What is with the ending?!?!

I was actually looking forward to this versions because it had less episodes. I had hoped that they would cut down the storyline to a more manageable level (I felt that the other versions were very drawn out). Unfortunately, they left a LARGE portion of the story out and just abruptly ended the show! The miscommunications (which were abnormally high in every version of this show) were left unresolved. The main couple was very cute together and to not have resolution was very frustrating. The man playing the male leads secretary seemed like a caricature, his overacting was jarring to the rest of the story. In the Japanese shows that I have watched, I've found that they don't dig too deeply into things, which is refreshing at times so the story doesn't go on forever. However, I must say that they did a real disservice to this show by ending it the way they did.

Read More

Watch this for Xing Zhao Lin!

I had put off watching this show for so long, after having been disappointed in the Korean version of it. I was happily watching along, glad that I finally broke down to watch it, enjoying the wonderful interplay between the main couple, when, at about episode 24, it went completely wrong. I forced myself to finish it, all the while wanting to throw something at the tv, until resolution FINALLY came in the last 20 minutes of episode 36! I’ll start with the good, so you don’t have to finish reading if you don’t want spoilers.
CAST: Watch this show just for Xing Zhao Lin, if for no other reason. He plays Wang Xi Yi and is absolutely wonderful. In everything else I’ve ever seen him in, I’ve found his acting to be wooden, and his lack of facial expressions bothersome. He was literally the star of this show. He really loosened up with his expressions, and got to show his comedic, as well as his dramatic skills. The scene where he was making the rocking horse was spot on – you could really feel his love and his desperate sadness. The scene was beautifully filmed. In a room full of color and furniture and busyness, his acting kept you focused on him every second. The rest of the cast was good, but he was a standout.
CHEMISTRY: The chemistry between the main leads was stellar. A few excellent kisses that turned up the heat a notch, a lot of playfulness between them and it was just fun.
STORYLINE (of the first half of the show): I always like a good Cinderella storyline, and this one was enjoyable. He watched out for her from the beginning, building her up, doing things for her, etc. I also liked their communications through WeChat, when she didn’t know it was him. They were getting to know one another again.
Now for the stuff that just irked me no end - spoilers ahead –
CHARACTERS: Liang Jie as Chen Jia Xin was very good throughout, but her character took a sharp turn to the negative a little more than halfway through. I think the writers were going for strong and assertive, but she turned into someone that was just not very nice. Granted, at the beginning she was a bit of a doormat (honey, fight for your man, for Pete’s sake!), but I had a hard time figuring out why Xi Yi would love the new her when she was so bitter. The character of Dylan – I actually really liked the way he was written, as opposed to the character of Anna. Oh, my word, where do I begin? She was self-absorbed, delusional and to a certain degree, just downright evil. They threw everything into this character, each plot point was to serve to keep the main couple apart. And there were no consequences for her – other than not getting the man she wanted.
WRITING: I WISH there were more Asian dramas that would write a realistic couple with realistic problems, and have them actually resolve them by just talking to one another. That almost never happens. There is one hidden motive after another, just an endless stream of misunderstandings that could be resolved by communication.
ENDING: Why, oh why, do most of the Asian shows stretch out the problems, episode after episode (in the case of this show, over about 15 episodes), then only spend 15 minutes in the final episode for resolution? There are literally so few shows that spend a decent amount of time showing the couple after they get together (Legend of the Blue Sea is an example of an EXCELLENT ending). I know that angst carries the storyline, but we’ve invested in these people and would like to be given a little more. In the case of You Are My Destiny, we should have gotten to see into their future a little bit to know about future children (but not silly like Strong Woman Do Bong Soon). It always feels to me like they ran out of time and/or money and were told to just throw something together for an ending.
So, in general, I’d say that if you don’t have any other show that you’re dying to see and you want to enjoy some good acting by Xing Zhao Lin, watch about the first 20 episodes and then skip to episode 36.

Read More

What a beautiful story!

This movie was excellent and it handled the serious story line very well. I was reluctant to watch it, based on the synopsis, but decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did!

Iitoyo Marie is wonderful as Okamara. This poor girl had some serious self-esteem issues! It was so sad at the beginning as you watch her try to fade into the background so no one notices her. Again, according to the synopsis, I imagined that she would be this strange character, only interacting with her bird, but that wasn't the case. I'm also glad that the bullying was kept to a minimum. We can use our imaginations and get the idea, so I was glad not to have too much of that.

Nakagawa Taishi as Kira - this is my first time seeing him in anything, and it certainly won't be my last show with him in it! He was terrific. You could really sense his fatalism and detachment due to his circumstances. He had a few scenes where he cried and it was very effective and not over the top. And he did a lot of smiling and he is absolutely gorgeous, so there is that!

The chemistry between the main characters was so sweet! They each brought an equal amount to the relationship and they were both better people for having gotten involved with one another. The film spent a lot of time showing them doing everyday things, which was such a good way to go, because of Kira's circumstances. I really felt the ability to bond with both of them and they were a joy to watch.

The secondary male character - I liked their friendship but I could have done without him yelling all the time. Is that a Japanese thing or was he overacting? I don't know, but that is my only (slight) complaint.

This is definitely a "rewatch" movie for me. Not too much angst, wonderful characters, the pacing was wonderful (no wasted scenes, etc.). I loved the innocence portrayed by all of the characters. The bright colors used throughout really helped with the overall feel of youth. Seriously, I can't recommend this movie highly enough!

Read More

Only watched it since I watched Best Mistake 1

So, I didn't think Best Mistake was anything to write home about, but I feel compelled to watch sequels if there is one. I could have saved some time by not watching this.
Breakup - to me, it didn't make any sense and lasted entirely too long. And how much could they possibly like each other if they were going to break up that easily?
Main couple - again, I didn't see why guys liked her, she was boring. I really liked him, however.
Second lead couple - what a waste! This was a storyline that wasn't a storyline.
Villain - I didn't enjoy this aspect of the story at all. And, for the love of Mike, it took EVERYONE forever to figure out that the person was a villain!
Ancillary characters - the characters that referred to themselves in third person were very immature and irritating.
Acting - I thought the acting in this was worse than in the first one, maybe because the script was so bad.
For some reason, all the characters seemed so much older than high school students in this one.

Read More

Cute continuation of the story

The romance continues...I have to be honest, I didn't care for this one as much as the first, but I do have to give them props for trying to make their relationship work at all costs. I just didn't care for the "mean girls" vibe - the people that will do anything to ruin someone else's life just so they can get ahead. However, I LOVED Woohee and Lee Ki Taek as the secondary characters. These characters were those we, unfortunately, don't see too often in K-dramas, they like someone, but the other person's happiness is what is most important to them. They liked someone, they were nice to them and looked out for their best interests. I'm one that doesn't like a lot of angst, so I really appreciated these characters. I loved their scenes with the male lead and the female lead. Shin Jun Seop is just a ball of cuteness, and boy can he sing!

Read More

Completely Implausible

Oh my goodness, where do I begin? The concept of this sounded like it might be good, but it went wrong in so many ways. Town that she visited was beautiful, but the film quality was lacking.

So, the male lead loses his fiance and finds her doppelganger and convinces her to come and have some pictures taken as the dead fiance. He doesn't have any pictures of her? If you were so in love with her, wouldn't you have photos of things that you've done together?

The dissertation she wrote was rejected and so, being depressed, she agrees to go to another country, meet strange people and have pictures taken wearing the dead woman's clothes. Creepy much? The whole dissertation thing could have been left out completely, it added nothing to the story.

The dead fiance cheated with an employee of the fiance. This was never discovered by the fiance and handled. So, the co-worker is creepy, too and likes the doppelganger.

The main couple only had a couple of encounters - he saved her from a lizard (that was WAY over the top!), they spent the afternoon sightseeing. They speak different languages and can't understand one another. So, how in the world could they determine that they were in love with one another?!?! For his part, he liked her because she looked like the fiance. For her part, who knows?

If a story is told well, all can be explained in a two-hour movie. This movie MIGHT have been better had it been episodic and there would have been more time to actually develop a relationship.

Read More

Long, drawn out

This show replayed a lot of the same things multiple times. I suppose the concept was okay, but it kind of felt to me like it didn't know where it wanted to be going. I normally have problems with historical dramas because all the men tend to look alike, and this was no different. The ending was sweet, but too abrupt. I'd love a drama to spend more than three minutes showing the main couple back together after all the time they spent apart. The acting was good/believable, but I just wasn't overly impressed with this show. There are too many other really good shows to focus on.

Read More

Slow, slice-of-life show

This is a short, sweet show, about a writer that goes to Kyoto and meets up with a girl working in a tobacco shop. The story is told in a quiet and leisurely pace. There isn't a lot of emotion, either in the script or the actors, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He's out of his element, and she has some issues from her past, and this is basically about them getting to know one another. A lot of the time we are just privy to their conversations as they walk along the streets of Kyoto. She gives him the history of the town, and you can tell that he is fascinated by what he is learning about this charming place. Since there wasn't much going on, four episodes was the perfect amount without drawing it out unnecessarily. There was a hopeful ending, not great, but in line with the rest of the show.

Read More

Time travel melodrama

This is a slow, well-paced show. Don't expect lots of action when you read it's a time travel fantasy. The writers took their time developing the characters and the story and it was pretty enjoyable being along for the ride. Though I didn't love it, I think it was worth watching, for various reasons.

Writing: GOOD: A very good story. There was tension throughout, never knowing what was going to happen next, and just when I thought I'd figured it out, the writers threw in a curve ball. I especially loved the characters of So Joon and his friend Kang Gi Doong. So Joon was a man that, by necessity, lived a pretty solitary life, and I thought it was wonderful that he let his friend in on the secret and his friend always had his back. I liked the concept of the butterfly effect - one change that you make in the present affects the future. I also love the fate aspect, meeting in the past and again in the future. NOT SO GOOD: I did have trouble, however, keeping track of past, present and future events, which often took me out of the story. Often there was not clear delineation to give you a good idea which timeline you were in. I had a difficult time with the reason for the breakup, I felt it was weak. And not to give anything away, but if you know something is going to happen at a specific intersection at a specific time, why not just avoid the intersection? The secrets went on too long: "I have things to tell you but I can't tell you and you just have to trust me for awhile."

Acting: GOOD: Lee Je Hoon did a wonderful job. He had to display a wide range of emotions and I always felt he was believable. He started out just being self-absorbed, not wanting to get involved in anyone else's life. As the story progressed, you could see how much he cared for others. NOT SO GOOD: Shin Min Ah is a good actress, but when she gets upset, she overacts. I found it hard not to laugh during her over-the-top crying scenes. And when her voice went up an octave when she was trying to be cute/sexy I just had to cringe.

CHARACTERS: GOOD: So Joon. Good progression of his character throughout the show. NOT SO GOOD: I did not like the character of Ma Rin at all. First, the woman seriously needed to start going to AA meetings! She had a real drinking problem. That was not enjoyable to watch. I felt her character was pitiful - she was trying to start a business, but she was just so sad to me. She seemed to always be listening to other people's conversations and going where she was not supposed to go. I felt that she was pushy and clingy with him. I didn't find anything endearing about her character.

CHEMISTRY: So good!! There was more hugging, hand holding, etc. than we normally see in K-dramas, and they seemed like they were really comfortable with one another. Some of the touching scenes gave me the feels.

OST: The music blended well with what was going on in the show, but there weren't any songs that I absolutely loved.

So, in conclusion, I'm glad I watched it, but I can't highly recommend it. It's one of those "filler" shows when you've watched everything else and are waiting for new shows.

Read More

Holds up well with repeated viewings

This was a show that had it all: romance, action, drama, comedy, eye candy, bromance. This is one of the few shows that I can watch repeatedly, and catch something new every time.

STORY/WRITING: I was so impressed with how this show was written. There were some seriously swoon-worthy lines, but I think what I loved the most was the comedy aspects of it. In the midst of a show with serious stuff going on, there were many refreshing moments of humor. The writer was able to continuously change gears so we, as the viewers, were never actually able to settle in comfortably. The action was interspersed throughout all the episodes, so there were no draggy periods, and just when you think you can't handle the stress, something funny would happen. The four main characters were written so well and they meshed together, playing off one another in a real way. The bromance between the two male leads was very engaging, as was the relationship between the female leads that resulted from a bad situation in their past. And the conversations when the women took sides against the men were a hoot.

ACTORS/CHARACTERS: Song Joong Ki as Yoo Shi Jin. He fit the mold of romantic lead perfectly, and when I found out he had just been released from the military three months before working on this show, I could understand why he seemed so comfortable in the role of a soldier. His character was very principled, loyal, and dedicated. He loved his country and he loved Kang Mo Yeon. He was fiercely protective of her. There were many, many moments of intense staring by him as he looked at her, and when you couple that with his boyish good looks and charm, and you've got the whole package. He was just so likeable.
Song Hye Kyo as Kang Mo Yeon - this was a difficult character for me. She's a wonderful actress but I often didn't like her character. She was a doctor and strong because of that, but in relation to Yoo Shi Jin, I felt that she was too wishy washy. She would tell him things that sounded like she didn't want to get involved, yet she flirted. She wanted everything to be black and white, when often life is shades of gray.
Jin Goo as Seo Dae Young - at the outset, you might be tempted to think that this character is cold and unemotional. He, also, was very protective of the woman he loved. Jin Goo was excellent at showing such depths of emotion with just the expression in his eyes.
Kim Ji Won as Yoon Myeong Ju - I've seen this actress in a couple of things and she plays the bitchy woman well. She is, to a certain degree, the same in this role. She's strong and knows what she wants, and does what she can to achieve things, while bucking up against circumstances trying to hold her back.

CHEMISTRY - I cannot say enough about how good the chemistry was between the couples themselves and the friendships they had with one another and the people that they worked with, both the soldiers and the medical staff. I was not overly surprised that the main leads had gotten married in real life following making DOTS. Sadly, they divorced last year.

OST - though there were a few times that I felt that the music was overly dramatic, for the most part it was terrific. Some of the same artists did excellent music in Crash Landing on You as well. There was one part in the show when the main song, rather than using vocals, was played on the cello and it brought such beautiful emotion to the scene.

I do have to say I didn't like the ending, the feel completely broke from the rest of the show and was just silly. Also, I know they have medical advisors for these shows, so why is the medical stuff always so inaccurate? How they do CPR, what they do to save someone after drowning, how when a patient pulls out their own IV it never hurts and it never bleeds. This is certainly not the only drama guilty of this.

I watched his show when I first started watching Asian dramas, and it's still as good after having seen it numerous times.

Read More

Touching story

This is a touching movie about a young woman with cancer, and how she changes the lives of those around her. Some people go through their lives insulated from their emotions. This young woman shook things up and everyone she came into contact with was forever changed. The actress did a really good job, she was a little cartoonish in the beginning, but settled into a rhythm as the movie went along. And she had the perfect shaped head to have no hair. She was just beautiful. Some people are in our lives for a short period of time, but because of the way they changed us, we'll never be the same.

Read More

feelings of high school

This was a beautiful movie. The back-and-forth between current time and high school days was very well-done. This is a slow, calm movie that makes you think about roads not taken and words not said. The height disparity between the main couple was very cute, he seemed so protective of her. This was a very innocent story, and it made me think back on the choices that I made in high school, the friends I had, the boy I liked, and those intense feelings you have as a high schooler - colors are brighter, noises are louder and emotions are stronger. I admired Geng Geng for being brave enough to put her feelings out there as an adult. If you watch this, be sure to watch all the way to the end, because it has some sweet interviews with real people.

Read More

This is a story I've seen done multiple times before

The main characters were cute, especially Zuo An - once he warmed up and actually smiled he was so sweet. I felt that, as is usual with C-dramas, this one was too slow and went on entirely too long. The confession finally happened in episode 24! This is actually a show that I've seen multiple times, they must have a template and just plug in different names. Girl fights but isn't too bright (or just too lazy to study), boy is super-smart and misunderstood. Every time the girl gets close to the boy she loses all of her brain cells and is unable to carry on an intelligent conversation. After the confession the girl looks petrified every time the boy wants any type of physical contact (thankfully, in this one, that didn't seem to last too long).

There were the typical secondary characters. Zhan Yue, Xiaoman's long-time male friend, was extremely irritating through most of the episodes. He was a bully and extremely mean.

There are the typical evil characters that never seem to suffer consequences for their actions (I get extremely tired of seeing a girl that will do whatever to win the guy, never mind that he's told her a million times that he's not interested).

They spent a little over one episode actually together as a couple, so there's a lot of stuff to wade through waiting for them to get together. In addition, the ending was extremely abrupt and unsatisfying.

Putting the current characters in historical scenes periodically throughout the series made absolutely no sense and added nothing to the show.

Read More

Ghostly melodrama with some romance thrown in

There was so much to like about this show:
1) Yang Jin Sung playing dual roles of Jang Yi Kyung and Na Noo Rim. She was wonderful, especially since the characters were TOTALLY different. Her coldness as Yi Kyung could actually give a person frostbite! Then she was so bubbly as Noo Rim.
2) Lee Hong Ki as Choi Kang Joo. I don't think this role was a serious stretch to his acting chops, but he did well going from the uptight, cold chaebol to the sweet man he was with Noo Rim.
3) The romance between the leads was fun to watch. I liked their initial aversion to each other and how it slowly changed.
4) I love Park Kin Joo in everything I've seen her in. Here, she played Noo Rim's friend Jin Joo and she's just got that precious, elfin look about her that draws you to her.
5) Overall, I thought the actors did a great job.
6) The storyline, with the added ghost story twist, was well thought out, with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested.
7) The music was lovely. I was also impressed that Lee Hong Ki did one of the songs. It was a heartfelt song that really grabs you emotionally.
What I didn't care for:
1) Noo Rim changed from someone that believes in herself and stands up for what she believes in to a scared, runaway woman.
2) Too many bad guys! Each person was more evil than the last. Plus, though there were natural consequences for their actions, none of those consequences helped the couple at all, that's for sure! Also, they had information on things that these bad people had done and didn't go to the police?
3) Not enough time of seeing the couple together. They were actually together for just a brief period of time, which made their breakup doubly irritating. First, do you love each other or not? Are you not willing to fight for your relationship? Plus, I didn't think their breakup was realistic because breaking up just so no one else will be unhappy is a cop out.
4) The ghost story aspect was woven through the episodes and then resolved in a very rushed fashion. It felt like the writers realized they were getting to the end of the show and had to squeeze it in.
5) The ending was so unsatisfying for me. I loved how he continued to look for her. I felt that her keeping herself from him was unfair to him (not going to say more due to spoiler). But, after them being apart for so much of the entire show, when we got to the end and they are walking in a garden and talking about a tree? I wanted/expected more romance.
So, I'd say it's a good show to watch for the acting/writing/music as long as you are okay with a lot of angst and not very much romance.

Read More

Amazing music!

Having never seen any other version or read the manga, I can only review based upon my enjoyment of this show. Let's start with the positive - the music. Absolutely beautiful classical music, which wove itself seamlessly through the show. For me, that's as far as the positives went. I suppose the actors did a good job, but the two main characters were not likeable throughout the entirety of the show. She was a stalker, hanging on him, liking him for no apparent reason. She was an odd woman, trying to be cutesy at times, troubled at others. She irritated me throughout. As for the male lead, he wasn't likeable either. I understand that he had trauma in his life, but that's not really an excuse to be so mean, especially to her. I didn't feel that the relationship was believable at all. There was no chemistry between the two, even at the end. By the time this show ended, I was so frustrated with the amount of time I had wasted. Park Bo Gum's character was more likeable, and I felt that she and he were much better suited for one another, because he didn't want to change her.

Read More