Meari21

Of Modern-Day Ninjas and Their Possible Existence

I finally finished House of Ninjas after a lot of cursing and chants of "Kill Kill Kill". As a whole, it is a great series that showcases the shadowy world of the enigmatic shinobi, revolving around the fictional descendants of Hattori Hanzo, the famed shinobi who was a loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The series captured my attention because there have been very few movies or shows that elaborately depict modern-day ninjas and do it in a more believable or conceivable fashion. I give credit to the writers of the show for creating such a rich world of ninjas filled with colorful and relatable characters (except one). Kaku Kento is an absolute badass as Haru, the skilled but reluctant shinobi who refuses to kill and rebels at the idea of complete subjugation from the government that employs them. Kora Kengo is equally brilliant as his conflicted older brother. And of course, there's their beastly dad played by Eguchi Yosuke who is known for playing Saito Hajime in the Rurouni Kenshin movies and Ichigo's dad, Kurosaki Isshin, in the Bleach live action. But I think my favorite is definitely the grandma even though I found Riku adorable. In fact, I loved most of the characters, including the villains like Yamada Takayuki, because they are so good in this. I loved everyone except Ito Karen (I don't want to search for the actress' name) whose damsel-in-distress and nosy reporter character just bugged me from the get-go. My god, I have never wanted a character to die so bad! 🤣 All she ever does is get herself into trouble and have Haru rescue her. Her pursuit of the truth gets her in deep shit and all because she wants to know everything. Not everything that is kept in the shadows should be brought to light. There's a reason why it is being kept secret and most of the time it's because it will only cause more harm than good to reveal it. She is basically like a cat whose curiosity almost gets her killed. She is such a waste of space. I am hoping they will leave her out in the succeeding seasons and introduce a different love interest for Haru. As for the fight scenes, they are well choreographed and executed, especially the boss fight between the brothers. That was so cool! Kudos to the stunt team and action choreographers for crafting some of the coolest ninja action I've seen in years. Looking forward to the next season, but please, no more Karens.

Read More

Yin Yang Master It Is Not

Onmyouji or The Yin Yang Master: Zero is the latest Japanese live action adaptation of the popular game, Onmyouji. This IP has had many movie and anime adaptations over the years, three of which are Japanese films, including this one, an anime series, and three Chinese movies. As a non-fan of this franchise, I would say that this standalone film is watchable only to a certain extent. It is weird and draggy as hell! I had to watch this in installments because I kept dozing off and I always kept trying to remember what the plot was about.

The story? I don't know. Is there one? It just follows a gifted apprentice who is incredibly rude and full of himself. His parents were killed and he's looking to avenge their deaths. He meets a nobleman who befriends him and together they solve supernatural cases. The world is explained in a long narration in the beginning and their skills and techniques are conveniently explained through lectures given by teachers of these apprentices. And yet, they start showing off seemingly magical powers that come out of nowhere, so you begin to doubt whether you actually understood the explanation on how things work in this world. It has this dreamlike quality to it that makes you think that maybe you're hallucinating from an acid trip. But you're so confused that you just don't care anymore and fall asleep. That's what this is. Seriously, this is better off as a drama instead of a movie. Then maybe they could've done a more decent job at the world building aspect.

The acting is theatrical. In other words, it's bad. Yamazaki Kento is miscast once again. His portrayal of the lead role is exactly the same as his L in the live action drama adaptation of Death Note. At this point, I think he's just phoning in his performances. Oh well, at least he's only half bad here, not as horrible as his version of L. The rest of the cast all act as if they're in a stage play. Cheesy AF! The music? Pretty much non-existent because I didn't notice it at all. The visuals are decent but that's the only saving grace of this movie. I can tell they shot the vast majority of scenes in front of green screens, though.

All in all, this is not a good movie. If I were a fan of the games, then maybe I could've appreciated it more. But it's just badly written, acted, and produced. It's definitely one of those live action adaptations that should never have been made.

Read More

A Worthy Remake

I have slept on Taiwanese dramas and movies for far too long! This movie is a remake of the 2010 Korean film, which I didn't see, so I have no basis of comparison. I'm glad I didn't watch that movie, though otherwise I would've been spoiled by the ending. Hello Ghost is basically Robert Downey Jr.'s 1993 film, Heart and Souls, but with a lot more heart and soul. Yes, the original is made in Korea but the Korean version is no doubt heavily inspired by Heart and Souls.

It's a story about family, companionship, and the need for human connection. Anyone who has ever suffered from depression, contemplated suicide, and lived through the loss of a loved one could very much relate to this story. It follows a lonely young man, Chen Wei, who tries to end his miserable life countless times, but fails each time. One day, he finally succeeds in dying but is saved by a do-gooder paramedic. He comes back from the dead with the ability to see ghosts. Four ghosts start to accompany him, asking for favors and surprisingly, giving him good advice. As he spends more time with them, he starts to see them more as family instead of a nuissance. He receives guidance from them and he starts to feel a lot less lonely than before.

This is a very wholesome family-oriented film with so much heart, life lessons, and quotable quotes. It has laugh-out-loud moments as well as dramatic scenes that would have you reach out for tissues. His relationships with the ghosts and the paramedic who saves him from dying are the focal points of this story. And the twist at the end had me crying my eyes out. If you love movies like How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, then this is for you.

Read More

The Best and Most Grounded Rurouni Kenshin Film

Among all the Rurouni Kenshin live action movies, The Beginning is hands down my favorite. Unlike its predecessors that are pretty much just live action depictions of the anime and manga, this one is dark, bloody, brutal, mature, and a lot closer to the samurai movies of old than its anime/manga counterpart.

The movie opens in a bloodbath, with an almost unrecognizable Himura Kenshin slashing through his victims like a rabid animal and leaving pools of blood in his wake, much like Ryunosuke leaving piles of corpses behind in The Sword of Doom. Anime-watchers only may be shocked to see this side of their beloved wanderer, but the events that transpire in this film would help them understand the man behind the monicker Hitokiri Battousai and his motivations. This movie is basically a deeper look into the character that is Himura Kenshin, his violent past, his first love, and the ideals that shaped the man that he would become at the start of the Rurouni Kenshin series. But this is also Tomoe's story, the woman who changed the life of a young and impressionable samurai, and turned him from a killer into a protector.

Yukishiro Tomoe is probably one of the most complex characters in Watsuki's manga series but she has been misunderstood, criticized, and even vilified by Kenshin-Kaoru shippers. The manga doesn't delve deep into her psyche and the OVA Trust and Betrayal only managed to scratch the surface, so I'm glad that this live action version somehow shows her true intentions and feelings. I had my doubts with Arimura Kasumi's casting as I used to think that she has the emotional range of a cardboard. But she actually surprised me by her on-point portrayal of Tomoe, from the subtle facial expressions to her deadpan delivery of her dialogues. Tomoe is an introvert who has trouble expressing her emotions. She can be painfully blunt without sounding antagonistic or argumentative. Kasumi got those down to a tee. In fact, it's not her that I have a problem with surprisingly, but I'll get to that later.

The dialogues are so well-written and it's no wonder because some of them were taken straight from the manga. As for the fight scenes, they do not disappoint albeit they aren't as flashy as the ones from the previous films. The fight choreography in this movie is much more grounded and realistic, reminiscent of old samurai movies, which is more to my liking, really. My favorite is definitely the battle between Kenshin and Okita, I actually watched it twice because I thought it was so darn cool. The real-life Okita Soji was said to have been one of the finest swordsmen of the Shinsengumi, and in the manga, he would've been a great match for Battousai if only he had not been dying from tuberculosis. Nonetheless, their fight shows how big of a threat he is to Kenshin despite his debilitating disease, and I gotta give it to the fight choreographers and the actors for that well-crafted sequence. I just wish Murakami Nijiro had more screen time as I really liked him as cocky Okita.

Kitamura Kazuki as the head of the Shadow Warriors doesn't have much screen time either but he certainly makes the most out of what he was given. He manages to be menacing, despicable, but also sympathetic in the little time he was on screen. He's a great actor so I don't wonder how he does it. Takahashi Issey as Katsura exudes gravitas that you can't help but believe in his cause despite the brutality of his measures. The rest of the cast are great in their respective roles, I don't really have much to say except that I wish some of them had gotten more screen time. But then again, I also understand the need for the movie to focus on Kenshin and Tomoe as underneath all the politics, the fights, and the socially relevant themes, this is a love story. I'm glad that the filmmakers didn't hesitate to show the romance between the two characters like they did with Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship. And the fact that the chemistry between Kasumi and Takeru is palpable definitely adds to the believability of the romance.

But I'm a little disappointed with Takeru's acting in that pivotal scene. I was expecting to cry ugly tears like I did when I first read the manga, but I just ended up being stunned that he didn't openly weep and scream like Kenshin did in the manga. Oh, Takeru, you may be great at doing the stunts and action sequences, but your acting still needs a whole lot of work. I know I sound like I'm nit-picking but that's supposed to be an emotional scene, I expected to see shock, devastation, grief, and guilt! Kasumi shows more acting range than he does and that's saying something! This movie would've been perfect if not for that bit. I'm willing to forgive it because the film, as a whole, is just so beautifully made so I can't really hold one actor's lack of acting skills against the whole production. This is still the best Rurouni Kenshin movie ever made, in my opinion, though.

Read More

The Second Best Movie In The Whole Franchise

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final is the fourth and second to the last installment in this saga. It is based on the Jinchu arc of the Rurouni Kenshin manga, better known to manga fans as the "revenge arc" for it explores Himura Kenshin's past and Yukishiro Enishi's attempts to avenge his sister's demise. Plot-wise, it pretty much remains faithful to the manga although there are parts that were taken out and parts that were added for fanservice and theatrical purposes. I could be wrong but I don't recall one particular fan-favorite character being part of this story. But what the hell, I don't mind.

There are stuff that I wish they had put in but the exclusion doesn't take away anything from the movie. I do have some minor gripes, though. There are some iffy CGI in some of the action sequences, particularly in the boss fight at the end. But I suppose they felt they needed to establish Enishi as someone with superhuman strength and abilities that can exceed Kenshin's since among all of Kenshin's adversaries in the manga (not including the recent arc), it's Enishi who almost killed him, and is, by far, the strongest of all his opponents. In the manga, Enishi specifically developed his fighting style to counter Kenshin's hiten mitsurugi, so yeah, the guy was practically created to end the Hitokiri Battousai. If not for his worsening mental state and obsession with his sister, he would've beaten Kenshin without a doubt. And I still don't like their treatment of Sano. They practically nerfed the guy and just turned him into the comic relief. Sano can be an idiot but he's no fool, and he's certainly not someone you can easily push aside.

Other than that, I don't have much to complain about this film. Although I wish they had followed the manga's narrative style starting with Kenshin's friends getting hurt by a series of attacks orchestrated by Enishi, then Kenshin telling the story behind his relationship with Enishi in a series of flashbacks, and ending with the final confrontation between the two, I know that this is probably the most effective way they could bring the Jinchu arc to life, considering the time constraints and that they have to divide it into two films. While following the manga would have helped non-manga readers or those who haven't seen the OVA's or anime series better understand the events that lead to Enishi's revenge, it's also not practical. So, I can't really oppose their decision to divide the story into two films with the last one being a prequel.

I had my doubts about Mackenyu's casting before, but he quickly wins me over as Enishi. I no longer doubt he is the right actor for the role. Tsuchiya Tao as Misao, like in the previous films, brings a smile to my face. I still hate that they make her less attractive in these films but I'm also glad that they make her so freakin' badass! I'm glad they brought back Iseya Yusuke as Aoshi as Aoshi and Misao really are supposed to be in this part of Kenshin's story. I still don't like Kaoru *shrugs* but it is what it is. lol No offense to Takei Emi, as I don't have anything against her, just her character. I don't even mind Sato Takeru in the role of Kenshin anymore, maybe I've gotten used to him or maybe because of his scenes with Arimura Kasumi as Tomoe that just felt right to me. I must say, I do notice a strong onscreen chemistry between them. I'm beginning to think that that's precisely the reason why Kasumi was cast as Tomoe. So despite my initial misgivings about her casting, I'm starting to actually like the idea of her as Kenshin's beloved first wife. I never thought I'd say that! lol

As for the technical aspects of the film, it's just beautifully shot, the cinematography is even more dramatic than in the previous films, the action scenes are better choreographed, and I love the emotional beats and dramatic scenes. I am still not a fan of Takeru's acting style but he pulls it off here. Final thoughts? I like this movie overall, it's very well done, and it's definitely one of the best installments in the series.

Read More

A Hot Take

This movie may have received excellent reviews from movie critics and a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, but it left me feeling disappointed and a little pissed. I am a Bong Joon Ho fan and I liked pretty much all of his movies that I've seen so far, except this one. The first half of the film is well-written and directed, it draws you in with its smart grifter-type plot about a family of charlatans. It establishes the characters quite well that you feel invested in them almost immediately.

The second half, however, is a different matter. It's like the filmmakers suddenly didn't know what to do next and resorted to doing something completely off the rails and just went crazy with it to push their social and political agendas. It felt like two different movies to me. I was expecting them to do something smart with it, but in the end, it just came out stupid. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me, but I just felt that they could have ended the movie in a much better fashion. Yes, it's a satire, I know, but just because it is, it doesn't mean you have to ignore logic and realism. In my opinion, this is a waste of a very promising plot.

Read More

A Live Action Adaptation That Should Be Forgotten

Some manga/anime series should never be adapted to live action and Fullmetal Alchemist is one of them. While Japanese-speaking European characters are not uncommon in anime, this poses a big problem when done in live action. Asian actors wearing blond wigs and pretending to be Caucasians are not the least bit believable. They look like a bunch of cosplayers wearing badly styled cheap wigs. Hiromu Arakawa created a complex world where alchemy is used as if it were magic but treated as a science. She meticulously explains her concept in the manga and it was translated faithfully to its anime version. However, the film fails in this when it uses merely one scene in which Al awkwardly explains the process of alchemy to a bunch of townspeople. If you're a fan of the series, then you wouldn't have any problems getting into the story. If not, then you'd have difficulty understanding equivalent exchange, the gate of truth, and such.

Even though the costumes, sets, and visual effects aren't terrible, the majority of the casting is. Ryosuke Yamada, for all his good looks, simply does not embody what Edward Elric is all about. I just couldn't see the loudmouthed midget with an attitude in him. His acting is tolerable at best. Winry has always been a bit annoying but she is an automail genius and certainly no damsel in distress. She actually plays a vital role in the brothers' lives, something the film fails to show. Also, the actress they've chosen to play her cannot act to save her life, let alone build an automail arm. Al may look exactly as he does in the anime, thanks mainly to the special effects team, but he sounds more like an effeminate male teen than a child who never really got to grow up. Dean Fujioka makes a handsome Roy Mustang, but he plays him too seriously that he ends up looking woody and awkward most of the time. The Flame Alchemist is humorless at times, yes, but he is also one of the most complex characters in the series who pretends to be a self-absorbed womanizer to hide his vulnerabilities. Perhaps with better writing, Dean could have done the character justice.

The homunculi are passable with Yasuko Matsuyuki's Lust standing out of the three that are included in the film. But it is Sato Ryuta's portrayal of Maes Hughes that is most memorable for me. Hughes is a fan favorite and I've always hated the idea of him being killed off. Ryuta made me care as much about the character as I did in the manga/anime that his death bothered me all over again. All in all, the movie is entertaining but not nearly as good as the original series. It got some things right, but it got a lot of it wrong that it just doesn't do the original manga/anime justice. Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my all-time favorite series and as a fan, I am disappointed with this live action version. Like most live action films of Japanese manga series, this one fails in most aspects.

Read More

Manji The Killer of 100 In The Flesh!

Takashi Miike's 100th film is based on a seinen manga by Hiroaki Samura about an immortal samurai who must kill 1000 evil men to gain redemption. I suppose it's understandable that those who are unfamiliar with the manga might compare it with Logan. There are certainly some similarities with Manji having lived long enough to become weary of killing and finding a new purpose to go on. Not to mention, his ability to heal wounds is very Wolverine-like. But the similarities end there. This is a story of revenge much like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, but it's also about a man struggling to find a semblance of redemption before he finally succumbs to death. It's not as good as the manga, unfortunately, but it does well in bringing the characters to life and Miike is not shy about showing the brutalities the manga is known for. The movie lacks proper character development for the minor characters, including its main villain, but it's understandable considering this was based on a manga series consisting of hundreds of chapters that spanned years in the making. You can only do so much with a little over two hours of run time. I never would have imagined Takuya Kimura for the role but I had totally forgotten that I was seeing a former boy band member and thought only of Manji the Killer of 100. He was almost unrecognizable in the role. The fight scenes are well-choreographed and executed. There are no over-the-top wuxia-like flying or frantic sword fighting that made the Rurouni Kenshin movies so popular. But it does boast of nearly realistic sword play that you find in samurai films of old combined with Kill Bill-type of bloody fights, which make the film better in my opinion. Sorry Kenshin but Manji is the shit! Just try killing this dude, you can cut off his limbs, even his head and he can still re-attach them! Fans of Japanese cinema might find more than one familiar face in cameos and small roles. I just wish this was turned into a series instead of a movie so the characters can be fully fleshed out and Manji's immortality could be properly addressed. But on the bright side, there's room for a sequel or sequels. As samurai films go, I'd give this a 7.5. Highly enjoyable, great lead character and well-crafted fight sequences that make you cringe with all the blood and gore. It's certainly a win for Takashi Miike.

Read More

A Review of the High & Low Drama and Movies...

After watching two seasons of the drama and three movies, I finally finished the Mugen/Sannoh Hoodlum Squad saga of this High & Low franchise. I'm not gonna lie, I did enjoy it to a certain degree, especially the drama, but the movies not so much. The films, to me, are like the Fast and Furious movies, they get bigger, crazier, and blatantly worse with each installment despite the flashy action choreography and huge action pieces. But I felt compelled to keep watching because I have grown attached to some of the characters, particularly Murayama, Smokey, Tetsu, Todoroki, Seki, and the rest of the guys from Oya Koko. The plot is completely bonkers! I won't even try to discuss that here. The characters, for the most part, are caricatures. The different street gangs appear cool at first but I grew weary of most of them as I kept watching. The Sannoh guys are quite possibly the most wholesome and boring bunch of gangsters I've ever seen on screen. Their leader, Cobra, is an emo kid with a default expression that he probably believes to be intimidating and eyes that are as dead as the black button eyes of Coraline's other parents. It doesn't help that the actor who plays him has the emotional range of a wet paper bag. Yamato and Noboru are slightly interesting but they don't get enough screen time, which is a shame since the actors that play those two can actually act.

The White Rascals are just plain creepy. They claim to have started their group to protect women and call themselves “scouts”, which is a nice way of saying that they are pimps. Okay, I get the sad backstory of their leader, Rocky, but come on, if they really want to protect women, then why are they selling them like pieces of meat? Instead of “helping” them become prostitutes, why not help them live decent lives??? Every time Rocky says he's only doing it to protect women, I cringe and get the urge to throw up. The actor who plays him also can't act well enough to sell that lie. This is why you shouldn't cast idols (who can't act) to play these roles. But do they listen? No!

The guys at Daruma are led by the psychopathic and drugged out Hyuga whose motivations have been questionable from the start. Hayashi Kento is a good actor but the character he plays is just despicable, I'm sorry. I can't blame him, though. He did the best he could to make that character sympathetic at least.

The Rude Boys are probably the most interesting bunch and their unique fighting style is the best in the whole series. Their fight choreography is a combination of parkour, gymnastics, and breakdancing, which is awesome! They are led by the self-sacrificing Smokey played by Kubota Masataka. He brought gravitas and soul to that character despite his relatively small part in the story. He rarely makes an appearance but when he does, he brings his A-game and manages to make the character memorable.

But my favorite among the SWORD gangs is the Oya Koko or Oya High school, which is home to the most notorious delinquents in the city, led by the legendary and charismatic, Murayama Yoshiki. Of all the characters in this series, Murayama sees the most growth both as a leader and a person, and that's what makes him the best written one. The fact that they chose to cast Yamada Yuki in the role also greatly contributed to how lovable the character becomes as the series goes on. Personal biases aside, he really does exude charm, wit, and an unmistakable humanity to him that you can't help but think of him as a real person and cheer for him as he fights for what he believes in and grows up to be a more reliable adult. It's no wonder that he became such a fan favorite that the producers of these movies decided to make a movie with him as the main character even though he was originally written to be just a supporting one.

The Mugen guys like Tatsuya and Kohaku are somewhat interesting, but I still couldn't care less about them. The Amamiya Brothers are probably more interesting in terms of their origins and personalities. The elder brother, Masaki, is funny and pretty badass. Takahiro plays him well. I have no complaints there. I have yet to see their movie, Red Rain, which is a kind of spin-off. I will get to that after I finish High & Low: The Worst, which features the Oya Koko characters and a crossover between the High & Low and Crows Zero franchises. The other groups like Doubt and Mighty Warriors are annoying and forgettable. I'm guessing they were included so they could cast and promote more EXILE members (more people who can't act). See, I almost forgot to write about them. Hahahaha. All in all, High & Low is a fun you-must-suspend-your-disbelief type of series with mostly bad acting, badly written characters, and a plot line that Vin Diesel would envy. But they're not meant to be taken seriously so you shouldn't.

Read More

Of dramas and life lessons...

From Now On We Begin Ethics is a surprising find for me. I only found out about it through a fellow Yuki fan and decided to give it a try as it was highly recommended. True enough, it turned out to be a gem of a series. The series revolved around an unconventional and eccentric Ethics teacher played by Yamada Yuki, whose unorthodox methods of teaching challenges his students' way of thinking and questions their morality and deep-seated beliefs. The series has a fairly simple plot that may seem like a rip-off of GTO or Gokusen. But it's not. Takayanagi is no hero and certainly not the meddlesome type of teacher who thrives in motivating his students and pushing them to be all that they can be. But he genuinely cares for his students and so he tries his best to be of help to them despite believing himself to be flawed and can only do so much to affect change in his students' lives.

Instead of positivity, he employs a different tactic, he treats them like human beings who have the freedom to decide for themselves. He doesn't tell them which way to go or what is right or wrong. He lets them decide by asking them the questions that no one else is bold enough to ask. I found myself seriously considering each and every thought-provoking question he asked his students, and there were times when I would nod in agreement and also disagree with his statements. What is the function of society? Why do we need to conform? Why do we need to sacrifice one for the betterment of others? What is evil and what is good? And how do we make the choice which path to take in a world that's full of options and complications? What is freedom and why too much of it can be fatal? These questions left me reeling with my own questions about humanity, society, and the very meaning of happiness. Not very many works of fiction can have that effect on me and that is why this short series has quickly become a favorite of mine. I'm glad I stumbled upon this. I would recommend this to anyone willing to take the time to learn and listen to what these characters have to say.

Read More

To The Grand Line, Nakama!

This is my honest take of the live action action version of my favorite shonen series, One Piece. Subjectively, this is just an 8.5 out of 10 for me. I found it highly enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but there are some stuff that don't sit well with me and I feel that changing or omitting certain parts takes away some of the heart of the story. I don't mind them streamlining the narrative and combining subplots to create more moving parts in a single episode because, honestly, early One Piece is a slow burn. By doing so, they can move things along, improving the plot progression immensely. For the uninitiated, this is actually better because it introduces the world of One Piece more fluidly and hooks you fairly quickly. But as I mentioned, some of the parts that were taken out were integral to the characterization of some of the characters and would've further explained their motivations. Some of the emotional scenes were not executed as well as the anime that they just didn't have the same effect on me. Of course, non-fans wouldn't notice these things, so hopefully, they'll feel the same way us fans did when we saw these scenes in the anime. But for an avid fan like me, those scenes felt lacking and the payoff of some of the subplots just weren't as satisfying. But I still commend the writers for doing the best they could with the material that they were given. One Piece is probably the hardest story to adapt not only because of the massive world Oda has created but also the zaniness and goofiness of the characters. I imagine the writers were hard-pressed to balance the serious and comedic tones of the story because One Piece, at its core, is a comedy with dark undertones and serious themes. So for them to actually successfully adapt One Piece and pay tribute to what makes it one of the greatest works of fiction ever written is a humongous feat. I give them props for that. Still, there's room for improvement, and hopefully, they can improve upon it in the succeeding seasons.

The cast of actors, especially the first five Straw Hats, are phenomenal. Inaki as Luffy is not the Luffy I know from the anime but he exudes Luffy energy and that's what matters. He made this role his own and I'm cool with it. Mackenyu as Zoro is legit a brilliant casting choice. He is Zoro in every way. I just wish that some of the emotional beats regarding his back story were done better, though. They've made some changes with Sanji's character, which is understandable as Sanji's “perversion” would not sit well with the western audience. But they managed to keep what makes Sanji Sanji, so I'm okay with that. And Taz is great in the role. They couldn't have picked a better Sanji to be honest. I never doubted Jacob's casting as Usopp from the moment I saw videos of him talking and joking around. He immediately gave me Usopp vibes so I'm quite happy with this choice. I just wish they kept some of Usopp's heroic scenes because those are what made me respect the character and think that he's the bravest of them all despite his cowardly facade. Emily as Nami was not convincing to me at first as I've seen her in other projects and her acting didn't impress me at all. But to be fair, she did deliver. She did make me cry in that pivotal scene, which I'm not going to mention here as it's a spoiler for those who haven't seen it. But One Piece fans would know what I'm referring to. Mihawk, Buggy, Koby, Helmeppo, and Kuro are so spot on it was like watching manga/anime characters come to life. Steven John Ward, especially, is literally the real-life version of Dracule Mihawk! I do have some complaints regarding the casting for some characters, though. Ben Beckman, for example, just doesn't scream badass to me. The guy they got is too old and overweight. Makino is supposed to be younger but they chose an older looking actress.

And to be honest, I still have a problem with some of the costumes and wigs. I get that they're trying to embrace the goofiness of the original but there's no excuse for bad costuming and wigs, man! They can be very jarring and plain cringe. The sets and special effects are so on point, they made me feel like these places and creatures do exist in another world somewhere. I especially adore the news coo and the den den mushi or transponder nails. They made me laugh every time they appeared on screen. The boats are spectacular! I'm glad the showrunners opted to use as many practical effects as they could. Luffy's stretching didn't bother me, I thought it was nicely done. Same with the Fishmen. I really didn't have a problem with them using prosthetics or the choice to make them human-sized instead of unusually large. I understand why they had to do that. Besides, the guy they got for Arlong is menacing and he even got Arlong's laugh right.

The action choreography, for the most part, is pretty dope, especially the Zoro fight scenes. However, there are parts when you can clearly see the wires and props. Some eagle-eyed viewers have caught those boo-boos. Those could've been easily edited out. This reminded me of the Starbucks cup in the final season of Game of Thrones. lol They should hire better stunt coordinators and editors to avoid these kinds of mishaps.

The music, though not as epic and iconic as the anime's musical score, is pretty good. Some of the character theme songs got stuck in my head for days, especially Nami and Zoro's themes. I'm happy that they did their own versions of We Are and Bink's Sake as these are One Piece staples. A part of me wished they also made versions of Overtaken and The Very Very Strongest, though.

Yes, many changes have been made, some I'm happy with, some I'm not. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best live action anime adaptation? No. But it's undeniably entertaining and I can honestly say that it kept the spirit of One Piece unlike most live action adaptations I've seen and I've seen an unhealthy number of those types of films. Seriously, eight episodes is not enough. I want more! And apparently, many others feel the same way. Personally, I'm excited to see what they'll do with the succeeding arcs, especially the Alabasta arc. They better get Chopper right!

Read More

Another Live Action Fail

I finally have the time to write a review for the live action iteration of the universally loved anime/manga series, Yu Yu Hakusho. It's no secret that I wasn't as overly pleased with this as I hoped I would be. But I kinda suspected I would hate it the moment I saw the trailer and found out it's only going to be 5 episodes. Yu Yu Hakusho was one of my favorite anime series back in the day so I expected so much from this.

Sadly, this live action series as a whole is mediocre at best. Not great. Not awful. Just mid. There are things I loved and things I hated with a passion. First, the positive. The action choreography is simply flawless, the long shots are fluidly executed, the creativity in how the fighters use their environment to gain advantage is pure unadulterated fun. Unfortunately, that's all it has going for it. The story is a mishmash of several story arcs that should've and could've been adapted properly if they had chosen to go with the first two arcs in the first season. The manga series is relatively short to begin with, they could've written a far better adaptation if they actually used the source material. But maybe it's a one-and-done type of series so they figured they should use elements from the other story arcs that made the series so beloved.

The characters are lackluster save for Kuwabara, who is actually my least favorite in the anime. He's the only one who goes through real character development and was the most interesting character in the whole series hands down! Yusuke is meh. Just a meathead punk I couldn't care less about. Hiei is an emo kid walking around with a humongous chip on his shoulder but you don't know why because he doesn't have a character arc unlike in the original. Genkai they just did dirty. Was I supposed to care about her? Really? I couldn't tell. Botan was not cute but annoying and the actress they chose overacted so much. Although I don't mind Keita Machida as Koenma, I wish they had opted to use his baby form instead because having a grown man walk around with a pacifier in his mouth is just gross. Toguro was not even the slightest bit intimidating and the CGI on his final form was laughable. He resembled a bread dough that has been kneaded for far too long and shaped to look like an anatomically incorrect human torso. But the biggest disappointment was Kurama. My god, why oh why did they have to cast Jun Shison for the role?! He looks like a cosplayer with a bad wig! He just doesn't look good with hair color that's not black. He is undeniably Asian-looking that whenever he dyes his hair, he looks like he's going to an anime convention wearing a cheap synthetic wig he ordered online. And the guy can't act his way out of a paper bag. There are plenty others who would've been more suitable for the part. Apart from his action stunts, which were solid by the way, he was not the Kurama I know. Faaaaaaar from it!

Maybe I'm just biased because I have fond memories of the original and I couldn't help but keep comparing the two. I wanted so badly to like this. In fact, I was looking forward to watching it. But the first episode already felt off to me. Everything seemed so cheesy from the way Yusuke acted to the dialogue and the overall vibe of the series. The CGI was hit or miss. Sometimes it appeared superbly executed, sometimes it was terribly cartoonish. If I were to rate this series, I would give it a 5.5 out of 10 for the action choreography, stunt work, and Kuwabara. It has very low rewatchability for me. I would probably just watch clips of some of the fight scenes, most especially the Yusuke versus Goki one. But that's about it.

Read More

An Engaging Detective Mystery Drama

Under the Skin is a thriller mystery detective drama starring Tan Jianci as a gifted portraitist working for the police bureau. It's only 20 episodes long, which is relatively short for C-dramas. But the fewer episodes allow the drama to make full use of every scene; not a moment is wasted and everything serves a purpose. Hence, it is one of the most well-paced C-dramas I've ever watched to date. In fact, it is more similar to American crime dramas from the 2000's like CSI, Profiler, Lie To Me, Criminal Minds, Bones, and the like than any C-drama I've seen.

The story centers around Shen Yi, a troubled art prodigy who finds himself involved in the murder of a highly decorated police officer. Overcome with guilt and remorse, he starts working for the police as a sketch artist in hopes to make a difference and ultimately find redemption. Shen Yi partners with a rough-around-the-edges hotshot detective who despises and blames him for the murder of his senior officer. Their uneasy alliance soon turns into a deep friendship that's founded on trust, and this partnership is the core of the story. So basically it's a buddy cop drama.

It reminds me somewhat of the Chinese animated series, Link Click, but so much better in terms of writing and charactertization. Unlike Link Click, Under the Skin makes an effort to build up its main characters, making them more relatable and sympathetic, so you know exactly who they are whether you like them or not. The cases they work on are even more intriguing and compelling. I found the story about the teenage girl who developed a crush on a tomboy thinking she was a real boy especially interesting. Considering that China has stringent censorship policies and homosexuality is taboo, I thought the writers did a good job writing about lesbianism without being too overt about it. I also rather liked the case regarding two women who plotted the murder of their abusive lover. The supporting characters are also well-written because I learned to care about what happens to them.

Generally speaking, the writing is pretty good. The dialogues, most especially, are written quite well. But there is stuff that defies logic no matter how they try to justify it. Some are too farfetched for me to even consider them plausible. I wish they had used more believable scenarios instead. The production value could've been better as well. But I'm willing to forgive those flaws because the good outweighs the bad.

All in all, this is a solid drama with great plot progression, acting, characterization, and screenplay. I give it a 9 out of 10. Season two is in the works so you can bet your bottom dollar that I will watch it the moment it hits streaming.

Read More

An Underappreciated Gem

Under The Microscope is another engaging series that stars Zhang Ruoyun along with his Joy of Life co-stars, Wang Yang and Wu Gang. It is one of those shorter C-dramas that truly benefits from its 14-episode length. Unlike longer period dramas of its kind, this one has a simpler, albeit more socially relevant plot concerning issues that people can identify with even to this day. The story centers around an autistic mathematics genius named Shuai Jiamo as he uncovers an insidious plot that involves years of corruption and tax evasion of those who possess the most power and wealth. This continues to be a problem in our modern society so it's highly relatable. The rich become richer because they can get away with evading taxes and stealing land from the less fortunate, while the poor become poorer because they're the ones paying the taxes.

It didn't immediately catch my attention as there's a lot of serious talk about taxation, mathematical equations, and calculations in the beginning. As I'm mathematically dumb, my brain kept shutting down, and I tended to nod off while watching the first few episodes. So I had to take a break from it. It wasn't until episode 5 when it finally picked up for me, so to me, it is a bit of a slowburn. But that's just me. If you're interested in mathematics and accounting, then this is right up your alley. By the time it picks up, though, it doesn't stop and ends in a truly satisfying fashion that it leaves you feeling happy for the protagonists because the little people won against those in power. This is the only C-drama I've seen thus far that really sticks the landing. And that ending alone is one of the major reasons why it is on my top 10 most favorite C-dramas of all time.

The characters are complex and easily relatable despite them supposedly existing hundreds of years in the past. Jiamo has the innocence and purity of a child who has yet to learn what mischief is all about and Ruoyun plays him to perfection. As I suspect that his character suffers from autism, he is often seen musing or mumbling to himself as he calculates complicated equations in his head and tries to make sense of what he has discovered. But when he starts talking about mathematics, he lights up with so much gusto, imparting his expert knowledge in accounting like a child telling his favorite bedtime story. He is, for a lack of a better word, amazing in this role. Wang Yang, who plays the lawyer, Cheng Ren Qing, is equally brilliant. In the beginning, he made me feel so frustrated as he battles wits with Jiamo and foils his plans. But by the second act of the series, he starts singing a different tune and you, as part of the audience, begin to wonder what his actual deal is. I grew to love his character by the end, which was the exact opposite of how I felt for him initially. Wang Yang plays this dubious role with such skill that he makes you genuinely dislike him at the start but you end up cheering for him. Talk about great character development! Jiamo's loyal best friend, Feng Bao Yu, is one of my favorites. You first meet him as a spendthrift playboy whose only real goal in life is to go to gambling houses and kill as much time as he can. But as the series goes on, you see a significant change in him as he grows more mature and responsible. His loyalty to Jiamo is exemplary and most definitely his best trait. It's his relationship to Jiamo that motivates him to become a better man. He is one of the funnier and more adorable characters in the drama. I also found some of the public officers funny and endearing, especially the Magistrate. Simply put, the characters and actors are all great!

As far as production value is concerned, I don't think it has the biggest budget based on the costumes and sets. But I kinda like the grittier and more grounded look of the drama. It makes it more believable and more like a historical documentary than a dramatic series. The music I wasn't very fond of, though. It didn't stand out to me so I can't say much about it.

All in all, this is a wonderful short series that I would most definitely recommend to anyone willing to give it a shot. It has great acting all around and a gripping plot about tax evasion and the shameless machinations of those involved to cover up their crime. It's only 14 episodes so it's very bingeable.

Read More

A Good Enough Sequel

I can't say I loved this second season as much as the first but it was nice to see these characters again. It felt very familiar and pretty much a direct sequel despite the recasts and some of the actors obviously looking much older, bulkier or thinner because of the 5-year gap between seasons. I still enjoyed it but it doesn't have the magic of the first season. That was truly lightning in a bottle. And like most sequels that are used as setups for the final installment, it does feel like it doesn't have a beginning or an ending. There are some things that are introduced in preparation for the succeeding season. Thus, this should be taken as a transitional piece.

More characters are introduced in this season and I'm glad I finally got to meet the other princes, the dashing eldest prince and the bumbling idiot that is the youngest prince. They are both likable to say the least. But I'm disappointed that some of them just came and went without much ceremony. Some of the older characters like Gao Da only appear in some scenes and never return, which is a shame because he was one of my favorites in the previous season. I guess they are there for fan service only, nothing more.

The writing this season is a little bit all over the place. While the dialogues, political machinations, and plot twists are still superb, the plot progression is kinda slow, some scenes are dull and lackluster without the fight choreography from the first season, and there are subplots that just go nowhere. There are more illogical and you-must-suspend-your-disbelief aspects as well. I really don't get Fan Xian's motivations sometimes and why the overarching plot about the divine temple, androids, futuristic knowledge, and other sci-fi elements are barely mentioned and seemingly abandoned. I blame the original writer for this because even in the book, it is never fully explained. Again, why put science fiction elements into a story but never fully explore them??? From a writing standpoint, that is a complete waste of a concept and just lazy writing, period! He obviously excels at writing political dramas, so why not just write exactly that? Why introduce science fiction at all? Methinks this writer just wanted to set himself apart from the many Chinese authors that write historical novels, hence the ice age and advanced nation plot. But he may not be well-versed in this field and could not be bothered to actually do some research and incorporate science into his book. Such a travesty!

The music, just like in the first season, is hit or miss with me. If the first season had latin music, this one has a yodeling theme that reminds me of The Sound of Music. If you've seen The Sound of Music and are familiar with its soundtrack, then you'd know what I mean. Just horrible horrible choice in music! The costumes this season are better, though. At least they look more organic and worn unlike the plasticky costumes from the previous season. The cinematography is still excellent. But while the cast is one of the best I've seen in any drama, there's one I would rather not see again. Gina Jin is an awful choice for Ye Ling Er. They should've never recasted that role. And then there's the yogurt product placement that just takes me out of the drama every time it appears on screen. They even keep talking about it, too. Word of Honor did the same thing but they did it in a way that was hilarious, thus I was able to forgive it.

As a whole, this was a fun second season and probably better than expected considering it's the middle season and that most sequels are not as good as the original. I just hope I won't have to wait more than 2 years for the finale.

Read More