Michael Tang
While You Were Sleeping
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The amount of hate that this drama is receiving is astounding to me because in my opinion this has been a stand-out drama among many other dramas that were considered vastly popular this year including Suspicious Partner, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, and others. The other reviews on this site seem to be incoherent and sort of click-bait so I will try to be as analytical and straightforward as I can with my review. My overall thought is that this is a drama that is great to watch once and feel good about the romance, the justice system and the characters.Disclaimer: I am not a Lee Jong Suk or Suzy fanboy (or many other actors to begin with) so I have no personal feelings for any of the actors.
Disclaimer 2: I value storyline/plot and character/character development extremely highly and far above music which is also above replay value, but I will analyze each in their own category.
Storyline/Plot:
This plot is one of the most interesting yet not confounding plots (I’m looking at you ‘W’) that I have seen in a Korean drama in recent memory. Many recent dramas have been historical dramas that are trying to break the past tropes for a fresh feeling or are mundane/ “normal-life” struggles dramas that bring in new and ironically less “normal” characters. This is something different and interesting because it ties together two interesting aspects: fantasy which are essentially seeing the future through dreams and the justice system. Two aspects that are usually very different but through this drama are associated in a fresh way.
Now, onto the actual plot. I think the pacing was done superbly well and the inserts of flashbacks was well timed. My main complaint about the plot was that there were a few plot holes that were never truly covered. Firstly, why is Suzy able to see dreams about random people when the original idea was that whoever saves you will be who you dream about just like all the other characters? How did Suzy start dreaming to begin with? What is the motive for the detective to hide that he does not know Suzy and Lee Jong Suk? These issues are sort of touched upon but glossed over because there is no real answer to them.
Besides plot holes, everything about this was very good. There are people that complain that the flashbacks and past were not impactful enough but the contrast between past and present that the director/producer used was actually well done. I knew that the plot would be interesting and good when the first episode consisted of Suzy killing herself and Lee Jong Suk struggling with what he saw in his dream just as any other person. Secondly, I believe that one of the strongest points of the drama was the incorporation of the premise of the show into the romance and the melodrama portion. There are some dramas that try to be too many things at once and often fail at all of them or are unable to incorporate all of them. This drama does a superb job of incorporating the dreams into the romance, the justice system, everyday life and the conflicts as a whole.
Overall, one of the best plots done in recent history. This drama is logical (including the fantasy of dreaming of course) and also touches upon some key ideas in an interesting way. What do you do if you know the future? Can you change it? Is changing the future the right thing to do? Is the legal system perfect? Morality over personal interest? All decisions have consequences whether you like it or not. All of these aspects are intricately woven into a very well written plot that presents multiple themes throughout.
Characters:
I believe the true strength of the show was in characterization of not only Lee Jong Suk and Suzy but also of the many side characters. Firstly, I believe that characterization must be logical and follow some “set of rules.” What I mean by this is that some dramas have side characters that perform actions for no real reason or their characters exist with only one thought running through their head. However, each of these characters has their own motivations and thoughts which can be perceived just by thinking about it from their perspective and the drama was shot in such a way and with such good pacing that each character seems relatable. Before I talk about Suzy and Lee Jong Suk, I will talk about each of the side characters and give examples of what I mean. There are 3 “side characters” that I must highlight to show why characterization is so strong and important in this drama. I don’t want to touch upon the detective because there were plot holes that I discussed earlier that I am still unsure about.
Suzy’s mom is an eccentric woman but when you get down to her character she is a person that is devoted to her daughter and her daughter’s happiness is the core of her being like many other mothers. Would you want your daughter to date a man that could get her killed? How about giving her false hope or causing her pain? The rating of the men around her daughter is a personification of what mothers actually do. Every action by this character makes sense.
Lee Yoo Beom or the main villain is an intricate character whose end-game is truly highlighted in the last episode. A self-driven, greedy individual who presents a façade of intelligence but struggles to stick with his own morals when gain is in front. This character through flashbacks and actions by Lee Jong Suk is strongly characterized as someone that would take advantage of another person while maintaining that he was simply doing the logical and right thing. The most impactful seems were when he was in the bathroom washing his hands or loosening his tie and cufflinks. These are small things that show a much more in-depth character. The washing of the hands to symbolize washing himself of his guilt. Or loosening his clothing when he is doing things that are morally wrong to symbolize the loosening of his morals. Every action about this character makes sense especially being driven into a corner where he ends up making the decision to kill a person he said knew him better than his parents. Every action made sense.
Han Woo Tak. Many people love this character and for good reason because he is the charming and loyal second lead that many people are supposed to feel bad for due to his unrequited love. However, his actions also make sense. From the beginning Suzy shows no romantic interest in him and it is clear to anyone that Suzy and Lee Jong Suk were more than friends from early on in this drama. Many other second leads in other dramas would do anything to become the love interest including ruining friendships and ignoring the obvious truth. That is the beauty of this character. He knows how to look and read other people. Woo Tak makes decisions based off of other people while still maintaining his outstanding morals. He decides to value his friendship with both main characters over his own love. Many people experience unrequited love in their life and end up just being friends. Sacrificing everything for a love interest that clearly shows no affection back is a sign of terrible character that does not fit with his logical and morally sound characterization.
Lastly, our two main lead characters. Many people say Suzy is just a pretty actress. I would say that this is by far her best performance and she perfectly acted out her character. How do you act out an optimistic yet afraid girl that constantly dreams about other people dying or experiencing death yourself? Suzy perfectly acted out a quirky girl that tries to always keep a smile on her face and not let her fears get to her. This character is very complexly written because it touches upon an interesting aspect of human psych. How do humans deal with pain and tragedy and fear? Some people become depressed, while others hide it. Clearly Suzy’s character was hiding her fears at the beginning while it was also clearly controlling her life ie. short hair and quitting her job. This character indicates that when you hide pain it can be harmful and cause your character to be much more falsely optimistic or pessimistic at times. Her character makes sense.
Lee Jong Suk’s character is also very interesting. His character is someone that has bettered himself from the past but still maintains his resentment for certain things and events ie. regret about his father and hate for Lee Yoo Beom. Many people say that a plot hole in this drama is that for such a smart character he does nothing except rely on dreams and other characters’ help. I would argue this is very realistic. No matter how smart someone is there are obstacles that they can’t pass without help. Do you kill 7 people, or do you get the criminal? Suzy helps him think outside the box. If you believe every character should have all the answers that means you are watching some very poorly written dramas. Do you unleash your anger, or do you allow the legal system that you believe in to work? Lee Jong Suk is not a super hero and that is very clear from this drama. He clearly struggles with the same emotions and understanding that I our other logical viewers would reach. The last key example is that he knows his best friend Woo Tak loves his girlfriend, but he does not outwardly show it. Other dramas would result in him fighting his best friend or going out of his way to disturb their relationship. But his character’s ability to read other people and trust his friends shines through and he does not complete many of the actions other main characters would do.
Lastly, the chemistry. I would say it was okay and cute at times. I do not think it was as great as some viewers claim or as bad as others would say. It was simply a part of the story which I actually prefer. The romance was not overbearing and did not interfere with the story but instead was another key aspect of the story. Suzy and LJS love each other and would do anything for each other but that does not mean that they do or should. It was not the sizzling romance with smoldering eyes and hot kisses that many fans would hope for, but I honestly think this is more realistic. Love does not have to just be passion, it could be walking your girlfriend to work every morning or being jealous she is paying attention to another guy. It does not have to be star-crossed lovers with exaggerated lines that would die for each other at a moment’s notice. Even though there was a bit of that in this drama too.
Music:
I think this music was quite good. There were several songs that stood out to me including “When Night Falls” by Eddy Kim (which was probably the best song), “It’s You” by Henry (meh, I think the song fit but isn’t that great), “I Love You Boy” by Suzy (fits the drama very well and is also very good).
Rewatch value:
I rarely rewatch dramas but there were many good scenes and moments that you could rewatch for the aesthetics and the acting. I would say that of the recent dramas I would like to watch this drama again to think more about the other villains and the detective. They were all well written and correctly paced but I think I may have missed some key points.
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Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
30 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
The strengths of this drama:
1) The actors played it very well. The main "love triangle" and the antagonist were done quite well. This is mainly because of acting ability and not due to the writing of the drama.
2) Even though common troupes were used, they touched upon it in a sensitive and realistic manner. To expand upon this point, when the second lead's girlfriend began to "waver" she did not straight up just cheat on him and his friend did not automatically turn his back on him. She was up front with her opinions to her current boyfriend. He was also hesitant to pursue anything since he was friends with her ex-boyfriend. Often times you see characters that just follow the plot and don't follow logic. My second point is the common troupe of the second lead that realizes his love too late. This is one of the most over-used plots in dramas and should be done away with. However, they added a nice touch by focusing on his anguish and how he expresses his feelings to both partners of the new couple.
My main problems with this drama:
1) The lack of defined plot. There were approximately 3 main plot lines and 6-8 side plots that were just poorly written or poorly handled. Can any viewer definitively tell me every plot and its resolution? I felt the need to skip over certain plots because they dragged on and did not have any importance or significance to the story at all. Firstly, as soon as I started watching I knew that the two leads would end up together and the second lead would get snubbed. Not even trying to change the plot line. Of course it had to be selfish rich guy that changes and cares only for her and does things behind her back until she coincidentally finds out and they fall in love. Instead of the person that she had liked for 7 years and just missed saving her by a step. Always. I could have not watched this drama at all and told you the plot "twists" and "endings." Oh wow, family issues when it shows that her mom does absolutely nothing and emotionally abuses her father? Wow, how new and insightful with 0 character development or relevance. Oh wow, it turns out she gets her powers again and instead of living in fear of using it, which she never was by the way, becomes a hero and helps people. Wow, so new.
2) The amount of random comic-relief side characters is ridiculous. The only serious characters in this story are the main three characters, the serial killer, the brother and his love interest. Every single other character was there for comic relief or not relevant enough to remember their names. I don't know what the purpose of all these characters is. And I don't understand how this drama can confuse quality characters with a hundred random useless characters. Can anyone tell me the name of the mob boss? How about the secretary's name? How about the name of the school gang leader?
3) This drama was boring. There were definitely highlights and extremely important moments to remember but the fact is that due to the mixing of multiple overall plots and the usage of comic relief characters, it takes away from the character development of the main characters and the main plot. After watching the thrilling portions of the drama, didn't you want to know what happened next? Not wait until next episode for there to be development and have to wade through a sea of nonsense and random fighting or shopping scenes. How about after a romantic scene, shouldn't there be build up towards the main plot? However, every time there was a transition between genres there was meaning lost. For example, do you remember why the murder killed the first girl? Most people will forget that important plot point cause it was submerged under a ton of other nonsense. Secondly, do you remember who was the first suspect for threatening the President (Hyunsik)? All of these major plot points become nothing once you have a hundred of them that drag on and do absolutely nothing to build upon each other.
Overall, for everyone saying this is worth watching, let me ask you this: is this a drama that you would watch again? Is this the drama you will remember in 10 years? I don't think so. There are many better dramas than this. Just because you like Hyunsik or Ji Soo or Park Bo Young does not mean this is a good drama. In my personal opinion, this was a very poorly written drama that could be fleshed out and narrowed down.
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Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy
62 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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THIS IS MY COMPLETE DRAMA REVIEW. PLEASE REREAD MY EDITS.OVERALL: I hate dramas like this. 75 hours of literally dragging and waffling around waiting for side characters to advance the plot or for "chance" and "destiny" to finally kick in. I watched this drama SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO. A serious waste of time. Battle scenes and premise are good. Story and plot are not. The story itself is interesting but cut the number of episodes and random tension and speaking scenes in half and we might have a decent drama. I don't want to watch the 60 different side characters talking to each other about power and power struggles. If I was to count how many hours were wasted (I give a very specific and relatively old scene as a reference at the bottom) than I would be so frustrated. The only reason why I do not give the plot a 1 star is because I believe that the premise itself is interesting and would make a nice 200-300 page book. Drama, not so much.
WATCH TEN MILES PEACH BLOSSOMS IF YOU WANT A MUCH BETTER DRAMA.
Disclaimer 1: I would like to say that I am a very analytical reviewer and usually value plot and character development far more than any other aspects and I can often forgive minor plot holes or minor character flaws. However, when they affect the entire plot or are used by writers to further the plot. That is when I have a problem.
Disclaimer 2: I would also like to point out that I generally have no like/dislike towards actors/actresses, writers or directors and am not afraid to call a drama terrible even if a vast majority like it.
Plot: This is basically 3 main story lines about three main characters that are intricately interwoven with the normal troupes. Every single cliche troupe you can derive is included: power struggle in royalty, destined lovers, death of ridiculous parent figures, magical powers that are explained through fancy CGI and still make no sense, bromance yet not bromance, brotherhood yet not brotherhood, loving the same girl, star-crossed lovers, and finally fighting or fulfilling destiny. The plot as a whole is interesting enough but that has very little to do with the actual writing. How many times can you see a main character stand in front of who they love and do absolutely nothing except ignore her or say ridiculous lines... For example, "you'll be unhappy with me" says who and why does the main character believe it so easily? Ridiculous. How many times can we hear the word destiny or stars or fate or whatnot to explain the actions of characters? That is a gimmick in itself. Overall a plot that had potential but was weighed down by the need to include overarching themes and troupes such as destiny or forever star-crossed lovers.
EDIT 1: Absolutely terrible. I understand that this drama is based off of a book but how can a drama be 75 hours and get basically absolutely nothing done. The last few episodes are extremely rushed and don't resolve anything and are essentially just a cliffhanger that does not seem to be coming anytime soon given that there is only one book and there doesn't seem to be plans for a second book to be written due to conflict among the writers. This drama is a waste of time and unfortunately the pacing and the dragging and the lack of coherent character development and plot heavily weigh this drama down. If you were hoping for a huge battle scene with magic and 3 sides battling it out than you are dreaming.
Characters: Acting overall was superb by all the characters and you can feel the emotions that each character has. If the plot and writing were better to enhance the character development than the actors would have shined through more. Even the villains were generally acted well and dare I say better because they did not need as much character development. Let me explain: you can watch half of the drama and observe that the kid actors and the adult actors have portray basically the same characters. There is no character development in the first 30 something episodes of this drama. Everyone is still a kid that whines and cries and acts out for no logical reason. Theoretically the writers could be portraying that even as young adults they haven't learned the harshness of life but with the trials and love and etc. that the characters go through, how is there no character development? How long can we watch one character yell about being King of the world and doing nothing except rely on the prophecy and getting lucky? How long can we watch a character mope about the world being unfair and him not being loved by his parents (please keep running away and telling the people you love that they should pity you more for no reason)? How long can we watch one person not understand his situation and do absolutely nothing except walk into other people's traps. The writing is what makes 2/3 of the main characters honestly unbearable to watch. But their acting is overall very good.
EDIT 2: Acting remains consistently good all around for all actors. Problem is that the characters literally do not change or do much of anything. If you want to start off liking a character and than quickly hating him/her for their decisions than please go ahead and watch this. This drama is the definition of frustrating characters portrayed by good actors. I think that the Muyun Sheng might be one of my least favorite characters in the drama due to how consistently weak he is even when he is actually not that weak. "Careful, don't drink wine. Drinks wine and complains/rants. Points sword around for some reason... Disastrous results." Other characters are just equally frustrating and it doesn't get better. At least they are acted consistently because I ended up hating many characters in this drama for their one dimensional thinking. Even the "smart and complicated and evil" characters weren't that well written or "smart" in their actions. The main reason I am saying this is that when the entire drama consists of stupid main characters that never change or grow than the side characters also do not have to be that smart. Which makes every character look pretty dumb in the end.
Another problem is that if they want to make a season 2 of this drama than they will have to wait multiple years. And that means it will be hard to recast everyone again. Acting carried this drama because tension and feelings are very clear for all characters, however, the decisions the characters themselves made were hard to act out.
Music: Suitable but honestly not impactful or noticable. Can't name an OST or even place where is belongs if there is one. Average costume drama music.
EDIT 3: Music is slightly more memorable and I actually think it improved. However, this does not effect my rating overall since my view of music in dramas is an accessory.
Rewatch value: Right now? No. Some scenes are aesthetic and CGI is done well, but often those scenes don't really mean anything. The floating stars are significant? Nope.
EDIT 4: I watched it so you did not have to. Don't watch this.
EDIT 5:
******Here is the key example of why I dislike the writing and pacing of the drama (potential spoilers so I will keep my example relatively old for Dramafever viewers): It takes about 5-6 episodes for one main character to even get engaged to his perceived "empress." Not 2, 5. Because every character had to show up and give their opinion and do whatever they wanted. My first problem is that the motive for him being crown prince is a jumbled mess with his father's motive being very muddled and unclear but the writers push it as if it is for his safety? For what reason no one can truly explain. Why do the characters act in such a way such as the priest or whatever for randomly listening to someone that is not his superior and believing him enough to cut his arm and give up all the tenants of his tribe. Just because there was a possiblity? Nonsense. He performed black magic cause some random character gave him a book and told him its possible? Pfffftttt. Why does the dad let his brother go when he knows he's plotting to kill him? "He's trying to take the crown and kill my favorite son but since he confessed to spreading rumors about the crown and he's my brother I should just let him go. Brotherhood!" Nonsense. The character's actions just don't make sense and they are always drawn out in such tedious lengths. 5 episodes. Jesus. It all ends up the same in which he reveals that he has a Charmer near him. Did we need 5 episodes to build up to a reveal of Pan Xi to the world? I don't think so. Literally 5 episodes that ends in weird family tension all over and Pan Xi getting taken away. 5 episodes/5 hours for something that could have been done in 1 maybe 2 with other scenes.
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Secondly, I watched this drama even though I hate teacher/student pairings and I will say that aspect of the drama did not make me cringe as much as the idea usually does... this is most likely due to the separate acting of Kim Rae Won and Park Shin Hye. I don't think there was the astounding chemistry and romance that a lot of other reviewers profess to loving. It wasn't even interesting in my opinion. If I am being honest, I would have preferred Jisoo somehow coming back into the show even though it is cheesy to see some actual tension, awkwardness and conflict. I was actually rooting for literally anyone except for KRW at one point cause everything was so boring. Why place a second male lead that everyone knows has 0 chance? I don't think anyone thought that the PSH and KRW characters would not be the couple.
WARNING, MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE AHEAD: I really hate teacher/student relationships because of their very nature. I am not talking about the age difference which is already a major factor. I mean the principal and mindset and realism to have amorous feelings for someone that is supposed to be your mentor/mentee. It does not make sense and would never happen. Anyone that is reading this, think back on all your teachers... maybe even your aunt or uncle... how many can you say that you would fall in love with? Not lust. Love. I would bet none. Some may argue "that's the beauty because its so rare its meaningful" I would argue that this is a similar situation as falling in love with your step-parent. Not blood-related, but the initial relationship must be something that was inherently wrong to begin with. I would argue that there are many other story lines and characters to create, don't just try to force something that doesn't make sense.
I would never rewatch this drama given the fact that I had to skip past most of the very drawn out "dramatic" and "important" scenes because they really were not. The best part of the drama for me was the music because I really liked all three of the main songs: "No Way," "Sunflower" and "It's Love."
Finally, I think that some people really liked this drama for two reasons... actually two people: Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won. I am telling all readers and watchers, please do not rate solely based on one character or actor that you prefer. It makes it so that your comments do not provide insight or describe if you actually watched and understood the drama.
P.S. - Lee Sung Kyung is beautiful and I hope she gets lead parts where she can act as a novel character instead of the "Jealous Bitch" troupe.
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My biggest qualms are two very superficial things: Firstly, I honestly don't like how Mark Chao looks... I know that is a ridiculous thing to say but there is something about his face that makes him unattractive to me. Just compare him to the visuals of Yang Yang or many other Chinese actors - it may be his hair but something just makes his nose and visuals very distracting for me (this is coming from a straight male). This obviously has nothing to do with the plot or characters so this doesn't effect my score and in my opinion he is a pretty good actor, but like I said, this is one of my biggest qualms with the drama. Secondly, I think there are too many random characters that appear and disappear to force the plot line forward which makes the pacing a little slow at times and a little too fast at times. However, this is typical of many Chinese costume dramas so it can be forgiven.
Overall, let me put this simply: if you have watched one Chinese costume drama than you have probably watched them all. Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms/Eternal Love does everything extremely well. It has the visuals, the art, the character tropes, the music and the feelings that most other costume dramas have. It's not groundbreaking, but it's definitely a good drama to watch when you have a lot of time.
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Firstly, the strength of this show comes from two people in the cast. Kim Heechul and Lee Soogeum. That is it. Everyone else is relatively a non-factor since the dynamic between all individuals has been decided and the structure of how to treat guests or situations are relatively the same. I am not saying that if Kang Ho Dong was replaced by Yoo Jae Suk it would not make a difference because that would surely changed the entire dynamic of the show. However, the comedy and gags and pace of the show is determined by Kim Heechul interactions with guests and Lee Soogeum's comedic timing and ability. Honestly, if you told me they would replace half the members except these two than new gags would come up and new personalities and relationships would be highlighted.
Secondly, this show is build around Kang Ho Dong's personality which is loud, abrasive and often times insensitive. There are many jokes that are said that on any other show would be contraband such as divorce, gambling, alcoholism. This is refreshing in a sense that it makes everyone more human. However, it also means that the show must play on the fact that its the hosts of the "school" versus the guests that come. This can get boring because picking on female idols over and over for the same thing loses its charm after a while. And disregarding guests becomes disrespectful at times. There are moments where the hosts throw away this system and its image, however, that makes the show lose its meaning if done too frequently.
Thirdly, I will say it again, but Kim Heechul is the sole reason this show is where it is. Because giving Heechul an abrasive platform to make whatever jokes he wanted makes this show fresh. Seeing him talk down to SNSD or tell EXO and Shinee and Infinite to get lost are novel. Similarly, flirting with guests is also novel. However, there is a limit to certain things and certain things get repetitive. Making jokes about smoking is funny, but than it becomes serious after a while when you consider he could do it every episode. It would lose meaning. The main thing saving this show is Heechul's vast connections and his ability to talk and play off of them.
Fourthly, most of this show is boring. This is partly due to the hosts not treating the guests well and sometimes blatantly ignoring them. But there is also the fact that the guests are asked to introduce themselves but can't say anything that is "real." I will be honest, who cares about a spot on Jonghyun's body. I don't even care if its Seolhyun's body. Or how Momo feels about this or that. It's just not that interesting. The only interesting parts are when Heechul or someone else is able to relate and make it more interesting. The most boring parts, however, are the skits or other aspects of the show because to be honest they are not funny and do not play onto the strengths of the show which are the abrasive relationships between members and guests.
Overall, the best moments are when relationships are teased and jokes are made. However, this can get boring very quickly. Is it worth watching entire episodes again? Not really. Is it worth rewatching certain clips? Sure, just go to Youtube and you'll find compilations and categorization. Having people show off their talents is what makes things like this memorable. For example, can anyone tell me what Jonghyun and Irene did when they came? How about Davichi? No idea. Cause it is not memorable.
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