strawberryeuphoria

The best of the best

There is a reason why *The World of Married* achieved the status of the highest-rated K-drama in South Korea, capturing the attention of every household. It's sad that the story resonates deeply with many of us, and perhaps this is the exact reason for its immense popularity. This drama isn't just another series to binge-watch; it's the story of someone you might know or even your own story.

At the heart of the plot is a man who seemingly has everything: a successful and caring wife who works as a respected doctor in their community and a loving son. However, he betrays his family, shattering the trust of his devoted wife, who has dedicated herself to supporting him and their child. The emotional turmoil escalates when she discovers that everyone in their community, even casual acquaintances, knew of her husband's infidelity while she remained blissfully unaware. This revelation is not just heartbreaking but also evokes feelings of anger and disbelief, creating a powerful connection to anyone who has felt blindsided by betrayal.

The characters are intricately connected, each grappling with their unique struggles and strengths. The main actress delivers a stunning performance, embodying the fierce resolve of a mother driven by instinct to protect her child at all costs. Her desperation to confront the betrayal is palpable and relatable as she navigates her grief and rage.

The storytelling is masterfully crafted, drawing viewers in from the very first scene and holding their attention until the final episode. The intricate plot twists and powerful emotional moments keep audiences on the edge of their seats, making this drama unforgettable.

Read More

This should have been longer

This kdrama, I must say, I really enjoyed. I loved the characters, the storyline, and the cases. However, I must say, I did feel like this drama would have benefitted from being a bit longer to fill in the gaps and overly stretched sequences of events.

Now the story follows five lawyers, working in different law firms, all located in the same building, and they are all friends and hang out together and help each other.

The distribution of the characters is one of the things that I enjoyed the most. There was no specific focus on a singular character, but all five of them got enough screen time, making me love each one of them. Also, the lawyers are all with different personalities and specialized in specific branches of law, making it very interesting.

Each episode does not concentrate on only one case, but at times you find yourself following more than three cases, and this makes each episode very interesting to watch.

That said, there are areas that felt rushed and could have been done much better. If the episodes were longer, it would have given a bit more space to see how each lawyer was going to manage their life outside the law environment. For example, when one of the lawyers becomes pregnant, she finds herself in a pickle, having to decide whether to leave or change to a different area of law. So instead of brushing it through, I would have loved to see a bit more of her, since the premise of the drama is to show their life outside of the courtroom.

The second thing I would point out is, despite the cases they were dealing with being interesting, a little attention was given to the practical legal part of each case. Most of the time, it felt like they showed the case, had discussions about it over soju, and then we saw the resolution of the case through the hearing. Now, this is not the case for each client, but it is for the majority of the cases. Being a law-based Kdrama, I would have loved seeing a bit more about legal work, like in other dramas where you feel like you are being taught about the process of building the case and following the law through each step. In this drama, that element was lacking quite a lot, and that is something I felt disappointed about, considering how good the casting was.

Also, the storyline of the person who owned the building felt weird in the sense that it gave a premise of something dark, but it was suddenly lightened. I would have loved to see more of her involvement and about her foundation and how all of that started.

Honestly, while watching the drama, I genuinely thought there would be a second season, but once I started the last episode, I understood it was the end. It is a shame that we did not get to see more about it, and I wish they had made it longer.

Read More

The coming of age of underclass teenager in Japan

This is a coming-of-age story based on a novel written by Kenta Nishimura about a young man who has been shunned by society for crimes he did not commit; accused, outcasted, and never given a chance. Growing up without any prospects, Kenta embodies the struggles of the underclass, a person who cannot even dream of improving his life. After a long journey, he finally finds the motivation to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.

Now this is the type of movie that is more for an older audience and it's a type that has more to do with quiet reflection than a boastful storyline, and I do think these are the kinds that you either like or do not like.

The story follows Kenta, a middle school drop-out who has been ostracized by society due to his father's heinous crimes. This association has branded Kenta's family as perpetrators, forcing them to flee. Since the age of 14, Kenta has worked as a day laborer, surrounded by adults who constantly reminded him that he would never amount to anything as a mere middle school graduate. As a result, Kenta grew up engaging in destructive behavior such as smoking, drinking, and frequenting massage parlors and peep shows.

Kenta is a nonconformist and contrarian, not by choice but because society pushed him away for a crime he did not commit. He represents the opposite of the hard-working individual that Japan prides itself on producing; instead of becoming a productive member of society, he rejects the norms. While children are taught from their first day of school to be polite and diligent contributors, Kenta exemplifies the opposite. He doesn’t pay rent, lives at the mercy of his landlords, ignores societal expectations, and constantly finds himself in situations where people remind him of his status as a middle school drop-out.

When he meets Shoji, a peer who also works in day labor but embodies the qualities of a disciplined and conscientious worker, their contrasting personalities highlight Kenta's excessive lifestyle and refusal to grow. Despite their differences, the two become friends. Unlike others, Shoji never blames Kenta or reminds him of his educational shortcomings; instead, he becomes an ally. However, over time, the differences in their lives come to the forefront, and even Shoji starts to drift away.

The movie takes you through a less glamorous view of the underclass society, highlighting their struggles, habits, and aspects of life that you might want to ignore or remain unaware of. A reality that many would rather not discuss. Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It’s always hard to watch films that are challenging, but they serve the purpose of exposing what lies beneath the surface or around the corner.

Read More

Not realistic but cute

This Japanese drama is far from reality when it comes to relationships, but if you bypass that, you can appreciate a cute story and interesting recipes.

The story follows Kenta, a shy office worker looking for love and with a strong obsession with barbecuing. He truly loves barbecuing, and he can pretty much barbecue anything from fish to meat to vegetables to sweets. He is like the king of the grill. He meets Chihiro, a reserved girl, through a dating app who loves to eat and try food. The two end up getting married with 0 days of dating because Kenta is sent to work in a different city, starting a long-distance and weekend marriage.

Now the story is beyond ridiculous; imagine meeting a man and the day after getting married to him because he is moving to a new city and going and spending your weekends in his house while enjoying barbecue. I mean, that’s ridiculous and dangerous in relation to life, but since it is from a manga, there’s a lot more freedom to creativity.

Now the two characters are polar opposites. Kenta is cheerful and awkward and gets excited about anything, especially when it comes to food, and definitely not your typical guy who knows what to do in a relationship. Chihiro is quiet, reserved, and loves her space, especially loving to keep boundaries with people, so for her to marry someone or travel back and forth to see him on the weekends is quite a big thing. Regardless, she is different from other girls and truly loves eating and trying new recipes, and this love for food is exactly what brings these two together.

The food is definitely the star of the show and made me want to barbecue too. The food looks fresh and interesting, and the way they were enjoying making it and eating it truly made me salivate several times, so this might make you hungry.

Overall, I would say since the storyline is coming from a manga, there are a lot of elements that when they are translated into a live-action make you raise your eyebrows quite a bit, but if you remember it's from a manga and overlook that, it can be a cute drama to binge watch.

Read More

Cooking in a prison

Maison Prison is a really cute Japanese drama, but it has a huge issue; which is it only has 5 episodes. I mean, this goes really fast, and the timeline between each episode feels confusing. I think this really affected my watching experience, especially since this had a lot of potential to be a great drama.

So the story follows Yoko, who is a high-class Italian chef who suddenly finds herself without a job since her restaurant owner ran away with the money. Being a single mom, she finds herself without a job, so she decides to pick up a job as a prison nutritionist. From here, it starts an adventure of Yoko in this new environment and learning the rules and regulations at the prison while trying to create delicious meals.

I love food-centered dramas; I find them to be very interesting when it comes to learning new recipes. However, I would say in this drama the recipes are not that original and actually are very simple, and this is also because of where this takes place. The drama does a great job highlighting how there is a difference in cooking for guests and for inmates, and cooking has to take into consideration a tight budget, since the meals are made with taxpayers' money and therefore they can't and won't be getting fancy food. So Yoko finds herself having to work with a tight budget while wanting to make meals that make the inmates look forward to a something special.

Of course, the meals are tied to a sentimental story for the inmates, and it follows their correction through the prison.
Also the drama give non realistic view of the prison and each inmate is shows as someone who is kind and gentle, which is not always the reality, if this drama was longer, they could have gone through some of the main issue when it come to prison environment.

The premise is great, but the biggest problem for me was the episodes. There are only 5, and you can't really keep a long storyline with only a few episodes. The scenes and situations kind of run really fast, and the timeline feels not cohesive with the events that take place. I strongly feel if they had at least 8 episodes and we had a bit more time to see the changes and relationship develop between the people, it would have been so much better.

Read More

Some will feel this some won't

This movie is yet another reason why I adore Hirokazu Koreeda’s work. He showcases excellence in Japanese cinematography. The story follows two brothers who are separated as their parents navigate their own struggles, trying to find a way to live together again as a happy family. It’s both sad and fascinating how the children observe so much around them; despite their youth, they learn valuable lessons.

The brothers long to be together and restore their family, but they also come to understand that their parents are happier apart. Ryu wishes for his father's music career to flourish, believing it will bring happiness, while Koichi prioritizes the broader world over savig his family . The film effectively illustrates how children comprehend far more than adults often realize, they are keen observers and, ultimately, the ones who endure the most pain in such situations.

Read More

A journey deep in the woods.

Wood Job is one of those Japanese movies that completely relaxes you and just makes you sink into the couch comfortably. I call these movies "the movies that heal me." I love challenging movies Japan puts out, but at the same time I have a strong love for the rural setting, everyday life in village kind of movies.

First of all, let me tell you this movie is hilarious, and it doesn't even try to be funny; it is so effortless that it makes the experience so enjoyable. It's chaotic with so many characters, but within the chaos you learn a lot. There are moments that make you feel happy and at the same time teach you a lot. In fact, this is the very first time I watched a movie about forestry, and I learned a lot!

So let's get to the plot.

The story follows high school student Yuki, who failed to pass his university entrance test and finds himself having to resit and go to cram school while his friends are moving on. On impulse, he decides to join a forestry program advertised because of the beautiful girl on the pamphlet. He embarks on this journey, traveling to a far region of Japan lost in the mountains. Here, he finds himself in an unfamiliar environment; Here, he is met with so many challenges and difficulties, unfamiliar food and habits, all wrapped in comedy, but at the same time he learns a lot about history, the importance of forestry, and finally finds a place in the world he feels like he belongs.

The movie is just perfect for a slow Sunday; it's so relaxing, and every frame is just spectacular with the background of nature. The storyline is not complicated, and the characters are simple but chaotic, but it's not the type of chaos that overwhelms you; it's more of a warm chaos that touches your heart; like a loud and happy family.
While we follow Yuki's story from learning to do forestry work to finding a purpose, we learn a lot. When Yuki moves to the village, he is met with so many habits and challenges. To start with food, when he had to try snake or learn to wake up early. The whole journey, he is just uncomfortable and has no idea what he is doing and gets yelled at the whole time, but at the same time, you start seeing a shift when he starts following their traditions and embraces the village pride. All of this is wrapped in comedy, so effortlessly funny but warm.

For me, the warmest aspect of this movie was the journey to finding yourself, your dream, and what you stand for. Sometimes dreams will look different from others and unusual, and it will take a whole journey into the woods to understand. The job in the woods changes not only his habits but also who he is.

In terms of cinematography, this was a feast for my eyes, with such stunning background of the Japanese countryside. Watching it was a pleasure to the eyes. Honestly felt like running away to the mountains of Japan; it could really fix all of my problems.

Read More

what a family truly is. Is it the blood connection? Or is it the bond built?

Like Father, Like Son is yet another example of why Japanese storytelling and cinema should be studied. Japan never shied away from taking on hard topics and delivering them beautifully.

Spoilers****

So the story is hard! We have two families with completely different backgrounds and styles of life who find out their son is not their biological son, and due to the malicious work of a nurse, they have been switched at birth. Now, after 6 years, they have to decide whether to switch or not. This is like the biggest tragedy if you think about it. It might sound easy, like, "Let's just take the biological kid back," but there is another child you have loved until the last minutes and one you took care of since birth, loved, and cherished, who suddenly becomes a stranger. It’s not that simple. No matter what decision you take, you are losing someone important.

Ryota Nonomiya is described as a man who has always excelled at everything he did, and he expects the same from his son. We can see his frustration when his son is not delivering what he expects, and at times he is also very harsh with the kid. So finding out his son is not his biological child culminates in him with this idea that the perfect son he wanted couldn’t deliver because it was not his. Almost like all he could think in that moment was why it all made sense. His wife, on the other hand, is shattered, caught between the guilt of not being able to notice earlier and having to decide to let go of the son she loved so dearly for the last 6 years.

On the other hand, the Saiki family is also going through shock and pain, but it seems like their whole focus is on how much money they can get as compensation from the hospital. As a viewer, it’s almost like while the Nonomiya family is destroyed by the news, the Saiki family takes on it in a more positive aspect, and that’s where we really see the difference between the two families. Although the Saikis are not as wealthy and seem like they have so much on their plate, their kids love them dearly, and they are the happiest.

This is where the brilliance of the storytelling takes us: two completely different backgrounds and family dynamics. One is cold and strict, enveloped in shades of black and grey, while the other one is bright, like a summer day, surrounded by the noise of kids playing.

But this movie is not just about finding out what blood bonds mean; more about what truly a family stands for. Ryota, who grew up with the strong idea that blood ties are important and that having a successor was the pinnacle of his life as a man, is challenged for the first time with a choice: let go of the child he raised as his own or make space for his biological son, blood of his blood. This is where things get painfully relatable, and Ryota comes to terms with the understanding that what truly matters is not the blood, but who raised you. An example is when the two families meet, and Ryota notices his biological son and the father (Saiki) who raised him both have the habit of biting their drink straws;an important detail that foreshadows how little blood ties matter.

To sum up, this movie was a brilliant piece of work, and it will make you reflect on what a family truly is. Is it the blood connection? Or is it the bond built? This movie left me pondering what I would do if I found myself in this situation and left a sad lingering feeling. Honestly, I could go on and on about this, but I truly think this movie is so worth watching.

Read More

A bitter sweet tragedy

Love, Lies was a beautiful tale of friendship, betrayal, and revenge. Honestly, I do not blame the way she chose to take revenge on her best friend and the boyfriend, as they were so wrong for betraying her and discarding her like an object.

The story itself is interesting because it doesn’t just highlight a friend who steals your boyfriend, but it’s a story of a friend who steals all of your dreams. It starts with stealing her dream of becoming the heart of Josen, then she takes away the respect of the singer she admires, then the popularity, and then the boyfriend. It feels painful because she was the one who opened a door for her friend when she was sold off, and after all this, she takes everything and leaves her with nothing. The worst part is the way the best friend was expecting her to still come and support her, blind to her own actions.

I don’t blame the way she decided to take revenge; I think the way her own best friend and the boyfriend were barely giving any thought to her really showed how much they did not care about her. It gave her this feeling of not being important and easily discardable, and those feelings are the ones that make a person take revenge and destroy it all.

The ending was so sad, and you can see how much being underestimated and discarded affected her. It is a bittersweet movie and a terrible tragedy for everyone involved.

Acting-wise, I really enjoyed them, but I wish some of the areas were a bit more prolonged to build a bit more buildup. But overall, it was a nice watch.

Read More

I do not understand how you can rate this higher than 4

I am quite surprised to see so many high ratings, and I wonder if we all watched the same movie.
This was beyond mediocre, and the only interesting part of this movie was the last 20 minutes, but you can not save the movie with a 20-minute action sequence.

The story lacks build-up, background, and all of the things that were happening were so chaotic and failed to set that nice background pre-disaster.
Characters felt messy and were following their own script, and that feeling of "grab" most disaster movies have was completely absent. It did not grab the viewer's attention and felt chaotic trying to follow it all.
I also did not like how the movie was dragging for most of the time, and that feeling of "survival" kicked in only in the last 20 minutes.
This felt poorly written and mediocre.

Maybe someone will like it, but for me this was not good.

Read More

I wish I could escape like her

One Million Yen Girl feels like a poetic escape. It captures the longing we all experience at some point in our lives. The desire to leave everything behind, move far away, and restart our lives. We all have felt this way at least once when things get difficult, when it seems like nobody understands us and we don't belong in the place we've spent our whole lives. In those moments, it can feel like we have nothing left and that the old version of ourselves is long gone, leaving only the option to start over where nobody knows us.

Sometimes escaping is easier than facing our demons, and this movie encapsulates that struggle. When Suzuko moves away and embarks on her bold journey from one place to another, it feels like a victory. However, as time passes, it becomes evident how long and challenging that journey truly is. When difficulties arise, the first thought that comes to mind is often to run away. It's hard to deal with shame and difficult situations, and isolating oneself can feel like the easier option, but how long can one actually carry on like that?

That's precisely what the movie portrays. When she first moves to the coastal city, it seems like she has found a place to be happy. But when those around her start taking an interest in her and want to know more about her or when she moves to the mountains and they all expect her to be the "peach girl", Suzuko realizes that she cannot escape from herself. She can move to a new city and a new place, but the burden she carries is something she cannot leave behind.

For me, this movie was poetic and, in a way, felt like a small victory when she found love. Yet, like her, we were also deceived into thinking that was the ultimate solution, and maybe we were fooled twice.

One aspect of this movie I found very eye-opening is the reason behind her wanting to earn one million yen. Renting accommodation in Japan is a very pricey affair, with landlords demanding key money and other non-refundable fees, a deposit and sometimes several months' rent in advance. It's like the price of freedom is that one million yen-

I knew I would love this film from the first frame; the nostalgic feeling of blue and green tones along with the melancholic atmosphere in every shot spoke deeply to my soul. The backdrop of the Japanese countryside and coastal beach area feels so healing; it embodies the dream many of us have to move to a city far away and attempt to restart our lives.

I love the actress; she is so delicate and intriguing to watch. This is definitely one of those movies you don’t want to miss if you love Japan.

Read More

This movie will make you crave dumplings

One of my favourite genres of movies is the ones based on a true story. In my opinion, there is so much to learn from those kinds of stories, and this is one of them. The story is based on the woman behind the creation of famous Wanchai Ferry dumplings.

The story follows her from when she first moved to Hong Kong to the birth of her empire is so inspiring and at the same time heartbreaking. How a mother of two children, abandoned by her husband for not giving birth to a son, was treated like a parasite, yet she never gave up and did everything to sustain herself, despite not even speaking Cantonese and having to go through so many difficulties to survive.

I would definitely say one part of the movie that struck me was when her empire started, and she had a chance of finding love with the officer. She did not take that chance. I think she made the wisest decision considering how her husband left her. She did not want to base her happiness on someone else, and she put that all in her business, which rewarded her by becoming the most famous all around the world.

Overall, the movie is great, although I must say the editing and the excessive computer usage for some of the areas took the cinematic feel from the movie. But again, I am not very familiar with Chinese movies, so maybe this is the usual style. But for me, some backgrounds did not look realistic, and you could see how heavily they were edited or green-screened. That’s the only negative thing I have to say about the movie.

Read More

longest backstory in the history

I wouldn't score this movie higher than 6.5. It's not that it's bad, but I felt the backstory was excessively long. They could have cut much of it to allow more time for the tsunami and the subsequent rescue efforts.
The film runs for 2 hours, and the character's backstory takes up 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is far too long, especially since it has little relevance to the actual tsunami event. I think the structure was overly drawn out. However, I can understand why they might have made that choice; the cast features many iconic names, and perhaps they wanted to give them ample screen time. Unfortunately, this decision impacted the portrayal of the disaster, which should have been the main focus of the movie.

Read More

4 ahjummas coming together to fight crime and save their apartment complex

This drama 's first episode had biggest hook I have ever seen; I was instantly hooked from the very first episode, and as I expected, it turned out to be a fantastic show.

Plot**
The story follows four undervalued housewives who, in the eyes of their families, are merely housewives. They come together to solve mysteries and apprehend criminals. Miri, who has a traumatic past involving a serial killer and the loss of her best friend, works hard to support her husband, who causes various issues. She possesses a keen ability to notice details and piece them together, much like Sherlock Holmes, to solve cases. Gyeong Ja, an ex-detective with impressive physical strength, left her job to let her husband excel and now embraces the role of a housewife. So Hui, a diligent delivery woman, is an endless source of information. Finally, Ji Hyeon, who owns a neighborhood supermarket, has exceptional negotiation skills and talent for acting.

Though they are different, they are united by a shared desire to address problems within their apartment complex. They start with minor issues, like improperly separated garbage, but often uncover more serious crimes in the process. If you enjoy dramas about middle-aged women joining forces with elements of crime and mystery, akin to Sherlock Holmes-style investigations, then this is definitely the drama for you. It is not only enjoyable and funny but also heartwarming. The best part is, they have conformed for a second season, and i knew they would because this was such hit. .

Read More