Reviews

Entertaining yet Annoying

Story: Zhuang jie (FL) lost half of her right-leg in her teenage year and it gave a huge impact to her personality in the future. Chen Maidong (ML) is a high-school close friend of Zhuang jie.

The story is actually quite good. I really love the family interactions (esp. Zhuang jie little sister and Chen Nai Nai), the neighborhoods, the small town vibes. Yet, the hardest part of watching this drama is the immature & selfish behaviors of Zhuang jie. If, I repeat, If Zhuang jie lost the whole part of her right-leg and that caused her having the inferiority issues, it would be acceptable. In actual, people didn't notice her disability as she walks and runs like normal people do. (Sorry if this seems inappropriate but you know what I mean, right?)

The scriptwriter is a woman, so it's clear: Chen Maidong is a man written by woman. In real life there's no man like him: always accept and forgive. What a man!

Acting: Zhou Yutong's acting skill is great. She nailed it. Her natural gestures are always entertaining to watch. However, her role as Zhuang jie is somewhat challenging. Her unstable emotion is at the level where audiences like me can't really bear to watch. Li Xian's acting as Chen Maidong is quite good. The chemistry of the lead couple is sweet and beautiful. Once again, it's like Yutong's expertise. I also love the soundtrack as well as the cinematography.

Rewatch? Big no. Can't stand watching a female lead whose moods are swinging a lot. Moreover, the scene where Zhuang jie slammed a-handmade-porcelain-doll is way too stupid.

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gag

estou fascinado com esse filme aqui. tem uma atmosfera tão hipnotizante que eu não queria saber de nada além do aconteceria nos minutos seguintes. tem algo que torna ele extremamente sensual e eu aposto na melancolia que rodeia não só os personagens mas o próprio ambiente. é muito interessante acompanhar o modo como o filme escala pois vem sempre algo de surpreendente na história, e todos personagens são tão intrigantes que você sabe que pra onde o passo andar vai ser bom de se acompanhar.

p.s. a sookhee destruindo a biblioteca foi uma das coisas mais sensuais e românticas que eu já vi.

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Blooming romance and character growth!

I love this story so much! The outline of the plot is a basic one. The female lead's (Hua Zhi) family (The Hua Family) falls from grace- basically, the emperor doesn't favor their family and exiled the men to a Northern Border and the women and youth of the family are left in the capital. They no longer have their property because it is confiscated by the emperor. So they must make a living to survive.

Hua Zhi is a curious learner, and a brilliant business (young) woman. Hua Zhi is played by Zhang Jingyi, who does an excellent job of emulating the natural brilliance of a young woman pursuing business endeavors to support her family single-handedly. The male lead Gu Yanxi is played by Hu Yitian who did a decent job. I didn't like him a lot because there wasn't depth to his character. I can't really tell how much Gu Yanxi loves Hua Zhi. I don't really see the conflicted character go between being a loyal emperor subject to a man in love. He doesn't offer a more complex insight on his character. It seems as if he read the novel and gave us a surface presentation on the actor. The other casting who played the supporting roles did a phenomenal job at offering their character some dimension.

The production of this drama is also pretty good. There isn't much to nitpick. The only one is lighting. You'll notice it if you're a person with sensitive eyes. But other than that, this drama is smooth, enjoyable, and fun.

I feel like there are some playful parts and sweet moments that will hold dear to you.

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Textbook kdrama

As the title suggests, this show is a textbook example of how a kdrama looks.

The story started great, showing the realistic money/power hungry family members going at each other. It also showed some, but not a lot of cutesy romance scenes, as well as some comedy bits, both very typical I might add.

CHARACTERS STORIES: They did not delve deeper into any of the characters stories (you could say the ML and FL had enough of their story being told, be it through flashbacks and whatnot, but I disagree — they had almost no character, one is cold faced but warm-hearted and the other is a puppy). Only what was essential to understand the story was included, nothing more, nothing less. That would have made every person feel a much more powerful connection to the characters and the storyline. They never really got to explain the whole divorce and unhappiness that the two main characters were experiencing in their relationship in depth. They only skimmed through the most important points of interest and moved on to something else, be it family or business struggles.

ACTING: Very good. Loved the male and female leads' acting and emotion expression, but the romantic vibe was somehow not as present as I thought it would be. It wasn't awkward at all, but was not so romantic either. That was a bit of a bummer. It was more sad than romantic, given the entire situation the characters were in, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the spark was not there between the ML and FL. The others were fine.

Would I watch this again? — Probably, if I forget about it after some time (It really isn't such a complicated storyline).
Would I recommend it? — Yes, I would. While it does seem like a very surface level covered drama, depending on the person, you could find yourself quite attached, and if you are a little bit soft-hearted, you could shed some tears.

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Undisclosed Terms

The drama descended into the depths of revulsion with its gratuitous and sensationalistic approach to storytelling, leaving us appalled by its lack of subtlety and tact. Its heavy reliance on cheap tactics and low blows served only to alienate and inflame. The writing veered into the abyss of absurdity, sacrificing logical leniency and impartiality for the sake of eliciting visceral reactions. Broken balance system by design to further push this same narrative. A case in point, Eun Pa and Yun Tek as well as their individual paths. There was a big opportunity for the drama to do some real character reflection but it decided to ignore it, it only did it very briefly with Eun Pa in the first 1/3 of the drama. The drama had the audacity to deliver a message at the end of the drama from the cast members on what the "terms of endearment" means while miserably failing to portray what they preached in the message itself, pathetic and shameful. There were two main stories running in parallel, one for each of the sisters, however, they didn't interconnect well. The older sister had her world falling part, yet she was always emotionally discharged and normal when helping her younger sister, detracting from the seriousness and tension of her own story. On the other hand, the third sister was utterly useless in the entire dynamic, she should have played the linking bridge between everyone. In general most of the stories remained underdeveloped, cut short or had no direction, even the side ones, despite having a very generous long runtime. In its quest for conspicuous sensationalism, the drama lost sight of any memorable qualities, leaving us disheartened by its blatant disregard for a reasonable delivery to what it preached.

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The Answer is Money

The drama epitomized frustration with its portrayal of a braindead female lead whose actions and decisions often questioned the existence of a cerebrum in that skull. The leads consistently made choices that were not only repetitive but also pathetic. Almost every character was repeating the same mistakes and facing the same consequences. A group of monkeys would perform and produce a better result under a shock therapy. The side plots were generally bad, maybe only the ML's brother one was acceptable but the rest were kinda cringe. The drama advertised itself around the bigger sister and her younger siblings (as title suggests too) but the siblings played such a small side role in the story while the love triangle was the main focus. The drama practically ended 6-7 episodes early and the remainder was pure fluff of nothingness. It didn't help its case when the resolution was lame anyway.

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Loveless Love

The drama presented itself as a lamentable example of melodramatic flop, failing to connect the trappings of its genre to deliver an engaging narrative. While the premise held promise, the drama often leaned heavily on dirt cheap emotional manipulation to spawn the dumbest and laziest old melo tropes with no rhyme or reason to their existence. The drama was the equivalent of a nothingburger, it's so dry and bland that they had to slap the most generic random displays of a terminal illness element just to fill some of its runtime. The first most important step for anything in this drama to work was to actually prove how deep their love was, which the drama absolutely didn't attempt to do. The characters' writing was generally bad, especially the female lead, not a single character had something substantial to offer. To top it all off, the writer was clueless and made whatever events for its climax.

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My first modern cdrama

For almost 4 months of being hooked to cdrama, my rule consists of watching historical drama-- for now. But when I finally remembered how I like to watch this drama due to some YT clips, I didn't hesitate to break the sigma ahahaha and try some modern drama. AND IT WAS WORTH IT!

It was rare to have a plot like this. It's like a craving that sometimes I want to see and this drama satisfied it greatly. What was great about this was the unexpected message it brought. I was here to see FL's development yet this story succeeded in putting trivial but necessary attention to gender discrimination in the workplace and how, not only women but also another gender, are mistreated by any damn means.

I like FL's behavior. I admit that I got annoyed during their bickering season but I realized that it was her maternal instinct to be protective and defensive. It may not be similar to my family situation but I guess, this made me realize why my mother towards my biological father was kinda of odd and much more defensive than her usual attitude Anyways, I like how FL stands on her own even when they are together. She was brave and decisive indeed!

ML was great for letting FL and supporting her. They both have strengths, weaknesses, and talents they don't need to be dependent on each other but the relationship makes them strong and formidable. I never sense inequality in their rs. Like they both have a strong hold on their relationship-- not in dominance but in a fluffy and nice ambiance.

The 2nd character didn't seem to be a 2nd at all (thank g!) I like that he got his own happiness not at the end but same timeframe as MC pursued their rs. That's lit and a win-win!

Actually, this story depicts three relationships and I kinda like the diversity they give.

Overall, this was nice and a must-watch! Don't hesitate and love it the way you like to spend your time on something precious.

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For Jazz Loversss

Love it so much, as someone who is in love with jazz, I am totally happy to see a bl drama, that have jazz as The main plot. So I definitely recommend this drama If you're interested in jazz music and of course bl. If You want to watch it or if you're interested in it, I Would like to warn some of y'all. Just Keep in mind that all of the Character's personality is for the plot. Well sure, There are some "stupidity" on some of them, but you still need to keep in mind that everyone has their own personality, don't compare them to yours. That's all, Just a little bit of warning/disclaimer or whatever. Really enjoyed this series, hope we get season 2!!!

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The Beauty of Shadows and Light

***********************I'm reviewing Seasons 1 & 2 here*********************************


This series is a masterful allegory about life based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” which is, itself, an allegory as well. However, this series take things to a whole different level.

Paramahansa Yogananda referred to life as like a Cosmic Motion Picture, in which we are the writers, actors, and even the directors in our own cosmic movie. Shakespeare equated life to a stage play saying, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts.”

In today’s world, one might easily equate life to a video game. You play and play until you’ve mastered the game in order to “clear it.” As you can see, the world of “delusion” is created with opposites. Light and dark, joy and sorrow, love and hate. Why? Because in order to experience light, there must be darkness. If all there was is light, then it would be impossible to experience it.

Virtually every master has said the same thing, but perhaps in different words; don’t take life so seriously. Learn to enjoy it. Don’t get so caught up in the “bad” things that you forget that none of this is real.

Arisu (Alice) is a young man who finds himself transported into another world, or another reality. Everyone has suddenly vanished except for himself and his two best friends. Tokyo appears empty of nearly all of its inhabitants. He quickly learns that he must play and clear games in order to survive. Failure to participate in a game within a certain time means automatic death. Clearing a game grants the victor a visa, in which the participant is given three days of a reprieve before another game must be played.

All games are based upon the classic playing cards with each suit and number designating the type of game (teamwork, deathmatch, betrayal, etc.) and its difficulty level (2, 3, 4, etc.).

The games alone are fascinating as we see participants stripped away of their morals and idealism in order to simply survive. We see people quickly betraying others. We see people so distraught by the pain and anguish that they simply give up, preferring death to any more “suffering.” And, of course, we see those rare few, that despite being knocked down and tempted with giving up, strive to continue in order to find out what this whole thing is all about. Arisu is such a person.
Arisu soon meets Usagi (Rabbit). At first, they form an uneasy alliance, and soon a friendship develops. Arisu is the idealist. He’s the person, despite making mistakes, refuses to give up. He’s a young man who had absolutely no direction in his life. He spent his days playing video games and hanging out with his two best friends. His father and brother are clearly disappointed in him for lounging around the apartment all day and doing nothing. However, Arisu is not without asking questions to the big picture. What is life? Why are we here? And as the game begins taking the lives of his friends and comrades, he even asks deeper questions such as, “Why am I alive?” Anyone who has suffered tremendous pain or suffering has asked this question.

Usagi represents the escape; the person who can only remember the pain of the “real world” and has no desire to return to it. What’s the point of “waking up” if all there is is more suffering? To Arisu’s surprise, she confesses that she prefers the “game” world, despite the horrors of mass murdering, betrayal, and constant threat of death at every turn. If you think this is pessimistic and having a quitter’s mindset, ask yourself why there are so many people in the world who prefer pain and suffering to the unknown? To the possibility that there just might be a way out? In short, Usagi is the person who prefers her comfort zone; her security and has no reason to stray beyond it.

Arisu and Usagi seem to find a community (church or religion) called “The Beach” in which people seem to be enjoying themselves in relative safety. However, not everything is as it seems. You must “follow the rules” or be designated a “traitor” and possibly killed. It’s lead by people who set up these arbitrary rules on how to live. Many of its inhabitants seek only refuge or pleasure. Others believe they can find a way to beat the game. The Beach represents the dangers of allowing anyone else to tell you how to live your life. It represents the dangers of giving power to the blind; to those who have no idea how “get out.” And because all religions are self-serving, the Beach is soon destroyed from within.

Season 2 sees Arisu and Usagi attempting to clear the most difficult games: the face cards. Some of the games employ the use of logic, trust, or simply mere survival (in the case of the King of Spades). Ironically, the last challenge to overcome is from the Queen of Hearts herself. She represents false love/hope that asks you to simply give in to game which mirrors Lucifer’s own ideal; that it’s better to be a king in hell than a servant in heaven. However, before her demise, the Queen of Hearts smiles and gives Arisu a heartfelt reminder: life is choice. There is no “right” or “wrong” choice as there are always consequences no matter what you choose.

The final episode is a pure work of metaphysical art. It attempts to give an explanation where no explanation will suffice. It demonstrates that an attempt to understand the world through intellect alone will always lead to oblivion. We get so caught up in the world that we forget that it’s just an illusion; a creation of our own making. And perhaps that is why the most powerful message, and reminder, is the last shot of the season as a table with playing cards are swept away—all except for one which sits proudly in the middle of the table endeavoring for us to laugh at the joy and absurdity of it all: the Joker.

To the master, the universe is a playground. Much like this series depicts, it’s like entering a cosmic amusement park. To the unawakened, the dangers and pleasures seem real and they go round and round until they’ve had enough; to where they feel compelled to try and “wake up.” To the awakened, it’s simply to be enjoyed, both “good” and “evil” because in truth, neither one exists. They are mere fabrications on the cosmic motion picture of shadow and light.

Performances across the board are first-rate. We find ourselves getting attached to one or more characters, wondering who will “survive” and who will “die.” We see humanity’s beauty on full display, from acts of love and bravery to acts of insanity, brutality, and cowardice. The series makes no apologies for its depictions, nor should it. Stripped away, with nowhere to hide, we see people at their highest and their lowest.

This isn’t an easy series to watch either, as the violence is very extreme, so if you’re a bit skittish, you may want to avoid this series; unless you can understand that this is nothing more than a game. It isn’t real. Paramahansa Yogananda took some nuns to see a violent western. The nun sitting next to him covered her face with her hands because the violence was too much for her. He gently pulled her arms down and said, “Watch. Don’t get so caught up in it. None of it’s real.”

This is a series that could easily be the topic of discussion in any university class from psychology or philosophy to religious studies or any class having to do with human behavior. Yes, it is that profound, and by the time the series ends, you just might find yourself laughing along with the Joker, realizing that you were caught up in something and then realizing that none of it was real. So, enjoy!

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Joy of Life is now my whole personality

It's not like this show needs anymore reviews talking about how good it is, but Joy of Life has completely taken over my brain and I have THOUGHTS.
First of all, this doesn’t pertain to anything, but I’ve been waiting to watch this drama for over a year because my sister watched it, loved it, and told me there was a huge cliffhanger at the end. So I didn’t want to watch it until we had some idea of when the second season would be out. So I waited…and waited…and then heard rumors about filming and then about possible release dates. Until last week I saw it finally confirmed that the second season would come out in a little over ONE WEEK. I despaired thinking there was no way I could watch 46 episodes in a little over a week while having a job and you know, being an adult. Boy was I wrong. It’s exactly a week later and I’m done.
Not only is this a testament to my lack of social life but it’s also a testament to how excellent Joy of Life is. The plot grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go for the entirety of the show. I tend to skip scenes in most cdramas, and usually I’m not missing much, but whenever I tried to skip something in this show, I realized that I’d just skipped something important and had to rewind. That’s the whole show; you need to be paying attention or you’ll miss something.
Plot aside, this drama could’ve fallen on its face if it didn’t have the actors that it did. All of the older actors are really excellent, but it’s Zhang Ruo Yun who carries this whole thing on his back. Without him, I don’t think the show would work. For the audience to root for a character like Fan Xian the actor has to be charismatic and engaging and not smug or arrogant, and Zhang Ruo Yun pulls it off perfectly. He’s acting circles around some of the younger actors in here (no disrespect to any of them).
Yeah, so while I’m sad that I didn’t watch this masterpiece sooner, I’m also happy with my choice to wait until the new season was about to drop. That way I didn’t have to wait in anticipation for years for the payoff to the cliffhanger.

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"Nobody in this country follows the rules"

Barking Dogs Never Bite was a dark comedy that darkly commented on social inequalities and inadequacies. While director Bong Joon Ho cast his view on numerous topics, the result was rough and flat instead of subtle and biting. More of a scattershot approach than guided missile.

Yoon Joo hears once again why he has been passed over for making professor, made worse by the barking of a dog in the background. He thinks he’s tracked down the culprit, grabs it, and ultimately locks it in a wardrobe in the basement. Hyun Nam works in the building and helps a little girl put up signs for the missing pup. At this point different characters become involved with the four-legged dwellers in the crowded apartment building, most of which have ulterior motives for the pets.

Though the movie clearly stated no animals were harmed during filming, there was some rough treatment. Dog lovers may have trouble with a few of these scenes. The antipathy Yoon Joo felt toward the pampered animals and their doting owners turned out to be more than what he observed. He thought his life was tougher than others, but as it became apparent, his actions led to agonizing pain for the pet owners with devastating consequences for one.

Billed as a dark comedy, I only found two scenes funny and both involved the talented Bae Doo Na. This story played out like a sinister slice of life with few repercussions for bad behavior. Hyun Nam’s unending search for affirmation had its own strange results. I thoroughly enjoyed the close friendship between her and Jang Mi, the complete antithesis of Yoon Joo’s toxic marriage.

The laundry list of social grievances were thrown out on the screen continuously. Suffice to say, the director had complaints he wanted to get off his chest. Class distinctions. People don’t follow the rules. People embezzle money and make shoddy, dangerous buildings. Pregnant employees are treated terribly. School deans have to be bribed for job openings. Humanities professors make the worst husbands. Women with children are vulnerable when husbands leave. For a homeless person being arrested is a blessing because at least there are regular meals. Some drinking culture situations turn deadly. Gender inequalities. Abusive, loveless relationships. Dangerous pesticides thickly sprayed in the air. Exit doors and stairwells blocked by junk creating hazardous situations. People supplementing their diets with dead pets. People fired for caring too much about others. At least later in his career, Bong would grab a singular social criticism by the neck and devour it with satire and venom.

Fans of Bong Joon Ho will most likely see deeper into this film than I did and enjoy it more. I wouldn’t want to deter anyone from trying this film by the famed director. What it boiled down to was Yoon Joo and Hyun Nam were unhappy with their situations and unsure how to make things better or even if they could, given the employment climate and chose inverse approaches. Yoon Joo took the villain role and went to the dark side. Hyun Nam desired to be a hero and though her results weren’t glorious, she and her friend chose to live in the light come what may. The majority of other characters resided somewhere in the gray areas, just trying to make it through their days.

13 May 2024

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1000/10⭐️ WHY R U such a perfect BL

I have seen many BL dramas but none of them were THIS GOOD… The chemistry between them, the kissing scenes ahhh.., the romance was romancing and the comedy was funny every single time.. I loved Jung Lee Won’s sister (Jung Lee Jin) she made me laugh every second of her screen time her acting is amazing.
The couples fitted perfectly into their roles and I didn’t have a preference on which couple I liked more because their were evenly good at it so I enjoyed it 100% of the time, not a single boring or cringe moment.
I really hope for season 2 because this now my #1 BL. 1000/10⭐️

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A Very Good Series with Decent Story. Watch It!

Brief Impressions:
Beautiful, Mesmerising, Cute

Review:

When I watched the trailer of this series, I was smitten by the beauty of the lead characters and decided to watch it on priority. And I was not disappointed.

Not only are the characters beautiful, but the cinematography is stunningly beautiful as well. I can probably enjoy watching this series even without the sound and subtitles- just to allow the elegance and freshness of the scenes to sink in.

And just to clarify- even the ambient sounds are pleasing, and enhance the overall experience.

The romantic experience is also quite nice. I love the fact that you can sense how much the lead characters adore each other just through their facial and nonverbal expressions. The development and acceptance of their feelings happens gradually, as they understand and open-up to each other.

One issue that left me dissatisfied was the lack of clarity and conviction in the final confession (one of the characters is half-asleep), and also the fact that it happened after a really really long time, when there was no solid reason for this delay.

Barring this last issue, and some initial rubbish in the name of 'pranks' that made me cringe a bit, I enjoyed watching the series and recommend that you too should go ahead and watch it without any second thoughts.

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