Zíza

It's clear from the start that no one and nothing in this movie takes itself seriously. It's more of a comedy than anything else, and it does become cringeworthy at times, but otherwise it's fun with all the high school slapstick that can't be lacking from a story like this. The actors must have had a blast making it, it's very hilariously told. It’s not light on pulling faces, and of course it's altogether absurd, but this time it works because, as I said in the beginning, no one takes it seriously, let alone the filmmakers. Relaxed, wacky; I was surprised no one broke out in song... A better 3 stars.

IU is beautiful and she played it well. Well, and then there's the rest of it. This show was great as a background, you could do something else while watching it and you didn't miss anything at all, you always got caught up. It kicked off fine, I liked the episodes with the different ghosts, but then they actually sort of revealed what happened in the past, not to mention that the attraction between the main characters was obvious pretty early on, so when they suddenly chopped a serial killer in there it took up a lot of time, only to be hurried at the end, with everyone quickly drifting off to the other world with a see ya later. An unbalanced, beautiful-looking series. But barren. The kind of viewing for an easygoing Sunday afternoon when you want to do absolutely nothing. 60%.

It had great reviews, so I thought maybe it would be a hit and I'd really like it. Well, I didn't. First, though, I'd like to give a shout out to Kim Da-Mi, because she was really great! Those puppy dog eyes of hers when she was happy about something; she was wonderfully mischievous and could be serious too, not to mention her mean side. She and her character are the reasons people should watch this show. Then there's Park Seo-joon, an average handsome guy who can act – every time his character ran his hand through his hair from back to front he was able to convey to the viewer exactly what his character was feeling. And then there's the rest of them. Park Seo-joon's character was basically unchanging; some 15 years of his life showed up and he hadn't changed at all. Don't tell me there's a person who doesn't change in that long a time, not to mention a person who has been through a lot. There's nothing new about the story, it's about revenge and actually at the end it's hard to tell if it actually happened. It was more about cause and effect (of something that started before the revenge). I was absolutely not entertained by the first two episodes, then it caught on and pretty much held its own until about the ninth episode, when it picked up speed down the road, only to crash in about the thirteenth episode. From that episode onwards, I basically suffered until the end, and because of that I had a chance to think the series through more and realized that beyond what looks new (transgender, racism, and a black character) it's actually dull. And even though the main character had a strong manager behind him, most of his success was built on chance ([SPOILER] – Toni and her rich grandmother perfectly positioned for the place they moved to, etc. [END SPOILER]). It's not really even a criticism of the company, it's just an affirmation that "the stronger dog is the one who fucks" – excuse the expression, but there's just no other way to put it in this show. In the end, the most tragic character is the spoiled son who sins, and it is he – oddly enough – with whom I was able to sympathize the most. And he was seven years old. The OST is slightly above average, the sweet bit at the end is a rip-off of others, but the theme song is excellent. The series is right on the border between 2 and 3 stars. Two is not enough, three is too much. 50%.

Halfway through, I was wondering how it’s possible that this movie has such a high rating. I mean, the story sucks, it's so rushed, it jumps here, jumps there, yay let’s do this, do I want you or not, I beat you, I don’t beat you, am I a hero or not... but in the end it made sense because the final twist gives it all away. In the end it's a really cool movie for Dragon Quest players, they have to enjoy it. I'm not one, so I wasn't completely thrilled, but I have to admit it wasn't outright bad either. And Japan is really trying hard in 3D animation; while this is kind of a "fairy tale", you can already see they're attacking its fans. However, I still liked the visual style of the older Space Pirate Captain Harlock (2013) better.

You just have to have a taste for Yukisada. He always makes similarly tuned films. You have to want to get into the characters, but you can't expect it to be easy. It's a vicious cycle that two characters want to break out of; both Kudo Izumi and Mr. Hayama, the teacher. Each of them has that vicious circle a little differently, with Hayama wandering for longer. Basically, these two characters are helping each other out of it while simultaneously withdrawing into it. Hayama is an incredibly kind teacher/person, observant and understanding (it wasn't always that way though). Izumi is quiet and a very good observer, though of course she overreacts once. [SPOILER] When Izumi wants to escape the circle, when she's really desperate, she allows herself to take refuge in the kindness of Ono. Based on the fact that he took her home to his family at her bad time, she figures that he'll be the one to get her out of her vicious circle and really tries to make it so. Except that Ono isn't Hayama, which Izumi recognizes in the moments when Ono gets uncontrollably jealous and basically rapes her. Overall, we can see how different the two men are just by the depiction of Izumi's consensual intercourse with them. [END SPOILER]It's an intimate confession of two people who are grateful for each other, and maybe it's love and maybe it's not. It's definitely the purgatory they have to go through to finally break free from their cycle one day. Definitely a story with something to say, characters that are complex (Izumi can seem awfully apathetic about some things, but you think about whether she wants to end the suffering; Hayama can seem like an indecisive jerk, and indecisive he certainly was, but even that has its merits) and human. Definitely a film that is a joy to ponder.

All the seasons are essentially the same, but that doesn't detract from them. On the contrary, I always enjoyed the quiet opening, for example. I enjoyed it because it takes a ride through nighttime Tokyo, the music kicks in and it doesn't rush anywhere, and I got carried away every time. You never know if this episode is going to turn out good or bad, but in the end that's not the point, it's the punchline, not whether it's good or bad. After all, whole lives can't happen in that small business, we can't expect big developments; these are just episodic glimpses into the lives of customers, with some going there more often than others. Moreover, each time the viewer can discover a new dish and even be told how to cook it. For me, it's one of those leisurely series that doesn't rush anywhere, where you get swept up in the pace of the narrative and it's no big deal. A strong 3 stars.

My biggest problem was with the heroine herself, Higa Manami, as she was sometimes unwatchable due to her inability to play a smiling, positive heroine. Overall, I would describe the acting as unsatisfactory. The story was okay, a classic Asadora where the heroine manages to win everyone over with her positive attitude. If you’re interested in the ryokan setting, it’s definitely interesting for that aspect as well, but otherwise it doesn't have much to offer. Enough for mealtime viewing, but there are definitely better Asadoras (Yell, Amachan, Gegege no niobos). 55%.

As much as I was looking forward to this, I was disappointed. I guess there's not much point in comparing it to the anime; after all, the movie took a completely different route, the musical route, but I can't help but note how sorry I am that they basically split the two characters from the prequel in half here, and it shows in the quality of those characters. They're diluted. Anyway, it's more of a comedy than anything else. Takahata Mitsuki is cute, even if she does look like a retard. She's intentionally overacting here, and it's fine because it at least distracts from the weak script; and this time the direction wasn't quite 100% either. Yamazaki Kento wore the same expression constantly and that's good because his character was like that. If he was supposed to make a face, he just wouldn't be good at it; somehow I don't believe in those comedy routines, they don't fit him. On the other hand, it's a joy to watch Kaku Kento because he's a comedian by nature... Saito Takumi and Nanao were just window dressing. Actually, they were all just window dressing, it was really all about the songs, right? At least that's what it seemed like. It's more of a long music video for a few songs than a movie. It was watchable, I don't regret watching it, but it was boring.

A very ambitious project, beautifully lit, wonderful color, with artistic imagery, whose shoulders buckle under ambitions it can't fulfill. The series is a bit like a trashy soap opera; at times it disrespects the viewer's intelligence, offering holes in the script like crazy, clichés it can't handle, and unnecessary characters, played by great actors but absolutely useless. It just sounds great – a parallel world, a king and a detective; a handsome guy who can't act, Lee Min-ho, and an actress who sometimes fits and sometimes doesn't, Kim Go-eun. It's just that the script killed it, not to mention that it's clear this show just wants to make money, nothing else, because I haven't seen such ridiculous product placement in a long time (Fried Chicken, anyone?). The only one who got the most out of the series was the actor Woo Do-hwan, his characters were really different, he played them brilliantly and actually he pretty much saved the day. Not the overabundance of romance that came out of nowhere. However, the heroine's crush seems to have only come the moment she found out that the hero is really a king and rich... you know what that smells like... I could actually go on and on about that. For a villain, he looked tough, but didn't really accomplish anything, just hung around, scowled, did something here and there, but basically a character with no depth or interest (although the actor is great). The plot was simple, it's just that the story is weirdly jumbled so as not to reveal how weak the script is at first glance. And so on, and so on (if anyone is interested, I'm willing to message them more stuff :-D). But what I liked about the series was the music, which really fit the scenes, even though it's not memorable and the OST is not rockin' with at least one memorable song; also the cinematography and lighting were great, they really won with that and for me both thumbs up. Every now and then a scene was okay, except when they were just shouting those horribly embarrassing things that an adult would be embarrassed to say; but those scenes are certainly not worth watching the whole thing. The effects were fine. In short: The cinematography, the lighting, and Woo Do-hwan are three reasons why the series didn't fall into the mud, but these guys are soaking in it. Lee Min-ho is still a looker, Kim Go-eun can act but there was nothing here, they were even pretty good together but no miracle. It's all romance, and somewhere in the background the rest is happening, which is up all the fans' asses anyway. The main thing is that the king and the detective love each other... A series ruined by a very weak script that didn't even know what it wanted to say or how to manage all the characters it invented.

The pacing is fine, but the stops were weirdly jarring. We follow seven high school friends/classmates who break up after school ends, each going at their own pace and in different directions, each with their own story. But there are too many people we’re following, so this isn't some deep probe into life after high school, when dreams end or begin. Instead, it's superficial, we always get a snippet of some situation featuring the character we're watching, so it doesn't quite speak to the viewer's soul. An average bittersweet (or rather bitter) spectacle. The performances of the leads are also mediocre, in my opinion they themselves failed to put themselves into their characters to portray them better. Snippets of Japanese society – that's what I would call it.