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Fumo Chitai is an unusual Japanese drama (19 episodes length) but I believe that goes back to the fact that this was made to celebrate Fuji TV’s 50 years’ anniversary. Whatever the reason was, this drama was pretty well-made. This drama tells the story of man who was a leader tactician for the Japanese Imperial army during World War II but when Japan surrendered, he was considered a war criminal and had to go through a hellish trouble to go back to his country. After war, when Japan was devastated by loss and had to find a way to survive, Iki Tadashi has to live a life where he can use his brilliant mind to set the future of his country. He practically exchanged military war with economic war.
Of course, the journey isn’t easy at all and Iki has to face many ordeals to accomplish good deeds for his society. Moreover, he was confronted by greedy politicians, influential figures, people with tricky minds and others who use unethical methods while he had to keep his principles and beliefs to achieve greater good.
The reason why I became surer about my tendencies to Business dramas through Fumo Chitai is the screenwriting, there’s more wittiness in business dramas’ scripts. The screenwriter has to be very capable to keep the thrills and make the audience always interested in what will happen next using the complicated business theme. This drama’s screenwriter was pretty successful at keeping the drama captivating from the beginning until the very last end. He used “arcs” where the main character had to overcome an issue and straightly move to the next one. Certainly, all of the arcs were business themed like the defense ministry’s plane choice, the automobiles contracts, oil exploiting and so on. Without any exception, all the arcs of this drama were stimulating and fun to follow.
However, the reason that forbids me from giving the storyline and the drama a perfect score is the romantic part. It annoyed me and I am not saying that because of my general dislike for the genre but it was unbalanced. I know that a serious heavy drama like this needs a light side to it but that wasn’t cool at all, I am sure if they just focused on the family part then everything would’ve been great.
The acting was absorbing, I know Karasawa Toshiaki from a very long time ago but this is practically the first time that I considered him a high-class actor. I only thought that he was a good actor before but his performance here just engraved his skills in my mind. He was also accompanied by other amazing actors that made the acting department feel so high.
The characters were pretty well written for a business drama and their interactions were also appreciated. And let’s not forget that many foreign characters took part in this drama. However, the only spot-light character during the whole drama was without doubt Iki Tadashi, one heck of a smart male lead who always knows how to get out of troubles and bring profits for his society, company and colleagues. He’s simply a splendid man.
The drama was set from 1945-1970 or so. Thus, you can expect time jumps and somewhat old visuals to fit the drama’s setting.
Watch if:
-You like business dramas.
-You like intense twisty dramas.
-You like brilliantly intelligent main characters.
Do not watch if:
-You dislike business dramas. Seriously this is the perfect definition of how a business drama should be like.
-You’re looking for something fluffy or light.
Fumo Chitai is a glorious story of a man who reformed himself from dust in order to build his country while protecting his noble beliefs. It’s absolutely recommendable for the fans of intense, heavy and entertaining productions.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slow steps with questionable pacing and timeline. Also, let me just add I love Chot.
It's started off great but it fell flat towards the end. From time to time the plot and the timeline feels off and hard to progress. The plot is not consistent at all. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it feels like it's all over the place and honestly I can't quite grasp the time skip. I don't even know what the screenplay writers were thinking like where is the whole in between story, especially of Jaab and Jen??Also Pat and Jeng, they both have one hell of a chemistry but their storyline is seriously slow, like it can not even be called a slow burn. It leaps from 0 to 1000 and then the next moment they are back to 0. What I am trying to say is the pacing is a mess. This series could have turned out to be so much better. It had so much potential but it couldn't live up to it.However, hear me out, it's not the best but not the worst either; it's worth a try, especially the first half of the series.
The characters are lovable but then again sometimes a little annoying and even rash. Starting with Jeng, his character is most of the times calm, composed, reasonable, a little controlling and hands down his visuals. Also, it was kind of cute how he was so bothered about the manager performance appraisal review from Pat. And Pat is cute especially when he is drunk. He worries a lot and even messes things up but sooner or later he rectifies it too, of course after the damage is done though. Also, he cried a lot, more so, in the second half of the story and I wasn't quite a fan of it. I do get it that the writers wanted to portray him as a pure, upright and innocent person but he came off to be irritating at times. His actions were questionable and his reasonings didn't quite make sense.
The most disappointing part of the series for me was the story of Jaab and Jen. Damn!! Jaab and Jen , in the starting, the tension between them was so clearly evident. I was actually more interested in their story than the main couple's storyline even though I did love the main leads. I was manifesting them and somehow it worked. They ended up kissing and it left me in total awe - I was like 'WOW' but then at the same time 'What just happened?!' Right after that kiss, it just turned into ghosting and then out of nowhere there is Paint. Also, two years gap. Their story is officially a mess.
What I really really adore in this series is the bond between the two brothers: Jeng and Jaab, it's heartwarming. They bond and blend so well. They are effortlessly funny in the right amount and supportive too. Further, the friend circle of Pat is hilarious and also extremely supportive in whatever he does which is both good and bad but I love them especially Chot. Touchwood to the bond that Pat and Chot share.
Chot really is the MVP of this series. He is sassy, confident, funny in the right amount, a reliable friend, an understanding lover and a heart stealer. Also, the office plot in the starting is so on point from the part of not getting the credit for the work one has done to the gossiping colleagues and this kind of really riled me up.
The series is not the best but it's still worth a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have many thoughts about this drama. First the good: it is one of the most atmospheric and beautiful ones I've seen in a while, on par with the quality of Sword and Flower in its cinematic-like portrayal. The framework of certain scenes was just breathtaking. (Changing the aspect ratio at the end as well — just… outstanding). Also, it was very good at building up historical events, like the heart-wrenching fight of the Joseon people, the dread of being colonized by Japan, etc. The latter especially, every time a scene was characterizing that, the camera work paired with the ominous music portrayed the doom-and-gloom perfectly, enough to send chills down your spine. Its action scenes were a work of art as well, with the fast-paced sword work and quickness of biting bullets. When the drama focused on action, it was a joy to watch. If this had been the majority of the drama, I would’ve given it a higher score for sure.Another praise I want to give the drama is its realistic sets and costumes. I loved the mix of traditional and modern clothes, the slow-yet-rapid advancement of technology, etc. It really felt like we were given a glimpse of living in those “turbulent times,” as Ae-shin says at the beginning.
Which leads me to second, the cons. The elements of this drama that made me not rush to watch it, that always had me on the verge of feeling utterly unabsorbed and frustrated at times. The pace is just too slow at times; there are one too many longing looks between the two leads and lingering goodbye scenes. While it could be argued that the pace of the drama matches its tone and atmosphere, that it builds slowly because it’s reflecting how historical events slowly build up with tension until they explode, there’s a balance that unfortunately was mostly not reached. It leaned too heavily into following the slow precession of the hour hand instead of the quick ticking of the second hand on a clock (throwback to Hui-Seong). Those slow scenes lost the tension that is essential for a drama like this. I was reluctantly uninterested in many character-to-character moments when those should’ve been the spine of the plot. Instead, it was the political backdrop and those types of events that held the story together rather than the original story-beats of the drama itself.
Finally, that leads me to the characters. I liked them overall, but I never fell in love with any of them. They had good character arcs (for the most part. Looking at you, Gu Dong-Mae, the man with a million lives) and the actors played them excellently, But there was just something missing, like a disconnect between the characters, their motivations, and the overall story. The characters felt more like an afterthought, a throwaway the director can rely on when they need the story to go forward, but couldn’t use a historical event yet, so they have the characters muse and muddle about in the same problems they’ve had since the beginning. I guess I felt like they weren’t fleshed out enough and didn’t feel like they were an essential enough part of the story, which seems weird because they are the main characters, and they’re /in/ every scene. They just didn’t feel… real enough? I don’t know. My favorites were Hina Kudo, Go Sa-Hong, and Kyle Moore. The other four were lost in their convoluted love-square and unrelenting, stubborn pursuit of a single passion, with the exception of Hui-Seong, who weaved in and out of the story seemingly uselessly until the very end. I liked his final resolution, at least.
I’ll leave it at that. Obviously I had a lot to say, so this drama is memorable in that way. I think it’s overall worth watching, but I would recommend it to people who are most plot-focused than character-driven, and even then to expect some meandering scenes. It was well-acted and brilliantly shot, and it does have many redeeming factors (those last three episodes even got a few tears out of me, which is rare). It’s a decent drama, it just has some outstanding flaws that unfortunately keep it from reaching its best potential.
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The world-building that lacks the necessary detail.
I knew what I would get, but I honestly wanted to love it. I adored the first two episodes and thought they were as strong as an introduction can get. And then it led to nowhere.The idea was there, it just lacked the necessary detail to make it truly engaging for me. Too many questions were left hanging, the folklore was barely touched, the backgrounds of the characters were shallow, the motivations were not set up that well. I don’t even want to talk about the villain on the human side, because that was some next level of clownery.
Loved the “first act” - the introduction to the characters, the initial set up for the story, the questions that were asked that we were supposed to get the answers for as the drama progressed. All that got me curious - I wanted to know more. The variety of the characters was perfection - we had the hardworking and strong female lead who just tried to survive, the scholar that tried to solved the decades long mystery and the sceptic detective who tried to make sense of all the unexplainable. And behind it all an evil force that seems untouchable and always one step ahead.
Sadly, the second act was just too damn long and not written well enough. Some stories were just dropped without proper explanation, how the ghosts work and what can be done with them was not explained either. A 30 second google search can give me more information about all the types of ghosts that were introduced. They just never explored any ideas they introduced.
What's more, I was just too frustrated with the characters. It took them too long to learn from their mistakes and their actions often were simply stupid. Hae Sang was unnecessarily cryptic refusing to explain anything to anyone until it was too late, San Young was all over the place it’s actually hard to even describe her character, and while Hong Sae was fun to watch, for 80% of the show he seemed out of place for the story written - his bits felt more like crime rom-com than supernatural thriller.
For a story like that to work, you need one of the two: rich and interesting folklore or great teamwork. Revenant had none of these. As I already said, the whole world buildup was weak. As for the scooby gang - we had to wait way too long for them to actually start working together, and when they did… the drama ended.
All that said, I adored the casting for the leads. It was refreshing. Oh Jung Se in a serious and stoic role is what we needed. I'm far more used to seeing him in more animated and exaggerated characters, so this was a fun new take.
Hong Kyung going from Oh Beom Seok to Lee Hong Sae is something I thought I would struggle with, but surprisingly, I had no issue putting my hate behind me and enjoying his character in Revenant.
Park Ji Young as a "weak" character was also so weird, but so good! Kim Tae Ri's role was not surprising since her career is short enough to not be type cast yet. She was also smart enough to take roles that are rather different from each other since day one. Loved the duality of her performances even if I was not obsessed with how Gu San Young was written. Kim Tae Ri just simply never dissapoints with her acting.
The production was great. Can we all collectively appreciate the lack of black eyes as the indicator someone is possessed? No cheap snapchat filters for ghosts. Amazing use of light and shadows, good special effects - it never felt like they overused them. Even the supernatural events felt realistic and grounded in the presented picture.
I guess I just have a love-hate relationship with Kim Eun Hee’s writing. I am obsessed with how creative her ideas are, but I’m also pissed at how she cannot truly execute them in a correct way. I feel like she needs someone who will ask her questions about her stories. How does it work? Why did the character act this way? What was the origin of that issue? How does this premise work into the world you built? Answers that will fill the framework of the idea she has.
Overall, was it a fun watch? Sure. Did it have a lot of issues I just cannot see passed? Yes. I knew the directing would be my style based on the people behind it, I knew I would have specific issues with the writing based on the past works of the writer. I knew I would love the acting and I knew I would overall enjoy it, but I would not be amazed. And that’s exactly what I’ve got.
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Beautiful but ultimately hollow symbolism
I have finished watching MR SUNSHINE, and there was so much that I loved about this prestige kdrama. The writing of the heroine was SO good in how it discussed and defied some of the worse kdrama-heroine tropes. There was amazingly trenchant and deeply nuanced social criticism, gorgeous cinematography, lots of fascinating history, the warmest and most positive depiction of Christianity I've ever seen in a kdrama, men who drink respect women juice, the beautiful and angsty Gu Dong-Mae, FABULOUS period clothing, and rivals in love learning to put aside their differences in favour of shooting imperialists.But the show has a major flaw - a flaw that was particularly interesting to me, because it's the precise sort of flaw that I would be most prone to. The screenwriter, who does such brilliant work in so many other ways, is clearly most fascinated by the themes and symbolism she keeps bubbling away in the story's subtext. The problem is that these themes and symbolism - which delightfully clever - are not actually supported by the storytelling, and particularly by the characterisation.
And it's a really fun, rich, resonant bit of symbolism: Ae-Sin is not just a character in the story, she's the living embodiment of Joseon Korea. She's beautiful, desirable, noble, privileged, gradually awakening to a life of hardship and struggle and resistance. Each of the three male leads in the story has a different complicated relationship with her. Eugene has run away from Korea, but returning as an adult cannot help falling in love with the land and the people in defiance of the nobility who mistreated him as a boy. Gu Dong-mae was horribly oppressed by his homeland but cannot help loving it anyway; the Korea which oppressed both men also saved their lives through small acts of kindness. And finally, Hee-Sung, Korea's richest son, is her approved betrothed, but past injustices committed by his family against the people Ae-Sin cares about stand between them. The three men fall in love, not with Ae-Sin, but with their homeland. They express their love for the woman by sacrificing themselves for the homeland; in dedicating themselves to her, they cannot help dedicating themselves to the fight for freedom.
This is why the story had to have a sad ending. None of these men can espouse the whole country; they can only die for her, while Ae-Sin - Korea itself - lives on, alone and victorious, even in exile.
This symbolism is itself delightfully rich, deftly painted, and rewarding to think back upon once you see it. There's only one problem: it doesn't. make. sense.
From the very start of the show, I felt a little impatient with the writing because the relationships between the heroine and her three suitors are so poorly developed. The feelings come out of nowhere. Take Gu Dong-Mae, for instance: he last met this woman when she saved his life as children. Now, it just takes a brush of her dress across his fingers to get him pining madly for her. Hee-Sung, after avoiding her for the best part of a decade, gets one glimpse of Ae-Sin at the washing-line and just like that conceives an undying passion for her. The central relationship, between Ae-Sin and Eugene, doesn't fare much better. The problem is that the story demands each of the male leads to sacrifice himself for Ae-Sin by the end of the show, and I simply couldn't understand why they should. They all have multiple other women pining for them, and Ae-Sin doesn't give two of them the slightest encouragement to hope. I wanted them so badly to find happiness with one of the other women, and they never did.
What MR SUNSHINE needed was not primarily rich and complex symbolism - it was believable characterisation and relationship development. As it was, the lack of substance to the relationships cheapened the grand historical tragedy which was being told. When at the climactic moment the last of the three leads sacrifices himself for the heroine, it felt cheesy and unintentionally funny, rather than tragic.
I loved so much about this story, but the heart of it never clicked for me, and it's a crying shame that with all that budget and talent, it wasn't better written. And that, for me, will be the central tragedy of MR SUNSHINE.
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Loved the Taste Even Without the Long Beans
This show wont give you any bitter after taste. I fell inlove with the first episode, was consistent till the end!At first i was worried - there are so many cooking themed Thai BL shows that has disappointed me in the past - from "Bite Me" to "Baker Boys" to "Cooking Crush". For a country blessed with the richest treasure of cuisine, these shows ended up making me crave for more. So I am really glad to say that this show stands out among these titles.
The story also wasn't that unique, to be honest, and although it wasn't perfect, it is entertaining and adeptly executed. There are some plotholes here and there and there is very little character study but I liked how they showcased the food and I specially liked the competition angle of the show although we can see from a mile away that Plawan will definitely win it all.
For me Sailub as Oab and Garfield as JJ (are both delicacies cooked to prefection) were the anchors of this show. Pon as Plawan just like Benz as Metas were both annoying at the beginning - but as the series progressed their characters kind of grew on me to the point that I liked the four main leads equally. Some of the acting in the first episodes seems a bit overdone, but as you continue to watch it and get used to its flow then it became tolerable and to an extent enjoyable.
When Khaosuay appeared i initially thought they would fall into the trap of putting annoying girls (common to a lot of BLs) but Im glad that they didn t go in that direction and wrapped her story properly plus Belle is so gorgeoous you really just cant hate her. I would however say the most annoying character of the show was Kleua for being the pretentious sneaky villain of the show -they should have used a much stronger 3rd (or 4th if you count Khaosay) character in the Oab-Plawan love story because the matchup between Oab and Kleua just isnt equal enough and there's no way you'd believe Plawan would choose Kleua over Oab.
One thing I strongly hate in this is probably the very obvious product placements - yes, they were incorporated in the story but comeon a chef cooking instant noodles for his partner at a restaurant?
Did the series show enough to be unforgettable? Probably not, i would probably forget about its story after a few months. I dont even think it will win any awards anytime soon. Did I enjoy? Like i said, yes, immensely and its become one of the few things I look forward to every Friday. Will I recommend? Yes, very strongly and most definitely.
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lackluster worldbuilding and a disappointing ending (watch suggestions)
Overall: Feb 22nd 2025 update - after the special episode I bumped up to 6.5. I can't bump it up more because the special had even more completely nonsense worldbuilding. However, I'm happy we did get the special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.beI gave this series a 7.5 up until the final episode where I dropped it to a 6. 6 episodes about 40 minutes long. Aired on YoYo English Channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTB73Ibi_X3FNNIaLL1ZThNGuT0l-fFOL (not available in Japan or South Korea); GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5066/i-will-turn-back-this-time-2025 (not available in Japan, South Korea or Thailand) and Heavenly (I believe it's available in South Korea/language is Korean) https://heavenly.tv/en/detail/839
Content Warnings: past intimate partner abuse/violence, blood, fight, death (it's complicated), slap, homophobia, near suicide, punch
Watch Suggestions (to skip a ton of angst, moping, terrible parent, etc)
- watch episodes 1-3
- in episode 4 skip 12-21 and 22:15-38:30
- in episode 5 watch 29-31:45 (stop at 31:45, trust me on this)
- skip episode 6, there are some sweet flashbacks starting at 23 minutes but I didn't enjoy them knowing how it ended
- watch the special episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.be
What I Liked
- relationship progression felt realistic
- supportive friends
- sweet/caring moments
- production value
Room For Improvements
- the cliche running scene and what happened at the end of episode 1
- 2 sponge baths in episode 1 was one too many
- a character didn't have a reason not to reciprocate in episode 3 because the "warning" came much later in the episode
- stereotype of handsy effeminate man
- toilet humor
- cliche saw something, made assumption and didn't communicate (luckily it didn't last long)
- convenient/nonsense worldbuilding: the mysterious guy refused to answer the question but left vague threats, didn't clearly established if the 2nd time was a different situation/world with the parents
- depressing parental stuff
- cliche noble idiot when that was more painful than telling him the truth (which would sound a bit crazy but he could have tried to explain the situation)
- nonsense stuff: everyone was very trusting in episode 2, why wouldn't he spend the whole day with him at the end of episode 3
- terrible ending: especially because it's from China the sad ending where 1 guy will be sad his entire life and they will never end up together felt homophobic, even the final phrase "if we are destined to part, then what is the meaning of our meeting" made me think "if this series was destined to have a homophobic sad ending, what is the point of watching it"
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This review may contain spoilers
I don’t know where to start to express my feelings toward this drama, if you’re watching it from the beginning till the end and you will know and understand how I feel. It's a huge big feeling like you want to scream it to the world. You need to watch it”. THIS IS MUST WATCH DRAMA OF THE YEAR.Overall: Innocent Man or Nice Guy or Chakan Namja is not an ordinary drama you see nowadays, because the leading characters both are smart, not easily be fooled around and they both are having a strong personalities, you will love them no matter how intense and cruel situations they were in. From the very beginning, this drama is having very good pacing, never felt bored or trying to skip it because each scene is too precious to skip it. For a moment I wonder, do we need to sacrifice that much for someone we love? Until the 19th episode, storylines explained why this story was made and executed this way. If really such an innocent nice guy really happens to exist in this real world?
Acting: Song Joong Ki as Kang Ma Roo, I was shocked when I fell for him and his cold staring eyes, how can this cute guy can change my perceptions toward him and he can be so manly just with both of his eyes, he is so talented and flawless in acting, seeking revenge against someone he loves so much, too complicated how he endured mixed feelings, but he never failed to convince me and I believe in him from the first scene till the last ones. Moon Chae Won as Seo Eun Gi also succeeded in portraying a smart, arrogant, and stubborn young lady and the only daughter of the Taesan Group owner. She is an awesome girl who can be in any personality and she did it well, funny thing about her, no matter how rude and harsh she is but I bet you still love her for being bold and strong. Park Si Yeon as Han Jae Hee also did a very good job in acting although I hate her character in this drama she succeeded in being a ‘femme fatale” in this drama. Her character was confusing me from the start, LOL, I tried to understand her but I’m still confused about her true feelings toward others. Supporting roles like Jae Gil the funniest, Choco the warmest, Att Park the shy one, and Att Ahn the mysterious lawyer on earth haha. All mentioned characters did a very good job as supporting lead roles also they have a strong character of their own, their side stories can be scary and cute too.
Music: Suspend weird music, I wonder why they chose this music for a melodrama in the beginning but now I understand and can blend it well with the story and Song Joong Ki’s song, “Really” only one word can describe it. WOW!. I really have no idea this guy can sing really well, his voice is smooth like his face, and sounds so innocent.
Rewatch value: To be honest, I already rewatched it. I did roll back the best scenes from previous episodes while waiting for the finale.
I’ll nominate this drama for TOP 5 dramas in 2012. Hope Innocent man will win a lot of awards because you already owned my heart.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Some comparisons between the drama and the novel
At the time of writing this I have watched 28 out of 30 of the episodes of the drama. Some none spoilery thoughts :- I love the main leads. The acting is great and both are very good looking. (I am a big Jeremy fan)
- The drama within a drama about the love between Grand Tutor and the Princess is filmed so well, I would totally watch this if it was a real movie!
- The amnesia part went on for ages and I wish they spent more time on developing the love story between the leads once the anmesia resolves.
I ended up reading the novel because I felt the last episodes were rushed. Here are some differences that I found interesting.
Warning : Super spoilers of the drama and the book so don't read on unless you want to be spoiled!
The novel is 108 chapters and is the love story of Ting Zhou and Ming Wei, the Award Winning “King of Film” and the rookie actress. They act in 3 dramas/movies together which provide the background setting of the novel :
1) “Grand Chief Cabinet Minister” (iQiyi translation!), a tragic story of the Grand Tutor and the young Princess Ming Wah – Ting Zhou becomes so entrenched in his character that he goes into a psychosis where he believes he is the Grand Tutor and Ming Wei is the Princess, as in the drama. By chapter 42 we are out of the amnesia but in the drama this took up 2/3 of the episodes.
2) “Dragon King” – a sci fi story set in the future where Ming Wei is part of a space exploration team trying to "conquer" a new inhabitable planet and he is a Mythical creature that is some sort of Dragon Snake that inhabits and protects the sea on this planet. It’s described in detail just like the Grand Tutor Princess story and is actually quite engrossing (but also another tragic ending – under team command she “seduces” the Dragon King and betrays him and he is captured. He is angry and hurt but she thought it was better that he be captured than killed. She was trying to think of a way to free him but dies trying to protect him) Outside of the filming the romance is driven by him who is obviously developing feelings for her as Ting Zhou, but she is resistant because she doesn't want to confuse her feelings for the Grand Tutor with her developing feelings for Ting Zhou. There is a lot of push and pull in their relationship in this part but both the readers and the characters are clear that Ting Zhou is not Grand Tutor, and Ming Wei loves Grand Tutor but he has left, like an ex-boyfriend.
3) “White Snake” – based on a famous Chinese Legend (it’s been remade numerous times in real life). Ming Wei plays the White Snake that cultivated 1000 years to become human and falls in love with a human. In this version he dies and she thinks he reincarnates into another man so she marries him, only to find that in fact he reincarnated into the monk that was sent along to capture her. Ting Zhou plays both the human character and the monk in this movie. The movie is directed by Ting Zhou’s father. Outside of the filming Ting Zhou and Ming Wei are dating but in secret, they want to see each other (especially Ting Zhou who is head over heels) but to stay in character they stay apart. It's really steamy whenever they are together though!
After the amnesia ends in chapter 42, you essentially get 60+ chapters of Ting Zhou falling in love, wooing Ming Wei, and then being a crazy in love boyfriend! Once Ming Wei agrees to go out with him, he is like a sex crazed schoolboy and can’t stop kissing her. (He is 30 years old and never had a girlfriend before) I can’t even count how times they kissed, each time described in detail by the author. He is cold on the exterior throughout but with Ming Wei he is caring, thoughtful, madly in love and gets jealous of himself as the Grand Tutor.
Ming Qiao is quite different in the novel. She just graduated high school and goes to college to study Automobile Engineering, and is only a very small part in the novel. She is a cool, quiet girl with few words but loves her sister. She only interacted with Zhao Xiao a few times and it’s only hinted in the last chapter that he had shown some interest her and realises how pretty she is 3 years later at the Wedding. The drama elevated her into a whole second couple story line with Zhao Xiao that wasn’t in the novel.
Ming Wei’s biological father Xu Xiu took advantage of Ming Wei’s mother after she was drugged by some old rich CEO at a function where she was playing the Guzheng. She marries Ming Qiang, who is a motor mechanic but loved her and accepted that she was pregnant from the assault. Xu Xiu approached Ming Wei after his father commented that her smile was like Xu Xiu’s mother’s and Zhao Xiao gets DNA sample from her hair.
Zhao Xiao’s family is a lot better fleshed out in the book. The patriarch is actually Zhao Xiao’s grandfather. He has 2 sons, the first is Xu Xiu who has 2 sons, Zhao Xiao and his older brother. They all adore Ming Wei once they find out who she is but she keeps her distance from them all. Grandpa has a second son who is the father of Lin Lin and another brother who is the boyfriend of Wong Ying Ying. The brother’s character is merged with Ming Wei’s ex boyfriend in the drama. Therefore Lin Lin is Zhao Xiao’s cousin. She is a spoilt brat but only has a small role in the book. She comes back to pester Ting Zhou whilst he still has amnesia, and triggers Ming Wei to leave she is petrified that when he is no longer the Grand Tutor he would leave her. Lin Lin comes back later when Ming Wei and Ting Zhou are dating and tries to spill a drink on Ming Wei but the whole Xu family pretty much blocks her from interfering because they know they are dating in secret and the whole family loves Ming Wei. But she never calls Zhao Xiao her brother like in the drama.
In the novel we know the name of Ming Wei’s biological father by chapter 21. She only reluctantly acknowledges him because he gets into a near fatal accident on his way to visit her in hospital when she breaks her wrist filming another movie after White Snake.
Ting Zhou’s family always liked Ming Wei and was encouraging their son to pursue her. They never even interact with Lin Lin, so no scene where Ting Zhou’s mum gets pushed over by Ming Qiang. No Lin Lin slapping Ming Wei or Ming Qiao slapping Lin Lin.
Was there a proposal up to Episode 28? In the novel Ting Zhou was the presenter of the Best New Actress award at one of the big award nights, which Ming Wei won. After he presents her the award, he gets on one knee and says “I am changing career to become a Director. Miss Ming, I want to use the rest of my life to make a movie, will you be my female lead?” *swoon*
Finally, Ting Zhou never says whether he regains his memory as the Grand Tutor. In the wedding night scene just like in the drama he gets on his knees and says “your servant Mu Ting Zhou thank the Princess for marrying him” At that moment Ming Wei realises that Ting Zhou gets on one knee, but only the Grand Tutor gets on both knees, and concludes that he must remember, but still won’t call himself the Grand Tutor because he is still jealous of him/himself. End of novel.
So essentially the drama is based on the first 40 chapters and then is only very loosely based on the rest of the novel. Whoever adapted the drama must just have loved Grand Tutor a lot! I wonder what is in episode 29+30? Hope you found this interesting!
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Fact is, for once I've decided to write a review which is very personal and not at all objective. It's based upon the emotions it gave me, not the cinematographic quality of the drama.
Also, I think it's necessary to say that among the 3 versions of the same story, this was the last I watched, despite its being the first live-action based on the popular manga.
And while I consider the Japanese version the best one regarding acting and music and the Korean one better in terms of photography, colours and characterization, I'm ready to face criticism and admit that the Taiwanese version was the most satisfying to me on a romantic level.
The chemistry between Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si is what makes this into a worth watching show. For the first time, I was not rooting for the heroine to end up with the second lead, but for the main couple to finally be together. While watching hana Yori Dango and Boys Before Flowers I found myself constantly thinking: throw that arrogant brat away and choose Rui, or Ji Hoo!
You are allowed to laugh.
I ascribe this to the actors and the way their interactions were portrayed.
While Shan Cai can be annoying at times, she is a consistent character and once she finally realizes who she loves - it takes her some time - she is truly convincing. The same can be said about Dao Ming Si, whose candour as a besotted lover is quite endearing.
Therefore, although I recognize this show is pretty cheap when it comes to costumes, screenshots, photography and overall acting, I still have a fond memory of it and will probably rewatch it in the future.
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Romance of the Female General
The scriptwriters for this show need to write a 10,000 word apology essay for butchering such a high budget, highly anticipated drama. There is absolutely no excuse for this poor of a script when the source material is right there for you to pull from, no matter what constraints and editing they had to do after.I have to say that the title of this drama is horrifically misleading. When you think of a drama called "Legend of the Female General", your first thoughts are probably of a female-lead drama and her journey and heroic rise to becoming a female general. This drama is not that. Instead, what we got was a was a bland, extremely watered down version of what the trailer promoted. It's like ordering a sandwich and receiving a half toasted slice of bread instead. They have completely cut out what should have been the core and bulk of the show - her journey to being a general. They have provided no context and almost no background on her past life as a general and instead, the audience is just supposed to go with the flow and accept that she's a well revered general despite having received nothing to support this fact.
While I have no issues with a FL who has a personality, she is also clearly overwhelmingly feminine for someone who has supposedly been living as a man AND among fellow soldiers for most of her life. She is seemingly so well versed in battle plans and tactics but the audience has no idea where or how she learnt this. She's angry and upset over the loss of her past comrades? The audience doesn't care because, again, we don't know anything about her life past life as a general. There's so many holes in the plot that it is honestly a bit frustrating to watch because we can see the potential but it's just not giving. There's also very little battle scenes and the few that we do get, leave a lot to be desired. Shaky sword-wielding with little strength behind it as well as overly embellished sound and visual effects by the editing team lead to unsatisfying fight scenes.
I think the scriptwriters and directors of this show aimed for this to be a romance story right from the start, and as such, it was terribly disappointing for most of us who expected more. One scene that really stood out to me and really highlighted how absolutely romance based and ridiculous this show was, was when they were in the middle of the battle and the FL thought the ML had died so she went crying out to find him and then ... she let go of her sword completely. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLEFIELD. WHERE PEOPLE ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES. And then after she finds him, they have a touching moment with soft words ... in the midst of the battlefield. And the audience is just supposed to believe she's an experienced general?
Truly, the only thing that pulled me through 36 episodes was the chemistry between the two leads. However, for the record, I don't think this is a terrible drama. It's just disappointing. And bland. It's perfectly serviceable as a romance drama. But would I recommend it personally to people that I know? No.
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chaotic and ridiculously good // perfect blend of comedy and historical genre
Surprisingly I enjoyed the series considering the fact that i dislike historical dramas a lot because they are too boring and dark for my liking. The writers did a really good job in mixing chaotic and comedic moments between the characters and also the dark theme of a puppet king and the battle of power between officials. Unlike many other so-called "rom-coms" that are only funny in a few episodes, Mr Queen brought a lot of laughter in every single episodes and it didn't seemed forced or cringe thanks to Shin Hye Sun and Kim Jung Hyun's amazing acting. I was not surprised by how well Kim Jung Hyun fits the role of Cheoljung considering the fact that he's a master in this type of characters but Shin Hye Sun's acting was WOW Having to act as both gentle and a chaotic man stuck in a woman's body, it was very natural which really helped in the comedic aspect. I would highly recommend people to watch this if you are looking for a funny drama with a mixture of an exciting plot!! #TeamNoTouchingWas this review helpful to you?
I was at first suspicious about whether I'd like MiKa and Do Ha as a couple, since their chemistry isn't immediate. I know there are often big age gaps in dramas, but her childish behavior, and his stern maturity, initially felt like such a bad casting choice. Then, once Do Ha turned on the charm, I started to really like them together, and got very invested in their romantic dilemma (No spoilers, but I knew tears over them would be involved eventually). I think this is the first "grown up" role I've seen Lee Sung Kyung in, and definitely the most tragic, but her youthful fun personality kept her character from being too depressing to watch as she watches how much time people have left to live. I was also very surprised by how much I liked Lee Sang Yoon as a leading man. He has a very low key seductive quality that I loved, and I felt like I could see all of his characters love, heartbreak, concern, and guilt, just in his eyes alone.
My main, and only, criticism of MiKa... too much dang singing! Unfortunately a lot of this drama becomes about the making of a musical, which started to become extremely annoying. I get that performing is a huge part of who the character is, but I cringed every time I knew she would be singing a full song AGAIN. It's not that she can't sing, but she still sang too much, and none of the performances were epic enough to be repeated. The soundtrack is also pretty good, but because of all the songs from the musical being sung on repeat, I just wanted all the music muted after a while. I honestly wish that most of the scenes and characters revolving around the musical were cut, but maybe it would have worked better with just less. I also say this as a person who LOVES musicals.
The rest of the cast was great, even if some of their characters were written to be cliché, or pretty useless. I really did like everyone... mostly. MiKa's bff was awesome, her brother was cute, and her mom was irritating but also adorable, and I liked Do Ha's banter with his secretary, but there were 2 supporting characters in particular that I liked the most, maybe even more than the main characters.
I'll start with my favorite KDrama actress Kim Hae Sook. She is always good, and this drama is no exception. I feel like her character's story touched me the most. She had so many moments that got me in the feels. I wish I got to see her with MiKa more than many of the other characters, especially Do Ha's family, since everyone but his Dad and half brother were completely forgettable.
My absolute favorite character though is Im Se Mi and Bae Soo Bong. I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought she was flawless. Her outfits were flawless too! Usually I cringe at the idea of a female character who's only there to ruin the main couple, but Soo Bong is that to the best extreme! There were 2 moments when I came very close to dropping this drama completely, and she kept me watching. Her character became definitely overly melodramatic, but it was much more entertaining than the repetitive mess that the rest of the story started to become, or the ex girlfriend who I forgot all about until typing this sentence.
That leads me to my main issue with "About Time". Even though the basic idea of the story is good, the actual drama decides to fill the time with unnecessary filler stories (family rivalries that go nowhere, useless exes, showbiz drama involving a cute but completely ridiculous "genius" temperamental director...) and then resorts to clichés, and flashbacks. I would be lying if I said there weren't still moments that brought me to tears, or made me laugh, but when I finally made it to the final episode it was clear that there was no original thought put into how the story would end. I felt like the ending chosen was a total cop-out, and I even laughed inappropriately at one point. Sure, there is closure for the characters, which will satisfy some, but for me it didn't live up to this story's potential.
Overall, I cannot say that this drama is worth the time. If you decide to watch, and feel the urge to hit fast forward, do it! That's the only way I would rewatch this. There are some good moments, and some thoughtful themes about truly enjoying life, and not taking anything for granted, but, If this drama had a life clock I would definitely cut a few hours from it.
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What a mess
No. Just. No. Please don’t give Dan Worrawech any more directing jobs, please!My expectations when starting this series were very low already. Admittedly, the story was better than I expected; it was still a very obvious “The Gifted” rip-off, but the plot development was for the most part unpredictable (which is also due to the fact that it was so random, though). Looking back, there were quite some truly thrilling moments (in the middle of the overall mess). Therefore I must admit that the screenwriters did an okay job – but what Worrawech made out of the material is below my worst expectations. Sadly, not one of the actors was able to show off their acting qualities. Only Ohm managed to save some parts; but Nanon and many others seemed to find themselves back in acting class throughout all the ridiculous sequences of scenes. The two main bad guys were somewhat better than the rest of the cast, but that might be because their characters were much better written than the others.
How can you throw in so many serious topics like drug use and trafficking, gambling, child abuse, kidnapping, attempted and actual murder, bullying and attempted mass shooting, and make it become such an unbelievable mess? There was not a hint of an underlying “message” (like in “The Gifted” or “A Gift to the People You Hate”), the motives of the characters (both good and bad guys) were unconvincing, plot holes everywhere, cringeworthy dialogues, fake dramatic moments (how often do you want to stamp your foot or push a chair just to show everyone that you are angry?) and unnecessary romance with no chemistry. Oh, and let’s not forget the 12-part commercial: it was actually well done (unlike the series), but who thought it to be a good idea promoting this kind of drink after a storyline dealing with the negative effects of recreational drug abuse? Yes, Mr. Worrawech, you have truly outdone yourself!
I don’t want to keep ranting; I know from the comments that many people somehow managed to enjoy the series, so apparently there’s an audience for it somewhere out there. Good for you. But try for a moment to imagine the same storyline done by a director who knows what they are doing – it could have been so much better! Since it kept me watching, I won’t rate the series as low as my review may sound like. But generally speaking I wouldn’t recommend watching this to anyone.
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I really had high expectations.
Unfortunately I couldn't avoid to notice that something was wrong...
The plot. It didn't exist.
I really mean it. There's literally nothing.
Around ep. 18 I started questioning myself: "Why am I watching this?" or "What is the purpose of all this?".
It's not a good sign. It means that the story leads nowhere. It's really pointless.
Anyway, if you're really looking for something that doesn't require too much commitment, all the monologue that I wrote above will be meaningless for you.
Oh, there's also another thing: Useless scenes.
Tons of useless scenes, as much as you want.
And this is all... It wasn't that bad but not even THAT GOOD.
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