Penelope (2006)

generations ago, a witch placed a curse on the Wilhern family after their son broke his promise of marrying her pregnant daughter. the curse was on the next daughter of the family to have the face of a pig. after 5 generations of sons, Penelope was born with the curse. the curse can be lifted if someone could learn to love her, which her mother interpreted as a marriage with the royal blood.

as silly and predictable as the story was, a fairy tale twist made the film highly entertaining. being brought up blaming her weird appearance on the curse and being locked up in a house, Penelope wasn't given a chance to love herself. but once she left and mingled among the commoners, she started to appreciate herself while seeing the bigger world. the experience turned her into a charming and lovable character, which made the film so much fun to watch.

Answer~ Keishichou Kenshou Sousakan (2012) アンサー～警視庁検証捜査官

the police was expected to swiftly solve cases. but when crime scenes detectives responded to those expectations, they sometimes jumped to a wrong conclusions. Shinkai was newly assigned to the Evidence Verification Section, where they were given the responsibility to prevent incorrect convictions sentenced by the crime scenes detectives. before Shinkai came, the department only corrected typographical errors before approving the documents. but the moment Shinkai became their leader, her sharp minded personality insisted on verifying every single case themselves. when suspicions were found, she would overturned the case and find the true criminals.

being outspoken and intolerable, Shinkai outshone even the crime scenes detectives. while her team was originally comfortable staying in the office, never had any experience whatsoever on the field, she brought them out into the world for investigations that eventually built up their characteristic and sensitiveness. professionalism was also brought onto the table frequently, proving that just because the detectives were the best in their department and jobs, it still doesn't mean that they were always correct. while Shinkai was glittering in the spotlight, her team was her comedic support. they were fun and impressive to watch, struggling with their very best effort to get the truth out in the open, where their hard work would eventually paid off, earning them the satisfaction of being recognized as competent officers.

Brave 10 (2012) ブレイブ・テン

a young ninja named Saizou was seeking out the meaning and direction of his life when he encountered Isanami, a miko assaulted by assassins. he saved her and escorted her to her destination by being her temporary bodyguard. when they arrived at a protected territory of Sanada, he met with Sasuke, leader of a famous ninja group. Sanada had be gathering 10 warriors known as the Brave 10, who they believed to have the power to change history. as they continued to gather the members, Isanami's mysterious power awakened.

the historical background of the anime was sophisticated. fights were usually stretched from 1 to 2 episodes, though necessary to elaborate on its story. the plot was fairly predictable, storyline not entirely in depth. the first episode were the whole anime's strongest point, where Saizou and his skills and attitude being captivating and promising. unfortunately the focus slowly faded away and gradually he became an uninteresting character. time were spent so much on introducing each of the 10 characters, making it long-winded if not seemingly unimportant.

Keeping Secrets #1: Faking 19 (2005)

17-year-old Alex was beautiful and smart, and also the best friend of M, the most popular girl in school, so rich and perfect. bored with the small town they were in, they often drove to LA for its delicious night life. often pretended to be 19, they hit it off with guys. the last trip introduced them to 2 rich guys, Trevor and Connor, working for the music industry. Alex couldn't believe her luck, for she was secretly struggling with her failing grades, her divorced father had refused to pay for college despite her losing the scholarship. the adventure was initially fun, but soon circumstances arose and Alex was forced to reevaluate her friendship with M, who hid more secrets by building bigger and bigger lies.

Alex was a complicated character. she started out being indifferent about school, failing grades and skipping classes, which she wasn't before. she used to be the top, a straight-A student with scholarships waiting for her to graduate. the reason that she changed was undisclosed, which was quite frustrating. Faking 19 (2005) went on and on about their trips to LA, different guys, different clubs, same scenario that always ended them in someone's bed! unfortunately clubs and drugs never did seem appealing enough to be glamorous for me, thus the failed attempt to beautify their trips and adventures. that alone was enough to make the story to go stale.