PHope
The family drama was solid and there were enough twists and intrigues to keep things interesting. The performances were pretty decent too. Probably the best part of the drama was the characters. Sure, some of them were cliche evil characters (see the stepmother) but overall the main ones were strong. The clash of the two main ladies was well orchestrated too. However, the male lead was overshadowed and his story had only some screen time towards the end of the drama. Also, the romance, although subtle, it was not necessary as it didn't really have time to progress. Finally, the ending was pretty good.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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What I like and appreciated about this drama was the ending. It was somehow happy and they gave the whole tragic illness a better and more optemistic spin.
The love story was really cute and warm as well, even though it started a bit awkwardly. The two actors had great chemistry and their romance was somehow realistic and sweet. The performances were really good as well.
So, seven out of ten.
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The drama, although short, managed to be thrilling and had many action scenes as well. They kept the interest high thoughout the drama too. The mystery was entertaining as well, especially since they added that twist, which was unexpected and really good. The chemistry of the two friends, in addition, was great and helped the drama a lot. The performances were excellent too.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
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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The drama had some nice elements in the first episodes. There was some potential about the whole freezing the main couple plot. However, the rest of the drama was boring. The story was messy, the romance forced and most of the scenes cheesy and predictable. The addition of the mystery-political trope was just not well developed and often forgotten in some episodes. Some characters, too, were annoying.
So, overall, three out of ten.
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The movie had a strong cast, with two strong female leads that had nice chemistry. They delivered both on the emotional level and on the action level, which was probably the best part of the movie.
However, the plot, although it seemed strong at first, it was not presented well enough. That felt like they were degrading the whole mystery and crime case to a more simple one when it wasn't.
So, overall, four out of ten.
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The leading lady, first of all, was astonishing good in this one. She portrayed her character to the point of perfection and she was emotional enough and tragic as well. Her partner was good too, but he was overshadowed by her.
On the other had, the plot was weak. Even though the actual story dealt with strong themes, the final plot focused more on the leading lady and less on what was actually going on and her interaction with her boyfriend.
So, overall, six out of ten.
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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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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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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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The story started strongly, but they just kept adding cliches and the progress was slow and tiring. The couple was okay and they had some chemistry, but the drama didn't let the relationship to develop other than the first few episodes. The ending was realistic and nice enough, as it wrapped up most of the side stories and they concluded the main one too. The performances were decent as well from all the actors and actresses of the drama.
So, overall, four out of ten.
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