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So quite a nice drama actually, nothing really special or over the board stuff (let's say a soft drama)
Actually the plot does remind you of some other dramas because it includes the basic elements (a.k.a amnesia, orphan kid, troublesome past, opposition etc.)
Don't get me wrong now... it is not a melodrama ^^ it's quite amusing drama and enjoyable most of the times (especially when they react or parodies movies, songs,...)
Of course this wouldn't be a drama that you would use in order to dramatize your friend or make him/her a dramatard x)
the cast was great, they did an amazing job with the Busan Accent and also they fit the characters really well
i really like all the casts, you get to like them quite easily (i read that some people did not like the main girl but in my point of view, the production team choose the actress well since we are not talking about a really gorgeous and sexy girl but a mob's daughter, hardworking girl)
Music and Rewatch value are low since the music did not really catch my interest
Rewatch value is low since it's not really a drama that you would want to rewatch 5 times... once is okay but not more
Overall 7... if you want to see something funny and filmed in Busan then this is your stuff :) of course there is romance (^w^)
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The characters are a close-knit circle, friends since high school, their partners, families and work colleagues. Every significant character gets an episode, the core characters more than one. Noom Surawut’s Ohn is at the centre of it all, comforting and grounding with his calm, gentle demeanour.
The series aims to foster greater understanding through depicting a wide range of difficulties faced by those who are gender diverse. Adult relationships, aging, illness, death, and childhood are all touched on.
In the early episodes it can get a bit didactic with explanations but those pass quickly enough. Something it doesn’t spell out which may be helpful for MDLers to know is that Thai frameworks for orientation and gender identity don’t match up with western conceptions and can be more fluid.
As a simple example, when they use language like “gender diverse”, this includes gay and lesbian as well as trans and non-binary. Kathoey is a third gender, sometimes camp, tending towards effeminate. The characters will tell you about themselves, or one will explain to another.
“Romance” is perhaps a misleading genre, depending on how you define it - the relationships are long term and well established, seven years for one, much longer for the other. It’s not even like What Did You Eat Yesterday, with its focus on two men falling more and more in love with each other. The gay is gay, not BL gay.
Each episode is structured around a problem which keeps a character awake - the “hard nights” of the English title - and ends with enough resolution they’re able to sleep.
Many episodes are slice of life vignettes, while a few are more like short stories with a fair bit of flashback and personal history. The characters are likeable and engaging, but there isn’t a compelling story line driving everything. It’s just characters to spend time with, learn about and root for as they navigate the difficulties of being middle aged and gender diverse in Thailand.
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High potential for something longer
I was not disappointed by this short film (40mn) by Adiamond Lee.The subject is dark and serious (prostitution, abuse) but we do not avoid the pitfall of pathos.
The good idea is to have focused only on the two main characters which allows to explore their personalities enough and don't waste time on secondary characters.
The character of Light is really interesting, we feel a lot of empathy for him. Shuo, the policeman is a little less explored but we manage to know enough about him to understand his actions (it would have been interesting to know more about his work and his missions, to give him a little more deepness).
The direction is impeccable and the very dark photography is well worked with muffled lights that give more darkness to the atmosphere. The two lead actors are good, all in sobriety in their acting.
Of course, in 40mn, it is difficult to do something very deep and the story may seem a bit fast but after all it is quite simple (just two people falling in love) and I think we are not too frustrated even if the story would have really deserved to be more in depth, especially with the themes addressed.
I recommend you to watch this short film which changes from the ordinary and will move you.
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The Boy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days
44 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
This is not a BL which most of the fangirls will not get...
This is a slice of life, a failed relationship. Both characters have their "ideals", but both fail to recognize that they don't match with either their ideals nor views. Both characters are flawed, there is no idyll, no happy BL paradise where all problems are solved in 10 minutes of a 12 hours series. This is a depiction of the real world, when two people meet and get together of mostly selfish reasons, not knowing their partner, not knowing their partners desire. Something which should have been just a one night stand ended up in a relationship were it was only a question of time when it will fail.The original was from a gay writer, who saldy already passed away. The filming set had an gay consulent and they really did put out a show, which is as realistic as it could be. And while many want only watch the happy BL fantasy and escape their boring lives, this is a realistc gay story without a happy end. But you can also say, both characters did have an happy end. Both characters grew and maybe both characters would hopefully not repeat the mistakes of the past.
This is one of the few shows which is about representation and after "Chosen Home" & "Life in Smokey Blue" japanese productions go where no other countries series ever go. Thailand is just mass-producing one crap BL after the next, Korea is a coin toss if the series is bad, decent or good. Taiwan has one of the most strictest protection laws in the world and same-sex marriage but sadly not enough output at least in the series space. And now Chinas production companies have recognized how much money can be made and they produce for foreign streaming services.
It's refreshing that japanese productions always brings diversity to the screen.
It's best said with a scene from the series, when "the boy" said:
"Those people who love watching guys making out, they only put us on a pedestal because we're two guys kissing. And they get all excited debating who's the top and who's the bottom." (not much guessing with thai ships)
Besides the MLs, the documentary crew are also important cast member and not just accessories. They also recognize that making a documentary is about the persons itself and not because they are gay. Production quality was very high, no complains from me. So of course, this is a recommendation to watch.
Edit: As it always is with MDL, nobody knows how many episodes the series has... So of the time of writing it stated 6... after searching online a source says 10. With that said, should we get more episodes I will edit the review and may change the rating as well.
2nd Edit: It seems MDL also decided it was the finale, so I'm very happy with the end. And yes, some relationship fail and that is just life...
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From the very first moment I saw the description of Memories of Murder I was sure I was going to at least like this film. Why? Let’s begin with genre: I’m a sucker for things related with serial murders; creepy, I know, but I love this dark, eerie atmosphere that’s usually present in such films. After deciding that this movie is worth watching I’ve done a little research about it… and the things I’ve discovered made me even more certain that this movie is just perfect for me. Not only it is based on real events, but the culprit of this crime was never found! Another thing: I’ve read somewhere that Quentin Tarantino said that this movie is among his Top 20 favorite movies since 1992 – well, that’s a sufficient recommendation for me.
This movie has amazing acting - every single actor made his role alive and believable. The most outstanding one was Song Kang Ho, who plays a role of a stupid local detective, good only at forcing testimonies out of (usually innocent) people with a use of brutal force; evidences are not important to him, the only thing he needs is his intuition. So… yeah, you guess right, he’s not what we call a good cop. He has his sidekick, and boy, this guy is even more stupid and brutal than his hyung – it’s usually him who does dirty work (hanging people upside down, kicking them in the face with combat boots, digging a grave for them etc). So how can such detectives resolve as complicated case as serial murders? Fortunately for them, there’s this guy from Seoul who comes to help them in an investigation - and he is the exact opposite of our country bumpkins.
What I liked about this movie was that it wasn’t only about finding a murderer; it also showed us a believable development of characters. Park Doo Man discovers there are other ways to find a culprit than forcing a testimony out of suspects and Seo Tae Yoon starts to doubt his own, "good" methods. It all combined with great acting, thrilling action and a bit of humor creates an amazing movie. So, if you like thrillers and you’re not put off by violence, then Memories of Murder is just for you.
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the acting is really good. considering it’s a high school romance, the acting is good. i actually love hyeyoon’s quirky acting and found it made the show better. the drama wouldn’t have been what it is without her acting.
i never knew rowoon was such a good actor. i usually don’t pay attention to idol actors but he’s one of the ones who can actually act. i really felt his emotions throughout the drama.
i also have to give it to the supporting characters: jaewook did an amazing job too and portrayed his role to the best of his ability and brought out its full potential. he managed to make people really hate his character, and if an actor can do that then in my opinion they’re a great actor. everyone else did an amazing job; i really can’t fault any of their acting.
the osts were really good too and really fit with the theme of the drama. the first half had more of an upbeat ost whereas the second half had a sadder, deeper ost (still upbeat tho) which really reflected the drama itself as the first half was more comedic and light and the second half became more dramatic and tense.
i don’t wanna give anything away so i’m gonna end this right here. but overall this drama is still one of the best kdramas of the year and best school romance drama altogether. if the first half hadn’t been so good and set my expectations so high i probably wouldn’t have thought the second half was lacking. but the hype for this drama is real. even if you don’t like school dramas, this is a must. yes it gets draggy towards the end but it’s still worth it. even just watching it for the danharu moments is worth it. and seeing dohwa always smiling and brightening up the mood. if you’re sick and tired of cold abusive bad boys as leads then watch this. haru and dohwa are the best boys.
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Creeped Up To the Top of My All Time Favorites
59 episodes was not enough. I usually shy away from long dramas since I have a full time job and two kids to take care of at home! But somehow I gave this drama a chance, and just couldn't stop watching it! I never thought any drama could top Eternal Love / Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms for me. Love and Redemption did just that. There is a purity to Si Feng's love that is just so captivating. Both ML and FL's acting were very impressive, very natural and they just fit so well with each other. I didn't find Si Feng handsome nor Xuan Ji pretty in the beginning, but after 1 episode, Si Feng became super handsome and Xuanji, super adorable. The actress was able to pull off so well the young naive girl (not in an annoying way, but very believable and sweet way), and in order to protect Si Feng and loved ones, she could pull off the super protective and powerful fighter persona really well too. Cheng Yi's acting was truly the best in the drama - he IS Si Feng. Their acting and chemistry together is unbeatable. I like that even though Xuan Ji didn't have her 6 senses, her actions still showed that deep in her heart, there was love for Si Feng already. There were a few parts that I got frustrated at her (but her actions and words are very understandable, so please don't misunderstand or give up on her), but for the most part, she was a very lovable character that I was rooting for all the way! She is one lucky girl to have Si Feng's love and heart 100%. I believe love should be 100%. Not 99%, not 70%. I don't like love triangles for that reason. I don't think the love is pure enough if the ML or FL is able to sort of fall for another person, even if it's for a short period or slightly. Si Feng is 100% faithful! He set the bar so high that I can't imagine another ML touching my heart the same way! He is also 100% loyal to his people and his friends. This drama is soo satisfying regarding romantic scenes. There is a super passionate kiss in ep 52, and lovely hand holding, hugs, sweet gazes throughout to satisfy the hopeless romantic. I don't want to give away any of the story, but I have to say, the 59 episodes are 100% worth it.Was this review helpful to you?
If you're so busy during the week and want a short drama you can watch and finish in a single week end. If, like me, you always crave for heart warming romance that can fulfil your heart with warmth, tender and love, makes it flutter and put sparkles in your eyes. This one can perfectly do it
I didn't expect much about it and I was so surprised to enjoy it this much, well, I have to say, it really was my heart that enjoy it the most !!!
Along all the drama my heart couldn't stop racing and missing a beat each time there was a cute romantic scene between the leads. Even when they weren't together and we saw Lee Kang Hoon doing something for her behalf.
It's been ages I didn't feel this way when watching a drama, it was exactly what I was searching for and exactly what made me click next episode right after the end of an episode. Luckily for me it's a short drama, otherwise I might have ended like a zombie who didn't sleep for days in order to finish it. Lol.
Kang Hoon is the typical cynical chaebol we meet in lots of kdramas. I didn't really like him first but we fast discover that his love transcend him and he's in fact so touching and so lovable. Of course he's not the kindest one towards the girl but we know that it's just a shield to protect his heart to being hurt. And knowing that makes his moves so touching and cute. That's when my heart fell. Sung Hoon was a pure revelation for me, I know for sure I wouldn't feel this way if it was an another actor. He gives life to his character with perfection. He's not a perfect actor but he's the one for this drama. And omo omo that deep charming voice of him.. Rrrrh. Just talk, I could listen to you for hours without ever get tired of it. XD .
The female lead is also the typical poor but very proud girl we meet in lots of kdramas. She's tough but she has her weakness. It makes her so real, a girl we can definitely relate to. Finish the non-stop-crying-sobbing-exasperating main girl. I loved so much following her, waited to the heart for her nemesis to be crushed, craving for her feelings to grow...
The romance between the two characters was so cute, so fluffy, so heart warming, so true and never ever stop to make me Aww and fall. I'm a little mixed about their chemistry. They do have a good chemistry, we definitely can see and feel the feelings between the two but when it went to kissing that was a little disappointed. I wish they didn't have the dead-fish kind of type kissing. It always killed the mood. But that was okay, it was not the endless-awkward-turn-around-camera kind. We can easily get over it.
This drama in fact reunites most of the clichés you can find in dramaland but thanks to its short length it's never boring and don't have the time to be dragging. And thank god that's a good point ! Who never gets tired of the endless loop of ex-lovers intervention or family disagreement ? Here, you won't have the time to get bored or sigh of exasperation. Every problem is solved quickly and naturally.
That's really refreshing.
A real bonus to this drama is the Manga type image at the beginning of each episode. So cute.
I just have one last word, Don't think and go watch it !!! :D
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If you're watching this, Make sure to turn off your logic!
This is the typical short chinese drama where it's somehow erotic with the leads kissing and sleeping with each other almost every episode, the romance is fiery and enjoyable at times, yet there is not real reason or explanation behind what they do.The writing is very much flawed and it doesn't even make sense, but it's a fun watch. The budget is clearly not high and it's just a simple drama to pass time.
Overall, if you're a fan of such genres and dramas, it's OK.
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I liked watching Reply 1994 because of the great acting of the casts, and the OSTs. WOW. Totally great. I downloaded the OSTs of this drama and the songs are really good to listen especially if you're having stress or doing something. Besides the OSTs, you can feel the "freshness", and the feeling of "youth" in the drama.
As usual, we have the "Love Triangle". That's what the story is all about. Finding out the "who" in the end. But, the story-line is somehow special, connecting the past to the present. The wonderful memories of the freshness of the youth.
Go Ara's character is a strong yet sweet girl, and she really portrayed it well. She had a loyal heart who only sought one man in her heart, which made it unfair for the second man involved in the Love Triangle.
But what's more amazing in this drama is the creativity of the director. There are three stuff toys that shows in almost every episode, notice their positions, and you'll see that they are sort of like weather forecasts on what will happen next.
Overall, this is a good drama and I recommend it to you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Lord of Muxi City Ye.. Zhao.. Nan..
This is a must watch the cast did their roles perfectly'
The cast was amazing loved Ke Qian Yue the first time I saw her love, Yi Yang, Tan Rang, Princess Yunluo, and Zhi Lan.
I am amazed by the actress who played Qimeng and her twin sister they played their roles very well.
This show is and will always be a must-watch for me.
💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓
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The Story of Park's Marriage Contract
44 people found this review helpful
Lovely leads and a decent story brought down to the ground by holes and cringe
This drama starts off all fun perfectly balanced between the cold, warm, the tight slightly wet buttoned downed shirts and dimples for as far at the eye can see... The male lead who had had heart surgery actually had a scar..The over top potential pot holes where kept to minimum and the "oh my god I am in the future" potential over the top low humour was kept to a minimum. The Product placement was top of the top!
The leads out of this world with great chemistry and an amazing use of flowers and butterflies everywhere... The side character are lovable too, the evil is evil and there is this nice mist of know who the real enemy is all over the ground...
But then came the cringy monologs, the twists that just stoped making sense in the context and the lovely scar from the heart surgery was found to be lacking as they either placed a pace maker either from the wrong entrance or it magically grew there... And well in this drama there was indeed a whole lot of magic but creating cyborgs just was not really part of it... The lovely wet shirts got covered up more and more with not so good looking suits (still ok, just not as good)... The evil villains started to get these meeeh back stories that kind of killed the mood.
So the score that was way up there started to go down, down,... and almost hit a 7 before it went back up to an 8.
So what can I say, this is a sweet easy binge with great leads and just a little to much cringe for it to be a great watch
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Okay i really love these kind of dramas with such amazing cast! I for YEARS tried to find some drama with action/spy AND powerful romance! The romance is very innocent, passionate and deep so if u want to see very deep emotional moments go for it! The action scenes were done also very good and kept the drama in a good flow. For me i did marathon and i NEVER found any moment boring. I know everyone has different opinion but this was....really wonderful. After year and half i finally watched drama guys and i enjoyed it so so much! The plot is very interesting and i never saw such plot so this was something very new and fresh! Keeps ur mind busy and trust me...you will lose your sleep XD
ACTING:
Okay I watched dramas with JCHW before and i knew he had talent but this like...smacked me straight in head and woke me up! I can tell he is a top actor and i don't care what others say. He seemed like he was really the character he was playing. From the first ep his face started to change with emotions..Nothing was too much and nothing was missing. It was perfect! Main lead girl is also great actor and i know her and i can tell this is her best role. I love that in this drama she is also the brave girl who will stand in front and fight for justice ^^
MUSIC:
Honestly the main song '' Eternal Love'' is downloaded on my phone and i listen to it all over again. It's too good. And did u read the lyrics? No? Okay than go and do it! It's so sweet and so real and it fits the main couple!
REWATCH VALUE :
To tell you the truth i started to watch it all over again right now XD It's too good to just watch it once...So right now i'm going at it once again! ^^
This drama is filled with emotions so enjoy it and give it a try i can tell u..that you WON'T regret it :)
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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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Big Applaud to Female Lead and the Fascinating Plots!
Haven't been watching Korean historical drama for quite a while, or maybe I would say even if I watch, there isn't any that keeps me fascinated throughout the series; but this one, YES YES! One of the best historical drama I've watched over the past few years!In the past, K-dramas are pretty successful in pushing out long series drama such as Queen SeonDeok, Jumong, Dae Jang Geum etc., however I realised these days, some people (Not All) tend to lose interest when the historical drama became intense and dark; short comedy historical drama on the other hand attracts people more, like 100 Days My Prince, The Tale of Nokdu etc. Not complaining because I love it!
I enjoyed how this drama has an equivalent amount on the intense and hilarious scenes. Just when things gotten serious, they insert plots that make you giggle, have the main story going on while keeping you entertained from time to time! But what's special about this drama was probably the interesting characteristic of two main leads; the King looks like a baddie from the outside but inside being allured by the bold Queen despite her wild and inappropriate actions, how he always thought the Queen was playing "hard to get" when she is actually dealing with her "hormone dilemma" XD!!! The plots were always so random but their chemistry had made the series even greater! So fun to watch!
I was also impressed by how Shin Hye Sun pulled off this role again and again in every episode, how she tweaked between acting as a male and female. Just when I thought her acting has achieved to a certain level, she then exceeded my expectation again, just no limit to how good she could be. TBH, among all the actresses who I've seen trying to act as guy, she got the best portrayal! The way she sits, she walks, even the detailed expression on how she reacts, just so natural that I never had a second to not believe it's really a male trapped in a woman's body! (Plus point on her height too)
Mr Queen has a pretty solid story for a 20-episode drama, and I really enjoy drama that has a good plot arrangement, not just good in the start and boring in the second half. For the ending, I would say the team did a pretty good job in creating a perfect ending for it, you know for time travel genre, you can never expect a perfect ending as there were always two voices; which one would prefer the main leads to stay together in the same era and the other voice will be siding towards having them to go back to their own world. It might be pretty sensitive for this drama too, especially the female lead is actually a male, if they were to touch based on the excessive bromance, it might be an issue for them too. So more like treating this as an interesting journey where both of them grown from the experience and wishing the best for each other in their own world. Shouldn't be complaining.
Overall, worth being given a high rating and great production with well-chosen casts!
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