Completed
Sunny
12 people found this review helpful
by em_MiK
Oct 1, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
It may seem like I am being extremely generous with my score, but I'm not. This movie was the best Korean movie I have ever seen. I was laughing and crying at the same time during multiple scenes. The characters were all wonderful to watch. They all seemed like real people, despite some obviously fictitious scenes. The plot never felt boring or too choppy. It was well written, well acted, well directed, and anything else you can think of. At least one sentence of this review needs to applaud the director on his brilliant transitions and scenes. On top of being a wonderful story, the camera work was absolutely amazing. I definitely recommend it to anyone. It's definitely a story you can connect to no matter what!

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Completed
Ride or Die
12 people found this review helpful
by Miru
May 2, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Best acting in Japanese media but that's the only good thing about this movie

As I said, the acting is masterful. Easly the best of all Japanese dramas and movies I've seen. Maybe even one of top 10 of all media I've ever seen. The cast did amazing job, I didn't feel like they acted at all. It also wasn't anime-like or cartoonish at all which is unusal for Japanese media (that I've seen at least).

The soundtrack was also nice, though there weren't a lot of music. Most of the time the background sound was silence. However, these are the only good things I can say about this movie. There will be spoilers.

The first thing I hated was Rei's "lesbianism". Sorry but no. I am a lesbian and it was very hard to watch. She was supposed to be out of closet but she had a voluntary sex with men. What lesbian does that? Was it suppoed to show her awful mental state? Was she trying to punish herself? It's just a very weird decision for me. Moreover, I feel like it only invalidated her sexual orientation. I can't believe she's lesbian because her actions towards men don't make sense to me. Also, it made me feel sick and disgusted. I wish they discarded all the sex scenes but especially those with Rei and men. Or at least didn't claim she's a lesbian.

The relationship between Rei and Nanae is toxic af. They are toxic people and they get worse when they're together. It made impossible for me to root for them. They were portrayed as bad people, not just lost or misunderstood, but I guess it's understandable as the movie starts with a murder. (Also I love how Rei made a disclaimer she's not a simp: "I did not murder a man to have sex with the woman I love". Beautiful.) Another point is I don't believe the love Rei had for Nanae. I don't believe it held for more than 10 years and was strong enough to make her kill for Nanae. I see it as just a cheap way to move plot forward. The actresses did what they could but it's just a big plothole for me.

As for the technical side of the movie. What the hell if wrong with the camera work? It was shaking so much, is the cameraman alright? It did get better further in the movie but it never really went away. It made me quesy watching it as if I had a motion sickness. The shots were also weird, sometimes too close, sometimes too far to the side so half of the screen if filled with irrevelant stuff and you can't see the important stuff happening.

I could write more points but I don't want to spoil it too much. Also, this is long enough. I wouldn't recommend this movie but if you want to risk it then expect a lot of nudity and sex scenes, crying and not much of logic.

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Completed
Thank You
12 people found this review helpful
Aug 26, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 10
I just finished the finale and thought I'd share my thoughts about this blissful drama.
First, the thing that attracted me to this drama (other than GHJ being the lead) was simply the story.
It is kind of rare in Asian media to deal with HIV and AIDS as a plot line, especially like in this drama were the one affected is a little child.
This drama, above anything is a family drama, about the bonds that people build, about trust, about love, about devotion, about sacrifice, about the will to survive...and ultimately about the most important human virtue, which is being thankful and honestly expressing it. Saying ”thank you" for each and every blessing you receive, is the door to find goodness in this world.

Other than teaching about such virtues, this drama shed light on a very important issue, which is of course HIV. It is a relatively new drama so one would expect that most people in the community have enough information regarding HIV and it's nature, and transmission. But, the drama's story revolves in a rural town on an island, were people are so simple and to an extent uncultured. One then would mistakenly think that the misunderstanding the villagers had concerning the disease was the main reason behind the suffering and hardship that our brave single mother faced, and that if she had lived in a big town with more cultured persons she wouldn't have suffered as much. But on second thought, you find yourself realizing that the issue is not merely about "knowing" or "not knowing" and that even people who have acquired enough knowledge about such ailments, can still be unable to act normally around people infected with it., especially if we're dealing with sending our children around another infected child. So although while watching this drama, I was infuriated at how everyone was mistreating them, later on after giving it some thought, you find you can not 100% blame them.

The Story:
A very good one, with depth in each and every character. Loved how each characters background and history was revealed naturally without too many flash backs and monologues and reminiscence scenes like many KDramas tend to do. Rather, we were given the most necessary points regarding each and every main character, just at the right time, just in the right proportion. Also each and every character development, came with a logical progression, not all of a sudden, so you feel you can totally understand how they feel or must be feeling.
On a side note, this might be my first KDrama to take place entirely in rural Korean village. The landscapes were always so genuine and real, they showed us what an island village looked like, felt like, even smelled like. You feel as if you have been there living among them and experiencing it. This could be considered a proof of good direction.

Acting:
As usual I loved Gong Hyo Jin to pieces in this one too. She's simply awesome, never overdoing it and just delivering the right amount of expressions, whether facial or vocal.
As for Jang Hyuk, I was expecting to feel awkward at his usual over-the-top expression acting, but he was surprisingly so good in this one. He delivered Ahjusshi just the way he should be *thumbs up*
All the other actors delivered very convincing acting, and above all I would like to salute the actor who played Haraboji (grand pa a.k.a Mr. Lee) on an awesome performance!!!

Music: Don't know if it's because it's a 2007 drama, but the background music was mostly not my taste. the main ballad song was nice and the lyrics was perfect for the premises of the drama. But I'm afraid I have to admit I didn't particularly prefer the instrumental tracks in this one. Still it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the drama.

Rewatch value: This is a drama I profoundly enjoyed, and though it was bit slow paced at certain parts, over all it was a really nice watch I think I might be re-watching it sometime later when I feel like watching a slice of life drama.

This is a worthy watch, I recommend.

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Completed
Revenge and Passion
12 people found this review helpful
Sep 23, 2015
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
It's an old drama but it's a true gem for anyone who likes a good mix of action, romance and comedy! I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end! I was laughing myself out of my seat half the time, cheering the lead guy on during the fight scenes and gushing over the romance ^_^ I started it for Ahn Jae Wook and I'm SO glad I did!!! This is not to be missed if your a fan! :D I highly recommend it! There aren't many dramas I'm willing to stay up half the night to just finish it! This was one of those times where I just had to see the end - I just couldn't wait! ^_^

Ahn Jae Wook as Kang Joon Ho was so smexy in this role! (gosh I love that hair on him) ^^ He'd make me giggle like a school-girl over his cute actions towards our leading lady ;) So adorable ^^ I would totally fall for a guy like him! He may be poor but he's got a good heart and fights injustice and has an awesome best friend - their antics made me laugh so hard :P Oh Yeon Soo as Min Joo was so pretty for one and I have to say I became a fan through this drama, she did an awesome job playing a hairdresser who falls in love with a guy who walked into her shop one day ^^ Loved their relationship ;) Kwon Hae Hyo as Dong Wook was awesome! His bromance with AJW's character was so cool and fun to watch! Son Chang Min as Lee Hyun Soo was great in his role as the antagonist - I liked to dislike him if that makes any sense :P and I love the song they played for his scenes ^^ Lee Kye In - I nicknamed him Iceman (b/c of one scene I saw him in) He was the "dumb" one of the bad guys which made him hilarious to watch! :P Kim Hye Soo as Mi Kyung was good as Min Joo's friend who makes wrong choices but tries to make the best of them. and Kang Sung Min as Dal Soo (a hairdresser) was also fun to watch (mainly b/c I kept trying to think of who the actor was, but also b/c how he liked to help Joon Ho and Min Joo) He was a sweetie ^_^

Music: Perfect 10 for me! I love the two Korean songs 'Appointment' by Root One & 'Leaving' by ?, the Italian song 'Respiro' by Franco Simone, and the English Song 'One Life, One Soul' by Gotthard. There were also a few other English songs introduced once during a couple episodes and they were perfect for their scenes ^^ I also loved the non-singing songs (wish I could find them too)

I would most definitely re-watch this and recommend it to fans of Ahn Jae Wook or lovers of action, romance and comedy ^^ I watched it raw on MBC Classic channel on YT ^_^

Overall is a great drama that never gets boring. (I marathoned most of the drama in 1 day) and the ending is great too ^^

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Completed
You Are Mine Special
12 people found this review helpful
by CRPH
May 10, 2024
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

amazing

this was an amazing special episode for the “You are Mine” series.

it was so dang cute and I’m pretty sure I now have a toothache with how sweet this was. I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time.

I’d been looking forward to the special for months once I found out they were doing them for the series and I was not disappointed.

I adore we got to see their relationship progress, and it aligned so well with the story.

my heart is so full. if you loved the series you will for sure also love this added episode. I just want more of their story, this was so unbelievably loving an so well done. the perfect end to their story ❤️❤️❤️

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Completed
Tomorrow with You
12 people found this review helpful
Feb 15, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

„Do you think it’s a blessing that we get to know about our future?“
- „It would be terrifying not to know.“
„What if we’re destroying today for the sake of tomorrow? What if we’re complicating our fate in order to change the future?"

It took me a while to finish this drama because I was afraid of the ending. While time travel always leaves room for 'whys' and 'what ifs' and 'why didn't they' and 'shouldn't there be', I have to say, it is one of the better written time travel dramas, and it certainly helps that it was pre-produced. All the flashbacks and time jumps at least made sense and you can follow clearly if you pay attention. It will get confusing if you have a lot of time between the episodes, though, so I recommend you to not drag it.

Now, why I really loved this drama can be summarized in just a few words: Amazing chemistry, fantastic actors, beautiful scenography, moving music and subtle writing. As I said, time travel is a difficult topic, but what I loved most about the writing was not the plot in the first place, but how genuine all the conversations and interactions felt. In many other dramas I find myself thinking: 'Nobody would say that' 'Who does that?' 'why are they so stupid, that's nonsense'. However, in this drama, even though there are some actions that may be misunderstood, you can perfectly comprehend why they act the way they did, how they are driven by fear of irrecoverable loss...
Yes, the directing and filmography are beautiful, but the script makes it complete. I love how it falls together so perfectly.

„Do you love me?“
-„I think I will die if I don’t marry you.“

„Leave! It is hard to even look at you.“
„But what should I do? In my eyes, I see you telling me not to leave…“

Yoo So Joon in the beginning is selfish, and we all know it. Does he really love her? Is he just using her for his own benefits? Is there even an ounce of sincerity in his words?
These thoughts are repeated in an endless cycle in our brains from the moment he decides he must marry her in order to change their fate. I love how the writing uses lines that show us that although he knows he is deceiving her, he carefully chooses his words so as to not to lie too blatantly, like when we feel shame by lying and think it will be less of a sin if we keep as close to the truth as possible. And even more, you can nearly watch how their relationship slowly changes, until there is truly nothing left but genuine love.

For all those reasons and how much it made me smile, cry and feel, I will give it a score of 9.0. It was close to a 10, but near the end there were some things that couldn't quite keep up with the brilliant start. And of course, it leaves us with a very nice message as well:

- No matter what the future holds or what happens tomorrow… can’t we just live freely?

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Completed
Sweet Sweet
12 people found this review helpful
Sep 21, 2021
22 of 22 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

very slow for a drama with such short episodes

Initially, I thought that the drama would be rather fast paced considering the fact that it only has 22 episodes. Yet, the pacing was sooooo slow, you only get to see them together towards the end of the show, with 5 episodes remaining. Their time together also didn’t make the wait worth it. There were many push and pull moments, and it was rather ridiculous when it was very obvious that they had feelings for each other. If they didn’t, then what they did would feel very uncomfortable when he had kissed her twice before they enter a relationship.

The ML’s character was annoying in the beginning, where he was the typical jerk who was kind of rude. However, just a few episodes in, you’ll actually notice that he was the sweetest one in the show. He’s kind, and always thanking the people who had helped him. I’m glad for his character development or I would have disliked his character. On the other hand, the FL’s character did not change throughout the show, and her character kind of annoys me.

To be honest, the casts lack chemistry. At a point in time, I actually want them to stop kissing because it doesn’t even give me the feels. Instead, it felt very unnecessary. Their love for each other doesn’t reach me too, it feels a bit superficial and just not the type of feeling I receive from seeing a couple.

Towards the end the show tries to rush every single thing in like 2 episodes? Where the annoying jerk, ML’s friend found his true love, and ML’s sister suddenly confesses to FL’s friend. Everything just felt so rushed and ridiculous when they could have paced it properly to add in all these couples from the start.

Overall, this is quite a disappointing drama after a long wait. As much as I like Zhao Yi Qin, I didn’t enjoy this drama. It may be good for people who doesn’t really care for plot and is just here for a slightly cute and funny drama. :)

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Completed
I Told Sunset about You
11 people found this review helpful
Dec 4, 2020
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Masterfully Artistic, What I Wish The "BL" Genre Had More Of

Watch this series. There's literally no reason not to. It's short (only 5 episodes), beautiful in every way possible. The story is captivating, the actors are believable, I could go on and on...so I will. During this quarantining process I've watched A LOT of dramas and BL's. From all over the world. When it comes to Thai BL's or dramas a lot of the time they are lower budget and can be very tropey. What I mean by that is they stick to a similar plot thread, that can border on or completely glorify/sugarcoat the lgbtq experience. To the point where many of them are completely unrealistic and I cannot take them seriously at all. Not that that's necessarily always a bad thing, since these are just shows after all. Some of my favorite series could potentially fall into that category! Though I always try to avoid toxicity within these shows, because that's a problem that needs to end. What I'm trying to get at though, is that other Thai BL's specifically cannot compare to art like this. Yes, I said art. I'm a film student, at heart too so I live for series or films done like this as compared to those other shows. I'll dive more into detail of why this I consider "art" comparably, but if you stop reading here just do yourself a favor and give this series love. The sequel too when it comes out! Trust me, we want more of this.

So, onto the film student side of me being fully unleashed. This series is shot differently (aka. a lot nicer) than a lot of other shows labelled "BL's". Within the first 10 minutes I could tell you that. The colours are so vibrant in this and the cinematography was very well done. There were pan shots, tracking shots, clever ways of framing scenes, wide-angles that showcased scenic moments/sets in the show. Seriously there are a lot of shots in this that I want to print and frame. Shots of gorgeous beaches, mountainous landscapes. It made me want to travel to Thailand so badly! One shot that really stuck out to me was the shot with Teh as a child acting out the play from behind the curtain. You see the shadows of the performers on the other side and it was gorgeous. Such a smart way of showing so much about a characters passion and determination, while also having just a beautiful looking shot. You can tell this was done by a crew that wanted to make something that could be potentially submitted into film festivals. It was that good. Very "Call me by your name" in nature, which is one of my top films of all time. I loved the cultural music utilized in this, since even though its a Thai BL its heavily centered around Chinese culture and language. They used piano a lot in the score too which was beautiful and again gave me "CMBYN" vibes.

Moving onto the characters and plot. Teh and Oh-aew, what a duo they were. Both characters are equally layered and nuanced, which is incredible to watch unfold. Together right off the bat the friendship is so sweet. We see Teh helping Oh out during the play with the cards. So when there's a misunderstanding and harsh words are said which leads to ending of communication for awhile, it sucks. Words can cause problems if they really cut deep and that's what happened. The screenwriters did a good job of laying breadcrumbs for us to follow as to how that fight led to problems even in their teens. Like Oh's thought process of "you'll always quit and never stick with something" making him continuously want to prove Teh wrong which made him miserable in life. Or Teh feeling inferior and letting jealousy control his life, both with Oh by trying to copy him with the instagram followers and with his older brother being the "favorite" of their mother. Great writing, really enjoyed that. So when Teh and Oh communicate again and hash it out, it hurts to see it. Seriously Oh's actor (PP/Krit) was fantastic (and very beautiful too my god), when Teh hurt him again in front of their friends you could visibly see the hurt on his face. It's not easy to show great facial-acting, but this dude did that throughout this. Teh's actor (Billkin) was of course also stellar, he broke my heart many times. We get to the beach scene where the characters finally reconcile and it was heart wrenching. This was all in the first episode and so much is packed into these that I couldn't look away. I knew this series was special then on.

So speaking about character believability again, I loved that there's initial hesitance from Oh about jumping back into a best friendship with Teh. Anybody would be after being hurt like that! The show surprised me with that, since much of the time to save time within the series they would just make up immediately. So using the tutoring as a way to establish a connection again, very smart ("Why R U" could never lol). There was this shot during the studying montage of showing the lettering book flip from the "rival" page to "intimate" page as a transition of their closeness. *chefs kisses, so freaking good. Another storytelling choice that I loved (count how many times I say love hehe) was when Oh tells Teh that he likes Bas, whom is a guy. There's no initial shock, no acting out badly. It's just natural and there's no weight to it being a "gay crush" which was refreshing. Teh is actually excited for him (at first) and its super sweet. Just chatting about their respective crushes and this is how it should be no matter sexuality or gender. Then there's Teh trying to help Oh out with said crush, oh lord when he put himself out there for Oh's sake to see if his crush liked him back. Dude...tears. Of course jealousy kicks in later on, but it was heartfelt.

Wow this is long...oh well lol. So we fast forward to the group trip. Where literally Oh is jumping between 2 guys, you better decide between them at once lol. Which leads to the hammock scene with the flowers, ah how I loved that scene. So little said, but so powerful and very intimate. What a great display of young adolescent love. There's more bonding that borders on dating, like going through the blocked off shrine again like before when Oh was running away from Teh because of the grade embarrassment. To now being together. Then the singing translation on the mountain, wtf is this show doing to my heart at this point? Wrecking it. The chemistry between the leads is so real, like I can believe they are very much into each other because it feels natural. There's no fantasy world fake feeling even in this show, not even once. So of course we have conflicts, Teh's confused feelings hold him back and that's completely understandable. He doesn't want to lose a very important friendship, but obviously he feels more for Oh than just that. I mean you wouldn't touch your friends in those ways if you didn't want them as more. That's why the scene with his "almost girlfriend" was so interesting. Because it was basically her seeing what coloured pencil he would choose to draw in the flower (a call back to Oh btw, yes I noticed the colour was the same as the flowers they had in the hammock) to see if he looked at her in the same way. So SMART. Callback after callback, such good screenwriting! Another scene that shocked me was with Oh and the bra. So self exploration is not new, sexuality and sex/gender are 2 separate things. At first I thought maybe he was deep down wanting to present or maybe even transition into a woman? Which is an important discussion on its own, but then I realized that's not what the script was going for. It was him trying to envision/ wish for Teh's approval in a way sexually. Since he had a thing with grabbing Oh's chest, which clearly bothered him. When he posted that picture of himself I literally was like "oh...baby" I was devastated for him because I knew people would see it. I felt protective of Oh's character in this series and exploration of yourself is perfectly natural, but don't try and change yourself for someone you love. You can't without being miserable and I'm glad he figured that out.

So some of the last plot points I wanted to discuss were Teh's brother. Thank you for not making him a "villian" in this. Seriously THANK YOU! He actually was the start of Teh's acceptance of himself after that talk they had. Since some of the "problems" Teh dealt with trying to live in his shadow, these other insecurities stemmed from that. So having the brother be his first person to talk to was beautiful. I always wanted to say, Bas was such a good character. Seriously, he could've been an antagonist but he definitely wasn't. He brought Oh to see Teh when he knew that's what they both needed, saying it's okay not to be ready yet when Oh didn't want to see Teh sad. Solid, really solid and I'm glad there was no animosity at the end. So finally, the ending. Phew it took awhile to get here but we made it! I thought it was 99% perfection. We got the promise of running from Teh's house to campus and then the sunset mountain (which is where the shows title comes from). We got them making up and really talking it through. We got Oh admitting he doesn't care how Teh stays in his life, he just doesn't want him to disappear again after the resignation fiasco. Then finally we get Teh saying he wants a relationship, a real one. Fantastic. The only minuscule thing I wish they would've done is end with a kiss or some type of affection. Since it felt like it was leading up to that for awhile. Sure we got the underwater scene, but I wanted one to seal the deal. I know we'll get more in the sequel, but it's just what I envisioned as the perfect ending. Either way, 99% is still damn good. Please PLEASE watch this series. It's made its way onto my top lists for LGBTQ shows and dramas, and into my heart.

P:S- Download the entire soundtrack to this series. Including the multiple versions of the title track, it's all stunning.

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Completed
Love of Nirvana
12 people found this review helpful
Oct 10, 2024
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

And ending that will leave you in tears

WHAT AN ENDING!! HONESTLY I JUST CRIED. If that did not move you then you really have no feelings.

SPOILER ALERT:
ML realize that he will never get justice for his family and he decided to do the only thing he could which was to kill the emperor. The emperor truly deserved to die for what he did. Like how can you sacrifice a whole village just for your own personal gain?

That being said, I would love to watch a historical drama with ML where he does not die... (ML also starred in one and only drama, where he died).

Overall great show. Not sure if I want to rewatch it cuz the ending is so sad but just great. And if you can honestly say that this was not a good show then you don't know what a good show is.

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Completed
An Incurable Case of Love
12 people found this review helpful
by Aya
Mar 27, 2020
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
To be honest, I need to say that overall I enjoyed watching this, but it wasn't the best drama I've ever seen. Cliche romance with cliche tropes, but I think the acting saved this one.

STORY:
- I haven't read the manga, but I felt like I've seen this before. NOTHING NEW. Typical female character that wants to get that one man no matter what.
- This specially felt like "Itazura na Kiss, season 2" remake. Sakura is basically Kotoko 2.0. Even though I love Kotoko, I don't get what Tendo saw in Sakura. She is so pushy, loud and annoying. Also, why did she kept calling him "Sensei" when they are in a relationship? (ONE OF MY BET-PEEVES)
- Second male lead syndome is REAL right here. Kisugi is the ideal man.. JUST WHY? I truly hoped they focused more on Kisugi and Sakai. oh well..
- Nishi and Ryuko's story-line was pointless. Instead, I would have loved to have more development on Kisugi and Sakai's story-line (THEY HAD POTENTIAL COME ON)
_ What I enjoyed the most is the medical stuff. Doctors and nurses were on point and these scenes were really heartwarming.

ACTING:
- Sato Takeru was on point (AM I SURPRISED? NO). My man's smirks just.. wow. Also, as a doctor, he did great as I always expect from him.
- However, Kamishiraishi Mone, idk but I don't think she was the best. She is just so LOUD, but also looks young that it kinda made me uncomfortable seeing her with Sato. I haven't seen any of her other works, but I would love to see more of her because I like her energy.
- The rest of the cast did an amazing job. I specially would love to see more of Maiguma Katsuya's works! He did so well!

P.S. istg this drama has the most amount of kiss scenes I've ever seen in a Japanese dramas! That was nice! JAPAN GET IT.

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Completed
Hidden Agenda
12 people found this review helpful
by Gabby
Feb 16, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

realistic conflicts & great character dynamics

I can't believe it took me this long to find this series, but it's honestly become my favorite BL. My favorite part of it were the conflicts, and how realistic they were. The portrayal of homophobia with Jeng's team differs from other BLs, where homophobia is either seemingly nonexistent or is overly dramatized, instead showing the everyday normalized homophobia that gay men face. The relationship dynamics, both with Joke and Zo and Jeng and Pok were so well developed and allowed for great character development as well. The family dynamics in this series also hit close to home and left me bawling. Zo's mother doing too much and Joke's father not doing enough when it came to showing up for their sons left them both feeling like they weren't enough and reflecting their parent's efforts back at them. The series also did a great job in showing the theme of forgiveness all throughout it, even in the instance where it showed when forgiveness is not deserved in the case of James and Nita, a conflict which faithfully portrayed one of women's struggles in modern society. Overall, this series was full of angst, though it never seemed to be simply for entertainment, but rather as a reflection and portrayal of real-life struggles.

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Angry Mom
12 people found this review helpful
by Becca
May 8, 2015
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
There appears to be an increasing trend of revealing corruption and darkness in dramas these days that is oddly refreshing and yet, heartbreakingly realistic. Angry Mom, despite its amusing logo and happy promotional poster, is definitely not for the faint hearted. The story is intense, and it had me eager to watch each episode the second it was released every week.

The story is heavily focused on the influence of political corruption on familial relationships and high school life. Hardly surprising from a show called 'Angry Mom' because the drama is very much about anger and the intense emotions and conflicts of being a mother. The drama is by no means 'realistic' - you have to watch with this in mind, things are of course going to be exaggerated for dramatic value but nonetheless, there are little hints of truth in everything.
But be not afeared, it's not all doom and gloom, the writer is absolutely brilliant at weaving in comic relief. I lived for those hilarious moments among the darkness that seemed to envelope every character. The thing that struck me the most when watching the drama was the character progressions. Each main and significant secondary character had their moment to shine and develop. This is simply not a one-woman show about a mock-heroic attempt to enact justice on behalf of the weak and unrepresented. It is a drama about developing awareness and tackling the problems head on with others. Problems simply do not go away if you do nothing about them, and it is up to you to make a difference - but also, the fight is not a lonely one. It is all about creating honest relationships, maintaining them, and working together to achieve the ultimate goal. This drama is filled with poetic and moral messages that make you realise that this was very much a writers piece. The directing was also great, but for me, the writing was just the star of the show.

The cast were also perfect for this drama. I have never seen Kim Hee Sun act before but my god, she can act. Her portrayal of this loving mother with a troubled past trying to protect her daughter was just so brilliant to watch - and you just can't help but love a strong female lead. She has shown so much versatility with her emotions that I cannot help but admire her and look forward to her next project. All the other cast members - villains and all - were all very well acted and I have nothing but praise. When an actor makes me hate a villain with great intensity, it means that they're doing a pretty darn good job at acting convincingly. I cannot write this without mentioning our breakout star Ji Soo, I don't think I know anyone who dislikes Go Bok Dong. He was a bad guy with a soft heart and I think everyone will have a soft spot for him. This was a wonderful breakout project for Ji Soo and it clearly displayed his potential. There are so many others who I want to mention and praise, but I think the one who left the strongest impression on me was Kim Hee Won - Ahn Dong Chil. I could never get myself to hate his character, and boy, Hee Won was perfect for Ahn Dong Chil. He begun as such a complex character and it was a real treat to see him unravel and in some ways, peel off the hardened layer bit by bit to see what he was truly like. I cannot go on without spoiling so I will leave it at that.

As much as I want to give this a perfect 10 just for sheer enjoyment and roller coaster ride over the past 8 weeks or so, I felt like it just missed the mark. I set the rewatch value slightly lower because I don't think I can handle watching this again because some aspects of the drama just make you angry. It's not about the execution of the drama itself, but the cruelness of reality really kicks in at times. But saying that, I will always be happy to skim over to the fun, adorable, and out-right hilarious moments for sure :)

Overall, I am very happy with how this drama went. I definitely recommend it because it provides a lot of food for thought for how we should view life and our experiences that will definitely be worth considering!

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Completed
A Good Day to Be a Dog
12 people found this review helpful
by Raisa
Jan 10, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Untapped Potential in 'A Good Day to Be a Dog'

A Good Day to Be a Dog" offers an engaging story, yet there's a lingering sense that something crucial was missing, potentially in its direction. The narrative catches interest but doesn't fully satisfy, as if some key elements in the storytelling or progression were overlooked. This feeling of incompleteness leaves one wondering what could have been if these aspects were better addressed or given more attention.

Despite this, the main characters stand out remarkably, imbuing the series with charm and relatability. Their likable nature and dynamic interactions are the heart of the show, making it special and memorable. However, a desire for more depth and detail persists. Expanding on the characters' backgrounds, motivations, or the world they inhabit could have significantly enhanced the viewing experience, making it not just enjoyable but truly captivating.

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Completed
What's Up?
12 people found this review helpful
by rachel
May 15, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This show is criminally underrated! To describe it briefly, I would say it is a darker and more mature version of Dream High, with better acting.

Each character is written with a lot of care. We delve deep into their back stories, and I find myself cheering on each one of them, and crying with each one of them. The lessons each character learn are hard but realistic. The show takes you on that journey of growing up.

If there is one thing I dislike about the story, it is the Park Tae Hee character. Yes she's the typical female lead - ditzy but really sweet, cute and talented, but can I just say how annoying I find her. Otherwise, the rest of the cast was just perfect, especially Jo Jung Suk and Im Joo Eun.

The soundtrack is quite unique compared to other dramas - fewer romantic ballads, more fist-pumping songs that make you excited to be young, aspirational and full of dreams.

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Completed
Not Me
12 people found this review helpful
Apr 20, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Went into it expecting something different, but it had its moments

I think, overall, my main issue with this show was that what I thought it was going to be, based off the insanely cool edits on my fyp. This was not what it actually ended up being. Was it a bad show? No. Was is meaningful? Yes. Could it have been better? Absolutely, because it wasn't want I was expecting out of the show.

As a social criticism drama - this hits the mark with a full ten stars. However, everything else was a mess.

The premise is absolutely the best part and is part of the reason why I was so interested in this show. I am a twin myself, so I am always excited to see them be the main characters. However, this show did not deliver on that front. White goes undercover to find out who hurt his brother - yet he quickly stops doing that. He barely investigated Blacks gang, he was way too trusting and even when they told him how Black usually acts he didn't try to change his behavior to fit in better. Actually, it seems as if he actually has no interest in his brother at all - which is a real shame bc his brother immediately came to him when he felt him getting hurt but he never did that for Black. It was always Black who found White first.

Including White, most characters acted very juvenile in their action. You are committing pretty harsh crimes yet they don't take the necessary precautions. They should be wearing gloves considering they could easily be found through their DNA for how severe their crimes are. The only exceptions of those who always seem to think things through or actually have the skills to get through severe rough patches are Gumpa and Black. Gumpa makes the plans and they are well thought out plus he has many skills he teaches to the others and form what I understand Blacks plans always worked out and he manages to get himself out of situations the others can't.

However, the most disappointing thing I've seen in this is the lack of showtime between Black and White - the whole premise starts with them but they have no scenes together and when Black is awake we never know what he's doing. He's the one with enemies yet we never know what he is doing. I believe the most interesting character is Black which is why its a real shame we never got to understand or see him in action better. The most disappointing thing about Blacks character is his extreme change form those growing up a privledged life and turning into the absolute opposite. i mean, there has to be a reason why he is willing to live like he grew up a gutter rat and is apparently mean to everyone around him. They should have gone into his character more. He was ironically the character I liked the most and I liked Euch as well bc of how she was necessary to the plot in basically playing devils advocate for the law to show both sides.

Besides the incomprehensible behavior of nearly al the characters - there were so many plot holes that could have been solved if they cut down on unnecessary side interests. Show more of the villain's motives so it feels like a well-rounded story and stop jumping from one activity to another without a leading line to show how we got there like the ROL suddenly gaining traction when there should have been more focused on it since it was important in the conclusion.


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