timotey

Honestly? This was the closest that I’ve ever seen a Cdrama get to an actual, honest to gosh threesome. I mean, certainly, all of the scenes where the two generals ended up in one bed together and cuddling where played up for the laughs but considering the requirements of censorship in China, I do think that they did the utmost to imply that, yeah, if the filmmakers were allowed? Them three would be an item.

This was a comedy drama. But as much as I love comedy, this was too much even for me. It bordered on parody so even those moments that were supposed to be taken seriously, I simply could not do that. Which is too bad because the main story of the two generals from opposing sites becoming good friends - at the very least - was quite an interesting one!

Best scene in the whole drama? The one where the main heroine and her husband, the general of the South Kingdom, helped their lover… err, best friend, the general of the North Kingdom, escape under the noses of both sides’ spies. That was just awesome. That they went that far and that he trusted them not to betray him.

I’m not using their names because a) I don’t want to spoil it too much and b) their names changed and then changed again so many times that it was hard to keep them straight.

So, yeah. The idea was great. The execution was… lacking. Though I still do hope that they will make S2, as implied at the very end.

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A great little drama literally murdered by horrible subs by MangoTV.

This is Mr. & Mrs. Smith wuxia style. They adore each other, bless their little hearts, but he's the palace's secret agent and she's a gun for hire - so to speak. And they don't know that about each other.

Goodness gracious, the shenanigans! Not only is the writing truly hilarious, the actors play their parts perfectly which adds to the overall funny - and yet loving - tone of this web drama.

It's too bad that Mango butchered the subs so badly. Because of it, the overall plot with the palace intrigue and whatnot is literally lost in translation. I kinda doubt that the visiting... official or whatever was really a "proton" 🤨

Also, the ending song is truly lovely.

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This felt... way too cutesy, I must say. Don't get me wrong, I love me sweet fluff from time to time but this felt too forcefully cheerful and cute. IMO, they tried way too hard and the end result just didn't feel really natural.

Which is too bad because the boys' back stories could've made for a really interesting drama otherwise. The found family trope was strong with this one and it's too bad that the writers didn't let that speak for itself. And when I say family, I'm not talking just about the four boys at the inn but also Yakyo and his pâtissier, Eisuke. Or the other restaurant owner, his little daughter and his clumsy help.

In the end, I found Tokitaka's backstory the most intriguing - and his relationship with Sui the most interesting, that everyone called them "mom" and "dad", respectively. But also Eisuke, whom I couldn't stand at first, turned out so fascinating! Especially his relationship with Yakyo.

Still, because of its overt sugary sweetness, it felt a bit boring. Too bad...

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Holy smokes! Wow. This must be one of the whumpiest dramas I've ever seen. And definitely the whumpiest Jdrama. Like, holy smokes!

The sword fights here were absolutely amazing and Saotome Taichi swinging a sword and kicking butts was smoking hot, like wow.

As I've mentioned, since Kakeru is the sword swinging hero here, he's the object of so much whump like you wouldn't believe. And because the drama is all about found family - Kakeru, Sho and Karen grew up together, the sword master, his partner destined to kill him one day and the scabbard maker, respectively - they all adore Kakeru so the whump is really, really satisfying, the way they worry for him and do all they can to protect him and keep him alive, even risking their lives and going against centuries old traditions and powerful supernatural stuff. And it's what saves Kakeru's life in the end, their love for each other. It's so beautiful!

If you like action driven dramas with the found family trope in abundance, then you will love this one. I'm all a-giddy about it!

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This drama was one of the best Jdramas I've seen so far. At first, I thought it would be your usual easy and uncomplicated "a student falls in love with his female teacher" story but, boy, was I wrong. It was really, truly amazing!

Why?

Because Junko was very much aware of the fact that a) Kyohei was her student, b) he was underage which meant no, never, not in your dream, it's illegal, I'm not doing it! and c) she was much, much older than him - 16 years! - which she never let him forget and even after he turned 18 and after he got accepted into the Todai university and after he openly confessed his feelings for her, she made sure, double sure, triple sure that he knew what he was doing, getting involved with her, what it would mean, their age gap among other things, she made sure he actually thought it through, that it wasn't just some boyish crush or temporary fancy. That was fantastic!

And because the friendships were just ah-amazing. Like between Junko and her nightclub owner friend Miwa - Miwa was always first and foremost on Junko's side! Or Kyohei's "delinquent" friends - the way they wholeheartedly supported his drive to get into Todai, the way they defended him against their schoolmates when his politician father got into trouble! And then Kyohei, Masashi and Yamashita!

The relationship among these three was simply fantastic. They were all rivals for Junko's attention but both Masashi and Yamashita really supported Kyohei's dream to get into Todai, they helped him and they took care of him - and when Junko rejected them, both Masashi and Yamashita stood by Kyohei, they wanted Junko to get together with him, they went as far as actually telling Junko to choose Kyohei and warning her that she would regret it if she didn't...

And the ending!!! That was *chef's kiss*

It was so good! It was inspiring and satisfying and there were no truly bad characters in this, just flawed people who learned and grew and it was fantastic to watch!

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Oh, this movie was wonderful. Truly wonderful. Sweet and touching and heartbreaking and just... so lovely. And Yokohama Ryusei as Rui simply shined here.

Rui's story was so sad. He made mistakes, terrible mistakes, and he paid for them harshly and just as he was about to start a new life, it all went to hell again, courtesy of Machida Keita's big bad, Kyosuke. Ouch.

The love story between Rui and Akari was so beautiful. Two people down on their luck finding each other and making do and becoming happy, it made my heart swell three sizes. Akari was simply amazing and her love for Rui - and his for her - was just... wow.

There weren't many people who truly loved Rui, besides Akari there were only two who wanted the best for him and who did not want to use him - the nun at the orphanage and his coach at the gym - and I loved both of them. The last time Rui and the coach saw each other broke my heart...

This movie pushed all my buttons, like all of them. It was so good!

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Or, This Flower Will Bloom, a one hour special that stars Inukai Atsuhiro in a supporting part. He was the reason why I watched it which is why I'm mentioning it.

It's a story about a real estate agent, Chika, in the town of Kagoshima which lies in the shadow of an active volcano, Mount Sakurajima. Her childhood friend, Yohei (Inukai Atsuhiro), asked her to marry him but she's always been hesitant about that because of how her father died when she was a child. And ever since Yohei joined the local Disaster Relief Unit, her reluctance grew tenfold because she's so terrified of losing him. And then, one day, a man comes into her office and asks her to find him a flat - a place where he won't be able to see Mount Sakurajima...

This is a very atmospheric movie, all orange tinted and almost... well, hazy, interspersed with authentic footage of times when the volcano went off in the past, one hundred years ago and then forty years ago, and accompanied by jazz music, sometimes soft, sometimes jarring. You can see what it's like living in this town where you have to follow the news about wind direction and ash fall, where you regularly have to sweep away bags and bags full of volcanic ash...

There are no big upheavals, now histrionics or drama in this special, it's just so... soft and calming, a slice of life story. And it was exactly what I needed today.

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This drama reminded me of Fishbowl Wives, just without all the cheating and with focus on the husbands - the househusbands, that is. Each of the six episodes introduced us to a different couple and the whole series was framed by the story of the main couple, of the main househusband, Riku, played by Kousei Yuki.

Out of the 5 couples that we got to know - besides the main one - I liked the YouTube one best. The househusband, Haru, was played by Okuno So and it featured my favorite trope, older woman & younger man. In this case quite a lot younger. But the love he had for his wife was just... mwah! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Overall, it was a really interesting series because each of the couple was different, each man's reason for becoming a househusband was different. And it also dealt with how househusbands in general were viewed in the society, as bums and leaches, and how it was for the men themselves, how some were embarrassed, some were proud... Quite an intriguing concept.

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Not even 30 min. long but so good because it heavily focused on Kairi (Lupin Red) and Keiichiro (Patren #1), kidnapped and brought over to the Gangler world. Every story that focuses on those two is simply marvelous.

And this one was no exception. It started with them bickering while they tried to fight the Gangler's henchmen only to realize that they would have to cooperate if they wanted to survive. And then the big explosion and the fall off the cliff and... Keiichiro waking up, realizing that he was hanging suspended in the air, held by the hand by Lupin Red whose blood was dripping down on Keiichiro's face. That was quite... something.

And the big fight between Lupin Red and Keiichiro on the one side and Gauche and Destra on the other! That was so well done! The action, the CGI!

Really, every scene, every story that focuses on Kairi and Keiichiro is gold because their chemistry is amazing. You can see that Ito Asahi and Kousei Yuki truly clicked and became great friends while filming this series.

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This was a strange little movie. A 19-year-old art student falls in love with a man twice his age. And the man, an art photographer, falls for him, too. But then the man is transferred to another city. What now? And... that's the movie.

What was interesting to me? That the student's, Yoichi's, loved ones didn't care about the fact that he fell for a man or that the man could be his father, they were simply glad that Yoichi finally felt something for anyone. Yoichi was namely very, very closed off because of what happened to his family years back so seeing him finally come out of his shell? That was enough for those who took care of him to be grateful so they all supported his feelings. That was a nice change from the usual hateful reaction of various family members in other dramas.

Also! This movie features Shiono Akihisa AKA Toujo from Zettai BL! He plays another gay character here because his Fujimoto also falls for Yoichi.

Overall, not a bad movie. Very quiet and atmospheric sice it mostly takes places in or around Yoichi's house with cicadas chirping in the background...

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This drama was awesome. Sure, it was silly - it is a show for kids, after all - but the story it told, its characters and the relationships between them, that was all so fascinating!

What I loved best about the whole thing was that they were pirates! Not high school kids, not university students but space pirates! And they were adults and they all went through terrible, horrible traumas in the past and they had absolutely no one but each other. That turned the found family trope up to eleven! All they had were each other and the galeon and Tori the mechanical not-bird. They lived together and they ate together, they planet-hopped together and they went on space adventures together... and they fought the Evil Empire(TM) together.

Out of the whole crew, I loved Captain Marvelous and Joe Gibken and their unbreakable bond best, of course. The way they always gravitated towards each other, the way they trusted each other, the way they kept each other safe... That was a thing of beauty!

I loved this drama. I honestly did. From the story it told, over the catchy, catchy tunes - Let's Go! Let's Gokaiger! - to the actors. It made me very, very happy. And very, very mushy when it ended.

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This was a good one! I loved that it introduced someone important from Marvelous' past - and that it once again showcased the bond between Marvelous & Joe.

Because Joe was the first one to notice that something was wrong when Marvelous turned all broody. I loved this scene because the other four were bickering in the background while Marvelous & Joe actually had a serious conversation. And then at the end, when everyone rushed to the space sheriff and Joe headed directly to Marvelous to grip his shoulder again the way Gavan did it before...

It's such tiny details like this that make a consistent characterization and show - instead of telling - the bond between two people. I love it! It's a drama for kids but certain Western shows could honestly take pointers from it!

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I cried. I cried so hard that I actually felt sick. I can't remember this ever happening to me. This was a wonderful movie but so incredibly sad that just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Fukushi Sota was amazing as Satoru - and Satoru was an amazing character. Inspiring in his inherent sweetness and kindness. The way he touched the lives of everyone around him, the way he brought the best out of people! Roles like that suit Fukushi Sota so well because he truly has the sweetest smile, he has the ability to make his eyes laugh!

The movie also featured the late Takeuchi Yuko as Satoru's aunt, Noriko, which added to the sadness of it. Because she was a great actress and her death two years back made the world a little... less.

Takahata Mitsuki as the voice of Nana the Cat was perfectly chosen, too. Nana's petulance but also his - yes, the cat was a male, though Takahata Mitsuki is female - love for Satoru, the way Nana adored his owner and stayed with him till Satoru's very last moments.

A beautiful, but also a terribly sad movie. Don't watch it if you feel depressed or down. But do watch it if you feel like having a good cry. The movie is worth your tears.

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