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Grumpy Witch
Wild Hollow
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Should Have Ended at 20-24 Episodes
There might be spoilers, read at your own riskIt has been a while since I have written a review and this will be more like a short commentary than a review, but here it goes.
I love fantasy dramas and I really like these time-space travel types of shows. I love watching the character’s reactions and how they try to navigate a completely unknown location and time. However, I felt robbed of that in this drama, especially since the male lead learned to figure out technology faster than many people who have been living in contemporary times their whole lives.
The drama was mostly light, cute, and funny at first, although it was sprinkled with some seriousness here and there. I even thought misunderstandings would be solved fast as the situation with her coworker, I cannot remember his name and cannot be bothered to look it up, was resolved pretty quickly. I was so wrong. About halfway through the show, it became boring, nonsensical, and repetitive. It was so repetitive that I kept thinking, “Really?!?! How many times is this dude going to be on his deathbed and how many times is she going to break up with him?”.
Once the Zhou Wei (?) villain situation was “resolved”, I thought “finally!”. But no! The drama had more plans in store for us. *Obsessively in love with female lead brother enter stage left* This arc was hard to watch. It was frustrating, it was dragged, and felt like some form of ancient torture. When they finished the brother arc, it wasn’t enough. So for the last two episodes we are subjected to Zhou Wei again. Only he is in the contemporary world and does better at finding free clothes, learning tech, and entering places, which I would think would high security, than I ever could dream of. All of this, while hurt.
The drama is full of the usual cliches like long drawn misunderstandings, break-ups, third wheels obsessed with main leads, and… well, I won’t mention the end. If you have watched this type of drama before, it will not be surprising.
This drama would have stayed pleasant if it ended at 24 episodes (or even less). For me, it went from being a delightful watch to being tedious and almost feeling like it was a chore to watch the show.
I am never rewatching this and would not recommend it to anyone, but I also think that if watchers are hesitant, they should watch it for themselves and form their own opinion.
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Story: It's not an original story, even the synopsis tells it so, but it was very enjoyable.
Acting/ Casting: Lee Minki, who I have recently seen in his cameo on the drama "Shut Up: Flower Boy Band", has captured my heart with his acting once again. He is truly a magnificent actor who just gives to his characters a life of their own. I have to mention that both characters he played have a very distinctive feel to them and I just want to see him in more and more things.
I had only seen Son Ye Jin in "Personal Taste", and although I did like the drama, I wasn't that impressed with her in that particular role. But she was just perfect as Yeo Ri. Both of them made the characters likable and believable and that just made me sympathize with them and the things which were happening to, and around, them.
They have really good chemistry together.
I also liked the supporting actors. The movie had a great cast all around.
Music: It felt like it belonged at all times and complemented the scenes nicely.
Rewatch: I will definitely re-watch this movie more than a few times.
Overall: The movie is almost two hours long, but it felt less than that because I was totally immersed in the movie (I did stop it once just to post on the discussion thread. But that had nothing to do with the movie and all with the subs I found). I think this a very well done movie.
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I had watched anime last year and when I found out about the movie I couldn't wait. I had fallen in love with the story and how they go about it. The movie is not fast paced since the story itself isn't. It is somewhat slow, but the almost two hours went by fairly fast all the same.
The two main actors, Matsuyama Kenichi and Ashida Mana, do such a great job acting that even without obvious caring words, they pull off showing how much their bond and relationship has grown as time passes. I also liked the acting of the rest of the cast.
The music leaves something to be desired, but for me, it doesn't hinder the story at all.
This is the first movie adaptation I've been happy with in a while, so I'll definitely re-watch it sometime.
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Embrace in the Dark Night
44 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Equal Parts Scared and Excited
This drama… Oh, this drama. I don’t even know why I started this as I rarely watch present-day Chinese dramas, minis or otherwise, and most I do watch are because they have an actor I like. But I have to say, what a ride this has been. I would categorize this drama as a dark romance. The story has another one of those troupes where the male lead is basically screaming through his actions “I’m giving you trauma because I love you and want to protect you”. But this one had an added spiciness to it. A lot of it. Every time I read the title, I wondered if it was an analogy for us viewers to embrace the darkness of the show. This one definitely kept me wondering about my own moral compass…The male lead becomes more and more unhinged as the story moves forward. The word psycho kept popping up in my head every time he did something. I’ll be honest, this man both scared and excited me. I never thought WX, the female lead, was the brightest crayon in the box, but I didn’t think she was a dumbass either. That is until around episode 10, I changed my mind then. Her actions had become particularly sloppy and it was clear she was winging it. This is not a situation where you just “wing it”. The male lead kept having to save her. Although, he was also working against her. If he had communicated with her, she probably wouldn’t have done some many things without thinking them through. Am I giving her too much credit? I am. Their dynamic mostly screamed of abusive relationship and even for me, some things were hard to watch.
The acting… Okay, so the actress portraying the female lead was terrible. She had mostly one expression throughout the whole show and that was scared bunny. She was also very stiff. All of the characters, villains included, were cartoonish versions of what a well depicted character of their type would be. This includes the main leads, although the main lead actor did act really well in a few scenes. Ling Yuan, the “second male lead”, if he can even be called that, was also unhinged. He was also as obsessed with our male lead as I was. In one scene, he laments he has to buy his own chocolates, as if he went through a break up with Xu Zhe Qing. Which to be honest, he kind of did. You can have break ups with friends also and these break ups sometimes hurt more than one with a partner. Should that have been as funny as I found it? Probably not, but I was dying from laughter. Also, the OST was perfectly chosen for this show. The songs echoed possession and being possessed and of danger lurking in every corner. I enjoyed that very much as I felt it was fitting. The show also ends in what can be considered a cliffhanger, but it can also be considered as a "their adventures continue" and I don't need to actually see, but am happy to imagine it.
Did I think this was a masterpiece? Not at all. Was it entertaining? Yes. Also, Did I mention it was spaaaicy? Because it was. If you try to make sense of how things happen in this drama, you will get a headache. However, if you watch it for what it is, mindless fun, you'll be wheezing from laughing so much.
Note: If you have a hard time watching abusive relationships and possessive male leads on screen, it would be best to skip this one.
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But as good as the story was, there was one thing which bothered me too much to be overlooked: the main character, Na Mi Roo. This woman was not what I imagined for the main lead of this drama. For me, she didn't fit the concept of it at all. She was annoying beyond belief and a few times I wanted to physically hurt her. At times, it also felt like the character wasn't well written. I didn't feel she had much character growth, if any at all. It was like she was meant to be an ordinary and forgettable supporting character and they decided to make her the main one at the very last minute.
So, in one hand we have "loser Mi Roo" and on the other we have Tanya. Now this character was awesome. She was interesting, mysterious, had depth, was funny... In other words, she was everything I had hoped the main character of this drama would be. I also felt she had much more character growth, and was better written, than Mi Roo.
Besides Tanya, all the other characters were also interesting and I actually wanted to know more about them and the reasons behind their actions. The wonderful portrayal of those characters was what kept me watching this drama.
The OST of the drama was good. I already knew some of the songs because they were in English and the opening credits track was very catchy.
And the ending was not common, but not unpredictable since I had a feeling it would end like that.
As much as I loved some of the characters (like 4-D writer Lee, awesome Tanya and cute Kwang Woo) and thought the story was very good, I cannot subject myself to watching Mi Roo for 16 episodes again, so I do not ever plan on re-watching this drama again.
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Acting/Cast:
The acting, for me, wasn't very good, but some of the other Chinese dramas I have attempted to watch have very similar acting style. So, if you like, and watch a lot of, Chinese/Taiwanese dramas the acting probably won't be a problem.
There were a few interesting characters in the drama. Sometimes, it was amusing to watch the choices they made and the way they handled the consequences of those choices. They also made it easier for me to digest some of my not so favorite characters. I actually liked some of the "bad" guys more than the "good" ones. The reasons why they did some things seemed to logical and very close to reality. I know I would do almost the same things as Hu Ji did if I were in her shoes.
Some of the minor/guest characters were laughable. They looked like they were part of a bad cosplay...play; pink wigs and all.
Music:
I thought the OST was very good. Actually, I loved the OST. I felt it went accordingly to each scene and I still listen to some of the songs.
Re-watch:
The drama is fantasy and I love fantasy based dramas & movies, so it was very appealing for me. And while, I wouldn't re-watch the full drama again, I will definitely go back to my favorite scenes and episodes.
Overall:
There are a few other things I loved about the drama like the fighting/battle scenes, which had a lot of the fantasy element in them and I loved when Yao Yao, or Xian Yue, played the flute. The costumes (especially those of the female characters)were amazing and gorgeous. There were also some parts where breathtaking scenery could be seen.
I really wanted to give this drama an 8. I really did and I actually had scored it that before I made the review, but have now changed it. Why? Well, even though the drama is far from perfect, it does have it own charm and I found it very entertaining, but I just didn't like the ending. The ending ruined the last episode for me, which was otherwise great.
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Acting: I really liked the acting. The initial reactions everyone had, the way people mourned. I've never seen a "nokanshi" work, but the way the actors gave life to the ritual in those scenes through the movement of their hands, and body in general, made it look like art. It was beautiful and I felt fascinated by all of it.
The way the movie closed was also touching and beautiful.
Music: The music was excellent. It created the right atmosphere by intensifying the feelings and actions the actors were portraying or by creating a calm atmosphere when needed. It never felt like it didn't belonged.
One thing you should know before starting this movie is that it's not a terribly exciting like those with lots of action sequences. It has a slow kind of pace, but it's over before you know it because of the way the story flows and the way the music helps that flow. It also has a few minor comedic scenes tossed in there. I'm sure I'll eventually re-watch it.
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Mejaz Regulus in The World
15 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Quick and Uncomplicated Watch
I started watching this on a whim because I have been watching short(er) dramas lately and this seems to fit that category. Plus, I like shows centered around demons and all that jazz. The Fragments of Kylin was a short, mostly enjoyable watch, featuring a sweet and noble male lead, bubbly female lead, and fun side characters. I am neither amazed nor disappointed by this show because it wasn’t one of my highly anticipated ones and I wasn’t expecting much from it. While the female lead being bubbly did not bother me, I preferred her attitude and personality when she was in the demon’s realm. The Demon lord version of the female lead promised angst and pain, which I very much wanted, but sadly never got. Despite it being a lower budget show, they had some pretty costumes and even some of the CGI and OST songs were decent.If you want a quick, easy, uncomplicated story with some funny moments, this is it. It’s perfect if you commute to work and just want some mindless fun while making sure no one talks to you.
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Wo Ai Ni?
Overall, while it's not a masterpiece, this is a fun little drama you can watch whenever you have a few minutes free or while commuting by train to and from work. The action was questionable at times, some of the characters never grew on me while others became annoying, and it dragged a bit for me towards the end. However, while the story is not amazing, I did find it funny sometimes, some of the fights are entertaining, and Li Jiu Lin, whether shirtless or not, is always a plus and I giggled a couple of times like a giddy schoolgirl when he was being adorable.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Acting: It was just OK (though some were less than OK), but to be honest I had hoped that Kang Sora would do a better job since she was one the actresses in the group. I did like JinWoon, he did better than I had thought he would and I, also, liked Jung Yeon Joo's character and her portrayal of it.
Music: The music was great. For me, it was the best part of the drama. I loved the performances and the preparation scenes which took place before them. I also liked the "non-competition" music scenes.
Re-watch: I do no plan to re-watch this drama since I found it lacked a lot and I can just search for the clips involving the music parts, which is the reason why I even rated it a 5.
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But towards the middle of the drama, the story seems to drag. I knew a lot was happening, but at the same time it seemed like nothing was and I tend to have the attention span of a five year old.
Another problem I had was with the production team (I guess). The transitions both from scene to scene and the lapses in time seemed chaotic and I was often confused as to why they didn't make these smoother.
Having said that, I did love the story. I would have been able to enjoy it more if they had managed to piece the scenes together better than they did. I also loved the gorgeous costumes. And this drama has some of the best employed flashback scenes I have seen.
It's not the worst drama I have ever seen since I managed to fully complete it, but it's not the best one out there either.
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Drama Special Series Season 1: Dream of 400 Years
20 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Another good thing about this drama is the flashbacks. This is one of the few times I've felt flashbacks are completely necessary and actually helped in the storytelling. I believe they were employed well, and even though they were used a few times, I didn't feel they were abused and that every single one of them achieved its purpose.
The acting was good and the two main leads were more than just good.I thought they portrayed their characters very well. The music helped convey the emotions of those characters too. The only thing that wasn't good were some rather strange/fake effects, but those are not used a lot.
I have to mention another thing which is not really important, but this is possibly the only drama where I have to bow to the stylists. I loved the costumes, both the modern time clothes and the ones in the historical time.
I will very likely be re-watching it soon since it's only two episodes and it doesn't drag.
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We Are Family
I love the type of shows where I go in with very low expectations because of what the trailers show and because I may not like one of the cast, but by the end, I am satisfied and feeling slightly nostalgic because the show and the watching experience were completely different from what I was expecting. Romance on the Farm is one of those shows. And to think I almost did not watch this because of the main lead actress.However, I decided to still give it a go because of Joseph Zeng. I became a fan after his role in Mysterious Lotus Casebook. I said to myself, “At worst, I would end up dropping it. At best, I would enjoy it and add it to my ever growing completed list.” I almost did end up dropping it like 8 minutes into episode 1 because I could not stand the family. But then Shen Nu came into the picture and I forgot all about dropping it. In fact, I enjoyed it.
This is probably the first drama I have watched with Tian Xi Wei where her character didn’t bother me to the point of yelling at the TV. I attribute this to the Lians. I was too busy hating all of them to even focus on her. They let them get away with too much because "they were family" and they just had made a "little mistake". The worst of them all were the grandma and Shouren's family, his wife, Madame Gu, and daughter, Hua'Er. If the transgressions these made were little mistakes (according to the grandfather) I would hate to see what they would have considered big ones. They were definitely an intense gaming experience.
Additionally, although the character the main female actress portrayed did lack some sense in some things, and the male lead kept coming to her rescue, it wasn’t as terribly lacking as the characters I have watched in previous dramas. I still feel she is typecasting herself, and wish she would take more challenging roles, but I managed to be moved by her in some parts of this show. Around the midway point of the show, the male lead leaves to take care of some things and I was somewhat bored without him around. I was battling myself to stay awake without the Lians being as prominent as they were in previous episodes. I thought I wouldn’t even say this, but I kind of missed their toxic existences.
Despite its title, there is not much romance but we have the pleasure of witnessing cute and heartwarming moments between different couples and on the occasions when the main leads kissed, they were REAL kisses. *wiggles eyebrows* I also loved the OST. Usually using contemporary sounds in a mostly period piece feel awkward and out of place, but not in this one. Plus, Joseph Zeng sang an OST and it fit the story and scenes perfectly.
Although the show doesn’t delve deeper into some issues post-game, as it ended almost immediately after she came out of the virtual experience, and I am still curious about how long she was in there, I am satisfied with all the endings, both the in-game one and real life one (even before the special) as I felt they were fitting. I can see myself rewatching this show, even the initial episodes when the Lians were stabby hand gesture worthy.
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I liked it because it was entertaining, cute moments included. It also had an air of mystery since right along with them we are also wondering where this woman came from and who the heck she is. And since it was short, it went straight to the point, which is something I really like.
I don't remember any of the music played, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If I was bored and didn't feel like watching a long drama, I would re-watch this in the future.
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The Writers Forgot...
I watched this as part of a watch party. For the most part, the first six episodes of the show, although not perfect, were fun, and the story surrounding his biological father had me intrigued. The comedy, although exaggerated, had me cackling. I enjoyed them a lot. Up till then, the show was an 8 to an 8.5. Then, episode 7 happened.The show went on a downward spiral from there. I thought it would recover before the end, but it didn't. The female lead was annoying and childish. Her crying started grating on my nerves and the way she kept hitting the male lead's head despite knowing his condition baffled me. She was completely devoid of critical thinking. Hae Jo, the male lead, had strong douchebag tendencies. I know the way he tried to push people out of his life stemmed from the neglect he suffered while growing up, but there were times that I had to shake my head at the comments he made to the people around him. They were honestly kind of perfect for each other... There were also too many filler scenes and dubious relationships. At times, it felt like the writer(s) were suffering from the same terminal illness as the male lead. Why would you write all this tension surrounding Eo Heung and John, only to have her ask him to be her second son? What? Come again? That was not the only strange relationship dynamic, there were others. It was like they simply forgot what they had written previously. The reconciliation with the trash father was also irritating, anticlimactic, and felt like an afterthought as it was not well developed. I am not going to delve deeper into that. This show could have also been 8 episodes. It did not need 10. This story had so much potential and it could have been one of the better 2024 K-dramas.
The show features California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas which is honestly one of my favorite songs and the other OST songs are decent too. It also had beautiful cinematography. There were truly beautiful shots.
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