I guess it's a fine remake

Since I was on a roll and found out that Blind had a remake (actually there were two more but I haven't watched the Chinese or the Hindi one), I thought that I might as well watch this remake as well. Since I'm no stranger to seeing remake of Korean movies or dramas into Japanese (and vice versa) I do get curious as to how the remake would turn out. Especially as Japanese remakes do try to give their own spin to the shows they were based on. But since I've already seen the original, it's unavoidable that there will be some comparison to the original.

Like the original movie, Blind Witness also deals with a serial kidnapper who killed unsuspecting women and crossed paths with a blind woman and a young boy who ended up witnessing his deeds. Safe to say on that level, the original and remake share a common trait. But aside from that, this movie was as different to the original as it was similar.

For starters, this remake showed us a bit more of Natsume's former life as she undergoes several trainings as an officer. Unlike Soo-ah who we're already introduced as a police officer in-training, we barely get to see what she's like before aside from a childhood memory and a past recording of her university admission with her family. In contrast, the remake didn't really show much about Daiki before he died aside from Natsume dragging him home from an outing with his friends and the sequence leading up to the accident. The relation between the two were also different. While Soo-ah and Donghyun weren't actual siblings, Natsume and Daiki were. The same can be said for their mother. The accidents that killed the younger brother was also different. The accident in the original was much more traumatic and tragic to Soo-ah but in this remake the accident played out to be much more simplified. In both cases, Soo-ah and Natsume blamed themselves for their brother's death though Soo-ah was expelled from university while Natsume quit.

The circumstances in which the witnesses cross paths with the killer were also different. Unlike Soo-ah, Natsume wasn't targeted by the killer; and instead of a hit-and-run case, the victim was already being kidnapped in the car as Haruma ended up being the one who was almost hit by a car. While in the original the police had reacted much quicker after finding out that a missing case coincide with a statement given by Soo-ah, in this remake, the realisation that this is a criminal case happened much more slower due to the different setting in which the missing cases were unknown to the public. Social media also was much more prominent in this remake as the original dealt with a much more conventional method of gathering information as well as conventional media reporting. Unlike the original, Natsume and Haruma did a lot more investigation by themselves instead of aiding/leaving it to the police. And the biggest difference of all would be the kidnapper himself. While the general MO of the killer still remained the same, the identity of the killer was different. The murders were different as well: in the original it was a typical serial kidnapping and murder while in this remake, the murders were actually a copycat murder from another closed case involving kidnapping and ritualistic murders.

Nevertheless, there was still some elements and plot devices that remained the same. Although the order of events and outcomes were written differently, there were still some familiar scenes. Mainly the killer's attempt to kill the secondary witness, the confrontation between the killer and the first investigator, the chase at the subway station and the final confrontations between the killers and the two witnesses.

Regardless, this remake had its own charm too. Though if you have seen the original movie, this remake may feel a bit underwhelming for you. In any case, it's been a long while since I saw any of Mahhi's recent acting works since his Gaim days. so it's a pleasure to see him in this movie.

Leia Mais

This movie was amazing! Having watched Midnight, I had more interest in looking for other stories that feature a similar scenario. And lo... this movie came to my attention. And considering the movie also feature Seungho as one of the leads as well as this movie turned out to be Bogum's debut work... well I have to say that my interest was captured.

I have to say that this was the first time I'm seeing Kim Haneul in a crime thriller and I'm really loving it. She really did a great job portraying a blind person who used to be a police cadet. I have to say the same regarding Seungho. While I think I recall somewhere about him feeling that his earlier acting works weren't that much good, I'd like to say that I disagree. I like his character here as Giseob. And I also like the dynamics between Kim Haneul and Seungho as two unlikely witness to a crime in progress who later grew closer in a sibling-like relationship.

There are quite a few things that I really liked about this movie. First thing though, was the fact that Soo-ah had not given up in readmitting herself to police university after being expelled for breaking rules and using handcuffs on her brother (which leads to his death). I like the fact that the people around her (like her head mother, Detective Jo and later even Giseob) were also supportive of her, believing that her disability was not a weakness and that it was those words of encouragement that kept her back on her feet when she almost lost belief in herself. I like how the suspense element and conflict were written in a very realistic and believable way.

The mystery and suspense was quite thrilling as our witnesses and attending police officer join together to identify the serial killer. Any fans of psychological thriller would be able to enjoy this movie. And this movie, like Midnight, also gave us a glimpse of how people with disabilities live their life and deal with the challenges that arise from it. Aside from the crime thriller element, the writing on the characters were done well and allows you to relate with their life stories and plight.

Leia Mais

Every few months, even after finishing the series as it aired years ago and so many other dramas that came after; I'll always end up going back to this drama and rewatch it from the very beginning. This drama, really continued to be one of my most favourite sageuk drama I've ever watched.

As much as the series was supposed to be inspired by the Game of Thrones, being unfamiliar of the series I can't quite relate to it. But I guess all the political in-fighting in this drama kinda mirror the same scenario. The whole scenario of the crown prince having to hide his face behind a mask and ended up being switched with a fake did remind me of Alexander Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask novel. And that kinda setting being reworked into a sageuk story was what attracted me to watching this drama.

Lee Seon was quite a charming character, and Yoo Seungho really manage to bring out his innocence and strength of character as the crown prince attempts to investigate the reason why he had to hide his face. It was heartwarming to see how much the crown prince grow as he attempts to overcome his trials and tribulations and strive to retain his kind heart. That said, Kim Sohyun who played as Han Gaeun did very well to portray the noblewoman who fell from grace due to the manipulation of the evil Pyeonsoo group. As much as the character did seemed to be just a damsel in distress character, Gaeun turn out to display a different kind of strength as compared to the crown prince.

This drama was the first time I'm seeing Kim Myungsoo playing in a sageuk drama and he did quite well in playing the character of a peasant boy who happened to have a similar sounding name as the crown prince and ended up being forced to become a puppet king. Yoon Sohee as the granddaughter of the leader of Pyeonsoo group, Kim Hwagun was also a great character. It was nice to see how much Hwagun had grown from being just a selfish girl from an evil group into a much more courageous person who decided to oppose her own family in order to protect the person they love. It was really intriguing to see how the dynamics and relationship between the four start changing as the four were being dragged into the political situation.

This drama truly felt so special to me. Having known both Yoo Seungho and Kim Sohyun from their earlier child actor works, it really felt wonderful to see them both playing the leading characters of the drama. Not to mention the amount of other child actors involved in this drama as supporting and background characters, Ruler really felt like a drama series that intend to shine light to the many great acting talents of child actors and former child actors.

Leia Mais

Was rewatching this drama again so that I might as well write my thoughts on it this time. If you don't mind watching a love story while knowing that it'll have a sad ending, well this drama would be good. I mean, the story did open up from the moment Lady Shin was about to be killed by hanging so that should be hint enough, right? Mind you since this story will involve some very heavy political strive, it might get really hard to watch those bits happening in between the love story.

That said, the love story between Lady Shin Chae-kyeong and Prince Lee Yeok was really so sweet and pure... and later on becoming painful as the battle to secure the throne comes between them. It was really sweet seeing how their love story started from childhood and later rekindled after they grew up and reunited after being separated for so long.

Having watched quite a number of Park Minyoung's work, I have to say that her role as Lady Shin was one of her best roles to date. Yeon Woojin as Lee Yeok also was amazing as he brought out all of the complicated emotions faced by Lee Yeok for having to struggle between protecting his love and the throne.

Leia Mais

I usually don't frequently watch movies or shows that were like autobiographical accounts of real life people simply because I can't bear watching if anything bad happened to the people shown in the show, since it's based on real life events. But sometimes I do brave through it since one should try to learn about the past and understand the history of things that shaped the present.

That said, it was interesting to see how the freedom fighters in the past try to fight against the colonist at its own land. Park Yeol was indeed an intriguing person and his love affair with Kaneko Fumiko was really so sweet. It's amazing to witness how Park Yeol continued to fight for his country and in the process enlightening even the local Japanese allies to try to change their country.

Lee Jehoon never ceased to amaze with every role he played. He really brings out the eccentricity of Park Yeol's personality as well as strength of character.

Leia Mais

An amazing drama from start to finish ❤❤❤❤

When I first heard of the concept of the drama, I immediately thought about a minor plot point from Korean Odyssey where the FL used her supernatural ability to make a living by selling haunted houses after cleansing them out of bad spirits. That idea was quite underused in that drama since it's more focused on the character and its Monkey King lore so to have an actual series that focusing on the exorcism itself and the stories of haunted houses and ghosts was really a great thing.

I love the fact that Hong Jia was not just a gifted exorcist but also a strong fighter (which is necessary considering the nature of their jobs) unlike how the character in Korean Odyssey who can't really fight on her own. It was a refreshing change to have a strong FL character like Jia who could stand on her own, despite some disadvantage that she may have. Jang Nara really brings out Jia's strength of character as well as vulnerabilities to the fullest and made us want to care about Jia's journey throughout the series.

Oh Inbeom also was quite an interesting character as well as a strong psychic who ended up becoming a conman due to his past. And it was fun seeing how Hong Jia and Oh Inbeom's life started to change the more they work together as a team.

The ghosts and haunted houses and the plot revolving around them also were quite interesting as we see the different reasons why these people become unrested spirits and how Jia and Inbeom would try to release them from suffering. And we also get to see some sad or despicable tales on why the deaths happened and see how some evils from one's greed and selfishness brought harm onto themselves. And by trying to ease those spirits' suffering, our leads continued to learn more about themselves and attempt to break free from their sorrowful pasts that caused them to lock their hearts away from others.

Sell your Haunted House is a refreshing tale about exorcists in modern times and it had been an enjoyable journey for me to be able to get to know these lovable characters and stories.

Leia Mais

Finally I finished watching this drama after like 2 years procrastinating. I started watching the Japanese adaptation first before watching the original. Since the Japanese remake tend to be shorter in length than the Korean one, the pace for the former tend to be faster and some parts from the original may not be included in the remake. While at first, the slow speed at how the plot on the original may feel a bit draggy when compared to the remake, the plot later gradually pick up and revealed to be as engaging as the remake.

Having watched the remake first, I couldn't help noticing that some of the scenes was a bit more cleaned up in the remake. Regardless, it didn't mean the the original production wasn’t as good. Loved the casting, and Jo jinwong and Lee Jehoon made a very good pair for partners separated by 20 years between them. It was an unlikely partnership yet you can tell that they really can work together well as a team despite the barrier between them.

At first, I wasn't really taken to Jehoon as Park Haeyoung. Probably because he was in a period drama prior to Signal, the accent that he used to speak in the drama seemed jarring to me. But gradually that awkwardness in the way he spoke throughout the drama started to fade away and I was able to continue watching his scenes comfortably. Jehoon's acting started to grow on me due to his more recent works so it was really interesting to see his older works and him taking a role of a soft-spoken profiler. That aside, I was much more familiar with Jo Jinwoong's works so it was pretty enjoyable watching him play a righteous detective who tried his best to solve crimes.

Overall, I like how the entire plot had been written. Considering a lot of the cases shown in the drama was based on actual cold cases that happened in South Korea, it was an interesting story on how things like a transmission from the future may affect the outcomes of the past and change the future.

Leia Mais

I love how this drama has been written and wished the drama had been received better when it first released. Because really, the storytelling and writing had been quite masterful and it's a shame that the drama received so much hate by some just because of the fact they did not like Suzy in this drama. Still, considering the drama still won quite a number of awards despite that, I guess things still turned out well.

And it's a shame really, that some people could not see beyond their bias of her and view this drama's great writing with fairness. While some may argue that some of the cute acting from Suzy to be unbearable, I personally feel that all the cuteness were justified. I mean, considering how Hongjoo's character had the ability to see glimpses of future events in her dreams it made sense how she ended up being trying too hard to get him to like him or having too much imaginations regarding her relationship with Jaechan. Like she already saw much of the things that will happen in the future, how else can she pretend to be clueless about it? Regardless, I love how the relationship of the two naturally progress throughout the drama.

Through Pinocchio and I can Hear Your Voice, I grew to be really fond of the writer's writing. As usual of her writing style, I love how the relationship between Hongjoo, Jaechan and Wootak was quite healthy and normal and not overly dramatic for the sake of appealing to cliche triangle romance tropes and how even for the minor characters their story was written well. And I love how the story was quite balanced between the main trio and the way they ended up having precognitive dreams on each other was explained well.

I like how the flashback scenes were timed and paced really well in the drama. While initially the flashbacks may seem to be random but as the story goes on, all the pieces started to come together like a piece of a big puzzle. I quite like the way the backstories were positioned in a way it directly connects to the corrent plot. I have to sat that the writing of this drama and connections were really done well to the point you'd want to keep rewatching to see how all the hints connects to make up into a bigger picture. I really love the drama and loving the choice of the casting. It was perfect!

Leia Mais

Started watching the drama because of Oguri Shun, not to mention that the setting of the story is pretty interesting. It's an intriguing take to be honest, a mystery and detective drama involving one who could see and talk to the dead.

The cases were also interesting as well, and it was amazing how the cases ended up connecting to each other and how as Ango began to get used to his new-found ability his life began to spiral more towards the dark side.

While the manga gave clear hints as to why and how Ango was able to see the recently dead and talk to them, I like how the drama didn't outright explain it to the viewer because in doing that we're also learning more about Ango's ability as he realise it and allowing us to relate more to Ango as a person. And I love how the drama's tone was much more serious compared to the manga.

Love the soundtrack and how the main theme could convey many different emotions from Ango depending on the seriousness of the cases that he faced. Great writing as well as execution, I wished that there's more episodes for the drama just so I could continue seeing Ishikawa Ango a little bit longer.

Leia Mais

Loves this drama so much

Been wanting to watch this drama for so long and am so glad I could finally finish watching this. Not just because of Kim Namgil but also because the drama's focusing on Heo Im. Like there's lots of dramas that had a different take on Heo Jun but this one's had Heo Jun as support role.

That said, I like the concept of the drama since this is like the opposite of the theme from JIN (or Dr Jin for the Korean adaptation) so that's an interesting pov. Love the focus on oriental medicine versus modern medicine as you see from the clash between Heo Im and Yeongyeong, where the two eventuality ended up learning about each other and how different their two worlds was.

Kim Namgil as Heo Im was quite an endearing character with his silly and serious side. Not to mention how his path became twisted along the way and after meeting Yeongyeong he started on a journey to recover his true self as a doctor.

I love the fact that the drama not only just focusing on Heo Im, but also Yeongyeong and all the other people around them. And how as both Heo Im and Yeongyeong started learning about each other and became better doctors because of it, and that their changes also affect the people around them as the rest of them also try to be the better versions of themselves. And I love how from beginning to the end the drama continued to remind ourselves to 'live up to our names'.

Leia Mais

Well, since this drama was supposed to be based on a manga, I might try to look it up. Though, drama-verse... I felt that aside from the main plot that should have been taken from the manga; I felt that the drama plot was also slightly influenced by 2 other dramas of a similar theme. Well, it might just be due to a few of its main characters... but the more I get into the drama, I noticed that some of the plots also were slightly similar. It's probably intentional too when I thought about it. Since Hirosue Ryoko used to star in FujiTV's Triangle and Ikuta Toma was one of the leads in Maou, which was an adaptation from Mawang.

The plot was unpredictable, in terms of finding out the culprit/criminal... and the two main characters; Ikuo and Tatsuya were also not quite upright themselves. That... was in a way, similar to the way Triangle plot was set. But unlike Triangle, the roles of the main characters didn't change. In Triangle, the plot of a conspiracy within the police was also present... and the role of a victim, criminal and enforcer constantly changed as the truth slowly come out. But for Ouroboros, there wasn't that kind of dynamic yet there was something similar being used. While Ikuo and Tatsuya's role as the victim and avenge remain constant, the rest of the characters had a similar theme as with Triangle. The plot twist had a similar feel, in that, you can't be sure which character that you could trust, and which were the bad ones. And then, when the full truth was revealed, you'll be very unprepared.

Considering this drama was also a revenge drama, the connection to Maou was not that surprising. Yet, since Toma played Ikuo... and he's being placed beside Shun's Tatsuya, I suppose the scriptwriter can't help making the reference back to Maou. Since Maou was also quite a hit last time. For people who'd watched Mawang or Maou before, you could easily spot some familiar scene/plot twist. Like Maou, the ending was bittersweet. Yet like Triangle, there was a feeling of having a case closed properly as the criminal was brought to justice. It does feel nostalgic since I also loved both Triangle and Maou too.

Leia Mais

I have to say that DN had a special place in my heart. In which later on the manga took a turn into the direction I'm not fond off. But thankfully, the anime... as well as the Japanese live-action movies did well on the plot and adaptation.

The movie was fun... and interesting. I love the returning characters; I mean, we can't have daddy Yagami back... but I love seeing the return of Matsuda Touta, played by Aoyama Sota-san, Amane Misa, played by Toda Erika... and of course, Yagami Raito, played by Fujiwara Tatsuya. Even if it turned out as a recorded video. Oh! Let's not forget Ryuuku too. The new casts were also amazing. Been a while since I last watched any of Sudacchi's recent dramas or movies so it surprised me to hear how his voice had grown deeper~ the new shinigami was also damn cool, tho I somewhat feel like they did appear briefly in the manga. Cos I somewhat feel that Arma was familiar... and if I'm not wrong, Rem can no longer exist. Tho I missed her too. Arma's fate paralleled Rem in a sense.

Another thing that I like about the movie was how it gets back to mirroring the events back when L and Raito were still alive. The neo-Kira was almost similar to Raito... no, he did end up doing exactly the same thing as Raito have. And that was so satisfying. The plot twist was satisfying. The movie might have ended vaguely... aka the search for Kira's successor continuing; but even then by that point it was clear that the only Death Note holder that came close to being similar to Kira was 'that person'. Ryukku did seem to imply it, after all. So far, 'he' was the only one Ryukku told about the true reasoning of the search for Kira's successor. Though he probably wouldn't have liked to take the throne of the Underworld.

I love the movie, it's been a while since I've looked forward to new DN stuff.

Leia Mais

Been a while since I watched any dramas with Tacyeon after Bring in on, Ghost so I'm glad to find out about this drama. And the premise of the drama turned out to be supernatural again with an interesting twist.

To be honest, when I read the synopsis, my thoughts went back to a similarly themed drama Black that also featured an MC who could see Death... or more like the presence of a Reaper. So I was intrigued by this premise, as Taepyung had an ability to see the last moment of someone's death. And I had hoped that the story would wrap up better than how Black ends up being. I wasn't disappointed.

I loved how the main premise of the series focused at first on Kim Taepyung, on how due to his ability he had made quite a name within the elite circle and later on ended up meeting Detective Seo Joonyeong whom he falls in love with, due to his inability to see her death. And then, we're introduced to the secondary character Goo Dokyung who ended up having a rather complicated relationship with both Taepyung and Joonyeong.

That said, I loved the fact that in the series the one who first falls in love was Taepyung, whose ability prevented him from allowing himself to become attached to anyone due to a death prediction that he once saw, in which his feelings gradually was returned due to him and Joonyeong constantly being together and helping out each other to prevent the deaths that he saw from happening. Aside from that, the relationship between Taepyung and Dokyung intrigued me in a way that Dokyung was portrayed as a sympathetic villain who, despite desiring to defy fate and not continue killing people, ended up continuing to commit crimes to the distress of our leads.

The cases in the dramas were quite compelling and the conclusion was satisfying. While there are some parts in the writing that may be a bit weak, overall it didn't deter me from wanting to continue watching the series till the end. And I love the fact that each character was written in such a way that one cannot help rooting for them hoping that their gruesome fates could be changed for the better. I also loved the fact that the series allowed for characters to learn from the mistakes in the past and strive to make things better.

The Game: Towards the Zero was definitely a series that I'm glad to be able to watch from beginning to end.

Leia Mais

I ended up having to rewatch the SP to recall the plot from there with relation to this series. Overall, have to say that this series was a nice follow up to the SP as the series delved deeper into the relationship between Tabito and Youko, as well as Tabito's dark past. That aside, as much as comedy was listed as one of the genres in the drama, I feel that it's more to a parody. As in, it's a parody of the mystery genre series as well as a parody of the Japanese lifestyle. Like how there's a kink cafe with themes of injured women, a pair of police duo with an eccentric partner, a perverted old yakuza doctor as well as parodies of a lot of detectives and yakuza tropes in general.

That said, I have to say that the drama plot was quite balanced. And I love how a lot of things regarding Tabito's curiosities towards Youko, the relationships of the people from the detective agencies as well as Tabito's dark secrets were written in a way that was natural and not forceful. Like as much as some might argue that the focus on Tabito and Youko's relationship was unnecessary, Youko's presence was essential in the drama. As hinted by the yakuza doctor from the SP, surely enough Youko's influence was key towards Tabito's recovery to regaining the rest of his senses. Also, the very fact that in every episode there were subtle hints about Tabito's past alongside the other cases provide reasons as to why you would want to rewatch the series from the beginning to pick up all of the subtle hints.

All in all, as much as a lot of the elements in the drama was written in a parody-like setting, it's still an enjoyable watch for people who love mystery/detective genres dramas in a not so serious way.

Leia Mais

My first impression of the show was that Geat was a combination of the elements of Kamen Rider Blade, Ryuki as well as Garo: Versus Road. A Rider Battle game in which the final victor gets their wish granted. But unlike the Mirror World in Ryuki, the DGP was set in the real world, in which, depends on the game... can be set in the any time periods as the Game Master decide. The survival game elements in this show really reminds me a lot about Versus Road, tho the execution of it was slightly different.

I really like the writing of the show. Takahashi Yuya really impressed me on how the series treated the plot by making the Kamen Rider's mission to protect the world into a 'game show'. And the more one delve into the series, one can't help noticing some parallels to some of the well remembered scenes from past kamen rider series... which was fun to see.

I really love the cast. And Kan Hideyoshi was especially very adorable. He really carried Ukiyo Ace's character very well in showing the fox's cunningness as well as the mystery behind Ace. And I also love his dynamics with Sakurai Keiwa aka Tycoon, as both of them keep on growing into being a true Kamen Rider whose mission was to protect the world.

As much as Geats wasn't really perfect and had its share of flaws like any other series, it's still a very fond series for me that I'd keep going back to whenever I missed seeing the cast. The OSTs were great and it's been a very long while since I've enjoyed a great number of good insert song by the cast and for the characters. And the series do have great fight choreographies as well as camera works that made it such a joy to watch.

And I love how a lot of Geats lore incorporate a lot of Japanese mythological elements in the story since I'm quite a fan of those kinds of tales.

Leia Mais