Reviews

It's the best korean drama I've watched for a while (since 2011, that I managed to complete, and not put on "hold")...omo. How sad is that? I loved the Dragon and Secretary Tak's fondness for getting his butt slapped, and the brilliant chemistry between Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk. I believe it also gives extra poignancy to people who've watched "Successful Story of a Bright Girl" because some of the lines here about missing each other and reconnecting...it was like the actors were saying it from the heart themselves. About how they missed working with each other, and it was a pleasure to do it again. Although there are several scenes worth skipping (artfully dodged!), I have to give this 9/10, even though the plot is so so cliche and has everything from amnesia to noble idiocy. Great drama! I'm going to write a review for it! (But I'll probably just copy and paste this :D)

EDITED:

I'm sorry. I have to give this 10/10. Despite it having flaws, the one point I deducted were made up by the fact, that I watched Bright Girl first, and to see the evolution in their chemistry (we might never see this pairing together again...weeps) made this drama extra special for me, and one I won't be likely to forget. I can see myself rewatching this 10 years from now, and still being swept in a great (er) wave of sentimentality.

Leia Mais

As many already know, Ex-Girlfriend Club had to go through an (uncalled) cut, going from 16 episodes to only 12. Fortunately, this Kdrama didn't seem to suffer much from it and managed to stay true to itself until the very end; so no need to fret about the quality going downhill.

The only valid explanation I see for Ex-Girlfriend Club's low ratings is that it doesn't have any "epic love" nor any "bad-to-the-bone villain". It is simply a heartfelt story with a generous sprinkle of fluff and hilarity, as its OST can corroborate. Although the story is unpretentious, the characters are all layered. Flawed yet lovable, the characters are more than just love interests and whatnot; each of them is his/her own person. The genuineness the characters give off is enhanced by the great acting. The cast did a flawless job, Bun Yo Han was especially shining in this drama. The ones behind the cast wouldn't have been able to find a more perfect fit for Myung Soo, even if they had tried. Not to mention how believable Song Ji Hyo and him were at acting as a couple, they were simply the cutest.

This drama, free of the usual draggy angst, can be watched over and over without losing much of its charm. To put it in a nutshell, Ex-Girlfriend Club is the perfect drama to watch if you want to uplift your current mood.

Leia Mais

I've been shying away from HK drama all this time. Probably because I usually do it in waves. Japanese gave way to Korean, then Taiwanese and Chinese. Once I watch all the dramas I really feel like, I move on to the next language. That being said, this was my HK drama and I loved it! ^_^

Story: Two cops go undercover (or are forced to) into a public housing community as a married couple to find out about a loan-shark company supposedly operating from there. As expected, they keep bickering with each other, while slowly falling in love. Or are they already in love?

Law Dai Shu / Paul: An uptight officer, whose mother ran away with his family's money to get plastic surgery done. Since then, he hates people who go for plastic surgery. Has been dating the same girl for 7-8 years, but they gradually grow apart and break up. He goes undercover as a plumber and soon becomes popular with the ladies for his looks.

Fa Ping / Apple: After being teased for being ugly as a child, she believes that becoming beautiful can change her life. After a life-changing plastic surgery, she becomes popular with men. Has a soft corner for fellow officer, but Paul was her first love. She initially hates him since she heard him telling his friends that he'll never date such an ugly girl, but gradually realizes all that he's been through in life and the spark of love ignites again. (Banzai!) Though she's a spoilt young lady, she soon picks up the habits of housewives like bargaining and cooking. Her transformation is a real treat to watch.

The chemistry between the two is amazing throughout. It is entertaining without being clingy or overbearing. It is pretty much a one-track romance as his (ex-)gf and her crush hardly play an important role and are soon shown to be not worthy of the protagonists - so much better than unrequited true love and buckets of tears. As they live together, they come to understand the importance of having someone to care for. Their parents, especially his father and her mother are amusing as they try to interfere in the love lives of their children. Their senior officer with his T.I.A.O. ("This is an order!") is hilarious to say the least. He picks up new and crazy spots for their secret meetings every time - you just can't keep waiting for where/how he'll turn up next. I didn't pay much attention to the other housewives, but they did their part. The ending is a simple feel-good one without any major twists. Overall, this is a drama I'd highly recommend if you're looking for a light-hearted romcom.

Rewatch: If I have time, definitely!

Leia Mais

Finally the wait is over. Before starting, I'd like to thank the subbing team/group for the good work. This was yet another random find after which I ended up patiently waiting for the subbed episodes every week.

Story: During the Ming dynasty, Hong Xi Dong is the leader of Emperor Zhu Yun Wen’s personal bodyguard detail. Then the 'Nine Turns Luminous Night Pearl' is missing and he's suspected to have stolen it. Two palace guards Peng Ze and Xu Xiao Tian chase him and they all somehow end up in the 21st century, where they meet a lookalike of Xi Dong.

Characters:
Hong Xiao Dong / Hong Xi Dong: Xi Dong is from the era of the Mings and Xiao Dong from the 21st century. It is unclear at the beginning whether they are the same person or reincarnations. Xiao Dong is a former police officer who became a private detective when his ideals about the police force were shattered. He has the ability to read minds and transforms into Xi Dong under specific circumstances, seemingly in the presence of Xian Ting (who he remembers as Xian Er once transformed). But is she the one responsible for the transformation?

Peng Ze and Xu Xiao Tian: Two palace guards from the Ming dynasty who end up in modern Taiwan. The initial episodes focus on how they adapt to the changes in the environment. Though they initially suspect Xiao Dong to be the thief, they are soon convinced (primarily by Mo Han, who undertakes the task of getting them used to the 21st century) that he is, in fact, the good guy. Then they join forces to find the pearl.

Zhang Xian Ting / Xian Er: Xian Ting is the "Go Go Go" poster girl of a news channel who is forced by her editor to wear weird costumes while reporting. She wants to be a principled reporter and report actual news. Seeing an opportunity to interview the palace guards, she contacts Xiao Dong. Though their relationship is strained in the beginning, she falls for him after learning about his past. Supposedly, she's the reincarnation of Xian Er, the wife of Xi Dong. Though Nikki shines in her role, she does look kinda shabby next to Jiro Wang sometimes.

Mo Han: One of the members of Xiao Dong's detective agency. Has idolized and loved Xiao Dong since he saved her from an assailant during her high school days. her image is that of a peppy girl, but inside she's caring and understanding. Once she realizes the love between Xiao Dong and Xian Er, she lets her feelings go and in turn, paves the way for a new love.

There are other characters providing the much needed comic relief. Overall, the casting and performance are adequate, if not exemplary at times.

Concluding Thoughts: The ending was not conclusive and indicates a second season. In fact, without a second season, the ending is downright ridiculous - simply too many open ends to be resolved.

Music: Both the opening (The Great Hero by Jiro Wang) and ending (Love Influenza by Kirsten Ren) are worth listening to a few times.

Rewatch: It is a complete drama with doses of romance, comedy and action. Can be watched again if time permits.

Leia Mais

So I make a comeback into watching Wuxia, which I gave up on after a series of disastrous twists/sad endings. So before I start with the review, lemme talk about what I expect from a Wuxia drama.
1. No overglorification of a single character.
2. Good romance and chemistry between the lead pair(s).
3. Decent CG.
4. Good costumes.
5. A somewhat good ending (All those "see you in the next life" endings are annoying when they pop up without warning)

Story: It is yet another adaptation of Si Da Ming Bu by Wen Rui'an. The title literally means "The Four Great Constables" and chronicles the journey of the Infamous Four of the Divine Deputy Bureau as they try to maintain peace, investigate cases, destroy the great villains and put an end to the devious plans of the Royal Lord An Shi Di.

Characters:
"Cold Blood" Ling Xie: The leader of the Infamous Four. Rude and indifferent on the outside, but it all stems from his tragic past. He is the prince of the wolf tribe who lives for vengeance on those who killed his people. Though his life span is shortened by the wolf poison in his heart, revenge is his sole purpose in life till he meets Chu Ying Xue (as expected?).

"Heartless" Wu Qing: Kind and gentle - in many ways the opposite of Cold Blood, but is eternally suffering due to a tragic love. But is his lover actually dead? Can they be still reunited? Or is she the one actually destined for him? The questions are answered as the story progresses. Keep your napkins ready though.

"Chaser" Zhui Ming: A jolly fellow and also a friend of the princess. Has been in love with the princess, but she is infatuated with Cold Blood.

"Iron Fist"; Tie Shou: Gets his name from the iron gauntlet on his hand and a prodigy as hand-to-hand combat. Has his own romantic interest.

Chu Ying Xue / Chu Li Mo: A seemingly naive girl, who is actually the daughter of the Holy Moon Sect's leader and has the ability to read minds. Her stepparents force her to become a royal concubine, but she escapes and is taken in the Divine Deputy Bureau as a maid. Initially dislikes Cold Blood, but starts caring for him after learning about his past and eventually falls in love with him.

Ji Yao Hua: Member of the Divine Deputy Bureau and grew up with the Infamous Four. Has been in love with Cold Blood despite knowing his secret. In her own words, "When he dies, I wish to die with him." One character we really learn to love and pity in the first half. But does she really give up on Cold Blood? Or is this the beginning of something sinister?

An Shi Di: The primary villain in the series. Wishes to obtain the divine skills and would go to any lengths to do it. But what is his aim? World domination? Or something more?

Others: There are others who might be considered primary characters, but in my opinion, the story revolves around these 7.

The main reason I finished the drama so quickly is Janine. She looks absolutely adorable in traditional Chinese dresses. Her on-screen chemistry with Zhang Han is pretty good as well. Jia Qing did her bit very well. There are so many times one wishes a better future for her - but Janine still comes first :| The four male leads do justice to their roles. Though Zhang Han and Yang Yang get more screen time, the others are not neglected either. A couple of the other female leads are downright irritating, but I guess we just oughta live with it. Loved the costumes on the actresses. Always feels good having multiple romantic threads in the story, with most, if not all, having happy endings.

Music: Fits the story, though nothing great about it.

Rewatch: Yes, it is lengthy and yes, it might get repetitive at times. But nevertheless, it can be watched again and again if you fell in love with the characters (which I did).

PS: I feel this review is kinda lengthy yet inadequate in places. I'll try to edit it later when I have time. Thanks for reading!

Leia Mais

Oh, this was so silly. Completely and utterly ridiculous – but in a good way. At first I didn’t have high expectations, I only watched it because it was one of the last of Fujiki Naohito’s main roles that I hadn’t seen yet, and you can see already from the poster that it looks kind of stupid. But it’s actually cute and funny.

The main character is Shinnosuke, born Japanese but brought up as a “cowboy” in Arizona, USA, who is sent to Shibuya, Tokyo, by his Native American friend Geronimo III (Furuta Arata, always a pleasure), to search for a girl named Imoko. This is the overall story arch that keeps the whole thing together. Imoko is supposed to be 17 years old, but Shinnosuke soon learns that Shibuya is full of girls that age. Some of them have dropped out of school or even left their homes and they only live for their club, Angel Hearts, where they do the “para-para” dance. (This too looks very strange to me but I’ve read that this is a thing that exists!) He befriends them, and also meets other people in the neighborhood, along with Geronimo’s daughter Momo.

In the beginning I even wondered if it was watchable at all. “What is this?!?” I thought to myself, but soon I realized that it’s not meant to be taken seriously. The drama is full of very strange things that can’t even happen in the real world, and it’s full of repetitions (stuff in one character’s shop always gets knocked over in the exact same way once or twice ever episode, and things like that). It’s completely over the top all the way. Nobody can be like that. Why the American characters all speak fluent Japanese is a mystery, for one thing. Only Shinnosuke’s speech is sometimes sprinkled with English. It’s just one of the things that you have to accept and let go to enjoy this... The way they dress and act, too. The writer of this drama has clearly been looking too much at old children’s books about “cowboys and Indians”, and no other characters ever change out of their work clothes…

Of course, there are “serious” topics thrown in, too. Each episode deals with a certain issue one of the characters has to deal with, and “the cowboy from Arizona” helps them gain new insight. Mostly it’s the girls in Angel Heart that he meets. He helps them “grow” and “learn from their mistakes”, and even if the girls get angry with each other and fight a lot, they make up before the end of the episode. This is the part of the drama that makes me roll my eyes. Shinnosuke’s speeches about respect and compassion may carry good messages, but these “life lessons” are a bit too much sometimes! At the same time this makes them kind of funny, too. Just when you think it’s getting way too cheesy, it falls back into the silliness again. At least sometimes. (And at least you can watch Fujiki Naohito’s face while he talks and forget the rest…)

That’s one reason why I didn’t give it a higher rating, and one reason why I watched this drama slowly. One episode every now and then to make me laugh, that’s fine. On the plus side is that there is very little romance and only in the last few episodes – this feels like a good thing to me, in this kind of drama.

At least I think that Shinnosuke was a cute character. A strange mix of seriousness, silliness and naiveté, but it sort of works once you accept that that’s just how he is. (To be honest, at some point I suspected that his true identity was not that he was Japanese, but from another planet…) Some of the girls were pretty interesting, but the main character among them, Erika Toda’s character Saki (the one who gets most attached to the cowboy), can be a bit annoying. (Or maybe it’s just me that for some reason never really like the actress that much, even though I accepted her in LG…) The Patrolman (Sato Ryuta) was a character that developed a little bit. And I liked how they Skyped with Geronimo and how some of the characters sort of bonded with him online!

The music – I got very tired of the song that Angel Hearts danced to. It was a boring piece of music, and they always practiced the same dance to the same song. The ending theme was kind of cute and fitting for the drama (and sung by FN, “Hey! Friends”) but not something I would actually listen to.

So, what do I say, finally? I think it was a pretty good comedy drama after all; it made me laugh, so there’s that. Not every episode was hilarious but sometimes it actually was. The ending was incredibly stupid, but again in a good way to really follow through with the overall silliness of the drama. But it’s not one of the really awesome comedies that you’ll remember forever. It’s the kind of drama that put a lot of emphasis on friendship, being honest and trying hard, and find something to do with your life.

I don’t rewatch dramas, so I don’t know about that, but I don’t really think there’s a lot to rewatch this for. Fujiki Naohito is cute here though so if you’re a fangirl like me you might find this worth your time (but he always wears his cowboy outfit and even though the character kind of suits him, I’d only give this drama 8 for eye-candy). That is, if you can stand the speeches about what is right and good and how to treat other people, etc…

Leia Mais

It was a good drama. It kept me entertained. Although, I did not like the actress in I need Romance 3, here she was fine and her role suit her better. Loved the main lead actor. Good job in acting, and cuteness factor. I did not cry here, but laugh sometimes especially later on in drama with Wendy and "TinkerBell" president's assistant. Their conversations pass episode 13 were hilarious. I really laugh a lot from those two.
OST was good, but not memorable for me. Overall really good drama and plot here. Worth to watch it till the end. As for rewatch value. Yes but not in the near future. When I am up to it , I will do it.

Leia Mais

Have you seen Scarlet Heart (BBJX) and want to watch something similar? This isn't it! Palace: The Lock Heart Jade has the exact same plot but the genre leans more towards comedy than BBJX and gives this series a completely different feel. If you want stellar writing, brilliant performances, and an unforgettable story full of love and betrayals... watch BBJX. BUT if you've had your fill of melos and want a fun, historical Chinese drama with a plot that's comfortable that you can marathon on a lazy weekend, then please give Palace a try.

Story: Modern day girl time travels to the era of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing dynasty and finds herself in a love triangle with the 4th and 8th brothers in line for the throne. Its nothing new as far as the historical dramas I've seen, but there is such a light feel to how everything unfolds (for the most part) that I don''t think I'll get tired of it anytime soon.

Acting/Cast: I didn't find any of the characters particularly annoying as far as the acting choices go. I know some people (especially after watching BBJX) think that the acting is way over the top and uninspiring, but I enjoyed it.

Music: Solid

Retch Value: Sure. If you enjoyed it the first time around, then watching it again (and skipping some more boring parts) isn't unheard of.

Overall: I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others, but you have to be in the right mindset to watch it. Palace is simply a fun, weekend drama. Nothing more. I wish it had a better score but it can't help but be compared to Scarlet Heart, so it will always be inferior in that way. But given a chance to stand on its own I think more people would enjoy it and rate it a bit higher.

Leia Mais

The most popular opinion I saw about Let's Eat when initially researching it was that it will make you want to eat. A LOT. Psshhh, I thought. I've seen a few food dramas, and none of them really made me want to stuff my face the way people were describing. And besides, sometimes Korean food in dramas doesn't look that appetizing. Live octopus? Ew. Pass.

Let me tell you how wrong I was. I've never wanted to eat so much in my life. It's like I was pregnant, had PMS, and was nearly starved to death at the exact same time. My mouth was watering for the entire sixteen episodes, and my bathroom scale had a big frowny face when I finally finished. I ate enough food to feed a small village - SO embarrassing. But, it's one of the best dramas I've ever seen to satisfy a curiosity about Korean food. They take the time to talk about the ingredients, the cooking methods, the tastes, the textures, and it was all accompanied by excellent filming angles to best show the food. Some dubbed it food porn, and they were so right. From the visual feast to the noises the actors were making while eating, it's a very appropriate term.

While I don't think that the plot was the best, it suited the drama. I wasn't overwhelmed, and it added depth to each scene. It was a complement to the real focus of the drama - the food and the bonding experiences of eating with others. The characters and soundtrack helped round everything out. They were exactly what I'm beginning to expect from tvN dramas - a bit strange and quirky...yet endearing.

Let's Eat had many slice-of-life elements. I felt as if I was there, living in their apartment building and enjoying meals with them. It was so comforting and easy. There'll be romance, but it's pretty slow to progress. The characters have to bond over food for quite awhile before opening themselves up to love. It was a lot like the other plot lines - understated, but a true complement to the food.

Overall, a great drama. My re-watch value is a bit lower because plot and romance are the biggest reasons why I come back to a drama. They were simple and endearing here - just not at the binge re-watch level for me. However, when I'm in the mood for a food drama, this will now be my go-to show. If you are thinking of watching it, be prepared for a drama that will warm your heart, but make sure to lock yourself away from any food. I wish I was kidding. I'm not.

Leia Mais

OVERALL 8/10

STORY 7/10
The storyline isn't too original (Ueno Juri starred in Alice no Toge, which had a similar story line). And however predictable it may be, I thought it was still pretty good. There were enough twists and turns that kept me interested and wanting to know more. I really liked the writing of the characters. I couldn't for the life of me figure out who's good and who's bad, and that alone is interesting itself.
I was a little disappointed in the ending though. It was sort of a happy ending, but I didn't want it to end that way. I wanted the traditional happy ending... like Alice no Toge....

ACTING/CAST 10/10
The cast was just perfect. Actually, that was pretty much the only reason why i wanted to watch this, was because Shun, Toma and Ueno Juri were in it.
I think the one who stood out the most was Toma, because Ryuuzaki was the one who was wavering between good and bad, whereas the others were pretty much set in their ways. Shun and Juri were great though, as well as the other supporting characters!

MUSIC 6/10
Wasn't too memorable but it wasn't terrible either.

REWATCH 5/10
I don't normally watch detective dramas so I probably won't watch this again, especially now that I know the story. It is a good story with a lot of action and twists and turns.

Leia Mais