I first watched the Korean remake of JIN and found it enjoyable but now that I watched the original I understand why watchers mostly prefer the Japanese one. JIN is doing everything right and I hardly have anything to complain about, beside the fact that even though it has two seasons I want more.

The main storyline is easy to summarize but interesting with mystery and suspense which makes it a good watch. I kept watching and watching and forgetting time. You get a wonderful view into the Edo period and great setting. The costumes are beautiful and overall everything looks coherent. The story isn't finished with this first season so it's understandable why it ends open. It's an end that makes you curious for the next season.

The actors were all new to me, I haven't seen any of their other works yet. They immediately got me and I now have a few more favorites on my list. For me Osawa Takao stand out as he truly is JIN, to say it with the words of a previous reviewer. I liked how much Jin fears about possibly changing the future with his actions while he's struggling with his ethics of being a doctor. This conflict is well portrayed and adds to the depth the drama has.
Saki is such a lovely character and I enjoyed the scenes with her. Ayase Haruka both perfectly captured Saki's innocence when she didn't know something and determination when it came to learning more about medicine.
The other characters and actors also left an impression and it was a joy to watch them.

In comparison to the Korean version where I mentioned that the music was sometimes out of place, the music of JIN always merged good with the scenes and is also recognizable. It's not a soundtrack I would listen to on its own but it completes the drama. Okay, screw that, I'm listening to it now... ^^'

The rewatch value of this drama is high for me. I already caught myself rewatching particular scenes and ending up watching the whole episode cause I can't stop so it's definitely not the last time I watch it. It made it straight into my favorites list.

Overall I can only recommend this drama. It's a must watch for everyone who likes any of the genres that are included in this drama or someone who knows any of the cast members. Even if you're not into medical or historical drama it's worth a try. As for me I think this drama has this certain something that you can't name but feel it's there.

Leia Mais

I still don't think the drama deserved the hate it received right from the beginning. How people could go and judge it after 4 aired episodes is beyond me. So I'll try to give this constructive criticism, because I don't say that this drama is a masterpiece when it isn't.

After the first 4 episodes I had a blank mind, couldn't say if I liked or disliked the drama. I didn't feel bored, nor excited.
It's the same after I completed it, just that my head is now full of thoughts about all the questions that were left unanswered. I won't go into detail but if you like your drama end to tie all loose ends, look elsewhere because the writer left us with lots of empty room for interpretation.

What's positive about the story is the setting and the idea itself. I found it interesting and still think it could make a good drama. Sadly, as the drama kept going it only got more confusing. There were some moments when I wasn't sure if I missed something or the scriptwriter herself got more and more confused with all this traveling between worlds.
It might have been better to keep it more simple but that's not how it is. And yes I have to admit there are some filler scenes that we could do without and plot holes throughout the drama. But just as much plot holes there are product placements which personally I find just as distracting and annoying.
Bottles with coffee, chicken, food delivery service, beauty products, bakeries, car brands and more. The most annoying for me was the coffee and beauty stuff. More than once it looked like I had accidentally turned the teleshopping channel on. No joke. We even get praising lines with this products telling us how good it tastes or an explanation how to use the beauty product. This might be allowed but it's definitely not what I want to see in a drama. Sponsoring is okay and important, I get it, but please don't shove those products in our faces like that and mess up the flow and logic of the story with them. There were nice scenes that lost its meaning when another product popped up and stole the attention. There are way more subtle ways to do this...

The whole cast did a great job and the acting was really good. If anything I would blame the scriptwriter that made the female lead cry so often and not the actress for having to follow the script. It was my first drama with Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho and I liked them both a lot. Woo Do Hwan was the only one I knew from the cast/who was already among my favorites before this drama and he once again showed how good he can portray different personality types. I enjoyed every scene with him the most. I would wish for more scenes with him and Kim Yong Ji who also left a good impression. ^^ I liked the acting of Jung Eun Chae and Lee Jung Jin. Sadly their characters kept staying pretty much in the dark.

The OST is good, probably not going to be a favorite of mine but it's fitting the scenes of the drama and also nice to listen to on it's own.

As for the rewatch value. Chances I'm gonna rewatch this drama are pretty slim. Maybe a few scenes, mostly from the first couple of episodes when the traveling still caused funny scenes and didn't turn into a who's who.

I recommend everyone to go and see for themselves if this drama is to their liking or not. As I said, it received a lot of hate and I think not all of it was fair and appropriate so go and decide for yourself. Maybe this is your next favorite?
For me it was decent despite flaws in the writing and how the story progressed. I don't regret watching it.

Leia Mais

- I tried to keep this review spoiler-free and I think I did. Be assured you won't find major spoilers (probably not even minor ones) in here and I didn't use names when referring to someone with more details of what I liked/disliked but the term "character". -

This was at least for one year in my plan to watch list and many times I thought of dropping it before I even started but recently it caught my eye and was also recommended to me so I went for it.
First of all: I don't regret watching it, but I also need to say that there were times (and those came pretty early at episode 10) when I thought I would drop it.

The story is confusing. The viewer is thrown into a fantasy world without any explanation and we see a girl in disguise becoming a disciple in Kunlun under the master Mo Yuan. Once you get into this setting, it's already over and you're thrown into a new setting. Actually the mortal world (setting for story arc 2) was my favorite even though it didn't last long. It seemed like the only peaceful setting where the main leads Ye Hua and Su Su were together in harmony.
But too soon this arc ends as well and the drama rises again. In my opinion the genre "Melodrama" needs to be first because the story is full of it and that's what annoyed me the most. We have a lot of scheming, woman acting like furies (probably because they didn't get what they wanted, even though they were pretty spoiled by everyone) and a female lead that I personally wouldn't call strong but ruthless. Sure, we do get an explanation for her rather cold behavior towards her son but still, the barely existing care she shows for him does leave a negative feeling. I also struggle with getting in my head that even though one character was known to be a traitor it didn't have any immediate consequences, the character even rose in status and survived while keep harming others and lying to oneself. So what if everyone despised this character when it didn't have any negative effect on said character? Others who didn't commit such big crimes received heavier punishments which is absolutely not logical to me.

The acting wasn't bad. I do like the cast, just some of the characters are a pain to watch. Actually I ended up, enjoying the scenes of the secondary couples more than those of the main one. Characters like Li Jing, Dong Hua, Feng Jiu, Si Ming and Yan Zhi made this watch much more enjoyable. Maybe it's just me, but I also feel like some characters wore the same expression throughout the drama and only switched here and there to a pouty face or something else but we didn't get to see many facets, which I doubt is the actors fault (after seeing BTS stuff) but more the scripts because they were supposed to be like this.

The music on the other hand is absolutely nice and I do like it. I listen to the OST on its own which I only do with soundtracks that I really like. I just wish they would've blended them nicer as the change of background music in the drama is rather odd in some scenes. The first tune (a melodious but rather sad tune) ends and right after that a lively/cheerful tune is playing. The scene was supposed to be funny and awkward but the sudden change of mood felt too abrupt and forced, so it would've been better to either have a different tune that makes the change smoother or blend them.

The drama itself wouldn't have a rewatch value for me if it wasn't for the side couples and characters I ended up loving.
I like the male lead but the female lead sort of destroyed the relationship for me in the third arc, I liked her best as Su Su because that was when she was friendly and caring. Later she seemed mostly concerned about herself and mistreating others in the process.

Overall I'm disappointed that some storylines and characters just went into nothing. We don't really get to see what happens to them and how their story continues but I'm not really looking forward to watch a long sequel to find out. I found myself unable to like some characters and was annoyed by them. At some point the constant whining and scheming out of "revenge" or other motives was too much and I found myself not caring at all about their monologues. It made the story draggy and I think the drama could've done better with a less amount of episodes.
I do understand why people like the drama but also why the dropped ratings are so low in comparison. Without the things I liked my rating would've been similar.
I recommend to give this drama a try but not to force yourself to keep watching if you don't enjoy it and just drop it instead. I enjoyed some characters which made it worth watching, but I definitely could've lived without some so when I rewatch, I'll skip a ton of scenes.

Leia Mais

Had higher expectations

I wish I could give this movie a higher rating but for me this story felt flat. Sure, the overall action is thrilling but at the same time so unrealistic for me that I couldn't help but wonder how it would work out in real life. I won't go into detail but some things the protagonists did seemed quite impossible.
Also the clichés:
- a powerful speech to let everyone know how grave the situation is, check
- heroic acts, check
- drama with lots of crying, check
I really love Zhu Yi Long's acting and he did well, same for the overall cast. It was the writing that just didn't work for me.
I almost liked the movie for one hour, then they ruined it with a foreseeable event that just left me disappointed.
If you don't care about the story though, go watch it for the landscape shots because those are really breathtakingly beautiful.

Leia Mais

The Horrors of War with Flowers in the Midst

Usually I don't watch anything with the topic war because I know I struggle to stomach it and will not be able to get over it anytime soon. What made me go for this movie was the hope it might not end with tragedy after reading some comments outside of MDL about it. (No spoilers about it here)

I recommend this movie with caution because it's not for everyone. If you're sensitive to war topics, cruelty, rape and violence you might be better off by skipping this or watch it in two sessions instead of all at once. (I fast forwarded a few of the gun shooting and pursuit scenes.)

This movie does not cover up the ugly, but shows with very distressful images the characters fear and feel of hopelessness. For example the young girls running from a superiority of Japanese soldiers who wanna catch them alive, you may guess why. In chaos of war not everyone comes out unscathed.

The message of the movie is worth it though as it not only shows the worst in war but also the good. How people gather to help each other, take risks and grow with the challenge.

I liked the movie. I can't say I enjoyed it, because I do not "enjoy" watching violent topics but the movie is well-written and produced. Give it a chance if you consider watching it.

Leia Mais

Unpopular opinion ahead

I watched this movie on local TV (meaning it was dubbed) and thought I share my (unpopular) opinion about it.
While I agree with the majority saying it's a good movie I can't say I enjoyed it much.
Maybe because the style of the director is not my cup of tea. Maybe because I find the things that happened throughout the movie a little bit too much on the disturbing side. I know what I signed up for but the overall feeling of the movie is tense and there is no happiness at all. It does contain a deeper meaning though so the violence comes with a plot. Otherwise I would not have watched it.

The story is focused on the main protagonist Gang Do who visits debtors to collect the money and if they don't pay, beats them up, threatens them or even goes beyond that. Mi Sun, the mysterious woman who claims to be his mother seems to be calm and gentle and despite his aggression and violent behavior stays by his side. The whole story has a plot twist though because Mi Sun carries a dark secret.
The cast does a good job. For me Jo Min Soo stood out the most as Mi Sun but Lee Jung Jin could also portray Gang Do believable.

I didn't pay attention to the music so I can't say anything about it.

Rewatch value is low. I do recommend watching the movie once, for the messages it contains and because it makes you think but one watch is enough for me.

Leia Mais

One of the best dramas of 2020

I chose to watch this because it looked pleasantly different from "mainstream" dramas and fulfilled that expectation.
Birthcare Center is indeed a breath of fresh air and stands out with an extremely talented cast and good production.
This drama manages to tell an interesting story full of humor, moral and doubts with eclectic characters in just 8 episodes. Best is, you can relate to the characters even when you're not a mother yourself.

The story is what draw me in. I found it intriguing to watch a drama about a first-time mother who has no clue about childcare and seems lost in this new world. The first episode is about the pregnancy and birth (non-graphic) and was filled with such great humor that I ended up laughing so hard at most of it and was immediately hooked. Later there were also touching moments that made me cry because I felt for the characters and I was fully into the story by episode 3 and just binge watching it to the end. Definitely worth watching.

The cast is well chosen. Each actress or actor nails the performance of their character and I wouldn't dare to say one stood out. They are equally talented and it's one of those dramas where you have so many interesting characters with so many layers that you just wanna know more about them. Even though this drama is rather short with only 8 episodes, each main character got the chance to shine and shine they did.

I like the OST a lot. It has quite catchy melodies such as SAAY with the song "Hey Mama" and more calming tones in "Beautiful Destiny" by Sohyang and "Revive My Time" by Jayins. Worth listening to on its own.

Birthcare Center has many reasons for rewatching:
- Storyline that does not get boring because it has so many facets (aka amazing script)
- Characters that grow to you
- Outstanding females (characters and actresses)
- Some of the funniest scenes I have ever seen
- Character growth and healing
- Melodrama that is comprehensible and well written
- length of drama is pretty convenient for rewatching

My advise: Give this drama a try. It's a gem!

Leia Mais

A great special episode

This Code Blue Special connects the first Season of Code Blue with Season 2.

It tells the story of the first Season further so I highly recommend to watch Season 1 first as this is not a stand-alone movie.
After the happenings of Season 1 the four interns return to the hospital and are called to a derailed train with lots of injured. There's one scene with a young boy that even I (who is used to watching medical dramas/movies) find quite intense.
I won't give away anything else but I enjoyed this story very much because we get to see a character growth of the interns if you compare the early episodes of Season 1 with this Special.

The cast is the same as in Season 1 and does a really good job.
The music is not changed in this Special which I personally appreciate as I find the OST totally fitting.

Rewatch value is high because I like the cast and story a lot.

Overall I enjoy this series a lot and recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good medical drama. With 3 Seasons and Specials there's a lot of things to keep you entertained.

Leia Mais

Expected more of it

This drama is short and okay. It gave me similar vibes as I'm a Pet at Dali Temple because both female leads turn into a cat and go on a search for magical jade pieces.

The story is good but I wonder why the scriptwriters found it necessary to have a character like Chu Chu.
Her background might be interesting in the future but in the first season she's just an annoyance.
Chu's the stereotype of a female who can't accept that the guy is not returning her love and acts immature and sulky every time she gets turned down. One might think that being rejected multiple times would finally make it go "click" in that nice head of hers but no, she just keeps humiliating herself and throwing away her pride by chasing the male like she's in heat. I mean no offense just that I prefer female characters who are strong and independent, but she's everything but that and I can't identify with this.
The female lead is better but the constant misunderstandings and lack of honest communication or replying at all (isn't it great when party 1 asks for an explanation before jumping to conclusions and party 2 just stubbornly stays silent and let the misunderstanding even arise in the first place?) is frustrating.
I admit the way they make up is cute but I think a bit less "hot then cold and yes then no" would do the drama good.

Acting is good, maybe a tiny bit overacted at some parts but overall okay and bearable.
I like the cast and chemistry that you can see by the little extra scenes after each episode.

The music fits the drama and is nice. Not a symphonic masterpiece of art but right for the drama with an upbeat tune in the opening for example.

Rewatch value is pretty low because I find nothing that would make me interested enough to go for a rewatch. Watching this once is enough for me. Overall I think the drama is okay, not comparable to high budget productions but doing good enough for a drama to introduce actors and make audience interesting in watching more of them. I'll watch season 2 and see if the story and character develop.

Leia Mais

Why not a 10?

First of all, I love this drama.
It has everything I cherish and want in a drama. Good cast, interesting story, balanced mix of genres and a catchy OST comes as a bonus.
Then why not a 10 rating? Let me try to explain (without much spoilers).

I had trouble getting into the story. It was a mixture of something in the past and the present and by the first couple of episodes I was lost with a lot of questions. They got answered but the beginning was still a bit of a struggle.
Things get revealed and the pace of that happening is good, well until the end. I think they rushed it a bit too much. We get to see the couple and hints for the other characters, telling us how their life might continue but it didn't feel enough.
I guess I was simply not ready to let go yet and by the second last episode I felt ready for a big coup, what I've got was a few minutes long and just didn't do the story justice.

The acting was really good and there's nothing to complain about since we're talking about well-known actors here who were part of many dramas. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young and with Yoo Ji Tae. Kim Mi Kyung is a goddess, she made it to my top favorites within a couple minutes. xD
But also the support characters stood out. Gosh, Jung Gyoo Soo gave his character a creepy aura while Park Sang Myun and Woo Hyun were such a heartwarming and funny duo.

I still have the theme song of the drama in my mind. The OST is really catchy.

Rewatch value for me is middle. I probably won't come back to watch the whole thing but I surely want to rewatch the cute couple moments, action scenes and funny moments.

Overall I enjoyed the drama and just think they could've done better at the beginning and end. Maybe give the end a whole episode and not just like 10 minutes to wrap everything up. Then it would've been perfect.
I certainly recommend it though.

Leia Mais

I watched this without expecting too much because of many disappointed people who watched it before me and just like them I still watched it because of Ji Chang Wook and the synopsis didn't sound bad.
Soon I was proven right to not expect anything as the beginning was dragging already. We get a lot of insight into the life of the main leads which is not that interesting.
Then when the experiment goes all wrong and they wake up 20 years later you might think now it's picking up pace but instead we see overacted (fake) drama and comedy. The side characters are annoying, especially Ma Dong Chan's family and the female lead's ex yet they get a lot of screen time which is a waste. The funniest parts were those with Ma Seo Yoon (Ma Dong Chan's niece) or the female lead's brother which became my favorite characters beside the professor's aide. The main couple lacks chemistry in my opinion which was the least thing I could care about.
The worst was the draggy story with lots of unnecessary side and cliché plots. I was able to predict the end in detail because it was also cliché. They tried making the end exciting yet it only left a lame impression.
I feel sorry for the cast because I think they can do so much better and I don't blame them, but the script. Have nothing to say about the music as I can't even remember it so it surely wasn't outstanding. For me there's zero rewatch value, as it has more negative aspects than good ones.
So to make it short, I would recommend not to bother and go watch something else.

Leia Mais

Cold War is a good crime, thriller movie with an excellent cast. Something I appreciate is that Cold War does not include one action scene after the other, yes we do get explosions and action but they are not dominating the whole movie to cover a mediocre story underneath. Instead the focus is more on the hostage situation and the lingering danger of dealing with a criminal who knows about intern police procedures. This makes the movie one full of suspense and worth listening to the actual dialogues and pay attention to the story. Personally I would have preferred a different end though. I would recommend it to fans of thrillers with a good story and cast.

Leia Mais

I'm gonna miss this cast

That was my first thought after finishing this season.

I liked the previous casts and adaptions, but to be honest I think I liked this cast the most.
In my opinion the drama picked up pace in the second season and we get to see a nice additional character (I fell for the sassy Dao Fu).
Previously supporting characters become main characters which I appreciated a lot as I love this drama for its characters and the teamwork.

The second season continues the story where Season 1 left it. Wu Xie prepares to go search for Thunder City and gathers people to build a team. Now I mentioned in the last review for the previous season that the drama is one of the victims of Chinese censorship and this applies also to this season but overall I think it did get out of it better.
There's one plot hole that is quite obvious and also a bit annoying when you tend to dwell on stuff like that but it does not lead to any lasting consequences which is good enough for me.

The Horror genre misses here for a good reason. Aside from some flashbacks to season 1 in the first three episodes we rarely get to see something scary and the few things are easy to deal with even when you're not into stuff like this.
I liked how the story progressed and I think it wrapped up in a satisfying way. The end is not rushed and well chosen.

The cast stays mostly the same, a few characters go and a few become more important in this season. The acting is good, no complains on my side.

The OST is the same as in the previous season which is totally okay as I really like the songs a lot.

Rewatch value is middle to high. The mystery part is solved once the drama is completed but I would rewatch for the interactions of characters anyway so it would not spoil the fun in a rewatch.

For me this drama was a solid production, not entirely flawless (hence not a 10 rating) but well written and produced with a well-chosen cast. Can definitely recommend.

Leia Mais

Two of my favorite actors in one drama? Count me in!
That's what I thought when I saw the cast list with Woo Do Hwan and Yang Se Jong on it and I wasn't disappointed.
Having seen them in Mad Dog and Duel before and knew they are talented and aspiring actors.
I was happy though to see that all of the cast were doing a perfect job. I was drawn into this drama instantly.
My review probably won't do this great drama justice but I want to try nonetheless.

The synopsis tells everything you need to know at the beginning. The best friends Seo Hwi and Nam Sun Ho both strive for a "better" country. Each with different dreams and values as they struggle with their current perspective of life.
But wanting to make a change in the governance of the country means you'll get in the middle of power struggles and will have to bear the consequences...
The story itself is full with said power struggles so you'll get to see a war in the first few episodes and more fights later on throughout the drama and in the middle of them, our male leads.
They get hurt a lot and I read comments saying it was being illogical that they get out alive all the time.
Have I thought that some injuries were life threatening? Yes. Did I mind when they still turned out to be okay? Not at all.
Simply because that's what I wanted to see anyway and it never got to the point of being obviously unrealistic. In fact, it would've been strange to see a lot of sword fights and the leads coming out completely unscathed.
Anyway the story is clear. The tags of War, Power Struggle and the genre Tragedy are there for a reason.
Actually none of them could be considered my favorite thing to watch. Quite the opposite.
Which is probably why I took a break after the half of the drama as it got pretty intense and a bit too much for me even though I loved it, I craved for something more lighthearted in between.
But when I picked it up again I finished it in a couple of days and binge watched it. There is romance in this drama, actually more than one pairing (no love triangle) and I adored each one of them.

The cast is awesome and their acting superb. I came for Woo Do Hwan and Yang Se Jong and stayed for all of them.
I cheered for couples, enjoyed the playful banter between friends and comrades and watched with curiosity the dialogues between those who fought for power.
Specially Kim Seol Hyun was a joy to watch. She's playing a smart and strong female that grow in the progress of the story. I loved the scenes with her. Also the supporting characters. I grew fond of quite a lot which makes it hard to say goodbye to this drama. I'll be back for a rewatch for sure!

The music is a gem for the ears. The first time I heard the melodies I fell for it and got the OST for my playlist.
It fits the drama perfectly but can also be listened to on its own. There are calm tunes and epic ones, you'll have to check it out.

The rewatch value for me is high. I enjoyed the emotions this drama showed, the cast, the acting, the story and how the characters developed. I'm not claiming it's perfect as tastes differ, but I really love it and can only advise you to give it a go when you consider watching it.

Leia Mais

I've seen Choi Tae Joon in Suspicious Partner and loved him in the drama so seeing he was playing the main role in this short drama I decided to give it a try.

Sure, you can't put much depth and character grow in a drama with 6 episodes each only 13 minutes long but it surprisingly entertained me. There is a bit of humor, which is actually nice and not cliché and has some sweet moments.
I liked the main characters immediately and don't mind the side characters much.
There's no use in going into depth and asking for motives here, because there's no way we can expect that in such a short running time. That's why I also don't mind the plot holes. I guess such a short watch is bound to leave open questions so it's not like I expected anything else.

There have been movies and more on the subject of robots and emotions and even if they started promising I haven't seen one that gave a satisfying answer so far. Maybe this drama could've gone deeper into this subject if it was a full drama with 16 episodes and a longer runtime per episode. It surely does have the potential for that and would be interesting. Anyway, I like the short drama for what it is. A nice watch with a good cast and likeable characters.

If you just look for something decent/nice in between and like Choi Tae Joon then you should go for it.

Leia Mais