It checks all my boxes: with a strong female lead, history, romance, comedy, adventure, a dash of political intrigue, all wrapped in stunning cinematography, costume, acting, production, and the most beautiful music... Simply amazing!
The highlight of this drama, as I expected, was Sun Li. I'd only watched her in LoZH before and liked her a lot - but this drama has now made her a favourite actress! She is extremely expressive and her ability to deliver humour, strength, grief etc with equal measure is truly impressive. Speaking of, I also commend Chen Xiao's acting, I was not familiar with him before but I'm very interested in seeing more of his works now. The other aspect I most enjoyed would have to be the characterisation, particularly that of Zhou Ying and Shen Xingyi. I found the development of their characters (especially Xingyi's) and their relationship with each other to be surprisingly well-written. I have a world of commentary regarding the 2, but as it contains a lot of spoilers suffice to say I was VERY invested in them.
Also, I must applaud the music of this drama: absolutely ENCHANTING! I'm listening to the songs even as I write. Not only the opening/ending songs but all the background music and insert songs within the drama are incredibly beautiful. The music is always used at the right time, never imposing on the scenes/dialogues but complementing them to reflect the mood perfectly. Same goes for the cinematography and art direction but I'll mention 3 things specifically: the op/ed sequences (I'd never skip them if I didn't want to avoid spoilers), the elegant costumes, and the outdoor sets/scenery (especially in the middle episodes) were all honestly just breathtaking.
I do have some criticism that frustrated me at some points, however, they are mostly reserved for the last 15 episodes or so and does not affect my overall appreciation for an otherwise excellent drama. In fact, I wished multiple times it wouldn't end! I should definitely like to rewatch it.
I was looking forward to watching this drama for Nakama Yukie, but it disappointed.
It actually had interesting elements, such as relationships between different generations, family interference in romance, controversial and sensitive topics etc. All of these were foundations of making a great drama, but halfway through it started being very roundabout and tedious, ending the same way.
Hmm, maybe you'll like some of his other roles in future. His role as Kenshin was very believable for the character…
Oh yes, I've been wanting to watch the If Cats Disappeared movie since it might have him portray a 'deeper' role than the ones I've seen him in. As for Bitter Blood - I actually haven't seen his funny side! So I look forward to how he plays the "dorky cute" (comedy roles done *well* is actually the key to my heart lol).
Just remembered I have actually seen Rookies and am watching Bloody Monday, but I found his roles were too minor to exhibit any significant acting ability.
To be honest, I've only watched movies of his so far and mostly because of his co-actors (Kamiki and Ayano). I'm afraid his acting didn't particularly impress me, as I find that he doesn't use his expressions much, portraying his roles (Kenshin/Mashiro/Nagai) kind of the same way, even thought the characters were very different.
I have, however, been very impressed by his (and Kamiki's) stunt work in the Kenshin movies, which shows a lot of dedication and bravery, and he seems to be a kind and sweet person - which makes me want to check out more of his works to really explore his acting range. (I might just start with Bitter Blood.)
I really like watching j-drama and i want to write review for some dramas. But English is not my native language…
Please feel free to write reviews in your native language if you wish to! Although English is kind of the default language on MDL, many of us aren't native English speakers. I'm sure others who speak your language will find such reviews helpful.
And if you feel comfortable with it, try writing in English as well - some grammar mistakes are no big deal. You'll learn from practice :)
I seem to be the only one who dislikes this trope among the readers here... I see it as less of a romantic gesture and more of an example of glorified male aggression lol.
Like many manga adaptations, this (and the first) movie falls into the trap of trying to be 'faithful' but not *thorough* in it's adaptation. By keeping certain scenes exact to the point of awkwardness (eg. humour that doesn't translate well from anime/manga) yet skipping many significant scenes or dialogue in between, it defeats the whole purpose of actually being faithful.
Acting was also rather unimpressive. Apart from Kamiki (who can still pull off looking 17!) and a couple other actors, most were unable to bring their characters to life. This was partly due to the aforementioned issue of pacing the story, but I still feel they could have done more than the bare minimum of reading out lines and crying on cue. The director too is responsible for this, I imagine.
The story of March Comes in Like a Lion is not really about shogi - it's a human drama that develops characters, explores relationships, and shows situations in life in a realistic way. The movies fail to capture that. If I wasn't familiar with the anime I'd be in the dark regarding all that. It's also the reason I didn't finish this movie, since it covers more than the anime did and I don't want to be confused by it's oddly-timed skips, lack of characterisation, and awkward acting.
Along with school dramas, Japan tends to make A LOT of food dramas. And it's definitely a genre I like! ('The Last Recipe' is a great movie btw, not just for the food.)
It was a really well made movie and is fine as a 'mindless' action blockbuster. As an adaptation though... while its production is impressive (like bringing the IBM/ghosts to life) the storytelling and characterisation is less so. I only point it out because I was particularly intrigued by the original story of Ajin (through the Netflix anime, apparently the manga is even better).
However, my sole reason for watching this was AYANO GO - and he was every bit worth it!
"Sometimes I even sought for negative reviews because most of them tend to be more analytical and specific in…
I agree with both of your comments so much! I rely a lot on negative reviews of popular shows to find a critical approach. On the other hand, as a post-watcher when I find overly emotional reviews of something I enjoyed, it disappoints me not to see its critical merits explained.
I agree so much on most of the points made, I always mentally categorised reviews - it helps me select the ones relevant to me, but also because I just like 'reviewing' reviews and finding good pieces.
Personally, I'm all 3 types as a reader but I seek out 'persuasive' reviews more because in my experience I find them to be generally better written compared to simply emotional ones. I'm a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to writing style, structure etc so it bothers me when a review is not organised or expressed properly. I guess mainly because there's a whole comment section where one can write down their (relatively) unorganised thoughts.
The one thing I have a strong opinion about is SPOILERS. I don't *hate* it when it's marked but I don't think reviews, as a form, should include spoilers to begin with. Once again, not only does MDL has a comment section (which helpfully has spoiler tags!!) but there's also the option to write an article like this closely analysing a drama/movie where one can 'spoil freely'....so why do it in a review, you know?
Anyway, this is a great article, I really enjoyed the read! :)
It checks all my boxes: with a strong female lead, history, romance, comedy, adventure, a dash of political intrigue, all wrapped in stunning cinematography, costume, acting, production, and the most beautiful music... Simply amazing!
The highlight of this drama, as I expected, was Sun Li. I'd only watched her in LoZH before and liked her a lot - but this drama has now made her a favourite actress! She is extremely expressive and her ability to deliver humour, strength, grief etc with equal measure is truly impressive. Speaking of, I also commend Chen Xiao's acting, I was not familiar with him before but I'm very interested in seeing more of his works now. The other aspect I most enjoyed would have to be the characterisation, particularly that of Zhou Ying and Shen Xingyi. I found the development of their characters (especially Xingyi's) and their relationship with each other to be surprisingly well-written. I have a world of commentary regarding the 2, but as it contains a lot of spoilers suffice to say I was VERY invested in them.
Also, I must applaud the music of this drama: absolutely ENCHANTING! I'm listening to the songs even as I write. Not only the opening/ending songs but all the background music and insert songs within the drama are incredibly beautiful. The music is always used at the right time, never imposing on the scenes/dialogues but complementing them to reflect the mood perfectly. Same goes for the cinematography and art direction but I'll mention 3 things specifically: the op/ed sequences (I'd never skip them if I didn't want to avoid spoilers), the elegant costumes, and the outdoor sets/scenery (especially in the middle episodes) were all honestly just breathtaking.
I do have some criticism that frustrated me at some points, however, they are mostly reserved for the last 15 episodes or so and does not affect my overall appreciation for an otherwise excellent drama. In fact, I wished multiple times it wouldn't end! I should definitely like to rewatch it.
Are you enjoying it?
It actually had interesting elements, such as relationships between different generations, family interference in romance, controversial and sensitive topics etc. All of these were foundations of making a great drama, but halfway through it started being very roundabout and tedious, ending the same way.
Just remembered I have actually seen Rookies and am watching Bloody Monday, but I found his roles were too minor to exhibit any significant acting ability.
I have, however, been very impressed by his (and Kamiki's) stunt work in the Kenshin movies, which shows a lot of dedication and bravery, and he seems to be a kind and sweet person - which makes me want to check out more of his works to really explore his acting range. (I might just start with Bitter Blood.)
And if you feel comfortable with it, try writing in English as well - some grammar mistakes are no big deal. You'll learn from practice :)
Acting was also rather unimpressive. Apart from Kamiki (who can still pull off looking 17!) and a couple other actors, most were unable to bring their characters to life. This was partly due to the aforementioned issue of pacing the story, but I still feel they could have done more than the bare minimum of reading out lines and crying on cue. The director too is responsible for this, I imagine.
The story of March Comes in Like a Lion is not really about shogi - it's a human drama that develops characters, explores relationships, and shows situations in life in a realistic way. The movies fail to capture that. If I wasn't familiar with the anime I'd be in the dark regarding all that. It's also the reason I didn't finish this movie, since it covers more than the anime did and I don't want to be confused by it's oddly-timed skips, lack of characterisation, and awkward acting.
And this series is on kissasian too.
However, my sole reason for watching this was AYANO GO - and he was every bit worth it!
Personally, I'm all 3 types as a reader but I seek out 'persuasive' reviews more because in my experience I find them to be generally better written compared to simply emotional ones. I'm a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to writing style, structure etc so it bothers me when a review is not organised or expressed properly. I guess mainly because there's a whole comment section where one can write down their (relatively) unorganised thoughts.
The one thing I have a strong opinion about is SPOILERS. I don't *hate* it when it's marked but I don't think reviews, as a form, should include spoilers to begin with. Once again, not only does MDL has a comment section (which helpfully has spoiler tags!!) but there's also the option to write an article like this closely analysing a drama/movie where one can 'spoil freely'....so why do it in a review, you know?
Anyway, this is a great article, I really enjoyed the read! :)