Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

There are times when Wuxia/Xianxia are often put under the Hokkien word Ko Cha or 古早 (Gǔzǎo) in Mandarin. This time, I checked out Veil of Shadows,  which becomes a complex battle against fate. I have had the bad habit of actually checking out shows by the lovely Ju Jingyu, such as Madam White Snake . This time, Veil of Shadows focuses on the complex battle against fate. Thankfully, it's only 29 episodes, but it's got a LONG PLOT within the show's context. The show can get confusing because it's a complex battle against fate. The story involves Jingyi's character as a Gumiho named Lu Wuyi. Her co-protagonist is Wu Shiguang (played by Joseph Zeng / Zeng Shunxi) as a mysterious demon hunter. There's a deep, dark secret with Shiguang that the series slowly reveals. Wu Wangyan (played by Chen Duling) is Wuyi's older sister. Li Jie (played by Yan An) is the commander of the Shilin Sect. The antagonists tend to be more in the background. It gets difficult to talk ...

I just finished another Korean legal drama. This time, I watched Pro Bono on Netflix . This is a legal drama with 12 episodes that features a "Thor-like" judge Kang Da-Wit (Jung Kyung-Ho). Da-Wit was trying to operate based on pure logic, the hammer of the law, but he failed to anticipate a frame-up. Instead, a fake bribery accusation (led by Yoo Jae-Bum, acted by Yun Je-wook) causes Da-Wit to hit rock bottom and find out the REAL WORLD that law isn't purely about algorithms. It also requires fresh human emotions. That's what happens during the series.  The whole course has Da-Wit become part of the Pro Bono team, aka the public service team. This is where he meets the secondary lead, Park Gi-Ppeum (acted by So Ju-Yeon, born in 1993, while the lead actor is in his 40s), Jang Yeong-Sil (Yoon Na-Moo), Yoo Nan-Hui (Seo Hye-Won), and Hwang Jun-U (Kang Hyoung-Suk). This is where Da-Wit learns through various law cases, like Kaya, a foreign bride from Myanmar; an...

Crime dramas can be rather addictive. I remember watching Copycat Killer ,  Victim's Game , and Regeneration . This time, I felt like watching Million Follower Detective -- a crime drama that explores the generation gaps. Ekin Cheng, who's currently 58 YEARS OLD, plays a father (named Chen Chia-jen) with an estranged daughter named Chen Chia-jen (played by Buffy Chen). This one presents generational gaps given that Buffy is born in 2000 and Ekin is 58 years old -- playing the father/daughter team. Buffy is estranged from her father. The series involves the mysterious character Witch Baba. Witch Baba is a mysterious influencer who could apparently foretell the future. However, behind Witch Baba's predictions is actually a series of deceptions. The recurring villain is Kuo Ta-fu, a doctor who is bitter about life. Ta-fu is someone who forces Witch Baba to read the predictions. Ta-fu is also an insane vigilante. Why does Ta-fu hate influencers so much? However, behind i...

Bloodhound Season 1 was an interesting lesson on loans . I didn't expect a sequel three years later and decided to watch it. Season 1 was practically where the main cast Woo Doo-Hwan (as Kim Gun-Woo) and Lee Sang-Yi (as Hong Woo-Jin). The dirty old man Kim Myeong-Gil (played by Park Sung-Woong) isn't mentioned (thankfully). Instead, we make a new room for the new lead villain Im Baek-Jung (played by Rain). Seeing Rain play as a villain was indeed fresh. I had mixed issues with Vanness Wu as the bad guy in Princess Weiyoung . However, part of me still gives Vanness praise for filling what need to be filled. Rain just feels stronger though -- showing a 44 year old guy can still beat up the younger cast! This is where someone's business senses could get tingling. Season 1 tells you, "Don't live beyond your means or you could face off against loan sharks. Season 2's villain Baek-Jung runs a gambling ring that fits today's society. The gambling ring is ran on th...

Sorry that I'm "out of date" with the Kamen Rider reviews. Yep, I'm probably still in hangover mode or that there's so much that Netflix has to offer. I decided to check out this fantasy series called The Seven Relics of Ill Omen . This series is a live adaptation by the female web novelist Wei Yu. This writing revolves around Chinese exorcism drama and science fiction. These relics contain a dangerous parasitic lifeform in each and every one of them. They crashed at the Fengzi Ridge where they found them. The Phoenix Squad was formed as a five-man squad (think of it like Super Sentai ). We have our important characters, namely: Mu Dai (Liu Haocun), who is the main character. She is a capable young woman who does the puzzle-solving. Much of her life is a Walking Spoiler, so please watch the film first. She has her schizophrenia going on. Luo Ren (Song Weilong) is the leading man and the male protagonist. He's the field leader but Mu Dai is the overall focus. H...

It's for my review of The Art of Sarah . Be careful, though, because this mini-series has a lot of complex twists and turns. It's practically a Walking Spoiler of a TV series. Shin Hye Sun is the lead actress who plays the role of a very complicated character. The series is a mystery thriller that makes you ask, "Who is Sarah Kim? What did she do?" The series opens with what could be the end of Sarah Kim. However, what if the truth isn't as simple as it looks? That's what this show is about, as Hye Sun presents her excellent acting skills in every flashback.  The whole series is full of suspense. The flashbacks can be rather complex. Was there really a Sarah Kim, or was she just another alias? Every flashback Hye Sun plays is played to a T. Every step of the way reveals a new mystery. The dead body found may not be hers. This is a case of mistaken identity, which creates a paper trail revealing the truth behind the Sarah Kim persona. How did the murder happen?...

It's time for another random review. This time, I finished the Xianxia series,  Blossoming Love . The Chinese title is 千朵桃花一世开 — (Qiān duǒ táohuā yīshì kāi) meaning  A Thousand Peach Blossoms Bloom in a Lifetime .  In this case, I was kind of stressed so I ended up watching a show for the eye candy. Yes, Sun Zhenni is really super pretty in this one. The last time I saw Zhenni was in the series was in Love and Redemption as a gumiho, and she's really pretty. I ended up watching a Xianxia TV series that had a complicated plot about lovers caught in several cycles of reincarnation over  10,000 YEARS. Yes, talk about how much more complicated an Xianxia is compared to a Wuxia in terms of time jumps !  The story of the two lovers is complicated by the passage of 10,000 years and their immortality. The main character is Xie Xuechan (acted by Vin Zhang), who used to be Emperor Zhao Ming. Xuechan is the leader of the Immortal Alliance. Mu Xianling (Zhenni) is the ...

  I just finished watching the Netflix series Can This Love be Translated?. This is where Sota Fukushi reveals his polyglot reality. Sota was able to speak in English and now he's shown his ability to speak Hangul. Yes, and I tend to get confused between Hangul and Nihongo! Sota plays a side character, but when he does show up -- he NAILS it. The show was released all at once, presumably to compensate for the delay in release after it finished filming. Basically, it feels weird that Sota (who plays the side character Hiro Kurosawa), with Kim Seon-Ho acting as the polyglot Joo Ho-Jin. Ho Jin is a character that could speak  Chinese, English, Italian, and Japanese as his second languages. Go Yoon-Jung acts as an actress playing as, Cha Mu-Hi (an actress), who has her imaginary ego as the ghost Do Ra-Mi. She gets into a not-so-dramatic love triangle. What interested me was the show moving between four different countries. Going from South Korea to Japan to Italy to Canada ca...

Is it me or do I just enjoy beating up Disney live-action remakes? If The Female General was actually one Hua Mulan inspired story, then so is Love in the Clouds . However, Love in the Clouds reminds me of how Disney's Mulan (2020) remake was basically a Mary Sue. However, Love in the Clouds is a slow build a classic switcheroo (where a mother swaps places with a child that's not hers) for her own convenience. Empress Ce (Zhang Ting) executes the perfect switcheroo. In fact, things aren't like what they are supposed to be.  The main heroine Ming Yi (Lu Yu Xiao) poses as the Prince Ming Xian. It's pretty much Hua Mulan except it's not in the army. The big issue is with the tournament of the six realms. Think Mortal Kombat without the violent "Fatalities!" Ji Bozai (Hou Ming Hao) has a dark secret past, where he is the Aladdin. Ji Bozai is the diamond in the rough as he grew up in the Jixing Abyss. Bozai later discovers some dark secrets and decides, "W...

I thought I was about to see a Hua Mulan adaptation. Instead, The Female General (锦月如歌, Jǐn yuè rú gē) is another fictional female general named He Yan (Zhou Ye). The story doesn't explicitly follow the Hua Mulan story. It's not about the invading Rourans. Instead, it's a story that your family can be your own worst enemy -- such as when He Rufei is a snake in the grass. He Yan disguises herself as her older brother He Rufei -- something that's actually MORE TRAGIC than Mulan's story. The love interest (and General Shang equivalent) is Xiao Jue (Cheng Lei). What I found kinda stupid is the way that Xiao Jue discovered Yan's true gender. The hot spring incident is directly taken from the Mulan (2009) movie. I even wonder if by any chance did Jue end up touching Yan's private part? Okay, that's kinda gross but it could've happened. Some people discover that Yan is actually a WOMAN as the show goes on. Jue's nobility is kept as he refuses to exploit...

Soompi I confess that Korean legal dramas can get more appealing. There are police genres and law genres. This is another legal drama, but there's a subtle love story. This is a drama that tries to explore what it's like to be a lawyer. Newbie lawyer vs. seasoned lawyer while working together? That's what  Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon) a rookie lawyer, and Yoon Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook), a senior lawyer.  What does it take to be a lawyer? Hyo-min is still learning the ropes. Graduation isn't the end, but the BEGINNING OF NEW STUFF! That's what Hyo-min discovers when she enters into the REAL TOUGH WORLD OF LEGAL DRAMA. Hyo-min discovers that THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE will never be enough to survive the lawyering profession. Fortunately, Seok-hoon becomes her constant partner who must teach her from experience. There's a 16-year age gap betwen the two -- which can be UNSETTLING FOR SOME.  The romance is rather sidelined. Pride and Prejudice featured romance, but it was...

Is it me or am I addicted to Korean crime drama these days? Japanese crime drama can be good. However, I feel that the Korean way of filming and narrating crime dramas is better. I couldn't exactly explain it. South Korea is known to have strict gun control. This is a great debate for gun control. There are people in this story who say free guns. The others are against free guns. I, for one, believe in strict gun control, that NOT ANYONE should be allowed to own a gun.  The story isn't so black and white either. What makes a drama compelling isn't always some who's Pure Evil. No, instead, the antagonist Moon Baek (Kim Young-Kwang) isn't all in black and white. The guy's motive isn't power. The main character Lee Do (Kim Nam-Gil) is a police officer who's seen so many losses due to unrestrained usage of guns. Does a bad childhood justify a terrible present? Lee Do had a bad childhood but was given proper therapy. Moon Baek never had the proper support -- ...

I DON'T GIVE UPDATES. Instead, I choose to REACT TO UPDATES. Blogging should just be viewed as a sideline hustle and nothing more. I had updates on Kamen Rider Zeztz some time ago. I didn't know how to process my mind, especially I'm not that big into Tokusatsu (in general) these days. IMHO Kamen Rider Gavv isn't exactly entertaining me as much -- it's almost the same as how Kamen Rider Wizard is also pretty much another low-tier show. Yeah, JUNKO KOMURA, and right now, I feel like Lupinranger vs. Patranger had a lot of lost potential. I might write a terrible review on Gavv's missed potential or I'll probably need to rewatch it. Right now, I feel like I've hit the  Kamen Rider taste fatigue zone for the nth time. The last time it happened was when I took a slowdown from Kamen Rider Zi-O . I was looking at the updates from The Tokusatsu Network . This is also the plot according to UkiyaSeed , one of the many sites where I get updates from. As always, tak...

Countless times, I tend to watch something NOT for the plot but for the attractive actress. It should be strange that I dropped Power Rangers Megaforce despite its attractive females. I watched Doctor Prisoner partly because of Kwon Nara. However, a good plot always overrides a pretty face. I was feeling down and thought watching Resident Playbook would give me some mindless fun. However, like any good show with a pretty lady, the pretty lady is but a BONUS TO THE SHOW. I'm not too fond of medical dramas. I watched The Hospital starring Jerry Yan. I don't feel too compelled to rewatch it. However, I rewatched Black and White starring Vic Zhou because of the PLOT. I ended up liking Doctor Prisoner because of is thriller setting. However, watching the melodrama of Resident Playbook got me to think about the difficulty of the OB/GYN residents. Such is the case of resident doctor Oh Yi Young -- as played bo Yoon Jung!  There are a lot of details to pay attention to. Yoon Jung'...

As always, blogging is just a hobby. I'm going to have to wait for Can This Love Be Translated? which will be late this year. I decided to watch another Korean crime drama. This almost takes me back to the Netflix series Narco Saints . This one involves a dilemma with an investigator who runs into a reporter. It's a recent project but with more senior actors. It's hard to belive that Ji Sung was born in 1977 and Jeon Mi-Do was born in 1982? Like WUT? Are people finding an elixir to prolong life? It's already something when I'm seeing attractive-looking OLD people. Ji Sung plays as main lead Jang Jae-Kyung and Mi-Do plays the reporter Oh Yeon-Jin. This show is DIFFICULT to talk without spoilers. Crime dramas are meant to be discussed without spoilers. It's because there's really a lot of stuff going on and to keep the audience engaged.  Jae-Kyung is professional ace detective who works for the FICTIONAL Anhyeon Police Station. Jae-Kyung is forcibly fed a drug...

It can be realized that my reviews reflect a casual fan of just about anything. I watched Story of Pearl Girl but didn't write a review immediately. So sorry in advance to all the readers! The story is with Zhao Lusi (who I first saw in Who Rules the World alongside Yang Yang). Lusi plays the role of Duanwu/Su Muzhe (both one character) -- a woman who escapes the brutal conditions of an exploitative pearl farm. The Cai family of merchants get involved in dirty money -- using cheap slave labor and selling pearls at what may be ridiculous prices.  The romance may seem forced for some. How could the leading guy Yan Ziying (Liu Yuning) have the time for romance? I didn't mind that part too much. It was interesting to see the family feuds -- especially with the Cai Family. Yu Shi (Tang Xiao Tian) is the secondary love interest -- even if he's the one with whom Duanwu (as Muzhe) does business with. Is it me or do bad boys tend to become more attractive? Muzhe's actually too s...

It's October and it's time for a Halloween post. I didn't watch Gyeongseong Creature Season 1 immediately. However, I decided to watch it at my own pace and watch the second season. I've noticed that Korean shows in Netflix are somewhat following the American format. The world's a digital market now and we learn from each other. Some American shows extend with one season after the other -- depending on the popularity. The same treatment was given to several Marvel Comics and DC Comics TV adaptations. Fortunately, most K-Dramas usually end after one season and the second season usually doesn't do as well.  The two seasons are set decades apart. As warned, there are spoilers. It's a fictionalized account of Imperial Japan's takeover of South Korea (before the split) in 1945. The second season takes place in 2024 -- with a not-so-surprising twist. Strangely, neither Jang Tae-Sang (Park Seo-Jun) and Yoon Chae-Ok (Han So Hee) aged between 1945 and 2024. It tu...

My fondness for crime drama happened in 2019 because of Kill It. However, after watching the K-Drama Justice -- I developed a liking for realistic fiction of a crime drama. I watched The Frog after I watched other East Asian dramas like Mind Game and Copycat Killer from Taiwan. Most of these dramas focus more on the investigation than the crime. In this case, The Frog focuses on the crime rather than the investigation.  True, the drama is just fiction. However, part of it was based on a real incident . People have to get their inspiration somewhere -- such as how Narco Saints is partly based on the Jonestown Massacre. What makes it a breath of fresh air for me is the use of older cast members. It's going to be a crime drama after all. Veteran actor Kim Yeon-Seok plays the main character Jeon Yeong-Ha. Yeong-Ha lived in a secluded town with his dying wife. Yeong-Ha's wife dies and he's stayed in that area. Yeong-Ha's daughter  Jeon Eui-Seon (played by Roh Yoon-Seo) pl...

It's been some time since I studied Korean history. After some time -- I decided to check some older Korean dramas that I hadn't watched on Netflix. I was disappointed that My Country: The New Age was bordered on realistic fiction rather than a historical show itself. The disclaimer gave it off that it was realistic fiction. Pretty much, it's trying to explore the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty.  Two friends come into conflict over how the country should be run. Seo Hwi (Yang Se-jong) is the son of a swordsman wrongfully put to death. Nam Seon-ho (Woo Do-hwan) is the illegitimate son of a high ranking official. Both would have their own personal vendettas along the way. A political maelstrom is there since the two have different ideals on how to run the country. The conflict between the two sides can be fun to watch.  It should be interesting that the show has some history mixed into it. We have Yi Bang-Won (Taejong) -- based on the monarc...

Writing episode reviews can be tiresome. One may notice that I never gave updates on Kamen Rider Gotchard here. I finally finished the final episode. At first, I felt it was awkward since Gotchard's main cast is all that young. The main hero Junsei Motojima was born in 2005. Reiyo Matsumoto was born in 2008. It's only normal to expect it since the main cast are usually newbie actors. A lot of Super Sentai and Power Rangers main casts are expectedly young.  The show presents the Digimon vibe. I'm neither a fan of Pokemon (by Nintendo) nor Digimon (by Toei). Speaking of which, Saban Entertainment also dubbed Digimon in English. However, it doesn't try to become the second coming of Digimon . People get inspiration from old stuff. Fortunately, Gotchard tries to keep it focused on its intended target audience -- children. The Digimon inspiration is there but it's pretty much NOT Digimon at the same time. It's nice to see Toei try the schoolboy Kamen Rider theme agai...