steli-os Reviews

Mask Girl (2023– )

Missed opportunity

[5/10 · 24 August 2023]

This is a missed opportunity. It should have been a two hours movie. Two and a half max. There are many parts that are not necessarily important to the story and don't really offer much. For me, most of the running time is a filler. The total is around 6,5 hours and it could be 2 or 2,5 hours in total. I would totally rewatch this as a movie right now.

Of course it's not even close to perfection, but it's still good enough. Especially the ending. Unlike other reviewers here, I like the way it ends.

This isn't the first time I've watched a Korean series and though that it could have been better as a movie. Or a Korean movie that could have been better as a series. It's a pity really. Could have been good.

Be Yourself (2021– )

Be Yourself

[7/10 · 3 May 2023]

I wasn't going to write a review, but since there's literally no other, I'll leave this one here to help other people.

This is the highest I've rated a Chinese drama so far. My second "best" rate is a 6 and all the others 4 or below. I've watched many kdramas and although there are many cringey, there are also many that are good. So it's easy to choose. That's not the case with Chinese dramas (at least for me). I've tried to watch some of them, mainly the most well known, but I didn't like them. If I'm not mistaken I, only watched 3 or 4 from the first to the last episode.

To be honest I had almost given up trying to find a good Chinese drama and then I watched this one, just out of curiosity. Definitely not perfect, but it's not cringey (at least for the most part), the acting is good and realistic and the story is very nice.

As a 35 years old male, this wouldn't be my kind of thing to watch, but I still liked it.

On the Verge of Insanity (2021)

Almost there...

[6/10 · 16 November 2022]

I'm not really into office/work related dramas, but since I am literally out of options, I decided to give it a try.

One thing that annoys me in many kdramas is the overacting. It's a good thing that this is not one of them. I enjoyed the acting of the main leads. I think they did a great job.

Story wise, I can't say that I didn't like it, but since I am not a fan of this kind of kdramas (as I mentioned above), I can't really say much besides the fact that I found it really "long". Although it's not slow paced, I felt like each episode wouldn't end. I don't regret watching it though.

The one thing that I really didn't like is the mixing of the sound and the sound quality. The music is too loud and in many scenes it's hard to listen to the actors. This is why I gave only 6 stars. It was extremely annoying for me. It must be the worst mixing I've heard in a drama or a movie.

Ultimate Weapon Alice (2022)

Surprisingly good

[7/10 · 23 September 2022]

One of the few times I didn't look for the imdb rating, before watching and it was actually worth it. I thought it would be a 5, something to pass the time. But I liked the acting by most of the cast, the story which was simple but good enough, the dark/weird atmosphere and of course the amazing soundtrack.

I wasn't going to leave a review, but I thought I would help a little bit people who might be interested in this drama.

Apparently I am required to write at least 600 characters for the review to be valid and I literally have nothing else to write about this drama. And with the last part I am done!

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022– )

Better than expected

[6/10 · 27 June 2022]

First of all, I have no idea why I watched it. I haven't watched a teenage drama since I was one. But for some reason I did. Second, I've never read the book so I have no idea if it is so mush worse as people comment.

So, the acting is generally decent, if not good, the story is simple but they have done a good job with it. It doesn't try to be deep which is fine by me and I think that's the way the wanted it to be. Although it's not shallow. I don't remember any plot holes, although it would be hard thing to achieve with only 7 episodes.

So why only 6 stars... I was about to give 7, until I watches the last scene. It almost ruined it for me, but I understand why they did it so I removed only one star.

So, don't expect much, don't compare it with books and just relax an enjoy it.

The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

Disappointed

[7/10 · 11 March 2022]

Good first season. Even better second season. Amazing third season. This is where I gave 9 stars and considered this one of my favourite series. Then it all went downhill. Season 4 was nothing like the first 3 seasons. It was still watchable but mediocre.

I only managed to watch the first episode of the fifth season. I knew from the first minutes that I wouldn't like it and I was right. It feels like a completely different series. Such a shame. I give it 7 stars because of the first 3 seasons. I won't recommend it to anyone any more.

Your House Helper (2018)

Could have been good

[4/10 · 27 July 2021]

I liked the first 6 episodes (until the last scene of the 6th). Interesting story, decent acting, nice humor. And then the cringe made its appearance.

The last scene of the 6th episode is ridiculous. And then the 3 women became stupid. It's like they changed the writer and director. I managed to watch 2 more episodes before giving up.

Having said (written) that, I know that many kdrama fans won't be bothered a lot by those things. But if you can't handle cringey kdramas, this is definitely not for you.

My Fair Lady (2009)

Underrated

[6/10 · 14 July 2021]

I wasn't going to write a review, but since there is no other review here I will just write my opinion.

This is the first kdrama made before 2015,that I don't dislike. The main problem of older kdramas is the image quality. This is no different, but it's better than others. Definitely better production than the so praised "boys over flowers".

Acting is acceptable. I usually don't like the acting of older kdramas. It's probably mostly a matter of the direction. I'm no expert though.

The one thing I definitely liked about this one is the story. Although it's supposed to be a rom com, it's mostly a light melodrama, but at least the story is interesting.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I have to say that it would be better if it ended in the 15th episode, but they wanted to give us a late happy ending, fitting to an actual rom com.

It's definitely underrated, at least compared to others of the same time period and I don't know why people don't talk about it more often.

Love Revolution (2020)

Probably the funniest kdrama I've watched so far

[7/10 · 25 June 2021]

I can't believe I'm the first one to write a review about "love revolution". I also can't believe I almost skipped it.

The first time I tried it I only watched a few minutes of the first episode and I decided not to to continue because I found it a bit silly for my taste. A few days ago I decided to give it an other try. One of the best decisions of my life (lol).

It's quite possibly the funniest kdrama I've watched so far and definitely one of the funniest TV series I've watched in my life. The first few episodes are not the funniest and the male lead is hard to watch (he is playing his role very well - the guy manages to give me second hand embarrassement and I'm actually OK with it). But it gets funnier as it goes on. There were some episodes that made stop watching because my stomach hurt because of the laughter.

There is some kind of drama, but not much. It's mostly comedy. I give only 7 stars because there are flaws but considering that most of the actors/actresses are not well known and are young, they did great. The production quality is as good as it can get for a Web series.

The ending suggests that there will be a second season, which caught me by surprise. It's definitely a pleasant one, but I don't expect it to be this good.

By the way, the humor of love revolution isn't for everyone. If you don't like teenage comedies you should probably avoid it. And if you try to watch it remember not to skip it before watching at least a few episodes.

Mother (2018)

Perfect

[10/10 · 1 June 2021]

This is the second time I rate a TV series with 10 stars. I never thought I'd watch something this good. I think this is the best I have ever watched. It's as close to perfection as it can get.

There were times when I thought that something was wrong or weird, but it was explained later. No plotholes, no decline in quality as it progressed, some unexpected plot twists.

Not much else to write. The word "perfect" sums everything up.

* I guess the only problem with this drama is that it's hard to watch some scenes because of the tears in the eyes.

Night in Paradise (2020)

Very good movie

[7/10 · 9 April 2021]

I almost skipped this movie because of the 5.8 stars (at the time of this review). But something clicked inside me when I watched the trailer. I have no idea idea why some people rated this movie so low. It's not a masterpiece, but definitely deserves some credit.

Nice acting, great cinematography, great music. I liked the dark tone from the start. I really liked some conversations. Some of them were surreal and it actually worked nicely.

Not much else to add here. Just don't expect non-stop action. For me, its main selling point was the dramatic scenes and I got what I expected from this movie. But I have to admit, the final scene is amazing. You'll know what I mean when you watch it!

My Mister (2018)

One of the best

[8/10 · 1 April 2021]

One of the best dramas I've watched in my life so far (and I've watched a LOT). Also one of the few kdramas that didn't decline in quality as it progressed in the latter episodes. Very close to perfection, but I've watched dramas with better image quality, better acting and so on. That being said, it's great in every aspect, but not perfect, at least for me.

Also I have to add at this point that I rarely rate with more than 9 stars, so don't let my rating of 8 stars discourage you. "My mister" is only the 13th drama on the list of my favourite series and as I've written above, I've watched A LOT.

Reply 1988 (2015–2016)

Masterpiece - NOT

[4/10 · 26 March 2021]

I think it's the first time that I feel like I was "played" by the reviews so much. I've been watching kdramas for some time now, and I kept postponing watching the reply series, because I read so many good reviews about them and I wanted to watch them after I've watched other dramas of "lesser quality". Let's say I was keeping the best for last.

So I started with 97 which I rated with 5 stars. But I managed to watch it. Then 94. I managed to watch only the first episode and rated it with 3 stars. Then I tried to watch 88. I only made it through the 2/3 of the second episode.

I have no idea why this is considered to be great. The production quality is definitely better than the other two. The acting is decent. BUT.... There are so many annoying characters. I kept feeling frustrated watching them. Especially the sisters. They were acting like they were 8 years old at best. At some point the little brother (age 17) started crying and calling for his mother because his sister hit him. Seriously?

I've read many comments about the realism of the series. This is definitely not true. Unless people in Korea actually behave like this.

I'm sorry but this is unwatchable for me. I know this review is going to get mostly negative feedback but I feel like I had to write it. Such a shame. I really wanted to like it.

Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (2016)

Lost for words

[8/10 · 18 March 2021]

I just finished watching this movie and I'm actually a little shocked. I really didn't think I would like it so much.

The little girl's acting is amazing. And there is good enough acting in general. The visuals and audio are also good. There are plenty imperfections but I find the overall outcome incredible and mostly the ending. I'm afraid that I'll be thinking about it a lot for days, if not for weeks.

This is going on my favourites list. It will be the 17th of that list and I've watched countless movies so far in my life. It's going to be the "worst" of them because of its flaws, but at the same time, one of the best because of its story and most of all the ending.

When the Weather is Fine (2020)

One of the best of 2020

[7/10 · 17 March 2021]

I wasn't going to write a review, because there is not much to say about this one, but I saw that there are not many other reviews here. First things first. This is definitely not for everyone. It's SLOW. So if you are not OK with slow dramas you should probably avoid it.

Other than that there isn't much to say, that other people haven't written already. Good acting (very good at some scenes), nice and simple story, with some unexpected twists, nice music, very nice shots (the countryside helps a lot) and very nice and subtle humour.

The reasons I'm not giving 10 stars: the acting is "only" very good and not perfect (I rarely consider the acting of dramas or movies to be perfect, so don't think that they didn't perform well on this one), there are some things I think could have been better in the editing and the main reason is something that they used as a plot device to make something (not) happen. I don't want to spoil. It's something that really irritates me and is usually used in dramas or movies of lesser quality. At least they didn't use it more than twice in this one.

Zombie Detective (2020)

Could have been good

[6/10 · 23 February 2021]

The first thing I noticed about this one: AMAZING picture. And this is the main reason I rate this so high.

It had promise and it started very well, but the sister ruined the whole drama for me with her overacting. I don't blame the actress. It's her role. She wasn't the only bad role, but definitely the worst. In the attempt to make the drama funnier, they made some characters overact. It definitely didn't work.

I would have rated with 7 stars if not for the stupid humour. It's a shame because there are some parts with nice humour, more fitting to the dark side of the drama. So, barely 6 stars for the production quality.

Please Don't Date Him (2020–2021)

An other one that could have been good

[4/10 · 19 February 2021]

The more I watch Korean series, the more I realise that they can't keep the quality all the way to the end.

I liked the first 4 episodes (I would rate them 6-7). Nice pace, decent acting, some really funny scenes (I actually rewinded some of them-I really liked them). I also thought that it wouldn't drag a lot, having only 10 episodes.

But after the 4th episode things started getting weird. It wasn't as funny any more and the cat/dog noises were getting overused and unnecessary. They were trying too hard to make it funny. And for some reason it become dark for a bit, because why not? I had enough after watching a few minutes of the 8th episode. Such a shame. It could have been one of the funniest Korean series.

Last note (minor spoiler): it feels like a poorly executed copy of "Melo is my nature". It was giving me the same vibes from the start but I actually made the connection when they started using references from other kdramas like they did in "melo is my nature"

Edit: I forgot to mention the shaky camera. It actually made me feel a little dizzy at times. I also didn't like the quality of the colours. It's something I notice in new kdramas. I don't know if they do this on purpose or it's just one more thing going wrong

Goong (2006)

Could have been better

[4/10 · 17 February 2021]

At my first try, I managed to watch almost 10 minutes. I found it too silly to keep going. Then for some reason I decided to give it an other try. The only reason I managed to watch all 24 episodes was the constant time skiping. To be honest, I mostly cared about the main couple. I found the second male lead and two of the female lead's friends way too annoying. I also liked the Queen. Probably the best performance in this one. I like the story and the (sadly not enough) humour. It's supposed to be comedy and romance but it's mostly light melodrama and this is the main reason for my time skiping. It could have been better with 16 episodes.

Cheat on Me, If You Can (2020– )

Wasted potential

[5/10 · 13 February 2021]

I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed with a series. It had so much potential.

It's definitely not like any other kdramas I've watched so far. Dark humour, strong female lead (kind of reminded me the fl of it's OK not to be ok) and not the silly clichés that most kdramas have.

I really liked the first 9 episodes. There were some flaws (mainly some weak performances by smaller roles) but I would rate these episodes with 8 stars. Then it started going downhill. It was getting worse with each episode. I really don't see the point of Mi Rae's story. It doesn't really add something to the story. And it has the weakest performances. It's like watching a different drama. It's very weird.

I also didn't like the whole mystery thing, which I feel was too confusing and not well executed. The husband was too stupid at times. It's hard to believe he managed to cheat his supersmart wife for so long. The ending was a bit weird too, but at that point I didn't really care. Such a shame.

I don't regret watching this one, mainly because of the female lead and the music (which I really liked by the way), but I wish they would stick to the dark comedy about the smart wife suspecting her husband. That would be great

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Unappreciated gem

[8/10 · 31 January 2021]

I just happend to find it. I'm so glad that I did. Koreans did everything right with this one. I literally have no complains. Even my favourite kdramas have something I dislike. Of course it's not perfect, thus the 8 stars. But it's an all around 8 for me, wich is extremely rare. I'm actually feeling joy while writing this review, just because I've watched something this good!

One thing I have to point out is that this is a comedy with some romance. Not the usual Joseon "rom-com" kdrama, where many of the characters end up dead. It's extremely funny at some points. At least for my taste. Also don't watch expecting realism. This is purely fantasy and it's good at it. I think this has to go in my "Favourites" list.

Extraordinary You (2019)

Waste of time

[3/10 · 30 January 2021]

The start is interesting. After the first few episodes I thought about giving it up. Then it got interesting again. Or at least I thought so. I couldn't guess what was going to happen next, but it quicly got repetitive and thus,boring. After episode 18 I started time skipping more and more. After epidosde 24 I decided I had enough. So I read about the remaining episodes. I'm glad I didn't waste any more time. Definitely not how I thought it was to end. I don't see the point of this drama. There is some good acting (mainly the female lead) and decent music but I really don't like the story at all.

Melloga Chejil (2019)

Pleasant surprise

[8/10 · 15 January 2021]

I didn't really have high expectations from this drama. It has a strange title (it makes scense once you watch it) and the synopsis didn't make me want to watch it at first. But I have to admit, that it's very good. It's literally the first kdrama, from the many I've watched so far, that did everything right. I know that most kdrama fans will disagree with this statement but let me explain. Good acting, good music (and most importantly not overused), good scenario, nice humor, nice dramatic scenes (but not to the point you want to cry all night long). I like many kdramas, but even my favourites lack on something. For example, "Something In The Rain" is one of my favourite dramas (not ony kdrams), but I have to admit that I grew tired of listening to "Stand by your man". Believe it or not I rated "Something In The Rain" with 8 stars instead of 9 because of that.

To be honest this is not one my favourites. It's not the type of dramas I like to watch and it was hard for me to watch more than 2 episodes at once, unlike other kdramas. But I really enjoyed it. The only thing I didn't like, is some parts of the fast conversations, but only because I've watched its with subtitles and I didn't have time to properly read, so sometimes I had to pause or rewind. And some conversations were a bit weird, but this could be probably poor translation. This is,unfortunately, a problem,when watching a drama or a movie in a language you can't understand.

By the way, it's not really so close to reality as some people wrote in their reviews, but it's ok. This is actually for the best because it's humor works better this way. There are so many things I could write about this drama (social critisism, witty humor, making fun of product placement etc), but I think I wrote what I needed to write.

Edit: I forgot to mention that although it's supposed to be a romantic comedy, it focuses mainly on the everyday life of the characters (worklife, life decisions etc) and if anything it's mostly a comedy.

Neukdaeui yuhok (2004)

Could have been great

[4/10 · 5 January 2021]

Most comments mention "cliches". I generally preffer to watch movies or series without thinking if what I'm watching had been used in an other production. I did the same with this one. I have to say that I really liked the general concept of the story, even though it's not the type of movies I like to watch (I thought that this is mainly a comedy). But I find the execution to be bad. Poor acting, bad directing and the pace is mental. It should have been slower so we can appreciate and better understand the scenes. Of course this would require some scenes to be excluded and there are some (mainly the fight scenes) that could be left out. 4 stars for the story

Still 17 (2018)

Unwatchable

[2/10 · 5 January 2021]

I really liked the first episode. The second episode is decent. I managed to watch 4 more episodes after that. It was getting harder to watch with each episode. The female lead acts like a 10 year old. Not 17. Unless she had a brain injury, her actions are not justified. I can understand some of the actions of the male lead, but his actions are also too much. It doesn't matter how good he is at his work. Society won't tolerate this kind of behaviour for so long. Also everyone keeps making mistakes and/or forgets something. It's unbearable to watch. Too bad because I really liked the idea of the story...

Edit: I forgot something that kept buggin me: How is it possible to let someone stay at your house without ever asking their name? One of the many silly things that kept happening just to drag the story

One Spring Night (2019)

I really wanted to like it

[4/10 · 1 January 2021]

I really wanted to like "one sping night", but I should have "listened" to my guts. As soon as I've read reviews comparing it to sitr, I knew it would be extremley difficult to be on the same level. But I didn't expect it to be so bad.

Some dialogs are really bad. Who makes conversations like this? And of course the music...For gods sake...The same two songs in repeat. This was my main criticism in sitr, but it is much worse in osn. Jung Hae-In is a great actor but it's impossible to watch a show just for one or two actors.

I managed to watch 5 whole episodes before realising I couldn't torture myself just to see what happens next. 4 stars for the actors trying their best to save what could be saved.