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KimchiByTheSea
Are you looking for aliens, mind control, mystery, and good storytelling? If so, Circle is a one stop shop for all your needs.
Circle's story takes place in two different timelines, and uses a gradual reveal to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The acting is done really well in this, and there were so many emotions introduced from all the characters. In a world were emotions are controlled to promote peace, the actors kept on their toes and conveyed everything really nicely. There were several actors in this that I'm normally not a fan of, but they delivered a solid performance. The OST for this is quite good, but I wish they utilized it more throughout the drama. There were several soundtracks that really could have enhanced some scenes.
The storyline had me with the slow reveal. There is a bit to keep up with two intersecting storylines, but they melded them together coherently. There are many elements to the plot which propel it forward easily and it definitely grabs your attention. The romance in this is light and tastefully done in a way that does not overtake the storyline itself. There is some, but it is by no means the main focus.
All in all, a good sci-fi drama, light on annoying characters, and full of nice relationships throughout. If you're not into open, unfinished endings this might not be for you. It is set up for a second season, but obviously didn't gain enough recognition. It is a enjoying watch, and I would recommend giving it a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
"We are like balloons. We can't fly to the highest point, yet we don't live on the ground."Red Balloon is a melancholy but sweet peek into the life of gay teens in high school. It follows three different students throughout their life dealing with the unknown and bullies respectively. It is very short, but they really did a good job packing in the emotions they needed to in such a short time. It had a nostalgic feel to it, which I appreciated. It is mainly about lost chances and succumbing to societal pressure. Also, just being true to yourself and pursuing happiness.
The acting is what brought it together, because with eight episodes, each at ten/fifteen minutes long, it is quite short. The two that acted out the younger boys did a really nice job conveying the struggles of young love in world with prejudice. The music was beautiful. I absolutely loved the OST. Even if you don't watch the drama itself, I would recommend checking out the OST.
A warning, there is bullying and attempted self injury depicted in here, so be careful if you're sensitive to those things.
All in all, a tense but ultimately rewarding watch. I would recommend if you're looking for something short, but with content. There is sweetness here, but also angst as well which makes it a relatively fulfilling experience.
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A refreshingly honest coming of age story.
Youth is a nostalgic coming of age story that follows a group of friends from their teen years to twenties. It was honest and thorough, and not everyone gets an immediately happy ending with a bow tied on it, which I loved. The plot is nothing terribly new, but the relationships within making the viewing experience an easy and pleasant one.The main focus is on that of Su Can Can, her friendships, and how she navigates everyday life and romance. There is a love triangle, but it is done well. The romance is lovely, gradual, and really shows the process of growing up. This is not the drama where everybody gets things perfectly, skating into the finish line at the last minute. There are tears, countless failed attempts, uncertainty, and sacrifice. But there are also smiles, laughter, support, and beautiful memories. Youth did a job well done in capturing the growing pains of getting older and figuring out life.
The acting was good, the OST was decent (I expected a little bit more from a drama focusing so much on music), and the couples were cute. The main couple had such lovely chemistry, and it made me super happy to see that there was no jerk lead in this one. Only (save for the occasional mishap) wholesome and thoughtful relationships here folks. Also, there were no annoying or hateful characters to create drama and I loved that.
All in all, this was an extremely easy and pleasant watch. I definitely recommend if you're looking for something light and nostalgic with very light angst.
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"The words we speak and the actions we display will one day come back to haunt us."Welcome to the mystical realm of the afterlife and everything that goes along with it. Which is apparently a glass of soju, smiling faces, and listening ears.
This gave me some strong Hotel Del Luna vibes, but spun off into the lighter hemisphere of the drama world while still remaining engaging. Mystic Pop-Up Bar follows the lives of four people who had their worlds turned upside down five-hundred years ago. All of whom are working towards righting the grudges in the world, and trying to muddle through life on a little luck and a lot of hope.
I enjoyed the journey of this drama. It was light enough to keep a smile on my face, with just enough plot, suspense, and life lessons to keep me watching eagerly. MPUB teaches the importance of communication, family, and to think about the consequences of your actions. There is not much mystery to the story as they drop enough hints along the way, but it was still a fun ride. The last two episodes were a teensy bit lackluster compared to the oomph of the previous ten, but it was nothing too disappointing. There were a few inconsistencies and missed explanations within the story, but I guess those got traded for a pleasant ending. The OST, while sparingly used, is good and the acting was done well.
All in all, a lovely and refreshing drama to watch. I would recommend if you're looking for something nice and engaging with just a touch of past life angst.
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This drama started off so good, and then right around the middle it was like the writers decided to take a break from giving a more in depth experience to the watchers. Which is sad, because every character in this drama had so much potential and I really wanted more from them. The acting here was amazing and the final episode was really good as well. I wouldn't have minded if they added an episode or two to give us more character development. That being said, this was a really good drama, the plot sucks you in, and you want justice for the kids involved. The acting in here was top notch. I just felt they could have added more to the characters to get you involved in their stories and motives more. If you dislike sudden bittersweet endings, this may not be the drama for you. The ending almost felt like they rushed it. Also, if you are sensitive to child murder images (There are several scenes here which depict or heavily imply mass child murder) you might want to be wary of this as well.
I'm not unhappy that I watched this, but I felt there was some wasted potential along the way. It felt like the writers created a torpedo that had a straight shot to the ending, plowing past important character interaction and development along the way. All in all, not a bad drama to watch, but I probably wouldn't watch again.
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This drama was jam packed with wonderfulness. While the serial killer part of the storyline takes a backseat to the town life of Ongson, it definitely added some spice to what might have been an otherwise unpropelled storyline. This does focus more on how everybody influences each other through everyday life. While the drama did move a little bit slowly, and I did feel like they could have condensed it a little bit, they chose instead to cover every minute detail. There were no loose ends in this bad boy. I do think one of my favorite parts about this drama was that Young-shik's character was just an honest-to-goodness gem. He wasn't one to play games and beat around the bush, and he only wanted the best for Dong-baek. It was refreshing compared to the copious amounts of cold-hearted male leads in many dramas. I like a good dramatic romance as much as the next one, but this one definitely felt more real. It was sweet and the Ongson community aspect had me cheering.
The drama pulled everything together nicely and the character development was great. (So much character development, yass) All in all a nice watch.
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An angel will burn you for the world, the devil will burn the whole world for you
This was designed to be a light watch, with a hint of something deeper as it progressed. However, at least for me, it fell short somewhere along the way. More specifically, with one character to wreck the whole train.LBTI starts off pretty vaguely, I do wish the beginning premise was more fleshed out, but it quickly shapes into a tantalizingly fun mystery/romance. The acting is done well, especially for QY's character (this dramas saving grace) and the plot progresses nicely along the way. The music really didn't catch my attention in this.
What wrecked this watch for me was the FL's character turns out to be a ditzy, self-righteous person. It made the last twenty episodes excruciating to muddle through, with the last episode being a breath of fresh air. LBTI strives so be a deeper drama about the blurring of lines with regard to what it right and wrong. If everybody tells you something is right, is it actually right or is there greed simmering beneath the white surface? It gives many pointed examples of what greed and pride can do to a society. Unfortunately, the ping pong game that was the love triangle ruined it.
This does mainly focus on the main character finding her "Mr. Right" and the ensuing trouble it causes in a place where she can't take care of herself. Cue the most indecisive character actions since scientists deciding if Pluto was a planet or not. If you're not into a back and forth love triangle, this isn't for you. QY was the main saving grace for this drama as I only continued watching for his happy ending.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this as it was a painful forty episode watch for me. But, if you're looking for a light-ish romance driven wuxia drama, then maybe give this a shot.
*credits to a youtube commenter for the title*
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That being said, there were a couple things that irked me about this. One, it's long. Longer than it needed to be at least. It could have been condensed by more than a couple episodes for sure, but all the loose ends were tied up because of its length. Second, all the characters made such a huge deal about Feng Teng's money and status, that it really started to get to me. I know they did it to show society's stereotypes/negative connotations about being rich, but it REALLY started to annoy me. Just let them be happy for heavens sake.
However, there was enough sweetness and character development to get past the few negatives, and the acting was tipty top notch. Definitely give this a try if you're in the mood for something sweet and cliché.
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Sweet & Refreshing
YMMD is a sweet BL that is short but to the point in all the good ways. The chemistry is great between the leads, there's appropriate conflict to propel the characters in the best dramaland has to offer, and there's plot.As with Korean BL's to date, this shows one shortcoming is length. There could have been a lot more foundation for the characters had there been a couple more episodes. That is really my only complaint. Getting past that though, this makes for an extremely pleasant watch. For such a short drama, we get some mild character development, lovely moments between the leads, and an actual plotline that manages to stay decently relevant throughout. The music is nice to listen to and the cinematography is on point. I appreciate the scenes when Shi On is dancing as they really made sure to focus on the moves and bring out the beauty. This left an honest smile on my face by the end and generally good feelings about the overall experience.
All in all, I would definitely recommend if you're a BL lover or even just looking for something short and wholesome to watch.
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As someone who doesn't like ridiculous comedy, I was a little wary to start with this, but it quickly had me laughing without reserve. The chemistry between the comedic relief characters was hilarious and pleasant to watch. The writing jokes were a nice added touch and hit the nail on the head. The story follows a young screenwriter who falls into her own story and must learn how to navigate the world she created. A world that is stubbornly not following her plot line no matter how hard she tries to get it back on track. It focus's on the animosity between two city's who respectively put one gender over the other. In her writing, she attempted to even out the power balance between men and women by putting women in charge of the main city.
The story was so so, but what really brought it together was the chemistry between the characters, the humor, and obvious lessons throughout. There was little need for skipping (I skipped a little when characters were being unnecessarily mean for too long) and I thoroughly enjoyed the direction of the plot and the twists it brought. Hooray for character development, because this is chock full of it. The FL is a little ditsy at times, but I attributed it to her being thrown into a world where she knows she supposed to be killed off.
All in all, I would definitely recommend watching this if you're looking for a fun and romantic story, with a dash of seriousness for a propelled plot.
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A Genuine Masterpiece
This such a beautiful drama. I can't begin to express how much I fell in love with Untamed and all it's characters along the way. Everything about this is wonderful. The cast and crew did an absolutely phenomenal job. The acting is on point. The sets and costumes are beautiful and super detailed. And the OST is breathtaking.If you're hesitating to watch this because of the long length, the story carries itself easily. The plot is engaging and keeps you on your toes. I love the gradual reveal of the storyline. It has so much emotional impact. My heart broke over and over for Wei Ying. There was not a moment I was not completely absorbed.
If you're wary because of the lack of BL, don't give it a second thought. I initially put this drama off in part because of the chinese censorship, but Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo embraced their characters and grabbed tight hold of subtle cues. I interpreted Wei Ying's and Lan Zhan's relationship as something past bromance, and the actors did a great job giving the viewers a soulmate impression. They're an absolute joy to watch together.
All the actors did justice to their roles and really brought the story of Untamed alive. Everything down to the minute details in this were perfect. I really can't say enough good things about it. Don't hesitate to watch this treasure.
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"Now I know that love is not beautiful flowers, not luxurious locations, but the sincerity you've given me."Let me start off by saying that I went into this knowing that Khai was a complete asshole, and that somehow helped me keep an open mind about his character. I do wish we had delved more into his character as to why he didn't believe in love, but they never really touched on that.
What I do appreciate about this drama is the topics of love it touched on.
You have Khai and Third, the latter of which is in love with his best friend Khai for with no real reasons given. To be blunt Khai is a player and a jackass and throughout the first half of the story, I felt that Third deserved someone a lot better. Third even acknowledges that he hates being in love with his best friend because it consistently hurts him. But this a real situation and people don't always choose who they love. I appreciate the growth between these two and that Third does actually stand up for himself several times, eventually leading to him doing his best to get over Khai. I do wish Khai's character had realized and tried to change his ways before he fell in love with Third, but I guess better late than never. The growth of his character is sweet, and he does get his comeuppance several times, eventually realizing exactly how Third felt all the times Khai had been an ass.
I really liked Two and Lynn together, they were sweet and fresh. I wouldn't have minded those two becoming a couple, but Two falling in love with P'un along the way added something nice as well. I would have liked to see more of them on screen, but they were obviously put second to the other drama going on.
I could have completely skipped past the teacher and student relationship, but I think they put that in to show the watcher that sometimes if you love someone, you let them go for their happiness. (Maybe I'm just reading into it, lol) Bone did get his happiness at the last second which was nice.
The friendship between the four of these guys was honestly the best. Two and Bone, even though they had their own drama going on, still weighed in and were supportive of the two. They obviously wanted the two to be happy, whether apart or together, and were just good friends. They also acknowledge that Khai is the jackass. It is never ignored in this series that Khai's habits are awful.
I enjoyed this drama for what it was trying to convey and liked the relationships between the characters even if they themselves were annoying at times. People aren't perfect, but sometimes they deserve another chance. The chemistry is what I stayed for in this drama.
"I used to think that we were born alone so we shall die alone. Because we can't choose, we have to learn to live alone. But now I know, while we're still alive, we can choose whom to be with."
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The good, the bad, and the rest...
To start off, this drama took me two tries to get into. After the first fifteen episodes though, it was - for the most part - smooth sailing.To be quite fair to this drama, it was actually pretty enjoyable from episode fifteen to probably around thirty-ish. I really liked the characters, the relationships, the plotline, and the love story is pretty chefs kiss. The way Tianyao looked at Yanhui was enough to steal even a dragons breath away. The villains were extra villainous too. Proper evil and enough to send any sane person to a mental asylum for some much needed tlc.
That being said, the problem lies in the length and the script. This could have been concluded in probably thirty episodes or even less, and if the two villains, and even the "good" guys left the main pairing alone, maybe less than that. It became a game of waiting for the same event to happen, the same sacrifice to take place, the same villain to show up with their evil cape of misunderstanding, and worst of all, angst just for the sake of angst to the point it legitimately didn't make sense no matter how many times I rewatched a scene. It became a game of suspend your belief and bolster your patience down, and not in a nice way.
By the end, and I was genuinely enjoying it up until the last ten episodes at which point I just wanted to push through, I really just wanted it to be over. Even the ending was personally lackluster and once again lacking in explanation. The only plus is the main couple and the fact that the actor for Tianyao is extremely lovely to look at + his acting is very enjoyable. Other than that, I'm not sure I can recommend this unless you don't mind repetitive villains, overused tropes, and have an immense amount of patience.
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Survival & the pursuit of happiness
For the watchers who enjoyed The Guest, this is like its younger cousin twice removed. Still very eerie at times, and gloomy in its own right, but it didn't crawl up my spine near as much as TG did.It starts off following Sanyoung, who lives a life cleaning up after her mother and never quite making ends meet despite working herself to the bone. She's tired, rarely smiles, and contemplates ending it for herself. This drama does not have much humor in it, and consistently portrays graphic suicide and violence. If you're looking for something light with ghosts in it, this is not the one.
The storyline and pacing is honestly kind of eh. I found myself bored at times, and scrolling through my phone while half listening through the more filler moments. There is a lot of running around, finding clues, and a slow reveal of the truth, that constantly backtracks with twists and turns.
Yet, despite the more dull moments, I still clicked the next episode without hesitation every single time. Why? The acting takes the whole bakery in Revenant.
By far, the acting is what got me through this. I was unsettled, jump scared, horrified, and angered through this. The first few episodes are rough going, but once the ball starts rolling, the characters were what drew me in and kept me there. They delved into the true motives of peoples actions, the meaning of happiness, and the lengths people will go to just to survive. I highly recommend for the performances alone. Just be prepared to have to push through a few of the repetitive scenes where they run around and extract information.
All in all, a great watch and I finished in three days. If you're looking for truly bad ghosties and superb performances, then definitely give this one a go.
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