Well built, but with an uninteresting villain.

Somehow the legal plots have always attracted me, the construction of its world, its mysteries and entanglements are interesting to see.

The series portrays some little-seen topics in Korean series, at least within the mainstream, including sexual abuse and harassment, manipulation of the media, corruption of the authorities, murder, among others.

I would especially like to talk about how the issue of sexual abuse is approached, from the beginning we see that Jeon Ye Seul and Ko Young Chang maintain an abusive relationship, although as a spectator we realize this, it seems that for the environment in which that the characters exist, these abuse problems are not so clear, until the physical effects of the abuse (blows) are seen. The situation that Ye Seul lives is unfortunately the situation experienced by a large number of women, who under the idea of ​​being "loved" endure being in a relationship where they are damaged; when the problem escalates to sexual abuse and manipulation through an explicit video and everything goes to trial, one of the topics discussed is the public scrutiny that her character receives and how the defense thinks to justify the whole situation by a alleged infidelity in their courtship, which speaks very deeply about how society (in this case Korean, but actually appeals to practically all societies) is more willing to judge women and blame them for the problems of abuse that can lead to live in your relationships.

This theme is one of the best explored in the series and Go Yoon Jung's performance is brilliant, the evolution of his character is brilliantly well treated, although we see moments where his character suffers and doubts and makes bad decisions, in the end we see how he overcomes all obstacles, and how he has found his own path both personally and professionally and even how he found the strength to help people who live the same situation that she once lived in their own flesh.

Now speaking of the main theme of the series, it is also very well treated, from the beginning it generates intrigue, and the way in which Yang Jong Hoon, Kim Eun Sook, Han Joon Hwi and Kang Sol [A] are involved in the conflict at times does make you doubt their intentions, but as the series progresses and we get to know them better it is impossible not to become fond of them, I think my only complaint in itself is with respect to Ko Hyeong Soo, since this character is the typical bad guy, we don't know so much about him beyond his ambition for power and we never really see an evolution or internal struggle, so it seems to me that he is the least interesting character in the whole series, perhaps I would have enjoyed more than the conflict would have included a "villain" with more nuances and with whom the public could feel more connected.

Another of the conflicts I have with the series is Kang Dan, we really don't know much about her and when she returns we don't see her solve her conflicts with her family either, when she is supposed to run away from home and has not maintained contact with them in a long time; which initially seemed to be a conflict for her sister, but afterwards she is given absolutely no explanation and serves more as a “deux-machina” to solve the plot of the series, it is an easy resource to give her a solution in the last episodes.

Han Joon Hwi and Kang Sol [A] are the most interesting characters in the series, because the two of them are just innocent students when all the conflict begins and they are involved, many of the things they believed are broken, little by little they even come to doubt the course of the laws, however they never give in to all the bad things that are happening around them, they trust that the only tool they have to fight is the law and they cling to that ideal, their convictions become every stronger, until they truly become top lawyers, following the example of their mentor Yangcrates.

The last topic that I would like to explore is the manipulation of the media, it is well known how important image is when we talk about politics (especially in societies like Korea, where reputation and appearance are more important than achievements) and what some people are able to do to get good comments from them in the media (even if they are not true), I found it very interesting how we see that on the show, the basements with people who dedicate themselves day and night to producing content and comments false in order to harm or benefit one or the other, and how this seems to be so easy to control if you have the appropriate amount of money.

It is possible to combine in a very good way, the fact that most of the characters are university students, so despite being surrounded by a world of corruption, they still have to deal with the normal things of any university: grades, exams, friendships, loves, parents, etc; and within what is possible, it is possible to maintain a certain youthful spirit, especially with characters like Min Bok Gi and Jo Ye Bum, on many occasions, they lighten the emotional load of the series.

The main advantage of Law School are the performances, the entire cast does an incredible job, they are truly committed to their roles and they achieve a good mix between the seriousness of their occupations and the situations that you are living and the normality of being students trying to survive a little longer, especially Kim Bum and Kim Myung Min did a spectacular job, they felt so comfortable in their roles, and despite using a lot of legal terminology the show does a good job of explaining well the necessary points to understand what happens in court and in his studies.

The series, in its quality, does not disappoint in any aspect, the direction, the photography, the script, the montage are very well done and create a show with a more compelling atmosphere.

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A subtle and perfect way to present a middle point.

It is very difficult to deliver a side story that is at the height of the source material, mainly because of its duration, however, we are facing a jewel, like almost everything created by this franchise.

Last Twilight in Phuket is many things but above all it is a beginning and an end, it is the end of I Told Sunsent About You, we see how the boys say goodbye not only to their beloved town but also to a time and a space that they keep important moments of his youth including his friendship and love and it is the beginning of I Promised you the Moon, which, like a promise, what follows in his lives is uncertain not only in what his relationship represents, if not everything else, adult life, grow up, walk away from everything they love and know and enter a world that, although it seems fascinating, also seems to hide dangers in it.

It also serves as a bridge to experience even a little bit of the time that the boys have spent together after the end of ITSAY, I think a bit as a gift to the fans because it is clear that the change they will experience in IPYTM be great and important and the last we saw of them was the beginning of their relationship, at least we have the idea that they have been together and happy this time, but that in some way it has been like a counted time, and in that sense it is a good starting line to remember what the characters are like and the maturation process that is about to begin, in more ways than one.

One of the most beautiful things in this short is that every second you can feel a deep feeling of nostalgia invade you, very similar to listening to a story that comes from the past, almost everything we saw on ITSAY as well as in the first half of the short film takes place in settings full of light and life, bathed by the ocean and the youthful vibe; in the middle of the short and what IPYTM has in store for us, we have a noticeable change of scenery and although the landscapes never cease to be beautiful, they give rise to the nuances, the dark and the night, a subtle way of telling characters and audiences that vibrant youth is giving way to something else.

Although the moments that Oh and Teh have in the short are sweet and romantic, even so, we can see in their faces, looks and expressions that little doubt and fear about what will happen to their love once they leave normality they are used to, it is very powerful how much a couple of minutes can transmit to you when the cinematographic language is so well implemented, not only in the performances but in each shot, the colors, the montage, the dialogues and the music.

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The real terror is the lack of communication

There are many things about the original series that were never clear to me, unfinished topics and things that did not make sense and to be honest this extra does not add anything to the universe created by the series and in many moments it makes it worse.

Let's start from the idea that the relationship between Sib and Gene already have a few years at the beginning of the special, but we did not notice any progress in their relationship, or in their interactions and on the contrary at the beginning it seems as if they no longer even love each other that much ( something that "changes" as the chapter progresses, but it never ends up being clear).

One thing that I will never understand is why the series in general so romanticizes putting Gene in so many stressful situations, he is always forced to do things that he does not want, It would be expected that after years of being a couple at least, Sib, will know how to recognize when his boyfriend is going through an unpleasant experience, from the beginning it is more than clear that Gene does not enjoy being the center of attention, Sib's actions are not romantic, they are selfish.

On the other hand, Gene seems annoyed with Sib always and although the message towards the end seems to be that he really does love him, the whole situation at the beginning is extremely confusing, I understand that Gene is tired, stressed and busy with his own things, that is normal, so far fine, however, even so, rather the performances imply that something is happening beyond their work and that their relationship is no longer well.

Regarding the whole “horror” thing, well, I just have one thing to say: If you have to go that far to be honest with your partner, is your relationship really worth it?

And well to finish, if Mork seemed to me a completely wasted character in the original series, I do not understand his intention to include him here as if he were going to change or contribute something to the plot, literally in the series they did not let him have more than five dialogues and although of course his situation should cause you "pain", sorry but we don't even know him, I don't know why he is interested in Aey, we know absolutely nothing about him as a person, I don't know how they expect us to have a real bond as an audience.

The inclusion of Aey also seems to me that it happens without pain or glory, although the series implied that it was important they never gave him a background, he is always suffering and I do not know why, I do not know what he is looking for, what are his goals or ambitions, I do not know nothing about him beyond that apparently now they have a Sugar Daddy which honestly could not matter less for the plot or for absolutely nothing, and look, I really don't know, if the plan is to later create a series about Mork and Aey, probably and when that moment comes, it will be time to judge what they do there, but as far as Lovely Writer is concerned, they are poorly developed characters, they are there simply to fill in moments in the plot and cause the occasional moment of misunderstanding between the protagonists, well In Aey's case, Mork is hardly treated as an extra.

Speaking of the performances, everyone is in general in the line of the series, once again Up is the one who steals the most spotlight and the one who manages to move the most with his performance, the others are fine, they comply, but at times they are exaggerated although that may be the intention of the director; Kao does not do a bad job and his chemistry with Up is fine, it is one of the most remarkable aspects, but even so I still find it uncomfortable at times, I don't know if it is because the character is shallow, or if it is the direction or if it is the performance.

I know that this series is the favorite of many and I do not intend to offend anyone with my criticism, however, for me the negative things outweigh the positive ones and it does not allow me to enjoy it at all, even so I can see why it has so many fans and it is fine tastes are subjective and we are all moved and we look for things different in the productions we see.

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Misrepresentation of women and love in general

I watched all 38 episodes of this thing and all I can say is, "Sheng Huainan is an idiot."

Handsome (to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and Hu Yitian with that mole on his nose umm...), but an idiot at the end.
Honestly speaking, I don't usually criticize things that I don't like, because I firmly believe that everyone should make their own judgment of what they decide to consume, but in this case wow... the female representation of the series in general, I think it's terribly wrong executed, all the women in this show seem to have zero self-esteem, I do not come here to condemn unrequited love and who to try to fight, we have all been through that and it's okay, it's part of life, but honestly no love in this life reciprocated or does not deserve to go through such humiliation.

Luo Zhi and Sheng Huainan have an unequal relationship, while she is always there to support him in all his projects or personal problems, he abandons her whenever he feels a little pressure, no matter how hard the series tries to show that Luo Zhi is strong and intelligent, Sheng Huainan always considers her weak and believes that she has to solve everything on her own, boy give her the opportunity to decide what she can or cannot bear, stop making one-sided decisions, the series repeats over and over again that " Luo Zhi used everything he knew about Sheng Huainan to manipulate his feelings, "but the only one who manipulated feelings here was him.

And well, don't even make me start with Ge Bi and Jiang Baili, I ask for vindication for that poor girl, it was one humiliations after another, everything that happened to her was horrible, Ge Bi not only did not mind hurting her, using her and humiliating her in public if not that he allowed everyone around him to do it too and let's not say that he is a horrible boyfriend, he is a despicable human being, worst of all is that the series does not condemn any of this, it is like: "well, they are the things that you have to go through love ", and no, sorry but you don't have to go through all that to win anyone over, love cannot be forced and you don't have to reach out to anyone to make me love you, love is not an exchange of goods .

And finally because net I need to get out this stuck courage, it is not necessary for Sheng Huainan to be so damn unrealistic perfect, honestly the characters like that are lazy, they have no growth at all, and nobody is like that, less in early adulthood, it also turns out uncomfortable, the relationship he has with his roommates is one of total idolatry, as with the other "students" everyone loves them, it's weird, when you're at the University nobody cares, there are popular people, yes, but there are no idols .

Most of us, you, me, famous people and others, we fall madly in love with normal people with their strengths and weaknesses, they don't need to create unreal characters for us to buy into the story that it is the most magical love that has ever existed.
With everything I said, I do not want to tell other people whether or not they should watch the series, but I think it is important to make a critical consumption, please do not stay with the false idea of love that this series sells, love is not pure suffering and tragedies, this not exclusive idea of this series and is deeply embedded in the collective thought that to live a transcendental love story it must be plagued by problems, misunderstandings and pain and the reality is that no, love is much much than that, love is a transgressor force, but self-love is also, idealizing something or someone in such an exaggerated way is not healthy or fair for that person or for you.

Judging now if the series as such and not so much what made me feel, the performances are good, the story is not terrible either, but the execution leaves much to be desired, the story is tremendously long, thousands of chapters go by to put them together and then the they separate the next one so the rhythm of the series is strange and the ending is just rushed, the song is cute but they repeat it over and over again ad nauseam.
As individual characters I think they all have a lot of juice, they are interesting and could make their stories work but the series does not let them grow, it traps them in its web of misunderstandings and toxic relationships, so we see them do the same over and over again. Once, if they were allowed to mature as human beings, things would be very different.
I was left with that, what was and is not, all wasted potential.

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An incredibly well produced short.

Seeing this short only made me remember how much I miss PP and Billkin every week, being a short the story is simple, but it addresses a topic that is also strongly present in IPYTM so it makes me think that it is a topic that Production company is concerned with exploring, which is: finding goals in life and having a purpose.

The scene where the Cook realizes that the Singer is participating in the choir and how much that excites him is very nice, because it is the moment when he realizes that he does not have to be excellent and successful from the beginning and that finding a goal in life still involves an arduous journey of work, including successes and failures, but sometimes when you find something that you really love to do it is worth going through it and you enjoy the journey of becoming "good" at a certain task.

The short has two elements that are worth highlighting, on the one hand, the acting and chemistry that PP and Billkin have, both are so good at their work that they achieve with their expressions, gestures, looks, to convince you of everything they feel and they also work together, they feel comfortable and confident and a clear difference is felt between their previous roles and them as people.

The other aspect is of course, the production, although it is clearly an advertisement, the production at no time lowers the quality and it is wonderful how they manage to maintain each element of the production in an impeccable way, from the assembly, the direction, the use of colors, the frames, the OST, the acting direction, everything is brilliant and moving, Naddao is a production company worth watching closely.

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Paradise is too cloudy

This is a genuine gangster movie, it's what you expect from a gangster movie: blood and violence galore and it's not disappointing in that regard.

The film presents us with a vision rarely seen in K-Dramas, a Korea mired in corruption and moral destruction, at least from the perspective of the characters, which I think is portrayed very well in the dark and warm colors in the ones that the whole movie is presented.

The great virtue of the film, we undoubtedly find it in the cast, from the main ones who do a wonderful job, to the secondary and background actors who help to increasingly reinforce the idea of ​​the moral decadence of the protagonists, is simply wonderful how each and every one of the actors is committed to their work and immersed in the world that the film poses.

Now perhaps, my problem with the film is that it pretends to be a little deeper than it really is, the is violent and raw and that is what they want to reflect at all times, and that is why there are so many dialogues about death and the search for death it throughout the film, however I do not think it contributes anything beyond that, at times it seems that it seeks to become, more in a thriller of intrigue and persecution, but from the second one is more than clear that It is not the path I will take in the end.

The film is not hopeful at any time, from the beginning to the end you know that the lives of these people are only sinking more and more, for me it is what made the film entertaining, it was easy for me to enter the world of the film, understand how their characters saw life and knowing that the film was only going to be a bloody and violent festival without redemptions, because they were not necessary, it was not the aspiration of the story that its characters change or be better.

The movie is good and entertaining if you manage to get into the conventions, but if you can't, the most likely thing is that you won't be able to enjoy it and, on the contrary, it leaves you with a feeling of dissatisfaction, so I suggest that it be viewed with caution and discretion. Even so for the mere performances I think it's worth giving it a try.

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The same series but now in Joseon

Well, let's say, the same series that I already saw 6 times before (WYEL, TMS, MH, YMMD, WY: YMIMH, CR) but in Joseon, same format boy meet boy (fate has united them), they like each other but do not accept it, they live together, they help each other to follow their dreams, they realize their feelings, they separate in the penultimate chapter, they magically meet again in the last chapter, they kiss, the end.

All these series are the same, the same format, the same actors, tand I am not saying that they are bad there are some that genuinely appeared to me very tender when I saw them as WYEL and MH, others that seemed very good to me like YMMD and especially TMS, but the real problem I have is that they do not dare to change the format.

I understand that for the duration of the series (around 90 min) it is very difficult to make deeper stories, but nevertheless I think that at this moment I am already a bit saturated with this type of series, at first the initiative seemed very good, more because it opened the panorama to the BL scene in Korea, and that is why I believed then that they opted for this type of format rather simple and fast, to tempt the waters, so to speak, but 6 series later I think that as public and as creators we are ready for the next step.

In that sense, Nobleman Ryu's Weadding seems to me to be one of the worst series of this almost franchise, of course it is not a terrible series by any means, but it is boring, it does not contribute anything new, I think the idea of ​​having a boy-to-boy couple in Joseon is something very interesting and I feel that they needed to make an effort to make the series so bland and not very relevant.

And also the actors have very bad chemistry between them, I don't think they are bad actors, because in other productions especially in the case of Lee Se Jin in Mr. Heart I feel that he was more in his tone with a better chemistry with his co-star partner and everything felt more organic, in this series that did not happen, on the contrary it seems that the actors did not want to be there, I do not know if what they wanted to achieve was to portray the solemnity of the "nobility of the time" but still not it is justification, in the looks, the gestures, in the small actions we should feel its "supposed attraction".

Anyway, I don't have much to say about the series, just as the series did not have much to say to the public, the truth is that I am already a little tired of this type of series, I am convinced of the quality that Korean productions can deliver to us, because you don't have to look far to realize it, I look forward to the moment when they stop considering BL as a minor genre and treat it as a simple romance and in this way deliver us series that dare to transgress barriers, with deep characters and moving stories, they have talent, the market is also here waiting anxiously, I know that we are one step closer to it, and if not and we will continue with these series in miniseries format, I hope they will introduce us to products of Better quality, I am not talking about kisses or being more cheeky in their relationship (which could not hurt us), if not better scripts, better dialogues and better use of cinematographic language to make us feel the connection between their couples (glances, inadvertent gestures, flushed cheeks, use of color, etc.)

Korea baby, I know what you are capable of and I am waiting for you.

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It didn't feel like fishing in the sky to me

Fish upon sky is not a bad series in fact it is quite entertaining, but it has some elements that do not work at all and it is what I would like to explore today.

To begin with, the relationship between Pi and Mork seems problematic to me, I understand that the concept is to fight for love that seems almost impossible, but I don't know, at times it seemed to me that Mork was too insistent and yes know that in the end Pi did fall in love with him , but even so he had to go through too many things to reach acceptance, in the same way Pi was not a "good" person with Mork, most of the time he despised his feelings and the vast majority of the series had rather a complicated relationship . Actually my biggest complaint with this point is not that they stay together or not at the end, but the length of time that they were not, Mork and Pi do not meet until the penultimate chapter and break up in the next one only to return a few scenes later, I think that if the rhythm of the series had been different, I wouldn't have so much problem with their interactions before “falling in love”, it's just that you have 10 chapters where you don't feel any progress and 2 where too much happens, in that It's hard for me to feel his love as something so magical.

Now I would like to talk about two characters Mueang Nan and Mork, both of them to a greater or lesser extent could fit into the dream boy trope, they are both handsome, popular, rich, good students, blah blah blah, all that, the problem is that both lack development, we know a little more about Mork, for example that despite being so popular he does not feel that anyone sees him for what he is, that's fine, but beyond that, they are only as a vehicle to boost the history of Pi, he also have no development, Mork is great from the beginning and continues to be that way towards the end of the series, Nan for his part begins as a character that seems to be relevant but little by little the series is forgetting its existence and no longer It even appears in key moments, which seems strange to me because the initial problem of the series is the friendship that these two shared, but from a certain chapter it seems that there is no more; it seems to me an easy resource to eliminate a problem from your story, I think it would have been more game if Pi had to continue see to Nan and Mork and gradually realize that the former only likes him superficially or as a friend, regardless of that, Nan is a character that we do not know anything about and that does not change in the least at all throughout the story, in part, I understand that Nan has no development, it is true that Pi's feelings towards him do not a great impact on his life, but with Mork I cannot justify it, he is a protagonist.

Many times the's series sin in this type of situation, they present you the love between two characters, one who is all clumsiness and insecurities and the other who is practically an ideal god with some type of emotional lack, then during the development of the story we see how one character changes to the extreme (generally even in his appearance) while the other only falls in love and with that fills that void he had but is still as ideal as always, the problem is that these types of stories are boring and unfair for your characters, development is the best thing that can happen to a story and in that sense let's talk about Pi.

Pi, from the beginning it is clear that he has many problems to socialize, he is clumsy and cares too much what others think of him, his infatuation with Nan leads him to want to transform and like Ugly Betty, after a change of look he begins to get noticed at the University, the thing is that his problems are treated superficially, after his change Pi is still lonely, beyond Mork and the gang we do not see him interact with anyone and when he realizes the attention he is receiving in networks, it fills with anxiety, and let's talk about this, I do not know if it is because of the culture shock but I cannot connect with this, it seems that Pi needs to accept at all costs that his relationship with Mork is public because only so their feelings are genuine and I don't believe in that position people have the right to maintain their private-private life if it is what they want without having to explain themselves to anyone.

And the moment he publicly confesses his relationship he is so forced to do so and the truth is that no, your insecurities are not going to go away overnight, it is a serious issue treated as something minor and having so many people so involved in what he does can be more than harmful for such a person, he himself says "I am fragile, I can not stand these situations" and although apparently Mork supports him, in the metanarrative if he forces him to be public.

I think I will touch on a controversial point here: Duean and Meen, because I recently discovered that this seems to be one of the favorite couple, well, the first, nothing has to do with whether or not I like it as a couple, we'll get to that, it's the tone of this couple, for me it feels totally out of the series, as if they belong to another series with another format and they were stuck here almost with a shoehorn, and by this I do not mean that "cinematographically" they used other resources, if not all the elements that surround them, at a certain point I think they tried to make the story of Pi and Mork have more dramatic weight and all the "comedy" was delegated to the character of Duean and at least for me it does not work, his interactions with the rest of the characters are so overworked and irritating that it seems like they are not part of the same narrative universe.

As a couple Duean and Meen I do not like, to begin with, they have almost no screen time so their development is poor, their interactions are ugly, Duean treats Meen very badly from the beginning to the end and Meen I do not know if the intention is that he is naive or stupid, as I said this is a personal assessment, but I do not like couples with submissive elements. Duean doesn't even care about meeting Meen and I don't know maybe with more time I could have grown attached to them, but what I saw was not enough to agree with them and their feelings.

The brother of Pi and Duean is also one of those issues that the series left hanging, in the end he never had a conclusion with his parents, at least not an "explicit" one and it is something that is only there to say: "Pi you go, your parents have no problem ”, when really at the beginning of his infatuation with Nan it was not something that Pi seemed to worry about or even have considered before, besides that at the beginning it is also seen that many of insecurities he has them because his brother older is “cool” and they didn't take advantage of their interaction to give the character some peace or at least a moving talk.

All the drama with Bam, is so unnecessary, more because it happens in the last episode, there was literally no time to include it and even so they decided to do it and it clashes with everything we saw of the character before and it is also annoying that it usually has to being a female character who unleashes chaos, as if the only girl who goes out, was unable to deal with her emotions on her own and could not have reacted in another way, how I do not know how to talk to who apparently has been he her friend for so long time, it seems to me that it is something very subtly sexist, but above all censer, we were able to save all that and give more time on the screen to the relationship of Mork and Pi who were only together for about 15min.

The performances, both Phuwin and Pond did a great job, the last one being a great revelation for me, their moments together were really beautiful and if they had given us more of this it would be perfect, they both manage to convey their emotions and if you see them youthful spark of University love which is very nice, the rest of the cast was fine, but I think none of them really had much to demonstrate their abilities, they all have small and insignificant interactions with the protagonists; beyond Neo that if he is very overreacted, but in part I think that is the direction they gave to his character. But if I am going to highlight Mix, even though he has a very minimal participation, he is a great actor and he transmits a lot to you with his expressions.

Regarding the production, the series is quite good, it is the quality to which GMMTV has accustomed us despite the limitations of recording in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, photography, assembly, ost and direction , all its elements fit together in a very organic way, except at times is its scripts, they are still uncomfortable, although only in some scenes.

As I said at the beginning, I genuinely enjoyed Fish upon sky, it was a light series that I get a smile or two, but I can't help but acknowledge many of the problems it has, it is still not a bad series, which I do think is GMMTV is in a very comfortable position, they are a giant in the creation of BL series and although they have wonders like 1000Stars, they have dozens of other series that are too similar to each other and that contribute rather little, with the resources and talent they have they could explore making stories a little more transgressive, without having to leave the genre of comedy if that is what they want.

Lastly, I just want to say that I fell deeply in love with Pond and almost went into cardiac arrest, when they put him in glasses, thanks for that.

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Every episode just got more and more perfection

Without a doubt my favorite series of this year and one of my favorites forever, I know that it is early in the year to make a statement of this caliber, however, after watching so many series you know when you are in the presence of an anomaly and for me Vincenzo is practically perfect in all departments, besides that in a very subjective way the story totally captured me and I think that's why it took me so long to write this review because once it is done I have to accept that it is really over.

To start the story, wow and what a story, there was literally not a single chapter that did not make me nervous and excited about what was happening, in general terms it is the story of an Italian mobster who returns to his country of origin (Korea) to to beat a large corporation, by means that we could not call fair, but deep down it is much more.

One of the themes that the series touches throughout the season is the family, Vincenzo since childhood has survived in the world practically alone, we do not know so much about his life in Italy but we are given to understand that his adoptive family was murdered, so that for many years he depended solely on his intelligence to survive a hostile world (considering that he was not even in his own homeland), in addition to getting involved in the mafia the ties he could develop with other people were increasingly reduced, when he come to Korea, all the walls and schemes that he had built around him were slowly collapsed one by one, in Korea people wanted to be close to him, they supported him and a bond of mutual need was created between them, little by little we experienced how Vincenzo has that need to protect who he loves and how he is going to become fond of all the inhabitants of Plaza Geumga and some other external characters.

Another of the topics widely followed by the series is redemption, something very important is that Vincenzo is an antihero and although we pretend that some of his actions are justified, the reality is that he mostly plays below the legal limits, when you have a character like this, generally there are two paths that can be followed: the total redemption of the character, most of which end with his death in a great act of sacrifice for a just cause; or on the contrary, the total submersion in moral decay, where most of the character breaks those self-imposed rules that connected him to his humanity; Vincenzo on the other hand chooses a third path, what if you sink them a little more and at the same time give him redemption? In such a way that towards the end the character continues to maintain his balance between justice and decadence and continues to be an Antihero however, this antihero is not the same as we had at the beginning, there is an evolution, a development and a series of decisions that transform the world of the character and that also transform his environment.

The series takes that path and does it in a masterful way, the great thesis of this moment is in the last conversation that Vincenzo has with the older monk Jeok Ha, in the end Vincenzo cannot redeem everything he has done, his impact on him world is undeniable, however his fight against cruelty is also there, and he will forever have to live with the weight of his decisions and the most interesting thing is that he does, genuinely his actions weigh on him, he is full of guilt and These actions are reflected in the type of person he is, it seems that this point is obvious, but no, there are an absurd amount of stories that give us characters "with complex pasts" but at the time of the hour they are just anecdotes the impact they have on the lives of the characters.

I will not deny that initially I believed that the only way to conclude the series was with the death of Vincenzo, however the ending they decided for the series seems to me the most acceptable of all, it is not a happy ending, it is not even an ending, everything that happened in the series was one more event in his life and although he changed it in many ways, he still has a path to follow and he will still have to continue living with everything he did and with everything he caused, maybe one day I even have to face the consequences, we don't know.

The villain of this series is another of his great successes, it is true that by the end of the series it is more or less obvious that he pales in front of Vincenzo (not only because the latter is too intelligent but also because he is a mobster made and right and knows how to play his game), but regardless of that, Jang Junwoo is a very well built villain we know what it takes to understand his way of thinking, his lack of compassion and his purposes, for him everything is initially a fun game, but little by little we see how his mental state degenerates more and more as the plot progresses, not only is he intelligent, he is captivating, he is attractive, he is manipulative and terrifying in many moments, it is easily understand because he is at the top at the beginning of the game, when he understands that his capabilities are below those of Vincenzo is when he begins to fall apart and stops being fun, he was not afraid of dying before a Vincenzo that he considers an equal rival, but when he sees himself inferior he begins to fear, not so much of the act of death itself, but of the fact that this implies that he is inferior, that is his true fear.

Choi Myung-hee is the other side of the evil in the series, on the one hand we have Jang Junwoo who as I said is charming and likes to play from the shadows and on the other hand her, her rhythm of play is not to be pleasant, she does not seek to convince anyone, she is a terrible person from the front, everyone who lives with her directly or indirectly knows it and that is why they become the perfect companions and at no time their loyalty wavers, their interest although of course it has monetary connotations, they always go hand in hand with obtaining power and abusing it directly by causing others to suffer. In addition, the relationship of the antagonists with the protagonists, especially with Vincenzo, seems to me, simply great, how they face directly, how they use political and judicial strategies, the relationship between the situation they are living and who they are as individuals really feels.

The rest of the characters also give for an analysis each one, but I will try to make it concise, all the secondary characters from those who live in Geumga square, to Jang Hanseo and Jo Youn Woon are the best I have seen in a never series, each and every one of them has depth and evolution throughout the series, and although it is "a deux-machina" that everything is so damn talented, it is justified by the tone of the series since we must remember that it is It is about a black comedy (the fact that the genre of the series is black comedy and drama is another success in itself since it allows the inclusion of more fanciful elements in the series that would not otherwise be organic), regardless of it And despite having so many characters and things happening at the same time, the series gives each of the characters time on the screen and not only that but it makes them iconic, they all have high moments of drama, they all have great dialogues and well constructed, everything is relevant in the story that is being told and that is the best that a series can do, create empathy between the characters and the viewer (not only with the protagonists) because in this way everything that is happening interests you and the dive is deeper.

I have to highlight here Lee Cheol Wook, Ahn Ki Seok, Park Seok Do and Nam Joo Sung as characters, each one conquered me in different ways at different times in the series and their relationship with the protagonist is so good that in the final chapter they had me trembling with concern that something would happen to them.

But definitely the secondary character that takes all the palms is Jang Hanseo, as he is the most evolving character of all, it is true that much of the series is presented as a single puppet under the orders of his brother who is not very intelligent to say, but when you start to analyze the whole picture, this character becomes more and more profound, let's start with the fact that he has lived his entire life tormented by a psychopath who also killed his father, even so I think that by moments and not explicitly it can be understood that a certain level in some twisted way "loves his brother", he has lived under Jungwoo's shadow always and this has prevented him from living a life that allows him to develop in any way to having him always tied up, with Vincenzo and his group is the first time that he is required to be more and he does it, we see him not only being a genuinely good and loyal person, but also that we see his capacities to be a good leader, everything potential that he had not been allowed to exploit was developing little by little, his need for affection is clear, to have a real family, a real brother and in Vincenzo he finds that bond to the point that he sacrifices his life for him, he is a character that one hundred percent obtains his redemption (I still suffer it).

We talked about "romance" in the series and of course Hong Cha-young, I really liked the decision to leave the romantic bond a little background in the story, mainly because too much was already happening for the characters to have time to worry for this reason, even so the link is there and you can see it in each gesture, look, in their genuine concern for each other, there are many romantic series that scream at you with words that the main characters love each other but their actions never reflect it, in this series we have the opposite, we know what you feel through the subtlety and beauty of their interactions, but just like them, the public realizes that it is not the time to get romantic. Honh Cha-young is a female character who seems to me simply spectacular, she is not the typical good-natured protagonist who lives only for the main male character, no, she is an intelligent, ambitious woman, she is good yes, but not completely like the vast majority in the series exists more in a range of grays, is brave and can face battles without the help of Vincenzo and even in many moments it is she who protects him, in addition, little by little her consciousness as a lawyer changes, partly if because of his suffering from losing his father, but also because as a person he feels better when he defends the weakest through the law, even when he knows that he has to say goodbye to Vincenzo despite his feelings for him, he takes it with bravery and is facing it. And the moments of madness and evil of her are simply amazing, what a good character.

The performances, Song Joong Ki is not a new actor for me but I must say that it was with this performance that he won all my heart, the series is his, all the characters are excellent but at no time do you forget that the series is Vincenzo always, his work is spectacular, all the looks, their emotions, their anger, their happiness, each moment is iconic and remains engraved very deep in your mind; and I have to acknowledge all the scenes with her mother it is sublime, you feel that duality between the genuine love of a child and the resentment of having been abandoned and the cathartic moment when she can finally forgive her, I remember it and tears come to my eyes and sorry but Italian had never seemed such a sexy language to me until this series, you can see all the work behind it and how committed the actor was at all times; I must also say that in all the performances it is felt that they were really enjoying doing the series. Jeon Yeo Bin, also does a spectacular job, I think he achieves a great balance of duality between the madness and the seriousness of his character, much of the character's suffering has to be kept in the dark because he is facing a great enemy, however in his gestures, glances and the longing in his gaze you gradually realize that he is more than what is shown on the surface and that can only be achieved when he has a first-rate actor. Ok Taec Yeon, ufff ... I really love this man, I don't know what else to say, he was bad with desire and despicable, but even so I felt slightly bad when his character suffered, all the cynicism, madness and mental decay that he had what to achieve with his character, it was simply spectacular, honestly, he was for me the great surprise of the series and I just want to see more of him, thank you, just thank you for giving us this character and every time his eyes got teary with anger, I just wanted to take all those moments and immortalize them for posterity.

All the other actors did a spectacular job, I can't talk about all of them because in itself this is already very long, but, it is more than obvious how committed and the love they felt for the project itself each of the characters, there is not a person in this series who does not believe that they gave the performance of their life and that is certainly something that I do not think I have the fortune to witness again. Respect.

The music is very good, the use of classical Italian music combined with pop or romantic Korean music, they are geniuses, one not might think that will work so well, but it does and it is simply a visual and aural spectacle.

The production work, I am deeply grateful that they made the decision that the series will be shown seriously raw, we do not see use of extremely fake blood as it happens in many Asian productions or the action happens out of focus, no, no, here the blood is seen realistic and the action is put in front of you, regardless of whether it implies violence, torture and even death, the characters are cruel at times and the series does not stop to show you this, leaving this aside, the series is beautiful each scene is built to be a work of art and each frame could easily be you new screen saver and that special effects, wonderful.

I could not add anything more to this review, which more than review it is a compilation of praise for Vincenzo, but really I found a spectacular series and I recommend it to everyone, just want more series with that quality and wonderful characters to be produced, Korea never ceases to amaze me when I think I have reached the epitome, it always has more to offer me, it will take a while to get over this series, thank you, thank you for Vincenzo.

I miss you, Col Salada.

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The long road to the destination we all knew

The first thing I want to say is that I deeply appreciate that they made the decision to make this a movie and not a second season, a few months ago at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that the world faced, the format of home series invaded us, some very good (like Gameboys or Hello Stranger) and others so bad, but so bad that I will not even mention them here because I refuse to give them even the slightest recognition.

Obviating the production and acting, these series were a success mainly because of the proximity, around the globe as has rarely been seen before, we were all living a situation similar to those presented in these series, we all had to face the new model educational and work, loneliness, confinement, fear and uncertainty, we all feel for a moment that the world stopped, in that context is where these series are born that quickly conquered our hearts for their simplicity, but at the same time familiarity.

And although the situation continues to be complicated (unfortunately in some countries more than in others) the reality is also that in a certain way the return to "normality" has begun to occur gradually, so it seems to me a more than correct decision to place this film is that transition towards a normality more similar to the status quo, keeping the distance clearly.

Now leaving that point established, we walk itself to the history of the film, although I think it is a bit "unnecessary" it did not seem bad at all, but let me sink in on this point; the first season (let's hope only one, that the BL has already demonstrated with enthusiasm that the second seasons are not its strong suit) closed the plot that had been presented to us from the beginning, although they are not explicitly "boyfriends" it is more than clear that their feelings are mutual and the rest can be concluded by the spectator himself.

The film decides to go the lengthy way in search of that ending that we all knew they would have, please no one expected that they did not stay together, it would have been an intrepid decision (perhaps based on genuine moments of frenzy caused by the strange pandemic life) but That was never on the way to take and it shows in the second one, well, the point is that due to fate, the ex-girlfriend of one of the protagonists needs it and he sacrifices his true love for his sense of responsibility, so far nothing new the truth, the protagonists are forced to live together on a school trip and it is from this point that everything turns into a great check of all the tropes of any series or romantic movie, BL or not: same room, seeing themselves naked "casually", feeling jealous for a new subject (who has zero possibilities, even more so if his introduction happens in the middle of the film, the viewer would never forgive that, mainly because do not know this new character at all), a breakup, a new failed reboot attempt, a public confrontation, a character that very Obi Wan makes the character or characters reflect on their true feelings, a beautiful reconciliation and confession in the beach, a kiss, the end.

As I said, a great check of everything that has to be done in a film, the reality is that it does not contribute anything new, or innovative and many of the emotional and close resources of the series are lost here, however, the film does not It is bad, it is quite short so it is not annoying at any point.

Despite being a fairly common film, it has some elements that make it entertaining, to begin with, all the main and secondary characters are pleasant, none of them is a villain, nor are they intriguing people or anything like that, they are normal young adults and despite that there are some tensions between them, each and everyone acts like normal people, they are polite among themselves and their intentions for others are not negative, although they are selfish at times, but under the line of real people.

Let's see a bit of the party scene, I liked it a lot, the main reason I think is that despite them being the focus of the scene from the viewer's point of view, they are not the center of the action for the rest of the characters, they are one more, living their own affairs, this of course is personal taste, but something that in general bothers me about the teenage or college romance series is that: it seems that everyone cares too much about what they do, in life really things are not like that, maybe your friends care a bit, but let's not lose our minds, no one is going to found a fan club for you, least of all at university those people are only worried about surviving; so personally the montage the scene seemed like a pretty good decision.

Anyway, the film does not add anything new to its own history, nor to the world of cinema in general, but it is entertaining and the romance is sweet, the good thing is that you can also see the series and the film as separate products so the existence of neither of them ruins the other for you, which in general is a good creative decision in this type of production.

Finally, I don't want to leave without mentioning: What happened to JC Alcantara? What do you feed that boy? He grew like a lot, right? He is also beautiful, he realizes.

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A classic for new and old viewers

And yes Descendants of the Sun is everything I had ever heard, a fluffy and tender romance and a story that is worth it, I think there is little to say about this series that has not already been said, it is one of the most famous series in and outside of Korea and I dare say one of the most important.

The first thing is that the performances are very good both Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki are old acquaintances for me and I must say that in all their performances they always leave me satisfied and here is no exception, in the same way all the actors who have a supporting role are very good at their work, achieving even steal screen in some poignant moments.

The correct word for this series, I think is: Heartwarming. They present us with a group of doctors and soldiers who, despite living in complicated situations, always seek the best for others, committed to their work and who manage to grow through adversity. The series always puts tragic and lost situations always on the most hopeful side possible where the human will will prevail over difficult situations; it is also deeply patriotic.

One thing I appreciate is Yoo Shi Jin's personality, his constant jokes and laid-back way of being contrast perfectly with the frenetic and dangerous life he leads and greatly lighten the tension in complicated moments of the series.
On the other hand, Kang Mo Yeon seems to me to be one of the best female representations of a Korean series, at least from those times, she is a strong, intelligent and determined woman and at no time did I feel that her reason for life was him, it is It is true that she loves him and that she wants to be with him, but she has her own motivations and desires that make her an interesting and complex character, the way in which she grows up and comes to understand her vision as a doctor is beautiful, even when she believes he is dead, she finds reasons to go on her way and uses the pain she feels as an impulse to help other people.

The secondary couples are also a great success, the series gives everyone moments to shine and develop so they feel organic within the main story and they empathize very well with the public.

Of course, the series does not exploit in every sense the horrors of war or living in the middle of one, not only they as external help but the people who live there who have nowhere else to go, but still in a somewhat "pink" try to put these things in evidence, I understand well that the purpose of the series is not that, so the moments a little more serious regarding these issues are a good addition.

Both the musicalization and the stages are very good, we move away from all the exuberance of Seoul and we get closer to rural and calm landscapes, and well the main theme is a classic so I have little to add about it.

As I said, this series is already a legend in the world of K-dramas on its own and I am sure it will continue to attract new and old viewers for much longer, it is a good start for anyone interested in the Korean entertainment and i think that in one way or another its success was a watershed for what would come later and how the k-drama has evolved to become more relevant in the world, with increasingly good and schematic-breaking stories and endearing characters.

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