaging. Watching Yumi become super jealous and distrustful on loop was already annoying in season 1, but Babi always being even-keeled with the same bland smile or sad expression just made it worse. If you are a Park Jin Young fan I'm sure he will be sufficiently cute for you to enjoy but compared to the chemistry in season1 I was kinda disappointed. Side couples were often much more interesting than the leads were. Wung's character having a decent amount of guest star screen time helped a lot too, but he always wore a shirt this time : ( #imissedhisabs
The rest of the cast were the same quirky characters I liked in the first season with some good new editions. My favorite of the new characters hands down was illustrator Control Z. ("Zeeeeeeee" lol ). He was another character that saved me from wanting to drop the tedious love story parts. I was hoping Da Eun would be as involved in the story as Sae Yi was, but I feel like she was underutilized. I think because of the self-centered nature of the Yumi character some great performances are more like guest appearances than the feel of an ensemble cast. There were some literal good guest star moments too. Park Jin Joo's cameo was really funny.
And all of the voice actors were amazing once again! I truly missed their antics!
Another plot issue was, as inspiring as Yumi's writing pursuit was, without the cell's POV, that was boring to watch as well, and definitely started to feel like filler in the last episodes.
Kim Go Eun as Yumi grew on me too and had a little more life in her performance this time. Or maybe that's just compared to boring Babi. Bland Babi's character was never allowed to evolve much past pursuing Yumi. Or was the lined black and white version of Babi also a metaphor for his lack of a personality? Apparently, in the original story he's the fan favorite, but I had a hard time seeing his appeal in the show. Their relationship was shady from the start, which was also pretty hard for me to look past after liking Wung so much!
Would I watch this again? Sure. I would definitely skip past a lot of scenes but the same charm of the cells and getting frustrated at Yumi makes even this messy plot still fun to watch. The Cells are everything, and along with favorites (like naughty) they really got creative with some of these new cells... like the hilarious "hand"!
And yes, I still love the OST and the new song editions. I was very glad to hear certain songs again.
Overall, it's super hard to recapture the energy of a successful first season, which the writer even blatantly has Yumi stressed over during the show's last episode (very meta). What Yumi's Cells 2 does well is stick to what worked in season 1 without trying to repeat it exactly. I still never cried, but I LOLed often. It's still the perfect length to binge and re-binge, even if the story drags at times. I got some character updates that I needed. I still wished for more growth from Yumi, but through her chasing her dream I saw some. I was also satisfied with everything ending as it did, and how they implied what was next in Yumi's love life without me needing to see it all played out, but if they do decide to actually go for a season 3, count me in... again!
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