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So many sad moments, but 100% worth the tears
I love the cast's diverse linguistic skills - makes it feel very authentic because the time frame the series is depicted in. Lee Byung Hun is a marvelous actor and really expresses Choi Yoo Jin(Yu-Jin)/Eugene's emotional conflict, sadness of loss and the slow increase in his subtle, but growing smiles... are indeed like sunshine, they're so beautiful to see. Kim Tae Ri does a beautiful job & I can appreciate the dynamic of her being a strong woman working toward bettering herself to achieve her goals but still hold a playful, musing air when (as Go Ae Shin/Ae-Sin) she interacts with Choi Yu-Jin. At times there were a few places where she seemed a little stiff.The 2nd leads, Yoo Yeon Seok (Gu Dong Mae / Ishida Sho), Byun Yo Han (Kim Hui Sung), and Kim Min Jung (Kudo Hina / Le) are amazing in their own right. The chemistry, conflict, emotion of their characters were conveyed well. Each contributed something memorable for their characters, even as I type I remember each of them; that's how great a "felt" impression they left for me. The dynamic of the relationships between all the characters in this story flows nicely and is masterful as the the threaded connections slowly shorten bringing all of them together for better or for worst.
In some episodes, there were cuts in a particular scene that weren't cleanly edited so the transition & time flow were smooth, but it added to the effect/benefit of another character in the following scene. It also made it feel like the progression of time was longer than what it was.
So many sad moments, but 100% worth the tears
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Realistic with little of the sometimes unnecessary/funny sound bites
This was absolutely beautiful. I only put 9.5 for the story because felt a little rushed when Phoon's dad was in the picture. It dealt with realistic issues a same sex couple would have to face and didn't try to sugar coat it or downplay the emotional pain & confusion for their child, how other people influence them, the difficulties of trying to make things "better" or work just to get in a laugh or funny sound bite. Indeed, any child would be lucky to have Yuke & Phoon as parents; especially with all the love they have to offer. Both fathers balance each other and the actors relayed their different emotions - their individual difficulties & pains so well. Thanks o much for subbing/posting! Bravo to everyone involved in the production/creation of thisWas this review helpful to you?
A good movie about a relationship
This was a beautiful movie where everything flowed nicely. The cast had great chemistry so none of the established relationships seemed forced, unnatural or unrelatable. It went so well, it made it feel like it was longer than 99 mins. I'm loving Gun more & more. And Pak is just as good. There were only a few spots where it seemed a little stretched, like the situation with Sunz & the role expected of Gump to play. They all had something they were working through, varying in seriousness and very realistic. Bravo & thank you!Was this review helpful to you?
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This disproves what they say about sequels
I absolutely loved season 2! The acting here, chemistry and the way the story flowed was so much better than in season 1. We got to se a gradual growth in interest between the two MLs. Yoo Jun got to show more of his emotional range and Auntie too! XD whack him again for me Auntie! haha <3 This was worth seeing although the fight scene could be done a little better, the bruises/makeup was on point for where they were hit. The 8.5 is more so for the overall story; the mysteriousness of one of the MLs seemed a little off, followed by the strange, sudden death of a character I was getting attached too, the oddity of the friends intervening out of nowhere & how the ML figured it was them. Seriously, there's no way he'd have a way of knowing that... But I stop there, watch all of the ending (^_-) I look forward to another season!Was this review helpful to you?
A nugget of funniness
I saw Kim Sung Oh (Man Gil in this movie) on the cover shot for this filmand remembered him in Korean Odyssey. I thought, "I want to see this" and I'm happy I did! Very interesting and funny movie! I was not bored nor could I predict anything that was going to happen? XD very complete storyline/plot, you definitely have to watch it to the very end! Thanks!!Was this review helpful to you?
Cute reprieve
Chen Yu Ming playing as Xun Yuan is just adorable! Although the movie was not that great, his performance and that of his co star's was what I focused on. He's a good actor & worth watching. I tried to find the series, but it's not available in my area. The low rating was surprising, but these two deserve 8-9 stars.Was this review helpful to you?
This is for laughs, with a little love, sadness & distraction to mix it up a little
The ladies are beautiful, the guys are hot & they are all around humorous! I didn't come to this series expecting it to stick to the history, especially with the way it started out. This is a fun reprieve with lots of laughs & heart warming, if not almost scandalous haha moments with a dash sadness sprinkled throughout. And my goodness, the laugh of that spoiled brat Go Il Yong (Park Joo Hyung) oh so annoyingly funny! This is definitely a series that's fun to watch after we get past the female lead's obnoxious behavior with true growth on her part. Mu-Myung (Ahn Bo Hyun) is the cutest!!! So are On Dal (Lee Jong Hyun) & Sam-yong ( Lee Jae Jin)!... I guess you can tell who I came to see :D
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First episode is offputting
The first episode was not that appealing since we were rushed into things and made to accept this "devastating beauty" before we could form an attachment or see her own this claim in her performance/interaction with others. But we get to meet each of the other main characters as children and then pushed forward 16 years to see some as adults. They did well with the visual effects and the casting. The children look very much like the actors who are playing their adult counterparts. Both Lords Su Mu and Wei Ming/Min are handsome; Su Mu - brave, fearless, dashing and Wei Ming - sweet, innocent and adorable. Their lady costars also contribute their share and are quite lovely.There were some scenes that were rushed with questions left unanswered or where the transition needed a little touch-up... *snickers* one that comes to mind is when they did a close up on Su Mu & Ye Lan riding side by side. I think Su Mu ended up being a better, wiser & more supportive man/ruler after losing his Aunt. If she lived to still be around him & influence him, he would've been a ruthless, tyrannical overlord unchallenged by many but dominated by his Aunt. Ye Lan... as a character she started out sort of strong, a little rushed into Su Mu's arms, but a bit annoying later. Especially how she hurts Wei Ming by instantly believing he was guilty or by believing everyone else first without investigating, when he's nothing but mischievous, honest & innocent. I know we all want happy endings but that’s not always the case with the majority of cdramas involving the rise & fall of kingdoms or wars. When we get to the end, they let you know that it's not quite over yet! And that has me excited to see what they will do if there’s a part 2! I'm only sad that they couldn't do more Su Mu... but it feels like he wanted out and to him, that's what worked best. Thinking about it now has me tearing up at the thought. To find out what happened, with lots of fun, suspense & drama along the way - watch it!
Again, truly interesting series! Fantastic actors and effects! Bravo!!
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I am really loving the complex plot of this drama, because there is no "good" or "bad" people here, just people with different thoughts and different priorities being labeled as evil and right. The one's who do nearly anything to protect the ones they love or be with them end up suffering the most and are labeled as bad. While those who don't do enough, put duty, reputation, personal gain, what's "right" without room the in-between before everything else are seemingly good with tendencies to ignore the cries for help in the dark or injustices of other houses if it might cost them something or goes against one of their "rules." So much to do about love in this show... the actors are incredible. Caicai is awesome!!! I appreciate her for defying the typical role others would've set for her and remembering Chun Hua saved her life not once but twice! Qin Liu Feng is also another character that doesn't fall into the treacherous grip of what a friend caught in the middle is typically casted as. This is going to make me cry, he loves You si so much & Fu Lou left Xiao Bai without causing harm when he heard they didn't have the nut.Once we get past episode 30, Xiao Bai really shows that he knows & trusts what Chun Hua told him about You Si. So he didn't act, which was wise because Qiu Yue wanted him to eliminate Fu Lou's people for him. It also shows that even though Qiu Yue loves Chun Hua, he likes making use of her & toying with her while playing the victim himself. He also likes trying to make her feel guilty for having him help her do something good/right or selfless. It's all rather upsetting with Chun Hua's heart on the line, Xiao Bai's morality, duty & love on scales and Qiu Yue knowing the true villains but constantly setting people up to watch them make choices where one always results in numerous deaths while he hopes to still claim Chun Hua in the end. Talk about one heck of a story!
I only get a little relief when it's all finally out there that Qiu Yue's a manipulator, but can we say he's wholly the bad guy? They all played some part, but it was mainly their parents at the root of things and they are victims of consequence. Man so muddled, if all of them got together, aired out all the wrongs, they could definitely make changes happen together. Check each other on what one considers "right" or "wrong" and how it affects others.
Definitely will watch it again and watch if there's a season 2!
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XD interesting twist to the world of vampires, but overall if they just focused on Shiya & Zhihao, it wouldn't be so bad. There's a fight scene that needed some help. I was all concerned about girl on the table & then the fight changed the mood so much that I couldn't help but laugh. The acting in some parts needed help, but the main couple had great chemistry - performed really well. So did the background villain mastermind (not the sicko murderer) we had for awhile. It also felt a little strange that some adults kept using a high school's game field to meet & have conversations. Unless it's an open park? It was a nice story thoughWas this review helpful to you?
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It had an interesting start, but a little confusion around the betrayal was quickly cleared up and had me hoping for a positive ending for the couple. But then tragedy ... and that hard hit was well played out. Was hoping for the same raw but compelling drive after the main couple but came across some parts of this series that was a bit rough around the edge. I saw it all by watching it on/off and boy is Chen Zhe Yuan adorable!! Look at that smile! When brothers find out the truth between them...the best moment throughout! They did good! Hu Yi Tian good job sweetheart! If I did rewatch this series, it would be likely for the parts I loved most. Was this review helpful to you?
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It throws you off but pulls you back in
The quirkiness and a bit of confusion in the beginning can throw you off. So I just focused on the actors/characters that immediately caught my eye... Xu Kai, Gao Yu Er and Zhu Yuan Bing were the ones. Though, I must admit my focus ended up being on XiaoHai/Hai Yun Fan (played by Zhu Yuan Bing) for the majority of it and his buddy, Wang Lu (played by Xu Kai). As their characters grew together by facing hardships, dealing with love interests, and doing ridiculous/silly things together, you got to feel that closeness through them as well. Even though there were some areas of the story/script seemed rushed or choppy, there were others that got you through and were just too funny! There are especially a lot references to or mentioning of things specific to the Naruto series (Pokemon too - was there another series it resembled?), and I did enjoy it. Seeing them form a boy band, haha, priceless! XiaoHai being a spiritual pet... oh my heart! Haha, he can be mine any day! So cutting through the confusion, there's quality, feels with suspense, action, drama, friendship/comradery, cuteness and a lot of fun to be enjoyed. I do hope for a season 2 with stronger story content, and more on XiaoHai!! :)Was this review helpful to you?
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This series had both good and sort of ok parts that had me stopping, some acting in areas that was stagnant which made me take a break and then go back to finish watching. The music I loved, especially "Ai Hui Huan" by Huai-Pei Ye. The visual fx was both eye catching then a little much for me, but the budding relationships & established ones, were what pulled me back. Like the growing attraction & eventual romance between Li Luo & Ka Suo. As the characters grew together, their connection grew which was a truly beautiful thing to see. The other part I loved was the strength of the connection between brothers, Ying Kong Shi & Ka Suo. The emotion the two actors brought out as they performed as these two characters, had me hoping, crying, and wishing for a better outcome no matter how dire the consequences were. Ma Tianyu (Ray Ma) did an outstanding job as Ying Kong Shi & I wanted a much happier end for his character. I also liked Xu Ke ( 徐可) as Xing Jiu, he did well and hoping his character would want to live on & have a family as much as he wanted for his sister. Both their characters had a brother and a sister complex. :) Was this review helpful to you?
Worth falling in love with them
What can I say other than that I've never been more content or in awe of a pair of soulmates, than I have been with Zhou Zi Shu (Zhan/Zhang Zhe Han) and Wen Ke Xing (Gong Jun) since I watched another well known bl series. That's where that little mention ends because this series was nothing like it to me. I didn't get to read the actual manga this was based off of, but I feel the writer, screenwriter, directors/production team, and heck all involved, did well to express that it was bl without twisting it to due to censorship issues. Some of the fight scenes, the graceful moves, skilled timing and choreography therein are just to be in awe of. Oh the scenes and backgrounds/drops do that too! There was mention that this was low budget, but I was thoroughly impressed. The lead actors really made tangible the relationship between ZiShu/A'Xu & KeXing. From the flow of their dialogue, interactions, wealth of their emotions smh I just love it. In the beginning the use of light or makeup on ZiShu was a little excessive to me because it almost whited out his face. Were they trying to make him seem and look ethereal/heavenly? But they cut back on the heavy use as the series progressed. There was a little bit of a disconnect, where I felt a little lost, in later episodes, but I think they did this because we're mostly going off of Zi Shu's point of view so for there to be confusion & a little secrecy that we are not able to see through is because they want us to find out as Zi Shu does.I'm a fan of Zhan but this series not only allows us to see his strong performance capabilities, but that of all of the actors; all of them were incredible! Li Dai Kun is playing Scorpion King/Xie, a dark, sad, scheming and brilliant character who contrasts greatly with the character he played from another series name Xiao Qian Qiu (The Taoism Master) and he did not disappoint with his performance. He brought out the Scorpion King's character so much so that not only did I dislike him, but I ended up liking him despite myself and feeling for his emotional turmoil, hoping he would do better - then feeling a bit upset that he didn't really want to redeem himself.
Then there was the couple of cute, the definition of budding trust & devotion - Gu Xiang (Zhou Ye) and Cao Wei Ning (Asher Ma). I'm almost speechless here as I think of them; their individual performances were sweet and defined their characters. And together, boy the things my heart felt & hoped for them. I felt really attached, especially WeiNing, who played the part of wide-eyed and innocently sweet so well that I could feel my teeth ache but I loved him for it. That's all I can say there as not to spoil it. Definitely watch this series & while watching it fall in love, scream, cry, get angry, gasp and feel all the skill & beauty they put into it for us. Jiao/much luck to all involved to all their future endeavors!
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