50fiftillidideeBrain
Joined Oct 2002
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50fiftillidideeBrain's rating
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💥 You've been slain❗ Oh no. What's Jingjing gonna do?
This show is anxiety treatment. It's soothing, the dulcet voices speak Mandarin that is beautiful to listen to; it's almost like a massage. Heartbreak & tense moments are kept to a minimum. It's very pleasant hanging out with this pair, even though they're a little boring. Those thoughts & feelings will carry a viewer to the 20-something episodes. At some point, one must acknowledge that the dialogue isn't much more than "Look at me I'm pretty," and "Look at my boyfriend. Isn't he handsome?" The writing and dialogue are so flat they're nearly 1-dimensional.
YAMG is a 2021 release of 32 35-min episodes. It was still a few episodes too long and the content was too stretched out in the end. I didn't hate this show. It has some lovely, moments. It's easy to see why many would enjoy this, but it's just not my poison, so I'm unable to easily overlook its shortcomings.
Stalett, Qiao Jingjing, was a high school classmate of now rocket scientist Yu Tu. She had a crush on him, but he was only interested in the stars. (Now that she's a huge star, he might take notice). She never forgot Yu Tu, but she stopped thinking about him and went on with her life. The entertainment industry is half smoke and mirrors - they sell fantasy and most of their narratives are closely managed: They flat-out lie about the stars' personal lives. Jingjing is starring in a movie about gaming and she got too carried away one day and gave the (very false) impression that she's good at the game Honor of Kings. This got her an invite to the upcoming game tournament and it also generated lots of skepticism and mean talk online. If she doesn't get real good real quick she'll be a laughingstock. She needs a coach.
Yu Tu is a near master at the game. She's aware of his online persona and reaches out to him to teach her gaming. He doesn't make it easy, but he comes around and works with her. The rest of the story is them falling for e/o and them acclimating to their relationship. She has to keep her love life a secret. That's one obstacle. They have the HS reunion and a trip home to their families. That's a big deal. Then it's sorting out their busy careers and making time for the other. Let's not forget the gaming tournament. Yu won't let her fail. I doubt any viewer thinks she'll mess that up.
Dilraba Dilmurat is everywhere. I've seen enough close-ups of her face for a lifetime. She's beautiful, and she has impossibly big eyes. As far as acting goes, she can be likeable, but her range is limited. She does a good job at playing cute. Yang Yang is also very popular. My First look at him was in The King's Avatar-7.9, which is quite good. In KA he's an analytical gamer who plays Glory, and he's virtually sexless. In YAMG his friends call him "girl repellant". His hair is more tailored in this show which gives him a leaner look. He transforms into a good romantic ML once he decides what he's going to do. He changed his voice in YAMG to make it deeper and more serious. It doesn't sound authentic. I've long been on the fence when it comes to his talent. I considered him average in Who Rules the World-7.5. I admit that he managed solid sex-appeal in this show. He was also quite good in Love 020-6.7, but that show could also be better. Currently, his name on the billing wouldn't move me towards or away from a show.
This romance is lowkey. It comes very close to dragging alittle, but in the end, it's sweet. In the early episodes It's hard to imagine what's going to filll the rest of the time. Some of their time apart should have been halved or quartered, but it worked. Many of their romantic scenes work, too, though the latter ones are repetitive of the earlier ones. It would appear they had sufficient content for 20-25 episodes max. They stretched it too thin.
Therefore, YAMG should have been better. They had the ingredients and the tools for a top level romance. Chinese modern-day features often contain awkward dialog and wooden interactions between actors. Everything's stiff. Their idea of amusement is when he acts smugly. Sometimes it works. Smetimes it doesn't. One of my discarded titles is: He's so good looking & she's so good looking, it /must/ be love. It's meant ironically. There was a time when they commented on looks one time to nany, and that was in the teen episodes. They go beyond any scrap of good sense with it. It started to feel gross. My rating would have been lower, except she /really is/ cute and gorgeous, and he /really is/ handsome. That does take them a long way. In the last half dozen episodes it became increasingly difficult to hang in there with them, however. The final 2 episodes are more about patriotism and a love for China's space program, which our ML is an employee of. There's nothing wrong with that.
Some of the outfits are awful - almost beyond imagination. They have so many wardrobe misses that I questioned myself on the "hits". The red dress she wears is stunning, without question. He's got some cool slip-on ankle boots that are a little bit platform. I love them. Maybe I'm wrong - I am a sucker for crazy socks and shoes. They look sleek to me. There's other times where the fashion is disastrous. Yu's mother runs out of the front door during breakfast in a long sleeve velvet (velour?) dress that looks more appropriate for a cocktail party. Furthermore, she runs out to the front gate in her slippers, which would never happen. There's another scene where they're hanging out indoors with their coats on. I can't help but contrast the wardrobe in modern day features to the costumes in Chinese historical and fantasy features, which are resplendent works of art. It's fascinating. As far as music goes,. Stereo Love, by fewtile, is a world class tune; it's sad, haunting, transportive, and it's on my Spotify.
Who will like this? Diehard romantics and romance junkies who are looking for a low stress, low mental energy watch. I didn't mind it at all, but there is nothing that beckons to me to circle back to this couple - ever. My world will not revolve back in that direction.
QUOTE🗣
He {my dad} doesn't have the right to express his opinion in front of my mom.
〰🖍 IMHO
🎬7 🖊〰 5 🎭67 💓67 🦋66 🌞 6 🎨6 🎵/🔊8 😅2 😭0 🤔3 💤 3 🔚5
Age 13+ plenty of kissing and they hit the sack prior to tying the knot.
Poli-wagging; 4/10. Many modern-day Chinese features send the message: Be a good citizen. It would be un-American to not criticize our own government, right? That's a jailable offense in China. There is no perfect government in the world, so there's always something to be improved on.
Re-📺? 🆖
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
🌐💓 - C🇨🇳: A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5; Find Yourself 8.9; The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8; The Sleepless Princess 9.1; Wait, My Youth-8.4
Romance junkies only: Accidentally in Love-6.5 '18 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch, Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine but many object to an outrageous stunt the ML pulls, Boss & Me-7 When I Fly Towards You-7.8, You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding, Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better, Hidden Love-7.8.
This show is anxiety treatment. It's soothing, the dulcet voices speak Mandarin that is beautiful to listen to; it's almost like a massage. Heartbreak & tense moments are kept to a minimum. It's very pleasant hanging out with this pair, even though they're a little boring. Those thoughts & feelings will carry a viewer to the 20-something episodes. At some point, one must acknowledge that the dialogue isn't much more than "Look at me I'm pretty," and "Look at my boyfriend. Isn't he handsome?" The writing and dialogue are so flat they're nearly 1-dimensional.
YAMG is a 2021 release of 32 35-min episodes. It was still a few episodes too long and the content was too stretched out in the end. I didn't hate this show. It has some lovely, moments. It's easy to see why many would enjoy this, but it's just not my poison, so I'm unable to easily overlook its shortcomings.
Stalett, Qiao Jingjing, was a high school classmate of now rocket scientist Yu Tu. She had a crush on him, but he was only interested in the stars. (Now that she's a huge star, he might take notice). She never forgot Yu Tu, but she stopped thinking about him and went on with her life. The entertainment industry is half smoke and mirrors - they sell fantasy and most of their narratives are closely managed: They flat-out lie about the stars' personal lives. Jingjing is starring in a movie about gaming and she got too carried away one day and gave the (very false) impression that she's good at the game Honor of Kings. This got her an invite to the upcoming game tournament and it also generated lots of skepticism and mean talk online. If she doesn't get real good real quick she'll be a laughingstock. She needs a coach.
Yu Tu is a near master at the game. She's aware of his online persona and reaches out to him to teach her gaming. He doesn't make it easy, but he comes around and works with her. The rest of the story is them falling for e/o and them acclimating to their relationship. She has to keep her love life a secret. That's one obstacle. They have the HS reunion and a trip home to their families. That's a big deal. Then it's sorting out their busy careers and making time for the other. Let's not forget the gaming tournament. Yu won't let her fail. I doubt any viewer thinks she'll mess that up.
Dilraba Dilmurat is everywhere. I've seen enough close-ups of her face for a lifetime. She's beautiful, and she has impossibly big eyes. As far as acting goes, she can be likeable, but her range is limited. She does a good job at playing cute. Yang Yang is also very popular. My First look at him was in The King's Avatar-7.9, which is quite good. In KA he's an analytical gamer who plays Glory, and he's virtually sexless. In YAMG his friends call him "girl repellant". His hair is more tailored in this show which gives him a leaner look. He transforms into a good romantic ML once he decides what he's going to do. He changed his voice in YAMG to make it deeper and more serious. It doesn't sound authentic. I've long been on the fence when it comes to his talent. I considered him average in Who Rules the World-7.5. I admit that he managed solid sex-appeal in this show. He was also quite good in Love 020-6.7, but that show could also be better. Currently, his name on the billing wouldn't move me towards or away from a show.
This romance is lowkey. It comes very close to dragging alittle, but in the end, it's sweet. In the early episodes It's hard to imagine what's going to filll the rest of the time. Some of their time apart should have been halved or quartered, but it worked. Many of their romantic scenes work, too, though the latter ones are repetitive of the earlier ones. It would appear they had sufficient content for 20-25 episodes max. They stretched it too thin.
Therefore, YAMG should have been better. They had the ingredients and the tools for a top level romance. Chinese modern-day features often contain awkward dialog and wooden interactions between actors. Everything's stiff. Their idea of amusement is when he acts smugly. Sometimes it works. Smetimes it doesn't. One of my discarded titles is: He's so good looking & she's so good looking, it /must/ be love. It's meant ironically. There was a time when they commented on looks one time to nany, and that was in the teen episodes. They go beyond any scrap of good sense with it. It started to feel gross. My rating would have been lower, except she /really is/ cute and gorgeous, and he /really is/ handsome. That does take them a long way. In the last half dozen episodes it became increasingly difficult to hang in there with them, however. The final 2 episodes are more about patriotism and a love for China's space program, which our ML is an employee of. There's nothing wrong with that.
Some of the outfits are awful - almost beyond imagination. They have so many wardrobe misses that I questioned myself on the "hits". The red dress she wears is stunning, without question. He's got some cool slip-on ankle boots that are a little bit platform. I love them. Maybe I'm wrong - I am a sucker for crazy socks and shoes. They look sleek to me. There's other times where the fashion is disastrous. Yu's mother runs out of the front door during breakfast in a long sleeve velvet (velour?) dress that looks more appropriate for a cocktail party. Furthermore, she runs out to the front gate in her slippers, which would never happen. There's another scene where they're hanging out indoors with their coats on. I can't help but contrast the wardrobe in modern day features to the costumes in Chinese historical and fantasy features, which are resplendent works of art. It's fascinating. As far as music goes,. Stereo Love, by fewtile, is a world class tune; it's sad, haunting, transportive, and it's on my Spotify.
Who will like this? Diehard romantics and romance junkies who are looking for a low stress, low mental energy watch. I didn't mind it at all, but there is nothing that beckons to me to circle back to this couple - ever. My world will not revolve back in that direction.
QUOTE🗣
He {my dad} doesn't have the right to express his opinion in front of my mom.
〰🖍 IMHO
🎬7 🖊〰 5 🎭67 💓67 🦋66 🌞 6 🎨6 🎵/🔊8 😅2 😭0 🤔3 💤 3 🔚5
Age 13+ plenty of kissing and they hit the sack prior to tying the knot.
Poli-wagging; 4/10. Many modern-day Chinese features send the message: Be a good citizen. It would be un-American to not criticize our own government, right? That's a jailable offense in China. There is no perfect government in the world, so there's always something to be improved on.
Re-📺? 🆖
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
🌐💓 - C🇨🇳: A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5; Find Yourself 8.9; The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8; The Sleepless Princess 9.1; Wait, My Youth-8.4
Romance junkies only: Accidentally in Love-6.5 '18 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch, Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine but many object to an outrageous stunt the ML pulls, Boss & Me-7 When I Fly Towards You-7.8, You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding, Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better, Hidden Love-7.8.
What's between 1 & 0? 🌌Infinity?
Is our world all there is? Is this timeline the only one? TKEM explores the possibility of parallel universes. It opens dark & ominous. Ep1 is jammed packed, & arguably confusing. Stick w/ it, they pull it together well.
LT Jung "Tae" Eul! I finally meet you! Gon is elated. Who's this lunatic? Tae is irritated. This weirdo has no permit for his horse & then she learns that he has no 🆔! He doesn't have money (those strange bills w/ his face on them do NOT count).
"This is recorded in memorabilia of the three kingdoms. In the spring of the yr 682, King Sinmum received a bamboo flute from the Dragon King of the East Sea. When the flute is played, enemies would retreat, diseases would be cured, rain would fall during droughts, the rainy season would end, the wind would stop, & strong waves would subside. Seeing its powers, King Sinmum named the flute Manpasikjeok."
So says the blood speckled suspect (Lee Jung Jin is Uncle / Prince Geum). He is being questioned by police. The criminal is 70 but looks 20 yrs younger. He claims it's b/c he took ownership of the flute. Time goes slower for the owner. His half brother, the king, didn't believe in the flute or its powers. Geum did. Brother didn't know the flute could bring the world to him. To be exact, different WORLDS. This detainee freely admits he killed his brother. There's no remorse showing. There's no emotion at all on his countenance, other than, perhaps, self-satisfaction. He's just reciting facts. Cold, bitter, terrifying facts. 'I did expect that, one day, my nephew would face that legend too.' To him it's no different than reporting that the sky is blue.
TKEM is a 2020 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. I watched this show early in my Asian programming addiction - before I was doing reviews & taking notes. Many things went over my head b/c I was a noob, but it left me w/ a good impression. Because of the multiple worlds, the moving timeline, & many people having doubles in the alternate world, so several actors play more than one character each, I recommend only intermediate Kdrama watchers opt for this one. After a brief intro we are taken to The Kingdom of Korea, 1994. This Korea is ruled by a king.
The show takes us back to the fateful night that Prince Geum murders his brother. He was in the process of murdering his nephew when an intruder (in sneakers, jeans, & a hoodie, no less) breaks it up. Geum flees. The Flute was cut in half in the ruckus. Each Prince has a half. Young Gon was also left holding Tae's 🆔. It was issued in 2019. What's it doing in 1994? As Geum races through the woods, he discovers that the flute opens gates to other worlds. He stumbles into the Republic of Korea.
He's aware of what the flute can potentially do, & he's no dummy. He quickly pieces together that he's stepped into an alternate reality. He runs into his family's doubles in SK🇰🇷. They're living a poor existence in this timeline. His other self is a wheelchair bound mute. This other self has the same DNA, which is perfect for Geum to fake his own death in /his/ Korea, the Kingdom. Geum murders his 🇰🇷counter, & his entire family's doubles. That's just the kind of guy he is. Back home, they now believe he's dead b/c a body washed up w/ his features & DNA, though there were anomalies, such as a deformed spine. As a dead man, he can now work from the shadows w/o looking over his shoulder.
20 yrs later, King Lee Gon is participating in competitive rowing when he sees something familiar: A person in a black hoodie, jeans, & sneakers. That's a sight he hasn't seen since he was 8. He gives chase, but the stranger escapes. How could that be the same person who rescued him yrs ago? How could they be wearing the same clothes?
He pulls out a souvenir from that night that defined his life: a police badge for Det. Jung Tae Eul, born 1990. Nothing adds up. Not yet. Spotting & following that hooded "white rabbit" a 2nd time leads Gon to a gorgeous 🎋 forest & the gate to the Republic of Korea. And to Jung Tae Eul, LT of the Seoul Metro PD.
The flute is a conduit that opens a portal to other worlds. It takes a person 1st to what is effectively a transfer station (TS). It's a non-world of pathways & pools, where there is no air or atmosphere, & time passes differently. We will later learn that since the flute is cut in half, most of its abilities are not functional. It allows the two Royals travel between the Kingdom & the Republic on a lateral, or real-time timeline, but they aren't able to go to any other worlds or any other times.
When either he or uncle Geum enter this TS area, everything in both worlds stops. Only Gon & his uncle are aware of what's going on. They can grab raindrops suspended in the air. Uncle has been hanging out in that TS, literally killing time, which moves exponentially faster there then in the real world. 4 months in TS realm, for instance, is 20 yrs on earth. No wonder Prince Geum doesn't look like he's aged.
The worst thing, though, is how Uncle has been switching people between the two worlds. He's been allowing his cronies who took part in the failed coup to escape justice & set up a nice life in 🇰🇷 by killing their Republic counterparts. He's also been recruiting people from the Republic🇰🇷 to work for him. He offers them a better life in the Kingdom. He's replacing the people around the king w/ his own agents! Gon pieces together that Uncle's been hanging out in the Republic, so he comes over often to investigate. He would come over anyway. He's in love w/ Tae. He's been enthralled w/ her since he was 8 & looked at her as his savior.
Every time he leaves the 'castle', Court lady Noh has a fit. The entire royal residence is in a state of royal flux! They really hate their routine being messed w/. Gon is slowly building up trust in the Republic, which is no easy task. When he arrived, he declared himself a monarch, & he was laughed at as a lunatic. People are starting to accept him. Tae couldn't fully accept it until she visited the Kingdom herself. In order to get that far, she had to trust Gon enough to go to that gate & then walk through it. Gon is persuasive! At one point he must switch out Eun Seop for his own guard. Woo Do Hwan is marvelous at completely opposite personalities & also doing a blend. During the switch, one has to try & act like the other, but they don't fully pull it off. I'm actually in awe of his performance. Tae & her crew sink deep into this mess as well b/c Uncle is in the Republic committing murder & other crimes.
Lee Min Ho is the King, Lee "Gon". Mathematical minds are a relatively rare thing. A mathematician w/ the soul of a romantic is even more rare, & that's who our King is. Kim Go Eun portrays Jung Tae Eul & Luna. (They just had to give Luna, a criminal, darker skin than her Republic counterpart w/ the same DNA, sigh. I shake my head at your ridiculous notions about skin tone, East Asia). Jeon Moo Song is Prince Yi Jong In, next in line👑. His first credited work is from back in 1981 & he didn't start in acting until he was 40, Kang Hong Suk is the new detective on the force, Jang Michael. Played for a bit of comic relief, they start questioning him, at first believing he's a gangster, when he arrives for his first day of work. He dresses flamboyantly, but he has the heart of a teddy bear - And a poet. Kim Young Ok plays the King's primary caretaker, Lady Noh. This actress is so cute. Her earliest credited work is from 1957. Maybe she has a Manpasikjeok: She's almost 90 & she looks like she's in her 70s. She was around 82 when this show was being filmed. Screenwriter Kim Eun Sook is no rookie, w/ hits like Descendants of the Sun-8.3 & Mr. Sunshine-9. Directors: Baek Sang Hoon, brought us DOTS, Jung Ji Hyun directed Twenty-Five Twenty-One, & the GREAT Yoo Je Won gifted us w/ Oh My Ghost-10.
The plot is pretty good! It's inventive, exciting, & intelligent. It works up to ep14, which is very exciting. Ep15 provides a bit of a breather. The opening credits are gorgeous. Of course, he'll rescue her on the White Horse. To neglect that would be malpractice.
This show is elegant. Prince Geum walks around like the grim reaper for the entire time. He appears mythical - mythically evil. According to KKday the two meet at "An unmissable spot in Seoul, Gwanghwamun Square is a national landmark across Gyeongbokgung where the statue of King Sejong the Great - the fourth & most respected king of the Joseon Dynasty who invented Hangeul, Korea's writing system - stands right at its center." The iconic forest, Ahopsan Forest in Busan, is privately-owned. It "has been featured in famous period K-Dramas including Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, 100 Days My Prince, & Ruler: Master of the Mask. It is also open to tourists looking for an escape to nature."
The action is great! There's excellent fight scenes. Most impressive is a rescue in ep11. In ep12 we get to look at it from a different perspective. The optics are beautiful & it's crazy romantic. With only half a flute, Gon gets trapped in 1994. He has to hang out in TS for 4 mos to go forward 20 yrs. He makes a couple tourist stops on the way & meets Tae at age 5. He visits her at a couple points in her life. He asks her to be nicer to him when they meet again in Busan. It's freakin wonderful.
Ep16 does what too many Kdramas fail to do: Give us a satisfying wrap up. The very end isn't really an end. I have mixed feelings about it, but it's just a state of stasis. Let's just say that they have the best dating life ever. Ever ever ever.
QUOTES🗣
Where There's fate, there are no coincidences.
Open all the doors of the universe to return to me.
IMHO〰🖍
📣8.3 📝8.4 🎭8.5 💓7 🦋5 🎨8.5 🎵/🔊7.8 🔚5.5 🤗6.5 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6 😅3 😭5 😱3.5 😯3 🤢4 🤔5.5 💤0
Shazams: Please Don't Cry by DAVICHI
Age 13+ Lang: PG-13
Re-📺? I've already looped around.
Is our world all there is? Is this timeline the only one? TKEM explores the possibility of parallel universes. It opens dark & ominous. Ep1 is jammed packed, & arguably confusing. Stick w/ it, they pull it together well.
LT Jung "Tae" Eul! I finally meet you! Gon is elated. Who's this lunatic? Tae is irritated. This weirdo has no permit for his horse & then she learns that he has no 🆔! He doesn't have money (those strange bills w/ his face on them do NOT count).
"This is recorded in memorabilia of the three kingdoms. In the spring of the yr 682, King Sinmum received a bamboo flute from the Dragon King of the East Sea. When the flute is played, enemies would retreat, diseases would be cured, rain would fall during droughts, the rainy season would end, the wind would stop, & strong waves would subside. Seeing its powers, King Sinmum named the flute Manpasikjeok."
So says the blood speckled suspect (Lee Jung Jin is Uncle / Prince Geum). He is being questioned by police. The criminal is 70 but looks 20 yrs younger. He claims it's b/c he took ownership of the flute. Time goes slower for the owner. His half brother, the king, didn't believe in the flute or its powers. Geum did. Brother didn't know the flute could bring the world to him. To be exact, different WORLDS. This detainee freely admits he killed his brother. There's no remorse showing. There's no emotion at all on his countenance, other than, perhaps, self-satisfaction. He's just reciting facts. Cold, bitter, terrifying facts. 'I did expect that, one day, my nephew would face that legend too.' To him it's no different than reporting that the sky is blue.
TKEM is a 2020 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. I watched this show early in my Asian programming addiction - before I was doing reviews & taking notes. Many things went over my head b/c I was a noob, but it left me w/ a good impression. Because of the multiple worlds, the moving timeline, & many people having doubles in the alternate world, so several actors play more than one character each, I recommend only intermediate Kdrama watchers opt for this one. After a brief intro we are taken to The Kingdom of Korea, 1994. This Korea is ruled by a king.
The show takes us back to the fateful night that Prince Geum murders his brother. He was in the process of murdering his nephew when an intruder (in sneakers, jeans, & a hoodie, no less) breaks it up. Geum flees. The Flute was cut in half in the ruckus. Each Prince has a half. Young Gon was also left holding Tae's 🆔. It was issued in 2019. What's it doing in 1994? As Geum races through the woods, he discovers that the flute opens gates to other worlds. He stumbles into the Republic of Korea.
He's aware of what the flute can potentially do, & he's no dummy. He quickly pieces together that he's stepped into an alternate reality. He runs into his family's doubles in SK🇰🇷. They're living a poor existence in this timeline. His other self is a wheelchair bound mute. This other self has the same DNA, which is perfect for Geum to fake his own death in /his/ Korea, the Kingdom. Geum murders his 🇰🇷counter, & his entire family's doubles. That's just the kind of guy he is. Back home, they now believe he's dead b/c a body washed up w/ his features & DNA, though there were anomalies, such as a deformed spine. As a dead man, he can now work from the shadows w/o looking over his shoulder.
20 yrs later, King Lee Gon is participating in competitive rowing when he sees something familiar: A person in a black hoodie, jeans, & sneakers. That's a sight he hasn't seen since he was 8. He gives chase, but the stranger escapes. How could that be the same person who rescued him yrs ago? How could they be wearing the same clothes?
He pulls out a souvenir from that night that defined his life: a police badge for Det. Jung Tae Eul, born 1990. Nothing adds up. Not yet. Spotting & following that hooded "white rabbit" a 2nd time leads Gon to a gorgeous 🎋 forest & the gate to the Republic of Korea. And to Jung Tae Eul, LT of the Seoul Metro PD.
The flute is a conduit that opens a portal to other worlds. It takes a person 1st to what is effectively a transfer station (TS). It's a non-world of pathways & pools, where there is no air or atmosphere, & time passes differently. We will later learn that since the flute is cut in half, most of its abilities are not functional. It allows the two Royals travel between the Kingdom & the Republic on a lateral, or real-time timeline, but they aren't able to go to any other worlds or any other times.
When either he or uncle Geum enter this TS area, everything in both worlds stops. Only Gon & his uncle are aware of what's going on. They can grab raindrops suspended in the air. Uncle has been hanging out in that TS, literally killing time, which moves exponentially faster there then in the real world. 4 months in TS realm, for instance, is 20 yrs on earth. No wonder Prince Geum doesn't look like he's aged.
The worst thing, though, is how Uncle has been switching people between the two worlds. He's been allowing his cronies who took part in the failed coup to escape justice & set up a nice life in 🇰🇷 by killing their Republic counterparts. He's also been recruiting people from the Republic🇰🇷 to work for him. He offers them a better life in the Kingdom. He's replacing the people around the king w/ his own agents! Gon pieces together that Uncle's been hanging out in the Republic, so he comes over often to investigate. He would come over anyway. He's in love w/ Tae. He's been enthralled w/ her since he was 8 & looked at her as his savior.
Every time he leaves the 'castle', Court lady Noh has a fit. The entire royal residence is in a state of royal flux! They really hate their routine being messed w/. Gon is slowly building up trust in the Republic, which is no easy task. When he arrived, he declared himself a monarch, & he was laughed at as a lunatic. People are starting to accept him. Tae couldn't fully accept it until she visited the Kingdom herself. In order to get that far, she had to trust Gon enough to go to that gate & then walk through it. Gon is persuasive! At one point he must switch out Eun Seop for his own guard. Woo Do Hwan is marvelous at completely opposite personalities & also doing a blend. During the switch, one has to try & act like the other, but they don't fully pull it off. I'm actually in awe of his performance. Tae & her crew sink deep into this mess as well b/c Uncle is in the Republic committing murder & other crimes.
Lee Min Ho is the King, Lee "Gon". Mathematical minds are a relatively rare thing. A mathematician w/ the soul of a romantic is even more rare, & that's who our King is. Kim Go Eun portrays Jung Tae Eul & Luna. (They just had to give Luna, a criminal, darker skin than her Republic counterpart w/ the same DNA, sigh. I shake my head at your ridiculous notions about skin tone, East Asia). Jeon Moo Song is Prince Yi Jong In, next in line👑. His first credited work is from back in 1981 & he didn't start in acting until he was 40, Kang Hong Suk is the new detective on the force, Jang Michael. Played for a bit of comic relief, they start questioning him, at first believing he's a gangster, when he arrives for his first day of work. He dresses flamboyantly, but he has the heart of a teddy bear - And a poet. Kim Young Ok plays the King's primary caretaker, Lady Noh. This actress is so cute. Her earliest credited work is from 1957. Maybe she has a Manpasikjeok: She's almost 90 & she looks like she's in her 70s. She was around 82 when this show was being filmed. Screenwriter Kim Eun Sook is no rookie, w/ hits like Descendants of the Sun-8.3 & Mr. Sunshine-9. Directors: Baek Sang Hoon, brought us DOTS, Jung Ji Hyun directed Twenty-Five Twenty-One, & the GREAT Yoo Je Won gifted us w/ Oh My Ghost-10.
The plot is pretty good! It's inventive, exciting, & intelligent. It works up to ep14, which is very exciting. Ep15 provides a bit of a breather. The opening credits are gorgeous. Of course, he'll rescue her on the White Horse. To neglect that would be malpractice.
This show is elegant. Prince Geum walks around like the grim reaper for the entire time. He appears mythical - mythically evil. According to KKday the two meet at "An unmissable spot in Seoul, Gwanghwamun Square is a national landmark across Gyeongbokgung where the statue of King Sejong the Great - the fourth & most respected king of the Joseon Dynasty who invented Hangeul, Korea's writing system - stands right at its center." The iconic forest, Ahopsan Forest in Busan, is privately-owned. It "has been featured in famous period K-Dramas including Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, 100 Days My Prince, & Ruler: Master of the Mask. It is also open to tourists looking for an escape to nature."
The action is great! There's excellent fight scenes. Most impressive is a rescue in ep11. In ep12 we get to look at it from a different perspective. The optics are beautiful & it's crazy romantic. With only half a flute, Gon gets trapped in 1994. He has to hang out in TS for 4 mos to go forward 20 yrs. He makes a couple tourist stops on the way & meets Tae at age 5. He visits her at a couple points in her life. He asks her to be nicer to him when they meet again in Busan. It's freakin wonderful.
Ep16 does what too many Kdramas fail to do: Give us a satisfying wrap up. The very end isn't really an end. I have mixed feelings about it, but it's just a state of stasis. Let's just say that they have the best dating life ever. Ever ever ever.
QUOTES🗣
Where There's fate, there are no coincidences.
Open all the doors of the universe to return to me.
IMHO〰🖍
📣8.3 📝8.4 🎭8.5 💓7 🦋5 🎨8.5 🎵/🔊7.8 🔚5.5 🤗6.5 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6 😅3 😭5 😱3.5 😯3 🤢4 🤔5.5 💤0
Shazams: Please Don't Cry by DAVICHI
Age 13+ Lang: PG-13
Re-📺? I've already looped around.
The one-sentence review: The very charming AIFILWY is a well written, acted, and directed coming of age story about growing pains and what's most powerful, poignant, and meaningful in young life: Young love, particularly unrequited love.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but in my teenage years, life was truly dazzling."
AIFILWY opens to the camera panning over still shots with live sound in the background. Some look like book illustrations and some look like faded photos. It sets a somber and pensive mood. The mood is confirmed by the first words: "What an awful birthday." The first opening is Mizuho as an adult. She's around 30 and working as a manga editor. One of her pet projects has been slated to end, so it's a sad time. The second opening is her recalling her HS years and the close friendships she had.
The 2nd opening is also very Reply 1988-8.6. The FL recalls growing up with 4 friends, ALL boys. In R88, the FL and her 4 friends were BROS. She had burping contests with them - and worse. When they get older and start noticing the differences between them, she goes through a couple in the group before deciding on her forever mate. In this show, we learn early on that more than one of the boys likes her as more than a mere friend,
Based on a manga written and illustrated by Haruka Mitsui, AIFILWY is a 2025 release that is rated 6.08 on MAL. It is 1 season consisting of 12 24-minute English dubbed episodes with CC available. S2 has been announced.
We might start in the current day, but most of the show takes place in the past. Mizuho was always a writer. That was her dream. She ends up as an editor. Life feels rather cyclical as she's mentoring a teen writer whom she believes has unlimited promise. They seem to be having nearly identical conversations to those that Mizuho had with her own editor when she was young.
When she was young...
None of the girls at school really understand Mizuho's relationship with these guys.
"Mizuho, please take these treats to Kizuki."
"He's right there. Take them yourself," 🙄Mizuho cannot fathom this girl's method nor her feelings.
"I just couldn't. I freeze in his presence!"
"What's so special about him, anyway?" Mizuho remembers the little snot-nosed kid who always followed her around. Kizuki is her little brother. That's all he is. But that is not how Kizuki sees Mizuho, and he's determined to make her see him as a man - HER man. The background is the 2020 covid protocols, which didn't get into full swing until later in the year. They don't wear masks, but I think we should allow them that artistic license. Who wants to watch an anime where everyone is in a mask? The artists likely couldn't bear to do that.
Nishino Mizuho is voiced by Marie Maganda who did the voice of Sujin from True Beauty-7.5. All Mizuho cares about is getting her manga published. Her friends will often help by taking over "eraser duty" and other menial tasks. Hazawa Kizuki is a 🏆-winning swimmer, but all of his meets are getting canceled. He's younger, and Mizuho doesn't seem to notice how big, broad, and handsome he's gotten. She notices after he pulls her aside and kisses her, after declaring his fervent love. The kiss that Kizuki plants on Mizuho at the end of ep1 is the sexist anime kiss I've ever seen in my still-sort-of-new anime life. It's a goodun, an 8/10 every day of the week.
Izumi Airu of the two-toned hair is the stylish social media influencer and model. He used to be a delinquent, but now he's into only beautiful things. Kashiwagi Shin has adorned himself with an extra prickly manner. He's always berating Mizuho. He's your typical overachiever: Class president and headed for med school. Hoshikawa Shuugo prefers to stand back and watch. He notices everything, particularly everything about Mizuho. He flirts outrageously with his teacher and claims to have a hankering for older women. "He's not attached." The teacher assesses Shuugo who has made a spectacle his "crush" on her. "He's just using me as camouflage. The truth is, there's someone else he likes. He's afraid to get hurt, so he hides his true feelings. But if he doesn't stop this, I'm sure he will deeply regret it when he's older. His older brother, Tougo, is at college, but comes home to do a student teaching stint. He's a bit of an egotist and won't let anyone forget that HE was Mizuho's first crush. "I can't believe how cute you've become!" He doesn't care if he's agitating all the younger guys.
I'm not sure if I'm a noob at this point or intermediate when it comes to anime. I am just starting to learn the lingo. So, this is a "reverse harem" piece. Already I'm wondering why they don't just call it a herem, a "HERem". The whole idea of "reverse" is that it's not the norm, while that doesn't jive with real life. That all goes back to when manga and anime was more for males and by males. Whatevs. It isn't that important. (Still, I'm not in love with women being relegated to "reverse" anything, like it's the left-hand path or something).
One of the themes is: Live without regret. "It's scary to share your feelings with someone. And it's scary not to. I'm terrified of destroying what we already have, but I'm no less afraid of regret." Mizuho cannot understand Kizuki's boldness. Why doesn't he have any fear? Kizuki has resolve. He's made his decisions. "What scares me most is the thought of losing you to someone else. I won't live with regret. One day, we'll grow up, and no matter what the future holds, I've made up my mind. I want to be your first. I want to be your first and your last boyfriend."
Kizuki is kind of simple that way. That does not make him stupid. Many of life's things are quite simple and we get ourselves stuck in the muck by overthinking. There's often a brilliance to simplicity.
Two of the guys in the group end up in open war for Mizuho's affections (They'll probably regret that). They are starting to pay more attention to eachother than her! Mizuho can't stand the type of attention they are giving her, anyway. It's too much!
Another theme is the disconnect of youth. "You know how people are. The less you know about something, the easier you believe it," is a quote from the show Vincenzo. Kids know very little. Their worlds are smaller. The smartest people are the ones who can see that, the older they get, the LESS they know. Pride is the steroid of emotions, and youth is tragically in a constant roid-rage. Pride always competes, which is why gossip and comparing ourselves to others are such popular sports. All that judgment and all that comparing is actually a form of us lying to ourselves. What do we really know about other people, their abilities, their gifts, their challenges, they're setbacks, their sicknesses, their background... What is there to compare? Lifting ourselves up at the expense of others is particularly pathetic, and it's another lie. We never lift ourselves up that way, we only make ourselves smaller. This is at the root of the disconnect between youth and age. Mizuho thought her editor was straight from Mars when he told her that her 17 y/o life is dazzling. She thought that until she was staring down 30 and realized he was right. She was wrong.
The art is very good. People are drawn for zero fantasy, and the look is quite realistic. Backgrounds are detailed and close to looking like a faded photo. The use of lighting is gorgeous. People in the background are often depicted by outlines filled with classic comic book dotting or pixilating. It's a nice technique.
At the end of ep1, Mizuho is single and seems lonely, though she's still in touch with Shin and Shuugo locally, and Airu by way of long distance (he's in France). When ep11 starts, we still don't know where Kizuki is, but that is who Mizuho is thinking of and longing for.
We don't know what's going to happen - there's not many clues. S1 ends in current day, with Kizuki arriving back in Japan. The pieces are set up: It looks and feels like a game that has been frozen in place for 10 years without anyone making a move. By the end of S2, will Mizuho's loneliness be remedied? It's looking like a job for Kizuki, but the game will have to be played. It's time to pick up the pieces and play the game until a winner is declared.
QUOTE🗣
You can't talk somebody out of a mindset.
IMHO〰🖍
S1 📣7.5 📝7.5 🎭7.7 💓5 🦋6.5 🎨8.5 🔚? ▪ 🌞6⚡3 😅2 😭2 😱1 😯3 🤢1 🤔5.5 💤0 🤗6.5
🎵/🔊7.7 Lilting but solemn piano music plays in the background and it's nearly dreamlike.
Age 10+ with the following caveat: Ep1 has a very steamy kiss. There's another doozie in one of the last episodes. Beyond that it is actually tame and not a bad set of ideals and primfor kids to ponder. Rated: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Re-📺? It's most likely to happen when S2 is released.
From lite&trite to heavy&serious, here's some recs ~
💘 Ouran High School Host Club-8,, Ao-chan Can't Study-7.8, Special A Class 💓8.2, Maid Sama-10, Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion-8.4, Mischievous Kiss, True Beauty-7.5 Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun-7.7, Colourcloud Palace-7.5, Hakkenden, 7th Time Loop-7.9, Honey & Clover, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Princess Principal 8.6, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale-7.5 My Happy Marriage-8.3, My Happy Marriage-8.3, Real Girl-7.5, My Happy Marriage-8.3, Your Lie In April-9, Violet Evergarden-9.5
7th Time Loop-7.9 : The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!-7.9 After the Rain 7.6, BELLE-8.5, Chihayafuru-8.5,, Food Wars-8.2, Forest of Piano-8, GTO, Honey & Clover, Kayuga Sama Love Is War, Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss, Mob Psycho 💯-8.5, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun-7.7, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (just one season/unfinished), Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Ouran High School Host Club-8,, Real Girl-7.5, Special A Class 💓8.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but in my teenage years, life was truly dazzling."
AIFILWY opens to the camera panning over still shots with live sound in the background. Some look like book illustrations and some look like faded photos. It sets a somber and pensive mood. The mood is confirmed by the first words: "What an awful birthday." The first opening is Mizuho as an adult. She's around 30 and working as a manga editor. One of her pet projects has been slated to end, so it's a sad time. The second opening is her recalling her HS years and the close friendships she had.
The 2nd opening is also very Reply 1988-8.6. The FL recalls growing up with 4 friends, ALL boys. In R88, the FL and her 4 friends were BROS. She had burping contests with them - and worse. When they get older and start noticing the differences between them, she goes through a couple in the group before deciding on her forever mate. In this show, we learn early on that more than one of the boys likes her as more than a mere friend,
Based on a manga written and illustrated by Haruka Mitsui, AIFILWY is a 2025 release that is rated 6.08 on MAL. It is 1 season consisting of 12 24-minute English dubbed episodes with CC available. S2 has been announced.
We might start in the current day, but most of the show takes place in the past. Mizuho was always a writer. That was her dream. She ends up as an editor. Life feels rather cyclical as she's mentoring a teen writer whom she believes has unlimited promise. They seem to be having nearly identical conversations to those that Mizuho had with her own editor when she was young.
When she was young...
None of the girls at school really understand Mizuho's relationship with these guys.
"Mizuho, please take these treats to Kizuki."
"He's right there. Take them yourself," 🙄Mizuho cannot fathom this girl's method nor her feelings.
"I just couldn't. I freeze in his presence!"
"What's so special about him, anyway?" Mizuho remembers the little snot-nosed kid who always followed her around. Kizuki is her little brother. That's all he is. But that is not how Kizuki sees Mizuho, and he's determined to make her see him as a man - HER man. The background is the 2020 covid protocols, which didn't get into full swing until later in the year. They don't wear masks, but I think we should allow them that artistic license. Who wants to watch an anime where everyone is in a mask? The artists likely couldn't bear to do that.
Nishino Mizuho is voiced by Marie Maganda who did the voice of Sujin from True Beauty-7.5. All Mizuho cares about is getting her manga published. Her friends will often help by taking over "eraser duty" and other menial tasks. Hazawa Kizuki is a 🏆-winning swimmer, but all of his meets are getting canceled. He's younger, and Mizuho doesn't seem to notice how big, broad, and handsome he's gotten. She notices after he pulls her aside and kisses her, after declaring his fervent love. The kiss that Kizuki plants on Mizuho at the end of ep1 is the sexist anime kiss I've ever seen in my still-sort-of-new anime life. It's a goodun, an 8/10 every day of the week.
Izumi Airu of the two-toned hair is the stylish social media influencer and model. He used to be a delinquent, but now he's into only beautiful things. Kashiwagi Shin has adorned himself with an extra prickly manner. He's always berating Mizuho. He's your typical overachiever: Class president and headed for med school. Hoshikawa Shuugo prefers to stand back and watch. He notices everything, particularly everything about Mizuho. He flirts outrageously with his teacher and claims to have a hankering for older women. "He's not attached." The teacher assesses Shuugo who has made a spectacle his "crush" on her. "He's just using me as camouflage. The truth is, there's someone else he likes. He's afraid to get hurt, so he hides his true feelings. But if he doesn't stop this, I'm sure he will deeply regret it when he's older. His older brother, Tougo, is at college, but comes home to do a student teaching stint. He's a bit of an egotist and won't let anyone forget that HE was Mizuho's first crush. "I can't believe how cute you've become!" He doesn't care if he's agitating all the younger guys.
I'm not sure if I'm a noob at this point or intermediate when it comes to anime. I am just starting to learn the lingo. So, this is a "reverse harem" piece. Already I'm wondering why they don't just call it a herem, a "HERem". The whole idea of "reverse" is that it's not the norm, while that doesn't jive with real life. That all goes back to when manga and anime was more for males and by males. Whatevs. It isn't that important. (Still, I'm not in love with women being relegated to "reverse" anything, like it's the left-hand path or something).
One of the themes is: Live without regret. "It's scary to share your feelings with someone. And it's scary not to. I'm terrified of destroying what we already have, but I'm no less afraid of regret." Mizuho cannot understand Kizuki's boldness. Why doesn't he have any fear? Kizuki has resolve. He's made his decisions. "What scares me most is the thought of losing you to someone else. I won't live with regret. One day, we'll grow up, and no matter what the future holds, I've made up my mind. I want to be your first. I want to be your first and your last boyfriend."
Kizuki is kind of simple that way. That does not make him stupid. Many of life's things are quite simple and we get ourselves stuck in the muck by overthinking. There's often a brilliance to simplicity.
Two of the guys in the group end up in open war for Mizuho's affections (They'll probably regret that). They are starting to pay more attention to eachother than her! Mizuho can't stand the type of attention they are giving her, anyway. It's too much!
Another theme is the disconnect of youth. "You know how people are. The less you know about something, the easier you believe it," is a quote from the show Vincenzo. Kids know very little. Their worlds are smaller. The smartest people are the ones who can see that, the older they get, the LESS they know. Pride is the steroid of emotions, and youth is tragically in a constant roid-rage. Pride always competes, which is why gossip and comparing ourselves to others are such popular sports. All that judgment and all that comparing is actually a form of us lying to ourselves. What do we really know about other people, their abilities, their gifts, their challenges, they're setbacks, their sicknesses, their background... What is there to compare? Lifting ourselves up at the expense of others is particularly pathetic, and it's another lie. We never lift ourselves up that way, we only make ourselves smaller. This is at the root of the disconnect between youth and age. Mizuho thought her editor was straight from Mars when he told her that her 17 y/o life is dazzling. She thought that until she was staring down 30 and realized he was right. She was wrong.
The art is very good. People are drawn for zero fantasy, and the look is quite realistic. Backgrounds are detailed and close to looking like a faded photo. The use of lighting is gorgeous. People in the background are often depicted by outlines filled with classic comic book dotting or pixilating. It's a nice technique.
At the end of ep1, Mizuho is single and seems lonely, though she's still in touch with Shin and Shuugo locally, and Airu by way of long distance (he's in France). When ep11 starts, we still don't know where Kizuki is, but that is who Mizuho is thinking of and longing for.
We don't know what's going to happen - there's not many clues. S1 ends in current day, with Kizuki arriving back in Japan. The pieces are set up: It looks and feels like a game that has been frozen in place for 10 years without anyone making a move. By the end of S2, will Mizuho's loneliness be remedied? It's looking like a job for Kizuki, but the game will have to be played. It's time to pick up the pieces and play the game until a winner is declared.
QUOTE🗣
You can't talk somebody out of a mindset.
IMHO〰🖍
S1 📣7.5 📝7.5 🎭7.7 💓5 🦋6.5 🎨8.5 🔚? ▪ 🌞6⚡3 😅2 😭2 😱1 😯3 🤢1 🤔5.5 💤0 🤗6.5
🎵/🔊7.7 Lilting but solemn piano music plays in the background and it's nearly dreamlike.
Age 10+ with the following caveat: Ep1 has a very steamy kiss. There's another doozie in one of the last episodes. Beyond that it is actually tame and not a bad set of ideals and primfor kids to ponder. Rated: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Re-📺? It's most likely to happen when S2 is released.
From lite&trite to heavy&serious, here's some recs ~
💘 Ouran High School Host Club-8,, Ao-chan Can't Study-7.8, Special A Class 💓8.2, Maid Sama-10, Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion-8.4, Mischievous Kiss, True Beauty-7.5 Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun-7.7, Colourcloud Palace-7.5, Hakkenden, 7th Time Loop-7.9, Honey & Clover, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Princess Principal 8.6, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale-7.5 My Happy Marriage-8.3, My Happy Marriage-8.3, Real Girl-7.5, My Happy Marriage-8.3, Your Lie In April-9, Violet Evergarden-9.5
7th Time Loop-7.9 : The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!-7.9 After the Rain 7.6, BELLE-8.5, Chihayafuru-8.5,, Food Wars-8.2, Forest of Piano-8, GTO, Honey & Clover, Kayuga Sama Love Is War, Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss, Mob Psycho 💯-8.5, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun-7.7, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (just one season/unfinished), Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Ouran High School Host Club-8,, Real Girl-7.5, Special A Class 💓8.