Reviews

English and Portuguese Review

𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞
"Night Has Come" starts with a very promising concept: students trapped during a school retreat have to face a mysterious and deadly game that mixes psychological suspense with supernatural elements. Right from the beginning, the series grabs your attention with several questions: what's happening? Who's behind it? Is there any way out?

The drama does a great job of creating a tense atmosphere, with dark cinematography and a mood that makes you constantly suspicious of every character. It also brings up questions about trust, friendship, and how far someone can go to survive.

On the other hand, as the story moves forward, the series loses a bit of the initial impact. Characters who make the story interesting end up meeting sad fates, and that makes the plot feel less engaging than it seemed at the beginning. The ending also wasn’t the best for me — it felt like there were so many interesting directions it could’ve taken, but it ended up going for something way too predictable.

Overall, "Night Has Come" is a drama that grabs you a lot in the beginning and delivers good amounts of mystery and suspense, but maybe doesn’t fulfill all the potential it promised. Still, it’s a good option for anyone who enjoys stories full of psychological tension and survival games.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────

𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨
"Night Has Come" começa com um conceito muito promissor: estudantes presos em um retiro escolar precisam enfrentar um jogo misterioso e mortal, que mistura suspense psicológico e elementos sobrenaturais. Logo de início, a série prende a atenção com várias perguntas: o que está acontecendo? Quem está por trás disso? Existe uma saída?

O dorama acerta em criar uma atmosfera de tensão, com fotografia sombria e um clima que deixa o espectador sempre desconfiado de cada personagem. Além disso, levanta questões sobre confiança, amizade e até onde alguém pode ir para sobreviver.

Por outro lado, conforme a história avança, a série vai perdendo um pouco do impacto inicial. Personagens que fazem a história ficar interessante acabam tendo destinos tristes, e isso deixa a trama menos envolvente do que parecia no começo. O final também não foi dos melhores pra mim, parecia que tinha tantos caminhos interessantes a seguir, mas acabou caindo em algo previsível demais.

No geral, "Night Has Come" é um dorama que prende bastante no início e garante boas doses de mistério e suspense, mas talvez não entregue todo o potencial que prometia. Ainda assim, é uma boa opção para quem gosta de histórias cheias de tensão psicológica e jogos de sobrevivência.

Read More

English and Portuguese Review

𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥
"Love Untangled" is a light and charming movie, great to watch. The characters are charismatic, especially the protagonist, who easily captures the audience’s attention.

The story follows the young girl as she deals with her feelings for a boy who appears very little on screen, until a new character enters her life after she saves him from drowning. From that moment on, a friendship begins to grow naturally and becomes central to the narrative.

One of the strongest points of the film is the way it portrays the protagonist’s insecurities about her curly hair. The pressure to change her appearance in an attempt to feel accepted and loved is shown in a sensitive way. As the story unfolds, she discovers that she didn’t need to change anything about herself — that her beauty was already there, and there were people who valued her exactly as she is.

What I felt was missing was a deeper exploration of the perspective of the first boy she liked. At times it seemed like he also had feelings for her, even with her curls, which could have taken the story in a different direction. Still, the relationship she builds with her friend is more solid, based on presence, support, and safety, which makes her final choice understandable and, in a way, the most ideal one.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞
"Love Untangled" é um filme leve e encantador, ótimo para se assistir. Os personagens são carismáticos, em especial a protagonista, que conquista facilmente a atenção do público.

A trama acompanha a jovem enquanto lida com seus sentimentos por um garoto que aparece pouco em cena, até que um novo personagem surge em sua vida após ela salvá-lo de um afogamento. A partir daí, nasce uma amizade que cresce com naturalidade e vai se tornando central na narrativa.

Um dos pontos mais fortes do filme é a forma como ele aborda a insegurança da protagonista com seu cabelo cacheado. A pressão para mudar sua aparência, na tentativa de se sentir aceita e amada, é retratada de forma sensível. Com o desenrolar da história, ela descobre que não precisava alterar nada em si mesma, que sua beleza já estava ali, e que havia quem a valorizasse exatamente como ela é.

O que senti falta foi de uma maior exploração da perspectiva do primeiro garoto de quem ela gostava. Em alguns momentos parecia que ele também nutria sentimentos por ela, mesmo com seus cachos, o que poderia ter dado outro rumo à trama. Ainda assim, a relação construída com seu amigo é mais sólida, baseada em presença, apoio e segurança, o que torna sua escolha final compreensível e, de certa forma, a mais ideal.

Read More

Flawed but intriguing

Picked this up after seeing a Tiktok edit on one of the final pairings (JM/JY) and it got me into this rabbit hole after doing a cleanse on dating show after watching My Sibling's Romance.

I'm a little on the fence cause objectively the editing feels very raw yet it draws me in on a personal level. Envision watching a poorly put together school project but it did not matter as the content itself and the sentimental value helps put on the feeling you are watching things out of filtered glasses/perspective. The cast in itself for the most part was unproblematic but noticed that screentime was heavily skewed on certain pairings. The introduction of catfish roles seems sporadic and unfair in my opinion leading to little to no development that i would have like to see.

Overall this dating show was a nice watch, definitely a little lighter than most dating shows (i got desensitized with malicious editing to create drama/arouse unease). JM/JY story was like a kdrama unravelling and regardless of the authenticity that many would debate ferociously, it still was a nice reminder for those who experience love at first sight whether it was reciprocated or one sided.

Some concept of the show was intriguing nevertheless which i think other shows can adopt a variance of it just to stir the pot to watch chaos unfold. Would definitely recommend picking this up but given that it is a Korean dating show, watch with a grain of salt would be the only way i would say it and just enjoy the occasional sweetness it brings

Read More

The worst jiejie romance I watched - bad acting & writing

I was drawn to this drama because of two things: older woman-younger man romance & Dong Yi. I had never seen his dramas before but got excited to watch this drama. I must say I was greatly disappointed by this drama. Don't waste your time even if you are a fan of the lead(s).

What I liked:
1. Styling - FL's outfits were pretty. ML's outfits fit the persona or a young & hip CEO.
2. Supporting characters - I liked FL's assistant Tong Tong.

What I disliked:
1. Romance - Hardly any romantic scenes. There was no real kiss in this drama. No sexual tension except at the start.
2. Acting - Average. Liu Jia Xi wasn't charismatic enough to play a confident older woman enacting revenge and toying with younger man. Dong Yi's ML was more of a tool - no character development. Liu Jia Xi and Dong Yi didn't have chemistry.
3. Writing - I felt like there wasn't much hunger & sense of urgency in executing the revenge plan. That arc was unfocused. The main characters were bland. I increased speed to 2.0x just to see if anything exciting happened but nope, this drama was forgettable.

Favourite scene
The opening

Read More

English and Portuguese Review

𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭
Before watching, it’s important to know that this film carries a touching and melancholic story.

As the title suggests, “Don’t Forget Me” follows the life of a young woman who, for reasons never explained, ends up being forgotten by everyone around her. The plot revolves around her relationship with the protagonist, who gradually gets closer to her and develops a special bond.

The performances are very good and convey the emotion the story asks for in a sincere way. Despite the delicate theme, the film isn’t heavy; on the contrary, it has a calm and engaging pace, slowly revealing the connection between the characters.

Another interesting point is that, for those studying Japanese, this film can be a great opportunity for practice, since the dialogues are simple and accessible.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞
Antes de assistir, é importante saber que este filme traz uma história comovente e melancólica.

O único ponto negativo é a dificuldade de encontrá-lo, já que só consegui assistir pelo YouTube.

Como o título sugere, "Não me esqueça" acompanha a vida de uma jovem que, por razões nunca explicadas, acaba sendo esquecida por todos ao seu redor. O enredo gira em torno da relação entre ela e o protagonista, que passa a se aproximar dela e desenvolver um laço especial.

As atuações são muito boas e transmitem de forma sincera a emoção que a história pede. Apesar do tema delicado, o filme não é pesado, pelo contrário, tem um ritmo calmo e envolvente, mostrando pouco a pouco a conexão entre os personagens.

Outro ponto interessante é que, para quem estuda japonês, a obra pode ser uma ótima oportunidade de prática, já que os diálogos são simples e acessíveis.

Read More

English and Portuguese Review

𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞
In the beginning, I found the protagonist’s story very interesting and full of potential. However, once the female character entered his life, everything started to fall apart. She began to use him, even going as far as stealing his phone and ruining his job and his life for no reason at all.

While watching, the dominant feeling I had was frustration. Instead of progressing, the events only brought more tragedies and misfortunes, almost always caused by this character. This ended up making the experience exhausting, to the point where I felt unmotivated to continue the series.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────

𝐏𝐞́𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐨
No começo, achei a história do protagonista bastante interessante e promissora. Porém, com a entrada da personagem feminina em sua vida, tudo começou a desmoronar. Ela passou a usá-lo, chegando a roubar seu celular e arruinar seu emprego e sua vida a troco de nada.

Enquanto assistia, a sensação predominante foi de frustração. em vez de evoluir, os acontecimentos só traziam mais tragédias e desgraças, quase sempre ligadas a essa personagem. Isso acabou tornando a experiência cansativa, a ponto de me deixar desmotivado a continuar a série.

Read More

Black Mirror’s cousin, but make it K-drama and less existential dread

I don't know if a review is really required after 8 years, but Circle feels like one of those rare dramas I couldn't finish without writing down my thoughts. Back in 2017, I only made it through the first episode while it was airing, not because it was bad, but because I was still in a drama hangover after finishing Rebel Thief Who Stole the People. Now, 8 years later, I'm kicking myself for waiting this long. With the amount of money Netflix is pouring into Korean sci-fi today, Circle feels even more ahead of its time. It doesn’t lean on flashy CGI, but it doesn’t need to, the sci-fi core is more than strong enough.

From the outside, Circle looks like a drama that tries to squeeze every sci-fi concept into 12 episodes. Aliens? Check. Memory tech? Check. Emotion control, dystopian cities, clones? Double check. But in reality, the concepts stack on top of each other like dominoes. Each one feels like the natural consequence of the one before, creating a chain of ethical dilemmas about memory, identity, and what it means to be human. And because Circle leans into soft sci-fi rather than hard sci-fi, it doesn't pause to explain alien origins or the inner mechanics of the technology. Instead, the tech serves as a backdrop for exploring ethical questions similar to Black Mirror rather than The Martian, for example.

The drama's strength is in using characters to embody those dilemmas. Characters who forget their past wrongs live in harmony, but their peace is built on illusion. Others battle with the question of whether carrying painful memories makes life heavier or more fully human. And some face the question of whether memory or biology defines identity. These character arcs give emotional depth to the high concept premise and keep the drama grounded.

Another strength of the drama is its structure. Circle runs on 2 separate timelines that at first feel disconnected, almost like parallel stories. But as the episodes unfold, threads from the past and future start weaving together, with the bond between the twins serving as the emotional bridge that connects them. The connections grow clearer until they converge in a way that feels both logical and satisfying. It's a storytelling choice that not only heightens the mystery but also makes the eventual payoffs hit harder.

The fundamentals of the show are handled well: the what, who, where, when, and why are clear, and the twists feel like natural outcomes of character traits rather than cheap surprises. Where Circle falters is not in pacing or depth, but in narrative stitching. Again, the emotional beats breathe, the stakes feel urgent, and the questions are answered, but the connective mechanics are often choppy. Key events unfold through abrupt flashbacks as if they were patched in during post production, and sometimes the way characters get from point A to point B stretches believability. The "how" of the story occasionally shows the seam, even as the "why" remains compelling.

What helps smooth those seams is the acting. Yeo Jin Goo anchors the story, Kim Kang Woo adds a layer of grit and intensity, and Gong Seung Yeon carries the emotions naturally without overshadowing the scene. Lee Gi Kwang is fine in parts, though sometimes you can see the effort behind the emotion. Still, the cast does its job, and the side characters add enough humor and humanity to balance the heavy themes.

In the end, Circle is ambitious, emotional, and thought-provoking, though rough around the edges. It's a soft sci-fi at heart, dressed in classic K-drama tropes: flashbacks, cliffhangers, bromance, hints of romance, and the legendary longing gazes backed by an OST swelling as if the fate of humanity depended on it. If Black Mirror is the brooding cousin who ruins Christmas by asking questions that trigger existential dread, Circle is the Seoul cousin who asks the same ones but insists on answering with cliffhangers, tears, and eyes that carry the weight of the moment rather than plunging you into existential dread.

Read More

The first four episodes can be entertaining, the rest is pointless

I was intrigued by the split in the reviews and much the way one feels compelled to stare at an accident, I wanted to see how bad it could be.

I was genuinely entertained for the first four episodes. To make the terrible direction choices make sense, I decided that the story takes place in a universe with a sort of passive hypnosis where if a person stares into a man's face, they fall in love. If two men stare at each other, they can get caught in a hypnosis loop and be unable to look away for an extended period of time. The main couple's entire relationship is based on hypnosis loops and the application of bandaids to small wounds.

I'm going to set aside the SA plot that is VERY poorly executed on every possible level (starts in episode 5), and expand on the role of bandaids in the show. In this universe, the application of bandaids, and sometimes larger wound coverings (but mostly band aids), is its own love language and a significant relationship act. Band aids are so significant in this universe that a man can become jealous of his doctor lover applying a band aid to a patient during working hours.

So, what mainly makes this show entertaining is the mostly-fun second couple. However, their relationship crisis is triggered by an Evil Character(tm). The Evil Character's back story that when they were a kid, the doctor half of the side couple attended to them in a medical setting and.... applied a band aid. Yup. A doctor applied a band aid to a kid, and that kid then spent years looking for the doctor (because the kid didn't think of going back to the medical establishment where they encountered the doctor I guess?) with the intention of entering into a relationship with the doctor.

Since there are a lot of reviews that deal with the more substantive plot issues, I'll leave it here with the recommendation that if you want to take a chance with it, you focus on the side couple and stop after episode 4, or at the very latest, before the party in episode 5. It's not so much that the rest of it is toxic (although they do manage to have some genuinely offensive dialog and bad character moments after my recommended stopping point), but that it is boring and does nothing to earn the emotional beats it's trying to hit.

Read More

"I love you, but I am not yours."

"I love you, but I am not yours. I don't want to confine you or be confined."

A story about love, and trust, and honesty. With beautiful colours, urban city scapes and quiet times filled with the actors' excellent non-verbal performance, the movie shows us how we cohabit space and share experiences.

"Can love be split up?"
"It's not that one is cut in half. It doubles."

The two main characters are in their thirties, experiencing love's ups and downs, and their differences and similarities shift as they grow as characters and people.

"Why did you marry her?" "Why couldn't you break up with her?"

The red string that connects every image in this movie and its characters to the viewers is love. I love it, too.

Read More

Para-special Relationship

If you're a fan of any male idol group, then tap into your delulu selves to get the full experience from this movie!!

First off, this was heavy on the fanservice, especially with the idealized portrayal of our beloved idol boys. The only thing lacking is giving more emphasis on each of the members's characters. In the movie, we only got to know about Kota and Kanato's personalities. If they were trying to sell this "idol all-star" boy group, then they should have given some spotlight to the other members as well. But I have to say, the You Are Special song was good. It flowed along with the movie.

About the movie itself, I thought the first half was fast-paced. Around 20min in and our main girl, who swore was never going to fall in love again, already admitted to herself that she's gone in too deep and has already drafted her 10-year roadmap to getting together with our main idol boy.

Also, it has a lot of the classic shoujo mune kyun moments, which could never be taken away given that this was made for the fangirls. This might not be for those who've grown out of their cheesy corny romance era. But if you still do enjoy these type of moments in shoujo movies, then you'll be glad.

I do like the last quarter of the movie though, especially with the mild angst that I kinda wished it didn't have a happy ending. Instead, I would've preferred it if Sahoko and Kota went on to live their separate lives while cheering for each other from a distance. Or maybe even have them reunite in the sequel series instead.

Speaking of the sequel series that is currently airing, I hope they focus more on some of the stuff lacking from the movie like: the other members, Emika & Kanato's relationship, and that thing about their rival band.

Overall a fun movie. May not the most extraordinary one out there but I would still recommend this to those who are interested in watching it. And I'm looking forward to the sequel series.

Read More

Doppelganger story ruined by FL's stupidity

Yes, after a few weeks of release I finally got a link with English subtitles. I think I have seen bts clip of Huang Bo holding a baby in his Douyin account. I watched it today and hhhhmm had mixed feelings about this drama.

What I liked:
1. Acting - Huang Bo played two characters who look alike (doppelganger). Great performances although I wish his real-life twin had played the supporting character.
2. Opening scene - I watched this drama without knowing its synopsis. I was shocked by the first 4 minutes. A doppelganger story always fascinated me.
3. Third act - The plot twist caught me by surprise and I liked it very much.
4. Duration - I liked that it's less than 90 minutes but intense.
5. Supporting characters - I liked FL's two friends because they were sensible. The male friend was handsome. Adult Tangtang was smarter than her mother.

What I disliked:
1. FL characterisation - OMG she was stupid & gullible. How could you not notice that the strange man wasn't your husband!
2. Bullying - I hated the forced marriage scene when both FL and Tangtang were bullied by antagonist's wife & son.

Favourite scene
Flashback when Tangtang remembered & repaid "Uncle" 's kindness

Read More

Shadow Love has the flavor of Romeo and Juliet

This review is a journey exploring the universe of sensations and feelings that Shadow Love can lead you to experience. Although the story is simple, it deeply explores love as a powerful experience of strength and resilience, capable of overcoming the most brutal and painful challenges.

Shadow Love is a powerful love story that straddles the real world of the realms and the mystical world of Wulin Mountain.

The series is unforgettable: I laughed, I cried, I vibrated... I went through all the emotions and waited for each episode with a delicious anxiety.

I trusted the plot, and above all, I trusted the signs the story gave toward a happy ending.

All the actors delivered impeccable performances. I hadn't seen any series with Song Yi before, and I had just watched LOTFG (I loved it!), with Cheng Lei, whom I also hadn't seen before: now I feel like I can't live without them both.

The story is easy to understand, flows smoothly, and the plot and subplots are well-organized and fit together seamlessly. It evolves at a good pace, balancing happy, funny, tense, and sad moments. It manages to move the story steadily throughout its 38 episodes, keeping the viewer very engaged, until it reaches the totally satisfying climax. It explores human values ​​and virtues amidst villainy and cruelty, all very well balanced.

The camera wanders, explores and expands angles and frames that enhance the aesthetics and support the wordless narrative, where only the image dialogues with the viewer, both in the amber luminosity of the love scenes, suggesting innocence and purity, and in the dark scenes, where the light-dark contrast emphasizes the focus on the character, amplifies the dramaticity, volume and depth of the environment, recalling works by Rembrandt characterized by the Chiaroscuro (light-dark) style.

In that regard, the cinematographic aesthetics offer a delight for the eyes with countless scenes constructed with art and lyricism that clearly allude to Chinese paintings. These scenes remain etched in the retina like sweet memories.

Song Yi gave greatness and humanity to the character, virtuously conciling femininity with the soldier's unyielding rawness , without losing elegance, always with her bow and arrow, reminiscent of the character Diana, from Roman mythology. She masters facial expressions and gaze from the subtlest to the most evident: I was overcome with sadness in every scene where she cried, and I found myself smiling at the soft light that bathes her entire face when she smiles. She has in her eyes the eloquence of the heart.

There is also a poetic beauty in the scenes where Li Shuang nourishes Jin'An with her own blood, which does not resemble in any way mere vampirism, whose logic is in mere benefit and parasitism, resulting in the discarding of life, but recalls the legend of the pelican who, having nothing to offer its chick, pecks its own breast until it bleeds and feeds it. This image symbolizes sacrifice and dedication, exactly Li Shuang's most striking virtues. Nurturing is such a feminine function, no matter the bond; it's a woman's trait, and this was greatly valued in the character of Li Shuang, a symbol not only of courage but, most especially, of self-sacrifice and self-denial for the greater good.

Cheng Lei overflows with charisma, his penetrating and indefensible gaze magnetizes and leads us to surrender. All three characters he embodies are impetuous, so passionately compelling, that he leaves us no choice: we fall in love with all three. They combine two forces that enchant women: masculinity and sweetness.

Shadow Love's originality is truly impressive! As the episodes progressed, I clearly noticed that the story's construction deviated from the standard plot structure that virtually all dramas follow. An example of this is the way LS acts and behaves: she breaks away from the standard passive woman in love scenes; she surprisingly boldly takes the initiative in these scenes.

There's also a modern touch that makes Shadow Love stand out as a genre, giving Jin'An, when he undergoes the transformation, a superhero character rather than a mere mutation. The character's specific theme song itself has a very positive tone, composed in a typically heroic melodic structure, suggesting a heroic nature (a specific theme song for each character, object, idea or emotion is called 'leitmotiv', free translation 'leading motive', musical resource created by the German composer Richard Wagner). Another touch of originality was to endow this character with an identity that preserved his humanity and defeated Mo Yin's predictions about the loss of self-control, the rupture with himself to give way to an irrational beast. The strength of love prevailed in him, his strongest nature, that of a man in love.

The story conveys this message of extraordinary power that reverberates in real life: love is not just a physical memory within time and susceptible to oblivion, but a transcendental experience, as it transcends the human condition and, therefore, immune to oblivion, regardless of the trauma.

Finally, the songs... They are profoundly beautiful and frame love with hope, perseverance, resilience, and renunciation. The reward for this challenging pilgrimage faced by Li Shuang and Jin'An could be none other than a Happy Ending, freed from the past to resignify the present. I will miss them so much!

Read More