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Ohh to be seen and loved for what you are!
Depth of Field is one of those stories that creeps in slowly but wraps you neck deep in emotions before you know it. It was aching at times, but beautiful.The drama centres around Hayakawa, who has shut himself off from music and honestly, from feeling anything at all after a past that clearly wrecked him. And then there is Konno, who is camera-obsessed, a stoic, quiet individual who doesn't try to fix anyone but somehow holds a space in a way that changes everything.
What I enjoyed the most was that they didn't chase melodrama and didn't overexplain anything. The metaphors were so on point - music was for self-expression and photography for different perspectives.
Hayakawa's journey is very layered. He questions, self-pities, lashes out but also listens and evolves. Konno, on the other hand, feels like someone who has finally started to understand himself more and helps Hayakawa get back the parts of the past that are lost and buried. Hayakawa felt messy, raw and human and Konno was the contrast who was perfect with a clear plan in his head.
The tension between them is everything. It's admiration and jealousy in Haywaka's head while Konno stands there silently offering a kind of safety he doesn't himself know how to accept. He was like an anchor, just simply being there when everything else felt adrift. Their interactions aren't flashy but very tender and real. They had the kind of chemistry that doesn't explode but softens. Sometimes it wasn't about romance, but more about finally being "seen" for who they are and those long glances and silence that screamed "I got you" without any words.
Usually, the lack of communication bothers me a bit, but here it made sense considering the character's background.
The cinematography is literally poetry here. I really loved the terrace shots and all the unspoken confessions. The lighting is sad (where it needs to be) and subtle. Also, loved the ending shot, it felt like a complete circle...ending where it all began!
Acting-wise, I found Usa Takuma (Hayakawa) to be a bit stiff at times, but it didn't take away from the overall viewing experience. Hirano Koshu (Konno) played a very stoic character, and I thought he did a decent job as well.
Overall, this hit the sweet spot between emotional chaos and calm reflection that follows after. It's about being seen, finding courage and beginning again. Though the pace seems a bit fast, but considering the run time, it is excusable.
I would 100% recommend it!
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The plot is a surprise because it never goes in the direction one expected it to. Don't be fooled by an apparently superficial beginning: nothing in Stand Up!! is what it seems.
The cast is a surprise, because despite the very young age of the main leads, the acting is brilliant and gives the viewer a glimpse to the type of actors those young people would become.
The script is a surprise, as it deals with ordinary occurrences, teens fixations and the relationship between teens and adults in a sweet, mostly hilarious way.
You'll find yourself laughing out loud, giggling and, at times, remembering with a smile.
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This is an absolute masterpiece!
The only set of people who won't like this drama are those who aren't into this kind of dramas. It's an absolute masterpiece, though started slow but it was ignorable. Definitely a must watch!Every characters managed to shine in their own way. And of course, Zhao Yuanzhou shone the brightest. The character managed to carry to show from the beginning till the very end. Truly remarkable 👏. I love Wen Xiao's character too even though everyone hates her for being weak but that's the point of the ml being stronger. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her character.
Then there's Zhuo Yichen and Pei Sijing...the actors did so well with the roles. Our Baby Baijiu was a complete character but the actor did so well ...then Yinglei who didn't deserve to die 😭..
There's Li Lun whom I still hate but his final scene managed to elevate some of my hatred for him.
The drama is highly recommended but if you aren't into this kind of drama, it's not for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started watching serial thinking it would be a bubbly not-so-taxing series. But boy was I surprised. Up to episode 20 everything about the drama was top-notch. I liked the general and tian qi's gradual interactions while low key pining for Marquiz Marvel to win it all (happiness, girl, you know the typical whole yard for the second male lead)... But boy o boy from ep 21 things went so weird....so weird that the final happy ending felt a blasphemy and an irritating slap to viewers. I can't go onto describe every single detail that went wrong but I will still list a few
1. Tian Qi's revenge is nothing but a joke. She does literally nothing at all to take revenge except dressing up as a boy to enter J mansion. From then on viewers can see next to no effort of her getting any revenge done. The sorry excuse that we see in the name of revenge here comes through the intervention of the J brothers who punishes the culprit for things the villains did in general and not for tian Qi or her grievances.
2. The actual villain of the drama goes Scott free by the end of it all. The perpetrator of tian Qi and Marquiz Marvel's suffering aka General J's mother is never given any punishment or confrontations at all. The woman is just portrayed a product of her surroundings which excuse me??? Is not a good enough reason . Just to pave her son's way to become the next general and to solidify her position... she goes on a spree to kill her husband, his consort ( Marvel's mother), and tian qi's parents. And her punishment?? She becomes a Nun!!!! Like yea right that is some next level writing bullshit If there was ever any...
3. General J the character at best is wishy washy and at worst downright selfish. His selfishness begins when refuses to give tian qi to zheng even though he can't accept his homosexual feelings. And from then on his obsession with tian qi was cringe to watch (not cute). It's like he can only love tian qi if she is a girl. And he won't hear it or let his brother hear it if there is any homo matter. Now some people will argue that zheng knew tian's identity. But for those people I would say... A guy who's mother was murdered by the woman he was "made to love and respect", a guy who has every reason to bring down the family still forfeited his everything including the girl he loves to his brother because of his obligations (but more like his big heart) ... I don't think a guy like him would have chickened out like the General because of the word homosexuality thrown in. But then tian qi is not the only flaw in the general's character. His character in itself comes out as this overbearing personality who only knows how to command and be served every time no questions asked and two pivotal points in the drama proves it. a) where he tried to punish marvel according to family traditions when the later lost his temper in front of him .b) when he shouted at marvel instead of humbling down and apologizing sincerely for what his mother did to zheng . Nowhere in the entire serial do I find this general-mother duo ever feeling sincerely sorry to anyone except for themselves.
4. Tian qi. My god where to start? I would just say the writers did a very bad job here. From beginning to end it's all about her.. there is no room in her thoughts for any person other than her. In a way she is like the general too.. selfish and self centered till the end. She had no business going for that revenge if she was going to produce children with the enemy's son anyway. I mean who comes up with these plotlines??? Also she never really thanked zheng for all he did... Bollocks she never even acknowledged it except to say thanks as lol service!!! And what about her lie to the made she almost married?? Did she ever say sorry to her??? Nope
The only good character in the entire drama was Marquis Marvel aka Zheng's but he was also the only character who was made to unjustly suffer till the end. Which was one of the cruelest moves of the writer's ever.
The overall problem of the whole drama lies in its tone. For the first 20 episodes viewers are made to think it's a bubbly drama with no major brain jerkers. But from ep 21 this light hearted cute as a rainbow drama takes a 180 turn. The story gets so dark with the mom and general and everything involved that there is no turning back from there except a sad or at least bittersweet ending. But nope the writers just had to ruin even that probability of saving the drama it's grace by forcing a happy ending. As an audience I didn't feel happy with the comedic happy ending. Nope respected writers (sarcasm) not even one ounce.
The moral of the story is if you want to make a happy drama make one like (meng feng comes across) and if you wanna make a sad drama then legit make it sad (like goodbye my princess) . But please don't make a sorry mixture of both and end up writing one so utter bullshit that it only wastes viewer's energy and time... just because you can. Cause I take my dramas seriously and whenever I see a potentially good drama with a stellar cast ruined because of writers/directors experimentations with their creative licenceing, and that too with a half hearted attempt... It's feels like an insult too close to heart and damn melancholic :/
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Point of the point is...
...that there is no point.Food analogy: Underbaked lasagna
It literally had everything at it's disposable to make it a very gripping story and a great cast. What it lacked was execution. Shifting attention from one point to another without any real reason making the script feel loose.
I love stories that explore human beings as grey because, no one makes right decisions all the time, but still the bonds were poorly developed. It felt like they were keeping materials to themselves, so that they can make a second season purposefully.
Now, there really is genuine need of a second season because trust me when i say, none, not a single thread has been tied. It's a inconclusive loose end pro max ultra.
But nevertheless, the series is really short, watch if you have nothing else to do and want to tickle your mind slightly.
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To My Star Season 2: Our Untold Stories
26 people found this review helpful
But i was wrong. Turns out the 2nd season was filled with angst. I didn't hate it. I'm just not a fan of it.
However i ended up liking this season.
At first it was really frustrating to see how Ji Woo just left and ghosted Seo Jun for a whole year. But then in the end everything make sense. I wish Seo Jun could play hard to get for a little longer though.
Comparing to S1, i could see they had more budget for this season. Better cinematography, setting, styling, and more casts. The duration and pacing were good, but i feel like some parts could've been shorter. They also explains the plot holes from S1.
I dislike the idea of ex coming back, but they done it well.
I like how the side characters also had development.
My favorite character is Pil Hyun, he did great as Seo Jun's CEO. I feel bad for him since S1, everyone hung up on him first and now in S2 he's left alone. He deserves a better ending.
The acting was great. All the actors portray their roles perfectly.
I love the chemistry between the leads, they were perfect together. But i must mention Son Woo Hyun would do great as a singer. He truly had the talent for that. His singing part on ep 4 is amazing.
The i love the music that were used.
My favorite is "그럴때, 나는" by Son Woo Hyun & Kim Kang Min.
Overall it's a great sequel. I won't rewatch this as much as the prequel because of the angst, but in the end I really really liked this drama.
If you're in the mood to cry I'd recommend this.
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Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) Season 2
26 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
If that was the ending then NO
***Spoilers***I did not invest all that time and emotion in these characters for the writers to treat us as test subjects. If this is really the end then I won’t watch anything else they write. Ever. We followed this show and these characters through two seasons and deserved a better ending for all. Some did deserve to find happiness and some obviously did not. The ghost plot was dumb and I ignored it through most of the series anyway. I’ve been disappointed in endings before but nothing like this. It seems the writers went out of their way to shock us unnecessarily.
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Lack of Romantic Chemistry
I have watched both versions and I think Go Ahead is much better. More stress and angst from the moms but overall much better. San Ha mom is as selfish as ever.In this version San Ha and Ju Won had lukewarm chemistry at best.
Hae Jun and Dal works best as friends. No romantic chemistry. She is very nice, cute and timid. Unsure how she would make a good Attorney but that is another topic. The vibe I got from the plot and the way Hae Jun looked at Dal it seems more like pity and feeling sorry for her since he is such a nice guy . In the long run it does not make sense for him to fall/crush on her. He never had any feelings like that for over 10. Not even a hint. I can understand Dal crush all these years though because Hae Jun is nice and attractive.
Oh well.
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This review may contain spoilers
Roundabout plot, weak acting. Last few episodes were way better.
The drama started out intriguing for me, especially first 14 episodes. It seemed mysterious, like a solid story is about to be told. However thereafter, it was very drawn-out and constant repetition of certain scenes: the love story between FL and ML, the side view of the ML's face, the FL being strong-headed and suddenly acting weak, the ML always knowing where and when to rescue the FL and the FL/ML who are the only know-it-all.' After 20 episodes or so, I've been skipping the scenes involving the ML due to his mediocre and boring acting and chemistry with the FL.I would like to compare this drama to Ashes of Love and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. All three have great costumes and amazing filming location. However, both AoL and TMPB went on to develop the roles of all the supporting roles instead of killing them off. The part whereby PS lacked is the development, it seems that PS is advancing based on the aesthetic value of the ML, as the ML's acting ability in this show is rather weak. If Fu Chou had more scenes, he will overpower the ML for sure. FL and ML's love story does not seem realistic, as they constantly hid secrets from each other at the start and remained inseparable. FL is supposedly skilled in martial arts, but does not exhibit her ability when ML is around. Their love story is very forced upon the audience, whereby we have to accept that those two come as a whole. Then, why do we even have two separate characters if they appear to have the same mind? I find that as a watcher, I could not empathize with their relationship and when they break up I just go 'oh lol, there they go again'. This is unlike in AoL and TMPB, whereby in AoL, when the ML left the FL, it made me so upset since their love was very real.
The FL in PS acts more like a man than woman, and the ML acts like a wimp, especially when he revealed to the public that he had sex with the FL when the FL was about to marry Fu Chou. He is not a gentleman at all. The things the FL and ML are incomprehensible, mostly because they always do things to the extreme ie the FL for her own selfishness caused her servants to die and FL/ML ganging up to kill Fu Chou who showed real love for the FL. These make the audience unable to understand their harsh actions. In fact, this is the drama whereby I wished for the ML to die and for someone to teach the FL some manners. In short, apart from the lovey-dovey and sex scenes, as well as the ML showing his side view of his face and always appearing out of nowhere, the FL/ML roles remained sorely under-developed.
Moving on, Fu Chou acted brilliantly in showing a conflicted person who was hurt by his past and yet tries to love someone. The character development for his role is rather good and FC has got amazing acting skills. When he caught FL and ML together in the bath while the FL was married to him, his expression caused me to really cry. He is a good-hearted and loyal man who constantly endures betrayal from people around him and tries to put up a brave front. In my opinion, he deserves more screen time and can even be the ML. The ratio of screen time the ML has is 8:10, meaning that whenever other supporting roles are kissing/hugging, he strolls right into the scene. (Like, wait what? What does it have to do with the ML even.) As such, many scenes involving the supporting roles are cut out. That was what made me give this drama a low rating. As I continue watching, the disappointment increases.
In fact, I watched this drama for Leo Luo aka Emperor Qi. Leo never disappoints with his acting even though he seldom appear. Makes me wonder why since the production team is always using his fame and face for advertisements on Weibo (even Leo himself is helping to promote). This is so unfair since he had very little screen time and almost no character development. It feels like this drama is just riding on his Ashes of Love fame instead of giving Leo the recognition he deserves. (He acted brilliantly in AoL and I watched AoL twice.)
Conclusion: I will not watch this drama again as I am watching it for Leo, but now I have a new bias which is Fu Chou. Previously I have watched Leo's drama the Fox in the Screen, and even though the production wasn't as good, they gave all the roles equal screen time. I find that if PS cut down on showing off the ML's long face (I don't appreciate his face since I am seeing it so regularly it annoys me), it is likely PS will just go down to 30 episodes, though I think with a story like this, 20 episodes is good enough to make a strong plot. There is nothing memorable about this drama as the twists are too many in certain episodes and it is plain confusing. The music is nothing special unlike those in AoL and TMPB. I find the acting of the ML is boring enough and a major turn-off while the FL is too bratty. Wonder why is this drama called White Hair though. It seems like a clickbait...
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Arthdal Chronicles Part 2: The Sky Turning Inside Out, Rising Land
26 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
This was way and far better than the first part. The anticipation and thrill is way too REAL!!The casts 100% relayed their emotions, i could totally feel each and every one of their emotions. I fell in love with every one of them LOL. Let's quickly give a shout out to son joong ki especially.
About eun seom, it was kind of annoying the way he admitted defeat and lost all hope and didn't even try to fight back.
I also feel like the writers did not really give a strong enough reason for why he suddenly jut gained back all the hope he lost. However, the scene of eun seom and others in the pit was really moving at the last episode. How they all starved together and accepted each other as brothers. I loved that they said their names and tribes with pride and without discrimination.
The Music was perfect and on point!!
Don't even get me started at when tanya found the star bell!!! That was the ultimate trump card in this second part. I LOVED IT!! Y'all deserve several accolades.
I CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH THE THIRD PART!!!!!!!
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It's cute and all but...I've seen better. It has nothing new but I already knew it when I decided to watch. What really attracted me were the ratings and many viewers saying "oh, it's like a better version of Itazura na Kiss". And I have to admit: I dislike Itazura na Kiss and all it's remakes. I tried to watch, many times, but dropped it. I just can't stand the main leads. Decided to give a chance on this because I thought it would be really different.
But I'm not here to talk about InK, but with so many comparisons here's my verdict: Is it that much different? No, not at all. The girl is still stupidly and desperately pursuing the guy, who in turn acts acts cold and dismissive towards her. The thing is this drama is a more toned down version. People were right, he's not as much of a jerk, but he's still rather unnecessarily cold and, at times, rude. And the girl is not that much "stronger" either. She takes a LOT of his crap and doesn't do anything. And when she actually does (like telling him how it is) it's in a rather childish and immature way. Even when she actualy glosses over "giving up on him" she acts like a child, running away.
Seriously, I'm all for women pursuing the ones they like, but there's a fine line between trying to woo someone and being pathetic. The female lead fell on the wrong side for me. Really girls, if he's not into you, then don't even bother much longer.
Also, I'll never understand one thing: why is the guy always the genius and the girl an "idiot"? Couldn't she be average or even good at studies? Why the huge contrast between the best and the worst? Maybe it's just me nitpicking or thinking too much into it.
Their romance was boring, the cute scenes were fluffy but it really annoyed me when the guy acted nicer only to later act like a dismissive ass. And even when he was being "nice", he still threw one-liners here and there, was distant and constantly ordered the girl around. And it wasn't cute! That's not a cute behaviour, that's plainly annoying to watch.
Luckily it gets better. But it takes a longer time than I expect (and wanted). Only on the last few episodes it really looks like there's a mutual relationship. Still, I found myself annoyed by some actions.
However, what I liked here were the side characters. I guess they are the sole reason I gave this a 7.
I liked the second couple more than I enjoyed the main one. And it's actually pretty funny because their relationship is basically like the main couple's but with genders reversed. Despite that though, Jing Xiao was never truly mean or dismissive of Lu Yang. She really regarded him as close friend, and often got out of her way to demonstrate it. Their relationship felt more developed, healthier if I may say so. And their wedding vows were actually the cutest ever.
Also, Wu Bo Song is one of the best second male leads out there. I think those kind of characters really highlight how different the male lead's treatment of the female lead is crappy, althought I admit that he was kinda exaggerated at times. But he's not just a second guy to fall for the girl, he actually has struggles of his own. The issues with his dad and grandmother actually managed to make me shed some tears.
Another strong point is that this drama is actually pretty accurate with studies and even touches on taboos. It wasn't entirely well developed, after all this is a romance focused story, but I liked to see how the increasingly high standards for students is slowly taking it's toll on them. And the way it was all handled was quite realistic.
All in all it was an interesting watch. Funny thing is that I'm watching a very similar chinese drama called "With You", which has surprisingly similar plot, however I just think that in that drama everything is handled much better. I recommend for you to take a look at those two pretty similar and take your own conclusions.
Now I'll get ready for the flack haha
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Awesome m/m couple 10/10 - need their own series!
Overall: I'll divide this up into three couples but keep things general to not spoil things. I didn't like the commercial breaks (without the commercials) in Viki and wish they would have edited those out. On the plus side, the styling was on point especially with Mark. And I liked that differences such as ages and income were addressed.Content warnings: homophobia, fat shaming, bullying scene in a flashback, a few slaps, non con/dub con in one scene were a romantic partner is avoiding/said he did not want a kiss and the other person continued
M/M Couple - Best Boys (note: this official video is just their scenes ep 1-10 https://youtu.be/lIdngsUoa1M, but if you watch just the official cuts after that you'll miss out on important context/characterization, so watch the whole thing and fast forward parts you aren't interested in)
- character growth!!! Mark has some major character growth as he starts out as homophobic. He is impulsive but wears his heart on his sleeve.
- communication, it was great how especially Mark sought communication to resolve issues
- for the other half of this couple, loved defying stereotypes with the rescuing Mark scene and you can see the reason why he is really nervous/doubting their relationship
- favorite line "even though I like guys, I still have my standards"
- for the bad, this hovered very close to the "gay for you" trope
- their relationship was very rushed/not enough screen time (need their own series)
Older M/F Couple
- two sweeties, was a bit sad we didn't see any of them in the final episode other than a picture on the wall at the very end
Main M/F Couple
- started off really sweet and I was enjoying their story but then two unnecessary love triangles popped in and I became bored. Also the flashbacks weren't my thing. The age gap with the one set of flashbacks also disturbed me a bit as he was 10 and she was 18, granted she was thinking platonically, but he was thinking romantically. I disliked the overall fat shaming vibe. At one point the extremely thin FL steps on the scale and screams about too much bubble tea. Also the nickname little piggy when he is an adult seemed very condescending. Random pet peeve but I cringed every time I saw that self portrait.
Other characters that I enjoyed were the independent Joanna, the mom (who grew on me as she wanted the best for her daughter), Ou Wen's colleague Yan Wu Chun Feng and the married couple/daughter.
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Wonderful but my boredom when watching it is significant. Chang Hee is my favorite part.
My Liberation Notes is a slice-of-life drama about three siblings and their mysterious neighbors; who are dissatisfied with life in one way or another. They live in the countryside about an hour outside of Seoul. The show is showing the character's journey that was so refreshing and realistic. Liberation is a journey of identifying and persevering to keep working through it. Identifying your struggles and finding the root cause is a hard thing to do. Acceptance and taking action to make things better is even harder.At first, I watch this because it has a similar premise because My Mister also followed the lives of three brothers. In My Mister, they come together to help each other heal along with the FL. Then also its' deep exploration of the character's mental states. But the main difference, at least this is my opinion, is while both shows are character-driven, My Mister has much stronger external plots and twists that make more eye-opening action scenes, much more than My Liberation Notes. In My Liberation Notes, the story progresses by following the daily lives, like the vlogs of these characters. So if you enjoyed My Mister, you may or may not enjoy My Liberation Notes. Don't expect the same exhilaration you get from My Mister here, but surely, both series present the same level of production quality and character arcs. I like My Mister better, but there were many good thought-provoking aspects of My Liberation Notes.
The first pro I want to mention is the comedy. I absolutely love how this series handles funny moments. It comes from a quiet moment, there's no dialogue happening and it's funny due to the previous or next scenes. For example, the part of Mi Jeon demanding Mr. Gu to worship her and the scene of Mr. Gu alone realizing the word worship means and seeing his reaction. My favorite one is when Chang Hee has done something to Mr. Gu's car and Chang He's about to confess but instead of wearing his slippers, he decides to wear his runners instead. It was so funny! Because you could see what the character was thinking without them saying it.
Regarding the plot, I thought the first four episodes were exciting. then it got super slow midway and then the last four episodes were so beautifully done. They give a very satisfying arc to every single character, and even if they didn't end on a completely happy note, I felt hopeful by the end. It is worth mentioning that the dialogue is so heavy all the time, the conversation these characters have is telling me some sort of message across. It's very tiring to pay attention all the time, so this show is not binge-able, but more of one episode a day watch.
Speaking of the characters, I was invested not so much in their character but more in their fantastic acting and their story and growth. Each character is carefully described and redeemed. I love how all the siblings would talk about things that most people I think would be ashamed and sometimes embarrassed to admit. I loved Mi Jung's inner strength and how she takes the initiative to liberate herself. I found her relationship with Mr. Gu is very unique and unconventional. I warm up to Mr. Gu throughout the story, but I am slightly disappointed that his alcoholism is not handled. But the best part for me is Chang Hee. Watching his scenes at first I feel already connected to him. Then I'm so happy that in the last four episodes or so, the story focuses a lot on him. I loved how his monologues came out and how he become more mature, his story was just beautiful. I'm thinking of rewatching the show only for his scenes.
I want to praise the OST and sound effects. There's a heavy focus on a lot of ASMR sounds, like people walking, eating, breathing, and sighing. Because this screenplay focuses so much on a character's introspection and how they're feeling emotionally, it's really really nice to have it paired with silence and ASMR sounds. OST was just so beautiful and peaceful. It fuels me to continue watching when I kinda doze off when watching too much heavy dialogue and mundane scenes.
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It's not THAT great
Why The Prisoner of Beauty Isn’t as Great as It’s Hyped to BeUneven pacing. The show drags in the middle with too many filler scenes, especially those involving the generals and unnecessary political talk. It slows down the story’s momentum.
Wasted potential. The premise is interesting: beauty, power, and deception but it never fully commits to exploring those themes deeply or cleverly.
Predictable script. You can almost guess what’s going to happen next. Twists feel forced rather than earned, and some character decisions don’t make sense.
Unbalanced screen time. The supporting characters, especially the villains, could’ve been more developed. Instead, too much focus goes to less important subplots.
Weak romantic chemistry. The main couple’s connection feels surface-level. There’s no real spark or tension that keeps viewers rooting for them.
Inconsistent tone. It can’t seem to decide if it wants to be a political thriller, a romance, or a melodrama. The constant shifting weakens the emotional impact.
Lack of emotional payoff. Major scenes that should hit hard just… don’t. They’re either rushed or underwhelmingly executed.
Flat dialogue. The lines often sound generic or repetitive, without the depth or sharpness to make moments memorable.
Too polished, not enough grit. The cinematography is nice, but everything feels too staged and “clean,” making the story feel less real or immersive.
Low rewatch value. Once you know how it ends, there’s little reason to revisit it: no hidden layers, foreshadowing, or emotional depth to discover the second time around.
Underutilized cast. Some strong actors don’t get enough to do, while weaker performances get more screen time than they should.
Unclear motivations. Especially among the antagonists you’re left wondering why they’re doing what they’re doing. The lack of depth makes them forgettable.
Missed dramatic tension. Key conflicts resolve too easily or are skipped over entirely, leaving viewers unsatisfied.
Overuse of flashbacks. Instead of deepening the story, they start to feel like lazy storytelling tools.
Emotionally distant storytelling. It’s hard to truly care about the characters because the writing keeps viewers at arm’s length.
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Youth is not just that.
This movie it’s a slap in the face of the pretty rotten system called “mental health clinics”.
When you ask someone what “depression” or “mental diseases” are they just tell you “crazy people who are mad as hell.”
This movie portray all of this stereotypes and clean them up at the same time.
The two main characters are basically opposed to each other.
Lee Ming Ki play a pretty easy going boy who can be described as “eccentric” by society but, when it comes to a mental health institute, he’s portray as “a crazy arsonist”.
He was sent to a clinic just because he had some issues going on with his father’s inheritance so his brothers locked him there just to get all the money for themselves.
Jingoo character is a nice boy who suffers from a big trauma and now he can’t face a normal life. Not because he can’t but because he doesn’t want to.
The movie’s peace is really catching. You are tangled up with all the minor characters stories.
The main cast is superb.
Amazing actors with amazing acting skills, JinGoo is so young yet he’s basically the most talented young actor in Korea.
MingKi never fails to impress me.
He can act all different kind of roles and he never get boring.
Usually I think that Korean movies force you to cry even when the plot doesn’t need it.
They just make up some teary scenes just to make you sympathize with the characters and the story.
In this case it doesn’t happen.
When you cry you do it because the scenes are really touching and not exaggerated.
It might be a pretty simple plot but at the end it makes you realize that maybe we are all like JinGoo’s character.
Just young people afraid of built up something with our own straight because we fear adult life and the world itself.
Amazing movie, I would recommend it to everyone who like touching and simple stories.
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