Zíza

This is probably the first time I've ever found any of the voices in an anime to be intrinsically unpleasant. When Tanaka Yūko spoke in her sweetly snide voice, I thought I was going to cover my ears. As for the story, it felt like everyone was flailing from nothing to nothing and every time the characters got somewhere, the creators said: "Yeah, there could still be this theme, I like the stories about so-and-so, so let's put that in there too." As a whole, I don't find the film good, but the pieces are certainly interesting, just very clumsily glued together. The ending song is nice, but that's just Ghibli style. Just average.

A nice mid-century miniseries interspersed with various major events that happened in Japan at the time. It's not a deep probe into Japanese society or the history of the time, in the end it's just a simple story of one family. But the costumes and sets are very well done – the Japanese often focus on details, and in cinematography that's one of the best things. Here it is only confirmed. The cast is magnificent in every way.

The first time I saw the live-action film first and then the anime, and I have to admit that although we don't learn as much about the characters in the film, I liked it better as a whole. For me, it's a regular romantic comedy, but it doesn't take place in the middle ground between senpai and kohai (or classmates or childhood friends), but in a work environment where you sweat while doing pull-ups, running, and shooting at enemies. I took the whole "burning and indexing books" thing as background, just something to nudge the heroes in the right direction occasionally = one that suits the author. A nice break, nothing complicated. You can go into it with an empty mind and leave with one, too. There's no point in thinking about it in any depth.

A film about basically nothing. I don't need action, but if "nothing happens", at least make it fun to watch. This wasn't. Haruka is a totally average actress in my opinion and she just proved it here, even Tōri didn't turn in any great performance. Basically, in my opinion, the script doesn't really allow for anyone to give an interesting acting performance... (Even so, Haruka's performance was almost annoying at times.) Not to mention that foreigners are once again stereotyped in a horrible way here. Paris is beautiful, the Mona Lisa is mysterious, but that just doesn't make for a nice movie.

A surprisingly good series. What made it good for me was above all the main character: not that Min-Young Park's acting was revolutionary, but she had a strong character, didn't get angry or hysterical over all the little things, and really acted like a rational person (to the point where I almost cried with bliss). Plus, she didn't let her weakness get the better of her. Please, more heroines like that in Korean soap operas! It was done without all the crying and blackmailing scenes. Where perhaps other writers would have let the Healer's helper get jealous of the heroine and cause some trouble, here they avoided it, all pulling together and being capable. It's true that sometimes they made the villains way too foolish (by that I mean idiotic), but the main antagonists weren't stupid and some of them even had consciences. Nothing was black and white, while at the same time nothing was pushed past a tolerable limit. It's true that I wasn't completely 100% entertained by the series here and there, but I can't really complain about anything else. I found the supporting characters extremely entertaining and interesting as well. Although I can very well understand that maybe some people might not enjoy it, because again, it doesn't go at such a fast pace, but that makes me feel like everything had its place and the right timing. I must admit that the series really surprised me, even took me by surprise, because I haven't seen such well-written characters in a long time (the last time was in It's Okay, That's Love, but that was something a bit different and it doesn't seem the most appropriate to compare). So if you're in the mood for a bit more action-packed reporting, reasonably romantic and humorous (and willing to turn a blind eye to some of the "unnaturalness"), check it out.

A two-part special with an all-star cast and a story by Agatha Christie? It just can't be a flop. And it wasn't. Although the story is so well known and everyone already knows who the perpetrator is, the viewer is given a new angle on the events that preceded the express train murder. The filmmakers may have shown us their version, which differs greatly from the one I read when I read the book (by which I mean what wasn't described in the book – all the planning and such), but it's still a decent TV movie that, if you're a fan of classic mysteries, is definitely worth watching. Especially for a Christie lover, it's fine because it's a very faithful version, aside from the fact that it's set in Japan. Here too, "Poirot" is a funny little man.

So I watched it again and, as before, I enjoyed it. It's basically a well-worn romantic comedy, with all the typical elements; on the other hand it's also atypical in its own way and I enjoy that. Ivy Chen and Bo-lin Chen are both great actors for me (Ivy is better, no kidding, but Bo-lin is good looking – even though here in particular...). I enjoyed all three phases of the story, I wasn't bored and just enjoyed the unpretentious stuff because it didn't make me look like an idiot. Awesome movie. If you're in the mood for an enjoyable college flick about a geek "trying" to win the heart of the prettiest girl, definitely don't miss this movie.

I rated this higher at first, but then I let it run through my head and found myself walking away unsatisfied, even though I was clapping and tearing up incredibly by the second half of the last episode. Ariel was brilliant, Bo-lin as well (not surprisingly, they were awarded for their performances). It's slow to get going and has its own pace of storytelling, but it's one of those more grown-up narratives, avoiding a lot of clichés that are just lubricant for a plot that's stuck somewhere – that doesn't happen here, the writer understands his characters very well and lets them do all the work instead of making it easier for them with some clichés. That's a big plus. Not to mention that teenagers won't see themselves in it, they'll be bored, and it's entirely possible that they won't understand the main character at all; after all, she's a lady in her thirties. I felt very sorry for Bo-lin's character many times while watching, the guy was someone you want to cuddle, pat on the head, give warm milk, and put to bed. I would almost think that such a guy couldn't possibly exist, and as a whole he certainly doesn't, but I know someone who is exactly that kind of nice, so I didn't question it. I kind of doubt he'd let his heart be torn out like that for so long. That was probably the single most unrealistic thing in the entire series. Other than that, it all stayed grounded and for that I'm very grateful. In the end, though, I didn't get what I wanted – I wanted to follow Ariel and Bo-lin's relationship, which I basically did, but I didn't want it from the friendship side so much as the romantic side. If they'd gotten together earlier and it wasn't so tidy towards the end, a higher rating would have been 100% deserved; unfortunately like this... If you're suffering from unrequited love from a close friend, you'll need a lot of tissues while watching. If you're a woman in her mid-thirties, I think it's worth considering a go. A better 3 stars.

So this time, Shion and I didn't quite click. The fact that rap isn't really my cup of tea in this questionable musical doesn't so much matter as the feeling that it's all about the sets and the eccentric behavior of most of the characters. In other words, it's not about anything else. And that's just not good enough for me. If you like rap, mindless carnage, the lack of "story", and aren't afraid of getting a little grossed out, go for it. It's exactly Japanese UFO 「Unidentified Film Object」 and this time, sadly not my taste.

So these beauties sang to me, although the vast majority of them simply can't sing, but so be it. They told me they loved me a thousand times, though (not just in Japanese, but in Chinese and English as well), so it went to my heart and my head and I enjoyed it. Ordinary pop as presented by the faces of Amuse, the show was pretty good, super sweaty. Plus enriched with comedy skits. If any of your favorites are in this, it's almost a must see! :-P