Reviews

The plot for this drama is slightly different, spanning a VERY long time. It begins with the leads in college and then moves on to their lives afterward. The acting is phenomenal, not the two leads exactly (with Van Ness Wu struggling with his Mandarin) but the supporting roles were executed perfectly. The majority of the characters are loveable, and they are all three-dimensional, they have their evil sides and good sides, including the typical evil-mother character, flawlessly portrayed by Linda Liu.

The story is touching, and though the plot drags on a bit, its definitely a good watch.

And it helps that Van Ness Wu has a smoking hot body!

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If you ask me what romance as a genre really lacks then I'd say: authenticity. And maybe I'd be wrong according to a lot of viewers but I really do get surprised when I come across stories like these which by the sheer force of authenticity bring out those emotions in me–and let me tell you that's hard given what a crudgy watcher I am.

And it doesn't have to be a pulpy show of chastity or, on the other side of that scale, terribly unnecessarily raunchy; it can be something as small as hands brushing, smiling when the other isn't looking (gosh I hate that! BUT it works here, it works). The Eighth Sense really doesn't have a lot to offer on this metric, it does not have full-blown NC (it's not wrong to have sex scenes, except i mostly feel it's a terrible substitute for plot) yet it left my insides in a happy state of “butterflies”!

Ji Hyun and Jae Won are the perfect opposites attract trope. Ji Hyun, newly moved to Seoul from a remote part of the country feels quite lost and he understandably develops a sort of reverence for the senior who takes him under his wing and (seems to) have his shit together. Then, a feeling Ji Hyun can't understand, emotions heightened after he and Jae Won kiss. But let's stay friends, a poor, poor follow through.

An important part of the story is Jae Won dealing with emotional trauma of witnessing (and believing himself to be the cause of) what is the most painful event in his life. It's been years, he's almost thirty and has been going to a doctor regularly. This unhealed trauma is a source for grief to both parties later in the story and there are so many ways this can go wrong.

The Eighth Sense doesn't go down the path of "loves fixes everything" but that we can experience the same excruciating pain in safety and support. While Ji Hyun becomes a sort of safe space for Jae Won, JW himself recognises the problems of that (and even discusses it with his doctor). This a very positive depiction of the importance of mental health not just from the perspective of the sufferer but also Ji Hyun’s side, how he must try to understand him in a different way.

Secondly, I loved that Jae Won as a character is not defined by his trauma. Neither is Ji Hyun merely a puppet, a stand-in "love healer". There is an inherent kindness in both of them that they protectively branch out to each other (and to me, any relationship be it family/pets/friend/romantic comes with kindness). The side characters supplement the story with being draggy fillers.

Coming to the production itself, beautiful acting. I found myself holding my breath in a few scenes (eagerly leaning into the screen, nose touching pixels and all). Jun Taek (Ji Hyun)in episode 9: wrecked my heart. His happiness is my happiness, his grief is my grief. And normally that would imply grief for the one who brought grief to my aggrieved child but Ji Im Sub (Jae Won) stole my heart too. Man he's got that hollow look down pat, and that way he visibly kind of lights up when JH is around.

My major problem in the show were the openings, that wannabe edgy look is something I dislike but I got over it. There were many blackout scenes and sudden cuts which I again attribute to the "wannabe edginess" but okay, not a major issue compared to the other wonderful thing about this show: the soundtrack. I don't listen to music, I have a reason for that, but I recognise very well that showmakers often don't know shit about choosing the right music. And they unlike me cannot–should not–cite mysterious reasons for their ill choices of music (basically playing the ost over and over or different parts of it sometimes slower and sometimes faster. This is why shows like the eighth sense and kinnporsche and i told sunset about you stand out to me in the bl romance genre).

I think I've accomplished my mission rant abt The Eighth Sense. Hopefully it's going to make some more crudgy souls happy like it has made me for the last 5 weeks. (Also that poster has a whole new meaning when you get past that scene, awesome choice).

PS: when I say no NC I don't imply a lack of sexiness because damn that tension and their dynamic? fire. hot. (and I do mean it, I'm a crudgy soul remember?)

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My absolute number one thai drama. This drama definitely deserves a recommendation for all lovers of good drama. Excellent written, with interesting, humorous dialogue and situations.
Full perfection of production. They are fully present period 50-60. Starting from the lighting that perfectly fit into the period, then how are equipped home, furniture, household sundries, this is taken care of every detail. What is even more commendable is that the drama was filmed in many locations, so there is a selection of items that we have seen from this period more than impressive. Even the restaurant serves Coke and Seven Up from the original bottle from that period!
Stylist is definitely a genius ... Every dress in this drama I wont to sew. Beautiful. Haircuts are stylish and well suited to each character. Many makeup artists in today's dramas should take notes from this artist ....
Music is awesome elected jazz compositions that completely fit into the period but the first mood of our heroes ...
Acting is such that I completely lost track of it in terms of actors, and to those I saw in a lot of drama ... Each character is perfectly presented.

The story is greatly written with a plot that we have seen since the origins of drama ... But great featured. What surprised me pleasantly is how much I enjoyed all characters. Families are each in their own way unique and that's what attracted me. We should not forget that this is a period drama so ther are certain psychological aspects treated accordingly.

The fact is that it could be shorter for one episode. Also, some characters are getting a little more play time than is necessary, and some characters have been forgotten ....
But I finish this drama with a big smile on face, and immediately took off to look at her again!

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This is my first review. I’ll try not to make it very long but I’ll apologise in advance because I really have a lot to say about this drama.

This is, for sure, a must-see! If you want to watch something thrilling, with a lot of moving moments featuring two brothers whose relationship is tormented by the past and you love stories with a bit of a psychological side, don’t think twice.

I didn’t even hesitate on giving this the highest rating. I had only a watched a few episodes and I already knew I’d be giving it a high score. But only after watching the final episode (which doesn’t disappoint at all), I decided that it deserves a 10/10.

I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll only tell you that the story goes way beyond the synopsis you can read above. In my point of view, the perfect word to describe the plot is “thrilling”. I never got bored watching this. A lot of dramas tend to drag a bit from episode 11/12 but that didn’t happen, fortunately. There were many powerful scenes full of tension but they were pretty well balanced with a few feel-good scenes (mostly consisting of the romance since the drama doesn’t focus on it as much as it seems). There were a lot of unexpected plot twists (mainly in the last episodes) and I loved how they build up to the climax. The way flashbacks were interlocked with present actions was extremely clever and not confusing at all.

I have only great things to say about the actors: their performance in conveying the characters emotions and thoughts was totally convincing and I think that it wouldn’t be possible to choose other actors who could fit better each character. They make you feel so intimate with their character that you can feel their suffering. Seo In Guk, in my opinion, has a remarkable ability to adapt to every role he gets. Park Bo Gum’s role was exceptionally performed (I’m definitely going to watch more of his work and I’m looking forward to what he’ll do in the future). Choi Won Young did such an excellent job with his character that I even got chills. Jang Na Ra was also brilliant and Do Kyungsoo really contradicted the myth about idols not being talented in acting. In most of the dramas I’ve watched so far, there’s always a character whose story I’d like to know better or whose point of view seems lacking. In “I Remember You” I didn’t feel this: I was extremely satisfied with the character’s amount of screen time. It’s a story full of wonderful characters who, individually and as I group, add a lot to the drama’s quality.

I couldn’t finish this review without mentioning the OST, which I really liked because of the feelings each theme evoked. However, it isn't the best OST of all time but it did its purpose: matching each scene’s atmosphere.

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I had avoided this drama because I feared that 20 episodes on the same theme would be heavy to digest and that, despite the satire, it would not be able to avoid boring and draggy moments. But since the drama was praised both in SK and abroad, as well as having also won prizes, I decided to give it a chance. Obviously once again I should have followed my instincts, I know myself too well, after years in dramaland, I know that some kdramas are not able to entertain for so many hours without falling into clichés and repetitiveness.


A group of rich families live in a high-class residential neighborhood called "Sky Castle". Wives manage homes and children while husbands work as important surgeons in the same hospital. Their biggest concern is to ensure that their children excel at school and the ultimate goal of their life is to have them admitted to the most prestigious universities SK. Once again a South Korean drama that talks about the pressing SK school and working system.

So what makes it different from the others, so much to have won so many awards?
There are three strong elements of this drama: satire, mystery and acting.

The lives of these families are shaken up by a tragic unexpected event, shrouded in mystery, this event will immediately capture the viewer's attention. Because of this event, a new family moves into the neighborhood, a family that lives more modestly. This creates new complex relationships and compares life and priorities between high-class people and common people.

The first part of the drama is divinely written, the daily life of these families intertwines with each other and is told to us in a perfect way with a mix of tragic and satirical, the characters are many and complex, often contradictory. The viewer will often find himself hating some characters, and then sympathize with them a few seconds later and laugh with them a few minutes later. Perfect acting certainly helps this variety of emotions.

Why I am piss then? Simple, the initial mystery dissolves immediately, the characters don't learn anything from what happened and they continue undeterred to hammer their children by dumping on them all their dreams and unrealized ambitions. The topic has been widely discussed and after 9 episodes the story has nothing more to tell about it, too bad that the drama lasts 20 episodes. Therefore it needs fillers, which arrive in the form of makjang, secrets of birth, bad mother-in-law, school tutors who hide secrets and trope related to the classic power struggle in the workplace (hospital).

Satire and acting are not enough to make up for a plot that has turned into lazy writing. Seeing a well written plot expire in the usual clichés has been frustrating and depressing. In addition I didn't appreciate at all a few sub-plots, in particular all the drama created by the neighborhood, when one of them wanted to write a novel, about the mystery that happened. Useless and roughly managed sub-plots.

Nothing to say about the cast, good work. Excellent idea but overall they have not been able to dare, offering less episodes but all dedicated to the characters and the consequences that the pressing South Korean society has on people and families. Avoiding all the trope and clichés.

Honestly speaking, I have too many dramas to watch in order to waste my time with the same trope.
From episode 10 I skipped a lot the clichè parts. At the end the drama had finally shown some characters development and the evil turn out to be who I initially tought.
Overall, between all drama that dealt with this topic and between all makjang, I can't deny that this is one of the best written, acted and executed. But I also can't deny that the drama lost his charm along the way.

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some serious cringe going on here but has Jang Eui Su in it so who cares

This is rubbish compared to Where Your Eyes Linger and my initial thoughts were Jungwoo's hair was terrible but he's still a complete beast so it was worth watching. Actually by the end I was into the hair. The other lead had a slight Jimin vibe about him (not sure where I'm getting that from - not his attitude - probably just the lips/wishful thinking). They both came across pretty straight but it didn't really bother me.
Not much of a story going on but there were several cute bits and it was nice and short - easily digestible.
All the guys working in the kitchen were sweethearts.
The model ferris wheel unveiling was fucking hilarious.
The music was HORRIFICly bad

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Fantastic Cast with a Subpar Script

Let’s be honest, the cast is the only thing that made this show watchable in the least. Many are praising Frame and Ryan for their chemistry, which they rightfully deserve, but I haven’t seen anyone praising the other cast members. Every single actor who played a member of the volleyball team, as well as Tan’s actor, did really well. They gave us really likable characters we could be invested in even though the writing failed both them and us. They all deserve SO MUCH better than they got. I really hope we can see some of them working together on projects in the future. Preferably ones that deserve them.

***Spoilers Below***

The writing…oof. I’d like to think they at least tried, I really would. But I’m not sure how much they did.
- The entire basis for the switch was thin at best to begin with and made no sense as the story went on.
- We never get to see anything that explains why Zee goes from wanting nothing to do with volleyball to seemingly wanting to play again. Maybe even liking it? There could have been some interesting storytelling if they explored his dislike of volleyball (I think we all understood why) and actually had him quit or showed him caving to the pressure to go back. But there’s nothing. At most we can presume he missed it once it was gone when he saw Sprite training that one time.
- It would have been a lot more interesting if someone on the volleyball side found them out. Eapecially since Sprite was SO BAD at volleyball to start. They made it seem like Tom might catch them bc his mom was also in the hospital but that went nowhere. Those brothers met IN PUBLIC several times but no one every stumbled upon them.
- Sprite needed to confess to First, if to no one else, waaaaaaay sooner. First gave him every possible opportunity to tell him that he wasn’t Zee and Sprite constantly chose to lie to him.
- Sleeping with someone then letting your twin, who is a complete asshole to begin with, interact with that person while being (surprise!) a total dick then wondering why he’s upset at you?! At this point I wanted First to tell Sprite to fuck off and never give him another chance. That was HORRIBLE. (And kind of SA-y to let him think he was sleeping with someone he wasn’t, imo)
- Many characters were made way dumber than they should have been for the sake of the plot.
- First’s sister and her friends at the end? And for that to be it, just left hanging? Was that necessary?
- The rest of the team never finds out about the switch. Not even Sam who is dating Sprite’s best friend?
- No consequences for mom forcing Zee to play this sport all his life even though he clearly didn’t want to.
- No character development for Zee even though he was so vocal about not wanting Sprite to be him, not wanting to play or go back to his life anymore, etc. Basically all gets brushed under the rug.
- Zero awareness or consideration by Zee or Salmon for the fact that the team has had Sprite around for months, that Sprite and First have been velcroed to one another or for the fact they KNOW Sprite likes First and First doesn’t know about the switch. Sure, Zee is a dick but what is Salmon’s excuse?
- The spy storyline fell flat. We never found out what he gave Zee or what it did to him that apparently resulted in Sprite playing that match. This didn’t feel necessary at all.
- The Tom storyline was set up waaaay too in advance for when we finally got answers and that also fell flat.

The last episode wasn’t as bad and disappointing as I expected it to be, but it wasn’t that good. It certainly wasn’t good enough to make up for the outright anger the last like five episodes gave me over the stupidity of Sprite and the story/plot.

In the end: I loved First. I loved Sprite when he wasn’t being so stupid and lying to the guy he liked so much. I loved a lot of the guys on the team.

I would set rewatch value to zero if I could.

I’m only giving this a 6.5 for the actors.

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A great start but fell flatter than flat...

Penthouse was really worth watching during its early seasons. Sadly, by the third season, everything just got boring.

Frankly, you lose sight of what the story was all about. Never ending people rising from the dead, twins, actors playing dual roles..... it was like milking something just because it became popular. I felt that the writer got too tired and ran out of ideas.
This is a classic example of knowing when to stop. Just because it got high reviews when it started doesn't automatically mean it will run true till the end.

I just watched this season to get closure. Sadly, I used to really wait for the next episodes to come out. But for Season 3, I could go for days without watching it.

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This film No Regret is a rare gem!, it totally blew my mind away, so prepare yourself to watch something who is going to give you a roller coaster of pure emotion. The story is beautiful and heartbreaking, the interpretation of the two main lead (Kim Nam Gil and Lee Young Hoon) is really phenomenal, they succeed to convey so much emotions and passion on the screen that it feels real that you don't see them acting a role which is a true gift for the audience.
Director Leesong Hee knows how to film, the cinematography is exceptional with passages of intense colors for the happy moments and black and white for the sad one.
So please watch this film you will not be disappointed and do not pay to much attention to the previous bad reviews, because each of us has his own sensitivity regarding movies.

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Slice of life with touch of investigation and grim undertones.

Technically The Silence of the Monster had all the typical slice of life elements - a group of characters creating a bond with each other, learning many useful and meaningful life lessons and learning how to overcome their struggles and traumas. It was cute and fun to watch. And yet, the drama managed to add the darker twist to it all, making it seem like the happiness was diluted, and the bubble could burst any time.

It was all possible thanks to the characters and how they were portrayed - especially for Luo Bin and He Chu Feng. The events of their past were still haunting them in the present, and even though they tried to move on, sometimes you need to face the tragedy, before you can build your happiness.

Luo Bin and Chu Feng had a great dynamic going on - one more reserved, the other not being able to stay still and quiet for more than a few minutes. What the show did well was giving small tweaks to who we thought the characters were. Chu Feng was not really this cold and quiet type, and Lou Bin was not as happy and carefree as it seemed.

On the other hand, while I enjoyed Sui Yi a lot, her character had nowhere near as much depth and complexity as the two male leads. For me, she represented the normality in the show - pretty, smart, hardworking, good natured. She brought the sunlight and warmth to Monster Vintage.

But then, we have Xiao An, whom I would not even consider one of the main characters. She showed up really late, she had little to no personality and presence on the screen. The development of her relationship with other characters was poorly paced and she never truly seemed like a part of the team for me.

The plot of The Silence of the Monster might seem like an investigation focused story, but for me, playing Sherlock Holme was more of a means to deliver the messages. It never felt like the focus was on the cases themselves, but rather on the people involved, especially the victims. Through the investigation, the drama presented many important social and personal messages. It tackles subjects like stalking and cyber crime, prejudice, animal cruelty, divorce/remarriage and the impact it might have on the child, mental health issues, trauma, the consequences of the white lies, and many more.

Sadly, plot wise, around episode 20 it all slowed down and I started to lose interest. The cases were nowhere near as interesting as the ones at the beginnings, the transition from the case by case scenario, to linking them to create a bigger picture was questionable. And the big bad guys were simply laughable.

The performances in most cases were great. I especially liked the raw emotions Annie Sun showed in the last few episodes. Both Bi Wen Jun and Zhu Zheng Ting had a strong delivery throughout the whole show. Ye Peng was capable of portraying Gu Nam in a way I had moments when I did empathize with him, even though I completely disagreed with his actions. The only performance that did not convince me at all was Baby Zhang, but it’s hard for me to judge how much was it the actress's fault, and how much I should blame the writing of the character.

The thing that stood out the most in a positive way were the costumes, styling, set designs, sceneries and the soundtrack. The whole show seemed like a piece of art, proven by 468 screenshots I took. I loved the vintage vibes they used, that felt stylish and not outdated. I liked a lot of the wide shots with the focus point not being in the center, but rather on one of the sides.

Soundtrack wise, I think Clare Duan - Tao Hao was my favorite song, but honestly speaking, literally every song was perfect and a gem worth adding to the playlist. Well fitting the drama, the scenes and the atmosphere created by the visual means.

Overall, it was a great watch, but the few complaints I had, had quite an impact on the overall quality of the show. It’s still worth watching and diving into the mysterious, but somehow welcoming and warm world of Monster Vintage.

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Xianxia without Angst!!!

This drama basically is a xianxia without any angst, a good watch, great visuals, great CGI, somehow high production for short dramas.
This drama feels like a mix of Immortal Samsara, Starry Love, and many other famous xianxias. More like a compilation of happy moments from those dramas.

• Music- above average
• costumes- Excellent
• Acting- Done right✓
• story- light hearted.

For someone who likes slow burn, this was much fast phased with lots of romance. And you might get cheated as the length of the episodes are not as long as said here in MDL. The outro is of 3-4 minutes. So you get to watch around 7-8 mins episodes.

All in all, a good escape from normal lengthy dramas.

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Finding joy and staying patient while living the mundane life,

as we all learn to find beauty in the tiny moments - a smile from a child, sun coming through the branches of the trees, other people’s happiness.

Perfect Days is weirdly relatable in its simplicity. Smiling because of the shadows dancing on the wall is something that happens to me often - little moments that when appreciated, can make your day better. The movie allows you to stop for a minute and take in all the everyday wonders we often miss.

Watching Hirayama enjoy his daily routines and finding things to appreciate when the known pattern is broken made me think that every situation comes with a set of things to welcome with gratitude and things to be patient about. No bad moment lasts forever, no happy moments can exist, if we don’t notice them.

Yakusho Koji’s performance alone could be seen as the 8th wonder of the world. Even with little to no dialogue, he was able to express all the depth and internal complexity. Hirayama truly is a character we could learn from - patient, kind, helpful, giving, perceptive, diligent. Someone who cherishes each and every moment finding time to note the beauty of his surroundings.

Visually speaking I was in awe when watching it in the cinema. The use of light and shadows, well crafted set designs, interesting shots and angles - while I am glad I was able to see it all on the big screen, I also wish I could take screenshot of each and every scene and be able to come back to the pictures representing the beauty of the daily life.

Inspired by the movie, let me name a few things that brought a smile on my face in recent times:

How shadows that added to the beauty of the art I was viewing, creating a unique experience for that specific moment.
A cute drawing kids made with a chalk on the pavement.
The sun making the water flicker as if the waves were carrying little diamonds.
How a dirty window on the bus stop actually made the sunset I saw look even more magical.
How I drew a smile on a mandarin and it smiled at me the whole lecture.

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Nonsense romance (with a bit of illegal romance mixed in it)

So... As most people already said it: it started real good but it went down the drain real quick!

First, I think that the fact that Kang's behaviour makes a complete u-turn without really good reasons was one of the reasons the series started to get bad from episode 3. But the thing that really upset me was when Kang was suddenly in love with his childhood friend, Pimfah. There were no previous signs of him liking her and it was so sudden that it felt so out of place. Contrary to some people, I wasn't really surprised that Pimfah was interested in Sailom because she's kind of shown signs a bit before (even though, those signs can easily be understood as just her being nice), but Kang's feelings for Pimfah were out of nowhere. Especially when he already showed signs of jealousy towards Sailom (but I was apparently wrong...). Then, Sailom confesses he likes Kang and Kang suddenly likes him? That was so freaking weird (also, I don't really like the fact that Sailom liked him before and just because he gave him an umbrella... I know he's young but still).

Second, I don't have anything against Chimon, I thought he played his part good in all the dramas I've watched with him but we can all agree that he's not good with romance. Everytime Kang and Sailom kissed, I was silently (or not) cringing in front of my screen and I pitied Perth for doing his best at carrying the romance scenes. Perth did all the job and he's one of the best thing that saved this drama from falling further down (even though his role was not the best - I mean, Kang that rejects Sailom for something that HIS BROTHER has supposedly done was pretty sh*tty of him).

Third, and I'll finish with that, GMMTV needs to stop romantising teachers with students!! It's the second time that happens in less than a year (last time was in The Eclipse). I sensed romance between Pimfah and Napdao as soon as Napdao appeared in the story and I really hoped I was wrong but no... they definitely made Pimfah having a crush on Napdao, which is not bad because I'm sure we all had a crush on one of our teachers when we were at school (I did) but what is bad is that Napdao is accepting those feelings and kind of reciprocating. And they tried to cover the whole thing at the end by making her say that she's not their teacher anymore but, I'm sorry, it's still very bad. And of course, like in The Eclipse, the teacher joins the student's trip. I hate that...

Anyway, watch if you want to watch, you're the only judge of what you like.

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This drama is WONDERFUL, UNIQUE AND AWESOME!
The actors did a great jop...almost imposible but I LOVE EVERYONE in this drama, they were excellent.
I have no words for the romance scenes...the two leads actors are great!!! you can even think they're really in love.
The music was perfect in each scene.
I cried, i enjoyed the romance scenes but what i did the most was LAGH!!!
OMG...i really love all the scenes were the four of them make stupid things their acting is so natural i really bought it!!!! jejejeje
HOPE THEY MAKE MORE DRAMAS LIKE THIS ONE...WHERE THE FRIENDSHIP IS BEYOND EVERYTHING!

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Kimi ni Love Song wo is a beautiful lovestory with a message behind its first most noticed storyline. While it is a story about love, It also tells the story of the friendship of the band, Helping eachother out when its needed through difficult times. I will be writing a spoilerless review.

Sungje is a singer for the band Supernova, However he has always had his flaws in his Japanese pronounciations. After unwillingly failing his song records many times, the song producers decides to put his songs on hold for now asking him to improve his Japanese. He takes a walk along the harbor and comes to meet a girl, This girl doesn't seem to see who he is however. Singing on a song by the korean band Supernova, He is unable to get the sentences to come out right causing the girl Saori to complete his song lyrics with perfect Japanese. Sungje quickly falls for the girl helping him out, And so he asks her a request of her learning him the right way to speak Japanese. She accepts on the condition that he will learn her korean aswell. His feelings develop for Saori while hiding behind somebody elses name, Determined to confess about his real identity. From here on starts a story of heartbreak, Friendship and romance for Sungje, However his happiness won't be one gained without struggling for it.

I found this movie to be really incredible. It had me laughing, crying and making me unable to refrain from smiling at some points. The movies soundtrack was amazing, Into the soundtrack there were original music from Supernova themselves fitting into the story without a doubt. Music was put into the right situations, No music I feel didn't belong in the movie. Great!.

Kimi ni Love Song wo is a story for all out there who are able to take watching romantic tearjerkers. While the storyline is unpredictive it only keeps the watch more amazing. Sung Je's first movie role, Couldn't have been performed any more perfectly.

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