PHope

Algernon Ni Hanataba O is a drama with a touching story. The first part was really good and the main character was lovable. That part made you want to watch more, to see where the story was headed. The second part, however, was kind of boring. The plot fell in the cliche romance trap and most of the twists were predictable. At least, the ending was realistic and, for me at least, it suited the drama and brought the story back on track. The performances, moreover, where exeptional. So, six out of ten, because the second part was not as good as the first part and the romance was a bit off.

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Drowning Love is an okay movie, with an intense love story which was ruined by the odd directing techniques. First of all, the story was confusing a bit, though you get the main idea in the end and you can follow it for a while, so the messed up story line wasn't my main problem. The thing that ruined the movie for me was the way it was directed. Sequences were cut off (especially one that had a loud, happy music and then, suddenly, it was cut off), the camera was either too far away, either too close, in some scenes you could hear the actors talking but you could only see the waves, in others you had only Nana just laying down (maybe the director was in love with her...) like it was a photo shoot or something etc etc. Anyway, the main idea was that the director was all over the place, especially with holding long scenes for too long and with other scenes where you could only hear the actors breathing. Finally, the constant running around, chasing each other, was a bit odd, but you can overlook that compared to the bad directing. Thankfully, the performances were outstanding, and the love story had something in it to make you continue watching this film, probably because the couple had chemistry. So, 4 out of 10.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Pyramid Game '' is a drama about school bullying and social classes.

The drama has a strong start, with the viewer being introduced to the characters and to the pyramid system. It was interesting to follow the main lead, as she was trying to understand her new position and how to change things. It was also nice that she wasn't all good and innocent, rather, she was a grey character who was selfish and manipulative. Hence, her character development was enjoyable to follow.

On the other hand, the drama had a weak second half. It felt anticlimactic and the ending was a let down.

At least, the performances were all strong by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Strong Girl Nam Soon '' is a fantasy comedy.

The drama tries to live up to its popular prequel, but doesn't manage to be enjoyable. The main lead was not cute, but childish and immature, which ended up being annoying and tiring to watch.

The story was boring as well. After Nam Soon found her mother, which was probably the most interesting part of the drama, things went downhill. Overused tropes, a boring and without chemistry romance, a messy love triangle that didn't make sense, lukewarm action scenes, and cheesy comedy, were all elements that led to the disaster that the drama eventually was.

The performances, at least, were decent enough. The cameo of the old characters was a nice touch as well.

So, overall, two out of ten.

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Not Good Enough

The second season of the Korean Drama " Love Alarm " takes things from where the first season left off, years after the events that lead to the main couple splitting up. This season doesn't have the advantage of the school genre that always adds some innocence and freshness to the plot. It actually doesn't have a plot, as the story focuses on JoJo and her struggle to accept herself and her feelings. The whole drama about her art, her past life, and the shield was sloppily handled and the family drama was overlooked. The side characters were also boring.

One thing that this drama had going for it, at least, was the strong performances from the cast, especially from the leading lady. The twist with the romance was original too. However, the whole drama feels strange compared to the first season, like it's not its sequel. Rather, it's boring and rushed.


So, overall, 4 out of 10.

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Not Good Enough

The Korean Remake of the Chinese hit drama " A Love So Beautiful " fails to deliver, as it was too short and too cheesy.

The story centers around high schoolers who are feeling the first specs of love. The first part of the drama is actually dedicated to their youthful years and, failing, however, to pass down a nostalgic feeling that most of the school dramas do, especially when they are placed in the past. The second part of the drama focuses, on the other hand, on their adult lives and that's when the drama starts, with the main relationship being tested and sometimes skips that weren't handled smoothly.

I guess the main problem that this drama faces is its short episodes. They try to have small cases per episodes, but the actual story can't be developed properly due to that. Another minus that appeared was the cliche of many situations that arose. From the old camera work to the cheesy romantic gestures, but, especially, to the female lead's reactions to everything that were beyond childish and ended up being annoying, the drama is just too predictable and not because its a remake. Come to think about it, the original was closer to the melodrama premises, with a focus on their adult life, family problems and more grown up drama. On the contrary, this one is more immature and gets boring easily.

At least the side characters were interesting and added some entertainment here and there when it was needed. The performances were pretty good from everyone in the cast as well.

So, overall, 3.5 out of 10.

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" My sassy classmate season 1 ", even though the description says that it will be more of a romance, it was not. But, for a comedy about youngsters that deal with school problems and the angst of growing up and becoming an adult, the drama was good enough.

The first episodes had some random editing, which almost ruined the drama for me, but, after those disastrous episodes, you get to know the characters and love them. They start bonding as well and becoming friends, which was pretty touching. However, some episodes were boring and some of them had over the top events taking place. But, the overall feel of the drama was fun and fresh.

So, overall, five out of ten for the first season.

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" Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim season 2 ", as a stand alone drama and without comparing it to the first season, it was okay.

The medical cases of the first part were interesting and there were some others that were emotional and touching, but that's about it. The rest of them were few and unfinished. The only character that was interesting, in addition, was Doctor Kim, of course, and probably the second couple, which, however, didn't have any solid time to have character development, or get ot know them. The main characters however, felt watered down. There were some scenes, but very very few, that showed a bit about their past, but they never really explained things about them, like why the girl was getting nausea in the operating room, or some more details about Woo Jin's family. The two didn't have any chemistry and the few romantic scenes that they shared did not help them at all. The characters, overall, where boring and too typical. The political drama was just okay. There were however some nice notes to this drama. There was some character development for doctor Kim and we got to see a more human side of him. The nostalgia with the familiar settings and well known characters helped with the entartainment of the drama too.

Now, compared to the first season, this one was not as good. The political drama was boring as we already knew the "bad" guy and it was more like been there done that. The first season had more interesting characters whom we had time to get to know, which helped a lot with the romance. The characters had chemistry too, which this season was lacking. The medical cases were better too. Finally, there was more time to get familiar with the hospital and the crew.

So, overall, and taking season one out of consideration, six out of ten.

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" 4-gatsu no Kimi, Spica " was a really good rom com.

As a shoujo manga adaption, 4-gatsu no Kimi, Spica was really good. The romance was nice and over the top adorable, with sweet moments and a nice love triangle. Even the twist towards the end, though cheesy, it was nice. The friendship of the two boys were really good too. The characters' chemistry was pretty intense too. So, yes, the story is predictable, but it is cute, sweet, enjoyable and entertaining. The performances were really good too from all actors and actresses.

So, overall, eight out of ten for this manga adaption.

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My sassy girl started weak, had some good parts in the middle, but
eventually, it just got more boring. The plot was interesting at first,
even though the first few episodes tried to mimic the original movie
way too much to the point that they looked ridiculous. The whole
disposed queen, though, and the princess's secret were okay, adding
some thrill to the plot that else was tiring to watch. The couple were
more comical than had chemistry. It's a same because the actress was
seriously good in please come back mister... Not that this performance
was bad, but it didn't have anything special. In addition, the script
didn't help the actors much. The funny parts were few, even though the
whole drama tried to keep a light mood. In the end, I can't say that I
didn't fast forward some parts that were just boring, or that it didn't
take me more than it should to finish it because I kept postponing
watching it. so, 3 out of 10.

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