I knew the culprit cause it's Anna Yamada. Main lead actress in such a small support role? Come on you may have trolled me but I'm not stupid. That's a give away from the start.
3 episodes in and all I can say is it's more style over substance than Mozu which should not be a bad thing since it's one aspect I like about that action drama, but here it's a bit more over the top like that explosion in episode one, that scene is straight out of a marvel movie. The good thing is the drama became more grounded as the story goes. Acting is great too just like what you would expect in a WOWOW drama. They got the right actors to play the roles. I expect this to be an appetizer drama for the movie which I would not enjoy without the main course, but as a fan of action thrillers this looks like a solid drama for me. I highly recommend it.
Imou Haruka, Hagiwara Minori & Ishikawa Ruka, 3 actresses who got unique vibe different from a typical Japanese Actress. All of them can act which is evident in their indie projects. Now let's see who among them will exceed in mainstream.
sorry but Satomi acting wise is leagues above Kasumi, imo lol.
In my years of watching jdramas ive never been impressived with her. From H2 to unnatural shes always been the same to me. Many actress like her in Jdrama, Gakky, Satomi, Arimura Kasumi, Nagasawa Masami, Tsubasa Honda or even semi retired like emi takei these actresses are in the same mold. But its ok we all have our own opinion lets just agree to disagree.
It didn't start strong, and it's only episode 5 onwards where the drama shows its brilliance. I was already set to give it a 9 but then episodes 11 and 12 happen, freaking masterpiece, all of a sudden everything connects. That saying "All roads lead to rome" really sums up the whole drama.
People might compare this with Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi which is also a masterpiece for me, both have the same vibe but for me Kotaki Kyodai has better characterization and better written overall.
So I read this one comment where he mentioned daiei drama, which is a style during 80s Japanese dramas. I haven't seen any jdramas from the 80s so that comment is an eye opener to me. That way he describes it is like a telenovela plus the weirness of a manga type jdramas nowadays. That 80s style is apparently the vibe this drama was aiming for so having said that the over the top characters and the cheesy plotline are justified because they serve their purpose. I still don't know if I want that style back cause it's more over the top than your normal jdramas but at the same time can be entertaining and good source of memes. lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPJ-FNoUKu0
Among these emerging ikemen actors in japan him and Kaneko Daichi has the potential to take their acting to the next level. They could someday become actors like Kengo Kora, Sato Takeru, Matsuzaka Tori or even Tsubamuki Satoshi.
"I want to go to the seaside" "The sea at night" "It's pitch black. You can't see a thing" "You can only hear the waves" "It's the place I can feel death the nearest" "Once a year, I go there whether I'm still attached to life or not"
This movie is full of this everday realization and thoughts which is narrated by Yoshiko, a 40 something woman who is somewhat happy but her melancholic side makes her pessimistic when it comes to love. Watching this movie is like having a glimpse on her diary. The story plays out in a slice of life way, forced us to observe the main character in her most mundane task like ride a bike, go to work, go back home, drink wine etc. There are a lot of these quiet moments, scenes that don't advance the plot, but allows a better characterization and gives more character depth to the main character.
It's well shot, well written, well acted, but more importantly well directed movie. The chemistry between these trio is fresh, not the same in age or experience but nonetheless all are great actors and fit their characters really well. Love the cinematography there many great shots, at first you will feel the director has this huge foot fetish until you realize those are just great symblic shots for what this movie is about.
12 years after "One Million Yen Girl", Aoi Yu and Tanada Yuki reunites once again in this movie "Romance Doll", but it doesn't feel anything similar. You could feel the compassion and honesty in the script sure which I think Tanada Yuki's trademark, but its theme doesn't have anything to do with identity but sexuality and marriage. It is somewhat similar with the drama Otto no Chinpo ga Hairanai, also directed by Tanada Yuki, just less complicated but its conclusion is more desirable this time, another theme was tackled after that which I would not discuss since it's in a more spoiler territory. At the end it will make you realize this scary possibility that people might seek love dolls than real humans when people are able to make their ultimate love doll as communication with a doll who can't talk could be easier than a real person, and it's actually happening right now.
Cute yes, but actually no. It will only feel this vibrant and colorful at the beginning and after that it all went bleak then at the end it feels dull or as the title suggest Colorless. The cinematography mirrors the whole narrative as it explore its main subject, a pixie dream girl turned into a disaster, Yuka. The film is her character study and it all exist in the male lead's perspective, an aspiring photographer, Koyama. It's thru his lens where we or he tries to capture the real Yuka, show her true colors, or if there really is.
The characters are well written, complex, well acted, but more importantly feels real. Ishikawa Ruka in particular is brilliant and Kaneko Daichi is a bit of a revelation in this movie. Overall it tackles dreams, lies and hate the movie or not, their story is still a love story.
That english song is very filipino lmao like I always hear that everytime I go to karaoke with my friends. First time I experience that kind of cringe while watching a Japanese movie lmao. Then after that the plot went full filipino trope aswell, now they are blood related seriously? First half is a typical shoujo drama, second half is like a telenovela, then cameback to reality with its WTF Japan ending.
I haven't watched the anime but I think this is a pretty good movie. I just wish they cut some characters that didn't contribute in the story. I already know they won't be blood related in the end it's pretty obvious lol. The acting is pretty good though Ryo Yoshizawa and Sakurai Hinako did a decent job portraying their characters. People complain about the acting as if those characters requires Himizu level of acting.
The themes are all over the place, like the movie is trying to say too much, but I think it will all lead to the core theme which you will find in its english title, "Paradise" or much better its alternative english title "The Promise land". Not just themes are convoluted but the storytelling as well, it may be well paced movie with its 3 well told arcs, "Crime", "Punishment" & "Humans, but the constant shifts between time is not for everyone. Not for people with short attention span.
Mystery driven but it explores human condition more and when Japan explores that area means it will dissect it to the tiniest bits that every characters actions will make sense. Definitely carried by actors performance, The always reliable veteran actors in Japan, Gou Ayano with arguably his best performance, and Sugisaki Hana showing who the real Sugisaki Hana is. The reveal might be underwhelming depends on your take, but this is the type of movie that focus on the journey rather than the destination.
1 
People might compare this with Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi which is also a masterpiece for me, both have the same vibe but for me Kotaki Kyodai has better characterization and better written overall.
No Ikemen No Problem
10/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPJ-FNoUKu0
"The sea at night"
"It's pitch black. You can't see a thing"
"You can only hear the waves"
"It's the place I can feel death the nearest"
"Once a year, I go there whether I'm still attached to life or not"
This movie is full of this everday realization and thoughts which is narrated by Yoshiko, a 40 something woman who is somewhat happy but her melancholic side makes her pessimistic when it comes to love. Watching this movie is like having a glimpse on her diary. The story plays out in a slice of life way, forced us to observe the main character in her most mundane task like ride a bike, go to work, go back home, drink wine etc. There are a lot of these quiet moments, scenes that don't advance the plot, but allows a better characterization and gives more character depth to the main character.
It's well shot, well written, well acted, but more importantly well directed movie. The chemistry between these trio is fresh, not the same in age or experience but nonetheless all are great actors and fit their characters really well. Love the cinematography there many great shots, at first you will feel the director has this huge foot fetish until you realize those are just great symblic shots for what this movie is about.
9/10
8.5/10
The characters are well written, complex, well acted, but more importantly feels real. Ishikawa Ruka in particular is brilliant and Kaneko Daichi is a bit of a revelation in this movie. Overall it tackles dreams, lies and hate the movie or not, their story is still a love story.
9/10
I haven't watched the anime but I think this is a pretty good movie. I just wish they cut some characters that didn't contribute in the story. I already know they won't be blood related in the end it's pretty obvious lol. The acting is pretty good though Ryo Yoshizawa and Sakurai Hinako did a decent job portraying their characters. People complain about the acting as if those characters requires Himizu level of acting.
8/10
Mystery driven but it explores human condition more and when Japan explores that area means it will dissect it to the tiniest bits that every characters actions will make sense. Definitely carried by actors performance, The always reliable veteran actors in Japan, Gou Ayano with arguably his best performance, and Sugisaki Hana showing who the real Sugisaki Hana is. The reveal might be underwhelming depends on your take, but this is the type of movie that focus on the journey rather than the destination.
8.5/10