Reviews

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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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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Youth isn't always joyful

I usually barely write reviews, but this drama moved me so much I just had to express my thoughts here. This drama had a light typical romance in the beginning, and as the 1980 tragic events started occurring the drama became too sad. I cried so much and this drama showed a message that the tragic events of the Uprising must have scarred others just as painfully as Myeong Hee, and Hee Tae. The couple went through a lot together as the drama started getting into plot, and there were many traumatic events for what happened to the male lead, but a thing I liked about the male lead was that he was strong and was always there for others. His love for the female lead was undeniable, just as the female lead's love for his. So yes, the drama doesn't have the joyful satisfactory ending, but it was realistic and would be as what was expected in the Uprising in 1980. I cried a lot during this drama, and my mondays and tuesdays will feel empty now. So if you are considering a drama about hardships, youth, and love this may be one you should start considering.

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Give it a chance

I was uncertain about this in the beginning but became to love it. It is a different storyline than most bl's which in and of itself is refreshing. Yes it moves a bit slowly but for this story it actually worked for me. You see growth in all 3 couples and I didn't feel that any part was too rushed. The back story of the leads was well placed within the story as to not get confusing as they sometimes do.

These are the two lead actors from Grey Rainbow which absolutley tore my heart heart. While this story in the end does reminisce that ending it does end much better. I cried but my heart is still intact.

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The rookies delivered the best k-drama of 2024 so far

A very interesting premise. Rookies galore. Full female cast. I had lots of fun watching this short drama. The main thing that I like about this show is that while it has so many characters involved, most of the characters are meticulously crafted, with their own motivations, flaws, and moral compass. The main protagonist and antagonist being equal monsters made the battle of wits so entertaining. At no point did I feel that one side was too overpowered and it was a chess game played by two masters who took turns to deliver punches. Every one of those beautiful ladies was capable of being an ugly monster if they had to for survival and nobody was truly on one side till the end. A thrilling war of nerves that kept me rooted. Will you conform or challenge?

Being somebody that is not very good at pairing names with faces, it took me a while to remember all of the character’s names. There were so many characters being introduced from the get-go and all of them being female names made it quite a challenge for me. However, despite the lack of “A-listers”, it was this show with a bunch of newbies that slayed.

Some people are just born to act and Jang Da A is one of them. You know how some people make hard look easy? How they seem like they are not doing much but actually delivers? Baek Ha Rin (game master) took a stroll for 10 episodes and yet she is the main impression that was left on me. She barely moved yet I felt a whole spectrum of emotions from her performance. Mad mad performance for a debutant. I enjoyed watching her descent into madness as she slowly losses her initial gracefulness and composure. Not all madness needs to be represented by loud screaming and excessive arm waving. You have to remember this is a chaebol kid who has to maintain her image in public at all times and show absolute control with class. Her facial expression for a first-timer was unbelievably good. Imo this will be an iconic character- The twitch bitch.

A weird theory struck me during the scene of BHR cutting her hair short. Unless I am missing something, that scene did not mean anything to the plot and there was really no reason to do that. What I took from that was it could be an attempt by the director and Jang Da A to break the fourth wall and send a message that actress Jang Da A is here to deliver and is stepping out of the shadow of her famous sister because of how strikingly similar they look. That would be so cool if true.

Seriously, there are just too many great performances from the rest of the girls (Im Ye Rim is my fav hehe) that I could go on and on but I shall not- this show had such a high level of acting I can only say all of them were amazing. They are one of the most talented groups I have seen in recent times and many of them here are gonna give their sunbaes a run for their money.

I have to talk about THAT paintball episode. My god that was one of the best writing and acting I have seen in recent times. The build-up to that final moment was so perfect, coupled with a great soundtrack. I am unable to think of a better way to showcase that scene of unified camaraderie amongst the underdog to break the enemy’s morale and win the psychological warfare in the most composed and collective effort. Top top tier. They won that round with such class despite being the “peasants” of the system and turning the “nobles” into absolute jokes. Winning the devil at their game, what a beautiful uprising of the underdogs. The Prisoner Dilemma. S tier writing there, I applaud.

Ngl, I fell asleep once in the middle of finishing the last 2 episodes. Thought it was just me because of how perfect the show had been up till that point but read many similar sentiments about the rather stale ending and a sudden change in the strange pacing. I was expecting a "finale" in the sense that BHR would deliver a final desperate blow but she became overwhelmed and subdued instead. I thought a lot of the key characters were being sidelined and had no proper conclusions. Do Ah (class president) felt like a much more complex character than what the show portrayed and I wish she along with the likes of Da Yun (girl abused by daddy) were given more storytime. The ending was being wrapped rather lethargically imo and did cause it to drop 0.5 level down in my book.

Overall a great concept with the Pyramid game that when you zoom out it reflects a tiny version of today’s society but when you zoom into it deeper, it is reminding you to eat Subway. Baek Ha Rin lost cause she did not had that bread.

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We all know horror-related movies and series can easily turn tacky quickly. This one did a good job at maintaining balance between the horror elements and actually having a plot. If you've ever watched the Exorcist, it has that type of feel for obvious reasons.

I can understand why this series has the fairly high ratings it has, especially for this genre. The twisted connection between the three main actors and the development of their relationship was done well. I also very much appreciated how the supporting actors did incredibly well with their shifts from a normal human being to just plain creepy.

This isn't one of those "let me shock you into fear" or "let me disgust you so much that it will hopefully leave an impact" kind of show, which is nice. And although there were scattered moments of drag, there was enough depth to the story and characters where I still looked forward to the next episode. The ending felt a bit rushed and you'll have some unanswered questions or explanations but I was pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment factor.

Bonus points were given to the score because this genre is particularly difficult to do well.

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Love on a Suspension Bridge

What is the suspension bridge effect? According to Urban Dictionary, “the suspension bridge effect happens when a person crosses a suspension bridge and he sees someone of the opposite sex. His fear of falling down causes his heart to pound. He then mistakes that for the heart-pounding feeling felt when falling in love with the opposite sex.”

Is the love Ochiai Mikoto (FL) feels for Haiba Jin/Haijin (ML) a result of the suspension bridge effect? Will these feelings go away once she’s not standing on the edge of the building? Well, you will have to watch the drama to find out.

“Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi” aka “Falling High School Girl and Irresponsible Teacher” is a dark comedy addressing the serious issues of suicide and loneliness. The drama does not take the issues lightly, but offers an alternate, witty and sarcastic way in handling them. You will fall in love with the leads and their personalities. Both of them are caring, considerate, ‘unique’ and ‘wacky’. But the best part of the drama is their interactions. You never know what’s going to come out of Haijin’s mouth, and what comebacks Mikoto will have. They are just so fun together.

The drama is really short - 9 episodes and about 20 minutes each. It doesn’t tell the full story but only gives us the initial encounter and relationship building. I wanted more of them and wished the episodes were longer. I want to know more about how Haijin fell in love with Mikoto. That one flashback is not enough for me.

If you are unsure of the taboo relationship of a teacher and a student, I can say there’s nothing overtly out-of-the-line physically. But there’s heavy flirting and you know emotionally they are ‘together’. There were only two instances where they performed an act to ‘save someone’s life’. Of course, that’s their way of justifying the act. But they did it in such a comical way that it didn’t feel dirty at all.

This drama reminded me of the C-drama “Definitely Not Today”. Both tried to tackle the issue of suicide with dark comedy but approaches this topic very differently. This drama has a lot more comedy and flirting.

If the themes of suicide and teacher/student relationships don’t bother you, I recommend this unique drama to you.


Completed: 9/18/2023 - Review #355

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"The heavens will not punish me if within the final moment of my life I am unable to hold back these words: I, Mohei, have always loved you with all my being".

The Crucified Lovers tells the story of an unfortunate love affair between a servant and his master's wife. The film is quite simple and slow placed but therein lies it's beauty. The lack of action and multiple side stories forces you to solely focus on the couple and their plight. The movie itself is beautiful-I always find these classic Japanese films to have a serene and majestic quality to them. A simple movie with a simple message: a life with love, however brief, is much preferred to living 100 years without it.

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This movie had me in suspense from beginning untill the end. They really catched my attention, and kept it right into that movie! The story is great and well executed! It is logical and very understandable! Also they will make you feel angry at times, feel in despair and feel bad for certain characters!
I was amazed how they acted! They were really good and I can't wait for more of some of these actors!
They picked the right music, sometimes it wasn't my taste but that is personal.
I would rewatch this movie and I would recommend it to anyone who like some action, a good story and some suspense!

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" Queen : Love and War " had a nice start but the second half was so so.

The first part had an interesting story. Although the first episodes were a bit of a let down and probably could have pushed people away, the idea of the selection was entertaining and full of intrigues between the women (hence the girls war alternative title). The mean characters were plenty, and some of them were even playing friendly when they were in reality the worse. Some others had tragic endings, so the tragedy genre was plenty in this one. So, the girl's adventures and how she managed to survive the twists and traps that the other contestants set for her were entertaining and spiced up the story.

The chemistry of the couple was amazing, too, and they had a nice romance. Their romantic scenes were pretty intense and they had plenty of kissing scenes, which is often rare in historical dramas. Though, the love triangle they wanted to present was not as good and it was underdeveloped.

However, the second part was predictable. It was pretty much what happens to all historical dramas, the bad old aristocrats want power, the girl wants to protect the king, the king wants to protect her, and so on. The ending was okay, but boring.

Finally, the main character was good, but she got annoying from time to time, especially in the end, even though she started as a strong, sassy character. The male lead was pretty swoon worthy and he was a nice romantic lead.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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The 1st half was overly dramatic and the 2nd half was a snooze fest. Park Hae-jin's character Li Ang and his love interest Li Ren were supposed to be the main pair but they threw in 3 other couples that had the same amount if not more time given to them, especially Li Ren's cousin, Tian Na. Towards the middle it seemed SHE was the lead.

When time was actually given to the OTP, it fell flat. I did not feel their chemistry at all. It was odd, they had scenes that should have been romantic and sweet but it felt like they were just checking off a to do list. Definitely not building a close and connected relationship with each other. Such a disappointment.

If a viewer is into crazy and sometimes nonsensical kinds of relationship shenanigans they may like it. Lots of breakups, lots of ex's, meddling elders and a bunch of grown ups who don't know what they want. Personalities seemed to change on a whim. Several scenarios happen over and over. What was the worst for me was I didn't particularly LIKE most of the characters. Even the ones that weren't bad weren't that exciting either.

***Possibly Spoiler-ish***
One love story fights against age and social status differences and has a jealous ex-girlfriend which was as cliché as possible. The jealous ex-girlfriend is especially grating. There is also an extra-martial affair relationship, a crazy psycho girl in love with a creepy magician and one other relationship that was actually normal but just seemed to be there to fill up screen time. One character that I did warm up to was Li Ren's cousin, Tian Na. In the beginning I couldn't stand her but by the end she won me over with her exuberant and quirky personality.

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