Reviews

There is one word to describe this show: CRACKTASTIC.

This show is funny, but unlike many asian dramas it doesn't suffer from trying too hard to be funny. It knows where the joke is then ENDS it. The comedy in the show is paced really well with the drama, so you wont feel as if you're stagnating in the drama or comedy for too long.

The romance is good. The characters are believable, and their romance progresses naturally without the plot forcing them together too soon, or keeping them apart for too long.

The villans in the drama actually have reasons for being the way they are, and at points you can really feel for them. No one is wholly evil, so you get to see the good and the bad in people and their struggle of which side will win. The mustashe twirlers are at least funny, so even if you don't identify with them at least you get to laugh at them throughout.

I had to give this a 9 out of 10 because one major storyline is just never resolved, also because although the ending was nice, it didn't really go with the rest of what the drama was.

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Background on the Ii Clan

A small clan based in Ii Valley, where Hamamatsu City is now. Hamamatsu is a city in Shizuoka prefecture, Kanto region. The Ii(s) are now based in Saga prefecture, where Ii Naomasa was relocated to when the Tokugawa Shogunate was established.

The Ii(s) as a samurai clan had a much longer traceable history than most of the major clans - the Takeda, Hojo, Matsudaira/Tokugawa etc - around them, with some estimates giving them a 1000 year old lineage. At the least, their ancestry could be traced back to the Kamakura era.

Two of the most famous Ii(s) included Ii Naomasa and Ii Naosuke.

Ii Naomasa was one of the Four Heavenly Generals under Tokugawa Ieyasu, and played a prominent role in the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the revival of the Ii clan.

Naosuke was one of the foremost conservative influence during the ending period of the Shogunate, and his assassination paved the way for the establishment of the Meiji era under a new modernist regime.

As an historical person, Ii Naotora was shrouded in mystery and many uncertainties. Some historians assert that she was actually a man, and that Naotora and Naomasa’s adoptive mother were not the same person.


The Story

If you are looking for battle scenes and samurai fighting, you will be sorely disappointed. As the synopsis stated, the story started at a point of crisis for the Ii clan. Their continued survival was highly questionable, and the story reflected the uncertainties and helplessness of a clan on the verge of collapse.

What this drama did very well, and unlike most other Taigas before it - with the exception of Sanadamaru before it - was the focus on the small scale struggles and daily survival efforts of peripheral clans and the people in them. Hence, there are more villagers with names here than you will ever see in many of the Taigas from the last decade. The intimate and humanistic aspects of the drama were what piqued my interest in the first place. While always interesting and grandiose, the focus on all those major personalities got tiring after a while.

Here, we are reminded that ideally, all those political and armed struggles were meant to be for a greater purpose, to bring about peace and stability, not for the sole purpose of personal aggrandizement and megalomaniac-ambition.

The dialogue and messages in this drama were well-written and most often thought-provoking, if somewhat idealized.

In turns comical and heartwarming, it was also mostly just tear-inducing.

A story full of love - in all its myriad representations - and of stubborn people (or if you prefer, persistent and determined).


Characters

If there is to be only one reason to watch this drama, it would be for the character of Ono-Tajimanokami-Masatsugu.

He was a character that encompassed many virtues and ideals in the form of a man, but above all, it was love and devotion. Love for a woman, the family, friends, the homeland, the clan, of honour, duty, sacrifice and peace.

(And if you are a shipper and have the tendency to have Second-Male Lead-Syndrome, Ono Masatsugu will be the ultimate candidate to break your heart and provide tonnes of angst and ache).

On reflection - since there have been many, many fantastic second male lead characters before - what truly made Ono Masatsugu stood out from the fray, besides some good - if spotty - writing, was the fact that in the hands of Takahashi Issei, he was elevated to a sublime level of intensely stoic devotion and loving magnanimity. An unsurpassed potent combination.

Besides Masatsugu, I would dare venture that there are many lovable and admirable characters in this show. Whether you agree with their motivations or not, no one failed to live up to their ideals or limitations, of which there were numerous. While a weird way to state, whether the goal was mediocrity or self-sacrifice, most everybody tried their best.


Cast/Acting

Generally, the casting and acting were solid and competent, befitting a Taiga. Personally, however, I did not find all acting equally appealing. I did not particularly enjoy Shibasaki or Suda’s acting, as I thought they overexpressed at some parts. Still, they did very well in their roles.

Most of the secondary characters had very competent actors and actresses at the helm, and that had made for a marvelous watch.

Last but not least, another note on Takahashi Issei as Ono Masatsugu. His role here captured my imagination and made me a fan, so while biased, I have to once again comment on his amazing performance. He turned what was a run-of-the-mill-character into THE character to pay attention to. His presence made what was an average Taiga into one that engrossed the hearts and minds of fans. While not an especially popular Taiga (ratings were quite mediocre), Naotora might well turn into a cult-drama for the way it has engaged the emotions of fans, and Masatsugu had been one of the main reasons for this phenomena.


Music/Composition

A gorgeous soundtrack and background music accompanied this show and raised the level of emoting for the whole series. Simply breathtaking music.


Overall

While I have had problems with certain aspects of the development of the storyline and the relationships they portrayed, I could not complain that it was not already written into the story from the beginning (unlike some other stories/shows), though due to various factors, interpretations for the story deviated somewhat from the intentions of the scriptwriter. This is mostly an issue of personal expectations and subjective interpretation.

The story, however, devolved into semi-farcical comedy and ridiculousness at certain portions of the second half, and this detracted somewhat from the overall quality of the show.

While no-where-near-perfection, this series has been an interesting glimpse into a lesser known clan and world of the Sengoku era.

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You'll Love this Couple

This drama was so amazing for the simple reason that the couple was all grown-up - no stupid misunderstandings because of miscommunication. I loved the build to the romance and all the shy embarrassed experiences they had before finally admitting their feelings. Kim Jae-uk and Park Min-young had such great chemistry together which means this is one of those rare couples that just melt your heart, plus their banter was just soooo cute.

These two were couple goals truly!

The fangirling was really well woven into the story. Other aspects weren't well incorporated and ended up being...well...boring. My complaint really is that the drama dragged towards the end.

But overall fabulous drama that I would recommend.

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Almost exactly the same as the anime version.

This is good. I watched the anime again and again in the past, so it was a bit of a dull ride for me....or so that's what I thought at first. The story, plot and characters still capture me again just like the anime version. The drama version is good and I think the acting was not bad too, and spoiler ahead......

The drama followed the time period of the anime, which is like the year 2000s, so not everyone has a handphone or a computer, the drama skipped some parts of the side character's story and I was okay without it. The awesome internet sensation was a bit underwhelmed, maybe because they did not make it into a world sensation but just the country itself only. But that's okay too.

This time, though there are times when the main lead Xiao Guang treated Chu Ying a bit badly at times, it was not really the same as the anime. The drama showed Xiao Guang treating Chu Ying more kindly, more sincerely and appreciatively. And most importantly, the wonderful day they spent before he left forever. So in my opinion, this is better than the anime version as you won't feel so regretful for Chu Ying for the way Xiao Guang treated him like in the anime.

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To be honest, when I started watching these series, I didn't have much hope for them and watched only for the actors but after finishing it and patiently waiting every week for a new episode, I can officially say that these are THE BEST GMMTV series that I have ever seen! I used to not watch GMMTV series that were not BL and only gave this a chance due to the actors but this show has changed a lot of my opinions...

STORY: The story itself is really interesting and really enjoyable for everyone who is interested in supernatural stuff. I recommended it to my friend who is really into supernatural shows and she loved it a lot as well. Plus to the fact that the plot is interesting, it's pretty unique as well. If you succeed in portraying it in the right way then it's an amazing show.

ACTING/CAST: There are a lot of known actors from GMMTV and that's good cause it gets people interested in the show more, not just for the story but for the actors as well. There are also some that are not so known but then again they get as much spotlight as the others. The cast is something that's the most important to a good story. If the story and the script are great but you get some shitty actors, then the show is not gonna be great. For these series, in my opinion, the cast is one of the best choices.

MUSIC: Loved the theme song at the end and the dramatical music was just the right. I usually don't like when there's a lot of dramatic music involved cause in most cases it makes the whole thing seem cringey but since the shots were great, thanks to the director, the music didn't take away the feel but added it to the extreme.

REWATCH VALUE: The thing is...this is a show that is really fun to binge watch or patiently wait for a new episode every week but, at least for me, I wouldn't be able to rewatch it many times and still love it as much as I do after the first time. I still gave this a 10 cause it is really enjoyable and interesting and I will 100% rewatch it at some point.

OVERALL: All I wanna say is that this show is for sure something that you could recommend to your friends even if they are not interested in Asian drama series. The story is really worth it and it's enjoyable to watch. For sure the best series I have seen this year and the best series that GMMTV has produced in a long time.

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4 couples, 4 different ways to deal with love, social background and values

First of all, I'd like to say that this drama is really powerful, with very good actors and musics.
At first I came into this drama because of the poster showing three of my favorite actors. I really thought that it was a love story involving 2 guys in love with the same girl.... But there is nothing like that in this drama ! It's so much more interesting !

4 couples with 4 different love stories and different bonds between them. It's all about love, friendship, money, power, social backgrounds, social pressure and achievement. Can you do whatever you want to gain prestige and money ? Can you make people love you just because you want them to love you ? Can you make decison on behalf of others without even discussing it with the peolpe concerned ? Can you forgive ? Can you let it go ? Can you let bygones be bygones ? Can you confess your mistakes and pay for them ? Can you really know your heart and real desires ?
Those are some of the topics that you will find in the storyline. Love is one thing but most important are the decisions you make when you are in love and when things don't go as you wish.... certainly the message in this drama is that love can make you a better person as long as you take the right decisions and spend most of your time to cherish the one you love.

I really enjoyed watching Li Qin and Shawn Dou together again (they were so pityful together in Princess agent because of the onesided love). Are they a much better couple in here ? Well yes definitely, even though you have to wait till the last ten minutes of the drama to find the outcome.
One last word for actor Li Ting Zhe (Lin XiangYuan) : he plays the bad guy pushy and unscrupulous that we love to hate,... this actor is amazing and has got the most interesting role and character.... no spoiler but we finally cannot hate him.

So many good points make us forget script flaws, I recommend this drama because it is never boring and has a good pace : isn't it what we are looking for in any show ?

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Weirdly interesting and fun 1st half but poor writing in the 2nd half.

While “I am Nobody” was airing, I read good things about it. Little did I know I’ve stumbled onto one of the wackiest C-dramas I’ve ever watched. I really did not have much expectations and I never read the comics. I’ve seen some live action Japanese adaptations of anime and manga, and am not always a big fan of the comedy. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first half of the drama, despite its weird comedy. But, I was also disappointed in the second half when the writing got sloppy and they seemed to run out of money.


What I Enjoy:

1. Bao Bao - One of my favorite characters in the drama and also in all of C-drama comedies. She is hilarious!!! Wang Ying Lu did a fantastic job portraying the emotionless, naive, crazy, violent and just pure wacky character. I look forward to funny things that come out of her mouth and how she reacts to different situations.

2. Peng Yu Chang - This is my first time watching him and I’m surprised to find out that he’s been in the industry for quite some time. His acting is probably the best of the bunch amongst the younger cast members of the drama. He really does stand out in his portrayal of the protagonist, Zhang Chu Lan. The success of the show rests on his shoulders and he does an admirable job.

3. Veteran Supporting Cast - “I am Nobody” is one of those dramas where the more experienced, veteran actors really outshine the younger generation. There are so many great actors, especially Old Taoist Lao Tian Shi/Zhang Zhi Wei, Grandpa Zhang Huai Yi, Taoist Tian Jin Zhong and Elder Lu Jin. I’ve enjoyed every single one of their scenes, serious, emotional and comedic ones.

4. Action Scenes - There are some pretty great fight scenes in the first half of the drama and during the competition. This is also one of the reasons I want to watch this drama as early comments praised some of its fight scenes. There are quite a few memorable fights during the competition.

5. Comedy - I normally don’t quite over-the-top comedy and shy away from pure comedies. But I thoroughly enjoy all the jokes, second-hand embarrassment, especially when the jokes happen with the veterans. Their deadpan expression while speaking some of these funny lines, make the scenes even more funny. BaoBao’s Sichuan accent also adds to her strange but unique personality.


What I have Mixed Feelings about or Don’t Like:

1. Second Half - I did not read the comics, so I am not sure if the drama follows the plot faithfully or loosely. However, I was very disappointed that after the competition, I did not see more camaraderie between the younger main cast and/or their adventures in continuing the quest to find out about the truth. Instead, we got an unimportant detour of Wang Ye’s family story and barely got Zhang Chu Lan, Wang Ye, Feng Bao Bao and Zhu Ge Qing back together. Zhang Lin Yu got his own side plot of accepting himself and continuation of the ill-developed romance. We spent so much time in Lao Tian Shi’s ‘revenge’ and another character’s search for their sister. I am not saying these side plots are not important to the development of the main plot, but screentime is not distributed appropriately. Maybe the drama should not have focused so many episodes on the competition, so it leaves enough time to develop all the other subplots afterwards. But then, the competition episodes are the most fun! If you spend so much time for viewers to get to know the main characters, then give me more of them together!

2. Inconsistent acting - This drama has a very big supporting cast of young actors and actresses. Some of them I’ve seen in other dramas and they did fine. But aside from Peng Yu Chang and Wang Ying Lu, the others don’t really stand out or exceed my expectations. I’m glad Neo Hou is not in another cold-on-the-outside role (can’t say the same for Bi Wen Jun) and he definitely acts better when he’s given more. Even so, he has room for improvement. A few other minor supporting actors are below average. No one is horrible, just inconsistent.

3. CGI - I wonder if the drama spends all their money on the special effects in the first half of the drama. Maybe the competition episodes use up all their budget, because in the second half, there are some pretty bad special effects. You can tell the green screen is right behind the actors.

4. Words Disappear - This is very personal and might only bother me. The drama did not give me a chance to fully read all the Chinese characters/sentences on the screen. And this happens not just once or twice. Instead of using a narrator to give an update or epilogue of what happened, the drama flashes these words on the screen so quickly. I tried to pause and read, but that gets annoying and doesn’t always work. I guess I should have turned on English subtitles, because I can read English a lot faster than Chinese.

5. Product Placement - It’s been a while since I watched a C-drama with so much in-your-face product placements. It was funny when they worked it into the advertising of the event, but after a while, these products are just everywhere. I thought I would only come across this level of product placement in a Thai BL.


Overall, this is an interesting drama and I had a pretty good time for most part. But this is definitely not for everyone and I can see many get put off by its humor. I would have given the first half an 8.5 and the second half 7.5 for a lower budget drama. So, an average of 8.0 would be my final rating. I am not sure if season 2 is going to happen, but I don’t think I’ll watch it. I am quite disappointed in the second half and really wish the writing is better.


Other Random Observations:
1. There are times I got confused if I am watching a wuxia drama (historical) or a modern drama.
2. This drama has a very eclectic soundtrack.
3. Peng Yu Chang/Zhang Chu Lan cries a lot!
4. Neo Hou looks so pretty! He can pass for a pretty girl with a nice, long ponytail.
5. So many characters and their signature moves that I get confused sometimes.



Completed: 9/26/2023 - Review #359

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Man i literally just finished watching this and im still sniffling a little bit. This was a tear jerker.
Okay....what i loved most about this movie was the stages of Su Jin and Cheol Su's relationship. Only the first 30 minutes are spent focusing on the two mains dating. The meat of the story is during their married life. I suppose the reason i love this aspect of the story is because most dramas now, focus on the chase, actually getting into a relationship. And once that happens the drama is over and this leaves a happy ending of infinite possibilities. i love that "A Moment To Remember" gives that same passionate and "head over heals" feeling (while not being cheesy) after their already married. Married life is often portrayed as an ending (and often a boring and suffocating one) when it doesn't have to be that way. Marriage can be fun and this movie shows that.
Even though the story of how the two mains meet and fall in love is brief, it doesn't feel rushed or lacking at all. they put in enough special little moments to build their characters to make you care about them.
What made me cry most is when Cheol Su cries in this movie. i don't know why, but something about a man crying just kills me every time.
Overall VERY GOOD movie. I stress just how good the acting was (esp. Jung Woo Sung oh god he's so hot) i would recommend this to anyone except if you hate crying.

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Soft and Cute series to watch

This series Is really heavy on the Comedy and musical theme,
So u guys better not expect something like a drama or deep story if u want to watch this series.

It's very good show to watch if u want something soft and entertaining ..

Personally, I love all the couple in this series, they'all have a good chemistry , especially Ruk and IG

The song were very Excellent , no doubt ..

But I do hope they will make thia series available for internasional fans , Cause this series got so much potensial..
And I do hope they will make a Second season for this series , with More Drama and Character development of course .

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What I liked about the " Jade Dynasty " (first movie hopefully), was the
first part of the movie. It was somehow the background of the main
character and how he became his final self in the ending. However,
the second part of the movie was rushed, almost confusing, and it had
an open ending (that is a bad thing if they don't have a second movie
coming up...).

That said, the performances were good and the costumes were nice.
They did a good job with the atmosphere of the story, as it looked
epic and fairy tale like. However, the CGIs were not good and kind of
ruined the action scenes.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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I actually wasn't going to watch it at first because the front cover made it seem like it was going to be a romance, but it wasn't. It actually showed me to a new kpop group Astro that I'm now obsessed with. The episodes are short which was kind of a bummer, but in such a short time it actually worked.

For the story I would say it was okay. It was one of those shows that you basically knew what was gonna happen in the end so nothing was surprising yet since the episodes are short you quickly want to go to the next episode.

The music was good and the acting was good.

I would watch it again since it's short and because Astro is in it.

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I've been watching dramas waiting for a story like this one. The comedy, cliches, the opinionated bossy female lead (which are my favorite kind), her uptight best friend, and her father causing everyone so much trouble. It turned out to be so much fun to see play out.

That being said I do think the plot dragged a bit in the middle. I was bored halfway through the first month they went to training camp. It was understandable that Qian Rui needed to grow as a player, but it definitely could have been condensed into fewer episodes.

Overall though, I really really enjoyed this. I'd consider it a favorite of mine.

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Frustrated by a Plot Hole in Episode 2 but It was Good

I was enjoying but Episode 2 hit a snag. The main lead faces false surgery accusations, yet the show conveniently ignores what happened to the surgery recording. Did it disappear into thin air? No explanation. Realism matters, even in dramas. A simple line about the footage getting corrupted would've sufficed. I’m pretending that it’s just a live feed, not a recording and watching the show now. Annoying gap, hoping they patch it up in future episodes.

Continued after 2nd episode it was good but not that good. Some series make me drop in the middle but this was watchable. Sometimes I felt that the main leads could have been smarter. I don’t know how the law works on recording the surgery I continued watching considering that it’s was just a live feed.

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Nothing Hidden…You See Everything

I have to say when this drama first started, yes, I was all in. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hold my interest, I just wanted to finish it. I know, so sad to say after I thought it was going to be so good.

The drama revolves around Ga Sung Ho, the owner of Gasung Group. He hires Kim Yeong Ran (Jeon Yeo Been) to be his bodyguard and eventually his "unconventional" wife to enter into a marriage agreement for two reasons:
1. He knew his stepdaughter Ga Seon Young (Jang Yoo Ju) killed his daughter Ye Rim and he wanted justice for her.
2. He didn't have long to live so he wanted someone that he felt would carry out his wishes for him.

The shocking part was after Ga Sung Ho had hired Kim Yeong Ran and only I would say several weeks into her job, he committed suicide but not before the marriage was confirmed. After Ga Seon Young and the others on the board heard of this she was labeled "the younger wife who was a gold digger” to get a dying man's money. Ga Seon Young was totally ticked about the change of events and decides Kim Yeong Ran needed to die. Knowing what would happen Ga Sung Ho, Kim Yeong Ran along with Lee Don (Seo Hyeon Woo) attorney for Ga Sung Ho had a contingency plan all in place. Kim Yeong Ran would go into hiding for three months until the shareholder meeting confirming her as the majority shareholder for the company fulfilling Ga Sung Ho’s wish to not only save his company but expose Ga Seon Young as his daughter’s killer.

You know what they say about the best laid plans. They end up sending her to the countryside to be a kindergarten teacher by the name of Bu Se Mi. Now, it is ironic that she was supposed to be so well hidden that Baek Hye Ji (Joo Hyn Young) finds her and stays with her. Baek Hye Ji to me was the most irritating and annoying character. She took the drama down to me when she came to the town. Her quirkiness was just too much.

Then the mother eventually finds her too, pretty soon everyone finds her even after putting up CCTV cameras throughout the town. How incognito was she?

The only good part about her time in the town, was with the kids. Especially when she taught them self-defense and she literally killed the blow-up dinosaur in the classroom. The kids were devastated. When she taped him up all wounded. You couldn’t help but laugh. The kindergarten director also added to some funny moments, those bobby socks and Mary Jane shoes, I was so done!

Eventually the whole incognito was a wrap and she was exposed.

I know you are probably wondering about the romance...right? How can I say this, nope, nada, zilch, zero! What a waste of Jin Young. That man is so fine. I would have found a reason just to kiss him. But there is only ONE kiss and that was six months after she left and then returned to the wedding of Baek Hye Ji.

I'll wrap this up.
- Ga Sung Ho, didn't commit suicide it was a fake. He wanted to stay around to expose Ga Seon Young which he does by videotaping her killing him, for real this time.
- Kim Yeong Ran’s mother is used by Ga Seon Young to bring down Kim Yeong Ran. She does get her money. Ends up in jail and gets her comeuppance on Ga Seon Young.
- Oh, and Ga Seon Young well, she went on a killing spree. She killed not only Ga Sung Ho but also his daughter, Ye Rim and her brother, Ga Seon U (Lee Chung)

Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment is that this drama in the first episode started out well. But the loss of NO romance was a downer. Even after seeing him after six months, not even a hug, his son didn't even run over to see her or her to him. We then switch to them on the beach and he says:
JDM: "Let's live together. From now on, I'll protect you for the rest of your life."
KYR: "Didn't you say you would wait ten years."
JDM: "Yeah, but now that I see you again, I can't possibly wait. I can't wait anymore."

Kiss...the end.

If you have nothing else to watch do so, it not that bad, but not up to the expectations after the first episode.

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Spice up our Love

So, this is clearly meant for a public who want more "pro-like" verticals. It doesn't have the usual format limitations, feels very mature, the vibe is very "trendy urban romance" à la Sex and the City for working women : there is a cute, supporting bestie instead of a green tea, the fashion is on point, even the sets feel less bling and more effortless luxury than other vertical romances about big shots. The plot could be an arc of a trendy horizontal show, girl is tired of her husband being on autopilot in bed and they spend the drama trying to understand each other better and spice things up. The stakes are low, it's slice-of-life with no makjang-y twists or scream/slap fests. Make no mistake : I love my soapy, cheesy verticals with 57 twists, all the tropes, wall slams and forced kisses, but once in a while a more subdued one is welcome. Wang Kai Mu and Xu Zhen Zhen are mini/micro veterans with an impressive CV, and they deliver. Do try it even if verticals are not your usual favored romance format.

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