latteholic

Quick Note on My Ratings

These ratings are totally personal, just based on how much I enjoyed something and how emotionally connected I felt while watching. I’m not a critic or anything, and I definitely don’t have the technical background to judge things “objectively.”

Here’s how I roughly rate stuff:

• 10 – Absolutely loved it. Hit me right in the feels from start to finish . I probably cried, cheered, or sat there afterward just thinking wow. For me, a 10 means fully fleshed-out characters, strong "show, don’t tell" storytelling that respects the audience, excellent pacing that kept me hooked the whole time, and themes that linger long after it’s over (sometimes even making me want to hit play all over again right after it ends). My personal masterpiece, even if others wouldn’t call it one.

• 9 – 9.5 – Super enjoyable and very close to perfect. The storytelling, pacing, and characters are strong, and I stayed engaged, but it’s missing that last emotional spark or depth that would push it into masterpiece territory.

• 8 – 8.5 – I liked it a lot! The characters and story were solid, and the pacing kept me in most of the way. Maybe one or two elements didn’t land: a flat scene, a weaker character arc, or it just didn’t stay with me as deeply afterward.

• 7 – 7.5 – A solid watch with enough good moments to keep me entertained. The bones of the story are there, but maybe the pacing lagged, the characters felt underdeveloped, or the engagement just wore off. Often these start strong but lose steam along the way.

• 6 – 6.5 – Meh. Either I was bored, didn’t vibe with it, or something actively irritated me. The pacing might have dragged, the characters felt thin, or it leaned too much on surface-level drama without real depth. Not terrible, but not something I’d revisit or recommend.

• <= 5.5 – I rarely go here because I drop anything I'm not enjoying. Life is too short to sit through dramas or movies that feel like homework. And if I didn't finish, I don’t rate it. Even though I judge subjectively, it doesn't feel fair to score a form of art that I haven’t experienced in full, the way the creator intended.

Caveat: I’ve been watching J-doramas since the 90s (Tokyo Love Story was my first J-dorama, I remember I wanted to grow up to be as bubbly and open-hearted as Rika Akana) and K-dramas since 2003 (Successful Story of a Bright Girl was my first K-drama), so some of my ratings reflect how I felt at the time rather than how they’d hold up today. Also, I’m way more into character-driven stories than plot-heavy ones, so that definitely influences how I rate things too!