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Best Drama/Romance series of 2023 / You will learn many lessons from this series
You will learn many lessons from this, one of them is to correct our mistakes and we can no longer go back to what we have done but instead continue on the right path.I am picky about the shows I watch but this one caught my attention. It is a story of a female villain who made many mistakes because of her intense regret and was given a chance to be a heroine and correct her mistakes in a dream. The story of this series is unique. Here I realized the side story of the villainous characters in a series that literally they can also be good. In the romance series I watch, I always drop them but this series I can’t stop until I fall asleep. The story is also beautiful, where ZXW, who was supposed to be the second lead, became the lead. The rotation role of the characters is beautiful. Another thing that impressed me about this series is that you will learn a lesson that the mistakes you made can no longer be undone and all you can do is continue your life as a righteous person. I can’t list them all, just that this is good and highly recommended to watch, you won’t regret it. Many don’t like the ending but for me it’s fine because the story became realistic and not fantasy.
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The story was the typical rich handsome boss and normal/poor girl story, despite it being quite cliche it still had its own cheerful vibe to it which made it seem more unique and special. Being a romantic comedy of course there has to be a love triangle and thus there's the appearance of the 2nd female lead who you would hate but in the end grow to like. The nice thing about this drama is that you would love not only the mains but also the side characters of the drama as they bring alot of joy along with the mains. There isn't much business problems or family issues as I mentioned above as it's a drama focused on the relationship of the boss and the girl.
Acting/Cast I'll be honest a part of the reason why I started this is because of the main leads. I've seen alot of dramas acted by both leads and always ended up enjoying their works so seeing them together in this new drama was a nice surprise for me.
ZhaoLiYing is such an adorable actress and I've became a solid fan of her after the 'Legend of Luzhen'
ZhangHan is also one of my favourite actors, needless to say because of his good looks but also I've seen many of his works including the Queen of SOP.
I also thoroughly support the rest of the cast as they brought so much extra joy to this drama.
The soundtrack nice and enjoyable as I loved hearing the opening and endings, however I haven't been that intrigued to download any of it yet.
This was such a cute and enjoyable drama that I would definitely rewatch in the future. Being 33 episodes I might just skip through once in a while.
Overall this is one of the best modern romantic dramas of China, as I usually just watch chinese historical dramas however this one is defs an exception. It was well made with a great cast that complemented the whole story.
So I recommend this to someone who is looking for some happy sweet and light-hearted as a break from a sad heavy plotted drama.
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2019 Drama of the Year?
Be Melodramatic has the chops to compete for best drama of 2019. Airing on cable network JTBC, this drama went unnoticed, and it did not help itself with a rough start. The show quickly finds its footing and delivers a drama that perfectly encapsulates a 2010s romcom. It hits on multiple progressive themes with its female leads. On top of the premise, there is a thick layer of meta comedy which will have any experienced kdrama watcher rolling in laughter. Watch Be Melodramatic, which I prematurely crown the Best of 2019.Story:
The story comes off a bit lukewarm and light on plot. One might think it is deserving of a “slice of life” tag, but the plot of Be Melodramatic is surprisingly engaging, intertwining the drama with the drama within the drama. The sad surprise is the first three shaky episodes, to put it nicely. It really takes 4 episodes to bring the different pieces of the story together. That is why the MDL rating for Be Melodramatic has only been climbing with each week.
More important than the plot are the characters, specifically the trio of female leads. Again, the trio comes off a bit lukewarm on paper (especially in comparison to the fiery leads of another 2019 drama, Search: WWW), three women with a mashup of common quarter-life problems. Like real people, viewers need time to get to know the leads and grow to like them and their supporting cast.
As the leads strive to produce a drama with double digit ratings, Be Melodramatic struggled to surpass the 2% mark. Perhaps there is a general fatigue with the RomCom genre, but the show deserves more love. Even if the plot synopsis does not interest you, I can assure you that the meta comedy will have you goofy smiling through all 16 episodes.
Acting:
The acting in Be Melodramatic is one of the first signals that put it on my radar, the deadpan humor in the trailers and actor Ahn Jae Hong’s brand of comedy. On the other hand, the three female leads have a very short drama resume, the highlight being Argon from 2016. And what seems like a lighthearted comedy quickly turns into an acting challenge for the entire cast.
Once characters and stories are introduced, the show quickly digs deeper into each character and the different catalysts for their growth. Major props to Jeon Yeon Bin who brought her character, Lee Eun-Jung, to life.
The supporting cast also gets major screentime, even with a large “main” cast. Though they are treated with more of the lightheartedness and comedy, all of them bring an interesting, entertaining character to screen. This highlights the writer’s ability to create loveable characters and the cast’s (and casting director’s) ability to portray them.
Music:
The sound of Be Melodramatic is equally entertaining as the plot. There is a scene where the leads sing one of the OSTs, and I was dying with laughter. Be Melodramatic captures every aspect of the drama making process, including the music. Thoughtful is the word that comes top of mind when thinking back on Be Melodramatic.
However, the soundtrack of 2019 has been stellar with multiple drama OSTs topping the Korean charts, and Be Melodramatic cannot stand up to those powerhouses (looking at you, Hotel Del Luna OST). There is also a slight over-reliance on one song in particular, a song I loved, but a crutch nonetheless.
Rewatch Value:
2019 has been a solid year for Korean dramas, although I believe it rates worse than the past 3-4 years. Based on the shows currently airing and set to air in the final quarter of 2019, I can confidently say that Be Melodramatic will be top of the 2019 RomCom list. If some of the newer shows do not interest me, I might even rewatch Be Melodramatic before 2019 is over. Anyone with extra time during the 2019 holiday season, I recommend giving this drama a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
Intimate Relationships Are A Spectrum
Japanese BL writers are often fantastic at portraying life situations in a raw and realistically human way. As humans we are complicated and emotionally messy. We have dark sides and traumas that shape how we pursue romantic relationships and affection. In my opinion, rarely do we see media portrayal of a BDSM relationship in such an intimate and relatable way.We’re introduced to Mizuki and Yoh’s relationship from Yoh’s perspective. From the beginning, according to Yoh, we believe Mizuki is quiet, domineering and unkind to Yoh completely unprovoked and without context. As the viewer, we’re led to think Yoh is a domestic sexual slave in Mizuki’s home with no other options in life, outside of his own free will. As we continue the series, we learn that Yoh seems to like the dynamic of their relationship and often resorts to pouting and childish behavior when Mizuki doesn’t show him the kind of dominating attention he craves. He often provokes Mizuki’s jealously and possessiveness so he can be the “victim” of Mizuki’s gentle yet “cruel” behavior. Mizuki seems to understand this dark side of Yoh and he happily grants Yoh’s wishes. Even cooking and caring for him when Yoh loses his job and falls into a state of depression.
While reeling at the loss of his job and his status in life, Yoh takes his provocation of Mizuki too far. On an animalistic and subconscious level, Yoh is provoking Mizuki to find out how much he cares for him. As a result, Mizuki’s jealousy rages and he resorts to stalking and possessive behaviors, to bring Yoh back to his side, even though Yoh never considers leaving him. Since the two never clearly communicate their feelings or emotions, they often run with negative and exaggerated interpretations of benign day-to-day situations. When Mizuki finally reveals his true feelings and tells Yoh he cannot breathe without him, Yoh revels in this revelation but still doesn’t verbally reciprocate his feelings to Mizuki.
I personally love the push and pull by Yoh and Mizuki in this series. Yoh and Mizuki have a codependent relationship that makes them both happy and anxious, simultaneously. They know how to press each other’s buttons and it all seems to be, at least from Yoh’s side, for the sake of sexual gratification and arousal. Are they communicating in a healthy way, no, is the relationship kind of toxic, yes, but is it a realistic slice of life, absolutely. It’s obvious that they love and care for one another, but they show it in a way that differs from what society deems as “normal”. BUT they also require what we all want in a long term relationship, reassurance and stability. After 3 years living together, I believe we, the viewer, are meeting them at a pivotal moment in their relationship. Will they give each other the emotional and verbal reassurance they need to sustain a long term relationship or will their relationship crumble under misunderstandings due to lack of emotional transparency.
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1Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
New Life Begins is a fun and funny satire that mocks ancient Chinese feudal society. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Xinchuan, which presides over eight other provinces or chuans. Xinchuan is the poster child for every deplorable aspect of the feudal patriarchal society that prevailed over most of China's 5000 years of recorded history. Every three years as tribute, eligible young beauties from the provinces are sent for selection as wives or concubines of the Xinchuan princes. As these poor unsuspecting scions pore gleefully over bride portraits, little do they know that the very foundation of their kingdom and beliefs are about to be rocked to its chauvanist core.As fate would decree, subversive elements infiltrate that year's bride candidates. These elements are woefully untaught and unteachable in the Rules of Reverent Submission for Women. The kind of marriage envisioned by the Xinchaun royalty could not be further from their minds. The ringleader is Li Wei, a deceptively harmless foodie from Jichuan, an inconsequential province where men and women are equal and monogamous. She finds kindred souls in the scheming Hao Jia, the fierce Shangguan Jing and the savvy and ambitious Yuan Ying. Together, they prevail against the suffocating, often life threatening strictures of the Xinchuan inner palace to carve out an existence with some free will. Their brave and hilarious exploits resonate with the oppressed and fuels a fire across the inner palace and then, the capital. As it turns out, behind every great man in Xinchuan is a woman rolling her eyes. Despite the period setting, the ideals in this drama are very modern. It is a very fantastical utopian depiction of the kind of power women can unleash by simply working together instead of turning on one another.
This is not to say that all ten of the Xinchuan princes are bad fellows even though most of them make exceedingly bad husbands. With some, it is simply a matter of training while others need to be kicked to the furthest corners of the empire. The commercially savvy playboy Prince An who thinks he is the sun that the solar system revolves around when he is really the moon is the caricature that made me laugh hardest. That said, the entire ensemble cast delivers rib-tickling and lively comedic sketches that poke fun at the mundane. In a mostly lighthearted and positive but rather cursory manner, the drama evokes many women's themes. Hua Jia's arc is the darkest and most complex one and sounds a dire warning about disgruntled female employees. The sub-plots are short and even though the villains made my blood boil, they are not that smart or complex. That is because the true villain is the tyranny of the patriarchal feudal system and they are all victims of its shortcomings.
All of the sub-plots unfold around the evolution of the relationship between Li Wei and Yin Zheng, the unfavored sixth prince. Hilarity ensues when this woman who lives to eat finds herself shackled to a man who eats to live! With the help of MVP Butler Su, she attempts to tease out the inner fat dude just waiting to burst out of Yin Zheng. In fact, food is her secret weapon; she worms her way into practically everyone's hearts through their stomachs. Both Bai Jingting and Tian Xiwei have good comedic expression and they are fantastic at seamlessly turning funny moments into heart stopping passionate ones. While theirs is a fun, wholesome story, it is too much of a fairy tale. Neither of them have serious flaws and every cloud has a silver lining. In fact Li Wei's perpetual chirpiness grated on me at times. While Yuan Ying is a fabulous and formidable character and I get that one woman's treasure is another's trash, that entire situation is just too good to be true. I also didn't like how their relationship jumps from courtship to the comfortable rhythm of a long married couple, deferring the best romance part till the end. It breaks the natural momentum of a relationship and distracts audience attention from the other arcs. In truth, this drama is a lot more about sisterhood and women's themes than it is about romance. The production should be more confident that these well written, funny, and touching arcs can engage on their own without dragging out the romance to keep viewers invested.
This is one of the rare times that it is the second couple, Shangguan and Yin Qi that stole my heart. I have a weakness for flawed, colorful and unconventional characters like these. Yin Qi's plight is far worst than Yin Zheng's - he is just as unloved and he is no great talent to boot. In the bride lottery, he finds himself sacrificed to the fierce Shangguan, a princess from the powerful and matrilocal Danchuan. But he has a giant heart to go with his big goofy happy-go-lucky smile that makes the fiery Shangguan forgive him for always saying wrong things. Their clashes and banter made my shoulders quiver with laughter as they humorously navigate true challenges and hardships together. Even though they are not perfect and don't have everything, I somehow get the feeling they couldn't be happier.
Overall this is a gorgeous, lighthearted and highly enjoyable story about women's struggles and sisterhood with some romance thrown in. It lacks depth, is slow in places and is far from a masterpiece but the humour is very well done and has mass appeal. A highly recommended watch that I rate 8.5/10.0.
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1BEST 2024 costume drama!
So Satisfying all the way through!!!!Li Yun Rui & Meng Zi Yi Underrated for YEARS finally gets their big break!
Li Yun Rui - Always the supporting role. He was ML3 in Love like Galaxy. Supporting characters in many.
Meng Zi Yi - I always thought she looks goddess like and can act well enough for idol dramas, yet she never gets roles like Dilraba.
The pairing imo is fantastic. Both tall and beautiful, chemistry brewing.
The plot is NOTHING special as it's about 2nd chance in life trying to change fate. But unlike the ###s drams before, this is done right with a powerful 1st episode. On a cold snowy night, enters ML w/ silver hair saving the FL from a crashing carriage. Their eyes meet and the scene gives off that that same "A Familiar Stranger" vibe. (Same Director). Ep ends with them falling through the shattered glass into the abyss. Then time freezes as she slowly floats back up passing ML signals the reverse in timeline. The visuals are incredible, the best 1st episode ever! Can other directors just learn from this one?
The next 5 episodes ML/FL hardly have any interactions as they are building up the storyline. Ep 8 on the chemistry is on fire! Of course, if you are impatient and just want the leads face smooching then stick with your short dramas. This is a beautifully paced slow burn romance properly done (IMO) and I am loving every episode w/o skipping any scenes.
The not so perfect:
1. Blossom .... Y Y Y Y Blossom? Why can't they translate the title closer to the Chinese title?
2. ML, bad (General's) hair. umm his face is long, and you just up dewed another 3" of extra dry fake hair
3. Typical one-dimensional bad stepmother, bad uncle, bad dad, supporting actors but MOST of them had a glimpse of turnaround.
4. Insta fall from ep 1. ML/FL needed a bit more scenes ep 2-6.
For the first time 34 episodes felt so short.
All Top notch:
1. Director
2. Story telling
3. Visuals, creativity - Best 1st episode ever!
4. CPs! "Grape staring at raisin" FL big eyes staring at small eyes
5. Perfecting Casting - big or small roles
6. Characters. There are several characters switch between good and evil & the actors pulled it off!
7. Satisfying Ending. No botched up ending with quick killing of the entire cast. No ending ending. No Rushed Ending.
8. Script - Beautiful (level up Chinese.... Yeah my 3rd grade Chinese had issues understanding but I know it's well written
9. Music - elevating scenes
Emotional Hits:
1. Every ML FL scenes
2. Emperor, ML scene Ep 14
3. Yuan Tong realizing he really loves FL
4. Parting scene Wu Shan, FL scene
5. Ep 1 Death of emperor scene
6. Dou Ming .... tragic ending scene
LOVE LOVE LOVE I shall rewatch whenever there's a C-drama dry spell. (This year was a long dry spell)
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Captivating. Cinematic. Action-packed, yet offering impressive quiet & heartwarming tuning, too
Gando is the land of the desperate, the realm of the desperados of Joseon. In the 1920s, it was also a territory in which political responsibilities and affiliations were vaguely regulated. Some things may remind you of the Wild West. Yet this Wild North in the Far East is quite different...“Song of the Bandits” is a brilliant Netflix historical drama about a certain chapter of recent Korean history. Moving. Captivating. Cinematic. It exudes the vibes of an Eastern. The KDrama surely is gory action and turbulence at most times, but offers impressive quiet and heartwarming tuning, too. Action-packed it is, yet humor and romance modestly fit in as well. "Song of the Bandits" is astonishingly well balanced in this respect and for a Netflix production, despite its polished and action-driven choreography for a broad international audience, sticks surprisingly consistently to a more subtle Korean series style. Nicely done at all scales. We get a feeling of the Manchurian landscape with Gando impressions filmed at original locations. This all framed within a consistently beautiful soundtrack. It all lasts for 9 episodes (only! Yet?). In spite the overall ambitious commercial production context, aiming at an international “Squid Game”-like success, “Song of the Bandits” was able to impress me with a historically and emotionally complex story with great mimes - Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Ho-jung and Lee Hyun-wook in their element. But so is everyone else. This is where KDrama and Netflix perfectly come together...
'Bandit: The Song of the Sword' is the original title. In fact, people don't swing swords so much as they use firearms. The KDrama is epically processed, offers great emotions, while telling about people and the range of motives for which people are prepared to fight. It's about resistance, obedience, venality, oppression, social affiliation, the fight for freedom. There are even some spiritual thoughts attached to it along the way. It is about the Joseon people, some personal fate, as well as 'the' history of Chosen - an emotionally quite ´Korean´ excerpt of modern history. Its thematic historic setting (even if the rest of the world might not care so much about it, as it is not requisite for an entertaining series pleasure) contains a lot of explosive material by Korean standards. Therefore firearms are in several respects quite consistent in this context…
As far as I am concerned, I do care about the historical context. On the contrary, I find it quite intriguing - besides the dramaturgically action-packed and emotionally charged story with its complex, interwoven relationship dynamics and conflicts. As I said, you don't really need to know the background to be enthusiastic about "Song of the Bandits". But if anyone might be interested, see the historical side note about 'Gando', the border region on the north bank of the Tumen river, which today also marks the border between northeast China and North Korea.
PS:
Yep, the ending of the story...
If you like, you can dream of more. It could be possible. Yet, it would still go on and on.
Who knows if there may be a sequel...
Nevertheless, from my perspective the ending is quite fitting. (Whether I like it or not.) In terms of the historical events, things are as they are. We want fiction to write a different ending, but it still wouldn´t be any better, rosier or brighter for hardly any of the various protagonists... Therefore, from a Korean perspective the ending of this story remains true to the spirit of the actual Chosen-history: For Joseon people it is and remains unsatisfactory, unfair and painful. ´We´, as an international audience (temporarily and figuratively with our personal discontent), can/shall/must/may thus empathically share this collective emotion, too.
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SIDE NOTE: --- Gando, also called Jiandao, and today Yanbian ---
Gando historically stands for a specific borderland. To this day it is a region with a high proportion of people of Korean origin.
Gando is a small, perhaps inconspicuous scar in Korean history – yet a scar that is still weeping, sort of...
Gando (and Manchuria in general) is also associated with the regrouping of the Rightous Army and thus with the patriotic pride of resistance against colonial oppression. With "Song of the Bandits", the issue of Gando has now obtained an impressive, international onstage introduction...
This 'Gando', Jiandao or Yanbian was the last nail of hope for an increasing number of desperate people from Joseon (and still is for some North Koreans today) who had nothing to lose and would rather settle for an arduous life and try their luck in this section of Manchuria - a back then relatively undeveloped marshland on the north bank of the Tumen river.
First - in the course of, and especially at the end of, the 19th century - famine and poverty drove poor Joseon people to the far north. Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was the hope to escape from Chosen, which was finally officially annexed by the Japanese. The Righteous Army militia was also formed anew in Manchuria at that time.
After the annexation of Joseon, with respect to a relatively large population of Joseon people, the Japanese as part of their aggressive expansion efforts also demanded this coastal territory north of the Tumen from the Chinese. Infiltration was followed by an invasion in 1907, but already by 1909 there was withdrawal again. Officially, as a result of the diplomatic negotiations, the area eventually became Chinese again and Japan received railroad concessions, while the Joseon people remained under Japanese rule due to their Korean descent.
"Song of the Bandits" sets its story in this political quagmire: the decade before the belligerent 1930s, before the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria, established the puppet state 'Mandschukuo' and used it for its own political and economic purposes. The prerequisite for this was a massive expansion of railway lines - especially the North Chosen Line along the border region between Chosen and Manchuria, that had been built during those previous years, while the Bandits sang their song...
Outlook:
After the end of the Second World War, many Koreans went back to their homeland, but by no means all of them. Around 810,000 people of Korean origin apparently still live in the Yanbian Autonomous District of China's Jilin Province to this day. In 1952, the proportion of the population with a Korean migrant background was around 60 percent. Then, Korean language was official. However, especially since the late 1990s, the Chinese government had specifically tried to force linguistic and cultural assimilation in order to counteract political currents in South Korea and discussions about a possible legitimate Korean claim to 'Gando'. These currents believe that - regarding those dubious events of the early 20th century and Gando Convention between Japan and China becoming obsolete with the ending of the World War II – this Gando territory actually is political void and should now belong to (in this case North?) Korea. Thus, Gando's territorial status for some still is not satisfactorily resolved…
Incidentally, desperate North Korean refugees are continuously trying to get to China via the Tumen river, which is icy during the long, cold winter months. Thus, Gando territory invariably remains a last nail of hope for desperate Koreans even up until today...
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No good deed goes unpunished.
This is a melodramatic story about a badass assassin Shen Lige and Liu Yikang, titled Prince Pengcheng who was best known for reforms that heralded a golden age for the short lived Liu Song dynasty (420-479). In real life, Liu Yikang was probably a dull and dusty fellow who promulgated legislation and ably shouldered the burden of tedious administrative tasks artfully dodged by his brother the allegedly sickly emperor Wen. In this romanticized account, Pengcheng falls in love with the beautiful and deadly Lige, who helps him drain the swamp and weed out a bunch of corrupt and rebellious aristrocrats who are disenfranchised by his reforms.Shen Lige (Li Qin) must be one of the strongest, most badass, most lethal and most gorgeous female leads of c-drama. She makes a grand entrance and her character is awesome up until the bitter end and is the strongest selling point of this drama. Li Qin's acting is so superb her Lige is powerful, engaging, fierce yet still feminine and her expressions are nuanced and emotionally on point. Initially I was not convinced on her pairing with Qin Hao - he is obviously quite a bit older and her "lao tou"/old dude jokes did not help. But Qin Hao is a very compelling actor and in no time, I was rooting for Lige and Pengcheng. While their chemistry is not sizzling or deeply passionate, they are both smart characters that are clearly on the same wavelength and make a formidable team. That said, I feel an actor of Qin Hao's caliber was somewhat wasted on a role such as Pengcheng - he would have made a far more compelling villlain. I also did not like the noticeable skin smoothing they did on him which obscured his micro expressions.
All of the characters in this drama are just simply fantastic. How can you not love Prince Jingling who has the best, most subtly comical facial expressions? Or the completely adorable, wholesome loving, humble devoted goodness that is Shen family? Or the mischevious Zijin and Lige's loyal assassin fraternity? There are so many wonderful, well written characters that are charismatically portrayed and interact with so much chemistry and rapport that you can't help falling in love with them. Guard your hearts carefully though because one of the key takeaways of this drama is that no good deed goes unpunished and compassion and mercy is repaid with treachery and murder. Of course we can't expect all of the characters to survive but there have to be enough survivors to keep us invested in the drama and this one barely makes it. The deaths also have to be "good deaths" at the hands of a worthy opponent and not at the hands of say a puny mutant ninja flying cockroach.
Very much like its predecessor Weiyoung, the villains in this drama are quite enjoyable almost cartoonlike caricatures with very dramatic, somewhat comical facial expressions. Lu Yuan is an excellent, overpowering villian. And Consort Sun relishes hamming it up so much at many points she appears on the verge of cracking up with laughter. However, there are also too many repetitive petty villains with cliché motives and too many lives. The main villains and in particular the mastermind in black (whose identity was obvious quite early on) are interesting characters that should have been better developed instead of digressing into sibling rivalry, green eyed monster and excessive bitch slapping tropes. Unfortunately, the villain spotlight was hijacked by the very pretty Shen Leqing, a well acted but two dimensional character with pedestrian motives. I guess in life and in art, men can see better than they can think.
The story writing is where this exhausting melodrama falls down hard. The plot is predictable and smacks of Weiyoung. Heavy suspension of disbelief is needed because from the get go, a lot of things that don't make sense happen. I rolled my eyes so often that I can no longer tell if my right and left eyeballs have exchanged sockets! But the acting is so delightful and there are so many thrilling moments that for the first 20+ episodes I went with it. At some point however, the excessive plotting and the rollercoaster ride of emotional ups and downs as beloved characters are mowed down with reckless impunity while petty villains survive against improbable odds becomes simply too much. The drama peaks in the mid-30s after the most well developed villain is felled and it further loses momentum after some of my best loved characters are gratuitously killed off. It limps through some repetitive sub-plots towards an unexpectedly good ending which I almost missed because I wasn't that motivated to finish. I find the writers of this drama guilty of writing under the influence of alcohol. They tortured my eyeballs with cruel and reckless depravity and are hereby sentenced to writing commercials for the next 15 years. The surprisingly fitting ending qualifies them for probation after 8.0 years, which is also my rating for this drama.
There seems to be some confusion over the ending so I am copying my a spoiler tagged explanation of what happened from the threads to the comment section of this review.
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have you ever watched a drama that makes you so happy that you want to become a better person? 'a poem a day' felt like home to me. it made me feel like i really belong somewhere.
story:
the story was nothing that... impressive? at least at first sight. there is no much drama, pressure, it doesn't make you nervous about what will happen next. but it gives you a warm feeling, it makes you happy. it was interesting for me, although i have no interest in physiotherapy.
the romance between je wook and bo young was one of the most beautiful romantic stories i've ever seen in kdramas. i know, i've read in many comments, a lot of people find it boring, too 'formal', but no, it was just real. they were one normal couple. they loved each others, they supported each other, there were hugs and kisses, so i didn't really understand why some people thought that their relationship was unnatural. it just felt real.
another thing i have to mention is the patients stories. i cried my eyes out, they just felt too real.
i really liked the poems. they were so beautiful and they perfectly matched with the story.
but i was slightly disappointed in the end, i think some things should have happend but this doesn't change the fact that the story is good.
characters:
woo bo young - oh, our beautiful female lead. she was just a good person, she was trying to do her job right and to help the patients to recover. she truly cared about them. the thing i liked the most in her it's that she wasn't trying to hide her sensitivity. bo young was a strong female lead in one word.
ye je wook - i haven't seen a person who likes giving advices as much as him lol. he seemed cold in the beginning but after that you can see what a warm person he actually is. he treated everyone with respect and he was always telling what he thinks, he was honest with himself and with the others.
shin min ho - you either like him or you don't. personally, i like him. yes, sometimes he acted childishly, he had no sense of responsibility but at the end, he made the right decision no matter how hard it was for him. yes, he was sometimes selfish, but aren't we all like that? when we fall in love we want the person to have eyes only for us, we don't want to let him/her go. so how can we blame minho for that?
the side characters were really funny and pleasent to watch. their had their own hardships but they always found a way to endure it. i like seeing their character development, escpecially han joo yong's. i like how his friendship with dae band developed in a really good way.
acting:
the cast was completely new for me, the only actor who i knew was seo hyun chul.
i have no much to say, the acting was perfect. there wasn't anyone whose acting seemed unnatural, they all did a great job.
music:
beautiful ost, i love all of the songs. they suited the drama really well and they made it even better.
overall:
11/10 if you ask me. i like dramas that are close to reality and 'a poem a day' was a masterpiece for me. totally recommended!
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It was my first time to watch the main leads in a project and their acting was just fine . I also wasn't able to read the novel in which this drama was based from so I'm not quite sure if the readers' idea of Yichen and Mosheng was played faithfully by Wallace and Tiffany. More than the main leads, Xiao Xiao (Mi Lu) and Yuan Feng (Yang Le)'s story stole the show for me. They were so entertaining to watch that I wish they even had more scenes because they were so great!
Just like "Boss & Me", the music did not disappoint and can easily make you feel good. My favorite was the opening song by Zhang Jie with the same title as the drama. I'm already downloading the OST as of writing this review haha!
I'm not a rewatcher so I didn't give a high score for that though I'd be fine in rewatching some of the scenes that made me happy and feel good. Overall, the drama had its fair share of angst (also annoying) and romantic moments but still managed to be a relaxing watch which made me love it. I haven't watched so many good C-dramas yet but I consider this as one of the good ones so far so you may try this out if you're craving for some romantic/nostalgic-themed drama to watch.
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I loved the original story line. Yes..I do believe it is an original story line: The fact the Jae Hui is rich but a self made man and not a chaebol, the fact that he was a nice man...simply a bit messed up from his past, the plot point of Cha Bong Sun and her need to see a counselor and her very stubborn personality and their coming together as a couple. Also, Cha Bong Sun may have had problems but she was a strong independent woman who had her own career. All of those elements came together in a very non standard Kdrama way. That pleased the heck out of me.
I loved the acting. Yoon Si Yoon was really good in King Of Baking and he was even better in this. He came into this part as a last minute add on and OWNED this part! He was excellent all the way through. Lee Ji Ah was a dichotomy of likable, sweet girl and grumpy jaded woman. And I liked that! I found her a refreshing change from the typical overly happy and good heroine. She felt real to me.
The acting was solid by the whole cast and I gave it a 10. The character development of the two leads was solid all the way through. Their chemistry was addicting as a viewer. I was rooting for them every step of the way.
Up until about 1/2 way through this drama I was a voracious addicted fiend...practically going through withdrawals until the next episode was subbed. But then something happened to the writing that went a little off for me and wilted the flower. The character of Hwa Young and the decision to set into this original story the very non original element of a scheming jealous woman. That is regrettable and why I can't give Me Too Flower a higher score than 8. She killed some of my love for this drama and I absolutely hate having to say it, but it's true.
The technical aspects of this drama were great. All except that one aspect I mentioned in the writing so I have no other complaints.
The OST is excellent! Right down the line..every song was lovely and fit this drama to a T. Especially "Dreaming" I loved the soundtrack to pieces.
My re-watch value I place at a 7 (good) because there are so many episodes of this drama I would re-watch in a heartbeat...especially 1 through 8 and again the last two. The chunk in the middle I want to rage at.
Do I recommend this? Highly. This drama is really good. I think if I had waited until it all aired and dramathoned it, maybe those episodes in the middle wouldn't have felt quite so agonizing. Give this drama a try...You won't regret it. There is so much to like about Me Too Flower.
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This review may contain spoilers
Just When You Think You Know What's Going On, You Don't, Or Do You?
First up I know a lot of people dropped this drama early on and at times I can see why but you're really missing out on the greater part of the drama by doing this. The actual plot line doesn't start up until around the end of episode 4. The first few episodes are building up to the actual plot line and while I do think it's needed I think they could've shortened this prologue of sorts to at least two episodes.I know a lot of people also dropped this drama because there hasn't been any romance...yet I don't get why people came into this drama for romance when the tags clearly don't have that genre listed. Anyways on with my review.
Story/Plot:
Gets off to a slow start but it sets you up for this dark story of Dongbaek, a famous police officer who has the ability to see people's memories through touch. Cool right? Yes and No. There are people who love him and idolize him and then there are people who hate him and don't want him to touch them in fear they'll get arrested for something illegal they did years ago. Despite Dongbaek having the extraordinary ability to see people's memories he himself does not remember his childhood memories past a certain age. The only memory he can remember is someone murdering a woman he assumes is his mother. The plot moves forward to introduce to us our female lead Sunmi, she is the daughter of a man who was murdered by a serial killer who seems to have come back 20 years later.
However, not everything is as it seems. There is actually a serial killer out there dubbed as the Eraser, who like Dongbaek has a special ability in which they can erase/manipulate memories. Throughout the entire series you are left questioning who you can trust and you can't as you try and figure out who exactly the Eraser is. And like I mentioned in the headline just when you think you know, you really don't. (I had so many theories going the entire drama.)
Acting/Cast:
The acting is/was amazing. I am a huge Yoo Seungho fan and I'm really happy he took the role of Dongbaek. He plays him really well. I am also a fan of Lee Seyoung, I really liked her roles in The Best Hit and Vampire Detective. I personally really like her in badass female character roles. I also want to mention Jo Sungha is excellent as always.
Music:
Sometimes the music is not needed but honestly that's something that's typical in k-dramas. I did like the ending theme a lot though.
Rewatch Value:
I already sort of rewatched it. I watched up to episode 12 by myself and then later rewatched episodes 1 through 12 with my mom until she caught up with me. I recommend watching it twice you catch stuff you may have missed the first time through it.
Overall:
I personally think if the prologue part had been shortened 2 episodes it would've kept people more interested. I also think that episode's 13, 14, and 15 could've somehow been consolidated into 2 episodes at the most, it felt drug out. It almost seems to me that they were originally going to go a different route with the plot but changed it last minute, as there is a scene in one of the episodes previews that does not make an actually appearance in an episode. I think this drama could've easily been better off as a 12-14 episode drama. The drama is wrapped up nicely though, definitely worth a watch!
Don't let this get you down though, the drama plot is really fun to follow if you are an avid crime/fantasy watcher.
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24 eps seem too short for the first time!
"Our Secret" is a drama with a good plot, lovable characters and excellent acting. the actors in this drama aren't that famous (edit: this was before hidden love) but their acting is really good; definitely how a high schooler would behave, in my opinion. it's fast paced with little or no filler scenes so overall it was a good watch. it felt so nostalgic (even tho I haven't finished my high school yet).the ML was portrayed splendid, props to the actor. he wasn't oblivious but seemed to get along with people around him quite well unlike other leads who act like they are allergic to humans or whatever. no super rich high school 'chaebol' heir so it makes the viewers easy to empathize. the way he looks at the FL melts me uwu. he really set the bar high for a "boy in love".
the FL did an excellent job in expressing a desk-mate who gradually falls in love with someone who she never thought she would and thinks he doens't reciprocate her feelings. she portrayed a girl chasing her love in a charming way and we can't help but root for this cute couple pairing.
the side characters weren't annoying. they had their own story to tell, making us cheer for them even with the little screen time they had. I loved the friendship among all of them.
I really had fun watching this!! trust me, it's a really good watch/re-watch!! ♡. if only someone would look at me the way ML looks at FL... I should prolly stop dreaming *cries in Chinese*. jokes aside, this is definitely a drama that'll stay with me for a long time. I could literally feel the emotions conveyed in the story. wow, what a ride! best of luck to all the actors' future works! signing off.
I'm in love with Chen Zhe Yuan if it wasn't obvious already ♡
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Sword in hand, righteous in heart. 手中握剑, 心中有义.
It was a windy and snowy day. Lei Wujie, a young swordsman wanders into a remote snow-capped inn. Xiao Se, the richly garbed innkeeper is set upon by bandits. The valiant Wujie intervenes and a fiery battle ensues. Appalled by the destruction, Xiao Se travels with Wujie to Xueyue City to collect usurious compensation. Along the way, they are caught in a vicious multi party melee over a mysterious golden coffin. They are swept out of harm's way by Wuxin, a powerful and enigmatic unordained monk. Thus begins the adventures of a loan shark innkeeper, an intrepid airhead and an irreverent monk. On their journey, they make as many deadly enemies as they do lifelong friends. Sword in hand, righteous in heart 手中握剑, 心中有义, the young friends set out on a quest for justice and their vision of jianghu or the martial world. In jianghu there is no absolute right or wrong, just an individual sense of morality and righteousness; the higher values that each swordsman is willing to give their life to protect.This addictive, high fantasy wuxia captures the spirit of rivers and lakes and the thirst of the wanderer to see where the skies end. The hilarious banter and unlimited friendship between the trio and their ever growing circle is immersive and exhilarating. I love that despite his superpowers, Wuxin needs Xiao Se to bankroll their travels and Lei Wujie has no sense of direction and gets Xiao Se lost all the time. Xiao Se (萧瑟; desolate) is a lonely and guarded character with a subtle air of loss and disappointment cloaked in sarcasm and arrogance. From the first instance he shares a curious understanding with Wuxin, another itinerant character with a cryptic past. They are both brilliant, complex and somewhat broken characters seeking answers and redress. Though younger in years, Wuxin is a wise, almost omniscient old soul, who is more at peace with his past than Xiao Se is. They find solace in Lei Wujie's simplistic, pure hearted idealism; his fearless youthful optimism and sense of invincibility. They are the core that attracts other great talents such as the redoubtable eldest martial brother Tang Lian, the strategic Ye Ruoyi, the divine healer Hua Jin and the sticky as fly paper Sikong Qianluo.
There is a lot to unpack in this story, beginning with the abundance of flamboyant and formidable jianghu characters. My personal favorite is Baili Dongjun, lush brewmaster and first city lord of Xueyue City. The prequel 少年白马醉春风 The Young Brewmaster's Adventure chronicles the youthful adventures of the colorful older generation of martial heroes. This explains the richly defined jianghu universe of legendary heroes and weapons and the fully realised characters with deep relationships and substantive backstories. Many surrounding characters are heroes of their own sub-plots that unfold alongside without seeming to digress from the main storyline. Loyalties notwithstanding, all five sword deities are moving and fascinating characters that make me want to know how their journeys begin. This drama is said to stay true to the original and the well loved manhua. This is likely due to the involvement of the novelist Zhou Munan (周木楠), whose prose is witty and simple, yet profoundly zen.
As the heroes converge on the capital, Tianqi City, the plot takes a political turn. The emperor is ailing and they are caught up in the battle for the throne between Prince Bai and Prince Chi. They race against time to unravel the old conspiracy that led to the downfall of Lord Langya many years ago. Fans of Langya List 琅琊榜 or Nirvana in Fire will recognise immediately that beyond the ranking of heroes, large chunks of this story pays homage to that masterpiece. The plot climaxes in an epic and heartbreaking denouement that reveals all the hard truths. While some villains could be better fleshed out and get off too lightly, the ending ties up all loose ends. Nirvana in Fire left me inconsolable but I am uplifted by how this version of the age-old battle for the throne story ends. Heaven's will does not always prevail over man's will; we have a choice in whether to take the lonely road or the one that is filled with friends.
It is obvious from the production values that the budget is modest at best but money is spent in all the right places. The styling of each characters is distinct and eye-catching and their weapons are badass. The fight scenes are intense, well choreographed, fast moving and exciting; the hallmark of a good wuxia. Each sect and swordsman have signature battle techniques and advantages that are well conceived and awe inspiring.
The acting is impressive and anchored by charismatic portrayals and compelling chemistry between Liu Xueyi's Wuxin and Li Hongyi's Xiao Se. Both characters are by far the fan favorites. Many characters were so well portrayed they deliver lingering impact beyond their screen time. The only notable exception is Sikong Qianluo, a cartoon character that has zero chemistry with Xiao Se. Someone must have sent them the wrong script because they seem to be acting out the role of the lovesick fangirl accosting a celebrity actor. But romance is peripheral in this saga and there are more riveting ones such as Li Hanyi and Zhao Yuzhen's story as well as that of Tang Lian and Fairy Rui.
This is a must watch wuxia, one that delivers all the best loved aspects of the genre. It has small flaws but I enjoyed it too much to want to pick at them. I will just leave it at that it would have been nice to see more of Wuxin and while the final fight scene was meaningful and satisfying, there were a few other clashes I would have loved to see. All considered, I am happy to rate this 9.0/10.0 and crown it the best wuxia of 2022.
PS - Don't forget to watch the 5 minute special ending episode.
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want to see the actors in something else
Overall: ep 7 and 8 were better but it was too little too late. There were 8 episodes about 15 minutes each, aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (depending on your country)Content Warnings: harassment
What I Liked
- funny moments
- how the director Ha Yeon Woo was prepared/put some thought into his plan
- the fan service of Ha Yeon Woo's body
- production value (including the scenic shots)
Room For Improvement
- for a jerk protagonist and a sweetheart to work in a romance, the jerk needs to have a REALLY good reason why they are a jerk and the jerk phase can't last very long. Unfortunately the explanation in episode 7 just wasn't good enough for me and the jerk phase lasted way too long.
- didn't feel chemistry between the protagonists
- the writer was a huge jerk to his manager and it made me mad (wish the writer was nice to others but then only angry at the director when he showed up)
- needed a little bit more of an indicator when they switched from present to past and then back to present again, some choppy moments
- very slow paced,
- dead fish lip presses
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