This review may contain spoilers
This one felt much more serious than the first movie. There was still a little humor here and there but it felt like the stakes were higher so it couldn't be funnier because then it would feel like a parody so...I loved Kenshin's relationship with his found family at the martial arts school, especially with Sanosuke. When Sanosuke punched Kenshin after finally catching up with him in Kyoto because he was so worried when Kenshin just took off to, basically, get himself killed! Sanosuke was so pissed at him.
The action in this movie was so very, very good again. And the music! I don't think I've mentioned the score before but, boy, the OST is just top notch, so much so that it gives me goosebumps!
And the cliffhanger! Gosh, I'm so glad that I have the next movie in the franchise handy or I would be very, very... miffed, to say the least.
Also, I just really noticed it in this movie but Satoh Takeru as Kenshin looks so... tiny and slight next to every other guy in it because they're all pumped up giants and he's, well, he's not. It's cute!
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Sweet, short and simple drama
Initial view, the fabulous costumes of the Qing dynasty! A short drama that fits nicely between long episodes of dramatic, mind boggling yet addictive dramas! Being new to Asian TV dramas with questionable subtitles, it takes awhile to recognise the different characters and palace titles. With jagged flashbacks, this too simple story without the usual palace intrigue, jealousy plots, eavesdropping, gossips, overload of tea drinking and wine consumption makes it refreshing! Not familiar with any of the actors I do think they were well cast. The writer could have expanded the story with more scenes of delicious palace cuisine and added a subplot but then it would not be a short story.Was this review helpful to you?
A romantic gem is waiting for you.
My heart is still racing as I write this review. Seventeen years and three months ago, this movie was released into the world. It felt like it was just waiting for me to arrive. I was immersed in the story five minutes after it started. I’m always looking for romance in a drama, but I never expected to find a gem like this. I’m at a loss for words to describe what I just watched.Jang Hyuk did an outstanding job in his portrayal of Myungwoo. He was just starting a long impressive career. But the star of this show was the unbelievable Jun Ji Hyun. She is a talent like no other. Playing a strong and fearless police officer was as easy as breathing to her. She brings her talent into everything she does.
I loved her commitment to Myungwoo. You don’t see that often in a drama. She never wavered in her love for him. It truly felt like two souls blending together for eternity. If you have any romance in your soul, this movie will give you goosebumps, bring tears to your eyes and make you smile.
I loved everything about this movie, including the music. If you can’t find it anywhere else, try YouTube.
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A Hidden Gem with great young actresses of same age
I’ve watched this movie without subs, but it’s fine because it’s easy to understand (from the perspective of someone who did not formally study Japanese). I wanted to watch this mainly because I love the cast, but was hesitant because it’s genre is horror. But I told myself that I can’t miss to see my favorite actresses working together.Unexpectedly, I find the story relatable. But it is definitely not for everybody, TRIGGER WARNING for bullying and sexual assault. The main character, Kana (Kawaguchi Haruna), is an average high school girl who quietly dreams to be like the most popular girl in school, Rio (Hirose Alice). I’ve also admired the cool kids at school, and I think this is normal and shows realistic depiction of a teenage girl. Kana also have a best friend, Erika (Matsuoka Mayu), who is almost inseparable with her. This made me remember how I stick with a close friend almost everyday, never getting tired of each other (hopefully they didn’t lol), we would look for each other soon as we arrive school, and it’s automatic to be partners at group works xD I’ve also had some ups and downs with my friends, and I could see my immature self to some of these characters.
Now onto the frustrating part, bullies does unbelievable things to their targets. I didn’t understood what made Rio so twisted and evil, maybe something abt her upbringing. There’s also a side story abt the ghost, Yomi (Yamamoto Mizuki), and her friend, who is now a teacher (Haru), who also encountered bullies. It’s a sad and heartbreaking story, which only shows the haunting effect of bullying. I also think that the ending is perfect for a horror movie, and also gives an important lesson abt bullying, standing up for others, and loyalty, esp to younger people.
The acting is great as expected. I also like how the leads are of same age, Haruna, Mayu, Alice, and Ikeda Elaiza are probably 18-19 here. It’s fun to review their early works, given that they have already established their names in the industry in the present. Mizuki and Haru are of same age too, so I appreciate if the casting team. The OST also did a great job for giving me creeps, and yeah, there’s some screaming. But this movie is watchable for me who hates horror. I also don’t think it would made me scared at night, it’s just right so I would recommend it if you’re a fan of these actresses but hates horror. It’s honestly a hidden gem, and I would like to see more of collab from these actresses.
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One of the best, simply the best!
This is one of my go-to movies, whenever I feel stress, bored or just simply want to re-watch it, simply because I've been missing Won Bin. I really enjoyed watching action, suspense-thriller and just a good story movies, it's just a bonus if I really love the actor playing the role on a movie.This movie is purely intense, gore, full of action, never a dull moment and will keep you on edge. Everything is fast phase and makes sense. No wasted screen time, good dialogues and just simply a perfection for me.
If you cannot bear watching movies with a lot of blood or violence, stay away from this movie, if it's good with you, go and enjoy this masterpiece. Watch Won Bin, to be fascinated with his take on his character as well as reminisce young Kim Sae Ron.
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A first
So this was my first Japanese BL movie, and although I didn't go into it with high expectations, it was an okay movie.There is RAPE – very GRAPHIC. This is not a spoiler, this is a warning. If you cannot stomach that, then don't watch it.
This is a horribly conceptualized story about obsessive love, control, rape, cognitive dissonance, and abuse. We have an individual who will leave everything in his world behind, everything he has owned and search to the ends of the Earth to find this fig mental "thing" he has deemed his love. Then he will take what he "loves" and FORCE it to "love" him back. DEMAND it. The absurdity of it all is that everyone around the victim seems to believe the victim was blessed to be loved in such a way. The victim sees the absurdity of the situation but then falls prey to this thinking and believes the lie of those around him.
Since this was my first Japanese manga, I didn't get the whole story line. the start the over-acting was hilarious - yeah bad acting - but it was funny and wasn't taking this seriously, as also found some of the character's likeable - not Natsuko (who just went from bad character to worse!) but other character's in that orchestra where quirky and fun to watch.
Defiantly not a good start to the JP Drama!!!
Recommendations are welcomed for any good Japanese BL Dramas!!!
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Fluffy watch
I never read the manga so just hopped on in this b/c it sounded interesting and the ML is soft on the eyes.Let's be honest ... no one is watching this for an earth shattering, award winning performance of some mind bending show.
This is what it is intended to be - a piece of fluff.
It's one of those you go into for nothing more than gluttonous enjoyment.
The characters had great chemistry, the story was cute and cavity inducing (sweet sweet), and sailed on through from start to finish with no problem.
Over all I enjoyed it.
The story is not too far fetched, not all that 'taboo', and certainly not incest.
It's going on the list with my other "fill the weekend" movies / shows.
And shout out to ECOTV for being the first on subbing it - you're the real MVP.
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Quirky short musical with cute guys
Overall: This is one of the few artsy/quirky short films that I actually really enjoyed.Content Warnings: very mild violence (and you may never eat candy the same way again :P )
What I Liked
- the music, round of applause to whoever wrote the songs and the singing was good
- unique plot, definitely haven't seen this before
- the outfits matched their candy counterparts well
- apparently I really like tattoos, even when it's the word "digestive" lol
- I liked that even in the darker scenes there was light on the actors' faces, too frequently I can't see anything
Room For Improvement
- I didn't at first like the first song the guy wearing black sang, but I think it was a style thing
- the animation when showing people looked a bit amateurish
- a small continuity error with the white band being ripped, but then not being ripped in a wide shot
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Sweet a bit too religious for my personal taste but I love this angele to it...
This movie is really sweet, the main couple is adorable and their story is pretty typical guy who thinks he is straight falls for another guy and struggles with it. Not much new to that but also something always nice to to watch. what I do love is the way they for once let gay people be religious. So yes I love the representation here, the way the religion is portrayed and even if I personally am not a big fan of the whole jesus loves you theme when it comes to my personal belief as an atheist, It is not really my cup of tea to watch. However the freedom of religion person within me is thrilled with this type of movie. It brought down the entertainment value but I am really happy this movie exists and hope many people will watch it!Was this review helpful to you?
I didn't know what was the focus of this movie even after the end
I really don't know what to say about this movie. I am always on the hunt for hidden gems. I am looking for dramas and movies that are not so popular but deserve recognition. I am not sure if anyone would consider this movie a hidden gem. I don't know if I myself think so.First of all the cinematography reminded me of the movie Amelie at some points which I liked.
The story seemed very interesting and rare, so I watched it. I still don't know what the story was about. Did they love each other through spending time together or did they just sympathized with each other? Was it love or loneliness and despair? The woman loved the man she stalked or she was just obsessed with him because nobody wanted to befriend her? I have so many questions. This movie didn't have a specific message for the audience in my opinion. Or if there was a message what was it?
I am so confused so I don't know if i would recommend it. Maybe some people like this type of movies without a specific theme or movies that you can't fully understand. I personally prefer the movies that are very clear and have a specific message to the audience.
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The idea of the story was pretty solid, but since there wasn't much going on it was quite boring. There isn't a whole lot of the sci-fi aspect and more of the anti-climactic parts of living basement since the bomb went off. I don't think the storyline was horrible, it was just very anti-climactic. That could be a huge turn off for people since people normally like sci-fi movies with a lot of action or science based or even actual drama. If you were expecting a thriller sci-fi like movie, you won't find it here. The most interesting parts of the movie are when they take about their situation and what to do.
The acting and the cinematography was pretty good if I had to be perfectly honest. Again, the story is where this drama really lacked it, but everything else was pretty good. For a low budget film, it was not the worst thing I've seen. Only watch this if you are not looking for anything in particular and go in with no expectations. I personally give this movie an overall 7.0/10.
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I watched this because of Arata Mackenyu
When I decided to watch this movie, it was basically because im a hardcore fan of Macken. Generally this movie isn't the type that i would watch or enjoy... but i still watched it and gave it a shot. In short, i felt like it had a stagnant plot. I was constantly waiting for something to happen but nothing really did. I understand it was more of a brotherhood type of movie, but in my view it was just... cars. And to be frank the racing scenes were the most exciting- at least something was going on, and it had you anticipate something...I wouldn't watch it again., but one must praise the actors- they did a good job with portraying the frusrration and sadness, though it had no depth to it because of the story line...
Honestly it's a 5/10 but i added a 1.5 because macken :')
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This review may contain spoilers
I finally watched the first Rurouni Kenshin movie, staring Satoh Takeru, and it was so good! The perfect blend of character driven movie and an action flick, just the right amount of both.And the action was honestly breathtaking. The speed at which they fought, the elegance of it! It was incredible. And seeing Satoh Takeru swinging a sword? Holy...!
Speaking of Satoh Takeru, he was ah-mazing here! The way he could go from cute and goofy to murderous in a heartbeat? Perfection. I've seen two dramas with him so far and he was really great in both but here? Here he shined!
One Rurouni Kenshin movie down, 5 to go, yay!
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