Am I crazy or was this actually good?
I am a huge RAMPAGE fan, but I generally don't go into the members' acting projects expecting ~actual cinema~ because the majority of the time they aren't. Similarly, I went into this fully anticipating to turn my brain off and just marvel at the novelty of having Kazuma, Riku, and Hokuto in one project together, so imagine my surprise when I actually got invested in each of the stories, brain on and all!Maybe I was predisposed to like this because I enjoy a good omnibus, but I found the atmosphere of this movie super immersive and I appreciated how there wasn't too much set-up or exposition - we're kind of tossed in the middle of everything and the characters are just able to exist and reveal parts of themselves in natural ways. It was a little grungy and cinematic, but in a way that wasn't overly pretentious. And while I watched this for my boys and their performances were great, it was the actresses who really brought things together. It's honestly hard to choose which of the three segments was my favorite, but I'm a bit partial to the one with Kazuma because of my mother Sakai Maki featuring in it!!
It's not doing anything particularly new or deep, but it still resonated with me and stands as proof that even projects full of idols in their cast can hold their own sometimes. Highly recommend if you're a RAMPAGE fan like me and even if you aren't!
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Don't judge a book by its cover
From the poster, synopsis, and the fact that Masaya is playing the lead, I thought this movie would be just another cheesy, run-of-the-mill teen idol rom-com, and while that does make up part of its DNA, I was shocked that it was much more a story of female friendship than anything. Maybe it's unfair to rate this so highly just based on how severely it managed to subvert my expectations, but it really made me so giddy how unlike this movie is from others in this genre.I think the key here was the very stripped-back production that gave it an almost indie-movie feel. Usually, these movies are full of poppy visuals, slow-mo glamour shots, and resolution so clear you can see everyone's pores, but here, everything has a slightly grainy filter to it, and while it is colorful, it has a much more natural, moody atmosphere. So while they aren't reinventing the wheel with the plot, thanks to this more restrained directing and cinematography, the story feels a lot more grounded and substantial. And yet, it still manages to be just as funny and charming as a true rom-com - Akoko's confession scene, her chasing around Narita to get him to help her, Mitsuki activating battle mode by adjusting her top to be off-shoulder...good stuff !
And backing up the strong visuals of the movie were the strong performances of the cast! Masaya holds his own despite this being his first lead role and manages to give his character some depth beyond Hot Guy™, even if it wasn't the performance of the century. And I've been very critical of Jyutaro's acting before, but this is EASILY the best role I've seen him in yet. He does so well when he's not trying to be all cool and handsome like he often has to be, and this movie gave me hope for him yet. Watanabe Miho is a sleeper talent for me after seeing her in Yukari-kun wa Gap ga Zurui - she brings a lot of charisma to a character that could very easily veer into annoying territory - and Saito Nagisa showed more well-rounded acting here than in the other roles I've seen her in. Not only did everyone put in work individually, but they also had great chemistry with each other, which was so crucial to making this work as well as it did for me.
It's not a perfect movie by any means - there were some plot contrivances and I can see how people might be put off by two girls fighting over some dude - but it was a true breath of fresh air in a sea of cookie-cutter rom coms, and I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something a bit more unique!
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Feels more like a documentary than a drama with a plot
I was very conflicted after watching this, because on one hand, I really liked the majority of the performances from the actors and the calm, understated vibe with lovely cinematography that is typical of most of the NHK yorudramas I've watched. I thought Fukuchi Momoko did great as the lead, and the Radio Star family had nice chemistry. I didn't know anything about the Noto peninsula or that it had a major earthquake, so I appreciated that the drama highlighted that.However, I think therein also lies the problem with this drama for me - I feel like it focused *too* much on showcasing the region and unpacking the aftermath of the earthquake at the expense of its characters and story. Pretty much all the characters are defined in relation to their experience with the earthquake rather than actual personality traits or background, which made them flat and hard to connect with. Like yes, I have empathy for what they went through, but I have barely any idea who these people are, and the drama doesn't quite seem to know what to do with them either.
And not to try to shoehorn in a romance when that was clearly not the purpose of the drama, but I was reaaaaaalllly hoping they'd do something between Rikuto and Kanade because they had such amazing chemistry from the jump. Episode 11 was definitely my favorite, and the scene where they're at the coast at sunset drinking and talking over the wind was the highlight of the whole drama for me, so I was very disappointed that it didn't go anywhere.
Overall, there are lots of individual things to like about this drama and the vibes are strong, so I enjoyed myself even if it didn't really come together for me in the end as a story. I would recommend if you are looking for something cozy (although a bit melancholic) to watch or like any of the actors, but don't expect a gripping human drama with high emotional stakes.
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Look at all these tall drinks of water (literally)
I really only watched this for Itsuki, so I can say I'm satisfied because I got what I came for. This drama also has a fun premise, and my highest points are for the cast because I think they did a great job embodying the sakes they were supposed to be. I loved the stylish image clips that would play whenever someone drank them (Takato holding a random pineapple 👍), and their interactions with each other and Gin were cute. This is definitely the best styling I've ever seen for Nishiyama Jun lol. So if you want to see a bunch of ikemen being a little silly, this is the one for you!That being said, unlike Red Blue, which had somewhat of an engaging story while also having Makoto and a slew of other good-looking guys in it, Arabashiri is just kinda boring. With the exception of the makgeolli segment in ep 8 which I enjoyed, none of the stories introduced in each ep were particularly interesting, and I especially didn't care for the overarching plot about Gin and his mother. It would've been cool to learn more about Japanese sake or the different breweries and food pairings, but they don't really focus on this as much besides a few tidbits here and there. It runs long at 12 episodes for seemingly no particular reason - it starts to drag, and I feel like doing only eight eps would've done a lot to help with that. I also think Itsuki could use a bit more work on his emotional acting, although he still did a fairly good job for his first lead role (besides Prince of Legend lol).
Overall, a fine watch if you're a completionist Rampage fan like me or just looking for something light and full of hot guys, but don't expect much substance beyond that.
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Turn off your brain and fall into Manabu's strong, tanned arms
This is one of my most (if not my most) deranged opinions and my rating is 1000% purely subjective but I LOVE this drama. The rational part of me definitely knows this isn't that good but when I first watched it I binged it in one sitting because I was completely hooked.I really think this is the epitome of dramas that are so delightfully unserious. The FL saying "My uterus was throbbing" after falling in love with the ML at first sight while he's wielding a jackhammer at his construction job pretty quickly clues you into that fact, and once I got the vibe, I had so much fun. I didn't even care that no one acts like a real human being and Keigo in particular was a little troll, I'm just along for the ride!
And honestly, underneath all the chaos, I thought the romance was well done, no doubt due to the chemistry of the two leads. I still go back to watch the arm wrestling scene every so often just to feel something, and I love the ending. Kasamatsu Sho was a great cast and really sold the character - I don't think it would've hit nearly as much if it was anyone else.
I really do understand why people don't like this and I can't in good faith recommend it to anyone unless you're truly, truly prepared to relinquish yourself to the mess, but I will say with my whole chest that if this drama doesn't have any defenders, I am dead.
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Movie equivalent of fake plastic display food
Sure, it looks good from afar with all the handsome faces, but once you look more closely and hold it in your hands, you quickly realize that it's completely hollow and inedible.The biggest problem was the abysmal lack of chemistry between the two leads. I'm an EBiDAN fan, but after seeing this on top of their other projects I've watched, I'm starting to feel like Aloha and Jyutaro just can't act. At the same time, I can't fault them too much because this movie seems wholly uninterested in letting them develop their acting skills and is instead solely focused on their visuals, as evidenced by the two separate and prolonged shower scenes and the gratuitous shots of them shirtless. Their interactions really felt like a kid smashing two Ken dolls together and calling it a day which is just sad. It definitely didn't help that the story was so tonally flat and self-serious with no depth given to the characters, so I felt nothing for them.
The only points I'm willing to give are for Arashi Shoma, who - apart from being a handsome new face - actually brought some semblance of personality and romantic yearning through his character. My favorite part of the whole movie was the throwaway scene where one of the Beni High kids gives Madoka a Western-style breakfast and Tsuyuki said he prefers Japanese food lol.
"Boring, boring, boring!" is ultimately a very fitting line to be repeated in this movie. It's a complete and utter disservice to BL and yankee media that brings nothing but disappointment. Let's expect more from our BL everybody!!!
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They really had me in the first half
Echoing the comments that said this went rapidly downhill, around episode 8. I was super disappointed because I was enjoying myself so much - it's surprisingly high quality for an MBS drama, I thought the dynamic between the two leads was relatively fresh, the mystery had intrigue, and this is by far the best styling I've seen for Yagi Yusei imo.I didn't watch the Korean version, so I can't say how well it holds up as an adaptation, but I imagine it suffered a lot trying to condense twenty 60min long episodes into twelve 30min eps, because everything was way too rushed in the end. The romance had no real build-up, the mystery was unfulfilling, the motivations for all the characters were poorly fleshed out. I usually appreciate how Japanese adaptations of Korean dramas are able to trim the fat and keep the story concise, but it didn't work in this case. Too many characters, too many things going on. It's a shame since I also liked Kusakawa Takuya and Morita Kokoro here, but they barely matter to the plot. And I know they establish at the beginning that he has a thing for her, but tell me why I thought there might be some kind of twist that Takuya's character liked Yusei's character all along.... Maybe I'm just too influenced by those two actors' previous works, but I swear the vibe was there!! Ijima Ku was another highlight in the cast - a relatively new face for me, and I think he did well with what he was given, all things considered.
Overall, I give this a pass because I cannot overstate how much I was giggling and kicking my feet at Yagi Yusei in the first half (tbh the second half is worth watching for the kiss scene in ep 10 alone) and while it was ultimately disappointing, it had enough going for it to hold my attention to the end.
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