CUTEST THING EVER
This drama just warms my heart! <3When I heard a Korean bl was coming out I knew it was going to be good. With “Where Your Eyes Linger” still fresh in my mind I was so ready for another amazing Korean bl, and “Mr. Heart” didn’t disappoint. I feel like they could’ve had a better name though, maybe something do with running...but that’s besides the point.
I just finished this drama, and let me tell you, I’m still recovering from the huge amount of adorableness in this drama.
I was so excited for this drama, so I did something I rarely do— watch a drama while it’s airing (because I hate waiting for the next episodes) but I just couldn’t wait! Every episode left me wanting another, and when I finally finished, I was sad that it was over.
The leads have good chemistry and they’re both so adorable! The storyline wasn’t that deep, but obviously the main focus was the romance. I found myself getting attached to the characters, and smiling at the screen allll the time.
I’m definitely rewatching it in the future when I want to feel happy, and I highly recommended it!
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Ikuta Toma as Ryuzaki Ikuo and Oguri Shun as Danno Tatsuya are perfection. The emotions I felt from these actors are the reason why they have done so many dramas/movies. It makes me want to go back and watch all the dramas that I have missed. There are some other great characters in this drama played by some good actors.
I liked the music.
I may rewatch this some day.
I recommend this drama.
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A story about life goes a long way
This is clearly not the best drama of 2018. It is the best drama of all time. Before delving any further, if you're wondering if there are spoilers in this review, rest assured there are none (or just a pinch of it at most).Story and General comments:
If you are looking for fantasy, this drama is not for you. If you are looking for a typical romance drama, slowly walk away now. The beauty of My Mister is in its simplicity. What I mean by simplicity is that it's not a typical k-drama involving a rich chaebol falling for a poor normal-life-living girl, or the male lead having super powers or some crazy disorder. It is just a story between one Ahjusshi, one girl and one (hella great) neighbourhood. If there's one spoiler-ish statement in this review, it'll be this one - Though as many of you may have read from comments and reviews, this story is not about romantic love between the two leads. That said, I have never personally felt more love between two characters in any other show (not limited to just k-drama) as I did in My Mister. That's the power of great story telling - the love between two people that transcends the conventional love and romance of what we know and have come to understand. And yet, there is so much more to the story; something you will have to experience for yourself as mere words are just inadequate and will not do the show any justice.
Acting:
Another concern that many viewers had before the show aired was about IU's acting. Though she has improved along the years, her acting is good at best with some occasional great moments. This has changed with My Mister. IU's acting was simply exceptional and her performance in My Mister is hands down the best out of all her dramas. And as for Lee Sun Kyun, must I say more? His acting is and has been exceptional and it is no different in My Mister. Poured his heart out for the role and the viewers felt every breath of it... literally.
Music / OSTs:
One big factor for me personally is the Music / OSTs of a k-drama. Yes a drama may be well written and well acted, but if the OST is not up-to-par, the drama will just end up being forgettable many years down the road. I kid you not, I was playing the OSTs on repeat the whole day for weeks and even up till today, I am still listening to it on a daily basis. It is just that good. Props to Sondia, Vincent Blue, O.When, Jung Seung Hwan and even IU (she wrote the song for JeHwi) for creating what has to be one of the most memorable OSTs of any k-drama.
Conclusion:
What more can we ask for? A story that shatters the proverbial glass ceiling of k-drama standards; acting performances that exceed all expectations; music that will stick with you on repeat for a very long time. My Mister is not just another k-drama but an important precedent for k-dramas as it is not afraid to revitalize the conventional formula and reinvent the storytelling wheel.
I would like to end this review with one word - Masterpiece.
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Unexpectedly Funny, Underrated GEM!
I seriously went into this drama without any expectations, but I liked the ML and I felt sorry that he got paired up so badly in his past dramas which I mostly dropped.This one started out pretty standard. Set is ... super fake. Those bad wigs especially on the ML when his hair is down made him look so bad. However, if you at least make it by ep 8 then you'll see that this is more of a comedy Xian Xia like a Starry love type. ML's voice (dubbed or not), suits the character very well, gives him that sarcastic feel. The drama does get serious as it progresses so less comedic moments later on.
Story quality is way better than the set quality. There are quite a few interesting supporting characters with sufficient screen time to build up their characters as well. I think if you are looking for new blood (young pretty faces) this is not it.
But if you want:
1. A great actor that can portray this kind of semi bad, inner good, partially sarcastic character
2. Enjoyable dialogue and not the typical ML/FL will just focus on Love and nothing else matters
2. Interesting supporting characters
3. No Nasty 3rd wheel can't get a clue but just trying to steal the leads away & wasting screen time
Then this is a great watch!
Fav. Moments:
Ep 8 FL won't die. Probably the funniest Ep
Ep 26 ML's realization. Hit the spot! OST is killing it! ML .... TY for being the ML!
Ep 29 The show down
Ep 32 ML's guilt proposal followed by the makeup scene
Not so Favorite:
The Ending ... It was just meh....
Then I find out there were supposed to be 6 more episodes they cut off. Y Y Y Iqiyi you cut off good dramas? So wrong....
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1The female general and her- Lover boy, Protector and Arch Nemesis.
I have a question- what will you do if your life is suddenly surrounded by 3 very mysterious people!?-One is the shy and sweet LOVER BOY who gives you sweet promises and flowers. Swearing to always be by your side to protect you.
-Second is the supernatural, powerful and mystical PROTECTOR with silver hair and a sexy mask who just appears out of nowhere to protect you whenever you are in danger.
-Third is the ruthless, cunning and formidable ARCH NEMESIS who you are sworn to kill as duty.
This my friends is a classic recipe to a 'disaster' or 'an epic romance' because the real plot twist is THEY ALL ARE THE SAME PERSON.
PLOT-
1 man. 3 identity. And a bond forged in blood.
Shadow love follows the story of a female general and a prince/general who both are sworn enemies whose kingdoms are at war with each other but somehow get their fates entangled together after a series of events which lead the ML to transform into a shadow puppet with the FL as his blood master. In the process the ML loses his memory and his identity. Together they navigate through blood connections, crazy consorts, insane crown princes, sly court politics, wars, hidden identity, supernatural powers/ artifacts and hidden enemies. This drama follows the thin line of love and hate, loyalty and duty, obsession and indifference.
MUSIC, COSTUME, DIRECTION AND CINEMATOGRAPHY-
The cinematography of the drama is just top notch, the colour grading and costumes go well with the whole vibe of the drama and suit the character well.
The background music add to the charm of the drama. The OST specially is beautiful. All the BGM played during the soft romance scene and intense fight scenes compliments the tone of the drama.
The fight scene are also immaculate, like you actually grip your seats while watching them. With the supernatural element in the drama we see quite a lot of high quality VFX.
The director are the same as from 'the prisoner of beauty' so you can totally imagine the unique and beautiful way the scenes are portrayed. The way of story telling hooks you to the drama immediately.
ACTORS-
Both the main cast have been a spot on casting, they are literally made for their role. I had reservation about the FL in the start but as the episodes progressed she did really good in portraying her role a female general.
I have to take a moment and appreciate the ML, like cheng li had 3 characters to play and he played them soo well. From soft and determined to ruthless and unhinged, he played all his 3 characters really well. His eyes sing emotions. I am not shy to say I have become a fan. The total 180 degree change in between his character was insane and he did such commendable job playing them.
And I mean if a character makes you hate their guts it means the actors slayed and in this case the villains slayed hard. Both the crown prince and empress dowager were character that made me want to throw things.
OVERALL MY THOUGHT-
The plot is intriguing, and keep you hooked from the very beginning. It may get a bit slow in the middle but catches up with the plot very soon. Watching the drama, you feel the love, anger, hate, happiness, sadness through the screen. You actually connect with the character's and theirs story.
If you are fan of 'vampire', 'fantasy', 'flash' I think you will love this drama.
The music and cinematography gives the drama a different vibe that makes it addicting to watch.
The scenes are done soo perfectly, like the whole direction of fight scenes and intimacy scenes is next level. I mean I can clearly see the director of TPOB and this is same by the way the scenes are presented.
I love the romance part of the drama, the small touches and kisses are really well done. There are alot of intimacy scenes which doens't really have kisses but like small touches, act of service, them protecting each other, the whole blood sucking thing. All this just adds to the romance vibes.
I love how it was more romance plotted than political which was nice, the attention was the main leads and their dynamics.
And one thing I think made me fall even more in love with this drama was the trust, love and act of service between the main leads. Like they literally would fight the whole world for each other, protect each other even when they hate the other, have forgotten them . The love between them was between the souls. The way they trusted each other and were ready to protect each other made me so immotional.
During the climax of the drama so many things were not said between them but their hurt, love, betrayal and loyalty to each other was expressed through their eyes.
Even when the ML at a point forget her he still knew deep down in his heart that she meant something so much more than just her enemy. Even when the FL knew she should hate him and kill him for her duty she could just not stop being kind to him, stop loving him, stop hurting.
At the end I just had one thought- 'oh to be loved like they love each other'.
Overall the drama is a must watch. And deserves the time you invest in it. It might not be perfect but it deserves the recognition.
SOME of my favorite scenes till now-
-the transformation scene/ blood pool scene (ep 1)
-the charcter introduction scene (ep 1)
-the blood sucking scene (ep 5)
-the general killing scene with a sword (ep 11)
-the sword dance scene
-the battle in general house with prince li
-the scene where she disguised as a dancer and went to save him
-the marriage scene
-his entry scene in the court when he gets his memory back
-their first battle against each other when he forgot him memory
-the interrogation scene between them
-when he as prince annan saved her from the torture chamber
-the whole confrontation scene and forced kiss (ep 34)
-her celebrating his birthday and dancing for him (ep 36)
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My complaints break down into three groups - OST, plot lines and character traits.
OST: This may be my first k-drama with an all English soundtrack (if there were Korean tracks I failed to notice) and my first thought was how distracting it was watching people interact in a foreign language with somebody crooning in English in your earhole. After many dramas where the OST becomes as ingrained on your memories as the most touching scenes do, I wondered if Koreans watching dramas with more typical soundtracks are just as distracted by the constantly repetitive lyrics. If I never hear any of these songs again in any version I will count myself blessed.
Plot Lines: Every single storyline in this series had an unsatisfactory ending. Whether it be the relationship of the main characters, the friendship between Jin Ah and Kyung Sun, the behavior of Gyu Min or the sexual harassment in the workplace. In each case we were presented with an issue of conflict, there was much angst and aggravation until the worst possible outcome was realised (or forgotten in the case of the ex-boyfriend) - and then after a jump to the future there is brief resolution. I'm actually quite angry that such an important issue as sexual harassment in the workplace was given the treatment it got. I doubt anybody suffering from this treatment would feel inspired or hopeful about coming forward from watching this.
Character Traits: I will concede that in order for there to be drama, there must be conflict. Tropes like bad boy turns good or family disapproves of relationship all require failings of character and as a previous reviewer wrote "If you don't know anything about Korean culture or the passive characteristics of Asian, this drama will seem silly & annoying, and will never understand the reasons behind choices & actions made", I also recognise that these stories are being told through a different set of cultural norms. However just because something is prevalent within a culture doesn't mean it's right or acceptable and although drama as an art form is often about reflecting truth in society, it is also a medium for setting examples for how we could live. Nobody in this drama became a better person. Joon Hee was possessive and controlling until the end and Jin Ah was a compulsive liar throughout.
What I perceived as being a story about an unconventional relationship where true love wins out against negative cultural norms, turned out to be about a group of self interested and morally deprived individuals failing to grow as human beings. Truth in society indeed.
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1Stunning cast & visuals BUT horrible script, badly executed plot & editing
This drama is my 2024 Biggest Disappointment. I had high expectations for the first instalment in the Fox Spirit Matchmaker series since it was iQiyi most anticipated high budgeted drama for 2024. As a xianxia lover + hopeless romantic + fan of the cast, I thought for sure this would be an easy 10/10. But unfortunately, this drama felt like I was introduced to the most stunningly beautiful wedding cake, only to be told it’s inedible. I truly feel the drama had the potential to be one of the best xianxias but it was totally ruined by the script writers whose budget must have been 0.99$... oh and don’t get me started on the horrible editing.The drama is about the female lead who is an ancient fox and Chief of Tushan, a magical land where fox spirits can live freely and humans are not allowed in. Except one human, the male lead, who, as a child, is rescued by her due to his magical blood. 16 years later, an evil fox shows up and tries to destroy Tushan and kill all humans. Also, part of the story is the Grief Tree, a place where humans and spirits can ask for love blessings. The female lead indirectly serves as a matchmaker to the three side couple whose stories are also woven into the plot.
The story that’s off well and is quite enjoyable in the early episodes although I always felt something big was missing. Up until episode 20 it was a decent watch but then the drama created a useless amnesia plot that ruined everything. The last episodes were the worst and the ending kind of made me feel like it was a waste of a watch.
Are all Fox Spirit Matchmaker dramas connected?
The world and characters are interconnected but each drama is a different story. IMPORTANT NOTE: this drama directly spoils the ending for the prequel Love in Pavilion.
THE COUPLES:
✨ Ancient Fox and her Human Disciple (Yang Mi and Gong Jun) main cp / cold woman and warm male vibes. Badly written love story. Read my negative point below.
✨ Carefree Fox and her Cheeky Prince Spirit (Cristy Guo and Miles Wei) second cp / bickering friends vibes / ep 5 love story beings. My favourite ship, I love them dearly however I hated the way they treated the male lead during the amnesia plot. All of their scenes were super adorable but at the same time they didn’t really have much of a love story.
✨ Human Princess and her Spirit Bodyguard (Bambi Zhu and Yang Shi Ze) third cp / Aladdin and Jasmine vibes / ep 7-13 love story. The best side story of them all with great political intrigue. The actor’s chemistry was fantastic. The plot had some much potential to be expanded into a full story.
✨ Human Detective and her Flirty Thousand-Faces Spirit (Sebrina Chen and Mao Zi Jun) forth cp / Beauty and the Beast vibes / ep 21-29 love story. Great chemistry, their love story had a lot of potential but not enough time to be fully explored. I loved the message of inner beauty. The only thing I hated was the massive red flag that guy displayed at their final scene.
✨ Mischievous Tree Spirit and her Dummy-cute Human (Chen Du Ling and Zhang Ling He) fifth couple / Fairytale vibes / ep 30-34 love story. The most hilarious and funny side story. Their screen time was extremely short but the actor’s chemistry made up for it.
POSITIVE:
- Good-looking and well-known cast.
- Stunning costumes.
- Beautiful scenery and a world that looks truly magical and fairy-tale like.
- Awesome side couples/stories. Hands down the best part of the drama is the side couples and their stories. Granted, they had limited screen time but were still impactful. The chemistry between the actors was sizzling and the only reason I kept watching. The stories were woven well into the main plot and it all felt connected
- Badass women. Pretty much all the women in the drama were always high ranked, independent and powerful.
- Male eye candy. All the men in the drama were feast for the eyes. I loved seeing Gong Jun as the male lead, his cheeky and youthful character was different from the unhinged and morally grey roles I had previously seen him in. Miles Wei was very charming, Zhang Ling He was super hilarious and Mao Zi Jun was wonderful to watch.
- Stunning artwork. A bit off topic but worth mentioning that the drama released more than beautiful 10 different art works with all 10 characters.
- Brainless watch. Well, it’s not exactly a positive but some days I was very tired so watching this drama was easy as it didn’t require much brain power.
NEGATIVE:
- Badly written main lead’s story. No proper foundation, no proper development and totally butchered in the second half. I feel the best love stories are those where we follow the leads, meet up for the first time, face challenges and fall in love. But in this case, the main leads have already lived in the same place for 16 years and then the male lead suddenly falls for her. Their love story doesn’t help the controversial fact that she has known him since he was a child. However she did look more like a mentor than mother figure to me. On top of all that, 98% of the time, the female lead was cold and wooden towards him which didn’t allow for any chemistry to be explored. The nail in the coffin was the amnesia plot after ep 20 that was totally useless, stalled any sort of development and in fact ruined the couple completely. In the end, I couldn’t root for the leads at all and in fact felt the male lead deserved better.
- Clown villains. Black Fox is the most one-dimensional villain I’ve ever seen. We are never given a backstory of her motives. She just wants to kill humans. Her only real superpower is boring the audience to death with her dialogue. Her scenes are useless and frankly embarrassing to watch. Her subordinate is just as useless, repeatedly failing to kill the heroes. The only worthy villain is the White Fox who unfortunately the writers never allowed to gain power and be an actual threat. He had a good backstory and unhinged personality to be a compelling villain that could have elevated the plot.
- Repetitive plot. The main plot was an absolute joke of useless and boring repetitions of heroes vs villains, tons of illogical parts and stupid things the characters said and did. Many things were happening but actually nothing significant or impactful ever happened. The worst past was the amnesia plot which lasted for 10 episodes and was beyond useless as literally nothing happened.
- Lackluster fight scenes. No martial arts ever used, just static hands up in the air and colours coming out of them to “fight”. In the rare cases of a weapon being used, the fight scenes end after 2 seconds.
- Horrible editing. All scenes are cut weirdly. This is especially noticeable when the emotional scenes end abruptly as the audience is not given enough time to process what’s happening and connect with the characters. All the key scenes end up anti-climatic. Sometimes, the characters pop up out of nowhere and you do wonder where they came from and what they were doing.
- Surface level relationships. As discussed above, the main love story was badly executed. The rest of the couples also suffered from a lack of build up and their dialogue at times felt forced and/or odd. I could argue that they didn’t have enough screen time for their love stories to be explored. But I do think the issue lies in the fact that the drama spent more time focusing on the useless plot rather than developing the characters, seeing them interact with each other and building the relationships between them. I never felt the characters were real people, I never felt I knew anything about them, who they were, what their dreams and fears were. Everything just lacked depth.
- Wooden female lead. This is my first time seeing the actress so I don’t have much data to go by. At the start of the drama her character was stoic and expressionless which suited her role as a Chief and ancient being however during the whole drama she lacked any sort of personality and portrayal of feelings. She could easily pass for wood in the forest. Towards the end though, when her character was evil, the actress did shine as the writers actually gave her a personality. Overall, I feel her character was badly written but I also wasn’t quite impressed with the actress’ micro-expressions.
- Underwhelming ending. It was boring, cheap, cliche, and lazily written. To satisfy the audience, the writers literally introduced a new random concept in the last 5 minutes of the drama.
OVERALL:
With a heavy heart, I award this drama as my 2024 Biggest Disappointment. A pretty package without any substance inside. iQiyi flopped badly with this one and I feel sad for the cast for being given such a bad script. Granted, it’s not the worst xianxia out there but due to the huge anticipation and money invested, it was a total waste of a production. The potential was definitely there but the execution was horrendous. I suppose, it’s only worth watching if you really love the cast, you are new to cdramas and/or you want a brainless watch after a tiring day. I can only hope the next two instalments don’t follow the same fate as this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
Housewives like a Golden Fish: being trapped and desperate to be loved
Let me be the first one to give my review to this drama since I've been anticipating this drama a lot.. I'm so excited to see Gun chan finally get a role in a mature drama.. also getting involved in an affair with older woman. I imagine this drama will be too hot to handle, and I guess they give us a super hot scene in episode 1 and episode 8. As the beginning of the secret affair, and in the end of their relationship.
My prediction is right. Gun chan is totally did well.. with his acting, also he looks very handsome, cute, sweet and warm through his role.
Warning! If you are under 18 years old, please do not watch.. because every episode, you'll see some sex scenes with different couple, and not every scene is sweet. It's infidelity everywhere!
Now about the main leads.
I think the most interesting story is about Sakura, Haruto and Takuya. Well.. no one is right since they're having affair.. but I can understand why Sakura get tempted by an angelic Haruto since she's finally getting courage to find her freedom after meet this sweet guy. Besides the couple name is Sakura (a spring flower) and Haru (means Spring) are totally completing each other.
The way this drama make a golden fish as an icon is totally relevant. It's successfuly describe all the house wives situation inside the fishbowl.. and they can't runaway without help. Each of them are desperate to be loved and cared.
I love how this drama can make me be more curious.. I finish watching 8 episode in 1 day.. it's totally worth it.
Get ready to be angry, upset, headache with Takuya as lowly husband.. I can't understand the way he love his wife by getting affair with many women.. like his neighboor, his subordinate, even his friend's wife. Like WTH is wrong with him. And how crazy he try to control his wife until did some domestic violence.
Luckily there is Haruto... a hero in the rainy day... he come at the right moment.. he is offering a warmest hug, sweet smile and extra care... No wonder Sakura fall into his embrace. Besides.. he is young, energetic and ikemen (handsome).. who can resist this temptation?? Lol.
The past story that makes Haruto is kinda obsess with Sakura after they meet again is a little bit make sense, but not that strong enough.. maybe I'm expecting a situation in the past that will be more dramatic and complicated... but this is just a mini series drama..so it's already good enough.
Now let's talk about the ending.
It's an open ending. But I guess there's some clue that showing the main leads (Sakura and Haruto) go back together...
In the last 5 minutes, they show us Haruto stop by in convenience store and grab 1 mineral water (probably for himself) and 1 highball beer (it's Sakura's favorite), and he rush back to his car like gotta leave somewhere. Meanwhile, Sakura is alone in the beach while smiling.. seems like she is waiting for someone.
I assume they're going to meet again after 2 years (as they ever made promise to watch the fireworks there together someday). At least this is the reality that I wish can be happen. Since I'm rooting for this couple so much.
Besides, Sakura finally divorce with her husband, and manage her own salon (reaching her dream). She finally can leave Takuya but still maintain a good relationship. I'm a bit panic for a moment that Sakura will choose Takuya.. Because if I were Sakura.. I will never forgive and get back to the crazy husband eventhough he get his lesson and be better at the end. Standing applause to the drama production because I almost believe that Sakura will choose Takuya over Haruto.. like seriously? But thankfully she still choose to seperate, and be brave to stand alone while chasing her own dream independently.
The ending shows a good ending for others couple too. If you are 18+, I strongly recommend this drama..and you'll love Haruto so much! He is kind and lovable!
Gun chan acting as Haruto is no joke.
Love the main lead couple so much. It's only 8 episodes.. s you can finish it in 1 day.
I will not talk too much about other couple since every couple has their own struggle, and it's quite satisfying result for some of them... and everyone is getting back with their own husband. It's kinda annoy me to see some "fetish" scenes and also how they describe every housewives are not satisfy with their own husband, so they're runaway to find another happiness through a secret affair. However it's totally make sense.. it's realistic.
I hope there will be an extra episode or special movie for Sakura and Haruto.. even just 15 minutes... I wish to see them reunite again and get married, also have kids. Probably Haruto can run his father business and maintain his store as well. He deserve to be rich! LOL.
P.S. I love the drama ost. The song is romantic and so wonderful!
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Learnt something
Just watch it.Enjoy it.
Learn something.
But be careful dear
"WHAT YOU WISH FOR".
Some stories tell us what struggles are
Some say it's not just revenge that is needed.
We should try hard to achieve our goals.
And sometimes we strive do hard, but in the end our hands seems empty.
Easy ways are temporarily and tempting.
Easy ways are not for free.
People debated on who is the main protagonist.
But funnily the story is not just protagonist. But it's us who are playing the main role.
And our dear witch is just a catalyst in making us to achieve our goals faster.
There is Jin
jins mom,
jins moms mom
And two very wonderful helper.
And many many characters.
Each one representing" us".
And mainly there is 🌳
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===================
A 17-year story in the making (don't take it literally) with a very grim and dark start that anyone can be easily be turned off. But as you progress through the series, you will realize that it is less about the action taken by Tharnnam, but rather the effect it left for the people around her. It branches out to the other characters that was once touched by Tharnnam and her "never-met-younger-brother".
The approach of the taboo of suicide is unique and doesn't really focus on the ugly side of but rather humanizes what Tharnnam went through both the good and bad. You will ask "why", "what happened" a lot! But no worries, the writing is superb and was able to answer all of those that you will feel relieve after you finished the series. Yes, there are also a lot of heart-wrenching, tear-jerking moments, but, I tell you, all those tears will not be wasted.
You might think that this series is a love drama. Not entirely true. Yes, it may be the main reason why the whole story started, but it will take you for ride in the dynamics of family relationships and sacrifices we make may it for love, friendship or for a family member.
While Tonmai is the only selfless person in the series, which he was tempted at one point to be not, is able to stay consistent with his personality. And I almost forget Mr. Tai. He did everything for Tharnnam in his own capacity. But the rest, Tharnnam, Chet, On, Pana and Tee was selfish at one point in their own respective way. The people around Tonmai is shrouded with lies and secrets. It took Tonmai and Tharnnam's collective effort to shed those layers and at the end is a very very beautiful set of characters that you will forget that once in the series, you might have dislike him and/or her. The revelations will help each character's growth from being one-dimensional to having another side or face. that makes the characters matured in their own respective ways.
The plot has no sharp turns that will leave you dumbfounded. It is constant increasing with revelations here and there but those are integral part of the story, the questions you might have in your minds, and I promise, you will appreciative every single one of them after they are answered.
ACTOR/CAST
===================
Pluem is definitely carries the series in the sense that he is the center of it all with Mild as the catalyst for the other cast members to interact with each other.
Pluem with his demeanor as cute, vulnerable, non-confronting looks fits perfectly for his character as Tonmai as the one that is the most emotionally beaten up in this series. His crying scenes are impeccable. Imagine crying while delivering your lines, relaying the emotion you want to project and sniffling while he do those! Always, always, that when he starts to cry, my eyes become watery too.
Mild as Tharnnam, comparing her role as Sandee in Kiss Me Again is totally a different take on her looks and acting. And seeing the trailer in the upcoming "3 Will Be Free", surely, her looks and acting are noteworthy. In KMA, you can see her as the bossy type girl around her friends and in 3 Will Be Free, she takes a role that is a different "boss". Her being Tharnnam is totally on a different league which she performs quite amazingly too!
All the support characters are effective in their respective roles. From their reactions to facial expressions is a perfect match to what he/she is saying at the time. There was no cringe-worthy scene that you will be left like "Err, i think she/he could have acted this way instead", or am I just too consumed with what is happening while I was watching? I could see Chimon (young Pana), when becomes older is the old Pana here. I guess with the lips and eyes. And that is what I call a great casting.
SONG
===================
The opening musical score for each episode, though the sad version/tune of "Happy Birthday", sets the mood in what you are about to watch.
The song played in the walkman is Kong's song in SOTUS, brings back memories too.
Episode 13, the emotinally heaviest episode with a number of songs will take your watching experience into a different level without realizing it, your tears are falling.
REWATCH VALUE
===================
This is what I find hard for series that start with a big mystery at the beginning; and once the mystery is solved, there is no real value in watching it again since you know how the story will unfold. But if you want to relive or perhaps shed a couple of tears, you will definitely will watch this again, and very soon!
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This review may contain spoilers
Give it a chance
! There Might Be Spoilers !Yes, there are no spice scenes at all, and yes, there is no kissing (the little one while Hem was asleep, doesn't count)
But I think everyone should watch this series at least once.
This is a MAJOR SLOW BURN, so don't go in expecting anything else. With that being said, there is a lot to it, honestly, the underlying message that the series gives overall.
The whole series is stunning, the secenry was enough to make me watch but the tension that Fifa and Hem give off was enough to make me stay, there is no spicy scenes at all or even kissing and I kept yelling "Just kiss already" may times in the last episode but after thinking about it, it doesn't need all of that, the tension between the two was some of the best in any Thai BL's.
It's easy to forget that we don't need heavy spice scenes to make a good series. I think if you're reading this and on the fence about watching it, give it a chance because I believe you will be missing out on a fantastic series.
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Ok I'm going to try to make this short...
So plot wise this story was a very heavy melodrama but for me it wasn't overpowering like most melodramas. It had a different feeling to me. A bittersweet feeling. It always felt as though even during the happy moments there were hard ones.
Yes this drama is painful to watch. It's a story of a forbidden love filled with heartbreak. What can you expect? I loved every single second of it though.
All of the cast gave of this real and raw energy. The emotions that they expressed just felt so real...
Park Shin Hye was only 16 at the time when she filmed this drama but she was able to portray a adult and someone who was being abused with ease. I was impressed not very many 16 year olds would be able to do what she did.
Lee Wan who I had never heard of before was great. He didn't speak for a large part of the drama but was able to express himself without talking. That's when you know their good actors.
I tried listening to the OST after finishing the drama but I kept on visualizing what had happened. The OST was astounding but I recommend waiting a few days before you start listening to it again.
I gave this a low re-watch value because for me it would be to hard watching this drama again..while knowing what happens.
I would say to everyone go and watch this drama! I highly recommend but do it when you are feeling happy and are in a good place.
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First, let's get the main issue out of the way, I would have liked to see a trans actress in the lead. I think IVAN would have been perfect for this role. But even though I find the choice conflicting, I can't undermine how good the writing is or tear down this step forward, so I'm just putting it out there now.
Miki's story is inter-woven with introspective moments, and it doesn't shy away from showcasing violence, abuse, transphobia and heartbreak. Still, Miki is one tough lady and moves forward with her impeccable fashion style and her identity intact. Her relationship with once High School classmate Goto, who comes to live with her in her apartment, is a delight to see develop, as Goto learns more about Miki and what life is like for her. Goto is an amazing character whose masculinity is strengthened by his vulnerability and his openness.
My props to Sakaguchi Riko because the story handles the subject a lot better than I expected, especially considering it uses the right terms for everything (Miki identifies herself as a lesbian trans woman from the very beginning), something that does not happen usually in Japanese media. It's very common for dramas and variety shows to use the "gay man" umbrella for everything they think fit and trans women sometimes get involved in that. I can't say much about that because it's not my identity to give an opinion on but, from my perspective of an outsider, this drama shows it all very well and the storyline serves to include a lot of related topics, as well as other general identity searches, when it comes to life as a young adult, career, dreams and relationships.
It's a pity that it's just 4 episodes long, I hope we can see more of this series in the future.
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Long hair/makeup plot, unexciting mysteries, lack of romance and chemistry
When I first read the synopsis, I found the plot quite interesting. Although I have not read the novel, I know Priest is a very popular writer, especially her BL novels. So, I was interested to find out about this non-BL story by her. If you read the novel, I would love for you to write me a comment and let me know what you think of the adaptation. Unfortunately, I am not impressed with the script and find the plot uneven and lack excitement for a mystery drama. Is the adaptation bad? Or the source material bad?Plot/Pacing
The drama spent way too much time on the hair and make up plot. I understand the need to set up each character and their different circumstances. However, spending so much time in the hair salon with unimportant characters (all the hairstylists) is a waste of time and slows the pacing of the drama. Additionally, there’s also too much time spent on the backend of the drama on FL’s makeup career. I also do not think the drama has struck a balance between romance and mystery. The mystery part is forgotten when the hair salon takes so much screen time. By the time the drama remembers its mystery plot in the last third of the drama, I have already lost interest and don’t really care. I also have some plot holes to pick. I know ML is rich, but he seems to have unlimited resources and can dig up dirt on anyone in record time. I wanted more background on Xu Jing Yang’s reason for involvement and how he and Qi Lian connected in the first place. I’d rather have more flashbacks of their friendship, instead of more hair and make up. The villain’s story is also weak and I don’t care about her enough to sympathize with them.
Romance
Unfortunately, I am not feeling the chemistry between the two main leads. If you are a romance lover like me, you might not be satisfied. There aren’t enough romantic scenes and I am not talking about pure kisses, skinship or PDA. Just the feel of the drama and the scenes of the main leads are not romantic enough. On the other hand, if you are NOT a romance lover, you might be turned off by the seemingly focus on the romance in the beginning and the lack of fantasy/mystery element. There is also a period of time when the male lead changed 180 degrees and became such a meanie. There’s too much animosity, wrist/arm grabs and manhandling of the female lead that is uncalled for. Those scenes are hard to watch and totally not in line with male lead’s calm, smart and mature personality, no matter how surprised and disappointed he is. The drama seems to finally realize the lack of romance, especially after the leads officially became a couple, and then in the last 2 episodes, we finally get more scenes of them.
Acting
This is Liu Hao Cun’s first drama, though she has done movies in the past. She single-handedly carried the show on her back. I’m so glad to have discovered her. She and her character are a breath of fresh air. Li Hao Cun is able to portray Jiang Xiao Yuan’s spunkiness, independence, stubbornness and grit. She is the best part of the drama. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Lin Yi. This more mature role doesn’t suit him. He frowns a lot and when he’s crying, it seems forced and exaggerated. I think he got better towards the latter half of the drama, but I am disappointed in his acting. He does not appear to be mature enough to be casted in this role. The rest of the supporting cast did fine. Luckily, there isn’t anyone too irritating, and no actor/actress sticks out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I will recommend this drama, unless you want to check out Liu Hao Cun. “Derailment” is unable to hook me in on the fantasy/mystery plot and the romance is so lukewarm that it’s not enough for me to tolerate the lack of excitement.
Completed: 3/13/2024 - Review #416
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Sort of tricked into somewhat completing the series
The series had a good introduction and followed up well on the suspense, until around halfway through at episode seven. Then it abruptly just nose-dived from the initial uncovering of the truth, which was pretty lackluster despite half of the episodes leading up to it. It continually only worsened with characters making odd decisions that made no sense. It's hard to describe but they spent so much time building up the ML/FL, only to have them look like blubbering fools for the rest of the series. The further diving into the truth also begins to develop large plot holes that weren't pieced together very well. I found myself becoming more and more disinterested with each latter episode and ended up not liking any of the characters at all. Because seven episodes had already been invested, the rest of the episodes were sped through with aggressive skipping just to get to the full unraveling of the mysteries (with exception of a few historical flashback moments). The slight twist in the end would have made the plot halfway decent if it weren't for all of the items mentioned above.Was this review helpful to you?
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