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2"When raising a blade and bringing it down, just think of nothing"
The Double was a wild ride revenge lollapalooza that didn’t seem to take itself too seriously at times. There were plot holes deep enough to bury bodies in and 30-year-old actors playing teenagers. I didn’t really care that it was messy for the most part as the two leads were engaging to watch and I love a good case of comeuppance for evil doers.Long story short, Xue Fang Fei has to take the identity of Jiang Li in order to avenge both of them and right injustices. Despite looking exactly like XFF, everyone seems to accept the new identity since the real Jiang Li had been hidden away for 10 years. Duke Su is hard to fool and initially uses XFF as a pawn though he also enjoys “the show” that usually surrounds her as she takes down her enemies and Jiang Li’s one at a time, occasionally asking for his help. XFF’s compassion and intelligence help her make allies and friends along the way. A constant fighter for justice, she also makes numerous enemies prepared to end her life.
I enjoyed Xue’s calm demeanor as she plotted and planned. Her relationship with the equally scheming Duke Su who also needed to right wrongs and protect the country was a delight to watch. Xue Fang Fei was fairly well developed and while not realistic in some cases, I was happy they let her solve many of her own problems with an occasional assist from the Duke. She was laser focused, fiercely protective of those around her, and never stooped to her enemies’ methods in her desire for revenge and justice. Duke Su lacked the complexity of other characters but Wang Xing Yue’s performance at least made him moderately interesting as the fan waving mastermind. The murderous and increasingly deranged Shen Yu Rong was given more writerly care. However, I never connected with Liang Yong Qi’s bland portrayal of the cowardly, whining, court officer who simply could not cognitively accept responsibility for his heinous actions. Li Meng as the Princess Wan Ning made up for his stone face as she chewed the scenery when she wasn’t throwing it. Several of the villains were given all sorts of reasons for becoming the way they were which did not give me one ounce of sympathy for them. They made choices to pass the buck and pass on the pain.
For whatever reason, I’ve never had a problem with cross-dressing. I was even able to go along with everyone buying that Xue Fang Fei was Jiang Li. Where my brain seems to have drawn the line is 30+ actors playing 15–17-year-olds. The hardest part for me was in the early episodes when the writers kept reminding me that Jiang Li and her friends and sisters were teenagers. When the Jiang family said Li looked different, that was because the seven-year-old they sent away ten years ago came back a grown-ass woman! Despite some of the other actors playing up being immature, Wu Jin Yan didn’t look or carry herself like a teenager. The character was also written with a wealth of knowledge and experiences that seemed beyond her age. When they finally stopped mentioning how young she was it helped me to accept her as the crafty, complex, elegant adult she acted like.
This drama loved its overly dramatic moments. So much twirling, whirling, and cape wearing. The drama world also suffered from insane climate change as one scene had petals falling from the sky, the next had snow, then back to petals, and for most of the drama, Duke Su’s tree at his mansion was ever autumn. Very few scenes passed without something falling from the sky or the Duke flying in for a visit. The wind usually only blew on the one showing emotions, even when characters were standing side-by-side! There were magic pigeons who always knew the address of the current villain- not exactly how carrier pigeons work. The non-disclosure agreements were lethal. And there was no shortage of knockout karate chops, people going insane, princess carries, and amazing guyliner! The only thing underdone was the anemic white makeup for the women.
While I enjoy corrupt officials and lying, murderous family members being brought low, the story had a tendency to become redundant in order to fill the episodes as XFF righted wrongs in the Xue family, the Jiang family, and in the country. Characters, conflicts, and backstory were being added right up until the last four episodes. There were times I lost interest as the villains (so many villains!) monologued about how they were going to bring XFF down. Maybe if they’d cut down on some of the villainous plotting there would have been time for a more well-crafted ending. It felt like they had a closing scene they wanted to show and tried to twist the plot to make it happen which came across artificially. I would also like to have seen more meaningful scenes with the leads. XFF and the Duke suffered physical and emotional wounds that were often forgotten the next day. I will not even get into that coitus interruptus candle.
If it sounds like I didn’t like The Double, that would be wrong. While it was deeply flawed, it was also fun and I have a high tolerance for cheese, especially with a truly strong female lead. Wu Jin Yan and Wang Xing Yue had great chemistry and I enjoyed many of the side characters, especially the bickering and loyal Wen Ji and Lu Ji. I liked Xue Fang Fei and thought she was a memorable heroine for being intelligent, resilient, and compassionate if not a little too perfect. What would have made it a better “show” is if the writers had developed Duke Su to be as memorable a player in the revenge tour ensemble as his leading lady.
7.75
26 July 2024
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This review may contain spoilers
Stop saying it's a sad ending.
I've officially finished watching and I can surely say this is the novel adaptation that priest deserved.I was a bit skeptical at the beginning but the characters won me over. Even though the budget is super low (and it shows) they somewhat make up for it with other aspects. A huge thank you for whoever that made this gayer than the novel.
The story is good, but some might find the political sides a bit boring. It does lag sometimes. Somewhat different than the source material but not that drastic of a difference and it definitely helps. The hidden details just make it more interesting.
CG is definitely not the best. Music and bgm are also decent as well. Costumes are so pretty especially the ML's.
I do not have enough words to describe how much I love the main CP. Butterflies everytime they interact. Their relationship is so beautiful. Every episode is just ......chefs kiss*. The side characters are also decent. If you loved CQL you will definitely love this one too.
Even though it has its fair share of heart breaks the ending is happy and satisfying. They become immortals together. There is a short 37th episode & I would suggest everybody to watch that. It's a genuinely happy ending not open or ambiguous. They had to edit it out because we all know how BS Chinese censorship is.
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Self-righteous leads, mildly entertaining mysteries, better towards the end
To start, this female lead is too infallibly good at too many things. I’m not inherently opposed to an OP FL- it’s not realistic, but I’d still happily watch her kick butt as long as I like her.The problem is, I like more down-to-earth characters, and she is not. She does a lot of moralizing. I don’t disagree with everything she says, but her self-assured, self-righteous tone as she goes on about justice bothered me, especially at the beginning.
I wouldn’t have minded so much if the show acknowledged how naive it all was, e.g. by throwing her a morally complex case that challenges her simplistic ideals. And the show actually does focus a lot on horribly wronged people who seek their own justice. What justice truly means seems to be a theme- but it’s not explored that deeply. Our FL never strays far from her convictions that righteousness will prevail and the law will make it happen. We’re not here to watch her grow, only to watch her kick butt.
While I’m rolling my eyes at her preaching, the ML is oozing in admiration. She smiles demurely in response. I think the FL is pretentious; the show thinks she’s noble. This is a fundamental disconnect that permeated the show and made it hard for me to enjoy it.
As for the ML himself, he seems tailor-made to be her perfect boyfriend. Super supportive, caring, everything good, etc. He’s also her perfect work partner, with a complementary approach and perspective. Overall I did not find him very interesting. Too artificial.
Their relationship starts early- he’s pretty much a sap for her right from the beginning. While this is unusual for dramas, I think it’s fairly realistic in the present scenario. Their relationship is refreshingly free of misunderstandings, develops at a normal pace, and is ideal in all ways.
Unfortunately, I just did not enjoy their sticky sweet romance. Watching two people you don’t care about be happily in love is boring at best; here, I found it downright cringe. Their romance is full of contrived, overly dramatic scenes. He saves her from every over-the-top situation you can think of (fire, water, assassins, etc). I fast forwarded through a lot of it.
The side characters are alright; I didn’t feel too strongly about anyone. For better or worse, their friends all pair up neatly. This means there are multiple sweet relationships for you to feel good about, though I found some of them a bit cheesy at times.
Looking at the characters and their relationships, this show is actually quite a treasure for female empowerment. There are strong female characters and good relationships between them. Even the ML feels secondary to the FL. It’s just a shame that they overdid the FL’s sainthood to the point where I couldn’t stand it.
Plot-wise, the first half or so of the show covers ~4.5 independent cases, one right after the other. These cases are methodically developed, spanning several episodes each. I like this slower pacing because it gives me time to consider the evidence.
But for some reason, I found these cases incredibly easy to guess. I would inadvertently figure out the culprit based on things like classic drama patterns (eg it’s usually some nice-seeming character that shows up fairly early in), and who’s facial expressions they keep zooming in on. I would then have to wait patiently while the leads continued to put together evidence and act lovey dovey with each other. Overall, the mysteries were still interesting enough, but I wish they had been a little less obvious.
As the plot progresses, the FL’s path is surprisingly smooth. She doesn’t make any real enemies; in fact, she is loved and admired by many powerful people. I don’t necessarily object to her lack of obstacles, since there is plenty of other intrigue. However, I found myself rolling my eyes at everyone doting on her.
The main plot is pretty much just classic palace power struggles, but I thought it was fairly well done. As a result, my rather low opinion of the show improved towards the end. I like the way our leads slowly uncover the backstory, the growing ambiguity, and the way everything falls into place with the final reveal. This last point is particularly fun to watch, and works out so well thanks to the show’s careful setup. If not for the last few episodes, I would have given this show an even lower score.
Acting wise, since I don’t like the FL, I’m tempted to blame the actress, but that might not be fair. I’ll refrain from commenting on acting since I watched a lot of this on 1.25X speed. I did find Ao Rui Peng’s martial arts technique to be surprisingly good- crisp, clean, and solid.
Other production-level stuff (music, settings, costumes, etc) were all decent. Cinematographically, they do some artistic things with camera perspective and reflections. I liked most of it, except for the views upward from inside a cadaver. As if bodies are just empty sacks.
The segways into my final rant. If you are going to pretend to be an expert in a field, you better show me that you’re serious. This girl does not even wear an apron to conduct an autopsy; she ties up her sleeves, but you can still see them dragging across the corpses. Even worse, her idea of an exam is to reach into a small incision and pull out an entire human organ. Uh, ever done a dissection? It’s nowhere that clean and easy.
These may seem like unimportant details. And I get it- “she fearlessly conducted an autopsy while everyone else puked at the side” is all we’re meant to take away. Still, representing a profession without properly doing research is somewhat offensive. Get it right or else don’t try. Personally, I think they should have kept it all off-screen, like Imperial Coroner.
Overall, I appreciate some parts of this show, but mostly I couldn’t stand it. If I’m honest, most of my complaints probably cascade out of not liking the FL- thus cringing at her romance, rolling my eyes at her popularity, picking on her dissection technique, etc. Perhaps if they had been more subtle about her sainthood, I might have enjoyed this show.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I consider this a happy ending. All the major protagonists make it through and are launched into happy futures. Not much time is devoted to showing where everyone goes, but it’s enough to give you an idea.
Still, I found the ending surprisingly dark. Not that the show was that light to begin with, but a lot more people died than I expected. It’s as if they decided the cleanest way to tie up loose ends was to kill off all these morally ambiguous characters. And some ending scenes were overly contrived and dramatic… this show really does have a thing for drama.
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Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area - Part 1
31 people found this review helpful
Don't expect heart-racing thrills
I would expect a heist show to be fast-paced, high-tension, and high-energy. But this was strangely flat, slow and pretty dull. Heist movies and shows need one of two things to succeed: a tight, well-structured plot, or complex and rich characters. This tried to have both but ultimately had neither. There were interesting moments here and there, particularly towards the end. But the characters were too thin and the plot was too loose to make this an engaging watch. But since it's only 6 episodes, it's a pretty quick binge (supposedly there is going to be a part 2 with 6 more episodes, but I'm not sure if/when that will come out).Acting-wise, Kim Yunjin is definitely the standout. The rest were pretty average. Park Haesoo's Berlin is probably the most interesting of the heist crew, but it feels like they could have gone in harder on his (and everyone else's character).
The setting (reunified Korea) is probably meant to give the show a different spin. But I feel like they didn't make full enough use of it. They could definitely have exploited the tensions between a newly reunified North and South Korea a lot more. Even things like tensions within the negotiating team could have been used to create a lot more tension.
There was also not much soundtrack or BGM in this. Music is usually quite an important part of this type of movie, as it can really heighten the mood. But it was basically non-existent here. It's almost like they forgot.
This wasn't a bad show. It's an okay watch if you have some time and don't want to get too attached to a drama. But given the nature of the source material and the strong cast of actors, it was quite disappointing.
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This review may contain spoilers
finally completed this series. first of all, i never thought i would randomly start watching this on a tuesday afternoon and end up finishing it immediately. after how season 1 made me feel, i honestly didn’t expect myself to continue this fast. but somehow, here i am, already done with it.this series was genuinely so good. it perfectly portrayed toxic relationships, manipulation, misunderstandings, reconciliation, emotional baggage, and the way people hurt each other when they are overwhelmed by their own emotions. there were friendship betrayals, unresolved feelings, selfish decisions, and so much emotional damage throughout the story. every single character made mistakes, and honestly, all of their feelings were valid in their own ways. what disappointed me the most was how they handled those emotions and situations, but that is also what made the series feel realistic. people are not always rational when they are hurting. sometimes they become unfair, selfish, impulsive, and destructive, and this series captured that perfectly.
first, jack. he is a good person, yes. his feelings were valid and he had every right to be angry at dean. however, the way he handled everything was completely wrong. he treated raffy like a replacement whenever things were not okay between him and dean, and that was honestly selfish because he knew raffy would always come running whenever he called. he took advantage of that vulnerability. jack did not just hurt dean, he hurt raffy too. what made it even worse was how emotionally confusing everything became because he kept holding onto people while simultaneously hurting them. thankfully, he eventually realized the damage he caused and took accountability for his actions. i appreciated that the series did not try to paint him as perfect because it showed that even good people can make terrible decisions when they are emotionally lost.
next, raffy. he was honestly bratty at times and reminded me of boston in some ways. i was especially frustrated during the part where he wanted to ruin jack and dean’s relationship because that was completely wrong. i am not going to defend him for that. there were moments where he allowed his emotions to consume him and became too selfish. however, despite all of that, i still understood him. i am glad he eventually realized that he did not want to become someone like dean. his character development was honestly one of the best parts of the series for me. i understood the pressure he carried as the son of a well-known actress because constantly living under expectations must have been exhausting. he grew up craving validation and affection, which explains why he became emotionally reckless at times. despite all his flaws, he is actually a good person, and i am happy he slowly learned how to grow and become better. seeing him become more self-aware made me appreciate his character even more.
third, rome. i genuinely love him so much. he was completely down bad for raffy, but at the same time, he knew his worth and understood that there is a limit to how long he should wait for someone. that is what i admired most about him. he and raffy honestly deserve each other because they truly understand one another in ways other people cannot. rome can get on your nerves sometimes, but he never crosses the line and he still genuinely cares. he is the type of person who stays honest even when the truth hurts. i also loved how emotionally mature he was compared to everyone else. he knew when to stay, when to wait, and when to protect himself too. i am really thankful raffy had someone he could finally be vulnerable and honest with because raffy clearly needed someone who would understand him without immediately judging him.
fourth, timmy. i am so proud of him because he became everyone’s pillar throughout the series. whenever there was chaos or conflict, he was always the first person trying to calm things down and help others. he is the type of person you can always rely on and depend on no matter what happens. he was such a great friend and producer to all of them. what i admired most about him was how emotionally present he was for everyone even when things became messy. he never made situations about himself. he genuinely tried to understand people and help them fix things instead of making everything worse. every friend group honestly needs someone like timmy.
fifth, arnold. i liked him from the very beginning. he is calm, comforting, and always there whenever tua needed someone. what i love most about him is that he actually communicates with his boyfriend whenever they have problems instead of avoiding difficult conversations. he listens, reassures, and tries to understand instead of immediately reacting emotionally. i genuinely love this character because he brought stability into the story. amidst all the chaos happening around them, arnold remained emotionally grounded.
sixth, tua. no words can explain how much i love his character. he is just too kind that it hurts sometimes. there is something so comforting and genuine about him that makes you want to protect him. he honestly does not deserve to be hurt by anyone. however, despite how kind he is, he is still human, and that is why his flaws felt realistic too. i really did not like the way he acted toward dean after the video of arnold and dean got leaked. they were best friends, and i wished tua had listened to dean first before reacting emotionally. i cannot justify the things he said because he truly hurt dean with his words. at the same time, i know tua never genuinely intended to destroy him. he was hurt too, and emotions got the best of him. that entire fight honestly broke me because you could feel how much love and pain existed between them. seeing friendships fall apart because of misunderstandings and emotional reactions is one of the saddest things ever.
lastly, dean. honestly, i do not even know where to begin. as much as i wanted to stay angry at him because of how he acted, i just could not. deep down, i understood why he did those things. he was hurting so much and trying to figure everything out on his own. dean felt like someone who constantly carried emotional weight by himself while pretending he was okay. what completely broke my heart was the fight between him and tua. i genuinely cried when tua said those things to dean because you could already see how broken dean was even before that moment. it felt like he had reached a point where everything around him was slowly falling apart. the world was honestly so cruel to him. all i wanted was for someone to finally understand him and be kinder to him for once. despite his mistakes, i never saw him as evil. i saw someone who was emotionally lost and desperately trying to survive his own feelings.
overall, i really loved this series. tua and dean’s friendship means so much to me, and i am so happy they eventually talked things out and reconciled. friendship heartbreaks are honestly one of the most painful things in the world because losing someone you considered home hurts differently. romantic heartbreaks hurt, yes, but friendship heartbreaks leave a different kind of emptiness because those are the people who know every version of you.
also, i genuinely did not expect nick to appear, but seeing him there made me realize how much boston had changed. boston used to be such a terrible person, and even he became aware of that. i honestly did not expect nick and boston to end things peacefully this season, so i am thankful they were finally able to communicate properly, even if it was only for one last time. i am especially proud of nick for finally choosing himself over everything else because he deserves so much better. honestly, so does boston. yes, he hurt many people before, but at least he grew and became self-aware. growth does not erase the pain someone caused, but it is still important to acknowledge when someone genuinely changes and reflects on their actions.
everyone in this series deserves so much better. they all deserved love, understanding, healing, and people who would genuinely choose them. one line from the series that really stayed with me was: “choose someone who chooses you.” that line hit so hard because it is true. people should never have to beg for consistency, reassurance, love, or basic respect.
please never lower your standards just because you are afraid of losing someone. know your worth. you are enough, and you deserve people who will never make you question that. never settle for someone who constantly makes you feel unloved, unwanted, or difficult to choose.
also, huge kudos to all the actors who portrayed their roles so well. all of you did such an incredible job and made every emotion feel real and natural. the acting honestly made the entire series even more impactful because you could genuinely feel the pain, tension, comfort, heartbreak, and vulnerability in every scene. nothing felt forced. every character felt alive because of how well the actors carried their roles.
special mention to MIX SAHAPHAP because wow. i honestly never expected to see you in this type of series, but you completely surprised me in the best way possible. your acting was genuinely amazing and emotionally convincing. you portrayed your character with so much depth, and there were scenes where your emotions alone were enough to break my heart. this role honestly showed a different side of you as an actor, and i am genuinely proud of how well you did.
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1Uncanny in all the best ways. Painful in the most beautiful ways.
Not gonna lie - the whole show made me feel extremely uncomfortable more than once. Escapism in the purest and scariest form. Heaven never sounded more like hell. The truth is, happiness only exists in contrast to sadness. You can only cherish what will eventually cease to exist.Sci-fi is a genre that’s extremely hard to ace. You either don’t get enough information to understand it and get immersed in the created world, or the creators overexplain everything, and it seems like a wikipedia page. Yonder managed to keep the balance from start till the end. They gave enough exposition through dialogues to make sense of the sci-fi elements, but they also used a lot of visuals and simple storytelling to explain and expand the rest.
The core of the show though is its philosophical theme centering around happiness, grief and meaning of existence. My brain hurts after watching it. It invites you to dwell on so many complex issues that are hard to grasp just by watching - it made me want to think about them more, even after the episodes ended. What is happiness? How can we achieve it? What gives life meaning? How to deal with grief? Can one get prepared for death? Not to mention the whole ethical side of exploiting people’s pain dressed up as compassion and the selfish and egocentric side of humans.
On the storytelling side - they did an amazing job with pacing. Each scene was meaningful, nothing was dragged, almost nothing felt rushed (on that “almost” under spoiler comment below). The show just flows so well. I would say, it seems better as a binge watch, treating it like a long movie. The breaks between episodes might slightly take one out of the immersion. I honestly regret starting it right when it aired, instead of watching it all when it finished.
Performances - from phenomenal to not memorable. That said, some characters were not exactly written with much depth, and only served a purpose of pushing the plot forward (mostly Hacker Park and the doctor working with them).
Shin Ha Kyun… This man. How is this even possible for him to keep surprising me with his skill? Where’s the limit to his talent? No words to describe his delivery of the character.
The choice of the songs perfectly elevated all the scenes. Did I cry? Yes, many times.
Production value was top notch. Yonder is like a beautiful art piece. Loved everything - the angles, the lighting and use of colors, the proper use of close up and slow motion, the camera rotation that were never overused. The subtle and well designed special effects.
There was one element of the conclusion/reveal by the end that I did not exactly like. It was well written and integrated to the story - it was just my personal preference for the show not to include it. I like when the shows that create an existential crisis in me keep things more open and vague - left to my own personal interpretation. But what I’ve got was a more solid answer to one question, that somehow felt like a contradiction.
Overall, I truly loved it. It’s for sure a show that needs to be analyzed and watched with brain on. Not because it’s so complex plot wise, or hard to understand. Rather, because it tackles many serious issues and questions that are worth asking yourself, and finding out what is your answer.
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Welcome to Yim Si Wan’s masterclass in acting where he shows all of you how it’s done.
Boyhood is a painfully real, hopelessly endearing, frustratingly hilarious and achingly sad but hopeful story of a chronically bullied underdog who has finally had enough.Right off the bat, I am going to get the show's obvious flaws out of the way. You have to know that this drama is directed by the makers of The Fiery Priest and Backstreet Rookie. So, it’s already a double edged sword because it has elements of both one of the most loved (TFP) and most hated (BR) dramas.
The director’s signature is strong in this one and you can see it in the slapstick, cringe worthy comedy. Think: poop jokes, nosebleeds and awkward dancing. The secondhand embarrassment with the characters is through the roof and there is so much cringe that sometimes it’s hard to watch. Moreover, the entire drama is helmed by an extremely flawed, tragically loser, weak male lead.
Byung Tae is all over the place all the time: a scrawny cry baby, who has no pride, no self-respect- he lacks in both brains and brawn and starts off as being quite pathetic. Other than that, the show doesn’t have a super out of the box story. It’s the same bullying trope - underdog defeating the one at the top which basically means there’s a lot of pointless violence and blood involved.
To make matters even more interesting, some characters switch up mid way in the show in a way that shocks you and where you thought there would be bromance, you get bitter, blood boiling enmity.
So, considering all the flaws I just mentioned, why then should you even watch this show?
✔️ Number one reason is of course Yim Si Wan. He is an absolute powerhouse of an actor. Somehow, he was able to play this extremely complicated role of a loser and switch it up so that you start to root for his character. The acting is raw, real and absolutely riveting. There were so many times where our hero Byung Tae made me cry, laugh my ass off and hurt because I just wanted the bad things happening to him to stop. He is no way a perfect character or even likable most of the time but at the end of the day, he is the only one who has your heart.
✔️The next reason is the emotions. Surprisingly, while the in your face bits can get irritating, most of the show is actual comedy gold. It makes you laugh so hard, you’ll get abs sitting in your bed but at the same time, it hits you with all the feels too. You feel anger, pain and sadness while watching these characters go through teenage love, heartbreak, rejection and sorrow.
✔️The third reason is the female lead and the romantic potential. The female lead in this drama is an absolute boss. She is a rowdy, foul mouthed, cigarette smoking badass who can seriously whoop some ass. She is also definitely not the one who the hero is crushing on. However, she is the one who he ultimately loves (though he really does make it hard to believe). She teaches him how to stand up for himself. She teaches him his own worth. Most importantly, she makes him want to be a better person and value his life like she does. Their friendship is one of the best things of the show because of how heart warming it is.
✔️Other than that, the drama has a great music score and execution of a tried and tested story. It’s the perfect balance between light-hearted comedy, melodrama, action and slice of life.
✔️ The best thing, however, is the character development. Ultimately, the payoff is so good because Byung tae’s final victory is realistic and so incredibly satisfying. He never really changes as a person and yet, he is able to show his strength by hammering down the message that sometimes the strongest person is really the one who has been hurt the most.
Overall, the one hour episodes fly by, making it a highly entertaining watch. So, let go of your edginess, let loose your hair and bring that “singing badly in the shower” energy to watch this show.
Enjoy!
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This review may contain spoilers
Glamorous lives of influencers
The drama is basically about how Ari rises to a top influencer position and the people she meets and makes enemies with along the way. And, of course, how she exposes them.I liked the drama overall. I mainly loved Ari's chemistry with Junkyung and kinda wanted to watch them more than the other cliche beaches of influencers. I also felt like it was too long for a Netflix show, as they're usually max 8 eps, while this one was 12 eps. The reason I gave it a bit low on the rewatch value is exactly because of this. I don't see people who likes a fast watch would rewatch all of the 12 eps again. They felt a bit long with the lack of proper action or more romance. Tho I must say this is just my preference. So folks who doesn't like much romance, will love the underlying slow romance going on. The acting and the production quality are good, so it was still a nice watch.
I still have to mention that I wanted more romance. I was also disappointed with the villain. I expected they'd do a cool murder mystery, but it was more of a life lesson theme instead... I legit expected the sweetest character Shihyeon, to turn out to be a psycho villain as a plot twist, but nope, she was actually simply just nice T_T
Nevertheless, I loved how Park Gyu Young and Kang Min Hyuk had a lovely chemistry and a cute couple to watch. I really wished they'd gave more of them... still portrayed a nice slow burn romance. Tho plot-wise they lacked more background info on why they were the way they were. Like at times I was confused about whether Junkyung was actually a nice guy or a bored playboy, or whether Ari had a traumatic love experience in the past that made her so cold towards Junkyung even after kissing or she was just very introverted? I just wished they filled more in to the main characters personalities & past, rather than introducing buch of superficial mean girls.
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transitions of past and present
the reason I watched this movie is because of Park Shin Hye. I am an avid fan, She really did great acting in this movie. really applaud her. The overall movie was great I was so pulled really into the movie. I always like the time travel genre, this movie is so cool that it how the past affects the present time in the movie. But I have never have seen such a thrilling time journey where the lead is hunted in the past. while the lead also trying to find ways to save herself and her family in the present. really cool.Recommendable to watch
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The cake is too dry.
It looks great on the outside, but it tastes like sawdust.The cast is special. Atom is fantastic at everything, including perfect comic timing, Guide is both adorable and sexy, Poom is gorgeous and an excellent actor, and Ohm showed up to work.
The chemistry of the main couple is non-existent. Or I should say Guide makes a valiant effort but he pours his chemistry onto a fencepost. If only this series had Poom in the lead role - he and Guide had so much better chemistry that it was nearly impossible to cheer on the main pairing.
It's a mercy this was only 6 episodes, but it should have been 2 or 3. Or it could have worked as 6 if anything ever went anywhere or was explored. Why is Atom & Oab's mother like that? Why didn't Atom's character arc go anywhere? Why was Atom always wearing a shirt? What happened to Guy's store? Why did they wait until the last 2 minutes to sell grandma's cakes? Everthing is surface and there's no real character development. Shin SAYS he's become compassionate, but we never really saw it. Grandma is cute, but she's a stereotype of grandmotherly grandmotherness. (It's a minor miracle that she made it to the end - I lost a lot of money on that bet.)
I can't recommend this - it's dull and pointless, although if you want to stare for a few hours at a bunch of gorgeous men and Ohm, you may get some pleasure out of this.
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This is not a love story
Rather, this dorama is about the changing societal expectations of relationship, the roles of gender, and their interplay. Questions like what does 'to protect the woman' in a relationship or the significance of a piece of paper to define your romantic connection is discussed in modern society where nuclear family is no longer the norm. So, this is not a love story. It's a story on navigating modern relationship, both platonic and romantic. It doesn't necessarily give you an answer but it treats the audience as intelligent and invites you to ask these questions yourself. This is probably one of the most thought-provoking dorama I've watched ever that questions self-love and the relationship without shoving an answer down my throat, which I so much appreciate and recommend this.Was this review helpful to you?
A story full of love-hate and a never ending mess
I love Republican Era settings and this even has Jing Tian, only the sight of Jing Tian dressed up in that style was enough to get me on for this.Talking about the plot, the overall conspiracy stuff is a mixture. Their is a revenge story going on but they also want to show the viewers about Opium consumption and it's ill effects on health and life… All the ways to trick each other are mainly related to Business stuff. So maybe some people could get bored of it, though that's a genre I enjoy… Their are many complicated family feuds (trust me MANY)… they show us struggles for freedom and dreams too. The plot twists are really strange but unpredictable too. It's quite fun to watch but not too much intriguing for your brain either.
The deeds of the main villain is a total MESS. Once I got attached to the characters and started understanding the story… what was waiting for me next door was hate, anger and frustration. Many things annoy you to death here but the story will be left with nothing without them. Anyone looking for light weight fluffy stuff, just run away. This ain't for you.
I realized the cinematography is good and those Qipao dresses, the wavy silky hairstyles keeps us reminding of that era. The visuals are definitely a very big advantage here especially because it's a long 40 episode drama so there has to be something on screen that people can focus on. Of course, in addition to this setting, Jing Tian and Xu Weizhou are the best eye candies to stare at.
Jing Tian ( as Feng Shizhen ) — Feng Shizhen is strong and smart and she knows what she's doing. Jing Tian carries out this role very gracefully. From spying secretly with the gentle look of a governess (teacher) to expressing her emotions at the right moment. I was so hooked up to her character and totally rooting for her from the beginning.
Xu Weizhou ( as Rong Jiashang ) — he is the young master of the Rong family. Jiashang is an arrogant boy and was trained in the military academy from a small age. He is capable but pretty reckless too. He seemed like a puppy in love who wants to do so much but he needs to grow big first xD. I really pitied him all the way.
It's kinda funny how Jiashang's favorite sentence in the whole drama was "please give me some more time". He said this so many times that I couldn't even count it now. He reminds me that most of the scenes between him and Shizhen were repetitive. Though I agree they had their chemistry to carry it on.
Jing Chao ( as Meng Xu An ) — he is super cunning. In the beginning he maintained a cool gesture and a strong aura around him. But his character changes a lot throughout the drama.
{ My issues with the drama…}
—•• The biggest problem here is its pacing. The drama just gets super slow that you feel like the energy is missing. No matter how the plot goes, I literally felt the urge to speed it up like 2x or 3x many times… and every incident is so connected to each other that you can't even skip anything.
—•• I have another problem with the plot which is a spoiler so in the comments section.
The songs were fit for the occasion but didn't sound so special to go to my OST playlist.
✧ Favorite dialogue — "You have to live on, to see hope and a favourable turn" ✧
As to conclude, I am quite satisfied with this drama as all I was expecting here was a good revenge story and a strong female lead, which I got… So this turned out to be a good one time watch.
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Why? Because it's a bunch of clichés thrown together with an unoriginal serial murder mystery, a dangerous mental illness that is taken as a joke, and a ridiculous love story.
Story/Plot
Pfft. Is there even a plot/story? From the first episode, you'd probably be able to predict the ending scene. There was an absence of character development and twists.
Ye Ri's DID was unrealistic, and portrayed as some sort of jest. Every aspect of it made me roll my eyes to another dimension, particularly when she "transformed".
The characters were copies of each other: bland, dense and slow. Even the killer was inadequate.
I couldn't believe in Ye Ri and Eun Ho's love, there was no build up and it seemed forced.
Acting/Cast
I have never watched a drama with U-know and Kyung Soo Jin, but it's pretty obvious to me that Kyung Soo Jin did a better job. At least she was able to play two distinct personalities. U-know could barely act out his one character.
Music
Didn't really pay attention to the music. Actually, the only time I did when Another Miss Oh's OST was playing at Ye Ri's cafe.
Rewatch Value
Um.. No. There's no reason to watch it in the first place.
Overall
Meloholic is the perfect drama to watch when you're looking to facepalm, roll your eyes and curse at utterly stupid characters that lack common sense.
No, but seriously. Find something better to watch.
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Coming to Jun Ji Hyun, she totally stole the show. I mean, I won't say she overshadowed Kim Soo Hyun exactly since he did hold his own, but her character made me laugh so much. Except this movie, I've only watched her in My Sassy Girl (best movie eveer) but these two works are enough for me to say that she's the reigning queen of Korean industry. Her style is just so irresistibly sassy (no pun intended).
I loved the side characters. Especially the guys. Hehe. Like seriously, her little bro was H-O-T. Same goes for the second lead. I loved the actor in My Daughter Seoyoung and I loved him equally here. Interestingly, he was supposed to play the psycho killer but thank the lords he didn't because he totally killed it with the lover boy character (again, no pun intended).
The music was alright for me. Overall I loved the drama and I might watch it again sometime. But there's just something that stops me from giving it a 10. Maybe it's the half-hearted ending or simply the fact that there are other dramas I'm more in love with than this one. Regardless, I would definitely recommend this drama to everyone. Especially for watching Jun Ji Hyun's awesome character :)
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This review may contain spoilers
When I started this drama, I thought this was a Chinese version of the Korean drama Goblin. The male lead, Baiqi, is a cold and arrogant non-human stuck in the modern, which is very similar to the Korean version. The best thing about this drama is the comedy. Each character has its own version of comedy, and I truly enjoyed every part of it, especially Yang Jian and Heiqi, the evil version of Baiqi. Yangjian is developed pretty well throughout this drama, as he goes through two phases. He first learns that all spirits are not evil since when he wakes up, he literally starts hunting spirits. He discovers this by learning what Baiqi has done as a spiritual doctor. He then learns to love Xiaoxiao, which I treat as his second phase. He initially criticizes his fellow Heaven Soldier for falling in love with a human and loses his Penghai power, but in the end, he decides to lose his power and his only chance of going home to be with Xiaoxiao. Their relationship is one of the best I have seen and is just as important as Linxia and Baiqi's relationship. The part I disliked the most was when Baiqi loses his memory, especially when this happens near the end of the drama. Memory loss is so common in dramas that it has just become an obvious route to move the story forward.
The three main characters, Yangjian, Baiqi, and Linxia all have very good character development throughout the story, and through good writing, allows me, as the viewer, to actually care about what happens in their life. The saddest part of the story is when Baiqi knows he will die if he continues to love Linxia. That part is very touching since he rather dies in love with Linxia than being separated from her.
Overall, I think this drama deserves high ratings and people should give it a chance. The music is great and the scenes/CGI are beautiful.
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