PHope

Good Enough

" Penshion: Koi wa Momoiro " was okay.

Have finished this one a few weeks ago, but I'm reviewing it now, which allows me to look back and to think about the story. And I honestly can't recall much.

The whole drama was too short and it chopped things up, presenting some of the stories through conversations, starting things out of the blue and finishing up rushly. We didn't get to see character development, or background stories so we can connect and know the characters.

The whole atmosphere, however, was simple, cozy and warm. The performances were okay too.

So, overall, four out of ten for Penshion: Koi wa Momoiro

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" Theory of love " had an interesting theme, with the movie references and the Flipped plot.

The story is kind of light, although the main character does go into many tear showers due to his crush. Nevertheless, the friendship of the four college students had nice dynamics and it was entertaining. There were enough comedy reliefs as well. The romance, in addition, was nicely paced and the references from other romantic comedies were making it even more cute. The side characters had their moments as well, as the drama didn't forget about them in order to concentrate on the main couple. The ending, finally, was well managed and it was nice to see how they all succeeded in the future.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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" Catch the ghost " was an okay drama.

What I didn't like was some characters and the romance spin on the story. What I liked was the case, the action scenes and the way they wrapped everything together.

First of all, the main case was interesting. They managed to link everything together and, in the end, the final result was satisfying. The villain had background and it was nice that they didn't make it easy to figure out who the ghost was. The action scenes were pretty well managed too. However, the drama was interesting only at the begining and towards the ending. Thus, the main part was boring at times and didn't provide anything fresh.

Then there were the characters. Though I liked the male lead, who was overall a sweetheart, the female lead was annoying at times. It was clear and understandable that she did what she did to find her sister and solve her case, but she tended to ignore or forget her team and act on her own. The leader of the police team was extra unlikable as well. She was bullying the female lead for childish reasons and she acted unprofessionally and idiotic.

Finally, the romance was just not necessary. Or, at least, it didn't work for me. The love triangle was even worse, as it was hardly there in the first place.

That said, the performances were really good, from everyone in the cast, but especially the leading lady who was amazing as the sister and the subway cop.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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What I liked about "You shine in the moonlight" was the couple. The actors had chemistry and they did a perfect job when it came to acting, especially during the most dramatic scenes. They were, overall, convincing and emotional and kept the interest high till the very ending.

However, the movie didn't handle the story very well. Sure, the main plot about two young students falling in love even though one of them is deadly sick, is common, especially in the japanese repertoir. This movie had the strange illness to demonstrate and use as their tool to seperate themselves from the others out their. However, they did not used it at all. They showed some scenes here and there, but didn't elaborate on it. Also, the emotional scenes were a bit blunt.

In the end, the movie is quite forgetable, so five out of ten.

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" Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim " was better than I have expected.

Even though it was twenty episodes long, the pace was great adn it didn't get boring or tiring to watch. They handled the main story nicely and the small cases in every episode were interesting.

The romance, moreover, was subtle and sweet, progressing on a nice pace. However, they never dealed with the leading lady's mental problems. They only talked about it in the first episodes and then they just "cured" her? So, that was not well handled. On the other hand, the performances were pretty great.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

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Hibiki isn't the classic school movie with the girls fighting about who will get the pretty boy. Here, the girls fight about who will become an author. The leading lady, a girl who is the complete oposite of her friend, has an odd way of seeing the world around her. She has zero sense of danger and she ofter uses that to her advantage to scare off the people around her and get her way. It was clear that the girl was hiding more than a bully in her. However, the movie needed some more time to explore her personality and the reason why she was like that. The story is kind of simple, and yet a bit complecated. Overall, it was enjoyable, especially because of the performances.

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The drama was made to feel like an anime. And as a result, some situations (actually, most of them) were overacted. On the other hand, huge credits have to be given to the actors and actresses for their performances. Some of the characters were really cute and deadly at the same time, but likable overall. Some other, however, were simply annoying (see the last girl with the russian roulette themed bet). Plus, even though the cases-games were enjoyable and entertaining, the drama was left with a wide open ending. So, six out of ten, because of the ending (could have been handled better, even if there is a second season-movie on works).

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This drama deals with the taboo of not only age gap and forbidden love but also with having a relationship with a minor. I won't review this drama based on my own views on the matter, as it didn't glorify it, but just presented the story and the tragedy of their love. So, emotion wise, this one was strong at that area. Especially at the begining, however, it got boring towards the end and the pace slowed down as well. I also enjoyed the presentation of the how everyone else viewed their choices as well as the emotional struggles the two leads had to deal with. In addition, the performances were really good and the cinematography on point for this drama.

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When Time Stopped is a fantasy drama that handled the fantasy element well. The first part of the drama was nice, kind of slice of life, with a low lever fantasy element. It was focused on the leading lady and her struggles. The second part was focused on the guy, the secret society of grim reapers and the mysteries of the past. However, that part was boring, as the male lead was boring overall, with no actual personality. The ending at least was decent and didn't stick to the cliche romantic endings. The performances, moreover, were okay, though the male lead could have been better. So, six out of ten.

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I have not watched the anime yet, nor had any other background information on the story. Therefore, I can't say if this movie follows the anime perfectly or it was a disastrous live action. For what is worth, it was kind of enjoyable, though it was so fast paced and idiotic at some points that lost the good qualities that this movie actually had. Yamazaki is back again with another student character, this time though, with super powers and bright pink hair. I do like him as an actor, to be honest, and it was the only reason why I picked up this movie. But, in here, he's just okay. Not bad, but not outstandingly good. Maybe the script didn't help him, however. The other actors were okay as well, even though that girl did overreact at some points. The plot, on the other hand, tried too hard to make the movie anime like and some of the jokes ended up to be just silly comical scenes. Unfortunately, I doupt that I'll remember even watching this movie.

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Hmm, this movie was okay, but kind of bad. The acting was really good, which saved the whole thing, but the execution of the story was boring and tiring. The idea was interesting, though, not very original. The only thing original, actually, was the ending, which can leave you disappointed...The love story had no intensity, though the chemistry between the two actors wasn't bad. And, there were some good moments, like the time the girl went to the boy's house and met his mother. Or the story about when she lost her sister at the park. But, the rest was so so, so 3 out of 10.

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Coffee Prince follows the footsteps of so many dramas that have a girl dressed as a boy, but manages to be unique and fresh. And those last two qualities make this drama a classic. All in all, it is an okay drama. The main story is interesting and entertaining, though the love triangle wasn't that good, maybe because it ended too soon for the main female lead and therefor it lost its strength early on. Plus, the secondary stories were just there to fill the gaps. Honestly, I thought they will forget about them and never show us what happened to them, but they managed to wrapped them up pretty neatly at the final episode. The romance was okay, though it failed to convince at the ending. Fortunately, the girl didn't miraculously changed into a princess of girly power, as all the other girls do in dramas like this one, but she remained herself and that was the main thing that separates coffee prince from the other dramas. Finally, the plot was just okay, with the episodes sometimes being a little boring, as the action didn't precede.

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The first of the Reply series is a classic for the K Drama fans, but surely it's a nice watch for everyone as well. The story is quite entertaining, with the characters being very funny and cute, and the main romance good enough, although it wasn't a big mystery for long. Probably the only problem with the series was that it had too many references on 1990's culture, but my subs explained fairly enough and I kind of was familiar with some of the bands that the girls were obsessed with. And it was nice to see the early K pop fangirling, where it all began. Fortunately, the back and forth wasn't tiring, as it happened only once or twice in each episode, and mostly in the beginning and ending.

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