But that all changed when I came across this drama. I know this with certainty...this has the potential to be a successful crossover, Netflix get on that please! If there was ever a content you have to hammer out of China, this is it, right here.
This drama...Kdrama fans don't be intimidated by the 58 episode length, honestly by the time you watch the last episode you will think that its too short and will wonder how you're going to fill your time now?
Story: The synopsis on this does not do it justice and despite all the controversies regarding the original Author and the allegations and law suits with regards to plagiarism this does not detract from how creatively the script writer and director did an amazing job on translating this ethereal story into something amazing on screen. The world building alone was masterfully done.
This fantasy revolves around the story of Bai Qian, an Immortal Fox Goddess/Queen and her trials and tribulations in the framework of the Mortal and Immortal realm. The drama can be split in 3 arcs. First we see her as a young fox princess maturing and getting tangled up in a Holy war and her feelings for 2 different men on 2 different sides. Then her Mortal trial and getting tangled up and falling for Ye Hua and her suffering because of it. Lastly balancing it all out is her journey as a fully grown High God and falling in love with Ye Hua as an equal. So this is a story of her growth and those around her.
But this is also a story of enduring, sometimes obsessive, and faithful love from the whole cast of characters. It will fill you with hope and heartache and you definitely will not want it to end (and the fact that everyone is pretty much immortal does give one hope that there is more to this story).
Production values of this drama is quite high, although there are sometimes bad CGI you end up overlooking it as they are only set dressing for this amazing story. Costumes were amazing and well thought out and the way the it shot and edited was top notch, even the comedic bits felt organic and well timed.
Acting/Cast: Perfectly cast and acted. Massive kudos to everyone involved in this as every single character shone and shone brilliantly, even the most reviled characters. Acting was never ever an issue and whoever made the final call on casting must be praised. Yang Mi and Yu Alan (Fourth Bro) even look like Fox deities (its the long facial structure I think) Yang Mi was a marvel playing 3 different and distinct versions of the same person. She made Bai Qian a character that you can fall for. Unlike in some dramas I care not to name you can see why 3 different and distinctly marvelous men can fall for her. Her chemistry with Mark Zhao (Ye Hua) is sizzling. Off the charts. Enough that I wish they were dating IRL (but alas, both married to other people). There's enough kissing in this drama for one to be annoyed with other drama for their lack.
Speaking of Ye Hua, I'm sure i'm not the only one who fell for him too. I cannot praise Mark Zhao enough. The way he conveyed his emotions, the control he had with his body language and his passionate performance really sold Ye Hua as the ideal man. Ye Hua's growth was full of subtleties and you can't help but love him at the end. The cold Ye Hua, body language cold and controlled and imposing, the quietly suffering Ye Hua with his stoic facial expressions and expressive twitches, the caring Ye Hua with his subtle fond looks and mildly exasperated smiles and playful but strict attitude, the passionately in love Ye Hua who's eyes can melt steel and convey more with his face and eyes than a 1000 page poem could. Kudos to Mark as well for playing Mo Yuan so differently and so well I didn't recognise that he was the one playing both until I read the other reviews. I'm definitely looking forward to more of his work. I also have to mention the child actor playing A Li, definitely a stand out. He brought such flavour and playfulness to an otherwise fraught reunion and subsequently stole the show with every scene he was in.
The whole cast of characters was great, Dong Hua was definitely a favorite (with his perpetually condescending/amused/inquisitive facial expression and that amazing hair!) and even though Feng Jiu got annoying sometimes it was not due to Dilraba's acting but due to the circumstances and script. I definitely teared up at the end of their Mortal Love trial and am consoling myself by reading the Pillow Book. I also fell for the lovely pair Zhe Yan and his Zhen Zhen with their old married coupleness.
Music: Amazing OST, from the most wistful fantasy instrumentals to the Epic drums and the main romantic theme songs. I fell in love with it all and ended up humming the opening tune at work (if I knew mandarin I'd be singing it too).
Rewatch Value: YES, A THOUSAND TIME YES! I cannot recommend this enough and even though I just finished it a week ago I'm planning on rewatching this with my sister who is also a Drama fan though she's pretty exclusive on the KDrama. This raised the bar for all other dramas for me and even though I already am a fan of CDramas (I loved Boss & Me and Love O2O) this really cemented my love for them. I'm really looking forward to more from Mainland after this.
Overall: Perfect. Perfect story, perfect cast of characters and perfectly put together. Dare I say, it's flawless. What I liked was that not only was the Main Male lead swoon worthy, but that the Female lead was someone so awe inspiring as well. She was definitely not just a helpless Damsel in Distress constantly tumbling along needing to be rescued, she was strong and opinionated and for a Fox Queen pretty well rounded as a character. She was strong and smart and though naive sometimes, her empathy really shone through. Such a breath of fresh air from all the other female leads I've seen so far. Also I have to say there's something so appealing about a crying Ye Hua. As much as I like him smiling his fond sly smiles he was so heartbreakingly good when he cried. And he definitely made the fight scenes which usually look silly to me, look awe inspiring instead. Ye Hua is H.O.T. specially when he's staying put and asking Qian Qian to come to him and not doing the patented wrist grab that all Asian Drama think is the height of romance (although there is one pretty memorable scene but he was at the height of insecurity and not in his right mind).
Overall this is the highlight of my year so far (well...until the next season of Game of Thrones comes out anyway) and will always have a place in my heart. I have a feeling this is one I will watch over and over.
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Unfortunately, Taiwanese dramas have a mould. Sometimes what comes out of that mould can be flavoured differently. But it is, unfortunately, a somewhat superficial change.
So let's talk first about what this drama is trying to be. It's trying to be an intelligent and nuanced conversation about two unhappy people maintaining relationships out of habit and obligation whose mutual attraction shocks them into re-evaluating their lives. And in many aspects, Before We Get Married succeeds admirably. The core story underpinning it is good with strong characterisation, excellent performances and fine writing. Taiwanese dramas are known for having real people having real conversations in realistic ways and this drama is no exception. How it begins and how it ends are good and the ways in which the characters move around each other within the text is generally good too. Some of the emotional beats between Weiwei and her fiancé, for example, are utterly perfect. Painful and frustrating but perfect. Puff Gao and Jasper Liu have extraordinary chemistry and it's not hard to believe they want to tear each other's clothes off throughout.
So, then, it's the execution that becomes a problem. And this is where that Taiwanese drama mould comes in. The show is marketed as a sexy infidelity drama but ultimately the cheating is meant to be a mere impetus to the character's development. As such, the show struggled with how to deal with incorporating cheating while not alienating an audience that was likely to respond negatively to it. Like a lot of infidelity dramas it tried to have its cake and eat it too, metaphorically speaking. Weiwei had to have an affair while not actually having an affair. Weiwei and Kehuan's respective others had to be progressively terrible so we'd feel the infidelity was justified. Both partners were obsessive and controlling but it seems as though this was deemed insufficient to justify the emotional affair to the audience and so greater sins were thrown into the pot, often in random and frustrating ways.
The show's first episode and THAT scene was the perfect example. The conversations between Weiwei and Kehuan in episode 2 show that this incident was supposed to be consensual; the first volley in an affair. Instead it was a disturbing non-consensual incident that framed Kehuan as a potential abuser and possible rapist. I have no idea what it's doing in this show or what we were supposed to think about it. That also goes for the camping incident, which did neither lead any favours.
As the show progressed it began to opt for cliched Taiwanese romcom scenarios to portray our couple as being destined for each other. At the same time it tied itself up in knots to make sure that Weiwei could deny a sexual relationship when the time came. And it's true - Weiwei wasn't leaving her boyfriend for another man, she was leaving him for reasons that were entirely her own. Trying to do this plotline within the context of an active affair probably seemed too complex and too difficult for writers of a 13-episode Taiwanese show. Especially when they were no doubt pressured to imply that this new relationship was in fact Twu Wuv when instead it was about two people who just really wanted to bone each other.
Whether this show falls down by not delivering on the sexy it teased or whether it falls down because it made the leads unlikeable due to their infidelity is a matter of personal preference for the average viewer. Either way, it was a frustrating and sometimes tedious watch as Weiwei prevaricates and dithers and recommits to the wrong man and Kehuan turns from a complicated win-at-all-costs manipulator into the Perfect Male Lead and everyone starts working together for reasons that make no sense except that Taiwanese writers need new scenarios, stat. The last thing this needed to be was a workplace drama.
Overall, what this drama was trying to do was very good, original and interesting. A new flavour if you will. But what it actually needed was a whole new mould.
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This movie was exceptionally moving. A exquisite piece of Art by Hirokazu Koreeda, although the outcome is off of his usual genre I do think it convey his essence.
It's very rare, perhaps disturbing, mesmerizing movie.
The actress does a terrific work in interpreting a living doll, her roll was extremely believable.
The developing of the plot may be obscure for some people (I've read some harsh reviews about this movie) but I resolved to think that people CAN'T get the real meaning of the history: explore how people interact at a deep emotional level. The idea that someone's respiration could insufflate life to another person is a very intimate form of interaction and satisfaction.
All characters, whether their gender, they are alone.
For female characters, the keywords are "empty" and "absence". For the male, are "substitution" and "perversion." The men of the film didn't go straight to the object of his desire, but they choose alternative solutions. They are perverted men who want the death, not life.
These are the characters that KORE-EDA tried to to portray. It's a film about the solitude of urban life.
Overall, I think It's a worth-watching movie. You'll never forget it if you can find the meaning through the multiple metaphors inside and apply it to your own life. This is a philosophical essay... real poetry. A stirring rendition and superb images.
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This review may contain spoilers
Color me surprised!
I am honestly awed by this series, that actually managed to get worse with every passing episode. And now you'll ask "Why are you watching, if it is that bad? Stop judging and drop it".Well the answer is simple; Hate-watching. This is such a badly written series that it is fun to criticize and see how bad it can get.
Now, to the people actually wanting to know what is wrong with it and if it has any redeeming qualities, I will quickly mention the good and the bad.
The good:
+ Some of the actors are watchable: Even though the cast is filled with some very popular actors, unfortunately, most of them are not as good as usual. Despite that though, they are still caring this drama that lacks in everything else.
We have Lee Jae Wook (Han Tae Oh), Choi Jin Ho (Kang Joong Mo) and Choi Hee Jin (Kang Hee Joo) that are doing -mostly- a good job. Then we have Lee Jun Young (Kang In Ha) that is okay. After this series, I am honestly not sure if he is a bad actor and I thought he was good in his past performances or he is good and he was just not that great in this series.
+ Kang Hee Joo: Most people like her, others don't understand why the majority likes her. Well I am here to answer that.
Kang Hee Joo is the only one in this series that seems to have a character -and an actress that can support it-. Besides her gorgeous looks, she is the only one that is actually consistent and has a personality. Is this personality not really "great"? Yes. She is naive, persistent and toxic at times. But she feels real and is great to watch.
Now we will get to the bad (yes that was all the "positive"):
- Plot: I don't have lots of things to say. This is just a very badly written series. Characters are purely unlikable and change personalities (like Tae Oh being a genius, but suddenly turning dumb), romance is cringy and unnecessary -and I am being very kind-, actions are not really explained or make sense (like ruthless FL that appears so strong and has all these great ambitions -even gets married to benefit herself- and when her mother asks for money, she turns super weak and cries when she could just get rid of her one way or another-) and let's not forget that this basically turned into a makjang halfway through (people playing dead, actual murders, evil dad coming back, fake allegations leading to death sentences etc.)
- Time skips: One of the worst -if not the worst- decisions of the writer. We have so many time skips for no reason. First episode, we are literally getting to know the characters. They have this great plan to rise in power and suddenly boom 5 and 10 year time skips where they have achieved so much and are in these high positions and we don't know how and what happened in between.
- Characters: The characters are generally very one dimensional or they tend to like completely change personalities. That aside, another thing that bothered me is that some characters appear, seeming important or promising, and then they suddenly dissappear like they were never part of the plot -or writer remembers them when he needs them for the plot to move forward-.
- Root for who?: I felt like the scriptwriter wanted the audience to root for Tae Oh and Hye Won, and here I am rooting for Hee Joo and even In Ha at times.
All characters are super unlikable and they try to pass as this "male and female lead are the good ones". My dude, they are not. Tae Oh kissed his best friends wife and did everything in his power to destroy a conglomerate family and for what? For nothing. And Hye Won? She married In Ha just to get power and cheated on him with his best friend! And did she actually get any power? Yes (when the script said so). Let's not forget how she tried to take advantage of everyone and always put herself first...
- Draggy or fast paced: I am not sure! This seriss felt super draggy at times. I was sooo bored. Other times, it felt like it needed so much more time to develop the "plot" and the characters.
- Romance: It is so cringy and unnecessary. FL's incapability in acting aside -she looks like someone forced her to be there-, the interactions between her and Tae Oh are so cringy. They have zero chemistry.
Also, I don't understand why and how the whole "falling in love" happened. First of all, female lead is just purely unlikable as a character. Secondly, they barely have any interactions. Like when did he fall head over heels for her? Lastly, the romance is just sooo unnecessary. It is just a plot tool that is used in some cases to make Tae Oh do things he shouldn't be doing...
- FL is unnecessary and badly written: Oh look, another female main character that has nothing to add in the series. Writing wise, she is supposed to be manipulative, ambitious and self-centered. But she literally does nothing. She gets privilages just because script says so and out of the blue. She is just there helping other people with their plans. The only thing that she does is marrying In Ha, but even that was something he initiated.
- Clichés: Many and I mean many clichés. We have the typical chaebol fights for the "throne", the typical sad backstories/dysfunctional families of the main leads, the typical bad "siblings" and many others.
- Hong Su Zu's acting as Na Hye Won: Su Zu's performance is one of the worst if not the worst I have ever seen in a Kdrama by a female actress all these years. There it is, I said it.
After reading many comments like "She will get better, it is her first main role" or "Don't be harsh with her, it is her first role" and completely disagreeing, I want to express my opinion.
Firstly, the crew responsible for the casting should have seen that she is incapable of acting, especially since she would act as the freaking female lead -emphasis on lead-. So why she was chosen? Either, they really liked her looks or there is another reason (connections, being popular -or impossible- all other candidates were worse). Now, no one can convince me they liked her acting, because she just can't act.
Even if there were connections involved, the director should have helped as much as possible to get a good result or just try to guide her. And I don't know if he did, but it doesn't seem so. Not even a single frame of her compliments her. Even when she is sleeping she looks tense.
Moving on, actress takes the other half (and more) of the blame. She should just not have taken this role, if she knew she can't do it. This is not a support or guest role to get familiar with the whole acting process and learn. This is a main role and more so in a series with some big names.
The thing that irritates me the most is that it doesn't even look like she is trying. She has a puppy eye expression no matter what is happening. Seeing something that can ruin her life? Puppy eyes. Someone is literally chocking her? Puppy eyes. Like come on!
It's not like she is good at being serious and she lacks in the emotional scenes. She lacks in every single scene, no exception.
So no, for me, "don't be harsh, this is her first role" isn't an excuse for such a horrible performance. We have seen child actors doing better. We have seen other actors doing better in their "first roles". If she had some good scenes, I would understand. I would ignore. But that is not the case.
Of course, threatening the actress and posting hate comments on her account is a big no. She is human too.
I do think that if she chooses to continue acting, she should do proper training, because this is not it.
Ending: I didn't expect the series to suddenly turn good in the end and, well, I was right. The ending was as expected. Evil In Ha gets his punishment, while male lead Tae Oh -that was also not the greatest person out there- and love interest Hye Won get their happy ending...
All in all, a very badly written series with some questionable acting performances and barely any redeeming qualities. Ideal only for hate watching.
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Yin Yang Guardians
Less than 2 months after the release of The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, Netflix finally aired The Yinyang Master on 19 March 2021, about a month after its cinema release in China on 12 February 2021. For fans of fantasy in general, and Onmyōji in particular, Christmas has come early with two adaptations within such a short period of time.Rip-roaring fun and excitement with almost non-stop action, fantastical depiction of supernatural beings with magical powers in an enthrallingly beautiful other-wordly setting, along with a group of adorable characters that anyone would love to root for. That’s my enduring impression of this film.
(Note: There will be some comparisons made between this film and Dream of Eternity in this review due to the shared premise and proximity of their release)
The Story
The Yinyang Master is adapted from the NetEase game Onmyōji, which in turn is based on the original source material, the novel series Onmyōji by author Baku Yumemakura.
The story is about the Yinyang Master saving the world from apocalypse by preventing the return of the demon lord from the spirit realm in which he is imprisoned. The plot is uncomplicated, the motivation behind every character's actions is clearly defined and the mission is straightforward - stop evil at all costs, even at the cost of lives.
Screenplays that are adapted from video games usually reflect the richness and intricate details of the game world, which is very much the case here. Every aspect of the storytelling is executed to near perfection, in my humble opinion. The inclusion of deeply layered characters, each with its own fascinating backgrounds, and the many unique and colourful creatures, monsters and “guardian beasts” blend seamlessly with just the right dose of suspense, thrill, action and emotions.
Interestingly, there are a few elements that evoke memories of Marvel productions. Rocket Raccoon’s doppelgänger makes an appearance, while the Yinyang Bureau’s teleportation vortex is similar to Thor’s Bifrost Bridge dimension travel. In addition to that, the cute creature Red Ghost looks like a cross between Hellboy and Maui (as attested by several other users as well). Coincidentally, Dream of Eternity also shared some similarities with the Marvel-verse, notably the “magic circles” used by Dr Strange himself.
At 113 minutes, which is about 20 minutes shorter than Dream of Eternity, and despite the quick pacing of the story progression, the film does not feel at all rushed. There are sufficient introspective and evocative moments that convey the emotional depth and the intended themes of certain scenes and character arcs to the viewers. Dream of Eternity focuses primarily on the four central characters and the themes of love, friendship and bromance (perhaps even BL undertones). The Yinyang Master, on the other hand, has a bigger cast of characters with themes of friendship, camaraderie and teamwork, as well as childhood friends to potential romance dynamics.
Production
The production values are obviously of the highest order because this entire film is stunning to behold. From the A-list cast, top-tier production crew down to the top notch set design, visual effects and gorgeous cinematography.
The cast is headlined by the supreme talents of the award-winning Chen Kun and Zhou Xun (which is more than enough to elevate any production, really). The production designer is the experienced Yoshihito Akatsuka who has designed the sets for renowned productions notably Babel, Kill Bill, The Flowers of War, and Shall We Dance, among numerous others. The music director involved is the legendary Shigeru Umebayashi, famous for Yumeji’s Theme, and composing music scores for Wong Kar Wai films, as well as the original Japanese Onmyōji films.
Principal filming took place at Hancheng Film and Television Base in Xiangyang City (unlike Dream of Eternity’s filming location at the famous Hengdian World Studios) and the visual effects photography employed the use of an IMAX full-frame camera, with more than 2000 visual effects lenses, and real-time visual effects synthesis, which apparently is the technology of choice in big budget Hollywood productions.
Acting
Chen Kun is undoubtedly a fine actor. He is good in any role that he portrays but I always feel that he’s made for dramatic roles in historicals. Likewise Zhou Xun, she is perfect for epic period productions. Together they make everything look great and I believe have the potential to save any poorly made production too. The way they convey their emotions through nuanced micro-expressions, and articulate the essence of every scene is beyond words. I particularly love Zhou Xun’s voice, with the deep husky tones projecting a subtle quality of intrigue that further enhances her already formidable acting range.
Chen Kun’s Qin Ming is very similar to his Ning Yi in The Rise of Phoenixes. Devious, cunning with a hint of mischief and a big dose of self-confidence. Mark Chao’s version is somewhat more pleasantly charming but less dramatic. In any case, I quite enjoy both versions. Bai Ni is a more understated supporting character but Zhou Xun expertly delivered this role with finesse.
The rest of the cast were decent in their portrayals, through the limited screen time that they were given. Qu Chu Xiao, of Bloody Romance fame, depicted a more cheerful version of Bo Ya (as opposed to Deng Lun’s stoic version). William Chan’s Ci Mu is commendable but nothing spectacular. I thought Wang Duo characterization in Dream of Eternity was more compelling, but they both had their bare chested moments in a similar capacity, which some viewers may enjoy.
Music
In addition to the wonderful music score composed by Shigeru Umebayashi (incidentally Dream of Eternity had its own iconic Japanese music director in Kenji Kawai), Yinyang Master has no less than 6 OSTs, including the superb rendition of Where You Belong by the remarkable Zhou Shen as part of the ending theme.
Track listing as follows:
1. "Promise 侍约" by William Chan
2. "Where You Belong 归处" by Zhou Shen
3. "Cross Together 同渡" by Jin Wenqi
4. "An Enemy or Friend 宿敌亲启" by Feng Qinyuan
5. "Against the Shore 靠岸" by Zhi Ma Mochi
6. "Someone in the Heart 心有所主" by Jill Yan Qier
The Yinyang Master is an amazing production that should not be missed, especially by fans of Chinese fantasy. In comparison with Dream of Eternity which is probably somewhat slower-paced, and perhaps more contemplative, this film is considerably less emotionally convoluted and forward-thinking in its execution. Each is great in its own unique way and for that they both get the same rating from me (their ratings on Douban are quite close, at 5.1 and 5.8 respectively).
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Averagely Above Average
Idk how to describe this but somehow it was an average series with a twist. It wasn't too cliché or basic and I didn't get bored. It did kinda get stretched out a bit but nothing to steer me away. It's a simple show, but nothing you should dismiss. I wanted to smack Jin a few times, but what's a drama without some emotion? lol I think all the cast has potential to succeed and this show was a great start! It's pretty underrated but please give it a watch. I'd recommend to anyone new to BL as this isn't too cheesy or dramatic with pretty decent visuals. There's one ship I wanted to set sail but it failed which is ok (I guess).Enjoy...
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Story: This story was very interesting about two people from different backgrounds connecting to each other mentally and emotionally after a few events and spending a lot of time together. The story was written in a way that was true to real life and can relate to either one or both of the leads in someway. One of the most realistic melodramas I have seen in a long while.
Acting: The acting was top-notch! I was speechless throughout this drama. I could not imagine any other people playing the leads. Kim Jung Hyun as Soo Ho was raw, real and intense with so much impact. This was the first time that I was truly invested in a male lead character in a melodrama (it usually takes time for me to get invested in them). I cried so many times because of his character. Seo Hyun as Ji Hyun was just as real, raw and intense as Soo Ho. She made me cry just as much too. . . Seo Hyun portrayed a woman who was going on with her life, but then, it just stops after a few events till Soo Ho show up in her life. The chemistry between them was so intense, electric, sad and sometimes sweet even. The other leads were people who you would love to hate so much with passion!
Music: Really hit the right spots for me. The background music was fantastic, and fitting for the tone of the drama. The best song in this drama is "Time" by Gaho. It is sad song that really brings the mood to the drama and fits the scenes that it was in.
Re-watch or Nah?: Would not watch this again because It was hard to watch. I scored a 8/10 because I did watch this twice. . . . I was hard both times. Maybe I would recommend a one-watch for people who are starting this drama.
Overall,
Do not let Kim Jung Hyun press conference controversy stop you from watching this drama! You would understand why he did what he did once you see this drama. You will not regret this. . . . The story is interesting, the acting is beyond expectation and the characters will hit you with so many feels that it is insane.
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I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who can appreciate a great story with action, romance, bromance and a great cause to fight for.
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This review may contain spoilers
He is a true king and she is his princess knight
There was not a single moment in this drama where characters were OOC.Amazing chemistry between leads and the heartwarming story line was something I can never forget. They were so true to themselves and their love.
From the start to the end of drama it was not a let down. Not a moment felt draggy and pointless.
LX and ZY were amazingly played by chen fei yu and zhang jing yi. You could see the emotions in their eyes. Their love and guilt and regret.... it was so heartwreching and beautiful to watch these two together.
The story line was meaningful and had a lot of lessons in it.
Almost all the characters had depth in their personality. There was no complete black and white -except for FZJ that was a true trash- and I cried when I finished the drama just because it was truly beautiful.
I'm glad the drama ended on a high note and didn't disappoint at the final episode.
The song tracks were so so beautiful that I couldn't resist playing them over and over.
I will rewatch it again because I can't get enough of this truly wonderful couple!
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Great acting, great plots, but should have been a series
I actually really liked this movie. A lot of people did not enjoy it because they found it confusing or peiced together weird, which I will say is true to an extent. I really liked all of the plot lines and how they connected, but it left me wanting more from each one. We got a snippet of each plotline basically. I definitely think it should have been a series rather than a movie, that way they could flesh everything out better, and make it a bit more cohesive. Overall I think it is well worth the watch, and will probably watch it again when it releases on Netflix with the official subtitles.Was this review helpful to you?
Overall, the whole story is actually pretty interesting, funny, and many scenes make you squeal. It's nice and light, not too dramatic, like the second female lead isn't your cliche evil person who plays dirty tricks on the main female lead. same for the second male lead.
The music is really nice and goes well with the moments. I personally really liked this drama, finishing a drama is really hard for me, and I usually drop them when I don't like them or I think they're dragging, but this drama wasn't like that. It's really enjoyable. I love all the characters and I hope you will too.
Short review but hope it helped.
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A man who doesn't feel anything and is not afraid of anything falls in love with a girl who feels everything too strongly and is afraid of everything... Both have a trauma, but the trauma is not that simple as it may seem when you read the plot.
First of all Nam-Soon (by the way, this is a girl's name and it's the name of the male lead in the movie, I'll explain why), a man who lost his family in an accident and blames himself for spilling the cola in the car and causing his parents and noona to die, after the accident he hasn't felt anything physically: no pain, no taste, no touch... empty being... but from the fist minutes I could see, that this man was not only frozen physically, but also emotionally. I sometimes thought he had been brought up by wolves, as he had no idea how to feel grateful, love, think about something else besides his empty everyday routine (which was not the most beautiful scene to watch, by the way...) but this is until he meets HER...She is his reflection, his perfect reflection, actually I think she's all the things he would like to be, but has never been able to... She's hemophiliac, so every little cut can be her last one... And suddenly he wants to feel, to taste, to touch... his opening up to her was so beautiful, I couldn't look away from the screen.
There lines at the end of the movie and you hear Nam-Soon praying to the God 'Dear God, I've never wanted to cry as I don't feel pain, but you know, when I see her crying my heart feels like bursting into thousands of pieces, please, make her not cry, even if I have to give my life for that'... These lines reflect her lines in the middle of the movie, when they lie near and she tells him 'When you want to cry next time, tell me, I'll cry for you'... Isn't this genius? They make each other complete and perfect... two broken souls come together as one...
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A journey on the bonds which connect friend to friend, family to family and lover to lover.
The story has us witness each character, especially the male lead's, journey and growth through the impulses of youth, his connections with those he grows to hold dear, a heartwarming love story and the gradual discovery of the revelations of his painful past. The male lead lead has been unfairly sacrificed too many times for what others believe as justice. While he is unjustly treated, he does inherently have a deeply rooted sense of good within him. The production team took the sad, but necessary sacrifices needed in order to bring the characters to the end of their journey. While the ending may be unsatisfactory and heartbreaking to most, there were necessary sacrifices that were needed in order for the characters to grow as people and realise themselves and their responsibilities in life. I would say Chengxiao's acting got better as the story progressed and she really has cute chemistry with Arthur Chen. Arthur Chen had a great and emotional performance throughout and really brought to life his character through balancing his representation of a charming, and deviously smart youth and a person who has suffered many times at the hands of others to the point of battling to understand who he is. The OST was just beautiful, it really complimented each scene and wrenched at my heart many times. Whilst the production was low budget, the story line really is lovely and its subtle complexity connects you to the emotions of the characters and in the end you end up really invested in their journeys and wanting to follow it through to the very end. I really recommend it. Be prepared however, for many twists and turns, and while it is not a bad ending, it is also not an entirely a happy one.Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
If frustration had a name, it would be "Motel California"
This was a one-woman show, all other characters are pretty irrelevant. Lee Se Young was stellar as the cinematography was, too bad her character was an understandable frustrating mess not helped by a shitty script.Pace is draggy and all over the place. Drama sucked my energy dry.
#I've_got_melo_trauma
#Not_watching_ANY_melo_for_6_months
#Gimme_Back_My_HOURS
I was wondering how they were going to wrap up this thing up given how everything remained messy up to the middle of episode 11...
Turns out, THEY DIDN'T DO SH***
They didnt' resolve anything, they just used a magic wand and all the shitty villagers and classmates did a 180 in the last ep and everything is ok and let's laugh under the (grey) sky after years of bullying? ARE. YOU.KIDDING.ME ? ? ? As somebody who has had experience with some of the issues faced by Kang Hee I can tell you this :
1. Racists gonna remain racists, it's not because they do good things on the side that it changes the fact that they're filthy racists.
2. Even if they did a turnaround, I won't forget and I won't forgive, but in this drama, all these prejudices are treated like it's nothing.
3. It takes a lot of courage to apologize to your former victims. Most bullies would rather die than admit their wrongs that leaves (most of) them with two options: 1. Make up excuses to justify their past behaviors, usually by victim blaming 2. Just ignore the victim and act like they don't exist since these bullies are cowards who can't even look their victims in the eye.
And we're not going to have a "party" together UNLESS they PAY the whole bill!
Didn't care about the Esther story line. From the moment they showed the cheating it was either she aborts or she gets with glass-guy : they also swept under the rug that he's filthy rich hence it's very likely Esther and him are being pressured to abort the baby by their respective families. They have the same background so it makes sense they're allowed to be together, but even if glass-guy's family is ok with him getting with Esther the divorcee they definitely are not for her to keep the baby. BUT this show is doing a Love Next Door thingy so screw these issues I guess. She's gonna keep the baby and get her first love and not be outed by her family because they're not living in South Korea, they're living in Lalaland where genealogy and tracing one's ancestors have no importance whatsover.
Yeon Soo's mother got a new beau... but I haven't forgotten what two women said about him loosing most of his money gambling BUT the show sure did. Another Problem Non-Problem.
Ah Reum left her house and that was it. If it was THAT EASY why didn't you do it from the start? Another Non-Problem.
We never got to learn why Seung Eon didn't even get a Middle School degree given he's been raised by Jung Pil (Chung Pil whatever) since he was 7. But Whatever again I guess. He would have made an interesting character given his backstory but since this was a one woman show, he faded unfairly in the background.
Han U also faded in the background... But he also had an interesting story. It's not everyday you meet someone who gives up everything to restart from scratch in my home country, I can't even imagine what it is in South Korea... But I guess dragging Kang Hee's storyline was more important.
Kang Hee and her father's relationship problem has been solved by the power of his incoming death by the cancer of doom. I guess. Still she doesn't call her father "Father" by the end of the show and she says that "He raised her well"... When the show spent a whole lot of time to show she had to raise HERSELF since her father was always busy taking care of the villagers in particular Yeon Soo's mum but WHATEVER I guess.
And Yeon Soo... Well. Basically a doormat from start to finish. He did get some b*** by the end of the show but not that much. I get it, in recent months the faithful male lead with puppy love - Seon Jae in Lovely Runner, Sa Eon in When the Phone Rings, Ji Hyuk in Marry my Husband, Ji Hwan in My Sweet Mobster, Ji Uk in No Gain no Love and so on... - enamored with the ONE AND ONLY girl has made lots of women - me included - swoon. So it seems we're in for a lot of this type of male leads coming onto our screens...
HOWEVER, you do need to make your ML 3 dimensional if a guy is only defined by "I love Kang Hee", well that's not a person let alone a character. Your "character" is just and empty shell.
We never even got to know if Yeon Soo the doormat ends up going to Seoul to live with Kang Hee. BUT I guess he doesn't need to because from what we've seen, Seoul isn't that far from this village and "everything is forgotten and forgiven" by the power of K drama so Kang Hee doesn't mind coming to this shitty village by the end of the show.
Overall a happy ending that only works if you decide to play the amnesia card.
Well I'm sorry I CAN'T.
Suggested Rating based on the different criteria: 5
Personal rating: 3 Too must frustration, no satisfying conclusion... I loathe this drama even more than "Love Next Door" and that's saying something.
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