1“What you see is no longer what it once was.”
Yanagawa was a story of love, loss, and lives that were sadly isolated. A friendship from twenty-years prior had made it difficult for at least two people to move on, and one of those people had far less time ahead of him to reminisce.Li Dong stumbles out of a doctor’s appointment and bums a cigarette off a stranger. He’s just discovered he has stage 4 cancer. He meets with his brother without telling him the diagnosis and proposes a trip to Yanagawa, Japan. When his brother rejects the idea, he tells Li Chun that their old flame, Liu Chuan, is living there. The brothers haven’t seen her in 20 years and have never gotten over her. The two men catch the first flight out of Beijing and are soon checking into their room at a Japanese house. They find Chuan singing in a small bar. Will she be as excited to see the men as they are to see her?
The first hurdle to overcome with this film were the age gaps. Ni Ni would have been 32, Edward Zhang-40, and Xin Bai Qing-47. That 20-year time lapse would have made Chuan 12 years old when she left Beijing. Apparently, the writers assumed the audience would age her up in their minds to make her compatible with Xin’s 27-year-old Chun. The brothers were also in their 40s which meant they were grown ass men stumbling around. I never could reconcile the ages.
The brothers were opposites with Dong being the quiet, reserved, bookish brother and Chun the outgoing extrovert who sought to be the center of attention. Dong never wanted to leave a trace of himself in the world and began to put his house in order. The top two things on his bucket list were to take a trip with his older brother and see Liu Chuan one more time. During the trip, Chun often belittled or interrupted Dong. The older brother was married with a child, yet made every effort possible to sleep with Chuan. Despite declaring his eternal love, he was the one who caused the alienation between the two twenty years prior. So self-absorbed, he could never imagine that the beautiful Chuan would have ever been interested in shy Dong. And Dong must have merely wanted to gaze upon the object of his affection as he never held an important conversation with her. His best joke was one he forgot. Aside from the brothers, the landlord of the house they were staying in also had eyes only for Chuan. Ni Ni’s character spent most of her time with the reverse harem fending off grabby men or singing sorrowful songs. I’m a huge fan of hers and this film felt like a waste of her talent. She still managed to shine, though her best scene was with the Izakaya where the two women deeply understood each other empathically.
The characters spoke a variety of languages. The three from Beijing spoke Mandarin though in different accents. Dong also spoke Japanese. In order to converse with Nakayama Noki, the landlord, they switched to broken English as neither Chun nor Chuan could speak Japanese. Korean singing was heard coming from one of the boats. Both Chinese and Japanese folk songs were also sung. Regardless of the thin reason for Chuan deciding to live in Yanagawa, I wondered how lonely she must have been with the language barrier. Though she often sang John Lennon’s “Oh My Love,” which spoke of finally seeing clearly and living peacefully with the world so maybe it wasn’t a problem.
Yanagawa was a low budget film that managed to be aesthetically pleasing due to the scenery and cast. Much time was spent talking on boats and benches or in Izakaya’s bar. Loose ends were left dangling as people conversed little knowing that one of them was on a ticking clock. Twenty years is a long time and people mature and outgrow the familiar. “What you see is no longer what it once was. Nothing is what it used to be.” Yet truths eventually made their sorrowful appearances, ones that could only be seen clearly in the rearview mirror.
“Oh, my love, for the first time in my life
My eyes are wide open
Oh, my lover, for the first time in my life
My eyes can see”
(John Lennon)
2 June 2026
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Nothing is stronger than family. Absolutely beautiful. As an elder sibling I loved the older brother's mature approach to the behavior of the confused younger siblings. The acting was realistic, no high school fake glamor. All actors looked natural, no make-up. God *siiiigh* I'm so tired of crying.
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Loved. Recommend.
"How to Be a Perfect Dad" is a comedy that begins with a little girl, and her non-custodial playboy father learning to become a dad, when the child's single mom is hospitalized. Maddeningly beautiful, and warmhearted. Frustrating, and saddening, even angering at times. All the emotions that such a story can invoke, the supernaturally-based "How to Be a Perfect Dad" does.It is a family tale, with layers of ghostly hauntings and mysterious figures. The underlying currents of love, throughout, are worth it. A modern tale without baggage, and a production team confident in the story they were creating. Highly recommended.
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So sweet~ QWQ Underrated, must-watch C-drama!
This drama's really good!! Oh my goddd!! Wish more people can know about it.Synopsis: A year after the prestigious QingMeng University basketball team was dissolved after the passing of its head coach, the coach's daughter takes on the challenge of reviving the team to carry on her dad's legacy and fulfill her ultimate dream as basketball is one of her biggest passions. In the process of re-assembling this team, she encounters many struggles with the recruited players and ends up meeting one mysterious, godly guy named Jun Ye. At first reluctant to join, she ends up successfully convincing Jun ye to join and as a team, she coaches the players, training them to defeat their biggest rival, ShenHua, through team-building activities. Eventually, she starts to spend more time with Jun Ye and he develops feelings for her and together they tackle the challenges that come their way.
The best thing in my viewing experience was seeing the characters' friendship and teamwork blossom into something powerful. I really loved each and every single relationship in this show, both romantic and platonic. The care and love they have for each other were genuine and heart-warming. The actors and actresses must have had such a fun time filming this drama because the cast's chemistry was amazing! I just can't get enough of them. Furthermore, I especially loved how every member of the basketball team had their own personalities and quirks, which allows you to connect to every character as a unique individual rather than forgettable, supporting characters of the main characters. The female lead, Su Nuanxia, has a great personality and is the person I want to be. Being a female head of a team of guys, it's easy for people to look down on her yet she remains independent, self-aware , and stands her ground. Among the players, we also have the handsome star player, his rambunctious roommate, the hard-working part timer, the intelligent doctor, and the shy brawny romantic. It's easy to envision how this was based on a manga/manhwa. The most exciting scenes of this drama were the basketball games, where we see the team work together and compete against their rival, their friendly competition. The actions shots during the games were so cool, intense and kept me on the edge of my seat as I root for Qingmeng's victory.
The story had a solid number of side characters with interesting enough back stories to not make me bored too. Oftentimes, the story in dramas would revolve too much around the romance of the male and female lead that I get bored of their romance. In this drama, I have never once gotten tired of watching the main couple interact. The teasing in conversations flow so fluidly and the way Jun Ye looks at Nuan Xia makes my heart melt every time. Their relationship dynamic is so wholesome and sweet. I think Aaron Deng's eyes are so attractive that I am starting to fall head over heels for him too. ;~;
At the end of every episode, there would always be a bonus scene that presents a hypothetical scenario targeted for the viewers' enjoyment. The corner on dating advice for straight men has got to be my favorite since it makes me laugh myself stupid. The main show was also hilarious bc at some points I laughed so hard my stomach started to hurt. This drama is comedic gold, I'm telling you. It's a lot funnier than most other Chinese dramas I've watched of the same archetype.
This drama is a really light, fluffy watch and the only bad part I can think is it might be too "sweet" for some viewer's taste, perhaps. I can say this show is intended for a younger audience for sure. but I'm in my early 20s and can still relate to it a lot perhaps bc I've had experience leading a club and love sports shows that promote healthy teamwork, motivation and spirit (like Haikyuu!!). The only other rather annoying thing is it's difficult to find English subtitles. I started watching it on YouTube, but it's barely translated on there so I transitioned to streaming it on the MangoTV app because it had more episodes subbed. The subtitles on the app, however, are atrociously broken and inaccurate, but my proficiency in Chinese came through an helped me tons in getting through untranslated parts. Episodes 21-24 aren't available for regular members, so I have yet to watch them, but will likely add an edit once I complete the entire drama!
Edit: Just finished watching the whole thing. Although the resolution was more focused on basketball than the couple's love life, I was pretty satisfied!
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Fluff and slice of life in one series
I watched this after I read the reviews. Quick watch for a chinese drama. 16 episodes and each episode was good the story was well put together. Besides, I was looking for something to watch while waiting for new episodes of the heiress and dance of the phoenix.5 childhood friends live together in a compound share the joy and pain of growing up. I like how the story focused on family and friendship and how the show developed each character.
Tan Song & Cheng Zi
The typical frenemies, you could tell they would eventually end up together. I like how Cheng Zi is not a weak and simple minded girl. She's a typical teenage girl who fangirls, has a crush here and there but has never been in love.
Tan Song is the boy next door that annoys her yet protects her for his own good. Lol. He does not admit thaf he likes her but if still shows.
The gradual development of their relationship from friends to being in a relationship was realistically written.
Chen Zui & Jin Xiao
The overacheiving friends in their group. What I like about this two is how their personality is a contrast of one another. Chen Zui is a boy whose sensitive and mindful of the emotuons of people he care about and Jin Xiao is a clueless girl except in her academics. This is like the opposite of a typical drama
I like and hate how their relationship was left open ended but I understand why. He understood that the girl he likes has dreams she wants to pursue and love is not on the top of her priority list. She's insensitive but not mean. She cares for her friend but it looked like she was not gonna fall for him anytime soon.
There are snippets in the last two episodes which I am not sure if the girl was hinting at him about her feelings but she asks a question like in a situational sense but dropped the topic eventually. He confessed but was not taken seriously because they were role playing at that couple gameshow. I teared up a little when the voice over at the last episode made me realize he wouldn't say his feelings for her but have done much for her without her knowing.
It made me realize something at one point we may all have had the unrequited love. You give it your best shot not expecting anything in return. It's sad. Heartbreaking even but you will never show that pain to anyone else.
Jin Zhao & Ouyang
I like these two a lot. Although they don't know want in life they are happy to live the lifw they have.
Ouyang is that guy everyone has a crush on because he's a gentleman and a manly man. Girls can't help but fall for the guy who seemed to have it.
Jin Zhao knows himself well enough to stop hoping for a college life he knows he's not good academically and he bravely faced life head on starting at telling his mom to let him be. I like how he and his sister Jin Xiao showed a typical sibling relationship.
I like also how each househould is different from the others
Yet since they have been neighbors far too long they seem like one big happy family. I must say it was short, sweet, and makes me want for more but I kinda think they concluded it well. No messy third parties and no second lead syndrome. I definitely would watch this again.
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Extraordinary You/ Tiger and Rose vibes
There are a lot of dramas out there that are jumping on the "person falls into a novel" idea that Tiger and Rose did so well, sadly a LOT of them fail to live up to their hype and the story ends up not making any sense. This one though I think really did a great job of coming up with a unique take on it. The episodes are a little less than 30 minutes, and topping out at at 20 ep total it's a pretty quick watch. I recommend putting this on your watchlist asap.It's a high school romance drama set inside a novel but it deals with a lot of real world topics in a realistic way including bullying, eating disorders, escapism, and personal growth. Will those issue really resolve themselves the way they do in the drama if we act in the same way as they did? Probably not, but how do we know if we don't try? I liked the overall message that was delivered and thought it was done well, entertaining, engaging ,and still gave us the lesson.
There's a bit of existential crisis/edge to the final third of the series but I like how it was addressed and wrapped up in the final episode.
Final Grades:
Story was pretty good, had one or two things that could have been tweaked a little so I gave it 9.0
Actors did a great job, I never fell out of any scene. 10
Music was enjoyable but forgettable, I don't remember any songs and I'm not humming it after it's over. 6.0
Rewatch, definitely. It's a short and cute series and I'll watch it again someday soon. 10.
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The drama was action packed, focusing on two main characters who were trying to solve the mystery of the serial killer who was trying to kill them all. There were enough twists to keep things interesting, and tiring at times, as, at some point, the twist over twist was a bit too much. The mystery, however, was not easy to predict, or to guess who was the culprit, as, in each episode, another character seemed suspicious. The drama didn't add romance to the mix, at least not too obvious, which was really a relief. However, the main plot with the going back in time and the whole organization was not properly explained. The ending, in addition, was simply perfect. Finally, the performances were great from all the actors and actresses of the cast.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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Light hearted fun
personally Joong kinda reminds me of Archie in Riverdale so my expectations where not that high , but I was pleasantly surprised. I really like drama so honestly I found the conflicts really fun. I also really liked Joongs character.The most annoying thing about this is the fact that they always get called in the middle of the most important conversations and they always pick up the phone
The production is really good I love how Gmmtvs shows alwus feels like the color the title graphic is in and the repetitive use of the Sunflower is really cute
I would say if you don't mind a bit of stupid conflict definitely give it a watch.
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A sea of subplots
If this drama is a plate of food, it had the best ingredients and beef but the chef is panicking so he added all the spices available in the kitchen, then overcooked it because he's afraid the meat will be rare. Because they have to make a 16 episode drama, they give you a lot of side stories forcefully crammed in the storyline. To be fair, sometimes I complained because the supporting characters are not given enough story depth, but 18 Again was too much in doing that. Most of the latter half of the drama is filled with all these stories and they successfully reduced my interest. I also admit that I loved the comedic parts of these stories but no, we don't need the stalker, we don't need Ye Ji Hoon's brother and his story, probably Choi Il-gwon is not necessary too. There are already enough flashbacks and more important side stories to focus on.The casts are doing good job in their roles, especially Lee Do Hyun who successfully portrayed the 18-year old and 37-year old parts. There is no awkwardness when he is in romantic scenes with Kim Ha Neul. Yoon Sang Hyun on the other hand also managed to express frustrations and regrets to the viewers very well.
Music is generally nice, but not that super memorable. Why? Blame "Hello" for that. The song is a bit overused and in the end your mind just randomly playing "hello... hello...". So yes it managed to stick on me, but as a nuisance.
Overall this drama is quite enjoyable because the story is actually nice and full of life lessons, just skip the unfunny side stories.
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Magnificent balancing act of intense emotions. Old school production without high-gloss polish.
"You are my Sunshine" is the international title of this KMovie from 2005 - named after the US country song of the same name from the 1930s. However, the original title is "You are my destiny". Regardless, both are working. The Plot is based on a true story that happened in Yeosu around 2001.It's about prejudice. About the socially doubtful binding norm and where it is actually coming from. And it's about a man who, fortunately, cares less about what others say and trusts more in what he feels and believes is right. So this is about a positive role model of a man - a man who noticeably sets himself apart from the crowd who dominate the image of men here: Men who buy women, men who buy women abroad as wives, men who beat women without hesitation, men who infect women with AIDS (and don't tell them), men who won't let go of women, see them as possessions and unrestrainedly abuse them... There are the many completely 'normal', 'socially valued' men , husbands, fathers, whose behavior is simply outrageous. As if it were a matter of course, they set the standard of what is right, they set the tone... and yet deny any responsibility.
It's also about love. The sunny, courageous, positive message is embodied by a man who loves sincerely and unconditionally. However, he is generally considered naive. The cattle farmer is considered a hillbilly and a bit peculiar. Not just because he talks to his cow, but because he keeps the word he gave to the woman he loves and stands by what he feels. He is different. (Although, his attitude towards life, women, animals and nature could be considered quite progressive, too...)
And the woman? The female Protagonist could see herself as a victim. On top of that, she might be ashamed of her life. But despite everything that made her tainted and even 'leper' in her life as a prostitute, she was able to keep her soul pure inside. She is straight and clear, she doesn't deceive herself and above all she doesn't get her hopes up, because she knows life as it is - for women like her.
Life in the country is plain, ordinary, vulgar, simple. Also sensually grounded in the changing seasons. Although the ideal of pure, white skin is held high, the story instead focuses on the stigma of the tainted and tanned skin. The everyday scenario of bruises and violets from beating men as well as the darker Filipino and Vietnamese (versus light, pure South Korean) skin of purchased wives thematically dominate here. Finally, it´s about fear of AIDS (spots). That's the rural reality.
Nevertheless, there is this down-to-earth man who puts love above everything else – in good times and in bad... he´s honest, sincere, reliable, devoted, lovable. And there is this woman who can and wants to get involved... until her past catches up with her...
Two wonderful leading actors. Pure KMovie. Intense. Feels lifelike with a deep impact. A magnificent balancing act of conflicting emotions.
Old school production, though. Without high-gloss polish.
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Good acting with good chemistry, memorable characters, average scenario
The story could've been better with 16–20 episodes, the soft-cute vibes should keep on it; most of us like this drama because of this feeling, it's not a revolutionary drama with a unique story, but the biggest reason is that everyone likes it; feeling good dramas are my favorite, and the first 16 and last 4 episodes did this very well, but the other episodes were meh. But I'm not going to drop a lot of ratings because of this because I enjoyed this drama.Yanyue's podcasts' screen time becomes shorter and shorter with each episode, when the best part of the drama was his monologues, his worlds about the world, and his parallels between reel life and movies.
Two memorable OSTs and three memorable characters People are going to call this cliche but will go watch a wuxia or school drama with cliche stories, rom-coms are their punching bag.
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The story was very inspiring yet heartbreaking, I started to cry even while watching the trailer and the end was extremely moving.
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Who is good and who is bad?
The series wonderfully shows how multifaceted a family can be and how differently everyone perceives it.The dynamic between the three older sisters and the youngest makes you curious for more. You can really immerse yourself in the story, and I thought it was wonderful that each sister had her own story. The story was exciting and had some good twists to keep you gripped while watching.
The male characters were all more in the background, but they had an important impact that added more details to the story.
The acting was really good, and overall, it was a really good plot.
Unfortunately, I have to say that the ending didn't completely grab me, but maybe there will be a second season. I have the feeling it's a series with a lot of potential for more.
Nonetheless I highly recommended it.
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