Liz Anderson
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Meh, Overrated (I love you YY don't hate me)
Short synopsis: Go watch The King's Avatar. Yang Yang's character is essentially the same but with an actual personality and awesome overall story.Long synopsis: I actually binge watched this, loved it and then rewatched it and noticed how awful it was. First off, the supporting cast majorly outshines the main actors. His best friends are just such a hoot and you end up wishing they get more screen time (especially the gay relationship which I think had a better story arch than this entire show). Now for the main actors/plot. Their characters are so flat and boring , both of them. They make the same expressions and every situation ends up with the same response. I love Yang Yang so I am bias to him, and I didn't mind his character as much as hers, but the way his character was written was just dull. He was a badass in the gaming and computer world, but other than those facts and besides the game animation moments his character was relatively calm and didn't do anything too crazy besides immediately claim her as his. That being said that's what makes his character so sexy and why I rewatched the show, I would love a man like him in real life but in a drama show... it kind of leaves you with no drama. The best moments are the moments when he essentially just stands up for her in the gaming and real world and lets everyone know she belongs to him.
Now for her... extremely dull character who literally had the same expressions and besides being cute didn't seem very sexually attracted to the male lead. The kisses were awkward, they literally had her acting like a ten year old virgin child. I'm not expecting anything explicit but a little more.... I guess eagerness or something would have been dramatic, instead it felt more awkward high school than college. They had her as being the top student in her class and a gaming wizard but when his company was in huge trouble all she did was go and get food and blankets..... it was a major disappointment since they constantly build her up to this crazy intellect like him. Now, lets get to the "she's the prettiest girl in school" part. I legit from the first episode felt so uncomfortable seeing her she was so painfully thin. The actress says when she's stressed she gets very thin but this is not okay. I'm fine with skinny and lean figures, especially in Asian dramas, but this is another level. It takes away from the drama because half the time I am literally like "oh my god all I see are bones" when her legs and whatnot are exposed. I really hope young girls don't watch this and think this is some ideal image because it's absolutely not.
So the last point: They literally didn't even date or anything. It was pretty much "oh we got married in the game, are top computer students, and top male and female in the same things" so we are a married couple now. Again, takes the drama away. He literally immediately claims her as his and apart from some minor dramas where he proves again that no one gets to mess with her, they are pretty much together from the get go but are very awkward because they didn't date and you can tell whoever wrote this was like "well I guess lets just make it awkward since they don't really know anything about one another but now act like a married couple despite that".
The plot is actually really good, but the way they wrote the characters and how they acted them is so bad. I do think many people will like this show and it has YY in it so it's worth a watch if you have nothing else. I think reading reviews like this will ruin it though because like the first time I watched it you don't notice right off the bat how bad it is. So sorry haha but I saw all these people hyping this show and I think some realism was needed in this review thread.
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Simple but beautiful
I think this genuinely may have been the most beautiful K-Drama I've ever seen and I've seen many. I don't really know how to explain this drama because the only words that really come to mind are simply beautiful. It's a show that breaks your heart when you realize its time to say goodbye to the characters but it was also the perfect length. No episode was a filler episode. Every episode built on the previous one without repetition or overplaying clichés. No character was perfect, each had very realistic flaws but you still found yourself coming to understand and appreciate every character. There was growth in every character but it was realistic growth. While the show is focused on the two male leads we are able to see each side characters story being told without it overshadowing the main plot but instead complementing it.This is by no means an exciting or action-packed drama. It is simply a drama highlighting two men with a wide age gap trying to achieve their dreams and dealing with life along the way. If you are looking for a romance drama, this is certainly not for you. This show focuses on the struggle but also strength that comes from bonds formed over time and through hard work. Love is not glorified in this drama but instead respected. There is no perfect relationship within this drama but somehow that just made this drama that much easier to connect with and become invested in. This is a drama that highlights the fact that there truly is no "happy ending" in real life. We can only hope to collect a few precious moments that we will be able to look back upon and smile. Growth also comes with pain and loss in this drama and when the show ends you are unsure if you should curl up and cry or be proud.
Looking back all of the characters in this show are quite dull and boring. They aren't your typical K-drama characters. There is really nothing special about any one of them. They are all painfully human. Somehow this show full of common people touches your heart in a way that most shows only dream of. I can not recommend this show enough.
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The Legend of Gu and Jue
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A love story where sacrifice is rewarded in the end.... after years of torment of course
I am fresh off of finishing this drama and finding it hard to sum up as I feel like my emotions are a bit scattered. It is a happy ending but the type of happy ending that has you crying. You let out that shaky breath and say "FINALLY". This drama is a master at inducing conflicting feelings. You will hate a character and their actions one minute and then find out their reasoning and all of a sudden understand them. Also, when some characters return it's this combined "HES BACK!!" accompanied by "wait that means...nooo".This drama really keeps you on the edge of your seat and debating right vs wrong and does the end justify the means? I can understand why characters did what they did but whether I could fully forgive them is another story. I still am all over the place, but I will say I think ALL characters got the justice they deserved. BJ got what he deserved from HC and SG despite knowing he did what he did for the right reasons. Obviously, the evil lady and her daughter got their justice too. I really enjoyed how the show tied everything up in the end.
Anyway, my technical review:
Acting
I thought both leads did a great job along with the side characters. I found myself rooting for so many of them and even the bad characters played their roles so well. A lot of the side characters will still your heart in this show and luckily there are many good ones that you will like. This isn't a show with mainly bad people, I would say for the most part the good outweighs the bad. Xu Kai really surprised me in this drama, it's the third I've watched of his and I feel like you can really start to see his growth as an actor. He was masterful over subtle expressions and holding a lot of emotions in his face without saying or doing much. I think his acting improved throughout the drama too. The beginning is kind of the typical stone cold male lead but as the show goes on, I felt like his acting and expression were great as the character opened up and also his character... became a "new" one.
Story/Plot
Overall, this is one of my favorite storylines. This story takes you through two main time periods where you experience the leads in two different settings based on events that happened in the past that slowly unfold as the show goes on in the second half. When they first fast forward in time it is confusing a bit for an episode or two, but you start to put everything together pretty fast.
However, it took me a few months to get into this show. I would watch an episode or two and drop for a bit. Not because it was awful, but it didn't suck me in right from the beginning. I think the first few episodes move kind of slow and it is the typical cold and unemotional male lead who teaches the naive and silly girl at the start which is a bit cliche. BUT the female lead gains strength and wisdom relatively quickly so this isn't quite as bad as AOL in terms of that plot device. This show didn't drag too much though, there is always something happening that I found interesting and isn't too much filler which is nice to see. There also wasn't really in plot holes that I could remember either.
OST
One of my favorites. By the end one song is so associated with sadness though you just want to start crying when you hear it play. Hauntingly beautiful songs though I wish there was a bit more diversity.
Main Complaint(s)
I wish we had gotten to see the leads happier together longer in the beginning and at the end, even in the middle. This is a definitely a story of two people struggling to be together in every life/time period. Their happiness lasts only minutes which is a bit frustrating even though it's what also makes the story so heartbreakingly good. But I also felt like in the beginning and middle I wasn't as invested in their story as I could have been because I didn't have enough time (this is me personally) to fall in love with their love. It honestly wasn't until the end, and everything came to light that I really was moved by their relationship and all they went through. But about the ending...
The ending is happy but also... kind of abrupt after all the emotional trauma we went through. I wish we had seen them as a happy family, even just for a few minutes (not necessarily a whole episode or anything). I kind of feel like we were robbed of what could have been an even better reunion. I also don't like how the child is... kind of just cast off at the end by his mother and left on his own and also not seen in the reunion. I wish too we could have seen them say they forgive one another and actually hear Bai Jue explain himself and how much he wishes he didn't have to do that. Obviously we know the reasons but again the ending ..kind of surprised me? I thought we would get a bit more of a reunion. I wanted to see him and Hong Ri reunited too. It's a small complaint and the ending still had me crying and feeling a lot of things but I do think it could have been done a bit better.
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Cai Bu Yao He Lao Ban Tan Lian Ai
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Cliche done right
I avoided this show for a while because when I read the description, I thought it would be a bit too out there for me to enjoy. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this show from episode one and it wasn't quite as out there as I thought it would be. Obviously, it's not very realistic or anything however the plot they used is actually quite genius in some ways.Overall positive review:
This show hooks you in from episode one with the cold boss and overworked and underpaid assistant who went to school together and are "enemies". Episode one has humor and drama that gets you invested in these three characters fairly quick. Then it immediately transports you to the "coma world" where the FL lead is rewriting her past. It's interesting because from the first episode you make some pretty quick judgements about the characters, specifically the two male leads, and it leads you to be biased in terms of not wanting to like them or thinking they are awful people. But as her past unfolds you end up seeing how everyone got to be where they are in reality and the people you were determined to not like you end up empathizing with and even find yourself somewhat rooting for.
Also, this drama is secretly really about the female lead healing while in the coma. There's an obvious pun there that I think most viewers missed out on. While she is "rewriting her past" in the coma she is also coming to grips with everything that has happened both in the past and in the present. She uses this coma world to come to grips with finally letting go of her ex-boyfriend she gave way too many years to. I think some people watching this were frustrated she wasn't meaner to him, but people forget when you spend so many years loving someone and by their side, it doesn't just go away in an instant. I thought this show did a great job at allowing her to accept that the relationship is over but also allowed her to want the best for him still and not be consumed by revenge and anger. Same goes for the relationship with her boss/rival. Her whole focus is on beating him and essentially stealing everything that deep down she feels like he took from her. You can tell she has a lot of regret and anger at herself for how she was in the past and the ML is simply just a misdirect of that internal disappointment. Obviously, the main thing she needed healing from was the loss of her father and she also gets to go back and have more time with him and truly come to grips with the reality of what happened and realizing that there are certain destinies we cannot change, and we cannot stop our life over things we have no control over. This show in a way that went over a lot of people's heads was quite masterful in using the coma time to heal her in more than one way. She truly woke up with a new look on life and ready to take back what she had been keeping from herself.
So, I really did love this story and all the themes it included in it. Obviously, there are many tiny details and moments that make you fall in love with the characters outside of the overall plot. This drama was much better than I thought it was going to be and Ill probably be rewatching some parts to notice things I didn't notice before and smile at the sweet moments.
However, it wasn't perfect. These are my critiques:
- The ending in terms of how they went from a lighthearted and fun college drama to a dangerous war between law firms was...kind of unnecessary. I think we could have gotten the happy ending and full closure to the story without the extreme circumstances that were happening at the end. Looking back it honestly is a bit silly with the whole near death stuff happening. Felt like we were watching a mafia drama at parts and it just was kind of random and extreme.
- Like a lot of people I did find myself a bit annoyed with the FL at multiple parts. For one thing while in the coma world shes just a little too zealous with her obsessions of fixing things and completely missing obvious things in front of her. It's like the show has her as this top law student who is crazy smart and a quick thinker but then it's like she has no common sense and can't put two and two together. Obviously she was working off what she knew from the past and had strong biases about things but it still got a bit annoying at parts and I wanted to scream please wake up (no pun intended). Also, she kind of woke up and just.... expected her and the ML to just...ride off into the sunset???? Like in reality he literally watched you love and only care about another man for 10 YEARS. I feel like the gravity of that just doesn't hit her at all and she needs to humble herself a bit. In reality I think the love story really isn't as cute as this drama is which is ironic to say. I think a man like the ML shouldn't be waiting around for someone for 10 years on the sideline. It would be different if he dated around or whatever but he didn't. From a realistic view (which is not how romance cdramas should be viewed lol) it actually made me pity his character a lot. And then the FL was trying to test him? She wanted to him to confess first and acted like he needs to be honest with her when he clearly always was obviously in love her and literally everyone knew it? It just kind of makes the FL look super ... entitled and also makes me pity the ML even more which takes away a bit from the love story to me.
- Tao did well here and actually surprised me a bit with his acting chops (though I agree that I think this character in some ways was very similar to himself) but the FL to me wasn't at her best. I found her expressions and whatnot really recycled. She went all out playing the girl determined on revenge and rewriting the past that it made her character... very one dimensional. Also she keeps saying how she is 28 but I felt like while reliving college as a 28 year old she was still very immature. The whole point is she is going back in time with maturity and insight but I felt like a lot of her actions were very childish. But then when she woke up from the coma, I felt like she was more mature but it didn't make sense because in the coma world she was 28 too.... just back in her 18 year old body. For me that was an oversight of the writers and directors. I understand being young and naive is part of the charm of the show but her antics got a little old at some points. You are intelligent and 28 and this is how you are acting? This isn't on her this is mainly on the writers and directors so don't take this as an attack on the actress, my issues is with the script for her character at some points during the period she is in the coma.
- I thought the leads had good chemistry and their bickering in the show came off very natural and almost like adlibs not scripted. However, when it came to the romantic, intimate parts I felt like the male lead was more into the female lead. He was way more into the kissing and whatnot and even when she fell in love with him and started dating him I just feel like her character still was very... anti touching or kissing. I do not enjoy dramas where it looks like the female isn't into the kissing or physical stuff.
- This is a personal thing and I know it'll get some hate from his fans but I really wish Tao would change his hair. He had many sexy moments in this drama don't get me wrong, especially with the suit and glasses, but I still did not like the hair. I also think the hair didn't fit the character very well either. Top law student and top lawyer with that style of hair? Despite the cocky attitude it still didn't match for me and didn't seem very professional or serious. I really wish it was at least shorter but this is a personal thing cause in real life I really wish he would switch his hair up since I don't think this haircut does his face justice. I get how you could argue the haircut was kind of carefree like the character but I just don't think it really matched.
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This show did a really good job at viewing people in a very realistic way. No characters besides the main bad guy were painted as overly good or overly evil. Everyone had their regrets, their sins. Even the most kind and gentle looking characters had some "dirty secrets" in their past. It showed this balance of good and bad we all have in us and no one is perfect but you can make up for your mistakes by growing into a better person in the future. I also feel like we got to see a very wide range of characters/stereotypes throughout this show so it kept each episode fresh and worth watching. There really was no episode where I was bored, all of them were decent at minimum which is saying a lot for a K-drama.
I've seen a few people complain that in the beginning they kind of showed us these details from the past but then didn't mention them for a bit but I think they way the past and future unraveled together was quite good in this show compared to others that have a lot of flashbacks. I really like how they tied things up quickly and revealed some big shockers in the last three episodes instead of doing the "lets drag this out to 16 episodes and put in a bunch of unnecessary scenes". The last three episodes were really great and I was happy this drama didn't go into a lot of the typical clichés we see in dramas nowadays.
If you are expecting a romance K-drama, this definitely isn't for you. This drama is more about relationships in general and most importantly the relationship we have with ourselves. In one episode you get to explore the relationship between a parent and child and in the next you get to go into the relationship between friends or between lovers or coworkers. Even though this show followed a definite outline for each episode, it never got boring. In one episode you would find yourself laughing and in the next, or even the same one, crying.
I wouldn't call this some Oscar worthy show or anything over the top but it was quite good. Even though it has this very spiritual/mystical atmosphere about it, it really shows this very realistic portrayal of what many people go through in their lives. Its a simple but fun show.
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Its a hate/love thing
This show is so great but frustrating at the same time and not in the good way that Ashes of Love is.Overall I really do like the love story, I love the mystery they add in about their previous relationship and their fathers. I think the story is bittersweet but beautiful as it's clear these guys are meant for each other and only love one another. So in terms of that I think the show is good. It also has great side/supporting dramas and actors/actresses who I love and make the show even better.
That being said, I am about to rant for a second. There is SO MUCH misunderstanding and going back to square one between the two main actors that it honestly gets annoying to a point where a lot of people stop watching. The only thing that makes it bearable is with each misunderstanding they reveal a little more about the past and the events that have led up to this. ALSO, the other main female who is convinced she is going to marry the guy and the guy just continuously allows her to act like they are together annoys the crap out of me, it is SO unrealistic. If a guy let a women act like that with him for a long time in front of me I wouldn't want to be with him, no matter what our past history is. AND THE WEDDING BULLSHIT. Like, he seriously was hoping and expecting her to crash a wedding?! That's not romantic that's incredibly immature. I do think its important that she finally chased him but I do not agree with the writers thinking that's a good story twist. The male's mother is also insanely annoying but that's nothing new in dramas of any culture.
But overall it was a good story. It had its faults as I mentioned but overall there are a lot of cute moments and it really shows how women can be strong and influential in the business field. I do think its worth watching and giving a try.
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De Koning: Eeuwige Monarch
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Not the best, not the worst
I'm on episode 11 so I can't yet review how I will like the ending of it but I feel like some people are giving this show too much credit and others not enough. If you want to watch it because it seems like a romance drama, don't. The romance starts off cute with potential but then they skip the whole dating and getting to know one another part and when she randomly blurts out I love you I literally said "What the hell?" out loud, it was that random and awkward. If you want to see a dramatic love story that will move you, this isn't it.That being said, I think the overall story is actually somewhat interesting. Yes, it's a bit cheesy but as the show went on I got more into some of the characters and how they are linked to one another and the past. We all have different tastes in films, so some people hate this plot and think its awful but I think the storyline is actually pretty cool. Will I rewatch it again? No. I think it's a good show to binge real quick when you have nothing else to watch or are waiting for new seasons of your favorite shows to come out.
The actors were decent, the set was pretty. Not the best, not the worst.
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