Reviews

This movie was in a lot of people's favourite movies list in 2024, and it got me curious enough to give it a try. It's one of those rare movies that uses multiple POVs well, giving viewers a nuanced perspective of the overall story. Even so, this was done cleverly in that the truth was revealed after several layers of misunderstandings, like peeling an onion. And each POV shades the movie in a different but similar tone - the mother's, the teacher's and the boys' POVs all showed various degrees of helplessness.

At its core, when one does not conform to society, one becomes a monster. It was implied that Yori's "sickness" was that he liked boys (I hope I'm not wrong on this) and because of that, he was abused by his father, and with his feminine looks, he was also bullied by his schoolmates. Minato was one of the bystanders until he made friends with Yori, and their friendship caused a ripple effect across several lives, because he had a secret that he couldn't share now - he liked Yori. The boys' POV was written beautifully and the young actors were brilliant as well, with the ending falling on a hopeful note.

I'm not one to watch cooking variety shows or competitions but watching this made me feel as if I've been missing out on some really good shows. I think the elimination rounds were creative and interesting, and I'm sure the judges did their best to evaluate the dishes as fairly as they could, although I wish Chef Edward Lee was the winner, it was still a fair fight between him and Kwon Sung Jun.

Through this show I've gained a newfound respect and admiration for anyone who has a passion for cooking, regardless of whether they're a chef or not. I have a few favourites for sure such as Edward Lee, Triple Star and Cooking Maniac. Of course each chef has their own strengths and stories to tell but personally these 3 were the most memorable, and even though they didn't win the grand prize, they still cooked incredible dishes and I was particularly impressed with them during the Cooking Hell round where they had to cook a variety of dishes using tofu as the main ingredient. That tofu hell round really showcased their drive and love for food and cooking. This is the 3rd time I'm mentioning him but Edward Lee is so creative and such a genuine guy that you can't help but root for him, and I hope his restaurants see more success after this show.

While it took me a while to understand that the characters are more complex and three dimensional than I initially thought, I definitely found the first few episodes atypical. The plot, pacing and characters were inconsistent but I couldn't stop watching and I'm glad I stayed until the end. It's very much a character driven show and I think the writers wanted a gradual process of character development instead of it seeming to come out of left field, which I appreciate. However, I also couldn't help but pity Bok I-na because her father couldn't change for her, as he was only motivated to change himself after meeting Do Da-hae. Like it was sad! But I was glad that Do Da-hae kept pushing him to think about his family. My favourite thing about this show wasn't even the romance. In fact it was the unlikely friendship between Bok Dong-hee and Grace. They were so funny and I really liked their interactions. Besides that I was worried that the ending would be bad and I was ready to be disappointed but somehow Bok Gwi-ju came back? From where and when? Who knows 😂

I've watched a few tv shows that were adapted from webtoons before and I'm not saying that they're bad but I've always found something lacking about these tv shows. I think this show in particular has a decent concept but I didn't really like the protagonist. In terms of his characterisation, I think it made sense with how the plot was developing and that the writers wanted to write a more realistic character. Although he thought of the entire thing as a game, it was still kind of weird that he wasn't more traumatised by the numerous violent deaths he experienced. His main objective was to get more money, which yeah. I mean, he died because he didn't have any money so with this rare opportunity given to him, wealth was imperative for him.

The way Part 1 ended made me drop the series though. Like why did that Taekang guy suddenly hit Yee-jae and Ji-su with his car? It didn't even seem like he nor his lawyer/driver was drunk. And they were on a sidewalk, not in the middle of the road. The hit and run was so random and it turned me off so much that I couldn't see the point in continuing Part 2 anymore.

I can't believe it took this long for me to watch this. This was more than just a show about romance. It was mostly about friendship, dreams, and growing up. I loved all the characters but I thought that the female characters are especially well written.

Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim's friendship is my favourite thing about this show. Their development from fan and athlete, to enemies, to dear friends and respected rivals is top tier. In fact, the only times I cried while watching this show was when it was about their friendship. Besides that, the friendship aspect is such a massive part of what makes this show so good. The five of them: Hee-do, Yu-rim, Ji Seung-wan, Moon Ji-woong and last but not least, Baek Yi-jin made an unlikely group of friends. 2 of them were athletes, one of them was the top student, the other was at the bottom of the school ranks and the last one was a struggling university drop out. The character development in this show is honestly amazing, I loved it. They went through some tough times but they had their little happiness too that made everything worth it.

The relationship between Hee-do and Yi-jin is also something I appreciate. They started out as friends and then transitioned into lovers, and because of the friendship they shared, their romantic relationship was sweet and patient. But of course real life had to happen, and I really liked how they showed the breakdown of their relationship. Hee-do was so mature about it and I loved for it. They were growing up and had different dreams that brought them further apart from each other. She realised that they weren't right for each other and that she deserved better, and made the difficult decision to end things. I found their break up realistic and it was a stark contrast to the usual happy endings usually found in K-dramas. It was a good ending in my opinion and I wouldn't have changed anything about it.

Although I liked the cinematography and thought that the acting was amazing, the plot wasn't as solid and the story fell slightly flat as a result. The first part about the grave relocation made sense, but I have to admit that I lost the plot when the second coffin was introduced and the story shifted to focus on the Japanese spirit. The first part was definitely more structured and it had a build up that made things interesting. The second part, in contrast, seemed like an afterthought. Even as I'm writing this review, I have no idea what the connection was between the first coffin and the second one. Like I really thought the second part would be more chilling/ominous but it just left me confused.

This was such a fun watch. I mean, don't get me wrong, it has its fair share of violence but the plot is good. A conman conspires separately with two women for his own benefit and in the end, he gets nothing while the two women get everything he wanted, as well as each other. We love to see it! There is something so satisfying about seeing the two main male characters meet such pathetic ends, as they deserved.

The cinematography and music used were beautiful but of course the main draw to this movie is the relationships between the characters. Each character has their own motives and from there, the hidden agendas arise and take life. I can see why this is such a highly praised and recommended movie.

Not gonna lie, the start of the movie was kind of cringey due to the pro-war propaganda and just how American it is. I know it sounds absurd because it IS an American film with a Marine as the main character too, but I believe that they could've written the first 20-30 minutes of the movie differently and still have gotten the happy ending. Luke and Cassie have great chemistry honestly and I liked how their relationship developed. I also liked the friendship they had with Frankie and I don't know why they had to kill him off. They could've left his character alone because it wouldn't have affected the state of Luke's injury but of course they had to do something for the shock 😒