The show started off extremely promising - an exciting plot that leaves you anticipating future conflicts and the revelation of secrets. However, it slowly turned into a draggy soap opera with mediocre acting (namely by Zheng Shuang) and historical characters behaving uncharacteristically love-lorn. Hawick Lau did a fine job here, except that his default face was a frown and he lacked the aura of a great emperor as Kang Xi was, according to history. His female lead had only two expressions - a poker face and a depressed demeanour. I do have to applaud the acting of Vin Zhang (Rong Ruo) and Edward Zhang (Chang Qing), as they executed their roles very well, especially that of the latter. Overall, this show could have been much more dramatic and intense, given the refreshing storyline. Oh well :(

Leggi di Più

An extremely realistic, slice-of-life drama depicting a love story in the context of university life. This drama does not make use of usual plot devices (e.g. cross-dressing) nor dramatic incidents (e.g. amnesia), but manages to channel a very well thought-out storyline. Kim Go Eun executed a stellar performance here, channeling the pragmatic, down-to-earth yet flawed personality (in some aspects) of Seol, allowing the audience to relate to her easily. The engimatic character Yoo Jung, played by Park Hae Jin will only encourage you to keep watching, for you to find out his true self. Seo Kang Joon was intensely immersed in his role as well, and I truly enjoyed his performance here! A special mention goes out to Eun Taek and Bora (played by Nam Joo Hyuk and Park Min Ji respectively) - I loved their side love story and it was the sweetest thing ever! :)

The soundtrack was the best I could hope for, with the main bulk of it being K-Indie, which was absolutely fitting for the atmosphere created by the drama.

A pity that the drama experienced some controversial issues over the directing as well as bad publicity from the original webtoon - this could be attributed to the mishandling of the issue by the PD, plaguing the last few episodes of the production and generating a slew of negative and angry feedback by the viewers. Despite these setbacks, this drama was truly a great reflection of reality - the troubles and setbacks one would face, the workings of the inner mind, the suspicion of other individuals, and a whole lot more. Definitely worth a watch!

Leggi di Più

Japanese detective dramas never fail to amaze me for the fascinating plot points, the great cinematic effects, great cameos (the villians) every episode and the wonderful acting put up by the actors. The first installment of Zettai Reido did not leave much of an impression on me, but when season 2 came out, I decided to give it a try. I am really glad I watched this as it was simply fantastic. The story was brilliant, if not for certain reused plot points in japanese detective dramas. Acting was totally great, Ueto Aya really pulls off the slow and childlike Sakuragi, who matures into a woman worthy of heading the Incident Response Team. Supporting characters impressed me greatly too, but expected that as they are veteran actors. Not too sure about music, but I like the OP! It would be rather dumb to rewatch detective dramas as you would know who is the villian, so I gave it a 6. Overall, this was an exceptional drama, and I expect more detective dramas from Japan of this calibre in the future.

Leggi di Più

This show started off on a high note and it got much more exciting as the episodes progressed. I recall camping on Youtube every Wednesday evenings to wait for the episodes to be released! However, it lost its initial glamour and steam in the later episodes. While it had an appealing storyline, it was really draggy towards the end, which is such a pity because it had so much potential!

Ady An and Jeremy Tsui put on an astounding performance, and there were a few episodes that left me in tears especially in Jeremy Tsui's scenes - his portrayal of grief and sadness is truly one that will break your heart :'( Ady An has a powerful screen presence as well and I really liked her portrayal of Dugu Ban Ruo. However I can't say the same for the Hu Bing Qing-Andy Zhang pairing. Their acting was a little stiff, their facial expressions were unvaried and rather boring in particular that of Andy Zhang's. He has this frown that looks the same in all of his frowning scenes... Oh I forgot to mention!! I don't think the Dugu sister's father is mentioned in the cast on mydramalist, but his acting was truly 10/10!!! Fatherly love tends to get me all the time but this was really lovely :')

Despite the flaws in terms of the overall storyline and acting, the music was beautiful! There is a compilation on youtube of the 4 songs in the OST, my personal favourites being that of ?????(the duet) and ??????(by Li Yu Gang) - you can PM me if you want the link to the compilation :D

Leggi di Più

Honestly, I decided to watch this show because of Kingone Wang - his previous taiwanese idol dramas such as Why Why Love and Devil Beside You were the hallmark of youth dramas in the early 2000s, and this seemed to have a similar concept so I was pretty excited for it. It started off with a strong start and a promising premise - two best friends who insist that they will never fall in love with each other; but alas the forces of the drama world betray them and they discover their true feelings...... HOWEVER, the main problem - this show is TOO draggy. The same problems kept recurring and conflicts were dragged out unnecessarily. I dropped it halfway through and I do not regret my decision because the ending is rather predictable, really what alternatives could there be? I'm sorry for this lengthy rant because I'm just too disappointed in this show :((

Leggi di Più

Well this movie was a big disappointment. With established actors being casted (Gakky, Ikuta Toma, Mukai Osamu), I thought that this movie would be overwhelmingly great with the acting power and fascinating storyline. However, Sae and Kouhei spent 3/4 of the drama casting each other wistful glances. Seriously? Wistful glances? Grow up, you two, you're adults already, just admit your feelings!


The Dogwood Tree was a pain. The story seemed to revolve around it (hanamizuki being the title and all), but it was just... a tree. I expected some drama over it and more... spice, but the tree just remained a tree. Ok, it's a tree and will be a tree forever, but the story is just like, oh this tree is special! Oh, I'll take care of it for life! Oh, the flowers have bloomed! Oh this is so magical! Wow! Well that's all.


Sure, this movie had its heartbreaking moments, but the 3rd party (Junichi) just served the purpose of making the couple drift even further away. 3rd parties are supposed to make the couple appreciate each other, not the other way around! Urgh this is so frustrating. And Junichi's conclusion in the storyline was so disappointing; I was just like... What? What just happened? Why?


And that's all I remember about the movie. Expected much better from a production which casted up-and-coming actors, really.

Leggi di Più

There have been many adaptations of this tragic love story, and this adaptation has to be the most complete adaptation I've watched. The build-up is excellent and convincing, setting the stage for the couple's strong and firm relationship. This is complemented by the brilliant acting by Dong Jie, who plays Zhu Ying Tai -- she executes the wit of a smart student and the charm of a lady perfectly. Peter Ho's performance was outstanding as well, playing the role of a down-to-earth scholar. The music in the show was lovely to boot, where the OP and EP were well suited to the theme of the show. In all, this show may be a little long (41 episodes), but it did not come across as draggy and all side stories were carried out nicely as well. It's worth a watch if you love this story!

Leggi di Più

An intensely heartwarming drama that never failed to make me shed tears every episode, Beautiful Rain has been beautifully done up as a drama that talks about an Alzheimer patient. These sort of dramas are the tear jerkers, and the plot has been carried out excellently by Mana Ashida and Toyokawa Etsushi. Their acting skills are really professional and it was a perfect performance from Mana Ashida! She's one to watch, for her talent in acting is tremendously outstanding, and she never fails to charm the viewers in each of her shows. Anyway, this was a really touching drama, and made me feel the generosity and kindness of humanity :)

Leggi di Più

Being an avid fan of suspenseful detective dramas filled with mystery and suspense, (ok I just used the same word twice) this drama is not exactly my cup of tea. This drama treats the detective genre like a comedy, and while Sakurai Sho is delivering his part well, Keiko Kitagawa was rather... blah. Sure, she's pretty and looks great as an heiress, but maybe she should just stick to rom-coms. Although this drama leaves out the important parts such as the interrogations, the individual cases in each episode were well thought out and planned by the writer, especially for the final case. I loved the OP though, being a fan of Arashi XD. Well, I don't have a fantastic impression of this drama, so I would label it in my long list of dramas as a time-killer. But this is a rather fresh way of presenting a detective drama, so.. to each his own! Try it if you want to :)

Leggi di Più

Another Taiga drama yet again! Taiga dramas have this strange effect on me-- the make me go awwwww at the slightest touch of a hand or a hug, unlike modern dramas where skinship is abundant; a little too abundant, perhaps. And the glorious OST! OSTs of period dramas are a work of art, the pretty instrumental sounds and the suitability of the music never fail to disappoint me. But I must complain; the opening for Gou was just too long. Can you imagine sitting in front of the computer waiting for it to buffer... only to realise that you've only loaded the opening?

Anyway, moving on. Gou was a nice break from the idol dramas as of recent, an account of the Sengoku Era told from a woman's point of view. Considering that women were of low statuses then, the effect that women had on men in this drama seems a little surreal. However, it's a nice and refreshing change from watching a period drama where men are always involved in war.

This drama recounts the life of Gou, the wife of the 2nd Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. It recounts her love life, her dedication and believe in her husband. She must've been one of the luckiest women in the Sengoku Era-- her husband never took a concubine (but had some illegitimate children along the way) and her husband was just so... dedicated to her, but maybe I'm just infatuated with Mukai Osamu's role... HE'S TOO DREAMY FOR WORDS *_* Unfortunately, Ueno Juri was a miscast. She acted her part really well, her role was rather convincing, but somehow... something didn't seem right. I can't put my finger on it but in Nodame, she had such a distinctive charm and personality, but in this, she portrayed the role too... intensively? Her words, her expression, they seemed too forced. Perhaps, but I'm not sure. Nevertheless, she put in a great amount of effort, but I will not rewatch this drama, who rewatches period dramas? Too many episodes for me to handle, I feel :(

Overall, this drama was a breeze to watch. It wasn't heartbreaking, it didn't make me angry, and it wrapped up nicely; the ending was just pretty and complete. And Mukai!! Mukai is my all-time favourite, his voice is so deep and baritone ahhhhhh *___*

Leggi di Più

This show is definitely a melodrama, so please be prepared. For fans of Tong Hua, you will not be disappointed with this drama adaptation, simply because the storyline follows the exact storyline of the book, with the exception of some minor details. Admittedly, I found myself fast-forwarding while watching as some portions were very draggy but necessary, as they were part of the storyline. However, I was mildly disappointed by the acting of the protaganists - the acting executed by the supporting cast was much more professional and realistic. This could be due to the fact that it is Angelababy's first main role, but I do have to give her due credit for her acting. In all, you can't miss this if you are a fan of Tong Hua works, but I do miss the chemistry of the two lead actors (Eddie Peng and Liu Shi Shi) in this show's predecessor, Sound of the Desert.

Leggi di Più

This is an extremely underrated drama! The plot and premise may seem typical and overused, with the usual high school scenario and a friendship that slowly turns into love, but the characters were very well-written and well-acted by the seemingly rookie actors in the drama. It may just be a personal opinion, but I understood the emotions of the characters and I could relate strongly to them. The female protagonist (Li Li) has a lovely personality - not too headstrong, but not submissive either, and the male protagonist (Pei Shang Xuan) is very charming, and as the show progressed I felt that they were truly made for each other!

If you like high school dramas, but with a lot more emotional depth than other happier ones (such as Sassy Go Go, this is definitely the drama for you! However, despite the seemingly flawless writing and character development, this drama did not end the way I wanted it to - I would not write spoilers but I would just say that the ending was so poorly written that I did not even realise that the show had ended.

There's this particular song from this drama that I loved - Let You Go by ????, other than this song I wouldn't say that the rest of the songs were particularly outstanding.

Leggi di Più