Daisuke

mixed feelings

mixed feelings about this sweet in parts but an elliptical and flawed storyline
SPOILER FROM HERE：
first： storylines using the one year later type formula for me are really a failure of writer's imagination and weak device to skip over plot continuity ；second ：the harsh terms of rejection at start of episode 7 really make the longing and regret one year later （and 2 minutes in the drama）not credible 。 maybe this is a function of limitations of time but these are fundamental flaws in the drama that good imaginative writing could overcome、apart from this the characters and actors themselves are sweet

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Fine but flawed Taiwanese bl

mixed feeling about this one。 this is a fine bl drama with a nice balance between seriousness and feel good I have found with most Taiwanese dramas compared with j drama and good character development。 for me it seemed to lose momentum toward the end though it is true Taiwanese dramas allow more space, time for story to develop。for me the ending was unsatisfactory [see under spoiler comment]。 I found OST rather intrusive especially in last episode and some producers should remember OST is no substitute for script and acting or indeed sometimes silence is better than noise 。

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Fantastic!

Fantastic in almost every way 〜starts as investigative mystery and soon combined into high action drama。why have I waited so long to watch ？48 episodes is not a huge mountain at all it was climbed in record time⭐️

the strangest thing maybe was how this started out as investigation with Li Bi as central character and he faded out in last episodes while a side character suddenly becomes the genius to unravel the links of the plot but then himself goes unrecognized and unrewarded ；second how this drama ends on such a muted note、 no great unmasking of villains and rewards and punishments but then maybe this is in keeping with the arch of the drama； much is left not stated （maybe too much ）and must be understood ；the climax was amazing but the working out in the final episodes quite good also、 but for me　if there is a failing it is in the somewhat rushed ending and because the fate of various characters is left in the dark〜

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dull grey box

I can find so little empathy with any of the main characters here and the two twisted ones and twisted psychological plot complications become almost hilarious。 I assume the metaphorical grey box refers to the emotions swirling inside them and the apartment box in which they all live and breaking out of it、 however for me the ending is hardly credible。 as for the misleadingly tagged LGBT theme I was looking for、 it was so minuscule it almost escaped my attention〜 if you are looking for a dorama with this as a meaningful element don't waste your time。a dull grey box indeed〜

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No courage

this began quite well and promised positive development then after half way and the focus on the divorce settlement went completely down hill ruined by Nagisa's character： maybe the intention was to show his magnanimous character so everyone would live happily ever after、 actually for me it showed his real character as completely selfish and self indulgent not to say narcissistic、 that is if we look at the history of the story： first he abandons Shun then appears from the blue and with the child of his marriage ! expecting to be taken back years later〜this may just be credible if we assume Shun could not surrender his love but it says nothing good about Nagisa's character but、 then having settled Sora in a happy household we have the unbelievable denouement in the divorce court： the mother cannot give up her career gets drunk and Sora is picked up on a busy road maybe just avoiding accident it is exposed in the court but then Nagisa who all the first part of the movie shows as a deeply caring father apparently has a dramatic attack of remorse towards his wife based on having taken care of Sora without giving her a fair share in Sora's upbringing！ this is literally incredible nonsense of a story 、of course the reason for that situation was not his selfishness but hers wanting to pursue a career、 so his ：magnanimous： gesture giving up Sora is both stupid and selfish because he is not thinking of the vulnerable child but the ineffectual wife and maybe it's also self-hating if ーwhich the arguments in the court case heavily portrayed ーhe accepts the homophobic premise that a gay family is weird unconventional and will make it difficult for Sora to grow up。 sorry but if this was part of his motivation ー which I think if we think deeply about it the denouement　implies ーit is just an exercise in reinforcing discrimination when the movie could have shown a positive outcome of a happy family based on a gay relationship。 I cannot avoid the suspicion also that it suits Nagisa's selfish character very well to be relieved of the burden of looking after his child to indulge in a "straight gay" relationship [if I may underline with oxymoron]。as noted above the denouement is also based on the completely ridiculous idea his wife would undergo a transformation into a loving and caring mother when she realises Sora is doing badly in her first weeks back with her： completely unrealistic we are not told what happened about the career demands they have magically disappeared it seems with no idea how she will now support herself and her child、 this just does not happen in real life only saints undergo overnight character and personality changes。 in short the whole movie falls apart in a confusion of contradictions and unrealistic impossibilities when it had the chance to make a real contribution to showing a positive picture of a gay family overcoming social discrimination〜 why show acceptance of the relationship by the very conservative village people and then having their support break up the family?? it does not make sense unless lacking the courage to live and work out a happy life as a gay family as part of the society ー courage lacked by Nagisa because I note it was Shun having the courage to declare his love before the villagers but Nagisa who ultimately broke up their family。of course a more positive outcome does not mean taking Sora completely away from her mother but giving her the happiest safest background to grow up in、 but then given the selfish character of Nagisa as ultimately confirmed by the outcome perhaps he could not after all have done that、 but the turnaround completely contradicted the more positive first two thirds of the movie。 I do not know if the writer thought this was some clever artistic twist in the story but it was a complete failure of artistic touch as well as a sell-out reinforcing the homophobia LGBTQ people must still continue to fight against even in western society and still more in Japanese。

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fate and friendship

this is very good drama though it is sad to see from flashbacks and forwards the fate of these friends； some criticise this but for me it deepens the tragedy as most tragedies like Greek tragedy you know the characters are tied to an inescapable destiny〜this drama is dark from the start with violence in korean schools and descends into predictable gangster violence and fight for survival of poor people with only small episodes of relief and hope in romance and loyalty to lighten the story。 I was interested in the school episodes and transition from this to the gangsterism though less in the formulaic gangster drama itself・ taking account of development of many episodes there is a certain sympathy for one of the friends but this evaporates from episode 16 as we see them equally caught in the net [there is a sea/fishing motif appearing at the start and at points throughout the drama] of evil。 part of sang taek coming in later is used to work out broader plot of organised crime and corruption though his move from diligent student aiming at law career to going into the army and journalism for me lacks credibility as with how he is brought back into relation with the other school friends as part of the plot。 the element of romance is rather straining for effect and real purpose in this drama and also seems formulaic〜still a very involving and good drama of its type though I do not think this is one for re-watch

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weird mix of fantasy and reality comic and serious

fantasy mixes with reality in this movie as a teenager's weird sexual obsession is the background for many stories of other inhabitants of his apartment block and middle school。 there is a lot of silliness in this movie but also、 if you are open minded a lot of interest and amusement though not entirely lighthearted some serious developments in the story though、meaning it did not drag for me at any time。 hiraoka plays his role well and his contortions bending and stretching maybe made him taller in the end！ it ends with more obvious manga parodies and an unexpected ironic outcome in one point of story。 worth watching to fill two hours WARNING: if you are a real middle school-er let your parents see the title only not contents unless they have liberal views as there are some really "explicit" scenes here they may not take in the comical way intended！！www

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Emperor in August

very good historical account of the attempted coup against Japan's acceptance of terms of allied powers to end Pacific War and Showa emperor's central role in achieving it〜 the production values are good although the lighting is rather dark、 whether intended is not clear but even so maybe adds to claustrophobic atmosphere of tension as ministers argue and small group of conspirators drawn from military elite try to gather support for their ill-starred enterprise： the swan song of militarism that dominated Japanese politics and society through 1930s to 1940s〜10/10 as interesting history and likely I will watch again

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Touching historical drama of a family and Hiroshima

I decided to watch this drama having enjoyed Matsuzaka's other dramas〜 episode 1 has a slow gentle start、I was expecting more impact of historical events to be show in the drama but initially it sets the scene of a provincial family's story but it more than makes up for this as the series progresses to the awful climax of the Hiroshima bombing： the the settings, costume, production are very authentic〜I like the ML and FL： both very pretty and Matsumoto honaka has nice character but all the characters including the support actors and actresses I can really empathise with。 very much recommended if you will like serious historical drama and becoming attached to the lives and futures of a family living through the personal and historical events of its era〜

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dark madness

unremittingly dark and depressing 〜my final perception of this film is that what starts as a scenario just barely plausible as real presents through increasingly destructive imagery a metaphorical descent into madness reflected in the surreal final twists。as film it was well done with the lighting and camera work conveying the dark and claustrophobic atmosphere (？the enclosed space of the mind within which it takes place) I can not give it top score because though I recognise its merit at an intellectual level for me this film is devoid of anything uplifting： why do we（or maybe better why do we have to）produce such films？

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OK but confusing and difficult to sustain interest

my first impression of this drama is first two episodes very unpleasant〜 even when you get the back story so can understand more the students I still find it swings between very unpleasant and hopelessly sentimental。the sensei: this woman should play a saint。for me it was difficult to warm to any of the characters。 I had this on hold quite long before trying to finish it〜 it did gain momentum again but confusingly in last episodes moved focus to one character's story [admittedly lead character in early episodes] but with the effect it seemed like two separate dramas in some respects。I feel this is a drama that tries hard to get over a message and develop characters but goes in different directions and does not know what message or messages it stands for、except we have another great sensei dying for her kids that is totally not of this world、 while the characters do not really develop but just change overnight from very unreasonable to reasonable to fit in with where it is in the fixed number of episodes。 in summary nothing great but ok so a generous ーas always for me ー 7/10

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not comedy as expected

I was surprised by this movie。 I expected a light-hearted comedy but it was really a serious look at the problems gay people have in being ’’out’’ and living together and being accepted by parents in a very conservative Chinese society。I was very surprised the Chinese censors would allow movies that deal with this topic although sexual contact between the partners was not at all explicitー then I saw this was actually a Taiwanese movie so it gave a false impression attitudes in China could be changed。obviously that remains untrue、 so it was rather misleading in that way。 as to the movie itself、 I did not think the acting or direction was very good unfortunately。 for me the actors were rather unconvincing in their roles and the acting was wooden。 the production values were low。 however it must be praised for being very brave in tackling a serious topic。it is just a pity that this is gives a very false impression that attitudes are being or can be changed in China〜 it is more like the Taiwanese or western world hope China will change its attitude to homosexuality but there is very little evidence of this in real life、 although it is not illegal as such and there was a long history of same sex relationships in China before attitudes changed in Twentieth Century. unfortunately the same thing happened in Japan after introduction of western attitudes in Nineteenth Century、although now it is improving。 the attitudes here and in China have just try to ignore reality。

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