Completed
Dangerous Romance
13 people found this review helpful
Nov 4, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 6.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

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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Completed
A Gentleman's Dignity
13 people found this review helpful
by laly4
Aug 15, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
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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Completed
A Love Song For You
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 11, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
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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Completed
Why Didn’t I Tell You a Million Times?
13 people found this review helpful
Jul 5, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Ditto

Somewhere a screenwriter was watching the movie Ghost for the fifth time and decided it would make a great drama. Just trade out a police officer who can see ghosts for the clairvoyant Whoopi Goldberg and Satoh Takeru for Patrick Swayze. The title I Should Have Told You a Million Times was even reflected in the 1990 movie. If you've seen the movie, nothing in this drama will come as a surprise. Having said that, the characters were all likeable enough to keep my interest throughout the drama.

The story opens with a Sixth Sense beginning, but if you've read the synopsis, the suspense fell flat. Thankfully, they didn't drag it out. Yui and Naoki were childhood friends who reconnected and began dating. On her birthday, he disappears. Along comes Detective Uozumi whose latent spiritual sight evolves just in time to see Naoki. Uozumi works to figure out what happened to Naoki while he's embroiled in another murder investigation. The three become friends as they dig through the past to see how old relationships and old crimes are playing havoc with the present. There were also some Ghost Whisperer moments where they helped a couple of wandering ghosts with their regrets.

Despite some repetitious scenes and obvious borrowing from other sources, I enjoyed the story as it unfolded. The bromance that developed between Naoki and Uozumi helped cover over some of the weaker writing. The suave Satoh Takeru and nerdy Matsuyama Kenichi had a nice chemistry. Inoue Mao showed how hard it is to let go as Yui held on tight to a man she couldn't see. With all the extra time they were given and a translator as well, it was frustrating that Yui and Naoki didn't work through their emotions and regrets. In some ways, their relationship came across as fairly shallow instead of an intimate love---words matter.

The supernatural murder mystery came to its natural ending in episode 9, but then they decided to tack on a wish fulfillment ending for the last episode that almost completely ruined this drama for me. With one little tweak they had the opportunity to showcase the perfect ending for a tearjerker drama but by dragging it out, took all of the emotional punch from the previous episode. In time, I will block out the last episode, grind through the five stages of grief and remember the other episodes and engaging characters fondly.

7/5/23

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Completed
Win Jaime's Heart
13 people found this review helpful
by Diva70
Jan 25, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Interesting

This was certainly worth the watch. It was realistic and entertaining. The main characters were terrific. I must also compliment the female character. There were no over the top theatrics. It was short but managed to pack a lot into six short episodes. I can’t even be mad at the e ending. I wish there would be a season 2. If not I still was satisfied with the exploration into love and sexual identity. Introducing lesbian parents was a different addition. I think it was handled well. The music was okay. It did enhance the story. Overall I enjoyed watching.
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Completed
Something about 1 Percent
13 people found this review helpful
May 15, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Extremely problematic relationships.

I can’t believe this show has such a high rating. Right from the beginning, it’s obvious through their interactions how abusive the male lead is. And some how it is romanticised? His possessiveness and ownership over her, right down to asking her to cut the men out of her life — that’s not romance. The female lead felt like a pushover despite being someone who has led a very interdependent life.

Watch this show only if you want to know what red flags in a relationship are. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you want to know what should be avoided!
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Completed
In Between
13 people found this review helpful
by Bera
Dec 25, 2013
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I found this Drama on drama soft subs site, and checked it out it had decent rating, and many were complimenting the story,so wanted to try it out.

The start was fine, the story is smooth and simple the characters are honest, straight forward and don’t run around the bushes, which is cool.

The male lead's personality is so sweet, and lovable, the girl was natural strong had her own ideas, wasn't stupid annoying or careless,The most annoying thing for me was that some crying scenes felt fake and forced [I said some not all of them]!, the second couple are so sweet I really liked them, I liked the end.

If you are looking for something light, simple, easy to watch straight forward, this is it, Enjoy :)

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Completed
Mine
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 30, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Power to women

This is the second drama I watched because of Cha Hak Yeon (I am a Starlight, what can I say?) and I became hooked. Actually, the main themes aren't that great or interesting, rich people, forbidden love stories, secrets etc. What made this drama a masterpiece is the characters and the plot. Strong but sensitive women with weaknesses and bad moments, real people, are trying to free themselves from a supressing and abusive enviroment like a marriage, the society etc. Everyone, Seo Hi Soo, Jung Seo Hyun, Lee Hye Jin, has their own way to do it and each one has to create their own path to archive their freedom. They are real women in a real world.

This drama actually works a lot with the prejudice that follows the women. For example, the patriarchal sterotype is, if a woman wants to be a leader, she must be strict, emotionless with a "proper" family. Or if she is sensitive and sweet, she is naive or weak. I really, really, really loved how Seo Hyun and Hi Soo broke these stereotypes and became what they wanted to be.

The only thing which was a bit off is the wealth. We speak about a crazy rich family who lives away and without the real problems of the majority of the society. I think it would better if we talked about everyday women. But, OK, I understand that is a drama in a major korean channel and cannot be everything...

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Completed
The Imperial Age
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 22, 2022
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

One Legendary C-drama

What a great funny and emotional drama. I am not really the type of person who watch palace dramas but this one broke the wall. Unlike many other palace dramas, there will be throne fighting, concubine fighting concubines, and etc BUT this drama...just dont have these things (which is great).

What I Like: Some things I like in this drama is the family bond between the royal family. And the king (Zhu Di's father) and its comrades/old friends. Everyone can jokes but still knowing their limitation, elder brother being the role model and leader taking care of its brothers, and empress personally making dishes in the kitchen are some things I quite like about it.

Storyline: The flow is great as its not draggy and its pretty straight to the point. Only minor problem I had is the age transition. Its like a few episodes in, suddenly everyone changes ( their age and appearance). Less on romance, more on history..so if you are here to see two birds kissing on tree...then well..thats not gonna happen.

Acting wise, everyone nails their role perfectly. Even the most minor character did great as who they are. FSF and CY as Zhudi did superb as the matured and young Zhudi.

Music? Man I Love it. There are 3 songs played throughout the whole series I believe but its the opening theme one I love the most.

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Completed
Le Coup de Foudre
12 people found this review helpful
Jun 8, 2019
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
I don't watch Chinese dramas much. Before this I had seen 2 Chinese dramas. One of which I didn't even finish. But out of all the shows (mostly K-Dramas) that I have watched recently, this one has been by far, the absolute best. It is such a heart warming story. Every character was important to story and the actors did such an amazing job with it. There was not a single character that I could say I dislike. I really loved the relationship between the twins. It made me wish I had an older brother too.
Zhao Qiao Yi is such a likeable and relatable character. Shes not special in any way. She's like any other girl who lives in your neighborhood. I absolutely loved her.
I don't think I have ever met anyone quiet like Yan Mo in real life. But he's just so adorable. Especially when he smiles. You'll see what I mean when you watch it. ????
The problems that they face throughout the show are the problems that each one of faces at some point in life.
This is such a beautiful story. The last episode honestly made me feel really lonely. But it also makes me hope that someday the things that I'm facing will also pass and I too will meet that one person who will understand and know me for who I am and love me anyway.

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Completed
Eyes of Dawn
13 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

A story full of humanity in the face + despite blatant inhumanity. An epic about love & compassion

"Eyes of Dawn" marks a quite spectacular milestone for South Korea Television Series as well as the kick off for a new era of TV production – ambitious in terms of time sensitive content as well as an artistically valuable approach. The production dates back to 1991… South Korean life is just cautiously starting to be a bit less suppressed.

"Eyes of Dawn" is the creative script and cinematic processing of a novel, which deals with the tragic relationships of the three protagonists Choi Dae-chi, Yoon Yeo-ok and Jang Ha-rim as well as the bitter history of their time. The story takes place during the Japanese colonial rule, during the last years of the second world war and reaches up to the liberation of Korea and the time of the Korean War.

The KDrama begins its story during the last years of World War II – with Yeo-ok, a comfort woman, who like cattle is being shipped to northern Manchuria, and Ha-rim, who is drafted into the military as a student. Yeo-ok meets and falls in love with soldier Dae-chi, while serving as a comfort woman for his Kwantung Army unit. (With Ha-rim she only meets much later. )The world war and the subsequent struggle in Korea for a new political identity grind the three protagonists mercilessly through somewhat traumatizing mills. Love and passion accompany the three on their dramatically entangled paths, where they sometimes meet, sometimes separate, meet again and separate again within the turbulent swell of their time. Showdown is during the Korean War at Jirisan Mountain – in the ´eyes of dawn´…

For this KDrama MBC spent a lot of money – more than 5 times as much, compared to other TV series. It was shot at original or similarly exotic locations abroad. (If you like, see also the side notes below.) The project feels more like an approx. 36-hours-long movie. With "Eyes of Dawn" MBC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a bang, so to speak. The KDrama was enthusiastically received by the audience. For director Kim Jong-hak, "Eyes of Dawn" was the breakthrough. The former journalist came to MBC in 1977 and worked his way up the ranks with historical dramas in a politically turbulent time full of rapid changes (in series production, too). However, "Eyes of Dawn" is his first truly self-responsible of two innovative, groundbreaking masterpieces (the other being "Sandglass"). Thus, Kim has unsparingly reappraised the latest history of his country and his compatriots with a confident original signature and thorough, artitistic determination. At his side, screenwriter Song Ji-na provided a well-rounded, coherent script with depth and complexity. A team of talented actors and an intensely lingering soundtrack rounded off the ambitious projects with a high entertainment value.
Fantastic actors. The three leads in particular, but not just them. This applies to everyone else – there were an impressive 270 actors as well as around 21.000 supernumeraries involved...

"Eyes of Dawn" and "Sandglass" are actually both (in contrast, for example, to the younger KDrama "Faith or The Great Doctor", which Kim Jong-hak also had directed) reduced to the essentials when it comes to dialogues. Passionate, but also ruthless in the authenticity of sometimes ugly, even brutal details. Gross and austere, yet visually stunning, too. With selected camera angles that often say more than words, and scenes, that burn into your memory. The KDrama wants to show life as it was, back then... 'Nice' is rare. Sincere it is, though. Serious. A great piece of series culture. A dream of a historical drama, aiming at bringing history to consciousness in a memorable, authentic way. Thus, what happened is not forgotten. It is a cinematic monument: Take a look! Feel it! Recognize what happened! Estimate! (Too bad, it's not widely circulated with at least English subtitles... however, apparently there's a musical now... well... let´s hope.)

The story offers merciless insight into the suffering of the comfort women who, even as teenagers, were often brutally physically abused for the pleasure of the Japanese soldiers – a war crime that has not been adequately investigated and atoned for to this day. In principle, people of Chōsen were systematically oppressed back then. The Chōsen soldiers in the Japanese army, thus also had a particularly hard time, as the KDrama bluntly shows, too. And then there is the turmoil and ruthless brutality of diverse war sites in inhospitable locations around the Pacific Ocean, and later between brothers and sisters as the Korean Peninsula was coldly caught by the increasing Cold War. With the uprising on Jeju-do becoming part of the story, an up until then rarely discussed aspect of the late 1940s comes to mind. As well as another, often suppressed war crime that Japan had committed against its international prisoners in connection with Unit 731: mostly deadly ending medical experiments on several thousand men, women and children in one of the coldest places on earth, in northern Manchuria. (In case you didn´t know, you may see the side note below.)

But "Eyes of Dawn" is also a story full of humanity even in the face and despite all blatant inhumanity. An epic about love, friendship, connection and compassion. There were plenty of awards. I line up there. This KDrama production is particularly valuable…
(...especially from a historical point of view for me as a European. Although I did take history as an advanced course in school, I somehow had never considered a lot of these events and topics really seriously before. But even beyond its historically enlightening ambitions, "Eyes of Dawn" consistently and purposefully tells a powerful story about three (ordinary) people of their time and their tragic fates, complexly woven into an emotionally touching love triangle.

(For the sake of completeness: as this KDrama is from 1991, visual and acoustical quality obviously can´t be compared to recent standards...)





----------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE
--- Some background information on the Pacific War and the filming locations at the original historical locations ---

- War sites on the Chinese Mainland – Northern Manchuria
World War II began in Asia with Japan's invasion of China in 1937. The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought almost exclusively on the Chinese mainland until the end of 1941. Only with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 in 1941 did it spread to the entire Pacific and had the US allies also intervening in the war against the massive Japanese expansionist policy. Thus, in the course of 1942, the balance of power shifted towards the USA. However, the warfare was difficult. The scenes of the battles were often in impassable swampy areas and rain forests, where tanks and heavy artillery could not be used. So there was a lot of fighting in the air and on the water. In November 1943, the Soviet Union also opposed Japan and opened a second front in Manchuria. The air for Japan was getting thinner and thinner. The army motivated their soldiers by employing 'comfort women', practically forcibly recruited from their colonies, who accompanied 'their' troops as sex slaves and had to ensure their good morale. Among them were minors, too (like the fictional Yeo-ok).

- In the jungles of Burma
In its large-scale campaign to conquer all of Southeast Asia, after the effective invasions of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, Japan was also able to take Burma in the spring of 1942. China was thus cut off from supplies. Starting from Ledo in British-Indian Assam, the USA had an extra supply road built through Burma's jungle – the "Ledo Road". In the meantime, the Japanese troops were pushing the British further and further back into the north of Burma, ultimately driving them out of the country for good and even pushing forward into India in a further offensive. The Japanese army had now themselves fallen victim to the lack of replenishment with supplies. They originally only had food for three weeks. After that they had to see for themselves. (These jungle fights become the operational area of the fictional Dae-chi.) In this context, in 1944 the fierce hand-to-hand combats at Imphal and Kohima south of Ledo marked a turning point in the course of the Second World War as the British reinforcements arrived just in time.

- Saipan: Strategically important Mariana island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
In mid-June 1944, the US Marines landed on the south-west coast of Saipan in the bitter struggle for the strategically important island chain of the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This also becomes the setting in "Eyes of Dawn", because Ha-rim is stationed in the field hospital here and Yeo-ok was also shipped there as a comfort woman.
Three weeks after the US Marines landed, the heavily fortified island with its three airfields was owned by the Americans. From here, the neighboring island of Tinian could also be taken, from where the atomic bombers in the direction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki actually started about a year later.

- From Liberation of Chōsen to Korean War
The Japanese surrender in 1945 was followed by the liberation of the Chōsen colony. Contrary to the Western view of this 'liberation' of Korea and the role of the USA in supporting/forcing a democratic South, which for me as a German is more Western, in "Eyes of Dawn" you get a non-Western portrayal. The post-colonial struggle of the people of Korean origin for their political sovereignty, previously stolen by Japan, began even before the (rest of the ) world recognized it as the Korean War in 1950. "Eyes of Dawn" portrays the time of the tussle between the USA, Russia and China on the one hand and the search for a new national Korean political identity on the other. The KDrama emphasizes this in a dramaturgically moving way using the example of the fatal triangular relationship between Dae-chi, Ha-rim and Yeo-ok in the back and forth of their pro- and anti-communist agent activities and in the service of the army of the newly installed Republic of Korea on the one hand and those who resist this government on the other partisan army on the other hand.
----------------------------------------





----------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE:
--- Jeju Uprising 1948/49 ---

A notable sequence in connection with the resistance against the US-sponsored Rhee government is the April 1948 to June 1949 uprising on Jeju Island. The KDrama had its scenes shot on location. Just consider, that at the time of the uprising almost every family on the island had probably lost someone, but for decades silence was officially decreed about this mass murder launched by their own (new South Korean) government. Surviving 'activists' were banned from working throughout South Korea. "Eyes of Dawn" is one of the first public confessions and the cautious approach to coming to terms with the past with regard to that dark first chapter of this young republic.

The USA categorically rejecting any kind of communist orientation regarding a political future as South Korea or all of Korea, were faced with plenty of riots and guerrilla actions in the course of the national resistance against an (yet again) unwanted paternalism. The uprising on Jeju Island is arguably one of the most shocking examples. After expressions of dissatisfaction with the planned elections for the US-sponsored government and resistance to renewed foreign rule, the population was ruthlessly massacred by the Korean army and the help of the US-Army´s occupying forces. The people fled to Hallasan mountain area while their coastal villages (270 out of 400) were destroyed. There is disagreement about the number of actual casualty – the numbers vary between 27.000 and 140.000.

In 1991, when "Eyes of Dawn" was broadcast, this topic had not yet been officially dealt with – but with this KDrama the uprising got an unmistakable voice and recognition for the first time. It was not until 1999 that the government convened a thorough investigation. In 2006, the government officially apologized. However, police and the Department of Defense only came up with an apology recently, in 2019.
-----------------------------------------------





------------------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE:
--- Region of Harbin in northern Manchuria and Unit 731 of the Japanese Kwantung Army, which experimented with biological and chemical weapons on humans and then used those on civilians as well ---

Japan had already secured influence in northern Manchuria during the course of the first Sino-Japanese War by building the South Manchurian Railway. The valuable raw materials mined here were transported to Chōsen and shipped from there to Japan. The railway was under the protection of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Between the first two world wars, Russia, Japan and China fought for supremacy in Manchuria. Eventually, with the Japanese occupation of this economically viable region in 1932, they established the puppet state of Manchukuo, with Harbin being its largest city. Here was the stronghold where Unit 731, led by Ishii Shirō, began their spooky experiments. At last, after the end of war, between 1945 and 1948, the Communist People's Liberation Army, strengthened by its anti-Japanese resistance concentrated its forces in Manchuria.

Surgeon General Ishii Shirō and his Unit 731 were busy starting 1932 in and around Harbin with experiments on living people. Around 3.000 mostly bacteriologists worked for Unit 731. An estimated 3.500 mostly Korean and Chinese civilians as well as Soviet prisoners of war were victims of their cruel human experiments.

The experiments of the Imperial Japanese Army's secret Kwantung Army Unit 731, disguised as the "Department of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department" laid the groundwork for a wide variety of horrific war crimes during World War II. Among this ´research´, for example, were investigations concerning varying effects of grenades on the human body depending on distance and position, investigations into the effects of bombs filled with a variation of bacterial powders, of pest bacteria or anthrax bacteria, or bombs filled with fleas being contained by such bacteria. It has been proven that Chinese prisoners of war were given food that was deliberately contaminated with typhoid pathogens. During the final years of the war, around 130 kg of anthrax warfare produced by Unit 731 was used to contaminate lakes, rivers and wells on enemy soil. Finally US prisoners of war were 1943ff used for experiments of Unit 731, too. E.g., for research about the susceptibility of 'white' people to epidemics. During the course of the war, another tens of thousands of mostly civilians died from rat induced epidemics of plague, of anthrax and of typhoid pathogens as a result of ´field research´ and by the use of thus produced biological weapons, based on the 'medical research' in Harbin.

And for further information:
Unit 731 always had the full support of later Japanese prime ministers, and the Japanese imperial family was aware of it, too.
The main perpetrators of Unit 731, including Ishii Shirō himself, ultimately remained unpunished after the war crimes trials – in exchange for the research results that they handed over to the USA.
----------------------------------------------------

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Dali & Cocky Prince
13 people found this review helpful
by Juelin
Oct 10, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Starts off great but turns into a trashy soap opera

The drama pretends to be funny and light-hearted but inadvertently hides very dark themes that the writers fail to address. Kim Da Li and Jin Moo Hak have an incredible first encounter and form an instant connection. The show starts off as funny, cute, sexy, refreshing, and full of explosive chemistry. Da Li is a well-educated daughter of a wealthy family. Moo Hak comes from "new money" with no education or class. Her book smarts compliment his streets smarts creating a unique match. Unfortunately, after Da Li's father dies and she returns to Korea, everything falls apart.

Moo Hak is boorish and materialistic, but he is kind and sweet in the first two episodes. However, as soon as he finds out that Da Li owes him money, he becomes cruel and shortsighted just so he does not look weak. He insults, berates, and threatens Da Li while being fully aware of her bankruptcy, obnoxious family members, and creditors, then proceeds to relentlessly harass her despite witnessing her struggling to survive. Instead of bringing the two together to save the museum and build a great relationship, the writers turn him into an overbearing jerk and her into a perpetual victim.

What's worse, Da Li's intelligence and spunk completely disappear making her unable to stand up for herself. She takes abuse from everyone who berates, insults, and physically hurts her without any push-back. She allows Tae Jin to talk over her about his delusions of their non-existent relationship without getting a word in. She quietly sits still as Moo Hak's stepmother proceeds to assault and pull her hair without fighting back. And, this continues for the entirety of the show. Her character completely devolves into a doll with no agency or a personality allowing everybody to walk all over her. Moreover, she never demands that Moo Hak gives her an apology for his crappy treatment, and, neither do the writers make him apologize without being asked. The show makes no effort to correct past wrongdoings of any of the characters and force feeds us a happy ending.

Overall, the drama is somewhat entertaining, but Da Li's lack of a backbone and the characters' atrocious behavior make it very tedious to watch. For a brief moment, they address each other's shortcomings when Moo Hak demands why his mother hit Da Li, but it leads nowhere. This was a one time watch for me.

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The King: Eternal Monarch
13 people found this review helpful
May 2, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Watch it

If you have seen so many negative reviews and contemplating whether to watch it or not just go ahead and watch it. It is one of the best drama ever made. It has parallel time line story just pay attention and watch it you wont regret it for sure. Kim eun sook never fails to amaze me! She made yet another masterpiece just like the glory and goblin, she for sure has something in her. I really wish to know how she comes up with all these stories!
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Completed
Love from Outta Space
13 people found this review helpful
Dec 23, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

What a beautiful short film!

I honestly have nothing but praise for this piece of work! Off and Gun’s performances were top notch as usual with their chemistry of the charts and the color scheme for the whole thing was so pretty and aesthetic.

The film was centered around Off who meets Gun as an alien. Teaching Gun about Earth and the ways of humans, the two grew closer which may lead to other ventures. The time period was set in the 90s I would presume which allowed for the use of a pink/purple warmth in all scenes. It also subtly brings in the theme of bisexuality which I personally think is a nice little touch.

Off and Gun’s chemistry once again shocked me and I found their acting quite heartwarming. I honestly enjoyed this short piece and would for sure watch again later.

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Completed
Trap
13 people found this review helpful
by Ackery
Mar 4, 2019
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
First things first, it was a great choice making this a seven episode drama. In my opinion if this was 16 episodes, like some previous series like The guest and Save me, it would probably become a little boring halfway through and then it would be great again in the last few episodes.
Secondly, this was a series that I was (im)patiently waiting for every week. I loved the story from the beginning with that dark vibe that OCN knows how to handle. I liked all the twists that the show had to offer and the acting was good (in my opinion at least).
Finally, the whole psychopathy thing made me shiver as I though all of the characters previous scenes, including his intense feeling about sadness and sorrow and the will to avenge for everything that he lost. Even though this is not the first time that that kind of twist has appeared -and it will probably not be the last- the cruelty from the character and the understanding from the viewer that no matter what happened he didn't feel anything, was enough to make this show a great watch. I liked all the characters in this series and I would probably watch it again as it is, as I mentioned before, a seven episode drama.

The only complain that I have is the ending. I suppose that OCN is preparing for a new season, but I believe that if they had finished the series properly and without plans of making another season this would be even better.

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