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Story
While not perfect, the pacing of this drama is excellent. Not too slow, not too fast. Many dramas start off well, but eventually lose track of their momentum around the latter half, but this does not happen with Money Game. Each episode plays an important part in driving the drama towards its finality. Attention is paid well to the details of each scene and the dialogue of each character so that everything is well connected to the story as a whole. I do think the drama could've gone more into depth on the rationale behind why some characters believe that capitalism and neoliberalism is bad and vice versa.
There technically is no romance in this story, but there is a very subtle “romance” that was unexpectedly very engrossing despite not being the central part of the drama.
Acting/Cast
The acting in this drama is phenomenal, especially by the main four leads (technically, main three leads and a side character who doesn’t feel as if he is a side character).
As always, Lee Sung Min did a great job portraying Heo Jae as a multi-layered character who is very driven and willing to compromise his moral beliefs to achieve what he think is for the better good. Throughout the drama, it is difficult to easily say whether he is “good” or “bad” because he has very believable, although maybe not justifiable, reasons for his actions. His frustrations with the 1997 IMF Crisis and South Korea’s current economy are understandable as they are debatable.
Go Soo portrayed Chae Yi Hun very well as probably the most human character in the drama for me. He is intelligent and ambitious, but also gets lost along the way, becomes unsure of what he’s working towards, and sometimes lets his emotions affect how he treats the people around him. However, he is a character that truly cares for other people and is able to reflect on his actions and even apologize to his subordinates when he knows he’s in the wrong.
Shim Eun Kyung did such an excellent job in portraying Lee Hye Joon that I can’t imagine anyone, but her as Hye Joon. Lee Hye Joon is probably the most level-headed and reasonable female character I’ve ever seen in a drama. She in incredibly ordinary, but she isn’t at the same time. Even in her most vulnerable moments, she still stays true to her beliefs while being able to be empathetic, even sometimes being the one to make her male counterparts open their eyes to the big picture. She is hands down my favorite character not only in Money Game, but out of all of the dramas I’ve watched.
As for Yoo Teo, I also can’t imagine anyone, but him for the role of Eugene Han. Despite being a side character, he was a scene-stealer in every scene he was in as the Korean American “bad guy” from Wall Street. Eugene could have easily been portrayed as more of a one-dimensional antagonist who only cares about money, but Yoo Teo added depth to his character that made him easy to empathize with even when many of his actions would be considered morally wrong. I do have to mention that he does have an accent when speaking English, as in it doesn't sound like an American accent even though his character grew up in the United States. This didn't bother me, but some people seemed to be put off by it.
Music/OST
The OST is mellow and fits the drama very well. I like all of the songs, but I think Elaine’s “Fallin’” is amazing. The line “I wish it was a dream” gives each episode quite a dream-like quality and when I think about, don’t we all wish all our economical and money problems were all a dream?
I don’t rewatch dramas, but I’d consider Money Game as one of the more rewatchable ones as it’s quite informative on economical and social issues.
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Beautiful Drama "Perfect Her"
Please don't go by the review listed. I'm glad that i did not take heed to the review I read. I would have never watched it but I'm so happy I did. This drama "Perfect Her" has a great storyline, and the cast was great in their roles. I'm not going to include any spoilers because I want the audience to watch for themselves. The ML and FL were awesome in their roles. At first, I was not going to watch due to the switching of the souls but what a surprise. It is great in my opinion. When you get upset or mad at actors on screen that meant they played the part as he/ she played that character well. Just saying!!👌🏽My suggestion, watch the drama and judge for yourself.Was this review helpful to you?
This was my first time watching these two actors and I will definitely be looking forward to more of their dramas. Lets go searching, searching, searching!
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This review may contain spoilers
Nothing is resolved
This story starts with a challenge, to make a believable love line between a man (Nai) and his younger sister-in-law (Pa) after the suspicious death of the wife (Da). And this lakorn chose to meet that challenge by... not really addressing it? We saw all kinds of strange and what seemed like uncharacteristic behavior from Da in the flashbacks to the day she died and we really got no explanation for any of it. [Why was she considering adding something to Lita's drink? What caused her to faint in the pantry? Did she really push Lita and cause Lita's injury?] All of that just got buried amid the one-upping between Pa and Nai's mother, and even there, there were hardly any truly satisfying moments where you felt Pa had gotten some revenge.Then while more and more people began to see what Nai's mother was willing to do to 'protect' her kids, Pa somehow became more and more sympathetic? The idea that all of these people would put their differences aside after what happened is too hard to swallow, especially with such little repentance on the mother's end.
Thom and Lita were fine as a side couple, but I never really felt anything about Nade and Trai together.
All in all, not worth the time.
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I'll just go unconventionally.. and talk about the points I mentioned above.
Mild makjang- Yes it's over the top... in many ways, unbelievable things happening here and there. But why mild, coz it's not frustrating or blood boiling, though having many annoying, hatable characters I wasn't desperate to slap or punch anyone. It's more like, 'Oh I hate this character, he/she's just so insane.' but that's it no overflowing emotions.
Intense comedy- The worth only thing is a comedy, though it doesn't offer the peak comedy moments, a good laugh, and quality humor. It's not consistent till the end... as you know how 'revenge' dramas turn in the last episodes, even if it's comedy.
Slight romance- Honestly the most boring part of the show and unnecessary, firstly I don't feel the romantic chemistry between leads, they are good as friends but nothing more than that. She has more chemistry with Yoo Jun. Romance feels forced and out of context... and some part is just sooo cliche.
Slight action- I just love when FLs can fight... and here she definitely can, as I said it's slight action so there aren't many action scenes but I did enjoy little action, and seeing FL kicking the ass of everyone.
Coincidences: Why I felt to make a different section of it... This is just too much. Coincidences start from the very first episode till the end... as if everything is in the circle. 1,2,3,4,5... okay fine I can endure that but when it's way beyond it's annoying.
Lee Ha Nee was just awesome, she did a splendid job... But I would have loved it if Cho Yeon Joo's character was consistent till the end, Cho Yeon Joo kinda lost her charm later. Han Seung Wook is bland.. he's lead but I just can't see him as ML maybe I end up comparing him with Yeon Joo which ends up Seung Wook having no spice, is Lee Sang Yoon aging backward? he looks so young than last time I saw him. Yoo Jun I love this guy yes more than Seung Wook... he's just so adorable and such a sweetheart. Though it's not SLS as I wasn't rooting for any romance. Our Ahjusshi aka HG's legal head.. has his charm, he comes 2nd after Ha Nee of whom I enjoyed screentime most. Villains are just so stereotyped... even their motives are the same.
Being revenge drama.. it revolves around comedy more, it's not surprising at all... as all the 'twists' I saw coming miles away, so nothing gonna blow up your mind. And it's forgettable... I even forget I was even watching this... I stumbled upon a review and learned oh it ended, I've to catch up with the last episodes lol.
'One the Woman' is watchable but not out of the box just have... watch it for entertainment and Lee He Nee.
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ROMANTIC but not as thrilling as I Hear Your Voice
I came to know about this drama when I saw on one streaming site and the poster and the title quite catches my sight so I looked for the drama's info and found out that this drama is the remake of my favorite K-drama I Hear Your Voice. I decided to watch this drama for that reason as I want a fresher remake of IHYV.The story:
While the romance part is very cute and endearing with a loyal and one-woman man male lead, I am quite disappointed that this drama does not have complicated cases like the original one. I am not here to compare but since it is a remake, I can not help but find the differences between these 2 dramas. The cases in I Hear Your Voice was complicated and full of twists if I remembered correctly. It was also thrilling with the villain's continuous killing attempts while in this drama, sometimes it is quite bland and sometimes overly dramatic. The law cases in this drama do not really evoke my interest. So, the romance is the only one that is compelling and make me want to watch the next episode. The conclusions of each law cases are also too fast and too easy. But I am not complaining since there is a good romance story told by this drama though. I have not watched the ending so I can not give comments about it.
The acting:
Applause to the female lead, Qi Wei. Her acting is so good especially the crying scenes. She is also very good at comedic scenes. She and the male lead, Jin Han, have got good chemistry. The feels are quite the same as the chemistry built by Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young back then. They seem comfortable with each other. One of the main reasons I loved IHYV was that because the great chemistry between LBY and LJS. The male lead, Jin Han, he is charming as the loyal, protective, and quite calm male lead. He is natural at comedic scenes and he can balance Qi Wei's humour while for some serious scenes, he has not reached the intensity needed for the scenes. But, man, he is very good at looking as a man in love. The one that plays as Gu Si Yu (the female lead's frenemy) is also quite good while the one that acts as Yoon Sang Hyun's character is just so so or maybe he was not given much to show his acting.
The music:
As a longtime Kdrama watcher, I am still not used to Chinese OSTs so I can just say that the music fits well to the scenes.
Rewatch Value:
Because I love the romance, I will just watch the romantic scenes.
Overall:
I recommend you to watch this drama. It is easy to watch. The male lead while he is not that vrery handsome (although I admit that he is much more my type than Lee Jong Suk and he is good looking), Jin Han is very pleasing to watch. He is charming and embodies Jiang Xia role very well.
Correct if I am wrong: this drama is not dubbed unlike other Cdramas. So, we can hear the real voices of Qi Wei and Jin Han.
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This is a movie which beautifully relies on simplicity to tell an emotional tale. It's a quiet tale, full of feeling, full of longing. It's a deeply felt journey.
The gist of it is simple: China, 80s, the moutains of Hunan. A son is taking over the postman position of his father, who is forced to retirement due to arthritis. And for his first time doing it the father walks along, to teach him. The job is fairly simple: Walk a certain designated route, dropping mail in villages. But it's not that simple, because the postman must understand the villagers- and their hearts and the relationships among them.
It is a story of a father and son- and the understanding that passes between them of how much sacrifice this job entails. The son already kknows this and yet the journey together, the journey of passage for one and initiation for another- brings them to a point of transition and deeper understanding. This journey becomes a touchstone of both of their lives. It is a story of mutual appreciation, and of strenghtening the father-son bond but also increasing the love for the heart of the family, the mother, and her own sacrifices.
For anyone who knows and identifies with the joy but at the same time heartbreak of solitude and/or who enjoys solitary walks in the moutains, this movie may just prove a beautiful sight. For anyone who knows the separation from family for a long time due to a sense of duty or because of job, this may also be something to identify with.
It may not be a film for everyone, for it is slow, perhaps too slow, deliberate and reflective and lets feelings unfold on screen, though it speaks through facts and situations. It's a story of a father and son, the story of inheritance, the story of a journey of initiation and of sacrifice. It is accompanied with beautiful scenery and calming music- at times soaring with nostalgia which pierced right through me, beautiful cinematography, breathtaking at times, as we witness the wide expanses of the great moutains, the significane of the job in such a rural area becomes even more pronouces, as is the sacrifice. There is also some very intimate camera work at times.
It may seem very dated to some, however.
The acting is very sensitive and restrained from both actors and their bond feels very real; there is good character development as they learn more about each other The dog is also very prominent. The Chinese title of the film is "Those Mountains, Those People, That Dog", where the dog refers to the dog that accompanies our postmen on the way, a trusted companion, almost the second son, in the solitude of the long path that takes the postman away from home for many long weeks.
It's a thoroughly beautiful piece, which very much affected me the first time I saw it. I was very much taken by the painting the film created. For that reason alone, this movie will always be special for me.
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So, I adored the story line.. It had real character building (even though it's a movie) and all the small stories that were featured were heartbreakingly moving in a beautiful way. This is a bit of a cry movie, but in a sweet way (and you actually feel happy about crying).
The acting was good, nothing to be amazed about. She did a great job, he did it a bit less (but that was due to the very tiny character building on the male lead side) but the lovely thing in this movie were all the suporting role, they made the movie sweet and fun to watch.
However, for Running Man fans... get ready to grin your face off... Lee Kwang Soo has a super fun suporting role (and there are cameo's of his RM colleagues)
Well, because of the important role of music in the movie (she's a radio DJ and ex-idol and all) you would expect an outstanding Original Soundtrack... That was not really the case, but if you watch the movie you'll get why I gave a 10 for music.
All in all, the movie gives a good vibe and message about how people sacrifice themselves to help others and the importance of loved-ones
Definitely a rewatch
p.s. can be watched in any mood. Really, any mood.
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One of the Best BL
I almost waited for this BL for more than a year and finally, I am sad that today is the last episode.It's the best BL I ever watched. First I started this for Earth but Mix's acting skill blow me away. Because of his acting skill, you can feel it more and more into it. I like the fact that this is not related to any college love story as is a completely different story altogether. I really don't want to make any spoiler here but it's definitely worth watching this series and will recommend this too.
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If you're expecting "Oh look! A zombie! KILL IT! OMNOMNOM" for an hour and a half then this may not be your cup of tea.
This film is a collection of different stories ranging from the beginning of the "infection" to the world after a cure is found and zombies have had the effects reversed.
It's very different from your traditional zombie movie in a sense that it doesn't just focus on the mindless beasts that eat everything and the buff guys that appear to shoot them - it focuses on the relationships, the philosophical and ethical aspects of zombiedom and post zombiedom.
A few things could've been developed a bit more, but overall it was a very satisfying watch.
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There was nothing that took you by surprise so I don't think it's re watch value is very high. That said I really enjoyed it while it lasted.
The episodes only last 15mins as it is a Web drama and there are only 8 of them. So if you are looking for a filler while you wait for your hair dye to take, or if you are sat waiting for the bus then this is the drama for you.
Happy Viewing
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By the way,i also plan to watch the 2008 version of "Ngao Asoke" starring Pong and Peung and will probably skip the 2016 version starring Sean and Eshter,not many people enjoyed it as much.
Ekarat Sarasuk plays as the good-natured and noble rich heir Monthai who thinks that his heroine the gentle angel-alike beauty Beechat (played by Ae Isariya Saisanan) is a gold-digging impostor of his girlfriends who he haven`t seen for 8 years since his depart to Australia.What he doesn`t know is that Beechat is the real woman who wrote him all the letters of love over all these years.Even not knowing this...he still can`t resist his heart that pulls him towards her.
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I was a victim of my expectations with this drama. When I read the synopsis I was very excited because I thought I'd be watching a refreshing story told from the perspective of older characters. Sadly, I got the same old story --with typical problems, misunderstandings, and plot cliches-- awkwardly delivered by older leads.
On the surface, the story focuses on Ha No Ra. A woman whose world threatened to crumble at 38 after her husband asks for a divorce. In an effort to save her marriage, Ha No Ra decides to go to college so she could "match her intellect" to her husband's. At its core, it promised an interesting and powerful story: the loss of a woman's individual identity after becoming a mother and the struggle to find her place in the world now that her child has grown up.
The first half of the drama was interesting because it dealt with the issue of her identity crisis. However, halfway through the drama, it became evident the subject wasn't to be touched beyond the shallow surface. Like many k-dramas, the story suffered from unnecessary plots-points, poorly handled subject and misunderstandings that got drawn out way longer than they should've. There were so many problems that could've been avoided if the characters had simply talked to one another, that it soured my experienced and ultimately annoyed me.
Though the story took a turn I wasn't expecting, rather than surprised, I was simply disappointed.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Frustratingly dishonest
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The three main characters are an acquired taste. I didn't like any of them at first, then they sort of grew on me. "Sort of"… as in my endearment fluctuated as constantly as their change of hearts did.
Ha No Ra (female lead, played by Choi Ji Woo): It took me a couple of episodes to get used her character. Maybe it's a cultural clash, but her childish tantrums were jarring and a total turnoff. Since she was an older woman, I expected her to act more maturely. That is not to say she shouldn't be fun, just that I expected her to at least think before acting. Instead, she responded in the typical k-drama female lead's fashion: she screamed, stomped and pouted whenever something didn't work her way...
Cha Hyeon Seok (male lead played by Lee Sang Yoon): Out of the three leads, he was possibly the most engaging and the reason why I kept watching. That's not to say his character was perfect. Far from it. His constant fluctuation between running melting hot one second and cold as ice the next got old fast. His immaturity also wore down my patience. However, the moments when he was sweet and caring were doubtlessly the highlights of the show.
Kim Woo Cheol (played by Choi Won Young): He was an interesting character because he was consistently flawed. He was also always held accountable for his actions. Though he played the part of an antagonist for the most part, he was never consciously cruel and he did come to regret his thoughtless actions. Though he was a good character, he wasn't very memorable.
SUPPORT CHARACTERS: Shallow but likable
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There's really not much to say about them. They contributed to the story, some more than others, but remained shallow. Frankly, I would've preferred to have seen fewer characters but with more screen time.
PORTRAYAL OF ROMANCE: Served hot & cold with a side of childish
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The romance was childish and immature. There were some very sweet --albeit cliché moments. But they were often followed or preceded by cold words, jerk actions and tons of misunderstandings.
In a nutshell, the courting between the leads felt like watching two emotionally stunted adults try their hand at accepting and confessing their love for one another. So you pretty much get the hypothetical (although in this case, somewhat literal) scene of the guy pulling on the girl's pigtails because he wants attention, and the girl screaming at the guy to leave then thinking he's a cold jerk for leaving...
OVERALL: On the fence...
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Honestly, I hesitate to recommend this show. On the one hand, I've seen worst dramas and I did finish this one without skipping any scenes (though I was tempted). On the other hand, the story didn't deliver on its promise and quickly turned into a generic plot delivered by childish (sometimes cringy) characters. Though it did have powerful moments, they weren't enough to elevate this drama to more than an "okay" show.
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Sometimes, a happy couple not always ending as a happy marriage. All of kindness in relationship can change when someone play with heart. When you cheat at your spouse, everythings never be the same.
but don'tt worry, there's a rainbow after the rain :)
Overall... I love this movie. Worth to watch.
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