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This review may contain spoilers
Even if you start at a disadvantage, you can still be first across the finish line
Zero to Hero is an inspiring biopic about twelve-time Paralympic medalist So Wa Wai. So was the first para-athlete from Hong Kong to win gold and still holds the record in the 200m sprint. Zero to Hero is a feel good movie that also doesn't shy away from it's characters' faults and harsh reality.So Wa Wai was born with haemolytic jaundice which resulted in cerebral palsy. His mother was told he would never walk or be able to hold chopsticks. And he would only be able to hear 10-20%. She carried him on her back, literally, until he was four. In a desperate life or death moment, the mother challenged him to walk. As he gained more ability, they learned he may not walk well, but he could run.
As a teenager he joined the para-athlete's association and trained to run in competitions. The way to his success did not always run smoothly. His family was poor and used desperately needed funds to help him achieve his success. The movie highlighted how difficult it was for Paralympic athletes to continue training and competing with few subsidies from the government.
The true heart of this movie was the mother-son relationship. Sandra Ng gave a beautiful performance as the resolute mother who refused to give up on her child and sacrificed greatly to ensure he became all he could be and that he would have a financially secure future after she was gone. This created conflict with Wa Wai as he worried she was using him at one point and with his younger brother who felt at times that his only role was to be Wa Wai's future caretaker. Though perhaps flawed, the strength of this mother's love and determination to gain the best for her son and for him to overcome his limitations shined through. "Run to me at the finish line."
Leung Chung Hang's performance never felt patronizing. He poignantly portrayed a child dependent on his mother who grew into a man with his own goals and need to help his family. Yet in the end, it was the love for his dedicated mother that gave him the strength to attain those goals.
Heartwarming and inspirational with enough realistic edge to keep it from being treacly, Zero to Hero is a winner.
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"Nothing matters more than staying alive"
Legend of Zang Hai combined China’s corrupt imperial court system with a hint of tomb raiders’ creatures and a whisper of LOTR’s “my precious.” Though the titular character had Sherlockian genius, the plot’s logic didn’t always make sense. That didn’t stop this drama from being entertaining to watch.Our hero’s family is wiped out by corrupt officials with only ten-year-old Zhi Nu surviving. Saved by a masked man he’s secreted off to a special revenge training camp designed just for him. Ten years later and renamed Zang Hai, he and his sifu, Gao Ming, head for the capital to take down his mortal enemy---the Marquis/Duke Ping Jin. Before you can say, “Mycroft is a moron,” Zang is working for Ping and putting his plan into motion. He has to amend his game plan when he determines other dastardly villains were involved with the demise of his family.
This is another Cdrama where I had to SORAS (Soap Opera Rapidly Aging Syndrome) the main lead in my mind as thirty-three-year-old Xiao Zhan did not look 20. I enjoy his screen presence so it wasn’t a big problem for me. It was a little harder to accept that Zang was an expert in nearly everything at such a young age. I also liked Zhang Jing Yi as Xiang An Tu, the owner of the Zhen Tower and also a hostage Dongxia princess. She was calculating and independent until like most FLs in Cdramas, she became less so as the drama went on and the romance heated up. Huang Jue as Duke Ping Jin did too good a job of making the villain sympathetic. The writing for him also made it difficult to believe he was the same guy who had a macabre wardrobe hiding in his basement. The last evil character revealed was the weakest for me, I found his character, motivations, and acting less than compelling. Though it was really hard to top the scenery chewing Huang. And of course, Liang Chao as ZH’s sifu who had a complicated loyalty was endearing.
The cinematography, scenery, costumes, and sets were all lovely. The music wasn’t intrusive which was a win for me. The cast was huge which meant many characters were thinly drawn. They still filled their jobs effectively-the loyal childhood friend, the dutiful but not too bright bodyguard, and various and sundry minions and court officials. I made a comment about Lord of the Rings and one scene was directly lifted from the first film. I kept yelling, “Ride, Arwen, ride!” In another instance, a person holding the artifact stroked it with a crazed look and I thought he might actually say, “My precious.”
A brilliant lead who can think and talk his way out of nearly any situation is nothing new, but that’s okay. “There’s nothing new under the sun.” It comes down to execution and for the most part Legend of Zang Hai did a good job. This story with Zang’s uncanny rise through the court and search for a magical artifact were not meant to be realistic, just entertaining. The final 12 episodes weren’t as tightly constructed as earlier ones and the third arc felt particularly uneven. Yet overall, I had a good time with this drama and binged it rather quickly. If you are a fan of Xiao Zhan or dramas that don’t adhere to a realistic storyline, it’s one to try.
5 July 2025
Spoilery comment below:
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally! A male version of La Femme Nikita!
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This review may contain spoilers
"Your love has made me human"
Dear Hongrang was a dark, twisty, tropey drama featuring two of my favorite Jae Wooks. Instead of the familiar fight for the throne and court politics, this fight played out within a wealthy merchant family that’s made a deal with the devil. When a long-lost son returns it sets a powder keg of greed and avarice on fire.Jae I has spent the last twelve years searching for her lost younger brother Hongrang after the family mostly gave up on him. Her stepmother wants her dead. Her father only sees her worth in the columns of assets and liabilities. Her older adopted brother Mu Jin is being groomed to take over the family business and has a not so secret crush on her. One day a stranger with no memory of his childhood is brought in who turns out to be her brother Hongrang. Or is he? And what murderous mysteries are hidden behind the expensive walls and hanboks of the wealthy and nobility?
Dear Hongrang takes a strong stomach to watch. Children were kidnapped and tortured in painful and vile ways. Wives who no longer fell into the asset column were taken out to be murdered. Slaves and those without power or prestige were considered less than human and expendable while those with power often walked a fine line between sanity and insanity with overtly sadistic tendencies. Into this bloody mess Jae I and Hongrang went from being adversaries to allies, and “siblings” with complicated feelings for each other.
The cinematography, lighting, and music were overtly gloomy and melancholic. One particular scene went ATLA Tui funeral with red lighting. Deceptive sunshine only gave the viewer a breath to brace for upcoming pain. The sole spoilery comment I’ll make is that you need to prepare yourself for a high body count, many of which you’ll hope will be boiled in bronze. I didn’t find the drama particularly suspenseful as most of the turning points were well foreshadowed. I did, however, find it entertaining largely due to Lee Jae Wook and Kim Jae Wook’s performances. Kim has definitely found a niche for himself playing handsome, criminally maniacal characters. While this short nightmarish drama will not be for all tastes, it managed to tell its gruesome tale without overstaying its welcome.
18 May 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberments, more gruesome deaths than an average Kdrama, torture scenes, and child torture scenes
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"No reward comes without a cost"
The Blossoming Love took 10,000 years to flower and at times it felt like it. A beautiful cast and a strong start, began to wilt by the final episodes.What worked for me:
I’ve had a soft spot for Bin Bin since TMOPB. He may not be the greatest actor but I find his presence comforting. Plus, he’s gorgeous.
Sun Zhen Ni gave a refreshing performance as Mu Xuan Ling.
Wang Duo once again came through as the elegant, but morally ambiguous character who threatens to steal the show.
The first half to two-thirds felt cohesive, and I was actually invested in the story.
Now for what didn’t work for me:
When the drama focused on Zhao Ming, it began to feel repetitive. While I preferred dark Bin Bin (he looked delicious in black and the darker guy-liner), the more childlike Pearl was a step backward.
There were numerous side characters, some worked, some didn’t. I tend to lose interest the further away from the main characters a story goes.
This drama is one of the most blood spitting dramas I've seen in a while. The props department must have shopped at Buckets O' Blood to keep the red fluid flowing. They also might have needed oxygen on hand for some of the long exposition dumps the actors had to spit out as well.
The last third of the drama as they hip-hopped through time began to drag. While waiting on the final episodes I watched other things and read books and completely forgot about the drama until I noticed it in my Currently Watching List which I rarely use. Forgetting a drama is not a good sign for me, despite enjoying the earlier episodes. The drama’s ending was convoluted in a timey-wimey twisted way to try and make all the pieces fit.
Final analysis:
Blossoms of Love was entertaining and pretty to look at. For the most part it kept my attention, and I enjoyed Vin Zhang and Sun Zhen Ni’s chemistry. I would have liked for it to have been shorter and had a more coherent ending. I don’t regret watching it at all, but would be hesitant to recommend to others without some serious caveats.
27 February 2025
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Music is terrifying and beautiful
Glass Heart boasted one of the more beautiful casts that I’ve seen recently. Satoh Takeru, Machida Keita, and Shison Jun were three-fourths of the band Tenblank. Miyazaki Yu rounded out the band as the lone female member. High on music and low on plot, Glass Heart was more mood than narrative. Fortunately, the music was pretty good for a drama making it a fast, upbeat watch.Musical genius Fujitani Naoki has gathered a guitarist, an on-line music sensation, and finally an amateur drummer who opened his heart back up to music three years ago at an impromptu concert in the rain. The group is an awkward fit at the beginning with the men’s egos and Akane’s lack of confidence. Guitarist Sho takes care of Naoki when he wears himself out. Kazushi’s own writing skills expand Naoki’s mind when it hits a wall. And Akane’s unique drumming style calls him. The band doesn’t realize that Naoki is working against the clock to release the music inside him.
The plot was paper thin and barely a scaffolding for the music videos. Few things happen in the 10 episodes. An estranged brother is reconciled with, a singer with a crush on Naoki as well as a jealous manager have to be dealt with, and the bandmates struggle to keep up with Naoki’s musical madness. Naoki’s old traitorous music partner is the lone source of conflict and doesn’t really cause many ripples in the band’s trajectory.
The performances were all solid, though Sho and Kazushi could have used more airtime. Right now, Miyazaki Yu is listed as a supporting cast member, but I would argue she was the lead. A non-threateningly cute, eager, every-girl, Akane stood in for the female audience and was usually the focus of the story when it wasn’t on Naoki’s genius. As per usual, a big chunk of the male drama population fell in love with her. I saw no chemistry between her and Satoh, though chemistry is often in the eye of the beholder. From the moment Sho princess carried Naoki, that was my ship, right until the moment when Sho asked Naoki, “Is this a proposal?”
I enjoyed the music, the found/made family, the reconciliations, and the karmic blow back for the cheaters. It was a quick, enthusiastic binge. Lucky Me ended up being my favorite of the songs and Suda Masaki’s voice my favorite of the singers. For the nice music, beautiful men, call to love through music, Glass Heart was worth the watch for me.
“Music isn’t concerned with who wins or loses. It just plays. That’s why it’s terrifying and beautiful.”
31 July 2025
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"It's to put our fears at rest"
If Japan was at Minus One after WWII, another round with destructive kaiju would put them at Minus Zero this time. Two years after Koichi helped destroy Godzilla, a meteorite delivers a new terrifying nemesis!It’s 1949 and Dr. Noda and his team are back with new member, meteorologist Aoyama Makoto. A new dragon-like kaiju has wrecked a town with biologist Murakami Kanji surviving. He joins Noda’s team in a search for a weapon to kill the newly dubbed Ghidorah. Pilot Shikishima Koichi is once again called into action, but Ghidorah proves as difficult to eliminate, or more so than Godzilla. Even a regenerated Godzilla might not be bad enough to take the ever-evolving alien kaiju down.
First off, I saw this in the theater and highly recommend seeing it this way if you have the opportunity. Wearing my Godzilla and Mothra pins I settled into a seat that would shake and shiver as Godzilla and King Ghidorah rumbled through towns and fought. A nice interactive experience. As a popcorn monster flick this film delivered. Godzilla didn’t show for an hour but that was okay because Ghidorah exploded onto the scene early! Ghidorah is my favorite kaiju villain and this version was excellent and terrifying. Certainly, a match for Big G. The kaiju were designed well and their scale to each other and their surroundings was believable as the tiny humans ran for their lives and buildings crumbled. I thoroughly enjoyed the new horrifying innovations for Ghidorah. I still miss OG Ghidorah’s sound effects that I only glimpsed once.
I was happy to see Koichi and Noriko have significant parts again as well as Dr. Noda. This time around there was a call back to Hiroshima with a vengeful Murakami looking for payback after his family was killed by the atomic bomb. Aoyama attempted to use weather to take out Ghidorah and then to track it. The Americans played a role on the periphery allowing the Japanese to take their shot at the giant foes while they observed from a safe distance. When a method was discovered to attract Godzilla, they of course, could see the potential for a weapon.
Minus Zero didn’t have the same quality of narrative cohesiveness that the first film displayed. This film had a tendency to lean into the melodrama with too long of scenes in an orphanage or Murakami slipping a cog. Koichi’s daughter was given every opportunity to wail at the top of her lungs which began to wear on me.
Overall, I enjoyed Godzilla Minus Zero and if it hadn’t cost a small fortune for movie tickets would have experienced it a second time. Not as thoughtful as the first one but as a monster flick they succeeded. The human stories were compelling if overly long. When the giant talent was on the screen it was something to behold. And the fact it was made for $20 million is astonishing. If you enjoy Godzilla films, this is one to try.
10 November 2026
Where are my notes?!: When the film streams, I’ll come back to this review. I wasn’t able to take notes in the theater and just immersed myself in the film.
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Captain Lu is lost when a Kraken attacks his ship on their way to Devil’s Island. Lin Xiao feels responsible for being unable to save him and breaks up with Lu Qi, the captain’s daughter. Cai, who survived the shipwreck, talks a magistrate into funding another ship to search for the treasure on Devil’s Island. With another survivor from the disaster the two men seek to bring the now drunken Lin Xiao back on board. Cai tells him Captain Lu might still be alive and he wants to see if they can find him. With Lu Qi’s encouragement they convince Lin Xiao to join the crew and off the ship sets. Aside from the Kraken, the intrepid treasure seekers will also have to deal with Japanese pirates!
I didn’t have any problem with The Sea Monster being heavily inspired by Pirates. My problem with the film was that it was built on posing clips and hero walks. If one scene of Lin Xiao on the sails looked good, ten would be better! The Dr. Smolder Bravestone posing wore quite thin. Hero walks are already an overused eyerolling trope but even more eyerolling when the walk is composed of extras! The last few minutes were filled with flashbacks of heroic posing of different characters. The film acted like they had developed the characters enough for the audience to care. There was lots of rousing generic music to let you know that a scene was supposed to evoke emotion. But given most of the deaths were extras, they meant little. The Japanese pirates’ storyline was poorly developed, not that they were on screen long. Lu Qi bragged her dad taught her to fight and shoot, yet she had to be rescued every few minutes.
For a low-budget film, the Kraken was actually pretty good. Far better than the creature in Tentacles. What they didn’t address was if there was more than one, because this fellow changed sizes. The ship and boat sets appeared very fake with the obvious blue screen backgrounds and artificial ocean. The film actually reused action footage. I thought I’d somehow hit rewind and was watching an earlier Kraken attack, but I had not.
The Sea Monster had the potential to be entertaining. I just have very little patience for posing acting and storytelling. Due to the short runtime, something you’ll rarely hear me complain about, the actual story was given short shrift, had glaring plot holes, and ended up less coherent than a high school play. The Kraken is probably complaining to his agent about this one.
13 October 2026
Annoying notes: Aside from a great treasure, the crew was searching for the Divine Mechanism Arsenal. There was also a tree with magical divine fruit that made an appearance near the end. The Kraken was supposed to be the protector of the tree which had me rooting for the Kraken!
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"Time is a matter of discussion, an argument you couldn't win"
Writer/Director Maria Estela Paiso’s short film, It’s Raining Frogs Outside, was both grotesque and strangely insightful. And also very enigmatic, leaving much of the film’s interpretation up to the viewer.Maya contemplates her life in the face of an ongoing onslaught of raining frogs. Trapped alone in her familial home, with every day the same and no human contact, dark nights of the soul begin to turn her inside out. Is she alone in the world?
Paiso used Maya’s childhood memories and body horror to tap into the human mind and how external and internal forces can cause it to unravel. Much like Ito Takashi, Paiso applied special effects to make her storytelling more hallucinatory and psychedelic. The steady thud of frogs hitting the ground brought home the apocalyptic nature of the film. The 2021 release date also brought to mind for me, the isolation and chaos instilled in the early days of the pandemic which pushed many people to a fragile mental edge. Raining frogs conjured images of biblical plagues and punishment, not a comforting setting.
When trapped inside with no connection to others, monotony and inevitability setting in, how does one maintain their identity? In a house full of memories, loneliness and isolation twisted those moments conflating them with what Maya feared was her physical deterioration and transformation. In the face of disaster, did it matter if one’s identity was maintained or was it more important than ever? So, whether it was the end of the world for everyone or just for her, reality exploded more than the frogs leading to a rather surreal metamorphosis.
8 October 2026
Trigger warnings: A creepy cockroach scene. And a disturbing body transformation.
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25 September 2026
Trigger warning: If you are sensitive to rapidly changing images and strobing light or suffer from seizures due to these sorts of things, I’d avoid it. I’m not, but my eyes were dancing about trying to find something to focus on at various times.
Ratings note: There was no acting and no music, so I couldn't rate those items on our star chart.
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The first cut is the deepest
Childhood told the tale of two high school friends who had the potential to become more. There was little dialogue, the story was told mainly through their interactions with each other and largely from Thanaphan’s viewpoint.Thanaphan and Kantaphat are best friends and constantly spending time together kicking a soccer ball, swimming, and just lying around. Slowly, touches become more intentional, glances linger, and hugs go beyond the three second mark. Kantaphat is approached by a girl and they exchange info and begin dating much to Thanaphan’s chagrin.
The film didn’t cover any new ground. First love is the deepest and sometimes most painful, yet this story told with almost no words was still satisfying in the exploration of the boys’ feelings and sexual awakenings. First love when complicated by not being mainstream can be even tougher to navigate. Childhood captured the first tingly feelings, heartbreak, and awkwardness so often part of this time in life.
24 September 2026
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Kaburagi Keiichi was only eighteen years old when he was sentenced to death for the murders of three people. Three years later he escapes from prison and begins his life on the run, donning new personas and disguises along the way. He’s a good guy who meets good people while searching for something to exonerate himself. On his trail are two detectives tasked with bringing him in and to not question if maybe they made a mistake three years ago.
Yokohama Ryusei gave solid performances as the different people Kaburagi impersonated. Yet as competently as he individualized each “new” character, I still felt distanced from Kaburagi. By jumping into the middle of the story, with Kaburagi playing different aspects of himself, hiding his true identity, it was hard to connect with the character. It would have helped to have shown the innocent eighteen-year-old before his life was thrown into the blender. The most moving scenes for me were the moments when he experienced things for the first time and made real connections with the people he met.
The film criticized a police force more concerned with expediency and image than in the truth or justice. The role of the public in demonizing defendants and demanding swift answers also subverted justice.
Faceless had an intriguing concept, yet the bouncing from identity to identity, made immersing into the film more difficult. Perhaps the 2022 drama which covered the same material was better able to delve into who Kaburagi was and what he was thinking. As a thriller it didn’t cause my heart to race or make me wonder if he was a mass murderer. As a character study, we were never let into his psyche. Despite the slow pace, I enjoyed the film, but it could have been so much more.
17 September 2026
Otousan Note: What happened to her father’s appeal?
Drama Mama Note: The most important question that was not answered was whether Kaburagi was able to finish his drama!
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"I only came here to worship the first light of the New Year...You brought this on yourselves."
Adventures of Zatoichi was another in the long list of Zatoichi films and dramas though this was only my third. This time the blind swordsman was just wanting to enjoy celebrating the New Year when he tumbled headlong into not one, but two women needing his help.Zatoichi is headed to a small town in order to join the festivities and worship the first light of the New Year on the mountain. A desperate man asks him to take a note to a young woman named Osen who works at the inn. Zatoichi makes the delivery and asks if there is a room available. The town is overflowing with traveling vendors and entertainers leaving no rooms. Out of gratitude Osen appeals to two female guests to allow him to stay in their room. One of the women, Saki, is in town searching for her father who disappeared a month ago. Zatoichi discovers a town ruthlessly run by Boss Jinbei and Magistrate Gorota. They kill or imprison whoever crosses them and extort money from local and travelling salespeople alike. Zatoichi’s desire for a quiet holiday is about to explode into a river of blood.
Once again Katsu Shintaro played the unassuming masseur and swordsman. Zatoichi initially tried to help Osen and Saki with advice, but it wasn’t long before he had to draw his lightning-fast sword. The women stupidly went against his advice though they weren’t the only characters to make mistakes. Zatoichi showed a lapse of judgment as well at one point. Two little boys who were performers, Sankichi and Tatsukichi, helped the swordsman out on several occasions. Aside from the two big bads who were dead men walking, a swordsman that worked for them was intent on a duel with Z. Dude, this guy was in 26 Zatoichi films, you never go up against the star.
The fight choreography was pretty standard for 1964-slice and fall. The body count was high, I stopped counting before the big battles at the end and Z was already up to 20. If you are squeamish there was no squirting blood or lopped off limbs.
I found Adventures of Zatoichi entertaining with deadly elements and humorous ones woven throughout. Much like New Year’s morning on the mountain, Zatoichi walked into darkness with the light at his back. Generously scored for a pre-1990s martial arts film.
11 September 2026
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Strong follow-up to the original
Eye for an Eye 2 was a loose sequel to the original with Xie Miao reprising his role as the blind swordsman Cheng. This time around he ended up with a vengeful pint-sized sidekick bent on revenge.Zhang Xiao Yu and her brother Cao are saved by Blind Cheng. When Cao later meets an untimely death, she dogs Cheng until he agrees to help her avenge her brother. The demon swordsman is none too happy about the determined child and tries numerous ways to rid himself of her.
Gender note: I’m going to refer to Xiao Yu as she/her because the character was played by a girl and Xiao Yu looked like a typical crossdressing girl in Chinese dramas and films despite what the synopsis says and it literally makes no difference story wise.
You can absolutely watch this film if you haven’t watched the first film. Much as in the first film, Cheng was a cranky blind swordsman who made his living as a bounty hunter. Xiao Yu found ways to assist him in hopes he’d teach her how to kill the object of her hatred-Li Jiu Lang. Cheng was once again forced to summon the demon within as he battled hundreds of warriors at one time. And much like Fezzik from The Princess Bride, he only stumbled when fighting one man.
The story slowed down long enough to have some cute moments with Xiao Yu acting as Cheng’s eyes while hunting his bounties. In one of the few scripted "humorous" moments, it emphasized the weakness of the film's premise. Xiao Yu rearranged the furniture causing Cheng to bump into things and fall when he never had a problem in completely strange environments fighting bad guys.
The smaller fights were better choreographed. Despite Xie Miao being a martial artist, wires were used prolifically. His skills definitely helped sell the moves though. The large fights were less entertaining as they were sped up and filmed up close. I suppose it made the outrageous odds Cheng faced better able to swallow. As I said in my EfaE1 review, if you can buy into a blind swordsman bounty hunter, fighting 300 men single-handedly wasn’t much of a stretch. This film wasn’t afraid to lean into the bone crunching and slicing sound effects.
I enjoyed Eye for an Eye 2. It might not have broken any new ground, but the slow build of Cheng and Xiao Yu’s relationship was fun to watch and the actors had a nice rapport with each other. And Cheng certainly knew how to make an entrance when Xiao Yu was in need. If you enjoyed Eye for an Eye 1, this is definitely worth a try.
10 September 2026
Trigger warnings: Child murder and pet murder. As expected, numerous bloody impalements.
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"I call this reality"
Next Sohee was based on a real-life incident from 2016. Director July Jung was dismayed that even after the incident, high school externs were being exploited by corporations and schools leading some students to injury, death, and abuse.Kim So Hee goes to a vocational high school and is offered a job at a “prestigious” call center. Older employees were let go, with the company changing over to high school externs. Her job is to dissuade customers from canceling their service and getting them to sign up for other services. Customers’ wishes are ignored, delayed, and deferred as much as possible which leads to very angry customers who can become verbally abusive to the teenagers. The operators are listed on the board in order of productivity. Paychecks are regularly short changed and incentives delayed. Different contracts are signed. Quitting or getting fired means punishment at the school and reflects in a student’s permanent record. Many of the operators come from poor families who need the money they bring home which adds extra pressure. When vibrant So Hee loses hope, and the unimaginable happens, Detective Oh Ji Won is brought in to investigate. What she finds is not one perpetrator, but an entire system designed to exploit teenagers in a revolving door of abuse.
The film is divided into two parts---before the “incident” and afterwards. While the pre-story helps to develop sympathy for So Hee, it dragged on too long for me given that the second half of the film focused on retracing those same steps. Kim Si Eun and Bae Doo Na both gave complex performances which certainly helped cover some of the weaker elements of the film.
Watching the corporations, schools, and inspectors make excuses for the poor treatment and financial exploitation of the students was sickening. Everyone closed ranks and per usual blamed the victim. The corporations hired students because they were inexperienced and easy to intimidate, underpay and overwork, abuse, and replace when burned out. The schools only wished to fill their quotas to keep their doors open, threatening students who couldn’t handle the abuse. Instead of training students they were de facto employment agencies. Some students quit school after they quit their jobs to avoid the repercussions. Failure at any level made finding work more difficult.
Next SoHee was a difficult film to watch because as is often true in real life there was no satisfactory resolution. Poor, imperfect kids were unimportant, largely expendable and only valuable as a commodity as long as they continued to perform. With no oversight or labor protections they were and are completely vulnerable to danger, abuse, and exploitation. In 2026 there were supposedly new labor laws implemented, we’ll see if they have any teeth to back them up and if the society is serious about protecting their children and preventing the corporations from feeding on them. Greed is a deadly master.
8/30/26
Trigger warnings: Suicides
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"Those who seek the truth, hit a wall at least once"
The Defensive Power of Aikido aka The Power of Aikido starred Sonny Chiba’s younger brother, Jiro, as the creator of Aikido-Morihei Ueshiba. A by the numbers fictionalized martial arts biopic, it was easy to watch, but not memorable.Morihei Ueshiba has moved to a farm in a village in Hokkaido. He practices jujutsu with his workers easily defeating them. When he helps a young boy running from the work camp he meets his match in Natori Shinbei and his karate. Morihei becomes determined to improve his martial arts skills and seeks out new teachers to guide him. After he defeats a karate sensei, the school seeks vengeance and he has to defend himself from vengeful students while learning new skills.
Chiba Jiro was not nearly as charismatic as Sonny, nor was his fighting style. He gave a satisfactory performance as a farmer who worked his way up, learning new martial arts skills, eventually developing his own style. The movie wasn’t very clear on what those specific moves were that defined his aikido. Sonny’s Natori broke the mold of brainless, revenge-fueled fighter which was a relief given all the other tunnel-visioned students looking for blood. Shihomie Etsuko from Sonny’s Street Fighter franchise made an appearance as a student well able to take on a gang of men.
The fight choreography was adequate with some fights better than others. As with many old martial arts films, the kicks often missed by a mile, thankfully the actors and stuntmen were able to sell the action. And there were a few super human throws. The fights improved as Morihei went from being owned by his opponents to being able to use their power against them.
The Power of Aikido had the requisite training sequences as Morihei sought to improve his fighting skills and reach enlightenment. There were those who lent a hand to and those who betrayed the determined fighter. Very little was shown of Morihei’s personal life and family. Entertaining, but not enthralling. Rated on a pre-1990s kung fu curve or in this case generous karate kurve.
27 August 2026
Trigger warnings: A rather large snake carried about in one scene. An arm lopped off in another.
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