Reviews

From the MDL Hong Kong Awards nominations article*, I leapt to watching Better Days since it got 11 nominations! I try to avoid bullying shows these days, but surely couldn't pass up on one that got so many noms. After watching, it one of the best films I've seen in a long time, and now on my Top 10 Movies list. This film was fantastic in its storytelling style, cinematography, acting, casting, and directing. Very emotional...It got me -- there's a one-of-a-kind scene that pretty much will have everyone with tears rolling. If you haven't watched it yet, make sure to watch thru the credits at the end. Now I will be on a quest to watch other shows that both the leads are in, as well as those by the writer/director.

*Article: https://kisskh.at/article/the-39th-hong-kong-film-award-nominees-have-been-announced-011014483

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Opposites Attract

This web series can be seen on YouTube; it's like you watch your favorite childhood book online.

Story

A Chinese Ronja Robbersdaughter is captured by a general who offers her an escape route if she serves as a substitute for the missing bride of his son. The original bride was carefully chosen to avoid palace intrigue; that's why the bandit girl must keep up appearances for a longer period of time, in case some murder attempts will follow. Afterwards she may proceed her life elsewhere. She agrees under condition her bandit brothers will be released; one giant brother stays to accompany her as her handmaiden. The illustrious duo enters the general's house hold, stirring up trouble for his two sons, their friends, acquaintances, and servants.

Acting/Cast

Though this series isn't meant to win prizes, the casting is actually good; I loved the pairing of Yakisa who plays the lean and mean tomboy Bai Yun Feng and Gao Zi Tian as the scholarly second son, who loves to recite poems but falls for his practical bride as soon as he laid eyes on her. Even the giant bandit brother did a good job; I almost forgot he wasn't meant to play a travesty role like John Travolta in Hairspray.

The Good

Besides the odd leading couple who give us some cute and hot moments during the series, there are other interesting characters. For instance the eldest son and his wife, the female childhood friend of the male lead who wants him for herself, and her wise father who sees his daughter for who she is, trying to guide her within ethical boundaries we seldom see in Chinese period pieces.

The Bad

The downside of smooth story telling is that the end comes too soon. It's okay to leave out some dirty plotting, and the usual do-you-love-me-or-not-scenes, but one more episode could have been better, just to explain how the generals family and formerly bandits will cooperate in future times.

Overall

Still, Hold On, My Lady is a fast pacing piece with good vibrations within 4 episodes. It shows that opposites attract and holding on is all you have to do.

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You will love this series as much you love Steven Zhang. No regret!

I hardly watch this kind of genre. Usually, I will watch light drama to chill around the weekend. Honestly, I start watching this series because of Steven Zhang. I admired him through his previous drama (The day of becoming you). He is a talented and versatile actor. He nailed it in any role!

My first impression: I will watch this because of Steven and drop the drama anytime if the storyline is so-so.

But Nah, my first impression of this series is "out of scope" (Sorry, I can't find a good word to describe this). THIS DRAMA HAS ADDED TO MY BEST DRAMA PLAYLIST! I will rewatch this drama again and again.

From the first episode, you will love the storyline, the characters, and the settings of the drama. I love how each character is developing from episode to episode. I love how beautifully everyone portrays their role. Each character is perfect for actors and actresses especially, both ML and FL.

ML is so lovable. I love his ambition and determination. At first, you will hate the FL, but along the process, you will love her. She is a smart and reliable person. They are destined for each other. All the supporting character has their own story, and you will love it.

The storyline and script have perfectly done by the production. Each scene relates to the other. There is narration behind the story, which helps in highlighting the characters' emotions and inner thoughts. But some is lacking in the story, which they never mention how many years fly from scene to scene. As an international viewer, I am not familiar with the history. But it doesn't ruin the series at all.

The previous episodes have many heartbreaking scenes. I can't take any heartbreak. This series will reach the end, and I was hoping the ending be great. I will take some time moving on from this series.

Please give a try to this drama! You will love it.

Edit: I wish it has an extra episode. I really can't over this series yet. Please, help me! I fall for all actors and actresses in this series. And I fall twice with Steven Zhang. This time even harder. Cheng Yizhi is the best character. Wu Lizi too. They already secured a place in my heart. It will take some time to recover from this.

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if you are looking for fast-paced, lots-of-things-happening-in-the-episode kind of drama, then this is not for you.
in my humble opinion, the beauty of this drama lies in its quiet storytelling. the dynamics of dysfunctional families and how they were able to resolve their conflicts were all told through honest, thorough conversations and quiet moments. no meanies or baddies here to mess up the lives of our families but just families in conflict within and by themselves.
compared to a lot of the family dramas that i've seen, this is by far very well-written and portrayed with aplomb especially by the oldest OTP i have ever shipped!
overall, i still give this an 8! i eagerly awaited each episode every week while it was airing. rewatch value is only a 6 because i seldom rewatch anything anyway due to the heavy load of dramas on my watch list. =)

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Melodrama? I totally dislike to watch melodramas. However, I do not know what it is in New Tales of Gisaeng that grabbed my attention and kept me until the end. This is the first drama that I watched fully those 52 episodes.

The plot is very interesting and it kept me at the edge of the seat most of the time. There were some parts, but I did not mind. I felt connected to the characters and the screen writer Im Sung Han had presented very interesting aspects in life, which I had never really thought about. As I was watching, I wrote down some aspects of the conversation because it was very well said. I think I was inspired to learn things that I have never learned before.

I found the couples have great chemistry. Even those who had been living together for more than 30 years. I was laughing and crying along with them. This is truly a TV show that would make you feel good on the inside. I did not think it to be a melodrama. Most of the aspects that the author had presented seemed real. I think this is what makes Korean dramas stand out and make us go out there and enjoy watching them because in the end I grew very attached to the characters. It felt sad that I have to find another great drama.

Overall, I believe that everyone would find something interesting as one would sit back and relax and start watching New Tales of Gisaeng. Let the drama take its course.

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Refreshing love story told - Inside Out style!

It's not every day that Korean dramas ever shown relationships so ordinary before - from the simple moments of coming home after buying groceries to going on their first trip together! Seriously, when have you ever watched a drama that has shown even a break-up before? I know I haven't! It's almost always been sunshines and rainbows for every typical K-drama couple once they get together. This drama gets down on all the little things a SO can do to the tick the other.

It is absolutely refreshing seeing every little thing felt and portrayed by the cartoon cells. Through the cells and this drama, I realized how much communication is key. It takes two to tangle, and I love that both characters have their own flaws in contributing to the downfall of the relationship. So realistic, that I couldn't help but talk about every little scene throughout the drama with my friend and SO. But, I must admit some parts felt like fillers or moved too slow.

Overall, I definitely recommend Yumi's Cells for the most realistic and creative portrayal of relationships!

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This drama is very enjoyable and funny.
All the characters in this drama is beautifully written and the actors are perfectly casted.

All characters have their own charm, and you will end up liking everyone of them and their stories. Even the kids character are funny to watch.

Kim Myung Min is funny in this drama and way different from his usual cool and arrogant character in White tower, king of drama, beethoven virus. He was able to show his funny side especially in his love story.

For the music, nothing much because there is not much song or music that are very addicted to be listened, but the drama itself is just funny enough.

This drama is recommended to those who like watching enjoyable drama about family and those who want to see Kim Myung Min in a funny character.
Those who want to watch sad love story or very serious drama should avoid this.!

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I'm so mad, I had to come here and write my first review ever.

I wouldn't be so mad if this series hadn't roped me in with a lovely concept. I love a capable modern girl being sucked into an ancient world and having to adapt. I love a found-family-style ragtag group of young people out here fighting crime and solving mysteries. I love that they're all fully fleshed out characters with their own talents and challenges and even backstories. This was all off to a great start, and I will say that in watching a 4 hour compilation video of the series, I was on board for the first 3 hours. It's that last hour that brings me here.

Without giving any spoilers, I can tell you that last hour was truly unhinged. I'm a smart person, and I was more confused than a chameleon in a bag of skittles. The plotline diverges so intensely that it leaves plot twist territory altogether and goes into a full on plot tornado where nothing makes sense, no explanations are offered, and the audience is just sitting there for an hour questioning not only what in the world is going on in this story, but also our life choices in general.

Concept was great. Acting was great. I'm not a music person so I hold a neutral opinion of the soundtrack. I'm angry about the writing. If I could, I would press charges against whoever wrote the last quarter or so of the series.

I recommend the first three quarters of this series. After that, guys, you're on your own. Hope this helps.

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Much better than part 1...

While "New" often directs the actors as childish and cringe (Earth has to be played as a toddler), "New" was this time in the second row just producing and executive producing. The new director did tune down the childish and cringe behaviours of the direction but there is still some unnecessary childish stuff left including the stupid sound effects.

What me irked the most are the inconsistencies between season 1 and season 2. Johann bought a café in season 1 but it was not seen in season 2 at all - why is that? Of course we also did not see the bar which was also bought by Johann. This does not make much sense without any explaination. I have no idea if the novels have the same inconsistencies but for me it breaks the whole story arc. You may say it's nitpicking but for me it's a huge deal. The series does not feel in the same universe anymore.

They also broke with the story telling. In Part 1 all four couples were intertwined which made the story more dynamic. The forth couple in this case were Tonfah & Typhoon, not prominently featured but we knew there was something wrong, but we couldn't put a finger on it, till it was revealed in Part 2. But this interactions between all the couples is missed often in the last two parts. For themselves the parts with Arthit & Daotok and Suea & Dueannao are good, but they don't feel natural in the grand picture of the whole series.

The whole production was not thought through. Either tell the story in parts per couple or tell them together. The mish-mash did not help the series at all. It may be easier to follow but I don't feel a production should make it easy for the viewer. If you can't keep up with a story when it involves more than two people you need to concentrate more and such series always have a "previously" part, because that's what the US series did, because they can't be bothered to remember. For me it's a timewaster, I know what happened a week before and I don't want to know what will happen next week. For this series "Suea & Dueannao" should have been the beginning of Part 1 with their school time and then we could have had Hill & Ter and Johann & North. The Suea & Duennao arc could have been sprinkled in the Tonfah & Typhoon and Arthit & Daotok arc. But of course what do I know about story telling? 🤣

So overall even with all the problems it was a "good" show. It was not stellar, but it was entertaining for the most part. Arthit & Daotok did give us something different alone from the beginning but had flaws executing the story till the end and nobody liked Arthit turning into a red flag for two episodes. Tonfah & Typhoon was cuteness overload with a basic evil dad background. Thai scriptwriters always have a problem to alter the original work to make it better than the original. That is a strength of many JBLs where a mediocre manga is turned into something different, for example "Our Youth" where 50% of the original was scrubbed and 50% was newly written for the series. But I suppose we can't have it all. Lazyness trumps the thai screenwriters and fangirls (and fanboys) don't care about the story anyways as we can see with all the 10 reviews here on MDL.

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Excellent cast, fast-paced, and achingly sad...yet doesn't quite know what to say

Deok Im is a high spirited, clever girl who is firm in her values. She stands up for her friends, and she wants to live a simple life full of every day joy and helping those around her.

It's Deok Im's misfortune to be born into palace intrigue, and the nail in the coffin is catching the eye of the Crown Prince. As hard as she tries to break free, she keeps on being pulled in for the sake of her country, for the sake of her friends, and ultimately for the sake of the Crown Prince himself. She tries to resent him, she tries to demonize him, but the truth is he will be a great king, and is a decent man, and who is she to deny him?

It's an excellent premise, but it's clear the show wasn't sure which way to end it or what themes it is trying to promote. In the end, the show essentially shows 'multiple endings' in a string of could be final scenes. But unfortunately, in each and every end-ish scene, Deok Im's voice is muted, her feelings ambivalent, and in the very last scene, it's almost like she doesn't exist.

Also minor points off for not really knowing what to do with Hong Deok Ro.

The cast is superb, I really cared deeply for the two main characters and thought both the two main characters and all the side characters showed distinct personalities and a range of emotion. The music was moving but rather standard, scenes from the show will definitely linger on.

Themes: 6.5
The strongest theme is basically a warning "you wouldn't actually want to be a court lady centuries ago." Also 'lonely is the head that wears the crown.' Otherwise, the show is quite lost on whether it wanted to truly go with the feminist message lurking in the background, or whether it approves of Deok Im sacrificing herself to the Crown Prince.

Complex characters/character growth: 7.0
It's hard to not confuse the excellent acting, with character growth. I wish they had grown! Deok Im essentially gets quieter and more subdued as she feels the walls are closing in. The Crown Prince doesn't really waver in temperament or character until the tacked on last episode. They show lots of range of emotion, but no real transformation.

Complex women/interactions between women: 9.0
So great! Deok Im and her three friends stick together through thick and thin, and Deok Im recognizes and values how female companionship and community has made her life worth living. She also has great female mentors in the Queen/Queen Dowager and the senior ladies. One point off for the bizarre conspiracy of court lady spies. Instead of being an intriguing take on women coming together to defend themselves from powerful men, the whole thing is treated like a bunch of bitter, ridiculous women who would of course fail.

Cinematography/Production Values: 8.5
Production values are high, costumes and scenery are extremely pretty with a marked effort to change seasons and try different color combinations. It still stuck to somewhat standard scenes in terms of what the palace looks like, how the servants follow the important people around, how fight scenes are conducted etc.

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Script was written by a fire extinguisher. Everything’s hot, messy, and barely legal

This show is one trope away from being a dumpster fire. And it’s not the uncle-GIRL-nephew love triangle we are talking about, but apparently it’s a gaggle of geese falling for the girl that I’m amazed Li Chen had the stamina to swap all those pesky mosquitos away from his beloved.  

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First, what this show did wrong is to make stalking look cool. Even if you have a man as hot as KeChun “following” you around, showing up wherever you are, to save you. This ain’t it. 

Second, what is the case with Ke Chun dramas and women cuffed in chains?? Is this a common occurrence or was beating somebody shitless not good enough for TV now?? 

Third, whatever happened to the safety protocols of the fire department, that they let people in a burning building, let them spend 10 minutes kissing while fumes are piling up everywhere? 

Fourth, where are the hell are the nurses when the Wan Zhi’s mother left the room? Nobody in the halls saw this lady limping her way up the stairs??? Apparently, the two nurses who saw her thought nothing of a crippled lady making her way out of the emergency exit. Did they assume she went out for a smoke? Back to common-sense training!

Fifth, racing a fancy car against a lunatic with your beloved inside is not the right way to de-escalate the situation. You are definitely just asking for a car accident, and pray to god that she doesn’t die, or at least get amnesia so you can throw in another trope and prolong the agony of spending years apart.  

I could go on and on with all the inconsistencies in plot and execution of this drama, that not even Ke Chun’s pretty face could save it.

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Well what a waste of almost 20 hours

Just finished watching this show. Take home message is that Thai producers have too much money to spend on ridiculous storylines that make little to no sense.

For starters, there is only one character in the whole show that's somewhat sane, thinks a bit logically, which is Prang. The ML and FL are so unreal, I almost ragequit the show many times. FLs actions are very inconsistent and her acting skills are poor. Although I find her extremely pretty, it doesn't make up for the fact that she cannot act a dynamic role. She has a stoic face, a smile or a sneer pasted through most of the show. Her actions make no sense. For example, one minute she will be angry at the ML and suddenly she is no longer angry and smiling and talking to him as though nothing happened. On top of all that, the random dream sequences in the earlier episodes where she's going gaga over the ML are bizarre. I had no idea when/why she secretly fell in love with the ML? They met like three times and then, boom, she's secretly in love with him, even though they had little to no conversation happen those three times they meet. She's supposedly a world girl who knows her way around the block, but apparently falls in love with a random dude despite the fact that every male character in the show is in love/lust with her?

The ML on the other hand also has those random dream sequences. I really don't know what the director/writer was thinking when working on the script. It was all over the place, especially in the earlier episodes, the editing was totally off. Scenes that already took place had random cut parts pasted in other scenes. One minute the protagonists are in one scene, and then the scenes shifts to a totally new place with no rhyme or reason.

Overall, the show was very unpolished and 'logic' was a word that everyone in the show was allergic to. It seemed like the editing team rushed through the edits and cut and pasted scenes. The writing and directing of the show were also really pathetic, not to mention the poor acting.

P.S: Anyone else thinks that the random forest dude who works for the ML at the end of the show was super cute? I would have really enjoyed the show more if he was ML, at least I could look at a nice face when lambasting through this show.

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This drama is one that you either love or hate, with little room in the middle. I, for one loved it. For me, this is one of the most original dramas that I have seen, yet it utilizes the same plot vechiles common in other dramas.In an effort of full disclosure,I would freely admit that the plot is not that tight and there are writing gaps. Whilst the story is coherent, it does lose some of its fervour in the middle. Like most asian dramas, its pacing slightly uneven. With all that said, I loved this drama. It moved away from the run of the mill and tried something slightly different. I am a person that loves the classic set up , so for me to love this they had to have something right. The major strenght of this drama, is the exceptional characters and the cast that portray them . The characters are original is their development, but are quirky and all round lovable. So much so that,you feel this weird sort of attachment to them.I am a big Kang Ji Hwan fan, that that was an added benefit.Admitted I have never seen much of Park Shi Yeon, except in My Girl, but here she is a relevation, so much so that she became my favourite character.That is the bottomline with this drama, if you love the characters you will love it, if not then you won't.Recommended for atleast a watch, I promise you won't regret it!1

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I kind of am in a love/hate relationship with this show. I like how this is a show in which the main female lead can be considered "evil". You know why she's doing the things she does, you pity her for it, but also grow to hate her for it and keep saying "Haven't you had enough girl?". Which brings me to my second point. I love the acting, Lee Duk Hwa plays an excellent role as King Injo. He is portrayed very human, he has emotions too. He knows (in my opinion) very well what every one around him is thinking and planning, but he also wants to have someone around him and someone to love him, which makes him, to me, a very complicated and human character. Also Kim hyun Joo plays her role very very good. You pity her for being in her position and fully understand her reasons, but also hate her for her actions. There really is more to all the characters than meets the eye, if you're willing to look deeper and try to understand why they are doing this. If you're planning on watching this show, make sure to put yourself in to their shoes and try to understand their reasoning. Than this show is worth it.
One big problem I stepped on was the repetitiveness and slow progress of the story.

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