Reviews

Love beyond life

I've been looking at some of So Ji Sub's series and movies. As I checked it out, surprisingly he is paired with Son Ye Jin.
Rightly categorized as fantasy, as Su A mysteriously came back to life.
We have questions in life, the what ifs and missing a loved one who passed away in an untimely manner. The movie somehow gave some comfort to the viewer, though I myself do not believe in this kind of comeback especially not having memory of her previous life.
It gives them some time to express their love even for a short moment.
The actors were great - Ji Sub showed a vulnerable character, someone sensitive as he may be amazed, surprised or dazed at the presence of his late wife, now alive. Ye Jin's character is just as sensitive as Ji Sub's, that though she did not have her memories back, chose to stay with them. The kid's excitement might be the reason for their sensitivity.
But she did not stay. We may treat this just like a dream. Life goes on keeping the memories of our loves one in our hearts.

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Loving yourself

Each time I watch a movie or a drama series, I try to look into some kind of value.
To some it is just light and cutie, and of course, it is a teen story. It is about first love. It is about all the insecurities that goes with growing up as a teen.
The FL is cute even with her Freezy hair, and just what Yun-Seok said, he likes her the way she is. I believe that there are plenty of adults who are still insecure in the way they look - hair, height, weight, complexion and many other things. The girl who tries to catch someone else's attention by changing herself eventually fall for someone else.
I only watched this to take a break from the other series that require much energy to process. Sometimes we need this kind of a break. And it is good that it ended in a happy note.

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Legends are made, not born

From the moment this series begun, the lingering question has always been "How is she like that?". All questions (at least the necessary ones), were answered through this movie. The most awaited backstory of Daimon Michiko was finally revealed. Although it is not what I initially expected, it is very humane and sonewhat realistic. What a way to cap off an amazing series (or should I say a series of series lol). The story was good, how the past and the present connected perfectly. Each character got their own time to shine, some redeemed themselves, some just existed for the sake of existing lol. Overall a good watch. Just wished characters like Kondo from Season 2 reappeared again.

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Korean Demon Hunters That Are Not Quite Korean

K-pop Demon Hunters, to me, is what people outside of Korea might perceive Korean culture and its K-pop sub-culture to be. I see this movie as more of an omage than a true reflection of what really goes on in the industry. I will go more into that later. I give them props for taking inspiration from Korean shamanism (mudang) and demonology, though. And the fact that they put real effort into hiring Koreans or people of Korean-descent for the cast, and got bonafide K-pop songwriters and producers to do the soundtrack is something that I truly appreciate even though I am not a fan of this genre of music. The animation, of course, is superb. Sony seems to have hit the jackpot with their animation team since Into the Spiderverse. The story and execution, however, didn't quite land for me.

As I've said earlier, this is more of a western creation. Yes, I know, the director is ethnically Korean, but she grew up in Canada so she's not Korean-Korean, if you know what I mean. In Korea, they'd consider her a foreigner quite honestly. But I digress. From the way these girls behave to the way the industry is portrayed, it just doesn't feel Korean (or even Asian), not in the slightest. This is more in the same vein as Kim Possible and The Winx Club with just a sprinkle of gochugaru and gochujang here and there for that Korean flair. The same formula XOXO Kitty so egregiously used.

The fact that the girls are not under a giant entertainment agency that calls all the shots, but instead they get to decide what or what not to do and even hire their own manager, is far from reality. Yes yes, I know, this is a fantasy world. But even fantasies are rooted in reality and whoever decided to write it this way, is perhaps not privy to the ins and outs of the K-pop world. Or maybe they just chose to ignore that completely and made their own interpretation. The girls indulge in ramyeon, junk food, and other fattening snacks just before a show? There's no way that would happen in a real situation, as evidenced by what takes place in many idol survival reality shows in Korea. K-pop idols are forced to maintain a certain weight and appearance. Weight gain is frowned upon and they live in constant scrutiny from the media and their own fans. I just think that they missed the opportunity to show this darker side of K-pop. It would've made this story a lot more compelling imho. But I suppose they don't want to delve into that because that would mean they have to change their target audience. This is a western animated film and not an anime, after all. This is precisely why the movie didn't impress me. I am too old and definitely not the target audience for this.

The world building could've used a little more fleshing out, too. All we got is a short narration and exposition dump in the beginning introducing the hunters and the demons. No explanation on who Gwi Ma is and why he can turn humans into demons but never tried to turn any of the hunters before. No origin story of the hunters either. I mean, they have a wealth of Korean folklore to work with, why not take advantage of that?

This movie seems more like a short story than a full blown screenplay. This would've worked better as a series to be honest. While I liked the whole “I need to accept myself and not be afraid to show my true self” angle, it's not like this hasn't been done before. I've seen others do it better in fact. I guess what I'm trying to say is they could've taken a different approach, explored heavier themes, and reinvented this trope to make it a bit different from the usual fare. The only thing original about this is the inclusion of the K-pop sub-culture. The rest basically have “the power of three will set us free” vibe, nothing Charmed hadn't done three decades ago, and definitely nothing I haven't seen before.

The soundtrack is probably its strongest suit. But since I couldn't care less about this style of music, the songs didn't quite hit except for one, and that was the duet, Free. Lyrically and melodically, it has the potential to become one of those movie themes that stay with you long after you've forgotten the movie. From a technical aspect, it was also produced and performed well. I won't be surprised if the songs become chart-toppers. Judging by the rapidly growing cult following of the movie, I'm almost certain they will be.

All in all, this is not a bad movie. Sure, it's cringe and cheesy, but it also has heart. It's not groundbreakingly good, but it's good entertainment. K-pop fans will surely find this enjoyable. Normies like me might find it entertaining as well. I also salute the filmmakers' attempt at introducing Korean folklore to a more global audience. I just think it had the potential to be so much better if they had made it a little more mature. However, they chose to go the Winx Club route to cater to a younger audience. I can respect that. It is what it is. But to me, the best (and perhaps the only good) part of this movie is that adorable blue tiger demon. How I wish it got more screen time. lol

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Perfect!

Great heist movie with lots of action, twists, and story. Love the cast. It has also aged very well.

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One of a kind! Worth watching!

Guess you can say I watched this movie because of Xiao Zhan, but then again, after completely watching the film, I can tell you with utmost confidence that not only the movie is awesome - because XZ is acting in it - but the entire movie / story line is amazing! A lot of action and fighting, with a little tiny bit of romance, but the story is amazing! XZ really did a great job - from the tan line till the goofiness of his in certain parts, it was an amazing way of him blending in with all the various kinds of roles he plays. Anyways, back to this movie, I find that all the actors and actresses did a very good job in bringing this movie to life. They all played their roles very well and this movie turned out to be extremely awesome, if you are looking for an action packed movie. Not only that, I get to listen to different types of dialects / languages from China.

The songs paired to this movie is also quite interesting and nice to listen to.

A first watch is highly recommended. The re-watch would have to see if you really enjoyed yourself watching it for the first time.

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The three things I liked about this movie

I found this movie worth watching for these three reasons:

It made me laugh.
It made me cry.

It made me smile.

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Good, but felt a bit rushed.

I liked this movie, i watched it for the second time because i wanted to write a revieuw and the first time was to long ago to remember the details. I enjoyed it as much as the first time.

The story is good, but it feels rushed. I also watched the series and this story is a lot better as a long series, it just needs the time to realy tell the story right. Even if i hadn't watched the series i still would feel the movie feels rushed. But it's still a good watch as a movie.

The visuals are stunning, good music and good special effects.
The actors did a good job and the dynamics and chemistry of the leads were good. Plus i really can appreciate a good kiss!

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A Wholesome Satisfaction throughout 1 Hour

I know U guyss already know through the Synopsis that it'll be a School-Bullying Theme.Yes,There Are bullying. Everytime you watch them Your Blood will Boil to the Highest Peak.But Trust Me it was needed for the satisfaction you'll feel in the later Episode.If you can't feel the Pain of Victim or can't Hate the Villain enough the satisfaction will be dull for you.

Both The actors Did really well in their part.Shin hae sun is always my favourite actress, on the other hand Hating a handsome man like Lee Jun young is really hard.But they Both really nailed their character. Other side characters r good too.How i wish it would be a Drama rather than a Movie.why?? because i feel chemistry.. hihihi 🤩😍

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Unfunny and Uninteresting

A plot that has been used on a lot of K-Dramas recently, I watched Love Untangled with minimum expectations, and still got disappointed.

The Plot - A Girl with curly hair wants to get it untangled so that she can propose her crush. A concept that is not unknown in dramas. What I expected to be honest that maybe the movie will preach about loving yourself irrespective of appearance, but it didn't.

Talking about the chemistry, I felt both the ML were miscast and the screentime for Cha Woo Min was insanely low. There was no emotional gravity, no bond built-up and lack of spark that made me lose interest in the characters.

The second half felt like watching something with a 2x speed, no development, rushed story, weak screenplay and an unsatisfactory ending. Honestly, the movie did try something, but felt nothing more than a pale imitation of other rom-com themes that I have seen in the past.

Overall, Love Untangled is a messy and a weakly written rom-com that neither romanticizes it's character fairly nor leaves a strong message of loving yourself with the flaws. A total disappointment.

My Rating : 2/5

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Charming slice of life

If you are having a bad day and need something soothing with almost zero conflict and the nice being nice to the nice, The Way We Are is the perfect answer to what ails you. Ann Hui created a gentle and touching slice of life centered around a hard-working widow raising her teenage son.

Cheung Kwai works as a durian slicer and stocker at the local grocery store. Her son Ka On enjoys manga and while not ambitious has a good heart on him. The two live in a rundown apartment, yet are content in their circumstances. A new elderly neighbor asks Kwai about a job in the store. Kwai takes Granny Leung Foon under her wing helping her whenever she can. The two women develop an easy-going bond. Whether a funeral, a hospitalized relative, or celebration, Kwai’s family gathers and supports each other. Kwai had worked to put her brothers through school and they now look for opportunities to show her kindness.

Pau Hei Ching’s Kwai was the focal point of the film with the other characters acting as satellites circling around her magnetic pull. Pau gave Kwai a quiet confidence and soft-spoken demeanor. Nothing rattled her as she faced whatever came her way with strength and aplomb. Pau went largely without makeup, had mussed up hair, and wore old t-shirts, yet had a beautiful dignity. Chan Lai Wan exuded the tragic loneliness of an older woman who had lost the most important people in her life. At the HKFA, Pau won for Best Actress, Chan Lai Wan for Supporting Actress and Ann Hui for Best Director—all well deserved.

This film will not be for everyone as nothing exciting happened. Hui showcased the quiet joys of tissues being given with the daily newspaper, freshly cut fruit, and helping a person without asking for anything in return. Filled with compassionate, kind acts, The Way We Are was exactly what I needed in this time when civility and generosity have often become too rare.

13 September 2025

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