Reviews

I just completed the Princess Silver series and it left me with very mixed emotions. I've never written any review before but the extremely heavy after thoughts compelled me to write this post. This is not so much a review, but I want to share my thoughts and feelings about the drama. In my opinion, Princess Silver is one the best Chinese Drama produced in recent years. I have not read the novel, so I do not know how close the drama to the original source is. Nevertheless, the story is a beautiful and very heavy heart tragic story that takes a lot of emotions out of the viewers. Complex relationships, plots, and key secrets are beautifully written and planned by scriptwriters. For the most part, the drama flows well through the many episode but becomes a bit draggy on the last six. Perhaps, it could have been done with 60 episodes and I will share my thoughts on that.

Let us begin, the soul of the drama definitely comes from the superb young casts, especially Sophie Zhang. She is the center and the life of the drama in every single episode. All others are good, but Sophie's performance is many levels above all others. I have seen her once few years back in ROCH as Guo Xiang. Her acting has matured significantly over the years. Unlike Guo Xiang simple happy loving teen character, Rong Le character consists of complex dispositions, and most involve extreme level of emotions: happiness, betrayal, despair, hatred, strong will, wisdom, hope. Yet, Sophie has demonstrated the ability to connect all those with me as a viewer. The two vivid scenes, when she gets rolled out on a bed to force surrender from Wu You and when she finds out the cure for her illness, to me, are no doubt of her best performance. You can really connect and feel the pain and torment through her face and twisted body. Her performance would be the only reason if I to re-watch the series (very unlikely). She has done an extraordinary job in Rong Le.

As for the male roles, it is worth to mention of good performance from both Aarif Rahman and Jing Chao. Zongzheng Wu You played by Aarif is a protagonist that anyone can long for: intelligence, arrogant, powerful, brave, fidelity. I do find a bit stiff in Aarif acting. He does well in arrogant and battle scenes, but I don't connect with him on the painful and happiness scenes. Perhaps, that is the intention of the scripts not to show weakness in Wu You character. I think Wu You is not a difficult character to play and Aarif performance does progressively gets better through the series and keeps hold of the viewers. The chemistry between Aarif/Sophie - Wu You/Rong Le is phenomenon. Together they really bring out an intense love that would rival any relationship in all period drama. The sacrifice, loyalty, and fidelity outshine all the evilness in the story which is extremely critical factor for good period drama. You want them to be together, but you cannot wait for them to be separated as well, and long for them to be back again. It is a heartwarming circle that keeps the wheel of drama rolling.

With Fu Chou character played by Jing Chao, I would say, second to Rong Le, this is also a complex role to play. Seasoned actor Jing Chao fits and plays the role well. This character has no external emotion expression, but I do connect with Fu Chou from begin to end, from dislike to acceptance, from suspicious to truth, and from despite to sympathy. Through mostly short sentences, burst of emotions, facial and body expression, Jing Chao has really carried out the depth and complexity of the character. Because of his acting, I do circle back to Fu Chou and accept his role in the story.

To my least favorite character of the series, it is Rong Qi played by Luo Yunxi. From both character and performance standpoint, I find it exceedingly difficult to accept and tolerate this combination. Luo Yunxi acting seems very dry to me. Understanding that Rong Qi is a sickness and painful role, I never see that but do see an internal evilness in him until the very last episode. I am not sure whether I misunderstand the role, or it is supposed exactly like that. This is where I like to know what is really the Rong Qi actual character in the novel. As for the story, I see the last 6 episodes is written as a redemption for Rong Qi and to fill in all the missing pieces. I find myself forwarding most of it because, by episode 60, my mind is already made up for Rong Qi as an antagonist, and there is no return from there regardless of how many more beautiful details of Rong Qi and Rong Le relationship added. I understand the need for a series of events to bring back all memory for Rong Le and to cure her illness, however, the dragging of the last few episodes on the relationship of Rong Qi and Rong Le during her pregnancy are very repugnant in my view. At that point, most of the secret plots have been exposed, and therefore, I feel that the series could have been concluded with 60 episodes by keeping the details on their relationship minimal. It is very unlikely that I would rewatch the drama because of these very distasteful episodes.

Lastly with some random thoughts, although I have enjoyed Princess Silver, the tragic story in the drama is too heavy heart for me to rewatch a second time. I find it draws a lot of emotion out of me which a good drama should do. I am also overly impressed with the overall casts and their performance. I hope and look forward to seeing their other works soon. Regarding costumes, I have mixed feeling on some costumes used in the drama, especially the design and accessories of the royal outfits, seemed to be over killed. For those who enjoy serious, highly emotional, intense love, and complex storytelling, I highly recommend this series. If you are looking for fun, light heart, beautiful love story, my current favorites are Joy of Life and Under the Power, both are excellent dramas that will leave you a big note of happiness and satisfaction.

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The plot twists, the ending, ugh, the ending is bittersweet

This drama is amazing, the cast, the actors, it is very well made.
Being set in a different year in the past begs me to question what/when will the modern twist be put on?

After the modern era change, it seems to have lost a tiny bit of the sparkle this drama had, but that is to be expected, when things have changed.
The ending, oh, so heartbreaking. I wish for a season 2 but I doubt that will happen.
Amazing cast, the story is not too slow, and the acting is top notch!
The storyline is pretty good, hard to follow sometimes, since I forget who has used the spoon and so on, lol.
There have been many good dramas this year, and this is definitely top 5 so far in my mind.

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As my adrenalin continues to be revved up after the completion of this movie, all I can say is, I cannot conscious recommend this to ANYONE!! Why? The beginning of the movie that features the conflict between the two male leads is so hard to watch, so raw with anguish and disgusting behavior, no sane person would say watch this. Again, I am always awed and amazed at the depiction of bullying in Korean schools. It is unimaginable to think that anyone who is a victim survives with their sanity. And that is the crux of the story.

Yang Dong Geun as Chang Sik was superb, as usual. Joo Sang Wook as the tortured and never to have recovered Joon Seok was utterly amazing! The story is SUPER raw and an emotional roller coaster. Not too often you can watch a movie and say "Kill them ALL".

So can I say this movie was good? Not good, AMAZINGLY GOOD. Can I recommend? Unless you have the stomach to watch severe levels of abuse, rape, beatings, and few other things, you might want to skip this; however, if you can handle those subject matters, this is an well-acted and amazing story whereby the ending is exactly as you expected.

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"Was that life? Well then, once more!" -Nietzsche

This quote was brought up multiple times, and fittingly, it sums up the main theme of the drama. Not everything in life goes as planned. There will be ups and there will be downs. What's important is to have to courage to stand back up after falling down, to have the courage to confront the road that's ahead and push forward.

If you've seen Jealousy Incarnate, then you may be familiar with this writer's style. Wok of Love is a romcom at its core, but while it is mostly light and fluffy, it also carries heavy undertones throughout the drama. You'll notice this almost immediately given the beginning isn't all duck soup (sorry I had to make a food pun).

The story revolves around our main cast after experiencing hardships, having the strength to keep moving forward and make what's best of what they have--in the form of cooking. It isn't the most deep or original, but it's something that we can all relate to on some level (the theme at least; I can't cook for my life).

What really made me appreciate this drama was the cast, however. The main leads all had amazing chemistry together, so much so that I was shipping all 3 of them together at many points. Junho and Ryeo Won were adorable together, almost adolescent-like love. The bromance between Junho and Jang Hyuk was on point! And Jang Hyuk's interactions with Sae Woo were so lovable as well. (I know a lot of people are disappointed in this certain topic, but please do remember Jang Hyuk isn't the main male lead in this drama. Do what you will with that information.)

The supporting cast was great as well; I really felt for some characters, especially Park Ji Young and Jo Jae Yun, while others did a great job at pissing me off with their characters. *glares at Kim Sa Kwon, Im Won Hee, and Lee Mi Sook* (but especially Lee Mi Sook--she plays two characters in this drama, and it's amazing how you can feel for one so much, while hate the other)

The music was great, and never really felt out of place; "There's Something" by Jeong Sewoon especially fit so well for those cute, romantic moments, while "At The Usual Time" by Youngjae of GOT7 filled the gap for those hype, epic moments. The comedic and heavy moments also had bgm to compliment their respective scenes.

One major gripe I had with this drama was the episode count. Sadly, the drama was originally supposed to be 40 episodes, and the 2 episodes that were cut had a clear impact on the making of the later episodes. Lots of subplots didn't get wrapped up, or were rather ignored completely. The ones that did get closure ended in a satisfying manner, albeit rushed.

Regardless, this was a very enjoyable watch. The entire cast was spectacular and had great chemistry; so many of their interactions were hilarious. If you're up for some romcom with feels here and there, give Wok of Love a try!

P.S. do NOT watch this drama on an empty stomach.

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It's alright

I will be honest, the storyline was so dumb and a little boring (for me, but I had good laughs). Aside from that, my real issue with the storyline was that troubles spawned out of nowhere, and when they were solved, they disappeared and were mostly never acknowledged. Still, whenever I'm bored, I watch this series, it has a special place in my heart and I cherish it with all its imperfections.

Going into positive things!

- JoongDunk chemistry was on point. Whenever they kissed I was like: "I also want to kiss a guy like that."
- The theme song was a banger, it is playing 24/7 inside my mind
- Can Dunk look prettier?
- Why is Joong so handsome?
- Kot was a real one for standing up for his friend.

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Live, love and lost under the Big Sky

This is an adaptation of a book of prose by Li Juan. Changes were made to make it more suitable for live action. Read into that what you will.

This series has received some well-deserved attentions and solid ratings. I think it is largely due to its unique setting and a simple and honest storytelling amongst the sea of samey idol dramas.

The story is a mashup of the classic When Worlds Collide and Fish Out of Water tropes. They are oldies but goodies. In this case, our FL finds herself in a remote part of the Xinjiang autonomous region which is the definition of remoteness itself. So, you can imagine her culture shock.

BTW, the show was set over 20 years ago, so things are simpler back then, but changes are coming, just like winter. The straightforward plot largely centred on the lives of one Kazakh village, their friends and their interactions with FL's small family.

Historically, the Kazakh are nomads herders and each summer, the families would move with their herds to their summer pastures in the Altai mountains. In that sense, I prefer the Chinese title of My Altai which is more meaningful.

As the show opens, we find the older generation confused about the changes and "nonsensical" rules from people they can't relate to. While the younger generation is squeezed between two conflicting cultures. It is this tug-of-war that is the foundation of much of the drama in this series.

It is obvious that this show doesn’t have a big budget and can be a bit rough around the edges. Nevertheless, it is made with heart and a focus on authenticity. Local "actors" are used extensively. I won't go as far as saying they discovered new talents, but they managed to grab You Shi before he gained fame with his recent movie roles. He is all singing and all dancing here. He made the effort to learn the local dialect. While not 100% fluent, it is impressive, nevertheless. He also did all the horse riding stunts, and he sang in the local dialect. Kudos to him.

As I mentioned before, the show is like a breath of fresh air (or is that mountain air?), and you quickly become enmeshed in the village life. Their lives are ruled by the seasons and daily chores. It is a harsh but fulfilling life. You know life is tough when luxury is a dry bed.

They only break from the daily grind during festivals and celebrations like weddings. They certainly let their hair down during those rare occasions. Friendship is renewed and romance blossom. This is also an area where the generation gap rears it head. Some of the older generations are still engaging in matchmaking while the younger generations are doing their own thing. In a way, the show used the various romances to spice up the plot but it is a bit distracting when the landscape is such a magnificent stage and yet we are stuck in a yurt, watching the elders negotiate again and again.

I’m not sure these complications is the production trying to inject some relatable plots and angst for contemporary viewers. What is obvious is their influence on the last ep. It really was drama for drama’s sake and feels rushed. I’m not sure if it is necessary but it ended things with a bang. The last scene was a bit of a tease for us who are shipping the OTP. Will they? Won’t they? Maybe a second season will give us the answer. ;)

Regardless, this is a good show. It deserves all the kudos for doing something different. I appreciate the efforts the production invested to make it authentic and sincere. With such a short run-time, it is an easy binge. Give it a go, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Finally, the elephant in the room. The treatment of ethnic minorities and the flood of Han people into those remote regions is a sensitive topic. Several plots gave us a hint of what’s to come. The show's portrayal is restrained for obvious reasons. Enough said.

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A slow-paced romance that gives us the happy ending we needed

9/25/2021

Just like many, I have been waiting for the happy ending after watching "One and Only". O&O is a beautiful, tragic romance where no one got a happy ending. I am eagerly waiting for Zhou Sheng Chen and Shi Yi's happily every after. This drama is not a romantic comedy and one should not expect cute and fluffy romance and lots of kisses. Instead, I feel that it has a very similar vibe to O&O. It's mellow and romantic in its own way. The romance is developed very slowly, even though they are engaged early on in the drama. Some might find the pace too slow because of ZZC's character and his awkward dorkiness. One need to be patient for the romance to develop and it's the central part of this whole drama. I do think that the drama could have been a little shorter.

What I like:

1. Zhou Sheng Chen/Allen Ren - One of the main reasons I enjoy this drama is because I enjoy a male lead like ZSC. I have a soft spot for a ML who is a little reserved, loyal, a little dorky, and shows his affections through quiet actions and not cheesy lines. I like how ZSC could only manage to utter a few words in the beginning of the romance. Then you slowly see that he speaks in phrases, then in complete sentences and then able to joke and tease. The way he talks shows the progression of their relationship. I am a fan of Allen Ren, but I never find him super attractive unless he's in uniform. But I find him VERY attractive in this drama. He looks good in a sweatshirt, in PJs and in suits, well, and topless. He looks especially good with his wet hair :)

2. *Spoiler* Ep 23 Bathtub scene - This is the most intimate, heartbreaking and romantic scene. It breaks my heart that ZSC was devastated from his grief. I felt Shu Yi's helplessness in not knowing how to comfort him. The washing of his hair feels so intimate and comforting. I love that ZSC asks Shu Yi to hug him and she immediately climbs inside the tub and give him a big, tender, loving hug. We don't need a passionate kiss here. All we need is that quietness and understanding of each other. This scene gives me the same vibe as my favorite nose-touching scene in One and Only.

3. Main Romance - I love how Shu Yi complements ZSC so well. They are both quiet people but Shu Yi is honest and straightforward, very similar to Shu Yi in One and Only. She's the one that always initiates and shows affection first, and that's what ZSC needs. I like how inexperienced our male lead is and the way he's always trying to ask Shu Yi to teach him. I agree with Shu Yi, he is absolutely adorable in his dorky self. The romance is mature and healthy. They trust each other and there isn't any silly misunderstanding between them. I also like their subtle color-matching outfits, esp. the yellow/tan sweater that Shu Yi wears and the yellow/tan jacket that ZSC wears (he looks so good in that outfit!).

4. Acting - Of course Bai Lu and Allen Ren are amazing and have great chemistry. I enjoy the supporting cast as well, e.g. Grandma, Uncle Lin, FL's parents and Little Ren.

4. Costumes - Everyone in this drama dresses very well. Our leads have a wonderful wardrobe of casual wear, formal wear and evening wear. It's hard to find a C-drama that I agree with the costume choices, as I've seen too many oversized clothing. Bai Lu looks absolutely beautiful in everything she wears. And of course, Allen Ren, who I gushes so much about already.

5. The Sites/Cinematography - What a beautiful traditional-style big house we have in this drama. The shots of the view of the lotus pond is especially beautiful when the red lanterns were up. I love all the rooms, all the yards and especially the library. I am also glad that we get to see sights in Shanghai and Xi'An as well.

What I don't Like:

1. Reincarnation Ban - I read that China bans dramas of reincarnation and I think it affects the story-telling of this drama. For fans of One & Only, Forever and Ever lacks the connection between the two. As much as I like the dream sequences and the voice dubbing, they are not enough to provide viewers to feel the emotional connection and the leads past lives. That's why I find it hard to believe that Shu Yi would fall in love with Zhou Shen Chen at the airport because of a name.

2. Plot holes - Did ML tell FL the real reason for his proposal, that he needs to get married to inherit everything? Did I miss that part? How can a boatman not know how to swim? Didn't the crabs stay with FL's parents house and the cute dad was fanning the crabs? How come the little girl brought the crabs back to ML?

3. Lack of kisses - I did not feel that One & Only needs any kiss scene. But, I do feel that we need at least one or two more in Forever and Ever. We only get one in the car and it was going so well until it was interrupted. There were quite a few moments when I felt that a kiss will enhance the scene, e.g. when they were both soaked in the rain and got back to the hotel before their first night together. Or when they're in the snow on top of the tower before or after they whisper the "I love you"?

4. Family Drama at the end - I am not sure how I feel about the family drama in the last few episodes. It feels a little out of place.

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One of the rare down to earth lakorns.  

I honestly admired RIn,  she was very patience, caring, loving, and her skills, she cooks, cleans, she plants, make perfumes. I don't think that I have got half of her skills as a wife.   She protected her calmness when her husband's ex-gf suddenly came to destroy her wedding.  She endured her even after getting married.

I loved the advice the mother give to her daughters. " Do you think marriage is like fairy tales that you read in book"  & about a heart can change.  

Saran's ma advices to her son...     " Love is like pen & paper " " Spoon & Fork"  you can love / marry  someone out of your circle ( matching-suitor- someone richer - poorer- different culture-beliefs-religion etc ) but this may not always work.  (this type of relationships)

Saran & Ri they slowly fall in love,  Although I'm against arranged marriages, but arranged marriages still exists and not all ends up like Saran & Ri's.

When you fall in love slowly, you learn to respect, but when you marry someone you already know / in love, after a while you lose that spark,  

This lakorn is set in 1950's and you can that vibe from the music, outfit, cars & surroundings. I really really enjoyed the OST,  it was pleasant almost very relaxing.

Also we have Villains called White Tiger,  who uses black magic, now this is not everyone's cup of tea for me it's the power of the words. Believing into something  too much and making  it real.

She has two younger sisters, One gets married after her but her marriage crumbles down in a short time. Saran's friend is wooing Rin's little sister, she's the only clever one after Rin.  

Sisters  don't get much screen time.  I totally recommend it. It's not your usual lakorn

No matter what I love the connection between three sisters,  we only see the two of them arguing it's Rin & the middle sister, that's because  Saran refused to help her husband on his illegal rice exporting business,  (that reminded me something very  similar happened in my family when my mother was still a child funny enough in the 1950's like in this lakorn.   All three of them were protective of each other, none of the other sisters made Ri felt like she's adopted,  but she always slept with the maid, until Saran's friend starts to investigate.  Her story sort of reminded me of Cinderella, how she was doing all the housework while her step  sisters are   socializing.
She hopes that her husband will be back and take her so they can continue to live together but the end all she got is a failure from her husband.

Ri's story towards the end may surprise you

I love how both mothers were good towards Rin, except the bitchy ex & stupid White Tiger everything is all ok.

If you find the ex gf annoying like me, just wait through the end she's gonna get a nice slap by Rin's sister.  

What I love about Korean, Chinese - Thai Dramas they use karma ..  being quite spiritual myself I believe in karma.

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One of 2024's hidden gems

Oh, Songwon Police Department 2nd Violent Crimes Unit, you are so precious to me. Thank you for bringing so much me so much joy these past few weeks.

Honestly, give me an ensemble cast with great chemistry, comedic chops, and one shared brain cell and I'll eat it up every time, and this show is no exception.

For me, the best part of this show is the team's chemistry and bond. I found most of the cases interesting (although the resolution the writers come up with sometimes requires some hand-waving), but this show is primarily character-driven and gives more attention to building and developing its characters and their relationships.

I also really liked how the case of the week gave more insight into each member of the team. The only person I thought got shafted in this regard is the maknae; I would have liked to know more about why he left his family to join the police force but it seems the writers forgot all about that part until the last episode.

I do wish the overarching mystery had been weaved in better with the rest of the story. The big bad's reveal and the clue that led to it also required a bit of a deductive leap.

Another thing I enjoyed was that, for all their silliness, these people are competent for the most part and dedicated to their work. Even the maknae showed great moments of brilliance that made me go, yeah, this is why he was hired.

This show isn't one of the flashiest releases this year and as such might go under the radar, but I fell in love from the first episode and recommend it to anyone looking for something light and funny with a lot of heart.

I'm really going to miss the thinking chair, Junghwan searching diligently for T-Rexes for his daughters, Joong-ryuk the one-punch man, and Yubin's weird facial expressions!

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A short series packed full of flavour.

First off, my review may be a bit bias, since Seven is my favourite actress and Bai is one of male actors I like, but within reason. They always deliver great performance, I'm never disappointed with their acting, if I don't like one of their dramas it's usually bc of the crappy plot. Although, Seven is my most loved actress, I'm not blinded to only watch her dramas, if it's bad script or plot I won't watch it. But, I will specifically check out her dramas and if it's not great I will still drop it. Among the many actresses, only Seven's dramas, I was able to finish 4 of her dramas all the way through, which really says a lot since I drop dramas like raining cats and dogs. Anyways, on to the review of New Home.

Although I've only watched 6/8 eps, I'm still waiting on Youtube for the rest to upload, I've watched enough spoilers and clips of this drama on weibo to get the whole picture.

1) Acting and Casting. The drama did well in casting the younger actors to play the leads. I was very pleasantly surprised the little girl actress was chosen again to play as Seven's younger self. I loved her in Go Ahead, she did amazing, and she did equally well in New Home. The little boy resembled Bai since even the ears were similar (great detailing in casting the younger actors to resemble the adults actors).The younger actors did well in portraying the personalities of their adult selves and the dynamics of their relationship.

If people didn't know, Bai and Seven have been friends for about 5-6 years now since their collab as minor characters in Whirlwind Girl. They have achieved amazing strives in their careers. So, when fans, including me, heard of their collab in New Home, they were ecstatic. Perhaps, it's bc they've known each other for years, instead of two strangers collaborating on the first day, their chemistry was amazing and very comfortable. Their acting was very natural, not overly done or dramatized. I loved Bai's comedy side, he does it so well and smooth. The little details in his expressions were very well executed and natural. I'm never bored watching him act. Seven's acting was very natural as well, I particularly love her smiles. But, I think Bai was the winner in this drama.

The other actors, as villagers, did very well too. Each character had their own personality trait. The granny was cute and funny. Overall, acting and casting was superb. 10/10!

2) Plot. I'm amazed an 8 ep drama can tell a full story with gradual character development. As we all know, cdramas are pretty long and have a lot of filler scenes. This one was to the point, great balance of romance and comedy. This drama was actually pretty heartwarming. Bai's character (XiaoDong-XD) and Seven's character (SiQi-SQ) had similar upbringings, as they were both raised in the village with no parents, but their dreams and goals were different, thus in adulthood their success in life were different. XD is quite materialistic and he want fast paced income. Instead of going to uni he worked most of his life and become a live streamer bc it provided fast income. SQ went to uni, majored in Agriculture, and went back to her home village to be a village official to help the villagers find a sustainable method for livelihood. The two are very much opposites of each other. SQ is all about hard work, no short cuts in life, selfless and optimistic person. While XD thinks earning money or obtaining goals is about being smart and finding shortcuts. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But that's not the case for XD, he runs away from his problems or gives up. When they happen to meet again, in the village, things happen and under SQ's influence and encouragement XD finds meaning in life again. He also becomes more mature and sees life in a different light. SQ learns to put down her prejudice in the profession of live streamers and sees social media as a great resource to help rural areas better their lives. This drama shows the difficulties rural areas have to make ends meet. Most younger people have left their village for the city, to make a better living, leaving behind elders and children. There are troubles in making a living in a rural area, but the use of social media allow villagers to promote and communicate with a mass audience, of all ages, to see the beauty of rural life and to sell their local products. This drama also depicts the hardships of live streamers and how fake their lives really are. They may seem glamourous to the audience, but it's all just illusions social media influencers like to portray. 9.5/10

3) Special Effects. Although this is a modern drama, but the little details used makes it extra humorous and entertaining. The smoke from the house, the blushing, the sound wave etc made it so much better. I also really love the inner dialogues of the 2 leads. We get to hear their real POV and it's always cute and hilarious. I find this the most entertaining unit among the rest. This one gives a good laugh. 10/10

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Amazing. Hilarious. Great!

Where do I begin with my review of Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation? This show is absolutely hilarious. It's exciting, doesn't take itself seriously, and best of all, the cast really seemed like they LOVED working together.

There's never a dull moment in Team Bulldog. I genuinely can't think of an episode, or even a single scene, which I thought dragged on for too long. At times, I may have found myself a bit lost trying to follow some of the earlier plots, but the comedic value, and the chemistry between the cast more than makes up for that.

I'm ashamed to say I had never heard of Cha Tae-hyun before. He's a complete scene stealer, and by that, I really mean whenever he's on the screen, you can't help but become totally immersed. Credit to the screen writers for creating such an amazing character, and of course, to Cha Tae-hyun himself for perfectly portraying Kang Ho.

I enjoyed Lee Sun-bin's performance in Sketch a lot, and while Team Bulldog is the only other show I've seen her in, she appears to be more suited in comedy roles. The supporting cast really helps to elevate the show to another level too - all the characters are extremely likeable, and the acting is superb.

I believe there's HUGE rewatch value in this. I could see myself watching from start to finish again very soon, something I wouldn't consider with most shows.

Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation gets a 10/10

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STORY:
A typical modern-time-travel-back-to-ancient-China thing. Which is something I oddly really like!!! Idk, I just always think time traveling to ancient China is the coolest thing ever... I really like the ideas thrown in to make this drama of how and what it became. It later on turns out really unexpectedly weird with a sort of plot twist in the end, which though it does all makes sense in the end in it's own way, I guess.

ACTING/CAST:
Acting is 8/10, most did very well and some did ok.
Here are some of my thoughts of the main characters:

Xing Zhao Lin as Mo Lian Cheng:
OMG he is soooo adorable and sexy. I freaking fell deep in love with him. How can a 20 year old be so freaking hot!!! *Sweats & gulps* I caught myself falling for him and I was like, why does it feel like I am falling in love with him?! So weird?! Okay! Okay! Anyways! This drama shows very well of his acting skills. When watching Princess Agents, I never thought Xing Zhao Lin would have such skills!!! XD His character is so full of love and soooo fucking romantic even I felt the need to want to be his wife, LMAO. He is suuuuch a maaaan, whooo!

Liang Jie as Qu Tan Er/Xiao Tan:
She is a real talent... I am very impressed of her playing as 2 different characters. It shocked me like wow... It seem so legit like she can truly act as a gentle woman and you would believe that is her nature until she was playing as someone else who is wildin. That was the part of her that got me the most, so I think they did a good job choosing her for the role. When actors and actresses are to portray different characters in one show or movie & it is that believable for you to dislike the "other side of them", that is when it shows their true talents. She did a very good job in this drama. She's very funny, it's cute, I truly enjoyed her in this drama.

Wang Richards as Mo Yi Huai:
He is very handsome. LOVE his cheekbones, LMAO! This is my first time watching him and I really love and enjoy his cheekbones and his pretty face, ahahaha. Overall, I think his acting is very funny. I can't really take his acting seriously, it just very funny... He still needs a lot of improvements or so. But his acting goes well with comedy, hahahaha.

Sun Yi Zhu as Jing Xin:
Looool. This girl was very entertaining to watch! She is suuuuper cute and adorable. I grew to like her a lot. She does a very good job as Qu Tan Er's maid. I really love how they designed her as a maid that stands out, loved how they styled her hair, it is very cute on her. How she portrays her character dealing with Qu Tan Er's switching issues is what caught my attention the most.

MUSIC:
I've heard better soundtracks for dramas. I usually obsess over and fall in love with soundtracks from dramas and add it to my playlist and listen to it often, but I was just not feeling the music for this drama at all. So I would not download the soundtrack for this drama ):

REWATCH VALUE:
This drama currently tops as my #2 favorite drama out of all the other dramas I've seen in my life as Ten Miles of Peach Blossom tops as my #1. If I were a DVD collector, I would definitely buy the DVD set just to rewatch as I grow older, lmao. But I am more of a "watch-it-on-the-internet" type due to the new generation & technology of shows and movies online. So my list is visible on my kisskh account! Any that stays on my top 10 is definitely worth rewatching.


Love, love, love it so much. This masterpiece will always have a spot in my heart forever! It's so cute and I'm glad I had came across it to be a part of my life. As a 24 episode web series, it is definitely must watch!

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I only just finished it and I already want to rewatch it!!

This was honestly really fun to watch. I made predictions at the start about what I thought would happen so I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film.

Suda Masaki's character (Yamashiro Keigo) just want to succeed with his art and manga. And once he finally does, things go south. Despite him drawing upon a murder he witnessed, the murderer decides to follow the murders in the manga. It's a bit of a full circle moment, especially during the climax. It's relatively slow for the most part but the director did an amazing job at building up the tension. Especially when Morozumi started appearing in Keigo's life. I was worried for all the other characters but also excited to see and know more.

The acting was phenomenal. The fact that Fukase Satoshi who played the serial killer - Morozumi Shuichi - only just had his acting debut with this film is insane because of how good he was. I did wish we knew more information about his character and how he used another person (Henmi) with his killings, but I'm still satisfied. Suda Masaki was great as usual. I expect nothing less from him. He really captures different emotions well - from joy and happiness to anxiety and frustration. I also love Seida-san. Seeing Oguri Shun act is always so enjoyable. He wasn't just a detective. He also had interests. And of them happened to be reading manga, specifically Keigo's manga. The other actors also took on their role well.

I really do recommend this film. If you love any of the actors in the film (especially Suda Masaki and Oguri Shun), and psychological thrillers with serial killers, and manga, this film is for you.

PS. Sorry if this review is all over the place, I might go back and edit this. I'm also glad that I am the first review for this amazing film!!

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I learned after my first two reviews to wait a month or two after I watched the last episode before reviewing something. Sometimes there is something better out there and I just don’t know it or the show isn’t as bad or as good as I thought it was after the end. That said, I’m glad I’m reviewing this after some distance. On the surface, Her Private Life is a fabulous piece of fluff…..digging deeper, well, its just that…..more candy, not exactly healthy but okay in controlled doses.

STORY:
This is the story of Duk Mi (played by Park Min Young) who is a fangirl (like a rabid fan – and a little too much like me). She just idolizes Cha Shi An, nicely done by One. She also has a real job curating an art gallery. Queue ornery but very breathtaking new director, Ryan Gold played by Kim Jae Wook (way to beautiful for comfort). It isn’t long before he realizes something is up with Duk Mi and well it all spirals out of control in a nice cotton candy flow-y way.

CHARACTERS:
Two leads aside, I liked the supporting characters a lot. Also, Duk Mi plays this part very similar to how she does in Secretary Kim so I’m concerned she might be a one note wonder. I haven’t seen Kim Jae Wook in anything else yet, but I plan to. Their romance is a little textbook but entertaining. The storyline of Duk Mi becoming an emotional support for Ryan Gold is touching and removes some of the cliché-like taint from the story.

Duk Mi’s friend’s Eun Gi and Seon Joo are good for some laughs (I do like Park Jin Joo’s Lee Seon Joo the very best). The co-workers including Cindy (fellow celebrity stalker) are interesting and Cindy’s mother is so out of control, its like watching a car accident. I admit I found Cha Shi An endearing and sweet and hoped he’d have more visibility in the show or at least at the end, perhaps a concert or something. I was a little frustrated his character never found out the identity of the fan (it was Duk Mi). That would have been nice to see his reaction to realize he knew her, but….it wasn’t necessary to carry the story to the ending.

MUSIC:
The music wasn’t bad but forgettable. Truly, I can’t remember one song about this show, but I wasn’t annoyed by it. I don’t make a habit to download songs but over the summer I found a few shows with music now firmly planted in my playlists. (Is that a good thing or a bad thing?)

RECAP:
Park Min Young, like Secretary Kim, has fabulous hair and costumes. I want fabulous hair and costumes!! I will say that considering her last two shows were with Kim Jae Wook and Park Seo Joon, she must be the luckiest actress in all Asia. I’ll admit that I want to watch all her movies just for the leading men.

If you are looking for earth shattering, scenes that make you want to scream or cry, political intrigue, or high art, please don’t watch this show. Her Private Life is something lighthearted and friendly that you can detox with when watching too many c-dramas. When your done watching, I promise, you’ll be smiling….however, also ready to move on.

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