The Miracle (Series)

Year: 2016
Country: South Korea
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Number of episodes: 12
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It's been a long time since I last gave a review. It's sad 'cause I've watched a lot of series and movies, and I wasn't able to write down my own review.

I could do it now but I don't like writing reviews about a movie/series I have watched even a day old. The fresher it is, the better the review (or at least that's how it is for me)

Anyway~ I just finished watching “The Miracle”.

I've watched this because I am a simple fangirl.

I see my babies, I watch.

But regardless of who's in the drama, I will try my best not to be biased. By the way, this is a web drama.

Personal Review Time~!!!

The story isn't original and, I have to admit, a bit overused in Korean dramas (even in other Asian dramas) but not many dramas were able to use it well. So thumbs up to the writer of this drama. (OwO)b

I'm talking about "the switching bodies" plot. It's easy to create a film with this content, but it gets boring eventually plus could lead to A LOT of inconsistencies in the long run.

I couldn't write that much about this drama since it's a pretty short one but here are my thoughts about it.

It's refreshingly simple.

When you have a "switching bodies" concept/idea, most people tend to create a really complicated plot and twists that, although entertaining, is a bit too much with a lot of plot holes.

I used the term "refreshing" mainly because the people who switched were twin sisters and they didn't exactly switch to fall in love with someone. Romance was just something that fell into places.

There was a clear development in terms of understanding what the other was going through which is nice. It's not heavy nor is it light. This is one of the main reason why I like the drama.

It also showcase a close image of how a normal day looks like in different perspective.

Don't be too fooled by how easy and light-ish this drama is. There are so many things going on in it.

The classic bullying, how society easily classifies one's worth by one's look, standing up to one's self and their wants, knowing your self worth, believing in the people around you, family, and being who you are.

"It's not living if I'm living your life."

That isn't the exact quote, however, it has the same context as what the older twin said.

Many people forget who they are to grasp the idea of fame and being "a part" of society's socially acceptable clique.

Now if you've noticed, romance isn't there despite bearing the romance genre.

Yes, there is some romance going on. Some key points in this genre (from the drama) is to know whether he/she loves you for who you are, and how far would you go to save or ensure the smile of your lover.

Since I am already on the romance side of the drama, I would also like to point out what probably bothers me.

You guys are probably thinking that I'm a bitter person since I almost (if not all the time) always criticize the romance genre of what I've watched. I'm honestly not. I just find these things a little to stretchy and it's not like I don't believe that those romantic stuff doesn't happen.

I seriously chased after a guy I like to the airport just to see him one last time before he leaves.

One of the things that bothers me is how one of the main guys suddenly liking one of the main girls after her change in attitude. The girl was seriously dissing him and he starts crushing on her? He's either crazy or a masochist (no offense).

Another is how the girl ended the relationship or at least how they showed how she ended the relationship.

It was too simple that it's honestly cruel if it happened in real life. One day you guys are the cheesiest overly in love couple, the next day she breaks up with you saying "I don't like you anymore". Wow. I mean I get that they switched back, but come on. There has to be a better way to break the relationship.

The next one isn't really a major thing, just something that sorts of bothers me. I get the idea that if you wish for something, there has to be something in exchange. In the drama, that means someone has to get hurt. In one of the wishes, someone unrelated to the lead got hurt sooooo does that mean it's at random?

Lastly, the lip sync in the end was a little overly stretched that it's already unbelievable. I have no idea how they are supposed to fix it but watching it, anyone would understand when I say something's wrong with it.

Now to give a short summary of what I think about this drama:

It's relaxing drama with good content. It has some wrinkles here and there, but it doesn't ruin the complete image of it. It's a good drama to pass time when you don't feel like watching something heavy, but want to watch something.

That's all I have to say for this drama. Once again, this review is based on my personal opinion so it's pretty subjective.

'Til next time!

Surplus Princess (Series)

Year: 2014
Country: South Korea
Genre: Romance/Comedy/Fantasy
Number of episodes: 10

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I just finished watching “Surplus Princess”.

Personal Review Time~!!!

It’s a good drama that talks about the difficulty faced by job hunters and maybe a bit about “true love” (but not really or at least they tried)

It’s a representation of the story of the little mermaid: spoiled mermaid princess in love with a prince/handsome guy and did everything to become human

What I liked about this drama:
-how they presented the little mermaid

-they’re not subtle with the adult humor (though it only lasted up to the 2nd or 3rd episode)

-how they gave tips to job hunters

-I like the comedy and some romance (A/N: I am hard to please with the romance genre)

-the realism is there... except for the mermaids and stuff of course

-the concept in general

-the gorgeous apple butt of one of the main characters (ouo)b

-the use of attack on titans’ theme song (A/N: I laughed way harder than I should have :D )

What I did not like about this drama:
-inconsistent (something in the first episode and last episode did not match) (A/N: I can't say what exactly because I consider it a spoiler.)

-my main ship did not sail

-my main ship SHOULD HAVE sailed because that was what started everything or all ships connecting the heroine should’ve sunk miserably 

-the story and idea was progressing well… then they lost it somewhere near the end of the drama

-the end was pretty bad– they strayed off the story’s path by contradicting something in the story and did not explained anything because they decided to make things dramatic (includes a useless cliffhanger for extra drama)

- imagine you drawing a straight line with a ruler and just when you’re nearly done with your nearly straight line, someone accidentally nudged you… the end product of the line you drew can describe how the story line progressed

I like this drama. I would recommend it, but I would also warn you that the ending is pretty bad. It’s good if you decided to ignore the romance of the main character and focus on the tips and life of the job hunters in the drama. I think it would’ve been really nice if they didn’t try to imitate “My Love From Another Star”. I don't have many comments about the acting or the characters other than the fact that I was confused about a side character because I couldn't quite grasp his character well. His importance in the series is close to none anyway so I decided to just let it slide. (A/N: I'm looking at you sort of middle aged dude trying to look hip and young #loveIsDefinitelyBlind #sorryNotSorry)

I'm not sure, but this could be my first series/film that conceptualizes a fairy tale in the modern era. I've watched a lot of series and movies, but the most I've seen was the characters empathizing with the characters in a fairy tale. I don't mind being wrong though. If you know a movie/series that retells a fairy tale in the modern era, do comment down the title and I'll watch it if I haven't seen it. :)

This is my longest post yet. It's something I just noticed but so far, everything I critic came from South Korea. I would like to make it clear that I'm not exclusively giving critics to South Korean films. I would critic any film from any country. It really doesn't matter to me because a film is a film, and is another type of art and art is universal. Language is not a barrier. especially how easily accessible subtitles are these days lol

I'm still new and developing as a critic so if there's anything you find confusing, please point it out and I wouldn't mind clarifying things. ^^

Now onward to the next film!

Dead Friend (Movie)

Year: 2004
Country: South Korea
Genre: Horror

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This movie made me happy…. very happy.

It was well done and is a movie I would recommend.

-turn of events is nice
-Background story is great
-delivery of the connections was great
-plot twist was also good
-the horror theme was just right
-the acting was good
-that ending scene was awesome (ouo)b

-the intro was good, but I wished it was delivered in a different way
-I wished they dwell a little more on the guy.. just a little
-how the protag survives was a little unclear though
-I’m sort of bothered by the sudden long hair of the antagonist

This is one of the horror films that made me turn my line of vision elsewhere when I know something’s about to happen. I did figured out the plot twist somewhere in the middle of the film. Normally, when that happens, my interest and thrill to the movie would decline until I end up getting bored by the time I reach the ending, but that didn’t happen in this film due to the way they delivered it. I loved the story itself and the only thing I could talk about negatively is some holes here and there that doesn’t really make a huge mess in the film.

Good job to everyone who made this film. OwO)b

Cello (Movie)

Year: 2005
Country: South Korea
Genre: Horror

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I just finished watching this film. 

hmmm…. it reminds me of a movie/drama/anime I’ve seen before, but I can't remember which.

It wouldn’t be in the top section of my recommended film, but I did like it.

This is just my opinion tho. Dun hate. QnQ

-background story is good.
-I like most of the method of killing (except for the guy)
-I like the plot twist

-some points aren’t clear (like the eldest’s condition)
-i think the new housekeeper was sort of unnecessary because she wasn’t really the host of the dead
-the importance of the cello isn’t clear (other than for the back story)
-i don’t see the relevance of the eldest playing (or being attached to) the cello
-the protag’s way of explaining who the antag is was weak. She cracked waaaaaayyyyy too easily

personal opinion: the b*tch should’ve died or something =A=

All in all, despite being an old-looking film, it’s a good film. It’s not for viewers who wish to see a lot of horror action though. The film focuses more on the story than the horror itself so it might be boring for some.

4th Period Mystery (Movie)

Year: 2009
Country: South Korea
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

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I was scrolling through a list of horror films and came across this one. 

The title is pretty straight forward, for movie is all about a murder that took place during their 4th period and the search for the killer.

Here’s my thoughts about it. :)

Hmmmm….
I’m not that satisfied with the film.

-almost no character development
-the romance theme felt like it was there for the sake of romance
-too many useless character and unrelated scenes (i guess it’s for the romance theme)
-the case itself wasn’t that creative
-2/3 (more or less) of the movie involves the main character running around the campus
-suspect’s background was uninteresting
-victim’s connection/story with the suspect was unclear and confusing
-victim is a regular asshole… he’s bound to get killed by someone sooner or later -.-
-the ending was rushed
-I’m pretty sure the epilogue was to either make the audience laugh or feel like a spectator watching their OTP do cheesy stuff

Overall, I think this movie would’ve been better off without the romance. Seriously, it was not needed. It’s like reading one of those fanfictions wherein they became lovers after one chapter and I’m not talking about one-shots. There are some good points, too, like the friendship theme. For someone like me who’s into mystery novel, drama, and movies, this doesn’t satisfy me, but it’s a good start for those who want to venture into the mystery genre but is highly attached to romance.