Reviews

i honestly just watched this because of oryo and didn't expect that it was this shitty. the fact that their parents switched partners and decided to live altogether is already a wtf factor and miki's unexpected relationship with yu adds up to it. how did they even fall in love with just limited interactions? it doesn't make sense. it also has an awfully long and boring flow that i had to fast forward a lot of times but i'll still end up with the same scene. i also don't get why they still want to be together even after they assumed that they might be really siblings by blood. that's just so messed up tbh. i wont recommend this movie at all.

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What do you get when you cross a martial arts movie with steam punk, computer graphics, pop-ups, a comic book, and a video game? Tai Chi Zero.

The Freak was a martial artist born with a small horn on his forehead foretelling greatness. After his mother died, he was taken in by a master (Fung Hak On) and ended up on the wrong side of a battle against the ailing Qing army. He escaped to the famed Chen Village where he hoped to learn kung fu techniques that would heal the wounds caused by his many battles causing him to be near death. Problem was, outsiders were not allowed to learn any of the techniques. He ended up fighting most of the village and the Chief Master's daughter, Angelababy (more often than not), as he tried to convince them to teach him.

Jayden Yuan, a real life wushu champion, played The Freak. Martial artists like Fung Hak On and Bruce Leung also gave the movie martials arts cred. All of which came crashing down when Angelababy's character was supposed to be a martial artist. In fairness, Jayden in only one of his two movie credits, wasn't a very strong actor so the movie needed people around him like Tony Leung Ka Fai who could act. Even Angelababy looked Oscar caliber in comparison to Jayden, though he was far more convincing in fight scenes.

I won't get into the story, because honestly, it's convoluted. Fortunately, it was fun and funny, never taking itself too seriously even when the big life or death battle began at the end. This movie is not for everyone, and it is far, far from perfect, but if you can check your brain at the door, it's diverting enough to be entertaining.

Spoiler/Not Spoiler Alert (the sequel is listed in the credits above)! There is a part three/finale.

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This is a lighthearted romantic comedy. It has some funny scenes, some romantic ones, and a few crass/gross scenes (i.e., sexual innuendos, bodily functions, poop jokes, etc.). Let’s be honest, the movie would be better off without all the crassness. The ML is trying so hard to get back with his ex-girlfriend, who seems to have liked him because of his playboy ways and thinks they are compatible in that regard, Through this “forced” personal English tutoring, the main leads have the opportunity to get to know each other. She realizes that beneath the tough guy, playboy exterior, the ML is sweet and kind in his own ways. He also starts to fall in love with the FL. The movie doesn’t have evil parents, manipulative exes, corporate intrigues, or any of the usual angsty storylines associated with Asian dramas and movies. It is just a light and fun watch.

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オレンジ

I have read the manga and when I saw there was a movie, it instantly became my favourite to watch.
Orange is about a sweet love story, one day Naho receives a letter from her future self, the same day a new student transfers into her school. His name is kakeru and he is so handsome. Naho reads the letter and gets very supriced, but things go slow and exactly how the letter is written for Naho and kakeru.
Tao tsuchiya is so pretty and is an amazing character for this movie, kento is also very handsome and makes a great couple with Naho-chan. I like how their romance is going slow and humble.
The movie is sad but also it makes you realise how much you can love a person.
I higly recommend this movie ♡

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The FL is a softball sports star. Upon entering high school, she decides to give up softball and focus on obtaining a love life. Since she’s been a tomboy most of her life, she’s unable to attract anyone. By chance, she meets the ML who’s an upperclassman, handsome, and popular. He agrees to coach her with the goal of getting a boyfriend. However, the agreement is canceled should she fall in love with him. The movie is light-hearted and funny. The FL plays her character well as the awkward tomboy. She stays in her character and consistent throughout the movie; I appreciate that she didn’t really change the way she dressed or do her hair. I also appreciate that the FL doesn’t go through this transformational phase from ugly duckling to swan like we’ve seen in many similar dramas/movies just so that the ML could fall in love with her. The ML instead slowly falls in love after spending time with her and seeing all her good qualities. He doesn’t need to see her with a make-over because he just loves her for her.

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Although it’s been a while since my teen years, when I am watching this movie, all the feelings, the angst, hope of being at that age at the cusp of adulthood. Chen Chen, after discovering that her parents have divorced, lied to her, and only staying together for her until she passes the gaokao, decides to fail the exam in the hopes of her parents reconciling. In her scheme, she inadvertently involves Zheng Yu Xing, by saying that she failed because she broke up with him. Zheng Yu Xing, being a carefree person, decides to go along with her ruse. He himself fails to take the exam because he was trying to get back together with the woman he loves. These two, who are hurting emotionally and just trying to stay above waters from all the family, school, and academic pressures, begin to form a strong friendship. Slowly, maybe, we see Chen Chen starting to like Zheng Yu Xing, but also knowing that he’s still in love with Ming. At one point she tells him, “maybe one day we will both accept that the one we love do not love us back.” The last scene, we see an older Chen Chen, maybe she’s in college now or older, and she seems happier, calmer. She goes to a music festival and sees DJ XYZ as one of the acts. She’s in the crowd with a slight smile on her face, watching Zheng Yu Xing on stage. We don’t know if they are still in contact, still friends or more. It’s pretty open to interpretation. I would like to think that they remain friends, supportive of each other, and have found their happiness, whatever that may be.

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This Tore My Heart to Pieces

I started watching this at 11:00 at night, and by the end of the movie, I was a crying mess at 2:00 in the morning. I love Roy Chiu’s acting and portrayal of A Cheng so much. This is a guy who somehow survives and thrives in the world of loan sharks when he he has such a warm and kind heart. He himself is a victim of this underground world when his brother’s business went bankrupt. A Cheng pays off his brother’s debt by being an enforcer. When he and his gang go to collect on the debt of the FL’s father, he instantly falls in love. He, at first, tries to tempt her through various horrid schemes to pay off her debt such as selling her body or her organs. Maybe he wants to see what kind of woman she is and whether she is good and filial as she seems. Through his final scheme, her going on non-sexual dates with him, he falls more deeply in love. She starts to soften her heart when she witnesses the many kinds acts from A Cheng. This movie just tore my heart to pieces. I want A Cheng to have a happy ending: marry the love of his life, leave the gangster life, thrive in the tea shop business with his wife, and become a father because A Cheng would have made a great father.

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空に住む

Living in your sky is about Naomi a young girl who lost her parents recently and moved to her ancle's expencive apartment with her cat Koharu. Naomi works in a small book publisher company, she is surrounded by people who are close to her but she suffers from loneliness due to her parents’ deaths. Naomi happens to meet popular actor Morinori, who lives in the same apartment building. He is the member of the popular Idol Group EXILE. They develop a romantic relationship and she sees him seriously but he is a playboy and has several girls around him. One day she interviews him about him becoming an actor.
This movie was really relaxing and great to watch on a lonely night, Mikako tabe is an amazing actress and she had great acting in this movie too ♥

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A small neighborhood in Tokyo is turned upside down when two little boys take a vow of silence because they want a television set. Of course, that's not all that's going on with the adult neighbors. Each family unit is facing their own challenges whether retirement is nearing, or a father can't find a job, or when the gossip generated from the have and have nots tears at the fragile fabric of relationships held together by the traditional greeting of "good morning".

The focus of the story is two little boys who visit a neighbor's house to watch sumo wrestling on their TV. The neighbors are deemed unseemly, read different, and the boys are forbidden from visiting them anymore. When the boys hold their ground demanding a television the father tells them to be quiet and they decide to take a vow of silence.

The father is afraid that having a television in the house will breed idiocy by drowning out small talk which is the "lubricant" of society. The boys view small talk as idiocy. And around and round they go. The boys' vow of silence creates ripples of discord in the neighborhood when they neglect the customary "good morning" setting up another wave of gossip.

You can see in the English lessons and television, the creeping American influence and Western pressure on the families. The television is not the only problem, a neighbor who buys a washing machine is judged for spending money on a convenience. The shunned family with the television feels compelled to move. The movie not only displays a generational conflict, but a cultural conflict as well.

The small talk the adults value so dearly where love declarations are made through a banal conversation about the weather, also bury resentments, envy and fears. No one questions drinking as a means of escape, or cruel gossiping.

Good Morning was bolstered by the young actors' sweet performances in their silent war. A spare, gently comedic slice of life film, showcasing a cast of well-developed minor characters dealing with everyday problems and a changing world was quite entertaining.

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A Jewel of a movie that should stand the test of TIME!

I saw this movie shortly after starting to watch Asian movies; unfortunately, even though the other movies I watched [after my introduction with My Little Bride (2004)] were quality films worth watching, they all ended tragically and I was about to quit watching ANY Asian movies at this point!

Fortunately, I came across this little jewel of a film, and it restored my faith in Shakespeare having moved from the West to the East after WW II.

I loved the music, especially since I didn't pay that much attention to music at the time; I find out later that it was a combination of Japanese and Korean music incorporated in the film!

The cinematography was excellent, with scenes from many parks, shrines and such incorporated into the movie (places where a young man would naturally take his lovely girl on a date) to the extent of making the entire movie pleasing to the eyes between the close-up action, which those scenes were good as well.

Kim Min (Lee Joon Gi) leaves his grandmother in Korea and joins his pottery-teaching father (Jo Sun Mook) in Kyoto, where he continues his mandatory elementary education. His father teaches pottery but Kim Min wants nothing to do with handling 'poop' as he calls the clay, or learning Japanese and spends his time bicycling around town.

However, a stop at a temple causes him to change his mind about wanting to learning Japanese, as he sees a lovely girl Sasaki Nanae (Miyazaki Aoi) at a temple, in temple dress.

His attitude toward clay and pottery also changes as he finds out that this lovely girl spends time in pottery shops, admiring the work of potters. He quickly asks his father to teach him how to make porcelain out of the 'poop'. His still young, rash personality and lack of patience at this point with the clay leads to his slow learning of pottery-making but he finally starts to learn self-discipline and finally makes Nanae a small piece of porcelain, with a promise for a larger one to follow.

(It is a MIRACLE how females can cause boys to 'grow up' in life and change their attitude about things!)

The film also had some funny moments such as when Min's father senses that he had a crush on a Japanese girl and buys him a Japanese language book; actually, in most scenes with his movie father, they seemed to get along quite well in their relationship.

Also funny was the beginning relationship between Min and a bicycle-riding monk (Matsuo Satoru), whose later help aided Min in finding his lost girl.

The main cast did an excellent job overcoming the language barrier, teaching each other the words for common objects and were able to convince me that they were actually a couple in love throughout the movie, and the main reason I almost quit watching it due to the fact I thought it was going to turn out to be another sad Asian ending.

The support cast also did a great job, from a Korean girl in his class to a adversary turned friend (Shioya Shun); all of them helped support the story around the two main leads, making it seem more real.

My main dislike of the movie was Nanae's mother and her problem; but again, something had to happen to cause the couple's separation.

Another dislike was that the relationship was rushed some; a mere 15 to 20 minutes more would have made the movie better, in my opinion...but it still was a good movie!

The difference between a good movie and a GREAT movie is a director/cast/editor being able to make an audience member 'forget' that they are watching a movie, and by the time I came to Nanae leaving Min I had actually forgotten that this was just a movie!

I started believing "They are not going to get together again", as they kept missing each other by minutes; however, Min's grandmother saved the day by returning what she thought was a present for her, given to Min by Nanae the last time he saw her.

You can watch the movie, available for free online, if you want any more details.

Also, if you guys are in the 'doghouse' for forgetting your girlfriend's birthday, wife's anniversary, etc., watch this with her and show her that you are worth keeping around still; she will likely keep you for it!

RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!

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an enjoyable movie, through and through.

“Why do you want me to fall in love with another guy?”

This movie is a perfect example of what a ‘complete package of emotions’ in a movie looks like. It goes, literally goes, from absurd to funny to weird to confusing to heartbreakingly-sad to suspense to mystery to funny again and back to sad again and ending it with a heartwarmingly-powerful ending. Although I do feel like the movie is grasping too many topics to focus on, but I think they still nailed it. If some of you already watched Along with The Gods, I think this story is kinda the same to that. Well, except, Till We Meet Again is the romantic version of Along with The Gods, and its much more sadder than that (I used three sheets of tissues cause I was literally crying like 4 times and each time I cried was harder than before lmfao). Plus how dare this movie put their jokes in a middle of sad scenes? Like come on, the first minute I was laughing, and the next minute I was crying (so hard)—only to be invited to laugh again in the middle of crying.

And…. have I told you that the acting carried this whole movie? Kai Ko, Vivian Sung, and Gingle Wang are absolutely charming in this movie. I really love how Kai Ko and Vivian Sung are really expressive with their acting, and they successfully invited their audience to felt the same emotions like them.

I really love that Tao Ming Tse reference, plus that Harlem Yu song… Qing Fei De Yi right? I UNDERSTOOD THAT REFERENCE!!! *insert that one captain america in the elevator meme*

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was funny and sad but powerful. I might consider to watch this again, who knows?

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The FL is a free spirit and a warm-hearted person. I love, by the way, her tattoos. It’s almost impossible to find a FL in a romantic Asian drama sporting/showing tattoos; they just add to her character. The ML meets the FL when she mistaken his car for her friend’s cheating boyfriend’s car, and was in the act of vandalizing it. The movie has some funny, cute, romantic moments. You will also want to watch on a full stomach because there are a lot of focus on food. I wish this movie is a 16 episode drama so that we can see more of everything: the blossoming friendship and love between the two leads, the second love story between the ML’s secretary and the FL’s best friend, the ML’s relationship with his father, and fleshing out the interesting hotel staff. Although I waited almost two hours for a kiss that never materialized, I wasn’t too disappointed because the ending was so cute, romantic, and heartwarming. As a personal preference, I like this movie much more than the 2020 Chinese drama adaptation.

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Is this worth watching?

The simple answer is... ABSOLUTELY YES!

I wrote my spoilerless review here:
https://fanperspectivereviews.wordpress.com/2021/12/02/is-blue-painful-fragile-worth-watching/

In addition, I really love watching Hana Sugisaki. She's great, and would love to see more of her.

Also, I would love to read the novel of which this movie is based. I think reading it will somehow give justice to some of my thoughts for the movie. I just can't find an ebook version. I want to buy the actual book, It just happens the I have no enough funds for it.... hahaha....

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