Karinanose

A deeply moving piece about identity

I was holding off watching this movie because I thought it was gonna be deeply sad. What I got instead was a movie about the ideals of morals, self identity and the roles families play in our lives.

This movie felt deeply upsetting. Kore-eda carefully layered all these actions that made it feel like he was leading us to a material conclusion only to swerve many times. I expected many things but I was wrong. It was amazed how he played with our preconceived notions of how we view events without any details. I also think this movie is a little bit of a discussion about the harsh culture in Japan about responsibility, even when it's not your fault.

The acting was superb from everyone. I felt bad for everyone by the end. Saori the mother, felt like she was constantly struggling to understand her child. Hori, the good willed teacher who wasn't even doing anything wrong. Someone who did care about his students and tried to be a better person. His girlfriend I think was meant to show his displeasure of the mundane life he had.(If it is to be believed she's from the hostess club). He also being a child of a single parent household demonstrated another aspect of the story I think is overlooked. Someone who is kind and t to help but in the end gets trampled by everyone else.

And Minato's storyline took such a swing that I didn't even realize what was happening at first. I think his realization of his sexuality is what sealed the deal that this movie is simply incredible. When we understand the events leading up to the main story, everything really starts to click. I was impressed with many revelations such as how dirty ended up in his mug and how he was trying to protect Yori.

As usual Kore-eda focused on a lot of character moments that just tell you so much more without having to say it. The act of spreading of I think cheese (?) on toast. Or how Saori did a slight head tilt as she was going up the stairs to talk to the teachers. The careful ironing of Minato's shirt.. all these moments really make a kore-eda film go from good to great.

The music was peaceful and solemn. They lead you into a sense of quiet melancholy.

Just being able to sit and really envelop myself in this movie, I reflected on how the bonds we have shake the foundation of self worth. Minato had no father and to me it felt like he was lost because of it. Yori had a father but he was mainly absent and treated a child who clearly had some sort of ADHD or autism as scum. The parallels of family households where one is present and the other it's fine have profound effects on our mental states. I felt so bad that Yori was being constantly bullied and his only friend didn't even try to stand up for him. The sociatile pressure of keeping up appearances hit harder once the realization of his sexuality came forth.

It reframed all of Minato's actions in a different context and then the story took on a whole other meaning. Same with the title, "Monster." That could mean more so many things in this movie now that I understand. Society, a slur, a responsibility, anguish, self worth.. it really makes you think about how we see each other.

My only main concern is the ending is very abrupt and I don't like that they left a huge thread about what Saori and Hori did after they didn't find the children.

Either then that, this is fantastic.

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What's next?

Ok so before I write this, I have to say I watched this movie without subtitles and used my decent knowledge of Japanese to understand the film. There were tons of medical terminology thrown in that went over my head however.

That being said, this was a beautiful movie. It was absolutely heartfelt and made me feel so good after. The premise of the movie is really unique. Nobumasa's daughter Yoshimi has a heart problem that modern medicine cannot fix, so he takes years to learn how to create an artificial heart. In the process, the wish to save his daughter becomes so much more.

Nobumasa's character is so endearing. He fights so hard to get his research and designs throughout the movie recognized. I felt such strong conviction from him. I love how his entire family supported him and Yoshimi thought-out the movie. I would of loved to see more interaction between the family, but they sort of did that at the end. It was good way to make you feel even more strongly about their ties. The movie didn't show too much family interaction next to brief scenes at the dinner table. But there interactions were nuanced and spoke volumes about how they've been supporting each other in the background.

It makes sense, seeing as how it was Nobumasa's story of triumph. The acting was really solid. There were times were Yoko The mother, seemed to be reading her lines. But I'm not sure if that was just how her character was. I really loved Nami's approach to her family with always supporting Yoshimi. It was so so heartwarming. I loved when she has to get her family back on track to do the right thing.

There were a few times were I teared up, so this movie does pull at the heartstrings when it needs to. It's not overly dramatic however. I would say it was a really good balance between triumph and sadness. There is little to no comedy.

The camera shots were really well done. There was a few particular scenes I was excited about. Nobumasa is always shown running against a wave of people up the stairs of the train station. I think it was a perfect visual of his struggle in the movie. There was another scene were the lighting transitioned from the depths of sadness to a ray of hope and it was so well executed. There were some really great transitional shots, I loved all of it. There were some fuzzy issues with like blurring lens focus but very minimal. You don't really notice it unless you are scrutinizing it like me lol. Wow usually makes an excellent product cinematic wise.

Music was well done and suitable. There's a great scene were the mom is with her daughter's and a possible piece is playing that really set a fantastic hopeful mood.

Overall it's a fantastic film to make you feel good. I initially watched it for Arimura Kasumi's random appearance and her single long dialogue scene was fantastic with what little time she had. She's barely in the movie at all, so I was happy that one of her only scenes was fairly moving.

Great film, totally recommend

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Three blessings

This is a sweet movie. Even though it takes place mostly during the daytime, I actually think this movie is well suited for a late night viewing. It's atmosphere is subdued and introspective.

Much of the movie is shot with long unwavering stillness. This allows the movie to be told solely through body language. Much of the time the characters are far out from the camera, so you have to rely on the subtle nature of the script and the actors. The scenery is simply magical. It's such a lovingly shot movie. It also felt as if the director was the only one there with them with his camera. I suppose that is to mimic the movies plot.

The plot itself is a little shallow. In fact it's actually a little hard to understand without taking in the visual cues of the actors. You can ascertain many things when you pay attention to the little nuances in the script. Arimura once again delivers a well acted movie. You can tell so much through just her gazes. The plot really clicks together when you realize the reasoning for why her and Shingo are rocky. The initial setup with her leaving Shingo and trying to find herself seems abrupt but slowly you begin to understand her own turmoil within herself.

Shingo's actor doesn't really do a whole lot but it works with the work ethic of the character. A portrait of indecisiveness. And as usual Ken Mitsuishi and Kaori Kobayashi show off their acting chops. Ken plays a very good disabled person. I liked that they used Kaoru in contrast to show how different pathways affect someone. The mother was cute, acting was a little shaky in some parts. I adored the non chalantness of the children.

The overall narrative doesn't really go far but it's mostly a showcase for Arimura's emotions. We understand she's in pain without her having to say anything. The story revolves around rebuilding and learning to live with your choices. At least that's what it felt like to me. Every character was marked by some sort of small tragedy that seemed to haunt them.

There's a few touching scenes having to do with the realization of other people's choices affects on the someone. Particularly the scene where Keizo reacquaints himself with his son. And also when Arimura finally finds her fireflies.

The music is the movie is soft and melodic. Nothing too much to mention. I will say though I appreciate the songs they used in both the opening and ending.

I think you have to be in the right mood to watch this movie. Hence why suggest watching it on the dead of night. It seems like it's trying to get across so many things but it's also aloof in how it wants you to get there. I think that's the movie's strongest point. It's up to interpretation. Family, life, career and love has always been like that.

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Somehow this might make you cry

I am a fan of the director and find most of his works veer into utter insanity. There's always a mix of humor, sadness and general chills. It's one of the better attributes of this director. You know you are about to watch something silly as hell when you watch his movies.

I found that the overall story in this was like 3 different parts. One was a haunted house horror movie, then a Shonen protagonist training montage and then family drama. I was in awe of how it transitioned. It definitely will be for a very niche crowd as it has tons of faults. However, if you just allow yourself to walk into this script you may find it has some good points.

The overall acting is kinda terrible. There were only a few good moments, which when they hit, they were strong. The quickness and dispatching of characters is crazy. It will surprise a lot of people. It is gory but not over the top. What will really set you off however is the reveal of why Sayuri is the way she is. Heavy warning and spoilers but there is SA of a minor in this story. It will be hard to watch even though this movie up until that point was somewhat hysterical.

This is why I said it might make you cry because the ending actually somehow made me tear up because of the wrong doings to Sayuri. The tonal whiplash is also a signature of this director. You may also come to the conclusion that he may not be that grounded himself but that's sort of why I adore his movies.

Which was surprising but understandable. But just like prior movies like OCCULT and SHIROME they tend to force you into all sorts of absurd emotions.
The music also was somewhat hilarious, swinging from Horror to Battle Anime to Sad depression. The ending theme really got me after everything was said and done. The final few scenes are actually really sweet and well shot. I thought overall the movie was well shot. It had just a little bit of everything for trickery to make you feel tense. I particularly enjoyed the flickering light sequences. There's some really pretty golden time shots in this movie. It seemed to be it's signature oddly enough.

I say give it a chance but only if you can get pass the SA and overall sporadic nature of the movie.

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Burn society down

So when I started this show, I didn't have really high expectations. In the end I don't hate my time with the show, but there's many glaring things that I had issues with.

After the ending was fully revealed and the culprit unmasked, I realized all the small things that made the entire reveal make sense. For that I applaud the director. The first initial episodes also had a good flow of suspense. It had all the makings of a good story.

However where I had my issue was in hindsight the overall plot was kinda dumb because of the ending. When it is revealed that Shinji was the actual culprit, it makes the whole campaign with Kiichi and Anzu against Makiko look like a dumb waste of time. Then there's the amount of back peddling with the amount that the show keeps resetting the stakes to day one where it looks like Makiko is getting away with it again. It gets frustrating how many times the show was like "IT WAS A LIE! THIS IS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPENNED! " I mean I don't think many would even think it was Shinji the whole time. But the time the reveal happened I was dumbfounded with how silly the plot had gotten. It felt like it was just trying to one up every surprise.

Character wise, many of the endings were fine. I just don't like the overall feel of the endings however. The relationship thing with Anzu and Kiichi felt really kind of silly and abrupt. The ending with him angst demanding Kiichi felt like they were passing a dog around. Thematically Anzu took away almost everything from Makiko but like Makiko kinda did it to herself. Makiko and Anzu carried heavily for this show. I think overall Makiko had the best characterization due to her seething line delivery and facial expressions. Everyone else just felt sorta one dimensional.


The dad was a completely useless character. He could of been not in the show and I don't think it would of overall affected the plot that much as he barely got any affects from the story. His betrayal also barely affected the larger overall story as well I thought. They were just there to set up more swerve. His story never got resolved with any of his original family or his new one. We are just to assume he is living alone now. It really irked me how they could of really made his character matter when it comes to the overall relationships but decided not to. Especially considering how he was mentioned a few times about abandoning Yuzu and Anzu.

Yuzu had a good arc from being protected to proactive. It mirrored Kiichi somewhat. Shinji had good intentions but made poor choices based on impulse and burdens.Satsuki was just over there having magical memory changes all over the place. She felt like the most stereotypical drama character. I never really felt that strong connection between the daughters and her. Shout outs to Nanami for her two face 180.

The music was nothing to really write about. By the end I was actually so sick of the piano sad theme. It was really out of place in the story's atmosphere. It broke the tension and almost became comical. Especially with the reuse of the Damn stargazing scene. At that point it was like a comedy sketch. Ending song was also kinda lacking.

The cinematography was just fine for what it was. There were some good blocking and framing for some of the pivotal scenes but either then that nothing really stood out. I think the only good scene I can think of is when Kiichi and Anzu have their confrontation in the hallway and the light filters in from the setting sun. There was also good lighting for the scene where Makiko is speaking to the police and the light changes on her face showing her shifting lies.

I think this could of been much better with a few tweaks here and there to the story and pacing overall. Still watchable I guess.

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How did I end up here? I dunno.

I picked up this show on a whim because of Nanao. I randomly saw her in Jigoku no hanazono and was like: "she seems cool."

How can I talk about this show. Honestly not much really happens. However all sorts of misunderstandings make this show fun to watch. I mean would you have expected their to be giant A.I controlled robots solving war by the end of this show?

I would have not either.

The main positives is Nanao true to her aura is fantastic as the ever so ditzy Takano. She perfectly plays the airhead with good heart. Sometimes she comes off way too dumb but it usually smooths out with the scenario playing out. I found it great that in the end Takano had such an impact on everyone. If they didn't resolve her whereabouts at the end I would of assumed she was secretly a guardian angel sent down to help everyone when they needed it. It's true you mainly get fixated on her the entire show but I came to like most of the characters.

Hatoyama was a really nice manager. I enjoyed his fatherly attributes to the other staff and how he was controlled. Ukai's compulsiveness to document and ascertain all knowledge at first seem to be confrontational. But then it kinda just turned into a neurotic quark. Kijitani had a great arc I thought. He became someone who didn't care to someone who realizes the impact everyone has on him and his responsibilities. Suzaku had a pretty good arc too despite it being so short. I really enjoyed the development team, especially Yumi. She had the overall best kill me now faces. There was an interesting dynamic as well between each group of work buddies. How each group approached the same problem was a nice look into the mindset of different age classes at a large company.

Now if you are wondering why I didn't mention Hiwada, that's because I felt he was the weakest main character. Honestly he barely had growth. Even when presented with big moments of him growing as a person, he reverts next moment into the same type of person. I also felt his character was somewhat annoying with just how wak they made him look. Him and Karasumori had really unlikable characters. I never felt like i was rooting for Hiwada but for everyone else I was. I also think they didn't even spend enough time to explain him. The other characters became more focused to wrap up story arcs which made his weaker overall. I assume this was due to the short run time of the series. If he was a little more interesting the score would be a little higher.

I suppose this mirrors the status of a new worker vs established workers. Where seniors take center stage and the newbies get drowned out.

One aspect I like about this story was how their were little moments of hope between all the companies. I enjoyed the fact that so many of the business people had epiphanies about how they viewed their employees and goals. I thought that was cute. It was cliche but cute. It kinda made each episode feel like a hallmark christmas movie. I think that's the best way to describe it.

A few small things to round this out. Opening theme is very interesting as it's in French. I liked the unique style intro. It felt kind of like a high fashion photos hoot parody. The ending theme was typical of this sort of drama. I didn't find the type of melody didn't suit the idea of the show. Ending themes really set the mood of a jdrama's impact and I found this one not be the right feeling. I wanted upbeat but more mellow of a flow. It was a song that felt like their were many hardships in the show but their really isn't lol. A good example would be Hope by Tota from the new Anne Shirley anime.

The show also randomly did interesting shots every now and then which were surprising in the moment. The under walk shot of Suzaku and tomato cam come to mind.

Overall the series ends with a sweet note. I half expected it to happen so it wasn't surprising. I bet they were snickering to themselves with the end shot being like a bird flying away from them.

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Wrestling is real

As someone who watches both wrestling and jdramas, I feel I'm uniquely suited to review this one.

My knowledge of Joshi(female) wrestling isn't the greatest as I mainly watched north american wrestling growing up. I dabbled in bits and pieces of Joshi wrestling as in the last few years. As such, I found this dramatization to be an instant showstopper for people who want to get further into the Joshi scene.

The story of this drama revolves around redemption, self worth, growing pains, family trauma, sexism and feminism. I thought they handled the subjects with care. There were times were I was moved to tears to what I was witnessing. This may not happen to everyone, but I found that the show had a visceral feeling of self loathing and weakness. Many people do not understand the toll wrestling takes on people over the years and how much effort goes into maintaining their status.I found that this put a spotlight on the fears and trauma wrestlers face. In the older days and even still now, women's wrestling was seen as second rate and not worth watching over men's. The women constantly had to prove themselves in a sport run by men. The trials wrestlers face such as changing crowd sentiment, physical abuse from senior wrestlers, unrecognized skill and bodily damage are all in focus in this series.

These feelings of worthlessness are perfectly performed by Yuriyan Retriever and her younger self(couldn't seem to find name of actor). I was thoroughly impressed with how much humanity was portrayed by them. From fleeting moments of watching wrestling for the first time to witnessing someone else rise above you. The highs were extra strong and the lows crushing. I felt strongly about everyone's battles in this show. I feel it will resonate with anyone who was ever told they were physically ugly or would not amount to anything. Kaoru's journey from someone undesirable to someone undeniable was a beautiful thing.In a way the show is extremely uplifting in that everyone rises to the occasion to overcome their weaknesses. The backstory of Kaoru and her family really helped push the motivations for her strength. Likewise the glow she observes from fellow wrestlers shining light were very inspirational. It's the job of the pro wrestler to get you invested into that story and they did a hell of a job in this. The standout performances of grit during the wrestling scenes were impeccable.

Speaking of which, I went back and watched a few real life versions of these matches and read about how they trained for this movie. Watching the matches in comparison it's extremely impressive how they mimicked the matches. In wrestling we call real life things "shoots" and fake things "kayfabe." This movie blurs the lines of what was kayfabe and what was a shoot. Japanese pro wrestling is much more "stiff" meaning the hits are usually actually real. Especially in the older days they really went all out to the point of exhaustion. You see this a lot in this movie. So if you are skirmish of violent acts with blood, you may want to pace yourself. The ring cinematography captures the electric feeling of the wrestling world so well. From the audience to the refs, to the ring announcers being hilariously calm while chaos is happening all around them. This is definitely a love letter to the spectacle of wrestling. The dynamic shooting angles and the triumphant musical choruses really give the pacing of these matches a special quality. Wrestlers have this innate ability to draw people in with the simplest of things. An eye look there, a brisk evasion, a strong slam down.. Wrestling is truly an art form in motion.

During some scenes it's hard to understand whether or not things were predetermined to happen or if it really did happen like that. That is something that for years has blurred in the wrestling world. Nowadays we hear a lot about the back end of things and some of that magic is lost. They explore this in the film when we see the owners and bookers(people who work out the match scenarios) discuss how they want the next showing to work. They touch a bit on when things happen like when Jaguar does a german suplex that signals the end of the match. Some wrestlers will audibly call out moves in ring on the fly, while others well choreograph every single moment. I found this series leaned more into the realism aspect in that regard. They didn't really have to talk about it however as the fights felt more gripping. This is truly a more of keeping kayfabe alive.

A small thing I want to touch on is the excellent set and costume design. I heard that they used Stardom's training ring for this series and was squealing with joy. Many of the show's set design were impressive with the hundreds of posters, fans shirts, bandannas and everything were amazingly done. The outfits were also so extravagantly 80s. The bright neons and checkered patterns were great touches. I loved every moment of seeing what sort of outfit would show up next. The wrestling attire was also lovingly recreated and was great comparing them to the originals. The hairstyles were also gorgeous representations of 80's styles. All the actors go through various stages in their life in this and it was really great seeing the progressive hairstyling.

I also really enjoyed how Lioness Asuka and Nagayo were heavily focused on to round out the feeling of this show. I found the three very different perspectives to be a strong core story. The heavy handed nature of wrestling discourse were explored through each one of these ladies. The wrestler who wants to stick to traditional non high flying with no weapon base vs the revolutionary who brings in things that feel foreign to wrestling vs the heel(someone playing the bad guy) who's job it is to make people hate them. Each perspective brings nuance to the sport and I greatly applaud their efforts into designing it this way. They do touch a little on about idol crossover culture in Joshi wrestling. Wrestlers have the same obligations as idols do, especially Joshis. Tv appearances, songs, movies, fashion shoots and merch sales were sprinkled in throughout.

I think this series is a fantastic gateway into learning about the harshness of the wrestling world and may even spur you like it did me to check out some old historical matches or current companies now. Whether you watch Stardom or WWE or AEW etc , it does not matter. All wrestling is valid (except backyard wrestling) and that is the beauty of the wrestling world.

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Strictly speaking from someone who has not read the manga, the movie is generally cute. The teacher/ student love position will likely be a source of contention for people before you even get like 20% into the story. If you can get over that, this is a pretty decent movie.

I will say you can tell that it feels like exposition is missing due to the speed of character interactions. Like Suzume and Yuyuka becoming friends so fast. Or Mamura liking Suzume feeling like the build up was missing. Especially during the Christmas scene, it didn't feel like it make any sense why he liked her. There was no build up to show that next to a few lingering looks. You hooks argue it was just implied but it wasn't strong enough in my opinion. I'm assuming there's scenes in the source material that shows that. So being one of the main relationships, it felt underwhelming. The relationship between Suzume and the Sensei also felt the same. Not enough definition of why. So this being the main story kinda broke the immersion.

Yukichi's confrontation with Satsuki also didn't feel strong because he spoke as if we had pretense to his and Suzume's relationship. We saw nothing of Yukichi's interactions with Suzume's to indicate if this was true. He totally felt like a throwaway character especially because they never really revealed what him and Satsuki talked about near the end.

Mei for me was definitely the right person to choose for this main role however. She's the perfect person to play a naive but emotional character. She has this perpetual look of confusion. Definitely felt like a manga heroine. She was ahead of everyone in terms of acting capability in this movie. She felt the most believable. There were tons of scenes with awkward interactions but for the most part Mei kept it grounded.

Now let's talk about the cinematography. It's very well done. The one thing about Japanese movies is when they do lighting well it has a totally different feel to western movies. The sense of a special moment or place in time getting captured in isolation was featured really well in this movie. The Christmas tree scene or the night time conversation between Mamura and Suzume come to mind.

I suppose this may also come from the manga panels framing key sequences to emphasize their importance and translating it over to live action. But there are some really pretty shots in this movie. It helps the movie's overall appeal since some of the relationships don't truly have good reasoning.

The music is very cute as well. I can't really remember much of the music but I can tell you it made me cheerful. The race theme was very dramatic though! And the ending theme is very bubbly.

I think if you are just looking for a nice movie to throw on, this would be a good candidate.

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One day under that brilliant dawn

When I was watching this show, all I could think of was "I wish I came across this show earlier in my life."

A story with a title like this, you expect to eyeroll at the contrivances and silly over the top melodrama. However this show felt different in what it was trying to get across.
The show wasn't so much about the love triangles and tension. It was more about the story of moving towards a path in life that you can be happy about.

When the story reached its finale points, I felt that I grew along side the characters. Each one felt like they overcame something large in their lives. Oto gained her independence and strength. Ren allowed himself to express his feelings. Rihoko allowed herself to be herself. Konatsu gained her confidence. Haruta gained self esteem. Asahi gained compassion and understanding. I really enjoyed each characters arc. I liked how each of them were allowed breathing room to expand their characters. No matter how they got there, their actions made more sense as the show went on.

I felt that the characterization was on point for the majority of the show. It's funny because I'm used to Kengo being a heel in his roles and was surprised to see him as a quiet reluctant man. But then the swerve hit and I was like "ahh there it is!" Arimura was my favourite part of the show. But I'm biased towards her. She tends to run a through a gamut of emotions in all her roles. I really liked her chemistry with the cast. Especially with Kengo, they had amazing body language chemistry. Kentarou felt a little scattered but when you start to realize his character's quirks, it makes it more reasonable.

Aoi felt really great in her portrayal of someone who judges others because of her own weaknesses. With Mitsuki, I loved how her character didn't become catty or violent. The fact that she settled into the chill friend was amazing. And finally Takahiro, he felt nuanced. At first I didn't really like him. As the show went on I stayed feeling really bad for him. Then I felt like he was being too uncaring but the I was back on his side later. It felt like a rollercoaster with his character. Special shout out to Issey playing the guy with a chip on his shoulder and Mei Nagano as a cute support.

Also just a mention about the show's great mirroring. There's a good amount of scenes mirroring how similar the stories of Oto and Ren are. From what they are doing when they are texting to how they perceive people. It really showed an unspoken bond between the characters. I also liked how paper played a role in emotional damage.

It was also kinda funny because I heard the piano score and recently came off of "Umi no Hajimari"only to say to myself "This sounds so similar... " only to find out its the same composer. So if you enjoyed that Soundtrack, it's more or less the same.

The cinematography was fine for what it was. I particularly enjoyed many of the overhead shots and nights capes. The opening moments of episode 1 was also an interesting way of introducing everyone. There's some lighting issues with the general Japan way of doing the blown out sunlit characters. Either the that, it was good. A good thing about the camera work was it was always sort of moving. It created an engaging flow. There some conversations hurt by the camera however jumping back and forth so much between characters.

Overall a really piercing watch. I think I cried every episode(The mom's note 😭). But a lot of things just hit so strongly. I think because the main core of the show is the struggle to make something of yourself. And that's something we all can relate to.


P. S that ending song is one of the sweetest songs I've heard. After you finish the series, watch the music video.

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A slowly placed uneven drama

The first thing to mention is the plot is a little strange. Is it common to come back to high school to help a old teacher with something in Japan? I know the schooling is very different in Japan and you have you have more obligations but the setup was a little random. I guess from a standpoint of helping out old friends it makes sense but then they added in the random swerve of Yuzuko's story!

I get that it's sort of a parallel to Kudo's story and showing what maybe would have happened to her if Hayama didn't take interest in her. But it's really just a plot device to move the story along. It felt really out of place. The pacing and plot lines shuffle a little bit too much in this story. Thus creating an uneven watching experience. Somethings happen at a snails pace. While others are in fast forwards like the relationship with Ono and Kudo.

Now there are some morality issues in this one. A teacher having a relationship with a high school student, despite things only becoming inappropriate after graduation. It's at first shown that Kudo is the unrequited love but then after the kiss scene all gloves are off.
Some may have issues with this romance situation. Especially during their final scenes together, we have a very emotional sex scene that is stark contrast to the other sex scene. This scene however directly comes after a scene with exposition that would make the sex between Hayama and Kudo controversial.

The movie skirts the line on morality a bunch with how these things play out. We don't need to necessarily feel like these are good decisions but they are there to inform us how these characters are themselves flawed.


And unfortunately the second relationship doesn't fair much better.

The main issue I have with this movie is the lack of chemistry. The two main leads Jun and Kasumi really don't have too much going for them. I didn't really feel like they had any sort of connection. Some actors just don't really get that spark together. They may have acted fine individually but I couldn't feel that rapport. The ending of the movie kinda proves this point that the love they shared was different but it surely will be controversial to a lot of people.

I've watched Kentarou and Kasumi in all their performances together in reverse order and this was by far their most physical but also most lacking in chemistry. But that's mainly due to the type of relationship they have in this. It's very unhealthy. I honestly wasn't expecting that sort of outcome. So I guess that's one positive to this story. That nothing ends positively lol.

The cinematography of the movie is fairly ok. There's a lot of rain shots and sometimes what I consider a few artsy shots. The movie has a fairly nostalgic tone over the film as well due to the flashbacks. There's also the classic blown out white light that's so common in Japanese media lol. The music is mostly nostalgic or sad piano.

Overall I'm not sure this is one worth watching personally.

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Please tell us something about yourself in 1 minute.

A frustrating watch to be honest. Not because of the movie itself. More so the themes behind the movie are so true and harsh.

The theme of this movie seems to be about how we are just expected to be someone as soon as we enter the job market in society. In Japan, it is a big deal to land a good job and if you do it must be with a company. Those jobs pretty much mean you are there for life. It's generally looked down upon taking up jobs that aren't with giant companies and leaving such jobs is also a very big faux pas. Therefor work culture in Japan can sometimes be toxic and leave many people in disarray during the job hunt.

We come across 5 individuals all looking for that release. When they will find the job that will make them a productive member of society. Each one has a goal in mind to find the job but they are extremely reluctant to do so. Many of them end up having to compromise in order not to feel failure. Failure is a large component of this movie. In fact the main Protagonist Takuto somewhat revels in it. And this is where the movie becomes extremely frustrating.

Takuto is always analyzing his peers and making his judgements on their decisions. His character is majorly flawed in that he has totally been crushed by the world and doesn't take responsibility for his own downfalls. This creates a large vacuum of despair within himself. It's as if his self loathing is projected onto his friends. We learn at the end about what he's really been thinking the entire movie and it's awful. As someone who has had issues in the past comparing themselves to others, I can understand where he's coming from. We attack because we lack awareness of our own vulnerabilities. It's one of the reasons it's hard to watch this for me. We know he knows that he isn't amounting to anything but he can't express it himself anymore.
A largely trapped feeling that dwells on past stories.

The other characters are parallels of this journey. Mizuki who has to grow up in order to protect her parents who she feels she owes. Kotaro the drive less musician who has to move on in order to survive. Despite this he continues to head toward a goal that seems almost implausible. Rica who wants to do good in the world and does everything she can to make herself heard. And finally Takayoshi who has already decided that the world is beneath him and he doesn't want to live in such a world that breaks someone's individuality. All of these characters represent many repressed feelings of youth who are growing up in such a society that values you more as a number then a person. The main cast all present themselves in a way that represents a role in Takuto's mind play. People who hide their insecurities and sadness behind walls. They are all equally disgraceful in his eyes. But we watch on as entertainment. So then the question the movie asks is how can we be so blind to these feelings?

Visually the film is well shot and there's some really good tight shots and the stage play shots are really inventive. A lot of the film focuses on subtle little cues. Like the shuffling of a phone or the eyes of Takuto making his analysis of his friends.Body language is also very telling in this story. There's a major difference in how let's say Kotaro, Takayoshi and Takuto present themselves. Takeru Satoh has this innate ability to portray a devilish quality behind his acting. It's kinda like that swarmy evil underbelly of someone . In this movie it makes him pretty unlikable as a character. Kasumi once again steals the show with her distant emotional breaks. I think she had the best scenes in the movie.

I would say this movie is ok to watch when you just maybe feel a little sad. It's mood is definitely subdued with it's warm intense lighting. It uses a lot of techniques that stage plays use I thought. So it has a lot of spotlights and colored lighting to convey tones.

Finally the film expresses the one true thing we all know. Twitter is a dumpster fire.

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Continue on

I want to say what a beautiful piece of media this is! A delicate story of life and balance. Despite what may happen in the story, the answer is always to move forward with a smile.

The actors have great chemistry. Kentarou and Kasumi lead the cast with their amazing body language and melancholic stares. These two are undeniably great together. If you have seen Sayonara no Tsuzuki, it's almost like watching a seemingly parallel relationship play out. Kasumi always has this expression I call the "Arimura stare." It's when she stares off to the side looking down as if she's looking through time and space.

A lot of things happen in this story to poor Toko. Arimura was the right choice in depicting such a flurry of emotional turmoil and strength. I tend to find she takes on roles a lot where her character is constantly being pulled in many directions, only for her to stand her ground and make her own decisions about what's best for her. That's why I'm so drawn to her roles. She expertly has honed this very specialized talent of the listless soul searching for meaning.

Kentarou plays his part with a gentle nature and ease. His outburst feel more emotional as his character is so reserved. I liked that about his acting. Whenever he was dealing with things, his body language would become awkward and stiff. Thus allowing him to fully express his inhibitions.

I was also enamoured with Kang Ji Young as Han. I loved her acting and smoothness. Each of her scenes felt really relaxed. The dynamic she had with both Toko and Kiyotaka was great!

Amane's part as Shinji was a little jarring at first as an insert rival but he came around. I think Shinji and Toko needed more interactions to make me understand the relationship better. Kiyotaka and Han felt more fleshed out and had better layers built upon it. So I didn't quite feel that much for Shinji. He was a plucky underdog that in the end lost but not forever. His tragedy seemed to be an amalgamation of trying to work your hardest but still losing in the end. Which I think is important in this particular story. He didn't get a fairytale ending. He hid things and lashed out due to all the stress. A trait that many in Japanese society can understand I'm sure.

I liked that this story started with tragedy and then ended with bittersweet ending. There's so many things that happen in this story that feels like a train wreck. It's almost just bad news after bad news that these poor people endure. But I appreciated that they handled each story well. I was not expecting the story to feature the Philippines. That segment took such a drastic turn of events!

Each story I felt had a important message about rebuilding and supporting each other through tough times. I think that's what made me really enjoy this story. Hardships we endure and the power to move forward is something that Japan heavily focuses on. It's a strength of Japanese media. Soshite ikiru is trying to tell us to not dwell on the negatives because we are still here in the end. Things may come and go but we can find happiness in how those hardships led us to the things we have now.

In the end we can always strive to move forward.

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Time and time again

Honestly it's hard to really say much about this movie.

At first it's ok and intriguing. Then as the movie progresses it just starts getting silly.
The acting by the young actors are great. The older adults come across as phoning in the roles honestly.

I didn't like Satoru's depth at all. His acting didn't seem believable and I just couldn't get behind how he was reacting to situations. Like when his mom was killed what sort of reaction was that?? Katagiri was also just kinda there and the ending had no impact due to their undefined relationship. There was not enough build to make it matter. They all felt too mellow in their scenes and it made the movie feel like nothing significant was happening.

I also don't understand how situations played out. We have an adult in a kid's body, yet his logic during key scenes was like not to speak up or defend himself. The acting of Kayo's parents also seemed to be so dissonant from the scenes. I don't know how to explain it. They weren't acting at the other actors, they were just playing out the scene if that makes sense.

The pacing and plot were ok for the most part but as everyone else said the last 20 mins is just absurd. Let's just go to a super high roof alone with the killer.

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We never should feel bad for a life we lived.

I fell in love with these characters over the course of this 10 episode series. Despite the main theme of the story being something that is brought up a ton in Japanese media, this story felt fresh and unique.

Having the story set up about the life of struggling comedians was a great idea. I loved Haruto's blunt nature, Shunta's infectious spirit and Junbei's unwavering quirkyness. Each of these characters felt so natural in their interactions with their banter being the highlight. Sometimes the dumb jokes were nonsensical but that's what makes this more believable. The fact that the jokes they had with each other didn't seem that funny to me spoke volumes about how realistic the friendship was. These are stupid little jokes only they would find hilarious. I really liked that aspect and was able to laugh along as they really made no sense to me. The sketches were beyond crazy. I had no idea what I was watching half the time lol. Make sure you stay until the end of the credits as they finish the sketches.I did find comfort in them just like how Rihoko did however.

Rihoko and Tsumugi had an important part to play as well. I resonated with both of their struggles as they hit really close to home. Rihoko is brilliantly acted by Arimura Kasumi and Tsumugi by Kotone Furukawa. I've seen these two together in so many shows now, it makes sense why they are paired together. They have wonderful chemistry. Rihoko probably has the most dramatic scenes in the series and steals the show whenever they pull one out. Tsumugi felt a little more one sided until they opened up about what her character was experiencing and it felt all too real. I thought her character had the most interesting reason for being the way she was. I will include Natsumi in this as well. Natsumi was a cutie, and I want all the best things for her. Her character motivations and demeanor were so wholesome. I really liked that there was practically no drama with her relationship with Everyone. I was half expecting a burst of emotion at the events but it was tempered with the story.

I also liked for the most part that the series is so light hearted despite such heavy subjects as suicide, life goals, mlms and failures. The themes resonate with anyone who are now in the midst of their adult years. I felt joy, sorrow and appreciation for how they depicted so many different subjects with pillowy tact. The show respects that things aren't really bad or good in all aspects and that was a core takeaway. We don't need to normalize taking the opposite route of everyone else is a bad thing. As long as we have faith in ourselves, it wasn't for nothing.

Sometimes it's ok to take the road less travelled if it means getting you closer to who you want to be.

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This is just all over the place

Quick preface by saying I have not read the manga.

I tried to give this movie the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes we can take movies at face value and just turn our brains off and enjoy, but this movie is messy in its execution.

The acting is all over the place. Momo the main character is carelessly thrown about with no real reason for character growth. Her goals and grievances are very haphazard. It doesn't help that her acting is not very believable. It's hard to root for her when you don't feel any sort of attachment. The crying scenes especially felt very off. Like the crying was good the emotion seemed misplaced if that makes sense?

The movie also seems to focus way more on Kairi then her. Kairi's story is decently ok but he is extremely irritating. His family acts so hilariously like typical drama family that none of it feels like it matters. The father especially feels like a completely different story is going on. Toji is extremely just there to be cool. And Sae is just a maniac with no good reason to actually hate Momo. I like both Mackenyu and Mei so it was disappointing seeing their characters so one sided. I also think the cast had really bad chemistry together. Every interaction felt extremely forced or awkward.

Each plot point just goes so quickly and there seems little build up to these characters. It's like they were just rushing to get to each plot point. Every new plot introduced just made it feel like this would of been better as series. There seems to to be a lot missing perhaps found in the manga. This hurt the pacing quite a bit as they tried to cram so much into the movie.

Not recommended at all.

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