A "no-brain-required" movie that succeed where the drama "Island" failed

Watching this film, I couldn't help myself to think of the drama "Island" which approaches the same topic: exorcists fighting evil forces. It is so much better in this relatively short movie versus "Island" that it bumped up my enjoyment and I couldn't help to wish for it to be a series. To be fair, the movie does not revolutionize the genre but it makes for sure an overall entertaining watch.

In terms of scenario and storytelling, nothing really new there: we are for sure in charted territory regarding supernatural plot. But given the short duration of the movie, I thought they did a good job introducing the characters, the powers and the stakes. I particularly enjoyed the past story and would have loved to have more of it to explore further the background of the hero.

I really liked the ensemble cast. Given the script any acting flaws would have made the film quite cringy. It was fortunately not the case here as there were no weak link. Our hero played by Kang Dong Won is really the highlight of the film. I really want to dig more into his filmography.

I found the visual effects as well as the fight scenes rather good. Nothing really innovative in the techniques used but easy to comprehend for the viewer. You immediately understand how evil vs good works. The OST was enjoyable, making the badass moments even more badass in an almost second degree way (or at least that's how I perceived it).

I would recommend this to people looking for an entertaining fantasy movie. The horror level is quite limited, there are some scare frights but overall nothing too gruesome. If you enjoyed series like the western show "Supernatural" or even "Island" South Korean drama (which was a real disappointment to me), you might really enjoy this. In my opinion, it is what should have been "Island": entertaining, not taking itself too seriously despite featuring quite dark spirits and power in the story... It is more a "B" movie, you will not left it with a super deep impression (especially if you have already seen / read a few pieces in that genre) but it is an overall good watch.

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So much more than a romance: poetic and beautifully filmed <3

This movie showcases an amazing story, pretty deep and far from a conventional sweet romance. As I never read synopsis, I had no idea from looking at just the title and the poster how raw and pure the story was going to be. It exceeded my expectations on a lot of aspects as it is a powerful tale featuring captivating characters developing a strong and beautiful relationship, bounded through their inner and external wounds. It is gut-wrenching and I was on the edge of my seat towards the end.

The pace of the story was pretty good in setting up the characters, the relationships as well as what's at stake in their lives. The last arc is truly compelling and I just wish they would have given even more time to the ending...But that's likely me being greedy.

I was totally impressed by the acting. I picked up this movie because of Yamada Ryosuke which I did not see since a while on my screen. I found his acting very convincing. He really worked on his micro-expressions and was able to emote really well. I am honestly so astonished on how good he has become. His chemistry with Hamabe Minami was also very credible.

The sounds are super important in this film: it is the music, the voices, the light noises that are the driving strength of the story...from the beginning into the conclusion. The filmmaking is truly beautiful, there are some pretty brutal sequences and you feel in your gut the pain of the characters. There are also some really pretty and poetic moments.

I would strongly recommend this to people looking for a deeply romantic and lyrical tale. Do not expect sweet and fluffy romance here, that is not the point of the story. It is for sure highly rewatchable for the acting and cinematography itself that bring out the best of this poetic and gut-wrenching story full of sensibility.

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How to rebuild Society from scratch / the turmoil of human nature...

The premise of the movie is a great one. The concept itself is not very innovative but the execution and acting is what makes it a time-worthy piece of entertainment.

I wish I would have seen even more of the relationships between the characters to be even more touched by the events unfolding. There is so much material and meat to the story that it could be a great drama as well. Fortunately, despite having only a movie length time to convey the story, the writing did a good job in showcasing the relationship between the characters and their evolution throughout the film.

The story is carried by a strong casting. I love Park Seo Joon and Park Bo Young and they have a solid chemistry together. Lee Byung Hun delivers a chilling performance perfectly fitting the trajectory of his character. The secondary roles are good as well.

The production value is great. The visual effects were very believable and the filmmaking was good overall especially on the crowd scenes where the tension was really high. The OST did not made a really deep impression on me but the ending songs were pretty in a very sorrowful way.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a thrilling survival movie. It is pretty griping with a lot of intensity and quite frightening moments as the more obscure side of human nature unveil itself. If you enjoyed drama such as Happiness, this one is for you.

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Uncanny feeling after watching it

Unfortunately, this movie was not for me...I did not manage to get into the story. It might be a case of me not behind in the right mindset to appreciate it but still I'm left with an uncanny feeling after watching it.

There was a certain poetry to the dramatic turn that took the story and some moments that resonated with me. However, I had trouble to get invested in the romance...Even if the production did a good job showing the passing of time, the whole relationship and its evolution felt too quick and unnatural. Some of the ups and downs (in particulary the last one) felt really forced for the purpose of dramaturgy sake rather than done with genuinity.

Strangely enough, while I found the developments and turns of the romance too quick, I found the pacing in overall too slow, lacking rythm. Until halfway point of the film, I was quite bored and not invested at all in what was happening on screen. The production was good with quite convincing make-up for the heroine. The music was alright, not really memorable and quite subdue. The acting was okay as well...I don't think I will remember forever any of the performances of the cast but I think it is more linked to the fact I totally did not connect with the scenario.

I would not recommend this to people as it was not an enjoyable watching experience to me. As explained, it might be a case of me not being in the right mindset when watching it but I really was unable to connect with the story and to feel invested into the romance.

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A lot of interesting ideas but not enough time to develop them

This short wuxia movie (only 37 minutes) is a mine of good ideas. A powerful sutra that could wreak havoc in the martial world is hidden on the body of a blind boy, who is being chased by enemies eager to seize power for themselves. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to develop this interesting storyline.

I like the cast performance, they did a good job conveying the development of the main relationship. I was not that invested emotionally but I think it might be due to the lack of time as well as the fact that I guessed properly the central elements rather than because of the acting.

The music was not that memorable but still nice and suitable for the movie. The production was very good: there were some striking fight sequences.

I would recommend this movie to people that are looking for a short wuxia movie. If you need a bite-size watch, this is clearly a good choice if you do not expect too much from it. In the same vein, I liked (even better) "Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition", so if you enjoyed that one, you might want to give "Wuliang" a shot.

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Really interesting idea but unfortunately not enough time to exploit it

This really short mini series of about 9 minutes has an interesting concept as it follows the repetition of 2 BLs actors as they workshop a quite passionate scene.

I love the idea and the acting was quite good with some very believable chemistry. Despite the lack of meaningful dialogs, the actors manage to pass on a lot of feelings to the viewers who are left wondering about them.

Of course, filmmaking is relatively low value (which is kind of expected for that type of production). The music did clearly not leave a lasting impression on me at all.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short BL, as it manages to express a lot in a small amount of time. I wish it would have been longer and I like the questioning that the drama opens and on which the viewer can only ponder: is it acting or it it real ?

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Short fantasy movie super impactful, left me with a deep lasting impression

This movie is apparently a shorter new take (with a gender swap) of the original movie which I have not seen. I'm truly impressed at how in only 31 minutes this movie managed to convey a super compelling story. I loved the fantasy aspect of it, it is very well exploited with a strong narrative. I found the overall scenario properly gut-wrenching with an interesting and rather grey morale.

There are only 4 actors in this movie and their performances are pretty good: especially for Ding Cheng Xin, who has maybe the most room for range for acting and is very convincing in his role.

I enjoyed the music as well as the production value. It does not feel cheap. The special effect and make-up are far from perfect and could have been scarier but overall I found it adequate.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short wuxia / fantasy movie. Given the way it manages to convey so much in so little time, it is totally worth taking the time giving a shot to this gut-wrenching tale. The story is so interesting and has so much potential that I cannot help feeling greedy and to wish that it would have been a full length duration movie.

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Love or lust...Intricate and layered with jealousy, fear, passion and a lot of bad decisions

This historical movie tells the story of Hong Rim, the Chief of King's guard and his relationship with King Gong Min who ruled in the latest half of the 14th century of the Goryeo Dynasty. I find very interesting the period of history in which the film is set as well as all the the romantic premise which build up in a gut-wrenching love story.

Story-wise, I really enjoyed the imbalance of power in the relationship and in the romance. Nothing is as simple as it seems as the feelings get more and more intricated and layered with jealousy, fear, passion and a lot of bad decisions (which frustrated me a lot as they were not super logical sometimes)...It was really love and lust leading to madness in a heart breaking way.
Despite it relative long length, I found the pacing of the movie quite good. My only regret is that we do not spend enough time on the beginning of the relationship between Hong Rim and King Gong Min: I would have loved to see their kinship and affinity evolve in something more, especially with the difference in status in the context of the court. The ending was very satisfying to me because the final actions of the protagonists made it very clear to me as to where their affections were truly lying. I am convinced that it is NOT what was said that is the most telling regarding the romance but rather what was left unsaid and rather shown by the characters.

The acting performance for the three main roles was pretty solid. The trio of Zo In Sung (as Hong Rim), Joo Jin Mo (as King Gong Min) and Song Ji Hyo (as Queen No Guk) worked very well together. I found the relationship between the two male leads the most compelling one but Song Ji Hyo hold her own quite well in these very tortuous relations. Regarding the secondary characters, it was quite good overall, no obvious stand out on the support roles with the exceptions of some of the guards. It was really nice to see some familiar faces acting as secondary characters: Song Joong Ki, Noh Min Woo, Jo Jin Woong ,Yeo Jin Goo and Park Sung Hoon.

The production value was really impressive, even looking at it 16 years later. The fight scenes were very good and the more gruesome parts felt very effective in conveying the violence of the story at that period of time. I loved the decors, it felt rich and well put together. The numerous (but purposeful) sex scenes were also very well filmed. I enjoyed the soundtrack, in particular the scenes were some of the characters were singing: really beautiful and poetic.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an historical movie with a gut-wrenching love story. The romance is really interesting in the dynamics that it explores. I wish the scenario would have spend more time on some aspects of the relationship and I got frustrated by some choices made by some characters...But overall, I was very satisfied by this movie and its ending as well.

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The script failed in making me understand the characters' choices...and therefore to care about them

Let's face it, watching this movie was not an enjoyable experience for me...But at the same time, I must admit that I will remember some scenes for a long time as some images and ideas in terms of production and filmmaking were quite striking.

Despite acknowledging this, the flaws of the movie outweight its qualities in my watching experience. There are a lot of issues with the story itself. It is very difficult to empathize with (or even simply understand) the characters' choices. The way the scenario handles the heavy issues that face the protagonists in their relationship is clearly more "poetic" than relatable and does not make a lot of sense.

The casting did an okay job, I was not particularly convinced by their portraying of "love". For me, it was clearly more lust than love but I am not sure if it is linked to the acting or rather more because of the script itself which really prevented me to understand why the two main male leads would love each other.

I would not recommend this movie to people because it was not an enjoyable watch for me even if I must admit that I will likely remember some scenes for a long time because of a few striking images. Be aware that this movie can be very very triggering, be mindful of the tags if you have any.

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A BL with a quiet and meditative charm...Not very memorable but harmless and sweet

This drama is a sweet and summery BL coming-of-age story with a really appeasing slice-of-life feeling. The romance is very platonic as well as heartwarming as the feelings evolve between the two protagonists. It is a subtle and quiet series which is likely to brighten your day with his luminous character and almost meditative charm. The counterpart of this is that the drama lack ambition and punch, and its short lenght makes it difficult to go deep into the turmoil and feelings that the protagonists could be facing. It remains relatively surface level on a lot of ways in an amicable and agreeable approach.

The casting was good overall. The chemistry was not really overwhelming but the script did not require a lot of demonstration of affection or overpowering passion...Therefore the acting was totally appropriate at depicting a very youthful first love kind of story. There was a bit of imbalance in terms of skills level, as Hyuga Wataru did in my opinion a better job than Okura Takato in conveying the story and adding additional layer to his character. Overall, both did okay but it could have been stronger in terms of nuances.

I love the soundtrack, it was totally fitting the drama. The production value as well was lovely: there was a lot of pretty picturesque sceneries in addition to mouthwatering food scenes.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL with a really appeasing slice-of-life feeling. It depicts a sweet coming-of-age story with a platonic and heartwarming romance in a summery setting. If you are looking for an angsty show with passionate characters and a lot of turmoil, this is really not the series you should watch. But if you are looking for a charming and calming drama, this might be a good pick for you.

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Disturbing: I'm not sure about the what and why, icky but kinda grossly fascinating

This very short movie of about 15 minutes is very indie as it focus on a very odd and relatively disturbing topic as one of the character has a strong secret kink. No judgment from my part, but I personally found it quite gross and icky.

The camera does not shy from the disturbing details and the main actor does an overall convincing job. The filmmaking has a very strong approach on featuring the specific kink of the main character. It is kinda fascinating in a way and I felt a bit sick watching it.

It is impactful in a way but I am absolutely not sure of what the movie is trying to say or why...Honestly there are many fascinating elements in the psyche of the main character that would be interesting to explore...But the short length of the movie prevent any kind of plot & character development.

I would not recommend this movie as I am so unsure of what to think of it after watching it. It is pretty short so you might want to give it a shot if you like indie movies featuring somewhat obscure and disturbing topic.

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Not an essential, more a nice side quest to 'The Untamed' series' lore

After watching the amazing series The Untamed, I was looking forward this movie set up in the same universe as I truly enjoyed the parent drama. Here, the film features a side quest led by two secondary characters of The Untamed that I like a lot: Ghost General Wen Ning and Lan Si Zhui.

Even though I like the universe and the characters, I must admit that this movie is not a "must watch" but rather a "nice to see". Indeed the story is very predictable, I guessed everything very easily. There are almost no characters growth / development and very few links / references to the parent series. The scenario, quite classic, felt very "shonen" / "video game" and the film is too short to get truly emotionally invested in what happens to the protagonists.

I still enjoyed it thanks to the production value. The budget seems higher than in the drama for the special effects and make-up. There is an elevated feel to the monster / fantasy elements which is very enjoyable, especially in the fight scenes. The soundtract was pretty nice, though not memorable but with some lovely tunes as well as a soothing ending song.

I would recommend this to people that are missing The Untamed series. If you watch it without any big expectation, it is an easy watch featuring lovable secondary characters from this amazing drama. It does not bring anything new to the universe and original story but it is a quite short and entertaining watch.

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Despite a trope I love, disappointed by the writing, acting and production value...

This BL drama contains one of my favorite trope: the "master-servant" relationship, and here more specifically in a "heir-bodyguard" format. Unfortunately, it fell apart in many ways despite this very interesting premise. I was very disappointed by the series, in particular by its second half.

Story-wise, the writing is pretty bad and get more and more bonkers as the scenario unfold. The protagonists are making unlogical decisions most of the time for dramatic purposes and there are very little character's development. The dialogs are super cheesy but not swoony enough.

Acting-wise, it was such a let-down. Chemistry between the leads was okayish but I think it is the trope that carried their relationship for me (in particular in the first half). In terms of acting skills, I felt a relative disbalance: Phuwin really lacked nuances and mostly acted pouting/upset as the young heir. I enjoyed a bit more the acting of his counterpart Pond as the bodyguard...Overall, I feel that both really really need to work on their acting chops. They were not believable in the over-the-top dramatic moments. The story got very melodramatic / soap-like and it requires good skills to make a bad script appealing to the viewer...Here the acting prevented me even more to connect to the story. The side couple was not better, I love Perth but I could not get onboard with the secondary relationship portrayed in the drama.

Production value is pretty low: the sound, the fights scenes, the props, everything feels super cheap. Music did not leave a lasting impression on me at all. I think it was a bit heavy in terms of amping the dramatic elements, and it felt flat for me.

I would not recommend this to people because there are BLs out there featuring much better that kind of relationship (for example "Where Your Eyes Linger" with also "heir/bodyguard" relationship, or "Utsukushii Kare" for more a "master-servant" bond)...At first, I was full of forgiveness regarding the weaknesses in the production, the choppy editing, as well as the flaws in writing and acting...But it became so nonsensical that even a trope that I usually like very much could not save the drama.

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Despite heavy/manipulative way to handle the life lessons...Still enjoyed some of the cases & hero

I enjoyed certain episodes more than others, it felt very episodic and lacked a strong common thread. There was some elements coming back over the course of the story, but I wish those would have been more developped. Still, I had some "favorite cases" of the week: namely the arson case and the Raika case. I also enjoyed the hero Totono and his relationship with the world and others. I was pretty interested by Garo, and by Seiko (the female inspector) but it felt rather flat overall. I wish they mined much more the (b)romance between Totono and Garo. There was a lot of unexploited potential there.

Even if that was heavily handed I appreciated some of the societal critics brought up by the series. It remained overal relatively superficial but at least there was an attempt at it. I wish they would have gone much deeper on some topics (for example regarding the women discrimination at the police station which was overall fairly lightly handled) but some were insightful.

I was pretty satisfied by the acting. I feel the main lead made a proper job portraying his unconventional character. There was no obvious bad performances, most were okay. I really enjoyed some of the guest actors, there were a few familiar faces, which is always nice.

The production value was quite standard, no outstanding but sufficient for conveying the story. The editing choices, with a lot of flashbacks, made the script feel a bit redundant. The scenario (and therefore the filmmaking) had a tendency to overexplain things, to make sure the viewer understood what happened and how the mystery was resolved. To that effect, the music was really heavyly handed...it lacked subtlety and felt almost childish somewhat...Each time the central character told a life lesson, there was a (pretty) melancholic music popping up in the background, which felt a bit manipulative to me...

I would recommend this to people looking for a mystery formulaic series. If you enjoy drama with kind of "case of the week" stories, you will likely enjoy this. I also think there are a lot of "reflective"/"life lessons" moments that could resonate with the viewer. For me, those were too heavily handed to appreciate all of them and I wish the various episodes had a stronger common thread allowing me to be more investing in the overall story. The show has a relatively open ending, so I will definitely watch the Special Episode...And then maybe the movie to round it up.

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Despite its undeniable qualities, story did not grab me mainly because of pacing and editing issues

This movie is about the encounter of two gays men: Kosuke, a fashion editor quite well-off and Ryuta, a younger guy that tries to make ends meet, doing a lot of side jobs...The movie takes its time exploring their budding relationship in the context of Japanese society where gay marriage is still forbiden and overall gay relationships remains marginalised.

The premise of the film is interesting but unfortunately it did not manage to grab my attention as I would have wished to. I felt quite detached during most part of the movie and I blame foremost pacing issues about that. Indeed, the movie felt sluggish to me and I truly think it would have benefited from a sharper editing. Despite I truly found the characters and their dynamics super interesting, I also felt that the romance was a bit lacking. The scenario took its time to catch me and it mainly brought up some reflections and feelings to me in its last third.

The acting was very good, especially from Suzuki Ryohei. He was astounishing in his role: he managed to do a lot with just his eyes, making the emotions so real and raw with what his character was going through...Each one of his micro expression as he was suffering was truly gut wrenching and believable. I also felt under the charm of Miyazawa Hio, who makes his character very appealing as well as Agawa Sawako which was pretty good in her role.

There was an indie feeling to this movie with a lot of what felt as experimentative camera movements and angles, it made some shots very engaging but clearly, I wish the filmmaking would have helped the rythm of the plot. The camera work seemed sometimes to slow down a lot on details and I think it is too the detriment of the pace of the story.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for a realistic life BL. It dives into deep topics (much deeper than what the poster would have left presupposed) and it will for sure not leave the viewer indifferent. Despite its qualities, I cannot omit the fact that the watching experience for me was not the best, as I felt bored at various points and the movie catched my interest concretely almost at the end....Still, I think it is worth to give it a try.

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