A Japanese take on "Sex and the City" - if Carrie was a good friend

Four friends at the age of 29 all have their worries that in a way all come down to "crap, I have to do this and/or that before I turn 30". Get married, have a kid, answer to society's often unrealistic expectations. Haruka hasn't had sex with her boyfriend in what feels like ages, and her desire to have sex again results in her sleeping with an old-turned-new co-worker and subsequently ruining her relationship with her fiancé when he inevitably finds out. While Uta is out to her mother who approves and is very supportive of Uta, reality is very different for her girlfriend, Makoto, who struggles to live true to herself and her identity as gay in a still relatively conservative society. Kyouko discovers something about herself that forces her to really think about her desire to have a child as a single person, and how to go about it. Kanon desperately wants to get married, and often turns to luck to try and score that perfect man to marry before she turns 30.

All four women go through their struggles- but not alone. At times, they try to shoulder it on their own as to not worry their friends, but in the end, they all have each other's backs. And that's one of the beautiful things I will remember about this series. The way they portrayed adult friendships between women in this stage in life, was excellent and I could recognise myself in it almost all throughout. Another highlight for me was the portrayal of LGBTQIA+ relationships in a still somewhat conservative society like that of Japan, where you have a few but not many privileges as a non-straight person and couple. I'm not gonna lie, I teared up several times when they focused on Uta and Makoto, and after the gay couple came into the series near the end who not only helped Uta and Makoto get themselves an apartment in a LGBT-friendly building after a lot of struggle, they're also strongly implied to have helped Kyouko in her dreams of becoming a mother via surrogacy.

I adore this series for not being ashamed of discussing certain topics like being non-straight in Japan, mental health, sex, marriage in the sense of "is this right for me" and not just "when do I get married". I love series where we get to see women in higher positions, like being a CEO, and these women aren't just plot devices but have their own stories and are written excellently. Not only that, but the actresses played their parts very well, too. I'm not gonna lie, I went into this series because I saw that Shuntaro Yanagi was in it, and while I was initially disappointed that he ended up being a plot device, I stayed for the women in the series and am endlessly glad that I did. It's a very 'brutally' honest, realistic, and sometimes not very happy portrayal of what it's like to live in the shoes of any of these women. But that's why I really loved it, because it was so, so real and relatable.

Read More

A film worth watching - but maybe not for its plot

As has been an unfortunate theme in Be On Cloud's "KinnPorsche" and now "Man Suang", the plot suffers quite heavily from inconsistencies where everything else is absolutely excellent. I absolutely adored the dancing scenes and getting to immerse myself more in the culture of the country my mother grew up in. It feels like I get to connect with a part of myself that often ends up in the background given I don't live there and never have, only visited a handful of times. It was all portrayed very well; I loved the music, the detail of their training and the choreography. I just wish there had been more of it, since the Thai culture was what was the main focus of how this film was initially promoted.

I liked how the characters were written and performed, though their role in the story often made little sense. A lot of it was confusing, as was the pacing which would sometimes be too slow but sometimes so fast that it became impossible to keep up with what was happening and why. It's unfortunate, because I had very much looked forward to Man Suang, and it ended up falling flat because of these aspects. If one looks away from the plot entirely and just wants to watch this film for its portrayal of Thai culture from an age past, you've come to the right place. Set your expectations accordingly, and you'll have a wonderful time. For the most part, I did- but there were times where I couldn't ignore trying to make sense of the plot.

Read More

"Super Rich" - what does it mean to you?

"Super Rich" starts off strong; in the very first episode, a lot of things happen but it still feels coherent and not too rushed to get to the point where the first episode ends. Most of the series, I would say, is fairly coherent - but there are certainly hiccups, plot holes, and loose ends that aren't tied up at the end of the final episode. Even so, I would say that this is a recommended watch with a side-note that it's a bit more "adult" in that it delves into a lot of somewhat complicated business terms and the general inner workings of running a company.

That being said, I'll move onto other parts that made up "Super Rich". In the first episode, we see CEO Mamoru Hyoga at the top of her career which is crushed nearly to smithereens by her close friend since university, Ryo, when he steals 300 million yen from the company. This becomes somewhat of a central theme, where Mamoru is betrayed by people close to her or people who she during the series chooses to let in close, either personally or work-wise. Even so, it doesn't get Mamoru down. I have to say that, having finished this series, I came to love Mamoru the most out of all characters. She started off as a snob with a lot of money who during the series run had to learn what the meaning of being rich, and also "Super Rich", means to her. And, surprise - money isn't at the top of her list in the end.

One of the main things that disturbed me with the series "Super Rich", that I've come to learn to expect with certain dramas, is that the pacing can be all over the place. In some episodes, only a day or two pass. Then in one single episode, two or more years can pass and they show a few seconds for each month/season/etc to show that progress is being made 'without skipping out on stuff' (which, of course they do). One particular moment that took me out of being immersed with the series was the episode during which Yuu got stabbed. In less than five minutes, he manages to get stabbed, have his heart stop while in surgery, undergo rehab, and be back home and all is back to normal. And then, that event is mentioned maybe once or twice afterwards and such a big event that would happen in one's life, seemingly didn't seem to affect them at all after it happened.

Other than that, I would still say that, overall, I'm glad I watched "Super Rich". It had a lot of great messages, delved into some sadder/darker topics and handled them fairly well (such as Sora's almost-suicide-attempt, his sexual harassment, stress, Yuu and the Haruno family's continuous struggle with poverty and how they handled that, depression, among others), the main people at Three Star Books/TSB all had at least psome personal story injected into the series so we could get to know them and they didn't feel like just chess pieces. Some characters were left in the dust, like two of the seemingly hundreds who were in love with Mamoru, and some may be dissatisfied with how their storylines ended up (like Sora still being seemingly single at the end of the series while Reiko found love in another woman) but I think it was fine. That's how life goes sometimes. And, I mean, we already knew that Yuu and Mamoru were main characters so for them NOT to end up together would be strange.

Like previously mentioned, I recommend this series if you're looking for some thing with good production, good music (Yuuri is SO GOOD), good acting, and some life lessons/messages to learn. While the story has its flaws and hiccups, I still it flowed fairly well. As long as you don't have your expectations shooting through the roof, this is a good watch.

Read More

(Sadly enough) based on a true story

I watched "Nobody Knows" the first time in 2013 as part of my Japanese course. Back then, I thought it was a very slow film, and it was thus hard for me to really get into it. But a lot of it stuck with me for reasons that will become obvious when you watch it. So years later, I watched it again and gained a true appreciation for the film. "Appreciation" sounds strange given the real-life event that the film is based on, but it's the closest I can get. It's been said in other reviews, but this isn't a happy film or a happy story. But my god does it open your eyes to what actually happens around the world, even if it's rare in comparison to other horrifying things we read about on the daily. Reading about the Sugamo child abandonment case after watching "Nobody Knows" just made me a hundred times more depressed about the whole thing. It's just unfathomable that such a thing can happen, that it DOES happen probably more often than we think.

The actors are mere children but they play their roles so well, especially Yagira Yuuya who played the role of Akira but also You (the actress, haha) who portrayed the children's mother, Keiko. It became really easy to despise her in the film and I think that's a sign of good acting. Because if I hadn't felt that strongly about her character, her acting wouldn't have been good enough. But it is. The cinematography in this film is absolutely stunning; it successfully captures the mood in scenes where it matters the most, and while the lack of music at times makes the film feel a little bit flat, the cinematography, acting, and overall story helps bring the score up regardless. Even so, I have to say that, at the end when the credits song started playing, I burst into tears that second time I watched through "Nobody Knows" again. It felt like the whole film was a build-up to that moment, which in some ways it was, but the way the music was brought in when it was really drove the point home.

Despite my first impression not being a good one, my second one was wildly different, and thus "Nobody Knows" is one of those films I will probably never forget.

Read More

What HAPPENED here?

I'm not gonna lie, I started watching this because Eiji Akaso had a major role, and he got my attention after I watched "Cherry Magic". I love his acting, but in "Nee sensei, shiranai no?" it feels like he doesn't quite get to spread his wings. As for the female lead... not much going for her either, sadly. The story is wild, doesn't make sense, is far too rushed, and makes it feel like the FL is forced into the relationship, that she's forced to do things she doesn't want to do. It also feels like Akaso's characters sort of 'forces' himself onto her, like when he says "I've been patient and I waited out here all night for you" and that's why he should be allowed to hug her and come inside her apartment. Really creepy. She should've gone back inside and locked the door with him still on the outside, and that's me talking as a fan of Akaso.

The relationship between these two is very unbalanced, and the series makes it seem like it's okay for things to be this way. In fiction, sure, it might fly. But let me tell you, a relationship like this would NEVER work out long-term in real life. One person works their arse off all the time and they never get to see each other, and when they DO get to see each other, the one person who works all the time is stressed out and/or exhausted from work, and the other person then has to take care of their partner and patiently wait to get some attention and to actually spend time with their partner. Wow, nope.

All in all, I would advise anyone looking for a cutesy romance drama to look elsewhere. Sure, it has these things in it, but things like their heavily unbalanced relationship and the forced, unnatural nature of said relationship to begin with, overshadow the cutesy stuff, in the end, and makes for a very strange and sometimes uncomfortable watch.

Read More

A good adaptation, for what it's worth

As a fan of the series, I was excited to know they were making a live-action adaptation. What was a little worrisome and disappointing was the fact that there's only six episodes that are supposed to cover everything from the very beginning of the series until right after the live performance. They did cover that, and for the most part they did surprisingly well with it, but there were still fundamental parts missing that made the series feel somewhat incomplete. I don't know why they skimped out on time- maybe it was a budget thing or something else, but I still feel like they could've afforded to flesh it out just a little bit more.

That being said, I'll move onto the praise. The music in this series is great, to start off. The characters and the changes made to the characters were great, too - I liked that they switched things around, added and removed a few things to create a somewhat different feel for the series than the manga and anime go/went for. I feel like the actors filled their shoes very well, and I was surprised by how much I loved Haruki, Akihiko, and especially Hiiragi here. The changes made to their characters made me appreciate them even more somehow, and obviously that's a plus.

With what they had, they did well. It also feels like they almost consciously built up a few things to make it possible for a second season to take place at some point in the future. If there IS none, I'm very confused as to why they even chose to start delving into some plot points, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. For now, with what we have in this live-action adaptation of Given, it's good. Worth a watch, definitely. But it had the potential of being even better.

Read More

Clickbait in the form of a drama series (what a mess!)

Like someone else mentioned in their review, I also found myself interested in the series based on the trailer(s) which gave me sort of KinnPorsche vibes. The first episode kind of delivered on that, but then the series went all over the place. I personally did not at all care for the acting of nor chemistry between the two main leads. Yai as a character was just way too whiny and dramatic for me and even when he attempted to affirm his feelings for Mangkorn, it didn't really feel natural. Actually, none of the so-called development between them felt natural. It felt mostly one-sided where Mangkorn was the one chasing after Yai, the latter who just kept whining about Mangkorn and how he wanted this or that but then never went past words to action.

It kind of felt like they had way bigger plans for the series (which is apparently based on a book which I can only hope is better at least plot-wise) but it all fell flat. Episode 7 was plain painful to watch, because it was essentially just a video log of Yai & Mangkorn's honeymoon phase, where the scenes dragged on for too long and nothing really happened besides them having sex in various places. The plot was all over the place and never really developed like one would've hoped. All in all, a very disappointing watch.

Read More

A very good watch, but...

I adored, absolutely adored Cherry Magic from episode 1 to 12, and when the film was announced, I was ever so excited that we were going to get a continuation. But the very first thing that happens in the film is that we find out that, basically, the end of episode 12 is no longer canon, and Kiyoshi never lost his magic like originally stated. It almost felt like a cheap way for them to write a plot for the film, by saying "let's completely forget about that whole thing about him having lost the magic on Christmas so we can turn it into a film". Early on, that didn't leave a very good impression on me, and it was a little saddening considering the quality of the original series.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad we got a film. It was very well-produced and the acting was stellar not just from the two main leads but the side characters, too. However, the plot felt very thin throughout a large portion of the film, and it dragged down my overall score by a bit, sadly. There were a lot of things that felt rushed, some things skipped that I wish hadn't been because it didn't make sense to cut them out (why didn't we get to see Yuuichi and Kiyoshi say goodbye before the scene suddenly cuts to Kiyoshi in Nagasaki?). It wasn't as if the film lacked direction, but the execution fell short quite a few times and the scenes didn't feel as impactful/meaningful as I think they could have.

I really appreciated the 'angstier' scenes and how they were directed, and by association the acting we saw on screen during them. Keita Machida never ceases to amaze me with his talent; I truly felt for and with Yuuichi thanks to Machida bringing him to life in such a great way. Similarly, Eiji Akaso does a great job of showcasing Kiyoshi's growth in the film which is one of the bigger things I appreciated with this film, the fact that Kiyoshi got to have his flaws and then do his best to work on them for his own and also Yuuichi's sake. They showed affection in whatever way they were allowed to (guessing it might be a similar situation as it was with the series and how that ended on that 'kiss' as the lift doors closed) and you could still feel their love for each other even if it was portrayed kind of tamely at times. The actors did the best with what they were given, and they did great.

Overall, will I still say that this is worth watching? Yes, of course. If you liked the series, then you should watch the film. But I think it's good to go into it with lowered expectations, which is hard to say because I personally went in with *high* expectations because of how great the series was/is. Sad to say that the film doesn't have the same quality and magic (forgive the pun) as the prequel series does.

Read More

A short series that took me by surprise

I didn't know exactly what to expect when going into watching "Nishi Ogikubo Mitsuboshi Yoshudou", and I won't lie when I say I only really started watching it because a favourite actor stars in it. But I quickly found myself positively surprised by the series, by how easy it was to become interested in the three main characters and their stories, and also wondering "what WILL happen once they run out of all of those cans of food?" because it could either result in just the way the promise was made - they close the bar, and go on about their lives. Or they continue running the bar. I kept bouncing back and forth between both options and am glad to find out that they decided to keep it running at the end.

One particular episode that reduced me to tears was the third episode, with the man whose deceased wife had a sweet tooth, while the man himself wasn't much of a fan of sweets. But he comes to the bar one evening, orders [canned] chocolate cake, and tells the story about his wife with the sweet tooth. I feel like every episode left me with some sort of impression or life lesson to learn, and that's far more than I think you can really expect out of a TV series, especially one as short as this one (with the longest and most complicated name that I won't keep repeating or I'll lose my mind). They packed so much into six single episodes, and it's impressive. That's the only fitting word for it.

I will definitely rewatch this series at some point. And probably again, because I think it really was that good.

Read More

Dare I say, THE best live-action BL series? Yes, I said it.

I didn't really have any expectations when I went into watching "Cherry Magic"—I've sadly been disappointed by manga-to-live-action adaptations before and I didn't want to get my hopes up that this was going to be a good one, either. But I'm so glad that it was way better than I could've ever expected. This series is almost nothing but feel good. When I say "almost", I'm referring to a few moments that made my heart ache a little, but in the end it's overshadowed by the immense amount of good, positive vibes. Exactly what we need in these times, honestly.

The acting is absolutely stellar in "Cherry Magic", for the most part. I must admit that I think Masato Tsuge's acting was a bit over the top for my taste, but otherwise I have no complaints. My favourite moment that really showcased the good acting in this series, where I went "okay, that was NOT acting- this is him straight up just talking from the heart", is in the last episode where Adachi tells Kurosawa that he'll try again and again if he screws up after losing his magic. The way Adachi/Akaso's voice breaks in that moment broke my heart in half and I FELT the emotion there. Wow.

"Cherry Magic" not only changed how I now view live-action adaptations and also dramas in general, but it's also a series I can say, without a shred of shame, that I will continue re-watching every now and then just because of how feel-good it is. I'm very glad I stumbled upon this series.

Read More

Forcing yourself onto someone to make them love you? Protip! Don't.

If I could, I wouldn't give this series any at all stars in terms of the plot. So don't let the one star fool you—I personally find this series atrocious. If you don't agree, that's your opinion, and this is mine.

I started watching this mostly for the cast, and I thought the premise seemed cute. But in the very first episode, I realised that I probably wasn't going to like this series. I do tend to give shows three episodes, though, to see if they improve before I can allow myself to drop it. This one didn't even after four episodes.

To start off, Shin has a very unhealthy crush on Akira and he's incredibly possessive, jealous, and even controlling- and he's just a high schooler. In Japan, people tend to have respect for their elders, even if they aren't *elders* but still older than them. Shin has no such respect for Akira and his boundaries and privacy, all he seems to care about is that he gets to start dating Akira, who does NOT want the same thing. And Akira has time and time again told him that it isn't happening because of their age difference, among other reasons. Despite this, Shin doesn't give up. Is that romantic? Some people seem to think it is, that Shin has a cute and even admirable determination. I completely disagree. Take a no for an answer, there are terms for that kind of behaviour especially when it gets into sexual territory. Do I doubt that Shin could go that far? I don't, and that's the issue with his entire character. Shin forces himself onto Akira several times, trying to kiss Akira despite having been told many times that Akira doesn't want to kiss Shin. How is that seen as romantic in any way whatsoever? I don't get it.

This is why I'm dropping Minato Shouji Coin Laundry. Coercion is not romantic, it's not attractive, and it's not a good premise for a TV show.

Read More