PHope
Good Enough
Korean Drama "Monthly Magazine Home" is a slice of life drama with a fun couple as the main focus.The drama offers enough cute moments, like the colourful tips on how to save money in order to buy a house. The main couple was, in addition, the biggest provider of these moments as well, especially the male lead, who was frustrating at times, but funny and enjoyable overall. The romance was also pretty sweet, but the progress was messy and close to a slow burn. The love triangle was not well handled either. Still, the side characters were interesting enough to keep things aloof and entertaining when the romance was failing to live up to its potentials.
However, what makes this drama not as good as it should have been, even though it checked all the boxes of an enemies to lovers trop, is that it is forgettable, as it didn't offer anything special, and the ending was bad. The latter was open, confused things for no real reason and it was just ridiculous. Plus, looking back, the drama didn't really leave any impression, nor had anything to say. It was just an office rom com with no sufficient plot.
To boot, the characters weren't well explored, as the story offered a few clues only when it came to their past life. However, the performances were great.
So, overall, 6 out of 10.
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Good Enough
There were times that the Japanese Drama "Eroi Kareshi ga Watashi wo Madowasu" escaped the trap of a silly rom com and got a turn towards unexpected depths.The drama starts on a bit of a ridiculous note, with the main lead seeing a man working at the construction site and immediately finding him attractive. Then, she and her family come to his house and start bargaining whether she should or not go through with her marriage or fall for the stranger's charms. And, all along, the man has no idea who they are or is even asked what he wants.
And then, as the story brings the two together, the character starts realizing that she must be the one who takes her future into her own hands, and not her family, her husband, or her social background.
Unfortunately, that momentum didn't last for long, as, in the end, the drama takes back everything that it was trying to provide, with a cliche trop for the conclusion.
AS for the main couple, they looked good together, but they didn't have natural chemistry. Rather, their love story felt forced and scripted.
Finally, the performances were great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, 5 out of 10.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama "One Ordinary Day" is a crime drama that focuses on the culprit, his journey throughout the court case, and his transformation from being an ordinary young man to a grown-up with no emotions towards what is happening around him.The drama is character-centered, with masterful performances from everyone, but especially by Kim So Hyun, who proves once again that he is a top-tier actor. His chemistry with his partners was also a factor that aided in the success of the drama.
In addition, the mystery is well constructed, and the drama has a smooth pace that allows the character development, as well as the events to unfold naturally. However, the ending is not what one should expect by watching the rest of the drama. It was rushed, and not explained at all. Not to mention that the finale was almost open.
So, overall, 8.5 out of 10.
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Good Enough
Korean Mini Series "Shadow Beauty" is a dark version of True Beauty with more focus on the main lead and her progress in learning to be herself rather than the romantic prospect.The drama does a great job creating the right atmosphere right from the start, with the main character being all creepy and sad at the same time. Her family situation seems ominous, her school life is a nightmare and all this has resulted in her seeing enemies everywhere and trusting none, even her best friend. The story, with the right pace for such a short drama, covers all the aspects of her life, with a smooth showdown in the end and a nice conclusion that wraps up everything.
However, the drama didn't handle the transition from a bully to a friend of the second lead. All the side characters actually were briefly presented, as the focus was mainly on the main lead.
The performances, though, were all great and the ending of the drama with the focus on the main character's revelation was pretty interesting and refreshing.
So, overall, 8 out of 10.
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Japanese Drama "Komi-san wa, komyusho desu shougai" is a heartwarming drama presenting a sweet friendship.The story unfolds slowly, as Komi starts gaining friends and opening up, though the start was quite rushed. The presentation of the new characters was nicely down, as well, and it gave a sweeter note to the drama as a whole. However, the addition of the romance genre was unnecessary, or, if it was handled in a better way, it would have been a nice twist to the overall story. Unfortunately, it wasn't and thus it ended up a last-minute thing that was not smoothly combined with the rest of the plot and it was left half-baked to say at least.
So, overall, 7.5 out of 10.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Web Drama "A Beauty of Revenge" suffers from its own short length.The drama had an interesting story, with lots of twists and an unexpected ending. However, its short length meant that the drama had to use a rather speedy pace. That resulted in a confusing story, with half-baked twists, messy progress, and an unsatisfying plot. The whole thing actually felt roughly patched together and poorly executed.
As for the performances, they were decent, but the leading lady was especially enjoyable.
So, overall, 1.5 out of 10.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Drama "Peng" had an interesting prompt in theory, but the drama fall short.The main problems of the drama were the characters and the length. The characters, first of all, were superficial or just there to support the leads. The main character was depthless, boring and spoiled, with some specs of a personality in the end, but still, were not enough to save her. The boys were just a cell of a stereotype that they were supposed to serve, though some of them had more screentime and, hence, a bigger chance to be presented better. The rest of the characters poped up here and there to add a comment about the main character or support her.
Now, for the length, it was short, yes, but it wasn't handled well either. The story was thinly spread and rushly ended, though the ending was rather surprising, and, unexpectedly, enjoyable.
As for the performances, they were decent.
So, overall, 2 out of 10.
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Korean Drama 'Nevertheless,' gives a new perspective to college dramas.The drama has a pretty original story, bold and original, about a toxic relationship that is acknowledged by the lead and yet she can't stop it. It has a realistic aspect to it and a more mature mood. However, the ending was pretty cliche and ruined what the drama had built. The personalities of the main characters, especially the male lead, were also a bit vague and they should have been portrayed better. However, the love triangle was interesting and the side characters were pretty entertaining and they added a lot to the story, with a unique flavor and strong stories.
Finally, the performances were enjoyable and the atmosphere that the drama created, along with the OST, quite beautiful.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Drama 'Goddess of Revenge' was a let down of a revenge drama.The story, though it starts out strongly and introduces some pretty compelling characters, it doesn't keep up the momentum. Rather, it decreases in entertainment value gradually to reach the well expected and predictably lukewarm ending. And the main culprit of that outcome is the main story. Even though the small cases that were presented were suspenseful and thrilling, the main story was a been there seen that. It was cliche, with boring villains and a confusing and thus, messy mystery. The romance that was added was unnecessary and the main characters were uninteresting and too basic with no extra qualities to set them apart from the rest. At least the side characters were pretty dynamic and strong to support the plot.
Finally, the performances were pretty decent and the OST generic.
So, overall, 3 out of 10.
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Korean Drama 'Yumi's Cells' combines masterfully animation with a fluffy and yet realistic love story.The animation, first of all, was a hit or miss, and they did a great job creating this fun atmosphere that was both funny and necessary for giving an insight to the characters' thoughts and what motivated them to act as they did.
In addition, the love story was pretty sweet, with plenty of cute moments and a realistic outcome, that, however, will probably be better resolved in the second season. The whole drama of the love story was nicely embedded to the progress of the relationship and it was pretty realistic.
Finally, the performances were all great and the animation well made.
So, overall, 8.5 out of 10.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Drama "So Not Worth It" is a decent try to create an American sitcom with a Korean setting and an international cast.However, where it fails it's at the comedy element. The story was not funny and the jokes were lukewarm. However, there was a happy, energetic feeling to it, and the friendship part was pretty interesting. The romance, on the other hand, was predictable and, even though the main one was cute, the other ones were not that great. The ending, in addition, was open.
Finally, some of the performances were pretty good, others got better as the series progressed.
So, overall, 4.5 out of 10.
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Korean Drama "D.P." is an intense drama that takes its strength from the reality that it presents.The drama follows the main character as he discovers along with the viewer the small cases that build up to the final one. That main character is presented more like a blank canvas, with few clues of who he is and what sets him apart from the rest. He is probably there to be the eyes and ears of the viewer and even his decisions are closer to the ones everyone would have opted to.
The other characters were more colorful and dominated the scenes in a more powerful way. Nevertheless, the actual story was pretty intense and emotional, being tragic because it felt and probably is close to reality.
Finally, the performances were all great and walked side long with a great script and well paced story.
So, overall, 8 out of 10.
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Korean Drama "At A Distance, Spring is Green" is a college drama that separates itself from the rest by focusing on the friendship aspect, rather than the romance. That is not to say that there wasn't a love story. There was one indeed, but it wasn't the main prompt of the story and it was of less intensity and enjoyment, though it had its cute moments.The friendship though was the star of the drama. It allowed the characters to grow, open up about their struggles and overcome them eventually. The characters had great chemistry to boot.
As for the family drama, it was well paced and had enough intensity to keep things interesting. The college life part was enjoyable too, and it didn't overshadow the main story or get tiring.
Finally, the performances were great from everyone in the cast and the cinematography had the right youthful vibes.
So, overall, 8 out of 10.
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Korean Mini Drama 'The Witch's Diner' is a drama with many layers. The main story is pretty interesting, with a witchy atmosphere, beautiful settings and intriguing characters. The short make a wish stories were all interesting, in addition, and they helped the drama move forward and keep being entertaining throughout its length.The performances were a key element for this drama as well. Especially the leading lady, she was amazing as the mystical, freaky and dynamic witch and she didn't resemble any of her previous roles.
So, overall, 8 out of 10.
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The third season of the extravaganza of the drama 'The Penthouse: War in Life' was not as good as the rest of the seasons, as it was mostly a repetition of what had happened, with overplayed twists and a thinly stretched main plot.The revenge plan and the conclusion should have come earlier on, however, they dragged it so much that it ended up tiring to watch. At least, this season didn't hesitate to eliminate many of the key characters, but they didn't give the chance to pay for their crimes at the same time. The ending was just too cheesy when it came to the fantasy element, which was unnecessary, and questionable, when it came to the result, but nevertheless, still a letdown.
But it did have some good moments too, like the short exploration of the main villain's past and the raise and fall of Seo Jin. The performances were mostly enjoyable.
So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.
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