Revenge is the new K-drama trope.

Revenge drama has become the new K-drama trope, and this production company uses eccentric characters and eccentric fashions in an attempt to differentiate it from the competition.

The plot and subplots were predictable, and the characters were predictable, over the top or blasé. The two female leads dominated the entire plot with their eccentricities, mood swings and fashions. Fifty percent of the women's fashions were fugly or over the top. EVE evolved into a revenge fashion romance melodrama drama.

As usual, the director and film editor chopped up the flow of the episodes with extraneous flashback filler, or flashbacking scenes to clarify actions after the fact. The flashbacking scene seemed relevant to the plot, and should have been presented in chronological order of the story. The director threw Fluidity and Lucidity out the window.

Ra El was passive, So Ra was bipolar aggressive, Kang was passive, Lawyer Seo was passive. The main and supporting cast were very good at stare acting. The director was not really directing, he was telling them when to stare blankly at the camera. This type of emotion does not emote on film, and looks like ... stare acting. The lunatic characters did a very good job acting like lunatics. There were many filler villains. So Ra was Queen Lunatic Villain.

The final episode was deflating. As the episode was winding down, I concluded that Kang might be alive, and in a witness protection program, and that So Ra might be pretending she was mad, so she would not be charged with the multiple murders of her father Prime Minister and other individuals, and the attempted murder of Ra El.

Overall ratings
Revenge 6 - planning and execution were flawed and mediocre.
Fashion 5 - do the rich really dress in the daytime, as if they are going to an awards show?
Romance 3 - boring stare acting and boring sex by Ra El and Kang. XD
Stare acting 9 - several award winning performances
Music 5 - repetitive singing
Ending 6 - predictable
Violence 8 - excessive
Teamwork - 2

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Alternate title: Ballad of Yuhui

Slowmoving plot about Lin Yuhui and her extended family! It could easily have been related in 30 episodes. Very good production values in the directing, editing, acting, writing, music composition, costume design and set design departments. Hair and makeup were average. The open credits are virtually invisible which is a good sign, and flashbacks are used in the final episode only, which is also good filmmaking.

The underdog villain ML, Gao Jinbang, seemed to have too much screen time. Yuhui might be one of the saddest FL drama characters. She broke a smile occasionally. The senior actors did a good job.

Footnote: For a strange reason, the MDL cast list, as well as Dramawiki and IMDB are bare bones, missing about a dozen or more supporting actor credits.

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Flashbacks in Shanghai

I came to the party 1 1/2 years after the initial TV broadcast.  I was searching for C-dramas with English subs, that are hard to find. I found it by accident on YT, and watched the whole drama, with some fast forwarding, over eight consecutive days.

Story:
The plot was plausible, but long-winded, and packed with unnecessary, redundant, superfluous flashbacks.  At least six episodes would have been shaved off, if they had resisted the flashback route.  Drama could have been renamed "Flashbacks in Shanghai" or "I Hate You, I Love You!"; a romance, conspiracy, crime, musical, pre-war drama set in Shanghai.  

Acting/Cast:
Huang Xiao Ming was impressive with his height, acting and fighting skills and his steadfast character. Zou Zhen was overzealous about Jingxui. Joe Chen’s acting was average.  Her character Jinxui is a very confused, easily manipulated woman, who flows like the river, and latches onto any man in her periphery.  At least six men were in various stages of like/love/obsession, which was a stretch.

Qiao Kimi gave a very good acting performance as SLS Ying Dong.  His character was easy going but conflicted.  Lu Kelsey was the most beautiful actor in the cast. Her acting range was greater than Joe Chen's. Qi Ji was the tall, handsome, dastardly evil villain Maeda. Maeda's false charm and charisma were over the top, and should have been dialed back. The supporting actors did very good professional acting jobs. The puppy was the best character.

Music:
I was very impressed with the opening song,  the BGM and the closing song.

Rewatch Value:
Once is enough, even if Huang Xiao Ming were to ask me to watch it again.

Overall:
Acting-very good
Directing-good, but could have been better if he had laid off the Flashback Management Team. 
Cinematography-very good 
Costume design-very good 
Set design-very good 
Editing-good, but could have been better if he had refused to load all the inane flashbacks. A  painted scene of Shanghai would flash monotonously across the screen numerous times in every episode, as if we did not already know that the city is Shanghai.

Memo to production companies; If we see a building or landmark once, we do not have to see it 100 times.

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Mystery Theatre at its best

Qin, Medical Examiner is a very tense drama, with suspense and sporadic comedic dialog to alleviate the tension. The autopsy scenes are very graphic.

Zhang Ruo Yun, Jiao Jun Yan and Li Xian created the best forensic TV drama team. Every case was tense, as the subplot unfolded. The supporting actors also did a very good job.

Directing and editing were done well, except for the constant shaky camera that caused motion sickness. The director could have invested a few budget dollars in a tripod for the cameraman. Music was very good, and fit the mood of the scenes. Overall, a well done drama, similar in style to the British detective dramas!

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Melodrama of the Month Award winner

It was painstaking watching the main characters being tortured emotionally or physically for thirty-nine episodes. I am just relieved that it is over, and that the characters are out of sight, out of mind. Cheng Yi and Zhang Yu Xi kept the drama flowing, even when it dragged with the singing and evilness on screen. Cheng Yi is the official Melodrama King. Yunshen suffered physically and emotionally, and cried in two-thirds of the drama, Fu Yunshen would have lived a happy life with a different mother. Zhang Yu Xi is Main Lead Queen of the Month. Zhu Jiu put up with a lot of sh^& from Mother Jiang Shu Ning.

This should be labeled as a musical melodrama. The singing was extraneous, overt and repetitive. If the director wanted so much singing, he should have told the actors to sing these songs, instead of using phantom singers. Otherwise the BGM was very good.

It was no surprise that the two pathetic villains, Fu Xi Zhou and Jiang Shu Ning, had their redemption at the end. They were unscrupulous, vindictive, manipulative. They should have died instead of the nicer people, Grandpa, Dr Ji, Aunty Dr Addy, Grandma, Zhu Jiu's Mother and Father. I was cringing when Ruan Ruan and Xi Zhou reunited at the end, and had babies.

The singing diluted the emotion on screen. If they had trimmed the singing and some of the episodic content, it would have been very effective as a 30 episode drama.

Final rating: 8, with deductions for the singing and the pathetic villains and their evilness

This drama reminds me of the Kdramas with the drama plot and incessant singing and the song quality. In particular, Yunshen and Zhu Jiu reminded me of Winter Sonata's YuJin and Joon Sang, with their emotional torture and the manipulative mothers.

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Adventure with Xiao Se

Martial arts team drama is not my usual genre, but the group members were not students at the academy, learning as they go... except for Motor Mouth Lei Wei Ji. Many times he would not shut up, but he did have exceptional sword skills, and he was loyal to his companions. He and the annoying eunuch Jinyan were the only actors who showed their acting range, and deserve the award for OTP acting. They were wired every day on set. There are many good looking actors in the cast, btw.

The final stretch was non-stop action and intrigue. Xiao Se Chu He is the first C=drama prince to walk away from the throne. He passed it to older brother Bai Chong (#2 prince). They were technically, the last two princes standing.

Bad Prince Yu Chi took the easy way out, and stabbed himself in the heart. I never felt sorry for him. He was wound too tight. ??? He was a quirky looking actor, who might be handsome in real life. He reminded me of Oh Ji Oh and Villain Prince in Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

Yu and Wuxin's birth mother had three men in love with her in the past...I guess. I am not sure if Emperor was in love with her, and sired Yu Chi, just to fill the lineage chart. The last man, #1 Handsome Swordman, took Consort Xuan away from Tianqi City at the end. 

Rating 8

0.5 deduction for the extraneous use of BGM overlaying dialog. I depend on subtitles, but I like to hear the actors talking their native language. Someone, send a petition to the production companies... Stop the loud BGM and loud singing!

0.5 deduction for choppy scene splicing by the film editor. Conversations were disjointed when the character in the alternate scene completed the sentence from the previous scene.

1.0 deduction of putting Wuxin and Tang Lian on the shelf most of the drama. They were the two most enigmatic and skilled characters, and the actors were handsome, too.

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Beautiful period drama

DAMO was one of the most beautiful dramatic dramas, with the main actors, Ha Ji Won, Lee Seo Jin and Kim Min Jun, giving compelling acting performances. The story was very interesting and engrossing, and the emotions were high.

This drama had continuity flaws with the adult Chae Ok never looking the same throughout the drama. It seemed as if four different actresses played the role. To date, that is the most perplexing aspect of the drama. Chae Ok, Hwangbo Yun and Jang Sung Baek were immortals of Joseon. They would be injured severely and almost fatally, but they revived by the next episode; another perplexing aspect. Despite the occasional inexperienced acting, the three actors used their charms on the viewer.

The final episode was nonstop heartbreaking, heart-wrenching and torturous for the viewer. I was crying like a banshee during Hwang Bo Yun and Chae Ok's final goodbye, and the Chae Ok and Jang Sung Baek's final goodbye in the very last scene.

The flashbacks and flashbacking were very distracting. Korean directors and writers have been falling back on filler and flashback and flashbacking in telling their stories, instead of making the story cohesive with events shown in chronological order. Despite the flaws in the martial arts sequences, DAMO was endearing.

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Detective in love

Snail... was the best detective drama that I watched in 2016. The writing and production format were the equivalent of a British detective drama. The plot is very intricate, and it is best to binge-watch the drama, to maintain the continuity and focus. The detective team demonstrated the true meaning of teamwork and loyalty. Ji Bai represents the true team leader; pragmatic, unemotional, inspiring.



All the actors did a very good job with their character roles. The drama villains were the Ye extended family members. Wang Kai/Ji Bai's action scenes were flawless.

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Dysfunctional families

This is my first time watching both Yang Zi and Xu Kai in a contemporary drama. Their acting was convincing, and kept the plot going. In general, the supporting actors also did a credible job.

Ranking;
#1 Dysfunctional Family Mai... Mother
#2 Dysfunctional Family Xin ... Son, Daughter, Father, Mother
#3 Dysfunctional Family Yao ... Father

MAI family
Mother Liu Wanyu was overbearing and controlling, but she was emphatic and kindhearted occasionally. She was the nucleus of the Mai family. Her husband Mai, son Zao and daughter Huan were her satellites. The drama should have been named Story of Wanyu since she seemed to dominate the plot. The actress should have been attributed a Main Lead designation.

XIN family
A privileged family of four, lacking in ethics, but full of arrogance and condescension. Son was too clingy, trying to manipulate Mai Cheng Huan. Daughter was psychotic and condescending. Mother and Father were calculating.

YAO family
Ex-convict Mr Yao had his fifteen minutes of fame. The day he grew a conscience, was the day he died. That was cold, Scriptwriter! Yao should have lived, reside permanently at Xing Anli, and work as a host. Son Yao Zhiming realized too late that his father had redemption.

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Bats and zombies in a ghost town

This drama was already promising at 24 episodes, but it should have been 16 episodes. Repetitive flashbacks were extraneous. I don't think we needed to be reminded of these scenes, The ghost town where it was staged was either a deserted war-torn or flooded town, or some ugly CGI. The bats vanished fast in the early episodes, and the zombies must have gone to sleep. I am surprised that the stranded travelers did not explore the town for supplies or better accommodations. They just stayed in the hotel, run down in some places. The store where Er found the sneakers had clothing hanging in the shop, although they should have rot in twenty years. Was the train track sealed off on both ends, or where they just lazy, to try to escape from the bats and zombies who took a snoozefest? The blue ocean, which I am sure was CGI, was the prettiest view. The production quality was bad in many episodes. Extreme closeups with a bland expression do not constitute acting skills.

After bingewatching the first 16 episodes in the last three days (in October 2023), I skipped to the final episode. The timid teacher was the the mastermind. LOL I don't think I missed anything important. This was my Halloween entertainment.

Final rating: 55

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Family drama movie

A heartfelt family story about a daughter coming home after the death of her father. She meets her half-sisters for the first time, and they bond over hotpot. Very good production values in the writing, casting, acting, directing, directing and editing departments. Toward the end the movie, I wanted it to keep going, but there is a two hours' time restriction. It would have been nice if she had kept the Fagara restaurant open for business. Life in Hong Kong might have financial rewards and job security, and restaurant business might be hard and rewarding, but the family tradition of Hsia Liang's Hot Pot secret recipe would continue.

Sammi Cheng looks youthful, fifteen years after her movie with Andy Lau, "Magic Kitchen". Sammi Cheng, Megan Lai and Li Xiao Feng were perfectly cast as the sisters. Their acting performances were awesome.

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Predictable plot with a charming main couple

I came to this drama for Wang Zi Qi, after watching him in The Love I Give You. He and Wang Yu Wen made a a cute couple in both dramas.

The unscrupulous villainess, Ran Xiwei, was the worst character in the drama. With her wealth and connections, she should have employed a fashion designer/stylist. Her fugly fashions and drab hairstyle worked against her. She could not even compare or defeat the Plain Jane Gu Xi Xi and her boring fashions and dull ponytail hairstyle. Some of Xi Xi's Cici design fashions were lovely.

The seniors, Alex, Grandma, Mother and Father were very nice. Shang KE and Mu Rou Na did not work for me. Perhaps different actors would have made them look more appealing and attractive. The different in their maturity level, experience and intelligence was 1000%.

Best Friend Xiaoyu and Fei'Ang should have coupled earlier in the plot, and receive a sub plot. I suspected that they would end up together at some point. Fei'Ang needs a hairstylist.

Ratings: Overall 7
Plot: 7.5 (Without Ran Yi Wei, it would be 8.5)
Costumes: 7.5 (Women's Fashions = 7. Men's Fashions = 8)
Hair: 7.0 (... except for Sichen, who gets 8).
Acting: 8
Music: 7 (The signing was too repetitive, but not obtrusive.)
Directing: 7.5
Editing: 7 (Flashbacks were not necessary.)
Casting: 7.5

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A love story

I bingewatched this entire drama in four days, completing it today. Overall, the drama has very good production values, except for the overly ambitious music editor running the loud BGM and loud singing continuously. The flashbacks finally kicked in toward the last half dozen episodes, pulling down the pace of the plot. There is story drag, as Xiao Qui pines after her lost love, but that reflects the pace of real life emotional conflict of the heart. I watched the young Godfrey Gao, and felt that this role was a premonition of his fate in 2019. What if they had written a happy ending, would he be alive today?

I watched this drama with the same anticipation of the Kdrama, Winter Sonata. In short, Remembering LiChuan is the equivalent of Winter Sonata, in terms of the fated loved story between the main couple of the two dramas. The female leads' first love went far away unexpectedly, and they pined away for the soulmate. Years later, the first love reappeared, and the reunion was slow and agonizing. Leading up to the conclusion, the first love went away again, due to illness.

The casting was perfect for the primary couple (Godfrey Gao/Wang LiChuan and Jiao Jun Yan/ Xiao Qui) and the secondary couple (Andrew Lien/Wang Ji Chuan and Wang Ruo Xin/Ye Jing Wen). The supporting cast performed well at their jobs.

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Suspenseful and intense horror film

This is the most suspenseful, intense movie that I have watched. It is August 2021, and I finally got around to watching this movie, five years after the release. The K-movie production staff, crew and cast outdid themselves. All of Korea must have worked as extras. The last seven minutes had me tearing up.

The acting by the main cast was very good, and the Zombie extras must have had a lot of fun playing the ghouls. Sadly, only two of the train passengers survived. The director is a visionary, bringing the screenwriter's mental thoughts on paper to virtual life.

The virus that began in a lab seems to have an eerie message of a deadly virus that is unleashed on mankind.

It is a rollercoaster train ride from the time, the first zombie appears at the train station.

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Sherlock and the Ghostbusters

I LOVED watching Daniel Choi in this drama, and appreciated his acting skills. He's the most photogenic, handsome, charistmatic K-actor. The cast and acting was on point. Some acting was overacting, but this is K-dramaland.

Too much detail was spent on Sun Woo-Hye and the flashbacks/flashbacking and singing. The constant loud singing in your "face" is so tiresome in the Asian dramas. If they had shown the sequence of events in chronological order, instead of flashbacking constantly, the story would have flowed effortlessly instead of listlessly like the ocean tides. This could have improved the Korea TV ratings significantly.

Some of the plot was confusing, confounded by the repetitive flashbacks and flashbacking. "I see you, Lee Da Il. I don't see you, Lee Da Il." Once the characters started talking directly to Lee Da Il, when they were not really seeing him, was a conspiracy among the Director, Scriptwriter and Film Editor. The story dragged in places, especially with Sun Woo-Hye on screen. The whole story could have been told in 16 30-minute episodes, or it could have been a very good 2-hour movie.

Spoiler: Lastly, the five years' time jump at the end! Really, Director? Really, Writer? This "love" story qualifies for the 1,000 or 10,000 years' old romance drama.

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