Zíza

It wasn't bad. What more do you want from an adaptation of such a colossus? While it’s true I had wanted bit more cool battles, I still have to admit that the choreography of some of the scrapping didn't look bad. Sota was a good fit for Ichigo, and Hana as Rukia didn't disappoint – she pretty much dominated the entire film in terms of acting. Story-wise, nothing special. It's almost like a slightly sleepy introduction to a super battle. You’re glad when it happens. An average film that's easy to watch.

What I enjoyed most about this was that it reunited the actors who portrayed L and Light in Death Note that same year – I guess they had to sniff each other first to play well together. Not to mention Higashide, who also starred not only in Death Note but also in its sequel... Yeah, this one was fun to watch. And then those English songs. And then... probably not much. It's all kind of half-baked, set in motion and unfinished, the characters aren't properly drawn, the viewer is actually just kind of groping around and guessing why someone is acting the way they are and where it’s all actually going. I understand that the film is about finding oneself and ending up sunny, literally, and I usually like those kinds of works, but this one really did not succeed. If you like Arimura, Yamazaki, or Kubota, it's ok. Otherwise, I don't think it’s worth it.

It's exactly the kind of series that makes you say: "It's not bad, but..." It's entertaining, it's funny, it makes sense, even the main character wasn't a whiner, but she managed to be strong and stand her ground. The main character's barking outbursts were a nice touch. The villain made sense, but it was kind of obvious that he was going to get away with it. Which was fine, though. It was suspenseful at times, deus ex machina at times, realistic at times, far-fetched at times. It was good to watch, it could be long in some respects and yet at some points very straightforward and engaging. As I say, it's not a bad series, but very easily forgettable.

Not the best take on the classic Hana yori dango, although it is one of the most accurate. Some moments were brilliant, but others were utterly rubbish. Sometimes the actors acted, sometimes they just made weird faces. Yes, it can be grandiose, unfortunately it's also cheap and full of product placement. It's nice that they referenced the previous 2001 Taiwanese production with the theme song, which they even paid homage to in the last episode. But it's also boring and unfortunately you pretty much wanted to murder the main character. To be honest, apart from the Japanese version, where I really liked Makino and she was very well acted and portrayed, in the other versions she sometimes got on my nerves, and here it was the worst. But her character was quite cute, so it was bearable. It's both good and terrible. A very, very contradictory series. Great premise, but... It's all half and half. What makes it worthwhile are the sweet moments between the central duo. What kills it are the last two episodes. It's just... one big flashback and wtf moment in white. In the end, it left me with such a bad impression that I just had to downgrade it from the original 3 stars to 2 stars. It left a bad taste in my mouth. A strong 2 stars.

I just love that Kong Hyo-jin. Most of her series have a certain maturity to them she brings to her characters a charm that causes you to see them as more than just two-dimensional characters, they simply always have something to them. And that's true in this case as well. Although the series is rather long for my taste, I devoured it in a relatively short time because I really enjoyed it. Plus, Hyo-Jin was seconded by two handsome and mostly likable actors, so no problem. Plus, they also had personalities in addition to charisma, so no problem; this love triangle was very well written, acted, and directed. Apart from the love relationships of these three, the series also bit into serious and stigmatized topics, including male breast cancer. I thought this theme was very well handled and maybe it spoke to society in some way. Like another Hyo-Jin series, Thank You, this series speaks to society about AIDS. Often times I don't like the fluff around the main couple, but here it was fine because they were all kind of likable, they had their own habits and personalities, and overall it was very easy to keep them apart, rather than just having people blend into some kind of blurry mass in the background. It was fun to watch them, too. Even though some things were left unfinished, and of course I'm not 100% pro, I still think this series is worth checking out. I had fun, I laughed out loud, I had fun with them. Finally a Korean series that I can say was fun to watch. And it's probably for older viewers, I don't think a high schooler will get as much out of it as someone who's been working/been in college for a while.

The characters are in college, so they should be a bit more mature, but it's hard to say. Actually, it's like everyone says – those two haven't changed at all (Uehara and Nao). Granted, there are more new subplots in their world in the form of handsome rivals, but in the end it's pretty similar to the previous high school series, I just felt like there was less wild freedom. Instead, there's more angst and misunderstanding. It's not bad, it's again a shift towards the insecure Uehara... Just a sort of normal college romance with a nice main couple who have to go through the traditional runaround of Asian romantic comedies.

In the end, the film is a truly magical adventure where there are no big magical clashes, but positive feelings abound. If you're a romantic soul, this is the movie for you because if nothing else, it's a movie about great love.

Maybe a bit lengthy and different in a Thai way, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Because the relationship between the leads was worth it. It very nicely avoids (with a couple of mini exceptions) those misunderstandings where one thinks something about the other, is angry and neither of them addresses it, instead a deus ex machina has to come down to explain and guide everything down the right path. They both pretty clearly demand answers. How they are satisfied with them, how they handle them, is another matter. Anyway, it was fun. The girl's a stickler, not perfect, nor even the kind of sweet submissive who takes everything in stride. A goofy, sweet, but very naive heroine that I enjoyed and could identify with – she basically does the same crazy things I do sometimes. The hero was fine too, a likable guy who could smile and use his brain. They had a lot of good moments together and their relationship felt quite real. The same could be said for the characters who were on the back burner and were rejected by the main couple. That was the really cool part. Then there's also the part where the revelry begins, everything goes to extremes, and there are definitely some facepalm moments. Plus there was the clever removal of the main character's parents to England, so the writers hardly had to factor them into the plot at all. :-D A nice romantic comedy. Weaker as a drama, but still watchable. A thing where you don't have to strain your brain cells, but can grin and be entertained by those punks.

My guilty pleasure, which is why I got into it. This is the show that doesn't stay in my head. The relationships between the two couples are great, the family relationships are also very well portrayed, it was just on point. But the rest of it? At first I thought I could stomach the soap opera, but apparently not. Guns, kidnappings, attempted rapes, trials, spiking, a gold digger without a uterus, ... There's just so much of it that I wasn't enjoying it because I wanted to focus on the outcome of the relationships between the characters, rather than all the bizarre twists and turns and escalating situations. Relationship-wise ok, it all makes sense, but the rest of it sucks. Even the servants and all the yelling about everything. Not to mention the annoying music – here the music almost dragged down the entire series, as about three themes kept repeating and basically one would replace the other, making it unlistenable after a while. If you don't mind the soap opera format, go for it.

What I had already seen twice still appealed to me a third time. The Thais came to the table after the Taiwanese and Korean had already brought the subject matter to life, and as with Full House, they conceived the whole story a bit more realistically. Although how realistic can it be that two intoxicated people who absolutely don't know each other can get laid and still manage to do it so well that it turns into a third person? I have to admit, though, that the main character here wasn't such a horse’s ass, he was more thoughtful, more kind, and overall there wasn't a single "bitch", so to speak. But that didn't detract from the drama at all, especially in the moments when there was music playing that would have been right at home in a scene with a fantasy hero going to beat the crap out of his enemies. Honestly the acting wasn't top notch, but it didn't really spoil the overall impression. Basically, I enjoyed it as much as the previous version. If I had to compare them, the Taiwanese one is the most comedic, the Korean one is the most melodramatic, and the Thai one is kind of the most natural. On top of that, everyone is a bit nicer, kinder, and it's actually quite relaxing to watch. Except for the ALS part, that was a bit over the top, but I understand that they needed to do that so they could proceed as they had in previous versions. A good 3 stars.