Totally Loved it!
I really loved it because the main actors were superb! They both behaved like adults unlike most c dramas where adults behave like teenagers most of the time! Here the situations were very much real and their reactions too. Just minus 1 point for uninteresting secondary couple. Just skip their scenes!If you like mature drama with ML and FL having a really healthy balanced relationship who actually take time for each other and clear any misunderstanding they might have the very next moment it happens, then here is the show you are looking for!
Music was awesome too! Especially the starting song!
9/10 from me! Highly recommended!
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This drama is silly and full of nonsense. But it's breezy and very light to watch. It's one of those dramas that you can watch without thinking much and enjoy it. I laughed hard at something every other episode. The first few episodes were absolutely hilarious. I think this drama did a fantastic job of not boring me till the last 4-5 episodes (parts of which you can easily skip). But I found the story and its characters very colourful. Members of both the family and even its secondary characters are all likable. I wasn't annoyed by a single person in it! The main guy- Zhi Shu is a genius with more brains than actual emotions. But we realize as the story goes on that he isn't that bad anyway. I have to say I liked him better than Xiang Qin's character. I tried my hardest to not criticize her actions and thoughts and that was the only way I could end up liking this drama.
As for the cast- I have become a fan of Joe Cheng and Jiro Wang. I was familiar with Ariel Lin but here she is the true star of the show. She made all the cutesy expressions and pouts in the world and still shined. She was way too cute and managed to win me over in the first episode itself. This drama has loads of cuteness in it. And the main leads have amazing chemistry. I was sort of disappointed with lots of times because whenever they were together, I found myself wanting for them to kiss. The last 2 episodes more or less made up for this part. Oh and should I mention one scene which stood out among the rest? This show has one of the best confession-in-the-rain scenes I have ever seen! I can't believe how well it was shot and with great dialogues. And the wait that builds up in the viewer till then makes it all worth it.
And I want to address this particular issue on people complaining that Zhi Shu was too "cold". I say no- he wasn't cold. The way he acted was to show the contrast between his and Xiang Qin's personalities. Where she is impulsive, he is smart and carefully thinks before acting. But I loved how he keeps smiling to himself whenever Xiang Qin's stalking him or trying to please him. I probably only didn't like his need to be constantly chased. There were times he didn't take enough pity on her but then I understand why he didn't. That's all I can say without spoiling it. Anyway, both characters are too flawed and yet likable.
This drama was a thorough entertainer. It doesn't have melodrama which is probably one of the strongest points. It's more of a family cum romance genre. And I loved the ending even if it was a bit silly. It left me wanting for more so I'd definitely watch the second season. Its rewatch value is decent. I think it's a drama that can be seen again just to remember the good parts.
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By the time the end arrives, your brain will result in confusion, however you'll find the film hits a full circle. You'll know this when you see it!
Storyline: Mysterious, dark, and disturbing. The house well sets the setting of the story with its old style furniture and flowery wallpaper.
Acting/Cast: Remarkable applause to the acting of the stepmother. Very convincing! The sisters' relationship is well portrayed. The father adds the extra which he is quite significant.
Music: The OST fits smoothly with certain parts of the story and well done with the spooky and horrific effects!
Since I never watched 'The Uninvited', this is my first horror film done by the South Koreans and I believe the original are always the best! If you're a true horror fan and enjoy stories with a psychological twist, take this movie for a whirlwind ride...
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As I watched the movie I must say that there is no freaking way in hell to tell that this was based on true story because some characters are exagerrated like as if they were straight from a Manga. Like for example...who the hell in real life is that boner guy and who walks nude in their home. Hahaha
About the movie its a feel good movie no boring moment IMO and the timespan was well done. The main strong points of this movie like I mentioned above was the chemistry between characters and that inspiring ending.
The characters
The main guy, the d*ck arrogant friend, the fat dude, the groin corny guy and lastly my favorite and IMO the most funny of them all, the boner guy. Them together is a fun watch...their antics and their favorite hobby(which is masturbation) makes me LOLed so hard. This movie also have lots of reference to manga like hanamichi sakuragi hairstyle and the Dempsey roll move.
The ending
Good or bad you decide but to me its good because of how inspiring it is and I admit being a guy this ending got me it makes me teary eyed a bit.
I recommend this movie to all guys in the world.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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Bumped Into This Series By Chance -
A flame ignites as two FLAWED men cross paths, leaving chaos behind them and many RED FLAGS.Story >> 7.0 >> 5.0
Plotwise, it´s not that convincing for me yet but I think that there was a lot of potential to make their story more interesting and captivating, and by that I mean not with the number of sensual scenes but a deeper dive-in into the morals and flaws of each character. In the end, I hope that "Fahlanruk" will spread an example / be a lesson for the viewers.
Acting/ Cast >> 7.5 >> 6.5
I´m aware that most of the actors have little experience in acting and I am, personally, fine with watching it nonetheless. I also think that there were some admirable shots that took me by surprise. However, it was not totally convincing.
Music >> 6.5 >> 5.5 >> 4.5
I was not okay with the choice of background music because I didn´t find it catchy or captivating. Especially in more sensual scenes was the choice of music rather anti-climatic, felt more like a hassle. Like, who was in charge of the audio?! lmao
Rewatch Value >> 3.0 >> 2,0
Nothing intrigued me as much as I´d like it to for me to rewatch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Love wins all
It's a great romance drama. The leads have great chemistry, and a slow burn and healthy relationship, with good communication, no unnecessary long misunderstandings, temporary breakup, or toxic love triangles. A lot of little details were handled quickly and logically. I enjoyed it so much. I laughed and giggled a lot, and sometimes got emotional as well.After a very long time, "The Prisoner of Beauty" is the second drama that I watched when it was airing, after "The Demon Hunter's Romance", also starring Song Zu Er as the female lead and it just finished airing at the end of April. Both are great dramas that I enjoyed a lot, and both have an ending that left me so empty afterwards.
Everything in this drama was great until the last few episodes. When I reached around episode 30, I got so nervous, as there was so much sweetness until then that made me so worried about what was about to happen towards the end. There were only a few episodes left while there were still a lot of hardships they had to go through. A big war was waiting for them ahead! I got so scared of how everything was wrapped up.
The ending felt so rushed to me. Yes, it's considered a happy ending but it's also heartbreaking at the same time. It's an unsatisfying happy ending. Well, at least our leads have a happy ending ever after. None of them died or got separated. However, our other beloved characters had to die instead, while the endings for the villains are too light. The war happened too fast and ended so abruptly, within only half of an episode. I wish it would last a little bit longer. There should have been at least 1 or 2 more episodes! A lot of things were left unexplained and not clearly resolved.
I grew up watching a lot of old Chinese dramas as a kid and teenager, but I haven’t watched so many new titles, partly because I was scared of their endings. I'm not sure why, maybe due to China's censorship or some cultural reasons or something, do they always have to build up the most lovely character ever just to kill them off at the end, leaving them a miserable half who misses them to death, every single time? I’ve watched quite a few dramas with similar endings. Oh my God! I can never get over Wei Liang's death. He is my only regret in the whole series. And they had to kill him off in the most tragic way, as an innocent lone guy being betrayed and stabbed to death while trying to bring some flowers back home to propose to his girl! That's the most cruel thing ever! His death is so unnecessary too. There’s no need for him to die at all. He deserves the best, and definitely deserves a happy ending with his Xiao Tao. I laughed a lot every time he appeared. His brotherly relationship with Wei Shao and 3 other Wei generals is so beautiful, and his love story with Xiao Tao is literally the cutest thing ever. Poor my girl Xiao Tiao now is left alone in this world with a promising wedding that can never happen. Why? Just why? I really don't understand. There are a lot of ways they can keep him alive. Xiao Tao gifted him a heart-protecting mirror! Why not let that mirror save his life instead? What's the point of Xiao Tao giving that to him when it was never used?
Before I started watching this drama, the fans of the original novel had confirmed that the drama would have a 'super sweet ending for all of the characters', except for the villains obviously. And now it turned out to be a bittersweet happy ending. What's going on with Chinese screenwriters?
By the way, the music in this drama is amazing. Every song suits the scene perfectly, and stirs up my emotions a lot. I especially love the theme song performed by Liu Yuning himself. His voice is beautiful. I've downloaded the OST playlist and keep listening to the songs on repeat for now.
The acting is also great. Song Zuer and Liu Yuning nailed their roles as the leads. Others also did a good job. I didn't enjoy the second male lead's performance much at first, but he did quite well in the second half. I am also very happy to see Liu Xiao Qing here as Wei Shao's grandmother. I literally grew up with her dramas. Seeing her as a gentle loving grandmother feels interesting and a little bit strange to me, as she used to play main badass and wise female leads in my memory. I used to have a nickname that was one of her roles when I was a kid. I enjoyed Ho Yun Tung's cameo role as a scholar a lot too. I also grew up with his dramas. He's a talented actor, and he used to play a lot of badass roles with great material arts skills. Seeing him as a ‘weak’ scholar is way too funny.
I really love the message of this drama about love and marriage. Romance is the focus of this drama and it's done perfectly, as I mentioned above. The leads have a genuinely healthy relationship where they both treat each other with care and respect. There are a lot of lines in this drama that have become my favorites. One of them is the last line, which basically means that both sides need to put efforts in a husband-wife relationship so that it can last. The husband gives in to his wife, while his wife’s heart also only puts on her husband. They both give in to each other for their relationship to work. This message is also implied in the original title of the drama, which I understand as 'give in', instead of 'prisoner', based on my limited knowledge.
Seriously, if only they didn't kill off my beloved Wei Liang and gave him a happy ending with Xiao Tao, "The Prisoner of Beauty" would be 10 out of 10 for me, despite its rushed ending. I absolutely love this drama but just can't let his death slide.
Overall, even though I don't like the ending very much, I have no regrets when watching this drama. It's totally worth watching. I will definitely re-watch it.
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1A GAME OF CHESS
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗✅ Production quality
✅ Directing
✅ Acting
✅ Plot
✅ Dark/Serious atmosphere - No comedic elements
✅ The emperor: Finally an emperor that is actually capable and not a puppet like usual or just there for decor
✅ Suspenseful, super entertaining and also quite ''poetic'' from beginning to end
✅ It was the perfect amount of episodes
✅ The strategies of the characters A+
✅ Great ending
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥
❎ There are some typical ''supernatural'' Chinese medicine things, but honestly wasn't that bothered
❎ Fight scenes were generally good, but sometimes when way too many people were fighting one person, we had the usual "You could have killed him while his back was turned" problem.
❌ I will pretend that last scene in the special didn't exist
❌ Plot armor of the ML that could be avoided in one simple move
❌ Some slight editing problems
𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘/𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗜 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗:
👏 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒
There is no sugar-coating and characters being saved just because they have an important role in the series. A mistake can kill anyone no matter who they are.
👏 𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘
In most series you know from the get go which characters will play an important part, which ones will die, which ones will stay alive till the end. Here 😂😂😂
You see someone that feels like a main character? Dies next second. That was the magic of this series. Nowadays, everything feels way too predictable. But here, you couldn't tell who will be next.
👏 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃-𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒
There are no kind-hearted characters and no pure villains here. All of the characters are calculative, cold blooded and smart and they have their own stories to tell. They are important in their own ways and all are equally vulnerable and also powerful.
👏 𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐒
Huaian may be the ML, but he doesn't feel omnipotent, cause everyone around him, the people he is trying to kill, are equally smart and dangerous, something that I rarely see in dramas.
Most of the times in works like this, we have the super important main character, a couple of villains that many times are not even that powerful and everyone else is just there to play a minor part in the main character's plan.
Here most of the characters are important in their own ways. I am not sure how to explain this, but all characters feel like mains even if they barely have any screentime. They are all part of a chessboard, where any move can be fatal and no win is gained without sacrifice.
👏 𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄
Huaian is a ruthless character that is not scared to stain his hands with blood to achieve his goals and that is one of the main reasons why this series stands out for me. He doesn't hesitate. He knows how to take advantage of people and control them. I like that he is not portrayed as a hero, but as someone who lost way too much and is about to make others go through the same pain and even worse.
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This was like a gift in a time where bromance and BL was banned in China.
After watching almost all the bromance available in China, this was the next thing that kept me glued and entertained. It had the Shizun X Disciple elements, which I sometimes have a hate and love relationship with but this one did it well. It kind of reminds you of the Chinese novel SVSS which is a BL, it feels like a life adaptation of the novel. Anyways, based on acting the cast did a good job and the storyline was very addicted as it's in short episodes which is easy to watch (I binged watched it in two days) but the second season...it was good but I won't spoil it though, the ending felt kind of rushed out and confusing at the same time, though I highly recommend it.Was this review helpful to you?
A really nice xianxia GL that shows that you don't need a large budget to make it work
I've been saying since Legend of Yunze Special that their productions keep getting better with each new show. The funding looks to be larger, the costumes better and better (although that's to be expected), and the stories get more coherent. I enjoyed Legend of Yunze season 1 because I could see the potential even if it felt weak on other points. This season 2 is even better than the Special and I can see the potential finally getting somewhere.But let's do it in the right order, shall we. On the technical side, we can see that the scale of the story, but also of the sets has increased. The ambition is clearly higher than for the previous season and it shows. There are some really nice moments in terms of cinematography (notably in that confrontation scene in the last episode which was doing interesting things in terms of colour and light). The costumes are better and better and so are the hairstyles. Some of them are truly a pleasure for the eyes, especially, I have to say, the demon ones of Zhaoyun. I commented in my review of Legend of Yunqian that they clearly had zero budget, but it's not the case anymore and while I don't think their budget is very large, they are clearly doing things right in terms of allocating it. This feels more like some low budget professional short (mid-length) films.
The story is much more coherent. I think part of it comes from the fact that they have a better grasp of the character, as well as because we, as viewers, already knew them, but even past that, I didn't have a moment when I was wondering what was going on or where that came from or thought "okay, that really came like a hair on the soup" (to literally translate a French phrase (meaning "came out of nowhere")). Not everything is perfect of course, but it is coherent. It feels epic on a larger scale than before and I felt much more into the characters and their relationships (both the main as well as the secondary ones) this time. We get some backstory for the different characters, we get some well-rounded-ish side characters.
Wang Laoji and Peng Jingxian once again do a good job as Zhaoyun and A-Ze. They're credible in their role and sell the story. Not all of the actors playing side characters are as good, but overall, everyone does a good enough job that I can suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ride.
All in all, this stands on its own without needing the caveat of "we don't get a lot of GL so we make do with what we get". It is real xianxia that I would recommend if you want to support an indie group of creators with ideas and ambitions that keeps on growing with every new project. It has demons and sects and choosing your paths even when it isn't the one that was given to you from birth and everyone else is telling you that you shouldn't be here. It is about people choosing each other again and again because that's just what's right. It is far from perfect, but it made me go "dang that's a good story and I want to know what comes next" several times. And that's personally enough for me. It delights me to no end that I can recommend a GL show, even a censored one, as good without a very large caveat. If you like xianxia and GL shows, beautiful costumes and characters who are all in for each other even when the world isn't, if you want to support indie creators who are trying and constantly improving, then this is a great show for you. Plus, it is short enough that the time commitment isn't too high. I, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next (and also more wuxia and xianxia GL, please and thank you).
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Why the mind twist?
Undoubtedly, this would have worked much better as a fantasy. Instead, they tried to fool us into thinking it is and then wildly twisting the plot into making it fit into our ‘reality’ only to fail miserably on all fronts. This series is a complete mess, Painful as it is for me to say this, this story should never have been made. This relationship is based upon two individuals who live in an illusion. One created it while the other wants it. It does not mean necessarily that their love is not real or could learn to be real. But it does mean that the foundation and its development were based on false premises and no amount of ‘feel good’ bedroom scenes can make it real. The real notion is they barely KNOW each other! There is nothing normal and in fact real about this series. If only this series had been a fantasy!Was this review helpful to you?
Overall I recommend this drama if you have a lot of free time and are into makjang because the drama is filled with secrets and revenge. It was quite enjoyable to watch but I would not rewatch this again.
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Fewer semantic errors as words really do matter
For those who haven't seen the series it's a KBL, enemies to lovers trope as one student is unable to graduate when the other doesn't put his name on a group project. He seeks revenge and ...I wasn't expecting much from the movie as I'd watched the drama repeatedly but it surpassed expectations. I have to say that, similarly to 'We Best Love' Special Edition, the translation of the dialogues, additional dialogue and the slight changes made a real difference to the flow of the movie and our understanding of both the main and side characters. You actually see how they become their ending more acutely than in the drama. Translations and words really do matter! I think the series suffered from week to week translations so some weren't as accurate but to be fair to the viki volunteers, this also did have more dialogue.
There are a few new moments (I'd hardly call them scenes) as well to give the movie richness
It isn't quite the same as Life: Love on the life (Directors Cut) which had an additional scene from the Manga but as the manhwa for Semantic Error is still ongoing they haven't given us any closure which is great. we are all dying for a second season
Well worth the nearly 3 hours of watching this. Highly recommended
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Just Okay...
This series could've been better if the episodes were shorter. Having 16 episodes seemed too much when the story development is sadly just subpar. The happy ending is seriously so lackluster that it seemed like it was written just to please everyone and give everyone a somewhat happy ending. One of the saving grace of this series was the acting. Almost all of the cast did a great portrayal of their characters. Their acting is amazing- especially since I've watched most of them act in a way different manner in other dramas.BUT, I may be in the minority when I also say that I felt little to no spark between the leads. I think that one of the reasons I watched this is because I liked the story development of the FML Jamie and her 'tutor/nanny' more than the romance aspect itself. I also enjoyed the interactions that included the Senior Manager of Ji Ho and Gwang-name. They're hilarious!
One of the characters I was rooting for to have a great ending- because he deserves it, was Gwang-nam. He's seriously one of the best support characters I've watched! He also had a great potential storyline, but it was sadly overlooked because the story focused too much on the bland romance aspect. The ending given to him was such a downer. Every single character, minus the antagonist, got what they all wanted, except this cinnamon roll. UGH.
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