My Darling is a Foreigner

My Darling is a Foreigner (ダーリンは外国人/Daarin Wa Gaikokujin) is a 2010 Japanese romantic comedy film based on a manga of the same name written by Oguri Saori, based on her own life experiences with her foreign husband. It stars Inoue Mao and Jonathan Sherr. The following is the synopsis:

"My Darling is a Foreigner" tells the quirky story of a Japanese woman and an American man as they enter into a relationship and eventually marry. Saori is a manga artist. She meets language geek Tony, who has arrived in Japan after falling in love with the language. As the couple become closer, Saori is inundated with strange questions about the language from Tony. Are these weird questions a trait of his foreign background? Or is it because of his linguist preoccupation? More importantly, can their relationship survive?

I heard of the film early last year and I'm happy that I finally got to watch it. :) I love how the story is told, seemingly with parts of it in a documentary-type format with a few other real life (?) mixed couples amidst the story of Saori and Tony. It's really cute and I'm pretty impressed with Sherr's Japanese, though from what I saw, he is based in Tokyo so it would make sense. It was a little shorter than I expected (only 6 parts on dramacrazy) but it does a good job of going through realistic problems that may occur between a couple from different cultural backgrounds as well as things that may occur regardless of racial/cultural differences within the time allotted. I also love how the term "foreigner" is seen as something to be displaced - after all, the word "foreigner" is generally used for the minority group, so it's interesting to see it change when Saori meets his family and is, in turn, the foreigner. But then you see the line blur a bit when the two sides come to the middle as they take steps to accept one another.

I especially love what Saori's mom said about being foreign doesn't mean that a relationship wouldn't work, since being in a relationship is about compromising. Well, she said something that amounted to that, haha.

All in all, this is now a favorite of mines (so cute!) and all I have to say is that you must watch it!

You can watch it here.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, or 誰かが私にキスをした/Dareka ga Watashi ni Kisu wo Shita in Japanese, is a 2010 film that was a joint-American-Japanese production with American and Japanese staff and actors/actresses and based on a book of the same name. It stars Horikita Maki, Matsuyama Kenichi, Tegoshi Yuya, and Anton Yelchin. The summary is as follows:

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back.

But Naomi picked heads... And now she can't remember the first 4 years of her life.

I honestly decided that I absolutely had to watch this when it came out due to several fairly simple reasons: (1) it stars some of my favorite Japanese actors/actresses [well, Tesshi's just special because I used to be very much obsessed with NEWS], (2) I loved Anton Yelchin in Star Trek [2009] and I wanted to hear him speak in un-accented English, (3) I wanted to hear all of the Japanese actors/actresses speak in English, and (4) I wanted to see how the co-production came out. In the end, their acting was pretty good and I was impressed since I know how hard it could be to act and show emotion at the right moments in a language you're not familiar with, but they did it. Tesshi's English is still pretty interesting and the strongest out of all of them, which reminded of Tegomass's song, Miso Soup. Even so - thumbs up for it! :) It's also interesting how they portray "normal" high school students. Well, mainly, my interest pertains to Kenichi, since he tends to go for the interesting roles and I keep on seeing him as L, because he's an amazing L.

The way it was filmed was pretty interesting - I keep on seeing pictures popping up everywhere now - and the plot was very much that of a female high school student attending an international school and her life, though it focuses more on school because, well, school is life. It goes through some romance and friendship and it really makes me wonder what the book's about, but it was entertaining and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I suppose it spoke about change? O_o It's too late for me to think up of a good, rational theory as to the hidden meaning of the plot, but perhaps I'm just thinking too much. Anyway, just know that the acting's great, the English that is present is good (the English-subbed version also subs the English spoken by the non-native speakers, which is largely unnecessary), and the plot doesn't make you think much, but it's interesting enough that it keeps you going till the end. Perhaps it's not something I'd go for if I were to pick a book up for leisure reading, but I like it all the same.

You can watch it here.

Dear Friends

Dear Friends (ディアフレンズ), a 2007 Japanese film, is a story about friendship and cherishing said friendship. It stars Kitagawa Keiko and Motokariya Yuika. The summary is as follows:

Dear Friends follows a high-school student named Rina (played by Keiko Kitagawa) who believes that friends are not necessary and that they can only be used in times of need. Thus, she is unable to maintain a decent relationship with her friends and classmates. Her family's relationship is also lacking; her father does not care much about his family and her mother is over-protective. Rina eventually discovers that she has a terminal illness and becomes hospitalized for an indefinite amount of time. In the hospital, she is not visited by her family, but by one of her classmates named Maki (played by Yuika Motokariya). Although Maki tells Rina that they were friends in primary school, Rina does not remember her, so Maki takes the opportunity to re-connect with her. A young girl (played by Mao Sasaki) who is also hospitalized tries to become friends with Rina, but she holds fast onto her mantra of friends being unnecessary. Throughout her hospitalization, Rina begins to lose hope as her well-being falls apart, and she decides to jump off the hospital rooftop as she feels that no one no longer cares about her. However, she is stopped by Maki, who stabs herself in the chest with a knife and declares that she will share the same pain as Rina and that she does not want to lose her friend. Rina shows some hope again when she realizes that she can find friendship in Maki.

I like sad films and coupled with the fact that this movie got good reviews on dramacrazy, I decided to try it out. The synopsis does a good job of telling you what the story's about, so I'll refrain from reiterating. However, Maki doesn't technically stab herself in the chest; more like she tries to cut off her left breast. >.> Anyway, it's a sweet story of a rude and callous girl that everyone envies (and hates) who has no true friends, as her idea of a friend is someone that you use and she doesn't think friends are necessary, to someone who realises the value in having friends when she goes through some rough spots. The acting was good and in the beginning, you'll hate her but towards the end, you're more sympathetic. It's also a story full of people getting sick everywhere (sort of) - and remember the disease featured in 1 Litre of Tears? You'll be seeing a bit of it here though not to that extent. :) It is sad, but it ends somewhat positively - at least for Rina.

You can watch it here. It's in 14 parts, which annoyed me, but there you have it.

Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

僕たちの恋愛には、タイムリミットがある。

There's a time limit on our love.

Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu (僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ/I Give My First Love to You) is a touching 2009 Japanese romantic film that focuses on the love of two kids that grew up together - but one of whom has an incurable illness. It stars Inoue Mao, Okada Masaki, Harada Natsuki, and Hosoda Yoshihiko. The summary is as follows:

Takuma, a boy who is told he will die before he’s 20, and Mayu, a girl who is in love with him… The story begins when they are little kids. Mayu, whose father is a doctor, meets Takuma, who is hospitalized in her father’s workplace. They develop feelings for each other, but Mayu learns of Takuma’s grave illness and that he will die before he turns 20. The distraught children make one promise for an uncertain future. Time passes, and the girl becomes a young woman, and the boy, a young man. Mayu continues to support and love Takuma. On the other hand, Takuma, who knows his days are numbered, pushes away his feelings for Mayu and distances himself from her. He cannot stand to see her cry or hurt her more than he already has. Then Mayu meets another man who has feelings for her, and Takuma meets a woman who has the same illness, and their feelings for each other begin to waver. Misunderstandings, unsaid thoughts, the frustrations and chagrin of youth… What will become of their love while the clock keeps ticking away in Takuma’s life?

I'm a sucker for tragedies. It also helps that I like Inoue Mao and I still remember Okada playing Sekime in Hana Kimi. :) So I wondered how they would be together in a movie with a storyline that could even be said borders on being overdone, but I have faith in them. ^^ Well, I actually began watching this without subs, but even though I understood some, it wasn't much. I finally found a subbed version, so I watched it again - much better. It's really cute and I love the development between the characters from when they were little kids up till their first year of high school. You don't feel like you're missing out and the acting didn't make me cringe. Instead, it just made me feel all giddy inside - and incredibly sad at those moments. I enjoyed it greatly and I admit that I was tearing. A lot. It's a bit uncomfortable when people are around you and it's at one of those moments in the movie, even with the headphones on.

And your dad making strange comments like, "Is that you? She has your hair! Wait... her face is also like yours too!" My parents seem to think Inoue Mao and I resemble one another; it happened with Hana Yori Dango as well and they asked me why I took a picture of my eye and posted it online. -__- I had just started watching the first scene where they shot a close up of her eye. I think she's too pretty, haha. Plus, my hair is never manageable. Sorry, off topic.

Like I said, it was sweet and endearing and it was touching and heartbreaking at other moments. It touched upon topics like death, organ donations, and love - it was especially memorable when you see an 8 year old make up his will, all colorful-like with drawings and such. There are the mandatory ups and downs and all in all, I loved it. :) Plus they look really good together, haha. I kept on rewatching my favorite scenes.

You can watch it here.

26 Years Diary

26 Years Diary (Japanese: あなたを忘れない/Anata wo Wasurenai; Korean: 너를 잊지 않을 거야/Neoreul Ijji Anheul Geoya; I Won't Forget You) is a 2007 Japanese film with both Japanese and Korean actors and elements is a film tribute to a 26-year-old South Korean international student in Japan. It stars Lee Tae-sung, Maki Onaga, Seo Jae-kyung, and Hamaguchi Junko. The summary is as follows:

The film details the 26-year-old Korean student's experiences in Japan, including going to school and his developing romance with a Japanese student (Mākii). He died on January 21, 2001, along with a Japanese photographer, Shiro Sekine, while both were trying to save the life of a man who had fallen onto the tracks at the Shin-Ōkubo Station in Tokyo.

I like films that show cultural differences (not to mention linguistic differences). It might be the budding anthropologist within me speaking, but I just like it - and that was why I decided to watch this. Oh, and the plot sounded sweet, touching, and had a good chance of entertaining me. Ah - and I like things that are based on real events, which this is. (Here's a little article on the aftermath of what happened.) Anyway, because it's been made into a film, it may be based on a real person, but what happened may not be. Even so, I enjoyed it anyway. It showed the differences between Tae-hyun and Yuri from family life, culture, and their own different personalities and how they got together anyway. He was more traditional and immersed within Korean culture whereas she came from a more dysfunctional family and has lost most of her traditional Japanese traditional practices. It's pretty interesting, though like the Japanese drama, Smile, it also showcases some of the prejudices against foreigners that may occur within Japan, and for that, I give it props.

All in all, it's a nice bridge between both Korea and Japan, which has had its rocky history, and Japan had used this guy's heroic story for the sake of saving someone in order to bridge the differences that may still be present. For the entertainment and melodramatic factor that is mandatory in Asian cinema, it was a sweet and touching story about a budding romance that was never meant to be and the far-reaching effects he gave to the people around him.

You can watch it here at MySoju.

Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai

Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai (aka Only You Can Hear Me and Calling You/きみにしか聞こえない) is a 2006 supernatural/romance Japanese movie starring Narumi Riko and Koide Keisuke. The summary is as follows:

Shy, quiet, and unsure of herself, Aihara Ryo (Narumi Riko) doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Though she wants to make friends, she has trouble speaking up and holding a normal conversation like everyone else. It seems that whenever she talks, the words just don't come out correctly. Gradually, Ryo has gotten used to living life in silence as a lonely and introverted student. With no one to talk to, Ryo also has no need for a cell phone. Longing for friends to talk to, she creates a cell phone in her mind for imaginary phone conversations, and much to her surprise, one day Shinya (Koide Keisuke) picks up on the other side. For the first time in her life, Ryo has found someone she can talk to

.

I decided it's been a while since I've watch a movie or drama, mainly because I was working full-time for the past two weeks, so I decided to break the monotony today and randomly browsed DramaCrazy and picked this. I didn't know what to think of this but it had potential to be really cute, so I decided to give it a go. Plus I like supernatural/fantasy things. ^^ I also admit the lead girl looked really familiar and I finally figured it out: she plays Aya's little sister in 1 Litre of Tears. Anyway, at first, the plot seemed pretty tame - an interesting friendship between an outcast and a guy who, although wasn't an outcast, wasn't exactly in the in crowd either. And honestly, you don't know his deaf-and-mute status until the very end - but I knew it because I like spoiling myself before watching something, not to mention the summary in DramaCrazy tells you - but it doesn't really mean anything since you don't need a voice to use telepathy.

Towards the middle, it grew on me and towards the end, I loved it. :) Their friendship starts to hint at something more - though it really doesn't go anywhere - and one more person is included within the whole mental telephone deal, though accidentally. This new person comes in from time to time, but there's a small secret/surprise within her role in the movie. And it all leads up to the growth and change of all the characters and how they all influence each other for the better (though we don't really see it until the very end) and the main climax is when the two finally meets one another. I will also say that something really big happens here. ^^ All in all, I enjoyed it, even though most of the dialogue was "all in their minds" but you soon get over it. Or at least it didn't bother me.

You can watch it here.

Daremo Shiranai

Daremo Shiranai (誰も知らない), or Nobody Knows, is a 2004 Japanese film that's based on a true story of a group of children who were abandoned by their mother. It stars Yagira Yuya, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu, Hanae Kan, and You. The summary is as follows [taken from here]:

In Tokyo, the reckless single mother Keiko moves to a small apartment with her twelve years old son Akira Fukushima and hidden in the luggage, his siblings Kyoko, Shigeru and Yuki. The children have different fathers and do not have schooling, but they have a happy life with their mother. When Keiko finds a new boyfriend, she leaves the children alone, giving some money to Akira and assigning him to take care of his siblings. When the money finishes, Akira manages to find means to survive with the youngsters without power supply, gas or water at home, and with the landlord asking for the rental.

Like the synopsis says, the story was about a group of half-siblings who end up getting abandoned and having to get by on their own. I thought it sounded like a good plot, especially since it's based on a true story - but it's not as sad as the true version, odd enough (movies tend to overexaggerate things). When I watched it, I constantly compared things to the real story so the movie didn't seem as sad as what really happened. It went through from the beginning until the end and nothing is truly hard to take in - besides the fact that the oldest child is around 12 years old and he needs to take care of the bills and his siblings. There's a scene where he gives into his own needs but you easily see the growing hardship they go through and though it ends rather ambivalently, it's not as if they're dying from malnutrition.

I say it was a pretty good movie depicting a water-downed version of what could happen if children were left on their own with only limited funds. The kid actors and actresses played their parts well and you could see the struggle between their own child-like needs and what is necessary for life.

You can watch it here.

Departures

Departures (おくりびと/Okuribito), or here, is a 2009 Japanese movie dealing with death. :) It won several awards. It stars Motoki Masahiro, Yamazaki Tsutomu, and Hirosue Ryoko. The summary is as follows:

A story of love, of discovery, of revelation and of the transcending human spirit, "Departures" will linger in your heart and mind long after viewing.

I first heard about this movie when I was taking Japanese about a month ago. A classmate had watched it and during a break, we watched the trailer. It seemed to be pretty interesting since there was still some humor going on, even though the subject may be a bit on the serious side. O_o What that short little summary doesn't say (the longer, more detailed plot can be found on the official English website as well as on wikipedia) is that the main character is an ex-celloist turned encoffinator/mortician (I'm sure that's not a word, but it sure does sound cool - he basically tidies up corpses and puts them in a coffin; there's a great deal of ceremony that goes with it). Frankly, I'm interested in this kind of stuff, seeing as I've taken two classes before that dealt with death and I signed up for a senior seminar in it, but it's always interesting to see how people regularly react to the dead.

At the beginning of the movie, he needed a job and once he realised that the misleading ad (something about helping people on a journey) really meant helping them into the afterlife. It was pretty amusing since his first job consisted of an elderly woman who was found dead in her house that was in the second week of decomposition. Well, as the movie progressed, he began to show more respect towards life, as well as a more profound understand of death. Towards the end, an old childhood friend of his who has once ignored him because of his chosen profession also realised this, as well as his wife, who has left him for a period of time because of it (calling him "filthy").

It's not one of those movies that have intense twists and turns, though there are obstacles that pop up, but it's generally a human drama about love, life, and death and how it's adviseable to just accept it all.

You can watch it at MySoju (for now) - the movie is copyrighted and will be available in the US shortly. It used to be up on DramaCrazy until it was copyrighted.

Picture taken from here.

Crows ZERO

Crows ZERO (クローズZERO/Kuroozu ZERO), here and here, is a 2007 Japanese movie based on a manga set at a high school where gang life rules. It stars Oguri Shun, Yamada Takayuki, Kuroki Meisa, Kiritani Kenta, and Daito Shunsuke, among others. The synopsis is as follows:

The film centers around the character Takiya Genji, a newcomer to Suzuran All-Boys High School who aims to 'conquer' Suzuran. Genji makes a deal with his father, Hideo Takitani (Kishitani Goro). If he can conquer the school, he will be allowed to succeed his father as the head of his syndicate. But first, he has to defeat Serizawa Tamao, the "King of Beasts" and closest to conquering Suzuran.

I was browsing on DramaCrazy and I came across this movie and it sounded promising. Not to mention I was in the mood for some butt-kicking. AND it stars a number of people I've seen. It has a good number of fight scenes but it's not as bloody as it could have been. I'm not saying there wasn't any blood - there was some blood flying about - it was just not graphic; there was also a good amount of sound effects. Even so, some of it looked rather painful. I must also point out that the only time you even SEE any school administrators/teachers at the school is in the first 15 minutes of the movie, or so. Suzuran is definitely not a school.

Even then, I enjoyed it, relatively speaking. Even though the yakuza played a role in it, it wasn't only centered on fighting and "getting to the top." There were some morals involved (i.e. do not kidnap or otherwise gang up on females) and there was even a hint of romance. Ah yes, there were light-hearted moments and other scenes where the fact that they're human appears obvious, even though they all seem to have a bit of a problem with controlling their tempers and had no qualms about mortally hurting others. The acting was pretty good. For instance, when getting the life kicked out of them, they actually stumbled realistically instead of popping up miraculously even though they should be near-death, or there already.

There's also a sequel that has generally the same cast (with the addition of other actors like Miura Haruma) by the name of Crows ZERO II (2009). The synopsis is as follows:

Several months after "Crows: Episode 0" trouble brews again when thugs known as "The Army of Killers" from rival high school Hosen Academy threaten Suzuran High aka the School of Crows. The ruthless Hosen gang go after Suzuran alumni Sho Kawanishi after his released from reformatory for killing a Hosen member two years back. Kawanishi turns to his younger Suzuran gang members for protection. The Housen gang then seeks out right revenge on the entire Suzuran school, while in-fighting at Suzuran High makes them even more susceptible to the Housen threat.

You can watch both at DramaCrazy or the first one at MySoju.
Picture taken from here.

The Homeless Student

The Homeless Student (Hoomuresu Chugakusei/ホームレス中学生) is a 2008 Japanese film based on an autobiographical novel titled "The Homeless Junior High School Student." It stars Teppei Koike, Nishino Akihiro, and Ikewaki Chizuru. The summary is as follows, taken from here with some changes made:

After a term closing ceremony, Hiroshi comes up home and finds the yellow tape saying "keep out" on the house entrance. "Dismissed," Hiroshi's father says unexpectedly and dissappears without a trace. Hiroshi suddenly becomes homeless at fourteen. He starts to spend his nights in public parks and eat cardboard to survive. Homeless life with laughter and tears. However, through the homeless life, Hiroshi learns important things as a person...

I thought this sounded promising and so I watched it, curious on how it would be portrayed. It linked a background story in with the main plot of a boy struggling to live with no home and no money. I liked how it slowly went through the process, starting from the beginning when he would seem to only go to convenience stores where he used up most of his remaining money as well as eating other "human foods" until he passed the desperation point and started to revert to other forms of sustenance such as cardboard. The gradualness of it all made me like it better as well as going through other obstacles like the lack of showers or bathrooms.

In addition to that, there were moments of hilarity that were sprinkled in but all in all, the entire movie seemed somewhat rushed towards the end where everything just suddenly came together and everything was sparkly. OK, not quite. There was a little bit of angst where the question "why did this happen to us?" appeared, but it seemed to come together rather seamlessly. This is a good thing, but it didn't end with a 'bang', if you know what I mean.

You can watch it here.

My Boss, My Hero

My Boss, My Hero (두사부일체 /Doosaboo il che/頭師父一體), review1 and review2, is a 2001 Gangster Comedy film from Korea, starring Jeong Joon Ho, Jeong Woong In, Jeong Woon Taek, Oh Seung Eun, and Song Seon Mi. The summary is as follows:

As the boss of a small gang, KYE Du-shik had gotten by on his wits and bare knuckles for the past ten years. That was soon to change. Held back from promotion within the ranks due to his lack of education, Du-shik heads back to school on the order of a superior gang leader. His return is not without its complications. Intimidation dealt out by a high school hoodlum, a mischievous female student posing problems with her powerful parents relenting to her every wish, and a school that is out of control are but a few of the hazards that lay in the path of Du-shik’s education. The road is not so smooth for our hero. Although his classmates are infected by his charismatic personality and charm, will they stand by him when he most needs it? Eventually he sets out to avenge the wrongdoings of a corrupt school system. He may succeed, but will he graduate?

I watched this because I watched the Japanese dorama of the same name and I rather liked it so I wanted to see this version and how they decided to make it. It follows the same story but is comparitively less light-hearted. It focuses on the same main plotline (the boss of a gang needing to pose as a student in order to get his high school diploma) but also adds in the aspect of school life as well as its criticisms and, possibly, stereotypes. I know corporal punishment isn't allowed in the US (in fact, you can get sued and even thrown into jail for a period of time) but it was present throughout the movie, in school and out.

Of course, there were also some rather comedic moments but it's interspersed within more realistic subjects. The action's pretty good, though it has the usual "if-that-happens-in-real-life-they-should-be-dead-or-at-least-due-for-a-long-hospital-stay" situations that appear in movies all the time. However, it doesn't cross that line that much. All in all, I liked this movie in how it addresses certain issues and is pretty entertaining. If I had to choose between the Japanese drama and this Korean movie, I would say you would score more entertainment/funny points in the drama (and since it's a drama, it's longer and you get more details while some are sort of skipped or skimmed over) while the movie is a good way to entertain yourself if you're on a time crunch, even if you're not in the mood for some comedy.

You can watch it here.
Picture taken from here.

He Was Cool

He Was Cool (그 놈은 멋있었다/Geunomeun Meoshiteotda) [reviews] is a 2004 Korean comedy romance film starring Song Seung Hun and Jeong Da Bin. The summary is as follows (taken from here):

Romance sizzles for Jung Da Bin (Rooftop Room Cat) and Summer Scent's Song Seung Hun in the silver screen blockbuster He Was Cool that is based on a best-selling novel. Jung portrays a vivid clever girl that gets involved in a touching affair with wealthy Song who has to display all his his lovely charms to overcome the shadows of the past ...

It's a pretty cute story though the plot is kind of redone. You know - a nice girl meets a tough guy and they somehow get to know each other better. However, there's got to be something there if the story keeps on being reused, yeah? Anyway, I admit I like seeing this process come to life on the TV screen though it's highly unlikely to happen in real life. It started pretty sweet and though there was one scene I was somewhat confused on, it worked out. I loved the fighting scenes and even though the girl annoyed me half the time with her... girly-ness (aka she cried in the most annoying way and was just a lump of flesh, not quite taking an active part in things) and sometimes, the guy was oozing male pheromones, it ended pretty nicely. Though it could have been done another way - there were some parts where they could have elaborated in the end.

I still think it was fairly entertaining for moments when you just want something to watch.

You can watch it here.

Don't Laugh at My Romance

Don't Laugh at My Romance, or Sex Is No Laughing Matter (人のセックスを笑うな/Hito no Sex wo Warauna), is a Japanese film released in 2009 that stars Matsuyama Kenichi, Nagasaku Hiromi, Aoi Yu, and Shugo Oshinari. The summary is as follows:

Mirume is a 19 year old college student who falls in love with Yuri, an almost 40 year old art teacher at his university. Yuri isn't your typical college professor, having a quirky sense of humor and unpredictable personality. When Yuri invites Mirume to her studio, she playfully seduces the still naive 19 year old student. Things become more complicated when Mirume discovers that Yuri is married to a much older man....

The main reason why I wanted to watch this was because Matsuyama was in it and he's one of my favorite actors. The second reason is simply because the summary sounded intriguing. Despite the title of the film, there's nothing explicit in the content. Only the subject is for more mature viewers - I mean, I'm pretty sure a 19-year-old guy and a 39-year-old woman together wouldn't be that well thought of, not to mention one's a teacher and the other, her student.

It sort of reminded me of the many films I had to watch for my Chinese Film and Literature class. It had a plot there, but you might need to think a little before you get the message. It's also long and slow and not something someone would actually go watch for pure entertainment reasons (I suppose this would also depend on what you enjoy watching). I suppose it was sort of artsy. O_o Either way, the acting was good, and I'm not saying that because I'm biased. :) However, since I prefer more fast-paced movies, this didn't quite stick with me, but if nothing else works - Matsuyama Kenichi's almost completely naked in one scene. And for a 24-year-old guy playing a 19-year-old student, it's pretty good, the way he portrayed Mirume.

You can watch it here.

Tokyo Boy

Tokyo Boy, (東京少年, Tokyo Shounen), article found here, is a Japanese film released in 2008 focusing on what happens if a girl, who also has an overprotective, split-personality who happens to be male, falls in love with a boy. It stars Horikita Maki and Ishida Takuya. The summary is as follows:

Minato is a young girl who was traumatized at a young age by being abandoned by her parents and left with her senile grandmother. She frequently corresponds with a pen-pal named Night, a boy about the same age as her that she's never actually seen in person. Although Minato and Night are very different - Minato is upbeat while Night is brooding, they get along anyway and she regularly updates him on the happenings in her daily life. Minato is even willing to confide in Night that she's falling in love with a boy she's recently met named Sho.

One day she wakes up and finds Sho acting extremely distant and tentative around her. She suspects Night may have something to do with this so she arranges to meet him at the mail box. However, he never shows. As it turns out Night is actually Minato's overprotective split personality and has been trying to drive Sho away by bullying him whenever he had control of her body.

What drew me to watch this was the fact that (1) Horikita Maki is one of my favorite Japanese actresses and (2) I have a thing for psychological disorders. One of the first things I expected was pretty believable acting, but I was going to wait to see if I was wow'ed by the entire movie and plot itself. As expected, Horikita's acting was superb. The audience (at least I did) would feel the change when she switched from her female personality to her male personality in an instant. The way she walked, spoke, moved, and looked was different. I actually like the way her hair was when in her male "form" and she (or he, as the character was) exuded this sort of cocky and somewhat dangerous aura. It was very good.

As for the entire movie itself, it wasn't bad. It went in a seemingly chronological order at first until mid-way through when it picked up from the scenes that were missing the first time around, telling the story from the other two main characters: Night and Shu. Even though the entire process and disorder was glossed over, it's not very surprising since it's only a movie and there's only so much you can do in 95 minutes. The romance itself didn't really go very far as it was in its early stages.

All in all, it's worth a watch, if only for Horikita's acting skills. :)

You can watch it here.

4.6 Billion Years of Love

4.6 Billion Years of Love [wiki, dreamlogic], aka Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (46億年の恋, 46 okunen no koi) is a Japanese film released in 2006, winning a number of awards, revolving around the story of two inmates in an all-male prison. It stars Matsuda Ryuhei, Ando Masanobu, Ishibashi Renji, and Ishibashi Ryo. The summary is as follows:

At the end of their vacant, destructive lives, two boys meet when they are both incarcerated for murder. With exactly opposite personalities, the two boys share only their instincts, but this is enough for them to discover the emotion of love. However, at the end of their love lies another murder, with one boy the accused and one the victim.

This movie is a mystery and a detective story with a dash of homosexual undertones all in one (though nothing's shown). It's also one of those movies where nothing's clear and it makes you think. The scenes are put together at seemingly random points, starting from where one man is caught "red handed" killing the other, and insists that he's the murderer. The rest of the movie follows the investigation, going through their respective personal histories and everything surrounding the murder up till the end, when the case is solved. What also makes this unique and artistic is the strange, yet fascinating effects that are used to move the movie along.

What's interesting is the message it leaves the audience with: we're all defined by our surroundings as well as the people around us and we're doomed to live up to that destiny. It's pretty powerful, yet beautiful at the same time. Even with the slightly graphic murder scenes, then again, I tend to like graphic things.

All in all, the movie was nicely done and even though my brain was a little clunky from just getting back from school, it was a nice exercise to piece together the movie. You can watch it here.

Cyborg Girl

So, in order to try to forget I'll be moving to Austin tomorrow (and back to school), I decided to squeeze in a movie: Cyborg Girl/Cyborg She (我的女友是机器人), a Japanese comedy (with a little bit of a romantic story woven into it). It stars Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide. The summary (taken from MySoju) is as follows:

One day, a beautiful cyborg girl appears in front of a dull university student. Even though the cyborg starts to like him, she can’t truly feel emotions, so the boy has no choice but to say goodbye to her inhuman power and ‘violence’. Missing her, he continues his lonely existence. Some time thereafter, a disastrous earthquake hits Tokyo, and the cyborg girl saves his life. In that moment, she starts to have feelings like a real human being.

This was one of the Top 10 Movies of the Week on MySoju so I decided to try it out. And since I thought the summary has potential. So... I tried it out and it was cute, sweet, and funny. Well, and a bit sad at one point - but it was short-lived. :) OK, so I know it had to be funny, considering that the genre it was categorized under was "comedy", but it seriously did make me laugh (and go "I cannot believe that just happened"). The sad part was to be expected, because, well, every movie has it's ups and downs. I have to say that it's a pretty good movie, especially on those nice quiet nights that just scream for entertainment - this may be the movie for you!

This can be watched here.

Hana Yori Dango ~Final

Hana Yori Dango Final is the movie sequel to the first two seasons - except this is a movie. The old cast from the drama series all star in it (Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi) so no worries. :) The slightly shortened summary (taken from MySoju) is as follows:

The movie begins as Domyoji holds an extravagant press conference to announce his wedding to Makino the following spring. The press is playing her up like a modern-day Cinderella and everything seems to be going well. Later, the families offer congratulations to the couple. Even Domyoji’s mother—who was formerly vehemently opposed to the relationship and tried desperately to break them up at every opportunity—is suddenly happy for them. She even offers Makino a family heirloom: a tiara worth 10 billion yen (about $95 million USD) called “Smile of Venus”. Later, a man dressed in black crashes into their room through a window and steals the “Smile of Venus” tiara. Domyoji tries to chase the man but he vanishes into the city. By the time they get back to the hotel room the glass is completely cleaned up and the window is replaced as if nothing had ever happened...

I actually liked the movie (even though it took me this long to get to it). It's pretty interesting and touches upon the power of faith and love while traveling around the world like to Las Vegas and Hong Kong. It was personally appealed to me because it's been so long since I was last in Las Vegas and it looks much different than what I remember - and I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong. Anyway... it's nice and cool and though it's sort of odd to have his mother all for the wedding - it all makes sense in the end.

The ending is also pretty sweet. :)

You can watch it here.

Nana

So.... I had watched Nana with my sister several months before, but I apparently forgot to write a little something about it. (What? I just like keeping track of what I've watched!) It's based on an anime/manga of the same name and stars Mika Nakashima, Aoi Miyazaki, Hiroki Narimiya, and Matsuyama Kenichi. The summary is as following:

Nana Komatsu (Aoi Miyazaki) journeys to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend. A
stroke of luck finds her sitting on the train next to NANA Osaki (Mika
Nakashima), a budding rock vocalist. Although they part at Tokyo Station,
their paths cross once more as they compete for the same apartment. They
decide to move in together and despite their differences, introspective NANA
and outgoing nana become firm friends. NANA finds a new bassist and reforms
her old band, Black Stones. Unfortunately, nana finds that the course of true love does not always run smoothly. nana receives some good news, however, when she wins a pair of tickets to see her favorite band, the hit sensation TRAPNEST, in concert and invites NANA along. NANA has reservations about seeing the band play live and it is now that nana discovers the secrets of her friend's past - NANA's unresolved feelings towards TRAPNEST's guitarist, Ren, her ex-boyfriend and ex-BLACK STONES bassist. The curtain goes up on the TRAPNEST concert and Ren steps onto the stage. NANA sits below in the front row of the audience. Her eyes fill with tears as memories come flooding back. Will NANA and Ren be reunited...?

The first thing that made me want to watch it is because Nakashima Mika was in it and I happen to like her and her songs. Another reason is that Death Note's L, Matsuyama Kenichi was also in it, albeit a small role. I have to say that the acting was pretty good and it made the contrast between the two NANAs pretty clear - but it's also a nice tale of friendship despite all odds and a story of finding love. If you don't want to take my word for it, the movie made a pretty big hit in the Japanese box office when it came out! :)