Reviews

Everyone needs a damn psychiatrist.

How can an 18-minute long extra episode be better written and far more interesting than the entire first season?

I should start by saying that I'm a big fan of villains/antagonists in pretty much any type of media, so Lhong turned out to be a character I really enjoyed from a psychological perspective. I'm not a psychologist or anything of the sort, but I do enjoy reading and watching stories of the genre. If you ask me, I would've preferred to watch an hour long episode of him going through his personal life because I felt that the combination of depression, anger, and fear of abandonment that was showcased in this short episode was an excellent plot for him.

Many of you are very quick to judge this character and I see why, I mean, he has done absolutely terrible things, but he has also been led through a life of self-loathing and solitude, hating people because he thinks people hate him. Now listen to me: I DON'T support any of his actions due to the fact that they were simply WRONG, but it make sense why he did it when you think about it.

I am incredibly disappointed at the writers of this novel/drama because they turned something that had so much potential into a degenerated sexual assault and abusive relationships fanservice. It is absolutely AGGRAVATiNG how NONE of these character got ANY type of punishment for their actions. If this was me, I would have called the police on them bitches as soon as the first episode ended.

Please do not support these kind of stories. They do no good for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sincerely, a gay man who won't condone this type of behavior.

P.S.: Shoutout to the actor, though. He did an excellent job portraying his role as Lhong and I hope to see more of him in future dramas.

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This quietly moving film about a reporter's search for the perfect doenjang exudes in curiosity, a sense of wanting to taste, of wanting discover what made the perfect stew perfect, of wanting to uncover the circumstances that made all these people go ga-ga over it, and finally of wanting to search for the woman who made it.

Dooenjang/The Recipe is a perfect example of a simple story made extraordinary. Lee Yo Won, as usual, portrays her character with grace and calmness and Lee Dong Wook was the perfect 'masked goblin.' But the best performance goes to Ryu Seong Ryong, who played the inquisitive, go-getter reporter who went to great lengths just to piece every bit of truth behind the story that makes up The Recipe.

Story - If you're just as inquisitive and scientific, this story will guarantee you a 10
Cast and Music - awesome
Rewatch Value - Although a tragedy, still highly rewatchable masterpiece

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This is pretty much a mini special that shows a bunch of flashbacks, as well as some new videos about the company going from just Toru's small (1 million member) company to the big leagues. This special isn't necessary, but for fans of the drama it helps increase the backstory a bit.

Story 7/10: This special was quite interesting. Like I said before, it just has a few clips that aren't from the dramas, but overall it really helps you learn more about Asahina and toru.

Acting 10/10 : No complaints about the cast. They are perfect like in the drama.

Music 6/10 : The music is good, but not great. In fact I think it only had one song and that was the same one.

Rewatch Value 3/10 : I wouldn't really rewatch this special, especially due to the fact that im not really a rewatcher.

Overall 7/10: The special is good, but it's not great like the drama.

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Really sweet

There's a small warning in the beginning, "This project started because we want to do it. There's no any other reason. There's no drama. There's only fun and confusion. We just want to do it, so don't expect a meaningful story. Even if you want to find it, you can't find it. But if you want to find our cuteness, you will definitely see it." This is so true. While there's no "meaningful story," as they put it, it's still super sweet and endearing to watch. Each episode is only ~5 minutes, and they're all small compilations of just cute, mundane moments between Team and Win. Honestly, it made my day to watch these, and I'll probably rewatch just before Between Us comes out in 2022 (and maybe in between if there's any drama that makes me cry, haha).

Note: There was some body-shaming in the 3rd episode that I wasn't a huge fan of, but other than that I enjoyed these episodes!

Just watch it if you want pure sugar <3

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The drama "Time and him are just right" is a very lovable and tender drama.Is about youth,love and human relationships in our school years .The cast is compiled by new actors and actresses giving them the oppurtunity to show us their talent.Especially about the male and female leads their acting is very good and the interraction between them perfect.The story is beautiful ,funny and interesting .The music is also happy and matches with the whole story.If you want to spend your free time watching a easy-going drama this is the perfect one.Overall I strongly recommend it to watch it.

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A gloomy, purplish masterpiece

Call it love. As the title suggests, we are invited to watch another drama revolving around LOVE. But what kind of love?

This Drama is so typical; it is a melodramatic, slow-burn, revenge type of drama. If you have seen such a genre, then you won't be surprised, but this drama in essence is quite different from the rest.

Plot Summary:
Revenge, adultery, drama, and romance, all depict this drama. A very average, yet very vengeful girl is set out to avenge their shattered family after their father cheats on their mom and makes them homeless after 13 years. But who does she go after? The mistress's son who happens to be a CEO living a somewhat OK life. but that's the just surface. There is more to it. As the story goes, the leads get to know each other and yes Fall in love. The Love is slow-burn, with long gazes, and minimum physical contact, the type that makes you crave more. The leads are both very hurt and depressed, and you will get to see them crying a lot, but the romance is so deep that keeps you going.

Acting:
Both leads delivered a wonderful job. You get to feel their pain and growth as the series goes. Definitely one of those dramas that need an appraisal for the leads. Just look at their direct gazes and long silent walks. even their very short intimate scene was beautiful.
Even the villain exhibited proper character development and other actors/actresses delivered their respective roles decently.

Writing:
I'm not familiar with the writing team, but this drama is not without fault, however, most of the questions are answered in the end. There are no loopholes or over-complicated plots, yet the drama became slow in the last few episodes. Plus, the leads needed to have more skinship/intimate scenes for the audience to enjoy their relationship better, but that's how Kdramas are. Always trying to be artistic and different.

Production and cinematography:
One thing i heard a lot before starting this drama was that many said the drama has a purple theme. That's true and it can be annoying to some, yet i personally enjoyed it. Why? because the color itself could depict how the leads were in pain and how the story wasn't happy. it's actually a psychological effect and the writers used this deliberately to play with our minds. it can be irritating at first, but as the story continued, i felt more and more in sync with the color.
The locations used in this drama are SUPERB. Beautiful sceneries and aesthetics. are one of the great aspects of this drama, Again in sync with the characters and the story's gloomy theme.

Soundtrack:
Beautiful choice of songs. All convey the feelings of pain and love at the same time. Wish i could find the background music pieces by the composer, yet we only got the original songs so far. No theme songs.

Overall, it's a 10/10 for me personally, yet had i to deduct a point for the fact that the leads had very little skinship and in my honest opinion, romantic dramas need intimacy on-screen.
Highly recommended to those who want LOVE and ANGST at the same time. and the ending doesn't disappoint too :)

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A wise man once said ''YAY! Panda!'' and from then on the word ''panda'' became the protagonist of a bunch of puns that are so lost in translation that I feel so bad if I think about the fact that I'm not Japanese. Uso da to itte yo... (I'll leave this for you to complete)

This was one of my first doramas, and I remember being very indecisive about watching it, but I'm so glad I did. A year and so later, this is still the best dorama I've ever watched, and my absolute favourite. It's not even the plot per se, which could very well be seen as nothing special. It's... the characters? The friendship? The emotions? The stories? I wouldn't know.

I mean, if I think about it... Love Shuffle is not that special. It has characters who fall in love, get heartbroken, fall in love again, maybe even find a happy ending. And yet it's more than that. I came for the romance, but stayed for... anything but.

Yes, this has romance in it, the whole plot is driven by it. But. Is it your standard rom-com? Not a chance.
Admittedly, every pairing could actually work - with a couple of exceptions. You do figure out who's gonna end up with whom by the second round of shuffling (mid-way), but personally... I didn't care.

I mean, if you ever feel in doubt whether you should watch this dorama, just watch the first episode and then decide. The first 15 minutes are an absolute delight, and, looking back, I realise that's the moment I was hooked.

I am, of course, talking about the most amazing piece of television ever written: the elevator scene. How in the world can you take four characters who don't know each others, and of which the viewer doesn't know anything about and doesn't care for (yet), put them in an elevator, and still make the scene work and not feel unnecessarily long? I don't even know. If you figure out the answer, please leave a comment to let me know.

You can really rewatch this dorama as much as you like without getting bored: beware though, it's so good you'll wish you could rewatch it again the moment it ends.

The cast is phenomenal, with one exception - I didn't like Yukki (Daigo) very much, but I guess it's his voice. It's just so annoying. Uzze.

Shoutout to my Ojiro's (Matsuda Shota's) hair. Man, he can really rock that hairstyle.

The music is great! I still, to this day, adore the instrumental theme and listen to it very often. The main theme is Fantasy by Earth, Wind and Fire, so prepare yourself because it'll get stuck in your head. That, and Eternal Flame by Bangles. Seriously, it's a curse.

I have yet to find a dorama as good as this one, but in my heart I know that nothing can ever be like the gem that is Love Shuffle. Yay, Panda!

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I was not expecting anything from this drama and I was not even interested at first since the plot about a girl in a military academy looked quite unrealistic and not interesting to me. I was very surprised in the end because it revealed itself to be very entertaining with nice characters to follow.

Story : the story follows a group of military trainees from admission to graduation. They evolve through adventures and hardships which are well told and entertaining for the action parts and cute and funny for the other parts. Main focus is put on 3 characters who are very interesting in their personality and their development throughout the drama. You really understand them and feel close to them. The love triangle was very well handled as you could not know how it will unfold for a long time. Other secondary characters have also nice or sad or bittersweet stories well told and this brings complexity and good density to the overall plot line.

Acting : I thought most of the cast did a tremendous job here. I have seen the two main lead in the Legends and the are very good in this drama too. Bai Lu acting is on spot portraying a strong character but less funny more calm but also daring. You totally believe her tomboyish female character as a girl and the pretty boy soldier as a man. Xu Kai was great too. He portrayed nicely a fun character quite immature but finally reliable. He was good while bickering or nagging or playing cute with Xie Xiang. Many commented he had something of Leonardo Dicaprio. I kinda agree. Toby Lee was great also. He portrayed a very serious heir of a rich family. You totally believe his character and the nature he shows in his relationships. He overshadowed the main lead some times as his chemistry with the female lead was so good. Others actors did well too specially the guy portraying soldier Song, the Shen brother but the also the Academy staff. The female friends were well portrayed.

Music : I found the intro music very surprising but contrasting with the genre of the drama and it gave it an originality. I loved the love song at the romantic moments. Overall the music was ok for me.

Re-watch: Not sure I would re-watch it since it is so long but this drama has many fun or heartbreaking scenes I will gladly re-watch just for the feeling of it and I seldom have the chance to do that with Chinese dramas.

Overall : despite some usual clichés regarding the vilains it's a very entertaining and recommended drama.

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I was in the pit of my drama blues when this came to me. Contrary to its plain storyline and non-idol cast, this drama surprised me. The result? I stayed up all night to finish watching it in a drama marathon! The outcome? Horrid horrid day the next day when I have to work (due to lack of sleep!). Not very smart of me to start a drama in the middle of a work week - but I seriously thought that this will be a boring fare with me stopping at 1-2 episodes! How wrong I was! Therefore, this drama should come with a warning: Do not start watching unless it is a weekend and you do not have to wake up early for work the next day!

Story: It is a simple story. Boy and girl grew up together. They are as close as close can be - BUT, they never fell for each other. Girl turn 30 and starts to mourn the lost of her youth. Suddenly, she realised what a waste her life had been - living with her mum and sister and writing stories that never get to see the light of the day. So, she made a life changing decision. She decided to move out of her home, but hold on..! She is too broke to afford a place of her own. At times like these, can't we all rely on our BFF for help? Likewise, she turned to her best bud - who happens to be a man with commitment issues. Due to a bad first relationship, the bloke lost faith in love. So, he spend his days flirting with women. When she approached him for help, he refused but later, due to some 'monetary issues', he allowed her to move in and live with him. Surely, there will be no harm - despite societal perception of a single man and a single woman living together.. right??? After all, in his eyes, she is a 'man' and she never regarded him as a man. How wrong!!! They fast learn that being BFF and knowing everything about each other does not equate to harmony in a live-in situation. Suddenly, there are things about each other they never knew - like what a pedantic clean freak he is and what a irresponsible sloth she is! Oh, sure... they knew about that long ago... but to live together and to endure such traits...God help us all! Soon, BFFs are turning against each other!
You may ask - how is it that this is a romance drama? This is for me to know and you to find out. *wink*
This drama reminds me a lot of the TDrama "In Time With You" and since this drama came out first, I am not surprised if In Time With You got its aspirations from this drama. The difference? In Time With You has a much serious tone to it while this one, despite its mature storyline, does contain some funny moments.
This is a very realistic drama and even the funny moments are realistic/natural. If you are tired of "highly processed and manufactured" idol-infested dramas with unrealistic storylines, this one will provide the relief needed and bring you back to what a solid romance drama should be like. Watch it and find out!

Acting/Cast: No complains. It is not an idol drama, hence no great lookers. Acting is top-notch!

Music: Not a highlight here. Appropriate music for appropriate moments.

Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch dramas, so a 8/10 from me means this is a keeper for the times when the offerrings are meagre and you just want to indulge in dramas. Rewatch and re-live real love.
Even my husband likes it - him, a non-drama person. We will re-watch this together for a quiet evening with wine together. :)

Overall: Go watch it! A good one to teach youngsters what real relationships are like least they forget; what with all those highly 'manufactured' romance dramas out there nowadays!

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This movie is hilarious, romantic, motivational, about forgiveness and yet it is realistic in some ways. It successfully portrayed that some people judge people on their looks, in this movie, the female lead being "fat" the reason she was mistreated. But again, some criticism may motivate someone to make him/herself improve to the better, some do it for the bad reason, that is, getting revenge.

I learned in this movie that, no one is a winner in getting revenge and so it's true about "If you plan to have a revenge, make two graves." And forgiveness is still the best thing to do.

I like this movie, it is very entertaining, especially the "rap song", those wacky acting of the female lead. I cried too at the climax of the movie where the princess confronted her estranged husband.

All in all, you can learn something from this. Some may not approve on the ending but, in real life, some are just forgiving and loving their someone significant that way.

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Personally I loved this movie but I'm a huge Jang Hyuk fan so I'm pretty biased. If he wasn't in it, I probably wouldn't have like it as much as I did. Many people might find it uneventful and slow, but I liked it because it focused mainly on the actors and acting rather than advancing the storyline. The storyline does advance, but there's a lot of silence and zooming in on facial expressions. There's a lot of unspoken emotions going on, so you have to read their body language.

If you like artsy, slow paced movies that are open ended, this may be a good fit for you. I also recommend this movie for any Jang Hyuk fan.

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The first time I saw this I was sorry that I did. The subject matter--the premature death of a middle-aged man of no account--left me depressingly devastated. Still, I gave the film a second chance, partly due to my puzzlement as to why the film made me feel the way it did and partly due to the respected opinions of two anonymous souls who begged to differ.

My verdict? It won't be long before I see it for a third time, which might make you wonder why I gave it pathetic music rating. I gave it a pathetic music rating because there is no music to speak of, none, zilch, nada, not unlike_No Country for Old Men_. Alas, unlike _No Country for Old Men_, _Christmas in August_ has nothing to commend itself in terms of a suspenseful plot, cinematography-rich settings,or a villain so compelling as to make your skin crawl.

What it does have is a reality which you would not have known could ever have existed and conveyed with such subtlety and nuance that you're reaction upon viewing would probably be along the lines of "What?!" To be sure, it's a thinking man's film,one if you could ever get your head wrapped around, you might experience what I did the second time around: an ineffable sorrow which shedding tears for would be vulgar in the extreme.

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Dark, Darker, Darkest...

This is the type of drama that will make you (or me) feel a lot of rage and kind of loose all hope for humanity... It is dark, bloody as... making me want to cover my eyes...

The first couple of episodes had me feeling completely lost not knowing where this was going at all but as the plot unraveled, the twists became easier and easier to guess, it was still interesting well done and had me yelling what the ***** + why would you do such a thing!

It has some pretty interesting symbolism and bible references here and there, and does teach the audience a lesson or ten about all kinds of stuff that would be considered spoilers so I will let you figure those out on your own. This is not for the faint hearted but definitely worth a watch.

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