Reviews

Honestly, The Ending was The Suitable Ending for This Kind of Movie

I am reviewing from the point of view of an audience who has not read the original manga of this film. In my opinion, this film brings story plots and themes that I myself have encountered many times, especially in Japanese novels or dramas, namely love between a teacher and student, I think the character development in this film is not good between characters and I also didn't see good chemistry between each character (for some reason like the closeness between each character is less visible), also the meeting of Sishio and Yosano at the beginning of this film is quite strange (honestly). Although i like the story in this film because in the end Heroine chose the right choice (in my opinion), because in this type of story, if the teacher is a winner in the ending, I think it's not fair enough, because the age difference is quite far between the two (quiet strange).

Verdict, I think a film like this is very suitable to be watched at leisure time because it doesn't have a heavy story, although the story is a bit generic but, it is very interesting to watch because the setting of the time and place of this film is the school period which I think is very interesting when considering those times. 7,5 seems fine for the score because of all the shortcomings, I still enjoy the romance in this film and attach a little to how Heroine can choose the right choice in the end.

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Generic Story but Good Actor Chemistry

a short review of this film, the plot presented in my opinion is quite generic (because there are quite a number of films with this kind of theme) but the plus point in this film is that the cast in this film have pretty close chemistry with each other, thus creating a bond that is formed between The MC and Heroine can also be felt by the audience. Shoutout to Mei Nagano and Takumi Kitamura for being able to make this film whose story in my opinion is quite generic but their cast on the characters they play can make this film's story a lot more alive. For the music used in this film is descent but quite matched in accordance with the scene shown.

For the disease that is shown in this film is a fictional disease (of course because this film is adapted from a romance fantasy novel), but there is a connection with the real world, one of which is when a patient suffers from a disease whose cure and cause is unknown (such as leukemia and cancer), the patient's sadness is the treatment they do nothing but makes them also as guinea pigs to find a cure for these diseases, I think this is quite related to what the heroine feels in this film.

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The mystery of actions

I think the most furstrating thing for me was that there wasn't really a reason behind him being a bully or taking his anger out on others. I mean he had two stable adult parents and what seemed to be a happy family. If what his father said is true in the court, which is that he also was bullied before and thats how he got that scar on his face, then i'd understand why he also goes on to bully others. Again this entire movie shows how bullying leads to bullying. The entire country joined in on making the boys family as messed up as possible. They became outsiders to society. Which i understand, he basically is a murderer. But the issue here is how the cycle never ends. One bullies one, and that person goes on to do it to someone else. Its as if each person just needs an excuse to vent or join in on the hype, even if its seen as morally wrong. Would've been really helpful if the movie kind of focused more on the depths of the boys intentions and reasoning, because we follow him through this journey but have no idea what he's thinking or what angers him. There's always something that will trigger a person, and i hated that this film didn't even give us a slight reason to build on. But again, that brings us to the consideration that some people don't need or hav a reason for the way they think or act. If we were to take psychos into thought, yes some have a history behind their actions but many are also just diagnosed to have been born like that.

Overall, a great watch and really reminds you of the reality of society. Especially ones that are collectivist society like Japan.

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This movie was really, really good! And Satoh Takeru was absolutely mesmerizing as Aki. Aki's depression and his disgust with the whole music industry in general and with their manager in particular, the change in his outlook at life after meeting Riko and then his fall back into depression after the manager forced him to choose between his happiness and Riko's career... Satoh Takeru was so good!

I think my favorite moments were the ones between Aki and Riko, and then between Aki and Shun. When Riko, a high school student, promised to take care of Aki after Aki fell apart in front of her... And Shun, so worried about Aki, prompting Aki to do what was best for him first, even if it meant leaving the country and them, their old friends, behind... That was so lovely!

But I have to say, if this tiny glimpse behind the scenes was even remotely close to what's really happening in the entertainment industry in Japan every day then... yeah, no. I would never even dip my toe into such a cesspool, thank you very much. The manager's behavior gave me honestly the creeps!

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I love MON the first time I saw him on "Key Love" and always has followed him ever since. Country boy was the last one I saw. And I loved it. I notice there is a sequel but didn't see his name on the cast. It would be wrong to leave him out. I will watch anything that he is on. With his cute adorable face, he's easy to fall in love with. His smile, innocence, and boyish looks make him appealing to both sexes.

Is it me or was that Oak that took their picture at the end? Lol.
I'm surprised he wasn't cast those two seem to always pair up.

The only thing I had a hard time seeing was the bed scene. The darkness made it a guessing game on who is on the bed. Lol. Wish it was longer. I did love the holding hands at the end, made me say aww. Overall, it was decently made. Especially on the budget. The screenshot was good as it can be. The cast was good. The acting was naturally real. As long it has MON I'm a happy guy. Great job!

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Most self absorbed female lead I've seen in a long time

I don't usually write reviews for movies but this one made me so mad. There are no redeeming qualities for the female lead. She literally only follows the male lead because she's trying to save her a$$ at work. Clearly she's a bad doctor since in the very first scene she's judging the family member of someone under her care for the way they look. She even only starts treating the patient because she wants to get brownie points from the higher ups. She pays no attention to the concerns of the family member and misdiagnosed the patient because she thinks she's above reproach.

I don't understand the high ratings for this movie. The only reason she is a doctor apparently is to make money because from the get-go she's acting like she doesn't care. She only cares about not being suspended because it will derail her career.

The acting was great by everyone but I just can't get behind this level of self absorption from someone who is supposed to be saving lives. Unless they are the villain but this was our leading lady in a romance!

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Endearing sometimes

There were some parts of this that were endearing and funny; something about how old it is filled me with nostalgia.

That's not to say that this movie was perfect by any means — it was really really cringey and overall I wish it had gone in more deeply on the plastic surgery/kpop industry instead of just sort of treating it like a plot device. The romance was something I could have done without as well, although I do have a soft spot for the Secret Identity trope.

Another plus for this movie is that the songs are genuinely catchy — I wish they dived more into that as well, you could sort of tell some of it was just included in order to show the actress' singing chops.

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Unexpectedly great movie!

I came across this movie on Netflix and I added it on my list. When I came across it here too I thought I should watch it today. Little did I know that it was a hidden gem. At first I didn't like the violence but I waited for the romance. I was so happy while I watched male lead being so kindhearted! Then he made me think that he is so stupid to make the same mistakes and I wanted to stop the movie so that I don't waste my time. I'm so glad that I don't give up easily on movies and dramas. I was rewarded once again! The last 15 minutes had me tearing and crying my eyes out. I can only assure you that you should give it a try.

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Worthy of your time!

I couldn't agree more with the other reviews. This movie is not what we would call romantic, but at the end we can feel a blooming romance between the main leads. When I first came across this movie and read the plot I thought that it was very interesting and different from the movies I usually watch. It also reminded me of Audrey Hepburn 's movie "Wait until dark" , although their plots are very different. It was a very quiet and calm movie which starts in medias res, so we find out about the murder little by little. Male lead's (sad ) past unfolds and all our questions get answered till the end. I totally recommend this movie to you!

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depiction on how the society sees the teen preganancy

Basically, an enjoyable movie, where the characters are sometimes likable and sometimes immature. You know every person grows, some with time and some in the blink of a moment.
Showing up an ugly truth of the society where a pregnant teen or a woman is always a female fault. Like why is it a fault, it happens due to two individuals, so why only the female is to blame.
You cannot adopt a child if you are single, but you cannot get an abortion if you are underage. Why give the responsibility of raising a kid to a teen than to have an abortion. She has just begun her life. Because this society is run by the rules of adults.

I love Kim Hyun Soo, though I have seen her in various movies, but recognized her since The Penthouse series. She had a way to make her character come to life. She lives up to the expectation so well. She was a mature teen but still had the charm of adolescence who makes mistakes, embraces mistakes, and struggles to find a space in the harsh society.

Kim Hye Soo was nice, showing the exploited character of a diva, who is an immature adult and selfish. She deserved all the hate throughout but claimed her share of claps in the end when she actually did something against her usual self.
I hated the sister who was selfish and duped her in that status. she was the real selfish.
One should definitely watch this movie to see the different approaches/ views of adults towards teen pregnancy. the family, the school, the friends, neighbors, strangers, and the FATHER OF THE KID.

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Sato Kanta IS Irie Naoki. Kotoko? Not so much…

The storyline of ItaKiss is always going to be a little cringy/problematic/misogynistic/dated, but you can’t help but forgive it because of all the cute little moments even though you know it’s bad. Even though you know that Naoki is a manipulative prick, and Kotoko is so aggravatingly devoted and wrapped around Naoki’s finger. Such is the nature of Itazura na Kiss. Now the acting for this particular rendition… wasn’t great. Now I didn’t expect too much from Naoki’s character because he’s meant to be largely emotionless and deadpan, so I’m mainly talking about the actress who played Kotoko here. IMO, Kotoko is the most pivotal character in this series, as she has this mindnumbingly cute, mindnumbingly dumb persona that you just can’t help but love. I felt this strongly when I watched Honoka Yahagi/Miki’s portrayal of Kotoko (whom I see as the ideal Kotoko, as she was the only one I didn’t find annoying but rather, very charming). But for this actress…. her voice sounded like a 5 year old most of the time PLUS her acting skills were terrible in comparison. And don’t get me started on the iconic rain scene. It was, I’m sorry to say, terribly acted out. There was zero tension or desperation in the scene. It just felt like two people simply saying lines back and forth with no conviction at all. I mean, again I didn’t expect too much from Naoki, but c’mon Kotoko, you love this man!

Sato Kanta’s Irie Naoki, in my opinion, was overall very true to his original character, as even when he was cold to Kotoko, you could see the little nuances, gestures, and gazes saying that he truly did hold affection for her, even as he teased her or ignored her. This was hard to tell in previous versions of Itazura na Kiss, as even Furukawa Yuki’s version seemed a little lifeless, or bipolar at times. Even visually, Sato was the most similar to Naoki in comparison to all the other adaptations. Just compare him to the original manga artworks! Sato IMO truly embodied Naoki.

Storywise, it was rushed, which is understandable given it’s 3 movies rather than 2 seasons of a show. I just wish that this was made as a drama rather than a movie trilogy. It did an okay job for what it was worth, had some cute scenes (especially in the first film), but overall… meh. If Kanta and Honoka had done a rendition together… It’d probably be perfect for me.

While I like Sato Kanta’s acting, the overall acting (including Kotoko’s) isn’t great, hence my rating.

Sidenote, but that animation of Kotorin… Let’s just say that if some creepos I met once made such a thing about me without my consent… I would be filing a sexual harassment report. Also shame on her friends (and Naoki) for thinking such a thing is funny.

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A story that felt inspired by ItaKiss, but was its own film (and a pretty good one!)

Wow, a not completely unfeeling Naoki! :0 To be honest, I was skeptical at first because I heard that the FL was annoying in other reviews, but she actually wasn’t bad at all in comparison to other FL renditions of Kotoko (ahem 2017 Japanese film version). She was just… forgettable, in the sense that if any other actress had replaced her, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Just to note - this film didn’t completely feel like Itazura na Kiss, and Darren Wang didn’t really feel like Naoki at all, and this makes sense given the fact that the director/writer(s) took liberties with the story. It didn’t feel as rushed as it could’ve been if they left everything the same and followed the manga scene by scene, which often leads to more vignettes of the story mashed up into one (which was mostly a criticism I felt I had for the Japanese ItaKiss trilogy). I thought the way they merged some scenes together and reinvented them was a good idea for the overall pacing of the film, but again it loses most of the original manga’s essence. I liked Darren’s portrayal of Irie as FINALLY we can see more of his side of the story and how he gradually came to love Kotoko in the first place. He was definitely a warmer Naoki than his Japanese and Korean counterparts, and overall felt more human and relatable (he also actually smiled more, which was shocking).

I felt like the casting for Naoki’s family was a bit off and didn’t get highlighted as much as they should have (i.e. the brother), and was surprised that Kin-chan didn’t have as many parts as I thought he would (he was mostly forgotten towards the second half of the film), but I didn’t mind it too much. Overall though, it was a cute adaptation that felt more like it was inspired by Itazura na Kiss but was its own story completely. I still enjoyed it and it’s a cute movie worth a watch!

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im tired of hating myself so that you can love me

I'm tired of hating myself so that you can love me - that line broke me. The way this story was told is creative and shows growth doesn't mean pretending wrongs didn't happen. It shows that it is important to acknowledge one's own issues in order to overcome them. It had a big impact considering how short it was. I would have loved to see this be a bit longer, maybe with more focus on the discussion they needed to have. I appreciated the dance party that added a bit of fun to the tense situation that occurred but I would have loved a more in depth discussion about their relationship.

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