I've expected this to be better than it ended up being, as the story seemed intriguing and the mange on which this film was based on is quite popular. However, the result was rather boring. The story did had some originality at first and it had it's funny moments, mainly due to the leading actor who was really good portraying a man who was turned into a teenager again. However, most of the events of this film were just the same ones you'll probably find in any other Japanese manga school movie: the festival, the school fair, the trip etc. I would rather had the story focusing more on the main character and his journey to change himself and become a better future self. Finally, the love story was okay, had it's twists and surprises, but the two actors didn't have much chemistry to work with. So, 4 out of 10.

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" Mystic Pop-Up Bar " gave a wholesome story and managed the pace masterfully.

The drama had the main plotline, with the mysterious pop up bar owner, whose story gradually is being revealed as the drama proceeds. Apart from that, the drama added some small cases that the crew of the bar had to solve, all of them quite emotional and touching. Those cases were just enough in number to keep things interesting and not to give a tiring background story that will be repeated over and over again, as many dramas do. They also blended comedy and drama pretty well, so that the tragic stories didn't become overbearing. The big twist in the end, about who's who, was brilliant and kept the anticipations high in those last episodes. The action scenes, moreover, were well choreographed and the CGIs were excellent. Finally, the performances were top-notch, as it was expected.

So, overall, nine out of ten.

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" 2gether " had a promising start, but a disappointing ending.

The idea behind the story was actually pretty good and entertaining. However, after watching it, it felt like something was missing. Call it intensity, chemistry (oddly the couple had an on and off chemistry), I can't really put my finger on it, but, the story was just mild. And then, there were the final episodes, were a total snooze fest, even though they tried to add the side couples to spice things up. Still, those side characters were underdeveloped and odd together. At least the performances were great and the main couple had the visuals.

So, overall, five out of ten, because the first part was nice, but the second was boring.

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" Memorist " was a heavy drama, but with a nice mystery.

The plot was packed with action, twists, and drama that at some point it got tiring. However, the two main characters were dominating without overshadowing each other, or having a romantic plot to follow, which would have ruined their dynamics and the atmosphere of the drama. Actually, all the characters were complex and interesting.

The fantasy element was handled perfectly as well. And the mystery was unpredictable enough to keep things interesting till the very ending. The friendship of the police team was, in addition, a nice comedy relief.

Finally, the performances were great from all the members of the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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Major warning: Do not take the tragedy element too lightly. This story is so strong, packed with emotions and dancing, relaying the message of freedom and breaking down the barriers that are set for you by society. Each character of the swing team was unique, fighting their own demons and trying to survive through impossible situations. The plot was original, yet it followed lightly the pattern of a war drama movie, with the ending devestating, breaking down the "the hero's passion can do anything" protocol that other war movies follow. The performances were splending as well. The actors and actresses displayed great emotions and painted the drama beautifully. Another note is that their dancing skills were realistic, as they didn't display extrordinary, out of the blue, talent. Rather, they seemed to enjoy themselves and improve their skills under the circumstances that they were under. Also, the soundtrack was to the point! My only concern about this movie was the presentation of the events when it came to the pace. Other than that, this one is a really powerfull movie.

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Maybe it's because I'm watching this one after a while, but for me, it wasn't as great as it is expected to be. Maybe I was expecting too much out of it. The story is okay, with the big case with the vilain and everything, but it gets tiring after a while. The drama uses cliches like amnesia as twists, but overall, it was just okay, with a so so romance, as the characters didn't have chemistry. The cases though were interesting to follow, but often the main story took over and left them in the premisses to fill in the gaps. Now, the performances were okay, especially from the actor that played the bad guy, who was excellent. So, 5,5 out of 10.

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Good Enough

" Twenty Twenty " is an okay drama for its genre. It handled the story smoothly, keeping the pace hectic throughout the length of it. However, even though the drama wasn't boring because of it, it missed a lot of its charm, especially when it came to the love story. The romance on its own was kind of interesting, but felt undeveloped and rushed. The chemistry wasn't built and the love triangle was also half baked.

The family drama, however, was pretty entertaining. The male lead's was overlooked at times, but the main one, between the mother and the daughter, was spot on. The second lead's story was disappointingly left unconcluded.

Finally, the performances were okay. Wooseok did a nice job, but the character he was portraying, for me, was contradicted by his image. The leading lady was just there in the first part of the series, but she nailed her dramatic scenes. The side characters were delightful to watch.

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

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" The King: The eternal monarch " tried to impress, but failed to do so.

It was obvious from the start that the creators of this drama had high hopes for it. A stellar cast with some strong names of the Korean industry taking key roles, an ambitious story and some impressive cinematography were factors for success. Maybe that is why they had so many product placement offers, which, unfortunately, all took, and, as a result, we had so many unnecessary and quite frankly, unrelated scenes of the characters using them (that episode of Welcome to Waikiki 2 comes in mind). But that wasn't the only problem this drama had.

First of all, the romance was off from the start. There was no chemistry between the main characters, even from the start, and, worse, it never got better. Not that their dynamics, when they were fighting in the first episodes, weren't entertaining. But, as soon as the romance part was involved, things went downhill. But, that should have been expected, as the drama's first love confession came in the first episodes, when we didn't even know the characters (and, to be fair, neither did they). So, the romance was out of the blue and unconvincing.

Despite the weak love story, and even though the drama needed a strong one to keep it entertaining and intense, the momentum of the mystery with the evil uncle faded out too quickly too. His story with his grand plan of manipulating people and events in order to get what he wanted, was not only complicated but got tiring soon after the first episodes. Also, the whole thing was just confusing, and, in retrospect, it didn't have to be. So, investing in figuring out what the whole thing is about isn't really worth it.

On the bright side, there were some side characters that really offered this drama some entertainment value. From the depth of their characters, to their performances, the second leads did an amazing job. Too bad that the drama just kept adding people and leaving their stories half baked.

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

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The first season was just okay. As they only presented the universe of arthdal and the characters, the last few episodes were only entertaining when it comes to the story.

So, the whole setting is magnificent and the cinematography is amazing. The costumes and make up were top notch as well. I don't really like the way they divided the series into three seasons though, as it didn't make sense and they didn't concluded the first season smoothly.

That said, the first episodes presented the whole arthdal universe. However, they should have made a better job with it, as it was not easy to understand it and it takes a while to remember the characters (part of the three main).

Overall, the three main characters were the best part of the drama, in addition to the cinematography. They were interesting and well presented. The performances were excellent as well.

So, seven out of ten, because the story hasn't even progressed yet.

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Not Good Enough

" Dinner Mate " started smoothly, but quickly started dragging.

The first few episodes of the drama were interesting. It was a fun ride to watch the main characters meet by chance again and again, but being ignorant of who they were in reality (him being the doctor the girl was trying to track down and her being the broadcasting employee whom he was trying to avoid). That scene with the cheating boyfriend on the island was pure entertainment as well and it gave the couple a solid start. Finally, the female lead was one of the best characters of the drama, as she was unconventional for Korean drama standards, dynamic, strong opinioned, and a delight to watch till the very final episode. In addition, the story of the homeless man and the director of the broadcasting company was quite interesting and sweet.

However, the drama started lagging after those first episodes. It was disappointing to discover that, even though the description and the name itself indicated that the couple will bond over food, there were few to non foodie moments. So why go with that concept if you aren't going to use it? Just say that is about people with exes and emotional problems that heal each other. I mean, I get this is based on a manhwa which probably used the two characters as dinner mates, but the drama did not. Also, speaking about the exes, they were okay at first, but they got way too annoying. In addition, the introduction of them wasn't smooth when it came to the female lead. We first saw her going on a surprise trip, hoping to get proposed by her boyfriend, so she clearly was over her, let's call him main ex. But no, another one was thrown to us out of nowhere. I mean, the male lead was straight forward about his ex girlfriend and his feelings for her. But for the girl, the whole situation was messy. However, that was not the main problem with the exes. It was interesting that they had a background story to boot their motives, but they were way too obsessive, especially the girl's ex, and that got tiring after a while, as she kept telling him that she was over him and he just kept bothering her.

Also, the main romance was boring. They didn't start on romantic premises, which was a relief and refreshing. However, they became a couple a bit too rushly and that did not help with the built-up of the love story. The drama got boring too, as the story repeated cliche trops when it came to the main plot.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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