This is a classic and in my top ten of all time movies. It is so tender and touching. The love of the little girl for the street magician who adopts her is beyond the love most people know in a lifetime. It reminds me of an unwanted, stray dog who attaches to the first human who feeds it and becomes unconditionally loyal.
The acting of the child is superb. Part of the story line was revealed in the summary, but is revealed quickly in the movie. The rejection of the child when the identity is discovered leads to heart wrenching moments. You become totally immersed in the Chinese culture and how male traditions influence the lives of the people. But don't despair, this is one of those "feel good" movies that you will want to watch over and over again. I have and will again.

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Although this starts out as a comedy, by the middle of the drama it turns into a somber, slow drama. It focuses on death and dying and how people deal with loss. Since the setting is a funeral home, there is a lot of exposure to the process that prepares Ho Sang, the male lead, for his impending death.
If you are interested in Korean customs about burial and their ceremonies, both for the living and deceased, you will be interested in this drama. There is some interesting philosophical dialogue about how the living deal with separation. However, I didn't feel a great emotional connection between the characters until the last few episodes. Granted, Chae Tae Hyun, noted for his spectacular performance in the classic My Sassy Girl, has a very likable character here. But I didn't feel a great passion with his romantic female lead. Except for the last few episodes, this drama was too slow to spark most people's interest.

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Ruri no Shima can best be described as a slow, family oriented drama. There is not enough excitement here to stimulate the average drama fan, especially those who are interested in romance, suspense, or action. The main theme revolves around an isolated island community where members develop close relationships with one another. The main thing they miss are children and Ruri, a foster child, captures their hearts.
This drama should feel more heartwarming, but it feels more like a serial with a resolution to each episode. Even the mystery of why handsome Takenouchi suddenly appears on the island does not stimulate enough suspense to warrant watching this one.

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The storyline was quite boring. Every episode seemed the same: Sam Soon yelling, arguing, slapping, kicking, cursing, fighting. She was always angry and rarely smiled. Don't misunderstand me, I love women who stand up for themselves and are independent. But I don't enjoy watching loud and abrasive women for 16 episodes. Even the moms enjoyed screaming and hitting.
Hyun Bin, as usual, did a great job acting given as a confused, younger suitor. But even he got into the swinging matches. What's with all these violent people!
There was rarely a sweet or endearing moment between the pair. Even the ending was "ho hum" uneventful. The only saving grace was the upbeat, romantic music. It started every episode and kept me going.

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Frustrated Love would be the best title for this drama. It features 2 young men who are obsessed with 2 women, a stepsister and a teacher. The main character plays a forlorn, aimless student who spends his day moping over his beloved stepsister. She seems to be oblivious of his unexpressed affection as she is obsessed with another.

What makes this plot unbelievable are the two women who assist their love interests to win over women of their choice who would better suit them. This does not happen in the real world! This goes against human nature!

Equally ridiculous is the hospital drama of love wasting as a form of manipulation. It is more of a psychiatric condition! And then the final blow, who ends up with whom? You will never be able to figure it out because it makes no sense. You don't suddenly switch your love interests. I did not feel any romance at all here at all. Instead, it seems the real schizophrenic was the writer. It's too bad because the characters, acting, and music were all noteworthy.

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Vic Zhou is a handsome, talented actor, but he could not save this drama. It was utterly boring with the characters frozen as flashbacks played for minutes at a time.
The first episode starts with 2 children meeting in a hospital where the girl has been taken after a bus accident. Although no one can figure out why, it left her a mute. She can see and hear, but can't speak. That is the premise for the drama. Let's think about this for a minute. Millions of people are in accidents and are there mutes walking around using sign language?
The children agree to meet 13 years later. During the 13 years of absence they continue to love each other after only meeting for a few days, another absurdity.
The writer then uses continual contrived events to bring the two together 13 years later. For example, Wei Yi's car breaks down and Shem Shem just happens to be driving the same road at the same moment. Or Shem Shem is on a bus and Wei Yi gets on the very same one at the same time.
Around Episode 6 (this is not a spoiler, it is in the summary above) Wei Yi discovers he is dying. For the next 13 episodes the drama is set in mourning. The mood, tempo, and music slow down even more. There are no big surprises, everything is predictable.
I always cry at melodramas, but not this one. It was a relief at the end. If you want more of Vic Zhou, watch Mars or Meteor Garden.

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Oasis is a dark, dark movie. I was expecting some sweet romance between two handicapped people. Instead, I was left with a sad, desperate horror for the two people involved. Perhaps that means I should rate this a 10 because the movie achieved what it attempted.
There were some very touching moments between the two. There were beautiful scenes where Jong Du helped Gong Ju escape from her lonely existence. He was never ashamed of her in public or in front of his family.
But what horrified me was the brutal, savage way Jong Du had sex with Gong Ju. It seemed more like rape than a gentle sexual love. It was very graphic and violent. In addition, Gong Ju did not stand up for Jong Du. The disappointment in these 2 actions negated the good feeling about their love for each other.
If you like movies with a dark, gritty mood, you will like this. There is nothing uplifting about this that I enjoyed. Society continues to prejudices against the handicapped and this is not an easy one to watch.

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The first two thirds of this movie were magical. Jay Chou was brilliant in creating a romantic, suspenseful mood. The piano competition was fantastic and reminiscent of one of my favorites, the 1988 Belgium film, The Music Teacher, in which two opera singers spar off against each other.
If this movie had ended there, it would have been a perfect 10. Unfortunately, the movie took a turn for the worse went it went off in another direction for the last third. I won't reveal any "secret", but the "secret" ended the magic for me.
The credits state that Jay Chou acted, directed, and produced this movie. Is this possible at such a young age? Wow!

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Researching Sorimachi's films, I found Fulltime Killer and started watching it. Immediately I realized it was the fantastic movie I had watched years ago. At the time I was not familiar with Andy Lau and Sorimachi Takeski, but I was glued to my seat. This is one of the best action films out there. And it's not just the action that is riveting: the suspense builds to a big, hot boil! You will not be able to guess how this one will all turn out. It was a surprise to me and I'm so glad I found this one again. It's one of those movies that you can rewatch and it will be just as enjoyable the second time around.

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An oldie, but goodie, this is a serious drama about college friendship, love, and rejection. It was so realistically portrayed, it could have been based on a true story. However, at times, it felt too overly melodramatic. It was a bit too unbelievable that so many different characters could all be so obsessively in love with Tamotsu. Really? Was he that good looking?
I actually watched this because of Kimura, my favorite actor. And here he was in a beta male role.
I won't spoil anything, but I really don't buy into someone giving up their love so that person can be with someone else. Are people really that altruistic when it comes to love?
It's worth your time if you enjoy romance, but don't be stymied if you get to the end and it gets cut off. Most places Episode 11 stops before the conclusion. After much searching, I found one place on You Tube that had the full conclusion. Enjoy.

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