27
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AthenaTheStorierX
United States
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A Simple Story of Being in Love, But the MC Got Lost in the Mix
There's a certain level of comfort that I always get from the miniseries and short films produced by Rela/The L (The company behind a seemingly popular Chinese lesbian dating and community app). There's an endearing simplicity to their storytelling signature and tone. Such as the amount of value and emphasis they put on small everyday moments, rather than big grand gestures.This particular story shows the evolution of a sort of friendship between Cooka and Tina, after Tina comes to Cooka's talent agency and fails to impress. Cooka, having an eye for talent, immediately takes her to get a classic romcom style makeover and their friendship (and Cooka's feelings) grows throughout subsequent interactions together afterwards. I can see why Cooka fell for Tina. She has a contagious bubbly personality that really livens up the room.
But alas, I think most people have had an some sort of experience falling for someone, knowing full well that it will never be able to be reciprocated. And that is what this film shows viewers. But rather than doing so in a queerbait-y way, it felt realistic. The producers essentially pranked the audience (which I do have a tendency to love) by showing what Cooka wished was the case, before reality came to hit her like a rock. But we still manage to end on a high note, by showing that there may be someone looking at you with hearts in their eyes while you are looking elsewhere. And by suggesting that a heartbreak now can lead you into a great love story later.
The music also reflected all these elements, starting off cutesy, before becoming more emotional and bittersweet.
My only major con here is the fact that I don't feel like we knew Cooka. The focus was so much on her love and the subject of her love, that she, as a character, got lost in the mix.
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Edge-of-seat action with heart-melting displays of mundane affection
With a story of a repenting assassin forced back into the fray of killers and former allies, there were many ways that this story could have went wrong. But all the way through, the story and characters stayed true themselves. Even while they surprised me as a viewer. In addition to the reveals keeping me engaged, I found each of the multiple fight sequences absolutely gripping (and well-choreographed). There was no room almost anywhere in this film to potentially multitask to.The fact that the romance gets established pretty quickly in the film allows for the focus to stay on the action-filled plot as well. But, make no mistake, I still found myself feeling incredibly soft to our married leads. Their relatively mundane shows of affection, painted as normal and natural even in the face of danger, melted my heart on more than one occasion.
The antagonists were well-written as well. All of them had pretty well-founded motivations and were not over-the-top in their villainy. They felt like actual bodied antagonists, rather than comic-book, exaggerated, or for-the-sake-of-it villains.
At this rate, I might need to sit down and just watch all of Michelle Yeoh's wuxias.
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Despite potential, held very little appeal in multiple regards
It's a pity that this turned out this way, because the acting was fantastic. And the basics of the story was intriguing. And I tend to ADORE reincarnation stories. Especially stories that involve reincarnation in multiple ways/areas.But the story was inconsistent. I think chief among this set of complaints is the Female Lead. She's CENTURIES old and has a divine boost to her powers - but she was consistently weak, despite claims by the characters to the contrary. You can be kind-hearted, without being weak. I was very disappointed with this aspect of her character.
The CGI was unimpressive and the music added nothing to the aura of the story at all. So there weren't even non-story elements to praise.
And above all, take it from someone who appreciates all kinds of endings: That ending was so purely unthought-out that I'm still reeling. Like, it was a closed ending, but are we supposed to just accept that? There's just so, so much wrong with it.
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Zhang Gong Zhu Zhai Shang
5 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Perfection (of the Made-For-Social-Media Variety)
I really liked the story of this drama. And this was a perfect micro/made-for-social-media series (which, naturally, when compared to a standard production drama, is riddled with flaws). It was great to see such an intelligent FL pulling on people's perceptions and alliances to help her meet her goals - the exact extent of which viewers did not see until the end.The main actors, although quite stiff, had some good chemistry together. I hope that we can see more of them as they possibly develop their skills more. They were spotted in an advertisement together, so the possibility is there.
I don't recall anything of note music-wise, but it did fit the drama and the scenes and never broke my immersion. There are a few details and reveals added toward the end that could intrigue viewers into a re-watch - with both the main and support characters.
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I can see the artistic intent, but it was too uncomfy for me
I went in relatively blind. All I knew was that it was a dance arthouse film with no dialogue, and relatively sapphic undertones at times.My very first thought coming in was that the sound was very much ASMR-quality. Personally, the only sounds I liked was the pen scratching the paper and the sounds related to the water. Everything else was quite uncomfy. Even the background music that would show up from time to time put me on edge - and I didn't get the impression that it was supposed to. Visually it was rather off-putting too. I was prepared for it to go a body horror route at any minute, but it always stopped short of it.
Without reading the description, I was wondering if these 4 women in white that the house's resident can't see were actually an embodiment of her random impulsive thoughts as she went about her daily tedium and musician's block. They gave off a very "last brain cell" vibe. I did wind up reading the description a few minutes in and was able to shift my view on them pretty quickly. They're spirits. Spirits that are caught up in all the childlike wonder of their senses. Sounds. Smells. Sights. Textures. They got excited over each new discovery, getting swept away by their implications. Sometimes dangerously (and creepily) so.
I liked the overall story, but was left with questions (that the director's interview mostly cleared up). And I didn't like some of the choices made in the story's portrayal - even once i got past the sounds. Nonetheless, the spirits' smiles were semi-contagious and the contemporary dance sequences were pleasing to watch.
At least the musicians' house is temporarily cleaned of its build up of regular human detritus?
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Secret Love: Love Behind One's Back
4 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Story had a good blueprint, but could have been tighter.
First and foremost, that description is misleading.The idea was sound. It was a classic case of changing circumstances resulting in shifting feelings and emotional infidelity. I felt bad for Tar, who said from the very beginning to just let him know if anything ever changes in their relationship. It was a shame to see how their situation made him snap at the end. But it can be explained away by his desperation.
What can't be explained is how very little is actually communicated. Like, it seems like Wan never actually acted on his attraction to Ohm. The only thing he ever confessed to is having fallen for him and nothing is ever shown on the screen. So why wasn't that ever brought up? Also, Ohm is fully aware that the situation with the watch was a misunderstanding. Why didn't he try to defend himself and explain? And Wan told Ohm that he was having trouble with Tar because they didn't get to see each other much anymore. But yet, when talking to Tar himself, he said it was because they spent too much time together. Which one was it/ And why did Ohm's personality seem to change halfway through the film? So it left me very confused in places.
Everyone here is in the wrong. But as Wan himself stated, Wan was the most guilty one. Ohm blatantly pursued and flirted with Wan fully knowing that Wan was taken. But Wan let himself be swayed. Which makes it even worse when Tar had actually tried to open up communication on the matter multiple times, in a civil manner. At any point, Wan could have sat and reflected about what he was feeling. But he just went along with it, all the way until it blew up in his face. And then he still didn't communicate effectively. Meanwhile, Tar escalated the situation in his desperation, putting Wan on the spot on the radio twice and orchestrating a misunderstanding (which, I might add, put him in just as much hot water as it did Ohm).
There was an interesting proposition and set up to make them a throuple. And yes, they could have worked well together in theory. But that was before all of the mess they all caused. If they had gotten into the proposed relationship at that stage, it would have been very toxic moving forwards. So I must give props to Wan for analyzing that situation and not giving it a shot. I also appreciate that the writers didn't try to use it as some sort of easy solution for their conflict. None of them deserved to be with each other. And as such, the ending felt right for this story, even if it is labelled as a sad ending.
I watched this production to see some of early work of the many familiar faces in the cast and crew. As such, I wouldn't consider this a waste of time. But the story could have been tighter in terms of characters and clarity for viewers. I would have also appreciated seeing some references to relationship troubles having been building up even before the job change (or more references to the passage of time), so that it didn't feel as sudden.
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A diverse exploration of love that is easy to fall in love with.
A gorgeous exploration of relationships that we don't see often, especially in Asian dramas. We have a divorced career woman in an age gap friends-to-lovers couple. A new elderly and wage gap relationship between a farmer and bank executive. And a relationship between a relatable gay man and a womanizing bisexual. We also see some other great dynamics with a jilted lesbian best friend, a nontraditional family dynamic, and a potentially aromatic character (my interpretation).Ultimately the show explores love, in all the different forms it may come in - ending with absolutely adorable, mature, and healthy relationships all around. But it also explores goals and boundaries - which is especially important in relationships. A great show with great messages - and annoyances (of which there are quite a few, especially with the mains) that don't overstay their welcome quite as long as in other dramas.
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Simple but Fun and Engaging Rivals/Friends to Lovers Tale
Look, I'm not going to lie. It's a simple plot. Boy meets girl. They instantly hit it off. Girl has boyfriend and they don't talk. They meet up again later down the line and it's like nothing happened. Except now theyre rivals pining for funding for their competing app start-ups. Add in some espionage hijinks and friendship messages, and you get a movie that's not entirely unlike what you may have watched when younger.However, it was *very* engaging. How far would the espionage go? When would the gig get called off? Will they ever decide to just work together and create one app with both of their strengths combined? And somehow, every time I though we would hit such plot points, we didn't. I also loved how even some of the small things came full-circle by the end of the movie.
And then there were the budding romance scenes. Their balance of being rivals and being friends/mutual crushes was just excellently done. They really did forget they were rivals for a period there. They were just two people working towards their ideas and cheering each other on quietly. And the laser tag get-togethers? They had me grinning so much, lol.
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Kekkon Aite wa Chusen de
3 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Spouse Lottery: A bill from dystopia for character growth
From the moment I read the synopsis, I was quite taken by the prospect of this drama. A law that requires you to enter into a dating lottery system? With consequences should you come out unmarried? That sounds so much like something you would find in a dystopia! The only other things I knew coming in was that there was social commentary including LGBTQ+ issues and possible ace rep.And then quickly after starting, i became taken with all the various issues and concerns all the characters, main and supporting, had for choosing or winding up single between the ages of 25-39. Not only were their respective experiences well included, but also the surrounding societal commentary that people seem to think marriage (and having children) is a requirement of being human, instead of a right that people may or may not personally partake in. We see people struggling with this societal ideal for reasons such as career aspirations, infertility, physical or mental health, trauma, gender norms and expectations, sexuality, and many more. It really showed just how many victims of this mentality there are, even if the context it was brought up in during this drama was an exaggeration of real life - as Japan's decreasing birth rate has become a subject of economic and infrastructural concern even in real life.
While we did see lesbians and gay characters, I cannot really confirm any ace/aro rep. Most people were single for other reasons than a lack of sexual/romantic attraction. One could make an argument for our male lead Tacchan (Tatsuhiko), but there's so much intersectionality going on between the plot and his mental illness to say with any certainty. Everything could be explained away. So, a decent headcanon for those who think so (though you don't really need any permission for headcanons, lol), but I wouldn't really advertise it as a story with ace rep.
Another key topic i'd like to discuss is the rep of mental illness. Tacchan has OCD, mysophobia, and misanthropy. I liked that these weren't the product of a gruesome trauma, but rather a moment of humiliation and insecurity that stuck in a different way than most. I liked that it was consistently shown and not forgotten about when convenient. Indeed, the only time he forgets about it is when he's so busy with something else, something that he finds fulfilling and helpful - something that he established in the very beginning of the drama (yay, internal consistency, and i have heard of similar cases in reality). However, I did have a problem with how close we got to "love cures all" with the OCD and mysophobia. We got very close folks. Like a strong hand from a person he cares about will make such an instant improvement. It wasn't cured, but it was so greatly reduced that, well, it could've been. Not to mention that she quite literally says "it's not an illness, it's a habit" and "doctors are just looking to diagnose you" without ever being called out on it.
My main other complaints are that the ending speeches were not satisfying, and even seemed to excuse this inhumane bill to a point. If a government ever did do something of this sort, it should be a program to opt in to, not a bill that has hypothetically severe consequences if you do not follow.
But, I did enjoy the drama for the characters, their growth, and the various perspectives shown in relation to the plot. I can see myself watching this again - especially for the notable character growth from 3 of the 4 main characters that were well paced.
Quotes:
"Saying that marriage is our duty as a human... is a joke."
"If we don't get married, does that mean the country won't acknowledge us as humans?”
"Because all sorts of people live in Tokyo. They're chasing after all sorts of dreams. And escaped from all sorts of things. They may look satisfied... but that's not the case. There are things that they can't let go of. Their feelings become complicated and entangled. It's just a melting pot of those types of people... Tokyo is."
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But I had two problems:
We could obviously see Tou becoming soft towards Iris, with the subtlety that could easily be interpreted as love. But Iris could just as well have been interpreted as growing a friendship with him. Especially with the absence of romantic moments and gazes.
Secondly, Tou's voice tapes come into focus a few times as important. Rather like journal entries. But while I got the sense that they were important, we weren't quite privy to how important, or why. I would have appreciated a touch more time with this element, or a better picked out excerpt from it.
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Feels Like a Story Meant For Teenage Boys...
Here's the thing. The characters are fairly interesting. I loved the twins and their rocky relationship. They were the only good thing about this drama. Always bickering. One has a deep seated resentment for the other. But they still have a deep love for each other (just don't you dare mention it to them). The dynamics between all 4 cousins were fun to watch from time to time as well. I just about died when they were all slapping each other to stay awake.But Frong (or Frank, according to the WeTV official subs) is terribly inconsistent as a character, besides a deep love for desserts. And Kade was giving off major red flags to me as a woman. His behavior towards the FL was unacceptable. And this was even before the twins drew me in. If it wasn't for how short the series was, I would have dropped it because of him alone. As it was, I kept this on 2.0x speed the entire time.
Because it wasn't just the characters. It was also the premise itself. Four (supposedly adult) men see a woman and make a plan to take turns trying to woo her. At first I was thinking the story was going to address how bad of an idea it was, and have the FL freak out when she finds out. Nope. The FL is an awful person. That's all there is to it.
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In some ways, I'm remined of a club scene in the BL short film Verona (2010). But could not vibe in the same way as I did to Verona. The music was effectively the sound equivalent to strobe lights. Combined with the essentially strobe-style scene portrayals and switching - I felt a very unpleasant level of anxiety. It's probably purposeful, to show Noah's chaos, but it leant to a personally unpleasant experience.
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A collection of writers/directors for a collection of diversely told diverse stories.
Some of the stories were really touching, others (namely the second one) were quite cringe. As all of these tales are being told under an overarching storyline of a radio host reading stories submitted by listeners, each of the stories consist of a different style (which is aided along by the real-world fact that each of these stories had a different director/screenwriter). This diversity of storytelling styles really lends well to the overarching story. And I think all viewers will find stories that they both either liked or disliked featured in this omnibus.These tales are filled with the pain of not-meant-to-be's, self-sacrifice, and missed opportunities. There's a diversity of characters and a diversity of reasons their love was left unrequited, and even unconfessed in some.
It was overall a good watch. It had a clear tone and mood. The acting was well-done. And I love omnibus/anthology stories, especially when there is an overarching storyline connecting everything (as opposed to only linked by theme). The music was mostly ambient/classical style, but lent well to the tones of the scenes when noticed. Nothing particularly blew me away though, and I doubt that the majority of the film will prove to be a lasting sort of memorable.
*Note: at the time of this review, the order of the stories listed in the description is different than the order presented in the movie itself.
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More Artistic Than Emotional
Overall, I found this film to be more artistic than emotional. You can definitely see why the two main actors went on to become pretty well-known names, so I wouldn't say it was linked to performance. But rather the style.The frequent switch between silence and noise kept jarring me out of immersion. I really wish they had stuck with one or the other, or used it more sparingly. We also get the ML's thoughts in the form of a black out screen with korean written across it. I feel like what was being thought was important, but the blackout screen didn't help me connect to the character. So perhaps an interlude scene of the ML signing his thoughts would have been more effective. Or even seeing him writing it down in a diary. It's just so important in a short film to keep us connected to the characters, and this film just didn't accomplish that in my opinion.
Visually, it was quite effective and striking though. We got a really comprehensive look at how our characters were feeling, both through their acting and through the way they were visually shot amongst other characters. Or even lighting (such as the green lighting that seemed to suggest our MC's jealousy). It was used with such efficiency to instantly tell us the story and the state of our characters.
I am not particularly qualified to speak to the accuracy of the deaf portrayal, so if what I say next is incorrect - please feel free to correct me. I would love to hear qualified thoughts on this and will gladly adjust my review accordingly.
Based on my interactions with deaf content creators on social media and with other deaf-themed and/or deaf-produced productions, something seemed off with how the MC's vocalizations were portrayed. They didn't seem to have the same sound aspects that I am familiar with. I also initially thought the presence of the sounds were supposed to be indicative of him being comfortable with his friend, as he tended to be quiet in crowds. But then we get a scene towards the end that shows that's not necessarily the case - so then it felt like this aspect was being used to make a story statement, rather than reflecting the character. So I don't know if I can say that the representation is well-done, nor could I find anything/anyone elsewhere speaking to it either.
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
This film was a breed of mysticism and magical realism that you so rarely see anymore. One that demands the viewer to take time and weigh the details in their mind (so much so, that i had to draft this review in a word document, rather than straight into the MDL textbox). One that provides ample fruit for analysis upon reconsumption. One that requires absolute mastery of cinematography and characters.“Are we really in the present? I don’t know. We are losing the certainty of being in the present. It could be the past. It could be the future.”
Put in the most simplest of terms, this was a story of reincarnation and rebirth. In it, we see two converging timelines of parallel souls anchored to the forest in which the story takes place. At first, it’s subtle. Mere flickers of visions across Joan’s consciousness. But towards the end, we see it leak into her reality more and more, until she comes to a revelation. The “vision” herb/fungus for which she felt a desperate and indescribable need to find (“I don’t know. I don’t know. I need it.”) wasn’t for her happiness. Nor even mankind’s.
But rather to heal and cleanse the forest of the tragedy that simultaneously happened long in the past and in the present (“I’m looking at two suns existing simultaneously. One in the water, the other on top of the hill.”). The tragedy that created unrest in the forest. The tragedy that seeped agony and pain even into the next iteration of their souls. Afterall, “love never stops.” Even when it looks still. It’s also the tragedy that the old man in the forest comments about it being a sad thought that when he passed, no one would be left to remember those graves on top of the hill. The tragedy of the young father-to-be killed in a hunting accident. And that of the young mother who (presumably) died shortly after giving birth to their son.
The son that the old crone, an old entity who sees not through her eyes but through her mystical connection to the forest that her life is so intrinsically tied to (honestly, she reminds of Mother Willow from the Pocahontas cartoon), carried through the tunnel into the near past. The son who is adopted by the old man telling the story in the forest, and who is given the name Rin. The son who found his way into a familial dynamic with the reincarnated souls of his parents.
And when the 3 should-have-been family members finally reunited and found themselves under the old and cleansing Juniper tree that they have all been drawn to throughout the story, that’s when “vision” is born. Or, the final merging of these 2 parallel timelines. And we see the spirit of the young father-to-be, smiling at what is finally possible, and walking off into the woods – his soul finally able to move on.
And what better method of rebirth, than that of fire – which has been intrinsically related to rebirth in both worldwide mythologies and in nature. And fueled by the wind that is Aki, who guided all the key players into making it possible.
And I think what's great about this film, is that this is all just one interpretation. But they all have the potential to deeply move a viewer. For instance, a fellow reviewer who analyzes the story through a lens that does not include reincarnation.
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