Light-hearted Rom-com
Not sure why this drama is rated as low but personally I've seen worst drama that as higher ratings than this. I would describe this drama as a light-hearted romance comedy.Pros: The leads are visually appealing and the acting is good and the music/soundtracks are memorable. The over-the-top antics of the 2nd leads may or may not appeal to you.
Cons: There are no real depth to the story so if you are looking for some life-changing lessons or etc then this is not the place for you.
Personally, my wife and I enjoyed this very much. Overall, I would say I had a good time watching this and have no regret's on the time spend on this.
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Why I end up being disappointed with this epic
Qin Dynasty Epic used to be called Qin Empire 4, I watched the previous three installments last year, they were about previous kings/duke of Qin, all building up to this installment's Ying Zheng unification and start of 2000 years of Imperial China. I'm not overly familiar with Ying Zheng, but he's too well known and has too many achievements for this to not be epic, but I came away rather disappointed. (spoilers reference historical events)First of all, the drama focused on the wrong bits and have terrible pacing issue. Ying Zheng died at 49, most of the common achievements people think of are unification at 38 and what comes after it. He had a fairly interesting childhood and rough start, so I totally understand giving fair amount of attention to that. I'm perfectly willing watch him grow from ascending to the throne at 13 to gaining control of court at 22, clearing obstacles and finding awesome generals and ministers before starting to conquer other kingdoms. Hell, aside from setting up prefecture system, standarising writing system, linking great walls and building roads for carts, his life after unification could have been neat too, he defended Qin against Huns, conquered Bai Yue (modern southern China), and did bunch of things to ensure his reform stayed. Not to mention there's the whole elixir for immortality, didn't name a successor that resulted in Qin's early demise.
The drama covers up to unification so 78 ep over 38 years, which I somewhat understand, since it's more positive ending then setting up for tragedy. It spent 13 ep on first 13 years of his life, bit longer than what I expected but hey it's a long drama, and then 9 ep on last 9 years. These are IMO the best parts of the drama, not just due to pacing but also acting and writing were the best. I'm happy to note that the drama bought up some of the reform fairly early in the drama, and it's sprinkled here and there, so it's not just battles and unification. But these last 9 ep should have been the focus of the drama, I understand that battle scenes are expensive, you could have given me more time to battle strategies? Or other kingdoms' internal issues? Like Chu Kingdom, it lasted less than 2 ep!
Ep 22 to 60 covers him from 18 till 22, that's roughly 10 ep per year, is that really necessary, drama? There's two major events that I expected (from wiki'ing Ying Zheng when I saw him ascend the throne), one lasted 3 ep (bit longer than I expected but reasonable pacing for this story), one lasted 15 ep! There were number of episodes used to set up Zhao as a major opponent, which I don't mind as they were historically rather strong and formidable at the time (featuring two well known generals of Warring States, the other two are Qin's), but I do feel it could have been shorter, or again maybe other kingdoms could have used some focus too? Other episodes feature one major battle and two minor battles, and couple small notable events. Zhengguo Canal was a marvel at the time, but we never saw other big construction projects either, like mausoleum or the roads mentioned in later parts of the drama? The way the drama is paced, the ending arc where the meat of the story should be just feel really rushed. If you slash the middle by half, the pacing would feel much more balanced.
Secondly, the drama's writing was all over the place. Some of the dialogue swere classical Chinese, some of it were fairly plain modern Chinese, which is fine. What's not fine is certain word choices, why does the drama start with what sound like a translation of a western king's speech? What was with that conversation between Ying Zheng and Lv Buwei at ep 12 (?), they make me question if I'm watching a historical epic or a fluffy romcom? To get across the shock, hurt, and confusion, there could have been a lot of other ways, in fact if you just delete some sentences, I wouldn't be all "wtf???" Not exactly word choice, but how the scene was shot, what was with the assassin scene? Okay he got his hair cut to show it was dangerous, but why was he rolling on the floor? What were the other people doing? Why was he fighting like a samurai, it seriously looked super kendo-y? Director, did you just watch the 1998 movie and used that as inspiration and called it a day instead of using historical records?
A big part of the drama was humanising Ying Zheng, as his image to average person is a tyrant. That might have partially been due to Han's Sima Qian's "Record of Historian" demonising him and Qin, since Han is Confucius while Qin is Legalist and dynasty they overthrew, not to mention Qin probably overdid it when it was reforming. That said, I'm constantly confused by the drama being bizarrely in love with "pls love me one more time" narrative, I guess because he had troubled childhood, it make sense and it plays up the tragedy? I found it rather awkward though and it was used way too many times for my taste. The drama was also very intent on selling him as a benevolent king, and it feels super wrong to me. It's fine to have him want to conquer the other kingdoms AND also help some common people he might have met, but why does every decision where he has to kill someone, it's always like he's forced to? He's an emperor, I'm sure they sacrifice some things for their goals, and I'm sure there's some calculated moves, that would made this more interesting. Even with all his flaws (even including tyranny + elixir) , it doesn't diminish any of his achievements.
I had a lot of fun celebrating amazing relationship between previous kings and their ministers because they shared common goals and overcame obstacles together. Ying Yiren and Lv Buwei sort of have that, but there were too little time for it. Lv Buwei became a reluctant antagonist at some point due to circumstances, but Li Si didn't fill his gap as he should have. In fact, Lv Buwei was the most interesting character of the drama, and I could see his love for Qin and I bought everything he does is for mighty goals. Li Si on the other hand, tend to be all talk and not much action, or what little he does seems to end up with a huge mess, e.g. Lao Ai. The writer's plotting simply isn't as awesome as they seem to think, and they really spent way too much time where every single person seem to think unification was totally sure-in and shout it at every chance they have, that's not the case!
Thirdly, our protagonist is completely miscast. I know casting Ying Zheng is real difficult, there's lot of expectation. He did so much when he was young but your average 20-something probably can't hold down such an epic drama and act reasonably well against so many veteran actors. I also know that dramas try to have main lead come out early, but if Han Wu Emperor's Chen Baoguo can come out at ep 22 (out of 58) and leave a classic epic behind, so can you! Casting 40 year old is totally expected, though I would have preferred 30 year old since aging makeup is easier than deaging someone. I can handle 40 playing 20, but you can't possibly convince me they are 13, especially when your actor look older than their age! Couple with some plot points that only make sense if he's super young, he constantly pulls me out of the drama. What's wrong with having him appear in ep 20 or 22 out of 78? You know what, your drama ends before Ying Zheng even catch up to Zhang Luyi's age!
I've been a casual fan of Zhang Luyi since I watched his slow burn republican drama The Red. He fit that role perfectly, he even had a tinge of Shanghaiese accent despite not being one, (it's fairly rare for accents or dialects to appear in cdramas!) Oof this role though, he really really doesn't look like an emperor, ok? He didn't look like one playing Li Longji in Legend of Demon Cat, and he doesn't look like one here. He doesn't always hold himself straight and seem to lean forward at times, it's very apparent when he meets up with Zhao Yan, who looks real regal next to him. The winter costume piled onto him also made his neck disappear, and couple with his posture, it's....not pretty. He tends to yell a lot during intense scenes too, it's not that he can't yell, but he doesn't have that powerful volume? powerful aura that I expect him to have, sometimes I think the scenes would have been more effective if he was quieter. e.g. there was an intense scenes with him and two kids, he looked dangerous and it was nerve-wrecking.
Then there were other little bits that's just really annoying. I know you want to differentiate the countries, but you can't possibly tell me Han could afford purple for the whole army 2000 years ago! Purple is not an easily found natural dye, especially one that bright, it's why nobility/royalty likes purple, did this not cross anyone's mind? Zhao Ji is really really stupid and appeared way too much, Lao Ai shouldn't have that much power and shouldn't look like a final boss! Seriously, why was there street celebration for that arc and not unification? Why was sexual assault even necessary as a plot point? Being Uncle Ying Xi is real suffering, but he was supportive all the way, just because of that one look? You could have implied something happened during that night or was it two nights (ep 12?)? Don't tell me they just stood there and talked?
Despite all of my complaints, I did like fair amount of it. It opened and closed with epic battle scenes, best battles I've seen in cdrama, thank you tencent for all your money. I really like the music, I think that one song that makes me cry is from previous installments but I still love every scene that use it (and important scenes really love using it). I actually rather like Zhao Kingdom's cast and their characterisations, they were source of comedy at one point, later on they had fabulous Queen who could actually scheme and plan and very hateable Guo Kai that I end up half rooting for. There were some memorable supporting cast that only appeared for few episodes, like Ying Yiren who managed to win people's heart with that one speech, or Han Fei with his lofty goals and dignity in dire times. There were a lot of segments I really liked as well, Ying Zheng and his dad overseeing the army and stating their goals, Li Si detailing Qin's couple failed opportunities to conquer, Lv Buwei's final scenes, Zhao Yan's entire visit to Qin, Ji Dan sending Jin Ke off etc.
At the end of the day, epics like this are hard to come by, so I definitely don't regret watching it from day 1. I think if you don't come in with expectation like me, and don't constantly compare drama to history, you would have lot of fun as others did. I had a lot of fun wiking and discussing with others in the comment section. I even made a timeline and everything, since I wanted time to move, which I'll post in the review comment section, as well as some other interesting bits I found that might be helpful. Shoutout to @PeachBlossomGoddess and @WandereR for encouraging me to post a rather negative review, since I wasn't going to write one as it felt bit like raining on people's parade. Little did they know, once I start, I can't stop!
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The acting was superb! Ikuta Toma deserves more than a standing ovation for his acting skill. His expression and gesture were the ones that made this movie special. Also, I love the way they expressed emotions using background music.
Although there were still missing points and, for sure, non-sense matters appeared in this movie, I would say the director, the writer, and all team member did a really great job. Thanks for making this movie!
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A ride from start to finish
I've watched many romantic dramas, but I would never call myself a fan of the genre. This is mostly because, while the couples may be cute, there will always be unnecessary misunderstandings and drama to make the relationship "strong." Many romance dramas have a tendency to romanticize red flags that is often borderline abuse. I don't consider myself a romantic person and, hence, rarely do dramas make my heart flutter. However, this one not only made my heart flutter, but it also made me melt into puddles from the sweetness. Often, I caught my silly, ecstatic reflection on the screen and wondered what this drama has done to me.Right off the bat, I noticed the similarities with DOTS like many others have mentioned. The general premise of a law enforcement officer falling in love with a doctor is similar to DOTS. The truck dangling off the cliff, and the earthquake rescue mission is also similar to DOTS. But, the similarities end there. The main characters are entirely different people from Kang Mo Yeon and Yoo Shi Jin, and so is their dynamic as a couple. Someone commented below that DOTS is a "blockbuster" meant to grip the audience and keep us at the edge of our seats, while YAMY is a good balance of high octane action and a slow, sweet, realistic slice of life. Unlike DOTS, Xing Kelei and Mi Ka are not "heroes." They are ordinary people who are also very competent, passionate professionals, trying to navigate their daily lives, and on more than one occasion, encountering something out of the ordinary.
Bai Jing Ting and Sandra Ma are an unlikely duo, and so I had my doubts at first. I ate my words within the first episode. This couple has so much natural chemistry; it blew me away. Sandra Ma is a fantastic actress. I cannot imagine the compassionate, capable Mi Ka being played by anyone else. Sandra Ma has impeccable dialogue delivery; her soft voice, sweet giggle, puppy eyes, and tender disposition are all so naturally conveyed. The drama being undubbed made her feel most authentic because her diction and voice modulation really adds to the acting. Sandra has the ability to portray characters as dynamic. She made Mi Ka cute and warm without making her annoying. Mi Ka is kind but not a pushover. She knows how to stand up for herself and does not let anyone walk over her. She's calm, level-headed, reasonable, and by far the most realistic female lead I've watched in a long, LONG time. She also shows so much character development; the contrast between her in the first episode and episode 39 is striking.
Xing Kelei is just as well written. Truth be told, I never pegged Bai Jing Ting as being able to carry the role of a police officer. But I'm so impressed with his acting abilities that I can unabashedly say that I've become a fan. He's charming and powerful as a captain. In many cases, dramas tend to boil down military/policemen to macho men with a false sense of superiority and ego, two sizes too large for their body. This toxic masculinity bleeds into his romantic relationships. It makes him the dominant one who makes all the decisions, the one who takes the initiative and drives the relationship. Xing Kelei is confident and well aware of his charm and talent, but he is far from egotistical. To see the tough, mean captain of the Tigers be clammy, shy and timid around Mi Ka is so adorable. The contrast between him as an officer and him as a boyfriend is so stark; it makes you swoon. In a relationship, the two are partners, on equal footing, and the two respect each other's choices and opinions. This relationship is by far one of the healthiest I've seen in dramas. There is consistent communication and no room for misunderstandings. Even when the two fight, neither lets feelings stew nor hesitate to apologize. Even when they miss each other due to their demanding occupations, they understand and respect each other's careers and accept that sometimes their jobs take precedence over each other. Every time you expect conflict, the two surprise you by being level-headed and mature. It sounds like the bare minimum, but it is still so refreshing to see. I enjoyed the natural progression of their relationship. While it may be slow and awkward at first, it is very realistic, given that it is their first relationship. I think this is what makes their interactions all the more authentic. Their conversations feel natural and casual, akin to your day to day interactions with the ones you love.
The side couples are just as adorable. Each couple has a different dynamic. Shu Wenbo is so obtuse; it's hilarious. Unlike popular opinion, I didn't find his cluelessness annoying. In fact, I found it quite endearing because as soon as he realizes his feelings, he's quick to act on them. Ruan Qing Xia is assertive and forthright without being annoying, and as an aspiring journalist, I admire her professionalism and sensibility. I adore the relationship between Keyou and Shou Yuhan. While Kelei and Mika are like spring- new, fresh, pure; Keyou and Yuhan are like autumn- comforting, familiar, warm and mature. All are different types of love, but equally as beautiful.
The romance is a slow burn, and the pacing of the drama is slow. There are arcs of thrills and action, followed by periods of the characters figuring out the mundane complications in life. The balance is perfect, and the simplicity of it is what made me keep watching. Each period of hardship unlocks a different level on Kelei and Mi Ka's relationship. The earthquake episodes are interesting, and the confession is especially heartwrenching. I have a special appreciation for episode 39. The writers did an impeccable job maintaining the thrill from the beginning to the end of the hostage situation. The addition of the lovers' fateful encounter after a long period of separation is heartwrenching and really adds to the experience.
Is it perfect? On most days, when I am much more practical and not in my feelings over the end of a fantastic drama, I would say no. However, today I choose to be impractical and argue that yes, it is perfect. That being said, the editing can be a little choppy, especially when stitching together multiple takes of the same scene. But that can be easily forgiven. While there are some recycled tropes earlier on in the drama, there are no unnecessary plot devices, and every bit of the story is there for a reason. There are no unanswered questions or plotholes. The product placements drove me a little nutty, but I just chose to ignore it.
I don't usually watch long dramas, and 40 episodes can be considered long. Yet, the episodes flew by, and at the end of it, I hoped for more. But now that I've finished watching it, I'm left with hollowness. This drama was truly a joy to watch. It's the type of drama that I wish I never watched, to experience the unadulterated joy of watching it for the first time. It also left me with a lingering sense of warmth and solitude. A drama that has joined the ranks of my most elite. Undoubtedly, a ten on ten for me.
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DARK COMEDY/ THRILLER AT IT'S PEAK
The retro style of the beginning and the calming before the storm was very well executed, and the upcoming peak and set for story at 2 EP was very well made!!Really recommend it!! Saw my self laughing for things I wouldn't expect it...
Although thriller is the main genre.
O estilo retrô do começo e a calma antes da loucura foi muito bem executado, e o auge que foi planejado e executado pelo 2 EP foi muito bem feito!!
Realmente recomendo!! Ri com coisas que eu não tava esperando...
Apesar que suspense é o gênero principal.
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I loved the acting and the cast, especially Peter Ho. The girl that plays Ye Lin is gorgeus and her acting skills are great.
Also, the music was good. Both the OST and ending song are sung by Peter Ho. ??? and ??.
Overall, this is an amazing drama. The only thing that I kinda didn't like was the fact that there were too many flashbacks for my liking. Otherwise, this is a drama I would recommend to all of you that loves drama.
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So I will focus on second part of it.
Friends go to a new bar that is near and it has hint of comedy that I didn't find in first story. This one was more fun watching. Honestly, it would have been better if it were separate movies even if it took only 33minutes. So a guy falls in love at first sight and it leads to cruel ''reality'' like some comments said and well where most of bl movies do a sad ending as if gay men can't be happy which I find it cruel. But the story was easy to watch.
So ignoring first part I give this 8.5
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Where Does the Ultimate Good Really Lie?
I had been looking forward to seeing this one as it promised to be something intriguing. While by far not my favorite costume drama of the year, it kept me coming back for each episode. It had its pluses and minuses; I do however want to say that nothing I write below is to reflect poorly on any actor. Actors work with what they are given both good and bad.Pros: My two favorite characters of the entire series were Gao Bingzhu and 16th Night. Both actors did a superb job in their characters. Huang Xuan was brilliant in his portrayal of this rogue badass who was hellbent on avenging the deaths of his friends and taking care of all of the people in the Unwelcome Well. His evolution into a more refined badass, didn't take away from his almost psychic notion of who the bad guys were even when they counted in the double digits and could be your closest friends if not family. When meeting Wu Siye and Baili Erlang, these two characters only expanded his already unbelievable ability to digest information that seemed like something in passing to someone else. He also seemed to be extremely lucky in survival no matter how many times he was practically pin-cushioned by 16th Night and others. GBZ was in the thick of it from the moment we met him in the first episode to his absolute last second on screen in the very last episode. This man is absolutely a class act and I would look forward to seeing him in other dramas particularly gritty ones.
Then comes probably the greatest antagonist I've seen in a very long time; 16th Night was absolutely a soulless, brutal killer, who took out adults or kids alike with her creepy three-sided weapon of design, using alleyways and rooftops to showcase almost immortal martial art skills. What made her character particularly amazing was that it wasn't until the episode of her reveal that we even knew she was a woman! Furthermore, she was totally hiding in plain sight and a friend of GBZ, who saved his life on numerous occasions while putting both herself and her "regular" business at risk. Her complete and total double life immersion was very impressive. Sadly, when she killed herself once she was exposed to GBZ, no other antagonist in the show, even the higher ups of the Four Seasons cult were able to replace her brilliance and brutality. Zhang Li who played her was a pleasure to watch.
The two other leads held their own. Victoria Song as Wu Siye had really great martial arts skills and her unfailing loyalty to those who she cared about most was what made her a solid character and leading lady to GBZ. I watched this for Wang Yibo originally as he's the only one I knew in the cast and though Baili Hongyi/Erlang was in a way the brain of the 3 musketeers because he could decode things and figure out maps and plans, his character took a while to thaw out and was reminiscent of his break out role of Lan Zhan in CQL because of his tiny facial expressions even though he had a lot more lines here. However, I appreciated his smarts and solving puzzles and when working together with GBZ and WSY, he was an integral part of the team. Though he couldn't fight and would constantly need rescuing (as the other two would often say to each other "Baili Hongyi is in danger"), he figured ways out eventually to save himself for the short term if nothing else. His and GBZ's hinting towards each other to solve a problem or get someone out of danger was a nice added touch. Showed that they had developed a very good relationship of trust with each other.
Other characters that were notable in good ways were Master Chu, Shen Fei who sadly perished saving BH's life and the sacrificial lamb or scapegoat Li Beiqi. The last was murdered sadly and only at the very end did people find out that he was innocent of all of the crimes against him. And the first always had the best interests of the Empress and people at heart so was reinstated; I actually hope that GBZ returns working for him again.
The last pros were the OSTs, some of the costumes, badass fighting scenes, and the set designs, plus CGI which were simply gorgeous. It was quite obvious where the large budget went.
Cons: In the very first episode, you felt like you already landed into the middle of the series and had to run to catch up. Now some people might like that but to me that's a rather messy start to a series. Furthermore, the amount of characters that were introduced was done at the speed of light and many died before you even had time to blink. You didn't know who was good or bad or why certain ones were killed until maybe the 6th episode in. It was all too hasty and had little cohesion.
The amount of bad guys was ridiculous, most didn't matter and who they actually were more often then not wasn't even properly explained but because there were so many bad guys, you eventually lost track of who the dead ones were. There simply shouldn't be that many completely useless characters running around.
Probably one of the most upsetting things for me was the killer who "replaced" 16th Night was probably the polar opposite of anything I would expect a savage killer to look/act like. Robot Barbie that didn't blink was beyond a cop out. They would have been better off not having another one, because even without the original 16th Night, this chick didn't scare anyone. Nothing about her said scary or killer; Robocop walked with more fluidity.
And how can anyone forget.....EERRRRRRLLLLAAAANNNNNGGG! Dear lord, hold the wheel! 30 out of 39 episodes of this ear bleeding, shriek that happened 76 times per episode. Liu Ran was the clingiest, most cringeworthy, annoying, and dumb as a brick character I've seen in a long time. She was like a pet chihuahua that wouldn't leave her husband alone and wouldn't stop nagging. I was actually amazed they evolved her in 9 episodes into a mature and emotionally stable woman who stood by her husband and trusted him as opposed to running after him and calling his name as she messed up his plans nearly getting them both killed a few times; because those first 30, I wasn't alone in wanting to send her character along with her brother, and maid out of town on the bro's camel!
Romance was the one genre that was not needed at all in this drama. When these kinds of scenes came, it was like throwing a well-oiled machine off kilter. It was unnecessary and extra. The mopey, clingy scenes just poured cold water on a hot detective drama where they just didn't belong. Not every drama needs to have romance because it just doesn't fit; it's like trying to jam a square peg through a circle.
The entire Liu family were either major jinxes or just plain evil. Her brother was another totally unnecessary character and his puppy love for someone who turned out to be also part of the cult, led him down the path of delusion and the even more inconsistent ending to the one character who shouldn't have died as it made zilch sense and made the ending of this series very confusing. Like how did he know where Lord Rodent w/rug would be exactly (a character that was so obviously the big bad since he first appeared on screen, that that revelation in the last episode was beyond underwhelming)? The 3 musketeers work together that one last time was impressive but they lost one. How does one get away with killing a leading inner guard of the Empress and not even get sentenced to prison but to go up a mountain and repent as a monk? That makes as much sense as only 10 days after her death, there was no real feeling of mourning amongst those people who cared about her the most. Again very inconsistent; because GBZ spent 5 years tracking down the murderer of his friends but he won't go up the mountain and take out the moron who killed the only woman he ever loved who actually loved him back w/out strings attached?
And lastly, what was the "greater good" that the cult was constantly yakking about? The massacre of an entire capital? Sounds very Jonestown to me, but it was never explained to the audience.
Would I recommend this drama? Yes, I would. It's a good detective costume drama, but it comes with many errors. So just be aware of that and decide for yourselves.
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I personally don't have kids, but I've heard so many of the same lines used in this drama in real life that it was hard to not relate to this.
people live by other's expectations, they feel weak when they think they're not "following" the pattern, they have a hard time admitting that they are struggling and everyone just lacks empathy. they criticize what they don't personally feel.
there are so many rules of society. "you can't keep your kid happy/quite? you are a bad mom". "you don't cook for your family? you are a bad housewife". "you don't have kids? you've failed as a woman". and there are of course other examples, even directed at men "your wife makes more money than you? then you are not a man". "you want to see a therapist? you've failed as a human". "you want to quit your job and stay at home? that's not what men do"..
who made these rules? why should we force others to live by those rules? does putting others down make you a better person? would showing weakness mean you are not... what? grateful to your life?
everyone struggles with something, but again, you can't just look at people through your experiences.. don't judge people. it's also so easy to misjudge people, so everyone should just communicate more..
anyway this is making me emotional :) basically they did a great job convening the different struggles, the slow growth of the characters was also heartwarming and inspiring.
the ost was nice and I never rewatch stuff, but this does make me want to watch more jdramas ;)
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Very loosely inspired but in the mood of the book.
I'm writing this review having watched 7 of the 8 episodes and having already read the book that this drama is based on.I will start my review by mentioning some things about the book that is a fantastic read and I recommend to read it. Jake Adelstein is the only American journalist ever hired at one of the most prestigious Japanese newspapers as a crime reporter, something that is of course an achievement by itself. Through his work as a reporter he had to deal with the whole spectrum of Japanese underworld, the Japanese mafia ( Yakuza- that it is worst as it seems than the Italian one! ) and of course with the police and all the people, the press and all other institutions, involved in this world.
In his book he mentions the most notorious of the cases that he covered as a journalist, and of course he gives a first hand account about how intertwined are the Police and the Press with the Japanese underworld.
And that is exactly what this drama is all about. It is not that much about the characters that are just some examples of the persons that Adelstein encountered in the 12 years that he worked as a journalist in Japan, but mostly a very good and accurate depiction of the attitudes, the dealings and the doings of all these people that live and operate in this particular world.
The story plot and the characters are original - inspired by the book or picked up from the book, but not so well developed in the book- but the mood is there intact. Where the book is full of information and facts as a reporter would have written them the drama is full of character development and a solid plot. So 10/10 from me for the fantastic and original in a manner of speaking writing of this script.
The production is great with the touch of Michael Mann ( the guy who produced the legendary Miami Vice and directed Collateral ). Don't ask me who is Michael Mann. Go a check out the films and dramas he has produced and directed.
I'm also impressed by the cast and all the actors participating in this drama as half of them had to learn how to speak Japanese and the rest of them to learn how deliver fluently their lines in English! They all deserve credits for their work, as we all know how difficult it is for westerners to learn Japanese and for Japanese to speak English.
So - in order to conclude without any spoilers- this is a fantastic drama with a very solid plot, great character development that you will not find in the book, and very good - and difficult due to the bilingual nature of this drama - acting.
If you haven't read the book yet do read it.
If you haven't watched this drama yet do watch it as it will put you in the mood of the book but with an original and different some how story plot.
10/10 from me for the writing and they way that the source material was used, the character development and the very good production and direction.
P.S After watching the final episode I have to say that the second season will be welcomed.
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A must watch series 10/10
I do understand how everyone felt after reading the synopsis of this season 2, I was also in hesitation if I'm going to drop this or not but I give it a try, well to explain further, this is a stand alone story, so if you happen to love the season 1 (which is the series) and the movie ( the continuation of the series) you have to set aside your post drama syndrome first before watching this second season (In the sky) because this is a whole different thing.So far, I really liked this one, the acting and expressions of Haruta is still one of of a kind. I also like the story it revolves around the airport and how the staffs handles their feelings towards each other. It's a 10\10 for me.
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Jane Austin Ambiance, pdone right
This is a piece of art! The rewatch value of this show surpasses everything. By the time the last episode aired, I had rewatched it twice. The first watch was not that impressive as I was watching it with my regular lens , forwarding every slow boring scene. When I gave the show a second chance, I learned the beauty of it. It is a masterpiece and can only be enjoyed if you are ready to hear all the dialogues and see the character development of not just our awesome leads but so many of the side characters. The writing has a flawless rhythm to it. Small plot lines like where Wichai asked Anong to collect compliments given from ppl's hearts and then they can marry, even with all the admiration Wichai had for Anong, giving Anong full decision power to accept him or reject him, the natural progression of relationships e.g Anong with Wichai's sister and niece, Wichai with Anong's brothers, Wichai's servant and his back story... etc etc makes this show a classic to be cherished forever. All plots are connected and add to the depth of story.Not only the characters are well written but the cast is beautifully depicted, yes I have always been in love with Yaya and Tor but Anong's eldest and youngest brother, Wichai's sister, niece, brother & his wife were all amazing actors.
I must admit, Wichai's mom is one character who was too pathetic and her scenes had to be skipped. She was the only one that fit the normal evil Lakorn character profile.
Display of some physical romance is what I crave for. I must admit I don't do well where there are fish kisses or none. This one had a beautiful mix of physical intimacy. Natural kisses that made you believe as if the leads are truly meant for each other but never going over board where u get grossed out with explicit scenes.
I live in States, wish they had a meet and greet with cast and crew. I would love to give them endless comments. Yaya and Tor looked so handsome in every take. Their costumes added to the beauty of the scenes. The lush greenery and perfect sets made this show a gem to be cherished.
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Powerful Acting backed up with a strong storyline & distiguished music! What more do you want?
Wow! one of the best medical drama ever!A drama can be awesome when there is Powerful Acting along with a strong storyline & melodious music. This is that drama.
Story is intense, intriguing and gripping. It is based on the theme as the title suggests - Two lives one heart. Two patients struggle for one heart. Each doctor would make different decision which affects the 2 lives. The cases are interesting.
The story mainly tells about the 2 doctors and their choices. Choi seok han went through painful past because of a wrong decision he took with his daughter. So he changes and wants to have more power to stop the discrimination. To get that he goes on wrong path.
Park tae soo is Choi seok han's prodigy. Tae soo lost his mother because of Choi seok han but he never hold it against him. He still makes his decisions in the best of patients. So the drama shows us how different people react to the pain given to them.
Uhm Ki Joon is best as always. Choi seok han's pain, conflicts, his internal stuggle everything was just made for Uhm Ki Joon only. No one could have played it better. Choi seok han was a genius doctor, a warm person and best mentor. But a wrong choice in desperate times took him on wrong path which he was well aware of. He eventually crosses that difficult time and comes to his own self.
This is my first time watching Go soo. But man!! he stole my heart as Dr. Park tae soo!! Tae soo is a strong person and gentle person at the same time. He goes beyond his duties as a doctor. His only motto is - "JUST SAVE THE PATIENT NO MATTER WHAT!" His emotions, ideals, caring personality is well portrayed by Go soo. You root for him, cry with him, smile with him, care along with him.
Seo Ji Hye as Yoon Soo Yeon was good, though they should have give more depth to the character. Her screen time was less and in some episodes she felt like side character.
Choi Dae Hoon should be mentioned for his acting as Koo Dong Joon. He is such cutie character and the development of his character is worth watchable. His relation with his father as well as with Tae soo is great.
Other characters are good too. I loved The interactions between each characters.
Music is one of the key point of this drama. Without wonderful tones and background score, this drama would have been average. But Music is very melodious and gives goosebumps in many scenarios.
I guess they cut short the episodes, but rather than dragging to 20 Episodes with no story, this drama ended quite well with just 16 episodes.
Rewatch is possible if you fell in love with the characters. I certainly did.
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