A warm hug in a Saturday afternoon.

This is the best way to describe this series. It can comfort you, it can make you cry, and at the same time, it gives you a valuable lesson as you watch each episode. I am currently on Episode 16 as I am writing this review, however, I can tell that this is another masterpiece originating from the same screenwriters of Go Ahead.

It takes you through the wonderful village of Yun Miao, where we get to meet a variety of characters with unique and imperfect personalities. The characters are, if I may say, some of the best-written characters in Chinese Drama. There is no rush between the romance, and their life story, it's just a good balance of watching them figure out their life as they go. They're realistic, they aren't special, they're just regular people that we watch.

What I love the most about this drama is the script. The exchange of words between each character with different perspectives in life, and the portrayal of youth and immaturity. It is raw, realistic, and well-thought-out. I truly believe that the script itself is a good enough reason for you to watch.

However, there's more. Unlike most camera work, directing, and acting in other Chinese Dramas, Meet Yourself goes way beyond my expectations. The stills, the production, the CINEMATOGRAPHY, everything about this drama was truly, truly the best. The actors also go way beyond my expectations, it is so rare to find such a gem like this that contains no stiff acting, good delivery, a good script, and good cinematography.

I truly believe that above all the Chinese Dramas I've watched, this drama is the one you MUST watch. I suggest watching it when you're feeling lost, and you're looking for something that can accompany you throughout the day. It isn't packed with action, it is slow-paced, therefore I believe finding the right mood to watch it is also something you must take into consideration before truly diving into it.

Now, let me ask you, are you ready to meet yourself?

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Are you willing to immerse yourself fully?

This is the question you should be asking yourself when you start watching this drama. If you're going to watch it half-heartedly without paying attention too much to the details, you might find yourself getting lost which is exactly what I didn't like about this drama. Below, I've listed the following reasons which made it seem like a drawn-out experience for me.

1. There is too much information with little to no time to process what is happening.
From the very first episode, it was quite evident that this would be a problem that I would be encountering throughout the drama. If you've watched it, I trust that you fully understand why I am saying this. They give you the general gist of the situation with not much clarification, they tell you one thing without explaining much of it.

This would've been a lot better if they didn't force you to process so much information in such a short time span.

2. They make it seem so complicated when in fact, it is not.
Finishing the drama, and understanding its general gist makes me realize how simple the entire situation is. It took me through so much when it shouldn't have.

3. The second half of the drama was just, too much.
Everything comes out of nowhere, suddenly, the male lead is doing so much when he came from such an incapable background.

Again, this drama is totally dependent on you. If you can keep up with the force-feeding of information, then maybe you should watch it. I'm only describing it from my point of view.

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Before that person became your confidant, remember, that they were your friends first.

In a variety of cliché modern Chinese dramas, there are very few that seek to tell the story of real individuals, one of them is this drama. Though not all of the events could be labeled as "realistic", most of them are. Remembrance of Things Past tries to remind us to become better humans, and to become considerate of those who are around us.

For a 12-episode drama, I admit it is quite slow-paced. It focuses on three different individuals and their daily lives. The first episode hits you like a truck, the remaining 11 weren't that engaging. Still, each episode rewards you with a valuable lesson, mainly about loving your parents, and the ups and downs of life. Plot-development-wise, I do think there are moments where the story goes off-road, focusing on things that aren't necessarily important and disregarding scenes I, as a viewer, would love to see. Admittedly, if it weren't for the shroud of mystery given to Jing Jing's character, I wouldn't be so eager to finish the series.

There is nothing special about the film, cinematography-wise, I would consider this to be one of the dramas that are "okay-ish" in terms of production. In fact, this is one of the better-quality films produced by Mango TV. A few splicing mistakes here and there, but, I believe they don't ruin the experience for the viewers. A few things could be polished as well, a few decisions I don't agree with is splicing two different sub-plots, with the intent of showing "despite having different situations they're experiencing the same issue/emotion", it just didn't sit right with me, I believe it doesn't give the viewers enough time to bask in the emotions of the characters. I can't comment much on the soundtrack, as the version I watched had such terrible audio, therefore, including it in the rating of this drama would be unfair.

Acting-wise, I had never doubted Zhou Yu Tong's acting skills, in fact, she was the main reason I watched Remembrance of Things Past. As for the other actors, I'm genuinely in love with the personality Kido Ma gave to Ou Yang. An honorable mention would be Bai Yu Fan and Ren Su Xi, they fell short in a few aspects, but nonetheless, their acting managed to deliver good characters. I believe the two of them could improve their acting, and I am looking forward to watching more of their films.

Another aspect I would love to point out is the consistency of their personalities, Jian Yi Fan was introduced as a kind character, someone who is fair and just, and tends to be reliant on his own personal decisions. As the story progresses, he remains the same person throughout, in fact, the decisions he takes and his opinions were some of the most naturally-occurring ones in Chinese Dramas. There were a lot of criticisms with regard to Xu Yan and Zi Chang's characters, but realistically speaking, don't we have a few friends who act like them? They were annoying, of course, but I believe their characters did exist for a reason, it just wasn't as well-executed as I would have wanted it to be.

What I loved most about it is that the drama heavily emphasizes no matter how small or big your problem is, it still is a problem and emotions are still valid. Overall, I would say the drama is a good watch, it is both comforting and manages to deliver a good message across. There are a lot of improvements to be made, but I believe it is something that is worth a shot, especially if you're someone who's exposed to corporate life and is struggling to cope.

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An acceptable take on one of the most profound serial killers in South Korea.

Dare I say it aged like fine wine, as a person who isn't fond of watching old films, my admiration for the director, Bong Joon-Ho, managed to push me into watching it. This film stands as a protest, and a complaint against the police force in South Korea, during the time the Hwaseong Serial Murders took place. What I loved the most about it is how it takes you to that entire experience, because much to my dismay, this is how they truly functioned back in the day.

The only reason I rated this film an 8/10 was because of the inaccuracies with the story itself, for one Gwang Ho wouldn't actually be released from prison. Instead, the police would go on to frame him, torturing him mentally and abusing him physically during the interrogation, and finally, making him the culprit and sending him to prison. Which is part of the many reasons why the case remained unsolved for many years.

In addition to this, I believe the plot was somewhat dragged on, or there were certain elements in the story where I felt like the movie would have survived even without those certain parts. The relationship between the two officers wasn't as well established as I would like, and their characters made a 180-degree turn out of nowhere, with one suddenly relying on evidence, and the latter trusting his instincts.

Overall, it is still a good film to watch.

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If there was a God, would he know about this shit?

Another hard-hitting film from South Korea that talks about bullying, injustice, abuse of power, and the struggling youth. The movie would embed itself into your head hours after you had watched it. The progression of the movie was just right, I absolutely loved the cinematography and the way the music and silence were used throughout the film. I believe they helped in the storytelling, allowing us to feel Il-Woo's emptiness.

I believe the little details in the background of each cut are also worth mentioning, as this immensely helped shape the film. The script and the individual characters themselves were very well-written, the way Chon Son Woo's character shifted after the event had passed was so real you could have convinced me it was true. You could tell that they studied prior to creating the script.

You could feel how genuine, volatile, empty, and desperate each character was throughout the film, creating this experience that just leaves you pained and flustered. It was simply so raw, and emotional. I've watched Heo Dong Won from Insider, Park Jin Young from The Devil Judge, and Song Geon Hee from Alice: The Final Weapon. But I truly believe that this film stands as their best film, with such a short amount of time they managed to create a story that was so painful it leaves you with a spot inside your brain that you could never itch.

As much as I loved this film, I believe it isn't something that anyone could digest. It talks about:
- S*xual Abuse
- Bullying
- Abandonment
- Murder
- Abuse of Power
- Mental Illness

So, if you find any of these triggering, I sincerely would like to ask you to stay away from this film as the scenes aren't downplayed and are portrayed realistically. This is the same reason I rated it very low for it's rewatch value, simply because I don't think it would be a healthy choice for me to watch it again.

This film stands as one of the best examples to justify just how amazing an actor Park Jin Young is.

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The writers did not know what they wanted to do with the story.

This pretty much sums up Watcher, contrary to most thrillers, Watcher actually starts off on the wrong foot and gets somewhat better towards the ending. The story is not as gripping if you were to judge it from the first episode, however, as the story continues, you'll find more reasons to stay and wait for the story to unravel.

The characters are not the best written. It was evident that the writers wanted to make appealing, smart, and sophisticated characters. However, as each episode passes, I felt like I was watching a new character; their personalities were inconsistent and they were too unreachable to be realistic and believable. They were too good to be true. In addition to this, there would be no semblance of community, or affection between this group of people. They were simply individuals who worked together, it was only up until the end that I felt like they were actually a team.

Plot-wise. I really loved the story's general gist, how this fiasco could be true, as there was a nice foundation laid out for the antagonist organization. It was coherent and believable, and the timelines made sense. It was far better as compared to other corruption dramas. Which is why I was so disappointed with how they made use of it.

Watcher is also awfully "slow-feeling". This is something that I noticed with the drama, it uses so many cuts of the main characters randomly walking, flipping through pages, and staring at whatever was on the horizon, I felt like they wasted too much time using these cuts. The music didn't help, it was way too stimulating, to the point that I could hear the leather seats as they conversed with one another. I think these are aspects that could have been prevented and could be changed to make something that was less documentative feeling.

Lastly, Seo Kang Joon and Kim Hyun Joo played their roles wonderfully. As for Han Seok Kyu, I really don't know how to feel about the casting decision made with him, and the decisions that they made for the character he portrayed. Do Chi Kwang was someone who was extremely dull, and overall unenthralling. He wasn't a character that was clouded in a mystery that you'd be gripped with his persona, no, in fact, he just appeared awfully shady throughout the series. The very few moments where he actually had a personality were so scattered and delivered far less impact than what I was hoping for. I don't know where the issues lie, would it be the actor or the way he was written?

As for my verdict, I would say give it a shot. On the other hand, I wouldn't say you'd be missing out if you skipped past this drama.

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