Reviews

Like squeezing a fist around my heart.

I loved this movie. Plain and simple, I loved it. 6 minutes in and I was invested. I did not know much of the plot going in, so I was very pleasantly surprised when it wasn't about two characters getting together but actually their lives, the story of their entire life past 17. People falling in love young and then growing together is one of my weaknesses, when done right it will always get me and have me in my emotions, and boy did they.

I just love watching people fall more into love as they grow, and yessss Akira did make mistakes and Yuuki is so precious but it felt so human I was hurting with the characters. Equivalent to eating glass as I watched them battle with the voices of the outside world. I like that we got straight to the point, from the start. This is their story of two people who love.

Major soft spot for this type of stuff so I'm so heavily biased but I enjoyed my time and I did have misty eyes at the end of it. Two people loving each other longer than they have even been apart, actually evolving into a relationship that works for them, whatever that looks like. I only ask to see more of their life, even more than we got because I am greedy and I love their softness and dynamic.

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Interesting short stories only told at surface level, and a lack of understanding in AI

Okay, this movie is... weird. It feels like an incomplete draft with missing scenes, actually it's almost like they had shot a short series and edited the key scenes into a movie. There is not enough context and world building which makes it confusing. I get that the science fiction aspect of this movie is not its focus, but it really needed an extra 15-20 minutes at the start to properly explain how exactly this Wonderland service works. Like how are the AI characters programmed and what are they programmed with? There are so many ambiguities but they'll be spoilers. It's almost like the movie itself doesn't know the answers. I can't tell if the director is inexperienced in the sci-fi genre or they cut out those scenes because the basic foundation to make a coherent story wasn't there. At one point towards the end it was straight up a fantasy movie and not science fiction anymore lmao.

But then, I actually like the subject matter, the actors and parts of the movie especially in the first half. Most of the scenarios were actually interesting and complex -- but they weren't fleshed out at all. Which brings me to the point that this movie just has too many characters. Basically every story was only on surface level, some were just left hanging or abandoned. Suzy and Park Bogum's arc especially suffered from this, it needed way more screentime to be properly developed. I hate to say this but some of their parts felt half-baked and wasted their onscreen chemistry. Tang Wei on the other hand had the most complete arc and probably the most touching one.

It's a shame because I think if they expanded the material and went more in-depth for each arc, or removed all the arcs other than Suzy/PBG and Tang Wei's, it would have been way better. But alas the potential was wasted. Nonetheless, I think at the very least this movie can spark some interesting post-watch discussions.

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Korean action movie? Say less.

The trailers I saw made it look like a dark action movie. There is some noir to it but it's mostly action with sprinkles of comedy.

The story starts out a little slow but it snowballs and next thing you know you're 40 minutes in and can't take your eyes off of the TV.

The ML was cast, written and acted perfectly. The little bit of comedy written in it was just enough to give you a break from the action and while you're laughing you are able to digest what just happened.

I went in thinking it was going to be a movie just to kill time but found myself interested and curious. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys action movies.

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If you need an outlet to cry, this is the one

A good sad movie is one that made me cry really hard and this is one of them. From the get-go, I already knew the two leads are highly going to die but even with this knowledge, I am still not mentally prepared for all the emotional scenes. Those really hit very hard especially when it’s about coming to terms to one’s demise which personally once thought I was going too. The movie has also had many warm moments that melts my hard. I really like how the leads find strength from one another to continue living. How I wish I can find one too… Even though the movie is 2hrs, I never thought there was any wasted moments which Japanese movies tend to veer towards too. All the performers acted brilliantly and the music really supports well with the scenes. I would totally watch this again if I want to cry.

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For a movie that was supposed to give these characters more depth and present their perspective of the events that were part of what happened in The Untamed, I'd say they leaned too far into simplicity in writing. Little to nothing happens, and the whole movie consists for what feels like less than 10 scenes.

The CGI, still a bit awkward at some places, was still a huge improvement from the drama. What's more, I actually did like the last fighting scene. I would remove the "transformer spirits" from the equation though. There was not that much acting to be done, even though the movie was over an hour long, it felt more like 30 minutes - with that I don't think any performance had a chance to shine.

The best aspects of the Fatal Journey was the last shot of Nie Huai Sang that could be described as "ah yes, this is his origin story". Knowing what's coming next, that shot was truly impactful.

Overall, it's clearly movie that targets TU fans only. It's rather meaningless for anyone who does not have prior knowledge of the overall story.

Ps. Adding black eyes for 2 scenes is not enough to call movie a horror.

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my brother in christ...

— i went in blind, & i haven't even read the summary beforehand...i should've. it's confusing at the beginning, but dots start connecting quite nicely somewhere after the first revelation. i don't believe that it could've been confusing to anyone, you just need to pay it minimal attention, at least.

— it's strange, & then it's quite horrid but overall it's just heartbreaking. i dislike sibling bonds in movies precisely because it was gut-wrenching to see the dynamic switch between the two brothers after we discover the truth. it's hard to bring your brain out of that illusion once you're convinced that they're blood-related. nonetheless, i liked this movie a lot. my brain glitched for good five minutes after finishing it because you rewind all little details that didn't make sense & you see them in a totally different light.
— i cried, like a lot.

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An Ending That Feels Like It Was Just There To Shock You

I want to give a brief overview of this movie, because I did enjoy watching it, but there were a few key points that made it more difficult for me to watch:

Some points I liked:
- It shows an insight in how rape victims (try to) overcome the aftermath of being sexually assaulted. It feels painfully realistic, which makes this all the better. Do note that this can be triggering for some to watch, due to the storyline.
- This is one of the few instances where I can condone a teacher-student relationship, because the teacher had no idea the student was his student until the very end. It was very well made in that sense. No creeps in the main relationship.
- The storyline with the main character's wife is wrapped up in the end, when usually it is just left there to hang. It was nice seeing her again and that they parted amicably.
- The main actors acted incredibly well, especially considering Endo Kenshin (Kai) was 20-21 when this was made.
- The two main characters kiss well. I've seen a lot of kisses in dramas, both straight and gay, and these two actors kiss really well.
- Just in general; The two main characters had really good chemistry.

Some points I disliked:
- The ending. It alone made me take off half a point from my rating. As the headline suggests, I feel like it was more there to shock you than anything else. The ending didn't add any value to watching the movie. My suggestion: watch the movie until 1:50:25 and you won't be traumatised by nonsense.
- Jin assaults his wife, and it is not mentioned ever again.
- Jin basically ignores the fact that Kai did a background check on both him and his (ex-)wife after they get closer. It is barely an issue.
- A lot of the characters weren't very fleshed out. The only ones were the two main characters and even then I feel like Kai still has a lot of mysteries.
- For a movie that has rap as one of its key centre points, the rap in this movie was honestly subpar. Jin's rapping also felt more like slam poetry than rap.

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That hurt

Rarely has a piece of media stuck to my brain in the way that Journey to the Shore has.

From the very get go I was invested in these two's relationship and their dynamic. How had they first fallen for each other? When did they start dating? You are immediately put into an established dynamic that only grows clearer by the minute. I truly felt for Ming Ha, wanting to rally around him whenever the world and the bullies around him put him down for being gay. He seemed so strong and ready to stand up for himself and his identity, so surely the world will respond positively to that? Right? But I was constantly reminded of the truth of the situation by way of Sang Bum, as well as the scars on Ming Ha.
Just because someone seems strong and keeps their head up, does not mean that they don't feel pain, even if we don't see it.

Sang Bum was not ready to be an out gay/queer teenager and thus feels stuck in between his love for Ming Ha and the desire to keep his head down and go through school life not being a target for bullying. So even though it breaks his heart he needs to break up with Ming Ha to avoid the homophobia of the school. And the way Ming Ha keeps his head up, holds Sang Bum as he cries, and even makes jokes - just twisted the knife in my heart even deeper.

I truly commend these two actors, they really put in a great performance.

The ending... oh god the ending. To the very end I was holding out for a happy end. I was biting my nails hoping for a 'Ten years later' and the two are happily married and everything is great. But that's not the story being told. The story being told was about two kids facing bullying, and each just trying to survive and holding onto their identity. Sang Bum got out, Ming Ha didn't.

The choice of not directly telling the audience what happened to Ming Ha, does not stop one from putting the pieces together.

It's a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted film, that tells a pretty painful story but remains impactful.

(also want to add that right after this 'the one that got away' by Katy Perry came up on shuffle and I cried like a baby)

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This movie is so great! Kudos to Wang Baoqiang!

First of all, I just watch this because when I was watching youth periplous season 4, Wang Baoqiang gege said that this movie is different from his movies/dramas before because this is about life so when I already finished watching youth periplous, I searched this movie to see if I can watch it now and it shows that I can so I downloaded it. Earlier, I decided to watch the movie without reading the synopsis nor watch any spoilers. While watching it, I really don't know what was going to happen because I'm clueless (it's my first time watching a movie without any clue). But after a few minutes, I wa shock because I saw Yitong so I was what? Yitong is also one of the characters here? Then later, I also saw Haofan and Li Chen so it made me so happy but then when I was in the middle part, I cried because of the scenes especially when it's already about to end, I was hoping so hard that everything is going to end like what I wanted it to end. Then, it turned out just like I wanted it to be. I'm still sad tho because of what happened to Ma Hu ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ Thank you so much to Wang Baoqiang gege the director for making this film, I really liked it!! My mom was asking why I'm crying so hard while watching because she's busy with my nephew so I said, the movie is so great, mama. It's so nice (T^T) GUYS, I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE! PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS MOVIE!!

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A bittersweet journey but worth it.

This is solely my opinion and it's not necessary that you should agree with this.
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"Drawing Closer" is about two 17 year olds who could relate to each other. They both are ill and not much time is left for them in this world. They also share the same interest.

I've been looking forward to this movie ever since Netflix released the teaser and it did not let me down. Also this is my 2nd time watching a Japanese show. I'm a sucker for melo movies or dramas so I could enjoy this to the end. This movie was literally heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It really touched my heart and I'm sure it will touch yours too if you're watching this.

Story: I liked how there were no unnecessary stuff. The characters were nice and cute. No one was annoying and I loved how Haruna's friend and Akito were bickering all the time. I also liked the ending. It was bittersweet but still I loved how it was done that way and in most shows this isn't the case. It had emotional depth. I liked how it was unique in some way. Also those flowers 😭 Everybody got the spotlight and the leads were so cute.

Acting: Acting was good and I have no complaints. I did not feel any lack of chemistry or anything like that. Its my first time seeing these actors and I'm gonna watch some of their projects soon.

OST: Haven't heard it yet so I'll hear it when I'm free and then write a review on that.

Even if it was a 2 hour movie I enjoyed it till the end. The cinematography and production were remarkable and it did not feel rushed or anything. I also have no problem with the direction too. The background OSTs made this ven more painful. I recommend you watch this if you like heartbreaking/melo stuff. I usually don't cry watching fiction but this one was different. This made me sad but my heart is warm after this. . . It's a rare gem that evoked genuine emotions. This movie will always hold a special place in my heart. Anyway that's it. With that, I'm giving this movie a 9.0.


Thank you for reading! Have a great time watching if you are.

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this is such a good japanese drama!

This is the first time I have watched a Japanese film and I certainly don't think it will be the last. Because I really enjoy watching Korean drama most of the time, so why don't I try watching Japanese movies. And I can say that I really love it! I will definitely watch more Japanese films/series. This film is not only about love, but they also show the love between friends and family.

First of all, I'm so touched that the female lead has a misunderstanding between her friends, but in the end they try to resolve it because they say sorry to each other and it shows that they value their friendship. Secondly, the male protagonist struggles between choosing his sport or caring for his grandmother and younger sister. He wants to give up football just to take care of his grandmother. And it shows that the male lead really has love and care for his family. And lastly, the love between the female lead and the male lead was so cutee. Because of their love, they really can't stop themselves from continuing to write in the notebook. Even when they both knew something was wrong, they continued to write in it. I'm more in favor of kpop songs than rock music, but in the Japanese drama I didn't mind the rock music that much.

Their chemistry is so fantastic. I really like it. The female lead is so cute and beautiful and the male lead is so handsome, especially when he smiles. Which spoils their plot. I didn't know you can like someone without knowing them. he fell in love because she wrote a motivation on that desk. But at the end of the story, I understand why the male protagonist loves her, because she gives him the motivation to follow what he wants to do. That was it. I give this Japanese drama a 7 out of 10! :)

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