Reviews

This drama is outstanding. I initially did not intend to watch this drama after reading the synopsis. Mostly because of my experience working in 3 different banks. I figured this would be nothing new and bank work is the most boring thing ever so i couldn't imagine how this drama could be good. Then one Saturday when I had nothing to do I gave this drama a shot and I was proven wrong on all my preconceived notions.

The world of banking portrayed in this drama is one of deception and treachery. Bankers don't care about their customers or even the integrity of the their banking institutions; they seek only to improve their positions by manipulation and betrayal. The senior banking officers make bad decisions and their underlings have to clean up the mess or risk demotion or even worse relocation.

In walks Hanzawa Naoki. A brilliant banker who cares about his customers, his bank and his friends. He is thrown under the bus by his boss and must clean up the mess or get transferred. There are so many hurdles in his way but Hanzawa is a fighter. His catch phrase, "If you screw me, I'll screw back. Double payback!" It was exciting to see him get fired up in these situations.

The story was a bit predictable but it was so well told that I don't mind that at all. The acting was astounding with the exception of the guy who played the inspector from the tax bureau (gross over actor) and the only thing about the drama that i didn't like really. Sakai-san was in one word SUPERB; the best actor overall in the cast. I wish we got more of Ueno Aya but what we got from her was great. She played the role of the strong dedicated wife well.

I live in Japan and people can't seem to stop talking about this drama. It is one of, if not the best drama for 2013. It is a must watch for jdrama fans. And with Hanzawa's tenacity, the fan love and the way this drama ended I fully anticipate a season 2. Hopefully we will get it next summer.

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I was really hoping to enjoy this as much as the 11 episode drama but it really seemed like not much changed in this Special. The "romance" didn't really improve and the characters just didn't develop at all which left me a little disappointed.

I found myself skipping the long minutes of orchestra playing. It was just too much for me. I understand the show is about music, but I would of enjoyed it more if they put more into the characters and the story. I felt like I was just watching an orchestra play throughout over half of the movie.

If you really enjoy classical music, you will probably love this to death, but for me, it just wasn't really my thing. The comedy was great as always and I love the characters, but that's the only redeeming factors for me.

Onto Part II.....

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TL;DR? The episodes are short, the cast is great together. You have nothing to lose in giving it a shot :)

I regret how long I put this drama off. I kept thinking that the lead guy was kind of old, and even though I loved Flower Boy Next Door, I wasn't sure if I would like this drama. I was pleasantly surprised, I have to say.

From the get go, this drama is funny and frank and draws you into the characters as if they were people you knew your whole life. While the characters weren't particularly nuanced, they were exceedingly enjoyable.

In particular, the actress who played Gong Min Young was delightful. Her smile was just absolutely contagious and I find myself laughing far more than I would have if she hadn't been in it. As an idol actress, I could not have expected that in the least.

The chemistry between Min Young and the flower boys was also a lot of fun to watch. She was just fearless, throwing herself into situations wholeheartedly, never taking no for an answer and always letting people into her heart.

Lee Jong Hyuk's Seo Il Rok was the quintessential cocky ladies man, with the twist of not actually being any good with the women in his own life. Ah Rang was cute, though not any different from the character he played in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. Moo Jin's character was a little stilted, some of his scenes were a tad ridiculous.

The two henchmen were ridiculous in the absolute best of ways. They really did up the comedy factor, and I loved watching them get into trouble trying to bring Master and Min Young together. And their devotion to Master was touching as well.

If you like dramas to be fairly lighthearted and funny, but also able to bring in the sad/serious moments every once in a while, then this drama is for you. All of the side romance stories that the Cyrano team aided in were just a lot of fun, and kept the storyline fresh. It was also fun to guess which cameo they would bring out next.

TL;DR? The episodes are short, the cast is great together. You have nothing to lose in giving it a shot :)

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This movie is produced for those who keep whining that Japan doesn’t make good romantic stories.

The plot is centered on the Japanese upper class in 1912, an era that’s very rare to find in Japanese or Asian productions in general which made me appreciate its use. Although the beginning was a bit slow, the love story was done quite well and let me tell you, this is not one of those cheesy stories where everything gets resolved with “I love you” and “I love you too”. This is a mature romance that goes in depth of emotions and struggles to reach its peak. While watching the romantic developments, you will get a taste of flowing innocence, painful denial, endless suffering, forbidden encounters as well as hunting desire that led the storyline into dark yet enjoyable corners because it was one of the basic chapters of this movie.

The story’s developments weren’t always right or very well done. Actually, some of them felt predictable and quite bothersome to follow such as familial quarrels and the barriers against the main leads’ relationship. However, if we judge it by the overall atmosphere; the screenwriting was able to pull it off and create a pleasant and mature love story.

The acting department was almost flawless. As usual, Tsumabuki Satoshi was able to get complete control of his role like he always does; that guy is an astonishing actor indeed. It doesn’t matter what kind of role you give him, he will manage to shine in it no matter how badly written it is. On the other hand, Takeuchi Yuko happens to be an expert in romantic stories. Of course, I am not denying her acting skills but if you saw her other romance oriented productions, you will notice that she always manages to create gripping chemistry with her partners and this movie wasn’t any different.

Spring Snow is all about chemistry, so if Satoshi and Yuko didn’t pull it off the way they did; everything about this movie would’ve fallen apart. It was so consuming and very different from other Japanese productions; from now on, that’s how chemistry is supposed to be done. Moreover, the characters’ development was quite neat and enjoyable overall even if some of them felt quite messed up at times.

You should watch this if you’re looking for mature romance, great acting and astounding chemistry. Needless to say, if you’re expecting something fluffy and cute then you’re definitely in the wrong place.

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To start off, I really enjoyed this drama and found that it had the perfect combination of comedy and tragedy. They did a good job being able to bring you down then lift you back up and leave you with a feel-good feeling in the end.

The story was very interesting and I thought it was done really well; however, towards the ending I felt that it lost its charm a few episodes before the ending and became too serious and very cliche. It was able to redeem itself in the end though.

I also agree with everyone that they were a little too metaphor heavy and I found myself having to rewind some parts just to fully understand what they were trying to say.

The actors were of course brilliant and I saw no flaws whatsoever. I absolutely loved the cast and their characters.

The music.....it got annoying. It is definitely not a soundtrack I will be listening to again. The instrumental version of the songs were nice but the other songs just did not stand out to me at all and were more of a nuisance than anything.

Overall I think this makes it to the list of 2013 dramas to watch because it was a good drama and it had a cute romance which is a plus for me.

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Who is right? Who is wrong? OR RATHER (Should I say) What is right? What is wrong?

Centered on the battle of each of the characters’ “Sense of Justice”, the film created a very disturbing aura from which people without very strong stance on “what is right or wrong?” might be drawn to the one of the characters’ beliefs. That is how this film had been so persuasively good in delivering the intent of the story.

The story has a lot of potential to become a series since there are a lot of rooms to be explored. However, that doesn't mean that the movie was incomplete. The film per se successfully established the roots of each of the characters stance. Why and how they become like that. The storyline had been well sequenced including how each twist had been placed and the timing of unraveling the mysteries.

Superb acting from the cast can be expected. The feeling of anger, hate, disgust and pity can be thrown to the characters due to the actors’ outstanding convincing performance in delivering consistently the roles they are portraying.

In the end, the movie will leave you the questions “Who is right or wrong?” OR “What is right or wrong?” – questions that will only be answered depending on your personal “Sense of Justice”.

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I had started the drama while it was airing, but it was one of those dramas which I needed to be able to watch all the episodes I wanted without having to wait, so I put it on the back burner waiting for it to finish. What a good drama, there were a lot of tears, shouting, and anxiety happening to me while I was watching this drama, and well that’s what I love about watching a well done drama. It brings out emotions in you, and this one sure did.
Other than melodramas, I love me some action packed ones. So obviously this was right up my alley. It had a lot of action, a lot of running, and a lot of fight scenes which could in thrill me while watching. I enjoyed that a lot about it. One thing that does kill me in this drama however, is the lack of inelegant police officers in this. Though that happens in a lot of dramas, I think it was rather needed in a drama of this sort. But we didnt really get any of that sadly. There was also some romance, which I didnt mind since it had a lot to do with the plot. But besides the romance, the most touching and important part of this series is the relationship between father and daughter. The relationship between those two, though he may of not known her for the first 8 years of her life, was a really touching one. It made my heart hurt, I cried a lot, but it also made me smile from ear to ear like an idot. It was so adorable, and other than the fighting that was the best part. I didnt care about the relationship between him and the romantic interest at all, the only thing I was worried about was him surviving so he could see his daughter!
Lee Joon Gi (Ki) was outstanding in his role. Every time I see him, from movies to dramas Im always impressed by his acting. I think he played his role perfectly. He was able to kick ass and take names, and also portray a person with a lot of regret, hurt, and anger towards people. He always was a pretty fantastic father, he showed so much emotion and care towards his daughter and it made me believe that he could really be this little girl’s father in real life. He was able to pull you in and believe everything he was doing, and you never second guessed him in his role at all. Kim So Yeon was decent in her role. I wouldnt say she was phenomenal nor would I say she was really bad. I thought she did an alright job playing her role. I thought that some of her lines, such as when she was angry etc. wasnt all that believable, but I did however enjoy her when she was feeling emotional (crying) I though she did a good job at that because it did bring me to tears. She was good at some parts and not so good at others, just evening herself out with an OK performance in my book. Ryu Soo Young did an outstanding job with his role. Though his character was of a man that sometimes you wanted to punch in the face for messing things up, he did do a great job at it. He portrayed him as a macho man, who does have a lot of feelings of hurt and anger kind of like Lee Joon Ki’s character, though they were for different reasons of course. I thought he did a great job, and even convinced me to actually enjoy and root for his character as well.
Park Ha Sun, to me was probably the weakest out of the four. She didnt really pull of the emotions well. Sometime she over did it, and not to the point that she need to. Her child’s life was on the line and its understandable to be hysteric and upset, but I just felt like it was forced and not a performance in which I could really feel the RAW emotion that a person in her position should be feeling. However in the flashbacks, when she was happy and carefree and all those sorts of feelings I thought she did an okay job. Just during most of the show I found her to be rather weak and it was hard for me to really feel anything towards her because of her performance. Jo Min Gi played an awesome villain. I enjoyed him so much, and man is he cute for an older man! Just saying, just saying. I thought he did a fantastic job and portraying his character. He made me want to beat him to a pulp and he didnt show any mercy or care about anything other than wanting to get his money and get his way. He liked him a lot and I thought his character was awesome, even though he was the bad guy. Lastly I want to say that Lee Chae Mi was great as the daughter. She was so adorable and so smart in this. I thought she played her character well. Especially as the conscious of Tae San. I thought she did an awesome job at that. I cant wait to see more of her in the future for sure.
The OST for this drama was amazing. Seriously, I loved it. From the upbeat rock/indie style of music to the sad songs I found them all to be good and they went with the drama so well. They had people like Nell, Dick Punks, and Toxic, which I love and I was so into it. The main theme by Nell was awesome and every time it came out I found myself swaying back and forth in my seat. The instrumentals were just as great, leaving you anxious and excited during a lot of the scenes. Though there were times when the music seemed too loud at times, and would appear randomly, those I could of lived without. The cinematography was nice in this. It worked its magic with getting us some great shots of the action, which is what I was most excited about. The slow-motion wasnt over done, and was done just at the right moment and I really enjoyed that. The nice light and carefree style of lighting thought the flashbacks of the Tae Sun and In Hye really set the mood for their story and I enjoyed it, it helped show off the fact they they really once did care for each other a lot. Over all , I thought both were done rather well.
Over all I found this to be a rather great drama. Though it didnt have high ratings, due to other dramas, I still think it deserved more. Though this is the type of genre that will not be for all types of Korean drama viewers, since a lot of them are more HARDCORE romance or romantic comedy type people. However I think this drama has a whole lot to offer, from a great acting and action to a lot of great music. It has a heart touching story, and though you may not get all the romance that you want, you can still ship it, its doesnt hurt. With the lack of romance, we get a more endearing story between a father and daughter fighting to live through one another and I think personally that is better than some sloppy over done romance any day.

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This movie was beautiful and cute all at the same time. ^u^ I have previously read the manga, watched the anime and fell in love with the story. At first, I was a bit wary to watch the movie. In many movies things differ so greatly from the original, it pains me to watch it. When I finally came around to watching this, I was amazed! They somehow managed to keep the beautiful storyline in tact with very few changes. I love how well these actors interacted with one another, I think they did a wonderful job portraying their characters. The innocence was also very well portrayed, so for those of you who are hesitant or have not seen nor read the anime and manga, should not put off watching this. It is a very good adaption and has put a refreshing twist in the story that brought it close to my heart. I hope anyone who watches this will thoroughly enjoy it as much as I have.

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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!

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It took me a whole week (blame uni for that)but I've finally managed to finish In Time With You and let me tell you, this drama is totally worth my lack of sleep. In Time With You leaves me with a big dumb grin and the feeling that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. And it will probably do the same to you if you give this Taiwan Drama a shot. Now, let me tell you why you should watch this little ray of sunshine (and a little bit of pain too because well duh it's not called a drama for nothing).

STORY: I won't lie the "lifetime best friends fall for each other" kinda plot is not what I would call my cup of tea. That's one of the reasons the Kdrama 9 Ends 2 Out didn't strike me as more than average. This is the kind of story that needs to be handled carefully for the viewer to accept that there's more to the friendship that the two friends are willing to admit (and by that I mean a romantic vibe), to understand why they didn't act on their feelings so far and thus to root for them. In Time With You handled it flawlessly. I felt like there were some few holes in the plot, the story seems a bit rushed near the end BUT overall the screenwriter(s)did a pretty brilliant job. The story has a "genuine" touch that makes it even more endearing. You just end up invested in this drama and all the characters. It even gets a bit infuriating at times because you feel like they don't tell you enough about the supporting characters when you just want to know everything. Is that too much to ask dammit! I guess that's the price you have to pay when your drama is only 13-episode long.

ACTING/CAST: Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng's chemistry made you drown in an ocean of feels since It Started With a Kiss and you can't picture her with anyone else? Well, I'm glad to inform you that the day has finally come. Ariel Lin and Chen Bo Lin's chemistry is just undeniable. The acting is just as strong both from the leads and the supporting characters. The actors make you "feel" for their characters and that's what makes this drama so "human".

MUSIC: I personally love it. Simple and soothing, yet also bittersweet, it gives a "mature" kind of vibe that fits the drama like a glove. It's definitely one of those soundtracks you don't get tired of easily.

REWATCH VALUE: Like I said earlier, I feel like the drama was a bit rushed near the end, there was so much more I wanted to see but except for that I loved ITWY to pieces. This tiny issue however will still be there to annoy me even if I watch the drama for 3 or even 100 times...

OVERALL: I'm not usually a big fan of Taiwan dramas but In Time With You has definitely won me over. It's both sophisticated and childish. There's no useless scenes. There's no useless complications. It's just a simple drama about love and understanding. Now please tell me where I can find my very own Li Da Ren.

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Some times you can pick apart a movie through it's plot and acting, but sometimes you just enjoy a movie as a whole experience and not as it separate parts. I always get a kick out of mobsters movies that are about men not acting like mobster and instead are running around getting in trouble in a difference way. If you like that type of movie (and there must be quite a few people out there like that as there is quite a few movies out about this subject) then you will enjoy this movie. Some parts were a little over the top especially anything to do with the prosecutor. You can also predict quite a bit of what is going to happen. What I enjoyed the most was the ending where it takes a few moments to go back and show how some of the characters were connected earlier then one thinks. If you want to see some extra things than you need to stay and watch the credits.

Again, this is a movie that is not excellent in any one area but works quite well as a whole.

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Interesting-funny storyline of introverted girl gets guy via a comic like secret tip self-help VHS. The actress was the focal point, detailing the self-exploration of what she wants & needs to connect humanely/lovingly with people, specifically MEN. The story background is in 70's color explosions & comical story boarding while weaving this tale about men - women and our relationships. For a more mature audience due to candid discussions of sex, love, ying/yang - basically foreplay of any relationship. Would I rewatch? Yes! One of those quirky films that keeps your attention, makes you laugh, and ponder relationships of your own...

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"It is us, people, who will decide for our future."

Boys of Tomorrow is a film which centered in the lives of two teenagers focusing on how they dealt their past, how they face the present and how they see the future. A film that showcased how and why a man at a young age could be that selfless, reliable, responsible and mature and a typical teenager to be that shallow and weak.

A very well directed film that enabled each of the supporting characters create the convincing situation where the main characters are at. It is a film where no scenes had been wasted. Every single scene has a reason to be there and the sequencing is really good. It has a story that has no loose end. Each of the characters ending can be self explanatory based on the well plotted story line.

The actors did well. Each of the roles had been portrayed according to each one's character making the movie a very convincing one. And for the music and sound effects, they were simple and minimal just like the other indie films to make it more realistic.

This is not the typical action "fight for each other" type of friendship movie but rather a "mature" type which seemed to be idealistic in sense but still realistically possible. It is a film that has a serious tone in saying what "a true friend" means in a mature and responsible way.

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