Reviews

I Can Still Hear Ai going... P'YUUU...

Peoples, we got a rapping confession, followed by a guitar scene confession. It was a two-in-one double kill. I almost didn't make it out alive. It was brutal. Also, did anyone want to reach into the screen and shake P-Yu when he was treating his ex-girlfriend like precious cargo right in front of Ai's salad?

Well, that ending was super anticlimactic, after all that dreaming that was it? A pull out knife, and a neck brace? Arite then. It was also very criminal how we didn't get a last moment between Yo and Ing, we were robbed and I wanna have words with whoever was in charge of the script.

Anyway, can we talk about how dirty they did Wan. Sure, the dude just couldn't take a hint that Ai wasn't interested, and Yo misguided way to help backfired, but damn, did they have to do my man like that? Screaming on top of your lungs that you don't like him was just wild. Poor dude, he better than me though, still helping Ai, me, I'd have never shown my face to him again.

This show is one of those that grows on you. When it started I was like, meh, really? But along the way it became my comfort show, it was wholesome and I enjoyed watching it. The two pairs had good chemistry, the plot, when the writers remembers their main objective wasn't bad, and I had a few chuckles. Oh, and the parents were really kind, which was refreshing to see.

Listen, the writers had a good plot, however, they did not execute it to its full potential. At some point it felt like they forgot the main plot-line, so they had all those floating dreams to fill the gap. They even forgot how Ai was playing some investigator or another with that closet wall full of drawings and stuff. They could have done so much more with this plot, instead they tiptoed around it to show us a whole episode with Yu's ex, Pan.

No, cuz what in the random arse was them dedicating a whole episode to Yu's ex for? When she returned I was like, 'oh, you still in this show?' then they gave her a whole episode as a result of things that didn't happen on screen. Who even cared about that character? Sure they needed that side-story for that Ice fellow to play a part in the finale, but a whole arse episode for characters no one cares about is wild.

And she only added to my anger. Yes, I felt bad for her, was even rolling my eyes at that annoying Ice and going 'how about you go melt somewhere creep.' but at the same time, let's be honest, she put herself in that situation. She had a good boyfriend, living in a big arse mansion (how they pay for that house? or did their parents leave them stack of paper in the bank?) who loved her, and she broke up with him, so she could go fake date someone and became famous. I felt bad for her, but the whole time when she was there and Yu was treating her like a newborn baby, feeding her and making my blood pressure go up, I was like, yeah, Sharon, you walked into that one yourself.

YU AND AI
These two were cute when they were bickering in the beginning of the show. And their little church scenes. P'Yu always somehow managed to make Ai angry. I did like their friendship, and when they got together as well. I assumed Ai was gonna be passive in the relationship, but he wasn't, episode 10 ending had me going... ooo... so this is where we are at? okaii. I liked how protective of each other they were. I also really love how it seemed like they lived in two houses, just going from one to the other, and the parents were so chill about the whole thing.

However, these two needed to communicate. Ai putting himself in constant danger was not it, all of those could have been avoided if he'd communicated with Yu. Sure he didn't want him to worry by keeping his dreams a secret, still, feels like trusting the one you love is better than keeping secrets that are putting you in harms way.

Yu had me until he decided to be a good guy and help his ex-girlfriend. Yes, yes, I understand, and in reality if an ex needed help, I'd have done the same, but damnnnn that episode made me glare at him over my popcorn and wine. Another place I was glaring was when Ai took all those pills. Child, you cannot be this stupid, sure your friend gave you a bad advice, but surely, Ai knew how dangerous it was, no? And to think nothing happened to him. They shook him a bit and he woke up. #facepalm.

But all in all, cute couple, wholesome-ish, it was nice seeing their friendship grow into love. They did well as leads and had me invested in their story. I really liked how they felt like a happy family with the rest of the cast, all those eating together scene was very heart-warming.

YO AND ING
Now, we were all rooting for them, seeing as anyone with eyes could see that Yo liked Ing back. What I didn't like was Ing's attitude when he confessed and more-or-less got rejected. Yes, it was frustrating to see Yo pretend, but when all was said and done, it felt like Ing somehow forced Yo to accept his feelings? I don't know, he deserved to be angry, but stopping to be his friend, and all that anger was not it. Still I was happy when Yo finally accepted his feelings and they got together. I cringed so hard during that rapping scene, was it cute, perhaps, but I watched it between my fingers out of secondhand embarrassment so...but anyway, glad they figured out their stuff and got together. Cute and whatnot.

All-in-all a nice show. It wasn't the greatest, but it grew on me, and it had its moment. I'll recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different other than school setting as a main focus. I'll definitely be checking out the future work of the cast.

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HONEST CRITIQUE

Note: This critique comes from a novel and manhwa reader. Biased? No. This is an ADAPTATION of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Which means that the theme, plot, and the dynamic essence should be similar if not the same.

1) JUSTICE TO THE CHARACTERS
Not only did the movie failed with the actors (no hate to the actors as they're only doing their job), but I blame the director for choosing them. First of all, height differences. It's not a big of a deal, I can agree—but to not even managed to follow such a basic detail for the story can already show how incompetent they are. Second of all, looks. Are the actors handsome/pretty? Yes. But do they fit the role they're acting to? No. Lee Giyoung is literally not that young. If you disagree with me, at least read the manhwa and compare it if he's supposed to be that young. Aside from Gilyoung is Lee Jihye. I know that some KPOP fans might get offender but I don't really care because it's not your favorite story that's getting adapted to such incompetency. Her looks is literally mature for Jihye. In the beginning of the story, we know that Jihye was still a student. Do you think it fits? Hell no.

2) JUSTICE TO THE STORY
When you're doing an adaptation, note that you're adapting the entirety. Did they managed to do it? Very not so. First of all are the guns, the story literally mentioned that firearms don't work on the monsters. "What if it's a weapon made using magical abilities?" Bullshit. Did the manhwa or even the novel mentioned that there's a magical gun at the beginning? No. If the director can't even follow the plotline of the story, what can we even expect from them? It's literally messy if you can't follow the plot. Here are the keys point that make it NOT ORV:

• Bully, since when did Kim Dokja became a bully? In fact, he's the one being bullied. His past is literally him losing hope in life because he's being bullied and shame all throughout the school year for being the son of a murderer. In fact, it got to the point wherein he jumped. It's honestly so sad that him, who experienced all the bad things, would become the bad thing himself. Can the director even see if that's the same story they're following? Because if you ask any ORV fans, it's literally far from it.
• Mother, what the hell do you mean by taking care of his mother? The reason he was bullied was because of it. It may be heavy plot for some but does this mean we should replace it to a completely new one? Hell no. The reason why Kim Dokja is like that because that's what made him like this. A quiet reader who's only hope to live was reading his novel in peace. Of all the atrocious things he experienced, it will be forgotten because of the movie portraying him as someone who love his Mother. Change his past and you'll change him completely.
• Sexual Assault, when Kim Dokja first encounter Jung Heewon is when she was getting assaulted. Again, it's another heavy plot but that doesn't mean they should change it. Jung Heewon is the embodiment of justice, what justice is there when even her own character doesn't experience it?
• Powers, the characters using a gun is already explained. Aside from that is Yoo Sangah building bridge and healing. NEVER EVER has Yoo Sangah heals people. What? Do you think she heals someone by whipping them? What the fuck? Are they alright in the head?

Finale, while I can think more reasons to hate the live action, I hope that there are more entertainment industry who can give sufficient JUSTICE for the story. Hate the movie and the director, not the actors. For those who wants to open a debate with me, please make sure that you've at least read the manhwa or novel. You may contact me through the fb group of ORV and screenshot my review and post it there, I would gladly take you on. For my fellow readers, let's rate this down on every movie site we can think of. This isn't fair for us, nor is it fair for the story. Thank you.

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Rom Com that Rom Coms

The plot gets a 9.5 from me because it said “rom com” and it delivered romance and comedy. If you’re looking for angst, drama, suspense, historical accuracy, etc this show is not it. It stays light and stress-free; conflicts resolve relatively quickly. A feel-good show if you need a pick me up.

I loved the chemistry between the leads. They have a playful chemistry and the battle of wits was entertaining. & Personally for me I loved the FL. She was confident, intelligent, independent, and sassy. And I’m a sucker for MLs who fall in love with their FL’s confidence and strength. I thought they did a great job building on their romance—lots of late night conversations and voiceovers that show you the WHY of them falling in love. Their romance never gets sidelined for secondary characters either.

It’s not a show to make you think hard but it still does a good job with character developments. There’s a running theme of freedom that focuses on the FL and the women in the show; and through the men in her life, you see why she falls for the ML as he’s the one who loves her for who she is and respects her autonomy.

Other pros:
- fun secondary characters
- a solid ending that stayed true to the genre

Cons
- some choppy editing/plots but I’m assuming they had to cut down to 26 eps from the rumored 30. I always give cdramas a pass towards the end lol.

( Edit: Will add that some of the plot at the end may feel out of place but it’s clearly written to reflect the “freedom” theme and how certain people’s perception of love can be confining. The plot towards the end exists to flesh out how much the leads mean to each other even if they’re not always vocal about it. )

Anyway, recommend people giving this one a shot. I think it’s highly underrated and anyone who’s a rom com fan, will likely enjoy it. :)

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Watch for special effect

Wow wow wow just watched the movie in theatre and must say worth all the time and money I had no expectations just wanted to watch Mark chao and Deng Lan didn’t knew Wang Dou is in this
I am surprise they have written him as supporting role but he is the main character he looks so handsome and his acting is good too
All actors are good Good looking and fitting to the role
Cinematography is just awesome you can just watch it for that
Only one complaint there is no element of mystery some questions are raised but immediately answer is displayed
Go and watch in theatre

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This movie is about love triangle, friendship put to the test and fulling hidden dreams.

Story is about choices we need to made in our life to be truly to ourselves. Just like Sang-ina decides to become chef and leaves corporation office to start everything anew. Like Mo-rae needs to decide is she ready to leave her safe place and stop being little girl all the time. She meets Him and every touch is natural and passionate. Young stranger brigs with him salvation and degradation to both Sang-ina and Mo-rae.

Joo Ji Hoon acting is adorable, he seduces Mo-rae in most delicate way. But in every step his closer to Mo-rae and further form Sang-ina. I enjoyed Shin Min Ah acting, maybe she was a little to greedy and that made both men miserable but in the end she was fair.

Sometimes movie was a little unclear, ending was good I like unsaid and open endings. Music just great, all instrumental parts of the Ost were so warm and calm. Joo Ji Hoon even sings in french ^^

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Love Is Not About Forcing The Pieces To Fit, It’s About Falling Into Something That Fits Naturally

I rarely watch mature, melodramas as they seem pretty boring to me, but believe me, this is one of the best chinese melodramas out there.Here are some of the reasons why;

1.Well-written plot
Most of the modern dramas I watch are light hearted and comedy ones.But Find yourself's plot has both dramatic and comedy scenes.The plot is a little draggy but tightly written and the characters are beautifully portrayed as well.Though 42 episodes is too much for a modern drama, it is still worth watching.

2.Casts and Crews
I noticed that Victoria's acting improved a lot, since Ice and Fantasy (her acting was not quite good there).She portrayed the character pretty well.He Fan Xing was mature when needed to be mature,childish when needed, and Victoria was really impressive to portray such a character.
Song Wei Long,though young, is an amazing actor as well.He perfectly fits the role of Yuan Song (Young, handsome and loyal)
Wang Yao Qing (Ye Lu Ming) is the most outstanding one.You may feel annoyed by his character as a scheming second lead but it is relatable and I feel for him.
Other casts are impressive as well.

3.Multiple couples
I am quite happy to watch multiple couples having their own happy endings.Other than the main couple,there are He Can Yang and Cai MinMin, Cong Xiao and Chan Huan .

4.Family and Friends
I am touched by sister-brother relationship between He Fan Xing and He Can Yang, they supported and love each other.
Their parents are so sweet as well,supporting their children and I really enjoy watching parents-children and sister-brother relationships.
Scenes like friends solving the problems together made the drama more amazing.

5.Ost
Songs are not bad.

Don't binge-watch it as you may feel frustrated and become quite bored.Take your time, enjoy the moments and you'd definitely love it.

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This is my very first review so bear with me.
Long Love Letter was one of the most unique dramas I've come across. Not only did it cure me of a vicious drama slump, but it also made me debate whether to choose sleep or the next episode. And, I chose the next episode even when it was 4 A.M.

Just like other reviewers have stated, don't let the synopsis trick you! It definitely wouldn't prepare you for the nail-biting and the nerve-wracking. Just when you think you've seen it all, Long Love Letter hits you with another shock! The plot literally takes you to the most unexpected places and it doesn't shy away from posing some serious questions about the dark nature of human beings. For me, Long Love Letter's brilliance was in its heart, its ability to create a 'home' amongst the insanity and the chaos, and its optimism in the direst situation. I liked how the young cast grew in front of my eyes from kids to mature grown-ups who learned to fully accept responsibilities in the end.

That's not to say that Long Love Letter doesn't have its flaws. Admittedly, it had its inconsistencies but I'm willing to forgive it because we're already thinking outside the box from the start. Also, it felt a tad too preachy at the end. However, what bugged me the most was the so-called Sekiya-Sensei. This character felt like a plot device in the sense that the writer brought her up whenever s/he needed conflict and had her completely disappear when she wasn't needed. Also, her conclusion at the end was laughable not to mention unbelievable.

The acting was superb! The most profound and touching scenes were done in the simplest ways. And, the romance was so sweet.

The cinematography wasn't exactly great. Some scenes felt randomly glued into each other. Whether intentional or not, the sloppy direction helped to reflect the mood of utter chaos and insanity.

The music was serviceable, average at its best. Sometimes, it played at awkward times.

I wouldn't rewatch this one soon because its scenes are still haunting my memory at the moment. Honestly, I don't know if I want to re-live this magnificent experience twice.

I would recommend this work to anyone because I think it truly had something for everyone.

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One-Sided Chemistry

I thought the premise of the show was great. I loved that Kawi could not go back in time on subsequent trips to the same moments he'd already gone back to. He got one shot and had to live with whatever domino effect it caused.

Gawin did a great job as Pisaeng. It's so clear when his feelings for Kawi begin to develop. You watch him fall in love with Kawi so naturally. Never once did I doubt the feelings Pisaeng had for Kawi.

I'm not going to remark on Krist's acting because it's hard to determine how much is direction, writing and the actor's choices. What I will comment on is his character, Kawi. Kawi was, at times, very likable and easy to cheer on. However he was also so negative and self-defeating he often became exhausting to watch. Like Kawi, I frequently wondered why Pisaeng liked him. He could have done better, to be honest.

I wish Max got more screen time and more of a storyline of his own. I thought he was a really great character and at one point thought Pisaeng was going to end up dating him during one of the incarnations of the past. I liked that they talked about the political realities of being queer in Thailand with the current laws. My own teenage years in the US were similar to where Max was in the past timeline.

Pearmai was an interesting character. I think she could have been handled better in terms of her liking and sort of waiting for Pisaeng even though she knew he wasn't into her. It was also very poorly handled when she decided to give the guy she'd JUST rejected a shot once she was finally rejected herself. That didn't sit right with me. I really liked her development with her parents and the struggles she had going on there.

I really enjoyed the message of living in the present and choosing to live a life you don't wish to go back and "fix." Easier said than done off screen, of course. I really liked how the time jumps connected to the last moment Kawi was present in the past or future.

The thing that really brought down my rating was Kawi's side of the romance with Pisaeng. As I mentioned already, I never doubted for a moment that Pisaeng had fallen for Kawi. However, I never believed Kawi had genuinely fallen for Pisaeng, with the exception of the majority of the last episode. Instead of being together because he finally realizes he loves Pisaeng, to me it came off a lot more like Kawi had eliminated all the other options and what he was left with was a best friend who was indispensable but in love with him. So he decided to get into a relationship to keep this person in his life.

I know that's not the intent of the show but its how it came across to me. When they'd kiss Kawi didn't seem to want to be there or participating in it. He fell into a trope I hate in bl of the more passive partner dodging affection (what couple actively avoids kissing each other ALL the time even in private? this is the trope I'm referring to not specifically Kawi as he wasn't that bad but he had plenty of these moments). You wind up with Pisaeng basically begging for attention and affection and Kawi begrudgingly allowing it some of the time. This 100% came off as "I got the consolation prize but I really wanted the actual prize." (Pisaeng being the consolation for Kawi.)

I won't get into it too much, but the whole scene with Kawi being near-unconscious levels of drunk and kissing Pisaeng only for Pisaeng to continue while Kawi is unresponsive was incredibly unsettling. This felt very out of character for someone who had been very careful and considerate of Kawi during the rest of the series.

Gawin carried this show for me

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I really enjoyed this drama. I've seen a few medical dramas, and I thought this was an excellent one. I liked the plot when I first read the synopsis, and generally, this was the same throughout the show but I thought the plot in the last 3-4 episodes was a bit slow. The side plots added really well to the show- but one of them was left unfinished, I felt.

All of the cast were excellent- I loved the chemistry between the leads, and I thought the secondary characters were great also. The cameo in episode 3 made me laugh SO MUCH :D

I really liked the music throughout the show- especially Choi Jin Hyuk's song :3

I'm giving it a re-watch value of six, only because I'm not likely to re-watch this drama, anytime soon.

Overall, I really liked this drama- it was definitely one of the best so far this year~!

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Starts strong but falls apart midway

I had high hopes for this one but despite an engaging start it kind of petered out and I started to get bored in the final stretch. Others have already mentioned the use of cliche tropes, which was clearly intentional and not necessarily a bad thing when deployed well. But in this show I don’t think they pulled it off.

The drama started strong, with the past timeline with the teen versions of the characters a particular bright spot. I found their story utterly charming and the actors were great.

Unfortunately the adult story line was a mess, despite strong performances. The pacing was off, with plot points dragged out unreasonably long and side stories that added little to the main narrative. There were multiple points in the story when I didn’t understand why the leads were behaving a certain way - and it was clear that the only real answer was the plot demanded it. Worst of all, despite being about 3 hours longer than it should have been, the show didn’t even provide satisfying resolutions to many of the conflicts and questions it introduced (I felt this most keenly wrt the FL’s mother, who was never taken to account for her interference that resulted in years of misery for everyone involved). And the choice to drag out the reunion until the last 15 minutes of the final episode meant we saw precious little of our couple actually together.

Lastly, I’ll just say that I thought the overall tone of the drama was a mismatch for the story. The main narrative was about a couple who were deeply in love losing 25 years together mostly because of outside interference, but the characters never seemed to get angry or feel any resentment about it. They were actually pretty chill most of the time despite the absolute tragedy of the story, and the tone of the whole drama was curiously light. A second pass on the script to tighten up the writing all around would have served this drama well.

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A love to be jealous of

Two enemies that could only be together bc of amnesia, and yes it's the first time I come across the amnesia trope almost 3 times and I loved it!
JinAn/Annan/Man in black:
Cheng Lei ate all three roles with Jin An being my favourite. He is a dream boyfriend, his love is shown, not just articulated and, even when he was ruthless Annan, the writer made sure we know that Jin An is Annan and his principles are the same, it was never an act. He showed his prowess as a general, his etiquette as a prince, his affection as a brother even when he was Jin An with lost memories. And the Man in black is the alter ego, justice fighter that protects the world. All the personas merged into one at the end and you wouldn't wish for anything else
Li Shuang:
Song Yi is an underrated actress. She personified a role that had a job: she works as a general but she is also a woman, a lover, a human, a sister and a daughter, an adopted orphan thoughout the story(and not some long lost princess).She is amazing and her tears, her pain, her cries ripped my heart in the last 10 episodes. I mean I was literally crying for the duration of almost 8 hours, her acting is that good. And gosh how moist her eyes are, I'm jealous. Her relationship with Jin An was a revelation to witness bc she is us, every woman in the throes of love, flirting and being happy. And she didn't turn into a puddle when she found out he's her enemy. Captured, she delivered acid and sparred with him as equals, and you could see her heart breaking. It was so real you could almost hear the sound of it.
Chemistry:
100% achieved. The actors are familiar with each other and at times I got the feeling sth's underfoot. Lots of hugs, Cheng Lei's sculpted torso, lots of kisses and heart eyes. There wasn't any real skinship but we were delivered the BEST ending in cdrama so far so I won't whine, there's still hope in the industry
Friendship, family, death:
The fist ever drama where the ML forms a FRIENDSHIP with two of FL's friends, loses one and MOURNS her! We got a mourning scene of both the ML and the FL, her death wasn't brushed off with a nod, they cried for her! Also we witnessed the ritual of her father's funeral, so touching and real, I didn't know I needed to see it till I did!
Now her father is the best father in all cdrama land and he is not her read father. She is adopted and here we see a man RESPECTING his daughter! Have you ever heard of that before?
Her brother starts as a brat who grows into an adult and with him our FL grows too into a better sister.
Secondary characters:
Yes, and they move the plot forward each in their own way and have their own merit, they are very important and there wouldn't be a story or plot without them. Watch it and you'll see
Ending:
The last 10 episodes achieved what nth so far in cdramas has been achieved: an escalated interest, a gradual peak in the plot that kept you glued to your seat, waiting anxiously for the next episodes to drop and a constant ache in the heart. I couldn't stop crying, it was so painful till the all inclusive happy ending(and what a happy ending!) that I knew right there and then why all the previous episodes were so sweet and romantic:To FEEL their love, not just witness it. To BE Li Shuang, to experience it ourselves, to get in her shoes so it's us that are BETRAYED by fate, it's us who lose the love of their lives. Bravo writer!You have my tears and my heart. And 10 stars.

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