Annalisse
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WOW! That was all I was thinking for the last few episodes with my mouth hanging open. I feel like every few months I stumble upon an awesome Japanese mystery/thriller that reminds me why i love this genre so much!Story: Refreshing new twist to an old plot line-a female villain?! Its usually a crazy male who is playing cat-and-mouse with the police and takes an interest in the lead during the investigation. In Siren, its completely reversed-its BECAUSE of the interest the villain (Kara Tachibana) takes in Yuki that the cat-and-mouse game begins. And boy what a game it is! But don't take anything at face-value because the ending will leave you scratching your head and surprised at where all of the twists lead you!
Acting/Cast: Perfection! Let's be honest, without a good charismatic villain manipulating everything behind the scenes series in this genre would not be worth the watch. And Nanao as Kara Tachibana delivers crazy flawlessly (so much its scary!) I can't see any other actress pulling this role off as well as she did. As a matter of fact, there are other times and in flashbacks (which I won't speak of so as not to reveal any spoilers) when she is portrayed by another actress, but it falls short in comparison. And Matsuzaka Tori as Satomi was the perfect lead to play off of. Watching the two fight over Yuki for 9 episodes was a real chess match!
Music: Don't look for an OST that you can sing along to, but the instrumental build up to some of the more shocking moments were well-placed, and the comedic moments were cute and well timed.
Rewatch Value: A must. Especially the last few episodes when everything comes together and is being explained. I like to think of myself as a somewhat smart person, but I had to go back more than once to make sure I was following along without getting confused. Because the 'big reveal' at the end needs time to sink in and understand....And I'm still not quite sure I've got it all right!!
Overall: Highly recommended to ANYONE! Its got the romance, thriller, mystery, action and so much more.
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I don't know what it is about C-dramas, but I accept their corniness and over the top acting more so than any others. It's like they're in on the joke with the viewers, so its ok by me. The story overall has a lot going on! There is LITERALLY something for everyone: Romance, friendship, action, fantasy, ALL the different time periods, vampires, werewolves, magicians... just to name a few. But the overall story is about a master and his disciples who time-travel into a person's past-life to fix a problem they are having in the present. It's a nice plot that introduces all sorts of mayhem and time jumping, and every time its a different story. So if you don't like the time period and plot in episodes 4-7, then maybe the plot and historic period in episodes 8-10 will do it for you. The common thread through it all is Ye Yin's meetings with past-lives of the people she knows and one very clingy vampire she keeps running in to. The awkwardness, the cuteness and pure comedy that follows will make you stick around just to see what happens next and how Ye Yin will get out of the problems she started in the 1st place!
Even though this doesn't have a romance tag (as of right now) there is some romance. An eternal love triangle to be exact. There are hints that there is some huge history between the two main men in Ye Yin's life, but we only get flashes here and there (probably saving it for season 2!)
The acting was over the top, and corny... but it fit the tone of the show and had me LOLing the entire series.
Like I said before, I was in a certain mood to really enjoy this series. So I understand that it may not be for everyone. But for getting me out of my drama slump, making me look forward to a 2nd season, and forcing me to watch some episodes RAW (bc I just couldn't wait for subs) this was near perfection IMHO.
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If you are trying to decide whether or not to watch this based on the seemingly awesome casting (Gong Yoo, Jeong Dong Hwan, Nam Goong Min) then please choose something else. I made the mistake of coming off of a Gong Yoo marathon of Coffee Prince and Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, both which I loved, and decided to keep going with this. MAJOR MISTAKE. Story: Don't let the description fool you, this isn't a love triangle drama where the love from the female lead helps to transform her playboy love interest. The plot was unnecessarily complicated and serious dramatic moments were over the top or laughable, there was no in between. And forget love triangles,this was a love hexagon with questionable family ties blurring the lines even further. We get it, everyone is in love with the main female lead. I don't mind that in my dramas, but did they all have to be sorta related to her?! I would try to further explain with examples but I would have to reveal spoilers. And trust me, if you choose to watch the entire drama the only satisfactory pay-off is putting all the pieces together.
Acting: Most of the actors I love in other movies and dramas, so I felt bad that they had signed on to partake in this. Even some of the acting from my favorites annoyed me and confused me: They're SOOO good in other things,,,except this!
Music: It was fine. Oddly enough I have no complaints about the music. It suited the mood when it was present.
Rewatch Value: NEVER AGAIN. Even recalling it for the sake of this review makes me sad.
Overall: I doubt this will ever reach anyone's favorites list, but if you're adamant about watching, good luck. But don't say we ALL didn't warn you.
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Story: Same old same old- jerk guy falls for the naive country girl despite himself and ruins every chance at the relationship by being a jerk. Nothing new, but I always get sucked in anyway so....
Acting/Cast: Great. I was especially surprised that some of the Kpop stars were as good as they were. It can go either way most times. I wasn't familiar with any of Monsta X's previous acting work (if there is any) so I was happy with how they played the overworked boy band. Such a stretch -_- And Yoon Bora was adorable, no complaints here.
Music: Daebak! There is nothing that gets on my nerves more than when a drama is centered around the dance or music world and the songs are crap. Not the case here! Especially since Monsta X is involved and performed their own music. I downloaded it immediately after I finished the episode it was in.
Rewatch Value: Although i really enjoyed this one I much prefer Noble, My Love as far as rom com webseries, but this was a decent one wrapped in a couple of hours worth of marathoning.
Overall: It wasnt the best, but darn it, it gave me the warm and fuzzies. So if you're in that kind of mood I suggest this and say enjoy!
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Story: 1 more vampire love story to add to the list for me. 200+ year old vampire finds love after losing his previous girlfriend before he was turned. Its been done. The actors are what saved this drama for me, but the little twists that help bring the couple together just add to the fluff.
Acting/Cast: This could have easily turned into a horrible drama that tried wayyyyy too hard, but it wasn't (not for me anyway). The actors did a great job of making the characters entertaining and likable, so I was interested in how the story would unfold for them. And let's be honest, Tang Danson plays the brooding vamp very well: dark, mysterious and aloof....which made his scenes where there was comedy involved even funnier. The female lead, Hei Lam, was great too. She's not your average damsel in distress, the girl takes judo for fun and can kick some butt, BUT she still needs to be rescued every now and then.
Music: I didn't really notice anything special, but when the action started it did help amp up the mood.
Rewatch Value: Sure! Its only 9 episodes. So if you're craving a bit of fluff from a genre that is usually all dark and brooding, rewatch away!
Overall: Its not the greatest drama of all time, but it certainly was entertaining and the actors made me fall in love with the characters and kept me interested for a 9 episode marathon. The ending is a bit...meh...but it gives you a bit of everything and some nice eye candy that I highly recommend.
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Unlike the first season QOM 2 really leaned into the over-the-top comedy and all of the cases felt very disjointed. It was weird. Almost like from season 1 to season 2 there were different directors and production teams. There wasn't though, I checked. That seamless blend just wasn't there. Instead it felt more like the series was trying to tell everyone's story in a way that highlighted the individuals away from the rest of the cast rather than having a true feel of an ensemble cast which I loved from season 1. I mean, it's a mystery/police drama: it's all about the ensemble!
Not to mention the sudden appearance of Detective Ha's brother who was never mentioned in season 1, Profiler Woo seemed to become even more robotic in season 2, where he was actually a relatable character by the end of season 1 with a budding bromance between him and Detective Ha, and the most anticipated plot revolving around Hyun Soo was confusing and never really explained in any way to make her story relevant.
I know this might all sound critical but there were some positives: the comedy was good and the individual performances were stellar. If nothing else, anytime the medical examiner, Hwang Jae Min was in a scene I was laughing my head off.
The ending felt very much like they are expecting a season 3, which I'm against if season 2 is any indication. There were so many open ended questions left but I honestly don't care. I'll admit that I only finished the drama because I was hoping against hope that it would all come together in the end, but it never did. So all of the big reveals and whatever closure there was just didn't feel as gratifing as the 1st season. Too bad. for all intents and purposes everything was there, but it was put together in the wrong way.
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Let me start by saying that I LOVED the 1st season of Scarlet Heart. I had recently come around to watching period dramas and was recommended that I watch it. And boy was I not disappointed...I wish the same could be said of this second season. Let me begin with the obvious: season 2 is set in modern day, so the feel is completely different as are the problems all of the characters face. The beginning started somewhat strong for me. There were flashbacks to season 1 and a few of the characters' reincarnated selves in modern day was a nice touch. story: the plot was weak sauce. Nothing we drama fans haven't seen before: love triangle, poor girl catching the eye of the rich heirs and deciding who she truly loves. The revenge plots did keep me interested with just how far the characters will go for 'justice' and the truths behind long-kept family secrets. But the doppelganger storyline wasn't needed AT ALL. Plus, after the first few episodes, there isn't a whole lot of interaction between the main couple (Zhang Xiao & Yin Zheng) until episode 15, and even then the build up felt too rushed. Maybe because I couldn't really get a sense of time passing, or how much time passed from one problem popping up to another being resolved.
cast: the actors did what they could with the script they were given. And after watching the whole drama I know why more actors from the first season didn't sign on for the 2nd. From episode 1 to the finale the main actress was ALWAYS crying or on the verge of tears. It got to the point that her tears meant nothing to me as a viewer because she cried SOOOO much.
music: It didn't move me, and it wasn't memorable. But it served its purposed to give dramatic flair when needed.
Rewatch: Dear God NO! Knowing how it all came together and ended, I'd rather just rewatch the first season and pretend that (potential SPOILER ALERT for season 1) Ruoxi chases after 4th Prince in the museum with a smile on her face and a sense of hope. Honestly, had the 1st season ended on that note I wouldn't have bothered with the 2nd.
Overall: I'm harsh on this BECAUSE the 1st season was so good. In comparison, season 2 is a 5, but as a standalone I'd give it a solid 7.5. So in fairness, the actual 7 i'm giving this is more than it deserves :-(
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The Palace 2: The Lock Pearl Screen
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Story: Same old same old. There are evil and overly ambitious people in the palace that make the love triangle a tug of war for the entire 36 episodes. Honestly, by the time I was on the last few episodes the niceness of Lian Er was just frustrating and the bad endings for the evil characters weren't as satisfying as I would have hoped. Maybe if there were fewer episodes that kept drilling into our heads just how bad the palace people were and just how much they could torment our heroes it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Also,I did not like the amount of time that some side stories had towards the end. FYI writers: I DIDNT CARE! I found myself fast forwarding through most of that.:-)
Acting/Cast: Good. It annoyed me that some characters from the first series played different character's in this one. The main one I spotted was the old emperor in series 1 played 17th Prince's teacher in this one. Other than that, I will say that the cameos by 8th Prince and Qing Chuan were adorable and was a nice nod to series 1.
Music:Laughable. Every time a character would ask Lian Er to sing suddenly the music would kick-in over her singing and we're supposed to believe she was the one singing! It made me laugh every time. But the OST was nice and whoever did the actual singing was good.
Overall: Based on my review I know it sounds like I hated this series BUT, I knew what I was getting into from the 1st series. I WANTED to watch something cheesy, with over the top effects and characters I love to hate. And boy did I get it! It was cheesy and cute and the ending salvaged a lot, ALOT of the flaws for me! Glad I finally watched it, but I'm not going to continue with the series. This was a good place to stop for me :)
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Plot: Nothing new here: bold serial killer taunts the police to play his game and try to catch him, but the execution of the series was great. How each crime is slowly linked to the major mystery behind who the main killer is and why he is on this 'seemingly' random killing spree was interesting to watch. I love it when there are subtle clues for the characters and the audience as to the main motives behind the villains. Gives a series more depth and gets me even more invested.
Acting/Cast: Sooooo good! From the cops to the crazy criminals to the unfortunate victims, it was all well done. I can't think of anyone I'd replace.
Music: All I can say is that the tension was felt in every scene and the fear for all of the characters was only enhanced because of the music. It wasn't overly dramatic and it fit every mood and scene well.
Rewatch Value: Normally I would say that the rewatch value for a mystery is low because once you see it some of the thrill of uncovering it is gone. That is not the case here. Because of the individual cases that all end up being connected to the major plot line you might pick up some points you might have missed the 1st time around. Plus the cases themselves are so 'creative' I wouldn't mind revisiting them again!
Overall: I highly recommend this for and crime/mystery lovers. Be warned though, there is NO ROMANCE or even a hint of it. At best you'll get a nice warm feeling from the loyalty and friendship between coworkers. The focus is entirely on the mystery. And I'm fine with that alone (for once ;-)
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I Fine..Thank You..Love You
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Story:Its a simple plot: a guy is determined to learn English so he can follow the girlfriend who dumped him to the US, only to fall for his English tutor.The slow buildup of their relationship is too cute, and the misunderstandings that happen because of the language barrier only gets funnier as the movie goes on. I promise, the joke never seems to get old!
Acting/Cast: The supporting characters are so over the top and ridiculous you can't help but to laugh. The comedy between the main couple, Pleng and Gym, mostly concerns them falling in love with each other, but their friends and other supporting characters bring moments of pure joy and you'll ending up dying from laughter! I have nothing bad to say about the acting from any of the actors. All of them seemed to find the perfect balance between comedic timing and heartfelt emotion.
Music: Great! If you stick around for the credits there is even extra singing and dancing that made me lol even more!
Rewatch Value: DO IT! Its so sweet, and cute but has these epic scenes where you'll find yourself grossed out but laughing and unable to fast forward because its so good. That's the only reason I can see for this movie ranking 7.8. I'd recommend it to any rom-com lover *.*
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Palace: The Lock Heart Jade
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Story: Modern day girl time travels to the era of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing dynasty and finds herself in a love triangle with the 4th and 8th brothers in line for the throne. Its nothing new as far as the historical dramas I've seen, but there is such a light feel to how everything unfolds (for the most part) that I don''t think I'll get tired of it anytime soon.
Acting/Cast: I didn't find any of the characters particularly annoying as far as the acting choices go. I know some people (especially after watching BBJX) think that the acting is way over the top and uninspiring, but I enjoyed it.
Music: Solid
Retch Value: Sure. If you enjoyed it the first time around, then watching it again (and skipping some more boring parts) isn't unheard of.
Overall: I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others, but you have to be in the right mindset to watch it. Palace is simply a fun, weekend drama. Nothing more. I wish it had a better score but it can't help but be compared to Scarlet Heart, so it will always be inferior in that way. But given a chance to stand on its own I think more people would enjoy it and rate it a bit higher.
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Seeing some comments people either LOVE this or are indifferent and I can relate to both sides. Let me start by saying that I watched up until episode 23 the first time before I had to put it on hold so I could wait for the rest to be subbed. So, for weeks, I obsessed over this drama and thought I had it pegged as a cute love triangle drama between a naive girl, a Shanghai playboy, and a Triad leader. Once the rest of the drama was subbed and I got the chance to re-watch the entire drama, I found out I was VERY wrong. The first 20+ episodes are cute and romantic with points of seriousness, but the remaining 15 or so episodes are HEAVY on the drama. I'm not complaining. I didnt expect the plot to go in the direction it did, but at the same time, I was not ready for just how bleak the characters and storyline became. I will say this: after watching so many dramas where, after watching half the episodes, I can call who will do what and what will happen, it was refreshing to be surprised. That being said:Story: a love triangle centered around a naive 'country' girl who tries to make it in the big city, been there and done that. But the way the story unfolds, and how Zuo Zhen gets Jinxiu to fall for him is totally sweet and will have you rooting for them for the entire series. The side love stories only added to the main plot and you end up getting invested in ALL of them (even the backstories and romances of the characters I hated I was interested in).
Acting/Cast: I have no complaints. I should note that I love when dramas aren't afraid to give side characters a bigger role and allow the audience to fall in love with them. Sometimes they help make the show what it is, and thats definitely the case here. I would like to give an extra special round of applause to my dear Qi Ji who plays Maeda Ryuichi. I have NEVER seen such a good villain. After seeing him in Cuo Dian Yuan Yang (worth checking out) I got used to seeing him in a more positive light...which was quickly destroyed after Cruel Romance. He plays evil/crazy so well, he became a reason to watch all on his own. And that's all I will say about that for fear of revealing any spoilers :-)
Music: Solid Nothing to write home about, but it certainly helped the tense and dramatic moments.
Rewatch Value:YES! I re-watched the first half and certain scenes multiple times to tide me over until the subs came out.
Overall: I adore this drama. One of my only gripes is the amount of flashbacks, especially towards the end, was a bit too much. And it wasnt that they would flashback to a moment, but for a few scenes worth. One of the last episodes had more than 20 mins of flashbacks (I timed it). I felt they could've devoted some of that time to better wrap up the story at the end rather than show us scenes we've already committed to memory. Also, be warned, there are character deaths. No spoilers, just thought you should know seeing as how I was sobbing for the last few episodes over some much loved characters. Even with all that this still ranks as a 9.5 overall. Definitely worth the time!
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Story: This drama centers around the honor of old samurai families. The way the families were presented gave off more of a Yakuza vibe, but that was one of the things that drew me in. There is an unfortunate love triangle that just KILLS me because we really didn't need that. It was just... sad and heartbreaking.
Acting/Cast:The good characters were angels and the bad characters were downright unforgivable. Aiko was TOO much! But, like any good 'villain,' the plot line would have been so boring and gone nowhere without her. And, even though I went into this drama really interested in the main couple (Seiko and Takeshi) the supporting couple (Mayumi and Ryu) were solid too. (Glad they'll be focused on in the sequel)
Music: Good. Whenever a drama's OST allows me to recognize the drama instantly, I can't really hate it too much.
Rewatch Value: No. Although I love watching Lakorns, the 2 hour runtime is a bit much to sit through the first time around, let alone a second time when I know exactly what is going to happen and when. Especially when it comes to the ending that only wrapped up for our main couple in a happy ending. Most everyone else got a bad ending, and anticlimactic ending or no ending at all. I'll give the writer/director/etc the benefit of the doubt that it was left like it was in hopes that the sequel would cover some.
Overall: I'd recommend it. This isn't something that is easily marathoned like other dramas. As I've said the runtime is a bit much for casual interest. But if you're interested in dipping your toe into the Lakorn pool, this isn't a bad place to start.
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Story: Don't let the summary fool you, like it did me. The drama goes in depth about the lives of the main characters' lives before the major crime happened and how they are all related to each other. Usually its a hit or miss when a drama or movie decides to go from flashbacks and flash forwards in order to solve a mystery, but this totally hit the mark for me. There is slowburn goodness that will make you want to pull your hair out at times, but it never felt like it dragged. And the whole "N" thing was clever and was laced throughout the drama in subtle and cute ways right to the end.
Acting/Cast:This could've been in the melodrama genre there were so many tears and conversations about emotions. Oddly enough, the actors did a fantastic job portraying their characters in a sincere way that I felt for them more than I thought I would and it didn't feel as heavy as it could have. Not for one moment did I consider someone else for any of the roles: everyone from the hard to read and distant Sugishita Nozomi to the doting old landlord. EVERY character was broken in some way, and even though it was only 10 episodes we get to see how deep those scars run for each one. Each individual story was really moving and pitiable. How they were all weaved together was masterful.
Music: Haunting and full of anticipation. Not necessarily an OST I'd download and listen to for fun, but effective.
Rewatch Value: Not really. The core of the story is a mystery, so once you know the how and why everything happened, most of the thrill is gone. (especially considering the ending -_-)
Overall: This is an ultimate slow-burn in romance and mystery. It did take me a few episodes to really get into it, but once I did I couldn't wait to see how everything unfolded. My biggest pet peeve is how the romantic plot ended. I mean REALLY?! Everything else was wrapped up with a nice bow except the 1 plot line I was desperate to end somewhat happily.Still, this is a great watch. Definite recommendation for a stormy weekend.
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Story: Just like Gokusen its a school drama and everything is centered around getting a class full of hooligans to graduate/clean up their act. The only real difference between the 2 dramas is that in Gokusen Yankumi is trying to hide her yakuza family ties and in Misaki Number One!! Misaki is trying to hide her past as a hostess. There are people from the club who rally around to help her when things get tough and her want to help her students is nothing short of cuteness!
Acting/Cast: This is a goofy, feel good show, so the acting isn't necessarily award-worthy, but solid. I liked everyone in their roles and believed them
Music: Good, not great.
Rewatch Value: If you're in the mood for an uplifting and light comedy that makes you feel all warm inside, then there is no limit to the amount of times you can watch this.
Overall: At 10 episodes at 45 minutes this is a perfect weekend drama that I often revisit when I want to cleanse my drama palate with something I know will not disappoint.
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