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For Fans of the Lost Tomb Series and Liu Chang
Another completely biased review from me to youI've become totally enamored with Liu Chang recently (his appearance in Link Click is yummy) so I've been going through his past series and watching. I had already watched Reunion: The Sound of Providence previously (his character is so fun and untrustworthy and deadly and he has a major crush on Zhang Qiling so I can relate) so I'm watching other lost tomb side stories now. I started with the Reunion side story Ping Yao Wang Shi. Oh boy, that was pretty bad. Next up this series, Echo of Moonfall. Surprisingly good. At least compared to the reunion side show. I really like Liu Chang's voice and he looks great with his long hair and costume in this, but I do admit I miss him pushing up his glasses all the time. I don't know why I like that so much but here we are.
A couple of thoughts
1. As much as I love Liu Chang, he should never try rapping again!
2. Liu Chang singing to a creepy wooden doll was not on my bucket list.
3. Pouring wine on a stab wound through a leather outer robe, then a snakeskin robe, then something that looks like sparkly metallic, and finally plain black cloth, so like 4 layers of clothing, seems pretty useless
4. WTAF was the whole jade meteorite flash and all of a sudden the previous inhabitants of the respective bodies appear with nifty new outfits on? Though I do like Liu Chang's Disney prince look.
5. Whoever did the paint-by-numbers job on the FL needs to go back to makeup school. Was it put on with a trowel? With that makeup she looks like she is ready to go hang out on a street corner somewhere. Ok, done being snarky.
6. Nice open ending, but hey we got to see a bit of a wedding scene at the end, sorta, in the credits.
I'm curious as to how Liu Chang has gotten all these Lost Tomb side stories. Most especially since they cross the different series/casts.
This is a short, 14 episode web series you can watch in under an hour and it's fun. Don't expect Reunion-level but still pretty interesting. I watched it on youtube with subs at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68RvGF_k-jE&list=PLwtrWaDwiqUdY4Ys6b5oAsSf5iQyduKP9&index=1
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Last of the Original Live Action Movies
Another completely biased review from me to you.I am still wondering why they made this one and the New Generation one too, 10 years after the originals. And if they were going to make them, damn it make them better than this! This review is all very spoilery, I just did a stream of conscience while watching. Read at your own risk 😉
First 10+ minutes or so I thought maybe the streaming platform had screwed up and I was actually watching the Netflix version? I've seen worse beginnings to movies but wow, what was this? This story takes place 10 years after the original live action movies from 2006-2008.
Then nice, a picture of Light, and picture of L. Then a short clip of Light which makes absolutely no sense as far as the previous movies go. Isn't he dead already, pretty definitively? 😕 Then the Death Note Task Force is out to catch a new holder of the Death Note Book. They are disguising themselves (very badly) by wearing sunglasses and having scarves on so she won't see their names using the reaper's eyes. So lame! Does it get better? Nope.
So, Ryuzaki is a clone of L? He's rather boorish and irritating without any of the charms of L.
Beppo was a disappointing looking reaper. Arma makes up for it.
More 'video' of Light/Kira that disguised a virus to take down all computer systems. Too funny.
Misa! 😭
What a twist ending! Ok, made the ride halfway decent. However, sorry, but I was rooting for Shien here as the new Kira. Seriously, Suda Masaki was simply adorable. They did him wrong.
Anyhow, I suppose if you are going to do like I did and decide to watch all the Death Note live actions (except for the Netflix one, gods why did they do that?) they are ok to watch. Sadly the only one I would really recommend is the one that started it all, Death Note from 2006. Also, the series from 2015 is pretty darn good. I'll be watching that one next.
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Kind of in the Death Note Family
To say this is a Death Note movie is stretching it a bit I think. Yes, L is in it and he is he candy-eating, bent back, terrible typing savant from Death Note and Death Note 2: The Last Name. Matsuyama Kenichi just really plays this character well.The story itself is pretty darn interesting, but only if you're not looking for Death Note 3. The story has a different vibe to it then the others and isn't about Death Notes or death gods at all. It just has L in it with a bit of cameo from the previous movies.
All in all, a decent watch if you have some time to spare.
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Good Death Note Story
I do like Fujiwara Tatsuya as Light and Matsuyama Kenichi as L. Toda Erika was good as Misa, and was surprisingly not irritating at all!This is a great addition to all the Death Note stories out there. Very dark, makes the bad guys look cool, the Death Gods were really well done CGI-wise.
The ending was sad but expected. Now on to the next in the list, L: Change the World
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What a fun ride!
I've watched this around 4 or 5 times so far. This is one of my absolute favorites to watch when I need to take a break. I have no experience with the original manga so I came into this with no expectations. The movie has everything I love about this genre of Japanese movies/series. Awesome eye candy, incredible music, unbelievably good sfx. Sota Fukushi is so good as Ichigo in this. He completely lives his character. Hana Sugisaki is fantastic as Rukia. The montage of her teaching him how to fight is just so fun. I only wish there were more movies and/or a series with the same characters, especially since they mention the Soul Society Arc. Give it a try and hopefully you'll find it as fun as I did. 🥳NOTE: I'm definitely not an impartial reviewer. I tend to leave reviews and ratings for only things I love which means almost everything is a 10 for me 😉
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Fun mini-drama
Another completely biased review from me to you.Spoilers ahead.
This is another fun little series There's a bit more angsty feeling to it but still surprisingly light and fluffy.
The ML, Lin Ze Hui, is absolutely gorgeous. The 2 characters he plays in this series are so different from each other. And what makes it even more fun is he is only pretending to be 2 people, it's really just one guy putting on an act and pretending to be twin brothers. And damn, he does the 2 characters so well! There's the fun and flighty younger twin who loves to laugh and flirt. And then there's the dark and serious older twin who seems to want to kill the FL all the time. I'm really liking this ML and will be keeping an eye out for more of his shows definitely. He starred in Secrets of the Shadow Sect which is one of the sexiest little mini-dramas out there!
The FL was good too. I appreciate that she wasn't a toddler, she spoke like an adult female, and stayed pretty badassed through the entire series. That can't be taken for granted at all in these c-dramas! It seems like half of the so-called assassins end up losing most of their brain cells when they fall for the ML and become complete damsels in distress. Not this one though! She can fight. And I love the flexible sword, ala Zhou Zishu lol!
I do love the way the story ended. I know there were some comments that they hated the ending, but seriously, with that FL it was perfect! Exactly what you would predict a character like her to do.
So give it a try. It's short, fun, not too angsty, mostly fluffy.
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The bromance is strong with this one
Another completely biased review from me to you.I adored this series! It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. The story has some ridiculous parts to it but is done so damn right! Both MLs are absolutely gorgeous, and their outfits are stunning. (Except for the hats, but oh well, historical accuracy and all that? I could do without that little bit of accuracy though) Seriously, whoever did their wardrobe, especially their three-piece suits, should win an award, just beautiful. I wonder if they get to take their suits home with them. And can we talk about dressing the one ML up in a frilly apron? Yep, strong bromance. And the other ML rocking an ascot? Yep, he does.
The sets, music, camera, lighting, everything in this series are really good. The music is wonderful and really adds to the story. As far as I can see, high production values for such a silly short series. Episodes are 10-11 minutes long. Opening is 1 minute 21 seconds. End credits are 2 minutes. So each episode is actually ~7 minutes long, give or take a few seconds lol. But surprisingly I don't mind watching the open/end credits. They are pretty darn good and show the strong bromance between these 2. And the end credits are different each time, showing a bit of a preview of the next episode so fun to watch. Plus check out the words of the ending song. Oh my, strong bromance.
Yes, this is a delicious, silly little series but so easy to watch. And perfect to get you out of a heavy drama and angsty things. A It's a light and fluffy republican era drama (who knew there was such a thing?) with 2 hot MLs shooting their way through the bad guys? Oh yes, sign me up for this one! Maybe I enjoyed this a bit too much! Would love to see more like this. And no annoying FL to mess up the bromance!
Here's the spoilery stuff.
There are so many bits to love:
The getaway with both of them on one bicycle with them bickering the entire way is so damn funny!
Defacing the family motto!
The blind date stand-in.
The way the one ML drinks liquor!
OMG, ML2 breaking the gun ML1's dad left him, then handing him his undercover Anti-traitor Corps badge LOL 'Crap! I got exposed.' So damn funny I almost hurt myself laughing!
Oh lord, 'No one is on opium guard duty tomorrow night' over and over and over. 'Do you think he heard us?
How f*cking cool the ML looks in his silver mask.
The ridiculous code names 'Starry Boy' lol.
'Fine, I'm mad now. Stay here for some introspection.' while wagging his finger at him.
ML1 and other anti-traitor corp dude wearing matching silk robes and pajamas and ML2 with different silk pajamas on sitting in the middle. Yep, other ML said it best, 'Idiot'
ML1 is trying to explain to ML2 that he isn't a traitor, and all the things that he's done to try and protect him, then it somehow morphs into a wife complaining about the husband's bad habits: 'You never wipe your shoes bottom when you come indoors, leaving the floor all muddy. You make a lot of noise when you eat and sleep. I can't fall asleep at all.' I am dying laughing here! The best part is you never know when these gems are going to come out, they just organically appear.
It's always nice when a gang attacks the good guys, but then all wait their turn to fight.
The slow, romantic music, while they are trying to find each other after being attacked, with lots of bromance flashbacks!
The look on ML2's face when he finally sees ML1. The look on ML1's face when he sees ML2. Oh my, this is a bit more than bromance.
If ML1 keeps knocking out ML2 all the time he's going to suffer permanent brain damage. And he's very slow to begin with!
The dynamite sticks duds pretty damn funny! Such a dramatic build-up.
The fight scene in the church, awesome!
The little smile on ML's face, priceless!
Snore/punch lol
Wonderful ending, including the gun fumble and door handle.
This light bit of froth is just a perfect binge watch. I highly recommend this. Enjoy!
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Hilariously Funny Thieves vs Cops
Another completely biased review from me to you.How to describe the esthetics here? Kind of like a cross between Get Smart (ancient U.S. series), the old Batman TV series, Austin Powers, and every campy James Bond parody ever made, and all with the typical zany over-the-top Japanese insanity. So much damn fun to watch! And just silly as hell.
The entire extended family of thieves are so stupid funny. The brother is an absolute gem! The way he wears the disguise, or his own version of it, even though he stays behind in his batcave working the computers and the ladybug lol. The parents who are too busy flirting with each other (reminds me of Morticia and Gomez Addams, only with stealing)! The cute little Grandma who is a badass in her own right! And I love Akira and Hana's musical numbers. Yes, really, musical numbers!
The cop's family, down to the dog, are just as silly. And the Grandpa with the bad Elvis wig, wow.
If you need a break from heavy, angst-filled dramas this is a nice light palate cleanser. Turn off the brain, laugh, and enjoy!
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Silly Sexy Little Romp
Another completely biased review from me to you.This short series seems to get a bit of hate, but I have to say I loved it. Even though the one ML is a walking talking redder than the Sorcerer's robe red flag, he's still sexy as hell. And the other ML is a cute but dim little chipmunk. The 2 of them together strangely have a ton of chemistry. Lots of nice skinship. The shower scene....
The story is not ground breaking. There are some bits in there that you wonder why they were added. Watch it and see what you think.
All in all I really enjoyed the hell out of this one too. Turn off your brain, stop criticizing so much, smile and enjoy!
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Now that's how you do a sword fight
Though it's actually sword vs scabbard fights, but still awesome! Saotome Taichi is mesmerizing to watch. I can't imagine how many hours of training he goes through to be that beautiful to watch. Each fight scene seems like a well choreographed dance. Just beautiful! Add in Endo Yuya to the fighting and it's over the top good!The series is known as The Sealer on Viki in case anyone is looking for it. The series itself is quite short but doesn't suffer too many from that. The story is quite interesting and different and very dark, so not my typical happy smiley type of series to watch. But damn, it is really good. Even though it looks like a few people have complained about the music, I think the music adds a perfect touch to this intense drama.
The look is gorgeous. I love the costume design for most all of the characters. The Osagami character looks especially good with his flowing black outfits. Gorgeous!
The only complaint I have, which is a repeated complaint from me for a lot of series, is the FL. Good lord, could they make a more irritating, useless person? The FL's only purpose seems to be to fall over and have to be rescued! I do like that there seems to be subtle diss'ing for the character cause she is the only one that wears just awful outfits and hair. Sort of like no one can stand the character so they punish the poor actress. Or maybe that's just me 😁
Anyhow, give this a watch. It's short so won't take up your entire weekend. It's worth it just to watch the lovely Saotome Taichi.
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Tori Matsuzaka is mesmerizing
Tori Matsuzaka was the perfect choice for this role! After watching this movie I can't imagine anyone else playing the character. To tell you the truth, he is the only reason to watch this. The perfect, gorgeous, psychotic killer with the mesmerizing eye and devilish grin!The FL was ok, at least she didn't turn into a damsel in distress. For some reason Mackenyu was in this even though his character was almost non-existent. The rest of the characters were pretty much Japanese crime movie 101.
I would love to see the story fleshed out more. Who is this captivating ML and how did he get his powers? Turn this into a series and watch the cat and mouse games continue!
Another movie to watch after turning your brain off. Don't worry too much about a deep story line and don't expect any life lessons from this. Just enjoy the ride. And the eye candy.
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