On Stranger 1 & 2
After completing a rewatch of both seasons I have few comments to add. I recommend seeing the top reviews from each season as they do a thorough job of covering why these two seasons are so outstanding.This show is not an action thriller. You won't see prolonged fight scenes. The dense fast pace of clues demands your attention, and I guarantee the great majority will not see the twists coming. You'll need to rewatch and knowing those coming twists appreciate how well crafted the two seasons are.
I'm going to give a spoiler for the movie 'The Sixth Sense'. If you haven't seen that you might want to stop here. In the Sixth Sense the boy who can see ghosts is helped by a psychiatrist and we watch the good doctor try to deal with his own problems and also try to figure out how to help the small boy. It's not until the very end that it's revealed the good doctor is a ghost but doesn't know it. Both seasons of Stranger have twists at the end but the first season has the biggest, and like in the Sixth Sense after it's sprung you'll want to go back and check off the oh so subtle clues that it was coming.
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Much Better Than Expected
Japanese movies and shows tend to score well below, on average, the Korean stuff on kisskh. Sadly, after sampling many Japanese shows I concluded that the Japanese are just not very good, or perhaps the Koreans are just outstandingly capable. I tried this one with low expectations and was surprised. This one is a cut above and on par with much of the Korean output and worth giving it a chance.Was this review helpful to you?
Made to be Rewatched
My first impression maybe one or two episodes in was to wonder how will they get 16 episodes out of this basic set up. As the story unfolds layers of hidden reveals and story twists emerge to justify those 16 episodes. On rewatch I appreciated the foreshadowing and reveals placed early on but which require that second time through to fully get.For example, pay attention to the flashbacks connected to each character. In particular and I say this without spoiling anything note the flashbacks with the main male lead. These point towards whether he does or does not remember certain events and who he really is.
I enjoyed the steep character arc of the main male lead, but also the less obvious arc for the main female lead.
All in all a very entertaining story that improves the second time through.
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Good movie that could have been much better.
Overall I liked the movie but I often found the transitions in character arcs and major plot points clumsy and difficult to follow. For example, the how of someone crossing over and the role of the 'warden' were left under explained. Still despite the flaws the good aspects including the characters and acting held my attention until the end. The Korean series 'Missing: The Other Side' seems to have inspired much of the world building in this movie but the Korean version did a much job of explaining important aspects. For example, when someone passes over the Missing series shows it happening, whereas here the viewer must pick it up from context and the presence of the warden, but his role here isn't really clarified until well into the film.Was this review helpful to you?
Well done crime drama / mystery
Unusual in that it's only 6 episodes, and the conclusion wrap-up is only minutes long. Usually these dramas last 12 or 16 episodes with a full hour devoted to what happens to each character. Here this was extremely abbreviated. The main story drops several hints pointing in the right direction to figure out who was behind the crimes without giving anything away. The separate arc involving the two detectives is particularly well done and arrives at a satisfactory conclusion. Of course, rewatch potential is for following closely the early hints leading to the conclusion. The best measure of a series is the urgency felt to watch the next episode and I found myself looking forward to each next episode.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Impressive Drama on Mortality, Love, and Redemption
Some TV shows can be passively watched, but others and DAYS I count among them require a more active participation to pay attention, maybe rewatch, in order to appreciate the layers of story, of meaning, offered to the viewer. In DAYS there are three main characters and three primary themes. There will be spoilers.The main character, Tak, is a young woman who learns she has three months to live due to a terminal brain cancer. In frustration she wishes to end the world which catches the attention of Doom (aka the Devil) who pities himself immensely and uses a ‘loophole’ in the ‘rules’ governing creation to seize upon Tak’s wish to set up a contract with her to end the world which will also end himself (his goal) and bring about the end of his mother, God. However, God, who manifests as a young teen girl with a terminal heart disease, has a plan of her own.
The Devil covertly schemes, but his mother time and again goads him in her chosen directions, and it’s clear she has the upper hand with reminders such as “God always knows everything. She just pretends not to know.” Pay attention to this half a spoiler. Note from the early episodes the small clay flower pot that God is tending in her hospital room. Much later what this flower pot represents will be revealed and then the significance of its presence early on will redefine events and conversations throughout early episodes.
The first layer theme is that of the individual confronting their own mortality and the angst in not only their own end but the conflicts with friends and relatives left unresolved. In an early episode the Devil says to Tak, “All humans’ days are numbered. They only live forever until they realize it.” In the last episode Tak will repeat this exact wording back to the Devil. That most people avoid thinking about or confronting their own mortality will limit the appeal for some. The angst surrounding Tak’s end reminds me of a TV series Dead Like Me from 2003/4 but in that case the main character was a girl who died and became a grim reaper collecting souls near her family. Here Tak is contemplating her looming future death.
The second theme is that of the romantic entanglement that grows between Tak and the Devil. The Devil first takes Tak as an average human, but soon discovers she has a strength of will that he cannot break. In one of their early conflicts the Devil tells her, “That’s just what you are. The rock that happens to be closest to me when I wanted to throw one into the lake.” But God knows all so was it a coincidence that Tak was the rock who happened to be closest?
Resonating within this second theme is a sub arc involving two brothers and Tak’s ‘adoptive’ older sister who make up a love triangle. The romantic entanglements of these three contrast with the love between Tak and the Devil that gets lit and burns hot within a mere 100 days. The three humans who are ‘living forever’ dilly dally for 10 years before they resolve their entanglement and then that is accelerated in part due Tak.
The third theme is the redemption of darkness gone astray. The Devil has a love hate relationship with his mother. She goads and manipulates him into rebellious behavior. These conversations between God and the Devil are a fascinating part of the series. God shows up when Doom is absorbed in his self pity while Tak is in the hospital. God tells her son, “It’s good not to see her. It’s the right decision.” The Devil storms off in anger and God smiles and says: “A child grows up when they defy their parents. And love is lit up when it runs into hardships.”
This third theme brings to mind a Netflix TV series, Lucifer 2016/21, which also involved God (a father figure) who was estranged from his son, Lucifer, who rebelled and was consigned to Hell where he punished the damned. Among Lucifer’s powers is that he is sexually irresistible. He is also self centered and impulsive having spent much of his time fulfilling his every impulse. Lucifer rebels and leaves Hell for Los Angeles where he meets a female detective, who is the only human entirely immune to his powers. Complications ensue and he finds his redemption through his relationship with the detective, who it turns out was placed in his path via a miracle by his father in order to bring about his redemption. In DAYS there are many striking parallels as the teen God again and again is implicated in the developing relationship between Tak and her son, Doom, aka the Devil.
Some hopefully constructive observations.
The redemption arc with Doom could have been meaningfully steeper. For example a few early scenes or even one in which God says, “You made love to 10,000 women, but never loved any one of them.”
The intense love between Doom and Tak is surprising for its chasteness. Explicit sexuality isn’t necessary but at least some allusion to a bit more physical contact would have added to story texture.
Subtitles were about average. Given the potential foreign English speaking audience it is surprising that the creators don’t pay more attention to getting this aspect right. Even modest mistakes force viewers to reverse and reread. In DAYS case there was considerable confusion regarding the important distinction between would vs will / could vs can etc, some clumsy tense mistakes, and a few cases of incorrect negatives i.e. a missing negative.
The most grating annoyance was the injection of the Canadian Kevin character. Those gratuitous scenes were seriously painful to watch. The money would have been better spent hiring the Kevin actor to edit the subtitles and using a Korean character in Kevin’s role.
There were a few cases of excessive emotion expressed. For example, when the younger brother finds out his sister is terminal. I blame the director, and then this may be a cultural difference.
Fancy clothes - new change every outing - seems unlikely for a woman of her modest salary.
Oddly Doom is often shown holding cigarettes but never actually lighting and smoking them.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's Okay, And Flawed
The first episodes grabbed my attention, and I found them good enough to watch until the series end, but there were aspects that rubbed the wrong way.The medical aspect seemed superficial and these doctors and their behavior were not convincing. However, the main characters especially at the initial set up are interesting and their conflicts held my attention keeping me watching.
There are several interesting twists in the characters' backgrounds as we learn more about each.
Potential spoiler.... It was annoying towards and at the end the two doctors working together but divorced suddenly had partners. The tension for these two for 14 or 15 episodes concerned where these two and their relationship would end up, then suddenly in a near final scene the male doctor has a previously unmentioned spouse return from the states, and the female doctor suddenly has a previously unmentioned spouse? or perhaps boyfriend? return from abroad. My first reaction was that the director/producer/ or writer wanted that broad scene in which a happy ending showed everyone was paired up into nice neat couples despite the storytelling and relationship development of the prior 14 episodes. Not a good decision.
The two leads were interesting enough to keep me watching but several twists and turns in their relationship were not believable, especially regarding the serious mental illness of one and the impact on the relationship. Often I felt there was a message - i.e. The Message - preaching about proper attitudes towards mental illness that took priority over telling a good story.
I suspect most viewers will fall into the love it or hate it categories. I happened to hit the sparse middle.
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Relaxing Entertaining Watch
An easy going romantic comedy with an interesting twist at the ending.The lead actress pulls off the dual character challenge well. During the day she's a mild mannered personality and then at night a 'demon' inside takes over and stresses everyone close to her. The demon knows both sides but the daytime personality isn't aware of her nighttime adventures.
Well worth the time and very enjoyable.
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Not for everyone
Watching this you may notice there are no product placements. This is because the whole program, both seasons plus the specials, is probably heavily subsidized by the national police establishment. In Hollywood historically if the proposed TV show, movie, pleases the military (promotes a positive image and encourages recruitment) then it will get crucial support (expert advice, equipment, personnel, etc). I suspect that what's happening with this one. Is that bad? No and it depends. The people stories embedded throughout are entertaining enough. The image promoted of a professional police force, both for the police themselves to aspire to and the people to believe in, isn't in itself a negative.Watch the first episode and you'll have seen enough to judge, although the development and denouement of the various story arcs only come later.
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Covers First and Second Seasons
These comments cover both the original from 2007 and the 2020 sequel 13 years later. Netflix has both under same title as two seasons given most of the original cast returned to reprise their roles.This is a comedy and very focused on a serious issue in Japan - the use (and abuse) of temp workers. After WWII Japanese major companies needed devotion and promised salary men life time employment in return for total commitment. Once the the country hit the rocks in the 90's lifetime employment became unsustainable - the solution was suppression in lifetime salary men numbers and an increase in temp workers with the radical opposite of lifetime employment promise - three month contracts and no benefits. Temp work makes building a life difficult.
So this series centers around a super temp who is so capable and efficient companies pay her extra and soon become dependent on her fantastical wide ranging abilities and skill certifications.
Did I mention it's a comedy? If you can appreciate the pain the society goes through trying to reconcile the irreconcilable, and don't mind heavy doses of Japanese culture then it can be quite funny.
The production is well done. The ratings of 7.5 and 7.6 reflect the cultural hurdles and not the overall quality. If you can appreciate the cultural aspects you have an opportunity to enjoy a series deserving a higher rating.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watched but sometimes for wrong reasons
Keep in mind this was released in 2016. The beginning and middle held my interest, but the last third I watched more to see if the apparent flaws were going uncorrected until the very end. They were.The writer had an idea of the growth arc for their main character and like an alligator they locked onto to it right into a death roll. Hideo, the main character, is weak willed lacking in the follow through action part of living. And he does go through some tremendous development at the very end. The problem is that it's delayed through the middle of the story into situations that are simply unbelievable.
The bigger problem is that death roll for the main character was pursued at the expense of the development of certain other characters, in particular the half zombie school girl. It's unbelievable that she's used merely as a McGuffin through until the very last second! She should have had an active role in the final resolution.
Yes, the writer wanted us to understand how important the transformation of Hideo is but this is not news that the main theme can be developed along with other characters and themes.
The nurse carried her load in the story well enough, but the total neglect of the story and character potential of the half zombie girl in the last half was criminal and seriously damaged the finished movie.
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It's the Journey
You know going in the ending, more or less, but it's the journey that matters. The writer, director, and actors execute perfectly delivering a moving experience following the lives of two teens who got dealt the short end of fate's stick. Lot's of tears, but inspirational, too.The ratings here of Japanese movies/shows tend to be lower by about .3 or .4. Drawing Closer caught my attention for, as of this date, a rating of 8.9 which is remarkable. And it deserves that high rating.
A multi-episode TV show has much longer to create a connection with the viewer. It's also remarkable that this relatively short movie managed to develop a strong connection to these several characters.
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Two of Three Worth Watching
The Black Swindler (2006)Kurosagi: The Movie (2008)
Kurosagi (2022)
This Kurosagi series is about a young man (Kurosaki) whose father got swindled or conned pushing him to kill his family and himself. The son survived and thereafter dedicated himself to revenge on all such swindlers. A straight forward vigilante themed story.
Con men who swindle the innocent financially are called white swindlers (Shirosagi). Con artists who swindle romantically for money are called red swindlers (Akasagi). Our main character only cons white (Shiro) and red (Aka) swindlers (Sagi) so we have a strong Robin Hood theme in order to ensure sympathy with the lead who is after all breaking the law.
All three were written by the same screenwriter and one of a few directors is common to all three.
The cast of both The Black Swindler (2006) and the Movie (2008) are the same. The 2022 version is a reboot with all new cast.
I first watched Kurosagi (2022). Generally Japanese productions can be problematic with exaggerated acting styles and seriously obnoxious background music. However, this 2022 version is very watchable and the music not too distracting.
The 2006 TV Show was at first off-putting due to the acting and background music but I was curious how it compares to the 2022 reboot. It’s very similar following main plot twists - mostly - but has several significant changes in subplots. The result is a nicely done resonation between the two. You’ll get more from watching both than either alone.
The screenwriter loves symbolism. Conning someone is called ‘eating’. A main support character, a mentor to Kurosaki in all three, is shown having difficulty at times eating some thing or other. He is of course the master swindler who is guiding Kurosaki after his survival as a young teen.
The Movie (2008) is a clumsy return to first series (2006) and is essentially a long single episode. It doesn’t work so well and is forgettable. It could be the persistent references to the assassination of Julius Caesar and his betrayal by Brutus (whose mother was Servilia Caesar’s love interest over decades so possibly Caesar was real father of Brutus) or the frequent exposition.
Two out of three are worth the time. The third is for curiosity.
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Two of Three Worth Watching
The Black Swindler (2006)Kurosagi: The Movie (2008)
Kurosagi (2022)
This Kurosagi series is about a young man (Kurosaki) whose father got swindled or conned pushing him to kill his family and himself. The son survived and thereafter dedicated himself to revenge on all such swindlers. A straight forward vigilante themed story.
Con men who swindle the innocent financially are called white swindlers (Shirosagi). Con artists who swindle romantically for money are called red swindlers (Akasagi). Our main character only cons white (Shiro) and red (Aka) swindlers (Sagi) so we have a strong Robin Hood theme in order to ensure sympathy with the lead who is after all breaking the law.
All three were written by the same screenwriter and one of a few directors is common to all three.
The cast of both The Black Swindler (2006) and the Movie (2008) are the same. The 2022 version is a reboot with all new cast.
I first watched Kurosagi (2022). Generally Japanese productions can be problematic with exaggerated acting styles and seriously obnoxious background music. However, this 2022 version is very watchable and the music not too distracting.
The 2006 TV Show was at first off-putting due to the acting and background music but I was curious how it compares to the 2022 reboot. It’s very similar following main plot twists - mostly - but has several significant changes in subplots. The result is a nicely done resonation between the two. You’ll get more from watching both than either alone.
The screenwriter loves symbolism. Conning someone is called ‘eating’. A main support character, a mentor to Kurosaki in all three, is shown having difficulty at times eating some thing or other. He is of course the master swindler who is guiding Kurosaki after his survival as a young teen.
The Movie (2008) is a clumsy return to first series (2006) and is essentially a long single episode. It doesn’t work so well and is forgettable. It could be the persistent references to the assassination of Julius Caesar and his betrayal by Brutus (whose mother was Servilia Caesar’s love interest over decades so possibly Caesar was real father of Brutus) or the frequent exposition.
Two out of three are worth the time. The third is for curiosity.
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Two of Three Worth Watching
The Black Swindler (2006)Kurosagi: The Movie (2008)
Kurosagi (2022)
This Kurosagi series is about a young man (Kurosaki) whose father got swindled or conned pushing him to kill his family and himself. The son survived and thereafter dedicated himself to revenge on all such swindlers. A straight forward vigilante themed story.
Con men who swindle the innocent financially are called white swindlers (Shirosagi). Con artists who swindle romantically for money are called red swindlers (Akasagi). Our main character only cons white (Shiro) and red (Aka) swindlers (Sagi) so we have a strong Robin Hood theme in order to ensure sympathy with the lead who is after all breaking the law.
All three were written by the same screenwriter and one of a few directors is common to all three.
The cast of both The Black Swindler (2006) and the Movie (2008) are the same. The 2022 version is a reboot with all new cast.
I first watched Kurosagi (2022). Generally Japanese productions can be problematic with exaggerated acting styles and seriously obnoxious background music. However, this 2022 version is very watchable and the music not too distracting.
The 2006 TV Show was at first off-putting due to the acting and background music but I was curious how it compares to the 2022 reboot. It’s very similar following main plot twists - mostly - but has several significant changes in subplots. The result is a nicely done resonation between the two. You’ll get more from watching both than either alone.
The screenwriter loves symbolism. Conning someone is called ‘eating’. A main support character, a mentor to Kurosaki in all three, is shown having difficulty at times eating some thing or other. He is of course the master swindler who is guiding Kurosaki after his survival as a young teen.
The Movie (2008) is a clumsy return to first series (2006) and is essentially a long single episode. It doesn’t work so well and is forgettable. It could be the persistent references to the assassination of Julius Caesar and his betrayal by Brutus (whose mother was Servilia Caesar’s love interest over decades so possibly Caesar was real father of Brutus) or the frequent exposition.
Two out of three are worth the time. The third is for curiosity.
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