This review may contain spoilers
If I have to describe the Terror Live in one sentence I would say: One room, an anchor, a terrorist, a live broadcast and lots of thrills.I have been waiting for this ever since it first came out and I can say that I am quite satisfied. The story of this film is located in one room, the radio station, this may seem so little for a thriller to happen but I take that as a positive point because the non-diversity of locations forced the focus on the plot and dialogues instead which is a great thing. The Terror Live builds a great tension and thrilling moments that it may even feel suffocating in a good way.
The film starts out very fast without the meaningless time-filler introductions; it was engaging ever since the first minutes and it kept drawing the attention until the very end. This film doesn’t contain any dull moment and you can never think that it became boring because the order of displaying events was quite well-done in a way that will make you anxious about what will happen next. Also, the messages delivered in this film concerning the government, mass media and terrorists as well as the questions it asks about their involvement are well-crafted. And no, this is nothing like any terror anything you’ve seen before since it doesn’t follow a stereotypical pattern at all.
The acting was marvelous. Ha Jung Woo proves, once again, what great of an actor he is. I always praise him in my reviews not because I am biased with him as a fan girl (although I do find him quite charming) but it’s due to his absorbing acting skills that keep getting better and better after each film he makes. And man does thriller roles suit him so well! I am complimenting the acting because if some pretty face idol who doesn’t know how to act did this type of role then everything would have went downhill that’s why choosing great actors is one the most important elements of making a successful film.
The characters were intriguing and very well-done as a whole. There’s no hero in this film because our male lead is almost an anti-hero instead of the opposite side. The anchor had the greatest character developments ever where he started as a sloppy carefree radio host then he became a serious anchor and at the end…Well, it’s a spoiler.
The cinematography is catching and pretty similar to recent Korean thrillers visuals with only little CGI used in the process. And I don’t think a second rewatch of a tight suspense film is a good idea.
Watch if:
-You’re in the mood for a great suspense thriller.
-You like the Korean way of making thrillers.
-You like Ha Jung Woo or want to discover him.
Do not watch if:
-You dislike thrillers and suspenseful stories.
The Terror Live is one of the better Korean thrillers made in recent years, if you want to watch this film then make sure to prepare yourself for an astounding ride.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sometimes, It's Just Not a Happily Ever After
Well, this is not the “married” you probably were thinking of when you read the synopsis. It is more to me of a woman who finds her place and voice in a marriage that was crushed by her drowning from being controlled by her husband.We are happily introduced to the married couple of Hu Cheng (Feng Shao Feng) and Ning Yue (Elvira Cai) and their beautiful son, Hu Zi Yuan (Andy).
Ning Yu was an award-winning employee on the Wall of Honor, a senior lawyer, a courtroom champion who rarely lost, and a rising star with a bright future in law. Her life was one written for a powerful career woman. But that was four years ago. Her home life was her new battlefield. She now stayed at home and took care of her husband, Hu Cheng, so he could focus on his work – Yaofeng Technology which he established.
Ning Yu gave up her career at the peak for her family. Did she regret. Not in the least. Not at the time. She felt that this was just a temporary retreat. She now felt she was taking her first steps to returning back to work. Over the past six months she had been offered consultation work with her husband’s support, working as a pro bono lawyer at a nonprofit service center. Her income was not that much, and the cases were trivial matters, but helping so many people in need made her realized she was valued.
Hu Cheng with his partner and confidante Zhou Wei (Victor Huang) were best friends who from college had gone through so much with making Yaofeng Technology a fortune 500 company. Zhou Wei knew all of Hu Cheng’s shortcomings and secrets. He always tried to balance him and counsel him to make sure he understood there is a difference between his family life versus his work life. Nothing or no one should come between that, if only he would have listened.
Cracks Being to Show…
Ning Yu loved her husband and was always easy going towards his every need, but somethings were a bit too much. She was not allowed to drink, focus on just getting pregnant again, because he felt Chinese woman looked good in a cheongsam dress that was all that she was pretty much allowed to wear at any event--so much so, when she had gotten her outfit wet when they were camping out, he brought her one of those dresses instead of jeans and lastly stopping at all cost her having a career again.
This was a poignant moment for Ning Yu when she told Hu Cheng that she was going to take a job offer to leave the pro-bono, nonprofit service center. Oh, that did not sit well with him. He tried various ways to convince her not to take the job until he relented. Or did he.
But as she was closing the deal to leave within a month, Ning Yu was given a case for a wife who wanted to divorce her husband. Her son found out and came to the center and blamed Ning Yu for trying to separate his parents. Not listening to anyone, he went to the second floor of the building and jumps.
This was the downfall of Ning Yu’s restart of her career. Hu Cheng took the opportunity to not only pay off the mother, the hospital bills but to also besmirch her name on the intranet to make sure that she would not get any job. He wanted to put her back in her “place” of being at home.
Meanwhile, Hu Cheng meets Tian Qiu Zi (Jia Nai) who becomes his mistress.
Lies…Lies…Caught
After the incident, Hu Cheng decides Ning Yu needs to get pills for depression. Again, another controlling way to keep her at home. Ning Yu believed that she didn't need any medication, but again to appease her husband she did. Still bothered by the incident at the center, Ning Yu went to confront Hu Cheng after seeing Zhu paying the woman at the hospital whose son jumped from the building, she wanted answers. Her answer was in the form of seeing him walking out of the building and putting Tian Qiu Zi in his car. This was a gut-wrenching moment for her. To see the man, she loves putting another woman in his car, her heart sank, and so did her believing him.
She did talk to him at home, but everything she felt was just more twisted way of him lying.
Knowing now that there is more than meets the eye with everything that Hu Cheng was saying she met up with Mu Xiao (Xing Yu Jing) her lawyer friend who now would become the ally she needed to start the process for a divorce. Ning Yu finds out everything with regards to Hu Cheng’s affair with Tian Qiu Zi and begins putting her plan into motion.
Mu Xiao does hire a man who follows Hu Cheng and gets damaging evidence to solidify Ning Yu's case to divorce him. The catalyst for her reconsidering is their son Hu Zi Yuan. They both love their son but at what cost could she leave her son in the environment with a husband who acted as he did. She did not want him to be this way. Divorce was the answer or would she give him another chance.
Trust One More Time...Short-Lived
After two incidences which we have Hu Zi Yuan being in the hospital for suspected leukemia and Hu Cheng being in a car accident. The car accident, I feel was the turning point for Ning Yu. She truly realized how much she still loved Hu Cheng. He in turned saw the look of desperation and anguish so he felt that he too needed to readjust his attitude and ways. So, with a serious talk, Ning Yu and Hu Cheng put everything out. All transgression, doubts, fears, everything to start fresh once again.
This was a good point of love for them both until we had Hu Cheng bring in his parents, as well as his man. he sent to investigate who had been following him. Only to find out that he worked for Mu Xiao who was a divorce lawyer and friend of Ning Yu. All bets were off. Hu Cheng was now out for revenge. He felt everything she said was betrayal and she really did not want to reconcile.
We get an opportunity to see how Hu Cheng was raised and why in some respects he was the way he was. His father treated his wife not like a wife at all. More like a slave to wait on him hand and foot, literally. The man would just hold out his cup to her and she would go and get the tea. Always washing the dishes instead of using the dishwasher. Cooking, I mean, you get to the point where enough already.
But Ning Yu sees what is happening and quickly puts a stop to this. With the help of her mother, they empower Hu Cheng’s mother to being painting and doing things for herself. Ning Yu hires help in the house to which this young woman sets Hu Cheng’s father straight. So much so that you will see the complete turnaround when you see the expression on Hu Cheng’s face when his father literally puts tea in his mother’s cup. This is where you see the perplex look on his face, not once but twice. When his father actually cooks dinner with the help of his mother.
His father talks to him and explains to him his faults and how he needed to let his mother teach him thinks and trust her in knowing that they will grow better as a couple if he would just treat the relationship as equals. Explaining further to him, that there is nothing wrong with a woman working. All this as you will see is a surprise to Hu Cheng.
During the time Hu Cheng's parents are there, you will feel your blood boiling when you see how the father is. It is so unnerving that you just want to cheer for Ning Yu and how she handles the situation to bring this closure about for everyone. I was happy to see it because I was hot to say the least.
Good Friends Lost...Deception Everywhere
Zhou Wei was always in the corner of Hu Cheng. No matter what his misdeeds, he was always there, never wavering in his dedication to him. But things finally took a turn when he just disappeared. This was where you see the true cracks in the armor of Hu Cheng. He is a man that likes to control every situation but, in this case, it was not meant to be. Zhou Wei had gone into the hospital -- liver cancer advanced stage. Finally, going to see his friend he was so apologetic and crushed to see him like this. He felt loss, remorse, anger, and wanted to help him only to have Zhou Wei blame him for everything that befell him. These were his last heartfelt words that he said to him before he finally passed away.
Zibo his nephew justified to his uncle, Hu Cheng his attempt to take out Mu Xiao. He thought that is what he wanted him to do.
And lastly, the woman that he deceived in his hometown who he stashed his money and property, took everything from him and fled. The day of Zhou Wei wake, the police came and arrested him for embezzlement.
Breaking Free
Ning Yu created an elaborate way to once and for all to break free from the grasp of Hu Chang. Her friend Qin Can (Xing Zhao Lin) who worked with her previously was an advocate who helped her as well as Luo Ya Ting (Sophia Hu) ex-wife of Hu Cheng. She made a clause in her contract, once she was able to work, for the company to sue her and mortgage her house should she choose to leave before her contract. Hu Cheng made her leave. Once Ning Yu showed him the contract, she knew he would fight her. This caused an all-out fight in the conference room. Knowing how to push his buttons, Ning Yu forced Hu Cheng to shove her putting her through the glass. This caused him to be arrested and put into detention. Allowing Ning Yu to file for divorce.
Freedom
Ning Yu planned well. She had her home established along with her mother. Hu Zi Yuan was becoming adjust to his new surroundings and loss of his father, since he was charged with embezzlement. Ning Yu took over Yaofeng Technology. Rises it from the ashes.
After serving his time, you will see a changed Hu Cheng. No longer is he a driven man for profit but a self-reflecting man on the loss of his family. You feel and see that he is a man that doesn't know which way to go. But you still have Tian Qiu Zu still pushing him to go back to his former self of running Yaofeng Technology. She feels that she has won her battle with Ning Yu only to have Hu Cheng come to the shareholders meeting and give over all his shares to Ning Yu, crushing Tian Qiu Zu. He gives his final blow to separate once and for all for Tian Qiu Zu by giving her all of his savings and breaking free from her,
I have to digress and say Hu Zi Yuan is such an outstanding young talent. His scene when Ning Yu takes him from Hu Cheng is the most heartbreaking moment to hear him cry. Hearing the words to Ning Yu asking why his father doesn't come to see him anymore, will make you feel like you just want to hug this boy. He is amazing throughout this drama.
New Beginnings....
We finally see that Hu Cheng gets his life together and begins working at another company once again. There is a good relationship with his son and Ning Yu. And it looks like there will be a budding relationship between her and Qin Can.
I have to say this was a drama that makes you go through so many emotions and makes you think about marriage. You see how it starts out so well but just falters because of several reasons because there is not just one. Not all marriages are like this, if only...well, one can only hope that all are not this way.
I definitely did enjoy this and the performances by the leads was exceptional as was all the cast.
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Warm and Fuzzy
No arranged marriage cliches of push and pull or making the partner miserable before falling for them. It was a simple drama about two people who marry out of a government experiment but fall for each other gradually while living together and finding out nice things about each other. The ML and FL are both people who do not have experience with romantic relationships, so they take their time to trust the other person.I won't say it was a slow romance but it was more about becoming a family for each other.
The acting was nice. The actress is quite young and it is her first drama but she has an infectious smile. The side characters do not have a storyline of their own, but contribute nicely to the main story.
Jdramas for me are always about the warm fuzziness and this was the same. I'd say the first half was stronger than the second half but it wasn't boring.
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This review may contain spoilers
The aura of this series is characterized by the inspiring world of the orchestra and its musicians
Be prepared: "Maestra - Strings of Truth" is impressively led by a highly concentrated Lee Young-ae and set in a refreshingly rare environment for a KDrama. Focusing on one of the very few, but highly talented, globally famous female conductors, the aura of this series is characterized by the inspiring world of the orchestra and its musicians. We also meet management lounges and the luthier´s workshop. Enchantingly, this maestra and her particular orchestral world offer a quite unique and mature flavour of series experience."Maestra - Strings of Truth" lives from the psychological depths and relationship dynamics of the main characters as well as the pathos of the world of classical music. Of course there are also intrigues, love, yearning for revenge and more, but the focus is on the maestra as a person in her struggle with herself, her passion for music and her life challenges.
For the FL, her love for music is at the center of her being and aspirations. As far as the men in her life are concerned, they would rather like things to be different. However, the maestra has a good reason why she has consistently dedicated her time to the orchestral world. And when it comes to her work, she is uncompromising. Above anything else, she is delivering a perfect performance. This is non-negotiable. Some people would prefer that to be different too...
For her role as maestra, Lee Young-ae completed several months of violin and conducting lessons. Her 'first violin', Hwang Bo-reum-byeol, also took eight months of lessons specifically for this purpose. Considering, there's a lot of passion involved in this KDrama, even before filming even started... and you can feel it.
By the way, the idea for the story did not grow on South Korean soil. It is a K-style remake of a French television series that focused on the career struggles of the very few women in this profession. (Only five percent of all conductors worldwide are female...) "Maestra - Strings of Truth" is dramaturgically heated up by a fatal love triangle with collateral damage and an even more fatal family legacy that the maestra would rather do without.
Intensive. Atmospheric. Thrilling, too.
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Overall, it felt that the whole story was kind of stretched-out, some scenes were so empty and slow-paced, I even thought about skipping the drama. I had the impression that the producers struggled to find a clear storyline, the series was like a long debate what the story is about than actually something happening. Moreover, I think the production quality is rather inconsistent. For example, sometimes fighting scenes were top notch (e.g. Zhanfeng vs. Daowuxia), whereas other scenes looked like they wanted to do more than they were actually able to (e.g. the Chinese boxing scene between Zhanfeng and Liemingjing and especially the flying scenes).
Digging into the story, I don't really see the connection between Yinxue's story and the story around Liehuoshan. The only real connection is the character of Ruge. Ruge is some kind of a reincarnation of Yinxue's former love, but you hardly get any info about their past relationship. The circumstance that this reincarnation is exactly Anyeming's daughter who happens to grow up in Liehuoshan for protection seems to be rather random. Thus, I feel like these two storylines are somehow seperate and do not really go together in the drama. Another thing about the story which bothers me is the overly self-destructive and self-sacrificing attitude of Yinxue and Yuzihan. I think at some point it's not credible anymore and the characters become too predictable.
Getting to the characters, Ruge is the main girl who holds the whole story together. She is described as "lively and passionate", but I cannot really see this in the drama. To me, "lively" is not the same as being childishly overenthusiastic which I saw instead. In addition, I rather see the opposite of "passionate" - her expressions seem rather stiff and forced. The fire element doesn't suit her at all. Anyways, Ruge is supposed to undergo a change from a rather lighthearted girl to a strong woman, which I can see to some extent. Yet, it is not pronounced enough. She seems too dependent on Yinxue to actually get to that state of being strong on her own.
Yinxue is a character which I cannot understand at all. First, I cannot see how this character fits into the story except that he has the job of saving everyone (not without a purpose in his mind though). That he has no clear place in the story is supposed to make him mysterious, yet I have the impression that he is "just there" and rather annoying. Yinxue has his darker past behind him and is portrayed as a spiritually and culturally versed character. However, his behavior towards Ruge does not reflect that at all. Starting with Yinxue trying to make a move on her when she just dissolved her engagement with Zhanfeng, he is continuously nagging her to give in to his approaches. His behavior is often over the top - for example, him being pouty because Ruge treats him coldly in the context of Yuzihan almost dying which requires her full attention. Yinxue's rather selfish behavior is quite appalling. Especially him playfully asking for a kiss in exchange for men's lives - exactly, how much is a life worth?! Later, he makes her temporarily lose her memory through his powers, and by this almost got to marry her. Although the underlying reasoning is to protect her from painful memory and to help her recover, that undertaking leaves a rather unpleasant "aftertaste". But I'm even more shocked with Ruge's behavior, because no matter how he behaves, she either seems to be just ok with that or she endures everything obediently. Nothing from which Yinxue had suffered in the past justifies his behavior. In his equation, saving someone for the sake of Ruge means he deserves her love. But love cannot be "earned". Clearly, I cannot see anything sweet in that "love story". It even makes it worse that there is basically no chemistry between the actors at all - even the tacky ending cannot save this.
Yuzihan is probably the most likeable character in this drama. Despite everything he went through, he is not hateful and doesn't even want to become heir to the throne. In later episodes he gives up everything for Ruge and is not greedy for her love. Even a healthy body cannot corrupt him. Is he human at all? Still, his character has the most depth, and his expressions are on point. It's interesting to watch his character developing and see him making use of his cleverness.
Zhanfeng's character gives me the impression that there is something missing, like that the character is not really fleshed out. You can hardly understand why he believes the lie about the death of his parents "just like that". You can see him suffering, but you cannot emphatize with him. The lie about his parents is the basic foundation of the whole story, but it didn't seem to be treated with great care by the producers. Precisely, the way how he was tricked into believing this lie should have gotten more attention. What is missing is basically seeing the exact scene how he got tricked, him trying to make own investigations in which he learns about buried (fake) evidence and finding out other people's lies which slowly feeds into his distrust, something like that. Watching the series gave me the impression that he trusts other people too easily (by the way, how does Yilang know about this "top" secret?). What is even more annoying, is Zhanfeng saying nothing in so many scenes. Although this is intended, it clearly feels that the dialogue part is missing. Weirdly, when Liemingjing and even Ruge learn about Zhanfeng believing that lie, they do not try to talk with him about that. If you see a person close to you suffer that much, in Ruge's case they even dissolved their engagement because of that, why don't you address it? Why doesn't Liemingjing tell Zhanfeng the truth to protect Ruge together but instead just waits until everything is messed up (even if he didn't see the benefit or need to prepare him and work on a plan together, he should have done so at the latest when he learned about Zhanfeng's Anhegong martial art skills)? What if Anyeluo accidentially meets Ruge who looks exactly like her mother, then the whole "masterplan" would be in vain? Furthermore, I don't understand why Zhanfeng humiliates Ruge in the beginning, it feels that this behavior is not really necessary for the story, and it doesn't explain his later actions when he is actually trying to be nice to her. Nevertheless, with regard to the acting, Zhang Binbin's portrayal of emotions is the benchmark for any other actor in the drama.
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Complete Waste of Time
I hate to give such a terrible review to any Korean BL, but this one was terrible.100 minutes is plenty of time to tell a story - there are very few films that are longer than that. But it's a problem when you try to tell a 1,000 minute story in 100 minutes and so you film 100 of those 1,000 minutes, but apparently randomly selected.
It's perfectly OK to hint at backstory without fleshing it out, like the relationship between Yi Bin and Ki Jin - that was fine. It only takes a few seconds to set the stage & show us Yeong Woo's life - that was fine too. But what is the story that was being told? I have no idea, because it was entirely skipped and no context provided. Did Ki Jin break up with Yeong Wu? Ghost him? Give his job to Yi Bin? Flee the country for several years? Or did only a week or two pass? Yi Bin more or less says that everything we thought was happening didn't happen, so where was Ki Jin for the last few episodes, and why was he suddenly behaving like an old woman instead of a puckish young designer?
If Ki Jin broke up with Yeong Woo, that might have been a nice scene to see. If there was a big fashion show (which appeared to be the climax to which this was building), I can understand it not being shown due to cost, but we could at least have seen the aftermath. Likewise, in Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, we didn't need to see the actual wedding - people complained about that, but do you really expect them to produce a Joseon-era noble wedding? That would blow the annual budget of a small nation.
The production quality of this was very average, and perhaps below. There are lots of sound mistakes, and the acting is mediocre - the two mains are good enough to enjoy, but uninspiring. The best that can be said is that the kisses looked pretty good, not the usual rubber lip-touch.
My best guess is that they filmed a lot more but the acting or production quality was too poor to put in the final cut and they didn't have money or time for reshoots. Either that or the director's dog ate the script and they had to dig whatever scraps of it that they could out of its poop.
I would stay away from this one.
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Apple+ hit the trend with best intentions.
The reasons I had anticipations for this mini drama were:1. It's Apple+
2. The amazing cast
3. The storyline
The fears I had:
1. It's a debut for Apple+
2. The drama is only 6 episodes
3. The director's debut in drama
And overcoming all my expectations as well as doubts, Dr. Brain has been able to present itself as a series of quality and it's an absolute treat, I want to aasure y'all that.
Dr. Brain (브레인) is adapted from the webtoon with the same title writhen by Artist Hong Jac Ga (홍자가).
Dr. Brain is basically a sci-fi plus investigative mystery thriller keeping Koh Se Won (Lee Sun Kyun) at the center of the story. He's a brain scientist who has been working on syncing two brains for a long to establish communication through memories. Born with peculiar brain characteristics he has had a horrible past yet manages to make family and do excellently well in his career. One day his world breaks apart as his family falls victim to terrific accidents in a short span of time, but being an emotional man, he rather invests even more time in his research. And oweing to his inventions he now start accessing memories of his wife as well as the people around her to get to the root of everything. He puts the best of his efforts to combine the fragmented memories together in order to draw a complete figure. And while doing all these, he gets to unveil the conspiracies and the biggest culprits who have made him miserable.
I must say, the plot development is absolutely wow in here. For a 6 episode mini-drama, it is very important that each and every part should impress the audience, which was successfully achieved by the drama. I personally wasn't much intrigued by the 1st episode (except the neuroscience research stuffs, since I am a post-grad guy in zoology) but the 2nd one got me awestruck, ngl. The suspense buildup throughout the series is indeed marvelous and the progression is well executed. The way everything unfolds bit by bit using the pieces memories from various different persons is really very intriguing as the story progresses. The revelations have been made at appropriate timings and the pacing of the entire show couldn't be more perfect.
I can't help but praise so much about the acting area of the drama. Not just that the drama has several master actors, also we saw their acting graphs rising to some other level than before. Ahhhhhhhh! The feelings of witnessing their plays is something unexplainable. Apart from Lee Sun Kyun at the top, we also have here: Park Hee Soon (Lee Kang Mu) as a private investigator, Lee Yoo Young (Jung Jae Yi) as Sewon's wife, Lee Jae Won (Hong Nam Il) as Sewon's colleague and Seo Ji Hye as Lieutenant Cho.
We also have amazing actors like Uhm Tae Goo and Kim Joo Hun as guest actors. Among other seemingly minor yet important characters are: Moon Seung Keun as Dr. Myung and Jo Bok Rae as Sergeant Park. I am particularly held back by Seung Keun ahjussi's acting in last 2 episodes. His pronunciations and dialogue delivery made my eyes to bawl out.
Kim Jee Woon PDnim is a very familiar face when it comes to Korean movies and he's proved his worth long back. However, Dr. Brain is his directorial debut in Kdramas and this is the fact that made me doubt about the results. But to my surprise and utter satisfaction, he has done so so so well that I can't help but applaud for him. If you see the storyline is almost like a movie's but still 6 hours is too long for making a movie. And he's successfully proved his experience despite that.
Cinematography is an aspect that's been taken care of very well. The camera movements as well as capture angles perfectly showcase the scenarios involving the puzzles put forth by the entanglement of various sets of memories inside Koh Se Won's brain, his interaction with multiple consciousnesses and his visions. The CGI is also very nice for the hallucinations, imaginations and dreams that Sewon was having as side effects. The sound production too is perfectly done to suit the moods and vibes of the drama.
Scripts involving brain and neuroscience is nothing new for Kdramas and moreover this is fiction. The theories of brain sync, put forth here doesn't make sense at all, at least for the year 2021 but the execution is so very good that it almost feels real, even to biologists like me, haha. I guess that's the magic of science fictions. Who knows these theories might become possible after a century or two.
Despite the mixed feelings, I honestly wanted the drama to do well. And for a matter of fact, my biggest fear was how the entire world is now immensely interested in investing in Kdramas. It's some sort of insecurity that I have developed recently which make me afraid about the originality of Kdramas, which is slowly becoming diluted by mediocre Netflix series. But Dr. Brain has come to my rescue as a beam of hope and I wish it continues to prosper and burn even brighter in the future.
Overally, Dr. Brain is thrilling, enraging, captivating and intriguing at the same time and in my opinion, it is a must watch. Please please please don't pass it down thinking it's apple+ debut in Korea. It's an amazing show as it is.
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Wake up in the midst of sobering contemporary everyday life issues of 3 women in their 30s and 1 man
With "Work Later, Drink Now", KDrama tackles a sensitive South Korean social issue. What starts as a cheerful, cool FeelGood series turns out to be serious business. Viewers are taken by the hand in a clever, light-hearted way, only to wake up suddenly in the midst of sobering contemporary topics, as we accompany the protagonists in their everyday life, work, family and friendship issues - here in particular: three unique young women in their 30s and one offbeat man.The KDrama points at a topic in which South Korea (though small as it may seem) is once again at the forefront of the world: alcohol consumption. There is so much drinking (and eating, because it's so common) on this show that just watching it can make you dizzy and a little nauseous. To the western eye, that may be WAY too much over the limit. For the Korean eye, it might have to be be sooo much for the audience to even notice that it is/could be too much.
The focus of the story is on three girlfriends in their prime who are hard-drinking and happy to drink. With their personality, they may at first glance be a little off the norm, but then again they aren't. They are (from each other) fundamentally different in their professional situations, socialization and life plans. But it is precisely in this way that they also offer viewers all kinds a sophisticated projection while following each one of them in their everyday life and various challenges they face. The dialogues are razor-sharp, the entertainment high value, the episodes compact. There's also wit, humor and music. This mixture plus the pace are obviously just right to pick up the broad masses of +/- 20 to 40 year olds and to present a mirror of their own living environment in an easily digestible way. The second season will definitely come...
------------ SIDE NOTE: --- Alcohol consumption in South Korea ---
Per capita consumption of converted pure alcohol in South Korea is world class. And rising. The World Health Organization certifies South Korea to be the leading country in the consumption of high-proof spirits. Drinking has established itself outside of private life, especially professionally at company dinners after work. These team dinners often degenerate into a veritable drinking spree (practically prescribed professionally).
After beer, soju is the second most consumed alcoholic drink - a colorless distillate made from rice and added wheat, sweet potatoes or barley, which is on the one hand quite cheap in price and on the other hand, at around 20 percent, is somewhere between beer and high-proof spirits (schnapps, vodka, rum or whiskey ) is located. So it can be consumed in large quantities, especially in combination with beer - and the hangover the next morning is inevitable. South Korea's national drink, soju, is the world's best-selling 'liquor' with around 90 million cases sold each year. Yet, the beer market is also happy about South Korea, which, (in spite of its comparatively small country size) is currently one of the largest and most dynamically growing beer markets on the Asian continent.
What begins as party fun usually ends sadly. In the short term, it may be a hangover. But if you practice this form of alcohol consumption at a high level over a long period of time, the damage to your physical health is enormous in the medium to long term. There are studies that show that even among South Korean students (male), every third (!) drinks to the point of unconsciousness (!) for more than half the week. It doesn't get any better in professional life. And if you don't have a job, there's another reason to get drunk. This has inevitable consequences not only for people and their physical/mental health, but also for the health system. The country pays the price of an enormous pressure to perform taken granted in the context of its own turbo capitalism - with the health of its population and moneywise with billions, too .
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So if you are a fan of the manga, but unsure whether to watch, this review is mainly for you. (And even if you're just looking for a good BL movie to pass the time, I hope I can write a worthy review as well)
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The plot isn't exactly anything new, especially for such a short movie. It's about two people meeting, hooking up, falling in love, and the hardships they must overcome.
What makes this movie stand out from others is the rawness of the emotions, the harsh yet beautiful reality. There is nothing romanticized about their meeting or their relationship. It could be me or you, falling in and out of love.
Shima and Togawa in the manga have prickly personalities. They are very different, yet there is an attraction and spark that even transcends their sexualities. I was worried whether there could be actors who would portray their characters well. Thankfully, Yonehara Kousuke and Taniguchi Kenji both did a great job. Shima lost a bit of his cheekiness and seems more timid, but it has to do with the generally darker tone of the movie, right from the beginning, due to time-constraints.
The music was matching but not really memorable. I was surprised at how sensual they even portrayed the erotic scenes. They could have granted a closer view on the kissing scenes, but in BL it's probably something we can only wish for.
What really drives this film is the atmosphere, that is very similar to the manga Doushitemo Furetakunai. This simplicity and 'realness' is visible in every part of the movie. Some people find the long still shots and the calmness boring. I find it beautiful. Not everything in life is restless and fast-paced. Some moments are agonizingly slow. The cinematography, while somewhat simple, plays a big role in this, and it does a superb job. The writing and directing are both also spot-on.
After finishing the movie, I went and re-read the manga, and I was surprised to see how much of the original dialogue was kept. While I was reading, the scenes from the movie kept appearing in my mind, and I found myself unable to separate the two. Usually when it comes to book or manga adaptations, once I return to the original, I cannot help but think: "Oh, but this is so much better after all. They should have done this differently"; However, I didn't have that feeling with Doushitemo Furetakunai. While there were parts that were left out or could have been fleshed out more, there were even moments where I thought the dialogue in the movie was more natural and poignant than in the manga.
I dislike dramas that take the easy way out by having too much narration or monologues to make sure the viewer gets exactly what the characters are feeling at that moment. There is no room for speculation, no room for the viewer to get a grasp on the emotion, just by observing. Eventually, this trait of the movie, the actors' ability to convey their pain and longing without using too many words, is what made me applaud to this successful adaption of Yoneda Kou's manga.
In summary: It's a bit slow-paced, but if you learn to appreciate the beauty within this calm atmosphere, you will be presented with a fairly satisfying movie that you won't easily forget. I recommend it whole-heartedly.
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The story is actually very original, there is place for cuteness, drama, comedy, a great second female lead, and beautiful couple scenes. What's not to love ?
I gave a 9 in acting because I beleive the second male lead lacked nuance on his part, but the two leads are doing an amazing job.
Anyway it's a good drama, so go watch it ^^ lol !
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This review may contain spoilers
Original, heartwarming, thoughtful, hilarious with quiet a few really amazing characters
I absolutely adored this saeguk. I binged it in almost 3 days. The concept is fascinatingly original, the characters and plot deliciously mature, I'd say there's almost no part of this show that was unnecessary (something very rare in Kdramas). I practically started watching bcz everyone was hating it despite the unusual plot summary (I have no idea why'd people not admire a well-made project like this). It has some veteran actors in their best forms playing some of the best developed characters. The king and the mother-in-law of the Jo family were flawless.In fact, it has one of the finest negative characters I've seen in a while. And she's a smart, wise, plotting woman who is infinitely complex as a character to simply be a villain. I loved that dialogue when she said, "Must you disappoint me till the end?" She literally savored the death of her husband! And Rowoon's character improved with every episode. I loved how frank Jung Woo is. He confessed multiple times, and with such heart! It's a beautiful, thoughtful drama. The exaggerated comedy complemented the dark assassination plots. I actually enjoyed how childlike our hero is, his innocence never undermined his courage. And Sun Duk is such a mature character, I loved how she listened to the encounter of the princess and Jung Woo, I don't think the expression of love can get any more profound. I loved how Jung Woo mentioned his remark to his father as cruel. Those are bits of life. The matchmaking of lady Yoeju too was fine in its deductive finesse, it was a display of strategy at its finest. Lady Sam Soon was a literal delight. I wasn't fond of all the pairings (I'd have liked the farmer to fall for Doo Ri, it was so predetermined I wished they'd show that people don't always fall in love with who they're supposed to be with. The 14-year-old prince and 24-year-old lady Ha Na was another daring move. I don't know if 14-year-old kids actually fall for older women like this or vice versa especially considering how grown-up Ha Na is and how mature her taste is) but at this point I'd rather not complain (and it all worked out in the end like pieces coming together in a puzzle).
Could not find a single plot hole in the drama till the end. And I have to mention the playful music and stunning visuals. The interiors were especially detailed. The pingfengs (folding screens) in every room were so pretty and distinct (I especially liked the mother-in-law's minimalist and the princess's maximalist flower-patterned screens). In a way they reflected the personality of the inhabitants. There were also indicative cinematography, pretty visuals and nice locations (probably common in every high budget saeguk, so I digress).
The ending was fitting, wise, not shocking but reassuring and very proper. I loved it. I think the last I contemplated rating a Kdrama 9 was 'Flower of Evil' and even that didn't have a perfect ending. This was a well written, well-acted and well executed drama, which managed to strike the right balance between light and dark and remained warm till the end.
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"Woman of Dignity became one of the highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history"to be honest when I first read this title it didn't really affect me because I never believed that high ratings = great drama but since I love KHS I thought why not watch at least I'll enjoy KHS beauty & I'm happy I didn't miss this great drama I'll get into details with no spoilers at all so read it with no worries :)
What I liked about this drama:
1- It's not your typical drama in terms of story, acting or even characters. we have two female leads that are the main story in the drama with supporting characters that each have a story of their own just as fun as the main story with everything connected to each other I usually get bored of dramas that focus mainly on the female & male leads so this was such a fun drama for me.
2- It gets better with time, 20 Ep was a scary thing for me since usually the last episodes would get draggy but that wasn't the case with this drama thankfully, it gets better and it's just so fun that you won't be skipping anything.
3- I liked the light comedy that was added to the story mainly by Jung Sang Hoon, the humor was such a breath of fresh air in this somehow tense drama
I feel like if I write more I would end up with spoiler so that's it a small review about Woman of Dignity I hope you enjoyed reading it .
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If you want something incredibly sweet and heartwarming with little conflict, THIS IS IT.
First things first, thank you so much Carmon Sub for subtitling this show, you're the reason I was able to enjoy it in the first place!In general terms, Meeting You is about a girl who's incredibly bright and extroverted, and a very intelligent boy who has deep social anxiety— and the wonderful way in which they compliment each other and lift each other up in their own ways.
If what you're looking for is to feel happy and enjoy some fluffy, sweet romance— this is a must watch.
To tell the truth, the reason why I gave this drama a chance is because I am a sucker for extroverted girl/shy boy stories, but even then it's not like my expectations were incredibly high. But boy, was I in for a treat with this one.
Guo Jun Chen, who I knew from Accidentally In Love (I don't remember much about that show, though) is absolutely adorable as the shy, reserved Nan Xi, and something I really enjoyed is that his growth and him coming out of his shell is incredibly organic and feels very realistic; he doesn't simply change one day and becomes more extroverted, his spirit remains the same throughout the entire show even if he grows and evolves as a person. On the other hand, Wan Peng SHINES in this role as the bubbly, protective and fiercely loyal Xia Rui; she is so incredibly easy to like that you immediately end up wishing you had her as a friend in your life. Their chemistry is palpable, which is probably why it's so easy to fully believe they are soulmates who are destined to be together and it absolutely should not go any other way.
Now, what I loved the most about this show:
• Serious lack of heavy conflict and dumb misunderstandings that drag on forever: I think there are only two "real" moments of conflict in the entire show— one around the middle (if I remember correctly) and one in the final episodes, and they barely last an episode at best (maybe they split it in 2 episodes, but the actual conflict lasts for less than one).
• AMAZING communication: this ties to my previous point of lack of dumb misunderstandings— except for the second lead couple whose entire storyline revolves around the guy being clueless up until the end and the girl not confessing her feelings for him directly to clear it up. When there's a misunderstanding, they talk things through pretty quickly and problems are solved very, very fast.
• The relationship between Xia Rui and Nan Xi, once they realize who the other is, is UNBREAKABLE. Even though they don't officially get together until they're in college, they are both obviously in love with each other and they are 100% loyal to the other. There's a plot with another girl at first (not a villain, don't worry) who really likes Nan Xi, and he over and over flat out rejects her advances because he only likes Xia Rui, no one else. I wish I had read this when I started watching, cause I have serious trauma from dramas where things go right between the main couple and then everything goes wrong, which NEVER HAPPENS HERE. They only have eyes for each other through the entire drama.
• In the same vein, the relationship between Xia Rui and Nan Xi is absolutely amazing. Nan Xi is incredibly smart and does super well in school but struggles deeply with socializing, and Xia Rui is amazing at socializing and struggles with her studies. Because they are good in what the other is lacking, they are constantly helping each other in the sweetest, most wholesome ways. These two absolutely ADORE each other and you can feel it all the time.
• Drunk Nan Xi: Look forward to it.
• Their relationship dynamic is exactly what I love. Exactly. It's perfect. I have nothing more to say.
Now, a much shorter list of what I didn't like:
• The relationship with the second leads is a bit frustrating because you really just want them to get it over with once and for all. However, even when it feels like it's dragging for too long, the fact that their characters are developed in a way that makes it "make sense" for them to not tell each other how they feel makes it somewhat more bearable. Also, this happening at the same time as Xia Rui and Nan Xi are being in love and cute with each other also makes it more bearable.
• I am not one to question the lack of kisses in Asian dramas because to each their own, but there's definitely a disconnect between the way Xia Rui and Nan Xi are towards each other that simply does not correlate with how much Xia Rui shies away when Nan Xi tries to kiss her. It feels out of place for their characters for her to get so flustered about it, when what it would make sense is for her to instantly reciprocate, especially because they're super comfortable around each other otherwise. That being said, there is A LOT of physical affection that is not kisses, and it pretty much makes up for the lack of them. Lots of enthusiastic hugging too.
If there's more I didn't like, it's definitely eclipsed by what I liked cause I honestly can't remember anything else.
In conclusion, I 100% recommend to watch this!
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The idea of putting together the trinity, in a setting that somewhat reminded me of 'Friends' was genius(ok well maybe not genius but the fanservice is totally appreciated) - it was a break from GMMtV's usual Friday night BL schedule - even without the BL elements.
The plot was kind of forced and silly - six guys with the same name living in one house. Each one has their own phobia and will overcome it with the help of each other. This is a family drama with each one having their own backstory and a time to shine, although i feel like Singto's screentime was less than the others.
The acting and the production is outstanding, their house (production design) is also great, i especially love seeing the full glory of the house during the end credits. The pacing is perfect.
What i love the most is just seeing all of them together. Their chemistry is fantastic, its like watching real friends in real life.
What i hate is the fact that it is shorter than the average Thai dramas, and with only eight episodes i am left wanting more! Also i feel like i may have enjoyed this drama simply because im already a fan of all these 6 actors, but if it maybe a different stort if this was seen by someone who doesnt know them at all.
Still, im thankful for this series and will be rewatching.
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