Reviews

I watched this drama because my favorite actor Gong Yoo stars in it and I must say that Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy did not disappoint. I LOVED this drama.

This drama made me become a fan of Gong Hyo Jin and it also proved to me how much of great actor Gong Yoo is. Also, I really liked the idea of this drama. This is what made me want to watch it. I like the whole "I'm a teacher and I'm going to change these kids life" story they used. And I liked the dynamic of the older woman younger male relationship (I don't know why but they tend to be my favorites like Dal Ja's Spring and Queen of Reversals. I must be a cougar at heart. Lol)

I loved the relationship that Gong Hyo Jin's character Na Bo Ri grew with her students. I think it was one of the best things about the drama. This drama is not just about her babysitting Park Tae In. This drama focuses on the other students as well and you get a new story each episode. This was something that I looked forward too the most. Expect to laugh and cry while watching this.

You have a great story and great cast with this drama and you'll truly enjoy it. I have re-watched this drama a couple of times and I really think the re-watch value is good. Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy isn't one of those overly emotional dramas where you feel like it was too much to watch again. BTSC is really funny majority of times.

Also I want to mention that Gong Yoo once again does a great job portraying his feelings. It's another reason why I loved him so much in Coffee Prince. His feelings showed throughout this whole drama and I truly felt like I saw him fall in love with Na Bo Ri. So if you like to see a drama where the guy falls helplessly in love with this girl then this is the drama for you.

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This is my very first review so bear with me.
Long Love Letter was one of the most unique dramas I've come across. Not only did it cure me of a vicious drama slump, but it also made me debate whether to choose sleep or the next episode. And, I chose the next episode even when it was 4 A.M.

Just like other reviewers have stated, don't let the synopsis trick you! It definitely wouldn't prepare you for the nail-biting and the nerve-wracking. Just when you think you've seen it all, Long Love Letter hits you with another shock! The plot literally takes you to the most unexpected places and it doesn't shy away from posing some serious questions about the dark nature of human beings. For me, Long Love Letter's brilliance was in its heart, its ability to create a 'home' amongst the insanity and the chaos, and its optimism in the direst situation. I liked how the young cast grew in front of my eyes from kids to mature grown-ups who learned to fully accept responsibilities in the end.

That's not to say that Long Love Letter doesn't have its flaws. Admittedly, it had its inconsistencies but I'm willing to forgive it because we're already thinking outside the box from the start. Also, it felt a tad too preachy at the end. However, what bugged me the most was the so-called Sekiya-Sensei. This character felt like a plot device in the sense that the writer brought her up whenever s/he needed conflict and had her completely disappear when she wasn't needed. Also, her conclusion at the end was laughable not to mention unbelievable.

The acting was superb! The most profound and touching scenes were done in the simplest ways. And, the romance was so sweet.

The cinematography wasn't exactly great. Some scenes felt randomly glued into each other. Whether intentional or not, the sloppy direction helped to reflect the mood of utter chaos and insanity.

The music was serviceable, average at its best. Sometimes, it played at awkward times.

I wouldn't rewatch this one soon because its scenes are still haunting my memory at the moment. Honestly, I don't know if I want to re-live this magnificent experience twice.

I would recommend this work to anyone because I think it truly had something for everyone.

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Hideaki Ito gets my motor running. I have adored him since the first moment I saw him in Yasha. He is an underrated actor because he makes his hero and antihero roles look effortless like he's just playing himself. With that being said I don't know what to say about the ease at which he transitions to not so heroic and downright evil characters. YIKES!

Lesson of the Evil is dark and pulls no punches. No, the English isn't wrong. The 'the' is definitely correct. Anyone who thought Takashi Miike had gone soft or mainstream because of 13 Assassins gets his answer right here. This master of shock, horror, and otherwise oddball characters lets us all know he's not done with the crazy.

Lesson the Evil is dark. Wait, did I say that? Well, it is. it is violent. It is bloody. Ito's character is rancid. He's like the Joker from Batman, but not as friendly (or sane perhaps). He plays his role well and is rarely not smiling which just added to the creepy. By the way, there are scenes with gay undertones, as well as, statuatory rape. If you think that might bother you, do not watch this movie.

If you like crazy people horror and violence isn't much of a concern to you, grab your popcorn and watch the mayhem.

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My hat is off to this adaption of The Brother's Karamazov. The writers did a great job. The cast was wonderful. I happen to be a fan of the Hollywood movie from the 50's (like most people I never finsihed the novel) and I'm pretty sure the J-drama did a much better job. The cast gives some good solid performances. Oh how you will love to hate Yoshida Kotaro. Yoshida's performance as Bunzo Kurosawa is so brillant you wonder why he lived as long as he did. He's 3D: deplorable, despicable, and disgusting. Yoshida usually steals scenes in everything he's in. My eyes go right to him so I have to tip my hat to Takumi Saito, who managed to steal his scenes right back. The main set was a Western style estate which was perfectly dark and worked well with not only the story, but the theme song, "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones.

There's not much more I can say. I really enjoyed KnK. I will admit there aren't many clues to point you in the right direction if you're new to the story. If you don't like a lot of red herrings in your mysteries, you might not like KnK. However, if you like the original Hollywood movie, the book (I applaud you), or figuring out 'whodunit,' check it out. You might just guess correctly.

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All The Feels

I really didn't know what to expect when I started Ame no Yume to Ato ni. I just found the description interesting so I checked it out. What I got was a well acted, different, slice of life drama that just jumps into you. It's difficult to find subs for Ikki Sawamura's dramas unless he's the support, which is a shame because he's wonderful (and not bad to look at it). In Ame he plays a single father who tries to support and raise daughter the best he can without her being disturbed by anything unfortunate. There are some fantastic scenes one of which is imprinted on my brain and goes down as one of the most emotional scenes ever filmed between 2 male actors (Sawamura & Borther Tom). It's been a few years since I first watched it (and rewatched it), and I can see the scene like it's running now. Just have your tissues ready for it. The cast is a fantastic ensemble that have chemistry that works well.

Production wise it's eh, but it's comparatively old. The film quality is obviously different like it is between daytime and nightime programming. That is quite probably it's biggest flaw. The editing could have been better as well. Yeah it's a bit kitchy, uneven, and at times slow, but the heart thatnpours out of it makes up for it's flaws.

I have watched a few older J-dramas, but none stand out as much as this one. It's a classic and a favorite.

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I simply adore this program. I love that it's one episode for every new storyline. It's really dramatic and keeps you on the edge.

The acting is great in every episode. Even the idol stars plays their role really well and believable.

As u can see I'am mostly following KBS's program so I haven't seen that many episodes yet. They subtitle it themselves with english subs and post it on their online youtube channel KBS-world if you haven't heard of it. ^^
I love that they post it 1 week after it has been aired in Korea.

And what's more is that you actually learn how NOT to be when you get married or if you are married. But to be honest it sometimes scares me that one can turn out like that. Marriage scares me a little now. LOL

ONE thing I find kind of annoying is that they don't give and ending to the "real" stories that are played out. But I have grown used to it now and find it "right". As said this ISN'T a drama. But you can see it like that since it's acting.

Anyways this is very enjoyable. I even watch it with my mom some times. :D

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I absolutely adore Ashita no Kita Yoshio. I have recommended it to several drama watchers including a diehard nothing's better than K-dramas person and they all loved it. Your heart can't help, but go out to the affable, down on his luck, curry loving Kita Yoshio played by the wonderful Kohinata Fumiyo. Ashita is brillantly written. I'm sorry, but no one tells a story and makes every moment count like the Japanese especially in 11 episodes. It might be a drama about a 40-something balding guy who plans to commit suicide, but it's life affirming. Yeah the drama may have some flaws here and there, but really who cares. It's a great drama and you do yourself a disservice if you don't watch it.

edit June 2020: Since I first wrote this review, I've rewatched Ashita no Kita Yoshio and fallen for it all over again. Part of me feels as if I should make the review longer, but honestly, it says it all.

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I liked Sword and Flower aka Blade and Petal, but it's not for everyone. Though the romantic couple were important, romance was not. The driving force in this drama is a combination of revenge, political intrigue, and of course backstabbing. All 3 were done well. There was much about the production including the sword fights that reminded me of a Spaghetti Western or Wuxia series. It was a very good production with few glaringly obvious contiunity problems. I appreciated the cinematography espcially the angles and shots in a few scenes, the staging, and the costuming. The cast is good and solid, Even No Min Woo's (who seriously needs to gain weight) overacting of the crazy was entertaining. I think the supports, especially Choi Min Soo, Kim Sang Ho, and Ohn Joo Wan carried the series. The ending was lacklustre and strange, but appropriate with the somewhat artsy vibe of the series. Admittedly, it should have been different, but I guess they wanted to pay hommage to Shakespeare.

What I didn't like was the romance. The leads weren't charasmatic and lacked chemistry. They both were much better in scenes with other actors. Together, they were annoying. Uhm Tae Woong is a much better actor than what he was in this. They introduced a couple of really great characters in the last few episodes that should have been introduced earlier. The series would have been the better for it. A few scenes could have been a little tighter and crisper.

All in all, I am glad I watched Blade & Petal. I was looking for revenge & fighting and I got it. I would rewatch scenes, but not the entire series. If you read a synopsis and thought it would follow the classic Romeo & Juliet path with romance seeping out of it's pores, go back and read it again because you missed something. If you appreciate a talented cast and good (not great but good) writing, and a production in it's totality, give it a whirl.

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TL;DR? Why aren't you watching this already? :p

I debated for a while about whether or not I was going to write a review for this drama, since anything that could be said about it has probably been said by one of the multitude of other reviews, and probably said better than my bungling attempts to commit feelings to paper. But this drama is one of the few dramas I have watched that completely bewitched me from the get-go and never lets up! If you haven't watched this drama, you're making a mistake!

OK, so "mistake" is a little harsh. I watched most of the episodes as they were airing, which was absolute torture. Waiting each week to find out what was happening to these people I had grown to love so much was more than I could take, so I ended up stopping and catching up after it finished. It took me almost a month to actually find the courage to watch the last episode. Not because I was worried it would be bad, but because I was not ready to let go, and I still don't think I am.

The reasons to watch this drama are staggering. The cast is so amazingly well suited and have such great chemistry together. It was just such a fun ride to watch the characters grow and change together. And this drama is certainly not lacking in personal growth. There isn't a single character that does not undergo some kind of change in the way they behave or think, and it's really nice to watch how they navigate situations they are unsure of.

The storyline is compelling, I never once felt bored throughout all 18 episodes, which is definitely a praise-worthy feat. The romance is prevalent almost throughout, so it's important to like romance as a prominent feature of your dramas. It's not just the romance, though. There is a dash of mystery, quite a bit of action, revenge, romance, a little bit of a supernatural element. It's a pretty complete package.

Honestly, I have no complaints where this drama is concerned. I don't give out 10s very often, I usually can be pretty pragmatic when rating dramas. But I Hear Your Voice is such a winning combination of all of my favorite things, I am hard pressed to find fault with it.

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Chilling Romance (AKA Spellbound, which is the name I found it under) easily tops my "Korean Movies You Have to Watch!" list. No really!. It blends horror elements, comedy, romance, and a decent plot to make a unique story. Reading the synopsis made me roll my eyes, but the movie cover can't be be ignored. It shows off exactly what Chilling Romance has to offer!!

Now a street magician tracking down a woman who gives off the "presence of a ghost" didn't thrill me at first. Yet, watching Lee Min Ki in just those first few moments had me hooked. This was my first time viewing anything featuring him and I loved him in the roll of the main lead, Ma Jo Goo. Thankfully the writers didn't make a standard rich brat as the male lead--though he is indeed rich and a wee bit of a brat--and Min Ki's acting is great enough to make the character even more dynamic. Of course I'm not forgetting about the other cast members. Min Ki and Ye Jin have wonderful chemistry. The romance was hilarous and quite a few times I was laughing too hard I couldn't breath! What I love the most is that Yoo Ri and Jo Goo have a pretty decent relationship and the kisses aren't awkward! Thank you for real kissing.

The remaining cast really makes this movie even more. What I love is that everyone just accepts that Yoo Ri is being haunted. Yoo Ri's girlfriends are my favorite supporting characters. The advice they give to Yoo Ri is priceless! They both think they know so much, but . . . well of course they don't!

The story kept me entertained and I never felt the annoyance about being able to predict the plot. The reason behind Yoo Ri's haunting is really interesting and as a bit of the mystery is revealed I was captivated. It was nice jumping out of my seat from being spooked, while laughing at the antics. The perfect genre blend that any K-drama viewer will love.

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I watched this drama because of the cast and the idea sounded good. I really like the actress Chae Rim and watched it because of her but by the end of the drama I became a fan of Kwon Sang Woo. The drama is good but overall it really isn't that special. I was disappointed by the story because the idea really sounds good but it just wasn't done right to me. The writers could have done better.

It's really SLOW. Like extremely slow and sometimes I found myself skipping scenes to the point that it was painful. I probably only saw 60% of the drama because of me skipping. I really wished that the story would just get to the point sometimes.

This is not saying that the drama is bad. It's not but I like fast paced dramas and this definitely wasn't one. So if your like me too then this might not be the drama for you.

The cast is good. It isn't much to say about them but I will say that I became a huge fan of Kwon Sang Woo. I loved his character and I was more invested in his relationship with Soo Ji than the main couple. Soo Ji and Yoon Ho Jae (Kwon Sang Woo) had an awesome relationship and half of me wished that they were the main couple. I felt that there story was way more interesting to see and they were the best thing about this drama.

Also it's takes the main couple a long time to actually get together, so that also contributes to why I say it's slow.

As for the rewatch value it's low for me. I do not see myself watching this drama again. I would only go back to see the moments between Soo Ji and Yoon Ho Jae.

Overall, I think if you're a fan of Chae Rim, So Ji Sub, or Kwon Sang Woo then you'll enjoy the drama. I won't say that'll you love it but I definitely think you'll enjoy it.

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Just finished watching this and first thing I have to say: WOW ! This sure is different from the usual K-dramas yet still this has all the cliches you'll find from pretty much every K-drama.

When I started watching this drama I had only one reason: Jung Jin Young from B1A4. However right from the beginning of the first episode I was really captivated by the randomness and funniness of the drama. After the first two episodes I thought "Wow, this sure is not your average K-drama".

Then when the story moved along, it started to get a little messed up at some points if you didn't pay attention to what's happening on the screen. I mean you have to look at every little detail in the show to understand its real meaning.

This drama had it all: comedy, romance, family issues, revenge, tragedy and what else?

I liked every little detail of the story and I liked how the side stories and the main story all went to one at the end of the drama. It was nice to see how things changed and how the "puzzle got solved" as the story moved along.

The ending was what I really liked. I mean the very last scenes. Some might think "What was that ending all about? I don't get it." and some might say "Was that supposed to be an ending?". To me it was the perfect ending. A new beginning. There's no other words to describe the ending.

Then, should I talk about acting? I was really mind blown by the fact that this was Jinyoung's first time acting. Okay, at the first episodes he wasn't that good but as the story moved along his acting got better and better all the time.

I really loved the way the cast portrayed their characters really well. It really showed me that they chose the right cast.

About the music... It was really good. I think this was one of the few K-dramas where there isn't any singing in the OST in the insert songs. The opening and ending had. The insert music was really captivating. If anyone has watched Utsukushii Rinjin (Japanese drama) or American show Desperate Housewives you'll know what I mean.

I wouldn't rewatch this because I already know the story. If I am going to rewatch this it would be just the first episodes or then just some random clips from here and there.

I think this is one of the dramas that you need to watch with your brains to understand the real meaning because the plot is made up from so many "pieces". That might be the only problem in the plot... Which is why I gave 8 to a plot instead of 9.

Overall, I really liked this drama. When I was reading the comments I thought "What? How can they say this is boring?". But then again, everyone has their different tastes.

I really recommend this to everyone who needs a break from the usual K-dramas.

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What started off as a fun, interesting drama became just a dull and dragging show with no real plot development after the halfway mark.

Usually while watching dramas, even if the beginning is a bit slow to pick up, as the drama gets into the second half,the plot becomes more captivating and it becomes very difficult to wait till the next episode. This is the first drama that had the opposite effect on me.
The story dragged forever for the last 5-6 episodes and whatever was the meaning for the way it ended, I was just happy that it ended.

Shin Min Ah's character follows the same pattern- from Lively and fun filled to dull and annoying. There was nothing gumiho like about her, except for those tails. Or maybe my expectations were all wrong from watching Gu Family book before, where the gumiho is the star of the show. The saving graces are the two male leads- Lee Seung Gi and No Min Woo. They keep the show from dying out. Most of the supporting cast too did a good job of keeping the humor alive.

Music was good. The songs were enjoyable and easy to recall even now.

Over all, it was a down graph for me. The story went all the over the place, sometimes in circles, sometimes at a tangent, until I wanted it to just stop.
But maybe the positives will appeal to you more- many fun filled moments in the first half, great supporting characters, nice music, and of course, Lee Seung Gi and No Min Woo.

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