dramasjunkie
This review may contain spoilers
Took the Youth genre in another level
Chinese youth drama genre is a thing of its own. They've owned this genre for years now. As a sucker for this genre, similar elements and plot lines do not bother me for I consume them without batting an eye. At times, they still add little more spices to make sure they have their own flavor and still be classified on its own beauty among the rest. I thought I've exhausted and seen the most out of this genre but in 2021, a drama which was not originally part of my watchlist rose to the top of this year's favorite dramas of mine, and that is Our Secrets (Secrets in the Lattice).Sometimes, Chinese dramas have shaky introductions of the plot where you have to wait for five or more episodes in order for you to fully fit and be comfortable with whatever you are watching. However, for Our Secrets, I never had that kind of problem--instead of waiting five episodes, I only needed five minutes of its first episode to decide that, "Yes, I will keep on watching this drama." Right then and there, the drama captured my interest (and probably my heart too.)
The story started with in medias res (a narrative work beginning in the midst of the plot.) With this tactic, they already knew they would be piquing the interest of whoever jumps into the drama without reading the plot (just like me). As a passerby, you'll definitely wonder why the heck you were already given an angst without prior notice! Therefore, you'd proceed and tadah, without warning, you'll be really into it already.
ZHOU SI YUE
Don't even start me with this character. Never have I encountered a character like ZSY in years of my drama watching. Especially with this kind of plot, a refreshing youth like him definitely is one of the million reasons why I fell in love with the drama's story telling. They made a character that has flaws. Okay let's be honest, in youth dramas, male leads, more often than not, are the very definition of stone-faced, tsundere, and a person who never really cares with others' feelings. They are whom what the whole institution are looking up to not just because of their good looks but because of their genius brains (those who naps and get to sleep 8 hours a night, never study but still remain to be the top student). Zhou Si Yue, on the other hand, given that he has both qualities, he is not stone-faced nor a tsundere. He jokes around, spends time with his friends, a filial son, plays basketball, studies and gets distracted. He competes on a national level and because of this, his school ranking sometimes drop few places from his original rank. With this, you can see how they've made him like us--something we can relate to. Because yes, it is so impossible for us to encounter those male leads we have met in the past. With Si Yue, we somehow believed that we have been classmates with someone like him.
DING XIAN
Oh dear. The dearest and most adorable Xianxian. Ding Xian is such a lovable character. Throughout the drama, her development was the proudest I am of them all. She started off as a timid and introverted newly transferred student. She never thought she would gain friends, thus, she opted to shut her doors with anyone who would approach her. But with the help of her desk mate and other classmates, she started to warm and held the knob of her once shut door. She knew her weaknesses but still worked hard to lessen the obvious gap. She's also aware of what she wants. Although at first, she couldn't fight back with her mother who dictates what her daughter should do and should not, but later on, she found her courage and stood firm on what she believed was right and best for her. It is so nice to see a character like her, a character who might not be gifted with so much academic skills but we saw how much she worked hard in order to enter a prestigious school in the country.
Moreover, the whole Our Secrets gang added so much fun in the story telling. Second and third cps were not annoying unlike most of what I've seen in c-dramas. I actually never had to forward their scenes. The roles of Kong Sha Di and Song Zi Qi were not birthed for the sole purpose that this drama may have supporting roles. They were more than that. It's been a while since I last witnessed supporting characters having a strong footing in the storyline.
All in all, give Our Secrets a chance. I grinned like crazy, laughed out loud, and cried because of nostalgia for this made me look back during the days of my youth. This drama came a surprise and I am glad I decided to watch it.
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Storyline:
The Romance of Tiger and Rose is such a breath of fresh air. No complicated storyline, no antagonist whom you’d want to undergo the most cruel maltreatment ever, just pure entertainment.
What I loved most about this drama is its nice and clear portrayal of an ideal world where women are the most powerful beings in the society (How I wish this could be possible in our world, too.) All those subtle shades thrown against the patriarchal society were so on point that no matter which country you belong, you’d definitely shake your heads sideways especially if you are a woman for you have experienced it first hand in your own society.
Although this drama mainly focused on empowerment of women, it did not mean ill of men at all, it even stressed out that the most important thing we must practice and be aware of is the equality of genders. Truthfully, I’ve never encountered a plot like TROTAR delivered.
Acting:
Not only I loved Zhao Lusi’s and Ding Yuxi’s acting in here, but everyone in the cast delivered an excellent job! My screen lights up whenever Zhao Lusi aka Chen Qian Qian apprears. She’s such a ball of sunshine! ZLS and DYX’s chemistry is on another level, too. They really looked good together.
I loved the coloring and cinematography of this drama too. Such a good one.
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I'm just so thankful for Kim Jae Wook for having portrayed Ryan Gold without any reservation. He embraced the character and brought such an authentic acting to the viewers. This definitely gave an opportunity for him to explore the romcom genre (hoping more to come *crosses fingers*).
All in all, this drama would not stress the hell out of you. Yes, there might be some scenes where you would get frustrated over Sung Deok Mi but you'd eventually pass it lol. Just hang in there. I loved how they showed that a healthy relationship roots from two people being honest together. No lying, no keeping secrets. Transparency it is.
In addition, l am delighted as to how this especially appealed to us, people who have lived their lives fangirling over a band, an actor/actress, movie, series, an idol star, etc. It is indeed hard to supress our feelings when there are times we need to. It is heart-warming to know that there are people who openly support and appreciate us.
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This review may contain spoilers
LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH
The Day of Becoming You created its buzz on Twitter right after its first few episodes got availble in iQiyi. This drama was not that looked forward for by a lot that’s why it took everyone a surprise when it started to surface in most platforms there are.(I am writing this review 10 mins after watching the last episode so everything may seem chaotic. 😭)
The drama is based in one of the most used tropes in dramaland ever since the world began: BODY SWITCHING. Mayhaps, some of us probably brushed off TDOBY from our attentions to after knowing its main premise but good thing, we had Zhang Xincheng and Liang Jie to save the day! We may have encountered this genre for time and time again yet it was so amazing that this drama had its own flavor. Kudos to the casting directors for getting ZXC to play the role of Jiang Yi. He was so so so hilarious when his character, Jiang Yi, got to switch with Liang Jie’s character, Yu Sheng Sheng. You would never understand how funny it was if you had not seen it. ZXC once again proved how effective actor he is. Also, I am happy that chemistry between the two leading actors worked out so well.
The plotline may seem too simple for some but it was the punchlines that really made us stick to the drama (of course probably next to the hilarious portrayal od ZXC and LJ of their respective characters.) The drama is tremendously funny! You would find yourself laughing in almost every single episode there is! Sometimes, it felt that time was so short because you are about to finish an episode and you’d be jumping to the next. Morever, what made this drama extra funny was its genius musical scoring! I can still hear in my head the opera music each time embarrasing moments were shown! Reminder: Second hand embarrasment is so prominent in this drama.
Lastly, Chinese dramas (idol dramas) tend to include one or two more side couples other than the main one. In TDOBY, it took 18 long episodes to introduce the second couple to which was not deeply elaborated as the show went on. It was a new thing for me for I became so accustomed as to how they write their plots. However, this drama really focused to its main cp. There were no battle between screentime as well as draggy parts because of this. (Not everyone is fond of second and third side couples. More often than not, watchers skip their parts.)
I know maybe a lot, or some audiences found the ending off because it came out of nowhere. Well I must say that it did kinda made me pause and think for a while since there was no time alloted for us to digest what has really transpired. But I appreciate the idea and goal of the scriptwriter as to why it had to be that way (as what LJ’s character monologued into the last minute of episode 26.)
This drama came a surprise for 2021. No one was expecting it would be well received as it is now. If you ask people from May 2021, they are probably not even aware that a ZXC and LJ drama was shot and was about to premier. A month later, a sudden drama drop brought joy to our lives. The Day of Becoming You is indeed a refreshing drama that is so suitable for summertime.
Overall, I recommend this drama for everyone who wants to watch a show that is full of laughter and smiles. I swear you will be able to forget your worries at least for a while.
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This review may contain spoilers
Tbh, I was not really planning on watching this, however, due to the news of this drama being reduced into twelve episodes instead of the slated sixteen that viewers were left baffled, I got so curious. Warmth. Yes, that is the best word in the dictionary to describe how I felt seeing the journey of not only Seo Woo’s and Ha Won’s characters but everyone. As what I have shared on my SNS, A Piece of Your Mind is a drama which showcased the humaneness of every character in it. Humans are fragile. We easily get hurt. We stumble, we fall. We experience numerous heartbreaks and loss. Humans feel defeated and feel as if the world has turned its back on you. But at the end of the day, we stand as we fall, we overcome these demons—we move on.
There was no romance on the get-go. There was a process. Seo Woo and Ha Won found comfort on each other’s existence brought by Ji Soo’s passing. Prior to Ji Soo’s passing, both of them have their own baggages; with Seo Woo’s parents death that goes the same with Ha Won’s mom’s death and Ji Soo marrying another man. They became each other’s confidante, and through time, their feelings blossomed. Just like the season when the drama was filmed, they are each other’s spring.
The other side stories also brought warmth: A husband who has not yet moved on from his wife’s passing met another person who was committed to lift everyone whom she thought needed help; a woman in her 50s who has lost her one and only daughter went back to relive the life she had during her early 20s in a homestay where she lived for a brief moment; a friend who has been the pillar of your strength for a long period of time.
The drama did not try to make the relationships of the characters complicated (unlike to what we have been acquainted for several kdramas). I felt the rawness in this. Because for me, I think they portrayed a good depiction of what happens in real life—in a person’s life.
All in all, I enjoyed watching this drama. My personal favorite is the scene where you could feel the comfort best between the two main characters. Yes, I am talking about that scene where Ha Won put his hand on Seo Woo’s nape when he saw her feeling uncomfortable thus kept on scratching. This is a slap to my single lady ass. Lol.
Even more, I was opting not to include this in my review but the cinematography of this drama really needs a commendation. Also, 10/10 for the music.
I am praying for a Soo Bin x Hae In drama reunion because one can’t deny how strong their chemistry is.
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Honestly, I tend to ignore dramas where not a lot of people are talking about, thus, I only watched JBL months after it had finished. And it's a shame that I went pass this when it was still airing months ago.
What I loved the most about this one is although some may say that it lacked the usual pace of a Korean drama, the thorough story telling made us feel the depth of its plot and characters as they unravel right before our eyes. They also molded everyone as real people. And what I meant by 'real' is the capability of the characters to convey their thoughts and feelings, making our emotions bind with them as we go on a journey in each episode. Despite the fact that some characters were kind of annoying at some point of the story, they made sense. They were annoying for some of us but on the other hand, we as audience agonized with them for we felt their hearts. Moreover, the love that Moon Soo and Gang Doo shared was clearly seen through Won Jin Ah's and Lee Junho's eyes (kudos to these two actors.) Their chemistry was no joke.
On this note, I have to commend the casting director for choosing these actors. Such a refreshing feeling to see new faces with such potentials. They did a great job for portarying their characters absolutely well.
All in all, I cried and laugh and felt the warmness. Not all dramas that were highly rated mean they were really good, and with this, we could also say that not all underrated dramas were bad. They were what we call "undiscovered gems".
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The drama has 12 episodes (one hour each). One might think it would not be possible to fit in five stories in twelve episodes, but watch it first before doubting. I found it amazing as to how the team was able show everyone's stories without shaking off the scenes' transitions. And that the story's direction was clear enough to be followed by the audience.
Age of Youth was able to depict the realness and pureness of a person. Everyone has their own struggles in life. They have their own ways to overcome those. Others may need someone to lean on, someone whom they can easily share their thoughts with, someone who would understand them. While on the other hand, there are those who would rather keep everything to themselves and try to solve it on their own for they have built a wall separating them from the outside world. It may seem pathetic and frustrating but baby, it happens and there are people living this way.
Throughout this whole process, the five leads were able to slowly open themselves up to each others and from being mere strangers, they have grown to appreciate one another that eventually leading to them treating them as sisters.
It was a story of what life is when you are young. You feel lost. You feel like you are not enough and the world does not deserve you so you better perish as you think you are doing a favor for everyone's sake. But no, youth is when you gain experiences that would be your foundation for the next decades of your life. Here's to when you would gain and lose friends. You would would experience love and heartbreak. Youth is nothing but a series of events which requires you to surpass in order to live your life to its extent. Youth is where you must enjoy your life the most.
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I kind of "dropped" the drama after its seventh episode (when it was still on air). I found it boring and interpreted the twists as shallow ones. Well, my busy schedule could also be one of the causes why I had to stop watching this. In fact, my brother continued watching this without me so he was obviously ahead of the story but I did not really care at first. Until yesterday. I was running out of dramas to watch so I decided to finally resume watching this one. (NOTE: If you plan on getting yourself involve in Chicago Typewriter, learn how to refrain from checking your phone from time to time for it would distract your focus. One must have a full attention while watching this because he/she would probably end up having messy thoughts for not following the scene's direction. )
I was regretting that I dropped this for a while. I never knew this would actually bring so much joy and unfathomable feelings to me. I have since loved period dramas especially those with political and social struggles in it. And this drama was able to depict the 1930s Japanese Occupation in Joseon where the brave youth of yesterday stood up in order to regain their country's democracy. Through this, the audience was able to picture what it was back then, and how those heroes fought for the independence we are currently savoring. It was a story of hope.
This success would not have happened without the chemistry of the actors. Yoo Ah In and Go Kyung Pyo's tandem was really magical. They have portrayed Han Se Ju/Seo Hui Young and Yoo Jin Oh/Shin Yul well and showed their characters' uniqueness. This also goes for Im Soo Jung and Yoo Ah In's team-up. And of course, their trio really appealed and brought the audience root for them. Honestly, I did not even want them to be apart until the end.
All in all, this drama needs to be seen and be appreciated by the generation of today. Not only they would gain knowledge on history, but for them to admire what our forefathers have done in order for us to enjoy the liberation we are having now.
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I've waited long enough for this drama to air last year. The moment they released its trailer, I knew that I should definitely watch it. So there came the month of July. I initially planned on watching this while it was on-going but the pacing from episodes one to nine was too slow for me. But good thing I picked it up again.
The element of getting yourselves on the edges of your seats was there, the element of anger, grievance, love, friendship, just... everything. I loved how well-rounded the characters were especially the five leads; they never tilted, they went forward to the paths where they knew they belonged.
Go Ae Sin had only one goal in her life and that was to save her motherland. Eugene Choi, a foreigner on the land of his roots, ended up saving the country who abandoned him. Gu Dong Mae loved only one woman and went on taking the road that would lead to her safety. Kina Hudo, a Japanese woman by name, yet a patriotic Joseon by soul. And lastly, Kim Hui Seong, the man who just wanted to know what his heart really desired.
This drama was like a movie extended to twenty-four episodes. The cinematograhy, the music, the costumes, the production design... everything was perfect. It was perfectly executed. The story-telling made you feel the feels, so is the topnotch acting of everyone--the support roles were really something, too. This drama was really deserving to bag the "Drama of the Year" award.
Thank you for lighting up the flaming desire in our hearts. Let us not say goodbye, rather, see you again.
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