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The story centers around 4 siblings and each of their personal struggle in life. An older brother who sacrificed his prime time of life for the happiness of his younger siblings. Youngest sibling trying to figure out, whether to pursue his dream or to lay it off for the father like older brother. Main protagonists Mikoto is a paramedic with a special ability to see the last moment of someone's life, struggling to find a way to impede the fate waiting for her stepsister and love interest Sara. The drama might feel slow paced if someone isn't used to "slice of life" genre. Almost each episodes disclose more story of the siblings, their daily life and how people around them helps to seek different possibilities in life. Death, struggle is part of life but familial bond just might be the cure to go past these obstacle and live on, a common message of this type of drama and no difference here.
The drama title has a hidden meaning and one have to watch till the end to get it.
To me, ending is the most important thing to judge a drama. 4-punkan no marigold delivered not only a happy ending but a very satisfying one. Ken Hirai's『#302』in this drama is like cherry on top.
*btw this is my first time doing a drama review. So there might be tons of mistake(apology for that), but I loved this drama so much that it felt like i need to write it.
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Fantastics - A fake documentary
In this fake documentary we follow the lives of Fantastic's members, and we mainly follow their activities inside their dorms which take place prior and after their work schedule.STORY
Honestly, there is not a lot of story in this documentary, it is fiction and reality at the same time. There are some made up scenes/stories in the documentary that we follow. 6 members of the group are living together (Sota, Natsu, Natsuki, Keito, Yusei, Leiya) while Sekai and Taiki visit them frequently. Sota and Hori Natsuki share a room, and Leiya and Yusei also share a room and we see them grow together and spend their time together.
In this fake documentary we can see some of the struggles that the members come across trying to maintain their private life. For example, Hori Natsuki and Leiya are in a relationship and we follow them as we see them face different problems. While, Sawamoto Natsuki with the help of Sota and Keito are trying to develop the most cost-effective recipes with the existing ingredients. Lastly, we also see the close relationship of Yusei and Leiya (wink wink).
If you already know the group and know their story then this is a good show to watch with them. You will have fun. If you don't know a lot about the group (more of that in the MY OPINION section), you might get confused of what is happening and where reality ends and where fiction begins. But in overall, it is a good show to watch if you need more material with the group :) I hope that we will get a second season, as I want to see more of Sawamoto Natsuki with his assistants trying new recipes and then eating together.
MY OPINION
I know that it would be in vain to express my opinion but I need to know if other people think that same as me. Firstly, I would like to share a thought about Fantastic's activities in general. I don't know who is responsible for handling the schedule of the group or who decides in which shows the group would appear or who creates a new show for the group; but they are not that good with their job. I do realise that the main fanclub of the group is in Japan and they are highly promoting their activities in the country (honestly, not only Fantastics but I have this issue with every Exile subgroup), however they cannot belittle International fans.
It was extremely difficult to find this show online and even when I found where I could watch it, there were no Eng subs. I am not referring to official English subtitles; I couldn't find the episodes even with fanmade english subtitles. Instead, I found the episodes online with Chinese subtitles, I downloaded the chinese subtitles and with an online tool I translated them to English, and then I uploaded them on the video. Sure, there are some sections that don't make sense but that was the only way to understand the episodes. In general, I know that it is difficult to easily find a japanese show in the existing sites where we watch Asian Dramas and Movies but this is ridiculous. Due to this inaccessibility of different shows with the group and the lack of English subbed content the group cannot grow their fandom internationally and become more popular.
I find it sad that we will never get english subbed content and shows accessed in common platforms for international fans (e.g. youtube), as I really believe in the groups potentials. The group has all the talent to succeed, not only in the music industry but also entertainment industry, but they don't have the right substructures to help them grow. You have the older member/leader that provides wise advises in the group (Sekai), three sunshines (Sota, Taiki, Keito), the "mother" that takes care of the group members behind the scenes (Natsuki Sawamoto), and lastly you have the seemingly closed people (Yusei and Leiya) that when you get to know you understand how warm they are. The dynamics of the group have great potentials if they were used efficiently.
I think of myself a rookie fan of the group. It has been only a month or so that I follow the group's music and activities. I knew about the group (since I am a huge Generations fan), but I never followed Fantastics; however, after My Beautiful Man, I found myself searching for more shows with them to watch. During an episode Sekai refers to the relationship between Taiki and Yusei, which Taiki said that in the past he had publicly said some bad things for Yusei and that he didn't like him (at least that's what I understood with my broken Japanese and the online translation). When I tried to look for this incident, I couldn't find any video or comment regarding this issue. That holds me back from knowing more about them and it would always give Japanese fans or fans that have ease access to the group's content an advantage and a gap between us (international fans) and them (national fans) would always exist.
What do you think? Am I over dramatic and I exaggerate too much?
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a beautiful mutual unwavering crush
at first i thought this drama was like any other crush drama small memories from the past with leads getting together at the present but this was diffrent the present and the past hits the same multiple times we watch both the past and the present at the same time we even saw the FL predicting that the ML liked her back then while writing her novel espically the holding hand scene the ML hold the FL hands and instead of confessing hes crush he just said sorry wrong person while hiding a deep feeling only he knows about a feeling even 12 years couldnt make that feeling dissapear i wanna talk about the leads and the acting and how good the chemistry is honestly the kissing scenes wasnt too much after leads only got together at ep 24 sadly like a mutual crush story couldve been much earlier but they choose to make a new full slow burn for leads while returning to their old flames a flame that was cooking on a very low speed until they met together and that flame got even bigger and bigger the FL finally got to know the real ML the warm one instead of the cold and aloof one he was predicting to be and honestly if the ML never faked that personna and was real with the FL from the start maybe their interactions at the start wouldve been much smoother instead of many awkward scenes between them this ML acting is always top i remeber i watch you are my secret and he was good there too but honestly this drama did make 6 ep alomst fully focused on the ML and the FL but you are my secret did a much better job presenting the ML and FL dating and kissing even tho it was a one sided crush from the ML like there even tho it was a one sided crush they got together at ep 10 or smthing like that and the drama was 32 ep long with full growth of both the ML and the FL but overall I REALLY LIKED THIS DRAMA i was a bit dissapointed that they only got together at ep 24 but those last few ep already did the job espically their wedding night like it was like 3 or 4 min of them kissing this drama really hits diffrent butttt i really wouldve loved to see a time skip with their child and maybe second couple also get married (the ML bestfriend and the FL bestfriend) and maybe the ML sister and her friend confess and also get together we see the succese of the ML after comming back to china and the succese of the FL novel all over the world and the perfection of its adaption yes i really recommend this one dont give it up from the 15 ep the best ep are the last phew ay alomst forgot the story had sm thrill without drama between the couples the thrill was external tho this was one of the reason i liked this drama neither the second male lead neither the second female lead did anything to destroy the main couple relationship maybe a few tries from the second female lead but was a complete failure after the ML liked the FL for 12 years hes love cant be on impulse as she saidWas this review helpful to you?
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The Noble Idiot trope must die! (Again)
This series grabbed and held my attention right from the start. The small town setting is refreshing. The warm and quirky locals gave the drama a cosy feel. It is a hoot when the entitled FL lands with a thud in the middle of the backwaters town and start the whole fish-out-of-water trope. But wait! There is more. Toss in a handsome, no-nonsense ML and we get the central enemy-to-lover storyline. Those innocent villagers are in for a wild ride!Everything is going swimmingly for a while. I don't think I'm spoiling anything by telling you our leads are falling in love by the day. Unfortunately, as they played students in preparation for the Gaokao, they have to play it straight. Lots of accidental closeness, cutesy gestures and meaningful gazes is our lot.
I'd happily eat all that up and ask for more if their loveline is strong. Even the odd second leads seem to read the room and fades away gracefully. What a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the distracting side plots just keep piling up.
Most of these subplots are of little significance and centred around small town dynamics and school yard antics. There are also some criminals running amok in the background. I don't understand why those repeated offenders are not hauled away. You'd think there would be a stronger anti-crime message. Yet, the same gang pops up repeatedly.
All these subplots only serve to hamstring our OTP's progress. While both our leads are close to 30yo in real life, they must look and act like teenagers for the bulk of the show. They did well for the most parts, but it is a double edged sword. They look the part which also mean their characters are either too restrained or too impulsive. Oh! To be young again.
Let's face it, by the 2/3 mark, they are together in every sense of the word other than going public and doing all the couple things. We end up in this vicious cycle of maximum yearning but minimal fan service. Just when you think they can breakout after the Gaokao, the FL's father happened.
As expected, our leads lost all their agency and must default to "your father knows best". This is an insurmountable roadblock as far as our leads are concerned. They came to this conclusion after 1 day. The writer then play the Noble Idiot card on us with minimum warning. To rub salt into the wound, this lasted FIVE miserable years!
Call me stupid, but what is the point of this "twist"? This is just gambling with your future. What happens if one of them got hit by a Big White Truck of Doom™? What if someone swept them off their feet and they meet again years later with spouse and bambini in tow? I'm sure this is a trope as well. 🤦🏻
As if to confirm the pointlessness of it all, once they reconnected, they went from "Hello" to "get a room" in one EP. They could have had 2.2 kids by now. Grrrr
This brings us to the last 3 eps. It is fan service overload. Everyone either gets a redemption or are living their best lives. Of course, our leads are 110% together by then and inseparable. Woe to anyone who stood in their way.
I'm not saying this is a bad show. It is an easy watch with nice characters and a cosy setting. I just wish they didn't fluff around (technical term) in the middle and double down on the Noble Idiot trope. It turned a promising romantic drama into just another idol drama. Peace.
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Classic Drama that did not live up to expectations
This is one of those classic historical dramas that gets brought up a lot. It's known for being romantic and emotional, maybe a little tragic. It's also packed with plenty of tropes -- not inherently a bad thing! -- such as amnesia, secret identity, lost love, childhood love, two men in love with the same woman, prophecy?, etc. On top of that, I really enjoy Kim Soo Hyun as an actor, so I was really looking forward to seeing him in this.Unfortunately, I just really do not feel that this drama lives up to all those expectations. Watching it with no nostalgia attached, I just felt like it rang very hollow. There were a myriad of problems, from repetitive and dull pacing devoid of much tension, to flat cliches, boring side characters, and worst of all a female lead whose screen presence resembles a wet mop. I do think that Kim Soo Hyun is acting his ass off, but he isn't given much to work with. His character spends most of the drama wrestling over the same conundrum -- could this shaman be his lost love? -- and doesn't get a chance to demonstrate other traits besides introspective, hostile, pining and confused. There are moments where his cheekiness, intelligence and charm comes through a bit more as the King, but those moments are rare in a sea of melodrama.
I know that Han Ga In is widely admired for her role in this drama, but I cannot understand why. Her character is dutiful, calm and pure, which is dull. But she also has this very stunned, awestruck and frightened expression through most of the drama. She is like a deer about to be hit by a car. This is one of those examples where I just cannot fathom why so many people fall in love with her. The child actress who played her had a little more spunk, but Han Ga In brings a blankness to the role that is disconcerting. Yes, she can't remember her past, but she isn't a robot! Yes, she has feelings and cries for the King, but you never get the sense that she has an inner world at all. She seems like a shell. This is the biggest barrier for me into the show.
Besides that, I feel like the pacing of the drama is not very good. It spends too much time resolving the initial issue -- who is the female lead?? -- without much tension, and then poorly sets up some other villains. All in all, just not handled well. You can look to tons of other dramas to see a better handling of secret identities and amnesia in historical dramas. It's practically the trope holding the genre together.
My advice would be to skip this. Or, maybe watch it so that you've watched it if you're a completist. If you are looking for deep romance look elsewhere. If you want to see Kim Soo Hyun cry, this may be the right drama for you.
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It's surprising that the rate isn't higher
To be honest I started this drama because of the main leads. Indeed I love Ding Yuxi and Peng Xiao Ran so I was curious to see how they would be together and I wasn't disappointed at all !!The story :
I agree that the plot is a bit far-fetched but once you accepted it you just enjoy it. It may be simple but it's enjoyeable because it's coherent and logical. So if you expect heavy plot and intrigue you will be disappointed.
The story left me with questions and those questions rope the me in because I wanted answers. At first I thought there were plot holes but those same plot holes explained slowly throughout the drama in a way that ties up everything neatly by the story’s end so it was very satisfying. I discovered that the drama is full of foreshadowing. In fact, despite being a light romantic comedy, it has some of the best foreshadowing that I have seen in years. This works with the characters as well, the setup of some characters early in the drama leads to a big twists in the last third of the drama. The details are also fun, some like calla lilies being poisonous or horse dung containing antibacterial fungi are weird bits of trivia that are used in a hilarious way, I was literally rolling on the floor lmao
The drama keeps the essence of the story and characters. We see the main leads growing together as a loving couple while keeping their essence. Ji Man keeps her tenacious spirit and Ning Yuxuan transforms into a lovesick husband but retains his sense of conflict between honour and love. The sisterhood storyline is really great, I loved the bond between Ji Man, Miss Shui, Lian Xue and the maids of the FL.
Acting/Cast :
The leads Peng Xiao Ran and Ding Yuxi are great as I expected. Peng Xiao Ran is stunning and Ding Yuxi is very handsome as usual. They can both act very well, there are no scenes where one actor ruins the scene because of bad acting. The characters they portray, Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan respectively , both have a clear sense of growth by the end. Their chemistry is also amazing, this couple have moments that can be rewatched several times as they are very sweet. I also think that Ding Yuxi has again improved his acting since the last time I saw him in The Romance of Tiger and Rose, his micro-expressions are better than ever.
Another highlight is that all of the main characters undergo growth wich is really enjoyeable : Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan go from enemies to lovers, but in a way that really feels natural, like a young couple going into a serious and mature relationship where they support and love each other. Gui Bai finally overcomes his hesitations to fall in love, Miss Shui finally leaves her past behind and Qian Xue develops the confidence to become a businesswoman. Even Muxu and Sang Shen transform a little bit.
Music :
I have nothing special to say, the OST was really good. For once the opening is not a song, it's only music and I enjoyed it a lot, I couldn't skip it !! Overall it was good, Either I was vibing while watching the drama or I was crying during emotional scenes.
To conclude I think I will rewatch it someday because the details make you want to rewatch, the funny moments make you want to rewatch and most of the sweet scenes of our main leads makes you want to rewatch it again and again. I think I would recommended it to fans of the main leads like me, people who are looking for a lighthearted story without too much plot and people who love very sweet romances. All of this makes me rate this drama 10/10
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"You Make Sand Like Me Feel Worthy" (Kot, English Sub)
This drama is an epic chaotic it is hilarious. I binge-watched episode by episode dying to find out how trio Ji-Kot-Ki would fix the building up mess. I found this drama following the works of March (as Ji here) from Lovey Dovey, and ended up loving Baifern's (as Kot) and Dan's (as Ki) performances too. This trio does not only create messy plot in this drama, they also lift up universal parenting and motherhood issues into a poignant show delightful to watch. Unquestionably it is a unique rom-com, non-typical Thai lakorn, a must watch.WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(+) Fast-paced episodes in the beginning of the drama to established the story of Moji
(+) More slower-paced episodes in the middle of the drama with lots of flirting scenes
(+) Lots of lessons to learn about building a family
(+) Witty dialogues on money, and also the money bouquet
(+) This is probably the only entangled love story that is enjoyable to watch in dramas I have seen. Thanks to the prominent acting of the main characters
(+) The story cleverly highlights the good and bad of both Ki's and Ji's characters. Viewers are divided into whom they want or think of Kot will end up with.
(+) Interesting surprises in the end
(+) Convincing acting of Baifern as exhausted single mom Kot. Her touching crying scenes are heartbreaking. She also established good chemistry with both Dan and March
(+) Remarkable acting of March as the sentimental Ji. He is good in roles with passionate/temperamental characters.
(+) Noteworthy acting of Dan as guiless Ki. I have rarely seen anyone not even an actor who has dimples on both cheeks. Surprisingly Dan is also a director and screenwriter.
(+) Cute Moji and the little actress who play the role
(+) Every important characters have their own advisors: Kot has Meaw, Ji has Bom, Ki has the secretary, Aff has her Dad
(+) Beautiful portrayals of Thai culture and places
(+) Pretty costumes of the female roles
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(-) Scenes and conversations leading to product placement (PPL). I skipped all of them, including the bra talk.
(-) The exaggerating character of Aff, which seems off since other characters seem natural
(-) It seems like the characters of Chot and Kot's mom are unimportant and are brought into the drama only to spice up the already complicated plot.
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Interesting Family ?
The series depicts the story of Byeon Moo-jin, who went bankrupt a dozen years ago and got divorced, and who appears in front of his daughter Byeon Mi-rae and wife Geum Ae-yeon 14 years later as a multi-billionaire.I have thoroughly enjoyed Romance in the House. I just finished episode 12 . The character development has been great. It does see, slow at times, but that is because the actors and producers have worked hard to create real or authentic relationships between the characters.
So as not to give spoilers, I will say the story line with the slowly developed over time with gestures and actions has been my favorite part. It has made their story that much sweeter and long lasting
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The actors were on point the chemistry between the leads were good you felt the love they had for each other there was no “other” in their relationship when they knew they loved each other I dug it. Please watch I’m gonna rewatch a few scenes now before I chose a new lakorn to binge.
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The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea
13 people found this review helpful
Incredibly Interesting
Being from the US, we have a lot of exposure to serial killers, but we very rarely hear about other countries' serial killers. This was a very well thought-out and put together documentary about a very sick man. Hearing from the actual police officers, detectives, forensic scientists, and profilers that originally handled the case was quite fascinating. I thought that the actor reenactments of some of the crimes spliced with real footage and interviews was very well done. Some of the actual footage was incredibly creepy and made my spine crawl. Netflix did a superb job, and it's very hard to stop watching once you start.Was this review helpful to you?
So, it started really good, and then it got tired and in the end it just sucked. The characters aren't well written so it's like hearing them say the same thing over and over again. You never really get to know them. It doesn't have good secondary characters either. Her friend, Hyung Sung is really stalker, and I got the creeps watching him, he didn't make me feel anything, just annoyance. The female lead isn't likeable, as opposed to Mu Cheng in AC. Here you don't feel sorry for her situation, you just get tired of her not sticking up for herself. The male lead is really just cheesy, you don't sense any real feelings. And the story has like really huge holes, and in other parts it just keeps repeating.
One of the main reasons I started to watch this drama was because of Jo Hyun Jae, I just simply loved him in 49 days and I thought he was a really good actor. But here, I don't know if it's because he was just starting his career or because the script wasn't really good but he just came out flat. Han Chae Young, who is really famous for her role on Delightful Girl Choong Hyan, really didn't stand out here, she didn't make me feel anything. As for the other two who completed the love square, they were just creepy.
The music wasn't anything special, although it did fit the scenes. I specially liked one which was like the intro to Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing."
In rewatch value, I wouldn't ever watch it again, specially because I got really bored at the end and just pressed fast forward in the tiring scenes.
Overall, it really isn't a good drama, although if you like soap operas, you probably will like this.
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pros setting /story is a bit different then usual
female lead saves this drama i really enjoyed her the rest of the cast not so much besides maybe 2 or 3 side characters
cons
story ( why put it in pros and cons ? watch the after episode 24 and you will know why )
too many episodes with filler that serves no real plot purpose ( series would have been good around 30 or so episodes in my mind )
1-24 this series is a solid 8+
i have to say i quite enjoyed the story at the beginning and when it focused on the food and how she was surviving using her modern knowledge and how she was living her fantasy and treating it like an vacation.
24-56 would be a 6 for me i feel like they did the bare minimum to keep a solid story
Then everyone dies and the story too as well, i didn't like the turn they took with the story to me if they kept it light hearted and funny and maybe add a little bit of spice/drama but they full on when they only needed to sprinkle a little.
You go from a light hearted funny drama to full on politics with slapped on cooking on the side and the typical wuxia struggle of jealousy in the palace with hidden birth none of those turns were presented well.
after episode 24 i ended up skipping alot of the series and just watched the main couple scenes i really enjoyed the first half and i want to know how there story unfolded and ends.
It's too bad that after the black wind massacre the story dies along with it and then the main leads play hot cold cold for the rest of the drama till near the end.
TLDR
-good first half
-terrible second half
-besides leads the rest of the story isn't good
get ready to fast forward alot unless you like slow torture
-romance is just ok to much cat and mouse and hot and cold in the end makes it not very entertaining
-happy ending
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