Reviews

Shiny But Dull…

I’m probably in a small minority here with ‘ Our Beloved Summer’ but the series really, really, really didn’t do anything for me.

Don’t get me wrong. I have always had a lot of respect for Choi Woo Shik and Kim Da Mi as they are both brilliant actors and their roles over the last few years have been really varied. Even here I’d say that their parts as the main leads remained a really strong factor throughout the show.

But the chemistry? It’s hard to describe really. I guess it was a bit lacklustre. It shouldn’t have been because Woo Shik and Da Mi were really brilliant together in ‘ The Witch’ but it was hard to really feel any dynamic charm between their characters. It was existent but it felt a bit fabricated imao.

As for storyline it’s nothing really new or exciting per say. I really like how the series did take on a lot of old-fashioned tropes though and gave them a bit more depth than just the second female lead/ male lead being purely “ potential love interests” and having their own feelings and reasons also.

I felt as though the pacing was a bit off personally. As much it was kinda sweet to see characters grow, the plot did feel as though it had run its course by about episode 12. After that whilst there was still some element of plot, it was a bit overstretched. I felt as though the series could’ve done with either stopping at 12 episodes, or at least bringing in a more exciting plot-drive rather than feeling a bit repetitive after the 3/4 mark. The ending was to be expected in all honesty.

The scenes and cuts were arguably one of the strongest factors of the series. The colors were really bright and bubbly and helped to reflect a lot about the characters and the actual tones were glossy and slick. I felt as though maybe the series could’ve been a bit more creative with certain shots than just including standards sequences, but apart from that, I can’t deny a that the filming was pretty much eye candy. The OST was also good personally also.

I felt as though maybe like a lot of romance dramas with big names, ‘ Our Beloved Summer’ was a little overrated for what it was worth as the storyline and pacing were a bit tedious and dragged in parts and there wasn’t really anything new offered to the table. Yet I can’t deny that it was quite pretty with scenes, the acting was very good and the OST did particularly stand out. A strong 7.5/10 for me; not perfect but a decent romantic melodrama.

Read More

Zombie with Wifi/Bluetooth

Its an exciting zombie movie with a great story line and straight to the point, you feel the danger and wonder how would they stop it small twist here and there but you notice them early so by that i believe you already know what to expect.
The acting is good except there some actors that have the same emotion throughout the movie cough jun ji hyun cough which lowers its rating but others are cool
the ending is not satisfying in my opinion and there is some plot holes that if they were fixed it could reach the hype of train to busan

But in general good watch try it.

Read More

Life is tiring and this drama empathizes with it

My Liberation Notes (MLN) is the story of three siblings with a strict hard-working father who seldom speaks, and a mother who does most of the talking in order to avoid arguments at the dining table, and then a stranger living as a neighbour.

The drama is relatable on various levels, especially the mood at the workplace of the three siblings, the camaraderie between the co-workers, the after-work gossip, and the random ranting sessions.


Regardless of which side of the human spectrum you find yourself on and which character’s journey you relate to the most, My Liberation Notes hits many correct points, if not all, and makes the viewers feel relatable about the reality of life. MLN was a good drama, a slow burn with good character development, although gets very slow with pacing at times.

My Rating : 7/10

Read More

Fun couple, emotionally engaging in most parts, they lost me a bit at the end.

Day (Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert) was an aspiring athlete until his cornea was injured and told that he'd become blind eventually. While Day is living his days with his remaining sight, he meets Mhok (Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok), who is hired by his mother to be his caretaker. Mhok and Day's moments together make them attached to each other, but their relationship gets really tough at some point.

"Last Twilight“ emphasizes the challenge of being in a relationship, rather than the obstacles in getting together. From how they portrayed Day and Mhok, it feels more of a character-driven story than plot-driven. As much an independent person he is, Mhok's past prevents him to fully express himself. Day is no 'damsel-in-distress' in his situation, but he often doubts his decisions through the ups and downs of their relationship.

Despite the somewhat sad premise, these two are fun and adorable. Another one that has my heart is Day's brother, Night. I enjoy his story and their brotherhood. The one I never understand is Day's mother. She is talking wise and all-knowing but her attitude is childish.

It was lovely except for the last quarter part, where the conflicts felt forced. They keeps showing us somewhat hopeful cliffhangers, but when we get to the actual scenes they felt underwhelming. At the last minute, they employed a trope I dislike before jumping to conclusion. The ending wasn't that satisfying but worked out pretty conveniently. Last note, this drama has a better than average production value (the editing and OST) as a Thai drama, I appreciate that.

-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

Read More

Chemistry that truly carries the whole show.

Honestly speaking, this is not a special drama in terms of the plot - the light enemies to frenemies to friends to lovers has been done many times, but it’s undeniable the execution here was amazing. Gemini and Fourth are truly the best new BL actors out there.

I have to say, both Tinn and Gun are perfectly written. Tinn has this amazingly goofy side of him that you cannot ignore, you just adore it. Gun is just a walking charm. It’s not all sweet though, and both the characters struggle with some internal issues, but are able to support each other in the best ways possible.

The relationship is simply wholesome. I loved how Tinn was focusing on Gun’s happiness and not just about his goal of dating him. I loved that they actually had a lot of nice conversations and tried to understand each other. I loved the mutual support. With the oversaturation in the BL industry with questionable and toxic stories, this level of understanding and mutual respect was simply refreshing to watch.

That’s for the main couple, what about the side ones? Sadly a bit of a failure. Either the chemistry was just not quite there, or the setup and progression was barely existing. Did I care about any of the side characters? Honestly - no.

Can we also just shortly talk about the mothers in this show? I could not be more happy with what we’ve got. Both Tinn’s and Gun’s mom are amazing in their own way. The drama perfectly showcases how good communication with your child is what builds trust and makes them want to confide in you for support, share their happiness and be honest about their struggles. Sometimes it’s important to take the initiative, but sometimes you have to give your child space and time and let them speak when they are ready, and not when you want to hear the answers.

Tinn's dad too, great person, I wish we got to see more of him.

The plot was great, but I also got a bit bored at some point. I still enjoyed all the adorable moments as I was watching, but I also had to motivate myself to start the episodes in the first place. This show was 90% fluff and 10% content (yes, this is an exaggeration, don’t sue me for it). And with that ratio it should be maybe 8 and not 12 episodes.

That said, there was one thing I will never complain about, no matter how many times it will happen even just as a filler fluff - good hugs. Hugs are underappreciated. Hugs are amazing. Proper hug on screen is at times better than kissing scenes. Melt into these arms and give us all butterflies! My School President definitely delivered in that area.

Fourth’s acting, his cheeky smile and warm gaze… Can we even ask for more? Yes we can, and we got it all - from the light and funny scenes, to more emotional and raw expressions, this boy delivered it all. Gemini also does great with acting. Surprised how well he does subtle comedy. For the rest of the cast - some did better, some did worse. We got the glorious “no tears just squeezing eyes hard” scene.

Production side of it was great. I am so happy to see the improvement in that aspect in the BL industry and the effort in making the show deliver a good storytelling both in writing and in the visual aspects.

Overall, the purest of the fluff. On screen chemistry that will make you jealous of not experiencing it yourself. Great main characters with fun personalities and relatable stories. But sadly also forgettable side characters and subplots there just to feel the screen time and overall repetitiveness of the story.

Read More

I really had to struggle through this one.

It is not a totally bad drama and it does have a lot of romance in it.
But it is simply not my kind of drama, it just lacked an intelligent plot.

What I personally disliked:

1) The timid character of the female main role. It changes in the end, and you know it will,
but it is so cliché and expected that I just got unnerved by it.
2) The whole misunderstanding thing. I just really hate misunderstandings in plotlines, when you as a viewer/reader know more than the characters and you just watch them struggle along and just wait and wait for it to be cleared, knowing all the way that it will happen.
3) Thus the whole plot was totally predictable. Even the side-plot with the sister was after introduction nothing new. The was a big, huge hole when it comes to suspense or thrilling aspects. It was rather boring.

Read More

Cha Eun Woo nailed it but the directors and story writers didn't.

Started watching because of Cha Eun Woo. I thought I'll like the drama because that's what happened with all the other Cha Eun Woo drama like true beauty and gangnam ID
.
I was very excited to watch a supernatural drama after a long time.But I have to say the D
drama sucks. Its bad. Real bad.

the storylines are all mixed. There is 0 character development. I have no idea what the directors or story writers were thinking.

The acting of the casts was good. I can't start talking about Cha Eun Woo because I'll never stop. Just going to say he carried the drama. He made it possible to tolerate and keep watching. But I had a feeling that the Marketing team used him as a clout. I'm not sure. That's a different story. The acting of other actors were also good. But the drama gave them zero chances to truly show their potential. I hope to watch their performance in future dramas.

I was waiting for two years for this drama. But it was so disappointing and it's making me mad.If you're fan of any of the cast, then you should watch it but I'll definitely not recommend it to others.

Read More

Nostalgic, Colourful, Magical joyous melodramatic experience.

-- Refreshing drama--

The series, which is based on a hit Japanese show of the same name from 1995 ( written by Kitagawa Eriko) is a throwback to the soft and melancholy romantic tales that were popular on Korean television. Instead of feeling out of date, this evergreen story of love, longing, and loneliness is a nostalgic journey into the nostalgia path.

Let's See :-
two people who met on Jeju Island came together like destiny and gradually became closer. However, there is also an episode that provides more insight into Jin-woo and Mo Eu difficult lives. Jin-woo, who was falsely accused, and Mo-eun, who faced countless failures in the process of realizing her dream, both of them became aware that the path they took was not the same, easy. Two people with their own shortcomings gradually become closer and develop love. Yes, It is pretty popular for two people with wounds to cross paths and heal each other's wounds, but it depends how the story processed with character development.

Tell Me That You Love Me is a clean classic melodrama" that meet for the first time in a long time, writing the essence of classical melodrama in kdrama. Jung Woo-sung and Shin Hyun-bin are at the center of it. They two proved their true value of clean performance by delicately portraying the narratives of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, who started from chance and were led like fate with their deep acting like a melodrama. The emotional performances of the two actors were enough to create a tight sense of immersion in the stories of those who are healing and growing through communication with each other. Each line or dialogue provides deep meaning of life and depth of the story. Sometimes It is not easy to make watchers to feel emotional with words/actors ( I watched some dramas they failed to create emotional impact on watchers with good actors ) but in this drama the director succeeded to create emotional impact by using scenario without big words.

Actors acting :-
Cha Jin-woo, the main protagonist ( Male lead Jung Woo Sung) conveys his emotions through sign language in place of words. Because of the nature of his character, it ( his character) does not convey emotions through dialogue, however it conveys deep an impact through the eyes and sign language. The straightforward storytelling that appears typically also leaves a solid impression.
Mo-eun main protagonist ( Female lead Shin Hyun bin) sees Jin-woo's emotions through his eyes, Mo-eun cannot exchange his emotions and feelings through dialogues with Jin-woo, but she does with her heart. She impressed with her acting. Park Jin-joo added a smile to each appearance with a lively and cute appearance that added charm as Oh Jiyu

Direction and other Departments:-
The simple story is clearly adapted by Kim Min-sung (The Sound of Magic) and elegantly framed by director Kim Yoon-jin, who previously breathed life into the acclaimed romantic drama Our Beloved Summer. The cinematography and camera work refreshing.Music director Nam Hye-seung's performance is also important. Sometimes music that replaced the language and emotions of the characters created a sense of immersion.

Finally:-
Tell Me That You Love Me belongs to the recent category of so-called “healing dramas” – deliberately slow and soothing entertainment designed to be an antidote to the hectic lives of modern Koreans.
melodrama" that met for the first time in a long time, writing the essence of classical melodrama. The stories of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, drawn with their eyes and fingertips, resonated beyond excitement. Jung Woo-sung and Shin Hyun-bin are at the center of it. He proved his true value by delicately portraying the narratives of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, who started from chance and were led like fate with his deep acting like a melodrama. The emotional performances of the two actors were enough to create a tight sense of immersion in the stories of those who are healing and growing through communication with each other.
I really enjoyed this kdrama with a very realistic love story, portrays modern generation people struggle in relationships and sometimes people break up because they get scared or they don't know how to show or deal with their feelings, so many things can happen in relationship. But it all depends on us how to overcome from those obstacles like express our feelings clearly and erase misunderstandings with good talk. As we see in this drama the both main protagonists Jin-woo and Mo-eun were responsible of their misunderstandings and everything else that led them to break up, but they don't have any proper reason to breakup but misunderstanding led them to end their relationship. But at the end they meet again and took the second chance to start over again their life which made a perfect ending for this drama by giving simple deep message " If two people are meant together, eventually they'll find their way by overcoming from their obstacles ".

It was a beautiful kdrama, totally recommendable for those who enjoy really heartwarming and slow paced and stories.

Brought by :- Shinnosuke Lee.

Read More

If you are not a fan of Takashi Miike whose reputation is notorious (Crows Zero, Ichii the Killer, Audition and One Missed Call are just one of his most famous films and they are quite mild), then you should stay away from this film because it is simply not for everyone.

Just to make everything clear, I am not a fan of gore but I am also not the sensitive type. This film is a mixture of an over the top comedy and suspense. But there is also a lot of blood spurting from everyone and everything, so keep that in mind before deciding to watch the film.

The story is quite interesting and you will either keep nervously looking away or you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen. Besides the apparent craziness and 'trying to survive' chaos going around, there is actually a tiny amount of romance and friendship included, but don't set your hopes high, because this is a suspense and action film, not the romantic one.

The most prevalent theme is the one of survival, and that is why this film reminds me of Battle Royale. What happens when you know that the end is close, would you sacrifice the others in order to save yourself? Is there a limit to cruelty and fear in humans when faced to death and hopelessness? There are actually some really interesting themes that can be analyzed throughout this film.

When it comes to the cast, I am quite used to the Japanese extraordinary expressions so I did not find their acting cheesy and the actors were great. I would not recommend this for rewatching, simply because you won't feel the same after the first time and that means that you should prepare for some huge plot twists. The music is good too.
.
.
.
.

* * * BEWARE NOW OF SOME SPOILERS * * *


.
.
.

Still reading? I warned you. Curiosity killed the cat.
.
.
.
.


I lied. I won't tell about the end, which I really liked :p But I will share some thoughts.

The survival game is apparently created by Kamisama (God) and his subordinates. And there are five parts:

1) Daruma - a symbol of perseverance and good luck, but now turns into a deadly Darumasan ga Koronda (Red light/Green light game).
2) Maneki Neko - a lucky charm, talisman.
3) Kokeshi - Japanese traditional dolls, tokens of friendship.
4) Shirou Kuma turns into an evil spirit from a Japanese legend.
5) Matryoshka - a Russian doll, the only element that is not part of Japanese tradition.

Each game tests different skills, but I find them fascinating because of their origin.
Anyway, I liked the film and all its craziness, go and watch it!

Read More

Solid entertainment with a few good laughs

I went into this drama with very few expectations as it pairs Jeremy Tsui with yet another, much younger actress with very little acting experience. The slapstick-type initial trailer didn’t help at all because in the meantime I had started reading the novel and I really hate it when scriptwriters change the whole tone of the source material.
I was therefore very pleasantly surprised by the first few episodes that were mostly serious and showed an FL whose acting wasn’t on par with everyone else, but at least tolerable. The heart-clutching and fainting spells were hilarious and just at the point when I thought that they were getting a bit too much, they stopped.

The pace was really good right from the start, getting the viewers into the mystery around the collapse of the West Canal and whatever wider conspiracy was brewing. The secondary couple looked charming and perfect for each other and for once, both Lu Yan’s attendant, Yang Zong and Shen Zhen’s maid were allowed to be clever servants. Although, poor Yang Zong had an unfortunate talent to show up at the wrong moment and disturb “couple time”. I was really impressed by the actor’s comedic talent!
Another support actor absolutely worth mentioning was the one playing Shen Zhen’s father who had impressive screen presence and made the most of his few short scenes.

The initial villain of the story, Li Di played by Liu Hai Kuan had the delightful intensity of a character that we all love to hate. Sadly, his plot line was just dropped in the middle of nowhere as the story moved towards the mastermind behind it all. All the villains had a proper motivation for what they were doing, other than just being evil because the script said so.

Compared to the novel, the conspiracy was one of the weakest points of the drama. It could have been so much more complex and intriguing if they had used some more material from the novel instead of giving wasting time on this totally nonsensical amnesia plot in the last episode. Although this plot gave us the opportunity to see a sterner version of Lu Yan which Jeremy Tsui portrayed in a very nuanced manner, it felt rather superfluous.

Another weak point were the dreams which never really served any purpose. While in the novel the ML uses these dreams to gain intel on what his enemies were plotting and to develop counter strategies, this role of the dreams probably fell victim to censorship rules. Therefore, if these dreams as memories of a past life had been replaced by some nightmares that showed the ML’s fear of losing the FL it would have caused far less confusion among the viewers.

I was pondering a long time how to rate this drama. It had solid acting overall with the FL being the weakest link by a mile (although she wasn’t terrible) and the story avoided many of the usual lame tropes, it made me laugh and kept me entertained. The many fight scenes were well choreographed and executed and the ending was decent as well. Normally, this would have been an 8.5 in my books. However, in light of recent events that offer us a glimpse into just how much Jeremy Tsui must have suffered, both emotionally and intellectually, at having to film yet another idol drama with a trainee actress (who got first billing just to add insult to injury) and to counterbalance the hate-rating of a few obvious non-viewers, I am going to rate this a solid 10.

Read More

well done countryside K-BL

Overall: although I wish it had more episodes to more fully flesh out the plot/characters, they did a good job in 8 episodes. Aired 2 episodes per week about 20 minutes each on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: colorism, blood, vomiting, manipulation

What I Liked
- intro/OST
- bubbly guy Ye Chan and more serious guy Yul weren't unrealistic caricatures (though Ye Chan was maybe a bit too dense for my taste as a 20 year old)
- cute & funny moments
- the writers efficiently gave us important information about Sun Yeol without using a voice over or an exposition dump
- horror music/tone at the beginning was funny
- supporting characters (including the ex who wasn't a 1 dimensional villain)
- how Yul sought out communication in episode 6 and also they avoided something cliche towards the end
- decent kiss
- sound effects/music

Room For Improvement
- needed more screentime to fully develop the plot and the characters, could have made it more clear about what happened in high school with his dad and music
- the colorism remarks, I know this happens a lot in real life but that doesn't mean I want to see it in my fiction, both guys are gorgeous
- why did he throw the water? seemed to be a 'because the writer said so', they could have explained this a bit (there is more information in a comment so this could happen in real life)
- unrealistic, Yul didn't notice that harmonium on the ground immediately and comment on it???

Read More

A good crime thriller which lost its pace halfway through

Overview : “The good detective” started off pretty well, but the ending was not upto the mark. A crime thriller with an interesting plot which lost its pace in the middle. Out of all the detective / crime thriller dramas I have watched, I couldn’t find anything particularly unique with this series. The drama is neither too good nor too bad. It’s an okay-okay drama to watch. You can watch it once, If you are really into crime thrillers / detective dramas

Plus points : The bromance between the detectives and their bickering here and there was so interesting and good to watch. There were a lot of emotions and bonds throughout the series which got me emotionally connected with the drama. Though there was no romance in the drama, I really loved the bond between the leads which gave out a special vibe. The casting was extremely good - each and every actor had done amazing justice to their roles. The music was pretty good but not exceptional.

Minus points : I personally felt that the drama was really dragging. It would have been good if it was upto 12 episodes. Unnecessary dragging with a lot of revelations, flashbacks and recurring sequences was a major turn off. I wanted to drop off in the middle, but I really wanted to know the ending and that’s why I competed watching it. Though I know that if there was romance, the drama would have been offtrack - still I was hoping for a slight romance between the leads as they were so good. I felt disconnected halfway through the drama as it had lost its pace in the middle.

Conclusion : Overall, the drama was okay. The series doesn’t have much of a rewatch value.

Read More

Mr. Queen -- Bold, Funny, and Immeasurably Pleasing

I was very hesitant to start this drama because I wasn't too keen on Shin Hye Sun, but boy, she completely and utterly won me over with her depiction of a Joseon queen trapped in a present-day man's spirit. She's funny, quick-witted, bold, and I dare say this may be her best performance yet. I am a fan. I like that Mr. Queen is bold in tackling some taboo issues in a very well-written script, with a great cast, director, and editor.

Of course, it didn't hurt to have Kim Jung Hyun as King Cheol Jong, who comes off as dense but is more receptive and feeling than everybody gives him credit. What kept me going other than the comedy was my need to find out where the real queen's spirit was and, more so, if Bong Hwan soul trapped in someone else's body was the end of him; would he forever be trapped, or was there more to the both of them, the Queen and Bong Hwan. And boy was there more, much more.

As much as I loved our Mr. Queen and King and excitedly waited for each episode to live vicariously through them as much as I couldn't get enough of Choi Jin Hyuk’s voiceover. I doubt the beginning of this drama would've worked as well as it did without him. He definitely made the drama that much more fun to watch. Every moment in this drama was precious. Excellent writing, directing, editing, and acting; this is one of those dramas where you can’t help but enjoy acting, even the villains (except the concubine, okay even her) to the extent that I wished it was a daily drama with as many episodes as a daily one is allowed. I'm not too keen on daily dramas, which tells you how great this drama truly is in its setup, delivery, directing, and production.

Many criticized Mr. Queen for depicting the kind of love it did between a King and Queen with a man's soul in a woman's body, but all I really saw were two people who in their struggle to make themselves known found in each other what they tried so hard to find in themselves, but couldn't unitl they met each other. A story about lost souls, betrayals, honor, loyalty, love, in the simplest yet beautifully complicated way. And I think what I really like about Mr. Queen is that even when it was serious, it didn't forget how to be funny and arrive at its point steadily yet graciously.

As far as I am concerned, Mr. Queen came to a great ending to a flawless drama. It was a blessing during a very trying time globally with a pandemic that left all of us fearful of what's to come. But, Mr. Queen, in its 16+ weeks, managed to give me and many of us immeasurable pleasure. For that, I am forever grateful to the writer, director, actors, and production team for allowing me to live vicariously through all its funny, happy, and, at times, not-so-happy moments. More so, I'm glad I decided to watch this drama that beautifully and so seamlessly showcased the many facets of our fantastic leads and their supporting cast that I may have otherwise missed had I decided not to watch it as I'd originally planned.

Kim Jung Hyun said he chose the role of King Cheoljong for its comedic possibilities; he wanted to do a project that would make people laugh and help them forget the pandemic, even if for an hour. He, our beautiful and gifted Shin Hye Sun, the incredibly talented cast, writer, director, production team, and especially Choi Jin Hyuk, have done that and much, much more. A long-standing ovation to anyone and everyone involved in the art that became Mr. Queen, this is one drama none of us will soon forget. Highly recommended!

Read More