kizzyneechan
Los Angeles, CA
What. The. Fuck. Drama?
I almost feel bad writing this so soon after completing the unusually 10-episode kdrama Nail Shop Paris, since I'm still feeling sufficiently wounded.
But I'll try my best.
Show, why are you taking yourself so seriously? It starts as this weirdly episodic series where each episode involves helping some client with their problems, so then we get weird moral-of-the-story endings with super serious messages to the viewer. Even the novel Yeo Joo's writing about Alex, acted out in a ridiculously exaggerated style, starts off funny and then tries to reflect the seriousness of the love triangle plotline. Basically, this whole show SHOULD have been a comedy, but clearly wasn't.
Unevenness all around. I stuck with it when I thought I understood, finally, what I was in for, but even that is left by the way side with the slapped together nonsense of the final episode. Basically the whole thing feels like a bad fan fic as written by Yeo Joo.
There are two upsides, of course: Jin and Ji Soo are totes adorbz, and by far the best thing about the show despite there being too much weight given them for a supplementary plotline. And Song Jae Rim is super handsome and clearly the better actor of the group, so it was fun to watch him be silly in love for a while. He gets very little to work with plot-wise, and there's zero chemistry between him and Gyuri (who frankly has chemistry with no one in this show), but I'd probably watch him do nothing for 10 episodes and still feel I got something out of this.
Basically, listen to everything you've heard about Nail Shop Paris and skip it.
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...It's so cute. It's so normal. It's exactly what I was not expecting in a drama about a self defense force.
Sorai is learning about what it means to project an image to the people. He's so used to just being in the cockpit that he never realized that some people might see fighter planes as just for that: fighting. Inaba is a big kick in the pants to his ego there, and the two are so cute in their initial bickering and then total geeking out over different airplanes. I love the way they teach each other throughout the show.
Not only is the cast brilliant, but the writing is really effective in conveying things you might never have thought about in terms of the Japanese military. There's a reference, I won't mention how or why, to the March 11th disaster that is really effectively done. Similarly PR videos and people's reactions to them for the JASDF, and "even" and "uneven" reporting, are discussed at length in complex, intellectual ways. Everything is supporting by a thin layer of witty, happy humor that just ties this show together so well.
The music is a great addition too, with Amuro Namie's "Contrail" as the insert/ending song. Plus everything is shot so beautifully, all the airplanes and training exercises.
For people looking for an interesting subject drama, this is definitely one. And there's a fantastic romance subplot that is ever-present throughout, so even if you're not used to checking out this kind of drama, I still think it will work for you.
I'm a huge fan of ensemble drama, and SK did not disappoint in the slightest. There are episodes that focus on each of the PR department's members, but the main characters Inaba and Sorai are never lost in those shifts of focus. The balance is perfect. SK is a winner, and definitely my favorite of the season.
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Taecyeon is remarkable in his easy portrayal of characters, and I've been impressed with him since Cinderella's Sister and Dream High. I was excited to see what he could do with Cha Gun Woo, and he didn't disappoint. He's got a lot of spunk, for sure, and thinks a little too highly of himself, but he goes to incredible lengths to protect those he cares about. Cha Gun Woo's character goes through the emotional wringer throughout this series, and Taecyeon pulls it off with flying colors.
His chemistry with So Yi Hyun, by the way? Crackling. As is Yi Hyun's chemistry with Kim Jae Wook. Basically it's a bowl full of crackling, heartbreaking chemistry where you just don't know where your allegiances lie until the last possible moment. Of the three, Kim Jae Wook impressed me the most, though--his character is given very few lines in the first half of the drama, but he carries his scenes with a finesse that tells of his acting experience. As I'd only seen him as a supporting character before, I was impressed by the sheer amount of dynamism he brought to his role.
The music is lovely, too, and I find myself humming the ballad insert song "Because Love Grows" all the time.
I will say the series is a bit slow to pick up, but once it does it takes off like a shot. For example, when Yang Si Ohn first starts seeing ghosts, she freaks out EVERY. TIME. It gets to the point where you kind of want to just shake her and go "how is this still surprising you??" We also don't discover much about her backstory until later in the series. But once again, the build up is palpable and well worth the wait--everything is tied together, and I felt my heart clench with each new reveal.
Even side characters in this series (like Cha Gun Woo's subordinates or his superior, Moon Shik, the hacker he blackmails into doing his dirty tech work--and Si Ohn's friend and spiritual advisor Hee Bin) steal their scenes with either cuteness or masterful acting. I never felt like I was sitting through a filler moment.
If you're looking for an action packed crime thriller, Who Are You isn't it. It's a nuanced look at the small-time cases of the Lost and Found center, and the dramatic rediscovery of Yang Si Ohn's memories. While there are fights, and losses, they are not the beating center of the story. Instead, I really liked the concentration on the relationships between the characters, and how major plot points affect them. Who Are You was well worth the wait.
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I can't say I was totally on board with the story immediately, but when the kids are put through their first competition where they have to rearrange Park Bom's "You and I," I found myself really rooting for these silly kids to get what they wanted. There are admittedly too many characters, which makes each of their plots hard to hold on to, but you still love them for their interactions with the handful of leads.
The series starts with what appears to be a funeral and the song "Vois sur ton chemin" from Les Choristes, which gives What's Up a much darker atmosphere from the start than its idol counterpart Dream High. While most of DH's stuff is newly composed for the drama, What's Up borrows from just about everywhere, but most especially from, well, musicals. There's a lovely group singing of the Korean version of "Seasons of Love" from RENT that, whenever it comes up, makes me teary-eyed. And just about everybody gets a chance to sing in this show, even Im Joo Hwan, who I was not aware had a voice but nevertheless tries his damnedest.
Park Tae Yi is a bit dim, but her earnestness and ease in being manipulated make for both cute and awful moments that really drive the story. Im Joo Hwan acts with her with this remarkable ease, and their chemistry was really lovely.
There wasn't much of an overarching storyline through a lot of the episodes, which I think was another reason that I paused my watching about halfway through. When I did end up finishing it, I found that the last few episodes were a cohesive whole that matched the first episode, but that the rest were mostly vignettes in the lives of these students. Cute, heartwarming vignettes, but vignettes nevertheless.
Having watched all 20 episodes I can't say what the writers were really going for, but I do believe I fell in love with all of these characters and their interrelated (and more often completely unrelated) stories. What's Up probably could have worked better as a film, cutting away some of the excess, but that excess is still fun to watch and I'd probably sit through it again anyway.
Overall, What's Up has a grandeur that's kind of missing from Dream High. There's a gritty reality to it, as well as this amalgam of lives and situations that clash and bang that were just really intriguing to watch. It's hard to put into words, as you can tell, but I think it's worth more attention than it's gotten. The music alone is beautiful, the arrangements stunning, and the performances by the cast all the way around should be award-winning if they weren't already. Definitely give it a try. And don't give up on it.
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SBY not only has a stellar cast (even the one-liners come from known faces), but its a visually stunning sci-fi story that tries its damnedest to be as impressive as the original anime. The mechs, the AIs, and the Yamato itself are all CGI'd in incredible detail. The flight scenes are also well done, and unlike with many other films, don't feel CGI'd and greenscreened. The graphics just further aid to absorb you in this world.
Although clocking in at over two hours, SBY does feel a bit too short for me--only because the cast is so big, and we don't get the chance to get to know many of them. There's a history between a lot of the characters that, perhaps had I seen the anime, I might've understood. Instead we only get touches here or there of the humanity of the military personnel, and while it is leaps and bounds better than some action flicks, I just wanted to know more.
The relationship between Yuki and Kodai, while steamy, also seems to come too quickly. Perhaps that's the fault of trying to fit a full anime series into a single feature length film, but I also consider it a success--I liked all of these characters so much, loved their relationships complete with baggage, that I wanted to spend more time with them.
The story itself is beautiful, and you're bound to have a misty eye by the end. It's a sci-fi action flick, sure, but at its heart it's about humanity's desire, drive and stubborn determination to survive. And who doesn't get a kick out of an ensemble drama with a crew? I mean come on, crews are awesome. You just want everybody to make it, but you know somebody's going down and you pray it's not your favorite character.
Space Battleship Yamato succeeds, in my opinion, as someone who doesn't know the anime. I think it's incredibly well done, and worth the wait (it came out in 2010, I'm a bit late to the party). I do wish it were longer, or even split into two films, but for what we got, I enjoyed it.
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I would say the story isn't quite as in depth as the series, but there is something that Next Innovation is shooting for, and that carries most of the special pretty well. The cast all returns flawlessly, and they've got even more chemistry now. Ishihara Satomi and Oguri Shun are squee-worthy and adorable, but also emotionally matched. When they argue, you feel it in your gut. When they smile at each other, you're heart's about to explode with happiness.
The music I down-graded because they re-use stuff from the show, when I kind of wished it had been all new music. miwa does a new tune, I believe, but it doesn't have a second version or anything fun like that.
I wouldn't say it's as re-watchable on its own, either, but if you watch it as another episode in the series it works great!
Basically I loved it for its pandering to fans of the original drama, but not necessarily as a stand alone piece. It's certainly cute, but definitely not as hard-hitting as the source. Worth watching after the fact, and as another episode, but as a special it doesn't feel very... special?
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Marriage, Not Dating follows the story of Joo Jang Mi (Han Groo), a woman who has been unlucky in love despite her intense desire to get married. On the night she plans to propose to her boyfriend Lee Hoon Dong (Huh Jung Min), Hoon Dong calls in the help of his best friend Gong Gi Tae (Yun Woo Jin) to sabotage the proposal and get him out of the relationship. Obviously Gi Tae and Jang Mi don't get along from the start, but when Gi Tae's mother accidentally overhears them talking about a "proposal" and assumes Gi Tae has rebuffed Jang Mi, Gi Tae gets an idea--turn Jang Mi into the worst daughter-in-law ever, so that his mother finally stops trying to set him up with women and allows him to live alone forever.
If you're looking for a kdrama without the angst, this is definitely the drama for you. Most of Marriage, Not Dating is hijinks - Jang Mi and Gi Tae pretending to be in a relationship despite not liking each other at all. Jang Mi even gets a crush on Hoon Dong's employee Han Yeo Reum (2AM's Jinwoon), and has to hide that relationship from Gi Tae's family and her own. It's silly, ridiculous, and all over the place. But angsty it is not.
I love the slow burn of this series in terms of the relationship between Jang Mi and Gi Tae. They really do become friends first - because they're not really dating and don't care what the other thinks of them, they find themselves being totally and completely honest with each other in ways they can't be with anyone else. It's adorable to see them basically become best friends before realizing they would also, maybe, kinda, like to make out.
Marriage, Not Dating is one of the few kdrama where the Second Male Lead and Second Female Lead aren't unbearable, either. Yeo Reum has an adorable smile, and is completely aware of what's going on the whole time. He knows when to step back and when to push, and the fact that he has a mancrush on Gi Tae and ends up living with him for a good part of the show just makes for more and more hilarious hijinks. The Second Female Lead, Kang Se Ah (Han Sun Hwa), could've been terrible if it weren't for the fact that she knows exactly what she wants and is the only realist of the bunch. She and Gi Tae used to be engaged, but when she tried to push her worldviews onto Gi Tae, he pushed back and they broke up. She's exactly what Gi Tae's parents want in a daughter-in-law, which is exactly why they can never be together. It's simple, straightforward, and by the way - Gi Tae and Se Ah are actually great friends, too. They're both doctors, they're wickedly smart, and would be terrible together.
I like that the show is also heavily about family. Gi Tae's family appears great on the outside, but is actually a mess behind closed doors. For Jang Mi, her parents fight constantly, but really, truly love each other. The reason Jang Mi agrees to the outrageous fake-dating plan in the first place is because revealing the relationship to her parents makes them get along for the first time in years. And while at first Gi Tae wants his family to disapprove of Jang Mi, he finds himself getting defensive of her actions (often stuff HE told her to do) and finally capable of speaking up about all the fake family business he's had to deal with his whole life.
Marriage, Not Dating is just a breath of fresh air. The main couple is ADORABLE and you can actually see why they're so good together. Their friends are actual friends, not just plot devices in a love quadrangle, and their families aren't two-dimensional Romeo-and-Juliet-style enemies.
Plus, no angst!
(Well, a little angst. But not much!)
Definitely a must-watch.
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Some criticize that the age difference is insurmountable, and that to them the pair seemed more like siblings than potential lovers--but I don't see it. That first time they really kill the dance, when Na Young-Sae asks Chae-Rin to "fall in love with him, even if you have to fake it" in order to show emotion during their dancing, I totally believed these two were the real deal. And given they were trying to fake a marriage to the authorities, too, I had no trouble believing when the authorities are duped.
The music is lovely, too, and makes you want to boogie in your seat. (Or perhaps strut.) Some of it is heartbreakingly romantic while others are pure cha-cha magic.
And the supporting characters, while rarely seen, are nevertheless phenomenal. The evil Hyun Soo is a little lacking in depth, but Young-Sae's dancer friends are hilarious and talented in their own right and just fun to watch. They're in on the fake marriage, but they see what the audience does--that there's something a little bit more real about it than first meets the eye.
It's an old favorite, but it's held against the test of time--watching it again I was still very much in love. Definitely check out Innocent Steps if you haven't, and remember if you've seen it how much it meant to you back then!
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Kaho plays an excellent mysterious creature as Shizuka, and every episode is filled with suspense as the police, all from different divisions, near the truth about Shizuka only to be thwarted at the last minute.
It was a bit puzzling to figure out how all the stories connected back to Shizuka--they all do eventually, and often in excellently creative ways, but the meandering story until it gets to her always felt a little off-kilter. Why, I was asking myself at the beginning of each episode, do we need to see all this monotonous stuff about random people? The cops were especially puzzling--as the ones involved change every episode, it felt like a waste to get to know them the way we do throughout an episode only to ditch them in the end when Shizuka runs again. The episodes could've been tightened up considerably if we focused more on Shizuka's case and less on the monotony that makes up police work. After all, the title of the drama isn't "hitorikeisatsu."
Nevertheless the people who are actually involved in the Shizuka plot are excellently cast, and I was seriously impressed by how things come full circle over the course of the show. It's intriguing, with a mix of both suspense and mystery (there are times when we are privileged to information the police doesn't have--such as what Shizuka is up to), and an extremely satisfying ending. I'm not sure I'd ever rewatch the show--after you know what's going on I'd hate to sit through all the unrelated plots again.
So yes, a slow-paced show with many extraneous details, but carried by a top-notch cast and a tight, intriguing overarching plot. Worth watching the first time, but only so you can learn what the hell is going on at the end.
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If you were enthralled by watching the Japanese drama LIFE, then Aoi Tori is definitely the movie for you. Although the bullying has already occurred at this point, the topics brought up are much the same. The students in the victim's class were forced to right reflection essays of at least five pages expressing their remorse over Noguchi's suicide attempt, and had to revise the essays until the teachers were satisfied. This, the teachers think, is enough for the students to feel they have repented.
Hiroshi Abe plays a poignant, strong Murauchi, despite (or maybe because of) his stutter. His steady gaze as he looks over the classroom, his greeting to Noguchi every morning, everything he does is done with such clarity and care, it's a joy to watch.
Hongo Kanata, best known for his roles in the live action Prince of Tennis movie as well as Nana 2, plays a conflicted and haunted student. He's not a hero, he's not perfect. He doesn't understand what putting Noguchi's desk back will accomplish, he gets frustrated at Murauchi for tormenting the class. At the same time, he questions how at fault he is when he recalls his participation in the bullying, and he answers honestly when his friend Inoue, a major player in the whole affair, asks "Were we really bullying him? He was always laughing."
"Yes, we were. He wouldn't have done that if we weren't."
Like most Japanese films, Aoi Tori has a decidedly slow pace. But as each detail of Noguchi's suicide attempt is revealed, you will find yourself holding you breath, wondering how things ended up this way, and how things will be from now on.
It's a beautiful, heartbreaking film. Definitely an A+ in my book.
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That's the surface story, and it's the one you think is going on for a good chunk of the first third of this drama. But it's not all their is to it. Jang Jae Yul is hiding an extremely traumatic past: his older brother Jang Jae Beom has been in prison for 14 years for killing their abusive stepfather, and three years earlier Jae Beom escaped from prison and attacked Jae Yul, stabbing him, at a public event. Jae Beom claims Jae Yul is the real murderer, and vows to get his revenge on Jae Yul - who is shockingly blasé about the whole affair, and doesn't blame Jae Beom for anything.
This subplot is introduced very early on in the story, and left me feeling kind of twisted as I watched. I enjoyed the housemate bonding adorableness, Jae Yul taking no shit from holier-than-thou Hae Soo, all of that, but it was all covered in a kind of murky darkness because of Jae Yul's past. I couldn't figure out, upon beginning to watch, how two radically different stories were going to have to do with each other.
But sticking it out is so worth it. I won't get into everything that happens, of course, but I deeply appreciate this drama on so many levels. It is worth all of the hype for its cute and its maturity, all rolled into one.
Mental illness is a big part of this story, and the way it is handled is very different from how we see it in American television and film. As the drama advertises, most of the treatments shown in the drama are fictional, but based in real medicine. Still, the moral concepts that the drama brings up about people with mental illnesses was so refreshing. For example, one of Hae Soo's old crushes is now married to a woman with schizophrenia. Their relationship, while troubled by the illness, is nevertheless one of love, support and happiness. Though side characters, they're used to represent what is possible in terms of mental health, and how love can do wonders as a support for (and not instead of) treatment.
Similarly, Soo Kwang's Tourette's is never played for gimmicks - he has an illness, he's matter-of-fact about it, but it isn't part of his story line - it's just the reason he lives with two psychiatrists. Instead, he gets to be bros with Jae Yul, and asks him often about dating advice, and is just generally my favorite character of the bunch with how positive he is.
Disability also comes up in this story. Part of the reason Hae Soo is so hesitant to have physical intimacy with another person is because of her parents' relationship. Her father's unidentified illness has left him in a wheelchair and mentally disabled. Though the entire family is positive about it, treats him well, and generally love him a lot, Hae Soo knows her mother had an affair, and that has affected how she thinks relationships can or cannot work when one partner is otherwise abled, or mentally ill. Seeing the way Hae Soo's relationship to this belief develop and change over the course of the drama was a definite highlight.
I was very worried going into this drama, as someone with a mental illness, how they would portray the struggles to get well and stay well. I was not disappointed in the least. Though some of their treatments aren't exactly real (there's a patient-of-the-week format in each episode where we see someone that one of the psychiatrists is treating), they're nevertheless overflowing with positivity in an attempt to change the way people look at mental illness, and the mentally ill.
And then there's Hae Soo and Jae Yul, who are adorable. I was on board with Jae Yul (despite him seeing Hae Soo as a kind of challenge at first, which was icky) when, after Hae Soo splashes him in the face with wine, he does it right back. It's such an unusual thing to have such equality in the lead male-lead female dynamic, and just that on scene completely hooked me. Jae Yul is such a mess, but such a lovely mess, and Hae Soo pretends she's got her shit together, but she's hiding her own mess, and I love them to bits.
It's also got a killer catchy soundtrack. I found myself whipping out my phone to Shazam a song that was playing many, many times. So good!
I definitely think this drama is worth watching, though it does come with plenty of obvious trigger warnings. I loved everything about it. The cast is wonderful, the storyline a mix of cute and heartbreaking, but nevertheless filled with a hopefulness that was so completely refreshing to see. A+.
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BoA reminds me a lot of Jang Nara in her early career in this--a little unpolished, but full of fire. She carries her role well despite her short filmography, and I totally believed her performance every step of the way. Choi Daniel, with a much longer resume, was adorable as always, with a hint of angst-ridden layers underneath that really complemented BoA's performance.
The two spend most of the two episodes of the drama talking solely over text message, but the way the special weaves their interactions together is very visual. For example, Yoon Ae becomes scared of riding the subway after her octopus video goes viral, but when she's talking with Gi Dae she forgets her fear and ends up on a subway car out of habit. When she's about to have a panic attack, Gi Dae calms her by suggesting that she was able to get on the car in the first place because she didn't feel like she was alone. He sends her the link to a song, and the drama makes it seem like they're sharing one set of headphones, enjoying the melody together.
Thankfully because it is such a short show it doesn't need any of the angst or random plotlines of longer kdrama, so it never veers quite into the melodrama. Instead the whole tone of it feels very slice-of-life with a little bit of rom-com sprinkled throughout. It's easy, breezy, and frankly just plain fun to watch.
I will say I was a tad disappointed by the ending's execution, but the story itself is perfect. Definitely works for me. I was glued to the screen waiting to see what was going to happen because I was totally invested in the characters themselves. If you're looking to see strangers grow to best friends and to maybe more in only 2 hours, this is definitely the drama for you. And trust me--you'll believe it.
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Kaoru is played by Takei Emi, who has been a miss with me in the past, but she definitely is the perfect choice and even sounds a bit like the seiyuu for Kaoru in the anime. She doesn't get to do much in the film acting-wise until the end, but she does make the girl a bit believable.
I have to admit, seeing Yahiko as his actual age and not the bumped up ages we're used to in anime was...awkward. He was my favorite character in the anime, but he's really the kid he's supposed to be in the film. He gets little-to-no screen time, but he definitely steals his scenes, especially when he introduces himself as Kenshin's senpai to the dojo.
The stand out, though, is Sannosuke, the kick ass Brawler suddenly brought to life. He is beautifully hilarious and brutish in every scene, and his fights are by far the best edited and best acted throughout the film. He's everything we could have hoped for in the live action adaptation and more. Even my dad, with no knowledge of the anime, glommed onto Sano. He killed it.
The whole film was shot beautifully, a mix of perfect lighting and color palettes. Nothing beats the moment when Kenshin first dons his signature red frock and white pants, where the camera teasingly remains on the man's feet before we get a full pan up of Kenshin in all his notable glory. They tried their damnedest to make this movie worth watching for Kenshin fans, and they did a wonderful job.
The film runs a little long, but that's explained by the inclusion of plotlines from the prequel to Kenshin, Samurai X--we do get a little information about Kenshin's X-shaped scar (albeit not the most emotional bit) as well as the way he was before he gave up killing. Those scenes were excellent to show Sato Takeru's ability to play every side to a character. He made a name for himself playing side roles in jdrama, but any Kamen Rider fan knows the boy can play just about everything. Admittedly he and Emi are a bit young for their characters' supposed ages, but it works when everyone else is cast accordingly under-age.
And of course, a review would not be complete without a nod to the film's theme, "The Beginning" by ONE OK ROCK. I heard the song a few months ago and fell in love. It's a hard rock tune with an astounding amount of English throughout, and it totally fits the mood of the film. "Just give me a reason/To keep my heart beating" blasts out of your speakers and gives you shivers. Sad to say it doesn't appear until the credits of the film, but it wouldn't have fit during any particular moment within the story. Still, definitely pick up the track if you get the chance--you won't regret it.
And check out the film, too! It was incredible all around, and as I saw it as a casual Kenshin fan, with a die-hard Kenshin fan and a Kenshin novice, the fact that we all enjoyed it should tell you this movie is really made for everyone. Definitely an A.
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Song Joong Ki was always a masterful actor, as anyone who has seen anything he's been in can certainly attest. He's got a beautiful face, for one, and a talent for saying little and yet expressing a lot. This works in his favor in playing the wordless Chul-soo. I can't imagine what it was like to play him in the early stages, when he was ravenously stuffing food in his mouth and constantly running around like a crazy person, but Joong Ki embraces the role and plays it just monstrous enough without going overboard. I was extremely impressed with him, and for once not just because he's beautiful. (He's beautiful. Ladies who might be hesitant to watch a werewolf film--he's beautiful. Do it.)
Park Bo-young who plays Suni and Suni's granddaughter (we get a frame narrative of Suni when she's older, but I don't want to say any more than that) is similarly talented, although of course she gets far more lines. The way she embraces training Chul-soo like a puppy is so entertaining, especially when at first she's just pissed her mother has taken the homeless boy in. And at the climax of the film she delivers an incredible performance that is definitely what started the waterworks. I am convinced all the way through by every emotion Bo-young expresses.
The film is also beautifully shot. Since most of the story takes place in the past, there is a kind of soft glow and sepia-toned coloring to the whole film that is just beautiful. Everything feels so nostalgic and warm, despite the obviously dark subject matter. (He is a werewolf, after all.) The countryside landscapes are filmed in such a way as they could be anywhere, not necessarily the Korean countryside, which gives this film a universal feel that I'm not used to with most Korean movies. It just feels like it could be anyone's family story, and I really enjoyed that.
Like I said, there are tears, and I'll never be able to hear "kajima" ("don't go" in Korean) ever again without sobbing like an infant. But I won't spoil any of that for you, because this film is well worth watching, again and again and again, even with all the heartbreak. The performances are flawless, the cinematography dazzles, and the story itself will wiggle its way into your heart and never let go. Definitely an A+.
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