PHope

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

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Oh! Youngsimi " is a light office drama.

The story is pretty simple and kind of predictable, utilizing a lot of tropes and cheesy twists. However, it does keep things light and romantic throughout the series.

However, the story does get idiotic after a while. It was dated and even got boring.

The performances, in addition, were decent, though not great. Though they didn't have much to work with in the first place.

The cute animation that was added to the main plot was interesting though.

So, overall, two stars out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Lies Hidden In My Garden " is a twisty dark drama.

The atmosphere of the series is probably what keeps things suspenseful, with clever, sharp shots, and foggy - grey blue filters.

The characters were quite intriguing as well. They were what supported the plot and carried it when things got too messy and too tiring. They were also the ones that aided to the success of the twists, as them being morally grey made it hard to predict their next move. Therefore, the performances were enjoyable.

Finally, the pace of the drama was perfect for the story, as was its length.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Korean Drama " Bo Ra! Deborah " is a new aged romantic comedy.

The drama focuses on Deborah and how she experiences her whole world view crumbling down.

Being centered around its female lead, the drama needed strong performances to be able to pull it off, and, indeed, Yoo In Na does a great job monopolizing each and every scene.

The rest of the cast is enjoyable as well, with the side characters being especially entertaining.

However, when it came to the story, the drama started strong, yes, but did not maintain the momentum. The series started losing each charm episode after episode, with the love story being a slow burn, and the plot going in circles.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Ashita, Watashi wa Dareka no Konojo " is a drama about relationships, friendship, and female struggles.

The drama presents the stories of five young women, each one very different from the rest, but all of them working as pretend girlfriends in exchange for money. The story does a great job binding all the stories smoothly together, while giving them all proper screentime to get a nice development and an appropriate ending.

The stories, moreover, were refreshing and original, but for those looking for romance, this drama doesn't offer much of a cute love story. Rather, it focuses on how women are viewed, forced to look cute and not show their true selves, or look beautiful by mainstream standards to prevent being isolated and pushed aside. There are even some toxic relationships that were handled with care by the plot.

As for the performances, everyone did great with their characters and the leading ladies truly shone.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Read More

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Strangers Again " is a law romantic drama.

The series embends the divorce-family cases nicely with the main plot, though some of them weren't that interesting and got tiring to follow. The main plot, on the other hand, had some originality and the interactions of the two main leads were entertaining, as the couple's dynamics were spot on. The second couple was enjoyable as well.

However, the romance was boring and got into circles of dead end choices. The tropes that were used were boring and the drama ended up with a messy pace. The conclusion, at least, was more original compared to the rest of the love story.

The performances, finally, were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, three out of ten.

Read More

Good Enough

Japanese Drama " Seishun Cinderella " is a school romantic comedy with a time travelling twist.

The drama has all the right vibes, with a youthful mood, and all ther tropes and twists of a school romance. The two main leads, moreover, were cute together, however, the time travelling trope presented many problems for the couple, thus ruining the love story, as when the romance was strarting to progress, the 'from the future' protagonist would put a stop to it, thus messing with the pace.

However, the friendship between the girls was spot on, sweet and with smooth dynamics.

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

Finally, the drama handled the fantasy element nicely.

So, overall, five out of ten.

Read More