Reviews

aA script writer who had me screaming at the stupidity of their script.

Okay, I'm not great at writing. I just had to say something about this. This series first three or four episodes pulled me in, intelligent, articulate, funny, engaging,. I just asked myself for having not watched it when it first came out and had such good ratings and reviews. But now I wish I'd never seen it. From episode 4 to the end the script writer made the lead actress into an barely tolerable moron. Every choice she makes is exactly the one that's going to be catastrophic.

In the episodes after the first three or four, there are occasional moments of humor that are actually really funny. I laughed out loud multiple times in between the sickening script where the actress is just horrible in her choices. Everyone around her is trying their best while she does everything to sabotage a good outcome.

The lead actress did her job. She portrayed a moronic idiot very well. The lead actor had a showcase for his looks body and talent. He'll go far. He had a dream role. He played the perfect man. He had to portray a lot of different emotions and he was good at it. So, since he's a Korean making Korean dramas or whatever even if he sucked at acting his career is mostly guaranteed. But he's a good actor and gorgeous; so he should go far.

I somehow think that having played this role the lead actress may have murdered her future. But, I don't know how film companies look at potential actors. If they look at the fact that she was really good at playing a moron then she should get more roles. But if the overall impact of her looking like a complete waste of space is what they look at, then her career is dead. The script writer pretty much must despise women. The first episodes she does something continuously that I'm not going to mention so that I'm not putting in spoilers; but you'll see. It's undeniable and constant in those first episodes and then starts disappearing as she transitioned into a moron. Her role portrayed someone that I couldn't help thinking should really just get killed. But, since this is I don't know a comedic romance story with some thriller thrown in; the character has to live. So sad.

The support cast was excellent and provided many comedic moments. The only problem I had is that the brother and his girlfriend were working with a script that had them over the top and ridiculous. Some people enjoy that. I don't. The mom and the grandmother and the dad were excellent and funny. The grandmother was absolute howl in the first few episodes. The second male lead (?), had a script that half-assed continuity and logic. He was supposed to be misunderstood, but the script writer didn't bother to actually include the pieces that would have made this flow with the story. It was choppy and either lazy or amateurish on the part of the script writer. The actor was excellent. I really liked him.

I only kept watching till the end because I hate abandoning things, but literally every episode from 10 on I was screaming at the actress and projecting my thoughts at the screenwriter as a see you next Tuesday. The storyline had potential and could have been done much better, but either time, budget, interference from investors, or that the script writer was that stupid; took the potential and beat it, strangled it, and then drowned it.

I have little to comment on the music, it was there. That's not to say that it was good or bad. I just generally don't care about the music in whatever I'm watching. My only criterion is that the music doesn't overwhelm the dialogue or the scene. In that sense, the music was great.

The series got an 8.9 or something rating on this site. I assume that the audience it was targeting was 12 to 14 maybe 15 year old girls. Not that they're dumb, but not necessarily the best judges. I only say this because of the rating. I generally assume that teenagers are able to discern quality. But the ratings seem to indicate this was just fan (atical) loyalty rather than judging the quality of the work.

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Hi my name is Joseph and I'm obssessed with Summertime

It's the must-go.

David Wei Wang got a XiaoMi HDMI setup with somewhat "acceptable" simplified Mandarin translations.

Each episode is only 21-24 minutes long. Just skip the scenes like it's YouTube for old people.

I can't understand a single word in korean but it's the best for the shut-in/nerd.

If it's by Studio Oak the production quality is good. Just plug in the title "Summertime korean boys love" to see it somewhat subbed in English.

Only watch if you don't go to school or work or uni to become a doctor.

Kind regards,
Joseph Huang

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Nudity And Beyond

If, like me, you weren't aware what you were walking into, then you're definitely in for a shock. Yes, the drama has a lot of nudity. Let's get into what I liked and disliked and there will be spoilers.

Briefly, Lady Cho and Cho Won are cousins who have haboured romantic feelings for each other but could never be together. However, they end up dragging other people into the tragedy of their lives.

SPOILER: Personally, I found both of them vile. Him for suggesting he can sleep with a virtuous widow and her for agreeing to sleep with him if he succeeds. She wanted him to impregnate her infertile husband's concubine. She could have just said, I'll sleep with you if sleep with her. But no, she allowed him to play with another woman's feelings because she wanted to deny her own. Furthermore, she did not care whether that woman lived or died which showed that even a smart learned noble woman has failed to escape the grasp of cultural norms and develop empathy.

The plot itself is interesting but the story drags at times. Also it felt like the overuse of mainly female nudity was to entice viewers and create dialogue around the show. While the women were practically baring it all, the men had a few side and posterior shots. They were too scared to have their men expose themselves or perhaps it would be too crude (maybe pornographic territory) to view male genitalia on screen unlike bare-chested slender women with shots lingering on their bodies from all angles? This is why I find these types of shows ridiculous. You are careful to protect your male actors' dignity while knowing your misogynistic society will target and shame women? The scenes were not even worth going back to watch. There was no sensuality.

Without the nudity, the series is average and so I rated it accordingly. I was sort of happy with the ending so there's that. Another plus was the scenery was genuinely beautiful. All actors did a decent job especially the support cast. Special props to women who put their trust in the project. I'm sure it was not an easy feat to shoot such scenes.

Depending on how you feel about the nudity, it can be a hit or miss.

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Great start but loses steam at the end ...

This definitely was one of the most unique stories I've seen in quite some time. The wring and acting are really superior in this drama. I wasn't familiar with the two main leads, only Fumiya Takahashi was recognizable from past roles. I wish he had a bigger part, but the two protagonists gave us great performances. Yu Aio & AyumuNakajima really have a great chemistry with each other, but we're just not sure what that chemistry is, especially as you get deeper into the series.
This story deals with so many things throughout this series, death, deception, mental suffering and many different types of relationships between a man and woman. It shows how different situations can be perceived by others when you don't know or understand all the facts.
As the series lays the foundation early on, be careful not to draw too many conclusions ... because whenever you think has happened or will happen, it really changes quite a bit from the first few episodes until the finale.
I must admit, though, I really enjoyed this series so much until the last couple of episodes. It started to lose points with me beyond episode 7. The story seemed to be lacking the powerful draw it had earlier on, especially the final episode. It does wrap things up nicely at the end, except for the final sixty seconds ... I'm not understanding that ending at all. It also was a bit mediocre and very anti-climactic, considering how intense the rest of the series was.
I know it's sounding like I hated it, but it really was a great series overall. I just wish the final two hours or so was written a little bit different. It is a great watch!!!

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Love

This is one of the best Cdramas I’ve watched in a while. Actually, after the murder of one of my favorites, male leads I stopped watching anyway .
what I want to say is it was beautifully filmed. The chemistry between the male lead and the female lead was perfect. of course I’m in love with the male lead. Who isn’t ? the controversy surrounding the fact that he was so beautiful as a general well if he was ugly and looked like they did 300 years ago sorry I wouldn’t be as invested in this drama. I don’t watch these dramas for historical accuracy. If I need that I’ll go on the history channel.
The fact that there is even any controversy is again astounding to me because they’ve always made the women look like they’re absolutely perfect back in those days and those days were hard so they weren’t looking all beautiful and cosmetically perfect so leave him alone. He was a wonderful actor. He’s the only reason why I will rewatch all 40 episodes again. I need to escape and he’s the perfect escape for me when I’ve worked all day and took care of everything. I wanted to enjoy what I’m seeing.

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A Bridgerton Kdrama

From the stunning imagery, to the music, to the steam, to even the background speaker, this drama is very much giving Bridgerton.

JCW and SYJ were just ok- not my favorite work of these two and the reason I wanted to watch in the first place.

The star really was the newcomer who played So-ok- she carried this show and did more with a side character than the mains.

Even though there's various feelings and ratings because of the explicit content, the bottom line is the story was not told very well. It had the potential to be incredibly intriguing and legitimately scandalous but there were so many plot holes it was filmed and told as if you knew the story was an adaptation already.

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A Surprisingly Charming Coming-of-Age Story

I’m surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this one. I struggled with the first episode, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because it gave me one of the most authentic teenage friend groups I’ve seen in a while. It captured the spirit of adolescence so effortlessly, with an infectious energy that kept me engaged. The characters are chaotic and charming, the humor works, and the relationships, both romantic and platonic, feel genuinely heartwarming.

I also appreciate that this story didn’t exist in a BL vacuum. It may sound silly, but it’s refreshing to see a BL where boys and girls not only interact with each other but are actually friends. Is it just me, or do we rarely get mixed friend groups like this? I loved how this circle of friends had such a nice variety, with different types of relationships naturally woven into the story. It felt like a real group of people rather than just characters placed around the main couple.

The OST and the vibrant, colorful sets also deserve a mention, as they perfectly embodied the youthful tone of the story. Since it was a shorter show, it didn’t have the same amount of time to fully explore every character and relationship, but it also avoided dragging out conflicts. That pacing may work better for some viewers than others, but I thought they made the most out of the time they had.

It may not be a very original story, but its execution and believable characters made it a delightful watch that not only amused me but also got me emotionally invested. Short and sweet, but it left a lasting impression. Can’t wait for the second seas... I mean five special episodes. 😂

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Slow burn done right

I stopped watching dramas while they're airing. Good ones make it impossible for me to focus on anything else. But the reels in my YouTube feed kept intriguing me, and I started Against the Current and fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

At around 41%, no drama can be fairly judged, but I'm sticking my neck out: this one has been very good so far.

The pacing is solid. Storylines are introduced and wrapped up in good time, and nothing has dragged. The acting is top notch across the board, from the leads to the main villains to the supporting cast.

There hasn't been overt romance yet, but the chemistry between Tan Song Yun and Liu Xue Yi is undeniable. This is a slow burn done right.

My two favorite elements are the love LanXiang's adoptive parents have for her, and the bond between the four maids. It's refreshing to see women supporting women instead of internalized misogyny dressed up as romantic rivalry.

Of course, the drama could falter as it progresses. If it does, I'll revise my rating. For now, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
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After completing it, I’m going to deduct one point. My previous score was 9. Now it’s 8. LAN Ciang has clever, sharp mind. But it’s like only she has clever, sharp mind. Jin Qi’s initial cleverness seemed to be overpowered by her cleverness. I hate such unevenness.

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When Feelings become a wager

The Scandal is one of those dramas that makes you uncomfortable because the story isn't entirely unfamiliar. Lady Cho and Won turning someone's emotions into a game may be set in another era, but the idea of people manipulating feelings for their own amusement, revenge, or personal gain is very much a reality today.

What makes their wager particularly disturbing is that the widow doesn't know she's part of a game. While Lady Cho and Won know the truth, she is allowed to believe that the affection being shown to her is genuine. One side sees a challenge; the other person is putting real trust and emotions into something she thinks is real.

And that's where the story becomes more than just a scandalous romance. In real life, people sometimes pretend to have feelings, make bets over someone's affection, or pursue someone simply to achieve a personal goal. The person doing it may eventually develop genuine feelings, but that doesn't erase the deception that brought the relationship into existence.

That's what makes The Scandal so fascinating to watch. It asks what happens when a game involving someone else's heart becomes real and whether genuine feelings can ever completely undo the damage caused by the lie.

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