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The cases were more ingenious here plus there’s less focus on autopsy procedure, whether that gives the series a better feel or not is probably debatable. I’ve always planned to watch this season but I’ve been reluctant to start it due to the unsatisfactory little shambles thrown from its last season. I’ve written a comment about it, though without a proper review, I don’t expect anyone would even sympathize with my ramblings.I’m actually relieved the love story and romance was taken out this season to give it a more ominous tone instead. I personally find it effective and compared to the religious undertone that was wrapped around Season 2, for this one to dip its foot on thriller ground was more enjoyable to watch. The mystery surrounding Dr. Han Jin Woo’s illness, which forms the overarching storyline every season, was creatively orchestrated this time around. I’d say it’s 3-notches improved version of Season 1 (See, I’m notably skipping Season 2 here…)
Quite re-watchable because it’s a short series, and each episode stand as your mini mystery, detective story. Because of this format, you can easily park this on each episode. However, there is in fact an addicting factor that might just pull you in to marathon the series. Dr. Han’s mystery is only sprinkled in the tiniest drop in each episode and mostly at every end, so this cloaked mystery might compel you to unravel it quickly for your own peace of mind.
So, without further ado, I say this is indeed the best season so far, hopefully not the last. Everything's improved here: The actors and the act, the camera work, the lighting, the story, even a new antagonist to parallel Jung Ha Yoon (of the first 2 seasons). Of course, its not perfect, take for example some episodes that didn't get polished details, but those are minor and can easily be overlooked. I think that bringing in the veteran character actor Ahn Nae Sang had definitely clothed this drama in a better form. I'm all for a strong female character but somehow Detective Kang Kyeong Hee just didn't work as well for me especially in the last season. We get a cameo though and I feel that was good enough. Ryu Doek Hwan is given a new range in acting and he's shaping up well, I can imagine him turning out like Ahn Nae Sang when he's aged.
Spoilery alert 1: Anyone who's already watched Syndrome might find Dr. Han's mini-arc familiar ground.
Spoilery alert 2: When cases doesn't involve rare diseases, they tend to be less thrilling, well because they're already familiar plots.
Spoilery alert 3: There's an episode that I'm pretty sure was inspired by a neo-noir French film '13 Tzameti'.
Spoilery alert 4: It takes 10 episodes before you get an introduction to the new villain in this series but if I remember this is same format as in Season 1.
Pretty awesome finale, yeah, so go watch it now!
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I liked and enjoyed this movie. I like well made action movies and this one did a wonderful job with their action scenes. The scenery was incredible and the story was interesting enough. The characters and depth of the story I felt was lacking a bit of weight, but overall I felt it was all well acted and made.
The movie is 2 hrs+, but I did not feel it. That time is mostly made up with the action. I had honestly never watched a movie in which arrows were central to the story. This movie did an amazing job with it.
I recommend it if you like fast paced action movies, have a couple of hours to spared.
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rocket paced BL with tennis window dressing
Overall: they needed to eliminate some side plots and/or characters and focus on the relationship development between the leads. 10 episodes about 9 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/a-perfect-match-2025-1n53v7boirx?lang=en_usContent Warnings: past child abuse, past death, non con touching, slap
Watch Suggestions (to remove an episode 11 (in this case ep 9) curse)
- watch episodes 1-7
- can skip episode 8 unless you enjoy watching tennis
- skip episode 9 (super annoying plot cliche)
- start episode 10 at 2 minutes
What I Liked
- visuals
- intimacy
- supportive friend and grandma
- how grandma pushed back on the thin and beautiful comment
Room For Improvement
- so many tropes and not done in a new/fresh way, I originally was going to rate this as 8.5 but the ep 11 (happened in ep 9) cliche dragged my rating down, so if there hadn't been proof then that would have been the end???
- choppy/rushed, it's daytime then suddenly nighttime, characters rush off somewhere and then we see them talking about what happened, they needed to cut some side plots/characters to spend more time on the leads and their relationship progression
- that actress looked to be 10 which was much too old to act how she was acting, needed to have cast a child around age 5 (and also why wasn't she in school during the daytime/work week???)
- that a character said "I'm a person, not a bargaining chip" (was going to give points for "love isn't something you can hand over" but then that character agreed to something in the next scene which annoyed me
- (neutral) I didn't take off points but the tennis is window dressing, there is barely any shown in the 10 episodes with most in episode 8
- (neutral) there are a ton of product placements but they got the series made so they were fine
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Realistic but it hurts
Damn this one left a bitter taste in my mouth, Iwould never come back to this one but it is only because I cannot seem to forget it and how everything turned out, I just was not expecting it to be that realistic and so I didn't enjoy it as much. It transitions from their days in high school and their adulthood and the story being told from the ML's perspective. I felt the realness of the story and how everyone grew, their friendships was nice but after a while everything changed when the ML wanted something "more" when dating the FL he can't seem to find that something in her and so he goes else where to look for it, that's when the FL does something stupid to get back at the ML, but call it young love, that's the part of the story that hurt the most to me, I didn't agree with any of their decisions, and in the end it left me wanting more at the end.I would not re-watch this but I would recommend to anyone interested in first love and how it does not always turn out the way we want.
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I love everything in this drama, especially the characters. The leading characters by their acting and their story make the story brilliant.
Go Eun-Song, is my favourite female protagonist of all time... Her strength and way of life makes me want to be like her...
The drama has so much to teach about different values and goals for life.
This drama has a big lesson, that the human life is so empty without a goal... even the worst plan... the meanest plan...the cruelest plan, that had the protagonist's step-mother... well, we all know what happens to bad plans that hurt other people... some time later, you understand that even she hurt all the people during all this time... after all is over, she is the one who is going to hurt the most. There are so many words in this drama, that are so true, they made me cry.
The progress of the characters is one of the strongest points of the drama... you'll have to watch this to understand all the beauty of this aspect.
And the music... Just try not to burst into tears when K.Will's song is playing and the actors are making your heart stop and skip a beat... you'll be my hero :)
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The way death note ended gives lot of questions to us viewers just what happen to the world after? Given that death note still exist. This film tries to answer that question as 6 death notes spread around the world; it also clarifies some rules and expands it more which only makes it more interesting for possible sequels in the future. Also, the film did a nice job of portraying the post death note world as how we imagine it, death note used as a tool for terrorism and the idea of death note as the key for world order. Although even with interesting setting, fans of death note would be a bit disappointed here as it lacks the brain power of the original, nothing new as plot twist and tricks were all familiar, the execution was right but sometimes innovation is needed.
Although the movie's substance is a bit of a disappointment what it excels at is its stunning visuals it's so good, it's directed by Shinsuke Sato in the first place, the guy who directed Gantz and I am hero so you know what to expect if you watched those, the camera shots were awesome and the films atmosphere too, and also THE CGI WAS TOP NOTCHED RYUK here is miles better than the original.
Imagining death note without Light and L would be hard but at least their presence was felt from video recordings of them throughout the movie which IMO was a brilliant idea. As for the rivalry, it is now played by Ryuzaki and Shien which was subpar compared to the original but please do yourself a favor "DO NO WATCH THIS FILM WITHOUT WATCHING THE 3 PART MINI SERIES" this will make you connect with them and understand their motivation better. The acting from 3 main actors was excellent even higashide which at first I thought would be subpar compared to ikematsu and suda.
Got the same feeling from watching Crows Explode, just replicates the awesomeness of the original but offers nothing new. Felt a bit of cash grab. Felt a bit disappointed especially that actors played their characters well.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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Boys’ Lockdown (2020): A Super Cute Pinoy BL Series
“Boys’ Lockdown” was a super cute Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series. It’s charming and endearing. It isn’t pretentious. It’s made to provide its audience joy and romantic excitement by depicting two innocent and good-looking leads falling in love against all odds.Like most Pinoy BL series, “Boys’ Lockdown” was also contextualized during the Philippines’ enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plot/storyline was simple -- a chance meeting between two boys who eventually fell in love with each other even with all the environmental, psychological, societal, and even technological challenges thrown at them. While its plot/storyline was straightforward, “Boys’ Lockdown” didn’t lack political substance. It had subtle digs about the government’s handling of the Philippines’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wifi network names such as NeverAgain, NasaanAngPlano (Where’sThePlan), and DefendPressFreedom somehow revealed its politics. And with the long, natural-looking, and wonderful kiss at the end, even with due considerations for personal safety measures, “Boys’ Lockdown” was also defiant.
There were a few cheesy dialogues here and there but the screenplay was generally natural and realistic -- at least for middle to upper class Pinoys. I would have preferred less coño talk (that of middle to upper class Pinoy who speaks Taglish -- a combination of the English and Filipino Tagalog languages -- in a fussy way) but I can live with it. Pinoy coños need representations too, lol. There were cute lines (“Bump me once, shame on you, but bump me twice, it’s a sign!”), defiant lines (“I felt like I was giving the coronavirus a big middle finger in its giant ugly face because I won.”), and dramatic lines (“This stupid pandemic! This fucking lockdown! Everything feels a thousand times harder…”).
The entire cast delivered with their acting -- not particularly outstanding, but largely alright. Both Ali and Alec were adorable and fit their roles perfectly. Both were really charming and endearing. Ali and Alec had good chemistry together. Teetin was at her best during the dramatic scenes. All the supporting cast members are gorgeous. Crystal and Teetin are beautiful. Carlo, Ivoy, and Luis are hot. I still don’t know why Dicky and Whilce kept taking off their shirts but I have no complaints, lol! And Laksa, who needs more screen time, was lovable!
“Boys’ Lockdown” was also pretty solid in terms of the quality of production. Audio-visuals were cool and clean. Cinematography was neat and nice. Editing was precise. The soundtrack “Home” by Reese Lansangan was also ok.
On the whole, I would certainly recommend rewatching “Boys’ Lockdown.” It’s a super cute Pinoy BL series made to provide its viewers joy and romantic excitement. I’m glad it will have a second season which I’m so looking forward to next year.
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Ok, this was a long ride. Before you read my review, I will need to tell you a few things that might explain this whole review better:• I watched only a few Japanese dramas. 10% of them are the ones I did not like, not at all, and 90% are absolute pure love. No middle ground.
• I dropped Prism after the 1st episode, but I was persuaded to go back, and that was my 5th attempt to drop something. I failed, again. I am glad I returned. I am glad I waited months for subs, literally a month or slightly more between the episodes.
But what makes Prism so significant to me, and why I had to review it!? I will try to be as precise as possible:
FL is gentle, delicate, imperfectly perfect, and absolute sunshine. Which made her so strong and slightly unreal, but I loved how sometimes I wanted to b***ch about her, but she said and did everything right. Her character broke me.
Dialogues are very nice, very civilized, and very down to earth. Everything about this drama is down to earth. I love the explosion of emotions, but Prism gave me the needed balance.
I was scared, the whole time that the story would walk into some silly cliche, but it did not. Thank heavens, I would be so pissed otherwise.
I loved the aesthetic, a lingering feeling of undefined relationships, a mixture of love, friendship, reality, and sacrifice. The whole story about the perseverance of memory, past, and families really had a decent depth. And I do not believe everyone would see the beauty and the ugliness of a CHANGE.
This might not be the masterpiece, but this drama did something for me, hurt me a little, shook me a little, and made me feel something, which is just enough for me.
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Different cast, with same awful story. Overrated.
This one is slightly better than Season 1, mostly because of the cast change. The new FL feels younger, brighter, and more cheerful, which makes the overall drama a little easier to watch. The chemistry between the leads also feels more natural at times, and the younger energy of the cast gives the drama a fresher feeling.But unfortunately, changing the cast doesn't fix the biggest problem.
Her personality is still basically the same. She claims to love ML deeply, but somehow it is always ridiculously easy for her to get close to another man and end up in his arms whenever there is a misunderstanding or conflict. At this point, I don't even know whether to call her innocent or just unbelievably naive. After everything that happened before, you'd think she would have learned something, but apparently not.
The funny thing is that the drama keeps telling us how deeply she loves ML, while her actions sometimes say the complete opposite. If you supposedly love someone that much, why is it so easy for you to seek comfort from another man whenever things go wrong? It makes the romance much less convincing because FL's behavior constantly undermines the feelings the script keeps telling us she has.
The plot itself is also basically the same kind of mainstream romance story we've seen countless times: misunderstandings, jealousy, love rivals, people manipulating the leads, separation, reconciliation, and then more misunderstandings. There isn't really anything new or particularly memorable here. It's watchable, but don't expect an original storyline.
Another thing that stood out to me is how many kissing scenes there are. There are so many that after a while they stop feeling romantic and start feeling like the drama is using them to fill screen time and fan services. A few well-placed intimate scenes would have been enough, but the sheer amount makes some of them feel unnecessary rather than meaningful (just like a short drama).
The drama also has quite a few scenes that seem to exist mainly for humor. Some of them are cute and can be entertaining, but others feel completely unnecessary and don't really contribute anything to the plot or character development. They make the drama feel longer than it needs to be, especially when the main storyline is already relying on repetitive conflicts.
I did appreciate that this season feels a little more entertaining overall. The new FL brings more energy to the scenes, and there are more moments where the leads actually feel like a couple instead of constantly being separated by unnecessary drama. Some of their romantic interactions are genuinely sweet, and the lighter tone makes it easier to get through.
The side characters aren't particularly impressive either. Most of them are clearly written as obstacles for the main couple, so instead of becoming interesting characters in their own right, they mostly exist to create another misunderstanding or jealousy plot.
OVERRATED !!! If you enjoyed the first season, you'll probably find this one slightly more entertaining. But if FL's behavior already drove you crazy in Season 1, don't expect a miracle here. The face may have changed, the energy may be brighter, but apparently the questionable decision-making skills are still exactly the same. So honestly, I wouldn’t recommend either this one or Season 1, and I definitely wouldn’t rewatch them.
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Very sweet
I started watching this drama because I am a fan of daddi tang since I've seen a couple of his works and I liked them, especially in the roles he played ML. Now another reason I started this drama was that I previously saw "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" where Fair xing was the female lead and Daddi was the second male lead, so I wanted to see more of their chemistry. Now obviously if a drama isn't good I'll drop it even if I like the actor/actress, but that wasn't the case with this drama.This drama was pure fluff. We didn't have unnecessary angst or misunderstanding that lasted for episodes. Their chemistry was also very good. The ending was one of the best endings I've seen for a Chinese drama.
Definitely recommend watching, you won't regret
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Twists and turns
The trailer and cover photo make you think one way the story will go but it’s so so different. Rather enjoyed this! Would love to see an American version of this ! I loved the two main Leads . Did you notice that their appearance seem to change as they fell in love? Both got more attractive . Forgiveness, second chances, coping with loss all were themes but lots of humorous moments too. Really enjoyed this. Fell in love with the lead actor he is adorable and kinda sexy and kinda scary all rolled up into one .Was this review helpful to you?
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You should watch this. It is really good.
Since this a web drama (most web dramas usually don't take more than an hour each an episode) You can watch this anytime. You can watch this in only a short amount of time....By traveling back in time, she realized how hard it was for her mom. She made a lot of hard decision to make the future (or present) right. By watching this web drama, I learned that we should understand our parents because we do not know what they had been through. Even though I had to wait for the next episode for so longgg (like every 7 days), it was worth the wait. Anyway it is a really nice story I give it a 10/10.
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Quick, satisfying and easy to watch
Have you been watching historical/wuxia/xianxia dramas and been disappointed in how they finish off the villains? Perhaps they don't show them being punished, perhaps the punishment is too light or perhaps, and I hate this the most, they give them a redemption arc and a happy-esque ending?Well worry not because this 21 episode mini-series has handled all the villains perfectly. Short on time they could not really show long torture sessions but they did the next best thing <3
The writing was good, they did stumble once in the end but then again as a mini-series they did not have much time to continue blundering so that saved it. The acting was good enough. The FMC has the chops for long series heavy screentime characters. The MMC however needs either more acting lessons or a different character- his expressions were too smiley (?) for this role. The side characters were good too.
All in all, for a short drama, this is worth your time and I would definitely recommend it
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The story isn't something that hasn't been done before, but it's really entertaining, and there were more fantasy elements than I initally expected. I think the pace was perfect, not too fast and not too slow, so you can get to know the characters but it never gets boring. That being said, I must warn you, it ends with a cliffhanger (season 2 starts in January).
The acting was pretty good too. I have never thought that Ayase Haruka was a really good actress, just an alright one. And I really didn't see her playing a credible action heroine. And yet, she really surprised me. She's great throughout the 4 episodes, and she has a very strong presence that makes for a great lead character. Most of the rest of actors were good too. I've always liked Higashide Masahiro a lot, and he's really good here. He's very funny and charismatic. Takashima Reiko was really funny too. Kimura Fumino is pretty good too, specially in the first episode. Kobayashi Kai is a bit annoying, and not the best of child actors, but I must admit the role was very difficult. Lastly, I won't say much about Fujiwara Tatsuya, because I've hated him for a long time, so I'm too biased (he overacts SO MUCH, it's incredibly annoying). Thank god he doesn't appear much.
The music was spectacular, it felt like listening to a movie soundtrack. Actually, most about this drama felt like a movie. All the technical aspectas were miles better than in the average j-drama. It's clear that they had a pretty big budget. The cinematography was great, and so were the costumes (even if a few of them were a bit ridiculous). The special effects were great, considering it's a J-drama (effects in j-movies aren't much better...). But mostly, I was shocked by how good the fight scenes were. They're the best fight scenes I've seen in a Japanese prodcution, drama or movie.
To sum up, I was pleasantly surprised by Seirei no Moribito in almost every way. I can't wait for the second season, even if there are still 8 months left. I guess in the meantime I'll have to watch the anime adaptation.
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