I adored this film - the story was very well put together and I liked the plotline which was very different (and very welcome because of it). Much kudos has to go to Ikuta Toma who was wonderful as Rinko. He really was completely believable as a male to female transgender and I adored Rinko so much. Ikuta and Kiritani Kenta (who played Makio) worked really well together - they were a completely believable couple and had you rooting for them and Maiko's niece..

The music was okay; nothing special or memorable but not horrible either. But the rewatch value, for me at least, is very high. I liked it so much - just not the ending; I really wanted it to be just a slight little bit different to make it happier for everyone - but it still raised a smile. However, that's why it wasn't a 10 overall for me.

This are my scores -
Story - 9.5/10
Acting/Cast - 10/10 (especially Ikuta Toma, who wound the dial all the way to 11)
Music - 5/10
Rewatch Value - 10/10
Overall -- 9.5/10 (just because of the ending).

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I gave this 10/10 because, although slower (because it's a LOT longer) than the Korean original - it's still very good. I honestly believe that the first and second lead actors (Sheng Peter and Zhang Vin) should've been swapped. Sheng Peter as Bai Hao is new to acting in this kind of role and needs to polish it off a bit - he plays it all way TOO cool, cold and well....cool. It worked in 'Go Princess Go', but not here.

Zhang Vin as Yi Mu was PERFECTION - but you really do feel he is wasted as the second lead. I think, having seen him as the cool, quiet and calm KO (who also had a warm heart) in 'Love O2O' he could've EASILY played Bai Hao instead and REALLY made it believable. The whole problem here has been that that we fans ship Yi Mu and the female lead, Hui Zhen, TOO much and it goes beyond the usual 'Second Lead Syndrome' - they just have INSANE chemistry in EVERY scene and Sheng Peter pales into the background if he has to share the scene with them. You HONESTLY see Bai Hao as the second lead and not the main love interest - whereas, even if he WAS the main lead, you're REALLY rooting for Yi Mu to be with Hui Zhen..

Sure there were differences between the original Kdrama ('She was Pretty') and this Chinese version - sure there was some things the Kdrama original did better, the male lead played by the always wonderful Park Seo Joon is an obvious choice. Another is that Go Joon Hee as Min Ha Ri certainly played the 'bad best friend' with a slightly more sympathetic air than the Chinese version, Xia Qiao, who is played (rather lack-lustrely) by Li Sierra.

BUT, and it's a big one. there are also MANY things this one did BETTER than the original. The Kdrama had the better LENGTH, however, this one has the better STORY because it also does at least have time to flesh out the characters a bit more; so the bullying main lead you REALLY despise, the BBF betrayer (or 'Female Dog Friend' as I called her, lol!) was MUCH worse in this one and so the hate we felt was much more real too. I think Sheng Peter should be patted on the back because a LOT of expectations are on this role and he did his best. I REALLY think we'll be seeing a LOT more of Zhang Vin in the future - the man was EXCELLENT as KO in 'Love O2O' too.

I think overall BOTH versions are very good and one is not worse than the other; they're just different. I give this 10/10 because it deserves it.

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Just watched this - it IS quite funny, especially if the viewer has annoying siblings (I don't but I still loved it). However, the ending is bittersweet and will tug your heartstrings.....and tear ducts. I cried my way through the last ten minutes or so. So go in with tissues, chocolate and water - you will need it....unless you have no soul, in which case don't worry.

This movie is really lovely - and definitely brings home the old saying "you never miss someone until they're gone...." We often don't appreciate those we love the most until they're no longer around. The ending is a cliffie so be prepared to hurl abuse, tearfully or otherwise (mine was very tearful but very definitely annoyed too). I hope there's another movie where she perhaps helps another set siblings overcome their differences without ending up as she did or something - so that way we at least know if the end......changed the cliffie (sorry, I don't know how to word that without spoilers....so take what I offer and run with it).

So now to the usual review stuff:

STORY - The story was pretty good; very much along the lines of what I think many siblings wish for when not getting along. The beginning was very funny. I laughed a lot and I thought the female lead would immediately regret her decision, but she didn't. The last ten minutes or so were very bittersweet - unless you have heart of stone, I mean it, you WILL cry though it's not really an unhappy ending......just...open,

ACTING/CAST - the two leads playing the siblings were EXCELLENT. Seriously they were really good; especially Peng Yu Chang who played the older brother Shi Fen. That young man is destined for great things you can see that already. The rest of the cast were pretty good too - the mum was played well, and the actor playing her boyfriend was very goo in his role as the bumbling but earnest stepfather to be. But Chang Peng Yu was the best of the whole lot, with Zhang Wendy as Shi Miao a solid second. The last scene will tear your heart I swear and you'll see why I'm praising these two so highly.

MUSIC - that's a straight 8 all day. Not terrible, but not memorable either; though it did really play well with the final scenes.

RE-WATCH VALUE - ooh that was a tough one to call; for me it was a definite 9 because I would definitely watch this again AND make all my bickering cousins sit down with their siblings and watch it too. But others might feel differently.

OVERALL - for me it was a 9.5 because the message was clear and simple - be grateful for who you have in your life because when they're gone you'll miss them and it's often to late then. It's a simple message and one that too many movies and dramas overdo; really labour the point, thereby making it a lot more complicated than it should (or even needs to) be. This movie however, kept it simple and the more touching because of it. The message remained the same, but more simply told and therefore all the more moving because of it.

I think it's also a movie that parents who leave older siblings as the younger children(s) caretaker/babysitter/entertainer, etc should watch. YOU have kids because YOU want them, so DON'T make the older ones the 'parents' to the younger ones so that you can have a social life/career - you should've thought of that BEFORE producing offspring.

Finally, I would say this - really, give this movie a try........you won't regret it.

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I could NOT stand the grandmother - seriously, death was too good for the old shrew; mind you she was so much like mother-in-law that could've made me loathe her more. :D The main couple were who you were rooting for from the get-go; as much to spite her as for any OTP hopes. As usual Yamashita Tomohisa is excellent - and even when you're angry at his character, you still really like him because you know he's doing things for HE feels are the right reasons (even if you don't agree with him - which you won't).

The other couples in the drama - of which there were many - were adorable too and the ending wrapped things up nicely; just not in the way you'd necessarily expect for everyone. Of course there will be many who will suffer 'Second Lead Syndrome' - but with this drama there may even be a few suffering a new disease called 'THIRD Lead Syndrome' as the main female character has THREE men in love with her.

I really have to recommend this drama though - it is funny in places as you have a man and his grandparents living in a mindset better suited to the TWELFTH century and a possible bride living in the REAL twenty-first century. Of course the fact that the main character has a younger brother also quite happy to reside in the real world mindset whilst living amongst family doggedly determined to remain at least EIGHT HUNDRED years BEHIND everyone else in the world also adds to the story (and let's remember, not even the Amish live in a mindset THAT far back).

The difference in cultural attitudes causes many lighter moments; but it's also responsible for darker ones towards the end - not least from the evil grandmother, and occasionally from the 'bad boy' younger brother. You will find yourself crying, laughing and repeatedly face palming at regular intervals. I was even reduced to table and wall palming - which only really happens when face palming just isn't enough any more.

BE WARNED - you WILL find yourself INVENTING swear words for the grandmother by the end of the last episode.

SIDE NOTE - for those who remember Furukawa Yuki most for his role as 'Irie-kun' in 'Love in Tokyo 1 and 2' it's likely to be as strange for them as it was for me to see him not only actually speaking in a human way, but is also animated and emotional in his role here as Mishima Satoshi. He even SMILES - like properly SMILES. He's clearly a good actor; because as Irie-kun he was almost a cyborg compared to his 'normal' character here. Please give 'From 5 to 9' a watch - you honestly won't regret it.

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This wasn't terrible.   It was actually nice to watch a Thai Lakorn that didn't resort to the old 'slap/kiss' and even rape or attempted rape to get the story moving. Andrew Gregson was actually good as Chat - sure he wasn't all macho and mean, but that was the point.  He was a damaged soul but one that didn't feel the need to rape, slap, or brutalise the woman he 'loved' to get her to care about him too.  He was kind, thoughtul, a bit pushy sure but nothing like we're used to.
 Sure it was indeed slow in places because it didn't have the usual 'girl runs, man chases her and slaps/kisses her into submission' sections and, despite everyone saying they were speaking their minds to save misunderstandings, no one was actually doing that with anyone right up until the end.   Lies and deflection seemed to be the order of the day; which will drive some viewers mad as you scream "for God's sake just TELL <insert name> the TRUTH!!"

The 'villains' were annoying to the point where death was too good for them.  Even their insults were lame compared to the lead female and her grandma (who I  ADORED)  As the elderly villains went in this I'd have just thrown them under the bus so hard I would've won a prize LONG before the end.  Having said that there was so much plastic in their faces you could've just stood them next to an open flame, hell even a lit match would've worked, and watched them melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.

As to their seeming teflon coating when it came to get rumbled,  I know families love each other, blah blah, but come ON!  there's a limit to how far familial loyalty will go (especially these days) - if my mother in law tried to ruin my daughter's life, rest assured she would be supporting a new patio in my garden in a more literal way than she should.  I do get that Lakorns have to be angsty - I get that adult kids have to be tortured by parents/grandparents/older or younger siblings/ or even just insert random person who wants revenge here for the story; but really when the parents are supposed to be 'protecting' their tortured offspring, then they should DO that not just pay lip service to it before pressing on with tweets of '#worried' to everyone.  I also loathe the Second Lead in these (usually the female who is NOT a villain) who just wafts around a with a 'kicked puppy' look.  In this drama that girl had that look NAILED - seriously, there are puppies out there as we speak taking lessons from her it was that good....sadly, though I just wanted to slap her silly, shake her so hard her teeth rattled and then tell her to GROW.A.SPINE.  She is a grown woman, running a business; NOT a 2 year old who's just been told her favourite blankie has been put through a woodchipper.

The music is pretty good and the theme song is nice too.  The re-watch value isn't awful because you know which bits to avoid, but it's not a must-see.  Overall, this isn't as bad as some people say and I'd give it a solid 8.

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This was brilliant - I loved every minute and there wasn't really a slow moment; to me it wasn't really a comedy, that lessens the story to say it was. There were comedic moments, but there was so, SO much more to it than that. This is a movie I KNOW I will watch over and over and still enjoy as much as the first time. I honestly can't praise this enough.

As a bit of a history buff I've spent the last hour looking up the history behind this wonderful film and the names I could find in history from it. It's been an education on so many levels and because of that alone, let alone all the other good points in it, I would give it 10/10.

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I I binged this over two days on Netflix UK and I can only say this - WATCH IT! For me the acting and the story, in that order, was what made it worth the 9.5 I've given it. The music was a bit 'm'eh' for me I have to say - hence me only giving it an overall 9.5....but that IS just my opinion.

Go Sung Hee really plays her character well and you so want it all to turn out right for her. Yoon Hyun Min is as brilliant as always and plays both Go Nan Do and Holo to perfection.

If you can find it subbed, or have access to Netflix UK like me, then please be assured, it's REALLY worth watching; so much so it'll be near the top of my favourites re-watch list (that's why I gave it a 10 on re-watch value). :)

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Not quite as cute as the 10 (blind guy and his ex-girlfriend) and 13 (deaf girl and young guy who learns sign language just to talk to her), but still very cute. it was a bit more teary for me - I because think we've all had crushes on people at some time in our lives. Occasionally those feelings are returned, mostly they're not (I was most definitely a frequent sufferer of 'unrequited love' thanks to 'being uglier than Quasimodo' as one crush told me).

So for me this resonated a lot, even though my crushes were never teachers and many moons ago now (I'm 52 and happily married), I can still recall the feelings of being faced by the person I liked so much and being overcome with shyness and nervousness. Sometimes people can hurt you without even realising and other times they do it knowingly because they believe it's 'for your own good' ( I HATE those words in any context). I can't say much more as I don't want to spoil it.

This was really adorable, don't get me wrong; as all the ones I've watched so far have been - but this definitely brings a lump to your throat where the others didn't.
At least with me it did; especially as, once again, you know it really happened to someone. I've watched them all raw and can only hope one day someone subs them for the rest of us....they deserve to be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. It's at times like this I really want my grasp of Japanese to hurry up and get better so I can start subbing....

So here's the overall stuff:

STORY - VERY good; it was a nice take on the old 'teacher/student' trope (and one that's currently being done a LOT right now). It was entertaining and engaging from start to end. For me it was definitely 10/10.

ACTING/CAST - Right on the nose. They really made you care about them; especially the younger ex-student who was still genuinely in love with her 'Sensei'. Both actors who played the main leads were excellent - so much so I will be looking out more of their work. The only reason this part got what it did was for the way some of the narration got a bit clunky. Okay, my grasp of Japanese is rudimentary to put it mildly, but even I could tell it was a bit stilted in places - though that could be more down to the script and my interpretation of what was being said. I won't know for sure until it's (hopefully) subbed. So it gets a 9/10.

MUSIC - This was the worst part of it; it was just like background noise.....the sort of music you expect to hear in a lift as you ride up and down a shopping mall, not as the soundtrack to an really cute, sincere and engaging drama. So hence it's 6.5/10.

REWATCH VALUE - This is really high as it's one of those little dramas that's engaging enough that you enjoy it and short enough to slip it in to any short viewing window you might have; the story sticks with you and you will want to watch it again. So far I've watched it twice.....there will be more times too. So it got a full 10/10.

OVERALL - so overall I gave it 9.5/10 due to the musical let down and the little bit of stilted moments and narrations along the way. But it's a well deserved 9.5.

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I think Kang Dong Won's character Jo Yoon - although truly the worst of the worst even amongst the bad guys in this movie - still managed to make you feel some sympathy for him. It transpires that, as a child, Jo Yoon was treated terribly and was also abused by his family (I WON'T say more because I won't spill spoilers) and because of this it went on to twist him into a really terrible person.

I really cried for him when he was talking to his father because you could see, in that moment, how different he could've been; and even he acknowledges that he was this way because of what he suffered. Jo Yoon also did still have moments of humanity when some compassion showed through (however briefly and rare they were).

Kang Dong Won really knocked this role out of the park; for me he was the one to watch and completely stole every scene he was in. You were obviously rooting for the Robin Hoodesque heroes, but you still felt sorry for him. I really felt that he would've been as good as he was bad if his childhood had just been different.

Kang Dong Won really is one of my favourite actors because even his 'bad guy' roles are never played as two dimensional villains; he always adds a depth to them that makes you think and you never just see them as 'bad' - there's always more to their backstory.....if he's in a production these days I ALWAYS set out to watch it, he's so good.

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High School King of Savvy is just brilliant. The lead female character, Jung Soo Young, is not your typical 'strong noona' and the lead male character (and dongsaeng) Lee Min Suk, isn't your typical 'puppy love' type; but it just really works. They are shown as being flawed but also that their flaws each completes the other.

Not to mention that it has a second lead male, Yoo Jin Woo (son to the Ceo), who is a real arse rather than the usual dreamy sweet cutie, and who has, apparently, no soul.....certainly the blindingly beautiful Lee Soo Hyuk looks like THE most beautiful vampire throughout most of the drama (even down to appearing to have snow white skin in a few scenes) ;)

I have to say the moment Yoo Jin Woo realises the colossal and monumental mistake he's made and what he's lost by it ...it just breaks your heart (you know his back story by then); especially when Lee Min Suk confronts him. You loathe Jin Woo but can't help but feel sorry for him too. There were times when I cried for him, but also times when I hurled foul-mouthed abuse at him (always a sign of an excellent actor and good drama; neither Lee Soo Hyuk nor HSKoS disappoint here).

It's just another twist in a story that has been done so many times, yet this puts a few curves in that make you like it and make it a little different. The 'noona' in this, Jung Soo Young (or Popcorn Sister as Min Suk has her labelled on his phone, which is a sweet touch) is very strong in her own way, just not the usual 'noona' way; she fights for those she loves and those she feels are bullied.

Likewise, so the younger' dongsaeng, Min Suk, is not your typical 'puppy' in his own way - there's not all the usual dog-like devotion and puppy eyes; he's tough and gets frustrated and annoyed with her too. None of the relationships are easy - every one gets tested. This all makes a pleasant change and a very entertaining watch.....so much so I bought the dvd.

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Acting of Kim Bum & Joe Cheng make this worth watching!

Here's my review of this pretty good drama.

STORY - The ending is really what's less this whole drama down; sadly, the writers didn't only slap the face of the viewers, they spit in them too. The ending is a tragedy on so many levels. If you don't like sad endings, DON'T watch this - it's not sob worthy sad, but it is scream and throw things sad purely because the whole damn final couple of scenes were so rage inducing. The ending could've easily been better written, could've easily had a better outcome too. I cannot find the words for how angry that pointless ending made me. Yes, I watched it raw and yes, my mandarin is limited to yes, no, sorry, what and I love you - but the ending is seriously self explanatory on what happens.

ACTING - The main male leads, Kim Bum and Joe Cheng, are brilliant in this - they really are underused in the industry these days; especially Kim Bum and their acting skills are really shown well in this drama. Claudia Wang also does give it her best shot; she can't help it that her character was so pointless and uninspiring that you're left wondering HOW she would have two men in love with her and one of them willing to go insane trying to keep her.

MUSIC - okay, nothing too memorable.

REWATCH VALUE - usually these intense dramas are worth a rewatch; but this one's ending is terrible. However, if you watch to just BEFORE those final few scenes, and imagine a change in who's with the Claudia Wang's character near the door, then just stop watching (leaving yourself with the more satisfying imaginary ending).....it makes it a WHOLE better drama!

OVERALL - 8.0 - JUST because of the ending....those final scenes are just rage inducing. EXCELLENT drama, BRILLIANT acting all let down by a boring Female Lead Character and the last 4-6 mins of the film.

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Even with subs it's an incomprehensible art house movie; follows the rulebook religiously - even to being filmed in black and white. Basically, just a nonsense movie made by a pseudo intellectual director who believes he much more clever than he really is. Don't bother unless you're tired and need something interminably boring to send you to sleep - you'll be fine because even the dialogue is quite hushed and spoken in hushed tones and whispers. lol!

I'm not going through the review list stage by stage - there's no point. I gave the actors 2.5 because they did the best they could with a dire script. I wouldn't even watch this once if you can avoid it, so it has ZERO rewatch value but the review won't let me do that, so 1 it is. I can't believe how bad this was to be honest. It wasn't even one of the 'so bad it was good'....it was just TERRIBLE.

The plot had a LOT of promise and could've been something really thought provoking - sadly the director had other ideas.

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"A mystery unfolds with a woman named Madoka, who is a killer, and Ataru. The woman possesses the same extraordinary memory and deductive reasoning abilities as Ataru." -- That's the blurb on the movie but, sadly, it really doesn't convey the sheer wonder that this movie holds.

Ataru is an autistic savant with the deduction and reasoning skills even Sherlock Holmes would envy. His fate is tied to Madoka's in a fundamental way. Autistic people have feelings even if they can't always relate to them properly, and Ataru certainly has his AND his own unique way of expressing them (which does have some comical moments as well as sad ones).

Nakai Masahiro truly NAILED the autistic characterisations, he also made Ataru such a complicated character but so lovable at the same time. He's a truly gifted actor to play an austic savant so FLAWLESSLY and it's why I gave this film a 10 on the acting scale.

I would love to see a series with Nakai Masahiro reprising his role as Ataru, and witness how he deals with everything from the this point onwards - his life was never easy; trying to live in a world he didn't understand, populated by people he couldn't really comprehend. But now it's even more complicated and lonely - so I'd like to see not only how his friendship with Maiko and Shunichi progresses, but also how he now relates to Larry....the latter would be the MOST interesting one to witness.

The movie has it's funny moments, it's sad moments and some pretty weird ones. But it's a truly wonderful movie and one I KNOW I will definitely watch over and over again. It has a twist at the end that is one of those 'NONONO!!' moments and if you don't shed a single tear then you have no soul. Me? I cried a veritable river of them..... T-T

Trust me, not only will I be watching this one again; if KissAsian get the others I will DEFINITELY be signing up to those too. I found this movie by accident - so, SO glad I did. Watch it - you won't regret it. I'll definitely give it 9.5/10.

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