Heartwarming but...

I felt like the first half was a lot better — it was a lot of the main leads getting to trust each other, one of them being so used to be alone and the other thrown into a situation that just made no logical sense. Their dynamic was really cute and interesting, and this did stay balanced throughout the entire movie; I really loved that there were no stupid misunderstandings and that any issues they had with each other were discussed. I loved the acting for all the Woo-jins, and the cinematography was unique and worked really well.

With that being said, however, the ending just felt like a cop-out; it felt like it was very much created for the hopeless romantic, the one who believes that love triumphs above all. But for a movie I loved for its practicality, it was disappointing. All those times the movie brought up things that made me go "Whoa, I hadn't thought about that" and suddenly it was like they couldn't think of an answer and decided to just drop the subject altogether.

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Heart-warming and with a vengeance

I could tell this was a good movie — the relationship between the pawn shop man and the little girl were undoubtedly the best part of this movie and I kind of wish we had more of their scenes. The fight scenes are cool and overall this is just a really satisfying vengeance movie.

Unfortunately, however, something just didn't click with me when it came to the villains. I've seen plenty of organ donation villains in Korean movies and just kind of felt meh about the ones in this movie — other than the scenes with the kids, I felt like the villains weren't very scary and were almost cartoonish at times, so I'm not really sure if I felt the high stakes there.

Overall still a really good watch esp. if you're in the mood for the revenge genre!

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An unpredictable sort of cliche

They say hindsight is 20/20, and in hindsight I really don’t think this movie offers any new plots or characters. But for once, that didn’t affect my viewing experience at all and I actually didn’t see the story coming, despite a lot being revealed in the first five minutes of the movie.

This movie was a tearjerker for sure; I was really surprised at how many emotions I felt even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the female lead in particular and probably wouldn’t agree with some of the decision-making.

There was some explorable opportunities for the second leads, both of which I felt were left behind and kind of just served as plot devices, but other than that, this was a really beautiful friends-to-lovers story and it really tugged at the heartstrings.

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A little cliche but still heart-warming

For a 2011 movie, this was pretty much what you'd expect. It was heart-warming and I could see it being a tear-jerker for some, but it also just doesn't provide many new plots or characters compared to similar movies that I've seen.

The pacing was quite nice in the first half — I'm a sucker for the way they did the slow burn — but the second half had a lot of plot development and not much of the same patience dedicated to them. This is one of those movies I wish was a drama because maybe those backstories could have been fleshed out more and the characters could have more conversations with each other, especially once the conflicts started kicking in. I especially felt like the ending was a bit rushed.

Other than that, this was a really wholesome movie for the most part and I had a good time watching it.

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Beautiful

I didn't know this was going to be such a tearjerker going into it. But it was, and I thought that all the timelines and the characters were thought through so well — especially the two leads, who just had the best chemistry and relationship dynamic no matter where or when they were.

This is one of those dramas I just wish was one or two more episodes longer, because there were some timelines (modern day and ending, specifically) that I wish were more fleshed out and let us see more of the relationship between the characters.

Other than that, I have absolutely no qualms here; the story was complex, the OST was beautiful, and I absolutely adore the characters. Really looking forwards to the movie.

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Fun and well-balanced

I was so pleasantly surprised by this one, as I don't think I've ever seen a crime/mystery drama where the overarching plot and the episodic cases were balanced out so well, especially in the first half of the drama.

I have a few bones to pick with certain scenes — while the law enforcement abuse situations were understandable considering the time period and the situation, the way the drama turned it into comedic relief was difficult to sit through; there were a few scenes where it got serious but I really think they could've gone into that further.

Other than that, the humor was great, the gang's banter was heart-warming, and I just really loved how everyone had their own place in an ever-progressing story.

I have to admit, though, that as someone who likes answers, the ending leaves some things to be desired. It's left a little open-ended, which sucks because I was super invested in the premise of the universe and wanted really much to have different types of closure.

Nevertheless, this was a really good watch — the characters really grow on you and make you love them.

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Predictable but still thrilling twist

This drama had a twist that I was kind of expecting, but overall I had mixed emotions about it. It started out okay; a little creepy but kind of slow and disjointed, and there were characters I cared about and some I didn't. I definitely got a little frustrated, and there's this feeling of impending doom.

There's a twist towards the end which I kind of saw coming, but it was one that I had wanted to see so even though it was predictable, it raised my rating of this drama by quite a lot.

There are some very subtle moral questions that I liked too, and some of my questions are left unanswered but that's okay! Great October watch, finished just in time for Halloween.

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Healthy, adorably awkward

This is probably one of the healthiest relationships I've ever seen in a drama ever, but it was even more than that. They captured the innocence, the awkwardness, the purity of first relationships so perfectly between two characters that just completely believed and trusted in each other. No dumb misunderstandings and breakups, and just consistent communication and mutual support...THIS is what I've always wanted to see in a drama relationship. The side ships were really intriguing as well and overall everyone just acted like real people, which was really refreshing.

This drama spends a decent amount of time on the leads' respective jobs, and it did a really good job in showing what day-to-day was like, as well as tying them together. If anything, however, I wish I saw a little more of Ruan Qing Xia's work — it felt the entire time as if she was kind of an add-on to the drama. Don't get me wrong, I loved her romance plot and her character, but she never had much independent screentime.

Overall, the main leads are also so independent and strong on their own. All the conflicts were resolved really satisfyingly, which is good, though there were times I wish there was some sort of conflict or angst that brought out more emotions in me.

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Fizzles out

This actually has a really good premise, even with all the cliches — disapproving parent, generational secrets, amnesia, cohabitation, contract marriage, etc. I felt like it actually started out really endearing, especially because the main male lead wasn't the typical cold and abrasive character, but was rather playful, fun, and nice to people who deserved it. I also liked the second female lead was nice and reasonable.

As the drama went on, however, it started to feel like we were reliving the same plot over and over the characters either became static or got worse. The entire drama was driven by the disapproving parent and even the music and the drama sub-plots seemed to take a backseat. The potential generational secrets fizzled into nothing, and both second leads just became irrelevant and horrible. I also just could not stand the second lead in this, so the fact that the love triangle was dragged on for so long (and mainly by external factors) was really annoying.

Our two main leads also just seemed to lose their identities, especially the FL who started off so strong — optimistic, yet able to stand up for herself and be mature. All that went away when the parental figures started to take up more screentime, and any plot elements just fell flat.

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A beautiful and satisfying masterpiece

I'll admit I went into this one with a bit of trepidation; I haven't watched many period pieces and the first two episodes were just confusing and loudly overacted — and the CGI was kind of bad.

Now having finished all 50 episodes, everything hits different. This is one of those dramas that I, who never rewatches things in full, would actually rewatch because there is just SO MUCH to the story. It's big-brained and even though I found myself figuring out small plots pretty quickly, it was still enjoyable to see the characters figure it out, and the final wrap-up was satisfying and mind-blowing. Essentially, this drama is intensely plot-driven, every episode moves the story forwards and even small scenes are endearing, foreshadowing, or have delightful easter eggs in them. This is one that grows on you over the episodes and sticks with you forever.

There are so many characters but that just adds to the beauty of it; upon rewatch you see every character differently, you notice their habits, you revisit their backstories, and more. The character development and personalities for everyone are so natural, and this drama perfectly depicts morally gray areas. Every single character plays their part in the story and they do it so well.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the two leads especially, who are such intriguing characters and have such fleshed-out stories and personalities. Thank GOD for such intelligent and communicative characters, who actually figured things out to move the plot forwards instead of having things occur by happenstance.

And yes, it's censored but they did such of a good job of showing the WangXian relationship implicitly; the chemistry was there, and there are just so many little hints (visual symbols, motifs, quotes) that make the slow burn just that much better.

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Realistic but unremarkable

I had heard comparisons between this and Go Ahead, which I loved; LCDF though, just didn't hit me the same way. On the one hand, I appreciated that no drama was over-the-top (which is understandable, considering that it's based on real events), but on the other hand, it felt almost boring.

I definitely enjoyed second ship which seemed to have a little bit more spark, but at the same time there were moments where they just kept things from each other for too long.

Ultimately though I still enjoyed the subtle way in which the leads fell in love, and I liked that there was no over-dramatic third-party villain. The characters were realistic, their problems were relatable, and the family issues were touching.

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Nostalgic but messy

I had my reservations going into this, thinking that the story itself was a little creepy. It was, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and I actually quite liked that the main characters had to really get to know each other slowly.

Ultimately though, my issue was with a lack of depth in the characters. This includes the mains, but also refers to the side characters; none of them felt likable, whether it was because they were constantly a doormat or because they acted like a SFL that the drama was trying to pass off as a good character. The only character I really loved was Zhang Ming-Rui, but it really felt like he got the short end of the stick.

Regardless, I actually enjoyed the relationship between the two leads and their backstory for the first part; unfortunately, like a lot of C-dramas, once the big conflict hit, it felt like everything just fell apart. Misunderstandings skyrocketed, there was the dreaded lack of communication time skip, etc. Things just got really messy and it felt like nothing in terms of family background was explored as much as it could have been.

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The best kind of stressful

First Thai movie ever! This was so intense and I swear no movie has ever made me root so hard for academic dishonesty. The best part of this movie is undoubtedly the cinematography and sound; it might feel over-the-top for some, but for me, it really felt like the movie bought into its own story and that made me buy into it as well.

Bad Genius was so much stress, but I became so invested in it and was really rooting for all the characters. The way the movie talks about class inequality and moral ambiguity is also just so subtly and artistically weaved into the movie.

Enjoyed this so much — a story about cheating on standardized exams may not seem like much, but there's a lot to love.

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