Reviews

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Dokushin Kizoku hearkens back to the days when Hollywood produced sparkling romances, and immortal beauties such as Audrey Hepburn led us through them. Though it might not evolve into a classic in its own right, this is a drama which channels cinema's golden era with gusto. Western viewers, as well as those who exalt in old films, will enjoy and understand its purpose best. But doubtlessly, those "old souls," among us will find something to love as well.

"Familiar" describes Dokushin Kizoku wonderfully, though without the negative connotations that word sometimes bears. So frequently one hears the hardened drama veteran lamenting a fine watch stooping to the "same-old, same-old." However, the devices used in the plot here are not cliches often seen in Asian film and dramas; they are rather western conventions, so far fallen out of use as to be refreshing. What results is a delightfully nostalgic romantic comedy with the flavors of East and West delightfully blended. And if you've heard this feels somewhat like King of Dramas, that would be true enough; just don't expect a remake or more than superficial similarities.

My most serious issue is that the romantic conflict became a pain around the ninth episode. Much as I loved the ultimate pairing, it eventually felt set in stone so the continual flutter around the subject was frustrating.

Another point of interest will be the awesome use of romance/marriage quotes used to preface each episode.

Kusanagi Tsuyoshi always struck me as one of the better actors to come out of SMAP; my observation stands. As the commitment-phobic director Hoshino Mamoru, he rises above the realms of two-dimensionality. By the end of the series, we have a clear portrait of a man with unique interests and solitary pleasures, a person who believes he's happy alone but doesn't realize he just hasn't met the right person yet. Ito Hideaki plays second lead and brother to Kusanagi-san, as Susumu. This character was well-realized too and felt like a real person, despite his over-the-top playboy reputation. Wrapping up the leads, we had the lovely Kitagawa Keiko; her Haruno Yuki might be one of my favorite leads from a romantic comedy in ages. She felt strong despite her romantic confusions. Her unique adoration of film and the script writing process really bolstered her likability.

The supporting cast was somewhat forgettable, though one or two portrayals were poor. This includes the awful Hoshino aunt, whose lines felt as though they were being delivered from a cue card. Sasai Eisuke, however, has a hilarious though brief turn as Susumu's divorce lawyer. Did I laugh out loud any time he appeared? You bet.

Much of what helps boost a film into iconic status is its soundtrack. Dokushin Kizoku adopts various themes from famous romance films, mostly shirking original tracks of its own. This added to the classic, beautifully dated atmosphere the drama exuded throughout its pace. Vocals from Breakfast at Tiffany's (Moon River) and Sleepless in Seattle (If I Fall In Love) are most memorable among these. Some viewers may not enjoy this, however; while following the drama, I did notice people expressing displeasure at the inclusions. And for SMAP fans, yes: they provided the theme song as always (Shareotsu).

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tutoryim tried their best

the thing about this is that the script was just not good from the very first episode. and it sucks to see, because i really do think both tutor and yim have the potential to do something great with a good script.

yim really tried his best to make do with his character, but by episode 2 i literally just could not stand the failed comedy attempts and the silly goofy faces. although you can simpathize with jade, it gets to a point where it's just too over-the-top. literally no one is like that. by episode 5 the plot has NOT advanced one bit. there's just nothing going on at all. the goofy faces and the silly noises get old pretty quickly. tutor and yim deserved better and can do better, imo.

you might like this if you're looking for something extremely light and superficial, plus the comedy might be for you.

as for me, i'm just incredibly disappointed.

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Watch this if you want a drama unlike any other ones out there. Totally different and interesting premise and plots, makes you wonder how anyone can even come up with such unique concepts. Wonderful OST and visual effects. The whole drama is a visual treat. Both male leads have such classy, mysterious, cute characters to play and the bromance between them is so adorable. I liked their bromance chemistry better than the chemistry between both romantic pairs. The FL is a bit too young to accept as a match for the 939 year old goblin, thankfully there were no cringey romantic scenes and they show a decent emotional connect between them with no vulgarity. The drama has so many unexpected turns and twists, many joyful and many very sad as well. Nevertheless it kept me engaged and curious to know how it all turned out in the end. I would like to rewatch it down the line but will certainly be skipping all the sad parts, at times it felt like there were too many of them. 10 points for the drama and -1 for so all those crying moments that made it heavy watching every now and them. It would have a high rewatch value if they had made it lighter and more fun overall.

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Abs, sexy scenes and excellent chemistry were reasons I enjoyed this drama

I write for subreddit CShortDramas and the day this drama dropped, we were doing weeklong content for Steamy Week. Of course I had to watch this drama immediately. I enjoyed immensely. If I only had 1 month to live, yes I would shag Cao Tian Kai 😉.

What I liked:
1. Romance - Damn, there were many spicy scenes. Their love language was definitely physical touch. There were some sweet moments too, mostly initiated by ML. I enjoyed the dynamic and banter between FL and ML.
2. FL characterisation - Ha, I love her take charge attitude .
3. ML characterisation - He was hooked to her after they slept together but I liked that he was nice and sweet to her.
4. Acting - Before this drama, I never felt moved by Liu Xi Yu's acting but I really liked her performance here. I am a fan of Cao Tian Kai and he was great in his role. Both Liu Xi Yu and Cao Tian Kai had excellent chemistry and rapport because without them, those spicy scenes would be "sterile".
5. Styling - Wonderful outfits worn by LXY & CTK. I loved the red dress and the black and red office wear!
6. Humour - Ha, that nightie in ML’s house moment caught me by surprise . Good one, writer!

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - FL’s mother and stepfather were horrendous. The green tea was another nepo baby using her connections to get hired at ML’s company.
2. Connection - There was not much emotional intimacy and trust between FL and ML with FL keeping things to herself. Since she looked at the relationship as temporary, she should have come clean about her illness.

Favourite scene
The first time ML saw FL crying. I loved it because FL couldn’t hold up the tough exterior thus ML got to see her in a vulnerable moment.

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"An Idol's job is to create dreams" I finally understood that sentence by the end of this drama.At the beginning of all, I begin by saying that it was for me an amazingly great drama "fresh" , and "refreshing". It showed me the real meaning of the word "Idol" through the eyes of the Japanese. It gave me a different thought about everything that involves idols. It got me to understand truly how Idols in jimushos feel out there. It is definitely not always "gold" for an idol but they still keep shining in front of us amazingly. I recommend this drama for everyone especially, for those who have "Idols" they admire ^^.

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First things first, I loved the idea and the execution of the body-swap trope in this lakorn (or not exactly a 'swap' as we know it). The main character Pat witnesses her long-time sweetheart and husband on top of another woman in a hotel room, storms off for her car, gets into an accident, and dies. Meanwhile, Nalan, a weak-hearted woman who's been living a simple and sheltered life hitherto receives photos and a note telling her that her husband is cheating on her. She catches him in the act and faints on the spot. Nalan and Pat are brought into the ICU at the same time. While Pat dies, Nalan has a chance to survive only if she gets an immediate heart transplant. Nalan's father who's also chief physician and owner of the hospital, seizes the opportunity and transfers, without consent, Pat's heart into Nalan in a desperate attempt to save his own daughter. What he doesn't know is that he ends up saving Pat who wakes up in Nalan's body several hours after the surgery.
A reborn woman, Pat now goes on a quest for revenge against her husband by plotting to make him fall in love with her and then dumping him to give him a taste of the emotional trauma he put her through. In the process, however, she finds herself falling for him anew and with a different body and a new set of eyes she starts to see the true colours and intentions of those around her.

The story itself sounds promising and for the most part, it is. A thing worth noting is that Pat's revenge is more of an emotional revenge. In her own way, she gets back at her husband, but not in the literal sense that we're so used to seeing in revenge dramas. As a person who suddenly has to face life trapped inside someone else's body, she is first perplexed and stays indecisive for a long time before taking action. When she finally puts her decisions into action it doesn't take long before she has a change of heart (no pun intended), but as viewers, we completely follow and understand why.

View's acting was for me deserving of respect. I must admit I had my doubts and didn't expect she'd be able to go from portraying the sweet and meek Nalan to portraying the same woman (her body) inhabited by the soul of the fierce and strong-headed Pat (played by Jeab in the initial episodes). However, she pulled off both characters with flying colours. Even her make-up and way of dressing changed accordingly. Her chemistry with Tui is also worth mentioning. Despite the age gap, View and Tui looked good together and delivered some realistic chemistry and an ample amount of (real) kiss/hug scenes.

Now for the things that didn't work for me: The side characters.
Lakorns are notorious for their cardboard-like characters but this one probably tops them all. With the exception of Pat, her husband Win and her gay best friend Noojoon, all the characters sucked the soul out of me (again, no pun intended). Characters are often most cardboard-like when they exist only for some superficial purpose: making the protagonist look good or the villain look bad. The side characters in this lakorn (and even the villains) were poorly written, hard to take seriously and most of the time served no other purpose than to blatantly annoy the crap of out the viewer. You can't help but wonder why they'd even waste filming time and budget to bring such useless characters to live.

Overall, an enjoyable lakorn that could have been written more tightly and executed better had the characters been more layered and believable. Otherwise, if this still sounds like your cup of tea, I say go for it. A good thing is, the episodes aren't longer than 56 min each, making it a fairly easy watch.

Happy watching!

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I’m not even sure why I picked this movie to watch in the first place. I’ll blame it on staying up way too late which causes a lack in proper decision making skills. It was convoluted and a little twisted. A man causes chaos within a single family by seducing all the ladies with varied tactics. The reason why he went on his seducing spree? Not a clue. What I got from it was that he believed that a secret could empower a person to become more and have more to live for. So, he felt that by sleeping with them all he gave them a secret that would better their life… then he leaves without a trace and starts the process all over again. My second question that I asked myself, after wondering why I picked it in the first place, was why did I struggle all the way through to the end? That would have to be for Lee Byung Hun. However, when the credits rolled I wasn’t really certain that Lee Byung Hun gazing had been enough to make up for what I’d just sat through. Definitely not a movie that I would recommend.

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There is no plot summary, so i will sum what i can.
The story line is very similar to those out there.
Our main girl character is called into the palace along with two others to be companions to the princess in the palace.
She has no interest in staying in the palace because she has a childhood sweetheart.  
Out of the two others, one of them has their eyes set on the crown prince, but of course the crown prince has his eyes set on our main girl.
There lies the jest of the story.  Who does she end up with, the prince or her childhood sweetheart.

Throw into the story a couple of sidelines, and of course someone is out to kick the crown prince out of his throne, you get the jest of it all.

Overall, its nothing new, but a very modern-ish portrayal of palace life.

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All hope's not lost with social distancing

Set in the time of the pandemic with characters spotting masks, having to practice social distancing & reflecting on the changes the pandemic has brought on their world, this was a thoughtful, adorable and heartwarming drama with some equally beautiful love stories. WHAT A FREAKING GEM!

There was nothing dramatic about this show. It is as good as it gets when it comes to presenting real people facing real problems in the real world. We're all living in one world but we see it all so differently, whether you're a kid, a psychologist, a HR manager, a doctor or just an office worker. And these different perspectives are what makes interactions and character dynamics so fun to watch.

In brief, it is one of those dramas that everyone will relate to in so many ways
- the pandemic and how our world has changed
- the loneliness so many of us are facing
- intimacy in a relationship
- real characters
- online dating
- communication in a relationship (how difficult and important it is)
- office culture

I finished this drama feeling emotional yet hopeful for the world we're living in.

Great writing, acting, screenplay all around. WATCH IT!

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A HIT Chemistry Between leads but a MISS Execution by makers

“If I had a single flower for everytime I think about you I could walk forever in my garden”- Zhang Yu

So I initially started this drama because I have watched all the dramas Esther Yu stars in and one fine day I stumble upon the trailer of A romance of the little forest which immediately intrigued me as I a am a huge fan of "she fell first but he fell harder" trope, and now that I have completed the drama i want to say that god do I love YSX and BB the chemistry they gave, they literally gave life to Yu meiren and Zhang Yu. This is my first time watching Zhang BinBin in a drama and he really is so talented. This further proves that the only reason I had to put up with this drama was because of the main lead and that's it.

I had much expectation with this project since they had a pair that was giving the chemistry way above the par however the makers made the most idiotic decision of cutting such intense scenes of the Lead pair, giving all the screen time to the second pair, dragging the lead pair's story to no end. This drama could have been easily a major hit like Love O2O but the makers clearly did not know how to execute the story.

Amidst the slow pacing, the deleted scenes, the screentime given to the second pair they did not fail to keep the drama alive with their immense chemistry. This is why I gave the drama 5.5 stars or else I would have given it literally 0.

l would recommend this drama only if you can keep up with the slow pacing and putting up with bland, unnecessary scenes of the second lead (mind you they do not contribute anything to the plot and their chemistry is boring af).

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A simple fun show about a family

I came into the show, knowing that it would be a silly little slice of life family drama with the added element of a spy thriller -and that is exactly what I got. I see that the other reviews have called the character interaction is a bit cringe and silly, but that is precisely what I liked about the show. I didn’t go into expecting the most amazing acting and writing, but I still enjoyed what I got. I actually quite liked the spy stuff and in particular I thought the actress for Ms Oh was amazing! I also wanted to appreciate how they handled the foreigners and the many languages spoken! Often I find in kdramas that foreigners are always handled a bit odd especially when you can tell they’re white but you can tell they speak Korean better than they can speak English but I didn’t get that here! Personally I loved the backstory between the husband and wife, and even though I thought the child was a tad annoying at times, I still thought she was adorable and I laughed at her storyline. The only aspect of the show I didn’t care about was the Grandfathers storyline especially since it didn’t have a pay off. Oh and warning it does end on somewhat of a cliffhanger but even if it doesn’t get a season two idk it’s such a small thing that I can pretend it didn’t happen 😌

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I'm crying right now, I literally can't write a review.
This season blew me away. It was so much more emotional and moving than the first two while relying on them as a foundation. For those who can relate, it is reminiscent of the third Lord of the Rings movie.

Honestly, I can't help but draw parallels between this and Lord of the Rings.
This falters in lofty depictions every now and then from a technical standpoint, but it's so moving. My cheeks are still conduits.
I could not help but think of the hobbits returning to The Shire after a long fought war when the last episode ended with a plain scene of Balsa returning to the hut to see Tanda moving around inside, birds chirping in the background and a peaceful piano piece playing. I was at a loss for words, it was so beautiful. She enters and there's a shot of her spear left outside the hut, leaning against the wall... Ah. Closure.
I'm breaking out of my usual review format because I don't know what I'm saying.

Now I'll try to remember to the start of this season.

Story (10):
First off, by the end of the season you may have already forgotten about the Kambal sequence (which is almost the whole first half), but it was a very good part of the story. We get to see major character development and reconciliation in our titular character Balsa as well as more of her nation shaping actions. A major part of this development and Kambal adventure is her past with Jiguro which I can't applaud enough. I didn't expect this, because I thought we'd seen a fair enough of her background, but this season is where we see everything that happened with her father and Jiguro...
Basically, the Kambal king killed her father (ordered it), and Jiguro rescued Balsa and was labeled a traitor for doing so. This caused his whole clan to be disgraced for many years.
And there are so many good side characters introduced in this season including her Aunt who has a bitter love for Jiguro (I loved this and how it plays out even after his death), the almost awkward prince son of the Kambal king, and Jiguro's nephew Cahm who plays a large role to the end of the season. Even these side characters have development arcs; for instance, Cahm is despondent at Jiguro for the disgrace of the family clan, and blames him for his mother's death. His hatred falls to Balsa as an accomplice, and we see how he changes and grows from this angry young man.

The second half of this season (there's a blend of course), focuses on the invasion of the Talsh empire as well as potential disaster from the migrating Naguyu waters. That's really all I'll say about the plot now, but there's a lot going on here with characters too.
First and foremost, there's the relationship between Balsa and Tanda.
I'll have to admit, I didn't feel it for whatever brief, apparent unrequited affections Tanda had in the first season, and it wasn't really part of the second season beyond missing each other. However, here I guess I only just realized how deep their connection was as childhood friends from the portrayal of the backstory in the first half of this season.
Even then, I still thought all the feelings were one-sided until Balsa migrates back to the hut that Tanda, her and Jiguro shared when she was growing up. She's expecting Tanda and professes to missing his cooking (wait, was that from S2...), but when she arrives, he's gone off to war.
Watching them apart and trying to get together exposed true feelings of emotional reliance and what a peace they are to the other, and when they reunite it only grows more apparent.
There's another side character I thought would be a Mary Sue at first who is interested in Tanda, but she proves her worth and ends up giving Balsa a nudge in the right direction to help the relationship along.
That said, this isn't a lust filled relationship, people. That's not what we're here to watch and the show did a good job of keeping it in line with the story so it didn't feel jarring.

Since I went on and on about Balsa and Tanda I'll try to keep other relationships short, but there's a very interesting relationship with the Emperor and the Second Empress that also actually plays into the plot. While we're on the subject, the Emperor. He was only the supposed God in the previous seasons, but here we see more of his thoughts and why he has become that way, and we see how far he is willing to go to stick to his ideals. It's both aggravating and moving at different times.
And then there's Prince Raul. My initial reaction on seeing him in S2 was that he was a spoiled, cruel prince. He may be cruel, but he has passion and motivation, and we see him come to a breaking point towards the end that was great to watch to see his flaws.

Do you guys get the point? There are lots of great characters in this show.


Acting (9.5):
I'm only docking a point because there were a couple jarring acting scenes, but most of it was very good, and there were some very exceptional scenes that had me crying (before the last episode).
I can't review acting without making another parallel to LOTR. The more I watched, the more Chagum looked like Frodo. It's not really the character, but the actor actually reminded me of Elijah Woods and I couldn't get over it in a good way. Loved that.
Plus, did I mention, Ayase Haruka?
I think for secondary characters, some of my favorites were Cahm and Prince Raul (of the Talsh empire)


Music (10):
I've talked about this music before in my other reviews of the previous seasons.
It's exceptional. I don't know if it's based off of the anime or anything because I haven't bothered to watch or listen to that (yet), but it's phenomonal. I never skipped the intro because I loved listening to the title track.
I briefly mentioned it earlier, but I cannot get over that ending. Whoever decided to end the show with that piano piece was brilliant. I'm still crying. even this far into the review okay, don't laugh.


Rewatch Value (10):
I thought the other seasons were ones I would seriously consider rewatching at some point... I didn't know what I was in for with this season. This is going on my list of most rewatchable things (as in ANYTHING, movie, drama, show, regardless of origin), ever.


Overall (10):
There's on denying it isn't completely perfect, but I felt it was mostly on a technical level that this had any failures. There were the few CGI shots that I had to cringe at, but there were also very well done CGI effects and some amazing cinematography.
At one point in the last episode, I was very disappointed with a water sound effect that almost ruined the gravity of the sequence, but at the end of the episode I could care less.
Again, there was also some issues with scale. 15 people instead of 15,000 soldiers, etc. But I have to admit, the battle sequences are done better than usual C-Dramas for instance.
And that's the battles, I'm not talking about the fights. Something about the fights in the second season, especially the first half of it, felt lacking. This season, not so. Gorgeous fight sequences. Spears are my favorite now.
For anyone still reading, any Kaladin fans?? I'd love a Japanese dramatization of The Stormlight Archive. Kaladin is a spear-wielder and I couldn't help but think of him throughout this show.

So seriously, if you've seen the first two seasons and aren't sure if you want to finish, then get over it, watch it please. This exceeds the first two. If you haven't watched the first two seasons, just start it. The first season is only 4 episodes and while the weakest of the three, sets a good world building foundation and showcases some good fight sequences. If you aren't in love with Balsa after it, then I'm not in love with you either.

I'll conclude my longest review yet (I think, maybe?), and let you go watch this show. I may edit this when I think of more to add.

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An excellent but underrated drama

This isn't just a simple time travel story, it is the story of a man realising that though past cannot be changed, present can be.

I started watching this drama expecting the lead role Hao Hui Gui to be trying to change some events in his past that lead him to live such a miserable life in his middle age. As the drama proceeded, I realised, it has a lot deeper meaning for us to learn.

Hao Hui Gui lands in 1998 as a class-teacher of his own past self. This allows him to have an overview of his own life from the viewpoint of a teacher. He started off by doing what anyone would do upon meeting his past self; trying to protect him (Liu Da Zhi) from every difficulties he faced in the past but gradually starts being strict on Liu Da Zhi to guide him to the right path. He never enjoyed being a professor in the present but being a teacher to himself and his classmates, he actually starts liking his job.

He tries to change several bad events in his life but only ends up realising that those things will still happen. Hao Hui Gui is more than just a school teacher for Liu Da Zhi and his friends; he guides them in taking important decisions of life, overcoming difficulties and emotional turmoil and even in friendship. Now that he is grown up, he knows what immature mistakes he made as a teenager than weakened the friendship between him and his friends even in present day.

It is a slow paced drama where some parts may seem boring but are essential to understand the emotional condition of all the characters.

To conclude, I would say this drama taught the lead role and me to cherish every moment of life and learn from bad experiences rather than just regretting. This drama also reminds us that friends need to be there for each other in tough times. Another major teaching of this drama is that we should express our feelings or it might be too late.

This is a highly underrated drama. I hope more and more people watch it to make it more successful. It is indeed a lot more than just a time-travel fantasy but story revolving around friendship and changing relationships.

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