ivybis
United States
Creepy mystery.
Most of the time I tend to stay away from the horror genre because the writing is always last on the priority list and heavy on the jump-scares and gore. Not this one. This has an actual story which begins when a series of unexplained murders take place in a small coastal town in South Korea. After a series of tragic events that affect the lives of three children well into adulthood, they are once again reunited to solve a series of murders that are gruesomely tied to their past. Now a cop, a priest, and a taxi driver, these three must uncover the sinister secrets in order to solve the mysteries that have altered their lives and threaten to destroy their futures.The three MLs are well-developed characters masterfully played by Kim Dong Wook as the taxi driver, Kim Jae Wook as the priest, and Jung Eun Chae as the detective They are all damaged adults changed forever by tragic pasts and reunited in friendship to fight crime and battle their dysfunctional personalities. The cop is angry and unfulfilled by loss. She has a chip on her shoulder, a loner, and feels she needs to prove herself by catching the bad guys. She is a force to be reckoned with and that leads to trouble among her colleagues. Jung Eun Chae embraces her character and plays the abrasive and distant detective well, yet brings out a fiercely protective and caring side in the face of danger. Kim Dong Wook is the amateur sleuth taxi driver who is much more interested in solving mysteries than driving his clients to their destinations. His tragic losses have also kept him from forming meaningful relationships due to a struggle to trust others, including those who want the best for him. My favorite character, though, is Kim Jae Wook as the young priest. Jae Wook portrays his character as a quiet brooder, who is very courageous and vulnerable at the same time. He doesn't shy away from his duties no matter how much they affect him. He is ready to sacrifice himself for his friends to the point of pushing them away for their safety. (It also doesn't hurt that he looks so slim and appealing in his priestly garb!) These three are, in fact, masters at pushing each other away until they realize that they are much more effective as a team. The journey of blame and mistrust giving way to fierce friendship is one of the aspects I most appreciated in this story. Stellar performances even from the guest and supporting cast make this show a treat to watch despite the subject matter.
The writing is excellent for the most part. It is gruesome, disturbing,, and downright creepy. At a little over an hour per episode, I could only endure two episodes per day because it is a scary, edge-of-your-seat kind of show. The circumstances surrounding the mysteries keep you guessing until the very end as to whom the culprit might be, Even then there is a twist. The OST is awesome and carries the drama beautifully. This is definitely one to watch if you like creepy mysteries.
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Excellent performances by the entire cast makes this edge-of-your seat thriller engaging from beginning to end. You are drawn in by the kindness of the policemen investigating the case, scared out of your mind by the evil killer, and enchanted by the adorably young and brave witness. The well-written script grabs you from the beginning and keeps you from catching your breath until you finally hear those police sirens signifying the end of climax.
Watch this one. It’s worth it!
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The best part is that I totally bought this couple in the sense that they were convincing as a pair. They are both people in the fringes, wounded birds that are seeking a place to belong. They find each other and you root for their love. But there are secrets that threaten to rip them apart and the conflict comes from a heart full of fear to own up to the truth and that is where this movie falters.
So, that brings me to the question, is there a sequel? There are still room for many questions left unanswered and our ML doesn’t confide the truth to his lady love. More needs to be said to wrap this story up. I’m left with anticipation that these two young lovers have more to say.
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The supporting cast was very strong in this drama and that is a plus. I loved Lizi, Erduo's long suffering best friend. She is a hard worker who enlists Erduo's help to make her show the success it needs to be. She is tough, resilient and totally in control. Her storyline is heartbreaking as it is engaging. I found myself rooting for her just as much as Erduo. She is a fine actress. I really enjoyed the performances of all the actors.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the writing in this drama. Even though the couple is young and the drama geared for a more youthful audience, their relationship is very mature. As a couple, Bei Erduo and Ye Shuwei brought out the best in each other. There was no bratty, self absorbed behavior between them. They truly understood each other and did their best to treat each other with respect. The chemistry between these two was phenomenal. They trusted each other and it showed. Everyone did a great job and turned a show with a cliched plot into a sweet, endearing love story.
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What a ride!
I haven't enjoyed a drama like this since SKY Castle. Very well written and acted, this drama just carries you away with it and makes you feel like a voyeur in the characters' private lives. You grow to both care and abhor them because they are imperfect. You wonder why they do the things they do instead of letting go and moving on. If anything, this is a lesson in human behavior and the consequences of our choices.A friendship between two women is destroyed when one makes a bad decision, leaving the other to pick up the pieces and plot her revenge. This drama was a well-written race to an explosive end. The train is out of control and will eventually crash, leaving the lives of the those around them in shattered pieces.
I have to commend the performances of all the actors, particularly Shin Hyun Bin who is the polar opposite of the character she played in Hospital Playlist. It was refreshing to see her explore her creepy, darker side. Kudos as well, to Go Hyun Jung whom I fondly remember in her role as Park Wan in Dear My Friends. Both women carry this drama beautifully and kept me glued to my seat. Notable mentions also to Kim Bo Yun as the meddling mother-in-law and Choi Won Young as the wronged husband.
Unfortunately, the last two episodes tried to wrap up the drama in a very unrealistic way. I can overlook how unwanted people are constantly breaching this upscale neighborhood to cause all kinds of mischief, but the ending was just too implausible. I wish the writer had been able to put as much effort into the last two episodes as she did in the first 14. She wanted to give it the ending audiences might have wished for given the circumstances, but I found this ending a little hard to swallow based on the vindictive personalities of all those involved.
OST is beautiful and perfectly suited to the drama. I would definitely watch this again.
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Although there are some cliche situations, the story is well written and engaging. I loved watching Ji Soo as usual. He has a charisma that draws you in and you can’t help but love him. He is annoying but sympathetic and I would love a big brother like him. I find his overprotective attitude of his best friend endearing.
Although there are only 8 episodes filmed, I am liking it very much and am looking forward to see how it ends. It keeps me guessing about what the outcome will be and I like that it’s not quite predictable yet.
Acting is so-so. Some performances are weaker than others but nothing noteworthy. Looking forward to the next episodes.
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Though many people want to pan the series because it comes from plagiarized works, I don't think that is fair to the production. The script writers made something wonderful out of a mediocre novel, and that should be appreciated for its own merits. This was a beautiful piece of work and I appreciate the time, talents, and hard work of the production team.
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Great revenge drama!
I really liked this drama especially the twists and turns it takes which keep you engaged in the plot. It never wavers or drags. There were few light moments, so keep in mind that you will be watching a lot of intense violence and cruelty in these episodes. Song Kye Hyo shines in this drama in a very understated way as the adult victim of high school bullying who sets out to take revenge on her school bullies.The drama depicts a society in which victims are terrorized by the rich and powerful who get away with crimes by buying off the right people. In this case, Moon Dong Sun (Kyo) is a student who is targeted by the worst bullies in her high school. Her torment is exacerbated by the fact that her cry for help falls on deaf ears and, with money, anything can be swept under the rug. That sense of hopelessness this creates propels our FL into action as she wills herself to live for revenge.
Kyo, and actress Jung Ji Soo, play the older and younger Moon Dong Sun respectively. They masterfully bring the tormented teen and steel-willed adult together to birth an avenging angel, ready to mete out punishment on her perps, while discovering the humanity she thought lost thanks to the help of caring adults she meets along the way
The perps are unfortunately depthless caricatures of how a bullies behave. Their cruelty is so over-the-top that it transcends the line between high school bullies and criminal deviants. There is no backstory on any of these perps. You only get a glimpse of their family lives and the subtle hints of the superficiality and lack of genuine care to explain their deviancy. In the end, there is more to these teenagers than just normal teenage aggression, and this is done for the sake of dramatic purpose. The drama could not be as compelling were it just a case of high school bullying, as that kind of behavior is often forgotten with time and maturity. So, making them straight up criminals makes for a stronger plot and justifies our heroine's need for revenge.
The surprising thing is that these perps have not lost touch with each other. They are all tied together by their criminal secrets, love affairs, and selfish intentions. There is no camaraderie or love lost among these five bastards, and you wonder why they still suffer each other? At least it makes it easier for Moon Dong Sun to plot her revenge.
The romance angle is the weakest part of the plot. There wasn't any chemistry between the female and male leads. I wish they could have thought of a better way to keep them in each other's lives without resorting to that tired old story. Perhaps that was the respite to the heavier plot points.
It was still a better written drama than I was expecting, so I am pleased with the results. It also had a nice soundtrack and I would recommend this to audiences that like revenge plots.
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Gyeongseong Creature Season 2
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Another story that takes shortcuts
Well, I was interested in seeing where this story was heading after the first season's last episode twist. I liked the period setting of the first season and grew to care for the characters, so I was already invested in them enough to look forward to season 2. Unfortunately, I felt it far too rushed and the 7 episode season, too short to tell a proper story. Because the new season was taking place in the present, there needed to be some backstory on just how it's possible for our young leads to still remain young in the 21st century. Though there are scenes explaining this, the lore became muddled and, then, back tracked itself. When scripts do this kind of thing---negating what they themselves create, they lose me. It gives me the sense that the writers themselves didn't quite know how to end this storyline, or at least the main couple's story arc in this series. What we seem to get is a possible continuation of the series without the main leads, as it seems by the end of this season, headed in that direction.What I liked about season one is that it had heart. I accepted the messy mother/daughter relationship and how it's the main purpose of season one. A mother will do anything to protect her child, even if it turns her into a monster figuratively, and in this case--literally. Holding on to her humanity made season one compelling, which is what season 2 seems to lack. It lacks direction and I felt sick to my stomach seeing endings for characters I never imagined. Around the end of the 4th episode, I started asking myself what the point of it all was? Master Jang explains it's to make the bad guys feel guilty, and if not, be a nuisance to them. But this rings hollow to me. There wasn't enough aha moments to balance out the pointless violence. It also leaves me with lots of unanswered questions like, what has Biotech evolved to since the end of the war? What do they hope to achieve with their experiments? Then there is the messy plot holes which will only be spoilers if I mention them.
In general, I would have appreciated this more if the writers would have taken the time to delve deeper into the story. It had a good premise, but evolved into another pointless monster movie akin to Sweet Home's last season.
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One of the Better Romances
I have to say I really enjoyed this one. As always, I am impressed with Zhang Wan Yi's earnest performances and this did not disappoint. He has the most expressive eyes I have ever seen and handsome to boot. He is the perfect leading man and I am looking forward to seeing him in future roles.This romance was different from most romances where two people meet, like or dislike each other, until the romance grows. Here we have deception, a better written amnesia plot and an interesting, albeit simple plot line that does not meander and is easy to follow. The secondary characters don't overtake the leads and everyone gets a satisfying wrap up to their story.
Our FL is the breathtakingly beautiful Wang Chu Ran. I first saw her in The Longest Promise and knew she would one day shine as a main lead. She is very talented and was so natural in her part as Liu Mian Tang. This was a fun watch and there was no character I found annoying or inept. There was chemistry between our two MLs and watching them together was a joy. I want to try Crab Roe rice!
My favorite secondary characters were Yuan Yu Xuan as the Empress and Xu Mei Ling as Nanny Li. I first saw Yuan Yu Xuan in Novoland: Pearl Eclipse and loved her from the beginning. She is just so cute and a fine actress. I enjoyed her character in this one, though similar to her part in Pearl Eclipse. Huan Can Can returns as yet another evil rival similar to her role in Lost You Forever. It's unfortunate when the supporting actors get type-cast.
I was impressed with the depiction of the struggles of women working to make a name for themselves, while enduring the lack of esteem by their families. Although this is unrealistic for its time period, I appreciate the effort in appealing to modern audiences.
I recommend this drama for romance lovers who want an uncomplicated plot with a happy ending.
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Condensed Version of TLTWTMOPB
The one thing I found jarring about this film version of TLTWTMOPB, or Eternal Love, is that the story begins sort of in the middle, much like the novel, and fills in the blanks in flashbacks. It wasn't too bad in the sense that there was less characters and subplots to worry about, but it remains a little on the superficial side because it doesn't delve too deeply into that sweeping love story and exemplary acting in the drama version.If you want a short version of this story then this is the one to watch. Gone are the extra storylines and secondary love characters that made the drama version so long, but with it the sweeping romance that kept us glued to our seats and the spark that made us root for them as well.
Yang Yang is very easy on the eyes and captures the magnetism of Ye Hua, but he is not directed in such a way as to bring out those inner emotions that drove Ye Hua to the great lengths he went for Bai Qian. He is almost, but not quite.
Chrystal Liu is beautiful, but again, I don' think the stakes are high enough in the performances to really make us care for this couple as we should. I feel that Li Chun's part as the evil Su Jin, is depthless and lacks the layers you see in the drama version, which was spectacularly played by Maggie Huang.
The CGI is great and the battle scenes are epic. The costumes were ugly as sin, particularly the wedding dress.
It's difficult to review this film without comparing it to the TV version, which is outstanding, Although you get the gist of the story, it suffers greatly in lack of detail. The ending felt rushed, but I did like the melding of both Ye Hua and Mo Yuan as one character rather than two. After all, the whole plot is about living more than one life to love your soulmate, so it makes sense that the two are one. This is the only thing I didn't feel was handled properly in the drama version.
This movie version was alright, but will only make sense to those that have already seen the drama to fill in the blanks.
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Rock-solid, binge-worthy romance
Wonderland of Love is yet another exceptional C-drama to put on my list of top 10 power couples. Xu Kai and Jing Tian play main leads Li Ni and Cui Lin who fall in love after a friendly rivalry gives way to a more serious relationship.The first few episodes were a bit weak and, due to that, I dropped the series for a few months. I finally went back to it after completing Best Choice Ever with Xu Kai, since I found myself very impressed with his low-key, earnest performance. I had a renewed interest in finishing WOL because of his work in that.
This drama has it all: palace intrigue, epic battles and martial arts, beautiful scenery, gorgeous costumes and set design, and an exceptional soundtrack--which at the moment is only available on YouTube. (This is bad because that means I can't add it to my C-drama playlist on Spotify. Not cool).
What locked me in place was the excellent chemistry and stellar acting between the main leads. They both drew me in and made me thoroughly enjoy their playful banter which slowly becomes attraction and then intense love. Once again, I was bowled over by Xu Kai's performance. He was passionate, tempestuous, forthright, and courageous. He was everything one wants in a romantic hero. At the same time he is not without flaws. He jumps to conclusions and can be unfairly cruel to his leading lady. Just watching them fight would sometimes make my heart ache, but then the make ups were epic.
Throughout all the intense flirting, there is more intrigue to keep the plot moving. Bad guys abound in the this drama and seems our main leads jump from one dangerous situation to the next. You get some great action scenes, but keeping track of all the villains gets exhausting and repetitive. I could have done without the last episode. It was too neatly wrapped up and didn't feel true to the supporting cast and the stories that had originally been intended for them.
I also appreciated the guest performances by Zen Li and Liu Yu Ning. I have watched them both in other great C-dramas and it is a treat to have them appear in this series. I recommend this drama to those who love romances, palace intrigue, and period dramas.
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If Mother/Daughter Dramas are you're thing, this is the one for you...
I loved this drama because of its heartfelt messages of love and family unity in helping to face the difficulties of life and family strife. These messages are conveyed in the story of Mai Chenghuan, who has dreams of excelling in her career, but has a well-meaning and controlling mother who gets in her way.I think this drama hits home for many women, young and old, who've had moms like this. They work hard all their lives taking care of you and wanting what's best for you, but just can't seem to make the transition from raising their children, to being hands-off companions to their adult children. They get caught in the push/pull of what they believe will make their children happy instead of listening to what they actually need, making them horribly unhappy because they've grown used to being in control. This is where our story begins.
The mother/daughter leads are played masterfully by Yang Zi, as Mai Chenghuan, and veteran actress, He Sai Fei, as Liu Wanyu. These two actresses were phenomenal together. They took us into their tumultuous relationship, making us cry with their heart-breaking fights and making us cry again when they make up. They got their characters down pat and brought them to life on-screen. What an honor I can imagine it must have been for Yang Zi to work alongside such a talented actress that is He Sai Fei. I could see right off that she took all her younger counterparts to unimaginable heights. My hat is off to the director for guiding them all to go further in their performances. The ensemble cast were all wonderful as the Mai family. They felt like a very real family, supporting each other in good times and in bad. It is no wonder then that Yao Zhiming, wants so badly to be a part of it?
Xu Kai, as Yao Ziming, is the quiet loner who slowly becomes entangled with Mai Chenghuan and her family life. They both share a very important person in their lives and she is instrumental in teaching them that nothing is more important than love for family and doing what is right. She gently guides Yao to become more free and less transactional, employing the efforts of Mai Chenghuan in her endeavors. I was very impressed with Xu Kai's understated performance. He could be the cold CEO, but you could see that he had a big heart and that he was guarding it, not willing to give it away until he was ready. I appreciated that about his performance. He understood his character completely. That inner monologue was present and you don't always get that in less seasoned actors. He was alive, a rock for Chenghuan, but vulnerable at the same time. The rawness of his need for a family was palpable. All I can say is the noodle scene. Without giving anything away, that was the moment he won me over as an actor.
The weakest areas of the plot were at the beginning. The first few episodes felt disjointed and slow. I think the drama was still trying to find its footing and those first 12 episodes could have done with less cliches.
In a forest of Chinese dramas full of young, handsome romantic leads and cliche plots, this was a diamond in the rough because it doesn't just dwell on romance. There is much more going on and that is a good thing. Even the secondary romantic couple is well written and doesn't detract from the main couple or the principal situations. I highly recommend this one for viewers who like slice of life dramas, or want more going on than just the romance.
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Immortal Samsara: Part 2
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One of the Best Xianxias
Finished watching part 2 earlier today and I am very pleased with this xianxia. I have to commend the production team for bringing such a great quality series to audiences. It was top notch in terms of CGI, acting and story, abeit repetitive. There were a few plot holes and some weak performances from the less experienced actors, but for the most part it was a solid xianxia.Zi Yang is lovely and I have been watching her since Ashes of Love. She is truly a gifted performer and the carmera adores her. She can't take a bad shot. She is drop dead beautiful. Her ML also performed well. Cheng Yi may be young, but he delivered a heart-felt performance as the conflicted Heavenly Emperor who wants to love his woman, but has to put his duties above all else. I got lost in these great performances and when our leads are going through their greatest trials and hurting each other, my heart actually ached for them. Bravo to the cast for making me feel that pain and in the life and death situations they were living. I always enjoy a well directed drama and this one was well done.
I am equally impressed with Ray Chang's performance as the spunky Yu Mo, forthright, loyal, passionate, handsome and likable. He was so boss with that fan! I wanted him to get his happy ending as well. But, perhaps there could be a sequel with a storyline for him.
My only gripe is that as much as I love a happy ending, this one felt forced. I think the two special episodes are put together to satisfy those who would not have liked the ending, despite the fact that it made more sense to the storyline and our ML's sense of duty. Otherwise, this one will top the list of favorite xianxias.
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