Chinese version of The Holiday

I loved Ying Zhen in Love Me if You Dare, and I loved him here as well. He's got that nice guy next door quality about him. For me, he was the high point of this movie. Well, and the ending was very fairy tale sweet as well.

As for the rest, one of the female leads spent all her time yelling, the other one spent all of her time being self-absorbed. The "poor" FL seemed very immature and looked like she was about 12. She was loud and it was dubbed by the same woman that seems to do all the Chinese dubbing (baby voice, high pitched, irritating). The "rich" FL thought that every guy should fall all over her, and I just couldn't like her.

Plus, everyone seemed like they were overacting in this. It was cringy.

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Such fun!

If you want to take a break for heavier drama fare, this is a great watch! It was laugh out loud funny in numerous places and had a cast of lovable characters.

It's a story about love, a love that is based on the person inside, not the outward appearance. Hae Joo (Shin Min Ah is wonderful, as usual. She is just gorgeous as well) and Dong Geum (Ryu Seung Beom - lovely to watch. He's great at physical comedy and his expressions are priceless!) are in love. He is her eyes, basically, as she is blind. I loved the scenes of him describing things to her. She is having eye surgery to regain her eyesight, and Dong Geum feels that he isn't attractive enough for her, so he decides to bow out of the relationship. He makes excuse after excuse to stay away from her and policeman Jun Ha enters the picture (Kim Kang Woo was terrific and one of the most well-written SMLs that I've seen), trying to win her love. Dong Geum takes up with Do Shik (Ahn Kil Kang - he was hysterical in this !), and Do Shik keeps trying to help Dong Geum kill Jun Ha off.

This was a movie that absolutely didn't take itself too seriously and I enjoyed the whole thing. I found myself smiling and laughing through the whole thing.

The music in the jazz club was excellent, as well.

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I shouldn't have watched it alone!

This movie was, for me, surprisingly good. The film quality isn't fabulous, it's an older movie, and you need to make sure that the room that you are watching it in is dark, because this film has a lot of dark scenes that are hard to see.

Story/script: SPOILERS! Overall, it was good, but a couple of glaring things stuck out to me. First, her guide dog had to be the worst guide dog ever. She walked her out into the middle of an intersection with cars coming! THEN, the dog left her when she got off the train. Granted, the dog did come back to try to protect Soo Ah, and then died?!?!?! I know it was necessary to the story about "I lose everyone I love" but come on! Thankfully I knew about this ahead of time, so I was somewhat prepared, but then to kill off the inspector?!?! Couldn't the writer just have him be wounded? I was hoping he'd show up at her graduation and was so disappointed. Another thing that irritated me, her burning herself while cooking, and spilling things all over the place. She'd been blind for three years; it seems she would have adapted better than this. I felt that the writers were trying to show us how "weak" she was because of her disability. It didn't ring true to me. That being said, the tension in this movie was real, lots of sudden camera shots that had me jumping in surprise.

Acting: I love all of the actors that were in this and felt they did a good job.

The ending scenes were sweet, showing that she had someone else in her life to care about her.

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It needed some emotion!

SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
This movie felt to me like they edited out the scenes that would have made the movie make sense, any scene that included any time of emotional development between the characters.

Yamashita Tomohisa as teacher Sakurai Haruka - he kept all the crazy girls at bay, and falls in love with a girl that has no emotions whatsoever? They've never had a conversation with one another, but he loves her? He's gorgeous, that's all I got from him.

Komatsu Nana as Kururugi Yuni - she was the most immature, mature young lady ever. She hates him but she loves him? She's never shown any emotion at all, yet she's going to confess in front of the whole class? Did she love him because he talked to her about English? What's the attraction!?!? This character was the epitome of robotic. They might have been portraying her to be on the spectrum, but if so, this movie would have been so much better if they had addressed it. I think it might have been to show that only he saw her "inner emotions" because she clenched her fists. She's beautiful, that's all I got from her.

Don't even get me started about how, even though they have never been on a date, he wants to marry her.

I did like how the evil troublemaker was one of the teachers and not one of the kids, though why there always has to be an evil troublemaker, I have no idea.

I would have enjoyed it, I think, if we were given any insight into why they loved each other.

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Unnecessarily draggy

I felt that this show dragged on needlessly. I don't think it's a rule that a certain number of episodes are required, so why not get a good editor and cut all the unnecessary stuff out? Just sayin'. I also found myself rooting for the second male lead, rather than the lead. He was a lovely person, and always wanted what was best for her. The male lead was a little too one-dimensional for me. So many side stories I was having difficulties keeping up with the names, that all sound alike. It was a pretty good show to watch, but I don't feel the need to watch it again, which, to me, is a sign of a show worthy of a 9-10.

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The Fabulous...NOT!

Let's start with what I liked:
The friendship between the four main characters was very special. They were each in a different area of the fashion industry. They'd been friends for years and were totally there for each other. Every time one of them needed something or was having a bad day, the others were there. It was a case of, "I can trash talk my best friends all I want, but if you don't treat them right, I'll cut you!"
Chae Soo Bin as Pyo Ji Eun - I love this actress. She is just precious. However, she spent the entire show running from one emergency to another.
Lee Sung Woon as Joseph - I loved him and the character he played. Kind of a genius with self-esteem problems. I loved his interactions with his assistant as well, she did most of the talking to others when he went inside his shell. They'd worked together for a long time and were supportive of each other.
Park Hee Jung as Ye Seon Ho (supermodel) - cold stare, bad attitude, with a strong sense of justice for herself and others. When she stuck up for the younger models, loved it.
I was SO glad this didn't have more episodes. Each episode that I finished, I was ticking it off in my head, anxious to be finished with it.
Happy ending, though it was very lackluster.

That's it. Now, for the things I didn't care for:
Choi Min Ho as Ji Woo Min. I've seen him in other roles, and he was okay, but as the romantic lead here, he left a lot to be desired. I didn't root for him as the lead, he just didn't have enough presence. He did a lot of staring at the FL - were they supposed to be longing looks? He always dropped everything when she needed something, which she didn't really appreciate.
Script. This was a show with ADHD. Too many characters, most of them not likeable. Characters yelling at one another constantly. Was that supposed to relay the stress of working in the fashion industry? Someone was ALWAYS yelling at someone else. Some funny parts, and then it would turn serious. What did it want to be? What was the purpose of Shim Do Young's storyline? He showed up periodically, borderline creepy, and did nothing to advance the story.
Romance. What romance? We got flashbacks of the couple in their happier days. Why did they break up? She had had boyfriend/boyfriends after their breakup, which might be realistic, but, for me, it lessens the bond between the leads, and here, it made her seem very indecisive. I didn't think these two had ANY chemistry with one another. They were great as friends, but nothing more.

I love seeing good stories about friendships, and I did like that aspect of this show, but not much more than that.

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Beautiful story

I just finished watching this movie for the second time and it was wonderful. I felt kind of like I was a voyeur into their lives. I normally don't care for films that are dark in appearance, but I really appreciated how the cinematographer used a lot of dim lighting, as well as rain and overcast days throughout most of the movie, until after her surgery. I also really liked the close-up work on the actors' faces, it almost gave the feel that we were visually impaired and had to get close to see. At the beginning, I loved how the camera work showed the ML watching for the FL. No words, just us seeing what he was looking at, looking at the doorway, watching the driveway.

Acting/characterizations:
So Ji Sub as Jang Chul Min. I'm a big fan of this actor, and I thought he played this character very well. The darkness, sadness and loneliness of his life were almost palpable. It seemed like he was in sort of a self-imposed hell. When she came along, it was as if, first he didn't know what to make of her, and I felt that brief moment of him trying to decide whether to open up to the lightness of the FL. Chul Min was a troubled soul, but so caring. Once he committed to her, he was all in.
Han Hyo Joo as Ha Jung Hwa. She was terrific! I would imagine it would be very difficult to play a blind person, but she nailed it. Her character was so refreshing. Brilliant smiles, a happy and playful personality despite her difficulties. I really liked her speech pattern when she was getting to know him - she spoke quickly, almost shooting out questions abruptly. There was no artifice to her, you knew what she felt at every moment.

Chemistry:
Their chemistry was very sweet. They moved naturally from strangers to lovers. It was like they had been waiting for one another for their whole lives, and now that they'd found each other, they weren't wasting any time. We were on their journey with them, their voyage of discovery.

Fight scenes:
Well done, very hard to watch. Him getting pulled back into that life was sad, even if it was for a good reason. That said, him exercising shirtless was worth the price of admission! That man is ripped!

Ending:
Oh, my goodness, when they cross paths again, my heart broke for him. Him not talking so she wouldn't recognize him, he was back to his cold and lonely life, and it was painful to see him resigning himself to his old life. However, there is a happy ending, though it's too brief. I don't know why the endings of Korean dramas are so rushed.

Bottom line:
If I had to sum up this film in one word, I'd have to say "comforting".

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For GOT7 fans

The premise was very cute, but I struggled so much with the less-than-mediocre acting, I couldn't get past that. The production value wasn't that great, but then when you realize it's from eight years ago, I guess you have to cut it some slack. The music was good, as you'd expect it to be. The ending, hm, I think it ended the way it had to, but I didn't care for it. This is a good show to watch if you need some fantasy, good music, and are tolerant of mediocre acting. It's pretty fluffy. By no means memorable, I watched it two days ago and it's already left my mind.

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So cute!

I started watching this show because the title grabbed me. And Yamada Ryosuke as Maruya Kusake is uber-cute! The way he looked at Sanada was so lovely, it really gave me all the feels.

The story was very sweet and original in a lot of ways. I appreciate that there weren't a lot of evil people/bad guys. The sales team and the way they worked together, we should all hope to have such supportive co-workers. The character of Maruya Kusake - I think he was supposed to be a narcissist at the beginning, but even early on he was a charmer. You just have to smile when he smiles. He has such an expressive face, and the script called for lots of random facial expressions, which he pulled off effortlessly. There were a lot of times I had to laugh out loud watching him.

I have to say that I felt that that character of Sanada Izumi was the weak link of this show. There's expressionless, and then there's robotic. This character was robotic - from the way she walked, the way she talked, and she seriously had no facial expression. There was one time she broke out a full-on smile and I was glad to see it.

Ohashi Kazuya as Ichinose Kei. I really enjoyed him and his (I'm hoping) intentional overacting. He was loud, emotional and a ton of fun to watch.

The storyline was very sweet. It was a fun and easy watch. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, but it's a little open to interpretation, so I choose to go the happy ending route.

If you want a cute romantic comedy, you can't go wrong with this one!

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I found it difficult to suspend disbelief enough to believe that her parents would let her stay by herself to go to school, with Kugayama Shusei living right next door. THEN, there wasn't any build up to their relationship, it was suddenly just there. The main couple was cute together, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them. Poor excuses for kisses, they just looked so fake and awkward. The yelling of the male actors was irritating, it just looks like overacting. Sexism is alive and well in Japanese dramas - the male rating the female on a scale of 1-100, talking to everyone about her looks and lack of boobs - not cool.

Yamazaki Kento as Kugayama Shusei was good. He's got that quiet, deep-thinking thing going on. He was the high point of this movie for me.

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Reinventing yourself

This was a sweet movie about getting up again after you fall (or when someone trips you). The FL has had some career difficulties and changed careers from singer to radio show host. When the radio show begins to have difficulties, you think that the poor girl is living under a black cloud. I really liked her personality, even with everything she'd been through, she maintained an open and positive attitude. People around her liked her and were rooting for her.

A new producer comes on board and challenges her, and she remains her spunky self. Sparks fly, but I would not call this movie a romance. That's not the focus. This is more a movie about staying true to yourself, having support of good friends and family, rising beyond your troubles, and going after your dreams.

There are some very touching stories of people that come on the radio to share thoughts with the ones they love. I cried more than once, I'll have to admit.

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I love Jung Il Woo, but his character was not very nice. Lots of yelling going on in this show - he definitely has anger issues. Early on in the series she knew that she liked him, but was in denial? She kept pushing him away, even after he got over himself and confessed. I liked the short episodes, but that meant that the editing was kind of choppy and some scenes weren't played out to their conclusion, for example at the dance club when he was trying to make her jealous. There were times when I thought, "Of course she doesn't like you, you're a jerk!" But then other times he was vulnerable and I would forgive him anything! The scene where he was supposedly crying wasn't played right, it seemed more like a funny scene, and I don't think they meant it to be that way. And to the costume designers, what the heck was with all the outfits with him wearing shorts?!?! A pink striped suit with shorts. A dress shirt, trench coat and shorts. It was a ridiculous look every time.

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It's not too often I wish something to be LONGER!

At just over 28 minutes, this web drama is very cute and sweet. I liked all of the actors. I love the SML and that's what brought me here, but the leads were so cute together, which kind of creeped me out initially, but then once everything was explained, I was like, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense!"

SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!
Bottom line, he's not her son from the future, he's her husband. He is dying and he wants to save her the pain of going through losing him, so he tries to fix her up with someone else. But fate or destiny is not to be trifled with, you will meet the person you are supposed to be with.

They never explained how he could come from the future, but I guess that doesn't really matter. I would like to think that they were able to change something so that he doesn't die, but who knows?
END OF SPOILER.

Cute, quick movie.

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Family life

It our fate already decided, or do we have the power to change it? That is what this drama tackles.

This was billed as a romance, and there was some, but it took a backseat to the family dynamics. That's not necessarily a bad thing. A story about a blended family, with a kind of "us against the world" view. The older brother basically gives up his life to raise his siblings (this actor and his overacting were my only problem with the actors). His unhappiness is palpable, as is his frustration with trying to get the youngest sibling to agree to go to university. You can sense the love that each family member has for the other.

I wasn't, however, fully on board for the romance. Nanao seemed SO much older than Sota, so Sota often seemed like a puppy dog around her. I also felt that the fact that they were in love but had been raised as siblings was glossed over. No one seemed to have a problem with it.

Fukushi Sota as Mikoto was sweet and endearing. The weight he felt by having the "power" he had was interesting. To know someone's destiny and not know how to change it would be so scary and frustrating. Nanao as Sara was beautiful, but again, I felt she was too old for this role. Yokohama Ryusei as Ai - he's a very charismatic actor and I struggled to remember that he was not the lead in the show.

So, all in all, it wasn't a bad show. I actually liked the pacing of it, slow and strangely calming.

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Pretty good coming-of-age story

I struggled at the beginning as I usually do with Chinese dramas - I hate the dubbing, the writing can be awkward, and the acting can be mediocre. Added to that, I didn't care for the character of Su Can Can - why do they tend to make the FL appear stupid and/or inept so often? She's bad at school, she manipulates her desk mate, she has no immune system, apparently, because if she got even a hint of a chill, she got sick, oh, and HOW MANY TIMES did she sprain her ankle?!?! That's it, I'm finished with my rant.

Once I got a few episodes in, I just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed. This was a quiet show that you can settle into. There are no evil characters, just one (in my opinion) sightly irritating character, no bullying per se, and the friendships are lovely. This show also has the advantage that it takes place over a 10-year period, so we got to see long past high school. We saw the growth in each character that was realistic. For the most part, I think I could have been friends with them.

My favorite part of this show was Zhao Yi Qin as Lian Tian Ye. Typical tsundere character with kind of a bad boy vibe, he was quiet and caring, and there was never any vacillating with him. He knew who he cared about, and nothing was going to change that. He had an intense look about him that drew me in.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS:
Opportunities missed - he always saved the wrappers from the candies that she gave him. I thought that would be addressed, but maybe it ended up on the cutting room floor.
When he came back from America after she graduated - I thought that would have been much more effective if it had all been in her imagination.
Her keys falling in the grate that her ring had fallen into - was there supposed to be a tie-in?
END POTENTIAL SPOILERS.

All-in-all, I enjoyed this drama. I can't say that it was absolutely one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it and was glad I watched it. The ending was good and got me choked up a bit.

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