Reviews

Chosen Family (need a season 2)

Overall: "Our efforts were not wasted, right?" "Yes, it was worth it". The writing in this series is impeccable. Themes and characters I thought were random were later seamlessly integrated. Shifts between comedy and seriousness were impeccably executed. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/82153387

Content Warnings: slap, internal and external homophobia, sexism discussed

What I Liked
- addressed marriage equality in a realistic way
- that I didn't know what the next episode will have in store
- discussion of sexism (one of the few romance series I have seen that passed the Bechdel test multiple times)
- how characters had their quirks, but still feel like people I could meet in the real world
- intentional characters, they might have seemed insignificant, but they came back later
- no cartoonish antagonists
- avoided evil ex cliche

Room For Improvement
- I couldn't really sympathize with the mom
- at times the pacing was a bit slow for me

Read More

Aka Tough as Iron, I just had the pleasure to go see, thanks to tickets from C&J Entertainment. It was an honor and privilege to see a wonderfully told story. Yoo Ah In, as usually with his handsome self was tremendous as Gang Chul. He projected his love and care for his alzheimer mother, played by Kim Hae Sook in such a way to totally touch your heart. When I watched, I couldn't imagine having the patients and ability to care for my mother in the same way; even though I love her dearly!.

Kim Jeong Tae as the gang boss, Sang Gon; as usually, he plays bad well but let me give HIGH praise to Kim Sung Oh who plays Whi Gon, Sang's brother and supposed bodyguard. As the stuttering and evil brother of Sang, I must tell you he excelled! When he was stuttering his words, I wonder how much he practiced for that because it was done so well, I just wanted to help him finish his sentences! Yes, it was perfect.

The other characters of Jong Soo, played by Lee Shi Un and Soo Ji played by Jung Yu Mi (my first experience seeing her), both served their purposes well. Jong Soo, the misguided and downright stupid friend, even though he made poor choices, he was heart was in it. The romance between Soo Ji and Gang Chul was really not explored because the real romance was between mother and son.

This really was a well written and cast movie and I look forward to looking at it again.

Read More

realistic and well done

Overall: if the premise/summary isn't your thing, I encourage you to watch at least thru episode 4 because this story is like an onion with layers. 8 episodes total about 45 minutes each, 2 aired per week on GMMTV's YouTube Channel (also Disney+Hotstar in some countries).

Content Warnings: manhandling, homophobia, death, grief

What I Liked
- Li Ming and Heart were the cutest cinnamon rolls
- Wen was direct and communicated what he wants
- felt realistic which matches the setting/story (i.e. the actors faces have visible sweat and aren't airbrushed/filtered to oblivion)
- touched on power/class differences, poverty, marriage inequality/legal inequality
- step parent shown to be caring and supportive
- Gaipa's mom
- hints about future plot elements
- realistic response with Li Ming and his mom
- avoided a cliche plot point towards the end, characters had good communication
- production value* (music, cinematography - that long take/no cut shot at the beginning of episode 1 part 1 was cool)

Room For Improvement
- several scenes were a little too dim* and the camera is too shaky sometimes
- not a fan of some of the music choices, at one point there was an accordion
- how Uncle Jim himself and other characters talk about him being old when the actor Earth is 28 (and most definitely does not look old)
- each episode appears to skip a month however because we don't see montages or dates it doesn't always feel like that much time has passed
- wish it had been Gaipa that initiated things after the time jump
- I understand them not subtitling what Heart was saying in the beginning to show how Li Ming didn't understand but it was frustrating when they continued to not subtitle everything he was saying later on
- it was not Jim's place to tell the mom about Li Ming, it should have been Li Ming's choice
- I don't agree that "deaf people are the loneliest people" which is a line a character said
- good that actual consequences were shown for drunk driving
- the series title "Moonlight Chicken"

Read More

Cut the last 2.5 episodes or so, and you have a satisfying show

Let me get the biggest spoiler over and done with: the main couple has a sad ending, though the side couple has a happy ending.

In a marked departure from the generally happy endings of the History series so far, Make Our Days Count, has a sad ending for the main couple, and it's sad in a way which involves a sudden death.

I have to admit that despite my own preference for a happy ending, it does not necessarily mean that a story with a sad ending isn't a good story. Unfortunately, the sad ending is rather discordant with the rest of the series, which is relatively lighthearted. Yes, it is perhaps meant to convey the idea of making our days count. Yes, perhaps the suddenness of the death conveys how unexpected things happen in life, but the series fails in its execution of the unhappy ending.

In essence, the character who dies has a really sad life. He is orphaned from a young age and brought up by his aunt. Not wanting to be a burden to his aunt, he works hard to maintain good grades just so that he can have scholarships to continue his studies. When he finds love, he faces the obstacle of his boyfriend's homophobic father. He manages to overcome this problem and enroll in undergraduate studies at the same time as his boyfriend and his boyfriend's family have started to accept their relationship. Yet his happiness is fleeting--just as things finally seem to be going well for this ill-fated person, he dies in an accident.

While the above summary of his life makes him seem like a consistently sad character whose sad ending shouldn't come as a surprise, I have to say that the saddening details of his life aren't really the focus of the series, which tends to deal with much more lighthearted material. (Even the homophobia in one of the side characters' family isn't explicitly shown, and the show largely focuses on teenage infatuation which blossoms into true love. The poor execution of the bad ending is apparent if we compare the series with Trapped (the first series of HIStory Season 3), in which the potential for a sad ending is plausible from the start, and even Trapped has a happy ending.

There may seem to be something "deep" about a bad ending like this, but I think it the writers are going the easy way out. It would be challenging but possibly more satisfying to make the series end in a moving way that also emphasizes how we need to treasure the moments with our loved ones ("make our days count") without resorting to a sudden bad ending. It is not as if the characters had not treasured their moments together or as if treasuring their time together more would have made the death any more bearable for the surviving person.

In short, the series hasn't really gained much with a sad ending. In fact, we are better off watching the series until perhaps halfway through Episode 18 and stopping at the happiest moments. With Trapped, there was something to keep me watching regardless of whether there is a happy ending, and it is easier to accept the story even if it has a sad ending that makes one cry. On the other hand, in Make Our Days Count, the sad ending seems like an unnecessary plot development even if it manages to wring tears out of the viewer.

Read More

“As long as it’s a place where people inhabit poison seeps in there that’s because we, ourselves are the poison” _ (Sugimura Soburo).

As a huge fan of twisted dramas, whenever I am looking for hardcore mystery; I always run to Japanese productions because they’re so professional at making those types of stories. Namonaki Doku is a mystery drama alright but it can never be considered an intense mystery.

The drama is divided into two big stories; the first one takes the five first episodes while the second one takes the rest of the drama. Namonaki Doku can be differently judged basing on the two stories which obviously contain two unrelated mysteries. The mystery build up in the first part was quite disappointing since it got a little amount of the run time and contained some slow events, but the facts revealing at the end was exciting and a bit surprising. As for the second part, the built up was impressive and rather interesting to follow that’s because the second mystery was deeper and relatively more twisted than the first one. However, its fact reveal wasn’t very outstanding.

Mystery in this drama flew like cool water; it can rarely make you jump of your seat despite the fact that it had a respectable amount of twists and turns. I am not saying that’s a bad thing but being used to hardcore mystery/suspense dramas; Namonaki Doku felt a bit unusual for me at first but at the end of the day, I realized that calm mysteries without many major flips and turns can also be thought-provoking in its own way, mainly because this drama handled some great psychological relations through its mystery built up.

This drama’s set of characters changed a bit between the first and the second story but our main lead was left untouched. Sugumura Soburo is nothing like other male leads in mystery dramas; he’s so honest and timid, he’s the kind of character that you can never imagine him solving other people’s problems and getting involved in big mysteries. That’s what characterizes this drama: An honest heartwarming man purifying poison in a non-sly way. The rest of the characters were pretty alright even if some of them weren’t very necessary for the story’s development. The acting was acceptable as a whole but some actors failed to deliver feelings especially in the first story.

Now let’s talk about the stunning music! It outclasses any other mystery drama’s music. I had to mention this strength point; the violin and the instrumental soundtracks were amazingly played at the right moment that I had to replay those parts.

As a last thought, I would say that Namonaki Doku is exclusively made for mystery dramas lovers but even so, I am sure that not all of them will appreciate it, essentially because it had a slow built up and it’s not considered an intense mystery.

Read More

I will say I am quite critical on this drama since I watched Put Your Head On My Shoulder and really expected the same quality content. When the cast came out, I was like "ok, this looks decent." And so I was quite excited when it premiered. Sad to say, it didn't totally fulfil my expectations, maybe a 75%? It's still a pretty great drama tho! hating myself now for having too much stupid expectations.

STORY (Major spoiler)
Sweet sweet sweet. AND I LOVED IT. The cold, smart and handsome male leads falls in love with the quirky and cheery female lead. It never grows old. And their interaction was soooooo cute. I love how Zhao Fan Zhou (ZFZ) is always teasing Zhou Xiao (ZX). Those super heart fluttering moments are worth your watch. The side storylines were also well plotted and didnt snatched the attention away from the main couple.
But then... here comes the not-so-good part. They tried to create some crisis for the main couple but it totally killed the story and flow for me. They broke up for 1 entire year and without a reason. I totally could not feel it anymore cause I feel like the details are not there. That 1 year seemed so empty like they didnt missed each other. And that totally destroyed the story for me:(

ACTING/CAST
Can you believe Simon (ZFZ) is a 92 guy? he totally didnt look like he is 28 to me.... his acting was commendable! the way he looks at ZX changes throughout the drama, from a cold stare at beginning slowly to a lovely adorable look. I am also glad that he didnt portray ZFZ as a nerdy guy (I saw some comments who say he was miscast, I beg to differ) Not all smart people are nerdy, sometimes some people have it all hahaha
I got to know Liu Ren Yu through China's Produce 101, she's sweet and quirky like her role should be. And given it's her first time acting (I think), she did a pretty good jobbb. I will definitely look forward to her next role. (but that hairstyle doesnt suit her)

MUSIC
There wasnt a super iconic song for this drama but all the songs were well suited for each scenes. Can I mention that Liu Ren Yu is such a good singer? Her voice is so sweet and she sings really well ....My fav is 心跳的证明. Go watch her performances on China Produce 101 too!

REWATCH
yes probably. but maybe I will be watching those heart fluttering clips instead of the full drama.

It's my fault for having too much expectations but thankfully, it was decent and made my stay-at-home better. Will definitely recommend you to watch, don't be too critical (like me haha) and you will enjoy it. Now go watch it.

Read More

The drama is the title... 流水迢迢

I just want to say... this is a very beautiful drama. There are just so much depth to these characters and they have such great love for their country and people. Everyone might have gone separate ends at the end, but they are all doing their parts to continue to protect their country and people. I just love our characters so much.

Jiang Ci... our carefree girl who came down the mountains, experienced the greatest pain yet also met her greatest love. She is just like her name, kind and benevolent. And she will continue to live on and live on well, for the ones who have protected and risked her lives for her. She will live on for them and save those who need saving.

Wei Zhao... born as the son of the city lord of a land trapped between two great states, his fate was already sealed since then. But he met friends/comrades who fought by his side, people who believed in his cause, and he too, met the love of his life who he will watch over forever and forever. In the darkest timeline he lived in, he managed to strike a ray of hope at the end.

Pei Yan... he who didn't know how to love properly due to his upbringing. Raised to protect his family only but grown to desire to protect the country and common people. He too learned that the way to love isn't only to cage someone, but to let them go. He might never get what his heart truly desires, but he will be able to protect the country that his loved ones live in.

Thank you for this beautiful story and to our supporting characters too who each had their own arc and path in life.

Read More

I am too emotionally involved

In the beginning I was actually rooting for Hyungyu and Sohui since they are highly intelligent and had winner potential. But as the shower progressed, I found myself rooting more and more for the underdogs (Eunyu specifically and even 7high) and was getting so frustrated with the upstairs alliance and their hypocrisy.

When the games began to favor those with more pieces, I knew their was no chance. Compared to S1, I think the games were still very fun and interesting. But everyone in S1 was at least likable and a good sport. I definitely had ups and downs of who I liked and didn’t have any particular favorite until we neared the end and I just wanted anyone BUT Hyungyu to win. It’s fine to scheme and strategize but the dirty plays and getting to just easily coast in the living room and never fight for yourself *cough Sohui cough* (like the prisoners have to continuously prove) just felt unfair and rigged even. I know that’s being emotional but so what, I’m like Hyunjoon.

Once again I think Hyungyu earned his win, but I can’t say he deserved it. It was just so predictable and disappointing and boring. I guess that’s real life for you. Love to Tinno, 7high, Eunyu, Justin, Jiyeong, etc.

Read More

you will definitely be annoyed by the behavior of the main female character.

The behavior of the main female character is so illogical. It was so infuriating that she continued to be kind to her ex. or they called her, she didn't even let them say a word, she started refusing the house, even though they would have given it to her anyway. She didn't deserve the main character at all. It's just the poor girl's cliched behavior.

and this constant understatement between the main couple - seriously, isn't it clear that it's better to be honest and deal with problems together? but no, it's better to take care of her ex in the hospital, and that's after his relatives just mocked her mother.

Read More

Cute Love Story about Insecure Youths

I found this series very sweet and it isn't because I am in love with the actors, because I'm not. It is a story about people who are immature and inexperienced, so they do not seize their opportunities due to feeling insecure. Our main leads have flaws, just like us normies. When Daonuea what doing Kluen's assignments, that was the time for Kluen to approach, but he didn't. Many young people hold back out of fear, which is why I think that Dao is the stronger of the two.

The redemption is, when Kluen got a second chance, he tried to make sure he didn't make the same mistake. Yes, Kluen messed up along the way, but he finally realized that he needs to take the risk, and be open about his feelings. It was nice to see a very attractive and charismatic persons have insecurities too. Many of us think that attractive people have it made (which they mostly do) but at least the character of Kluen has doubts just like the average Jo. I also like that Kluen didn't win everything like in other BL. He was not named the campus king (I forgot the contest name).

Second lead Typhoon was good looking, smart, empathetic and popular, but he is a symbol that even if there is a perfect person, he wasn't the perfect person for Daonuea.

I like that this this series shows that people have insecurities, flaws, make mistakes, but can still find happiness. Typhoon is a gem and will find love as well.

Read More

10 15-minute episodes

3 half-brothers, The Yuan brothers (played by Lee Si Kang, Will Chang and Jerom Huang Alouf) are brought together by their father, when their father's long lost love dies and her son contacts him. Thinking her son is his illegitimate son, he sends his sons on a quest to find their long lost half-brother. The oldest brother, Juncheng (Lee Si Kang), who is half-Korean and recently returned from Korea to claim what used to be his mother's property, is saved by a poor man, Lin Xun (Mi Ji Hsu) when he is roughed up by his uncle's thugs. The second brother, Jundao (Wil Chang) lives with his (canonically bisexual) best friend Yang Xiang (Guo Yu Cheng) who is more like an indentured servant and as Jundao once possessively claims "my family owns you". The youngest brother, Junping (Jerom Huang Alouf) is always accompanied by his academically brilliant best friend, Yan Yue (Wells Su) - who is also his partner in crime.

The story had a lot of potential. And I think if it had time to grow and develop it could have been a really great one. Even in 150 minutes, it could have been a really wholesome movie, but it lacked depth and character development. If they were going to make it this short, they should have maybe stuck to one couple rather than trying to cram three love stories into one. But even if it was 3, they should have maybe added some character depth. The characters and storylines fell flat.

I think the actors did a great job with the material they had. The only problem was the sister. She was just such a pain in the butt. I wish writers created more wholesome and respectable female characters. They don't have to be created to add conflict or be used as the "bitch" tool.

I mean its cool 3 gay/bi/bicurious brothers with male partners in 2020. No "I'm gay!!!????" freak-outs. No "I'm coming out" drama. No "My son will not be gay" drama. Great.

A light-hearted, fun, cute drama. cool.

But there was such a lack of character development. They tried with Juncheng and Jundao, but the journey wasn't there, the whole series just lacked substance. It was disappointing. But give it a watch anyways.

The couple whose storyline I was most invested in was probably Jundao/Xiang's because how does one go from "You're my bestfriend" to "My family owns you" to lovers in ten episodes? But apparently we're gonna just overlook all that hot mess and go with "I wanna see if you're gonna stay with me".

The couple whose storyline I was least invested in was Junping/Yue because it's the classic coming of age, gay storyline about two school boys who fall in love. Watched it a million times.

The couple whose storyline felt the cheapest after the series ended - all of the ones I was interested in. One pays the other partner like they're a hooker - hourly may I add.... *FACEPALMING SO HARD RIGHT NOW*.... One strips the guy his "family own" to see if he'll stay with him, and then kisses him.... *sigh* So much wasted potential.

Read More

Cute & Quick

Perhaps it's because I love drama's centered around friend groups, but I really enjoyed this. It was a light, fun and quick watch of people navigating their stressful lives and turning to their friends for comfort. There was no set plot, but honestly I didn't mind because it's just a drama about navigating the day-to-day struggles of the working class in the fashion industry and dealing with problems as they arise. I do feel that the episodes got better as the drama went on and I greatly enjoyed the secondary and guest characters. If you're looking for something light and quick that'll take your mind off of things for a couple of hours I would definitely recommend this.

Read More

This drama really exceeded my expectations! This is a completely re-imagined version of historical events. Like Shakespeare's historical plays, It's less about being historically accurate, and more about exploring themes ... specifically love & fate. I didn't really know about the true history until after I finished the drama, which I am thankful for. Not really knowing anything kept me on the edge of my seat until the end.

I was afraid that a sageuk with a very political plot would get boring, and confusing, but that was not the case. The politics in the story is just there to set the stage for this tragic but beautiful romance. If you already know Jang Ok Jung's story, I suggest pretending that you don't. Kim Tae Hee's version is not an evil villain, greedily ambitious, nor is she a passive victim. The Jang Ok Jung of this drama is inspiring, but flawed. I liked her, even when she did things that frustrated me, which I think made her more human, and relatable. (Something told me she was a scorpio, and I was right. lol.)

Yoo Ah In & Kim Tae Hee's amazing chemistry are the driving force behind this drama, and both do an excellent job in their roles. I loved how King Sookjong would go from an arrogant smirk, to moments of complete sensitivity. Like Jang Ok Jung, he is also flawed, which made me love his character more.

The majority of the cast was excellent. I hated the villains I was supposed to hate, but they also had moments where they completely won my sympathy. There were too many great performances to point them all out, but I think Hong Soo Hyun, as Queen Inhyun, was the most complicated of the supporting cast, and my favorite.

The two cast members I was least impressed with were Han Seung Yeon as Sookbin Choi & Jae Hee as Hyun Chi Soo. Sookbin Choi seemed to be the only one dimensional character, with one arrogant "stank" face throughout. This was probably done in order to justify Jang Ok Jung's actions, which worked, but I wish she had as much depth as the other characters. And Jae Hee was just... well... boring. Maybe it's because I still can't forgive him for "Color of Woman", but I thought he was the worst of the cast, and subtracted a full point for his performance alone.

Overall, even if you're not a sageuk fan, I would make this one an exception. I'd suggest avoiding spoiler happy "Dong Yi" fans, or Korean History buffs, to have the best experience. Romance fans, keep in mind that this is a romantic tragedy, filled with many more depressing scenes than cute ones, so just keep your tissues handy, especially in the later episodes. Kudos to the makers of this drama for making 24 episodes without any unnecessary "filler". I laughed, cried, cheered, and got pissed off, but was never really bored. I could see myself watching them all again, it was that good.

This story may not be heavy on truth, but it did succeed in making me not only interested in her life, but other dramas that tell the story of the women of King Sukjong of Joseon's royal court. I guess I'm now officially coming out as a sageuk fan!

Read More