An interesting debut from one of Hirokazu Koreeda’s assistant directors and protégés, “My Small Land” is a compassionate and delicate coming-of-age story of 17-year-old Sarya, a young girl from a family of Kurdish refugees who seek asylum in Japan. The story tackles many social issues, such as discrimination and everyday life difficulties the immigrant communities have to cope with -concerning education, employment and relationships-, as well as the communication/language barriers, the struggles of being aware of their heritage (being caught between two cultures), their need of belonging, being accepted and being able to express themselves.
A fast-paced, intense action drama, with nicely inserted comedic, teamwork and bromance moments. Though it was focused way more on the detective/investigation aspect rather than the first responders/firefighters work (and tbh the romance line could have been avoided), overall it was an entertaining watch.
A down-to-earth, tender and un-cringy romance story, with an adorable couple that has admirable communication and character development. A short wholesome jdrama that tackles some serious matters in an honest, realistic way without any unnecessary fillers, complications or angst - and the cutest ML.
Binge-worthy, intense, thrilling and totally engaging, just like the 1st season, with a satisfying closure. More focused on the players and game masters backstories, with girl power vibes all the way! Kuina, Ann, Akane and the "Queen of Hearts" were fantastic. But, I have to admit that Chishiya and Kyuma (Yamapi) were definitely the highlights of this season!
Bleak, depressing, confusing and minimal, this is the story of a young schoolgirl, Sachiko, and everything and everyone in her life that went disappointedly wrong...
Delicate, subtle, slow-paced, poetically beautiful. Full of loud silences, words and feelings left unspoken, and eye-opening glimpses of the "silent world" some people live in. A wonderful story, more of a slice-of-life and character study than a pure romance, that focuses on the importance of communicating/expressing our feelings and thoughts, as well as being honest about them.
Superb acting from the cast: Kawaguchi Haruna, Suzuka Ouji, Kaho, Kazama Shunsuke and, especially, Meguro Ren who was simply fantastic in this! He could convey all emotions, from heart-wrenchingly sad to genuinely happy only with his face micro-expressions and gesture, without speaking a single word...
A dark psychological thriller, extremely disturbing, violent and raw. A fast-paced and solid story of the revenge and traumatic aftermath derived from extreme school bullying. Brilliant use and transition of flashbacks, tense directing and music, great acting from the cast playing both young and adult characters. Hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking.
Compelling mind-games confrontation in a well-knit tangled web of flashbacks and alternative versions, full of suspenseful plot-twists, possibilities and revelations. Brilliant performances from So Ji Sub and Kim Yoon Jin, impressive snowy setting and atmosphere.
Tense, bleak and thought-provoking. A great continuation of the drama, with a new heart-breaking story, some more piercing social commentaries and the much needed FL's backstory. Beautifully filmed and superbly acted, especially from Arimura Kasumi and Morita Go, this was a difficult but rewarding watch. Highly recommended.
Promising start with an intriguing plot and well-balanced doses of mystery and romance. Messy middle with annoying and unnecessary side characters that caused a very disappointing plot detour. Very touching and satisfying end, though a bit rushed, that made up for all the subpar tropes. The sweetest dad ever and the scene-stealer flirting FL's friend Yoo So Ra earned most of this drama's brownie points.
A sad, emotional and introspective story revolving around a compelling love triangle (platonic and sexual) among three friends on their journey from childhood to adulthood. Smooth and subtle directing, nuanced but powerful performances from the cast in this unique slice of life, coming of age and social commentary on LGBT and aroace people, masterfully blended in between the blurry lines of friendship, romance, deep bonding and family.
An underrated short drama, beautifully shot and directed, with impressive sword fights and an intriguing story. Though there was some more room for the characters backstories (and I wouldn't mind a few more episodes with new cases), it was satisfactorily concluded and thoroughly enjoyable.
Much better that the 1st part, with a satisfying insight into the leads backstories and some interesting and well-fitted cultural elements embedded in the story, making it stand out as something more than a simple copy-paste remake from the original.
Not your typical Infidelity or Older Woman/Younger Man romance, but a dark, emotionally charged story about two wounded, abused and lonely people trying to get away from their toxic environment and become happy. Kudos to Itagaki Rihito for his solid performance in spite of his young age!
Though having high hopes for this one, with its cast and director, the outcome was very underwhelming... Too many dump decisions from some characters, nonsensical plot-holes and cartoonish actions in a story that had great visuals but a mediocre substance. The most intriguing elements were the strong, enigmatic, morally grey FL and the animated intro.
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Definitely not a masterpiece, but nevertheless a fun, wacky ride!
The story tackles many social issues, such as discrimination and everyday life difficulties the immigrant communities have to cope with -concerning education, employment and relationships-, as well as the communication/language barriers, the struggles of being aware of their heritage (being caught between two cultures), their need of belonging, being accepted and being able to express themselves.
Though it was focused way more on the detective/investigation aspect rather than the first responders/firefighters work (and tbh the romance line could have been avoided), overall it was an entertaining watch.
A short wholesome jdrama that tackles some serious matters in an honest, realistic way without any unnecessary fillers, complications or angst - and the cutest ML.
More focused on the players and game masters backstories, with girl power vibes all the way! Kuina, Ann, Akane and the "Queen of Hearts" were fantastic.
But, I have to admit that Chishiya and Kyuma (Yamapi) were definitely the highlights of this season!
Delicate, subtle, slow-paced, poetically beautiful.
Full of loud silences, words and feelings left unspoken, and eye-opening glimpses of the "silent world" some people live in.
A wonderful story, more of a slice-of-life and character study than a pure romance, that focuses on the importance of communicating/expressing our feelings and thoughts, as well as being honest about them.
Superb acting from the cast: Kawaguchi Haruna, Suzuka Ouji, Kaho, Kazama Shunsuke and, especially, Meguro Ren who was simply fantastic in this!
He could convey all emotions, from heart-wrenchingly sad to genuinely happy only with his face micro-expressions and gesture, without speaking a single word...
A fast-paced and solid story of the revenge and traumatic aftermath derived from extreme school bullying.
Brilliant use and transition of flashbacks, tense directing and music, great acting from the cast playing both young and adult characters.
Hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking.
Brilliant performances from So Ji Sub and Kim Yoon Jin, impressive snowy setting and atmosphere.
Tense, bleak and thought-provoking.
A great continuation of the drama, with a new heart-breaking story, some more piercing social commentaries and the much needed FL's backstory.
Beautifully filmed and superbly acted, especially from Arimura Kasumi and Morita Go, this was a difficult but rewarding watch.
Highly recommended.
Messy middle with annoying and unnecessary side characters that caused a very disappointing plot detour.
Very touching and satisfying end, though a bit rushed, that made up for all the subpar tropes.
The sweetest dad ever and the scene-stealer flirting FL's friend Yoo So Ra earned most of this drama's brownie points.
Smooth and subtle directing, nuanced but powerful performances from the cast in this unique slice of life, coming of age and social commentary on LGBT and aroace people, masterfully blended in between the blurry lines of friendship, romance, deep bonding and family.
Kudos to Itagaki Rihito for his solid performance in spite of his young age!
Too many dump decisions from some characters, nonsensical plot-holes and cartoonish actions in a story that had great visuals but a mediocre substance.
The most intriguing elements were the strong, enigmatic, morally grey FL and the animated intro.