I didn't like this drama. Sure at first it starts off awesome and funny, but by the 15th episode you just want to stop watching. I seriously fast forwarded through the end of this drama, not because of the lack of subs but the lack of content. The concept is that a older woman falls in love with a younger man but cannot get over her age differences with him. She also plays around with getting back with her ex- but cannot let go of the younger guy even though she said she cant be with him. The main idea is that the character played by Cheryl is way more vulnerable than she appears to be, and is afraid of what society may say about her relationship. I did like that it was funny, with many funny moments- the people that Shan wu shang worked with were hilarious. You will see a lot of familiar Taiwanese drama faces, so be ready for "she was in..." or "he was in...". If you can watch it on Viki.com, the user comments make the drama even more hilarious. Loved James Wen, although his reasoning sucked I blame that on the writers not the beautiful actor. I didn't like the over-acting, ethan was completely afflicted with it. I didn't like the big deal they made about her being 35, like she had one foot in death. I also didn't like how long it took for them to develop one idea, like I mentioned they drag it into the ground and milk the concept dry. Watch this drama for cute guys and if you have time.

Read More

Shinobi is an exceptional telling of this story of the koga and iga ninja tribes. The scenery was spectacular, the fights believable and the acting was awesome.

I saw Basilisk before so I was familiar with the plot already, but the film inspired me to go find out the actual story. I felt like the story was a little rushed but they had to get a lot in a little time.

I loved the set design and the scenery. The camera seems to do a lot of scenery pans and where I would usually complain I didn't mind at all.

Although the acting was good I didn't feel Yukie was as good as Joe. However, she performs better here than in Gokusen. All the supporting cast did really well, they had a way of making you really believe they were from that time. I love movies that just suck you in and make you want to see if maybe the end will change from what you know it to be. This is one of those movies.

Read More

I actually liked runway beat. this is a coming of age fairy tale of a boy who has awesome leadership skills and design talent. The most important factor here is that it is a fairy tale.
what i liked the most is that the movie seemed to have a message of "you can change if you believe" and "you can do anything you want to, against all odds". Although those are overly used and cheesy messages it really made me feel good to see the kids work at it. I also liked that the characters admitted when they were wrong, were focused on the goal, and made a beautiful show at the end.
I will admit that i too did not like the clothes, but that was a matter of taste. The male lead character turns out to be a hypocrite at the end (i really didnt like that). the ending was conclusive, but it was weak. the ending was told in the first person narrative, and the first person clearly did not state her end. although the focus of the story is a boy, the true main character is a girl (May); and while they show the growth and maturity of Bitto, May doesnt have that same growth. In addition Biito had a lot of different conflicts, i wish the narrative was his and not May. The supporting characters had really bad acting skills and unfortunately i think they were written not sterotypical enough. (there were a lot of things the class bully would normally never do)
Mainly this is a feel good movie about fighting against all odds to be the best you can be. no comedy, very very little romance, no bishies , completely unrealistic, but somehow i still liked it.

Read More

Yea! Ruk Tong Oom or Carried with love was my first lakorn (I do not count Thai full house), so as my first one I may be biased/ or may not understand what lakorns are about.
The good: This drama had lots of twists and turns, handsome male lead (Sipadun) pretty female lead (Lanta) and wonderful integration and stories for the supporting characters. I loved seeing the relationship between the two leads grow and blossom and to me they had epic chemistry. Lanta’s character was an interesting mix of the strong female characters I love and the “oblivious to the people around them” characters that I hate; however I loved the realness of her character (she even pulled a dutch oven!). The supporting female characters were girls I would want as friends and always had their girl’s back (loved that!). I also really liked their scenery and their movement to different places in the country, it was really cool to see! Not to mention the eye candy and fanservice from the male cast.
The bad: While I am here for great cinematography, I am not down with the numerous flashbacks and long stares that made the drama ridiculously long! This drama literally had each and every drama cliché that I could fathom and seemingly added new ones! If you think the main idea behind this lakorn is ridiculous just wait until you find the reasoning behind it. Loose ends and stupid evil characters annoyed me, and the writers just throwing concepts in angered me. I think I yelled back at every episode.
The bottom line: As my first foray into lakorns I found the drama to be long, clichéd and lacking serious depth. Most of the cast had great chemistry and decent acting skills, but the story line was ridiculous and the writers should be slapped. Surprisingly I enjoyed the parts I didn’t skip over so I didn’t feel like it was a waste of time, but I can not, in good conscious, recommend it.

Read More

Unfair is a mystery suspense, cat and mouse kind of drama. There is essentially no romance , no comedy, it is a really serious drama. I liked it, although it had a really slow start. Because the drama is so old, the first episode didn't capture me immediately like others do but as soon as I got into it around ep 5, I couldn't stop watching. The ending is really good I promise you wont see the true culprit coming!!

The positives are the character development for the main character. She is a tough cookie, however by the end her soft mushy side really comes out and its really good to see her being a human.. I also liked how the action is nonstop and a lot of the characters are played really well. The little girl is soo cute!!!

I didn't like how tiring the whole thing was. The action is really non stop but there is no to sleep or even eat a full meal. This drama was a little unusual that it was one whole mystery, not lots of little stories or mysteries leading up to a larger one. Because it is one large mystery, it is really engulfing, but it also makes you just want to get to the point.

Read More

First off there is nothing "bad" about this couple maybe incompatible- but not bad.

This drama was good, but not spectacular. There were plenty of comedic moments, moments of realization and it dealt with relevant issues as well. Maybe it was trying to do too much. Anyway the story was interesting but sometimes things occurred as if it were "movie magic" (my term for unrealistic happenings). The fashion was hot, It made me think of Sex in the City. I liked that they were incorporating liberal values and the way she was trying to tempt the guy was pure comedy. I didn't like the amount of crying that went on, I understand she was supposed to seem vulnerable, and I also felt as if there were no sub plots, no other stories in the drama but the main one. This drama is exactly what you think it is, and if you are a true drama addict you will already know exactly how it ends. No surprises, no shocks , just laughter and another one off of your "to watch" list.

Read More

I nearly barfed. Celeb to Binbo Taro is an awfully sappy story about a princess who by a ridiculous chance meets a poor man whose life and personality changes her perspective on her own life and the way she values things. I was so frustrated watching it because it follows a story line you can see 2 episodes in advance. However, once I start a drama I have to finish it so I hope this review helps.

First of all Ueto Aya is awesome, a truly great actress because she played this part. If you have never seen her in anything else you would think that she was playing herself. She was that good. Kuninaka Ryoko was a really good Sachiko and really acted that well. Not sure who played the male lead of Sato Taro, but I couldn't stand seeing his bad wig, overacting, he was really annoying. (Maybe they wrote the character that way) There was a lot of fabulousness going on in wardrobe and locations. They attempted a lot of name dropping and they did a really bad impression of president Obama and the American TV show 24hours.

It took me a long time to start watching this one and once I did, I really had to grit my teeth and try not to fast forward too much. I already knew the Princess was going to be a binbo, but I didn't expect the poor man to be stupid too. The situations and dialogue were so highly unlikely even for a drama, and the comedy wasn't funny. And it wasn't lost in translation, but just not funny. As far as the story goes, I think it's really a poor story line when you can skip an episode and a half and not miss anything.

Maybe I was looking for too much in a drama, but this wasn't a lighthearted romp that you could watch anytime, but a slow underdeveloped attempt to teach some lessons. Lesson 1- don't judge a book by its cover, lesson 2- be true to yourself, lesson 3- don't underestimate people, lesson 4- listen to your heart , love happens everywhere. Still a Ueto fan but not a Celeb to binbo fan.

p.s. this ends exactly how you think it will.

Read More

I really liked the live version of switch girl. As a fan of the manga, i was excited that it really followed the manga story line and left the characters the same. First off let me say the Switch girl concept lives in every girl so it is not a novel idea, it is the way the mangaka presented it that made it soooo funny. I have never seen nishiuchi mariya in a drama before nor was i aware that she was really a model, but she was cast perfectly in this role. I totally believed that she was my beloved Nika, her expressions were awesome, her off mode was just as convincing as her on mode. However, on the other hand Kiriyama Ren wasn't that great to me. Hes cute but he really just made me want to watch mizushima hiro play the role (although hes too old to really do it). the supporting characters were awesome caricatures (they were supposed to be) constantly bringing the funny.
It made me sad that the episodes were short and it seemed like they crammed a lot of concepts into under 30 minutes, so the drama did feel rushed. On the upside there is never a dull moment in the drama, the characters are constantly moving. To all the manga fans, the drama is toned down and cool for the 14 and under crowd. Yet, to be honest I dont think i would have found this drama as awesome as i did without being a fan of the manga first (which is not yet completed). I did enjoy seeing real live people act out one of favorite mangas; enough to grit my teeth, rely on my own Japanese skills and finish the series no subs.
Happy watching.

Read More

Watch at your own risk. A relentlessly tragic but still syrupy sweet story about a older girl still working toward her dreams. Although I skipped a few episodes, and fast forwarded a lot, I still think that this drama made some very valid points in relation to age, viability and attractiveness. Although I wouldn’t really recommend it, it was still a decent watch.
What I did like: The male leads were awesome. Yes Choi Daniel is annoying at first, but then you love him, then you hate him again. Ryu Jin was the perfect second male lead. Although you know how its gonna end, he puts up a good fight and backs out at the right time. I really liked the premise this drama started with episodes 1-8, I also loved how skilled the female lead was.
What I didn’t like: (there is a lot more of this) Idk if watching too many of her Cdramas turned me but it was so hard watching Jang NaRa with that blank stare on her face in a romantically charged Kdrama. I think she was trying to look naive but it wasn’t working, and her chemistry with all the male leads seemed more suited for a sister. (I bet kissing scenes were painful) I blame the writers for a lot of the problems with the drama and not Jang NaRa. The story began great: she’s struggling supporting her family, they have no father and a bratty little sister, but then the tragedy begins. After ep 6 I couldn’t stand watching because of how tragic the character’s life was becoming. It was almost as if the writers needed to beat the point into the watcher that Lee SoYoung was someone to pity. Despite her age, Lee SoYoung was so naive it was like the character was introduced to the real world when we started watching. I took it as SoYoung knew nothing about human relationships before the drama began and that made it more bearable for me. Beware of the romance it has all the sugary sweetness of two middle schoolers falling in love. (making me want to hurl a few times) I have no idea how this went on for 20 episodes! the love interests were set up in episode 2 and the enemies were on the move in around episode 3 or 4.
Every character aside for the main leads, was out for themselves (including the cute kid) making you not want to care about anyone. Its really hard to watch a drama where the sister, mother, father, and all the coworkers are evil. I can only root for characters when I can see hope for them, and I didn’t see hope for SoYoung. Lucky for us the writers took the focus off of her having a baby face despite her age and turned this into a family drama about halfway through. So watch at your own risk, or if you like to see the same situation over and over and over and over again.

Read More

Happy ending!!! I really liked the themes and messages in Rebound, and I think it's a truly worthwhile watch. The main idea is captivating; what happens when you are fat, loose weight, then gain it back? In this drama all hilarity ensues.

I really loved the cast everyone was well cast. Love Mokomichi and he looked so in his element! After Buzzer Beat I thought I would hate a Saki, but now I love her again. The leads had chemistry and when it was time to get down to some real emotional things they really delivered. I also liked their use of fat suits, they were the most realistic ones I have seen yet. Surprisingly this drama has a lot of little twists and turns all throughout it to keep it interesting, and a lot of comedic parts.

I did not like that the Nobuko character was a "Jolly" fat person , and how long it took her to realize things about her self and others (there was only so much yelling at her I could do). I also had a problem with the drama assuming all fat people could eat mounds of food, and were unlovable or just unattractive. The timelines on which they were getting skinny were so unlikely, however, they did briefly examine the dangers of diet pills. It took me a long time to finish this drama because Nobuko seems so foolish, and silly until she gets angry and that can be annoying. This drama does have a false ending, where they probably should have just stopped and said we are finished but they kept it going. This led to a feeling of 2 different stories being told, maybe there were 2 different writing teams. The first half works more on problems with weight and the second more so problems with life.

Overall, I thought this was an awesome watch and if you are stuck around episode 3-5 don't worry there is some great icing on this cake.



p.s. this is a comedy the characters are ridiculous and over the top.

Read More

It would have gotten a 10 but I cant say i believed in the lead characters cause. otherwise I loved Jotei! The story is about a girl who never gives up and reaches her goal. Yes it is based in the dirty underworld of hostess clubs, and deals with a lot of sex, alcohol, money and revenge but it's a must see.

I really liked Kato Rosa in this; although she looked innocent she played her role well. I already love Matsuda Shota, and he always plays a really good tsundere character. I liked the story line because she the character Ayaka didn't get everything like Cinderella, but in the end made out fairly well. This story didn't seem realistic, but a really ugly fantasy, where Ayaka has all of these disappointing moments and events to make it to a place that really isn't all that great. The drama played in between what is realistic and what would only happen in dramas. I think because it mixed them both it came off as this awesome semi-realistic story.

What I didn't like was how much they put an emphasis on having sex for something you want. It is true that this is a story about a girl becoming an empress in the night world, so that is part of it I guess. I would have wanted to see her get where she was going without sex- but maybe even that is too far-fetched for the fantasy. I also didn't like that the main character, Ayaka, believed that becoming a Ginza Empress would really allow her to exact revenge. That seemed just plain silly to me. I also detested her revenge plans for her father, and screamed my head off when that part came around.

All in all I thought the drama was well planned, a great story to watch, great actors and it was entertaining. It kept me glued to my computer, like hadn't been in a long time. Yes you may not agree with the premise, but if you give it a chance and have an open mind, I think it will win you over.

p.s. the end was good and gave resolution and satisfaction.

p.p.s I cried in the drama- and I am not a crier!

Read More

First I do not recommend anyone to watch this series in its entirety.
The Good: The main actors playing Yu You Wei (li Qin) and Han Ming (Ron Ng) had some really cute, sweet and heart wrenching moments. I really like strong leading ladies, and this drama definitely had one. Yu You Wei had a strong personality but was a well rounded The acting in this drama from the whole cast was good on a whole and you really believed their performances. The costumes and wardrobes were cool, the water scenes were pretty, and the ending was nice.
The Bad: the story line was awful. I think the writers quit around episode 20 and the staff figured they could keep the same storyline circulating for another 20 episodes. This isn’t the first prince/pauper drama I have watched but this is the first that has drug the concept on for 48 episodes! The antagonists in the story are too plentiful, have senseless reasons for their actions and throughout all of the episodes the main character is tormented. Although the story was awful, the initial concept and planning was good so I thought this would be a really good drama at first.
Bottom Line: This drama was riddled with evil plans, deceit, amnesia, a super long and repetitive story line, non developed characters and all of the drama clichés you have come to love/hate. I was addicted to the first 10 episodes, anticipated episodes 11-15, and then started to have to push through the drama. I fast-forwarded and skipped my way through to the last episode. I was not happy with the way they beat the main character down with “life” events into a completely different person so I do not recommend this drama. I especially do not recommend this drama for people who have to finish a drama, or to people who are not looking for a serious drama. To be honest I really wish I had back those hours of my life!!

Read More

There were no reviews so I thought I would write one. Azumi is a really cool telling of the life of a female shinobi and how she has to constantly prove herself. The character is a very cool and strong girl, who is just finding out what romantic feelings are, dealing with losing her ninja family, betrayal, and revenge. The movie is has some really awesome ninja fighting scenes, great scenery and a bit of gore. Otherwise Ueto Aya is an awesome actress the embodiment of her character - really making you believe this character. Not as long as a drama, but a good watch and there is a sequel!

Read More

Boy and Girl is one of the most predictable, unoriginal, and one of the poorest acted drama that I have watched to date. Somehow I was still drawn to it and watched it straight through marathon style.
What I liked was that the characters had no internal monologues, so they simply said everything out loud. Although it was unoriginal, unlike any other drama the female lead ping ponged between guys so much you could just assume she was dating both. I have never seen a drama where everyone was accepting of the female lead switching guys like underwear, her parents were even cool with it!
What I didn’t like was the lack of hot guys for starters. The little brother was hot but his scenes were way too few. The whole thing was really acted poorly and it was either over acted or under acted by everyone except Chou Genie. Pat Wu was so bad at crying I was rolling on my bed laughing! Genie was actually really good and was cute as a boy (they should have kept that going). The unoriginality comes from the writers employing every concept that you have seen in a drama to date (I wont spoil the story) except amnesia. Because I have already seen the gender bending, becoming a princess, waiting on love themed stories I could literally tell what was coming. In that aspect the writers wrote everything the way you would anticipate the story to go.
There was a lot of comedy in the beginning and to be very honest this is really 3 dramas rolled into 1. This drama would have turned out way better if they cut it after 6 episodes, stuck to one theme and killed all the love longing overacted romantic parts. All in all the ending is good, no surprises and if you watch the intro you can guess what is going to happen through the whole drama. I wouldn’t say I wasted my time because it was entertaining to pause it, tell the characters what they were going to do/say and then watch them do it. I felt like I was the drama god!

Read More

I am so underwhelmed. This is a cinderella story, and not really a story about office girls. They focus on 1 office girl really and her love. The first half was predictable, funny and kind of cute - but the second half was over the top, not funny and booooring.
What I liked best had to be Roy, he was so cute in everything he did! Not his character but the actual actor.I also LOVED the manager, with all his different languages. I promise he spoke spanish, korean, japanese, english, and a french phrase or 2. He is a complete scene steal-er, but his antics and Roy's face kept me watching. As the majority of the actors only had 2-3 expressions, those 2 were super entertaining(the actress who played Zheng Kai Er was the WORST only 2 expressions!).
The story line is good, but if you have watched more than 4 t-dramas you see where the plot is going. The first half like I mentioned is really good. They shake it up a bit with some of the really cliched schemes you see in dramas. The female lead, Shen XingRen, in the beginning was really driven, positive, and strong. In the beginning, Roy's character was played perfectly, and the characters that were annoying were negligible. In the second half they just go back to the typical drama format, with the misunderstandings, the he said she said, XingRen gets weaker, the typical drama antagonist appears, and lastly lots of personality changes happen for nearly no reason.
I personally called the ending and what would happen in the last episodes around ep17 and I fast forwarded through a lot. I cant say its worthwhile watch because I really felt like they could have ended it around episode 15/16 and I would have been happier. I think they should have named the drama office prince or undercover boss, because that's what its about.
p.s. i want to fire the stylist- they re-wore a lot of outfits, XingRens pants never fitted her correctly, all the office girls had on booty shorts, and Mama Shen's wig was a mess!
p.p.s if you are a sucker for a good ending stick it out! it has a really nice ending.

Read More