Reviews

want the actors in something else (skip ep 5)

Overall: there was potential with an angstier story but the writing got progressively worse as the series continued. Skip episode 5 and start episode 6 at 43 minutes. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on Youku's YouTube channel, first episode link https://youtu.be/B36ryCeKxUw Rookie Thailand has also produced: 21 Days Theory, Future and The Best Story

Content Warnings: past death, grief, homophobia, bullying, punches, parental verbal abuse

What I Liked
- some sweet moments
- they explained what happened 5 years ago so the time gap made some sense (but 5 years was too long)
- funny with the friends hiding behind plants
- glad she finally stood up for herself though she should have told Night he needed to figure his stuff out asap before someone else started dating Dream
- Dream seeking communication at the beginning of episode 5
- Namwan in the second half of the series (though I didn't hate her in the first half)
- production value was good for what I assume is a low budget series (except for the too loud background music at times)

Room For Improvement
- time skip needed to be 2 years instead of 5 to feel more realistic
- cliched writing, unnecessary love triangles, drunk kissing, etc
- not clear when flashbacks started/ended/were flashbacks
- the multitude of flashbacks made the episodes feel choppy, would rather they had shown everything in the past and done 1 time skip to the present (similar to ITSAY), there were even flashbacks to scenes we had just watched like with the professor (also what on earth is you fail a university class if you can't write an amazing novel? does that really happen???)
- nonsense stuff (who doesn't know their best friend has a sibling, they've never met in person or seen a picture? they could have made this a step sibling during the time gap to make sense)
- failed redemption arcs for the dad and brother
- unclear of how much time passed in the last episode
- hardcoded English subtitles were a little difficult to read (didn't take off points for this)

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Refreshing

The series is unique to me because the main lead isn't even the center of the story. Most of the time, we were in the point of view of Jang Nan Gam (Son Suk Ku). At the beginning of the episode, we were in the perspective of Lee Tang (Choi Woo Shik). After being chased by the police, we were mostly in the police's point of view. After that, it became more mysterious with the introduction of Song Chon (Lee Hee Joon), who drove the series until the end. For me, that was a unique way of writing the story, and I love it.

The plot is very fresh and interesting. I can't recall when a series or movie had such a refreshing plot, especially in Korean drama or movies where characters can sometimes feel repetitive. The switching of the point of view is truly lovely and unnoticeable. Lee Chang Hee (Director) also directed "Strangers From Hell," and it's no wonder this series turned out to be good. He really did a good job. Additionally, the first few minutes of this series have to be the best-directed sequence of all time.

The transition, THE TRANSITION. It is insanely addictive to watch how they transition from 1 scene in the past to the current scene, or from hallucination scene to reality. And how they project the future character into the past. And they did it multiple time flawlessly. Furthermore, one aspect that many didn't talk about is the use of background music, which was really good. On top of that, the gorgeous cinematography adds to the overall experience. Let's not forget about the acting; every actor performed a marvelous job, especially Song Chon, who, in my opinion, shone the brightest in this series.

Usually, some drama have too much episodes and i would always say that they need to reduce the amount of the episode because the pace become too slow and draggy in most drama. However, this is one of those series that need to have at least 2 or 3 more episode to deal the final blow.

Some say that the pace became stale in the middle and the pace slow down after of the addition of two new questionable characters in Busan who were having a crisis, which I understand why it became boring. However, it picked up its pace again after that. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend it.

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Fortune Favours The Bold: Subverting All Expectations

I. The Good
There's an unequivocal happy ending.

The plot is fantabulous. It's a refreshing take on the 'cannon fodder realises they're merely fictional characters; hugs big thigh to survive' trope. The FL refuses to succumb to her role as the evil cannon fodder, and stubbornly pits her wits against the Fortune Author once she discovers that she can push the storyline so long as the ink is not dry yet. The plot doesn't whitewash the FL as a misunderstood 'good' person. She is no meek, timid, mealy-mouthed damsel in distress. She is pragmatic, conniving, and arrogant, and will lie, cheat, and steal as means to an end. The FL commits all kinds of evilry to get the Big Thigh ML on her side and to ensure her own survival. Mr Big Thigh ML falls in love with the FL, sins and all, recognising that everyone has their good side and their bad, and she's just more honest about hers. The storyline constantly subverts expectations (e.g., the FL really isn't a 'good' person, the 2FL isn't really a 'bad' person, the various pot shots at cliche tropes).

I really, really loved the swipes taken at cliche tropes. In episode 9, the FL questions the need for people to hide in bathtubs. In episode 11, the doctor complains "Don't you think accidents happen to you too often? Two days ago she was poisoned, and today she's been shot!". In episode 13, when they were unable to feed the passed out ML medicine, and the 2FL is about to feed the medicine via mouth-to-mouth, the FL says "You couldn't get it in using your hand, but you can using you mouth? Do you think he has a special mouth-opening switch that turns on with a kiss?"

The costumes are gorgeous and intricate, even when the FL is dressed like Minnie Mouse in a few scenes. The details in the sets are superb, e.g., the delicate painting of cherry blossoms behind the ML and the exquisite lamp designs. The production team committed their entire music budget to one song, and it produced a beautiful, poignant melody with melancholic tailored lyrics that really elevated the scenes to full-length drama level.

LMC's acting as the FL has improved significantly, although she struggled in some scenes to emote sufficiently. Surprisingly, YSJ made a believable ML, which is a credit to his acting chops because his babyface was really difficult to get past, which leads me to the bad.

II. The Bad
YSJ's babyface had me struggling to believe he was supposed to be the merciless and ruthless ML. However, the combination of his acting skills and the strategic camera angles helped to glaze over this, especially during the steamy scenes (otherwise the audience would uncomfortably feel the need to sit in jail).

ZMY's acting as the 2FL was hard to watch. I get that she's supposed to play the ingénue role, but all she did was stand there widening her eyes and pouting her lips for every scene. The only time she came to life was in the last episode, when she and the FL are huffing at each other.

III. The Ugly
This drama is not for the liberals and for those who are triggered by some events due to some plot devices. The FL fakes a rape attack to trick the ML into taking her home with him. The FL physically harms herself and threatens suicide more than once.

There are also missing plot points, e.g., why or how did the Fate Book fall into the FL's hands, how did the ML break out of the Fortune Author's hold, when or why did the ML regain his memories.

IV. Verdict
I really enjoyed the constant subversion of expectations and will definitely rewatch this. For this drama to be pleasurable, you must not think too hard. It does make you examine why you think that only 'good' people deserve happy endings when really, most of us have our deep, dark thoughts that we never share because we're afraid of being marginalised and in all actuality, we would do the same as the FL.

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A rabbid who is happy with a poly relatiosship...

It's unusual that a series/movie explore a poly relationsship. The only question I always agreed with is: Why is marriage only for two people? This is something I still don't understand, because if you are three or four people so many things in life, especially the painful stuff would be so much easier to deal with. As that may be, it was refreshing to see that in a series. While it was interesting to watch, I feel the story is in part superficial, especially the sexual aspect. While the older of the two man give me much more "gay" vibes he is the one first opposed, That did not really match for me. Also I wished there would have been more intimate moments where the three explore each other, because if that part does not work, the relationsship part would not work either imho.

I also understand why this is a comedy setting, but I would have prefered if this would have been filmed in a much more serious way, But I also understand why they did this, because things beside the social norm in Japan are hard to do and I assume they wanted the viewers at home not to feel offended.

Even with the negatives, I had a lot of fun watching this and the ending is hinting a season 2 which would be so much more interesting... As usual japanese productions bring something unusal on the screen and for that I appreciate it a lot. If you prefer it light-hearted and not so heavy, you should watch it. Thanks to my friend Daniel who showed me this show, otherwise I would not have noticed it :)

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I didn't expect to fall for Healer but I did. Somehow all the components just worked together; the romance, the action, the intrigue, and all the emotions the characters conveyed. Healer is one of the most addicting dramas I've watched in a while, compelling me to watch episode after episode.

I'm new to the actors but they were all fantastic for me. There were no 'weak' actors at all! Ji Chang Wook was just wow. He was mesmerizing, vulnerable, the list goes on. I loved his various personas he put on as a disguise and I especially loved Bong Soo; Chang Wook played him to be so clumsy and lovable. I loved Park Min Young's character, one of my favorite heroines in a while. Shout out to Kim Mi Kyung. She was seriously amazing as the Ahjumma/skilled hacker. People love or hate Ji Tae's character, Moon Ho. Personally, I loved Moon Ho. Ji Tae played Moon Ho to be such a nuanced and faceted character that was neither 'good' nor 'evil'.

Now, the OTP. Wow, just wow. How can so much emotion be demonstrated with just a caress, a brush of the hand, and longing eyes? Somehow, Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young are able to do that and their chemistry is just sizzling. It's palpable. It's longing. It's just plain hot. I appreciated how Yeoung Shin (ParkMinYoung) was able to stand her own (not the damsel in distress) and how she helped Jung Hoo (JiChangWook) come out from behind his mask that was Healer.

The storyline was so intricate but the web of stories blended well together. Romance didn't detract from the action, and vice versa. I enjoyed seeing how dark/dirty politics were, and the writer wrote that well, balancing it with the romance and the revenge plot. There were some episodes that were so elaborately well done that it was only near the last few minutes that everything just suddenly clicked together and made sense. Huge props to the writer of Healer-amazing!

When I finished the last episode, I was like : !!!!!!. I felt that buzz you feel after finishing marathoning an amazing drama. However, as I began to re-watch some episodes immediately after my first run through, there were flaws that even my Healer-induced craze couldn't overlook. Honestly? The last 2-3 episodes weren't great-or at least not on the caliber of the first 17 episodes. Everything felt rushed and though the ending was good, it felt glossed over. The multiple storylines that the drama had handled with finesse thus far, couldn't be tied up in the end. Some were rashly tied up, others were untied; it just wasn't as satisfactory as I had hoped it would go. Additionally, Healer lost some of his touch near the end; there weren't as many action scenes and Yeoung Shin barely appeared... That said, don't let that deter you from watching Healer because the critiques I made are minimal compared to the overall beauty that was Healer. I had to mention them though because they did distract me from completely loving this drama since I was absorbed and in love with the first 15 episodes or so. So admittedly, I felt a bit deflated after the end.

Music was lovely! There were lots of beautiful instrumentals that captured the emotions of scenes. I especially loved I Will Protect You by Ji Chang Wook himself. He has a nice voice!

I already re-watched my favorite scenes too many times. I think the second time around, though, I might fast-forward some of the political stuff though because it's no longer suspenseful since I would know what happens, and what the secrets are.

I could honestly go on and on about this drama but to sum it up...
Seriously watch it if...
-you want to see a beautiful, supportive romance that is full of trust and heart stopping romantic scenes.
-you like seeing power struggles (dirty politics)/revenge
-eye candy! (ahem Ji Chang Wook)
-no vindictive second leads
-lots of action, kind of like Mission Impossible and Ji Chang Wook is Tom Cruise in terms of the Healer going on missions.
-references to Superman and his kryptonite-and comparing that to Healer, I thought it was it was an interesting comparison.

Be prepared to be in withdrawal after the final episode. I know I still am.

If you don't fulfill any of the above, watch it anyways because that's how good Healer is. Or just watch it for Ji Chang Wook because that's a valid reason anyways! (9.75/9)

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Hate on me all you want, but I stand by my opinion that this is a sub-par drama at best.
I enjoyed the serial-style crime show that composed the first half of this drama, but it the writing wasn't particularly clever or fluid as other crime dramas I've seen.
The story felt dragged out and not as cohesive as it could have been, and it overall lacked substance. Crime shows deal with heavy themes of humanity, but this show was just dark without social commentary and had too much cheesy romance. On that note, the chemistry was spicy, but the romance itself was rushed, unbelievable, and not well paced. Even without substance, shows can be saved by fun and action, but again, there wasn't enough feel-good vibes or humor for it to pull that off, so it was just straight-up dark and cheesy from there.
The acting here was pretty good, but acting can't save mediocre writing, and the acting did become sloppy at times. The best performance here was probably Wang Kai's; his character was the only likeable one in the end.
On another note, I understand Chinese patriarchal culture as someone who is indeed ethnically Chinese, but a viewer can't deny the awkwardly sexist writing here.
Overall, I can say that viewers can pass on this drama. It's very highly rated and well-reviewed, but I think reviewers may just have found a show to their tastes rather than a show that actually measures up to the other brilliant crime shows in the drama industry.

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The thing that I loved about this drama was the cinematography and visuals. It was so beautiful that I was able to overlook the cliche and lack of a good story line. Another thing that made it good were the actors. Ueno Juri was awesome as usual with how she's able to depict the emotion of pain, loss, trying to be happy and act normal despite her past. Choi Seung-hyun, on the other hand was a breath of fresh air in this drama. I am so used to seeing him as a bad-ass guy who either kills people or save them. Can't miss him in movies without a gun and a car. Here, he's got none of those two things. Even the serious look, because his character is quite dorky and passionate as a wannabe director. So those character roles are the closest I could get out of the drama to make it seem interesting. I could have cared less for the supporting cast since I feel that without them, this drama could still go on... except for Yoo In Ah. I simply have a bias for that actress, so I love the fact that she got to support Ueno Juri through out the series.

Music wise, it was okay... until the part where Seung-hyun rendered a song... and because of that, I'm giving this drama a plus point. That's something to look forward into the whole drama.

If you're looking for something that's easy and short to watch but not mind blowing, this drama is perfect for you. It has 18 episodes that runs at least 11 minutes each, then it's going to be a fast watch and not a total waste of time.

I won't be rewatching this anytime soon, but I will definitely look this up in the future if I want to be inspired with my photography. This drama is simply full of photo clips that are awesome.

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A BITTERSWEET EXPERIENCE!!!!!

Grumpy first male lead with hardworking fierce first female lead with some kind of childhood bestfriends to enemies to lovers.
The kiss sixth sense is a romantic comedy drama about a woman who can see The future when she kisses someone, it is basically adapted from webtoon of the same name. The male lead is hyper sensitive ie. he can hear from miles. see for miles. Basically his sense are really developed after he suffered an accident in his childhood.
The love relationship between the leads takes awhile to develop , and there is some misunderstanding and lack of communication (typical). However there are some nice skinship and PDA scenes.
Because it’s an office romance, you have the humor and storyline of the colleagues and after work dinners etc.. There’s also the ex-boyfriend factor - his tale was a sad and unfortunate one, but he was matured enough to handle it, i liked him a lot and the story between him and the MFL was amazing but the ending and problem they had were unnecessary[they did him bad].
Somehow the character of the ML changes when he starts dating her- he becomes more comical and cracking jokes, which I thought was out of character.
Cliché storyline. the story went pretty predictable. The whole black outfitted, cap and mask-wearing random/bad people is so out of fashion. I mean doesn't the whole black outfit negates the "hiding in plain sight" concept? I would totally notice a human in a full black outfit.
Started great, ended flat! this drama started off with a bang. I was hooked initially and the casting of the main leads were perfect considering their mature age and the office romance. The chemistry was sizzling and I loved the storyline. But as the episodes progressed, it felt like the same story in the beginning was being addressed over and over again.
I'll admit that the final 15 minutes of the last ep [ep 12]made me cringe.
We should've gotten cute moments between them but they keep on breaking up instead. Why? Because of their powers disappearing? That's why they went crazy??? That was unnecessary. The ending last 15 mins really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Recommended if you're looking for something light, sweet and fun with a little bit of mystery.
I really don't understand the need to inserting murder mystery and/or crime into a storyline. It felt out of place and absolutely unnecessary, especially for episodes 11 and 12. The ending felt rushed and could've been executed better.

OVERALL A GOOD DRAMA TO WATCH!!!!

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The story overall was great. I loved each couple and character's story through the drama. They all grabbed my interest and hooked me pretty quickly. The entire cast was really good, I mainly watched this because of Singto but ended up loving everyone on the cast and plan to look into some of them. Although there are those good things about it. If you do not like watching dramas that have a has a somewhat lacking ending, I wouldn't say this is good for you. I am usually someone who doesn't like endings that aren't closed and happy or at the very least happy open endings but I still am fine because some things ended up how I wanted it to, just not all. I feel like one character, I won't say who just in case someone ends up watching it, but one character definitely deserved better. The sum everything up I loved it. I would probably watch it again with a friend or if I'm bored.

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The overall 10/10 rating pops up when something makes my day, makes me smile, cry, laugh and connect with it. Jealously Incarnate definietly did that for me.

I'll keep this review short and to the point.

What works: Amazing acting, ever evolving characters, gripping comedy, diverse range of characters, a thorough and different depiction of the TV news industry, sizzling chemistry and ton loads of unexpected turns.

Everytime you think you know a character's move, or expect a cliche, you will be surprised with something absoluetly absurdly different. That's the USP of the show. Apart from the fact that they handled the issue of brest cancer brilliantly and effectively and so graciously, they gave multiple twists to even the normal love trainle

What I enjoyed: Hwa Shin's way of love, his character evolution. Na Ri's undetereed loyalty and ability to take care of everyone around her.

You'll read all around what worked for the show that made me give it a 10.

I'll tell you about what made me deduct the 1 point from the story: It felt incomplete after a while. The things we were prepared slowly in the first half of the show, were left un dealt with durin the second half. The teenage triangle, the chef-moms traingle (although dealt fairly well, I'd have liked for the Chef to be actaully asexual), and mainly the second lead.

They introduced the second lead in such a manner that he practically charmed the pants off, but then he started to get on everyones nerves around the middle part. He was a character that I expected to be the BFF first and the second lead later. And while he did that for around 15 episods, it suddenly got downhill and creepy after that when he couldn't give up.. What I'd have liked is that they redeemed him in the end slow and not just by giving him 5 mins in the end. No, I'd have liked for him to stick up for his best friend and be there..and this should have been done through the last 4 epsiodes. This kinda left an incomplete aftertaste for me.

Other than that, let's count the amazingness of the show:

- Mind blowing actors, JJS toreme apart with his emotional scenes and I fell off my chair laughing at him.
- GHJ is a queen when it comes to cute yet firm characters. Her micro minute expressions made me love her so much.
- Unexpected way of dealin with equally unusual and absurd situations
- Unlimited laughter
- Brilliant supporting cast
- Entertaining TV news team and scenes (especially the auditions)
- Heart fluttering OST

This was my first show to watch live with everyone, waiting for the episodes everyweek, and it honestly made my thursdays and fridays (I saw it a day later because of subtitles) and I'm going to miss this SO much.

Favourite Episodes: 4, 6, 9, 12, 14, 17, 22, 23.

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Since no one else reviewed this, I will (:

I'm shocked there are zero reviews on this web series so I've decided I'll write one as spoiler free as possible! Just in case people don't want to risk checking the comments on here (in case they see a spoiler). Also, if you're wondering where to watch this, it's available on their official youtube channel! Just search 'Discipline Z Vampire' and you should be able to find it.

Okay let's start...

Story: I REALLY loved the storyline! And for those who keep asking in the comments, yes this has two gay characters in it that have a relationship and it is part of the story, but that's not the focus of the web series. It's more about the whole mutant genes thing and Hyung-Tae, but the BL aspect is a main storyline so don't worry! I'm just letting you know now that this isn't your typical BL that's centered around university and romance. I loved the storyline, the cinematography and camera work was really great for a web series (the only thing that felt low budget was the green screens in some parts but that's expected when this show is obviously low budget). Another thing I loved was styling for the outfits like WOW, the stylist did a great job. I loved the main characters and was so happy to see Ji-Han still be one! He was my favourite in the first Discipline. Some people think the ending was rushed but I disagree, I liked the ending and it made me excited for the Ji-Han and Asin's story! I do believe there could have been part of the plot that was more developed but that's why I'm only giving the story aspect an 8/10. In conclusion, the show was really interesting, enjoyable and easy to watch and I recommend it based on the story alone!

Acting/Cast: Ah, so the reason I give this a 6/10 is mostly because of the acting done by the English speakers. I believe this show would have benefited and been way more polished if they didn't try to have an international concept. Especially with the character Yuri. I couldn't really understand half of what she was saying because her accent was so strong (despite her character not being able to speak/understand Korean and only English) and her laughing was way too fake. The actor who played the professor didn't do as bad, in some parts he was decent (majority of those parts being when he didn't have to express anger or annoyance). Honestly, the acting done by the ones who played Jay, Ji-Han, and Asin were better - during their English lines - than the ones who have to speak English the whole time. In saying all this, I'm not judging this as harshly as I would a big production with a bigger budget, since as I mentioned, this is only a web series with a lower budget so I understand it would be difficult to bring in amazing actors for those specific English-speaking roles. Plus, I have to commend the actors efforts and the production's inclusivity of other languages. The Korean acting was significantly better but still not the best I've seen. Although, I think some of that can be because of the script they were given (sometimes it felt awkward or unnatural). However, the main cast all did a fantastic job really, especially the actors who played Hyung-Tae and Ji-Han. (WAIT I JUST FOUND OUT THE THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED HYUNG-TAE WAS IN 'STEP FOR YOU' WHICH IS A KOREAN SHORT BL THAT I LOVE OMG WHAT).

Music: I gave an 8/10 because I enjoyed the soundtrack overall but it wasn't anything amazing.

Rewatch Value: I only gave this a 5/10 because I'm not really a rewatcher and when I do rewatch shows or movies, they're ones that are my absolute favourites or it's because I want to rewatch before the next part comes out. And to watch the next part of this (Summer Deja-Vu), I don't actually need to rewatch this.

Overall: A 7/10 because it was a unique story - at least for a BL it was haha - and I really enjoyed it! Plus I loved the styling of the outfits and hair, the cinematography was great, music was great, and the main cast are awesome. And I love when South Korea jumps on the LGBTQ+ band wagon in a positive way. I definitely recommend just giving it a go if you're on the fence!

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At first, I watch this film because I love the main female lead. But then, the story touches my heart. it's telling about a man who comes from another planet. He never even went to the other planet, because his dad was bounded to human (his mother). They will be bound to human if they help three times on the same person. And yes, he is bounded to the girl. In other people's eyes, she is only a girl who will do anything to be famous through internet. But no one knows that she had a childhood trauma. Because of her past, she always fake her smile and pretended to be happy... no one knows and no one care about her, except her best friend. But when the male lead is bounded to the girl, he tried every way to make her feel happy, but none of those makes her happy. She is blaming herself for not being strong enough to fight her depression.

I like this movie, not only because the love story. But because the building character and what we can get from this film. as an individual, we should not look down on other people, especially happiness. We can't tell whether she's happy or she's suffering. The only one who can feel our happiness is ourself. many people say "don't care about what other say about you, just be yourself". It is true, but not everyone can do it. Who can really not think about what people say? even if there is, not everyone is like them. Our actions, our words, our judgements will effect people surround us. we are also human, we can be weak. But what makes you strong, is when you don't give up. When you fight little by little. When you prepare yourself to let go of the things you hold.

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