PHope

Good Enough

Japanese Drama '' Kekkon Yoteibi '' is an office romance.

The story is fun, even though it's pretty predictable and somehow basic. But the way the drama is filmed, and the choice to use monologues acted out to the camera by the characters, were what spiced things up and helped the drama stand out.

And even though it's short and has some things underdeveloped, it managed to wrap up the story nicely in the end.

The performances, in addition, were great by every actor and actress in the cast and the leading lady was especially cute without being annoying.

Another plus is that the drama didn't shy away from showing a little intimate moment between the two leads.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Chinese Drama " All I Want For Love Is You " is a school romance that chronicles a love story that starts in high school and goes through loops.

The drama has a nice youthful mood to it which aids it a lot, especially when things started getting a little too silly or too boring. The friendship part was another strong part of the drama as well, with the group of friends having many adventures together that strengthen their bond. The leading lady was also delightful to watch, as she didn't overdo it with the 'cute' act. Rather, she was just enough adorable to be endearing.

On the other hand, the male lead was boring and one-dimensional at times. The part about the study of medicine and the struggles that the female lead had to go through was also something that didn't make sense, as, if she knew that she had that phobia, then why did she pursue a medical career, especially since it wasn't her life's dream or anything, but she only did it so she can be close to her crush...? The love triangle (with the 'evil' female antagonist that is) got tiring to follow in the final episodes. In addition, the finale was messily handled.

Finally, the rest of the cast did a great job with their performances and the little pig was simply adorable!!!

So, overall, four out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' Tokyo Revengers 2 : Bloody Halloween : Decisive Battle '' is the second part of the second movie of the Tokyo Revengers series, which is based on a manga series with the same title and has been also made into an anime.

The movie showcases the decisive battle, as its name suggests, that will alter the future depending on its outcome, a battle that was built up in the first part of the Bloody Halloween arc. And it does not disappoint. It is indeed bloody, and emotional, and full of action. The fight scenes were well executed, the characters showed character development, and the twists were enjoyable.

In addition, the all star cast did a great job with their performances and enhanced the entertainment of the viewer.

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

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' In Love and Deep Water '' is a romantic comedy/ cozy mystery. It takes place on a cruise ship where two people who had been cheated by their partners witness a murder the victim of which goes missing.

The movie tries to blend in two things, the mystery-crime case and the love story. However, as it is a movie, it doesn't have enough time to have them both developed nicely. Thus, both of them end up half-baked.

However, the story isn't that bad. The mystery is indeed intriguing and, in the end, I do wish that it was better presented, as it had lots of potential.

The love story was cute as well. From the prompt that brought the two of them together, to the progress of their relationship, it was enjoyable to watch, and it would have been great if they had more time. The couple had chemistry as well, which helped with the enjoyment of the romance.

Finally, the performances were great by everyone in the cast and, especially, the kids!

So, overall, six out of ten.

Read More

Not Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' Black Night Parade '' is a fantasy Christmas comedy. It is light, crazy at times, and has a killer cast to boot.

First of all, the movie is indeed Christmassy, even though the story is about the black Santa, the enemy of the red Santa Claus. And even though there was potential when it came to the story, in the end, it was just an okay story with some action scenes, some heartwarming moments, but not enough time for the plotlines to properly progress and develop.

The humor was, on the other hand, decent enough. Not laugh out loud, but not cringe either, though some scenes were over the top.

The performances were enjoyable as well, with every actor and actress in the cast doing a great job with their characters.

So, overall, four out of ten

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Behind Your Touch " is a mystery, crime comedy with a fantasy twist.

The drama has a good start and it kept the interesting high right till the very ending, though the two last episodes were a total change of mood and it were a bit draggy as well.

But, up until then, the story was entertaining, funny, but thrilling as well, with the game of whodunnit being used to its finest, as it was hard to predict who was the serial killer till the very ending. And even though the fantasy element was ridiculous, the comedy element was really strong and provided enough funny moments. However, the romance that was inserted here and there was unnecessary.

The performances were great as well by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Read More

Not Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' The Door Into Summer '' is the adaption of the novel by the same title. The story is a sci fi drama about time traveling and family.

And even though the story is interesting, the length of the drama didn't allow it to fully develop. Thus, it felt like watching a sequence of events that followed one another like a highlight read rather than a smooth progress. Also, some themes weren't handled nicely enough.

The cat, on the other hand, was cute. And the performances by every actor and actress of the cast was enjoyable.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Ao Haru Ride Season ! " is the adaption of the popular manga, which was also made into an anime series and a movie previously.

First of all, whoever did the cast did a miraculously good job. The two main leads, especially Kou, look exactly like the manga characters, which is uncanny.

Also, the drama creates the right atmosphere, light and youthful, which suited the school based story perfectly.

In addition, it was nice to have a deeper look into Kou and his troubled outcome.

However, the series, mainly due to its short length, was like a checklist of the key points of the original story, rather than a smooth plot with the right excitement and intensity, that takes its time to progress.

Finally, the performances were good by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, five out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Movie " Once Upon a Crime " is a mystery retelling of the Grimm fairy tales, focusing on the Little Red Riding Hood as she tries to solve a crime involving Cinderella.

The movie is a fun watch, with a light mood and an amusing story. The mixture of the fairytale characters was an interesting one, resulting in an enjoyable twist on the well-known stories. Also, this movie was Kiritani Mirei's comeback!

On the other hand, the mystery was boring and too simple, and not enough to support the whole film. There were some cheesy moments as well.

Still, the performances were enjoyable.

So, overall, five out of ten.

Read More

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Heartbeat " is a fantasy romantic comedy about a vampire and a human girl who have to live together.

The first part of the drama was smooth, with plenty of comical acts, enjoyable pace, interesting story, an intriguing mystery, and engaging mythology concerning the vampires. The action scenes were nicely handled as well.

However, things started deteriorating after that first half. The romance was cheesy and boring, and, thus, not enough to save the drama, that started leaking from its many plot holes. All of which led to the shipwreck that was the ending, which more or less did not make any sense and ruined every plot development that was made in the previous episodes. And sure, I don't believe that what makes a good drama is a happy ending, but an ending that makes sense and doesn't erase everything that one has watched for the previous 15 episodes is a major factor for success.

Still, the performances were enjoyable and the actors did a good job with their characters.

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

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Ashita, Watashi wa Dareka no Kanojo Season 2 " is the sequel to the first season and it follows the same pattern. It introduces two new characters that are connected with each other and with the women of the first season, while getting a glimpse into the past of one of the main characters of the prequel.

The stories in this one are as intense as were in the previous season, and as ruthlessly realistic. They focus more on the characters rather than the romantic relationships and give the characters the ending that they deserve, being this time more keen towards healing them.

In addition, the performances were really good and the main leads did a great job with their emotional scenes.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " See You in my Nineteenth Life " is a fantasy melodrama with a cute spin to it.

The drama combined perfectly comedy with a more melodramatic mood when it came to the characters, their past and their struggles.

The story, in addition, is nicely paced, with the romance being enjoyable to watch, though predictable. The side couple were adorable though.

But the highlight of the drama is the main female lead. She was excellent as always and she proved once again that she can transform into any character she is given to flesh out.

However, there were some plotlines that got boring to follow. But the ending was unique.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Taiwanese Drama " The Ghost Bride " is a fantasy drama based on the YA book of the same name.

The story is full of fantasy elements and traditional themes, though it does stray away from the original plot, so if you are a fan of the book, you will probably be disappointed. But, apart from that, the series is enjoyable, even if the ending was rushed.

The characters, in addition, were interesting, even though the main lead was annoying at first. The actors and actresses were pretty great as well with excellent performances for a fantasy drama.

Finally, the SGI were okay and decent enough, but the costumes needed more thought as some of them looked fake.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " PICU: Shoni Shuchu Chiryo Shitsu " is a medical drama with a touching theme.

The story contains plenty emotional short cases with the doctors doing a great job handling them with care. The young patients did also an excellent job, considering they were child actors. The main cast were likewise enjoyable.

As for the main plot, it was entertaining, but the hospital politics were boring and needed something more to spice things up, or having the drama focus more on the medical cases instead. Still, the main character's story and character development were satisfying to watch.

So, overall, seven starts out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Osama Ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi " is a romantic comedy with the theme of a contract marriage.

The drama has an enjoyable plot, kind of predictable and kind of cheesy, but if you enjoy this kind of dramas then you will probably enjoy this one as well.

The couple was cute as well and had chemistry. The love triangle, however, was boring.

Nevertheless, the characters were adorable and the main ones had a lot of sweet and romantic moments.

The performances were enjoyable as well by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Read More