Reviews

Snow during spring

"A masterpiece may be in someone's possession for a while, but once its purpose is done, it goes to the next person."

Sometimes when you are looking at a work of art, many different emotions overcome you and iribito is exactly like a work of art. It can't be really explained with words. It is like a painting with vivid and dark colors that makes you feel the complexity of human nature and the beauty of human creations. Its atmosphere is unsettling and suffocating, but at the same time liberating and cruelly beautiful. Takamura Naho is mesmerizing, assertive and infatuated with art, while Shirane Tatsuru is ethereal, passionate and unbelievably creative. They complement each other in a way that resembles human creations. Those creations are made by human beings and can only be appreciated by other human beings.

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I like these kind of dramas/movies and though I haven't watched any of its anime version or read its manga and I think it's a good thing cause I was able to enjoy the movie. I love the characters and how it was portrayed by the actors. I find the storyline unique and that kept me watching this movie till the end. The music was cool enough for me. I plan on watching the anime but I'm glad I watched the movie first before my impression will be spoilt if I did the other way. I will surely watch this again. It's one of the classic Japanese movies worth re-watching because of it's unique plot and especially if you are a fan of it. I recommend it especially if you want to watch something with your friends. This is certainly worth a try and one of the best Japanese movies.

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As a result of watching the first Mischievous Kiss movie, without a doubt, I jumped onto this one as soon as it became available online. I'm going to repeat myself by saying that I've always been a massive fan of the manga, anime and live action adaptations of this story. Despite some of the disappointment in the main leads' acting skills, especially the mother's part in this movie (you have to agree that she made the whole romance between the two actually a thing and played a huge and active roll in the love story), I think they're doing a wonderful job so far. I especially like how cold Irie is portrayed since I've always imagined him being that way in the original manga. However, I enjoyed the first movie a lot better. Hopefully, we won't have to wait that long for the last movie because I'm all ready for that romantic stuff to happen!

Overall, it's a must-watch for all of you Itazura na Kiss franchise fans!

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I LOVE THIS DRAMA. (Please do keep in mind this is my opinion and I'm just being honest.)

I've heard and read very mixed reviews of it, but for me personally it was probably the best thing I could ever imagine (at the time I watched it at least).

This was also one of the first dramas I ever watched, so I didn't have many other dramas to compare it too, and this was the drama that really got me hooked on Korean dramas.

It is absolutely my cup of tea. However, I am well aware that it is not everyones.
I am an action, revenge and romance obsessed person, and having all those things combine into one drama with a on-the-tip-of-your-toes plot filled with twists, angst ridden protagonists, and searing romance that actually went somewhere made me deliriously happy.

Story: While the story may be seen as your typical espionage-revenge plot: main character is the best operative, something bad happens, his love life is ruined, he seeks revenge while a shady organization is out to nuke the whole world... the stereotypical story line ruined nothing for me. Besides, I love that story kind of story line. I mean, what's not to like? There was still enough sub-plot and intrigue that I was hooked and watched every episode completely. Yes I may have been able to see some of what happened coming, but definitely not everything. So what was the story like besides action, romance, and revenge? Well it was chalk full of touching moments, both tragic and bitter-sweet. There were also those moments that I was so mad at the writer that I felt like I wanted to punch someone in the face (ending included), but somehow in a good way, if that makes any sense. But mostly, I loved following Hyun Jun's amazing, heart-wrenching journey. I felt like I could feel every single emotion he did, and that will get me write into my evaluation of the cast.

Acting/Cast: I'm only going to talk about Lee Byung Hun, because OH MY GOD, despite whatever people say about him as a person, Lee Byung Hun's acting BLOWS ME AWAY. I felt like I was standing next to him, watching everything he went through, screaming at his character, Hyun Jun, to pull through his hardships. It was just amazing.

Music: It was perfect. That is all.

Overall: An amazing action packed piece of perfection.

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this drama is perfect for fans....

Her Private Life is a romantic comedy about an idol fangirl (Park Min Young) who has been passionate about her idol for many years.  She works as a curator at an art museum and tries to hide her fangirl side, but her secret becomes in jeopardy of being exposed after a new director (Kim Jae Wook) arrives.
Park Min Young plays our idol fangirl Sung Deok Mi. Deok Mi is classy, composed, and very good at her job as an art curator. But in secret, she is a true fangirl of Si An of the pop group White Ocean. Her home is decked out in all kinds of merchandise, she’s always ready to snap amazing pics of him, and she even runs a popular fan site dedicated to him. She is all in! I just knew Park Min Young would be perfect for this role. She wonderfully showcases the duality of being a mature working woman with being a dedicated fangirl. I loved watching her try to navigate both worlds and the lengths she had to go to in order to keep her secret. And things get so complicated as Ryan ends up involved with each of her identities while not knowing she is actually both of them.
Kim Jae Wook is Ryan Gold, the new director of Deok Mi’s art museum. He’s a bit prickly and closed off, but of course he’s pretty great underneath that. And he’s got some trauma stemming from being abandoned at an orphanage as a child.
We also have some important supporting characters. Park Jin Joo plays Lee Seon Joo. She is Deok Mi’s best friend, and the two have a very close relationship. Then there’s Ahn Bo Hyun as Nam Eun Gi. He’s our second lead who has been like a brother figure to Deok Mi, but he actually harbors feelings for her. Ryan was quite unappealing those first couple episodes because he was just so callous. But once we start getting a window into his past as well as seeing that he is a genuinely good guy, things start to improve. Then things get really fun when he starts getting tangled up in Deok Mi’s fan life all while not knowing she’s actually a fangirl.
Then rounding things out is the oh-so-sweet object of Deok Mi’s fangirling, Cha Si An (One) of the popular band White Ocean, as well as the trouble making sasaeng Cindy (Kim Bo Ra) who is well known in the fan community and bit of a rival of Deok Mi.

With the premise of Her Private Life focusing on a fangirl and the life that comes with it, this is something that I’m sure many people will be able to relate to. Watching every video your favorite group or idol puts out, fantasizing about them, waiting for a new album to drop, collecting merchandise, meeting other wonderful fans online while also contending with toxic fans. It’s all too familiar to those involved in the fan community. The show highlights many aspects of the fan culture in South Korea quite well. There are varying levels of it with some being very innocent with the simple joys of admiring an artist while other parts are very disturbing and can lead to obsessive and dangerous behavior. The drama worked all of this into the story so nicely.

Ryan and Deok Mi get off on the wrong foot with several initial encounters that end badly. Then he has some pretty humorous misunderstandings about her early on too. But as he gets to know her, he becomes intrigued by her. And when she ends up in the middle of a scandal with her idol, we get a good old fake relationship between her and Ryan to allow the pair to grow close while trying to make things better.

Her Private Life was always completely engaging with wonderful pacing that never felt draggy. That’s frequently a challenge in romantic comedies, and I sure do appreciate how well this drama put everything together to deliver a very entertaining drama.

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A true masterpiece

Okay folks, get ready 'cause I'm gonna fangirl really hard about this show for like...the rest of my life. If you're wondering wether to give this a chance or not, my solid advice would be: YES, DO IT! DO IT NOW! JUST DO IT!!!

To me, this drama feels like one of those shows that fill you with joy and makes you feel all warm inside. It is definitely something that reminds you of the beauty of life. I'm sure many times we find ourselves going through a rough patch, we get tired of the way things are going in life, or we just have too much on our plate. I mean, just as an example, in addition to our personal ups and downs, we're all going through a pandemic right now!! And it might make us feel like this is too hard, this "thing" called "living" is just not what we were waiting for or we would've liked it if it came with a series of instructions on how to navigate it. However, we all know this is not possible and that we have to go through life figuring out how things work and making the best out of what we have.

For me this show provided that pause I needed in my routine. It was like finding a friend who comes to me and says: 'Hey, it's okay. Stop for a second thinking of all the negative things that are going on in your life or how you don't know what's gonna happen in the future. Stop for just a minute and look at the things that are going well, at all that you've accomplished and at how you have the opportunity to start over each day and try your best to achieve what you want. I understand how you're feeling and it's okay. Things will get better and you're gonna ace it.' What I loved so much about MPUB is that it reminded me that we're all struggling in this uncertain journey called "life." We all have our problems and no one has a guide that says how to do it, we're all figuring it out at our own pace and that is fine. There'll always be good and bad times and that's just how life is. It doesn't end there, there's so much to enjoy and appreciate in life even though we're sometimes stuck in seeing just the negative part.

This show taught me something that I tend to forget many times. What's important is to value the small moments in life, the people we are with and the time we get to spend with our loved ones. Sometimes we just need to look up to realize that everybody else is also struggling and trying their best, that's the moment when we realize that it's not just us, other people are going through the same, other people need our help as much as we need theirs. If I had to decribe MPUB in one word, I'd say it's "healing." I get so many positive vibes from this show, it's like a friend who tells you that no matter what you're going through you'll work it out.

Every episode of this show has a life lesson or take-away (that must be one of the things I find most refreshing and love about this drama) and the one that stuck with me the most is that we all need someone to listen to us, someone with whom to share our struggles, our worries, but also our joys and hopes. We don't expect that person to solve our problems, but we all need someone to be there for us. And of course it's not only receiving, we also have to give. There are many people around us who need us to ask them how they're doing and listen, truly listen to them.

This is what makes MPUB a true jewel in kdramaland, it's not everyday that we come across a show like this. The character development and the relationships between them are so masterfully and beautifully written that they seem real people you can relate to even though this is a fantasy story. (Shout out to that person in the comments who asked if there's a word for shipping a family, 'cause that's exactly what I'm doing. I SHIP THIS FAMILY LIKE FEDEX). The actors did such a wonderful job in portraying the characters that I truly came to care for them (especially our mystic trio, they're now my precious babies that must be protected at all costs). Hats off to each one of them. I only have one teeny-tiny complain about this show. Even though I LOVED the ending, it didn't quite have the same feeling as the other episodes, if you know what I mean. It was a tad rushed in my opinion. I kinda felt I wanted more, more of my mystic trio being together as a family, but nevertheless, it was wonderful. Congratulations to all the people involved in this masterpiece, they really did an outstanding job. They deserve a standing ovation.

Bonus: I'd just like to take some time to talk about Chief Gwi and how much I ADORE this man. I mean, he just went ahead and raised the bar so high up that at this point, everybody else should just give up. I mean, where can I get a man who catches evil spirits for 500 years just so that he can spend 1 year with you helping you without expecting anything in return, without revealing who he is, just wanting to be right by your side, doing his best to help you achieve your goal. I mean, he didn't even try to explain what happened in the past because he felt that what was important wasn't to get himself a second chance but to fulfill his promise of protecting you. A man who literally decided to go to hell for you without expecting you to recognize all his effort and devotion. A man who promised to always find you no matter what and he DID. He did and stayed with Weol-ju, knowing how much she actually resented him but being happy of just being able to be with her. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ADORING LOOK IN CHOI WON YOUNG'S EYES EVERY TIME HE LOOKS AT WEOL-JU. I NEED THIS KIND OF ROMANCE IN MY LIFE. We didn't even get a single kiss from them but it wasn't needed, I hadn't seen this level of romance in a kdrama in a long time. That hug in ep 12 was everything I never knew I needed.

Bonus 2: Sungjae is a precious baby boy. Too precious for words, too precious for this world. He did an amazing job once again and I'm so proud of him.

In summary, MPUB is now one of my all-time favorite kdramas. It was an amazing journey and I'll definitely be rewatching it more than once. The found family trope is so strong in this one that it's all I ever wished for in a kdrama. We really need more shows like this out there. Once more, congratulations to all the cast and crew for making such a beautiful show.

"Everyone's fate is decided by the heavens, but the heavens is more easily moved than you might think. Little things that you say and do may change your fate. If changing your fate is called a miracle, miracles may be happening every day. The miracle of you being alive, the miracle of having that person next to you, the miracle of being able to have a drink with that person."

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Well, I seem to have stumbled into something interesting while Im waiting for Yamapi and Acchan's newest drama to be posted online, WHY CANT I HAVE JAPANESE TV STATIONS DARN IT. Anyway, ranting about random things aside, lets get into this.

Story 10/10 : I really do like the storyline, an oblivious girl getting herself into all kinds of trouble as a prosecutor but slowly and surely begins to grow into a woman who has a sense of justice and duty. From what I've read in other reviews, the story does take a twist, going from a comedy to a more serious drama involving murder, but this was the same as Lie to Me, but romantic there, not dark matter or anything, but I digress. Theres parts of the early drama that just had me rolling in laughter, and for some reason, I couldn't stop, maybe because of KSY? Not too sure.

Acting 10/10 : Wow umm... I didn't even know Kim SoYeon can be bubbly and ditsy. From what I gathered from IRIS, she was one total b*d*ss who still was capable of loving even through her current circumstances. Her role in this is absolutely perfect, the way she acts makes you believe that she's a complete, dare I say, blonde, and in most of the early episodes, you're just annoyed with her. Her u-turn transformation from a serious agent in IRIS to a ditsy girl really proves her prowess as an actress. The directors also do a great job of keeping Lawyer Seo(sorry, I dont know his real name) in the shadows early in the drama, while the rest of the supporting actors/actress help the leads shine.

Music 7/10 : The OST's in the show fit great into the personal aspects of the characters but there were some parts where music was played where it was unncessary and invoked wrong emotions when it wasn't needed.

Rewatch 7/10 : Early episodes? Just for a laugh here and there, I hope that this continues to be interesting, be it from comedy or seriousness.

Overall 9/10 : Its a great drama, definitely underrated from other dramas, I hope it gets some more attention ^^.

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Finally, Song Zu Er is off the restriction list and back on our screens! I’m so happy I can watch this drama.

Story about Qiao Man (QM) and Wei Shao (WS). QM and WS come from two enemy families / countries—that are united through an arranged marriage set by WS’s grandmother, Lady Xu.

Originally, their families were friends. However, due to a conflict and a perceived betrayal by QM’s grandfather (the then-head of the Qiao family), they became enemies. The Wei family considers the Qiao family their enemy, while the Qiao family—especially QM’s grandfather—feels guilt over their past betrayal.

Believing it's time to bury the hatchet, Lady Xu arranges a marriage between WS and Qiao Fan (QF), QM’s cousin. But QF is already in love with someone else—Bi Zhi (BZ)—so she elopes with him, leaving QM to take her place as the bride.

At first, WS strongly opposed the marriage. However, when they meet, WS is impressed by QM’s intelligence and charm. QM helps him deal & navigate many troubles that arise, and over time, WS accepts this political marriage and prepares to bring QM back to his homeland.

Once there, QM faces a lot of opposition and prejudice from the Wei family because she's from the Qiao family. Fortunately, Lady Xu silently supports her, which makes things slightly easier for QM within the family. The biggest challenge for her right now is dealing with her mother-in-law, who clearly dislikes her.

A lot of trouble ahead is ready to tremble the relationship between QM & WS. However, the couple slowly begins to understand each other better. Trust starts to build between them, and feelings quietly begin to blossom.

That's pretty much the story without giving the spoiler. Now what I like and don't.

What I liked:
+ Song Zu Er & Liu Yu Ning have a great chemistry.
+ QM is a smart and capable woman. I really enjoyed watching her and WS relationship development—from mutual suspicion to trust and affection.

Not sure if I like this or not. There’s little to no character development for BZ. It’s a bit disappointing—he’s still just a strong, simple man who loves his wife, without any added depth till the end.

Overall this is quite a good drama. I’ve really enjoyed watching it.

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Although it is censored, this series is very obviously BL. The chemistry between the two main characters all but screams that they are in love with each other. There is plenty of VERY close skin ship, but no actual kissing. The storyline, although not well developed itself, was easy to watch and I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters interactions with each other. My only complaint is that it ended super abruptly and a little bit strangely with a animation scene rather than live action. I would definitely watch more episodes of this, but I think they end it where they do because Xia Yuo has the realization that he's in love with Yuan Zong. We don't really get any closure on the story between the two which is sad.

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Just finished watching it for the 2nd time. This is one of my favourite, realistic romance dramas.. I personally got sucked into its rather unique pace and seeing how the characters and different relationships among them developed.

The focus of the plot was clear from the start (from the title, even) and they stayed true to it throughout! People from different backgrounds, with different personalities can perceive love differently and make personal choices that might not make sense to others. How can that perception change when you've found someone you want to be with, even though you're different? How much can we understand each other, what can we learn, how far should we compromise while we're still happy and true to ourselves and to our partner/friend/parent?

These are just some of the questions that I found this drama to be exploring and consequently made me ask myself, too. The performances of the actors also elevated it, with Yang Se Jong especially standing out for his charismatic portrayal of Jung Sun.

I am taking away some points because:
1) (trying not to spoil) A cliche that was used to get a certain result out of the leads felt too cheap, the writer could have done better
2) Some unfortunate elevator-style music choice
3) Poor directing approach at times, which made some scenes feel out of place/choppy

Overall, if you open your mind to a kind of story that might be about people different to you exploring love, you will enjoy this and still find plenty of relatable content and food for thought.

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Trying to explain some point. Skip if you haven't watch, heavy spoiler!

This movie is more into psychological horror, it has interesting story but poor telling. And since i can't find any satisfying explanation i want to try explain some point. Excuse my raw explanation and untidy English.

So there are two main characters here, student Ha Young and vice principal Eun Hee.
As for Ha Young's story, her best friend Su Kyung was dead suicide (the very first scene) after being sexually harrassed by teacher Park and is ashamed of herself. She'd rather die than being insulted her for what happened. Ha Young can't take it and seek revenge trying to kill teacher Park but ended up being helped by Eun Hee.

Eun Hee's story is a bit confusing. Her trauma started in 1980, when she was a student at that exact same school. The soldier's appearance was related to Gwangju Uprising incident in 1980 (Try search it). The students all supposed to be at home, but at school there were still the security guard, Eun Hee, and Jae Yeon. The securiy guard is dead shotted by the soldier and then several incidents happened. Because of these incidents Eun Hee developed trauma that make her forget what happened and mixed her memory.
In throwback scene, it was seen Eun Hee was the one hiding inside the classroom while Jae Yeon was the one attacked by the soldier in the toilet. But it's actually the opposite (as stated by Eun Hee's psychiatrict 'It was you'). Hence, the one who was hiding in classroom and taken by the soldier's vehicle is Jae Yeon (because there is also a scene where Eun Hee visited unnamed grave, thats the missing Jae Yeon), and the one hiding on toilet, sexually harrassed, and stabbed on the hand is Eun Hee.

The murders was all done by Eun Hee. But the only murder she 'conciously' done is teacher Park, while the others was done by her unconcious self, as it was seen on the last part, they were killed by Eun Hee while wearing school uniform (indicating her old self seeking for revenge).
Principal was killed because she kept threatening others to keep silence about school's incidents (First incident in 1980 as Eun Hee's ex homeroom teacher and the second incident that i believe trigger Eun Hee to kill her is after her encounter with teacher Park's in his home).
Meanwhile, the headless uniformed person i think is the same person in the very first scene with the window incident (not the old security guard in throwback scene). I still dont really understand what happened to him, it could be accident but the last scene somehow indicates Eun Hee is the one killed him (but for what reason?). His head is inside the bucket full of disgusting creeping animals, while the body is hid on the roof with the soldier's nametag on his wrist. Maybe his dead is Eun Hee's way of revenge toward the soldier? because they are wearing 'uniform' (remember the scene when the soldier's uniform is blurred by black thing in late scene)

And the ghost that keep haunting Eun Hee, i think she's Eun Hee's portrayal of deep regret and guilt toward what happen to Jae Yeon, whos body never found, but in herself form. The ghost has half shoes (Eun Hee running away to toilet from soldier is in one shoes too). But why one eye stabbed? I dont really understand too.

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decent and well made drama, but needs more episodes to flesh out the story

I liked most of this drama, but had some issues with the overall story. This definitely could've benefited from a few more episodes to flesh out Jiyong and his backstory. The audience does understand why he's doing what he's doing, but I think it was an abrupt escalation from assaulting bad guys to killing them. And maybe I'm just dumb, but it took me a little bit to realize that he was actually killing the bad guys. In my defense, it never actually showed him finishing them off, and it seemed like he gave some of them an option to repent (ex: the rich guy who hit the old lady with the cardboard).
Beyond giving Jiyong more of a full character, a few more episodes could've given us more depth into relationships between the characters and made us feel more for them other than a passing interest (maybe it's just me, but I wasn't too invested in any of the characters and most of them seemed a little one dimensional. Other than Jiyong's Number One Fanboy. He was great.). I think the bad guys and their evil plan could've used more depth as well, but given that it was only 8 episodes, they crammed a lot into them and it was a complete story.
Overall, a decent and well-made drama, but needed a little bit more to really flesh it out.

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