I have watched the series version with Zheng Shuang and Ma Tian Yu and I really enjoyed watching the story as well.
Both the movie and series deal with a difficult and more mature issue, such as bullying, divorce and suicide (Not your typical c-drama romance topic). The actors and actresses I thought portrayed their roles well, especially the movie version. It's like you can feel her heartache and sorrow just by looking at her eyes.
This movie (and the series) are not for everyone, but if you like a "darker" drama theme, I would definitely recommend watching the movie and the series.
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Good Movie, But Lacked Substance...
This was, I believe, supposed to be a biographical piece but fails in many instances.I saw this a long time ago without English subtitles, and it seemed a typical 'R'-rated movie: lots of topless women, especially in the interview scenes and some simulated sex along the way.
The cinematography is good and music keep the moments light and humorous...
After finally finding a English-subbed version, it is very hilarious and guys will get a kick out of the sexual humor it entails.
But it still misses the man point of why women become prostitutes, massage girls, etc.
It starts out with two guys fired from another magazine and decide to make a Hong Kong porno magazine, with run-ins with the Hong Kong police, Hong Kong mafia, and all the hurdles of starting a new magazine...but the two guys start 'partaking' of their advertising clients while ignoring their girlfriends, girlfriends that sacrificed in order for them to get the magazine up and running in the first place.
Andy (Louis Koo) and John (Eason Chan) also start fighting over content and the magazine's direction. Andy loses his girlfriend and decides to replace her with someone that "needs him" rather than the other way around and John gets tired of Andy always having the final say with his technical work being what 'made' the magazine in the first place and goes here his abilities are better appreciated.
Don't get me wrong; as a guy, I enjoyed the topless women running around and if that is all you want to watch it for, be my guest!
The guys seemed to forget all the women they had or met in their magazine buildup. Another sad fact is with the comedy background, they could have made a social statement as to WHY women in this world have to turn to massages and prostitution in the first place in society in general, and Hong Kong in particular.
I also didn't like the ending, which seemed 'forced' by the director and writer; that is why i umped it down to a '7' overall as a movie.
RE-WATCH: only occasionally; there are other movies that show a little skin that do a better job at making a social statement...
since there is no age restrictions on the internet-posted movies online, young guys should enjoy it a lot!
It is not what it did that I gave it a lower rating; it is what it DIDN'T DO that killed a better rating from me.
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A must-see to complete this couple's story
Thank you Productive Procrastination for the translations!This movie is a sequel and continuation of where the story left off in Puppet Prince, which you should watch first. The story in this movie is set three years after Puppet Prince, where the FL is trying to save the ML from his vegetative state. It honestly was more frustrating than the first movie, but not gonna lie the twist near the end got me. Did it absolve the frustrating bits beforehand? Somewhat... but in general I wasn't here for the angst done to the FL.
PROS
❀ The FL remains as optimistic, fun, and good-hearted as always | In my review of the first movie I noted how hesitant I was about the FL, but I ended up really liking her, and in this movie she stays great! I love how determined she was to save the ML and to regain his memories. When she realized she was overstepping her boundaries, she steps back. She's also smart and capable though, and ends up figuring things out on her own despite people going against her. We stan a heroine who knows kung-fu and uses her brain!
❀ Those twists near the end got me | The first 45 minutes got me low key upset, lol. I felt like the FL deserved so much better and there were more romantic scenes between the ML and the 2FL villainess. BUT the plot was saved by those twists near the end. I like how everything was fast-paced so watchers get to figure out the bad guys along with the main characters. I think both movies were unpredictable in some ways which really turned the storyline for the better. My only complaint is all that angst leading up to the twist.
CONS
✕ Not a huge fan of the amnesia plot | I guess you can't expect an epic Chinese story without an amnesia plot (/sob... why must they be like this). Anyway, this amnesia trope was hard to watch in this movie because the ML felt so cold towards the FL who had only the best of intentions. Like - sir!!! But future watchers should have more faith in him (at least more than I did, lol), because there are ~reasons~ why frustrating things happen. Y'all's patience will be rewarded. :')
✕ Not a fan of how much screen time they spent on the ice puppet | At one point I felt like I was watching a totally new couple (with the ice puppet as the FL) and my eyes rolled so hard. There's a limit to how many scenes I can bear where the actual FL's feelings get stomped on!! They even gave the ice puppet a flashback scene. All in all she was a pretty annoying character but at least she had good character development.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 9/10 | Bruh, even *I* as the watcher was misunderstanding the ML. All in the name of noble sacrifice.
OVERALL
Sad to report that while this is about the romance between the couple from Puppet Prince, there aren't romantic scenes surrounding them. I mean, the feelings are still there, but they're too busy trying to save the other (lmao). I'd say watch this if you're okay with investing a bit over 2 hours for both movies. The story is still pretty exciting (a lot is fit in these movies) and while I would have liked more ~romance~, at least we get a happy ending for our main leads.
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
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Steampunk, historical romance that packs a lot into the story
On my continuous quest to find Chinese fantasy movies with happy endings (one of my favorite genres but unfortunately not quite popular compared to sad/open/ambiguous openings), I found Puppet Prince.Thanks to the translator Productive Procrastination for the great translations (you can watch it subbed on their site)!
PROS
❀ Likable main leads and supporting characters | I don't know any of these actors but they were pretty solid! I was hesitant towards the FL at first - she gets saved by the ML in one of the first scenes (like yes I guess it's necessary but is it really??) and her dubbed voice was a bit annoying. BUT she gets so much better! Throughout the story you can see she's a good soul and knows enough kung fu to stand up for herself and help other people. She's determined to get to the bottom of what happened three years ago and find her senior brother, even if it means going against the governor. I liked how capable she was.
On the other hand, the 'governor' aka our ML aka a powerful puppet is a literal puppet being used by the bad guys. When he meets the FL, he sees color and a potential future past being just a heartless puppet. It's really adorable how innocent he is about emotions and the world outside the government. (Of course, he just needs a spunky heroine to show him the good stuff!!)
The senior brother and FL's master are great characters that I also enjoyed - they definitely added color to the script!
❀ Creative settings | I loved the steampunk foundation of this movie. We got to see the illegal puppet market, an underground palace/prison place, and other cool background settings. While the plot wasn't anything new, I enjoyed this puppet-centric historical (I guess it would technically be a xuanhuan?) romance.
❀ There's an OST I really like | It's the second track in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9_Mp97iPY8. In general I thought the music was well-placed and added to the overall atmosphere.
CONS
✕ Honestly the beginning was rough for me | But hold on tight - the movie gets better!! Like I mentioned before, the FL wasn't the best at first and the first scene's CGI was... omg, it was so bad. There's a reason why Chinese movies have a special place in my heart with their questionable CGI (Bollywood movies are also up there, lmao). But after that over-the-top puppet scene in the beginning, everything else that follows is is pretty solid.
✕ Romance is kind of rushed since the movie tries to fit a bunch of things | My rule for going into these types of movies is not expecting much from the romantic storyline. The main leads get around 3-5 scenes (maybe 20 min in total?) to develop feelings and then they get pushed to the rest of the plot. While they're falling in love, there's an evil commander, random evil woman who wants to get with the puppet governor (which is never explained why), missing senior brother, mysterious events 3 years past, and a secret plot in the background. We get usual Cdrama tropes from hidden identities to "I can only see color near her" to asking the age-old question on what it means to be human. Anyway, I stan.
✕ Kind of forced the ending | I think this story could have been completed in one movie, but a random move by an unimportant character added angst which led to the need for a second movie. Was it satisfying? Not at all, and we could have saved screen time by instead getting the main couple to see rainbows or something as promised. Was I okay with it? Yeah, I'll bite because there's another movie... but still. The execution left a lot to be desired.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 3/10 | Happens once towards the end of the movie with your typical noble sacrifice move. Doesn't happen for a long time, but I have to note that it's another trope the movie utilizes.
OVERALL
If you're looking for a quick movie with steampunk/historical Chinese vibes and a sweet romance, I recommend this series (should watch both of them to get that happy ending). It's not a must-see, but I'm a fan of romance movies with happy endings in general and it's good enough to pass the time. Just a warning, this one has a bittersweet ending (low key cliffhanger) but the next movie completes the couple's story. Happy watching!
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
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Truly Realistic Movie
Since the story happens in the 80s, you guys know that LGBT was really taboo and... unfamiliar with society.This is really realistic - yes, two men might share the same feelings, but then what? Will the society accept them? Will the people think of them as crazy? Will they endure?
Their friendship eventually turns into something more passionate. What will happen to the young boys? And what's more amazing is that this is based on the true story. Well, damn you, director for making me bawling.
AND I read that the two main leads even lived together for some times, writing letters to each other so that they could feel the roles better. Kudos for them and staffs for giving us this masterpiece.
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Anyway, the cinematography is really amazing; really really eye pleasing to the eyes. The music is also a perfect blend to the story - making me feel like crying every time a sad song being played.
The casts?? ARE AMAZING!! I feel their angers, sadness, loneliness, happiness, and... love. The words are really stabbing my heart, like it's genius without any doubt. Do watch it; it clearly depicts a relationship and you'll understand the heart wrenching aches.
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Sharks never stop moving or so I heard
An inspiring movie about never giving up, not even in the darkest moments.Story
It's simple even if it sounds cliche.
The story is fast, something is happening every moment and it's like that from the beginning to the end, you could say there is no time to breathe.
Unfair things happen, you feel sad for the characters but since they never give up, you cheer for them and feel happy when they succeed.
Woo Sol reminds me of anime characters who always get up after getting beaten to pulp. It makes you think how many lives does this dude have.
The story is simple, he goes to prison, people want to beat him up, he trains, fights, wins, fights again, wins again, fights again, wins and that's how it goes to the end of the movie.
It's pretty straightforward.
I liked the story and characters but I always felt something is missing and I don't know what that is.
Maybe the movie should have been longer, maybe the characters should have been explored more. I don't know.
The villain was awful and I hated him, he played the victim when it was benefiting for him even though he destroyed other people's lives. He had no remorse.
I don't know if he ever regretted his actions.
He literally got stabbed in the eye. If that didn't open his eyes, I don't what will.
Do Hyun was a cool character, a mentor and a friend Woo Sol needed. He didn't appear much but his influence was big.
If there is a second movie, I will definitely watch it because I want to know what happens with the characters.
The quote that sums up the whole movie.
"You know sharks?
They don't have swim bladders so if they stop swimming, they sink and die. That's why they keep moving. You are the same."
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It was pink while it was someone else's but then it turned gray
I saw a comment where a person said this was their favorite movie and that's why I watched it.Did it become my favorite movie? No.
Did I like it? Yes.
Story
I was a little confused at first but I understood it at the end.
First, I didn't like any of the characters, they are all bad in some way but I'm not saying that's bad. They have flaws, they do stupid things.
I liked the first part of the movie more than the second but both of them were great. I think the second part showed the characters as they are while the first part was more what they are supposed to be.
Since the first part was the story and the second part was the reality I wondered how much of the story was real and how much was fake.
The bromance was interesting, I thought the bl fan in me looked too much into it but some scenes looked like they will escalate into something more. They were close and the chemistry was there. Those were my favorite scenes because the emotions were the best then. Especially the one when they see each other again after a long time.
There was a lot of subtext, things were hinted but never actually said. I think the whole movie is open for interpretation and there could be many meanings.
And at the end I think everyone will find their answer.
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Action with a sprinkle of family drama
I was bored and I went through the tv channels which I rarely do and I stopped at this movie.It was a scene from the middle of the movie where they were running between cars and one dude attacked another but stopped because the other dude said - I'm your younger brother.
That interested me and I watched the whole movie.
Story
The story is simple, evil dudes want to put virus into the world so they could sell vaccines and get rich.
The funny thing is that our main characters didn't really want to fight the evil dudes, one wanted to find his brother while the other wanted to make money but everything went south.
It was pretty much two brothers against the world.
The action was awesome, they were running, fighting, shooting, everything is included and executed well.
The movie wasn't short on emotions, I liked how the brothers reunited and helped each other.
The first scene of the movie was my favorite scene and it sums up the feeling this movie gave me.
"These few years I keep having the same dream. I'm struggling in the water. It's so cold. But when I'm about to drown an arm reaches out to me and pulls me up. But I can never see who he is. I only feel the arm and its power. Somehow it feels close to my heart. I need to know who he is."
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It was so forgettable it made me question my memory
I watched this movie three times. Why? Because I completely forgot about it.I watched it the first time. Okay movie. Completely erased it from my mind until it was on tv again and it looked interesting so I put it on. I didn't remember I actually watched it but it seemed familiar like a plot of a movie I watched and then I realized it was the same movie.
Some time passed and it was on tv again, I forgot about it again, realized I watched it halfway through the movie.
And I think I have a good memory. Not when it comes to this movie.
I can't say I hate it because that would mean I feel something towards this movie which I don't.
Story
Murders happen, they try to solve it. There is a lot of comedy in this movie, some jokes were good, some not.
Action was fine, but when the fights start to get good something interrupts them and that was a little bit irritating.
Actors
I will be honest, I watched this because I like Jet Li but there are definitely better movies to watch him.
I think all of the cast did a great job with what they had to work with.
I guess the rewatch value I put is wrong because I watched this movie so many times. I finally remembered it but at what cost?
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It made me think who the real demon was
I randomly found this movie, the title seemed interesting and I like watching action movies but in it's core this is not an action movie, not even a thriller, it's psychological.Story
I liked it, I enjoyed watching this movie even if it was disturbing and violent. It's definitely not for everyone.
It's a bit slow but from the very first scene it's building up to the ending.
Dave saves a criminal and he feels guilty about that, it's hard to decide if what he did was right or wrong but that was his trigger.
The scenes with Dave are the bast parts of the movie, he is a complicated character. You can't say he is a bad person but he did do some bad things.
Some might consider the ending sad but I think it suits the whole movie. It makes us think what was real and what was fake and the whole build up pays off.
Actors
I don't have a lot to say, every actor did a great job. Daniel Wu shows emotions really well and he definitely brought the character to life.
Nick Cheung as Hon Kong, the villain was also great, his smile was creepy and I hated his character.
I think the quote at the end sums the whole movie pretty well "In every MAN there is a latent MALICE."
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One of the best drama i ever watched!
This drama has been one of the first dramas i've ever watched and i loved it! The acting was stunning, even the smaller details are good (for example when Chiba touches the water), i really like the facial expressions of every character because they feel real.I gotta say, the story of the manga is more complete, the drama adaptation contains less pieces of the story but its well structured and gets its job done.
Loved the music especially the piano one which i also searched up afterwards.
The cast is so good, i really like both Chiba and Kento, the main actress and SLs too!
My opinion about the obstacles that the FL experiences is that i honestly like this kind of stuff, i like when the FL has difficulties because theres always someone that helps her overcome it, in some cases she overcome them herself and i like that too!
I totally recommend it.
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Lame drama..
I was scrolling on my plan to watch list and i chose this movie/drama, worst choice i could do, this drama didnt left me anything and its such a shame because the location and the actors clothes are gorgeous but the acting was terrible, the FL actress even fakes to eat the food that is shown in some scenes, the facial expressions of every character are, IMO, too stiff and unrealistic, kind of emotionless, in some of the movie scenes the music volume is so high that the actors voices are impossible to hear..This movie is literally a lame version of the drama "Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni nante naranai", such a bad copy.. theres only a few scenes in this movie that changes from the original drama which are just chinese themed.
I wouldn't recommend to watch it but if you want to anyway well, i suggest to watch "Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni nante naranai" first.
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This always makes me Cry
No matter how many times I watch this movie it always makes me cry. I love the Casts in this movie, especially Inoue Mao. I have become a very big fan of her after watching this movie. The couple in this movie is very cute. I would really recommend watching this movie once. I have watched this a lot and I still cry each time I see it. The Sound Tracks are perfect. The story is quite different from all the other Japanese School Romance movies that I have seen so far. I really wish that I could have seen the movie a bit earlier. Well, that's it for my review. I don't wanna give spoilers so go and watch it for yourself. CyaWas this review helpful to you?
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my interpretation
before i watched this film, i decided to look up the reviews and overall were mixed. this film has its flaws. yet, i don’t considered a bad film. the story to me was about someone’s personal struggles over sexuality, love, lust, & confusion. Shane, one of the main leads, he seems to be confused about his sexuality. not only that, he is in conflict with his feelings between his girlfriend and his best friend. Jonathan, Shane’s best friend, is secretly in love with Shane. He is always there for Shane and can be seen to be very valuable to Shane. I believed Jonathan played such a vital role in Shane’s life that when Shane saw himself losing Jonathan, he realized hidden feelings. I think Shane genuinely loved his girlfriend and Jonathan. he was in a battle with himself. He seemed he couldn’t make up his mind and didn’t want to lose either. Obviously, his girlfriend and Jonathan had to bring Shane to his senses and make him choose. which is where i found the biggest flaw of this film, the ending !! we get no closure or dropped hint of what comes next. we are left with such vague ending.Was this review helpful to you?
