2022

Review: Love Between Fairy And Devil [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show is not without its rough edges, but it works out to be more than enough slurpy fun, and more than enough of an epic love story, that I was more than happy to just roll with the stuff that didn’t grab me as much, in our story, to get to – yes – our happy ending.

Esther Yu is as cute as a button in this, which is fantastic, but it’s Dylan Wang who really shines for me, as our titular devil. He shows way more range than I’d thought he had, AND he looks amazing, in an almost surreal sort of way, through the entire journey.

My eyes; they were quite pleased. 🤩😁

Best of all, this OTP shares pretty excellent chemistry, from the bickery silly stuff, to the swoony, skinship end of the scale, and their loveline makes for a pretty great backbone to our story.

Very solidly worthwhile, in my opinion.

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Review: Love Like The Galaxy [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A gorgeously shot, epic love story that works out to be wonderfully addictive and immersive.

The entire cast is pretty great, but it’s really our leads Wu Lei and Zhao Lu Si who ground this one for me, with their nuanced portrayals of their characters, and their fantastic shared chemistry.

Show isn’t perfect, and there are some rough edges in the presented narrative, but it’s nothing some lens adjustments can’t fix (I talk more about that in a bit).

Importantly, Show knows how to serve up the romance, and make me swoon into a flailing puddle on a regular basis, and I consider that to be Show’s biggest strength. 😁

Absolutely recommend, especially if you enjoy a dose of swoony romance. ❤️

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Review: Little Women

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

There are a number of ways to approach this show: as a modern adaptation of the novel by Louisa May Alcott; as a mystery-thriller; as a dark commentary on socio-economic inequality.

However, I find it most effective to approach this one as a stylish makjang, because I feel that that’s the lens that gives me the most enjoyment, of this show.

Show is darkly atmospheric and consistently intriguing and twisty – and it’s all pretty engaging and satisfying, when viewed with a makjang lens.

Our cast is strong across the board, with our primary cast putting in great performances, but I have to confess to being most fascinated by the deliveries of Uhm Ki Joon and Uhm Ji Won, and to being most dazzled by Wi Ha Joon’s very handsome face. 🤩😁

Overall, adjustment of expectations is a must – and very worthwhile.

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Review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show takes the idea of what it would be like to have a protagonist who’s on the autism spectrum, and yet, who’s got savant-like brilliance in the law, and gives it all a wholesome, warm, almost treacly sort of shine.

Park Eun Bin is, hands-down, THE star of the show, bringing her character Young Woo to life, down to the smallest quirks and ticks. I found it worth watching this show, if only to see her excellent performance. 🤩

Show does feel more uneven in its second half than its first, and therefore the watch experience can feel a bit patchy at times.

But, Show still works out to be a pretty easy, feel-good, heartwarming sort of watch, given the right lens.

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Review: A Dream Of Splendor [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

On the upside, Show is gorgeous to look at, and features two beautiful leads in Crystal Liu and Chen Xiao.

Best of all, our leads are both strong characters in their own rights, and who also share a lot of crackly chemistry; y’know, the kind that threatens to leap off your screen and slap you in the face. 🔥

On top of that, Show is a proponent of female independence AND female friendships. How rare! 🤩

On the downside, Show loses some of that excellent dramatic tension in its second half, which can be a damper. I also didn’t jive so well with Show’s sense of humor, a lot of the time.

Still a very solid watch overall, though. Watch it for the leads, if nothing else. 😁

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Review: Alchemy Of Souls

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show works out to be a solid homage to the xianxia genre, while still managing to be its own thing.

And, as its own thing, Show manages to stick to its internal mythology, while mixing its more dramatic arcs with spots of comedy and levity, and remains interesting and engaging, all through its 20 episodes. That in itself feels like a writing coup, credit to the Hong sisters.

Our cast is generally strong and varied, and I especially enjoyed the performances by Lee Jae Wook and Jung So Min, which I thought worked to ground the emotional beats in particular.

A very enjoyable ride from start to finish, and here’s hoping that Part 2 (review here!) will remain just as good.

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Review: Shining For One Thing [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show might look like a typical high school story on the surface, but in reality, this works out to be a love story, and a pretty epic one, at that.

Less about time travel than its premise might suggest, Show is more about growing up, and learning to love both yourself and others.

And the epicness of the love story creeps up on you in the best way, so that one day, you’re just gobsmacked by how stirring that love story is, even though you didn’t see it coming.

Our leads Karlina Zhang and Qu Chu Xiao both do very well in their roles, but I have to confess that it was Qu Chu Xiao’s turn as shy steadfast boy Zhang Wansen, that really stole my heart in a big way.

More worthwhile than it might first appear.

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Review: Yumi’s Cells 2

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show is, in my opinion, a solid and worthy follow-up to Season 1, which I had found fresh and wonderful in all the right ways.

This second season, the animation and live-action mash-up still works really well, and our actors do a great job of mirroring what’s going on in their respective cell towns, with their micro-expressions.

The thing that strikes me the most, is that Show really is quite remarkable, in how relatable it is, and at the same time, how fresh it feels, too.

Through my entire watch, I felt like I could relate to so much of what Show was serving up, AND YET, at the same time, I felt like I still couldn’t quite predict where Show was going to go.

That’s the coolest thing, honestly. 🤩

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Review: Our Blues

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

An earthy, charming slice-of-life drama that manages to add up to more than the sum of its parts – even after taking into account its impressive star-studded cast, AND the gorgeous backdrop that is Jeju Island.

Show’s omnibus approach makes each character come to popping life as we delve into their story, and by the end of our journey, it feels like we’ve come to know an entire community of good people.

Our cast is excellent, all putting in performances that feel pitch-perfect and down-to-earth, and their chemistry is so natural across the board, and feels so genuine, that it’s easy to believe that these people have spent many years of their lives together.

Feels a little meandering at times, but is absolutely worthwhile.

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Flash Review: Juvenile Justice

| kfangurl

I’m actually somewhat surprised to find myself writing this review, because I almost didn’t watch this show.

I’d dipped my toe into episode 1, where Kim Hye Soo’s character states emphatically – like she does in the trailer – that she detests juvenile offenders, and somehow, that didn’t roll off my back the way it did when I watched the trailer.

I decided really quickly that this show probably wasn’t for me – and then, hours later on the same day, cautiously poked my head back in, thinking that I’d just watch a leettle more, if only to see how the first case wrapped up.

..Which is how I ended up finishing the entire show, heh. Funny how that worked out, eh?

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