PHope

" Stove League " is the Chief Kim of sports.

Honestly, stove league was not for me. I didn't get entertained, and a few of the stories kept me interested. However, taken in consideration that maybe it wasn't my cup of tea, I'll review it without taking that factor in mind.

So, the story was interesting, as they presented the way the team was trying to get the Dreams, aka their baseball team. The stories were mostly humane, and the fact that they didn't add any unnecessary romance to it was a delight. The performances were really good too from all actors and actresses of the cast. The pace, presentation of the sports and training process, as well as the poster, were nailed to perfection.

So, seven out of ten.

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This drama isn't a remembable one. It won't stick you for a long time and you won't be able to recall it easily. But, you will enjoy it. It has some great elements that concist the plot, like comedy, which was solid, romance, which was okay, but the love triangle was better, and country life, with a beautiful island. Other than that, the story is pretty full of cliche. Even the love story was built on them, with the two characters falling in love too suddenly, when they just hated each other in the previous scene. Also, some of the islands residents were portrayed like caricatures. But, at least, this drama wasn't afraid to show some solid passion between the couple and the performances were nice, so 5 out of 10.

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Memories of the Alhambra is an ambitious drama. It creates interest right from the start, with the mysterious disappearance of the creator of a live action game in Spain. Actually, the first two episodes were really good. As the viewer is trying to figure out what is going on and to understand the new technology and new drama genre that this drama introduces, the tension builts up and the action scenes become more and more. So, the good parts about this drama were : A) the game plot, B) the ending, C) the performances, D) SGI and action scenes. However, there were major wrongs about this one. First of all, the romance was weak and just wrong. They got together out of the blue and it is hard to believe that they developed feelings so strong to the point that they would worry so much for each other that it made them desperate. Also, the leading lady was really annoying. Not that the actress didn't play her role well. However, the script just killed the character. She ended up being this weak character who the only thing that did was worry about everyone and cry. And then there were the plot holes. Like, they just left their brother to another country, moved to Korea and a year later they remembered that he was missing (?!!). Finally, the plot was so slow paced that it felt like I was watching still the first episodes when the drama was halfway finished.
So, 5.5 out of 10, because this one had so much potential but the romance and the weak leading lady ruined it.

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Not Good Enough

Japanese Drama '' Living No Matsunaga-san '' is a romantic comedy drama.

The start of the series is smooth and enjoyable, as we get to know the characters and their situation. The dynamics are there and the mood is light and fluff.

But, as the drama progresses, things get a bit on the odd side. The main couple was somehow off, and not just because of their age difference, but due to the fact that he was acting as a father figure and she was way too young to be making important life decisions, hence, that twist in the end was a bit off. Also, the most frustrating part was the ex subplot, that was way too weird, as she was the girl's teacher and the guy's ex, thus, it was bizarre for her to be hyping up the relationship as she did.

Finally, the second couple was cute, but they hardly had any moments together.

As for the performances, they were okay.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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Good Enough

Japan seems to like the game theme, and " Alice in Borderland " nailed every aspect of it. From the suspense to the gore, the drama had it all. Fortunately, that all didn't include romance, at least not yet.

Having not read the manga, and watching the drama with no prior experience of the Alice in Borderland universe, it wasn't hard to get introduced to the story and smoothly enter the gaming mode. The drama does a great job introducing each character and their background stories, blending them well with the main mystery about who's behind everything and the individual games the players were asks to play. The extra plotline with the 'Beach' and the strategies that the characters were ploting was another suspenseful factor that added a lot to the main entertainment of the drama.

As for the performances, everyone did a great job with their characters and were enjoyable to watch. Some of the actors were acutally unrecognizable!

Finally, the CGI were spot on and didn't ruin the whole experience.

So, overall, 9 out of 10.

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The only reason why I'm not rating this one with nine is the ending. It was left wide open and thus, it didn't help conclude the story nicely. Now, for the movie, it presents the course of a friendship, how it is developed and how the human relationships progress when they are under the pressure of the society. I also liked how the main character didn't change her personality, even though her friend clearly did. That said, both young ladies were really good and their performances supported the drama perfectly. Also, the clean camera work suited the movie's tone really well.

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An epic movie about an epic story. First of all I have to say that the cinematography is amazing. Maybe one of the best I've seen yet. And the battles were fierce. The atmosphere, the lighting, the clothes, the mood, the colours, everything worked so good with the vibes of the story, so credits to the director and his team. However, story wise, the movie was a mess. Following the steps of those sword battle movies that focus more on the battle, and less on the story, even though the tragedy premisses are set early on, the plot of the movie was not something unordinary, it followed a messed up pace, the conclusion was weak and the information provided about the characters little and just enough to keep you watching. So, 8.5 out of 10.

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Had this drama dropped, but opted to watch it after all. After competing it I've got to say that it didn't really changed my mind about the story or the romance. The good thing, probably one of the few good things, about this drama are the performances that are good. I like both Siwon and Gong Myung from their previous dramas and since this one was Siwon's come back from the military hiatus, I had to try it. The story however was weak and lucked originality. The rich son who fell for the hard working poor girl isn't something you rarely watch in dramas and Revolutionary Love didn't help to break that stereotype. At least the love triangle was nice and I enjoyed the relationship between Joon and Je Hoon. The main romance, though, was boring and kind of lucked chemistry. So, because of the boring plot, 4 out of 10.

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A nice romantic comedy that has the feeling of a webtoon. The story is
okay, kind of cliché, but entertaining nevertheless. The comedy factor
was overstretched, as the events were kind of ridiculous, though they
produced laughter, so the film makers succeeded (this could have been a
lot worse if they hadn't handled it well). In addition, the creepy,
unrealistic body part changes reminded me of those manga movies that
try to follow the manga on which they are based on to the point of
being idiotic. That said, the plot had a strong feeling of being a
manga-webtoon as well, as one event finished and right away a new
character popped up out of nowhere and kind of expected the viewer to
know him. Finally, the performances were good and the chemistry between
the two actors strong enough to produce a good romance. So, 4 out of
10.

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Good Enough

Korean/ USA Movie " Past Lives " is a drama about what ifs, lost relationships, and identity.

The movie has impressive cinematography, with a gloomy New York as the main setting, offering the right space for the melancholic tone of the story. And true, the plot is quite blue, with the two main characters missing chance after chance to be together. At the same time, the questions of identity and home are often set out to become obstacles for them, other than bad timing and bad decisions.

Other than that, the movie seems to never reach that burst that the story needed, whether that was a happy ending or a tragic ending. Also, the time jumps were plenty and messed up the pace and the cohesiveness of the story.

Finally, the performances were smooth and enjoyable by every actor and actress in the cast.

So, overall, five out of ten. It's an interesting movie, but it turns out to be just okay.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Crash Course in Romance " is a family drama with rom com vibes and some mystery to boot.

The drama has an intense family story, with the dynamics between the family members being the center of the story. The relationship between mother and daughter was probably the best one of the drama actually.

The mystery case, in addition, offered some suspense to the plot and a few thrilling moments, when it got darker and more action forward. The game of guessing who was the one behind the murders was what kept things fresh for a while as well.

However, the romance was a let down. The leads didn't sell their chemistry and their romantic, sweet moments were too few to support a solid love story. In addition, they used many cliches, thus the story was predictable.

Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " Work Later, Drink Now " is the continuation of the hit drama, concerning three friends who enjoy drinking.

Admitably, the second season has a weaker plot, compared to its prequel, often falling into cheesy trops and sometimes even trying too hard to produce laugher, having the three leads going through rediculous situations, which made the whole story unbelievable.

On the other hand, there were some solid moments, especially towards the end, or when the drama explored the background of the leads and their family bonds. However, some storylines were left half baked.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast. But the three main leads stole the spotlight every time.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten.

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