Try it, it's fun if you turn your brain off!

This is another one of my favorite types of shows, the best/worst short dramas to watch! And I can't believe it looks like I'm the only person watching this in the world? Spoilers ahead (though it won't matter to the story at all, trust me).

The Pros
The cast is very good looking. The hair, costumes, and accessories, for the most part, are excellent. The sets and scenes are beautiful, and if you watch a lot of cdramas you will see some familiar places. The wirework that the ML and FL performed was excellent, you can tell they must have done a lot of practicing to make the flights look so effortless. The music was really fun in some places, like the series couldn't decide if it was a light romcom or an exciting costume drama and the music showed that. The ML and FL are both really good actors and they could almost pull off this trainwreck of a show, but not quite!

The Cons
What the heck is up with the editing. The scenes go like this: they are in the middle of town in the daytime, no they are in the forest at night, wait, they are now in a dungeon? wait no they are in a bamboo forest in the daytime, no night time, where the heck are they now? No transition just flittering back and forth between times and locations. You could make a fun drinking game out of this. Every time there is a sudden confusing switch take a shot!

I never did really figure out what the story was. They were all looking for a chart and then somehow said fck it all we'll forget about that aspect of the story and it wasn't mentioned again. And the ML and FL were married (contract/temporary?) but how/why we'll never know. The FL and ML were both in disguise, one was an assassin and the other a marquis? Maybe? The fight scenes were so bad they were like a high school production. Keep that FL away from a sword please!

The villain was over the top cheesy and not in a good way. Even his wig was bad!

All in all I had fun watching this one. Try it, you might like it too. I have found that I really enjoy these short series, where you never know what you are going to get. The episodes are only 10 minutes long, less then that if you don't count the pre and post credits.

Leia Mais

I need to learn how to use a fan

Another completely biased review from me to you!

This series is sheer perfection! I won't go into tons of details as to why I love it, it's all been said before. Between the music, the sets (mostly) and locations, and the actors (oh my lord the actors❤️‍?) this series to me is perfect. I will forever rate any love story on the 'Wen Kexing flirting with a fan' scale, with 10 being Wen Kexing himself and 1 being most other cdramas ?

I always play the opening and credits when I watch. The music and clips are magical. And yes, I do have the soundtrack and play it often.

The fight choreography is incredible! And I don't mean the closeup of the actors themselves 'fighting' I mean the distance shots where it looks like they are doing aerial ballet. Stunning! My favorite episodes are:
Episode 2, when Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are fighting among the flowering trees at Mirror Lake Mountain Villa - some great fight scenes there!
Episode 4 Where Zhou Zishu fights the beggar clan. Gorgeous!
Episode 6 where they go from spying to fighting drug men to sucking poison out of wounds to fighting to the big reveal of Zhou Zishu's actual beautiful face. All while flirting outrageously!

Wait, this was supposed to be a short review. Enough of my favorite episodes, just watch and enjoy.

Please, whatever you do, if you watch this on Netflix hurry up and find a way to watch the REAL finale episode, which is 37 Epilogue on Viki. If you only watch till the end on Netflix your heart will break.

Leia Mais

Great Show Except....

Here's another completely biased review from me to you.

I absolutely loved the first 15 episodes of this series. This is a typical murder of the week show. What makes it so special is the cast. This is how you do bromance! Including the FL! She was there as one of the guys only, not as a romantic interest or damsel in distress. Well, except for the last episode but we'll get to that later.

When cdramas need to add a female to the mix to make a series not so gay?, this is the way to do it. The character is all those cliches that are used to describe female leads in these types of shows: spunky, fiesty, smart, cute, whatever. She is adorable. Plus, she was awesome. One of the team, pulling her own weight and then some. I really wish this type of character was used more often in cdramas instead of the toddler breathy baby-talking helpless females who need to be rescued all the time. And damn, this was a 2016 series so ahead of it's time.

So like I said, the first 15 episodes were great fun. The chemistry between all 3 characters was just perfect with their bantering. Loved it! And then did they get another writer or something? Cause all of a sudden it went from the fun murder of the week trope to the typical 'ML has a dark past with his father being unjustly murdered and him trying to find out what happened with a psycho stalker who is killing people to f*ck around with the ML and all of a sudden the ML is framed for murder and everyone thinks he did it except for his 2 partners'. And that's when they turned the FL into the damsel in distress that needed saving. Luckily this parted ended quickly but still irritating to me! This type of story has been done umpteen times and it's boring. Rather than do that to screw up a great series just keep doing what was working, murder of the week. ?

I would watch the first 15 episodes again, then just stop watching after that. The stories are fun. Not a whole lot to the solving of murder parts, since they seem to solve them way to easily, but it's fun. The only warning is this series is hella graphic in it's portrayal of the autopsies so you want to watch this on an empty stomach and maybe turn away from the screen and turn the volume down some times. Just a thought.

Leia Mais

My face hurts from smiling so much

Another completely biased review from me to you!

What can I say, I absolutely love this series/movie! It's on my permanent playlist. If I'm feeling down I will watch it. If I'm in a good mood and want to stay that way I watch it. It's a sweet easy show to watch with adorable boys, a great soundtrack and background music, and an interesting story. This is another show to please disconnect the logic portion of your brain and just go with it. If you start thinking logically you'll get bogged down into the why's and lose enjoyment. Just go with the flow. Also, I recommend the movie version instead of the series. There is an extra scene there that doesn't change a lot but gives me bigger smiles.

The music is spot on. I know I've read other people complaining about the background music but I beg to differ, it's great. And as soon as I hear the song Star by Runy I start smiling, it's so infectious and fun. I'm listening to it now on repeat. And the title song Florida is sung by the cast members, which makes it extra special. The MLs are incredibly cute together, just watch them smile at each other. Can you say dimples? And also can I say, what a waste of the best abs ever, not seeing more of a shirtless Yoo Hwan! Really, the entire cast are just adorable. Fun fact - zeze and joon together make up seoulitestudio https://www.youtube.com/@SEOULITESTUDIO . I watch all their videos, even though most of them don't have English subs. They are so fun together.

Highlights for me that makes this so special SPOILERS AHEAD:
The opening scene, chasing the suitcase down the hill and into each others arms. Much better than the usual trip into each others arms trope ?
The zoom in with hands to see a close-up. Yes, it's cheesy and it's been done before, but it's executed so well and Hae Won's smile is just so....
Absolutely love the "Place your left foot back...that's your right foot" then the little hop/skip to switch legs. Cute!
How adorable Hae Won looks when putting on his uniform first time!
Sexiest way of putting an apron on someone ever... 'a little harder' and then the tucking the hair behind the ear is a sweet little swoon-worthy scene
The additional scene mentioned above isn't much, just showing the MLs in bed together, 2 pairs of bare feet tangled together, 2 naked (well, shirtless anyhow) bodies cuddled up together sleeping.
The tight, tearful hug at the end ?

I really wish there was an additional episode where we can find what happened with Yoo Hwan's father!
What was up with that throw away line in the beginning "the guest house's owner came". Does that mean Hae Won own's the guest house? Inquiring minds want to know ?

So anyhow, watch it, enjoy, smile more ?

Leia Mais

Incredible Music and Eye Candy

This is another extremely biased review of a movie that I absolutely adore!

The first thing I fell in love with is the music. The soundtrack is fantastic. The movie (and series) starts out with wonderful cello and violins playing a variation of the title song Wish You. Now, I'm not a strings person at all but something about this song and the sound the cello makes is completely magical!

Then one of the male leads hears the other singing on the street, stops dead in his tracks, starts watching and listening, and falls instantly in love. You can see it and feel it at the same time. Seriously, pure magic. That's what makes this a complete 10 for me, just the feel of the story. I mean, just listen and watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4opvypXJQ30

When you watch this be prepared to fall in love with a couple of really really adorable guys who are lucky enough to have found their soulmates and who want to make beautiful music together. Yes, the story isn't deep or complex, there are a lot of leaps and assumptions, but I don't care. The music and these 2 guys make it all perfect in my eyes.

The only disappointment is that not all of the songs are part of the soundtrack album and there are some songs that till this day I can't find anything about. Neither Shazam nor googling finds anything about these songs. One in particular has moved into my brain rent-free and has been living there for 4 years now. If anyone reading this knows please share! The song starts with "If it all comes crashing down we'll be just fine." Damn I love that song!

Leia Mais

Different and fun romcom

I was looking for something to watch that wouldn't require a large investment in time and wasn't too serious. This series definitely did it for me.

The hair, makeup, costumes, and sets were all great and quite different for the usual cdramas I've been watching. The OST and the background music were just perfect for the show. And I loved the little bit of animation added. Just enough to be cute but not over the top.

Honorable mention to some things that just cracked me up:
Shave and a haircut at the end of the opening song.
The FL's steampunk-looking hair and costumes.
The brother's curly locks that are so bad they look like the cowardly lion's after they get spruced up in Oz.
The dance off.
Sausage lips.
I know it's not a BL but the doctor and the brother story, especially with the sexy saxophone playing every time they shared the screen together, makes me giggle. If you want to see what I'm talking about please play the first few minutes of episode 20! OMG.
The brother and doctor in disguise as puppets with their arms locked together skipping through the enemy!
Episode 19 around the 16:40 mark - ML's tighty whities showing through his robes just cracks me up. They had to have noticed that at the time of filming, and definitely in post-production, but they kept it in for our viewing pleasure.

All in all, a fun watch that I definitely recommend. It's worth your time.

Leia Mais

Last of the Original Live Action Movies

Another completely biased review from me to you.

I am still wondering why they made this one and the New Generation one too, 10 years after the originals. And if they were going to make them, damn it make them better than this! This review is all very spoilery, I just did a stream of conscience while watching. Read at your own risk ?

First 10+ minutes or so I thought maybe the streaming platform had screwed up and I was actually watching the Netflix version? I've seen worse beginnings to movies but wow, what was this? This story takes place 10 years after the original live action movies from 2006-2008.

Then nice, a picture of Light, and picture of L. Then a short clip of Light which makes absolutely no sense as far as the previous movies go. Isn't he dead already, pretty definitively? ? Then the Death Note Task Force is out to catch a new holder of the Death Note Book. They are disguising themselves (very badly) by wearing sunglasses and having scarves on so she won't see their names using the reaper's eyes. So lame! Does it get better? Nope.

So, Ryuzaki is a clone of L? He's rather boorish and irritating without any of the charms of L.

Beppo was a disappointing looking reaper. Arma makes up for it.

More 'video' of Light/Kira that disguised a virus to take down all computer systems. Too funny.

Misa! ?

What a twist ending! Ok, made the ride halfway decent. However, sorry, but I was rooting for Shien here as the new Kira. Seriously, Suda Masaki was simply adorable. They did him wrong.

Anyhow, I suppose if you are going to do like I did and decide to watch all the Death Note live actions (except for the Netflix one, gods why did they do that?) they are ok to watch. Sadly the only one I would really recommend is the one that started it all, Death Note from 2006. Also, the series from 2015 is pretty darn good. I'll be watching that one next.

Leia Mais

Barely a Death Note series

Another completely biased review from me to you.

This takes places 10 years after the original 2006 Death Note movie. In the first episode, there is a short, blink and you'll miss it, clip of Tatsuya as Light. There is some guy who is a Death Note investigator. Not sure who he is supposed to be replacing, maybe Light's father?

In the second episode, another guy who is supposed to be L's replacement but doesn't come anywhere near as close to the insane brilliance of Kenichi. Maybe in the next show they will flesh him out a bit? Nice hair though.

And finally, the best episode, we get the gorgeous Suda Masaki ❤️‍?as the new Kira, Shien. The entire thing could have been his story and I would have been happy. The first 2 were like boring fillers if that makes sense?

However, this 3rd episode focused too much on a guy who murdered a little girl with his bare hands during a home robbery. For some misplaced reason they tried making him a sympathetic hero? I definitely don't understand that at all! The saving grace is he finally got Death Noted ?

And they only showed a very brief glimpse of Ryuk in the last few seconds. So all in all, a bit of a disappointment. Would have rated it lower if it weren't for Suda Masaki.

Leia Mais

Kind of in the Death Note Family

To say this is a Death Note movie is stretching it a bit I think. Yes, L is in it and he is he candy-eating, bent back, terrible typing savant from Death Note and Death Note 2: The Last Name. Matsuyama Kenichi just really plays this character well.

The story itself is pretty darn interesting, but only if you're not looking for Death Note 3. The story has a different vibe to it then the others and isn't about Death Notes or death gods at all. It just has L in it with a bit of cameo from the previous movies.

All in all, a decent watch if you have some time to spare.

Leia Mais

Tori Matsuzaka is mesmerizing

Tori Matsuzaka was the perfect choice for this role! After watching this movie I can't imagine anyone else playing the character. To tell you the truth, he is the only reason to watch this. The perfect, gorgeous, psychotic killer with the mesmerizing eye and devilish grin!

The FL was ok, at least she didn't turn into a damsel in distress. For some reason Mackenyu was in this even though his character was almost non-existent. The rest of the characters were pretty much Japanese crime movie 101.

I would love to see the story fleshed out more. Who is this captivating ML and how did he get his powers? Turn this into a series and watch the cat and mouse games continue!

Another movie to watch after turning your brain off. Don't worry too much about a deep story line and don't expect any life lessons from this. Just enjoy the ride. And the eye candy.

Leia Mais

What a fun ride!

I've watched this around 4 or 5 times so far. This is one of my absolute favorites to watch when I need to take a break. I have no experience with the original manga so I came into this with no expectations. The movie has everything I love about this genre of Japanese movies/series. Awesome eye candy, incredible music, unbelievably good sfx. Sota Fukushi is so good as Ichigo in this. He completely lives his character. Hana Sugisaki is fantastic as Rukia. The montage of her teaching him how to fight is just so fun. I only wish there were more movies and/or a series with the same characters, especially since they mention the Soul Society Arc. Give it a try and hopefully you'll find it as fun as I did. ?

NOTE: I'm definitely not an impartial reviewer. I tend to leave reviews and ratings for only things I love which means almost everything is a 10 for me ?

Leia Mais

Heaven's Door! Another Fantastical Kishibe Rohan with Issei Takahashi

Another completely biased review from me to you.

Issei Takahashi is back and more beautiful then ever in this new 1-hour story. Everything about the series and movies are just so sublime. I can't imagine another actor would ever be able to step into Issei's shoes to play Kishibe Rohan. He's perfect in this role.

The story was interesting, and I really wasn't expecting the path it took, nor the ending. But I am happy with it.

The wardrobe department did an excellent job with this episode. Rohan's wetsuit was scrumptious with the unbuttoned white shirt. Then the black outfit was just gorgeous. Chef Tonio's outfit was interesting, to say the least. The hat was extra! And his diving suit with those red boots, the TT on the chest, and still wearing the hat was, dare I say, the chef's kiss?

I'll stand by my previous reviews/comments to say that Kyoka is the most irritating character and I really wish they would use one of these episodes to kill her off or have her immigrate to Australia or something, and replaced with someone who isn't so over-the-top. IMHO

Leia Mais

Hilariously Funny Thieves vs Cops

Another completely biased review from me to you.

How to describe the esthetics here? Kind of like a cross between Get Smart (ancient U.S. series), the old Batman TV series, Austin Powers, and every campy James Bond parody ever made, and all with the typical zany over-the-top Japanese insanity. So much damn fun to watch! And just silly as hell.

The entire extended family of thieves are so stupid funny. The brother is an absolute gem! The way he wears the disguise, or his own version of it, even though he stays behind in his batcave working the computers and the ladybug lol. The parents who are too busy flirting with each other (reminds me of Morticia and Gomez Addams, only with stealing)! The cute little Grandma who is a badass in her own right! And I love Akira and Hana's musical numbers. Yes, really, musical numbers!

The cop's family, down to the dog, are just as silly. And the Grandpa with the bad Elvis wig, wow.

If you need a break from heavy, angst-filled dramas this is a nice light palate cleanser. Turn off the brain, laugh, and enjoy!

Leia Mais

Silly Sexy Little Romp

Another completely biased review from me to you.

This short series seems to get a bit of hate, but I have to say I loved it. Even though the one ML is a walking talking redder than the Sorcerer's robe red flag, he's still sexy as hell. And the other ML is a cute but dim little chipmunk. The 2 of them together strangely have a ton of chemistry. Lots of nice skinship. The shower scene....

The story is not ground breaking. There are some bits in there that you wonder why they were added. Watch it and see what you think.

All in all I really enjoyed the hell out of this one too. Turn off your brain, stop criticizing so much, smile and enjoy!

Leia Mais