Reviews

TOPS. Other dramas better be learning from this one!

A drama way ahead of its times!!
THE drama.
It's the drama that tries to do a lot of things and actually does them immaculately.
It's 2024, soon to be 2025 and I'm still obsessed.

Happy ending for those wondering, this drama is packed with a solid love theme with action, mystery, adventure and a bit of family politics! Keeps you entertained and at the edge of your seat with anticipation.

The cast and acting is superb and perfect. It will break your heart and then gently put all those pieces back together for you.

Till date, Ji Chang Wook has remained my favourite actor and that's not going to change for a while. That man is something else. Istg.

Park Minyoung's character is unhinged and powerful. I fell in love with the three leads and then some!

The plot was PLOTTING. Everything about it is wonderful and it's definitely one drama I'm going rewatch again and again and again . And this is me saying that as a very seasoned watcher. And so it means SOMETHING.

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Well-executed iyashikei drama

A very simple storyline, in a rather idealistic setting. Many details are glossed over, and dialogue can be contrived (in the way that a lot of shorter Asian dramas tend to be) when characters resolve conflict. This is not the show to watch if you're looking for some sort of deep personal growth arc, or to explore complexities of the social strata - though it touches very lightly them.

It is, however, the show to watch if you want something lightly heart-warming. The cast was on-point and incredibly natural. I was particularly impressed by Kubota who plays the ML - even I, someone who speed-watches dramas at 1.75x (including this one) caught the details and micro-expressions in his delivery that brought the character to life. The colour grading and music all tie together to make it a very soothing show to watch.

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The most unpredictable K-Drama

Memorist is definitely the most unpredictable K-Drama I have watched so far, it's not even a close contest. This is the first drama where I have literally be stunned and shocked with the revelations. The almost perfect but still sensational story kept me guessing every single episode, although by the end it did become a little too complicated due to the amount of characters and the constant switches from flashbacks to present day. However, the story was still amazing. It's how a story should be, instead of some dramas where you can easily identify the 'secret killer' by the third episode of sixteen.

I also really enjoyed the OST; every song felt fresh every time I heard it, and really fit well with the tone of the drama alongside the personality traits of the characters. I also really enjoyed the editing, the chemistry between characters and the general cinematography. The re-watch value is also exceptionally high compared to my usual standards. This is because of the unpredictability of the story, I feel like I could easily re-watch this drama and still be shocked by the end!

There were a few acting performances I did not like. I won't name them, after all, we are all human beings. The main cast were solid, it's always nice to see familiar faces alongside new ones I'm not familiar with.

Overall, I definitely recommend you to watch Memorist.

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Captivating, stunning Chinese live-action

The Land of Warriors" is an exhilarating Chinese live-action film that showcases stunning visuals and dynamic action sequences. The chemistry between Zhang Yu Xi and Zhou Yi Ran is palpable, bringing depth and emotion to their characters' journey. The film expertly blends intricate storytelling with breathtaking martial arts choreography, captivating the audience from start to finish. The cinematography beautifully captures all of scenes. Overall, "The Land of Warriors" is a must-watch for fans of the genre, offering a compelling mix of drama, action, and romance. For me it deserves perfect 10. 🥰🥰🥰
Hope to watch all the main casts in the next season with their most important battles against Martial soul hall as soon as possible!

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Interesting and infuriating

I don’t write reviews. But I am just flabbergasted by this. I read another review that mentioned there was a scene after the end credits on the last episode. I missed that when I first watched it. Not that it actually improved things, but at least I found out where they wanted it to go.

The adult in me was both irritated and impressed at what I *thought* the ending actually was - them parting ways without actually knowing that the other also walked away, and in theory having no idea that the other’s path had been destroyed too. They sacrificed for each other, but neither of those sacrifices would have been necessary had they talked and realized that it no longer mattered. Had they talked, broken-hand’s exam was already ruined, so rich kid didn’t have to worry about his dad anymore. They could have peaced-out together with his mom. The avoidable tragedy was actually interesting to me. Folly of youth, real-life stuff. Neither got to do what they wanted, or love who they wanted. Both thought they were making it possible for the other to do what they wanted. The irony of that is actually great. But then…. The end scene.

I cannot express how annoying it is to have no idea how they overcame the obstacles. The text frames at the end just hand-waved it all away. The piece of human garbage Dad just…. Stops? The broken hand somehow doesn’t impact the entrance exam? Come on. Maybe he took it the next year, which he said he didn’t want to do, but maybe he did anyways. Who knows. But I guess it all worked out after all, somehow.

The music was wonderful. I don’t often notice the music, but it was very noticeable in this.

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Auditing is a matter of life and death

I was in the moment I read the name. I had decided to watch it irrespective of its rating- because this show is a rare one portraying the world which is the vital nerve of any organisation yet never kind of given its deserved attention. I had always craved a drama from the field of accounting or auditing, and more so interest to know how it works in a different country.
About the story, it is well knit one, the typical trail of one episode one case. Though you might predict the culprits or the story, it still holds you to it because the unpredictable factor is either the story or the characters next move- especially "What will Shin Cha il do?"
I liked the characters, despite being annoyed by some, but let's get true- you do find such people around you, and you do stay in their vicinity because they might not be dark at heart.
The audit team leader Shin Cha il- is a true person really rare to find. He is that person whose every word is valued a lot, the crave for praise, the fear they instill, the silence they create.
The line that stuck with me- "Audit is a matter of life and death"- though they gave it a backstory, it becomes a relatable example to notice that auditors really are desk-job soldiers fighting a different battle against lot of stuff. It brings a motivation.








Spoiler
Season 2 is hinted at the end, let's see. It would be lovely to watch Shin Cha il in his new job, which will far more suit his character, swag and attitude😎

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They don't know that they're gay?

You cannot convince me that there was no romantic tension in this show. Saint and Shin were pining for each other, the lingering gazes, the "friendly" words that they exchanged with each other. The context that some of these could fall under would be romance.

Not only was the chemistry between Saint and Shin amazing, the HSF cast just made it so much better. I loved the dynamic in Class 2, the tension between Udon Phithak campus and Thep Burapha campus was crazy but I later learnt that it was a dramatized version of what really occurs in Thai schools, which I applaud them for doing.

I loved how the themes were realistic, giving us friendship, family, feelings, emotions, loss, teenage moods, school life, substance abuse, death, being in love (ahem Saint) and learning to let people back in your life. I really enjoyed the 16 episodes and I have re-watched the show 3 times already.

Thanks for making my year HSF <3

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Not much more than a series recap

This is 20 minutes *tops* of original footage about a married couple's argument and its resolution. It also wraps up some supporting characters' arcs in ways that would have improved the main series had they been given ten minutes of its time. The rest is recaps and flashbacks to the main series. It is strictly for completists and for viewers who don't plan to sit through nine episodes of a fairly average dorama.

If you're already watched "Watashi no Kaseifu Nagisa-san" you can skip this since it adds almost nothing to their story and you might wear out your fast forward button. If you set your standards for post-wedding specials by "Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu" like I did you will feel ashamed for having watched this one. It's a half-baked Episode 10 rather than a Special and that was the only sensible way for Netflix to present it after acquiring the drama for the international market.

[This review was brought to you by the "I watched it so you won't have to" squad]

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the plot could not be saved

To be honest, I started this without much expectations so after watching the first 1~3 episodes I was actually interested to see where this goes. But really even at episode 10 it was going nowhere only in circles…there was no progression to the story and the writing was really bad. To the extent where policemen were as good as regular citizens they had no upper hand at all.

The crime part of this drama is practically nothing. There isn’t any exciting mystery to solve. Halfway through the drama, it changes to a business orientated show where suddenly everyone is fighting for the business.

The reveal of the villain was build up in a very obvious way so there wasn’t anything shocking (sad…cause i felt like they could have executed that portion in a much better way). There were wayyyy to many side characters I couldn’t even keep track of who is who because they tend to use nicknames instead of full names.

I watched this for Ding Yuxi, so his acting made me push through till the end. But it’s not a drama I would recommend >< It was a good challenge and interesting genre to take on which could have excelled if the writing was good.

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Malevolent lies or...?

Usotoki Rhetoric. This drama has a lot of things to offer. Perhaps the absolute best drama I've watched this year. 10/10.
I don't have to love EVERYTHING about it to know that I've loved this drama deeply from my heart. One thing I would like to mention before the review is that this drama takes place in the early Showa era (presumably 1930s-1950s). The city is called Tsukumoya. I looked up the time and place while writing the review, but I ignored it in the drama. So, the details about the settings of the drama might be wrong. I'm sorry about that. And minor SPOILER ALERT.

Story and setting: 9.5/10
The story was amazing. As the synopsis says, it's about the duo- Souma sensei and Kanoko. They solve different mysteries and learn about life and people. One thing I love about Jdramas is that they tell stories from the heart, about people, about the small but important things in life. This drama is a great example of that. I cried during the last few episodes, thinking I wouldn't be able to see this fantastic drama again. Here Kanoko and Souma learn and teach things about people and life that will make people wonder about some rather important things that we might not have thought before. All of this while giving you things to laugh at and smile about. Might even make you cry. At first, the setting scared me, thinking that the language might be hard for me to understand (watched it while relying only on JP captions). But it turned out to be 95-99% similar to the Japanese language they use now. Either way, the setting is very pleasant, combining Western and traditional Japanese styles of clothing, culture, etc. 

Cast and characters: 10/10
Kanoko and Souma might go down in the history of Jdrama for being one of most entertaining comedy/mystery duo while maintaining the right amount of subtlety. The most significant thing that made me stick around is their relationship. The perfectly platonic superior/subordinate relationship is just so precious. Why perfectly platonic? Before watching this drama, I thought these 2 might get involved at some point, but that never happened, nobody even possibly had feelings for the other one (un)till the very end. Nonetheless, delightful performances by the cast. I've seen Suzuka Ouji before in dramas, but this is the first time I loved one of his characters this much. This is the first time I've seen Matsumoto Honoka in a main role of a drama and she did a great job. Katayama Yuki is made for comedy; hoping she gets more of them in the future. Another amazing thing about the drama was the pleasantly surprising guest stars, notably Kitano Kie (so much that I wish she was a regular cast member) and Hamao Noritaka, the most mysterious character who I thought was gonna have a bigger role before the finale.

Music: 10/10
The BGM goes perfectly with the drama's setting. I really am curious to know what that English-sounding song they play during the happy scenes, cuz I didn't see them name that song in the credits. The ending theme was also great, after the first few episodes, I got emotional every time the song played near the end of the episodes. And I think this drama gave this song a new meaning overall. 

Rewatch value: 8/10
I don't rewatch dramas a lot. But this is pretty high up. I'd definitely be willing to rewatch this one. Why not? It's a mystery drama after all.
Overall: 10/10Mathematically, the overall score isn't accurate considering that I didn't give all the different aspects 10/10. But that doesn't stop me from saying that I 100% recommend this drama. As a side note: Fuji TV has given me not 1, but 2 memorable Jdramas this year. And both leave me craving many more episodes and another season. Because Usotoki Rhetoric also has some loose ends, 1. Kanoko and Souma's relationship and 2. Hamao Noritaka's oh-so-mysterious character (you CAN NOT drop a bomb like that without further explanations!!!) And while they're major cliffhangers, I think my level of disappointment for this drama not getting a season 2 will be nearly as high compared to the disappointment I will feel if Geeks doesn't get a season 2.
Bottom line, who doesn't love a little bit of comedic mystery in their lives? Go ahead, give it a watch. I believe that you won't regret it.

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Not every show can be great like Spirealm

As you can see, The Spirealm & 19th floor aired almost at the same time. Both dramas are from China & revolves around same plot, characters got stuck in a VR reality game & had no choice but to continue. 19th floor started off great, and I loved the characters (Biker FL, ML, masc fencer girl) but after ep 10, it turned out as a nonsensical show, full of cliches. I literally don't know why maximum Cdramas feature this trope - ML & FL knew each other when they were children & always ML recognises her in present. And FL's bestie, I thought she is a sweet, innocent, ray of sunshine type of girl, but no, she's just so possessive of FL & she even posted that video too. This isn't friendship, and she disliked ML for no reason. Plot literally made no sense at all. As a die-heart fan of The Spirealm, I decided to give this a shot but got disappointed so much. Don't waste your time.

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Spoilers!!

The first few episodes were hard to watch but once I got through them I thought the tough part was over. I liked the FL and ML and thought they had good chemistry and was excited to see where the drama would take us. What I wasn't expecting was all the extra characters in FL's life and her self exploration which honestly, didn't feel like she changed a whole lot. ML seemed to be hidden behind the ex and the other guy, I was disappointed he wasn't pulled more into the spotlight given what a talented actor he is. Just as I started to enjoy the drama and see the light at the end of tunnel, drama suddenly brings in the troupe mother who objects, likes the ex better, is really sick, wants ML gone,"knows what's best", and gets her way. I mean it took forever for the leads to get together and then to bring this up AND the ex is STILL around at the end? I thought FL was suppose to grow out of being a people pleaser... yet the ex is doing what he wants to do. My expectations were probably too high for this drama.

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