This review may contain spoilers
No No No No La La No
WTF!!!!!!!!!If someone I loved pretended to be dead for 5 yrs and suddenly appeared in front of me, I wouldn't even want to look at their face.
The grief from death isn't the same as the grief from a breakup.
The writer had been playing with this since the beginning by giving the doctor a case of pills to carry everywhere. Writers should stop trying to make the audience cry. At this point they just seem like the bad teacher that hits you so you become better. This is not a healthy way of creating emotions in people.
The last few 4 or so episodes seemed like fillers with lots of throwbacks and nonsensical plot lines.
It's ok to make dramas shorter. If a story can be told better in fewer episodes, do it! It's better than spoiling a story that was good to begin with.
This idea of going through hard times alone even if you have loved ones is an Asian ideal that I can't really understand and I believe it's so damaging considering the mental health and suicide issues that are so prevalent there. Especially in South Korea. We've seen so many idols die to suicide. Pushing this idea that you have to endure hardships alone and come back to your loved ones when you're "not broken anymore" and not cause them "trouble" is something that might make this issue worse.
I can't stand by this drama anymore. The ending message is very damaging to those suffering from any sort of illness.
I'm not even going to speculate about the ending. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. And it doesn't do it for me.
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GREAT DRAMA , HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.ALLEN REN & SEVEN TAN DID BEAUTIFUL IN THIS DRAMA
i just finished this drama two days ago, and this drama really gave me a very deep impression. AN AMAZING AND VERY BEAUTIFUL AND DEEP DRAMA FOR A LOVE STORY BETWEEN LUYI AND JINXIA. The perfect storytelling has brought this drama to be so exciting to watch and I spent it in just over a week.This drama has a very good story development from action, stories about how they work together to solve cases that have involved one of the sons of royal officials, to the deep feelings of love that are built between the Luyi royal guard and Jinxia as an assistant to the Liushanmen government office. Their struggles touched my heart and I cried very sadly in the episode towards the end, and I was very satisfied and happy that they were finally able to meet again and have a happy ending, even though I actually wanted the director to add a little more to the end by letting the enthusiastic audience like I can see that finally Luyi and Jinxia can get married and have children ... but well I am quite satisfied with the end of the story ....This drama has a lot of spices from sweet, funny, action, mystery case solving and there is also a very sad side that can make you cry deeply when enjoying this drama.
and ... of course this perfect drama does not escape the good acting of our main cast "ALLEN REN and SEVEN TAN" who brought their characters as "LUYI and JINXIA".
this was the first time I watched a drama that Allen Ren played, and to be honest the first time I was a little hesitant to watch it, but luckily I started, otherwise I would be very sorry for having missed such a good drama, and I have to admit Allen Ren is an actor who has very good acting skills, he portrays the figure of luyi very perfectly.
I was not a fan of Allen Ren at first but after this drama ... I really liked him, and became one of his big fans ..
I decided to start this drama because of Seven Tan at first, because I really like this actress, she is very clever, sweet and always successful in bringing her character very well in every drama that she carries. I also really like her acting which is very natural in every drama that she brings ... she is a very funny, cheerful and sweet artist.
Allen Ren as Luyi looks very handsome and dignified in this drama .. I am really fascinated and captivated by his character who is very cool here. especially when he wore his royal guard uniform, really very dignified and handsome ..
Besides that, the chant that is inserted into this drama is also very beautiful. I almost like the whole soundtrack in this drama, especially the one entitled "wish / yuan" the lyrics and rhythm of the song are very touching and it seems that it fits perfectly with the scene at that time. The soundtrack by Allen Ren "Heart Wall" is also very good.
the whole of this drama is very perfect and beautiful, and of course for the rewatch value and overall I also give 10/10 points.
for those who are about to start or are thinking about starting this drama .. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA ..
At the end of the review I would like to thank all the producers, directors, writers, actors and actresses who have perfected this drama, and of course the crew too ....
excited for Allen Ren and Seven Tan, hope to see them play another drama. because their chemistry is very good and strong in this drama ...
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The story being told in an unagitated & well-rounded way unfolds its unique (I´d say: high) quality
"Divorce Attorney Shin" is actually based on the webtoon of the same name by Kang Tae-kyung. The KDrama comes with the handwriting of the same screenwriter as i.e. "Thirty Nine", "Always" and "Encounter" – Yoo Young-ah. In the case of "Divorce Attorney Shin" once again shows off her strengths: drawing true-to-life, sensitive portraits of friendship and relationship dynamics with plenty of ordinary life of ordinary people. In "Divorce Attorney Shin" you get (also thanks to marvelous actors/actresses!!) authentic, lifelike characters and circumstances. In this case with sometimes maybe a bit weird, but loving details. With characterful esprit. Unagitated. At times a joy to the heart. Almost soul food."Divorce Attorney Shin" tells stories from the red-hot everyday life of many people in South Korea, which is increasingly about divorce. The number of divorces in the country is currently going through the roof. The topic becomes almost normal madness. KDrama understands this just as such. Divorce is normal. Not nice. Not desirable. Not originally intended. But often unavoidable as the next step. And sometimes maybe...
(A bit tongue-in-cheek: the title. Attorney Shin's name "Shin Seong-han" literally means "sacred" in Korean. Thus, his name tag "Shin Seong-han, Divorce" becomes a provocative play on words. Attorney Shin is also the man for the cases when the ´holy state of marriage´ has faltered...)
There are many reasons and circumstances behind such a momentous decision as divorce ( ... and it may always accompanied by a bit of shame and feeling of failure, which needs to be digested emotionally). Some of them come along enrobed in different cases. They are weaving their way around the frame of the story, the main focus of which are three old friends – above all, however, divorce lawyer Shin Sung-han. One of the recurring scenes is the small but finely drawn retro lawyer's office with a wooden sliding door that sometimes gets stuck, which you quickly grow fond of. Also, Shin's apartment with retro-style hi-fi, where he spends his evenings listening to loud Trot music, preferably singing and drinking soju from a wine glass. And then the cozy Ramyeon restaurant around the corner from the office. Added to this is the special relationship between Shin and a client who ultimately joins the team and another young lawyer, who somehow stumbles over Shins piano skills into the office. And then there's his own past as a gifted pianist and the reason why he's no longer one.
Kudos to the layered nuances that paint the complex environment in which divorce tends to be embedded. No divorce is like the other. But most of the time, divorce hurts or hurt started before and therefore led to it. "Divorce Attorney Shin" touches on a multifaceted assortment of backgrounds and triggers over the course of 12 episodes short-term critical circumstances and long-term effects, emotional suffering and opportunities, economic chains and hopes, social stigmas and societal prejudices, and then, too, self-doubt, as well as collateral damage and sacrifice. It's not always just 'the others' who are affected, but the controversial issue of divorce is getting very close to almost all of the protagonists. JTBC attacks a hot social topic with the KDrama.
"Divorce Attorney Shin" offers all this embedded in a variation of slice-of-life. Leisurely, cozy and enjoyable – and therefore digestible. But it's not at all harmless. There is plenty of law-and-order with a comprehensive arc of suspense. On the one hand, this is the professional talent of our protagonist – although not his only one. On the other hand, there is his own family history, marked by the pain of separation and divorce, which is unexpectedly stimulated anew. The dramaturgical dynamic of the story is increasingly gaining momentum and ultimately steers inevitably towards Shin's very personal showdown, where justice is fought – not with firearms or fists, but according to the law, with evidence and with a sense of proportion, heart and mind.
In my opinion, the story finds an extremely fine nuance on all levels, which shows an ever deeper effect over time. Subtle but lasting. I would associate (not timbal, but) Koshi chimes – depending on topic and episode, sometimes more in the timbre of Aqua, sometimes more in the timbre of Aria, sometimes more in the timbre of Ignis, and sometimes more in the timbre of Terra... The story being told in a coherent and well-rounded way unfolds its very unique (I´d say: high) quality.
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SIDE NOTE: --- Trot ---
KPop is a 2000ff phenomenon in Korean music history and by now even most non-KDrama fans are familiar with it. ´Trot´ however probably is less known. But beware: maybe in the not too distant future there will also be a KTrot, who knows...
'Trot' dominated the Korean music scene – as the earliest form of popular music in the peninsula. Trot is less well known to the rest of the world, but has experienced an enormous revival in its own country in recent years, which is now taking the genre even beyond national borders, too. "Divorce Attorney Shin" presents one of the hits, which was released brand new in 2020 on the CD "9 Stories" by Trot old master Na Hoon-a. The 72-year-old landed a megahit, with its YouTube video being viewed 25 million times and thus temporarily relegating the superstars BTS and Blackprint to their places. Korean cultural export strategists are smart and quick. The song promptly finds its well-staged place in the appropriate KDrama with "Divorce Attorney Shin", which also takes the direct route to the international audience via the Netflix streaming platform…
'Trot' grew on Korean soil and is quite retro in its foxtrot and slowtrot beat derived from standard dance. 'Trot' goes back to the time during the Japanese colonial period and the import of the 'enka', mixed at that time with the folksy, epic pansori lamentations (at least for me often reminiscent of flamenco), as well as the traditional aesthetically harmonious, lyric poem form Siga. However, due to its entangled roots with the Japanese 'enka', 'Trot' fell under censorship from the 1960s onward and only resurfaced in the 1980s. However there was also J-pop , hip hop and rap allowed to reach the masses and with that influence the then upcoming new and hip KPop pushed 'Trot' into the background.
Only now, when KPop is firmly established, does interest and space for something 'new', identity-establishing traditional obviously open up again. There may be something old-fashioned about ´Trot´, since young people are more familiar with it via their grandparents generation. However, the music triggers a nationally rooted, melodramatic emotionality... It's quite possible that a contemporary, new variation of internationally hip KTrot will develop over the course of the next few years. At least the trot is rediscovered – not first – but also by "Divorce Attorney Shin"...
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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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This review may contain spoilers
Crisp and tasty KDrama - revolving around some hot topics that one might rather want to call sci-fi
Intelligent, sharp, with strong characters. A crisp and tasty KDrama. “Blood Free” got me immediately - with an original hook, set within a gripping milieu, topped by thoughtful demeanor of interestingly authentic protagonists and splendid casting.Of course, the interfering natural interest of those in power (who obviously can never keep their hands off) is not at all surprising. Yet, the processing of some rather hot contemporary issues was presented in a refreshingly concise manner. Including topics that one might call a dream of the future... A bit far-fetched here and there? Perhaps. Nevertheless, often enough well grounded in common sense.
I assume there could as well be a second season... because the end doesn´t necessarily have to be the end, does it?
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A contemporary love story with bonus fashion
I always wonder why some dramas have extremely low ratings. I have found out that it is best to watch most of the drama yourself and then rate independently of low reviews. This drama is another example of a diamond in the rough. From the beginning to end it started with strong characters and a substantial storyline that took the viewer beyond China to France and back. In addition, the story is a treatise on Chinese clothing styles and heritage. So many times I went to Google to research different terms used and regional cultures based on the introduction of different sewing styles and fabric choices that were indigenous to China. The fashion designs were over the top beautiful and the runway presentations made you feel like you were personally at Fashion Week.The second unique quality of this drama was the romance. This drama bordered on "Restricted" viewer use for a Chinese format. This is the first drama I have watched that the man was truly a sexy back type of man - (both lustful and romantic) as compared to the endless "cold - unemotional men portrayed so often in romance dramas. This drama continues to mature and mature and evolve into an addiction daily since the episodes were translated 7 days per week until the conclusion. That was a major treat.
The third quality was the background music. It never overwhelmed me and was always appropriate and never distracting.
Costume design A++++++ The fashion designs were excellent but the person or group of people that designed the attire for the actors throughout were very talented and added a higher quality to the drama. Award winning choices.
Kudos to the actors - all of them. They all hit home runs in their roles and this drama is highly recommended.
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1ART OF APPRECIATING LIFE
Move to Heaven drama is the kind of thing you need when you are desperately seeking the meaning of your life. The most important purpose of this drama is to change our perspectives about "grieving" to someone's demise. Every other episode has it's beautiful message to deliver. This drama portrays important issues while celebrating people's life and showing both respect and shade to "death". It is so very wholesome and will truly evoke your emotions. So, if you're a worshiper of "slice of life" dramas,this drama is for YOU.The drama starts with someone's misery hinting a tragic journey but the entire journey is just beautiful. Saying that it will make you cry tears of happiness will be an understatement because this is one of those heart-warming Kdramas out there.
Simply, the drama consists several different stories that worked likes dots and connecting them made the drama complete. Ofc, it has its basic steady plot too which is appealing (you can read it in the synopsis).
This drama also emphasizes on how a dead can communicate with the living from what they've left behind. This particular thing have touched the core of my heart and I'm sure it's been mesmerizing for everyone too.
The write has done very well in touching different forms if life in the guise of societal issues which will definitely fuel up the positive stances and enroute acceptance in people's midsets. The direction abd screenplay is simply like adding feather to a cap. Good job in cinematography too. The crew has done a commendable job here.
Then comes the cast. I swear to my happiness, the production has done a very good job in casting, be it the major characters or the guest characters, I would say they are the appropriate choice. I was so happy seeing soooo many guest characters.
Lee Jee Hoon, definitely one of the best Korean actors has once again won our hearts with his acting, played his character really well. Tang Joon Sang, being a newbie, I am sure this drama and his acting, will bring him enormous opportunity. He's so cute and was really good in playing someone with Asperger's syndrome. I like Hong Seung Hee in Navillera (another slice of life heart-warming drama) though her screen timing was limited and here she did good too.
EVERYTHING FELT SO BEAUTIFUL.
Let's talk about the ending. Let me say you that I am not okay with it. It has an open ending hinting for a new season but is that necessary? They could have closed the drama with the scene before the last scene too but they decided to extend it with a big twist. Idk what's in the writer's mind but I am looking forward to it. I was actually wishing there'd be more episodes given that it's soooo good, but am not happy because in most of the cases the dramas with extended seasons ended up getting messed. I really really hope it won't happen with MOVE TO HEAVEN.
*****
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Sophisticated genre mix. Soulful. Well grounded. At a comfortable pace.
With "My Perfect Stranger" KBS has succeeded in creating a sophisticated genre mix: there is a complex crime thriller that is excitingly intertwined across time and space, colored with its ultimately opaque interdependencies. There is charming time-travel with the chance to heal emotionally troubled family relationships and with the distinctive complexion of the late 1980s in the transition from dictatorship to democracy. There is also the pointed coming-of-age of the protagonist's parents and their classmates of that time. At last, even a (though rather tender, cautious) love story emerges out of the common fate of the two time travelers.The KDrama thus is presenting (in my opinion) a thorough emotional variety, which has a lot to offer from suspense to amusement an even romantic vibes. So all of this comes rather casually. Well grounded. At a comfortable pace. With feeling, especially around the diverse family dynamics, which are allowed to take their distinct twists and turns from the different perspectives of time and space.
A coherent, harmonious KDrama experience. Worthwhile.
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That ending was a... choice
There's a lot to be said about this wonderful yet somehow disappointing take on gumiho and Korean lore, and having just finished it I find that I have surprisingly complicated feelings for something that, in the beginning, I was confident that I would end up either loving or hating it.I feel a bit bitter.
The drama's strengths lie in its production, its cast, and some of its characters. Some, not all. The brothers Lee Yeon and Lee Rang were hands down the most well thought out part of the story as both characters had a lot of depth to them, and their actors had a lot of chemistry on set. From the very beginning, LR's grudge is made clear and we're given context to their very strained relationship. As the story leaves more pieces for us to put together, we come to understand his character a lot more. Better yet, their relationship and LR's character as a whole have by far the most growth out of the whole cast. Even, I as someone who didn't care for LR in early episodes, grew to appreciate his role in the story.
The rest of the cast, for the most part, was a compliment to their chemistry. Ki Yoo Ri and Gu Shin Ju did a fantastic job portraying the slow-developing second couple and, honestly, their chemistry was a lot more compelling than the main pair. They're fun, they're cute, and the more you see them together, the better they look together. The Gatekeeper couple was such a treat, too, in a different way. Watching them fight and bicker and then, eventually, come together again, was so nice. For me, the main problem and the reason I was never 100% onboard was Nam Ji Ah's character. I found her very likable and refreshing in the first few episodes but that started to taper off around episode 4 or 5 where I started to find her grating. The actress's acting was passable, but a lot of times it didn't feel genuine. Her motivation was clear in the beginning - to find her parents - but as soon as they were back, the story forgot about them unless it needed a hostage or a funny little couple scene between NJA and LY. It felt a little strange. Then, this character who in the beginning we were shown was strong-willed, motivated, and could take care of herself was now in constant need of rescuing. And I mean constant. She was practically helpless throughout most of the story. In episode 13 she even fell victim to the 'woman fainting because stress' trope. There were also many scenes where she had to 'play the villain' so to speak and act as Imugi, which... was a choice. She didn't make for a great villain. The acting was cheesy and over-the-top, which I came to expect from other aspects of the show like the dialogue (which was absolutely cringy in some spots) but when you have a villain you want to look threatening, that's not a very good sign. I have more gripes with her character at the ending, too. A lot more.
Before I move on, Lee Tae Ri was an odd choice to play the villain. It's not that he's a bad actor, but he doesn't really have a threatening or large presence. He made Imugi's level of threat seem kinda silly, honestly, so I never felt like there was any real tension when he was on screen.
The plot... let's be honest, it's a hot mess. It's coherent enough to understand and enjoy, simple enough that you've seen this story a thousand and one times already, but if you think about it too long, it starts to fall apart. Just take the very first scene where NJA's parents go missing. We understand that attack to have been orchestrated by Imugi's minion KHR, but who was it that actually attacked them? Who was it that LY saved NJA from that night? They were shapeshifters, we can assume maybe they were foxes like the others? But why did they do it? Why did they listen to KHR? Better yet, what was the point of taking NJA's parents to begin with? Was it just to use them as leverage years later? That seems a bit silly - they could have taken them at any point after Imugi was revived to the same effect. With Imugi's illusions we've seen that he can get whatever he wants whenever he wants it. It just feels unnecessary. I loved the scene itself and it was a great introduction, but there wasn't much reason for it other than giving NJA a flimsy character set-up. In fact, if the parents had just been killed that night I probably wouldn't have much to say about it - it could have been a harsh introduction into the world we were about to step into. The problem is really the fact that it ties back to the main villain.
There are numerous other examples of the show taking weird turns like that or having just badly written scenes, but if I tried to write them all out we'd be here forever. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we never got closure on why NJA's parents visited that island where the Imugi ritual was performed, did we? Why did they bring back her parents if they were going to practically forget about them immediately after? The girl gets to see her mom and dad who she knew were likely dead after so many years and there's a short few scenes about them reuniting and then it's like they were never gone in the first place. They never even get an explanation for where they were or why they were there all that time. Anyway. My point is that there are a lot of holes in the story, and even more bad choices. It didn't make me hate the show but as I saw more of them, I started to realize that this wasn't the drama I hoped it would be.
Let's skip the tedious middle of the story and skip to the ending. A lot of the build-up was instead filled with mushy, cheesy scenes between LY and NJA, the couple with the least amount of chemistry in the story. Then our climax hits and it goes exactly how everyone expects - almost. Going into the last 2 eps, I expected LR to die instead of LY. You know, that old 'redemption in death' trope again. I accepted it. But then LY went through with his initial plan and there was crying and tears and LR held his wine bottle like it was a newborn baby and... that was it. I hoped. To be honest, I was fine with that. LY dying, NJA learning to move on, and their love ending on a bittersweet note might have had me applauding the show for not giving us a candyfloss ending. My favourite moments in the whole drama were seeing LR interacting with his newfound family, upset and lonely over the loss of his brother but finally, after so long, finding happiness in the company of others. He didn't have his brother, but he had a family.
And then they made him a damn martyr and had him sacrifice himself for his damn brother. They gave their most well-developed character a cheap ending. If he had died fighting Imugi, I would have been fine with that. If he died because his time was up (they alluded to him being at the end of his lifespan several times and then they, I don't know, forgot about it? Decided they didn't care?) then I wouldn't even have been upset. But instead, they waited until he had his happiest moment and took it all away, not even giving him a proper goodbye. What message does that really send us? He only lost everything once he grew as a character and became a better person. And I'm not saying that his growth nullifies all the terrible shit he's done in the past - it doesn't, he's a murderer and the fact that he's docile at the end of it doesn't change that - but it's only once he started on a better path that he meets his end, and I'm not sure I can get on board with that.
To me, NJA dying would have made sense. No, not there, I don't think anyone should have sacrificed their lives for LY to come back regardless of who it was. But her sacrificing herself earlier on would have made sense. The Gatekeeper was right - she was the reason so many people were dying, even if it wasn't directly her fault. While I can understand LY's desperation to not have history repeat itself, even if they weren't characters that we saw on screen, a lot of people died in the story. An insane amount, even. Saving her while all of them were dying was in fact pretty selfish of the both of them. A lot of heartache from the characters could have been avoided that way, too. Would it have been a very satisfying ending? Not sure. But what we have isn't really satisfying, either.
I did enjoy some of the scenes after LY returned, but ultimately, I don't think they were needed. Maybe I'm just bitter. If I based my rating solely on the ending, it probably would have been a 6. But I can't ignore the fact that I did enjoy the early episodes, and later on I enjoyed most characters outside of Imugi and NJA. It was a cringy, sappy journey that a part of me regrets going on, while another part is happy to have at least had the journey, even if it led down a road not worth travelling.
EDIT: A FEW THINGS I FORGOT TO LEAVE COMPLAINTS FOR AT THE ENDING:
-LY is supposed to be reincarnated except is brought back as himself but human. An adult. How does that make sense? Why did they not explain that?
-LR being reincarnated as a 10-year-old boy... when he died a few months ago? Does that make sense? No. Nothing does, apparently.
-That very end - so is he not a human after all? Is he lying? I get that maybe he can still use his special sword umbrella but why did his eyes change? Is he still a fox? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?
I'm angry all over again.
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Well I'm just glad to be watching a show in which REDACTED doesn't die by the end!
I really loved watching this show. In fact, I couldn't stop watching it! It's possibly (probably) one of the best shows of the year. With a raw storyline, amazingly complex characters, and competent production, this show is a good option for a mature and gut-wrenching experience.Throughout the watching experience of this show, I noticed a lot of viewers were upset by characters not being easily categorized as good or bad, or judging characters too harshly, or just being upset that the romances were not cute. So just upfront, let me tell you. This is not your next Love is Sweet or Begin Again, or even Go Ahead (though that show is pretty close, content-wise). This show is raw. It's like an open wound. It goes for realism and it exposes the characters' faults on purpose. Actions have consequences in this show and everyone is a bit more complicated than meets the eye. I could write pages on character studies alone but this is a show review, so I'll stop!
You should watch this show if you like:
1. Mature stories. No black and white morality to be found here or cutesy characters whose bad decisions only lead to quirky shenanigans. Nope. You make a bad mistake here, you go DOWN!
2. Good acting
3. Later 20th-century history
4. Family dramas
5. Generational stories
Summary: The show follows the Qiao children as they struggle to survive in their father's home after their mother dies in childbirth. Yi Cheng, the eldest, makes a silent vow to never lose his dignity no matter what he faces in life. He struggles to raise his neglected siblings, keep them fed and in school while also following his own ambitions of raising himself out of his bad situation through education, all while maintaining his pride. As the story progresses and their lives get complicated by mistakes and tragedies, the siblings stay close together like the threads of a knitted sweater!
Plot: The plot is simple. It's life. It starts in 1977 and ends in 2005 and the show is committed to historical accuracy but other than that it shows the characters, their love life, their triumphs and failures with little judgment. You will hate some decisions and you'll love others. It's chaotic and illogical, the way that real life is. In real life, sometimes people make bad decisions and they commit to them longer than it makes sense to do so. It's the same in this show. I personally found everything in the story tolerable and nothing made me so angry as to make me want to stop watching. Everything flowed naturally. Nothing was dragged out and nothing was wrapped too fast. The pace was great and it helped to keep the viewer interested. Each episode is packed with one event after another to the point that missing one episode might lead to missing entire arcs!
Acting: Perfect. All across the board, everyone was amazing. Special shout out to Liu Jun who played their father. His character was a jerk but he played him so well that I was just so impressed by this veteran actor. Also, the young actors playing the Qiao kids in their childhood, especially the young actor for YiCheng, were amazing. Guo Zi Ming made me tear up more than any other character in the show. Kudos!
Music: I actually loved the music for this show. Especially the song called Wild Bird which I have been listening to on repeat since I watched the first episode. I can sing along now!
Production: It was near perfect. Gorgeous cinematography, meticulous location setting, attention to details, historically accurate objects but also experiences, symbolic lighting (happy homes colored with warm colors and unhappy ones with cold ones), (almost) perfect continuity. Most importantly, I think the production wasn't as expensive as it seemed and that it was just very well-budgeted.
Rewatch: I wouldn't say no. It was a very endearing watch and I particularly enjoyed certain parts that I would love to watch again.
Negatives: Characters make bad decisions a lot but I thought they made sense in context. While bad decisions, they still made sense for the characters. It's a bit hard to keep track of the passage of time. It's probably easier for Chinese people to figure them out because the show touches on important historical events but even so, there were certain points where time moved in loops (as it so often does in cdramas!) and it was a bit confusing but it didn't harm the show. It was just surprising to learn how much time had passed, once we did get a date. Some scenes were censored and there is some propaganda in the show. The censored parts do not redact from the quality but they do raise questions of "what if"s. The propaganda is light and harmless for the most part. One or two subplots lead nowhere in particular but given how packed the show is, it's fine. Qiqi gets WAY less screen time than everyone else. Not sure if it was a good thing or not because what we got from him was so sad and upsetting that I wish we hadn't had that either!
Overall: Highly recommended. I don't usually enjoy modern cdramas. This show stands out with its near-perfect everything.
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Should We Kiss First?
41 people found this review helpful
1This review may contain spoilers
A three-dimensional, grown-up love story, sensitively told and spiritedly acted
When people have lived for more than four decades, they are usually disillusioned in many ways. Hope for romance and love has given way to various, quite specific experiences... and these are inevitably paved with disappointment and suffering, too. However, it´s not necessarily too late for a new love. It might be different, though. More grounded. Honest. Upright. Less games. Sincere closeness and warmth become more important than romantic squabble. The time ahead is finite. And you no longer expect a fairy tale full of magic, but rather wish for true moments, a safe place to catch your breath and recharge your batteries. Reliability. Trust and emotional intimacy.The protagonists in "Should we Kiss First" have all been through life for some time. The two main characters have had children and lost them again, have been married and divorced, lived more or less honest but empty lives. SHE has been a stewardess for 20 years and suffers from insomnia. HE is a co-founder of an advertising agency and has cancer. Neither of them want to be alone. Neither of them want a relationship. Hm. Difficult. Their best friends each want to pair them off ... and at last are successful. However - being in makjang KDrama Land - the past of the protagonists gets involved in the present and triggers a lot of turbulence.
"Should we Kiss First" focuses on two adults who (re)experience love in a way they never expected. Love is not primarily supple, sexy and redeeming, but presents itself as irrational, brittle, stubborn and complex. As such, it demands one thing unconditionally: complete surrender to this feeling, which remains in spite of adversities, yet does not solve any problems. However gives the necessary strength to face them.
Does this power come from the love you experience from someone? Or from the love that you give yourself? The beauty of this KDrama is placing the emphasis on the fact that it is your own radiance which makes a difference. The love we open up to and give in to makes the difference how we experience life, or what options we recognize and choose... It's about giving in to your feelings, letting them be (even if you rather not put up with it) and trusting them.
The story is told in different nuances - sometimes humorous, sometimes profound, sometimes tender, sometimes playful, sometimes harsh, even fists are flying at times. Enjoying the moment to the fullest and the pure love of life have just as much space as the desolate moments of emptiness, embarrassment, destructive anger and listless lethargy. The dialogues are carefully chosen down to the last detail. And then there are the subplots, that round the story off.
A three-dimensional, grown-up love story. Yes, once again a story about love, but not cheesy. Instead, the story is sensitively told, spiritedly acted and filled with a love for detail. On top of that, a story full of sometimes subtle, sometimes explicit wisdom. A KDrama that doesn't sugarcoat anything, yet feeds you with a satisfying sigh.
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The story is great, you really have no way of imagining what's gonna happen next, but I won't anything more about it because otherwise I'd spoil it for those who haven't watched it yet.
The acting really blows my mind, I've always loved Tamaki, ever since I saw Nodame Cantabile, and he always plays his part perfectly wether it be here, in Nodame, in Love Shuffle or any of his other dramas and movies. The female lead, whose name I can't remember right now, also plays her part perfectly, her more than anybody because her role was really hard to play. I hate her in real life because she's one of Japan's biggest divas, in the BAD sense of the word, and that's why admire her even more in this movie-because I love her character.
The music always goes according to the scene, it makes you feel what the characters are feeling.
I've watched this movie several times with different people, and every time I watch it again I discover something new.
Overall this is one of the greatest japanese movies that I've ever seen because unlike must jap movies this one actually makes me feel something, this one gets to the heart instead of being overvdepressing, I recommend it for anyone who likes memorable love stories.
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!: The Movie
41 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
The happy ending we wanted!
First, I saw this is Japan when it first came out and Japanese is not my native language, so there was some dialogue I didn’t understand. However, using context clues it was easy to infer what was being said based on the scene. The biggest things for me was that it was still a love story between Kurosawa and Adachi. Kurosawa was still just as in love with Adachi as he was in the series, however you got to see Adachi demonstrating his love for Kurosawa more confidently and openly.If you were looking for a BL filled with nonstop cutesy moments, over the top romantic expressions, or mature content scenes, then you will not like the movie. However, if you’re looking for a movie that focuses more on how Adachi and Kurosawa navigate issues that many long-term, open, same sex couples face, you will like it. Personally, I especially like that it addressed the families, instead of just glossing over the fact that many Asian families have very strong feelings against having openly gay children, especially sons. SPOILER: I especially loved that just as marriage is the end result of many long-term heterosexual relationships, Kurosawa and Adachi’s marriage was the ultimate end result of their relationship as well.
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If I had to sum it up it's a touching story about youth.
One thing I absolutely loved about the movie was the way it depicted youth. It showed you immature teenagers trying to act older than they actually are. The cast, while all much older than actual teenagers, managed to portray the childishness of adolescents perfectly, something that I find very scarce in media.
Another thing I enjoyed was the way it was shot, it was refreshing. Seeing all those gorgeous scenes made me want to watch the movie even more.
Would I watch this again? Most likely not but it made for a good experience and it was filmed so beautifully so I would definitely give it a go.
I recommend it to anyone who would like something to watch on a dull summer's evening!
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