MC needs BTS to tell her to "Love Yourself"
Okay, where do I even begin.I've read like 10 chapters of the webtoon itself, so I'm not sure how that ends, but I must say the drama itself is very confusing.
STORY:
It started off really strong as I've always been interested in "beauty" type dramas. Also, I love seeing transformation. However, DO NOT go into this drama w/ a True Beauty mindset because it is nothing like it (except MCs hiding under a fake persona??) I feel the progression of the drama got super messy because certain characters were thrown in without explanation. I felt viewers needed more background on the MC and her family but I guess you can't do that w/ such a short web drama. It's a very cliche story and a lot of the characters weren't even necessary but okay, director.
ACTING:
Okay, this is good. HOWEVER, some of the characters must've done a REAL good job because they pissed me off so much and I wanted to either a.) scream or b.) punch them through the screen. The MC is super super super super stubborn and she really needs to learn to speak up for herself... but of course, we can't expect much from a low self-esteem character. All the actors did a good job, especially the villian because they were annoying.
There are no special/specific OSTs so like... rip. But color toning of each episode was super aesthetic and I loved binging this drama because of the 25min per episode. Go into this drama w/ a clear mindset and just relax without thinking of anything. This is not a heavy drama, with just sprinkles of mystery and thriller. Do not count on romance to be the center of this drama.
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An adventure to find yourself
Her Fantastic Adventures is a drama that finally aired after finishing production, four years ago. This drama is an adaptation of the novel entitled The Crazy Adventures of Wu Gate by Ying Zhao. The main characters is played by Song Yiren as Qi Chun Jiao, Gu Qing Qiao and Guo Jun Chen as Duan Yu.Synopsis: This drama tells the story of a female athlete who accidentally travels to the past, when she was at the lowest point in her life.
Note: this is not the first Song Yiren's drama about time travel, although of the year it was produced, it is the first. The other one is Different Princess which has been broadcast first.
Plot:
The drama is set almost entirely in ancient times with occasional flashbacks to modern life. In ancient life, Qi Chun Jiao reunites with four men she knows in modern life, namely the man she likes, Duan Yu and his younger brother, Shaoyi, her best friend, Lu ZiZheng, and her team doctor, Ruan. With them, she underwent great challenges and adventures.
My opinion:
Even though recently there have been many dramas in this genre, it seems like The director was trying to take a different approach. If you don't mind spoilers, please keep reading.
The adventures she went through are like an escape from her heartache, disappointment, fear and despair. But is everything running smoothly? No, she must fight to survive and quickly return to real life.
When she finally comeback, they didn't go into more detail about what happened to Qi Chun Jiao's athlete career, but when she woke up from a coma, mother embraced her with love. And life goes on, as the story moves forward to five years later. It turned out that the five of them were still in close relationships with each other. And in my opinion, the main female character has moved on from all the feelings that shackled her and has become an independent businesswoman. However, it cannot be denied that this time Duan Yu and she have to face their unresolved feelings in the past.
In conclusion, everything that happened in ancient times was part of a dream that had no direct impact on real life because the people she met in ancient times did not experience or remember these dreams. It's just part of her inner struggle and personal growth process.
Closing:
This is definitely not Song Yiren's best drama but her acting never disappoints me. The main couple's chemistry isn't the best either, but their chemistry is better in modern life. Song Yiren, Guo Jun Chen and Li Jiu Lin show good acting, especially towards the end of the drama. The background music and songs are good and pleasant to listen to.
This drama could be an option for those of you who are fans of time travel, as well as a drama filler. Don't think too hard and don't expect too much.
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Bin Jip is silent. The actions speak more than those few words the actors say. So the acting, the talent of the actors, their facial expressions are more important than ever. And I have to say: the actors did their job excellently.
To the other side opf the world this movie could seem to be very odd. But if you look into a bit of the ways of korean society you'll find the answers to your questions.
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"Even before we entered the world we were marked by karma."
Lady Snowblood is the film that inspired Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Yuki's blood spewing revenge is a cautionary tale of feminine vengeance. Splendidly filmed with an impassioned OST, the unique style based on a manga, and the excellent acting make this film one worth seeking out if you enjoy this genre.Born to a dying mother in a prison on a snowy day, Yuki was charged with her family's vendetta against the villains who murdered her father and brother and viciously raped her mother. She grew up trained by a ruthless master to become the hand of death to the group that had decimated her family. One by one she hunts the villains down, in her lovely kimonos with a deadly umbrella to gracefully slash her way through the people who had inspired this life she'd never asked for. Beneath her beautiful veneer lay a dark and fiery need for payback for her dead family, one she had never known. Tasked with never feeling emotion, Yuki retains shreds of compassion as she interacts with those she comes across in her rampage. Ironically, she opens another cycle of vengeance by her actions.
The film lays the blood spewing on thick, every slash sends the gooey red paint flying everywhere. Puddles of blood enough for a slain army float around the unlucky bodies. As the story begins on a snowy day with a child born pure but commissioned with her first breaths with the bloody job of vengeance, so the ending scene leaves the beautiful assassin with her butterfly kimono covered in blood in the snow wondering if there is life after revenge.
There were some subtle and not so subtle political messages about corruption in the upper echelons of the military and government. And though the plight of the poor was pointed out, it dispelled the myth that the poor are always good hearted. I wish there had been more of an attempt to understand what a woman must feel growing up with brutal training and an unbreakable oath for people she had never met.
As many older martial arts films with swordplay tended to do, this one used the almost dance and slash technique. Best to not think too hard about the fight choreography from a realistic stance but to admire it for the stylistic forms.
Lady Snowblood was in many ways similar to other revenge fueled martial arts movies but elevated by the haunting music, colorful cinematography, and the stellar acting of Kaji Meiko. If eyes were knives, her targets would already be dead with the cold steely glare she honed in on them with. Kaji's expressive face and graceful moves enhanced the tension filled moments of her hunting her prey even when she had to settle for satisfaction instead of revenge.
If you are looking for a modern movie you may be disappointed. This is a film rich in character with old style effects. Revenge is a dish best served cold and Lady Snowblood served it on a silver blade.
"Forgive me! Spare me!"
"I shall do neither."
3/2/23
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有法无天 The Rule of Law
It seems many viewers miss this wonderful series because it was released with all the episodes in one go unexpectedly. Despite its cheesy title, Miss Chun is a Litigator, this is a very enjoyable short drama with not many fillers. Every scene is important that leads to the next. The plot is not too complicated, but the background of some main characters is mysterious, creating excitement for the viewers, spurring on the story. And not to forget to mention the three gorgeous male leads, this is a great series for all.Chun Tumi (Sabrina Zhuang) is a young girl passionate about federal and local laws. From childhood, she has immersed herself in reading the law book that was written and passed down by her late mother. She becomes very well-versed with the laws. One day, she was forced to defend her father in court because no one else would. There, in court, she is noticed by two court officials appointed by the Emperor. They recognize her talent and want to recruit her. After giving her a deal she can’t resist, she becomes an important member of the judiciary team which is responsible for combing through past court cases to make sure none is being misjudged.
Unlike most other female actors who are usually cute, pretty and flamboyant, Sabrina Zhuang has a solemn demeanor that makes her a good fit for the Chun Tumi character as the character is a rather mature and serious person despite of her age. Sabrina’s acting is believable as a litigator with her matter-of-factly face and calm composure during her litigation fights. Most of the cases involve further investigations which are not shown nor explained, but Miss Chun somehow manages to present the evidence in court.
The three main male characters are amazingly good looking. The writer teases the viewers by showing seemingly all three have love interest for Chun Tumi. All three have a mysterious background which is not revealed until very much later.
The first mysterious character is the Ye Cha (Huang Junjie) character. He’s disguised as a horse footman hired by Chun Tumi. He is cold and quiet, and always hides behind a large farmer hat. He seems to have an interest in Chun Tumi as he always appears in places around her, hidden away, watching and helping her secretly. Huang Junjie’s portrayal is acceptable, but I don’t like how he squints his eyes most of the time to look serious and cold. Ye Cha is introduced right at the beginning, then disappears most of the time, or hidden lurking somewhere, until in the middle of the drama. The focus of the male character shifts to Han Wuwei (Fan Zhixin) and has been on him right from the start to the end.
Han Wuwei is my favorite character. He is a military general, playful, insightful and a very good swordsman. He has no qualm with decorum and seems to appear everywhere where Chun Tumi goes. He is the one who first notices her talent and incorporates her into his team. He seems to have a love interest in her, but puzzles viewers how the relationship later develops. His actual identity is mysterious until the later part of the story. Fan Zhixin is sunny and flamboyant and has acted very well here as Han Wuwei.
The third male character, Kang Zhengyuan (Qin Tian), is a judiciary official authorized by the Emperor to travel around the country to look through closed cases to ensure they are being done properly and justly. Qin Tian’s portrayal of the no-nonsense Kang Zhengyuan is convincing, making him a well-loved character. He and Han Wuwei give the viewers a lot of sweet bromance and it’s interesting to see the men banter.
My Verdict
This is a very enjoyable drama about the ancient judiciary system, justice, and litigation, with a mix-ins of wuxia and conspiracy from a dark group. Finding out the actual truth is important but very difficult. It is hard to distinguish between good info or fake news. Even if a truth is almost 100% truthful, a small percentage of untruth can lead to a devastating outcome. This is the scenario our characters must tread carefully to preserve justice.
Season 1 scrapes the surface of the secret group and stops short before any alluded royal palace power struggle. Though some scenes skip abruptly, it hasn’t destroyed the story or the plot. By the end of the drama, there is a plot twist and Han Wuwei seems to have turned dark. This is a cliff hanger and whets viewers’ interest for Season 2.
Great watch! Don’t miss it!
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Also, this drama has way too many flashbacks! You need flashbacks in dramas, but this drama just has way too many of the same flashbacks over and over again.
The only reason I continued to finish this drama was because of Zhang Han.
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A lesson in life and also a lesson on how to make a BL
What started as a small university project for Mean (who we've seen in plenty of BLs like "Until We Meet Again", "Love by Chance", "Love by Chance 2", "Make it Right" and as a guest in "TharnType") became a full series that has really surprised me on many levels and here is why.1. The plot is something we've seen in the past with one of the main leads running away and leaving the other lead all alone for several years until its time to come back (see Taiwan's "We Best Love: No. 1 For You" or Thailand's "Waterboyy" for a few examples). However, what makes this plot a bit unexpected is the reason for the character to leave. Normally it has been because he goes abroad to study or because the parents are against their son being gay and in a relationship, so they send him away for some time. This time, Phob, our main lead who runs away, comes back around episode 4 to reveal he left his best friend, Nut, all alone because he has cancer and was undergoing treatment. BLs have not really ventured into one of the main characters having an illness... we've seen the topic of suicide in "Until We Meet Again" and murder in "He's Coming to Me" but not the issue of having one of the main leads with cancer. So, having a character that undergoes cancer treatment and then suffers the amputation of an arm is quite new for a BL.
2. The acting is something that is also a surprise. Man and Title make their acting debuts playing Phob and Nut respectively, and both do a very good job in portraying the different emotions their characters have to go through. From Nut slowly falling in love with Phob and thinking of a future together studying medicine. To Phob finding out his cancer diagnosis and deciding to leave Nut to get treatment without telling him. To Nut being surprised that his best friend missed the university exam but not getting an explanation of why and then finding out he just woke up and left him all alone. To the moment they find each other again and Nut tries to ignore Phob by pretending to not recognize him. To Nut finding out about Phob real reason for leaving him and then all the issues with Phob's diagnosis. Both actors, but particularly Title, showcase their emotions quite effectively and move from being angry, to being disappointed, to being sad, to being hopeful and to being happy in the 8 episodes of the series. Their acting is not perfect but it was an outstanding debut if we consider other actors like Gun Napat in "Golden Blood" or Plan in "Love by Chance" and "Love by Chance 2" who despite being a bit more seasoned actors, still have many flaws in their acting. Title and Man do a terrific job in their first series, particularly in the last 2 episodes when the emotions really explode and Nut gets to see Phob alive but having lost an arm due to cancer. Instead of falling into depression, both characters try to be happy but this time, together.
3. The secondary actors like Tonnam (playing Nut's older brother Note), Fah (playing Phob's older sister Pat), well-know BL actor Prem ("Until We Meet Again", "Long Khong", and "7 Project") and even director Mean who also acts as Dr. Sarut all provide enough support in the series without being annoying or interfering with the main plot. Note is especially good when having a conversation with his brother about the situation with Phob and asking Nut if he is really ok with what is happening. It was nice to see a good brother-bonding moment with the older brother providing good advice and listening to what his younger brother had to say. All the secondary roles do not have many lines and actors like Get (playing Note's best friend and boyfriend, Tar) do not even appear in most of the episodes, but still deliver when needed.
4. The only minor issue I have with this series is the amount of flashbacks. I understand some are necessary to get an explanation of what happened with Phob in the past, what Nut was feeling when reading the files he found on Phob's USB, or what Phob was feeling when he finds out his diagnosis, decides to leave and then comes back to town. However, the final episodes were almost full of flashbacks that we already saw not too long ago, so it seemed a bit unnecessary to include so many flashbacks. But, that being said, the series is nice enough that I can overlook that.
In the end, I believe "The Yearbook" is not perfect, but it has to be a lesson in life for all us given the circumstances both Nut and Phob had to experience and also a lesson for many other companies in Thailand who produce plenty of BL shows without a hint of quality, that have directing issues, low budgets, terrible plots/storylines, and rookie actors that are not well-trained by capable acting coaches and directors, resulting in mediocre series (and I'm being kind with some of the disasters we've seen lately). Mean just showed us that a very decent series is possible, even with rookie actors or even with low budgets.
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You Will Laugh And You Will Cry!
A surprising, hilarious, and touching film about a straight police officer (Wu Ming Han) who gets married to a gay ghost (Mao Mao). The circumstances around his why Ming Han agrees to marry the ghost will make you laugh, and the grandma's adoration and support of her dead grandson (going so far as to arrange his marriage after death) are moving, even while bizarre.Their marriage becomes the set up for an overarching plot point: solving the mystery of Mao Mao's death. And as the mystery is solved, you will be surprised. Talk about plot twist!
While Ming Han brings Mao Mao justice and needed closure to a certain conflict in his life, Mao Mao brings to Ming Han the love of his grandma and father. At the end of the movie, there's genuine love and affection between them, and Ming Han remains committed to remembering Mao Mao, even keeping his memorial alter in his home. It's clear that Ming Han accepts Mao Mao as his husband.
The film challenges us to stretch our imaginations about what a marriage can be and what loyalty to a partner can be. At the end, Ming Han demonstrates a kind of commitment to his husband that, even if not romantic or sexual, is no less true.
A little detail not to miss in the closing scene: Ming Han picking up his portable tumbler with a rainbow heart sticker front and center on it!
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Could an ad be this touching?
I honestly didn't expect this short film to be THIS good. Well, given the main cast's potential and the well-executed plot, it is no wonder. Especially Kim Go Eun was a show stealer. Simply in awe with her. Her emotions were genuine and on point. And someone tell her to start a vlog asap?! She is a natural?! Count me in as a subscriber already!And I never would have imagined that something good could come out of the mandatory 2-week-quarantine due to COVID 19, but here it is, the movie proved otherwise. These two-week restrictions really give space and time for a lot of self reflection and past reminiscing.
So overall, this was a heartwarming, simple, yet moving story. Even though the short film was supposed to be a lengthy product advertisement, the focus stays on the character's relationship, very much alike Makoto Shinkai's (Your Name, Weathering With You) anime ad "Crossroad" or the short film "Relumino" with Han Ji Min and Park Hyung Shik. Now that I think about it, I believe that one too was for Samsung. Also, the product placement was way smoother than in some of the K-dramas I've seen.
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ALL OVER THE PLACE
Story: At first I love the intesity of this drama, like you can't take your eyes off from every scene. But I think the story start to get messy after that 10 years later. I see how the writer do not care at all about the consistency of the character, and some scene just do not make any sense, especially towards the end. I think the writer only care about the tension and twist after twist. Too much twist also not good tbh.Cinematography&Video Editing: I have no comment with the cinematography but their editing was so lackingly noticeable, how they cut the scene and move to another angle, also the billboard news scene like idk if you guys notice but I can't really explain with words.
OST: Tbh all the ost was good! I do have few song that I added to my playlist so I don't have anything to say about OST
Acting: The reason why I stay watch this drama until the end was the acting of the cast. Especially Sungjae... I watch him since School 2015, Goblin, Mystic Pop-up Bar and I would say his acting was the best in this drama. The emotion, facial expression, his narration and tone was really good! Chaeyeon also good this is my first time watching her acting and she will do good in the future
But overall the acting was superb, also Choi Wonyoung as villain seriously giving me a goosebumps, indeed I can trust him with any role
Ending: The ending not satisfying but I'm okay with that
The conclusion I don't think I want to watch any work from this writer of the drama but looking forward to all the actors next project
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Very serious drama
It kept my interest all through it. I loved the story, loved the acting, especially Kim Jae Young. He is such a good actor, and also nice to look at. Jung Hee Joo kind of got on my nerves with the same blank expression and fake smile, but that was her character. If you don’t like slow moving dramas, infidelity, revenge, rage, or obsession, you won’t like this, don’t bother. That’s virtually the entire drama, but is was done well. I liked the ending, but it was a shame, because nothing was accomplished with any of their lives. There is a million different ways it could have ended, but one thing is for sure, none would have been happy. With this kind of drama, with this story line, there is no way it could have ended happy, with any of the characters. As I watched it, I disliked all of them, but that was how the story was written. Every one of them was out for revenge, but in the end, did they all get it? You’ll have to watch to find out…Was this review helpful to you?
Hana yori Dango 2 (Returns) Bangai hen: Makinoke Hajimete no Kazoku Ryoko in N.Y.
10 people found this review helpful
This is kind of a prequel to season two, but it's more like a game show type thing than a drama episode. It has Makino's family following her to New York and eventually they meet up with the F4 guys. It shows fun, cheap things to do in New York and also has the characters do little challenges. Cute and fun to watch, but definitely not essential to the Hana Yori Dango story. ^_^
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The Love that Dare Not Speak Its Name
10 people found this review helpful
Lovely short series
This is very well-written, acted, and produced - it's very visual and takes full advantage of the medium to tell the story with real economy of force.The story is non-linear, but easy to follow. The writing and acting manages to effectively convey through small details how the boys feel about each other, and the dynamic of their relationship. The ending was perfect for their story.
The acting is understated, but the tension is there when it needs to be. There is a coffee metaphor, but it's used effectively and we aren't beaten over the head with it.
I would recommend this - but if you watch it, don't try to judge it as you would a 12 hour-long episode series. It's a completely different type of story told in a much more visual way.
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Yeah, I know the bad points of this series: too short, not so good execution, somehow the chemistry is not giving, lazy writing and that recap in every episode is so annoying. But why did came up with an 8.5 rate?
Why I really like in this series is the music. Yes, the MUSIC. The songs they came up with every scene, and the opening song is too good not to talk about. And also I give them points for they have something different from other bls by telling a unique love story but yes it should have been better, but they tried yeah. we're getting there...
On the other hand, I will really eat this up if they continue the light, cute , sweet storyline but it wasn't like I was expecting. Still the cast acted it good. (Oh all of them are visuals!)
Yeah, the kbl formula and its short runtime is getting tiresome, and this is the last show I will be considerate because I really love the music lol. <3
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