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.

Leia Mais

This is a good example of a light hearted drama that can be entertaining without getting corny. I had dropped the Chinese romcom Sweet Dreams because it was stupid as $&$@&! When I saw this I was hopeful because I was very impressed with Ji Soo’s work in Strong Girl Bonsoon.

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.

Leia Mais

I didn’t think I would see a C-drama that could top TLTWTMPB but I was wrong. I was absolutely convinced by the stellar performances of the cast, and in the chemistry of our two leads. I love a good romance, but I also need some action as well as a good plot. This delivered. Those gravity defying martial arts were just fun to watch. It was a beautiful production, well-written adaptation from book to screen, even if it did veer off early on. I loved that Fuyao defended herself well and didn’t let anyone step all over her. At the same time, she allowed herself to be saved by Wuji even though she held her own very well. That balance of being strong but leaning on the one you love at the same time, sold me on their romance because she recognized the importance of putting her loved one first. Ethan Ruan has a smile to die for! I call him the Chinese Tom Cruise. The camera absolutely loves Ethan. He cannot take a bad shot. Will definitely recommend this title.

Leia Mais

This is the most intensely romantic TV series I have ever watched. I love a drama where the chemistry works between the leads making it a joy to watch them. Mark Chao and Yang Mi were amazing. Two beautiful people who got lost in their characters and made them come alive was a true joy to watch, The performances are first rate, the sets are gorgeous and the costumes breathtaking, with an equally beautiful soundtrack. Because I love epic love stories between people who experience love and loss, I knew this would be something I would enjoy. The fact that it spans lifetimes makes it all the more intriguing. I bought into the drama and have now watched it twice. It's hard to let go.

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

Great Xianxia

Ah, I loved this one! A good old-fashioned xianxia served up with all the best plot devices, romance, numerous episodes, great acting, and strong writing. Without giving anything away, it's just a fun romp through xianxia land and took me back to the days of TMOPB and similar xianxias that made me fall in love with the genre in the first place.

As always I loved Yang Zi's performance as Yan Dan, the lotus fairy who is born into the Heavenly Realm. Cheng Yi and Ray Chang's performances were also noteworthy, but in this love triangle, I was team Yu Mo due to their wonderful chemistry! Deep down, I hoped they would just run away together!

There was some pretty bad acting among some of the supporting cast--Wang Hao Xuan as Dragon King Ao Xuan, but the leads were rock solid. They were endearing, especially when the trio went on their numerous adventures. I have to commend Vicki Xu on her portrayal as the evil fairy Ying Deng. Damn, she was one you really loved to hate.

Nice OST and impressive special effects made it a feast for the eyes and ears. Definitely recommend this one if you're a fan of xianxia shows. Looking forward to part 2!

Leia Mais

Great Crime Drama

I watched this right after finishing My Dearest because I was so blown away my Namkoon Min's performance as Jang Hyun that I needed to see him in something else right away. The one other drama I had watched him in was a few years ago in Wild Chives. That show was so forgettable that the only thing I remembered was NM's beautiful smile. My Dearest brought him back to me, but with several years of experience under his belt. I have seen exceptional acting from many actors, but few become their characters. NM is one of these actors. He is a chameleon and so invested in his characters, that I can only see the character and NOT the actor. This is a rare gift. With the exception of his face and timbre of his voice, there is no similarity between these two characters. In the Veil, NM is Han Ji Hyuk, the hard-nosed, mentally unstable security bureau agent fighting demons and looking to expose the rats within his organization.

The story is well-written and gripping. It is fast paced and, though a little hard to follow at times, very engaging. The best part is the wonderfully talented ensemble cast and an air-tight script. The anchor is Namkoon, of course. He adds weight to a cast of very fine actors who work very well together. From drug related cases, to organ trafficking, to espionage and secret sub-organizations, it's all here and well put together. You can't help but watch and hope that things turn out well for him and his new partner, You Je Yi, played capably by Kim Ji Eun.

If you are a fan of Namkoon Min, I recommend this one even if romantic dramas are more your style--like mine.

Leia Mais

No depth

Without knowing anything on the real history of the princess, this fictional account left me unsatisfied. I feel like there wasn't much going on here. The princess is sent to Japan as a hostage, but it only touches the surface of her situation in Japan. There isn't much character development and I'm left with a sad story with no real depth.

The acting was good. I felt for the princess who tried so hard to be a beacon of hope for her people, but was thwarted by the enemy. Our main leads were both invested in their roles and their performances were noteworthy. Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't very riveting, so there is only so much they can do with the script. I felt like some of the talent was wasted and underused in this film. Not worth the time.

Leia Mais

Miss, for me..

This was not my cup of tea. I was looking forward to it because I have been a fan of Luo Yunxi since Ashes of Love and was mesmerized with Till the End of the Moon. The writing here is so lukewarm, that it does our ML no justice. I was familiar with Zhang Rue Nan when I first watched her in Date with the Future. I liked her role as the relentless, kind, tough young reporter and was hoping her role would, once again, be along those lines. It is to an extent, but it falls short because she makes herself so unlikeable in this drama. I don't know what it is. Perhaps, the writers are at fault here for writing her in a way that made me feel less than charitable towards her. The way she pushed away our ML may have been necessary for the conflict in the story, but there has to be some underlying pull to counteract the push. All I saw is push here, and she gave off some very negative vibes. That, and the lack of chemistry between the leads killed it for me. I was happy the secondary couple did not take away too much air time from the main leads, but they almost disappear completely at times. Still, there was some annoying cliches and some outright ridiculous medical implausibilities that really raised my eyebrows. I will continue to watch Luo Yunxi because I can't fault him for this stinker of a show, but no more Zhang Rue Nan dramas. She is cute, but there is nothing in her performances that screams overwhelming desire to see her in anything ever again. Cui Yi, as Su Wei An's mother, was a biggest bright spot in this dull drama.

Leia Mais

Watchable, for the most part.

I thought this drama was watchable overall. I love Park Bo Young. She is cute beyond words and such a joy to watch. She had good chemistry with her male lead and it had the right amount of humor and angst to keep you watching. At times the plot seemed to slow down and become repetitive. It seemed to meander in parts and some of the writing choices were just silly implausibilities. I mean, who has a conversation in Korean with someone who only answers in English and both completely understand each other? I know the writers wanted some laughs, but that was ridiculous.

Lee Soo Hyun is a cat in human form! Aloof, arrogant, and smooth, he is the epitome of the annoying guy who is handsome and knows it. He isn't someone I would jump to date so I wondered, given the way his character is written, why the object of his affection would be interested in such an arrogant bastard? I never felt his character arc was complete, and he lacked development. He went from being an arrogant bastard to an arrogant bastard in love.

I felt the character who got the shortest end of the stick is Kang Tae Oh's, Lee Hyun Gyu. Aside from helping along Lee Soo Hyun's storyline, there wasn't much for him to do. I think he should get his own spin-off drama where he finds the girl of his dreams. In general, the writing was really the problem here. Why take us on a ride where someone falls in love, misses her guy, only to play games when she gets him back? That was exasperating, as was watching the ML still think he could do superhero stuff when he wasn't just for laughs. Perhaps the drama it didn't want to take itself to seriously , but the comedy seems out of place.

The OST was excellent. I usually never rewatch dramas so I wouldn't recommend a show that can't decide what it is.

Leia Mais

Slow Burn Romance

Here is a nice two-season romance drama that takes a while for the romance to ignite. It stars two of my favorite young actors, Leo Wu and LuSi Zhao. I can't say enough about the rock solid performances, especially from Leo Wu. He is absolutely captivating, extremely talented and downright gorgeous. The camera loves him. For such a young performer, he is incredibly talented and takes you effortlessly along with him. He plays the highly-revered General Ling BuYi who can crush the enemy with a glance. The young ladies are all vying for his attention, many making utter fools of themselves in the process, while ready to scratch each other's eyes out. Luckily, the aloof and unattached General sets his eyes on the young daughter of another general, but she is headstrong and not easily trusting. Niao Niao, played by LuSi Zhao, is lovely, naughty, vengeful and forthright. Sparks fly when these two get together, and they both complement each other. It's endearing to watch them slowly falling in love with each other and suffering along with them through their sorrows. The best part is watching them grow from their mistakes, learning to forgive, and allowing their love to make the other stronger.

Leia Mais

Predictable

Cliched, predictable high school drama with some very beautiful young people. Bo Ra promises to look after her best friend's crush while she leaves the country. Predictable situations ensue, but you don't mind it too much since the main leads are so darned beautiful. I loved Bo Ra's relationship with her father the most. I wish they had given their banter a little more airtime. I was hoping the love triangle would give way to a close friendship--sort of like a three musketeers relationship, but the writers had other ideas. I hate to say it, but the unoriginal plot, and depthless supporting characters made this a bit disappointing. The acting was okay, but I think they could have gone a little further in raising the stakes. It general, a very sweet teenaged movie.

Leia Mais

Not as good as Part 1

I am not sure why they decided to film this series in two parts since both parts had about 10 episodes. But there were some things that bugged me about this installment. Here the acting is worse than the first installment. There was a lot of face acting rather than just allowing the actions to come from within. The plot is so ridiculous. that of course, this doesn't leave much to work with in terms of getting to know your character. There is no inner monologue and that is the most annoying part of the writing here. This keeps everything superficial and detached.

I found my eyes rolling more in this half, probably because I was wondering what other nonsense they would throw at me before finally putting the actors out of their misery. I still don't understand why this manga became popular enough to make a live action drama about it; why anyone would want to romanticize a toxic relationship between a nice girl and a bully; or why its cool to have people treat each other in such destructive ways. It's actually a very disturbing story when you think about it.

The. productions seems to incorporate too many flashbacks, including things that just happened within that same episode. These got tiresome. The only thing I liked about this show was the music.

Leia Mais

Where it All Began

Usually I don't like watching school drama's but since this series was popular enough for two other remakes, I needed to find out why it was so appealing. I suppose if you are a young, 15 year old girl, this would have some kind of appeal. However, I have always thought that any girl who picks a bad boy over the one that treats her like a queen deserves whatever she gets. Luckily this is done in an entertaining, albeit, cliched way.

The entire premise is completely implausible, the characters one-dimensional, and the storylines contrived. The cast is cute but it isn't enough to save the stinky plot and the acting is atrocious. Makino is a really sweet girl, but she is a doormat when girls bully her, yet tough when boys are the bullies. Perhaps she has figured out just how demented mean girls can be, and far more evil. I think the worst message this show can have is to make young ladies believe that they can change a bad boy with just a little TLC. People like Domyogi don't change.

It has entertainment value to some degree, but everything is on the surface. The characters were just not believable enough. All I know is that everyone is shallow and crazy with the exception of Makino. The bullying is way over the top here and just not realistic. There is a lack of authority, but perhaps this is the way the manga is written. It is definitely better than Meteor Garden, so thank God for small wonders.

Leia Mais

Disappointing

I think a lot of the good talent in this series was underused. The writing was sloppy and superficial in trying to pull the heartstrings of the viewer. They spend much time on less important characters than focusing on the leads. The storyline is everywhere, following lesser characters instead of fleshing out the leads and giving the viewers time to get to know and care for the main leads. People disappear and reappear making the storyline choppy and frustrating. In 12 episodes this series could have been wrapped up tightly and neatly. Instead we got a lot of jerk kids whom we barely knew and didn't much care about.

The main thread of this show is the consequences of bullying. Everything that happens subsequently is the result of the students' bullying of one another. That bullying leads to revenge, which leads to disaster. It was a depressing show with little lighter moments. The stars here really are the zombies. The most frustrating part of this show is the lack of continuity. Storylines begin and then are abandoned to give other characters more air time. Those abandoned characters aren't heard from for several episodes before they come back only to disappear for longer stretches again. It was entertaining, but not well written or gripping as Train to Busan. For all the comparison that the show itself makes to the movie, this is NO Train to Busan. This series is gorier, slower, and not as well written. It leaves you feeling run down, disappointed, and sad in the end.

Leia Mais