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Started off well but.....
The first 15 episodes were mind-blowing. The plot twists, the story, EVERYTHING WAS SOO GOOD. I saw some people saying the story was very confusing and a mess. I’m sure they must have tried to watch the drama while it was still airing (2 eps per week). But trust me this story is FAR FROM BEING A MESS. My advice for you is: binge-watch the whole drama in 2-3 days.But I feel like they could and should have ended the show with 16 eps because after ep 15 the show took a down slope. Ep 16 to 20 were very slow. Nothing important happened and most of the plot twists they brought in in these eps, were stuff we already predicted in the beginning.
Eg: 1. We already knew JBR and SYH were ‘lab mice’
2. That JBR must be HSG’s real son and that the babies must have been switched
3. That the presidential secretary was involved in everything
But anyway I like how the drama ended. The last episode is about 1hr 40 mins and it takes it's time to finish off every main character’s story. I saw that some people were not happy about the ending Jang Ba Reum got, but let’s be honest. Even though he is the main character he IS a murderer and we already knew that he wont get a ‘happy ending’.
Lee Seung Gi does an amazing job portraying his character but who really caught my eye was our detective Go Moo Chi (not gonna elaborate cause you'll get it when you watch it).
Oh! and that scene after the credits in the last episode!!!!! Another brain surgery? So JBR and SYH were not the only lab mice? They were experimenting on other psychopaths too???
So here's the sum up:
If you're in to detective-psychological thrillers, Mouse is a definite must watch!
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This is one of those movies where you will say things like OMG, cute, I wish it was me. Because there is loads of eyecandy here. I liked the story, it is easy to follow and sometimes cheesy. But the cheesyness really belonged here in this movie so it is acceptable. I did had a hard time with the female lead because I wanted her to be a bit different than she had to portray in the movie.
The acting was really good, especially if the female lead got on my nerves for her acting here, she did her job wel. The male lead is easy to love and I thought his acting was great. Also the chemistry they have in this movie is incredible!
I would rewatch this movie because it is so darn cute and this movie just has something about it that I want to rewatch it.
Watch this movie if you like cheesy, cute and romantic movie.
Skip this if you don't like romance of much cheesyness.
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GMM-TV for kids
Simply one of the worst BLs that GMM has ever released. It's simply disappointing how a series with 4 couples can't deliver anything.The direction and script are terrible and can't develop or deal with the amount of characters - I also don't understand why they insist on putting scenes with 8 to 11 characters, when most of them have no reason to be there.
The acting is very caricatured and that's what bothers me the most here. It's a series about young adults in college, but they all act like children. It's extremely childish to the point that it seems like a kids show..
No character works, no character has financial problems, family problems or any problems that aren't about romantic relationships. And when these problems appear, they are so weak and do not change the plot at all. Everything is extremely shallow, the dialogues are rotten and there is no character development whatsoever.
Simply nothing happens. They are always hanging out, eating at college or drinking after classes, but nothing significant is happening. The last few episodes get more interesting, but the episodes are too long and full of montage scenes of the characters having fun that are not at all entertaining.
I really like the friendship between them and that's the only part of the plot that's really cool to follow, but that's it. There's no mature conversation and there's no reason for this series to have 16 episodes when only two couples are developed.
Tan and Fang should be the protagonists of this series. The chemistry between them, the acting, the kissing scenes - all impeccable. But unfortunately, they don't even have 1 hour of scenes together in 16 episodes and their characters act the same way the whole time, there's no variation. And they deserved so much to be the protagonists and receive good characters and a good plot.
Phum and Peem have good moments, but the chemistry between them is strange here and the kisses are even worse. Q and Toey have an interesting beginning, but then it becomes repetitive and boring, especially with Toey literally acting like a child (it was supposed to be cute, but it wasn't). And Chain and Pun have such a poor development that it's absurd to think that they only get together at the last second.
It's a light series to watch and the actors have good chemistry, but after watching teen series like Heartbreak High, Young Royals and Genera+ion with well-defined and interesting characters and plots, this is a big festival of nothing and anything.
Extremely disappointed to realize that GMM has no commitment whatsoever to elevating its series and delivering more robust and interesting productions. Let's be honest, GMM-TV is more concerned with promoting its ships to sell fan meeting tickets than actually creating good series.
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What I didn’t enjoy was how the female lead was written to be so friendly with Su ho’s ex best friend. That dynamic felt unnecessary and took away from the relationship I actually cared about. I would’ve preferred to see her story focus more on Su‑ho instead of building connections with someone who had such a painful history with him.
Overall, I loved the main couple, but I really wish the drama had shown more of their romance and growth together. I’d love to see these two reunite in another drama or movie someday.
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The bracelet that ruins it all
I have such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth after finishing it.This series doesn't bring anything new that hasn't been done before, or maybe it's just me because as an avid manga reader for many years series like Fushigi Yûgi or Inuyasha did a lot better work at both entering a book world thing on the first one and being a half demon in a world of folklore for the second one. I don't think the fact it wasn't super original in concept takes from the series by itself at all, but sadly it does when the plot and execution go out the window.
This series really grabbed my attention from the start for both being a type of fantastical storyline I like and because as someone that also plays videogames I found it very funny.
Where a lot of people thought the show slow I saw it as those side quests in videogames that you spend too much time for little reward and let you meet more of the characters or side characters, so I didn't have any complains about those parts of the series personally. I found myself grinning at the subtle references, even if maybe not even explicitly planned by the showrunners.
I've read also some people complain about the costumes but I personally really liked the colourful clothes although I do think the magical jewellery that both main leads wear could have been much better looking.
For me the plot started to go sour when the bracelet of doom appeared when FL is going to marry Ruo Shi. I could give it a pass before if there were some little inconsistencies here and there, or if the FL was over the top at times (because I've seen her in another one and she was so much worse in that one) or the fact that the other two main leads felt quite plain many times (but at times I thought it might be intentional). But the plot with the bracelet, how it starts and develops, and the subsequent lack of explanation is what triggered a spiral for me from that point onwards.
More specifically it's both ML not reacting quicker questioning things, the fact FL puts it on as soon as she receives it (why would she anyway?) and especially the fact that no one tells anything afterwards about what happened. FL doesn't tell ML (not sure if she even knows deep down), Ruo Shi doesn't tell anyone and just gives the bracelet "back" to ML, without even telling him what it does? He never either pays anything for what he's done, he doesn't even get an earful. I don't know, I feel there was a chunk of content missing there, and the problem is that those "missing" parts started to appear more often from that point onwards.
The editing was at times also very frustrating, especially that moment when Ziqi is being tortured and suspended from the threads by the aunt and we cut to the story of Mu Yao and Fu Yi again. The forced suspense made me lose interest in what was going to happen to Ziqi.
There are as said, many parts in the later half where it feels rushed or there is a lack of context, explanation or we're jumping from one thing to another without much direction. The ending is VERY rushed in my opinion, we go from one minute trying to kill the baddie to some tunnels of time or something to then learn in two seconds that everything that Ziqi is or has told is basically smoke and that he's also from the real world, or a copy of the real world him (we never get to know). I also still don't understand why they were walking the stairs that slow. I mean at the top I get it but they started going up in that speed already while all the people are being drained of energy😂
The worst of it though is the main leads relationship, how can you have so much build up to it and once they actually confess to one another they just back down to the point of being almost acquaintances at times. This was such a disappointment!!
And then it's almost brought at the end just because they needed it for the closure but that ending was also very disappointing and anticlimactic, and the drama surrounding the author was unnecessary and felt forced in a series that has been for the most part quite lighthearted with some more action/adventure parts in the mix. We don't even see that much of it to care and doesn't add anything to the ending. I also was very disappointed that they used the "dream" as plot device in the end, especially because it contradicts what happened in the beginning. I think there were many options of ending this in a good way but the way chosen is very unsatisfactory. Her not remembering anything is cliché and boring, the classic open ended with a phrase or the main character being called by someone has been overused already and I don't understand at all why the real Cui Cui and grandfather are there and shown but no one else is?😂
Anyway, I liked this series in general for the fantasy, the world building, the videogame elements and the funny bits it brought, and because I'm a sucker for grumpy MLs that are soft inside, but the plot after that bracelet part of the story just went downhill quite quickly and it got disappointing.
I don't know if I can recommend it, it's watchable but it leaves you with a bitter aftertaste. I sadly won't rewatch it as much as I enjoyed the first part, the relationship angst completely fizzling out after telling each other is such a let-down.
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Most of it was bad in my opinion
Usually I don’t comment about the shows I watch but this one pissing me off.I kept watching even though I knew it was bad and I don’t know what I hoped for
First of all - all the plot about the vampire didn’t make sense or had explanations , like how do you get to be a vampire? (if they get bitten the don’t turn - so how? by drinking a vampire’s blood?) - how it’s so easy to hurt vampires? what kind of weak ass vampires are those?
Most of it was bad in my opinion- and sorry the bl shows of this year (2025) put higher expectations for me (aka Khemjira, my golden blood, the wicked game, Bangkok boys and more) as much as I don’t except much from Thai I was expecting from this one.
kept watching especially because of the side cast (Barcode, Mark and Dunk - at some point only because of him). it was nice seeing Barcode as mature now and Dunk acting was getting better. Didn’t feel like the main couple had any chemistry- like at some point I was annoyed by their “romantic” scenes. I was more interested in the relationship of Mekhin and Pokpong and they didn’t go along with it.
The acting was… bad even for Thai (though the actors are good so why??), the script was poor and cringy, the plot had so much plot holes and didn’t made sense - though it did have so much potential in my opinion. the CGI was bad (at some point I found it offensive to the watcher), the fighting scenes were horrible like they didn’t even try to make it reliable and the little comic scenes were cringe. The ending - had no point and was disappointing.
Overall very disappointing like I said before - it’s not a show I expect from 2025 Thai series, maybe from the ones in 2022-2023.
But what will annoy me the most if this one will get another season- like why??? there were so many good shows that didn’t get renewed for second season and I don’t think this one should have it.
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First Love, Six Years of Pain, Intense Kisses and a Reunion I Could Not Stop Watching!
I am usually not a fan of vertical dramas because I have to constantly hold my phone. Unfortunately, Eyes on You is not available on the iQIYI TV app and can only be watched through the mobile app. However, once I started watching, I completely forgot about that minor inconvenience. I was addicted from beginning to end and watched all 51 short episodes in one sitting. Yes, all 51 episodes in one go. I was completely hooked because it was just that good.The story follows Junheng and Shiyu, who were each other's first love during high school and shared a passion for archery. Their relationship was torn apart six years earlier when Shiyu suddenly left Junheng. At the time, Junheng believed that Shiyu had chosen money over their relationship after his father offered Shiyu financial help while Shiyu's own father was seriously ill in hospital.
However, the truth was much more complicated. Shiyu made the painful decision to walk away because he wanted Junheng to focus on his future and pursue his archery career without the pressure and potential consequences surrounding their same sex relationship. Unfortunately, years of misunderstandings and unresolved pain left both of them deeply hurt.
When they reunite six years later, Junheng is now a successful archery champion and asks Shiyu to become his manager and work with him. Their relationship goes through a emotional journey from former lovers to enemies and eventually back to lovers again. Junheng initially wants to make Shiyu feel the pain he carried for years, but as they spend more time together, his anger slowly begins to turn into concern. The torment gradually becomes caring, protecting and rescuing Shiyu, as his heart slowly opens up again.
The basic premise is not particularly new. We have seen similar storylines countless times in K-dramas, especially the rich parent offering money to the poorer main lead and telling them to leave their child. But honestly, a familiar plot can still be incredibly enjoyable when it is executed well, and Eyes on You absolutely kept me entertained.
What really made this series work for me was the chemistry between the two leads. The acting was engaging, the tension between them was addictive, and their relationship kept me wanting to immediately watch the next episode. The kissing scenes were especially intense. Their early kisses were filled with anger, resentment and years of unresolved emotions, but once the misunderstandings began to clear, their relationship became incredibly cute and adorable.
The story itself is simple, but sometimes simple stories are exactly what you need when the acting and chemistry are strong enough to keep you invested. Despite being a short vertical series, I found myself completely absorbed in their journey from first love, to enemies, and finally finding their way back to each other.
If you enjoy first love reunions, lovers becoming enemies before falling in love again, athlete male leads, emotional misunderstandings, flashbacks, archery, intense kissing scenes and a story that hooks you from start to finish, this short series should definitely not be missed.
I honestly hope both actors get the opportunity to star together in a full length series in the future because I would absolutely support and watch them again.
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Disaster
Honestly, the only reason I stuck with the show was to see her finally face consequences in the end. The ending wasn’t that terrible, but definitely not what I wanted or expected. The start was strong, but I was least interested in her journey. Sure, her character was unique and acted well, but I kept hoping she’d finally fall into someone’s trap or get manipulated for once. I still don’t get why everyone keeps helping her and feeling sorry for her.Jun-seo’s character felt a bit underdeveloped. And the actor — whether it’s Penthouse, Shooting Stars, or this show — he just gives similar vibes every time. Even if the characters are written differently, his acting always feels the same.
Looks like there might be another season coming, but I’m not looking forward to it.
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
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A Heartwarming Love Story In Tokyo...
30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii is one of those dramas which will probably be avoided by most mainstream drama watchers from its surreal , seemingly unrealistic and “ sexual “ concept of a 30 year-old businessman, Adachi Kiyoshi ( Akaso Eiji)who can suddenly hear other people’s thoughts simply because he has never lost his virginity.Yet against all odds of its bizarre premise, 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii’s greatest strength was representing the relationship of our two main characters- not simply because they are a part of a “ same-sex pairing ”, but as flawed and independent individuals in their own right (something which only a minority of recent and contemporary romance dramas have been able to portray in the same manner of depth) .
Akaso Eiji was undeniably brilliant within channeling the meek- mannered Adachi, who is naturally perturbed after receiving his new abilities by being able to read the thoughts of anyone he makes contact with . To make the scenario worse for Adachi , he is surprised to discover that his popular male colleague Kurosawa Yuichi ( Machida Keita) has been harbouring complicated romantic feelings towards him for a long time.
Initially Adachi is hesitant to help out Kurosawa at work or grow close to him. Yet as Adachi reads more about Kurosawa’s thoughts and feelings both towards him and as an individual , viewers actually get to see in the process Adachi making sense of his own feelings towards Kurosawa as well. In one particular scene, viewers learn that a lot of Adachi’s problems with wanting to start a relationship with Kurosawa aren’t entirely homophobic, but a consequence of self-esteem and confidence from his past. It is only when Adachi is actually able to start respecting himself ( an important stage in any relationship) that he is able to start falling in love with Kurosawa also.
On the other hand, this also moves us on to one of the biggest flaws of the drama ; its inability to capture actual attitudes and thoughts of Japanese society towards the LGBT community in Japan. Whilst it can be said that not every drama should always be a political and radical message towards society, there’s no lies within saying that Japan has always had a complicated relationship with LGBT rights. Although undeniably a lot more progressive and liberal than some countries in the world and a lot more than the past, there’s no sugarcoating that open- homosexuality or being in a same sex relationship is still sometimes a cause of shame and prejudice amongst some members of Japanese society.
For a drama which specifically tackles these difficulties, it felt a bit out of place not to openly cover some of these pressures and expectations such as in Adachi and Kurosawa’s workplace upon their sexuality and the forced image of “ manliness” often imposed upon men of all cultures as a consequence. This is a flaw which could have easily been shown in the drama and therefore meant that 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii was lacking in some genuine and realistic approaches to homosexual relationships in Japan.
On the other hand, my biggest praise must be given to the scriptwriters Yoshida Erika and Okazaki Satoko within the manner in which Adachi’s feelings and attitudes are portrayed. Although he comes to grow accustomed to his own feelings being more than platonic for Kurosawa , it was finally refreshing to see a case where Adachi as a romantic lead is not suddenly head over heels for Kurosawa either. Adachi is finally shown as a protagonist who learns to develop his relationship with Kurosawa over the whole course of the series as a slow and gradual process, rather than a sudden rush for them to suddenly hook up at the ending of the drama.
In a similar manner, Machida Keita was equally brilliant as Akaso’s costar within his role as Kurosawa. Although initially portrayed as overly extroverted and a little too optimistic at times within the drama, there’s no denying that Kurosawa’s reasons for liking Adachi do follow some typical romantic cliches. On the other hand, Adachi’s abilities reveal that Kurosawa is very thoughtful and respectful of some boundaries within their relationship as well as his own feelings towards Adachi not getting too out- of -line. As opposites within their progressive and complicated relationship, Kurosawa and Adachi’s connection isn’t overly presented with beyond salvation cliches nor is it an easy ride; it is more a case that both characters learn to walk through their differences as individuals.
Our side couple, partial- hikikomori ( shut-in ) Tsuge Masato ( portrayed unrecognisably by Asaka Kodai ) and cheerful delivery boy Wataya Minato (played by Goto Yutaro ) was a complicated portrayal for viewers to say the least.
Undeniably both Kodai and Yutaro were just as brilliant as our main actors within their roles, but both their characters respectfully in the beginning of the drama felt a little too much like our main characters within their roles of the “ less confident” and “ socially awkward” guy and the “ popular social butterfly”. Yet perhaps my one note of praise for their relationship comes later in the show , where a sincere revelation by Minato, opens up Masato’s tightly-closed shell and his own feelings as well. On the other hand at this point in the drama, there is sadly also little time to actually focus upon the same depth of their relationship as our main leads, making their progression seem a little too rushed and consequently lacking in the same emotional investment.
Overall there is no denying that although there are several flaws with some characters , cliches and avoiding certain area topics (such as some general attitudes by Japan towards homosexuality), 30sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii is a surprisingly progressive and heartwarming Tokyo romance, portrayed by a brilliant cast, as well as the focus upon the two leading characters as individuals, rather than mere plot devices as well. Definitely a drama watching.
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Talk about a fall from grace
I mean it when I say I absolutely LOVED this at the start. The first 12 or so episodes would’ve gotten a solid 8.5/10 from me. Dark romance isn’t for everyone but I liked the higher stakes and it worked because the female lead was strong and able to hold her own despite a clear power disparity between the leads. I love a good green flag but recently they’ve lacked depth beyond loving the FL, so it was refreshing to see an ML be shamelessly problematic and actually have room to grow.Once the second lead is introduced, the FL becomes absolutely lobotomized. The drama stops exploring the FL as her own character and instead focuses on the fight between the ML and the SML. When the SML is used as leverage and the FL effectively gives up into the ML’s coercion…this is exactly the kind of one-sidedness that I dislike. The way he forces himself onto her is already pretty unforgivable and the FL’s character arc basically dies right here.
Because my LEAST FAVORITE TROPE EVER is introduced. Amnesia. I know that not everyone hates it as much as I do but to me, everything that happens during Pingjun’s memory loss is essentially null and void. Any romantic or intimate scenes mean nothing to me because none of the character development we’ve been through still applies. The FL is not the FL — she's an empty shell. I was just waiting for her memory to return, and even afterwards none of the pay-off felt worth it anymore.
I wasn’t interested in the political plot much but I still preferred it WAY more over the pettiness of the second leads; the last few episodes where the second leads became the main antagonists out of revenge were just really annoying and frustrating to watch. There were so many opportunities for better plot points and higher stakes considering the political and historical backdrop, so it’s really disappointing that their motivations were reduced to petty revenge instead of making use of the different sides of in the civil war.
There are other side plots that I ended up having big problems with, particularly with the ML’s sister and her husband. I can’t believe the drama actually had him rape her and then basically never talks about it again. She gives birth to the child, and the show actually tries to redeem him in his dying moments and have her grieve over him. I know this is a dark drama and in real life there’s a lot of emotional nuance in victims when they’re assaulted by people they're close to, but I don’t think this show actually understood that or portrayed it satisfactorily.
Other side plots I just didn’t care very much about and I think they threw the pacing of the show really out of wack. The opera singer felt really disconnected from everything else and ended up also just having a really petty arc which led to the FL being kidnapped for the billionth time; the pacing of the drama came to a standstill every time we cut to her sad and singing alone. The younger sister had no depth at all and it was fine, but they randomly gave her a new flashback subplot in the FINALE, of all times. The ML’s mom also gets a girlboss moment, also in the finale, and it just feels very random and unearned. These characters have had no development so far so I don’t know why they’re suddenly important at the very end while the main female lead has nothing to do in the story anymore just doesn’t appear at all for 90% of the last episode.
In general, there are so many problems I have with this but I think this drama started going downhill once it stopped writing good development for its FL. At some point she becomes really reactive, getting pushed and pulled in all directions by evil characters and the ML just has to save her over and over again. Her characterization becomes so disjointed and wishy-washy; one second she’s saying she wants to live a quiet life and stay out of everything and the next moment she’s leading a protest. One second she’s leaving and saying she never wants to see the ML again and the next thing she’s in his house. Yes, people have conflicting emotions in real life but in a fictional story I expect actual character progression over time. I didn’t mind the tropey-ness in the beginning but by this point I was so tired and the miscommunications piling up no longer made sense considering what she was supposed to know about him.
This outcome is so disappointing because the first ten episodes showed that the acting of the leads was great and the chemistry was actually CRAZY good. This could’ve been a genuinely good enemies-to-lovers drama. Sigh.
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Only watch it for Leo Luo
I was quite skeptical whether to start watching as the reviews weren't that good. But from the trailer it looks like Leo Luo was pretty charming so I decided to go ahead.The overall series was just normal, sufficient amount of fighting scenes and romantic scenes, but nothing big to entice people to love the series. Shang Guan Tou was a pretty charming character from the start to the end, he was beautiful, smart, protective and gentle which gives you no reason to not love him. HOWEVER, on the other hand, the female lead was a totally opposite character. Not one of but the WORST female lead character I've ever met in all C-dramas. She supposed to be skillful as she learnt the powerful Kungfu, supposed to be brave and smart as she was the clan leader, but instead she was dumb, weak, useless, immature, dependent, cry baby and acts rashly. I understand that male lead are always the heroic ones to save the female lead, was this female lead is just TOO WEAK. The male lead was always injured because of the girl but instead he is always the one to save the female lead from baddies when she is actually more skillful in terms of Kungfu, like WHAT? It is so not realistic. Also, when the male lead saves her for so many times, she chose to left him with some absurd misunderstanding, so I personally felt the love story is just so frustrating and I disliked it a lot.
In conclusion, story was okay but female lead character was extremely unfavourable. Not recommended but you can consider if you enjoy watching Leo Luo.
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- This drama had a great potential(for a first 4-6 episodes) but because of a bad writing it went downhill!
- Lee Jong Suk really improved in his acting, Kang So Ra was really good and Park Hae Jin was great! Their acting was that kept me from dropping it! I wanted to see their improvement!
- Oh, gosh u guys know how much I hate that annoying JSY and once again she didn't convince me to change my mind about her! She really SUCKS! >_<
- One more thing that I liked in this drama were those amazing Kang So Ra and Lee Jong Suk moments which have kept me from dropping it lol. I really liked their chemistry, it felt so real and it gave me those feels! :D
This drama SUCKED big times! As I said, I liked where the storyline in a first 4 episodes was taking, but then everything went messy and so damn confusing. I was pissed and mad at everyone >_< l was like: "What the heck are they doing?" O.o U didn't even know who to like and who to hate! The writing was really, really bad and I don't think I'll watch anything from this writer again!
Music: Woah, it was really good! My fav one was this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QusjP1V7qo
I like Bobby Kim's voice! :D I even listen it for 2 weeks and I still am! :D
So actually as you see only three things in this drama are worth watching it, but for your own good I really don't recommend you!
Don't watch it! Oh, you mean "It has a Lee Jong Suk in it so I'll give it a try", but don't seriously! Even if it's for him!
I don't think I'll rewatch this drama even if I don't have anything to watch LOL!^^
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Malevolent lies or...?
Usotoki Rhetoric. This drama has a lot of things to offer. Perhaps the absolute best drama I've watched this year. 10/10.I don't have to love EVERYTHING about it to know that I've loved this drama deeply from my heart. One thing I would like to mention before the review is that this drama takes place in the early Showa era (presumably 1930s-1950s). The city is called Tsukumoya. I looked up the time and place while writing the review, but I ignored it in the drama. So, the details about the settings of the drama might be wrong. I'm sorry about that. And minor SPOILER ALERT.
Story and setting: 9.5/10
The story was amazing. As the synopsis says, it's about the duo- Souma sensei and Kanoko. They solve different mysteries and learn about life and people. One thing I love about Jdramas is that they tell stories from the heart, about people, about the small but important things in life. This drama is a great example of that. I cried during the last few episodes, thinking I wouldn't be able to see this fantastic drama again. Here Kanoko and Souma learn and teach things about people and life that will make people wonder about some rather important things that we might not have thought before. All of this while giving you things to laugh at and smile about. Might even make you cry. At first, the setting scared me, thinking that the language might be hard for me to understand (watched it while relying only on JP captions). But it turned out to be 95-99% similar to the Japanese language they use now. Either way, the setting is very pleasant, combining Western and traditional Japanese styles of clothing, culture, etc.
Cast and characters: 10/10
Kanoko and Souma might go down in the history of Jdrama for being one of most entertaining comedy/mystery duo while maintaining the right amount of subtlety. The most significant thing that made me stick around is their relationship. The perfectly platonic superior/subordinate relationship is just so precious. Why perfectly platonic? Before watching this drama, I thought these 2 might get involved at some point, but that never happened, nobody even possibly had feelings for the other one (un)till the very end. Nonetheless, delightful performances by the cast. I've seen Suzuka Ouji before in dramas, but this is the first time I loved one of his characters this much. This is the first time I've seen Matsumoto Honoka in a main role of a drama and she did a great job. Katayama Yuki is made for comedy; hoping she gets more of them in the future. Another amazing thing about the drama was the pleasantly surprising guest stars, notably Kitano Kie (so much that I wish she was a regular cast member) and Hamao Noritaka, the most mysterious character who I thought was gonna have a bigger role before the finale.
Music: 10/10
The BGM goes perfectly with the drama's setting. I really am curious to know what that English-sounding song they play during the happy scenes, cuz I didn't see them name that song in the credits. The ending theme was also great, after the first few episodes, I got emotional every time the song played near the end of the episodes. And I think this drama gave this song a new meaning overall.
Rewatch value: 8/10
I don't rewatch dramas a lot. But this is pretty high up. I'd definitely be willing to rewatch this one. Why not? It's a mystery drama after all.
Overall: 10/10Mathematically, the overall score isn't accurate considering that I didn't give all the different aspects 10/10. But that doesn't stop me from saying that I 100% recommend this drama. As a side note: Fuji TV has given me not 1, but 2 memorable Jdramas this year. And both leave me craving many more episodes and another season. Because Usotoki Rhetoric also has some loose ends, 1. Kanoko and Souma's relationship and 2. Hamao Noritaka's oh-so-mysterious character (you CAN NOT drop a bomb like that without further explanations!!!) And while they're major cliffhangers, I think my level of disappointment for this drama not getting a season 2 will be nearly as high compared to the disappointment I will feel if Geeks doesn't get a season 2.
Bottom line, who doesn't love a little bit of comedic mystery in their lives? Go ahead, give it a watch. I believe that you won't regret it.
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This is the first time I see a period drama (a Japanese period drama, that is). I learned so much. First, this character, Sakamoto Ryoma, who is one of Japan's hero (although you would not believe it in this show... he was more like a comedy relief, but I've read some text about him to be more informed). And then, their life styles. This is the 1862 year.
Top-notch things about this wonderful dorama:
- Cast: many familiar faces, but also some new ones. Ayase Haruka has never failed me. She is amazing in everything she does. I think I will like whatever she is in. She plays the daughter of an important family, and she wants to be a doctor (which was not possible in that time, for a woman). Needless to say, she looked gorgeous as Saki-sama, in her kimono and fancy hairdo. Her brother is Koide Keisuke, another actor that has never failed me. He may be a little to tamed here, but I liked him so much he could have said two words in the entire show and I would have still liked him. Other actor that I've recently started to like is Kiritani Kenta (as the doctor Saburi). He has such a funny face, and boy he can act! He was wonderful as the new doctor who practiced his studies with prostitutes. And then it is Nakatani Miki, as Miki and the courtesan Nokaze. WOW, what a pretty, elegant lady. I have seen her only in one movie ("Densha Otoko") and I wasn't impressed. She was too plain, in looks and in acting. Boy did I change my mind! She is beautiful, she moved me with her acting as both Nokaze and Miki. She was so elegant and lady-like as the courtesan. Everything, from her voice to her little movements, were majestic. OMG, even her little feet were elegant. I love her smile, I can't believe I once thought she was plain.
The new faces, for me, were first, Ozawa Takao as Jin. Excellent his role as the doctor. I don't think I will be able to see him in another role, he WAS Dr. Jin. He traveled in time, from present time to Edo time. It was not hard to put into his shoes. Everything he did -every life he saved, every person he met- could change history, and he was afraid of it. But more than anything, he was a doctor, so of course he changed perspectives; his and the people he met. I could understand why two strong females, like Saki and Nokaze, fall in love with him. He was just, he was kind, he was skillful. On the other hand, I could not take sides. I loved Saki, she was an independent woman who was interested in medicine. I loved Nokaze, who had a very sad past and wanted her freedom. I loved Miki, Nokaze's great-great-great-granddaughter and present girlfriend. I could understand why Jin was so aware of the little photograph he took with him (where he and Miki were posing. With every change he made into history, the photograph changed). I don't know how this will end... and although I hate love triangles -or love squares- I wish Jin all the happiness and wisdom to chose a woman among these wonderful women.
At first I thought the actor had a funny face... a bit weird, since his eyes are very apart. But with every laugh I liked him more. He had those tiny wrinkles that made him attractive, he has a nice body and nice teeth. On the other hand, he has a huge Adam's apple (is it weird to take notice of that??)
The actor who played Dr. Ogata was also wonderful. First time I see this man. He did a good job playing the most important doctor in this little town. I was moved by his tears. And I was convinced of his importance and intelligence.
The little boy... waaa, I had tears in my eyes when he was crying for his mother. At first I thought he was a bit annoying and not a good actor, but he proved me wrong with the scene with his mother.
Oh, and Kohinata Fumiyo has a small role as well! He was, of course, wonderful. WOW the number of roles he played so far! One of the most prolific Japanese actors.
The man who played Ryoma-san was good, first time I see him. I just did not like his role that much, mainly because of the way he talked, and also because I just couldn't make up my mind that a guy like him has been the most important guy in Japan history. He was just too... he took things like a joke, which is fine of course, but as Ryoma-san... not so much I guess.
- Setting: the backgrounds were beautiful. The houses -so Japanese-, the gardens! The little red district... the trees! Houses were wide and so clean.
- Costumes: Saki's kimonos and Nokaze's... O_O WOW, beyond gorgeous. Their hairstyles, Nokaze's high shoes, her make-up. I loved one of Saki's kimono which was pink. Or another that was blue with little flowers. Scratch that, I loved ALL her kimonos! From the top of their heads to their tiny feet... everything was pretty.
- The surgeries: I am one of those people that cannot see blood... and since Jin is a doctor who has to perform surgeries -brain surgery, skin surgery, breast surgery...- everything looked very real. I was like O_O OMG. And of course, praying that Jin could save his or her life. It did not always happen -obviously- but I was so happy when he did.
- Soundtrack: the ending song not so much. But the opening and the one that accompanied the most important scenes (by Takami Yu). It was sweet and a bit sad and just beautiful. I loved it and I am currently searching it to have it on my playlist. One of my favorite dorama songs.
Before I decided to watch it, I've read several reviews in order to decide. Most of the reviews said that the end was not good. I think it was good, a bit of a cliffhanger but not a life-or-death problem. It ended like it was supposed to end. Some get their happy ending, some get a HFN. A perfect way to continue a 2nd season, but for people who did not like it so much, it can also end here.
Rewatch value is 100% since I have watched it already twice.
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