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Li Chengyin is the character I’ve always wanted to see. He is a complex character living in a treacherous world. He has to use his cunning every single moment of every single day just to stay alive. Every mistake that made him appear soft brought danger to his doorstep, so can you blame him for the person he’s become? He’s so clever in the face of his enemies, but that becomes his downfall in the face of love. You love him and then you hate him and then you love him all over again.
Qu Xiaofeng is such a charming girl. She defies norms in costume/historical dramas wherein she IS the politically-favored wife, she doesn’t have to fight her way to the top of the harem, she has almost no trouble getting along with anyone in the palace, yet she’s put in this lonely predicament because of the narrative Li Chengyin fabricates in his best attempt to protect her. He tries so hard to protect her from everyone that he forgets to protect her from himself. The thing is— she doesn’t need to be sheltered; she’s brave, upstanding and receptive. His attempts to preserve her innocent spirit pushes them further away from each other.
While Chengyin lives in a world of darkness dealing with the demons surrounding them, Xiaofeng is the brightest light, his polar opposite. And that’s why they seem to never agree on anything. In another lifetime, their love could have been a romantic comedy; if he were just a regular tea merchant, they would have lived every single day together, trifling and loving. Their chemistry is undeniable. On top of that, the performance by Chen Xingxu and Peng Xiaoran breathes life into the characters from the novel. They convincingly portrayed every sweet moment and every heartbreak. I still feel strong sorrow for these characters as if they’re actual people I know.
The costumes and cinematography in the drama are so lovely, the characters are charming, the dubbing is really well done, the OST is unforgettable, and above all, the story is beautiful. This drama exceeded all of my expectations. If you’re interested in a tale that dares to straddle the line between love and hate and still manages to make it work, I implore you to give this drama a chance.
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A highbrow production with broad appeal.
The Longest Day in Chang'an is an immersive, visually stunning, culturally authentic and thrilling journey back over 1000 years in time to Lantern Festival in Chang'an at the peak of the Tang Dynasty. This is a highbrow and very demanding drama that is immensely enjoyable even if taken simply at face value. The viewer gets to decide how much they wish to invest in it. The production basks in rich historical and cultural detail that marvels over the intellectual, political, legal, administrative, military, cultural and scientific sophistication of Chang'an and the Tang Dynasty more broadly. The faithfulness to historical accuracy and strong edu-drama aspect to this show has history buffs raving with ecstasy. As a layman, the finer nuances would be lost on me were it not for the many knowledgeable insights on this and other sites. That doesn't appeal to everyone and some have remarked on the frequent historical and cultural digressions that interrupt the story-line. My simple take is that "smart fillers" are better than the nonsensical fillers that other dramas spam us with.The absolutely stunning cinematography is the first and most consistent impression throughout - every frame is beautifully angled to create a visual, vibrant feast for the eyes. Even flames from explosions burst in an artistic pattern of controlled natural assymetry. The production is not shy about indulging in artistic license and is littered with lithe and gorgeously willowy Tang ladies with only one small section acknowledging more ingrained images of the classical, prosperously rotund Tang lady. A number of Chinese manhua worthy characters are almost casually dropped in among the otherwise characteristically Tang dynasty cast including Djimon Hounson's Gao Le, the menacing African slave-trader and lord of Changán's underworld; a deadly female assassin who is fanatically devoted to her radical master; and a wildly improbable Western Persian Prince priest with impressive kung fu and building leaping skills. At the end of the day, this is very much a work of fiction and suspension of disbelief will be required as the lead characters achieve superhuman physical feats and survive certain death. All of which make for gripping, visually compelling and heart stopping action scenes.
The drama is not an easy, light watch. The first season (24 episodes) opens with the intense urgency of a fast moving, action packed thriller as the two leads Zhang Xiaojing (Lei Jia Yun) and Li Bi's (Jackson Yi) race against time to foil a terrorist plot during the Lantern Festival. The constraint of the 24 hour timeline forces the narrative to alternate between the high speed chase, political machinations around a power struggle and flashbacks that set up the backstory; all threads which converge in the unraveling of the conspiracy. The many plot twists interact with an extensive cast of complex characters from various factions with unclear and/or malleable loyalties in the power struggle between Li Bi's patron the Crown Prince and his powerful rival the Right Chancellor. In short, there is already a lot to take in so the occasional non sequitur cultural or historical digression can come off as one thing too many.
It took me a long time to care for any of the main characters in this show. Even relatively "good" characters are flawed, primarily driven by self interests and had questionable loyalties and morals. It wasn't obvious that Li Bi' s cause, the Crown Prince was more worthy than the Right Chancellor. Zhao Xiaojing's dealings with Gao Le alienated me; especially when it appeared his real motive was to protect the reckless and misguided Wen Ran. That episode and short lived character stayed with me for a long time because it is the first of many times that bad things happen to good people. And that is how good people can end up doing bad things. Thus there are no outright good or bad characters in this show, they are all products of events beyond their control. Time and again the drama explores how circumstances can push any character to act against his innate nature and self interest. It is a very realistic portrayal of the complexity of human nature's capacity for both good and evil and was acted out compellingly by a truly superb cast. I started to understand the true spirit of the drama when the plight of the common man of the Peacekeeper Corps moved the phlegmatic Li Bi to tears and made him their reckless champion. The real "heroes" in this drama are the common people; that is why it intentionally neglects the main characters and does not attempt to make you root for them and does not care if they have a happy ending. It celebrates the hardships and unrecognized capabilities of the nameless, faceless, powerless, voiceless man - from the forgotten soldier that gives his life for king and country to the ordinary citizens of Chang'an. It wants you to see them, hear them and care about them.
Season 2 (episodes 25-48) was much more enjoyable for me as the intensity of the chase abates and the narrative focus really zeroes in on the power struggle and the unvieling of the conspiracy and ulitmate mastermind. Finally the lead characters are also allowed to shine and shine they did. Zhao Yi Wei's Long Bo was the most provocative and masterfully portrayed character in the drama. As his path converges with that of Zhao Xiaojing, we see the many parallels between the one who seeks vengence and the one who fights to keep dreams alive.
I was surprised by how much I fun I had unraveling the conspiracy. It was very well done and largely kept to the unspoken bargain of hiding enough clues in plain sight that I was able to figure much of it out on my own. The motives of the ultimate mastermind were not convincing. While I had my eye on him as a suspicous character early on, I assumed he was just a link in the chain but not "the guy". It was a stretch that was probably one plot twist too many. One of the other suspects may have been a more credible choice.
Of course it is a foregone conclusion that the emperor was the ultimate villian. While the power dynamics between a manipulative and insecure emperor and his most trusted advisor and his heir has been done before, it was still extremely very well done here. I was completely satisfied when the son takes a leaf out of his father's book in the ultimate act of emotional manipulation. Checkmate. This was the most satisfaction I got from the ending. The bigger question of whether good things happen to good people is left open.
This is definitely the most epic, most idealistic, substantive and thought provoking drama of 2019. Its biggest flaw is that it is overly ambitious and tries to take on too many themes. That it came together so well is a feat in and of itself but as a result, it was not always easy to watch and certainly not something I wanted to dive right into after a hard day at the office. That said, I truly believe it is a must watch and may even be more enjoyable if taken more simplistically just for its stunning aesthetics, intrigue and action.
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The Plagiarist Cookbook
Who Rules the World is based on a well-loved, strong female centric novel that is normally my kind of story. However, the drama adaptation was undermined by the mid-production departure of the director and a key scriptwriter in the bitter aftermath of over fraternisation between production staff. It is clear that the drama was salvaged by borrowing heavily from other dramas and accusations of plagiarism have further weighed on the reception. I watched this for lack of anything better but to my surprise, it comes together quite well. It is indubitably the result of The Plagiarist Cookbook and is best enjoyed with a sense of humor for its stirring romance and parody plot.This drama starts strongly, promising a sensational fusion of romance, wuxia, palace intrigue and art of war. Set in a fictional Dadong empire, the Empyrean Token, which vests the imperial family with the mandate to rule mysteriously disappears, sending the empire onto the brink of war. All six vassal states vie to recover the token and potentially seize power. Longtime friendly rivals and top martial artists Bai Fengxi and Hei Fengxi get dragged into the fray as they stumble across a string of inexplicable killings. Together, they discover a sect with shadowy motives that could be linked to the struggle for control of Dadong. Behind their carefree jianghu personas, they both conceal identities with vested interests in the coming battle to decide who rules the world. Can their romance survive the battle for a new world order?
This drama's strongest selling point is Bai Fengxi and Hei Fengxi; they are simply the most awesome jianghu power couple. I was expecting more of the same old, same old Zhao Lusi. And my first impression of Yang Yang in what looked like Wang Yibo's hand-me-down Legend of Fei wig was meh, just another idol actor with a sharp, useless look about him. So to my surprise and delight, I enjoyed Lusi and Yang Yang's combined chemistry immensely. I love that their romance develops after years of friendly competition, when they are both secure, fully realised beings. Their relationship dynamics are captured in as much in their witty banter as in the nonverbal communication of their eyes, facial expressions and small gestures. They make for such a stunning looking couple with 夫妻相/fū qī xiàng or the look of a couple that it is hard not to root for them. That said, their relationship is mature and already perfect. They are on the same wavelength with mutual understanding that even in the matter of their secret identities, the reveal is in each case rather anti-climatic; an unimportant and unsurprising detail. While they experience many challenges together, most of the time they sail through them so effortlessly that the intensity is diminished. Since the drama is all about this couple, as charming as it is, their relationship after awhile feels static.
I really like how the smart women (to be clear, that means excluding Langhua) are portrayed in this drama. They are clever, independent and capable decision makers who don't succumb to the dumbest and most boring love rival tropes. Yet ultimately this is not the strong female-centric story I was expecting as it is much more Lanxi's story than it is Xiyun's story. Which is a shame because Lusi really takes her acting to another level in her portrayal of an indomitable and powerful character who cries as persuasively as she laughs and whose stomach is a bottomless pit. Her comedic expression remains her forte and in this production, her articulation is more mature and subtle than her earlier works. Hopefully down the road, she gets another shot at playing a strong female lead character and preferably one that drives the plot.
This is my first Yang Yang drama and wow, he is a sight for sore eyes and a much better actor than I guessed. He has incredibly expressive eyes such excellent micro expressions that he pulls off every imaginable romantic expression effortlessly. I can only applaud the neck breaking effort and dedication that goes into presenting his incomparable jawline at the most optimal camera angle at all times. If only we can unlock that frozen shoulder and see more natural body movement. Beyond that, he appears determined to cling to a righteous, gallant and conventional interpretation of his character. But I did not see the greyer, more complex side to Lanxi which I believe is consistent with how the role is actually written. While I enjoyed the slap that reverberated across the Dadong empire, I needed more. Like his father, I wanted to see Lanxi rise to the occasion, get angry, voice his resentment and demand justice. Instead, his brothers stole his lines while Lanxi simply stares down regally at the antagonists, best chin angle forward and nary a hair out of place. So definitely a young actor with lots of potential but Yang Yang's performance overall does not rise to the level of the character's complexity.
If I had to pinpoint where another writing/direction team takes over, it must be in the over extended Yongzhou arc. It is manifestly obvious that the Yongzhou royal family blueprint and at least two sub-plots in that arc are dumbed down knock offs from Royal Nirvana. I could be forgiving if they'd managed to make it better or more interesting than the original but nope, that did not happen. It is baffling how they chose to focus on done before royal succession palace intrigue tropes and less intelligent, archetypal villains at the expense of more compelling plot threads of conspiracies around dark sects committing murder and mayhem, missing tokens with fascinating grey characters like Huang Chao and Yu Wuyuan. There is an entire missing arc that could have better explored their back stories and more interesting dynamics.
The drama ends well after an exciting climax but the final six episodes are rushed and don't quite manage to close all of the open and more interesting plot threads. The war sequences are very well done even though they don't come together that coherently. But I don't like how they kill off good characters. To me, a few side characters I managed to get invested in deserved better deaths than what they got. And as for the final outcome, everyone got what they most wanted. If only Bai Fengxi knew the irony of her insistence that bai (white) precedes hei (black) in all matters.
The problem with using The Plagiarist Cookbook is the end product feels familiar but ultimately lacks substance and definition. I genuinely enjoyed watching this and laughed my way through it but more so because the MDL thread was amazing with many viewers with a great sense of humor and openness to plurality of opinions. I probably would have still enjoyed it but a lot less had I watched it by myself. While this has been my most fun watch of 2022, I can only rate this 8.0/10.0.
As promised for posterity:
Rules of The World:
#1 Falling down a steep cliff does not result in death
#2 Bai always precedes Hei - it is just the natural order of things
#3 Food has no calories and should be consumed at every opportunity
#4 When bad guys try to kill your love rival, let them
#5 Bai Fengxi remembers what she sees
#6 If you are going to dance seductively, wear a red dress
#7 The sleeve and the fan are mightier than the sword
#8 Don't bother with blankets, just use body heat
#9 Hand made noodles will unlock his life story
#10 Must have at least one bad parent and imaginary cousins
#11 The timely ankle twist is a more important skill than showy gravity defying flying kicks
#12 Must have strong piggy back and copious blood factory
#13 Never hold hands with just any girl in the streets, only that one girl
#14 You don't draw that well, she just looks that good
#15 Be greedy when it comes to food and all four elegant gentlemen
#16 Funerals are for dead people and not those you wish dead
#17 To eat or to Hei Fengxi, that is the question?
#18 Heaven hath no thunder greater than that of a long dead queen
#19 Be known by a dark foxy stripper 名号/name
#20 Surprise - they met when they were kids!
#21 Spicy exotic delicacies to ward off black dogs blood is just another excuse to eat
#22 Introducing your girlfriend to the girl who wants to be your girlfriend makes you the third wheel
#23 Don't give your master love advice unless you like memorizing military stratagems
#24 You get better love advice from romance novels than from your inexperienced subordinate
#25 A real hero need not take advantage of a woman to rule the world
#26 I promise to feed her well
#27 Foreshadowing is when her drawings and clay figures of you are all so.... round
#28 Be sure to let the villain and no one else know you are on to him
#29 When in doubt just stab the least likely suspect in the back
#30 The flower medicine kiss is a cure all for inner energy loss to deep stab wounds
#31 Greatest fool theory of sect leadership
#32 Stop dreaming about kissing her and just do it
#33 Two can play hide and seek in closets made for one
#34 Don't: As my most important wife and empress, I will give you the world
#35 Do: Xiyun who? You are my world
#36 Give your treacherous brother the coup de slap that is heard across the Dadong empire
#37 Revenge is a dish best served with a piece of long white cloth
#38 Let me see if you are good looking enough for my daughter?
#39 It is Hei Bai (black and white) that no son of mine should have to marry above him!
#40 Mess with my woman and I will knock the sacred jade out of your moon
#41 Nothing says hands off, he's mine like your bright red lipstick plastered over his cheek
#42 If Mo Yuan and Ye Hua can survive a weapon of mass destruction, so can I... oh... oops... wrong genre...
#43 Honey, 白头偕老/Bái tóu xié lǎo (grow white hair/old together) is not meant to be taken so literally or so independently.
And they lived heavily one decade after. Burp!
The End.
Warning: DO NOT try at home. May result in substantial weight gain, stomach ache, premature greying and/or loss of life and limb. Also, backstabbing and bitch slapping could be offences punishable by law in your jurisdiction.
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Anyone who knows me, knows that I am particularly hard rater. (I have only ever given one perfect 10 out of over 150 dramas watched). However, this ALMOST made my second, as this drama was utter perfection until almost the very end. Dark, mature, suspenseful. This drama had me on the edge of my seat each episode and desperately awaiting each week’s new chapters. Besides the ending, I LOVED everything about the show: the acting, cinematography, soundtrack, writing, and wardrobe. Everything contributed to an amazing story that was unlike anything I’ve ever seen!!
In this drama, Kim Nam Joo blew me away!! She was unbelievable. However, I must say, EVERY SINGLE person in the cast did a fantastic job. This drama had characters that were so layered and complex, that could tell a story based solely on their eyes and facial expressions. There are so many aspects that I loved about this drama and its characters, as flawed as many of them were. One of the best things about this show, was that it was riveting from episode 1 to episode 16, no filler episodes, and filled with intelligent writing with twists and intrigue throughout. Its only downfall was the finale where it floundered what could have been an epic ending. It is not that it is unhappy or happy and I disliked their choice. Instead it was lacking, weak, and inconclusive.
Originally, I did not start this drama until episode 6 or 7 had already been aired, as I had doubts about whether this drama was for me. I love romantic comedies and have never heard of the leads. However, I am so glad that I tried it because it has now in my top 3 dramas of all time. DO NOT LET THE GENRE OR CAST SCARE YOU OFF--or the ending!!! This drama is definitely worth watching. Highly recommend. :)
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Cliches done right!
THIS is how you incorporate all the cliches without making them annoying. THIS is how you incorporate humor without making it loud and cringy. THIS is how you do the perfect rom-com.Business Proposal felt like a throwback to early 2010 k-dramas and the golden age of romantic comedies, but it modernized it and fixed all the frustrating misunderstandings and miscommunications that made me tear my hair out back then.
I felt like the friendships were such an important part of this show from beginning to end and it made it that much better. The FLs and MLs are each so supportive of each other with their respective family situations, the coworkers are also such a supportive team, and it made the show that much more comforting to watch even when side characters came in to sabotage things as they usually do.
I admit that the ending is a little short and leaves some scenes and closure to be desired — but I understand that we only had twelve episodes and there probably wasn't much time to spend on some of the more interesting, non-romance subplots like backstories and family issues.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for something light-hearted and stress-free, this drama is the one.
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I Love My President Though He's A Psycho
125 people found this review helpful
I briefly considered giving this a 10 (like another review for this drama) simply because I just could not believe that the writer would, with their hand over their heart, believe this steaming pile of dog shit masquerading as a script could actually be halfway-decent enough to be shown to the world. But that would mean the rating for this drama would increase, which would be false advertising. So hence, here is my very honest and slightly disgruntled review (after all, I wasted a good day watching all 10 episodes. A day I will never get back.)
This show is low budget, but that's okay. Low budget shows can also be great (read: Go Princess Go) or at the very least, watchable (read: Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me). Here, on the other hand, it was like the producers didn't even have enough to hire actors. Hell, my aunt who stays at home and reads to her 12 cats can probably act better. For example, when the male lead was talking about his 'Paranoid Personality Disorder' (does this even exist?), he put on this facial expression that really, really wanted to be tortured, but sort of fell in the ballpark of constipated. I think that if the producers spent less on all the fancy sets and locations, they could've afforded some decent actors, but hey, who cares about actors anyway.
I still can't believe this story is what it is. It gives me hope that if crap like THIS can get produced, then anything I end up writing will have the producers queuing in front of my house.
It starts off with our bug-eyed, small faced heroine (whose face kinda creeped me out with its very apparent plasticky-ness) being kidnapped and tied to a chair with a cheap-looking alien brain-sucking device on her head- or so you'd think (muwahaha the budget strikes again!) Its actually a lie detector. We see a bunch of science-y looking scientists (because lab coats, duh) ask her where she hid the baby. Female lead gets confused and vehemently denies ever being pregnant. Lie detector says she's lying, and the scientists keep asking her where she hid the baby. The heroine faints. Fast forward a bit, and we see our hero, looking all serious and hero-like while having a face that is 3 shades lighter than his neck (good make up artists cost money). Now, even HE asks her about the baby- his baby, apparently- and absolutely refuses to accept that they never had sex in the first place, because according to him, they both were drunk at a party she was waitressing at when they had it. While a normal person would accept that an ordinary woman would know if she ever pushed out a baby, this guy was somehow convinced that our female lead birthed a human without her knowledge.
Once this idiocy got over, the male lead had no reason to keep her at his mansion, but ya' know, he still did because he is 'ohmagerd obsezzed!!!' The female lead eventually stayed because Stockholm Syndrome.
Okay, I'll stop there. Not only because I was getting more and more annoyed as I typed, but the review was also suffering (if it hasn't already suffered enough.)
Tl;dr- The actors can't act, the writer can't write, the directors can't direct and the producers can't produce.
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Shining as Each Other's Light
Love Like The Galaxy (星汉灿烂) is adapted from the novel of the same name (星汉灿烂, 幸甚至哉). Love Like The Galaxy narrative revolves around Cheng Shaoshang, daughter of the Cheng family, who was left by her parents when she was a baby; and Ling Buyi, a general who’ trying to unfold the conspiracy behind what happened in the past. The drama narrative then starts years later, during the return of her parents.Love Like The Galaxy storytelling is executed nearly to perfection; the story unfolds at a casual pace, with a gradual development of the characters, unravelling their background story and relationships. The drama also has an interesting storyline with a really well-conceived and realistically written character, every character is multi-faceted and complex, with their own background story. It also has a lot of interesting characters and relationship dynamics; their relationship dynamic is realistically and convincingly portrayed.
The first 10 episodes of the drama started off with a hint of comedic and light-hearted note, which is really pleasing. I absolutely adore the comedic elements in the drama with the storytelling approach. The drama's comedic elements are not forced nor cheap, it is genuinely light-hearted and funny, and I adore how they use wordplay. I especially love how Shaoshang is always on her wits to fight back against others who bully her or people around her. The first 10 episode shows Shaoshang's family dynamic, her relationship with her mother, father, brothers, and more. Some scenes were really heartbreaking to see but also heartwarming at the same time. Moving on, the drama gradually shows Shoashang’s growth, how she learns to rely on herself, find love and more. There are happiness, sadness, anger, disappointment and all.
It is comforting to see a drama that focuses on the family dynamics, not all on romance. I personally love how the romance between Ling Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang is taking time, instead of both of them falling in love at first sight. We can gradually see how Shaoshang starts to develop feelings for Ling Buyi because of his gesture and actions, which is more realistic. Though they have very different personalities, it is very pleasant to see how they learn to love, learn to grow up and face problems around them; they are made for each other.
The drama is directed by Fei Zhenxiang, who is known for directing Candle in The Tomb series. This drama is his first time directing a historical drama and he did a really remarkable job. He is able to show his unique and distinct style, and deliver the picture he has in mind. Also because of his experience in tomb raiding dramas, he is able to portray those bloody scenes really well.
Love Like The Galaxy also has really impressive cinematography and sets, it has beautiful wide shots, immersive tracking shots, and many more pretty shots. For now, I especially love the one-long take on episode 7 and the lantern festival shots! The shot is really fluid and immersive. Moreover, the cinematography and colour grading really reflected every atmosphere and situation, it will leave a deep impression on the audience. Through the cinematography and set, you can see that this drama has a big budget and it is allocated well. The fire during the lantern festival is not created using CGI, it is real, the production team spent 3 days creating a new building and for it to be burned down.
The characterizations of each role in the drama are immensely elevated by the excellent acting of Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei. They deliver such an in-depth and rich character arc, with a myriad of emotional expressions. Both of the actors are able to convey their emotions through micro expression and the way they articulate every scene is really praiseworthy. They have small actions that reflect their emotion, for instance, how Ling Buyi’s eyebrow slightly raised when he saw Shaoshang; and how Shaoshang looks away when she saw her mother being close to her cousin instead of her.
The character, Cheng Shaoshang was stellarly portrayed by Zhao Lusi. She did a very good job, it is unimaginable that others can pull off Shaoshang’s character in such a compelling way. Through this drama, she also manages to show everyone that she can also play dramas other than tianchongs drama. She manages to show the character’s sincerity, but also complex and intriguing at the same time, not compromising on what the character experienced. Zhao Lusi manages to infuse her character with kindness and righteousness, also with a sense of pragmatism. Throughout the drama, she also was able to portray layers of Shaoshang; Shaoshang’s facade of being ignorant and unruly but also her fragility and her longing to be loved by her family. Zhao Lusi also uses her own voice here, I love how she has this milky and soft voice that is really soothing! But also, because of her milky voice, some part with heavier elements makes falls short, due to her lack of emotional line delivery.
Wu Lei also did a very notable job! Seeing him in the drama, really makes me feel that he has really grown up, he is no longer the kid in Nirvana in Fire. Ling Buyi is a hard role to play since he has a cold and indifferent exterior, but at the same time he is also complicated, he is sincere and sinister at the same time. But Wu Lei managed to execute it to perfection with his articulation, bearing, stance, and his micro-expressions. He especially displays a remarkable line delivery, which shows Ling Buyi’s authority. Some might dislike how he only has this one expression throughout the drama, but I love it. Because you will gradually see how his character starts changing, how he began to smile more because of Shaoshang’s presence.
Love Like The Galaxy also has enchanting music scoring and realistic yet sweet lines. The drama has bold music scoring with traditional Chinese instruments that match every situation so well. The diegetic and non-diegetic sound is very fitting to every situation. Moreover, the dialogues in the drama are also very realistic. Though realistic, it still didn’t take away its romantic essence of it.
The drama also has some very interesting detail, such as:
1. Ep 11: Yuan Shen broke the shaoshang string while he was playing the guqin, foreshadowing that he’ll not end up with Shaoshang.
2. Ep 12: Shaoshang used a shaoshang string to save Ling Buyi. The string was drenched in blood, which also becomes a red string, connection to 月老, god of love
3. Shaoshang and her fiancées carriage detail:
- Luo Yao-open cart. He won’t be able to go through wind and rain (difficulties)
- Yuan Shen-carriage. He sat in main seat (self centered)
- Ling Buyi-big stable carriage. SS sat in main seat, he sat on side guarding her.
4. Ling Buyi is often framed in a wide shot and positioned in a high place. Showing that he has high and influential power, but also makes him look lonely. And It was only after he met Shaoshang, that those wide high angle shots gradually lessens.
Love Like The Galaxy is considered to release early, they released the drama and also working on the post-production at the same time. LLTG team still did a notable job in editing, but I can’t help to notice that in the latter episodes the CG was not as good and as smooth as in the beginning episodes.
All in all, do give this drama a try! After watching the first two episodes of the drama, you'll find yourself wanting more. The drama visuals, story, and emotion will pull you in deep. And every episode keeps on getting better and better, with unexpected comedic and heartbreaking twists and turns. You would find yourself watching back some of the clips just to appreciate the dialogue and actions.
P.s. I also love how they especially edit their trailer, unlike other drama where they just edit a 1-minute scene of the next episode, LLTG team especially meticulously edit their trailer, leaving the audience to guess and interprets what is going to happen in the next upcoming episode.
“Might as well expect less from others, and be better to yourself. You’ll live more comfortably.”
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Don't watch this if you cannot accept human and robot relationships
This is the drama that made me look forward to Mondays. I would rush home from work every night just to watch the live stream in raw, even though I didn’t understand Korean. A lot of people gave this drama negative comments and a low score because they couldn't accept the FL and a robot falling in love. Well, hate to burst your bubble but, this has always meant to be an interspecies romance and they never masked that fact or tricked you into believing it wasn't. If someone thinks this kind of thing is not okay, then the drama is simply not for them. It doesn't mean there is a problem with the quality of the drama itself.The Message
The title “Are You Human Too?” is a mockery to humans that have lost their good in humanity. A pure robot, Nam Shin III, that always thinks for others first is meant to draw a contrast to bring out the dark side of human nature, and have us reflect on what it means to be human. When I first heard about this premise, I was worried whether they would be able to deliver this message well. But this drama never failed to meet my expectations. At first glance, it may be unfair to compare a perfect robot to flawed humans, but the morale of the story is not to conclude that robots are better, it’s that humans, although flawed, should strive to become better and sometimes to humbly learn from a robot who has outgrown its owner in kindness and justice. In the story we can see characters who have been blinded by their dark sides and have forgotten about humanity. This humanity, hopefully, will be restored through Nam Shin III, who teaches these people an important life lesson about being selfless.
The Plot
This is a sci-fi drama, but it’s not the type that keeps you at the edge of your seat from the very first episode. Rather, it focuses on character relationships and how each affects the other. That being said, there are more than enough mind-blowing plot twists and shocking cliffhangers to keep us engaged. The ending of each episode had my mouth gaping in awe, as I wait another one more week to watch its resolution. Unfortunately, the plot became a bit draggy in the middle half, and there were certain episodes where nothing much happened. There was definitely some potential that they could have explored about AI and the sci-fi genre, but they didn't. The drama was still largely entertaining and the first of its kind, so there's that.
The Characters
First, I would like to give a thumbs up to Seo Kang Joon’s stellar performance acting as a robot and a human being. This is his first time starring dual roles, one of them being non-human, but he was able to differentiate the personalities really well. You could tell which was which just by looking at their subtle facial expressions.
In this drama, the villains, or more accurately the “flawed humans”, are the ones that drive the plot. Despite being a pain in the neck, these characters are inevitably 3-dimensional, each having their own backstory and motives that drive their actions. You may wish for their downfall in one moment, and pity them in another. All in all, they are realistic characters that you would understand where they are coming from no matter if you agree with them or not. It goes to show that humans have both bright and dark sides, and villains can also be victims at the same time.
The Chemistry
I really appreciate how beautiful the OTP’s relationship is. Despite not having a lot of screen time or skinship together, they have great on-screen chemistry and their bonding is amazing. Their relationship taught me about what it means to love someone, and that love isn’t a feeling or emotion, it’s a value that you live for. Nam Shin III can comprehend emotions but he can never feel them, but it doesn’t stop him from experiencing love and becoming truly like a human through breaking the boundaries of robotics.
The OST
I have most of the songs on replay, and every time a song was released I’d download it within 3 hours and listen to it. All the songs were good and fit the scenes very well. One of the songs worth noting is The Longing Dance, which really enhances the cinematic atmosphere of the drama.
This drama is recommended to people who like deep messages about humanity, love, 3-dimensional villains and a cute puppybot companion. If you don’t mind interspecies romance between a robot and a human, definitely give it a try!
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I had to think for a couple of days before writing this review because I had to sort out my feelings and thoughts so I could form them into words. Sadly though, mission is not accomplished. No matter how hard I thought about it, it is really hard to put this movie into words. It is a movie that you need to “sense” not “read” about. Thanks to director Lee Yoon-Ki, who is known as an emotional delicate director, the movie had so much charm and beauty added to the already beautiful story.
'One Day' is a healing-fantasy movie about two wounded people, it depicts the story of a man and a spirit with a similar pain and scar who meet each other ‘one day’. One of the reasons I labeled this movie as a new genre is because even though there was no love story going on between the two, the story was very much about ‘love’. It was fascinating to me that loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, and lack of heart of two people could be healed without the ‘I love you, I don’t love you’ format. I can’t even begin to express how captivated I was by the fact that this movie healed wounds without "love" between Kang Soo and Mi So. With all the sorrow in disguise it still managed to be a refreshing new genre.
One of the modest yet profound messages in the movie is when it suggests that a ‘blind’ person should be referred to as ‘blind’ person and not ‘impaired’ (it made a huge difference in Korean language and in my opinion it makes a difference in English as well as my own language).
Kang Soo and Mi So are two people who face each other through their scars and as they get closer, they realize that their wounds are in 'contact'. The best expression I could define them with is, 'window' because they were like a window to each other. On one hand Mi So is Kang Soo’s window to his inner-self and the memories that he locked away after losing his wife. On the other hand, Kang Soo is Mi So’s window to the world.
The story on the surface ‘a living person meeting a spirit’ is not a new material it's been done before countless of times. However, unlike other projects, ‘One Day’ depicts pain and loss in a beautifully healing fantasy. Mi So as a character as her name suggests (her name means ‘smile’), is not just your average spirit, she’s a bright, vivid, warm, sweet and endearing bundle of joy. Watching her smile was all the joy I needed.
The delicate and modest directing of Lee Yoo-Ki takes this fantasy and naturally applies it in our reality without risking the material becoming overwhelming.
Two of the most remarkable points in 'One Day' are Kim Nam Gil and Chun Woo Hee’s golden performance (calling it 'golden' is an understatement). KNG’s charismatic act through his deep expressive eyes even with scenes featuring no dialogues at all has once again swept me off my feet. He embodied Kang Soo and captured every bits and pieces of his pain and sorrow. KNG’s delicate display of Kang Soo’s emotion was top class graceful performance. However, this movie’s heartthrob I shall say is Chun Woo Hee. It is hard enough to play a blind character, but to also have to play a spirit, who on the other hand can actually see, is a challenge on its own. I don’t know how I will adjust to the fact that she’s not Mi So and she’ll be playing other characters in the future but I do very much look forward to her future projects.
Music:
Wonderful instruments combined with exquisite sceneries that had me taking deep breathe several times as I feast my eyes. This is the first time I’m actually happy with the music section in a movie.
Overall:
I’m a person who enjoys dramas a lot more than I do with movies, simply because movies have different format and the fact that they end so quickly doesn’t allow me to connect emotionally as well as I do mentally. Thus, it’s really hard to find a movie that not only do I NOT want to ever finish, but also makes me feel as if I’ve entered a different world. ‘One Day’ is that kind of movie to me, a movie that I never thought I’d come to meet. I went to watch it as a huge KNG’s fan and came out with a movie that I can finally label as an absolute favorite of mine. ‘One Day’ is definitely not a movie for everyone, but it’s a movie that will have you sensing all shades and colors of emotions.'One Day' is a beautiful, fresh, artistic, delicate, ‘feel good’ (despite the sadness) and enriched with classic vibes movie. It has ‘rightfully’ stole my heart. Finally I have met my 10/10 movie.
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It’s true that the American version has better visuals because…duh, it was produced four years after Infernal Affairs but the original remains the best. Anyhow, I am not here to compare both versions; let’s talk about this movie.
Infernal Affairs is about the underground world, the triads and the moles. This is probably the best undercover story ever written; the developments created a race against time to reveal the moles within the gang and the police. This is a fast paced rollercoaster ride with many twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The suspense element was flawless but the mystery built up was somehow lacking that’s why the storyline didn’t manage to get the perfect score.
Like any other action movie, this one contains violence and brutal killing sometimes but I wouldn’t categorize it as a violent movie. This is basically a thriller-crime mixed up with well-made suspense with the undercover theme as its center.
The acting was quite remarkable, with Tony Leung and Andy Lau as main leads you’re bound to expect something with quality and they surely didn’t disappoint. They were both great in portraying their role and delivering feelings; nothing less from two of the best actors in HKC productions. Other actors like Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang were also quite good and pretty convincing.
This movie’s characterization was the major strength point beside the clever writing of course. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that all characters will be able to to get your full intention whether they were the good guys or the villains. The writers succeeded in creating top-notch characters’ development that will make you relate with each and every one of them.
The music was fitting for a suspense thriller movie; I also liked the “Shi Shey” song that was played in the background, it was really calming.
Watch this if:
-You’re looking for good suspense thriller with unexpected twists and turns.
- You’re fond of undercover themed stories.
- You’re in the mood for good screenwriting and compelling storyline.
- You like Andy Lau, Tony Leung or both them. This shouldn’t be missed for both of their fans.
Do not expect:
-Happy ever after ending.
- Romance.
All in all, this movie is wonderfully made since it can draw you into the world of darkness and make you strongly attached to its characters and events. If you like the genres, I can guarantee that this movie will manage to move you one way or another.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not a FLATLINE drama. GOOD JOB GMM
This review is a subjective opinion on what I liked and didn't like about this drama. It is in no way meant to sway anyone from watching it.When most of the GMM series that have come out lately have FLATLINED, here comes 1000 Stars to BEAT life in GMM again.
I will admit that 2021 has had some major disappointments when it comes to BLs. Most notably, GMM has left a bad taste in my mouth as of late. However, this drama really proved that THEY DO KNOW how to tell a story without the gimmicks of their preivous projects. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was worried at first about GMM taking on topics such as death and organ donation without bastardizing it. I was plesantly surprised that they did such a good job marrying the story with these topics. I was really scared that they would go on the "Tian only cares for Phu because of Tofurn" and this would have made it difficult for me as a viewer to feel for any of the characters. I was very very glad they made it clear that Tian's feelings are his and his alone and nothing to do with him getting Tofurn's heart.
This drama was about Tian finding his real self more than it was about him fulfilling Tofurn's dreams. He was a reckless, spoiled and often uncaring individual, who by "fate" or whatever you want to call it, ended up getting sick and needing a heart. As fate would have it, the heart he ends up getting is of Tofurn a young woman who is in love with Chief Phupha. And althoug romance is a part of this drama, it isn't as central to me as Tian's self-descovery of his worth and what he can do for others.
This was obvious is the various ways the director created a parallel flashback with the present. Tian finding joy in flying kites as opposed to him gambling, Tian wearing traditional clothes and the flashback of how he could easily get expinsive clothing but could just as easily get rid of it. The way Tian felt proud to wear that traditional shirt because he felt welcomed into the village.
Cinematography was amazing. Music lovely, and characters were all central and important to the story. From the smallest (villager) to Tian's parents, everyone's role was not wasted.
The only caveat for me is that Ep 8 and a bit of Ep 9 had some unnecessary plot points, but overall this is a must watch.
9.5/10 Excellent.
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This film has a very 40's film noir feelng and it's nicely shot. The costumes and set design are pretty to look at as well. The story interested me because living in America, you don't often get a good history of World War II seen from other points of view during that time. There was a lot going on in the world at that time; in China, Spain and Russia not just the major players like England, France, Germany, Japan and so on.
The sex scenes are intense but they lent themselves to the relationship of the two involved. Through their passionate affair you watch the spy and the target fall victim to what happens when you become physically intimate with someone. Feelings inevitably get involved. There were some scenes frought with tension as you watch the woman get in over her head in the name of her cause.
I'm giving this a 10 for great acting, directing and script. This is a very well done film. There is a reason why it was nominatd for so many awards including Best Foreign Film by The Golden Globes and BAFTA.
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Nothing happened
Honestly I wish I could have given this a bigger score. I really do. But nothing happened.I originally watched this hoping for something to happen with Leon and Pob -- it was their relationship that was left unresolved, and it was this that I had the most hopes for (big mistake). We got maybe 5 minutes of screentime total for these two (we got to see more of Leon than Pob, but in regards to them talking/thinking about their relationship, it was like 5 minutes), and they never interacted with each other. Pob finally comes back to Thailand (on the same plane as Leo and Fiat, no less, but none of them ever find that out) and he and Leon get so many of those coincidental almost-see-each-other-but-don't moments. At the end, they decide to leave it up to fate if they're ever going to see each other again. (Which is so ridiculous in my opinion. You gotta put effort into a relationship if you want it to work, guys. Come on.)
As for Leo and Fiat, we got the most screentime from them (of course), but apart from fluff and some sexy moments, nothing happened plot-wise. They came back from London and hung out with their friends. That's kinda it. Cute, but not much else.
And while the video itself is an hour and a half, the last 20-ish minutes are just BTS pictures and videos. Just a warning, because I kept thinking we'd get more resolution and then we didn't.
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Maeng Se-na (Choi Soo-young) is a brilliant character. Watching her shift from an implacable "villain's lawyer" in the courtroom to hiding her Gold Boys photocards and stickers whenever her client walks in is hilarious, yet deeply human.
Kim Jae-young delivers an outstanding performance as Do Ra-ik, a broken idol dealing with panic attacks and sasaeng harassment before getting entangled in the murder of his own groupmate. Personally, I believe this is one of the best-acted roles of his career, though, in my eyes, he’s always perfect.
Unlike other idol dramas, the whodunit here keeps you constantly on edge. It makes you question whether we truly know our idols or if we simply love the mask they project.
It’s meta, intense, and features explosive chemistry (at times made awkward by the legal context) between the leads. If you enjoyed The Judge from Hell or legal dramas with a modern twist, this is a 2025/2026 gem you cannot miss.
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