Epic journey

Someday or One Day was a surprise watch as I went in with little expectations or idea about the show other than it being really good. It exceeded my expectations.

Time travel is more complicated than one might think because of the unpredictability of the travel and return as well as the outcome of interference. This makes it easy to mess up a good plot. Fortunately this Taiwanese drama manages to neatly take us on this journey and add a new dimension to the story telling through the concept of "body swap" or perhaps body inhabitation would be more accurate. Everything is connected and intricate.

I loved the complexity of the show but also the simplicity and unpredictability.

Though some might consider the show to have a slow start, I was hooked from the start and didn't feel that. Most of the questions that I had were answered or I figured them out as I watched. The sequence of events are fairly easy to follow despite time jumps because you are prepared for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and each contributed to their own perception of the world which I loved. Getting a glimpse into each person's lived experience and being allowed to understand the characters is what attaches you to them and feel what they are feeling.

If you love time travel shows with mystery and romance and don't mind tearing up a bit then this show is ideal for you.

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Special in every way

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is one of the most unique shows I've seen in recent times. It is certainly not your ordinary law drama.

Depicting the imaginative world through the eyes of this bright rookie attorney obsessed with whales was insightful and brilliant. She is more than her diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Along with sharing the perspectives of caregivers and other relations she develops, the show dares to challenge the ableist views society has towards such individuals in an innocent and honest manner. The animation of EAW adds an element of fun to what could have been a very serious topic.

"Though my life is unusual and peculiar, it is valuable and beautiful."

If you are looking for a heartwarming drama which also presents how attorneys deal with moral dilemmas in cases of social justice then this is certainly a drama for you.

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Second chances, revenge and intrigue!

If you were given a second chance at life, what would you do differently?

Kim Hee Woo is a talented lawyer with an immense sense of justice working at the prosecution office. His desire to bring criminals to justice lands him in peril when he decides to take on a politician, Cho Tae Sab, who sends his personal hitman to end his life. As fate would have it, Hee Woo is brought back to life by a grim reaper for one purpose - take down Cho Tae Sab and make his life hell on Earth. This is where the real story begins.

A lot of people have given a lot of different takes on this show which can be confusing so let me share elements that might help you decide wherher to watch or skip.

What you can expect from the show:
- A methodical and driven main lead working his way to bringing down his target. The story is following him most of the time and his target as the contrast. These two are the main leads.
- Lots of plotting and how these play out.
- Fast pace. Even though the episodes are over an hour long, there is a lot happening and time flies.
- Endearing characters and positive moments.
- Time-jump. You'll also see some back and forth berween the old timeline and the new one. I like how it was done to make the story easier to follow along with.
- Action. The male lead was a boxer in his past life but still no match for his killer. You'll see a lot of martial arts training and fights throughout the show.
- Mild humour. As its mostly a revenge drama, there are not a lot of funny moments but you might still find yourself smiling.
- Lots of famous faces. And a lot of names to remember! From the good to the bad. It was a bit hard to follow since I was watching weekly but might be better if one watches at a stretch. Even when the names were hard to keep track of, enough evidence was given to help you recall or the person was shown in the next instance so one can keep following along.
- A certain amount of realism towards the end. I personally enjoyed it.

What the show lacks:
- Other than the way in which Hee Woo is brought back to life, there is no other fantasy element to the show.
- Romance. If this is important to you, you may not enjoy the show as it is mostly serious.
- Bromance. Though friendships are explored, this is not the focus of the show.
- For a law drama, you won't find moments in courts. It jumps from evidence finding to final result.
- Some prefer a picture perfect ending but that is never how real life works and neither will you find it in this show.

The reason I rated Again My Life a 9 is because every episode was enjoyable. I wanted to keep watching which is what every director aims for. It was interesting to see how the characters were working together as a team towards the same goal. Hee Woo had the advantage of his past life to know whom to bring on board to help him and the lives he can change. Not just his own. Thus making some powerful allies along the way.

There is not a lot that bothers me about the show. The things that do are major spoilers so I will skip them because they are fine within the realm of a show. It also shows that people can be unpredictable. There is some product placement which is a bit funny and awkward at times.

The ending was not disappointing, in my opinion. It was different. And I can appreciate it for what it is.

I hope people give it a shot.

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Great Start Then Dragged On

The first 10 episodes or so were quite promising. I like my FLs strong and she was until she wasn't. Not sure why they took that away from her. Is it because she was outshining the ML's character in action scenes? Because we got some incredible ones of her. Even General Luo Mei has some great fight scenes and was a strong character with high morals and they ruined that as well. It was just frustrating to watch.

The show has love triangles and love squares that get a bit annoying. The anti-hero/villain character of ML's brother was done well however the downright disgusting tactics of him trying to get the general to fall for him were too much for me. The leads' chemistry was good in the first half. Later in the show, I got a bit bored. I liked the second ML as well and his character also got ruined. Still one can understand him even his methods were terrible.

The FL really had 9 lives. And that is a bit funny once you watch it even though it's not supposed to be.

The ending was fairly realistic but to be honest I was already bored of the plot by then so I couldn't even appreciate things I normally do like the action sequences and the romance and some of the emotional scenes. I was too detached to care unfortunately. I just wanted to get over with the series.

There were some plot holes and terribly unrealistic aspects to the show. But it could have been ignored if the show entertained in other ways.

The OST was okay. Not really to my taste. Overall the show is a bit better than average. The actors portrayed their characters well but the plot let them down.

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Passionate romance that heteros don't get

Most heterosexual plots simply don't get an exclusive passionate romantic plots like this one. They usually have a bunch of other things going on and a bit of romance thrown in. Not here. The focus is on the ML and his journey to discovering love and himself. And it does make me a tad envious because they really don't beat around the bush in Love in the Big City. They explore friendships which are mostly wholesome and endearing.

The show is not all roses and sunshine though. There are some dark topics explored. However, most of the show tries to be positive because the male lead is a cheerful individual making the best of difficult circumstances. Maybe even a little toxic positivity that can be frustrating or concerning for others around him at times.

The beginning few episodes were funny and enjoyable but somewhere towards the end, the show started to feel slow and dull. Not sure if that was intentional. Overall the characters and situations are mostly realistic.

I wasn't too happy about the way the series ended especially since the last 2 or 3 episodes weren't as interesting.

The opening theme is nice but the OST in particular did not stand out to me.

For the most part it is an easy binge watch with good cinematography, interesting characters, good acting and a job well done by Nam Yoon Su.

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Good but not satisfied with the ending

Note: There is a post-credit scene after episode 7.

I did enjoy season 2 especially for the action but there were a few things I had a problem with. First, the show takes away from the monsters. The results were also very different for the same process which wasn't explained. There was something new that was mentioned but no details regarding that either. There are several plot holes and the female cop's actions don't add up. I did not see the reason for her character as she contributes nothing to the plot and the male police officer could have easily performed those scenes. His actions also don't make sense in the beginning after watching the final episode.

I enjoyed this season for entirely different reasons that I liked the first season but this also feels like a very different show. And not just because it is set in a different time period but we don't really understand what happened all those years in between that we skipped over. We only get the update from a short period. I enjoyed the mystery, intrigue, longing and the battles despite feeling confused at times and questions being left unanswered.

All the leads have performed wonderfully. I had hoped that we would see some justice for the original victims by the end of this. Alas.

I am assuming the story is not quite over but I don't think the writer will be taking it in the direction that I had hoped.

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Strong start average finish

4Minutes actually started out great but the last 2 episodes were not impressive. There are a few unanswered questions and the final episode has a few confusing moments which don't make sense unfortunately or at least they were quite ambiguous and just leave the audience to fill the gap.

I ended up starting the sultier version and it is definitely graphic. There is partial nudity especially involving a minor (at the time of shooting) so it is good that there is a censored version as well. Watch whatever you are most comfortable with.

I rarely watch BLs but the plot summary and title were what intrigued me. I enjoy mysteries and it was definitely fun trying to decipher the clues in each episode before the clarity of the situation finally hits. So that's where it started to be less enjoyable. There are a few editing issues that didn't make sense but don't affect the plot. I was still surprised these things weren't caught.

The show really was a 9/10 for me midway so I expected a strong finish but sadly they were unable to deliver. I felt disconnected from some of the characters by the end because their actions/reactions seemed strange. And some characters don't have the chemistry we were expecting so it feels unbelievable. It is sad because they really could have done well if they covered all their bases and hadn't skipped crucial moments and elaborated things further. I feel disappointed because I had higher hopes but it is worth watching for the suspense.

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Unique Story Needed Better Execution

I enjoy stories related to mental health and the fantasy genre. This kind of combination was definitely unique. What it lacked was in execution because I seem to have missed the point it was making with their ending.

Though this series got a lot of flak, it isn't so bad. I'd say it's above average as I was curious enough to want to finish it. I just feel like the writers did Ak Hee dirty in the process and that didn't make sense to me.

I enjoyed the portrayal of the two personalities of the ML. The FL was all right. A bit stiff. I haven't seen her in other roles so I'm not sure if it's because of the character she was portraying or not. The supporting cast were all quite good.

The show is best watched at 1.5 - 2x as the pacing felt slow to me.

The biggest question I have is - How can one's illusion impact others? They messed it up with this aspect. Otherwise I didn't feel like dropping it at any point. Just feel a bit disappointed but other than that the ending was good. Even the way they wrapped up those creating trouble makers was fine.

It's okay for a one time watch.

The OST is quite nice and soothing.

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Disappointing

I watched both parts back to back and when you compare this movie to the former, that seems tremendously better. No doubt, the first part was a good movie so I don't understand how they could drop the ball so badly with this one. It only gets better in the second half.

My main issues with The Witch Part 2:
1. Confusing start. We are not given any kind of explanation on the timelines of when exactly this movie takes place or what exactly is happening so I was completely lost for most of the movie.
2. Unnecessary characters. Some of the roles were probably filled just to attract the audience perhaps but there is no meaning behind those characters. There are also two groups fighting and there is no explanation as to who they are and what is going on with them. Or where/how did they get their abilities. But it doesn't matter I guess because they'll be dead anyway.
3. Poor translation. That added to the confusion though it would have not made too much of a difference since the story was so ambiguous from the start.

Somewhat entertaining:
1. The fight sequences. There are only 2 fight sequences that I really enjoyed and both involved "the girl". It's nice to see some incredible superpowers in action. The one in the van looked like terrible CGI and almost cartoonish. Plus we don't see anything happening inside.
2. The girl and the son bonding. It was cute and the floating animals was funny. Also, the part where she discovers food in the supermarket. Too bad there weren't more of such moments.
3. The ending. That's when you finally understand what is happening. It still doesn't explain who most of the characters are or who they are working for. But at least you finally understand how this movie ties in with the first.

I'll probably watch part 3 because I am curious about the third character introduced. Hopefully the directors can fix the mistakes they made with this one. I just hope it doesn't take another 3 years to release.

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A bit of a Drag

The only reason I wanted to watch The Law Cafe was because of Lee Seung Gi. I loved his work in Mouse and Vagabond. But The Law Cafe is a total let down.

Although I can feel what message the story writers wanted to send and that the intention was good, the execution was pretty poor. To the point that I took 3 months just to finish the drama. It was hard to get through even when it got interesting. The final take down was not the least bit exciting. If anything, it was quite non-sensical.

As for the romance, I didn't get into the chemistry of the leads to begin with or rather, I felt that they had no chemistry. If you enjoy bickering couples then this might be a show you could enjoy. What I did appreciate is the talk of consent and that the female lead was strong and motivated. Male lead was kind and supportive. I also liked the secondary couple - the policewoman and her husband but not much of their story is explored.

The cases were okay but mostly the plot was forgettable.

I feel bad for rating this low because the actors all worked hard but I had to speed up the last 3 episodes just to finish the drama. The show was decent around episode 8 but I just could not connect deeply with any of the characters. It will be a bit more appealing if you love slice of life or melodramas but not as a romance or law drama.

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Nice and chill with a hint of thrill

I don't have great complaints from 'Delivery Man' but it isn't a super unique or exciting show. It has borrowed elements from ghost, crime and suspense dramas and created a mash which is nice to watch.

The series is about the son of a female taxi driver who was murdered so he takes over the taxi service. He has the ability to see ghosts and starts helping them fulfill their last wishes in exchange for money. One such ghost is the female lead and her story is the main background plot as she doesn't remember her past. She's also his first customer.

What you can expect:
- Mystery surrounding the identity of the female lead
- Mystery surrounding the death of the male lead's mother
- New cases every few episodes

What you shouldn't expect:
- Fast paced action drama (that's a different Taxi Driver ;) )
- Extraordinary CGI - barely any in fact despite it being about ghosts
- Romance (there's a hint of it but nothing to write home/MDL about)

The main leads are nice and their chemistry is sweet. I enjoyed seeing some of the flashbacks of the female lead. The other characters I liked were the grandmother, and the other female taxi driver. There are flashbacks of the ML's mother but it's a very small role.

The few complaints that I do have are mainly limited to episode 11 - poor judgement on the ML's part and police's inadequacy.

After watching the final episode's last moments, I felt that if it had more of that energy, this would be a far better drama. It missed the excitement and left it all for the end. I would actually like to see a spin-off or a second season from this point.

Delivery Man is good for a one time watch.

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Sweet Sweet Revenge!

One woman's revenge against her high school bullies. Every time she took one of them down, it was entertaining.

I loved it! A good show connects you to the cause of the victim and that's exactly what The Glory did. The show also evokes a lot of emotions. Anger, tears, joy, delight, shock, fear, and more. It has everything you can ask for in a revenge thriller! Just one warning - part 2 contains frontal female nudity. It's brief but was unexpected.

I have to say, that when I first saw the trailer for part 2, I was worried that this will be a torturous journey for the female lead but for the most part, things panned out pretty well. I loved the variety in the revenge for each of them as well. And for some it was unexpected but a well-deserved fate.

Moon Dong Eun emoted so well especially the moments when you see her in her raw/weak moments. I felt the same way in the first season. Again her younger counterpart portrayed her helplessness beautifully. I just wanted to hug her in some of those moments. I felt her anguish. And I was happy she formed alliances who were there to support her now.

Lee De Hyun as Joo Yeo Jung was a delight. I smiled every time he was on screen. Who wouldn't want someone like him as their supporter/executioner. I enjoyed his chemistry with Doon Eun and do wish there was a bit more. But then this isn't a romance drama so I'll take what I can get.

Kang Hyun Nam is another delightful character. Her situation is like that of many women in domestic abuse cases who have no option and stay for the safety of their children. I especially loved it when she finally cussed him out at the end as well as her last interaction with Yeon Jin when she gave her a taste of her own medicine. I laughed out loud.

Park Yeon Jin was definitely the crazy character that made this show worth it. Yet again I have to give it to Shin Ye Eun's scarier performance as the bully. Im Ji Yeon did well too but at times she felt weak. Considering everything, she seemed to get the lightest punishment as she still had zero regrets.

The show was a fantastic binge watch. Perhaps the only thing that could have been better was if Dong Eun physically beat them up. She didn't have to. I just like female characters who can fight well and I love action scenes.

The ending may seem like an open-ending but it's just left some things to the imagination. Though I wouldn't mind another season focused on that.

I would definitely recommend both parts to be seen in sequence as that's how it was originally meant to be. The second part definitely has the meat of the revenge plot.

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Mostly fun with an absurd ending

When You Be Me is quite a light drama with some funny moments, plenty of sweet instances but does take a dramatic turn towards the middle and completely flips the script at the end.

The plot revolves around a quiet (practically invisible) girl who is poor yet studious (cliche) who saves the life of a popular, rebellious Taekwondo black belt boy from a rich family. The very same night, both of them swap souls. At first, both are awkward and then frustrated and start causing trouble for each other but eventually learn to hold back and try to live each other's lives to the best of their abilities. This duration of the plot is mostly entertaining and it's nice to see them experiencing each other's lives and trying to make it better in their own style. The show introduces their families and both have a unique family dynamic.

The male lead is spectacular as he portrays the female lead through his mannerisms and subtle expressions. The female lead does a good job as well however, the male lead truly shines in this series. Most of the drama revolves around their school and families.

What was mostly a fun series, suddenly turns very dark and melodramatic towards the 15th, 16th episode and I sped through it because it was getting a bit too much. Luckily by the 18th episode, this side track of a plot is dropped and everything returns "back to normal" which was a bit bizarre.

I also enjoyed the roles of the parents. The male lead's brother stood out. They explore the relationship the brothers shares and the current strain on their relationship. However, for whatever reason the series decides to briefly show a very dark side to the loving older brother and there was no redemption from that character for me after that. They killed my love for their relationship.

This is probably where the show becomes a bit of a drag. But the final disappointment was the ending. It would be best to completely skip the final episode. Yes, it was somewhat of a happy ending but it still manages to annoy you.

If you were hoping for romance then you won't really find anything. It's left up to the imagination of what will happen in the future.

It's a fine show to binge if you don't have big expectations. Mostly the series was entertaining. I've just highlighted some of the bigger moments that I disliked.

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Meaningful and misunderstood

The criticisms of this series are quite harsh. I, however, quite liked it towards the end. I found some aspects relatable and it even made me emotional.

The story revolves around a girl who has grown up feeling unloved. She dreams of a love story out of kdramas. One day she discovers a magical notebook that seems to make her desires of love come true. And anyone she writes about in it, magically fall in love with her. However, the magic does not last beyond a month. But even when her best friend protests her actions, she can't help herself as this is the only way she can feel loved. What she doesn't know is that he is actually in love with her.

This series isn't actually about romance. It's about a girl and her desperation to feel loved. There are moments that touch your heart like points where she thinks her father wishes she was never born and that she is actually undeserving of love. Although people have criticised her for misunderstanding the situation, the reality is, her father never actually treated her with warmth. Since her mother passed away when she was very young, she doesn't remember her relationship with her mother either. She is also scared of losing her only friend. The show is still quite light and didn't go too dark with a terrible past which can make her problems come across as superficial.

Though the story is presented under the context of a fantasy element, a lot of people with low self esteem end up with partners who don't actually care for them and in certain cases it can lead to abuse. This is also why she has a hard time saying no even when she knows she should. She is afraid of losing the person. Yes, such people can come across as frustrating at times which is why many dislike the female lead. However, the reality is that it is not easy to change without help.

Though the ending is simplified, the series tries to explain that the female lead was in fact loved. She just couldn't understand acts of care as a love language and was slowly starting to understand it. The series ended the way it did is because finally she had to learn to love herself first before she can accept someone else's love completely. Similarly, the male lead recognised that he was overly dependent on the female lead because of his anxiety. Would I have preferred some kind of closure? Yes. But that doesn't mean the show was bad. I would say it is rather misunderstood.

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So convoluted

When I began W, I found it extremely exciting and fast paced and I loved that. After completing it, I feel like the writer/director decided to keep adding twists and turns and the sheer number of complicated storylines is what brought my rating of this show from a 9 down to a 7. W is certainly impressive but I also have to agree with those that say that episode 12 could have easily been the finale. I do see the effort behind the writing but I just got a little tired of it by the end to the point that I didn't care if the ending was a happy or sad one. I just felt exhausted for the poor protagonist. Any normal human being would need lifelong therapy after just half of that.

For those that enjoy romance, you will get plenty pretty early on. The action scenes were at times just average. However, I loved the animations and the blending of reality and the webtoon visually beautiful. The cast did a good job portraying their respected characters. However, the actors playing the male lead, Kang Chul's friends got a raw end of the deal. Their characters are not particularly deep or impressive. At times I wondered if Kang Chul really did consider them friends or not.

There also seems to be a missing element to this plot. Neither the creators nor the characters were truly in control. Then what made this webtoon special that brought life to these characters and what made Kang Chul resist the edits. Why was a window between the two worlds created in the first place? I would have loved to understand that and how the window was closed by Kang Chul.

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