An Absolute Masterpiece

This drama will make you laugh, this drama will make you cry, this drama will teach you about life, this drama will give you hope, and this drama will give you happiness.

Overall thinking:
As my title says, this is an absolute masterpiece. But there are so many masterpieces out there and people claim this word rather very easily nowadays. So, what is so special about the drama? Some others say a lot of adjectives like Heartwarming, Healing, Therapeutic, Soothing, great acting, etc. All these words perfectly describe this drama, but here I would say my own word to describe this drama, it is UNIQUENESS. There are so many healing, heartwarming, slow-burn dramas out there. Still, the drama makes itself unique from others (will explain later).
The drama shows its sublimity in every department- Cinematography, Script, Location, Story, Casting, Acting, and Music. Everything is to absolute perfection. This is a drama where the main story is very simple. You almost know where the main story is going. But here the end result does not matter at all. It’s the journey how you go there is what is important here. The drama is the mix of stories of the female lead, male lead, and other 5-6 supporting leads (and many other characters) to find themselves. The characters are very much realistic. The characters actually mirror regular people like us. Just like regular people, the characters are not perfect. They have a lot of issues, but they don't know the answers yet. The drama is their journey where they find the answers from their life experiences. The main strong point of the drama is that the characters are so realistic and they are examples of real people just like you. Everything is delivered in such a way that while watching the drama, you will feel like you are a part of the drama (hardly any other drama can make you feel like that). So, you will learn your life lessons just like the drama characters. You will get to know what are the things important in your life, what things you need to care about. The drama explored this in a wide range of ways like Family bonds, friendship, grandmother-grandchildren relationships, parent-children relationships, siblings relationships, neighborhood relationships, and so on. Unlike other slice-of-life dramas, which explore a lot of life issues but fail to give entertainment to the viewers and are often regarded as boring, this drama is totally different. It is super fun to watch. You will get a good happy feeling while watching every single minute (except ep 1, the first episode is a bit sad) of the drama. Some simple moments can make you laugh so hard, and some simple moments make you so emotional to make you cry, but at the same time, you will feel good and happy. This is the greatness of the drama.

Romance:
The drama is both a life drama and a romantic drama. But, different life stories and lessons with everyday interactions will captivate you so much that you might forget to tell about the romantic part of the drama. Romancewise, the drama did an excellent job. You will see a very natural romance development between the leads. It might be one of the best natural and realistic romances you can find in any drama. And you will enjoy and love every bit of it.

Slow Pacing:
I also need to talk about the pacing. It is a slow-paced drama. But for this particular drama, the slow pace is not its weakness but becomes its strength. Some people might have some problems with the pace at first. But if you are not too much impatient, you will get used to the pace quickly. In the other dramas, the slow pace means the drama is doomed to fail. But, here it becomes its strength due to its script, its unique way of storytelling, and the acting delivered by the cast. The interactions between the characters, the dialogue, and the conversations become an art in this drama. So, if you are too impatient and try to fast forward too much or skip scenes as you do in other dramas, you might miss the real beauty of this drama. But, if you are patient enough, you will soon get used to the pace. And you might find this drama as one of the best dramas that you have ever watched.

Story:
The plot is pretty simple and easy to follow. You already read the MDL summary. So, I won’t write the same words. I would say, the plot is rather simple. But the story is not simple. This is a wide big story. There are a lot of stories that are mixed together and make a wonderful and magical mixture. So many characters in the drama. Yes, not only the main leads. There are at least another 10 characters (actually more) whose stories are explored in this drama. The story is not plot-driven, but rather character-driven. Unlike other dramas, the interactions and conversations between the characters matter the most here. There are so many GOLD conversations in this drama, which I cannot write here (not want to spoil you), you need to see yourself. The drama runs in a smooth manner from beginning to end in such a way you can’t skip any of the conversations. You might need to stop sometimes and go back to see the conversations multiple times. Because the conversations are so fun to watch. And they are the soul of the drama. The conversations are pretty simple daily life conversations. But sometimes, they tell us different stories, and different values and give us different emotions, insights, and life lessons. Sometimes, those conversations make you cry due to emotions, sometimes those make you cry due to happiness.

Characters:
There are a lot of characters and the characters are very much well developed. You have the FL who is a former front office Hotel Manager who came to the village to spend time. Previously, she made a plan with her best friend to come here, but her best friend is dead now. So she came to the village for both of them, to fulfill their promise. ML is a local boy, who is highly educated and used to doing a good well-paid job. He is now back in the village and now wants to improve the village. Then, you have Nana- A waitress working in the local café, Damai- An aspiring young novelist, Mr. Hu- A singer and songwriter, Mr. Ma- The man who keeps himself busy doing meditation, Xiaochun- A local woman who is divorced, has a cute daughter, and manages the different business for ML, Xiaxia- A woodcarver (local craft), Grandma Xie- 80 years old but still strong woman with a lot of wisdom. I can mention a lot more. But it will be a long list. (Special Mention: Aunt Gui, Aunt Feng, Aunt Baoping, and 4 cute little kids). All the characters were acted by a perfect cast. While watching this, you just can't stop praising how the cast acted perfectly in each of these characters. All the characters are unique on their own. They have their fair share of struggles in life. They have some stories to tell. The drama explores their life struggles and stories. From my description, it may seem like the drama is heavy. But you are totally wrong here. The drama is very lighthearted. All these characters are super fun to watch.

Acting:
10/10 from me, and I believe anyone who gives a score below 10 for acting might not be fair in his/her review. Female lead, Male lead, Supporting characters, Grannies, Aunts, and Children, all the characters are acted by perfect casts. All were absolutely perfect in their role. The cast delivered some of the most realistic, natural acting you can see in any drama.

Screenwriting:
I would say one sentence. The drama is a screenwriting masterpiece. YES, it's true. Not only the characters are written well-developed, but they are also super fun to watch. You will like all the characters. Yes, all the characters. Not a single dislikeable character. You will also remember their name (which I hardly do in other dramas) because they are so impactful you can’t just forget them. All the conversations are written in a such masterful way, I can’t find just enough praise for them. Many of us don’t know the beauty of screenwriting, because we never see the real strength of screenwriting in other dramas. Just think, the plot is there and screenwriting is a simple script to drive the plot. But, the drama will prove you wrong here. You need to watch this drama to see what is actual screenwriting and how it makes a drama a good one to a great one.

Music:
10/10 on the music. This is not an exaggeration. That is what truly I feel. Simply awesome. The OST, BGM, and use of music with different moments of the drama were simply wonderful.

Enjoyment:
The drama keeps getting better and better. The first episodes are introductory episodes. The characters are weird at first. Once you get to know the characters you like them. As I said, it keeps getting better and better. So, for example, episode 10 is more fun than episode 5, episode 20 is more exciting than episode 10, and episode 30 is more exciting than episode 20. After watching episode 10 you might think, the drama is already so good. How can it get better? Yes, my friend, it gets better. Unlike other dramas, which start with a bang and attract all attention, but later you find out that drama is a total mess. Not, no chance here. It gets so good; you can only see it if you watch.

Some Weak Points:
Yes, there are some weak points.
>>Simple Plot and Predictability: Yes, the plot is pretty simple and predictable. You can always guess what might happen next. You get what you expect, and drama doesn’t disappoint you in that case. For some people, this might be the weak point, but those who watched the drama would say a different thing. The greatness of the drama largely lies in its simplicity and predictability. Our daily life events are pretty simple and predictable. But, as you explore life, you see it is extraordinary. This drama is the same as life. It is extraordinary.
>>Not many WOW moments: The drama is different in many aspects compared to other dramas. Nowadays you watch dramas with your computer or mobile phone. There is a 5 seconds/10 seconds forward button. You always press the button. You skip the conversations and go to some WOW moments. Yes, most of the time you don’t miss any important part of the story by doing this. For them (☹ for me too), at the beginning the drama might not suit you and some of them might find this drama boring. Because there are no such moments. But, if you watch properly, you will see the conversations are GOLD in this drama. Believe me, you will find more enjoyment in some simple conversations than in those WOW moments in other dramas.

Rewatch Value:
I wish there were 11 out there to rate the rewatch value. The drama actually deserves 11/10 rewatch value. I saw so many people already watching the episodes 2-3 times before the drama even ended. Same for me. I will watch it multiple times. I don’t know how many times.

Recommendation:
I absolutely recommend the drama. While most people will absolutely love this drama, there might be some people who would not like this drama due to its slow pacing or some other reasons. Even if they don't like it now, I would recommend they try watching this drama maybe in the future or maybe when they are facing difficult stages of life. Not only for enjoyment but this drama will show you the beauty of life, and help you think the life in a positive way.

Leia Mais

Unbelievably funny, cute & sweet drama

"Unbelievable", this drama is what you need after watching all the serious dramas with heavy plots. You will find something lighthearted to relax a bit and also enjoy this unbelievably funny, cute, and sweet romance.

Story: The plot summary in MDL makes you think twice to start the drama. You saw this story so many times. A typical cliche story. Also, this is a web drama with a low budget. So, I hesitated at first but later gave the drama a try. After watching the drama, I must say that the drama is surprisingly good. The plot is a typical CEO rom-com plot but It is a well-made funny rom-com. A very predictable plot, but who cares. You come here to spend your time enjoying something. No doubt, the drama will give you enough enjoyment with a very sweet romance.

Acting/Cast: The chemistry between ML and FL is surprisingly good. Both are exceptionally funny, and all their interactions are hilarious. Both actors did a tremendous job portraying their roles. You will start loving both of them in no time, from the first episode. I didn't care about the other supporting characters. But all did very well in their roles. Overall, the Acting and Cast were very good for a low-budget drama.

Music: Nothing too special, but good enough. The background music was on point and OST was also good.

Rewatch Value: A good rewatch value. A funny drama, so if you feel like watching something funny to spend some time, you can rewatch it.

Ratings: 9/10 from me (maybe a bit high). I wanted to give it more as I genuinely loved it. But, that's the max rating I should give.

I recommend this drama. I hope, the viewers give this drama a chance. This drama will be a funny and enjoyable watch for you.

Leia Mais

Beginning of an EPIC journey

Wow! This live-action series really justifies the most popular and greatest manga of all time.

We tend to have this negative idea about the live-action series. They are based on the manga/cartoon/anime series that we all like. As a fan, we want to like them. But they can never meet our expectations. It is not easy to translate the manga/cartoon world into a live-action world. Most of the live-action series fail terribly. BUT, let me tell you, the one piece live-action successfully translated the magic of the One Piece manga/anime series. It is no doubt the best live-action series of all time (till now).

Questions & Answers:
1. What is this story about?
-This is a story about adventure, friendship, dreams, inspiration, reaching one's goal.
2. Is this series mainly for kids and young people (as many mangas and cartoons are targeted at young people)
-No, this is a series for all audiences. Especially for adult audiences. Anyone, kids, young and old people can watch and enjoy this series
3. Should you watch Manga/Anime before this?
-No, you don't need to watch. If you like this series, maybe you can start Manga/Anime after finishing this.
4. Does it feel unrealistic and manga/anime like other live-action series?
-One piece world is a fantasy world. It does feel unrealistic sometimes, but unrealistic in a good way. You get used to the world very quickly.
5. How is the pacing?
-It is fast-paced, and not many unnecessary events happen. Most of the events are important and have a meaning.
6. You don't like manga/anime, will you enjoy it?
-Yes, of course
7. Is it like other pirate series, i.e. Pirates of Caribean?
-No, only a few similarities. But overall it is different. It shows the pirates and pirate world in a totally different way that you never watched before.
8. Is there romance? (MDL viewers like romance)
-No, it is about friendship and adventure. It is full of emotions.
9. Is it better than the manga/anime?
-No, but almost the same. This series only covers the first part of the manga/anime series. Manga/anime gets far more interesting in the later part. If you only consider the first part, this live-action series is almost the same as Manga/anime.
10. How are the main characters and side characters?
-Very good! Very much likable. One of the best things about one piece manga/anime is its characters. The characters are some of the best in the entire book/TV industry. The live-action was only 8 episodes. It couldn't explore the details of the characters like the manga/anime did. But, still it did a pretty good job.
11. Should you watch it?
-A big yes. You should at least give it a try. There is a reason one piece is the greatest and most popular manga of all time.
12. You never liked other live-action series before, in fact, you disliked those. Will you like this series?
-Yes, this is unlike other live-action series. This is good.
13. Is there comedy? Will it make you laugh?
-Yes, yes. The humor is good, It will make you laugh in certain scenes.
14. How are action, and cinematography?
-Very, very good.

My Ratings:
Story: 10/10. One piece manga story will get a 10+ from me. Live action story gets a 10.
Acting: 10/10, just perfect. All the actors did a pretty good job
Music: 9/10, Very very good. All original tracks. All were good, but just wished they used some of the music/songs from the anime.
Rewatch Value: 9.5/10. Very high rewatch value. This is the kind of show that you would enjoy no matter how many times you watch it.
Overall ratings: 10/10

Leia Mais

Addictive, Great Chemistry, Great Actors & A Good Second Chance Drama (but watch only until ep 30)

We all love second-chance romance dramas, but we hardly find any good second-chance romance dramas. This drama had the potential to be one the best in this genre. But, somehow it made a disaster in the last part of the drama and especially in the last 6 episodes. If you consider this drama with only 30 episodes, this is still pretty good. There are a lot of positives to this drama i.e. very good chemistry of the main couple, excellent casts with top-notch acting, good visuals, and good OST's.

Why only till episode 30:
This drama is an adaptation of a Chinese novel. The screenwriters changed the story to some extent to write the script. Still, the drama followed the novel closely. But, they followed the novel only until episode 30. After that, they wrote the script totally by themselves which has absolutely no relation to the novel. So, After episode 30, the drama feels like a completely different drama. We got a realistic feel in the first 30 episodes. But, suddenly it became a melodramatic drama. It became so melodramatic that it could beat top melodramas with its melodrama plots. We the viewers got hugely disappointed by this. It was painful to watch those episodes. I hardly could believe how the drama turned out like that. I would suggest the new viewers, don't watch the drama after episode 30. We got somewhat of an ending at episode 30. Though it was not complete we can imagine the rest. No need to take the pain to watch the rest of the episodes.

Pros:
-Actress: Wang Churan was just impressive. This is the first time I saw her in any drama, and I instantly became a fan of hers. I just want to see her in another drama. She looked stunning in this drama. Her smile was the best thing in this drama for me. She is still new and there is a bright acting career ahead of her.
-Actor: Peng Guan Ying was great in his role. PGY acted as a cold doctor who doesn't show much emotion. He is a good guy but sometimes you feel mad about his actions, but still, he has his charm. You can't stop but root for him.
-Chemistry: Chemistry was good. There were a lot of problems in their relationship. Sometimes they feel distant but the chemistry was always there for them.
-Hospital Settings: We see a lot of medical dramas. Most of those dramas somehow feel unrealistic and sometimes cringe. This drama somehow portrayed a good hospital setting. It was not perfect but I would say It was very good, a lot better than some other top medical dramas
-OST's: I liked the opening song a lot. Overall music and OST's were good

Cons:
-Africa Arcs: Africa arcs were a complete disaster. We got to see the first 2 episodes were shoot in Africa. That 2 episodes were still ok. Then the last 5 episodes were shoot in Africa too. I just have no words for those last 5 episodes. Completely unnecessary with no story.
-Questionable actions by ML: In the past flashbacks, ML did some things that deeply hurt FL. There might have been some reasons behind those, but still, some viewers did not like those.
-Some medical plots/decisions: There were some medical plots/decisions used/taken in this drama, that were questioned by the viewers. There could be some arguments about whether those decisions were right or wrong. While watching those, we could still give some consideration as this is a drama after all. It's not perfect and actually, no drama is perfect. Some other medical dramas have more issues than this.

Ending: (Spoilers)
It got somewhat of a happy ending (episode 36). But it's not the kind of happy ending we wanted from this drama. There was an amnesia plot in the ending. Although the drama has somehow a happy ending, the ML and FL deserved a much better ending than this. We the viewers also deserve to see a much better ending.

Ratings:
8.5 from me. I could give this 9 easily if the drama had only 30 episodes and ended properly. But, I can't forget those last 6 episodes. I was disappointed and I can't just ignore that. I wanted to give this a 7.5 or 8. But, the drama was very good until episode 30. So considering everything I gave it 8.5

Recommendation:
The first 30 episodes of this drama were really good. The drama was very addictive. You dislike some parts, but you just can't stop watching. It was that good. So, I recommend this drama, but only until episode 30. If you want to watch the rest just watch that fast-forwarded.

Leia Mais

You don't want to recommend this drama to anybody

Some people say this is a realistic drama. I beg to disagree. I hope nobody's life is that messed up. The writers tried their best to show us some reality in work life, I must say many of these work-life experiences is real. But, about the personal life, the writers made it a total mess. It was a ride full of angst and negativity that the viewers had to witness for the last 8 weeks. You don't want others to experience the same angst and negativity unless you have some enmity toward that person.

Story: The drama does have a story. It is a story of hesitation, misunderstanding, and wrong choices. And also the story of cheating. Full of negativity. I could give this drama 8/10 for the story because the writers showed perfectly what they wanted in this drama. They were successful in their job. But, I don't approve of them spreading that much misunderstanding and negativity in this drama. This is bad, this is not a good practice. Although this is a work of fiction, you don't want to learn anything from this drama. You just want to forget all those bad things that happened in this drama and don't want to affect your real life in any way. So, I gave 5/10 for the story.

Acting/Cast: 9/10 for acting cast. Both ML and FL are good actors. They showed they can act in any role they are given. They perfectly portrayed what was needed for their characters. Yoo Yoon Seok is a very good actor. Just like his character in hospital playlist, he showed very good acting in this drama too. Moon Ga Young exceeded my expectations. She did a tremendous job. I hope to see her in more mature roles in the future. Other supporting characters also did their best. Overall, Acting/Cast was very good.

Music: The music was also good. The background music and OST's were good, I must say. So 9/10 from me.

Rewatch Value: 1/10 from me. Sorry, Nobody wants to experience the same frustrations and negativity again for a second time. It's better to forget the drama. Don't think of rewatching it again. One time is more than enough.

Overall ratings: 6.5/10

I don't recommend this drama to anybody. If you want to make your mood down for some reason or want to get frustrated for some reason you can watch it.

Leia Mais

Short, Beautiful, and Heartwarming - 2 well spent hours

Simply amazing. We need these kinds of cute, beautiful, heartwarming, short dramas. Most Thai dramas are all about slap-kiss, BL, revenge, or some other cliche type of story. This drama was a breath of fresh air among those dramas.

I was watching a few lakorns, and suddenly found this. Only 6 episodes, 25 minutes per episode. If you skip the intro and ending credits, then only 20 minutes. So in total about 120 minutes. And I must say, it was well spent 120 minutes for sure.

Story: A short and cute story. There were some climax moments, but nothing too big. Overall, a very lighthearted story. As the drama was short, the story was straightforward. There was no extra time spent on anything, and I like this aspect of the story. Overall a well-written story and the viewers will like it for sure.

Acting/Cast: FL was the highlight of this drama. I liked her so much. She looked stunning and her acting was just perfect for that role. ML was handsome enough and did very well in his role too. The chemistry between ML and FL was simply amazing. The drama was very short and it covered only the story of FL and ML. Other characters did not have that much screen time and they were just average, nothing special. Acting-wise, both FL and ML did amazing.

Music: Nothing special on BGM. The drama was short but had its own OST's. I don't understand Thai, but the soundtrack seemed good to me.

Rewatch value: It's a short drama, only about 2 hours' time. You can rewatch it if you have nothing to do or feel like watching a short lighthearted enjoyable drama.

Ratings: My rating is 9/10. I wanted to give it more because I liked it too much. But gave it only 9. I think that's the fair rating for this drama. MDL rating is showing 7.8. Which is a very low rating and I believe, this rating is not fair for this drama. I hope the viewers will not be affected by the rating and give this drama a chance. It will be a very good and enjoyable watch for them.

My only wish is, there was an episode 7 where we could see more sweet moments with the leads and what lies in the future for them.

Leia Mais