Good ride

very slick well written and planned and well-acted thriller with plenty of action like the best K-drama of its genre〜the concept is not that original but it is well done 〜reminds me of 「Mission Impossible」except it is not one completed story for every episode but leaves cliffhanger and there emerges an underlying backstory and plan behind the targeted individuals〜 you have to focus to follow the detail 〜this is binge watch quality which is rare for me。Great cast both main and support。 you really want them to get those low-lifes in high places。Song Seung Hyeon was also in similar genre「 Black」（also with Kim Won Hae） and 「Time Slip Dr Jin」 that I liked but his main career roles seem romance or melodrama〜Kim Won Hae also has a long distinguished career in similar roles （main and support） such as 「Nine Times Time Travel」、「Black」「 I am Human Too」 「Hotel del Luna」 to name a few it would have been good to see a follow up with these actors as they developed good chemistry。

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great drama of political intrigue

after slow start （maybe because I did not watch the prequel so not familiar with background）I loved this superlative action drama and very involving once you begin to unravel the overload of information about various courts intrigues and players〜one I watch many episodes together〜 also this drama really lives up to its name as it is episode 4 and I have not seen a single female： how do they reproduce？(^_-) as usually it seems with Chinese dramas the introduction songs are too long、 I assume Chinese audience like action shots with music as a distinct part of the show〜but though I like rock music it seems bizarrely out of place in this type of period drama〜my only criticism is the very unsatisfactory ending on which see separate comment with spoliers〜〜

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Inspirational message

certainly set in different background from usual school drama which I find interesting〜 there is room for some social class comment although of course a romanticised view of technical schools as this is fiction〜as to the girl in boys school trope、this has a different more original feel than similar dramas： of course heroine is too good to be true as we would all like to be but this is fiction！and then also a love triangle but it feels like this was put in as part of the formula and is not a main focus〜but interesting plot elements showing hard background stories of some students 〜such as one involving single parent、 another financially struggling〜 really add interest and are well developed though finally it is obviously intended as inspirational message for teenagers rather than realistic 〜still no boring part and I liked this more as I watch it really good show so 10 / 10

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dark but compelling drama about caste and bullying in school setting

First a general point. it is unfortunate that the traditional emphasis on community, family, groups in Japanese society, which has tended to stamp on anyone out of synch with social norms and hierarchy (though now improving in more liberal cities) is truly reflected in the type of bullying in schools typical of Japanese school drama and especially in this drama looked at from the angle of caste。 Like others I thought this drama would be more comic but it is actually quite depressing with the bullying tropes and unremittingly dark 〜actions of some students in this drama are extreme to point of sociopathic but this I suppose is part of the fictional exaggeration for dramatic effect。 however despite the darkness it hooks you as a very good school mystery genre for the first 10,5 episodes and the the evil is counterbalanced in that it is effectively being challenged by Baba (and later her friends)。especially moving is the genuine feeling and character of Baba's passion in the last episode which unravels the mystery and the darkness。it is also a good satire at times on uncaring or just ineffective teachers and teacher to teacher bullying (in one episode at least)。the final episode is nicely finished and neatly resolved、 though the festive side departs from any sense of realism and is rather out of character with most of the story 〜I also find it interesting how the argument comes full circle with the students ultimately demanding the very class system which through the abusive caste system shown in the drama produced thee bullying problem： it seems what they want is not to retain the good part of Japanese communal spirit while getting rid of the negative effects〜 an ideal solution indeed if it is only possible in reality！still this is a drama where fictional dramatisation is used very well to examine real social problems and lifts it above pure entertainment〜 though I am happy to say bullying is becoming less of a problem in my experience〜finally I really liked the music of Exile。

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Another watchable Chinese fantasy production

finally I enjoyed this series very much as the characters developed and for me this and the fantasy were the best parts。 it was disappointing the relationship between Zhao Yun Lan and Shen Wei was sanitised by censorship but unfortunately not unexpected and you have to learn to use your imagination in these Chinese dramas〜 some actors are better at being suggestible than others：here for me only 7０％。It was also a learning curve working out how the double characters fitted。 I think the less good part was the production values、 very basic with the same unconvincing cardboard sets and props throughout and the total populations of Haixing and Dixiang in crowd scenes seeming at most 40 or 50 people: must be the budget〜also the obvious and very artificial and mostly unconvincing attempts to insert straight romance between certain characters。but looking beyond this the larger story including back story was very well developed coming together nicely in the second half Music was good especially closing song。Not close in quality to 「The Untamed」 but a very good show that had me watching one episode most nights to the end of the series which means for me it must be very good。

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Blood

this drama I had doubts I would stay with for 20 episodes but in the end I completed in binge session of last 3 episodes. I think it started out better、 then too much unconvincing romance from around episode 8 [do people really turn 180 degrees round in love-hate relationship?] spoilt it for me but more tension and plot turns and surprises toward end kept me hooked. I do think the romance element was really very weak spot in this drama and truly interfered with the drama but luckily the drama improved and in last episodes I was hooked to see what happened next. as it turned out the drama in the final ending was not for me as good as expected, although the final twist was very original and surprising. I have my own individualistic interpretation about the last two episodes and romance ending which others may not agree with but for me is as convincing as what we are maybe expected to feel 〜that is Park Ji Sang's true love was Joo Hyun Wooー there are hints all over the earlier episodes.ーso when Hyun Woo died in episode 19 Ji Sang was emotionally dead and more accepting of his own sacrifice because his true love was gone. I never found the relationship between Ji Sang and Ri Ta convincing and still less the one created from thin air between Hyun Woo and Soo Eun. I am not saying there was no feeling between him and Ri Ta, just that it was not as deep as for Hyun Woo. the only reason this was not spelled out in my opinion was because they wanted the show to conform to the conventional boy-girl romance、 the last romantic scene between Ji Sang and Ri Ta was emotional bit for me seems very artificial and conventional〜but maybe this is just my fantasy。 also what was the last part all about? total fantasy ?Ri Ta meet an unknown brother or clone of Ji Sang in Kochenia? or had she died and met him in the afterlife? just a continuation of the unconvincing romance to give sort of happy ending I feel。 but in all a very enjoyable drama with excellent start and sufficient interest to stick with to the end 。

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Fun fable

Yes this movie is weird and fun but is a fable also about the all powerful controlling manipulating social machine starting from education machine onward for life holding children and then adult in its and how only those brave enough to stand against it will become true human being。To do this you also need to learn and grow as shown in the movie。 Who is the real monster? When you dig beneath the surface is it really a simple story of an alien threatening to blow up the world or are the state powers and defence team really more concerned that Korosensei will bring down "the system" running all of us? You have to look at how this story develops from the simple "alien threatening the world" sci-fi trope。 The state authorities and defense team want to stop him, but even under threat they want to use the no-hope class to do it because they are expendable。Reminds me of how the people getting killed in wars are considered expendable。 Note how the children come eventually to feel attached to Korosensei as they realise he 〜the outsider〜 is the one who is really on their side and teaching them how to evolve as human beings instead of being dumped and forgotten in the school shed by the powers who run the system。 Just like lots of human beings considered expendable because they cannot fit in with the system in the real world。 But of course the movie can be enjoyed for itself without seeing any deeper meaning。 The action and special effects are quite good and I did not feel bored anywhere in the movie. It was about the right length。

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I admit I found this compulsive viewing and finished it quickly. It was very good but not to me a real school drama〜more like Mission Impossible using a school setting. Manga, not realism but see below for the unfortunate attempt at the end to combine the two. There is the usual sensei going to any lengths for her students but thankfully she is just a side issue here. The characters and role of the dark sensei [Eikura Nana as Takakura was just the right combination of cold computer and mysterious attraction] are good. The individual stories and problems resolved by the dark women teachers were not that original but made interesting by the characters and the manga-like way they zoomed into battle in their ’extraーcurricular activities” made me smile. What spoilt it for me was the end：very dramatic but then trying to bring together or convert fantasy into realism for me just does not work ーand I feel this is what they tried to do here. I am torn between giving top mark or taking off one for this reason but it is maybe unfair to let the unsatisfying end wipe out the very good stories. I think this is a one view only series but if it kept this guy watching every day it must be good. I am usually watching four or five at once.

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This drama really developed well after episode 3, especially character development and you really identified with their feelings, though still taking up too much fighting to fill up the story to rate 10/10. I suppose with this genre it goes with the territory. I liked all the characters especially in Hoodlum gang but their enemy gangs had their own different character which was good. Almost no romance - a couple of female interest - but that suits me for this kind of macho drama. I thought the last episodes also not so good, out of sync with the main story, with new gang coming in out of nowhere and a huge gang fight suddenly stopping while personal stuff took the stage and all these tough guys just stopped and watched [really???} - so the personal stuff was "touching" but not believable in my opinion. I feel the end was not so convincing, left hanging in the air and not sure where this is going, but liked it enough to try the next season. 9/10 story, 10/10 characters.

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This was really great, genuinely scary at times、 maybe because I watch this at night. murder in closed setting [from Agatha Christie] not original but how it was done was original and kept me wondering who was the murderer until near the end。 This was also a story where the psychological aspect and motivation were also a very important part of the story and ”woven” into it very well. The characters as high school students were believable, not like adults playing at
students. The idea of a high school student solving murders looks very improbable but here it was carried off really well with Kindaichi having some nice adolescent touches while very convincing in the side of him using his powerful brain for detection. I liked the comedy touches which relieved the dark side without getting silly or ”slapstick”。Finally the story included a battle of minds between an ”evil genius” and the ”hero genius” Kindaichi which promises to continue as an interesting angle to keep us hooked in future stories [reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty in the English stories]. I will be watching other Kindaichi stories。

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I started this expecting an amusing light entertainment. There was one funny moment in episode 1 and a few in episode 2, otherwise slow and/or a bit depressing. After watching 4 episodes I had great difficulty seeing where this is going. First it's a comedy of errors, then it changes into something else. It is episode 10, why am I still watching this? Maybe it's the fashion (not on the lead actors) and sets [I like the Kandinsky in the Dam Art Gallery]. The gay "joke" seems to have disappeared or become a downer (not that it's original or funny to start with). LMH seems uncomfortable playing a part with a gay theme, if so why do it? He is not at his most attractive or convincing and Son Ye Jin's character I find positively irritating [not to mention the permanent bad hair day]. Plus if there was little comedy (at least for me) in the first three episodes, there was nearly none ever since, except for the slip up scenes half way through). LMH looks like he has swallowed a lemon. I agree with others after around episode 10 it goes downhill into boring, predictable romance. When I start looking to see how long there is left in the episode it's not a good sign. The drama element livened up around episode 14 but they really draw out the agony in these Korean dramas before reaching the expected end. The theme music was good. Being generous a 7/10 for a neat package interesting at the start but falling off woefully after that. Also, maybe it is a Korean expression but I do not like the comments "I see you as a man" meaning you are not a man if you are gay. LMH was asked why he decided to take this part. I am wondering that too.

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I started this because I like school drama but ended up liking the the middle story much better than the modern school one. I wondered where Orange Marmalade came from but found out in episode 3. the school story, with the band I thought was a bit cliched, though the music was good. The idea of the outcast minority fighting for acceptance was very brave, which made it different from the usual school bullying trope. I am generous with scores, otherwise I think this may only have rated around a 6.5 but the middle part pushed it up, while the school part was not so good. For me, I like Han Shi Hoo (Lee Jong Hyun) better than the lead. Now that all the vampires are coming out, perhaps all those shy gay and bi K pop and K drama stars might consider trusting their fan base will not evaporate just because of who they are and start following their lead?

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Confused at start but as it went on I really liked it. Allowing for different customs according to the time, it seems not much changes in schools over the centuries. Is set in late 1700s during rule of Jeongjo one of best Korean kings and the Sungkyunkwan was real academy. This is a great drama series and the build up was gripping but for me began to lose interest after episode 15 as it turned into just another straight romance, but that's personal to me I suppose. Also not in love with the ending, but difficult to give totally satisfying ending. Still give it 10/10. Music was great also. I almost never rewatch but may watch this again for characters, background, beautiful costumes, as for me plot not so important.

I like Yoo Chun's and Ah In's characters in this but why is it I can never find another drama where the same actors (not just these) have different roles I like? Despite him being villain here, very sad to hear of Jeon Tae Soo passing away.

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I quite liked part one when it started, but not impressed by part 2. The 2037 background is not very convincing. It gets quite confusing. Which one is Bum Gyun and Joon Hyuk? The 2 part formula is interesting idea but relation between two parts quite unclear. Now over the half way mark and the title is very appropriate, as I think it is going round in circles and becoming quite a struggle to watch. Towards the end picked up again, more action and story coming together. But what happened? Was she taken back? I think it could have been less episodes. 8.7 rating is around right.

Male lead part 2 quite handsome. Bromance between brothers but otherwise very slight. IMO real bromance is between non-related persons. Not one I would re-watch.

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