News 
This review may contain spoilers
Miyazawa Hio is GORGEOUS XD sigh. Now then. Sometimes you just need a soft baby girl to remind you, that the things that 'sound ugly ' or 'strange' are just in our heads. When people look at gay people as though they're 'ugly' its just their own ugliness they reveal.And how the biggest problem we all have is that when we lie to others, we're really just lying to ourselves. I'm not gay. I dont love you. Every time we do this, we're just making things worse. Because no lie stays hidden forever and no closet is comfortable enough to hide your gay ass for the rest of your life.
That cheating double life will destroy you and everyone around you.
And I just love how fresh that little girl's perspective was, it was like fudge, why didn't I think of that lol I missed her when the movie ended.
But so why not a full ten stars?
Here's the reason.
There was just way too much of courtroom drama, it just didn't suit the tone of the movie that they set. I would have been fine if it was just a few scenes, instead of being the entire second half of the film! It kills the closeness they were showing in the first half, I don't know it just felt wrong. Felt like that lack of bonding in the second half just didn't work.
Was this review helpful to you?
You Are My Most Favourite Surprise
Make My Heart Smile tells the story of Ye Wei Mian who disguises as her twin, Ye Zheng Han due to some circumstances. Through disguising as Ye Zheng Han, she met Gu Yan Luo and embark on a romantic journey. The plot is straightforward and not complicated. However tho, the storyline is very cliche, you can literally predict everything that is going to happen, it is your typical story of an average woman who meets a "god-like" man. And also I can lowkey feel a hint of the Korean drama, School 2015. As the title name goes, this drama makes you smile from time to time, you can feel the sweetness between the leads. The plenty of sweet kiss scenes in this drama definitely made up for the lack of storyline and plot holes. Such as, there is no explanation about the twin's parents, Yan Luo's dad, and so on.Luo Zheng's character in this drama is someone who is cold yet warm to the one he loves. And I can say that Luo Zheng did a pretty good job since most of the characters he portrayed are similar. The actress, Ji Mei Han also did a pretty good job. I've watched some of the dramas she featured in before, but she did not leave any deep impression, so I can't really comment on her acting. However, I gotta say, some of her scenes were really cringey and greasy. Another thing that does not sit in right with me is her costume, why does the wardrobe and design team dress her like she is a 7-year-old kid. The wardrobe team could've definitely done better.
This drama was under a lot of backlashes due to a racist comment in the drama, "you look like a Filipino maid". I know it is wrong for the actors and production team not to clarify it, however, I personally feel that one shouldn't literally criticize the whole drama over a line of the scriptwriter's mistake. There is still a group of actors, directors, and so on hard work poured into this drama.
All in all, if you are looking for a fluffy romance that will make you smile this is the one! (if you don't mind the racist comment tho)
Was this review helpful to you?
(Sorry it’s pretty long haha)
• This is INTENSE. Hah. I watched it not long after completing "Cheongdamdong Alice" which is a light hearted romantic comedy with the same lead actor (Park Si Hoo) and they couldn't be further far apart and in opposite spectrums! And while intense dramas are usually the genre I opt for and I sincerely wasn't expecting a drama so masterfully written that would blow out the waters.
• 'Star crossed lovers'/ 'Forbidden love' are these genres that you love to venture into? Well this is right up your street. Although you may be presumptuous into believing you are getting a very typical 'Romeo & Juliet' type story, it has a lot more depth than you could ever imagine. I hope you’ll bear with the slow start of this drama)
• I highly applaud the writer for not taking us down the standard K-drama cliché route. While it's so hard to maintain fresh ideas (with so many dramas around) and avoid the typical rules of K drama land, I am impressed at how the story was carried out with some pretty un-predictable revelations. While it was not faultless I can’t say it applied to everything but it was a pretty damn close to being as far away as possible from being stereotypical.
• Astounding OST I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a good OST. And boy does this do it for me. Baek Ji Young is definitely the queen of OST’S and this is just an additional one added to her line of hauntingly beautiful soundtracks she has done. Her song ‘Again, today I love you’ will stick with you long after the drama ended, that said all the songs that represent the main characters (Particularly the lovers Seung Yoo and Se Ryung) each have their own songs which literally scream what you can hear blaring from their hearts.
• Wonderful chemistry between the two leads. Usually something that is overlooked, as sometimes while it can be fantastic to put two high profile actors together for a drama however It doesn’t beat two leads who share an amazing on screen chemistry. While I don’t mean the fire work/sparks flying of the screen type, but the type, where you genuinely believe that these are two people in love. (I’d say their phenomenal acting has a lot to do with this) But you can feel/breathe each characters feelings and when they are happy, you’re joyful but when their heart’s break, so does yours.
• It’s not perfect. No not nit-picking, I absolutely loved this drama, and while nothing is perfect and I have so much praise for it. I want to point out that it does have its flaws; some parts of the drama can feel slightly dragged out, and you may feel at times you don’t get indulged enough into seeing enough of the romance side and on some occasions in episodes there wasn’t enough screen time for the romance aspect. Don’t get me wrong, I love the side stories and the political side was a great element of the story line as well as portraying why the two leads are the way they are; but at times I thought there was too much emphasis on the side stories and lack of concentration on the main protagonists. I think the long wait for these precious moments we all wait for did make it all so much sweeter when we finally got them and powerful scenes between Se-Ryung and Seung-Yoo were nothing short of spectacular.
Some moments I think I needed a fan/ Park Si Hoo sizzles and Moon Chae Won is unbelievably charming I am almost convinced this was not a drama and it all happened it real life.
I do hope you enjoy this hauntingly beautiful drama as much as I did, my heart gets a gut wrenching feeling when I hear the OST and although this is not my favourite drama nor will I be re watching it for a while (Too.Intense.man) need too cool off. Phew! I would watch it for just for the Seung Yoo/Se Ryung Moments (I do love this couple)
It’s not just another tragic love story drama, It’s set in a context where you can understand why the two leads would fall in love (‘stead of telling you that they had because it’s part of the plot), the development in each character is something you will see blossom and grow as you see how people lived/ and their values were at the time. It will make you reflect on what’s important and how it was never easy to live the way they wanted to back then as the complications of blood ties and where betraying your father was treason.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fabulous Idea; Epic Fail
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.The only positive thing about this series was the group dynamic between the four friends. This series had an interesting premise, but failed with the execution. The script started off great but completely fell apart by episode 5. The main problem is it has too many storylines that were not fully developed. You get bits and pieces of a story with no full details. Because it’s an 8-episode series, they should have scaled down on the storylines and supporting characters. I was bored by the romance storyline and wished they had focused more on the friendship aspect of the script. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The actors did a great job with what they were given. However, many of the characters had very little depth or substance to them which is probably due to the poor script. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information.
******Spoiler Alert******
The romance between Pyo Ji Eun and Ji Woo Min was lack luster. I’m not a fan of love triangles, but the one in this series was the most annoying.
It's interesting that Joseph (the designer) and Ye Seon Ho (the modal) had very little character development considering this was about the fashion industry. You see how their careers developed, but nothing really about their personal life.
What was the point of Shim Do Young’s storyline? This character was annoying and creepy at times. This storyline had no real purpose in the series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: Well the basic story was interesting and different, but the writer didnt add much substance to it, I mean how can you stretch a story line which is good for about 10 episodes to 16, it kept going round and round endlessly. The main story was mild but the side stories were quite boring.
Acting: Park Shi Hoo was perfect as always, like most of his other dramas he does steal the show. Probably if it wasnt for his acting this drama would have been a disaster. He plays the cute and nutty character wonderfully as does he with the more serious role of the same character. The female lead I felt was not the right choice. I didnt much care for her acting, and mosty she has a blank and bland expression. Sadly another basic thing which was lacking was the chemistry. That was very lukewarm, rather cold actually.
Verdict: Nothing addictive about this one. If you are a PSH fan, then I guess you have to watch it. Others if you have time and nothing else to watch then give it a go but dont expect it to be like other PSH dramas.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
the scene at the start - i was like wow that didn't take a sec and we r getting both violence and a pretty intense sex scene... but the more it goes on, u "get" that only goes to show the hypocrisy and unfairness, where hundreds r being butchered, where the ones in power r enjoying the "fruits of their labor"... and this sh*t be going on even now, where people being slaughtered for a privileged few.but getting back to my opinion about the movie - this turned out to be a tragedy. sub's were killing the mood, found myself chuckling more than once at the absurdity of them, but the story is freaking sad.
Ga-Hee understandably wants revenge, she wasn't only brutally raped by that f*cker Jin, his family/ mother not only injures her mother when she comes seeking justice for her child, but precedes to burn her alive thinking, they were getting rid of the daughter/"evidence". who wouldn't want to demolish their family?!?... and as she isn't powerful she becomes a pawn (suicide mission from the look of things) for Prince Bang-won. who wants to get rid of that white bearded minister whose close to the king. what better way then through his family?!
ironically Min-Jea who is (well in name alone) Jin's father and the minister's son-in-law is basically a good guy, he is the pawn used to infiltrate the family. using info about his own unfortunate childhood. but as he is a good guy - unlike everyone else involved, he doesn't use or mistreats Ga-Hee. and their attraction is genuine. which in turn, grows into love. this was sad because of how it unfolded but it was good in-spite of the bad subs.
side note this aint NO porno, and people going on and on about this being Phonographic need to check out porn-hub to see what porn really is. yeah its erotic as f*ck, but it wasn't obscene or vulgar. so plz with the prudish attitude, there is so much more to this movie then the nudity/sex scenes, that focusing on only that, is childishly idiotic - if this is not for u - go watch something pg for the sake of ur own sanity
Was this review helpful to you?
Ella Chen was hilarious and adorable! Her expressions always had me cracking :D And that reminds me - the adorable little boy from Autumn's concerto is in this drama too! Awww. If only cuteness could kill. And after watching this drama I'm really looking forward to Taiwan's version Of Hana Kimi (I don't think there could've been a better choice for the role of Ashiya than Ella Chen) and Hana Yori Dango (Jerry Yen as Goo Joon Pyo = I can't wait) ^^
Special credits to Jerry Yen as Yu Ping. Lol, sorry but his hotness deserves super special credits. Not just anyone can pull off a pink shirt looking as hot as him ^^ Super special credits to the kids. Aww, I wish they'd stuck around longer so that Guo could continue being their nanny for a few more episodes. I missed them so much! But the story turned another way (mostly involving fake relationships and annoying people). still liked it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Story-The story is a dark melodrama about when passion spins out of control. It discusses adultery, unrequited love, and (what I would call) abuse. You already know from the very beginning that things will go really wrong with the affair(s). The plot moves from the past to the present which what makes this show exciting.
Acting- I feel that Lee Dong Wook's best role is here. I know a lot of people who have enjoyed My Girl and say that was his best role, but I disagree. I believe his best role was in Bittersweet Life. In this role, he went from adorable and happy, to scary and creepy like that. That made the show even more enjoyable because you would not know how he would react next.
Park Si Yeon did a great job at being a mistress that you don't want to have around. In this drama, her character comes off as money obsessed and annoying. It isn't a great combo, but still I don't think it was her fault for coming off that way. I just think that was the writer trying to make her as dislikable as possible....which honestly isn't hard.
Jung Bo Suk (aka the husband)- succeeds in being a man you love to hate. His character is a control freak who doesn't really care about anybody. He did a great job at making people want to punch the screen.
Oh Yun Soo- Wow. Just wow. She was great! I don't know if it was the writers doing or her own doing, but I felt the character's resentment in a way I can't describe.
Music- The music was wonderful. It was exciting and thrilling and fit well with every scene.
Overall- I highly recommend! Definitely not a drama for kids though.
Was this review helpful to you?
Brace Your Flight to Avert Catastrophe
Personal Note before Review: I have reassembled my thoughts before pouring mine out due to being influenced to look at letterboxd's reviews (before the official release, because they watch pre-screen from Cannes Award last year), then my mind goes screwed all over then messed all up like *rant-rage mode activated* so I prefer to opinize mine rather than hearing their thoughts insteadTL;DR: What if you already plan to take a vacation abroad, but when it comes to an emergency situation; you've come unprepared beforehand? What if you have zero knowledge of what's going on up there, but decide to side with the fault before reading the room? That's basically what happened during this watch of its announcement theme. You'll never know what's up or below, sky or land, just to resolve a calamity
I have come up with its pros and cons, but most cons are from their perspectives and my assumptions (which doesn't mean that's their overall thoughts. It's just a theory)
PROS:
It's Not That You Instead of Delving into This Story But Must IMMERSE Their Experience
There is a reason why I should encourage you to use the upgrade cinema feature (4DX or Screen X if you afford it): this one. As you can see from all trailers, you need to experience how it feels to fly through the horizon, while encountering the crisis itself. It slowly starts from the usual atmosphere on land, then before departure, then all... all combined into one while knowing their solving to each problem
Every Main Lead Nailed Their Tasks. Period
Nothing goes unresolved in this film. They made a great job settling down every precise detail of its roots. From solving cases to ongoing aviation crisis, which is why I really love this development so much that I want to rewatch it all over again. I have no queasy feeling for this film for the first time I ever had, which is funny coming from myself, who dislike marathons such mediums
It Will Leave You Emotional Depending on The Circumstances
General to personal, for some main leads' stories. Leaves you wondering why, but you found the answer throughout the film. Can't say it's unpredictable, but all I can say is unexpected
A Reality-Check Eventhough It's Fiction
But I believe this director collect/researched all investigation cases, especially major ones into this remarkable movie. Sad to say that this is not from the true event, but he leaves wonderful, inspirational traces behind, even after his previous creations. Salute
Now, to its CONS:
Longer Movie Duration
I realized that some of the watchers I observed during that, are dozing off; and bigger 'alarms' (you'll see why) woke them up. I don't think this one is a part of the weakness for this film because I find it overall enthusiastic (yet also wondering how some can endure watching not instead of 2+ hours, even from web movies like 4+ or maximum 8 hours?)
Political Issues Included, Hence Biased Favor of Its Propaganda
Yes.... this one, is pretty much undeniable, and I see the pattern there. I mean, not willing to take any risks from certain countries, hence being one-sided and all. I don't want to be specific on which country, but you'll see, again, why
Regardless of any endings they made: happy, sad, or open-endings, I'd still rate this 10 anyways, because they have portrayed everything beautifully, and made it a Hollywood-esque level of VFX, cinematography... even its storyline, too. I've been more than glad despite its 2-year delay, it's the most worth watching; therefore the best Korean movie I ever watched so far
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Probably one of the best cbl I've ever watched. Even better than ABO & RL
ABO & RL are totally different genre from this. You can consider those more on the lighter side. Here the plot is thick. The acting is on another level. Yun Qi aka fan has done a damn good job for his debut drama. Hao yi ran aka yao has done a phenomenal job with his role. You know an actor has done a good job when he can make u sad or cry or feel every emotion his character feels. That's exactly what he's done in episode 8 and the reason i thought i should review this now!!Initially the drama started pretty light. Just a manipulative seme trying to trick the uke into love cz he thinks the uke sees the world a certain way that's not as dark his view of the world. It was pretty fun kinda gave ABO vibes till episode 6... but episode 7 onwards when yao started realising what fan had done and him being in denial trying to deny his love could ever do such a thing to him. Those subtle sadness he shows their interactions even after they makeup🤌🤌🤌 chef's kiss.. u could see him hurting even if he smiled.
He nailed it in the 8th episode where eventhough he realised his love had done that he tried to stay strong tried to deny it one last time and went into the room and said "lust blinds judgement. I lied to myself and others" as he looked at the messed up bed. Kinda trying to deny love trying to make himself believe that it was just lust hoping to feel better from it. He hit the final nail when he came out and revealed to fan what he found. Damn the way he cried asking him what did he ever do to deserve this (literally nothing) and to do 1 last favor by not showing his face to him this life and that he would consider this last year a nightmare 😭😭😭😭😭 yao was never someone who could fall in love and open up completely to someone. But he did that for fan. Just that morning he asks his mom if fan was the man who would make him believe the world is a better place but fan broke everything. For yao he didnt just lose his lover, he lost his faith in people, his ability to trust people, his everything. That's how heavy this drama is and the actor has done absolute justice to the role❤️❤️❤️
Also this one had the best redemption arc ive ever seen in a BL. I was wondering what Fan would do. Frankly i was surprised. He fixed every mistake he ever did. Fixed Yao made him even better than before. Gave him the family he longed for... and the ending was just beautiful 🤌❤️
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama basically started off with both main lead how they meet and all those. Then the girl ( Han Fei ) had a accident and died which the boy ( Wu Jing Hao ) regretted not to save her as Han Fei met him before the accident. So 10 years later, Jing Hao is a doctor and he went back 10 years ago, about 3 to 4 months before the accident and he tried ways to stopped it, Along this journey, he started to know more about Han Fei. But on the day of the accident, Jing Hao saved Han Fei with his life. He left a letter for Han Fei about him coming back from the past and how he tried saving her So the drama skipped to 10 years later where Han Fei is a a doctor , went through what Jing Hao did, went back to 10 years and then she saved him and they both lived happily ever after.
( P.S. I am mentioning partly of the story )
Was this review helpful to you?
Tales of the Misfits
Characters are self obsessed, angsty, self-destructive and in some sense rejected by society. I was truly absorbed by these characters throughout the movie, and being a coming of age film lover, I really like the character study treatment they have given on each character especially the interview part. Film was deep, very philosophical, it tackles existentialism quite profoundly. I also heard it was based on a manga so if that's true that would make it the darkest and the most depressing manga based movie I've ever seen. I also love the setting, it is set in an industrial area in 1990's, and vibe is a blend between depressing and nostalgic.I love the cinematography, it's very atmospheric, and camera work is documentary like, love character close up shots and the background. Music is simplistic but effective, it builds the tension for each scenes and the transition to the next. I also love how the ending credits song is upbeat such contrast to the whole theme of the film, it gives smile to my face.
Great acting from all of these young cast lead by the Fumi Nikaido which in my opinion the best young actress in Japan, she's really good with these type of characters. Yoshizawa Ryo is a revelation in this movie, I didn't know he can act like this, such intensity, reminds me of a young Kengo Kora. The rest of the cast did great job as well because it's not an easy feat to play these types of characters.
Not for everyone obviously, lots of gore and sex scenes. Also the narrative doesn't have anything to do with romanticism but existentialism. Slow but thought provoking film, it probably requires a rewatch to fully understand the message of the film.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
Was this review helpful to you?
A cdrama gem that is relatable and inspirational
For a third generation immigrant of chinese descent who grew up in South East Asia but practically lived most of her life in North America, I loved everything about this cdrama. Though kdramas are my mainstream entertainment there’s something about slice of life cdramas that resonate with me. Nothing but Thirty simply tops it all and rivals some of the best kdramas out there.The story of three women, neither of them perfect but over the course of the forty-three episodes we see each character blossomed in such a natural way that never once I questioned it as unrealistic or rushed. There is none of the make belief fairy-tale ending but each woman emerged a stronger, happier, and wiser version of herself.
In the beginning we saw an ambitious supermom Gu Jia currying favours from the wealthy so her son can get into the prestigious kindergarten and to improve her family connections. But what made Gu Jia different from other idle trophy moms was her integrity. She stopped short of selling her soul. She maintained her dignity throughout the show whether it was to fight back against the moms who mistreated her son or against opportunistic women leeching off her husband.
Man Ni overcame hardships in her career and relationships and there were moments where I questioned her motives or actions but ultimately she showed me she had a backbone and she was not going to let men or traditions, well-intended or not, define her.
Xiao Qin’s character might have been the most simple-minded of the three but her story was also one of self-discovery, owning up to her flaws and taking responsibilities.
All the love interests in this show were well-matched, from Gu Jia’s shitty husband Xu Huan Shan, to Xiao Qin’s introvert hubby Chen Yu and man-child boyfriend Zhong Xiao Yang to Man Ni’s playboy boyfriend Liang Zheng Xian, kindhearted barista Jiang Chen and smug hometown hero Zhang Zhi. These men complemented the story perfectly. They made you hate them, love them, pity them but ultimately their characters propped up the three women and provided the backstory for Gu Jia, Man Ni and Xiao Qin to shine.
The other supporting characters were fabulous and did their parts to make this a successful drama. I hated Lin You You to the bones. She reminded me of Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction. My favourites got to be Gu Jia’s dad and Uncle Yu. Both were wise and giving in their quiet ways. I especially loved the advice Gu Jia’s dad gave to his friend, ‘Children are debts we owe from our previous life…..’ So profound and insightful.
Kudos go to the writer, director and production team for putting together a masterpiece that is relatable but also inspirational. This is truly a show about the sum of the parts. It does not rely on the good looks of its leads, fairy-tale romances, over the top acting or heart-pumping thrillers. It simply works.
If you haven’t given cdramas a try, this is one that won’t disappoint. As for me, I will be waiting patiently for the next chapter of Gu Jia, Man Ni and Xiao Qin’s stories.
Was this review helpful to you?
Shin Mi Rae, played by Kim Sun Ah, is a lowly government official, financially driven to join a beauty pageant, crosses paths with Jo Gook, played by Cha Seung Won, an ambitious and highly driven politician with a hidden agenda of political advancement. Propelled into the political arena in her small town, Mi Rae finds herself running for mayor, backed by her very supporting and hilarious friends, with Jo Gook as her campaign manager, only to be embroiled in small town and national partisan politics. City Hall is a trial of two opposite people's determination to keep their individual conviction, beliefs, and political ambitions, while keeping their blossoming romance under wraps from the critical and career damaging eye of the media, political intrigues and ambitions of others.
Kim Suh Ah continues to impress with her amazing acting in her role as Shin Mi Rae, whose conscience and idealistic nature, clashes with those who are more driven with personal benefits than social and political obligations, and torn between protecting the town and its people, keeping her personal beliefs and convictions, entangled in political intrigues, and her unflinching love for the ambitious Jo Gook.
Cha Seung Won unarguably pulled the stops as he embodies the smart, cynical, confident, charismatic, and ambitious Jo Gook, yet still charmingly capture the quirky, romantic side of a man pulled apart by his desire to follow his heart, achieve his political dreams, familial loyalty and paternal approval, and protect the person he loves most from the damaging life of politics.
Amazing chemistry and solid acting by the two leads, as well as the supporting casts, makes this a must watch drama with its witty lines, political and partisan intrigues, and touchingly wishful and uplifting romance. A hands-down, fantastic plot!
Was this review helpful to you?
When I finally get to know the reason of his captivity..........I was disappointed. Also,the ending makes you question the validity of the situation, which I really hate when movies do that. Despite that,there were many, many twists and turns. I enjoyed the time I watched this and would highly recommend this movie to others. I also suggest that sensitive people DO NOT watch this film. If you know that you can't handle violent or sexual content, don't even bother watching this movie and then give it a low rating. That would be illogical.
Was this review helpful to you?
