Reviews

Emotional look at what makes a family

I thought it was really well done and wished it had more episodes. The cast was great, especially the little boy, Sato Tasuku who played Lion.....and Bando Ryota, his portrayal of Mi, someone with Autism was so carefully represented from his eye movements to his hands, feet, etc. You could feel every emotion right along with him. I feel like I must have missed something why the physical abuse that was found on Lion at the daycare was not reported. I thought any daycare/school, etc would have to report that. Perhaps it's different in different countries. Or at least the oldest brother, Hiroto would have taken pictures in case they needed proof of the father's abuse in the future..... Hiroto has so much pressure on him, he was always so calm and kind. Okayama Amane who played the man who helped Aoi was so mysterious for most of the episodes and I would have liked to have had his character's back story flushed out some more. Did he turn himself into the police because he helped her evade them while she was in hiding? He did nothing but help abused families....That kind of made me sad. Overall I loved the relationship between Lion, Mi and Hiroto. Lion was so pure and it was sweet to see how he helped calm down Mi at times and they helped each other without realizing it.

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Strongly written historical drama…

One of the best historical dramas of 2024 and one that came out of no where. A highly recommended watch!

The Good

The plot is strong and executed very well. It’s one of the most fleshed out stories that lack plot holes and cliches that we see in dramas. Most of the characters were well rounded and motivations were clear. With the two main leads not being traffic stars, they both carried this drama excellently. I also appreciated the slow burn romance displayed in this drama. The pacing and growth was definitely well received and refreshing. A very mature love story as well. Next, the cinematography was amazing. Although this had a lower budget, the money was spent in the right places. Hats off to the director for the well shot scenes and quality production! The OST was beautiful and tailored well to each scene. Lastly, we finally have a proper ending. I personally don’t care if it’s a happy or sad ending but what I want is a complete end that makes the most sense for the story and I’m glad we were able to achieve that through this show.

The Bad

My only complaint is for the 3 characters, Wang Yingxue, Miao Ansu, and Wei Ting Zhen. I would have liked to see their characters fleshed out a little better. These were the only characters that were very black and white, one dimensional with no real motivations for their deeds. Would have liked more of a backstory into their emotions and reasons to understand them better. Otherwise, every other major character made sense.

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Zerobaseone origin story

Overall 9/10
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

I don't even know where to start...
This was my first survival show and I watched it although I knew the final line up! Nonetheless, EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL. Guys this was one heck of a ride... You need to make sure to have tissues ready for each episode if you are an emotional person like me. I was not able to get through a single episode without crying at some point. The hardwork and effort you see from the trainees... Beautiful! Each elimination round got me super emotional but nothing tops the finale. (I watched the finale in 3 parts...ahaha but still managed to cry each time.) I am so proud of my boys Zerobaseone and I love them so so much!!
I cannot give this show a higher score purely because of emotional damage lol and I can't give it lower because it was such an investing program.)
Would only recommend if you are willing to watch 2+ hours episode and go through emotional rollercoasters!🥰

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Bloody, bizarre and freaking creative

"Connect" it's a drama is about a world where there is people with strange abilities, they are called "Connect", their body doesn't die, no matter how it's hurt.
The main character is Dong Soo, a lonely man who lives hidden because there's no one who would understand and accept him. One day he's kidnapped and lost one of his eyes, after that he keeps getting visions of someone else and that person is a serial killer.
The story follows his quest to stop that person and get his eye back. In the meanwhile, Dong Soo encounters I Rang, a woman who's just like him.

This drama was a huge surprise, I wasn't expecting it to like so much. It's one of the best productions I have ever seen and it has the face of Takashi Miike writing on it. The only flaw is the open ending, since most likely there will not be a second season.

Jung Hae In, Go Kyung Pyo e Kim Hye Joon <3

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Such a weak drama, not even Lee Bo Young can save it

"Hide" is a suspense/thriller based on a tv show called "Keeping Faith". I didn't watch the original tv show, but I can say for sure that this version just didn't work.
It tells the story of Moon Young, a successful lawyer, who's married and with a child, life couldn't be more perfect but out of the blue, her husband Sung Jae goes missing and after that, the police finds his body in a burning car, with a suicide letter. Moon Young doesn't believe that and starts to investigate what her husband was doing the days before his death and what she finds, makes her overthink everything in her life.
Sung Jae was lying to Moon Young all the time, doing illegal things and even cheating on her with Yeon Joo, their neighbor and their daughter's teacher. We discover that Moon Young's father stole the identity of Yeon Joo's father, living his life and Yeon Joo did everything for revenge.

I love Lee Bo Young, she's an spectacular actress, but it feels like the drama didn't want her, almost like she was forced to be there. Her clothes were ridiculous, too big and didn't fit her right and the character development was laze. Basically all the characters are shallow, none of them really stand out, neither did the story.
One really big flaw of the story is not show the change in Seong Jae, from a good family man, to a person like that, who would do anything for money.

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It's like "Game of Thrones", but better

"Queen Woo" is a story about a woman named Woo Hui, she's the queen of a country named Gogoryeo and unexpectedly her husband Nam Mu dies and she has only one day to find another prince to marry or she's going to die.
Woo Hui quest is really amazing, it's so good what I wanted a prequel and a sequel, there's definitely enough content for that, especially about the relationship of Woo Hui and Nam Mu. They are a great couple and the drama only shows flashbacks of that, just to make us understand how Woo Hui got where she is now. Speaking of her, what a great character. She's a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. I loved it how she chose the fourth prince because he's easy to manipulate, he's the king only in name and she's the one who calls the shots. HAHA'
Jeon Jong Seo is a badass actress. I loved her work in "Bargain" and "Money Heist" <3

It's a shame that Ji Chang Wook is only at the first episode and in small flashbacks, Nam Mu is a very interesting character and I wanted to see more of him.

There is a lot of violent scenes, a lot of cruelty specially in Lee Soo Hyuk's character, the third prince. His acting is really impressive, he really became that person and to be able to see Lee Soo Hyuk and Song Jae Rim acting together, is like a dream coming true.

Eul Pa So is a mystery to me, I can't actually say that he's a traitor because he wanted to change Gogoryeo, the country needed to change and he helped Woo Hui... and I don't think it's only me who though that Pa So loved Woo Hui, the scene that he gave her the head band clearly showed that.

This drama is unlike anything I've ever watched in the kdramas universe. It goes beyond all the barriers and limits that South Korea normally imposes and it seems like it doesn't even care about it.
It's not scared of showing passionate scenes, to play with eroticism and does so in a way that does not become vulgar. Yes, there is a lot of moments like this, but I think it works with the ambiance that the drama sets, it's to show a place with people craving desire and power.

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Even Sakamoto Yuji messes up

This drama has all the potential to be a great drama. Brilliant writer with a beautiful setting (Hokkaido/Fukushima), star-studded cast (who can all act), beautiful OST. But none of those things could have salvaged the really really weird, convoluted plot. Way too many characters vying for the "main character/main supporting character" spot, I don't know if it's because they're all prominent actors(ress) that he felt compelled to tell all their stories - which means no one's story got told well.

The relationships here are so convoluted for no reason. By the time the 100th love triangle popped up I was so done, I thought surely this has to be a joke. Multiple love triangles/interest CAN work well as shown in Sakamoto 's very own Quartet later that year, but they have to be lighthearted and cannot be serious the way ItsukaKoi was, otherwise it's just a tangled mess.

The acting is all solid, and I really enjoyed Takahata Mitsuki in particular, but even that and the beautiful OST could not possibly have saved these convoluted shenanigans.

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The meaning of love

"Ashes of Love" tells the story of a girl named Jin Mi who's born without the ability to love, because of that she's always naive, happy and free, but everything changes when Xu Feng falls in the Floral Realm and meets her unexpectedly.
Jin Mi and Xu Feng become closer and eventually are involved romantically, still Jin Mi doesn't understand what's love. There's also Run Yu, Xu Feng's half brother who falls in love with Jin Mi at first sight.
The three characters are connected with each other and when Jin Mi finds her real father, she discover that she's the lost fiancee of Run Yu. That causes the conflict that changes their lives forever.

I liked Xu Feng, but to be honest, Run Yu is a better character, his life story, his traumas, all that makes him more appealing to audience, when Xu Feng was always the favorite son and treated with more care, but Run Yu's jealousy was his doom, when he basically forced Jin Mi to kill Xu Feng with her own hands, making her think that Xu Feng was her father's killer. In that moment, Jin Mi broke her Yun Elixir, realizing what's love and what's she done.
Jin Mi's sacrifice at the end was to make amends, since basically everything was her fault, the brothers fighting because of her and destroying all that's in the way... I really loved Jin Mi's phrase when she's dying: "If your heart is filled with love, why would you be afraid of sadness and fear?"
Of course there's a happy ending for Jin Mi and Xu Feng, it would be too sad if that didn't happen.

The drama is truly amazing, the story, the characters, the development, the actors, it's one of the best cdramas that I have ever seen. It's really worth the watch <3

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An underrated drama, with an amazing story

"Becoming Witch" is a dark comedy drama and honestly, an amazing surprise. When woman get married, they don't enter in a fairy tale but rather in a horror movie, instead of becoming Cinderella they become witches! HAHAHA'

The story follows three women: Ma Ri, Hee Soo and Jin Ah, they are in their 40's and none of them is happy being married. Ma Ri has a cheating husband, Hee's Soo husband is always away and she has to take care of her sick mother-in-law and Jin Ah is a widow, who gained a lot of money from her husband's death. She's the only one who's remotely happy, but that won't last long, since her husband comes back... alive.

Ma Ri is a total badass. I think she's one of the best characters I ever saw in a drama, there's no other woman like her. Her crazy eyes telling the whole world she won't divorce Nak Gu or when she dreamed about killing him. There's also the car accident and the whole "Misery" act in the hospital. But the interesting thing is that despise everything that Nak Gu did to her, Ma Ri still loved him, because he's the father of her child. The scene when she finally confess that, Nak Gu is holding a gun and he shots her, the gun didn't have bullets but, that moment is really the end, he killed every last inch of love that she had in that second.
The ending is very satisfying, Nak Gu is a freaking bastard, so he really deserved all that... karma is really a bitch.

Hee Soo's ending was the only sad thing about this drama. She is a beautiful woman, who wanted to have a child her whole life, but instead she got cancer. The good thing is that she finally had some good times with her husband and enjoyed her last moments on earth, leaving behind the memories with her friends, that won't ever forget her.

This is really an underrated drama, I don't know how people aren't talking about it, it's an amazing story. Lee Yoo Ri's acting is simply spectacular <3

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A fun story, but it lacks depth in the girls past

"Catch The Ghost" follows Yoo Ryung, a young cop that starts working in the Subway Police with the purpose of finding her twin sister that disappeared and it is most likely a victim of the subway killer, a serial killer that targets people on the subway and leaves their bodies inside the train.

The chemistry between Yoo Ryung and Ji Seok is really good, but the drama doesn't give the couple a chance to be together, literally that happens only at the ending and for me, that wasn't enough. They do have some sweet moments.

Yoo Ryung's journey to find her sister is the main focus of the drama, along with her solving the cases with a lot of enthusiasm, she's a lively character and always gives great scenes, with her crazy ways to stop the criminals, dragging poor Ji Seok along. I think the drama should have put more effort into showing the relationship of Yoo Ryung and Yoo Jin, we only see little flashes of their lifes together and to understand Yoo Ryung's pain and how could she do that mistake, of leaving her autistic sister behind, it should have more background on the story about them.

The funny moments it's what makes this drama worthwhile, also the friendship between the Subway Police. The romance stays in second place, but still a really good drama.

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One of few best cdrama of 2024

I really like this show and mainly because of lead chemistry the story is refreshing and it's progressing naturally and slowly and I really like the plot when male tried to kill FL in start it's not like that falling in love frist time which I like both fall for each other slowly and her evil stepmother ending is so satisfying though I feel sad for her sister and and one of the thing I like most is that leads get married after half of show it's not like that they married few episodes before ending and they wrap up show quite nicely one thing that I didn't enjoy is song mo brother song han arc but it's important to show it because if they don't show it we didn't know that why song mo killed his brother in last life I like his ending from miao ansu hands now final thing I watch li yunrui in last immortal in which he is fine the reason I watch this show is that I watch frist trailer months ago in which his looks in white hairs really attracts me and atmosphere but li yunrui and meng ziyi really attracts me and I'm going to watch their upcoming historical dramas.

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Bad characters, with a confusing story and a weird romance

"Chronicle of Life" it's a drama about a love triangle between Liang Er, Ye San and Rong Ruo.
Liang Er and Rong Ruo are childhood friends, they have always spend time together. One day, Liang Er loses her entire family when her father is framed for a crime he didn't commit and Liang Er loses her memory. Rong Ruo's father takes her in as a maid and the two have a secret romance growing up.
On the other hand there's Ye San, he's the emperor. He meets Liang Er when they are kids and she leaves him with a great impression, making Ye San search for her basically all his adult life. They reunite when Liang Er comes to work in the palace.

The three people are connected. Liang Er and Rong Ruo like each other, but they don't stay together, even with Ye San's permission to let them marry, Rong Ro ends up getting marry to Liang Er's friend, but keeping Liang Er in his heart. Liang Er falls for Ye San by spending time with him. That's the part that upset me, there's no moment that define the beginning of their relationship, Liang Er just loves him, suddenly. At least with Rong Ruo, the romance made sense, but with Ye San, it's strange.

I really thought the twist that technically Ye San is to blame for Liang Er's father's death would be something more important in the story, but it's put basically at the end and doesn't ruin their relationship at all. I thought it would be something like in "Goodbye My Princess".

The story lacks dept and the drama's colors really annoyed me, everything is too bright, too exaggerated.

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The best kdrama of 2024

I don’t use the word “masterpiece” easily because it’s no easy to create a film or tv show that’s literally perfect but that’s the only way to describe Disney+ kdrama Light Shop.

Actor turned director Kim Hee Won makes a perfect directorial debut with this very human and heartfelt Korean gothic ghost story.

Light Shop is a masterfully crafted production, every detail full of significance and important to understand the story as it progresses. No character is unimportant, all playing a key role in the lives of each other; and the performances of each actor nuance. Never giving away too much but managing to connect with the audience at the same time.

The technical aspects, such as cinematography, lighting and special effects, are simply some of the best you will ever find in a Korean drama.

This is the kind of kdrama you want to watch without knowing anything beforehand, but you should know the first four episodes are key for the world building and then, it twist and turns in order to take you on one of the most beautifully made ride.

Perfect.

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