Reviews

When A Brave Magistrate Fallen In Love

' Cry Me A River of Star'
A romantic comedy plus light historical drama that contained some conflicts and obstacles.

▪️Main Points
~ The male and female lead were came from two different group of people, Zhongyuan people and Qianli people ( those who shed blue tears).
~ A brave Magistrate was responsible to punish Qianli people who want to rebel but later ended up fallen in love with a girl from Qianli people.

▪️Short Synopsis
A Magistrate, Tao Jun Ran bravely seeks and punish the Qianli people who wanted to rebel in Biyun country. He wants to search for Lian Qi from Qianli people who kept the weapons and arms illegally and punish him. Later he met an independent and hardworking girl, A Fan who close with Lian Qi and started to investigate her. He was told that A Fan was Lian Qi's girlfriend and knew about him. A Fan denied it and agreed to be questioned. Then, he knew that A Fan was not guilty and she was a nice and hardworking girl. He had fallen in love with her and want to marry her. As he confessed his love and asked her to marry him, A Fan agreed and they want to have a marriage reception. But a conflict happened a day before they want to get married.

Yun He An was so childish and stubborn girl. She still want to marry Tao Jun even she knew he do not loved her. She forced him to agree with her even they were married only for a time being in order to save Cao Qing. I hate her characters since she was arrogant and heartless person. Her brother, Yun Jia Yu also was a bad and heartless guy. He plans to make Tao Jun helpless and killed him but since his sister want to marry Tao Jun so he cant do anything bad to him. Li Qian bought A Fan to her country in Qianli. He plans to make her a 'High Priest' in her country. A Fan disagreed at first but she just followed him since he forced her to do it. There also many bad peoples who disagreed with A Fan as a High Priest. Later, Tao Jun tried to go to Qianli to save A Fan.

▪️Opinions
~ You can see how much Tao Jun Ran loved A Fan. He did everything in order to save her, he can even give his own live to her.
~ A Fan trust to Tao Jun was very deep. Even there were a lot of misunderstanding, she also chooses to trust him.
~ Majesty was just a toy since he doesn’t know what happened to his country and can easily getting betrayed by others.
~ Even Tao Jun was a great Magistrate before, he doesn’t get any respects from his Majesty and people, he been punished without getting an investigation for his frames.
~ Tao Jun Ran do as he promises to A Fan which is to marry her. Even they couldn’t get married in earlier but still they’re married in the end.

▪️Characters Intro
~ Luo Zheng as Tao Jun. He was a magistrate that responsible in dealing with Qianli people. He was popular because of his handsome face and brave in dealing with enemy. He was respected by all the people because of his braveness and kindness in helping people to deal with epidemics. Even his make up effects looked a bit weird and over make up but still okay since I do not care as he can smoothly acting and showed a good characters.
~ Huang Ri Ying as A Fan. A cute, silly and kind hearted girl who responsible and hardworking in supporting her life and also her adoptive dad who madly insane. She came from Qianli people who shed a blue tears when she's crying. Her cloth's styling was a bit glamour for a poor girl' s characters but she so pretty and cute in that styles. It is okay since I love to see a beautiful looks and stylish characters in a drama.

▪️Overall
The flow of this drama was very dramatic. It started from light, slow but suddenly got very hard. I thought this drama was a simple drama because it has some of funny scenes during an early drama. But it’s not like that. The flow getting worse and worse because there were a lot of misunderstanding between couples. No worries, there were also a sweet scenes during an early episodes which they’re kissing and also dating in the market.

I think this drama was okay. It’s only have 24 episodes for historical drama which never happened before. Thus I recommended to watch this if you want to see a short historical drama because it’s quite interesting.

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This movie is definitely not for someone who wants to watch something for thrills or obvious entertainment--it's a much subtler film.

The plot line, on the surface, deals with a young woman coming in to nanny for a rich family. Naturally, as you would expect from a movie like this, she gets in way to deep and begins an affair with the attractive, domineering husband. The story line then develops further from there and we are thrown into what we can only imagine is the shallow end of the lengths these people will go to to protect their image, their wealth, and their family.

The movie very intelligently weaves a cast of characters and a story that gives us an intriguing look into the world of the wealthy and the privileged. They get what they want, when they want it, and will stop at nothing for it.

The acting was superb. There was not a single actor/actress that I didn't believe in their portrayal of the character--even in the case of the child, and I have a hard time with child actors usually.

The cinematography and editing were wonderful. The director really knew how to play with angles and to give the viewer just enough to immerse us in the story but not so much that it overwhelmed our senses. The lighting perfectly suited the moods and the choices made for scenes were very smart.

Only one small thing bothered me at the climax, but mostly on the basis of physics and I didn't find it entirely necessary, but you can be the judge when you get there. This movie is also not suited for anyone who is sensitive when it comes to nudity and sex. There is definitely some of that in there.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went in knowing that it was a movie I would need to think about and pay attention to--much like American Psycho, which seems superfluous if you don't get all the connotations behind it.

Go in with an open mind, and a thirst for intrigue, sex, and drama and you won't be disappointed.

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what even just happened

This film lacks any kind of cohesion. I was so confused about what I was so supposed to take away from this experience, this film did absolutely nothing and I genuinely don’t know what it was trying to tell me. Besides the plot, the passing of time was super weird, I’m not actually sure how long a period of time it takes place over. Also both Shane and Carrie were awful friends, going out with each other despite Carrie knowing that Jonathan, who she was supposed to be good friends with, was in love with Shane and Shane knowing that he and Carrie had dated in the past. Then Shane claims Jonathan to be his best friend and talks about how he never had anyone else, despite how terribly he treats him. I mean, the sex scene, literally why? It was so unnecessary and made no sense because ten minutes later Shane says they’re just friends, at least I’m assuming unless you’re my best friend in response to a love confession is a feelings conformation (can’t be sure with this film seeing as it seems just as confused about what story it’s trying to tell as I am). Also the scene where he randomly had sex with that older guy was weird too, it’s something I’ve seen in a couple LGBT films and I really need it to stop, it’s such a weird addition. Plus the book about trans people at the beginning? I don’t know what that was about because it had no relevance to the rest of the plot.
Overall the only saving grace is the visuals, it’s shot in an old analogue camera style that gives the film a really nice aesthetic and often has this green-ish lighting that adds tremendously to the vibe of the locations. Besides that it’s abrupt, nonsensical and contains a host of subpar acting.

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Underneath the science and math, it's about human frailties destroying mankind or Earth or both

Plot Summary:
(In chronological order, as opposed to the sequence of events in the drama)
During the Cultural Revolution in China, a budding astrophysicist witnessed a horrific incident that made her lose hope in humanity. Armed with research data and basic math, she was able to figure out that the Sun may be used to amplify radio signals from Earth to the vast space of the universe. She sent a signal through the Sun that was picked up years later by a pacifist alien who advised her not to answer otherwise his less peace-loving colleagues would conquer her planet. Had she regained enough hope in humanity to heed the warning, thus stop exposing Earth's location to the aliens, or did she still think earth couldn't sort its problems out itself and needs to be saved by an alien civilization?

Several years later, top scientists in China are committing suicide, seemingly due to frustration over failed experiments and the dread that physical laws known to man don't apply to the whole universe after all, thus making their life's work pointless. Might the shooter theory supposing that seemingly universal patterns apply only to limited areas and not the whole universe, actually be true? Might physics really not exist?

A nanomatter expert suddenly starts seeing a number in his line of vision and realizes it's a countdown. Countdown to what? He witnesses the universe seemingly blinking. He is invited to participate in a virtual reality game simulating a planet ravaged by a three-body problem causing its civilizations to get obliterated every now and then, haphazardly, with no pattern in the intervals between chaotic and stable eras. The object of the game is to find the pattern, i.e. solve the 3-body problem.

The failed experiments, the countdown and the winking universe are actually caused by photons sent to earth by an alien civilization, Trisolaris, whose inhabitants have given up on their fight against their 3-body problem and are currently on their 400+ years trek to Earth. The photons are monitoring earthlings' progress, making sure, with the help of humans who have joined Trisolarians' impending invasion, that human technology does not advance far enough to rival or even surpass that of Trisolaris by the time they reach Earth. Thus, they are driving scientists suicidal with frustration by tampering with their experiments. When a scientist agrees to stop his experiments, his countdown stops.

What happens when the countdown goes to zero? Is this when murders that look like suicides happen? Would humans, called bugs by Trisolarians, be able to ward off this threat of an alien invasion? Would they be able to help solve the 3-body problem thus obviate the need for Trisolarians to leave their home planet and invade Earth? Would Trisolarians, who cannot abide lies, be able to work with lying humans?

These and other questions may or may not be answered in this drama but they drive the narrative. It will be noted that this drama is based on the first book, "The Three-Body Problem", of a trilogy written by Chinese author Liu Cixin. So, sequels are likely to follow.

Review:
This is the most engrossing Chinese drama I've watched. It's much better than the Netflix version. Aside from the scientific and mathematical discussions, the issues covered - humans treating other humans and the environment despicably to a point that would raise the question of whether man deserves to continue living in this beautiful planet or not - are presented in such a thought-provoking manner that powerfully draws the viewer in. The production, acting and music create a haunting, mysterious and sinister mood that fits the subject matter.

The story emphasizes the fallacy in the conventional belief that more advanced civilizations are likely to be friendly. In fact, history has shown that advanced civilizations tend to subjugate more primitive ones. This drama made me pray that those searching for extraterrestrial life would be circumspect about letting aliens know Earth's position in the universe, much less invite them in.

This drama also revived my awe at how blessed we are to have such a beautiful planet to live in. In this violent universe, planets are more likely to have uninhabitable conditions similar to Trisolaris than Earth. Yet, how are we handling this blessing? By acting like only certain humans have a right to be here, disregarding how our actions affect other occupants of this planet like humans who look different, other animals, plants, land masses and bodies of water.

Three-body is such a drama that can make viewers feel strongly about our beautiful planet as well as human moral frailties such as cruelty, selfishness, pride and dishonesty that could spell our doom.

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Short: This one is really slow paced, it's all about mood and feeling rather than action and drama. It's like sitting in front of a warm log fire and reading a nice book with a glass of wine. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it's a very different role for Park Min Young. It digs into the histories of some interesting characters and we watch them go through their lives briefly. I enjoyed it but sometimes, honestly found it difficult to stay attentive.

Detail:
Did I say it was slow? Like a glacier, and some times even slower than that. But it's not slow because it can't get to the point, or wants to just spread the story super thin. It's because the story is about the characters, the way they are handling wounds that might be new or decades old, how situations change and how the characters evolve around that.

I enjoyed it a lot, there's lots of nice slow tempo music which fits the pace and the views in the scenes are often stunning as it's set in Gangwon Province - not in the tree's like "Forest" but in a small village. We'll join in with a school reunion, with various activities the village people get together for, as well as following the various characters on their journey. Honestly i think I enjoyed this as much for the small slice of life it offers, a glimpse into a different pace and something that feels more traditionally Korean than some of the ones set in the busy hustle of the city.

There are some touching moments, and there are some downright comedic ones mostly thanks to Im Hui, who was absolutely the light in the show for me - she's a force to be reckoned with and her approach to life, her little outbursts and how she is with friends and family can be hilarious.

You need to be in the mood for something slow and relaxing for this one. If you find yourself in other dramas thinking "come on get on with it" - you're not going to enjoy this.

The only down for me is that I really didn't fully grasp the ending - I do tend to need *certain* things written in big neon lights for me to grasp them properly so while I was overall happy, I am largely just basing it on some assumptions of how I *think* they're trying to say things ended rather than actually knowing for sure. But that's ok, it's close enough :)

There's no reason this couldn't be watched over and over if you find yourself in the mood for the pace and story, if you have a lot on your mind and you want something that will just play in the background while your mind races away and not worry that you're missing things, it can be a good story to put on and hopefully calm your mind.

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DEFINITELY SEEN BETTER BUT IT WAS FUNNY

Since the very first episode Backstreet Rookie has been quite the scandal, and after completing the drama I can agree with the fact that there were problems: romanticizing student/adult relationships, black cultural appropriation and the fact that the whole was tagged under 'family comedy-drama'. At first, like many, I took that first episode rather lightly, saying that since it's a webtoon adaptation the facts and events are very unrealistic and that I should not put too much thought into it. But the more I read discussions and opinions from others the more I realised that although it's all unrealistic it can have a bad impact or trigger some people, which made me further realise how unsensitive that first encounter between Saet-byul and Dae-hyun was. Although she started everything and kissed him it was still giving a wrong message to younger audiences who might confuse a fictional love story of 10 years into something romantic and to try in real life. Also, it was insensitive towards people who had similar bad and traumatic experiences. The second point is the best friend Dal-sik, whose character was just totally wrong for me. His presentation, behaviour, and style were just so offensive and are the biggest mistake the writer or PD team made in my opinion and the fact that until the very end, they didn't try to change or develop anything about him. Yeah, he was funny, but also cringey and disgusting.

From what I heard these kinds of dramas were popular in South Korea in the '90s but for audiences today, with all the talks about gender equality (do we want to talk about the father being beaten up religiously lol), cultural representation and misappropriation, a lot of things here were offensive and ignorant. Yes, SK is usually pretty insensitive in these cases, but honestly, if the writers and directors gave some points a little thought it would've saved them so many of those complaints and hate towards the actors.

Now let me mention why it was funny, despite all the issues I discussed above. It was silly, stupid, completely unrealistic and very colourful. Everything was a mess at times, but that's exactly what made it comic and at times relatable. Apart from all the bad stuff, it gives rom-com, and although kind of slow, it had all the elements and I don't regret watching it to be honest. I'm happy how so many people, me included, recognised the wrongs in the drama but still gave it a chance.

The OST was really good, and that's totally what I loved most out of all the drama. The acting was also good, it was a new kind of role for Ji Chang Wook, his character had problems but he did a decent job.

Those who want to watch it, do it with an open mind, knowing all the negative stuff about it, if you don't want to get triggered or disappointed.

I've seen better but it was okay nonetheless.

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I rarely watch, much less recommend romance dramas, but this is an exception. I think this can be enjoyed by everyone regardless what genre of drama a person prefers. It has an "old school" feel to it of something that was made in the 1960s. The story has a vintage, pure appeal to it even as it capitalizes on the cynicism of romance that is prevalent in today's society. side note: I liked Reiko the most.

I know pretty much nothing about Japanese actors. I fell in love with Kitagawa Keiko. Not only is she gorgeous, but her acting is great. Yuki is just as Mamoru describes in the last episode. Kusanagi Tsuyoshi was excellent as Mamoru. I was Mamoru before I met the person I have been with for the last 12 years. I thought I was destined to never be in a long term committed relationship and I was totally okay with it. I really identified with the character and I think that is a tribute to the acting. The other actors were good also.

The music is also great!!! Moon River is one of my favorite songs.

I will probably rewatch this at some point.

I recommend this to everyone.

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Musical like drama

It's my first time watching a K-drama that involves so many musical acts, i somehow felt like I was watching a Disney princess movie throughout this series.

This basically concentrates more on the female leads life journey, having to face harsh realities of life at an younger age, having no adults around to support her and if magic enters her life? BOOM!!! All miseries out of her life, Sounds fun right? Watching first half even I felt that the same. But NO! The second half concentrated more on the magician(ji Chang wook) and Na II deung's life's story. I some how felt a little similarity between the 2 male leads characterizations. The latter seemed younger version of former (Wound'nt go much deeper analysing it here ,may endup spoiling).

This drama did take me by surprise be it the musical acts (Damn! Focus on the lyrics ,seemed like they were talking to each other through music) or the vague ending . Because it is just 6 episodes and the actors are just amazing, I'll say it's watch worthy.

Started this just because of ji Chang wook but ended up falling for the female leads actings, Oh God!!! the look in her eyes explains her misery. Every actor in this drama truly portrayed their character's personality through acting which got me involved more into the story, absolutely loved the actors

Alert!! Zero romance and yeah the ending was quite confusing to me . Story kept jumping from one thing to the other.plot was quite plain with no wow factors involved

Personal opinion :P lol :- Do you believe in magic?
During our low times, if it is something that makes you believe in miracle even for a moment then, why not? -_<

Funny fact:- As ji chang wook is part of it I thought episodes will be released weekly and started off with the latest episode released and 50 minutes into it realised something was off .Turned out I was watching episode 6 throughout. AAAAHHHHH! Erase everything you saw and let's start afresh. EP-1 let's go!!! Was what I though to myself.
Yeah the first episode I watched was the last episode of this drama. SILLY ME!!!!!

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Fun, exciting, engaging and entertaining - just a bit diluted.

I would be lying if I said I did not have a fun time watching. So Hee was as unique as always, Ji Yeon as crazy and Ji Gu as grumpy. Their friendship was still the best and strongest part of the whole show (till one specific scene). Compared to season one, it also focused on them outside of their friendship, so we’ve got less group drinking moments, but instead could see them interact with other people more.

One thing I liked was the fact Kang Buk Gu did not really feel like the main character. I don’t think he had more scenes or importance than for example Kim Sun Jong, which I don’t complain about since he was never a character I looked for while watching the episodes even in season 1. It might be something that others dislike though.

The issue I had with this season is how disjointed it felt. First two episodes don’t fit into the timeline at all and while I understand they had to give a proper closure to the events from season 1, I am not sure they handled it in the best way storytelling wise. And the similar “individual stories not quite connecting together” feeling lasted for the whole duration of the show.

Some episodes were truly great, some were nice, some were not memorable at all. The quality fluctuated a lot. As a whole it was less funny, less moving and less entertaining. It’s still a great drama though, far above the majority of comedy shows. It just pales in comparison to season 1.

The arc this time was them as individual people learning how dependable they are on each other, and how it does not always have positive effects. I understand it on paper, but I think it was not quite well presented in the show itself.

Then, there was one side plotline that was the biggest issue for me. Without giving any spoilers of what happened, the events just made me question why these 3 girls are even friends and how did this friendship last so long. We got an unsatisfying conclusion to an extremely complex problem. The writing of this one side plot was so bad, I actually lost any interest in ever rewatching season 1 and 2. I just cannot see the friendship in the same light anymore (more about it in a comment below).

Performances were amazing - great continuation of the phenomenal deliveries from previous season. It truly feels as if the actresses were born to take these roles.

Overall, you can sense that this season is different and I think the change of the director is obvious. Personally I preferred how Kim Jung Shik handled the story. Season 1 was my first 10 in 2 years. While season 2, while I don’t regret watching, I would not exactly recommend others to check out.

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*NO SPOILERS*
EVERYBODY SHOULD WATCH THIS DRAMA!
First of all I want to start by saying I'm not a newbie in Korean dramas (I've actually completed 66 dramas).I'm saying this not to brag but the review that follows might make you think that it comes from a newcomer that's just excited from finishing their first k-drama,but that's how good this drama actually is.
I started watching Reply 1994 while it was airing and I dropped it on the first episode.After the show was finished I decided to give it a second chance and then I couldn't stop watching.
The story is actually a simple one following the lifes of a family and college students of a boarding house,who just came to Seoul.
Despite the simple plot,the work thats done with the characters is simple wonderful.
Unlike the typical dramas,that usually focus on the leads and leave the supporting roles aside Reply 1994 is all about the supporting roles.
If I analyze all of them this review will take too long, but from the lovable lead Chil Bong Yi (my personal favourite and I think every girl's dream guy) to the crazy father Sung Dong Il evry single character makes this drama what it is.
The acting is strong and allthough I'm not Korean I actually felt nostalgic during many episodes.
You can also relate to the characters at many points since there is a variety of stories and love lines through the drama.
The episodes were so smooth,they actually made you forget about the whole husband mistery and focus on the everyday life of the boarding house.
After many disappointing repetitive dramas "Reply 1994" is a beautiful story that will leave with the sweetest feeling.
That was long but there are not enough words to describe how good it is,watch it and find out on your own ;)

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Was it a perfect show? No. Did it have some flaws? Yes. But holy hell it was amazingly entertaining. So what exactly worked for me, what could have been better, and what was so bad I actually loved it?

The good

Dare I say this had one of the best set of supporting characters I have ever seen? They all were competent in their areas of expertise, but flawed in other departments, which made them more realistic and relatable. They had their own side stories that were simple enough not to overshadow the main plot, but engaging enough for me not to skip any scenes. The number of badass ladies this drama has is also amazing. I would be confident in saying this show was run by the girls.

The romance. I know a lot of people complain it was not this epic love story, but that's exactly what I loved about it. The romance felt natural and slow paced. The characters had so many important issues to deal with, the fact we didn't spend too much time on them being lovey dovey made sense. It made me appreciate the small moments between them more, as they all felt special.

The main characters and cast. I want to compliment Angela Yuen especially, seeing as it was her first main role in a drama. She made me hate Ming He so much, but also enjoy each and every scene with her. All the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. A few Crystal Yuan scenes felt slightly off, but not to the point it made me annoyed or frustrated. Her performance was still quite solid.

The storytelling. Exactly my type. We had the main plot slowly unfold as we followed the main characters dealing with side plots. And these side plots were actually entertaining. With each story we were introduced to a new side character, that later on had an impact on the main plot. Nice! Not to mention the progression from revenge to justice leading to the well being of others that main characters wanted to achieve. The moral dilemmas they had to face and the choices they had to make were interesting to watch.

The fighting scenes and aesthetics. This show is simply beautiful. The fight in the rain between Yi Qing and Ah Jing was probably the most beautiful scene I have ever seen. The set design, camera angles, editing - it all contributed to this visual feast.

My boi Bi Luo.

The bad

The last episode felt... flat? Especially with how intense the few leading to it were. Quite anticlimactic. They were building up to something epic, but they did not deliver. It wasn't bad, not even that disappointing. I was just expecting something more.

Qing Lan reasoning in the last few episodes. Maybe I am dumb, but the lack of logic behind his actions was amazing. I think they have wasted a little bit of potential this character had.

Slight lack of consistency with the skill sets of few characters by the end of the show. For the sake of the plot progression, some characters that were known to be amazing fighters suddenly weren't that strong anymore. It wasn't that easily noticeable, but since I paid a lot of attention to them, it did make me sigh with a bit of frustration.

Too much poisoning, not enough death caused by it.

THE "SO BAD IT'S GOOD"

GLORIOUS UNDERWATER SCENES! The thing is, in all shows I hate bad CGI, but somehow in wuxia, I love it. The whole show is amazing and beautiful and perfect, but then the underwater scenes and CGI used there was so bad I loved it. I had the same experience with The Untamed - the bad CGI was one of the reasons I loved the show so much.

Yi Qing's coughing... slowly... I started laughing about it and appreciated it more.

Overall, if you want a show that focuses heavily on romance, this is not for you. While the romance is ever present, it's not slammed into your face every second. For me it was a perfect combination of nicely done characters, interesting plot lines, great production value and pure entertainment.

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"U-turn" is a very short drama about how a woman, who doesn't remember anything about her past, mysteriously appears in the trunk of a man's car and how he tries to help her until they both come to realize who she is. It is also a car commercial. Like the other members have mentioned, I, also, believe this would be a good story for a longer drama.

I liked it because it was entertaining, cute moments included. It also had an air of mystery since right along with them we are also wondering where this woman came from and who the heck she is. And since it was short, it went straight to the point, which is something I really like.

I don't remember any of the music played, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If I was bored and didn't feel like watching a long drama, I would re-watch this in the future.

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Not what i expected.

That was my first thought after watching this movie.

Unfortunatley it wasn't in a good way. The story line definitely had potential. I mean anyone who knows me will admit that i love the rich boy meets girl falls in love blah blah blah storyline. A LOT. But that's exactly what this movie was for me 'blah blah blah.' The acting was alright, the music was better and overall it was an alright movie, but it wasn't incredibly funny, or light and cute, or even that romantic. IT WASN"T GREAT. If you need something to do than watch it. BUT, if you've got other things to watch than save yourself some time and don't watch it.

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Nothing much here :(

It’s your typical mediocre romance cum family cum healing kind of drama. The predictable plot twists towards the last few episodes, really very kdrama.

I like the main theme of controlling your alcohol intake. I’m assuming the writers wanted to make a point here. I do find too much drinking and getting drunk in all these kdramas, it’s like a staple must for every drama. Also, the humour with the family and friends, and all the ladies - not really my thing anymore. Found it tiring and bland.

The chemistry was also dead lol nothing sizzling and won’t give you any butterflies in your stomach. I do like that the FL is a mechanical engineer(?) and she handles cars and works out their problems.

All in all a simple watch at 2.0x speed hahaha. Cdramas are dominating this first half of 2025, so go there instead ;)

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