Reviews

A decent and watchable drama and the dishes and presentation of the food makes my mouth water.

Fry Me to the Moon is another women-centric drama about three female friends who rely on each other in the cruel business world of restaurants and their competition to stay afloat through investors and acquisitions.

Synopsis: Three women who wouldn't have known each other without a fight go against the routine and stand side by side in facing life's challenges. They never give up their persistence towards love and pursuit of ideals. Lu Zhen Zhen, who takes her career very seriously, returns to Chengdu while disregarding everything for the sake of love. Gu Man Ting, who married her childhood sweetheart very early on, wants to escape her marriage. She invites Zhen Zhen to join her business, "Chuanbailou." The sudden appearance of catering entrepreneur Liang Qing Ran disrupts their trajectory, and the crisis at "Chuanbailou" allows the three very different women to truly get to know each other. As their love, career, and ideals are tested at every level in the city of Chengdu, what choices will they make?

My Reviews:
1. The story progresses nicely in terms of the lives of three women and how they cross paths.
2. They worked together to avenge the takeover of Gu Man Ting's dad's restaurant.
3. They not only worked on their own problems but also became good friends and supported each other in business and personal lives.
4. The dishes and presentation of the food in this drama make my mouth water, and I want to try some of the dishes.
5. I enjoy it. It is not a fantastic drama, but it is watchable.

I give it a 7.0 rating for decent script and decent acting from the cast.

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Meh.

After finishing the first season, I entered into the second season with trepidation. The beginning starts off kind of rough. We are now minus two cast members. Rhys Miguel as Tob was possibly fired or didn't want to continue the loveteam with Kaori Oinuma (Michiko). Melizza Jimenez as Elle decided to focus on school instead of acting and was recast with Mikha Lim. Tob's disappearance is integrated into the plot as him "ghosting" Michiko. Despite the rough start, I really liked the first few episodes of the season. However, it started to go downhill towards the mid-point when the plot starts to focus only on the whole criminal investigation surrounding Dale being shot. I won't go into this because I could go on and on, but I hated it. It doesn't really pick back up after that, unfortunately.

The leads, Donny Pangilinan (Deib) and Belle Mariano (Max), have great chemistry. They honestly save this mediocre second season. Without them I would've been so much worse. The plot does give them some great chances to flex their acting chops, but it's unfortunate that it never seems to go anywhere. The supporting cast feels weaker in this season besides maybe Michiko (played by Kaori Oinuma). They really threw everything at her. RJ and Kim just feel like they're as plot devices. They might've had something interesting with Lee, Naih, and Ysay, but the writers back out of it at the last second. Poor Migz, Elle, and Lorde are just there. And the adult drama between Max's dad, stepmom, and the new principal was kind of random but I would've preferred them focus on that instead of the stupid investigation.

The last couple episodes come out of nowhere. All of the sudden, Dale is just dead? WTH. I don't understand why he didn't die during surgery?? He died while sleeping?? He was in a hospital; he would've been hooked up to something. Okay, I did cry but how he died was so stupid. Then it's the last episode so they have to wrap up everything, but they don't do it very well. It's frustrating. Anyway, despite my complaints, I mostly enjoyed the series. I don't regret finishing it. I just wish it had matched the first season in terms of entertainment.

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It is a good relatable family drama that has its dysfunctional twists. Good acting from the cast.

Islands is a women-centric drama about three sisters, each with their own dysfunctional dramas in their family. They hide from each other and keep it secret from their mom. Eventually, through life-threatening events, it reveals how they stood by to support one another in crisis.

Synopsis: Qiao Haiyun has set rules that all family members must go home every New Year. No one had ever broken the rule until the most honest third-generation Li Yijin suddenly broke the tradition of going to her boyfriend's home for the New Year. Qiao Haiyun has three daughters. The eldest, Meng Ming Wei, is not her biological daughter. Because of lame inferiority, Meng Ming Wei had great ambitions for her daughter, Li Yijin, but had a very tense relationship with her. Meng Wan Qing, the second daughter, and Tao Shuna were perfect mothers and daughters. Still, the two accidentally discovered each other's secrets. The process of rediscovering each other is also that of rediscovering oneself. The third daughter, Meng Yian, is like Qiao Hai Yun, strong and independent. Not wanting to be a strong woman like her mother, but by chance, Meng Yian took the same path as her mother. The three generations of women in the Meng family were like a flock of birds. Although they watched each other from a distance, they supported each other and coexisted.

My Reviews:
1. The overbearing mother is annoying. She needs to get a life instead of being a controlling mother.
2. Dysfunctional marriages for the 3 sisters, but the more mature and salvageable were the youngest daughter and her husband.
3. Xu Fan, who played an adopted daughter, Meng Min Wei, did a good job as an overbearing and controlling mother. However, I dislike her as a proud and controlling mom.
4. Sandra Ma played her daughter, who tried to please her mom but was unsuccessful until the end of the drama.
5. The cast acted great, especially Song Chun Li, who played the mother.

I enjoyed the drama and gave it a 7.5 for a decent script and good acting from everyone in the cast.

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Short films aren't really my thing

Short films aren't really my thing. I always want more than what I get, and this was no different. I love EarthMix, but I've seen them do better in other projects. The kiss scene was abysmal, and I've seen them kiss in other shows where it looked pretty natural, so I'm not sure why it was so weird in this one. I know the plot called for a certain reaction, but it still wasn't acted out very well imo. Maybe it was the director, I don't really know. For 12 minutes, and a music video, it's cute and short enough to give it a quick watch. But I doubt I will ever think of this again after I click that submit review button

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Decent acting talent from Vin Zhang, but the story is unrealistic. It went downhill after episode 6.

Live Surgery Room is a medical melodrama starting with Vin Zhang. He is a decent actor, and it was the first time I saw him act so emotionally in a drama when he found out why his dad committed suicide at Haicheng Hospital.

It was convincing, but the story went downhill after he found out the reasons why his dad took his life. Streaming surgery Live in real life is unrealistic, and this drama had no romance.

Synopsis: Zhen Ren is a surgeon who achieved his father's dying wish. With the help of ER director Pan, he joined Haicheng Hospital. He took steps forward to save a patient during a Whipple procedure. Zheng Ren devoted everything to being a doctor, and his skills caught the attention of genius doctor Su Yun, who began to study Zheng Ren's methods. Su Yun accepts and admires Zheng Ren as a colleague after witnessing his selflessness when they both signed up for the frontline rescue team after an earthquake. To treat a case of conjoined twins with arrhythmia, Zheng Ren and Su Yun join hands to form a team formed by a group of medical professionals that includes equipment nurse Xie Yiren, attending physician Lin Yuan (Wei Wei), consulting physician Chang Yue, and German professor Rudolph.

My Reviews:
1. The entire cast's acting ability was okay. Vin Zhang performed a decent job in emotional scenes. He is a decent actor, but he has appeared in many dramas in which I felt the scripts were not good, which makes his acting ability mediocre.
2. The first 5-6 episodes were engaging as Vin Zhang's character, Zheng Ren, tried to discover why his dad took his life.
3. Zheng Ren is a genius surgeon, but he cannot be the only one who performs all surgeries successfully in the entire hospital.
4. To have a story about how to survive in a hospital, they have to stream the surgery live, which is unrealistic in real life.
5. There was no romance in this drama, so if you are looking for it, you will be disappointed like I was.

I give it a 6.0 rating for bad scripts and unrealistic storylines.

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"You look familiar"

White Butterfly Killer falls deeply into the woman wronged revenge kung fu flick genre. Hsu Feng played the woman who had survived the death of her grandfather and sexual assault by a gang of bandits. After six long years she finally comes face to face with them and prepares to take them out one by one.

The White Butterfly owns an inn on the Leopard Mountain where all sorts of ruffians hang out. She and her girls who are trained in kung fu serve the customers and take down any men who cause trouble in her place. One evening a familiar face walks in. She recognizes him as one of the gang members who assaulted her and killed her grandfather. The White Butterfly enlists her trusted sidekicks to help her destroy the gang that set her life on a new course. In that gang, is one man who had helped her escape. Would he help her again or bring about her death?

White Butterfly Killer was a low budget Taiwanese movie. Much of the filming took place on a rundown location and a dusty road which lent an old west feel to it. The setting would alternate between day and night depending on who was on screen. The film opened with a fight between two factions that ended up at her inn as she took in a wounded inspector. This was never really brought up again. An inspector might have been pertinent with a band of vile outlaws staying under the same roof, but there you go. Somewhere through the years the sides have been cropped off the film which always makes the action concentrated in the center.

Hsu Feng may not have been a martial artist but kept up with the men she fought quite well. Her fighting was no worse than many of the extras with the choreography provided and her acting was stronger than some of the women in kung fu movies at the time. The “good” guy in the gang played by Kou Feng was a strange character. He hated some of the things the gang did but owed his life to the leader, his adoptive father. He encouraged Hsu’s character to just leave everything in the past. “Those who kill, will be killed.” Somehow that line is almost never used on men seeking justice/revenge for wrongs. And the ending drove that point home in case women didn’t catch it. Had it not been for the downer of an ending I might have rated this slightly higher.

The White Butterfly’s philosophy reminded me of the lyrics to The (Dixie) Chick’s song---
“I’m not ready to make nice. I’m not ready to back down.
I'm still mad as hell, and I don't have time to go 'round and 'round and 'round
It's too late to make it right, I probably wouldn't if I could
'Cause I'm mad as hell, can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should”

24 April 2024

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Why would someone want to produce and direct this drama? So bad in many levels.

Step By Step Love is a RomCom drama starting with Zhao Zhi Wei and Lu Yang Yang. I wonder why someone would want to direct and produce this drama. The story is so stupid, and the entire cast's acting was horrible, especially the FL actress. She cannot act and only has a one-face expression when mad, furious, and confused.

Her character is clueless and annoying. After 10 episodes, I can no longer watch it. 2024 has been disappointing for rom-coms, costume XianXia, and Wuxia dramas. They are all boring and unbearable to watch.

Synopsis: It tells the story of the cold company President Lu Chen Yang, who is a cruel revenge machine full of calculations to make his opponent pay the price. He finally meets his opponent, the daughter of a desperate rich family, Qianjin Bu Ran. When a hunter falls in love with his prey, all the hatred in his heart turns soft.

My Reviews:
1. The FL is annoying and can't act.
2. The ML acting is mediocre.
3. The story needs to be revised. I may drop it when better dramas are airing.
4. The grandma was mean, and all she did was yell at everyone.

I am dropping it and giving it a 4.0 rating for bad script and acting.

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Love School or Magic?

This may be one of the best roles I have seen Hongo Kanata in; it was as if Ueno-san was written specifically for Hongo-san. The way he portrayed such an "evil-yet-kind-hearted" character was truly one of a kind, very unique, genuinely relatable, and even, at times, a little funny.


Watching "Ichijo-kun" go through the motions of all the trials and tribulations of dating was hard to watch, and again, sometimes funny, and a little sneaky. However, none of the "lessons" felt cheesy or like they were a little too "snake-like". It seemed like all, or most, of the lessons learned throughout this show could be used in any type of relationship... Though, not in their entirety...


While this story seemed a bit exaggerated at first, toward the middle it all seemed to balance out as the episodes continued and what became the finale was something really spectacular. I have to say, I laughed a lot during this show, though watching the touching-heart-felt moments and the bittersweet-unfortunate moments really added to the show's authenticity. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, but even if it didn't end the way it did.... I would still definitely want to see more of Gotanda Kingdom!

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I'm not sure why it made into a movie, not sure what the director's vision of it. So boring.

Ten Years of Loving You is a Romantic comedy starring Ren Mi and Ding Yu Xi. I wonder why it was made and released.

Nothing original or exceptional about the plot, and the acting could be better, especially Ren Mi.

Synopsis: At 17, Wen Heng, an adopted child, was finally found by her biological parents and brought back to the family home in Beijing. This heartwarming story explores the challenges of adjusting to a new family dynamic, a situation many of us can relate to. However, tensions arise when her adopted sister feels threatened by her presence and starts throwing tantrums. To maintain family harmony, Wen Heng is asked to move into a family friend's house next door.

There, Wen Heng meets Yan Xi, and the two embark on a journey of self-discovery and friendship as they live together and go to school together. But this idyllic life is soon disrupted, as Yan Xi has to return to America to be with his sick mother, leaving Wen Heng to face new challenges and grow as a person.

My Reviews:
- The story is dull and has little excitement.
- The acting could be better, especially in the case of Ren Mi.
- I watched it on YouTube, where the audio was silent for almost 1/2 of the movie; it was so bad that I didn't bother to finish it.

I gave it a 4.0 rating for the bad story and the acting ability of the entire cast.

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One of the best kdrama I’ve seen so far!!

First of all, the acting is absolutely impressive and the way they’re all so implied in the story it makes it even more suspending! Every single episode is worth to watch and it shows how the characters progress together, the power of their friendship and how they grow even more powerful each day.
Secondly, every single character has an important role in the serie and everyone is special in their own ways, I like the fact that every character has a different but special personality that belongs to them only, it’s something I can’t really explain but if you guys watched the whole serie you’ll understand. Hoping for season 3??

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I'm sad it ended

The story is basically about this women that is framed for the murder of her entire family, while the crown prince receives a 'curse' note that he is trying really hard not to believe and it's about how their lives start to intertwine basically. The women runs away from the soldiers and disguises as a Euninch to stay by the Prince's side and prove her innocence. The story is very different to many other dramas I've watched and I must say I loved the progression of the storyline that gradually revealed many interesting elements but with just enough rom-com too. The leads' love felt so real and pure, unlike most of the dramas where the leads obsess over PDA, I really liked how the leads in this drama were not subtle but their love felt pure and innocent almost. I loved that about this drama. The actors in my opinion have done a TERRIFIC job. ABSOLUTELY LOVED the leads, a lot of people are saying that they didn't have chemistry and it felt forced but I think they had great chemistry. I think most people think that because of the lack of PDA, but honestly it shud be harder to present love without PDA, like just in the 'eyes' you know lol. But basically I loved the cast's acting, regardless of what anyone said they've done suchhhh a great job at presenting this drama that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. The music is also really good, I think it's gonna make it into my playlist. Overall, Absolutely terrific drama with a great storyline and a purely innocent love without PDA that is just soo enjoyable and entertaining to watch. ????????‍♀️???

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Meh the ending ruined it…

When I was watching this BL, I did enjoy it at times. I like the friends to lovers trope so I thought the plot truly had potential but the ending ruined it. For us to finally get a confession then not see them together was a huge disappointment which is why I gave it a 7. A 7 because it had great potential and an interesting plot at times but the ending and the longing of a confession was just annoying. I think it was just sad that he had to move at the end right after they finally confessed and understood each other’s feelings and intentions. I would’ve rated it lower but I did enjoy it in the beginning and felt like if the ending was revised then it would’ve been really good.

I did feel like the characters had decent chemistry between each but I don’t really know about the “side couple”. They were just kind of there and wasn’t really interesting or had any true development.

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