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The acting is amazing. There's nothing else to say. Katagiri Jin does a wonderful job as the main lead Tazaki Toru. It honestly feels like he is becoming the character right before your eyes at certain points in the drama. The other characters are also done exceptionally well. The "evil" mastermind behind the whole thing is played wonderfully, and when it's revealed at the end what and who he really is, Totsugi Shigeyuki does a fantastic job of conveying the overwhelming emotions that the character is going through. The contestants are all quite well-cast as well. The character arcs they go through in such a short amount of time are often quite complex.
As to the actual story, everything was so well-written I almost wonder if whoever wrote this had some psychological issues to work out at the time this was being written. The way the drama uses flashbacks to reveal pieces of the mystery is spot on. The way all of the characters figure into the story is quite intriguing as well. There were a couple of points where it did feel just the slightest bit contrived, but I suppose that's bound to happen.
The concept for this drama is also quite unique. The idea of using a gameshow setting to force people to reveal their deepest darkest secrets is almost...creepy. It can get quite intense as well.
Overall, I just have to say this: this is one of the most fascinating psychological thriller/mysteries I've ever seen. Go watch this drama.
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The episodic nature of the whole thing made it very interesting and the way the writers wove the subplots and the overarching story line into each episode was amazing. This is the kind of story I desperately wish I could write.
Aside from that, the acting was wonderful. The supporting cast was done quite well, right down to every swindler that Kurosaki goes after. But the real draw for this show (at least for me) was the man himself. Tomohisa Yamashita. Man, can that guy act. Seriously. He is wonderful at conveying all of the subtleties that made this character great. The way he manages to portray the emotionlessness of the character and yet still make him sympathetic is amazing. Horikita Maki also does a wonderful job, although her character is kind of annoying.
I will say, though, that the ending is what did it for me, even more than everything I just said. This is a VERY serious and dramatic story that has a VERY serious and dramatic ending. There is one little side note that I have however: after the bulk of the ending is over, it feels like the writers just kind of said, "Oh, no, we can't leave it on THAT. THAT's too harsh of an ending." So they wrote another piece onto the end that kind of takes some of the drama out of it all. I really felt like this drama was so serious and wonderfully dramatic and heart-wrenching, and I honestly think it shouldn't have the ending it has. But that aside, watch this drama. DEFINITELY watch this drama.
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Ella is SO funny. She plays the perfect naive slightly stupid nanny in this story. Her comedic timing is near perfect as she plays off the other members of the cast.
Jerry Yan is also a perfect choice as the lawyer who seemingly knows very little about women. It is hilarious watching him try to psych himself up to call the girl and tell her he likes her.
There are a few things that annoy me about this drama. 1) Hui Fan. You'll understand if you see it or have already seen it. 2) It takes SO long for the girl to come around. Once again, you'll understand. 3) Ke Zhong. I want to strangle that boy. I hope I'm not the only one.
All in all, the love scenes are adorable, the awkward turtle moments are hilarious, and the whole dynamic between the pair of best friends and their love lives is really well done. I'd recommend watching this more than once. Seriously.
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The acting is fabulous. Lee Jun Ki is wonderful, as always. I haven't seen much of his work, but oh boy is that gonna change. Lee Jun Ki brings the right amount of toughness and vulnerability to his character, making it so that you can't help but sympathize with him.
As for the other major player in this movie, Lee Mun Shik is also fantastic. His ability to portray the emotion and pain that he's going through in this movie is incredible. His transformation throughout this movie is quite moving as well.
The writing is fantastic, pacing is very well handled, and all in all this movie is definitely worth watching over and over and over again. I will say though, be ready for the ending, because this is one of the few Asian movies I've ever seen with a happy ending, and I cried anyway.
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I got such a kick out of this series, and I WILL be rewatching it at some point probably very soon since it is so short and it flies by. Also, if you're deterred at all by the fact that this is essentially a super long commercial, don't be. It's not nearly as in your face and annoying as I thought it would be. It's just kind of a side note and serves as the setting for the story to happen. The story itself really has nothing to do with the commercial aspect of it, and they don't upfront try and sell you anything, which is nice.
In the end it really depends on what you're looking for when you watch this. If you go into it expecting fluff and goofy antics and LOTS of dreamy closeups, you will not be disappointed.
P.S. This got so many fangirl squeals out of me, it's ridiculous.
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Speaking of feelings, if you are looking for a show that really has the potential to tug at your heartstrings (as awfully cringey and cliche as that sounds), this is definitely that. It's a very calming and sentimental show to sit down and watch. It feels like I should be snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of tea at the end of the day watching this. (Now, I say that, but there are some episodes that made me cry...I don't cry at movies...take that for what you will.)
When all is said and done, though, the episodic bite-sized nature of this drama is part of what really made it enjoyable for me. I didn't have to commit to a bigger story every time I wanted to watch it. I could just watch an episode (though, let's be real...I never could stop after one) and get an encapsulated story within that half-hour (there is one exception...the only two-parter that falls around the halfway point...that one WILL make you cry).
Long story short, I will definitely be watching this one again. The first time I saw it, I honestly didn't want it to end, which doesn't usually happen for me. This is the first time I ever saw a drama and legitimately wished it was real...that the restaurant was a real place that I could go and get some amazing kimchi spare ribs and talk to the man that never judges you, always welcomes you with open arms, and is always a shoulder to cry on should you need it. Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm off to book a trip to South Korea.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love this movie so much. I've seen it probably about 15 times now and every time I watch it, it just gets better.The story is really well written and it really gets down to facing some of the issues that deaf people face in this world (at least in the Taiwanese world).
The acting is fantastic. Both Eddie Peng and Ivy Chen can pull off being cute and yet not too sugary or obnoxiously annoying. Eddie plays a fantastic lovable dork (yes, he is a dork in this movie).
There is a pretty decent plot twist in this movie too that I totally didn't see coming (don't worry - I don't do spoilers).
And of course, the final reason why I love this movie - all the sign language. I've been fascinated by sign language for a long time. I love that probably about half of the movie's dialogue is in sign. I just think it's so cool. Hopefully I'm not the only one.
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Basically the whole idea of characters that understand the "bigger picture", as it were, sounds really kind of strange going in...and it just keeps getting stranger.
There's a lot of humor in this show that wasn't laugh-out-loud funny to me, but it was funny in a kind of "oh, boy, that was a bad joke" way...and there are a few facepalm moments in there too.
I love the whole idea of the characters being able to step outside of the story and see what "has to happen for the story to move forward" and things like that. There are a lot of remarks made along those lines, particularly from the captain.
I also love the show's attitude when it comes to the fourth wall. Basically, from very early on it's like the writers said, "The fourth wall? Pshhh, what's that?"
Over all, really goofy and funny show. I'd recommend to anyone that likes mysteries but wants a bit of a parody or play-up of those kinds of scenarios. Oh, and be prepared for a VERY unusual ending.
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The story is quite unique (at least for me). One of the things I love about this movie though is the uniqueness of the female lead. She's definitely not your typical leading lady. She's a strong girl with a take-charge attitude. She's also just a tad odd. She has a REALLY big family in this movie, so she knows exactly how to help the main guys. Over all, I'd suggest watching this movie alone first to see if you really like it before watching it with somebody else, as there are some REALLY awkward parts in it (it involves taking care of a baby - of course there will be awkwardness...oodles and oodles of it).
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This review may contain spoilers
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this drama, as I myself don't put much stock in the whole signs of the Zodiac thing, but I actually really liked it.The casting was pretty good. Mi Roo was not quite as good as she could've been, and I wanted to strangle a couple of the men she dated (because of the acting, not because of the story), but aside from that, everyone else was well cast. The actors who played Kwan Woo and Tanya did a particularly good job, but Jin Oh was really good too.
As for the story, I will only say this: this is a fluff drama. I mean, yes, it deals with some heavier issues like finding true happiness and willingness to change for the person you love, but besides that...it's all fluff.
Without giving spoilers, I can't write a review of this without mentioning the plot twist at the end. This particular plot twist by all rights should not work, and yet it does. The abruptness with which it is thrust upon you makes it a little difficult to accept at first, but it quickly slides into a more natural feel, giving you that feeling that this is the only way this drama should end. I am definitely gonna watch this drama again at some point in the hopefully near future.
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- motorcycles and the people (hot boys) that ride them
- gang activity
- potential emotional scarring for life (both the characters and the viewer)
- traumatic and turbulent relationships
- crying (again, both the characters and the viewer...mostly the viewer)
Basically I remember coming across this movie by accident a while ago and I thought it looked interesting (I'm a sucker for just about any type of romantic story...tragic or not), so I sat down to watch it, not realizing the emotional rollercoaster ride that I was in for. Don't get me wrong, this movie is fantastic in many ways: the acting, the writing, the cinematography...oh, god, the cinematography. I just didn't fully understand how INTENSE this movie is. If you are not prepared to feel like your heart has been fed through a wood chipper, don't watch this movie. But if you have a warehouse full of boxes of tissues, a stern constitution, and a truckload of emotional superglue to put yourself back together with at the end, by all means, enjoy.
(Nah, for reals, this movie is great and I highly recommend it. But, uh, if you do watch it and you decide to never watch it again...I get you. This isn't a movie that's easy to rewatch, hence the low score for rewatch value. Then again, if you like it enough to rewatch it, great. Just don't invite me over to your house for movie night, OK? OK.)
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Personally, the acting was spot on. George Hu and everybody else did a really good job. From what I've seen of Park Shin Hye, I always seem to watch the dramas where she plays a VERY naive innocent kind of girl, which is not a problem because she's good at it.
The only thing that REALLY bugged me about this drama was the voice-over they had to do for Park Shin Hye. Because of that, I probably won't watch it again (at least not any time soon), but this was an enjoyable venture for me. The story was cute, the characters were well-adapted (I've never seen anything of the manga or anime, so I really have nothing to compare this to, but oh, well), and the script had just the right balance of touching, goofy, serious, and downright facepalm moments. I'd definitely recommend it if you like silly and somewhat ridiculous plot lines with a few touching moments on the side.
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