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  • Last Online: Mar 1, 2024
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  • Join Date: June 29, 2021
  • Awards Received: Finger Heart Award2 Flower Award2

Fourthaxis

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Fourthaxis

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Completed
Kawa no Hotori de
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 2, 2022
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Taken in small doses as you savour your weekend mornings with tea and some philosophy

14 minutes in you hear one of the titular characters say ‘Life is mostly a matter of chance’ and I think that’s also the principle behind this drama. The drama brings up the nostalgia of camping in the woods and living a simple life. And though the characters are poor and homeless, they are ‘self-sufficient homeless people' which is what the characters themselves say in episode 1.

Based on a play, 'Three Sages by the Banks of the River' by Ayata and Bengal of Tokyo Kandenchi this is a short comedy about homeless people peppered with many philosophical dialogues and interesting instances that make you contemplate about life and happiness. There are no grand revelations or dramatic instances in this slice-of-life drama and the show would come across as boring or slow to first time viewers of this genre. Being contemplative in nature, it's a comedy that goes no where which is symptomatic of the episodic format. To me, this drama is like a relaxing hug after work and I appreciated it's ghetto aesthetic.

The scenic backdrop of the Tama river also lent beauty to the scrap sheds which these characters call home despite them showing little in the way of growth. But still, I am glad to have stumbled upon this gem since it's mediocre reliability and lack of overdramatic elements is what pulled me in to watch this show in the first place.

A 7.5/10 from me. Perfect for those days when you want to watch something calm and scenic...

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Completed
Unexpected Falling
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 2, 2022
38 of 38 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

A slow burn thriller filled with beautiful cinematography

After a few months of dropping dramas midway, this was the first one I completed. While the story has it's plot holes, it is extremely gripping and addictive. After every episode I was compelled to find time to watch another one. I actually liked that the airing schedule only had two episodes per week. The time in between helped to make me more invested in the drama rather than lose interest. This is a slow burn that you need to take slow.

A wife is faced with her husband's death and left with a debt of 40 million yuan. Her signature was forged in the documents making her the underwriter (I have serious doubts about the legalities of this but let's not get into it). There are boat loads of people invested in finding out where the money is at. And there we have our thriller.

Is the husband dead? Does the widow have the money? Who is the lawyer that suddenly popped up from nowhere? What is the husband's assistant looking for? What's the best friend keeping from the widow?.......are only a few of the mysteries that surround us. And thankfully they all get answered over the course of 38 episodes.

There is a natural progression of mysteries as the show unfolds and the acting was at par with the intensity of the thrill. Both ML and FL are new actors for me and did a great job bringing their characters to life. I really liked the FL's character, though she is the main protagonist we never get to really understand what she is actually thinking inside. She is a very strong character and doesn't let the circumstances she has been dealt with get to her. While we see her breaking down multiple times as is natural but we also see her getting back up without depending on someone else to help her. She has a reason to doubt everyone around her as no one is telling the truth and everyone is interested in the money she supposedly has hidden. And also, I found her drop dead gorgeous. Her stills were just too beautiful.

The ML starts off as yet another despicable fellow who is trying to take advantage of the widow but gets better down the road. His motives remain shady for a while and we don't get to know him until quite later but whatever his personality, he did a great job bringing his questionable character to life.

The supporting characters are also fleshed out well and we get to know more about them as the story progresses. I appreciated that there were all kinds of characters in this drama. The good ones, the selfish ones, the silly ones and the bad ones. Many characters were grey and not fully evil which brought a very realistic element to the people side of things in this show. While there are two protagonists, the rest of the characters also got their time in the limelight so this felt more like a mature drama thriller with an added element of family relations.

The cinematography is just beautiful. I loved everything from the colour palette that was used to the artistic stills and soft touch ups. This show was a mood I wanted to immerse myself in and the melancholic music softly crept into my heart sprouting delicate leaves of naive expectation. I hoped for a satisfactory ending that would answer all the mysteries that kept piling up as the episodes went into double digits.

This is a slow burn that I unexpectedly enjoyed just like the grammatically incorrect but apt title. A 8.5/10, if only because it kept me engaged and stopped my dropping spree.

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Completed
Stealth Walker
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Ho Hum but could have been exceptional...

Littered with too many plot holes as is expected from a mediocre script and small budget this drama still managed to keep me somewhat vested in the the leads' story arc. Unlike most action/thriller stories based on the police, this drama's lead is a female officer who goes undercover to bust a drug trafficking ring.

While the female lead's acting was quite wooden when it came to the romantic side of things, her poker face helped where it called for thrill/action. Her character was totally badass and I liked how her single goal in life was to bring down the drug organisation that killed her adopted father. She did not let romantic entanglements get in her way of achieving justice which was true to her character build-up.

Where I have a problem is her lack of emoting anything other than angst throughout the series. I didn't see any chemistry between her and her supposed romantic interest. The actor who played the romantic interest on the other hand did bang-up job of portraying all the emotions and stole the scenes whenever he was on screen. His daughter was also very cute and helped limp along the scenes where the couple shared screen with her.

The supporting cast felt mostly one dimensional with the exception of a few memorable characters such as Cao Yong Ming, the Vice-Captain of narcotics control who is assigned to lead this case. His resistance to the female lead in the initial episodes and later acceptance made complete sense however the way his character was made to handle the case was mind-boggling to me. Another character I found likeable was Chu Jiao Jiao, the woman kept by one of the bosses. Her character growth through the drama was interesting and portrayed really well by the actor.

The drama requires a complete suspension of disbelief and is held up only by an intriguing overarching story, the details as to how to get there are completely overlooked. The initial episodes were totally illogical but the feeling of disbelief reduced during the middle and came back full force in the last few episodes. The pace was gripping and helped overlook a lot of the flaws. The ending was justifiable and satisfactory with most lose ends getting resolved.

Overall this feels like a one time watch if you are into police/thrillers sporting an actually strong but somewhat hot tempered female lead who doesn't need a man to save her from every little encounter. Kudos to the writer for that!

A 6.5/10 only because of what I said about the FL. If this drama was a typical male dominated story it would be around 5/10 so you can understand how great the plot is...

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Completed
Incantation
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2022
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

A great found footage horror film for the fall!

With an intriguing introduction, use of clever music and visuals, the movie starts strong. The backstory of the mystic religion and secretive ritual which was conducted by the residents of the village was also very interesting. From the beginning one could see the cleverly placed inklings of the curse among the practitioners.

Off on a tangent here, but I found the lack of respect for other people’s religion quite annoying. If someone says don’t desecrate our altar or respect our idol then follow their instructions or just scram! By the end of the first hour I was supremely annoyed at the trio of ghostbusters who didn’t show a modicum of intelligence, or survival instinct. They were mostly the instruments for spreading the horror and the next hour just reconfirmed my beliefs.

BTW splendid acting by the main female lead and the child. The lead portrayed the emotions really well and the atmosphere created was truly immersive, be it the past or the present. Even the child did an awesome portal of being confused, neglected, loved and cursed. Wide array of emotions here!

The cinematography & use of colours though not as lush as “The Medium” was believable and pulled the audience into the story. The story is peppered with a whole lot of jump scares though the gore was a bit too much for me. The fear factor is definitely high and the BGM tied in perfectly with the eeriness of the horror story.

I found the horror to be more of a creepy feeling that builds up to the finale rather than a classic American horror film, and what a great finale. Finally a movie that has a fitting finale! I loved how they retained consistency with the storytelling through use of psychology. The imparting of a particular message to the audience by presenting the same symbol & prayer at regular intervals was also very unique. The breaking of the fourth wall was vital to good storytelling.

Now as one of the reviewers mentioned previously, this movie should have a trigger warning for trypophobia (it’s not obvious but for those who suffer from it, it’s glaring) as well as child neglect. Another con for me was the constant switching of the two timelines. The yo-yoing back and forth gave me whiplash besides confusing the hell out of me in the first hour.

All in all, this was a great horror film peppered with just enough scares and a good creepy background story. While the movie could do with a tighter editing and shorter duration, the overall horror was good enough to deserve an 8 acc to me. And that’s the highest score yet this year for a horror film.

Recommended for - creepiness, jump scares, mystic rituals/superstitious beliefs and lots of gory visuals.
Not recommended for - slick/fast buildups, trypophobics and people sensitive to blood, child neglect or whiplash.

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Completed
Kemono ni Narenai Watashitachi
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 3, 2022
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Being in your 30s isn't an easy feat.....

...cause we are weak beasts after all!

Kemono ni narenai watashitachi is truly a masterpiece of an adult comedy about people in their late 20’s and 30’s working a job they don’t necessarily like but one you have to grudgingly live with cause it pays the bills. That feeling of dissatisfaction leads us to fill that hole with something/someone to make us feel complete ergo - weak beasts!

We have Aragaki as Akira, a Yes-woman with a less than stellar boyfriend/partner and Matsuda as an accountant who acts with a superbly blasé attitude as if the struggles of ordinary mortals are above him.

The story starts in a bar cause that where working people frequent if they are unattached or depressed. I loved that bar. There was one I frequented when I started working too and that’s why this story is so relatable. Everyone knows that colleague who can’t say no and just keeps taking shit from the boss. Yes, that’s Akira! And that colleague who acts cynical and worldly but is as confused as the rest of us - Kosei!

This show is about how these two seemingly different people meet, engage with each other and eventually come to terms with themselves as well as the crap that’s been handed to them. Yes, Akira can be quite irritating with how slow she is on the uptake but I am sure we’ve all been through that when it comes to some trouble in our life.

The pace is melancholic and the sepia coloured cinematography inspires an atmosphere that is somber just like the ambivalent contemplations of our leads that can barely clutch onto the problematic realism of their lives. This is not an over the top drama, it pivots on the subtle desperations of working class people who care about solving their issues silently so as not to enrage public sentiments. This show is Asian reality to the T. Stuck with parents who balanced between their jobs and age old traditions, this generation (x) still cares about appeasing parents and society though a part of them rebels inside. Every character has a story, they could very well be people you know, your colleagues, friends or acquaintances.

This show definitely creeps up on you when you least expect it. Supported by stellar acting all around this Japanese gem is definitely in my recommend list though the slow pace sometimes might get to be frustrating. You may not like some characters while some might tickle your fancy. But hey, isn’t that life?

8.5/10 from me. Go watch it when you are in the mood for some contemplation.

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Completed
Izakaya Shinkansen
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 9, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

What shall I takeaway from my journey today? ----> Local food!!!

Izakaya Shinkansen felt more like a reality show than a drama to me.

I found the the way the protagonist gained joy in searching for & eating local specialties within the short time frame of his everyday train journey very relatable. All of us working individuals are generally short of time. This show is all about finding joy in those small things and how slight changes to your daily grind can make it less grinding and more fulfilling. I liked this takeaway from the drama besides the introduction to all the possible local delicacies and food ‘takeaways’!

There isn't much to the story besides moments where we are exposed to the main lead's professional experiences but this happens rarely. The major part of this show is about food and his journey towards appreciating each morsel. I guess that was the only slice of his (ML's) life that the director wanted to show us. One differentiator between this drama and other food shows is the introduction of alcoholic accompaniments with every meal.

As this show is episodic, you can watch one episode whenever you feel like it. I’d recommend watching it while eating as it makes your average food more palatable. Also, food shows tend to make me feel hungry. A 7.5/10 for me.

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Completed
The Medium
10 people found this review helpful
Apr 22, 2022
Completed 2
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Slower than cold molasses in winter time....

Similar to the American film 'The exorcism of Emily Rose' which combines the horror genre with courtroom drama, 'The Medium' tries to combine the horror genre with biography/reality tv. I say try because I think it failed in generating sufficient interest or traction in either of it's intended genres.

Let us first tackle the 'horror' portion of the movie and all it's entailed expectations. The premise of the movie is interesting, we have a camera crew that is following a 'medium/psychic' who is purported to be possessed by one of the local Gods. As we follow her life, we are introduced to a her family members and the complicated family dynamics. This portion of the movie narrative takes almost 45 mins. Even I can introduce my family in lesser time and I have 21 first cousins.

Anyway after the sluggish introductions we delve deeper into the character of the medium's niece who I must say portrayed her character pretty well. We are one hour 10 minutes into the movie and I am yet to be scared. The creep factor of this movie is extremely slow. This would be acceptable if 'The Medium' was a thriller but it isn't and it is also not capable of keeping the audience engaged cause it's first half is extremely boring. As one of the reviewers previously mentioned, the first half could have been compressed into 12-15 minutes.

Unfortunately things don't get any better after one hour. While the story of possession becomes proven and the nieces antics become crazier there very little horror. It's more of a supernatural intent and horrific fascination with which we watch the behaviour of a possessed person. There are some scare-inducing moments, but when a movie is over 2 hours the moments feel extremely minuscule.

What fails this movie is also it's train wreck of an ending which begins half hour before the ending credits and just like the sluggish pace of it's intro, is slow but devolves into a complete parody. While 'The Medium' suffered from a sluggish plot line and inconsistent pacing, it was the farcical ending which was the final nail in it's coffin.

Now, speaking of the biography/reality tv portion of this movie it was majorly passive. The camera crew did not communicate much in terms of the story progression in the first one and half hour. When the story started picking up about monitoring the possessed person the camera crew started communicating with the possessed's family regarding the footage and the last half hour they were as active as the rest of the cast. I felt their presence was superfluous because if the intent was to gain a third-party perspective, there should have been more interactions between the camera crew and the audience/viewers since, the movie is what they 'filmed'. So I am confused whether this was actually supposed to be found footage horror in which case this is nowhere near 'Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum' standards. There was zero audience engagement with respect to this theme.

Overall:
The scares are relatively low and the movie is more into the depiction of gory or revolting behaviour. The pace is beyond sluggish with a smattering of interesting incidences. Overall, this movie could benefit from some serious editing and compression into a standard one/one-half hour movie. So would I recommend anyone to watch this? No. But if you are interested in the show be ware of the first half. This scores a 6.5/10 in my book.

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Completed
Gon, the Little Fox
4 people found this review helpful
Apr 3, 2022
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

A moment of nostalgia captured in exquisite stop-motion ...

Based on the short story by Nankichi Niimi, this short stop-motion film by Takeshi Yashiro was two years in the making. A touching story about a mischievous little fox, it teaches us about how there are hidden kindnesses that we may ignore as we are burdened with instinctive prejudice that colours our outlook.

The hunting scene at the beginning was splendid. It illustrated the tension between Hyoju’s father’s beliefs and Hyoju’s own aspirations really well. Both Hyoju and Gon are orphans but their guilt leads them to stand on opposite sides of a divide. To me the lesson from this film was the need for dialogue and empathy.

The amount of work involved in crafting Houju, Gon and the villagers is visible in the movie and the natural materials used to create them lent an earthy & aesthetic appeal to the entire film. While the red liquorice flowers were symbolic of the feelings of our protagonists, the way their bright red colour pierced an otherwise brown landscape was truly beautiful.

The unique texture of stop-motion animation evoked nostalgia and left a lasting impression. Truly a worthwhile short!

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Completed
The Oath of Love
141 people found this review helpful
Apr 2, 2022
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 36
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

As unending as an oath, this drama drags on forever...

This drama is truly a test of love and patience. Your love and patience that is.

After YAMG, I thought we would get another sensible modern drama since, the novel this show is based on received immense praise but sadly, I live to be disappointed.

Yang Zi’s Zhi Xiao is immature and annoying. Her only saving grace is her good choice in a partner, Dr. Gu. The side couples are two-dimensional characters whose life's purpose is to get on your nerves. This drama is a struggle to finish from beginning to end. I had to hug the thighs of the fast-forward button to skip a lot of senseless scenes but Zhi Xiao still managed to annoy me.

The first four episodes were ridiculous but did get better until we were confronted with a father that likes to torture his family. He is a victim of circumstance and ‘woe is he’ but for some reason I could generate no sympathy for his plight.
We are introduced to the second male lead and female leads who try to get in between our main couple’s awfully sluggish love story. Misunderstandings abound and their resolutions like the story take forever while leaving an unsatisfactory aftertaste.

By episode 20 I stopped caring about the storyline and the side characters. The male lead and my unending patience were the only things keeping me watching this travesty. There is a minor rise in interest when the male lead suffers a setback. I was pleasantly surprised with how the female lead stuck to her guns and at the same time supported the male lead. This was probably the only sub-plot where I found her behaviour admirable.

While the plot in romcoms has always been a foregone conclusion, as viewers we watch it for the cast, subplots, setting and dialogues. Unfortunately in The Oath of Love the plot is thin, the pacing highly inconsistent, most conflicts un-engaging, with forgettable dialogues. The female lead was annoying 8 times out of 10 and the narrative became repetitive in the middle phase. I am just glad this wasn’t 40 episodes as my corpse would have to review this drama then.

The only positives in this drama for me were the cinematography, the background music, the lure of a happy ending, the little theatre at the end of each episode and the eye-candy, Xiao Zhan. Unfortunately none of these positives were strong enough to overcome the tragedy that was the drama.

It’s possible that some will like this drama for all the same reasons that I did not. But would I recommend anyone to watch this? No. Unless you are a staunch fan of YZ or XZ and gifted with boundless patience, this drama is not for you. For a middling fan lacking in patience this drama cannot score more than 5.5/10.

You've been warned. Watch at your own risk.

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Completed
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
4 people found this review helpful
Mar 16, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

An exceptional example of found footage horror done right!

An interesting found footage horror that was peppered with scares. The story behind the asylum was intriguing but took a while to pick up. Great acting by Ji-Hun and Charlotte, who were two of my favourite characters in this movie. So let me share with you why you may or may not wish to watch this film.

Why you should watch Gonjiam?
1. Great set design
2. Creepy effects and audio to support the thrills
3. Wonderful acting of some of the cast
4. Background story of characters with the scripted scares and later the real scares were innovative
5. Fitting ending that leaves us with more questions than answers

Why you shouldn't watch Gojiam?
1. Difficult to comprehend if you cannot understand Korean as I couldn’t figure out where to focus between audio, subtitles, cast & surroundings.
2. Slow first half
3. Mediocre subtitles
4. Not much differentiation between the scripted scares and real scares

Overall:
I found it hard to understand what was happening because there was too much diverting my attention between the subtitles, the cast reactions/gestures and looking for ghosts/background curiosities, and the constant camera switches didn’t help. Not being a fan of found footage I might be overly critical of the movie though as parts of it; mainly second half where the story picks up, were interesting.

So would I recommend this movie for anyone to watch? Only if you understand Korean or are a fan of found footage horror.
A 7.5/10 for me.

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Completed
Life Is But a Dream
3 people found this review helpful
Feb 23, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

A light & entertaining short film that is a visual feast

Interspersed with traditional Korean theatrics (Madanggeuk) and a musical narrative (Pansori) this 20 minute vibrant visual buffet is an entertaining short watch. It's also an advertisement for Apple's I-phone 13 Pro.

I remember American director Steven Soderbergh making 'Unsane' using I-phone in 2017 and was applauded for breaking down the perceived costs associated with producing a feature film so I am not really going to cry about Apple's marketing here. I think this is a great initiative which allows for some innovative plots and experimentation that traditional cinema might not provide to individuals just starting out in the entertainment industry due to the costs and other issues that come hand in hand with experimental cinema.

The movie is enjoyable to watch with great visuals, colourful costumes, harmless comedy and some martial arts moves thrown in. The supernatural element was just right and the amazing music took this to a whole another level.

I don't know whether life is but a dream but this short would definitely have us believe that life is one big party.
What's not to like?

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Completed
The Light in Your Eyes
9 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

There is no light in those eyes...

The Light in your Eyes is the most depressing drama I’ve watched. It is depressing because the heartwarming scenes were always followed by heart wrenching ones. Every episode was designed to make me cry. This was an emotional roller-coaster I would have preferred not to be on.

The drama is about the life of an unfortunate woman and the way she deals with ageing. The acting gets better as the story progresses but I just couldn’t get over the number of unfortunate incidents that a single family suffers through. I felt everything was a bit too over the top.

The plot in the last three episodes confused and irritated me. The plot twist was superfluous and made the previous episodes an unnecessary drag. While 12 episodes is short I felt they should have condensed it further to 8 and I would have probably appreciated the story more. This was a struggle to finish because I am not a fan of crying all the time.

I decided to watch this drama because people have been raving about it but I just couldn't get myself to like it. Overall this is a tearjerker and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone for an easy watch cause it’s anything but easy. Unless you want to be depressed and bawl in every episode, this drama is not for you.

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Completed
Bad Genius
5 people found this review helpful
Feb 16, 2022
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Thrilling take on an teenage cheating syndicate!

This was such a refreshing movie to watch. I really liked the dramatisation of the clever escapades of a bunch of teenage students. School stories are a thing of past for me and it's really difficult to connect to them now but this movie made answering multi-choice questions as thrilling and exciting as robbing a bank in 'Money Heist'!

Summary in one sentence - A smart high-school girl takes advantage of her brain to make money by selling answers.

Lynn was brilliant as the high-school genius-turned-hustler and her accomplices or enablers Grace & Pat were equally good. I felt for Bank's loss of naivety/innocence as he realises intelligence can get you only so far. It sucks how close to home this story hits. Even though being smart in Asia is not equivalent to being a nerd in the western world, money & connections unfortunately, speak everywhere in the world!

Overall:
Bad Genius is a great pun and a totally apt title for this excellent and entertaining film. I highly recommend this for all who are fans of the school/teen and coming-of-age genre. An 8.5/10 for me!

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The Silent Sea
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 18, 2022
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

A moment of silence for that spectacularly bland ending

Like many recent big budget Korean shows trying to capitalize on the Hallyu wave, The Silent Sea suffers from unrealised potential. There is nothing spectacular about the show except for its cast, budget and cinematography which would have been perfectly fine. There are many shows that are well received by viewers even when these are the only three strengths of the show. So what set Silent Sea apart?

Overall:
The pacing is slow and the camera pans quite a lot in the initial episodes to show us the scenery which is exquisite BTW. There are some beautiful scenes and some real fast shots during the action sequences. All good till here.

There were few indications from the beginning though. A lot of unanswered questions. Dialogues that went nowhere. Some illogical & impossible sequences but these are all not a major turn offs. The stellar cast and great acting by Bae Doona and the rest of the actors was a big draw. The musical score did not intrude on the scenes too much. The plot was also okay, or else we wouldn't be here watching it in the first place. The show was on the right track till episode 6 with minor veering and thats when it lost its marbles.

The unnecessary segues, the wasted scenes where they tried to drag out emotions instead of having scenes that would attempt to logically introduce some of the subsequent illogical actions of the crew and the open threads really bogged down this show.

The Silent Sea could have been salvaged if it was only the last episode that sucked but unfortunately as it was the entire ending sequence which spans two entire episodes in an 8 episode show, it left me with disappointment and dissatisfaction. These two -dis words unfortunately are the last two impressions you want to leave an audience with, after a show's completion. This is also the reason why a lot of people remember only the bad things about Silent Sea even though the show was entertaining and the actors did a great job.

So would I recommend this show to others? Yes, its not bad for a one time watch as long as you are okay with the wasted potential. The first six episodes were a solid 8 for me and it only goes downhill for the last two so, it is tolerable to watch the beautiful cinematography (including Gong Yoo) and appreciate the effects.

If only the ending sequence was better! A 7/10 from me.

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Completed
Rainless Love in a Godless Land
22 people found this review helpful
Jan 16, 2022
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

An epic fantasy immersed in island lore and mystery

I am basking in the afterglow of this drama as I write this review but I shall try to be impartial or as impartial as I can be considering I have given it a perfect score.

So with no further ado, here are the reasons why I loved RLIAGL:
1. It has a mix of genres: fantasy, mystery and romance seeped in mythology.
2. The leads are working adults. (I am old and if you are too you know why this point is a good thing)
3. Great script writing and intriguing story board. Every episode brings a new meaning to the overarching storyline and keeps you hooked. The format of the episode also lends well to the mystery and keeps it interesting.
4. Good acting by everyone involved. Also, leads are cute eye candy.
5. Amazing score! The OST for this show is really really good.
6. Production quality is high and the visuals are also good. I loved the cinematography of this show.

The reasons why you may not like RLIAGL:
1. The romance is a slow burn. Its slower than a sloth climbing a tree. Its so slow that you might think there is no romance. And that would be because the romance is not the main part of this show, it's the mystery of why it ain't gonna rain in this land no more.
2. The story also starts of slow. It takes the first few episodes for this show to grow on you and while it does it might bore the socks out of impatient people.
3. The female lead could have done certain things better (a lot) . But that is no fault of her own it's because of the script writer.
4. The audience as well as secondary characters get the drift way quicker than the main leads. A few times I wished people asked the right questions instead of going about in a tangent, but that was the fun of the show and I didn't mind it as much.
5. It's quite melodramatic. Everything has an epic consequence like the world ending or people dying.
6. I was dissatisfied with how they resolved the environmental degradation issue. (You'll know what I'm talking about only if you watch it. :P )
7. It is not a Kdrama. It is from Taiwan and a lot of people don't watch shows from here. On the other hand, I have no idea what you are doing reading this review in that case.

Story/Acting Overview:
A woman believes in the stories her grandmother taught her when she was young and before she was abandoned by said grandmother. This is her journey as she navigates through life, meets & parts with people and begins to question her beliefs.

With a great cast, production and unbelievable scriptwriting, this show has all the right elements to be a blockbuster in my book. I enjoyed the acting by the entire crew. Toem was my favourite actor with Fali coming a close second. Loved the layers in their character.

As mentioned earlier, the story is infused with island lore and mythology with small folk tales at the beginning of each episode which portend some major events which might occur in each episode. The format was great and lends to watching it one episode a time as it feels like each episode is a chapter in the RLIAGL book.

While the romance is a slow burn, I enjoyed it as I never thought of this story as a romance but as a fantasy mystery. I was more interested in understanding the characters and Kawas than I was in Tian-Di & Orad's love story. As we move further into the story line, we also come to understand why their romance is such a slow burn. Past events and future situations play a vital role in their romance.

Overall:
Overall, I enjoyed this show way more than I expected to at the start and by the end it had grown on me. As the story reaches towards its climax the pace also picks up leading to an amazing ending. There are plot twists that I wasn't expecting and therefore, was quite blown over with the revelations.

A perfect 10 from me (9.5 ~ 10 all the same) as I know I will end up rewatching this and it's perfect OST.

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