Not your average tv show...

I have watched many Japanese dramas since I started watching asian dramas to begin with. Every single one feels like a bad dream.

Maybe I haven’t had a good pick of the litter so to speak, I might just be attracted to the strange titles and descriptions. After all, those crazy titles and descriptions are what always seem to draw me in.
Homeroom was no exception to this.

I think the first episode of this series really sums up what you’re going to get by watching this show.

The girl’s teacher is an absolute psychopath, and she’s not far from one as well, as the show progresses. She’s a victim to her teacher's creepy obsession with her, but simultaneously becomes infatuated with him as well. I don’t want to say anymore on the plot, as you’ll see that yourself when watching it.

The show really hit me in the gut. It was strange, and the story kept progressively getting stranger and stranger. Weird actions kept popping out of no where, as if the characters themselves were on some sort of psychotic drug.

It was sad watching every character seem to fall apart one by one. Feelings of love for characters would become disgust incredibly fast, and I realized how stupid it was to become attached to anyone in this genre of drama.

Do I recommend watching the show? I suppose, although it’s not for the faint of heart. I finished it in about 2.5 hours, although I would skip over some scenes that disturbed me too much.
I ought to put a trigger warning for major depressive symptoms in the characters. It’s a psycho show, so maybe that’s not so crazy to most looking into watching this show.

Leggi di Più

So cliché it made me laugh.

I watched this drama on a whim, a bit shocked at its existence honestly. I have a bit to say about it, so keep your mind open as it might seem a bit harsh.
I thought this drama was great up until episode 6. First off, Hanata annoyed the living hell out of me. His character was so off putting, such an absolute douche bag that I hated the idea of Misaki and him being together. I also didn’t understand how the characters feelings switched around so much. Misaki loses feelings for Chiaki, gains feelings for Hanata, Chiaki “loses” feelings for his girlfriend and develops feelings for Misaki… it’s a whole mess. Some writing flaws are:
1. What would’ve been the big deal with telling Hanata he’s adopted to begin with? Is it really worth losing your damn restaurant over fear of the truth? Why did that one leathery looking man even want the restaurant so badly in the first place, that he’d blackmail and use violence to get it?
2. Why did Chiaki continue dating his girlfriend after developing feelings for Misaki? And how didn’t he catch on to her obvious feelings towards him in the first place when he claimed he could tell how she felt at all times one multiple occasions?
3. Why did Hanata wait so long to tell Misaki how he felt in the end? Why did he care to wait so long if he planned on pulling a stupid stunt and running to her at the airport only to call her stupid? Sorry I hate his character.
Anyways, I don’t know if this gives you any picture at all of what this show was.
It was a ton of dramatic scenes over petty, immature misunderstandings, a lot of verbal abuse on Hanata’s part that just felt pointless towards his character. His character could’ve been perceived by viewers as cold without the unnecessary rude dialogue. Misaki wasn’t unlikeable, but her character’s child-like mannerisms made me forget constantly that she was 26. This is a Jdrama, so exaggeration was expected, but her maturity in her patisserie position was completely different from her level of maturity outside of that. Touma was a wreck, but also a bit relatable to me until the very end when he valiantly decided to become a chef. I was happy for him I guess, it was heartwarming.
Chiaki was hot, but a bit… boring. His character wasn’t triggered by much, which made him likeable, but sometimes I just wanted him to beat Hanata’s dumbass. Literally hardly corrected Hanata even after he verbally bullied Misaki. I know the bullying was supposed to be motivated with good intentions, but was it seriously always that way? Hanata was a red flag man… I just hated that he got the girl.
Anyways, my review concludes with this. The acting was great, music great, cinematography great, story meh, characters meh… that’s all:)

Leggi di Più

Best I’ve seen in awhile

First off, I’d like to say that the obscurity of this drama made it very difficult to find a place to watch it. I don’t know why it doesn’t have more attention, because it was the coolest I’ve seen in awhile.

Story: Very gripping. Every second deeper made me want justice to be served, and that thought alone made my eyes glued till the very last episode. The MC has a lot of pain inflicted on her, and after falling in love with her character, all I wanted was to see pain inflicted on those horrible people who harmed her. It did teach us a lesson, because as I waited for there to be justice, there really wasn’t any served. But the lesson taught is the simple: two wrongs don’t make a right. In other words, treat others how you would like to be treated. I like to hope that karma kicked that bitch Anzai’s ass.

Music: Probably my least favorite part of the show. The same tacky soundtrack played over and over again. It was a fast paced track that gripped me just like the show did, but it really didn’t do it for me in the end.

Acting/Characters: The acting was very good, especially Manama/Anzai’s character. She really did a good job playing the emotionless psychopath. Somehow, I even managed to pity her a bit in the end. How pathetic on my part. I fell in love with Satori and Ayuma’s characters, as well as Sonoda. So I’d say the acting done there was spectacular as well!

Summary: All in all, this show is a gem. I’ve had a hard time focusing on the basic kdrama romances, and have since made a drastic shift towards Jdramas. There’s something about the rawness, realness, and dramatic aspect of them that is gripping, and this drama really made it all make sense for me. I recommend this for someone looking to get into Jdramas. Although not for the faint of heart, there is a great lesson to be learned in watching it.

Leggi di Più

This movie should’ve been called: how to make a serial killer

I’ve seen many comment talking about how they disliked this show because it was either too long, or too fast. I think everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I think this show was a perfect length. As I finished watching each episode, I felt sad as I realized I was one step closer to the end. Maybe that’s because I’m simply a lover of mystery, intrigue, horror or thrill, but I think this show was just a good show.

The plot:
I think a lot of people disliked how some characters weren’t expounded on enough, or some things just weren’t shown enough light on. I think this is silly, because the show really takes most things from Jong woo’s perspective. We are taken on a journey to see things from his point of view. We are put into his shoes, almost as if we are riding a roller coaster. I liked how there weren’t any “flashbacks” to the past to show a past memory. I like how there is still mystery and intrigue around some of the characters, as this gives the viewer the opportunity to really use their imagination. Some people enjoy concrete stories and facts, I like how some things were just left to the imagination.

Acting:
The acting on all parts was very good. I really liked Lee Dong Wook’s character in this, he had a really great chemistry with the main lead. The chemistry felt so believable, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the two characters had more than this love- hate relationship that was developed. I could really feel the frustration felt by Jong woo, as he fell more and more into an insane, psycho state of mind. It was really cool.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, I think people should really give this show a try. It may be one of those kinds of things that you either love, or hate. Whatever perspective you choose while watching this show, I hope it creates something more enjoyable for you to watch, and I hope you can appreciate it just about as much as I do.

Leggi di Più

This story won’t leave my head.

I watched this movie with not so high expectations. The reason is simple: because most bl movie I see are so gosh darn EMPTY. Most of the bl movies or tv shows that I see lack depth. They have such a cringe plot, there’s such a lack of excitement, and the pinnacle of the movie is the cuteness between the couple.

This movie was not cute, but rather melodramatic. It was beautiful.

The acting was great, the characters intriguing.

I felt like I was so invested in the forbidden romance that bloomed between the characters, key word being forbidden, because forbidden entices things so much.

It was like watching an artist paint an oil on canvas. But at the very end, happiness is not reached, and the oil painting becomes smudged.

That’s probably why I didn’t give this movie a 10/10, because although great, the couple just had to be ripped apart. This doesn’t always happen in bls, but it had to happen in the mix of this melodramatic drama.

I still loved this movie. I know that I did because even after months of mulling over it, it still stays in my mind as my favorite bl. It didn’t leave me resorting to the same cookie cutter structure of a basic bl movie, but it rather constructed its own, leaving a full mind, and heavy heart as I had to watch the ending play out in a sad manner.

I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone, because even if you don’t like this specific genre, or rather type of movie, you may find yourself taking a different point of view on the world after finishing watching it.

Leggi di Più

Exceeded my expectations

This movie was really something else. It didn’t feel like a regular Korean flick. As you’ll see by watching it, a lot of the characters spoke in different languages. I loved the story in general, there’s a lot to it. The ending really wrapped everything together, and it made me feel satisfied after the tumultuous plot. People watching this movie will see how well it portrays a society run solely on one mans greed and corruption. It was fascinating yet also terrifying, because what it showed felt realistic in so far as it felt like the world could become like that in the near future. I gave the movie 9 stars due some of the characters bad acting. They were side characters, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I only noticed that a lot of actors who aren’t Korean being shown in a Korean film, their acting will tend to be overdone, or just bad in general. Otherwise, I recommend watching!

Leggi di Più