Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi eps 2-12

April 22, 2013, 10:48 am

≫ Next: Minna Esper Dayo! eps 1+2

≪ Previous: Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi ep 1

$

0

0

Watched the rest of the series in one shot. Its a much better version of Shinzanmono. The benri-ya angle makes it easier to tell stories about people who live in a small town without trying to tie it into a crime. My favourite bit is that it doesn't always try to end it with a cheesy moral ending. Actually, I would say its very similar to Shinya Shokudo.

WHAT I LIKED

- Episode 2 about the woman in the karaoke video. Funny with a simple and sweet ending.

- Episode 3 - Kawamura Yukie!!! Besides the large amount of cleavage shots, this is one funny episode. Love Gyoten's use of the stun gun. Very Shinya Shokudo like with stuff from previous episodes appearing to be of use in later ones.

- Did I mention Kawamura Yukie?

- Episode 4 is awesome. The creepy mannequin and the son who could have set the fire and the simple ending. Simple stories about deep emotional scars without trying to preach to the audience.

- Episode 5 is a nice episode about the two adopted brothers.

- Episode 6 is my favourite episode. The ending is just awesome when Usuda Asami goes off. I like Tada saying, "I don't know if she's right and I don't know if she's wrong either". She knows its wrong but who can blame her? Anytime a dorama is able to go to morally gray areas and not try to talk at the audience is a great thing. Speaking of Usuda Asami, I can't wait for the Suzuki Sensei movie which is coming out on DVD on 5th of July!

- Kora Kengo as a yakuza.

- Maki Yoko!!! The Eita-Maki Yoko chemistry lives again!

- The gun episode coming to play at the end.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- Episode 8 wasn't that funny nor the girl interesting.

- Did the 'samishii-yo' story need 2 episodes to tell? I understand the writer wanted to parallel Samishii girl's relationship with her friend with the Benri brothers and it was hard to squeeze everything into one episode.

- Maki Yoko story being kind of meh. Probably cause it took another 2 episodes. It felt like a forced two-parter just cause it was the last story.

SUMMARY

I really love Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi when its about the characters that show up and the story takes one episode.  When it its more than 1 episode and becomes a lot about more Tada and Gyoten than other people, it just drags for me. Though I wasn't that enamored with the last four episodes, on the whole its on par with the first season of Shinya Shokudo and has a few must watch stories so I have to give it a must watch. I didn't watch the movie and generally the stories are stand alone so I don't think its necessary.

---

Minna Esper Dayo! eps 1+2

April 24, 2013, 2:23 am

≫ Next: Jmovie review: Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken

≪ Previous: Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi eps 2-12

$

0

0

I worship at the alter of Sono Sion. He is my favourite jmovie director right now. Sadly I've not met one Japanese person who knows his movies. I wasn't so excited when I first heard of Sono Sion taking on Minna Esper Dayo! because it did not sound like a dark story, which is what he specialises in.

How wrong I was. I had forgotten about the playfulness and humour of Love Exposure and he uses it to full effect in this dorama which is a mix of Stand Up!! and super powers. Sometani Shota (Himizu) plays your typical virgin high school kid Yoshio who one day gets the power to read people's thoughts and hilarity ensues.

Mano Erina is Asami, the transfer student from Tokyo and the object of Yoshio's erections. I'm sad that Mano Erina has stopped singing to be an actress but she couldn't have picked a better director to work with post graduation. Maybe her management is thinking that Sono Sion can do for her what he did for Mitsuhima Hikari but Mano Erina is nowhere at her level. Still a good start.

Kaho is Miyuki, Yoshio's childhood friend and she willingly displays her pantsu for all to see unlike Mano Erina. You can tell cause whenever there's a Mano Erina pantsu shot, the scene will cut to a view from behind but we cannot see her face which suggests a pantsu double. There is a scene where Kaho's breasts get groped and it looks like a breast double but hats off to Kaho for not using a double for pantsu shots. Her management knows how to pick good shows for her.

Mano Erina's no longer an idol. No need to 'protect' her image. However, its must be said that hearing her say the words onani twice is shocking. I'm sure her Japanese fans are going, "I can't believe our pure idol said that!". Hope Mano Erina can be a regular on Sono Sion projects like Kagurazaka Megumi.

Lots of weird, perverted and funny usage of psychic powers in Minna Esper Dayo! Thank the dorama gods its a late night dorama so we can have all sorts of thoughts when Yoshio reads people's minds. Huge thanks to Furransu for uploading the Japanese subs. Makes watching so much easier. I do not hesitate to recommend this, especially if you like Stand Up!! Can't wait for the next episode.

I nearly fell off the bed, lol. Not your typical heroine.

Why did these type of things never happened to me in high school?

ROFL.

Shades of Love Exposure.

Can't we have ichigo or shimapan?

Poor Kaho.

Too many ROFL moments in this show.

Jmovie review: Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken

April 27, 2013, 8:47 am

≫ Next: Sennyu Tantei Tokage ep 1

≪ Previous: Minna Esper Dayo! eps 1+2

$

0

0

The movie that started it all. Tada Benriken is very much about Tada and Gyouten while most of Bangaichi is more about the residents living in Mahoro. You get to see how Tada and Gyouten meet up, find out about their past and why they stay together. More so than Bangaichi, Tada Benriken features Tada and Gyouten as two wandering souls going out of their way to help people.

In Bangaichi, it was more in the process of their jobs but in the movie, Tada is less reluctant hero and more like this wandering ronin seeking to ease his pain by helping others. Your enjoyment of the movie will depend on whether you find the pairing of Tada and Gyouten entertaining.

As I said, I gave the dorama a must watch cause of the stories and didn't find the Benri brothers interesting. The movie gave me a better appreciation of the last four episodes and why those two do what they do. I would recommend watching the movie before the series but by itself the movie was just ok because the characters were not that interesting.

Sennyu Tantei Tokage ep 1

April 28, 2013, 10:19 am

≫ Next: Minna Esper Dayo! eps 3

≪ Previous: Jmovie review: Mahoro Ekimae Tada Benriken

$

0

0

Matsuda Shota's character dresses like a ninja so he can climb up the air vent in his room and place bugs and cameras all over the ships air vents.

No idea what to watch this season. I think I've caught up with my doramas. Got a long list of movies and games though. Decided to give Sennyu Tantei Tokage a go since it had Matsuda Shota, Renbutsu Misako and Mimura. How bad could it be?

See anything wrong with this picture?

1. Baddy is pointing gun at stairs.
2. Hero is running in a straight line on top of the cars towards the bad guy.

3. Magically all the bullets miss our hero and he leaps at the baddy like so, making himself an even bigger target. Only people without brains and 6 year old boys will say this is so cool.

The answer is very bad. I have no idea what the Japanese audience/tv stations have against realist police shows but its so easy to make fun of this show that its sad. It feels like a police show made to impress 6 year old boys with great dialogue like, "I believe people can be saved with feelings!".

I don't understand the Japanese psyche. Why create a police dorama which is more akin to a sentai show in terms of logic, acting and dialogue? Why have the cliched the everyone hates the main character cause you know its because of stupid misunderstanding. Why is Renbutsu Misako's character a detective when her character is clearly inept and inexperienced? Does everyone in the police force start off as a detective?

This dorama makes me sad. The worst part is the ending where they could have had the ending of the cops stopping the illegal organ sale which could have saved the girl's life. Instead we have a cartoon villain father reveal who didn't want to donate his organs cause it would mean sacrificing his career. First of all, this is such a childish everything must end with a good ending scenario. If I'm not mistaken, Sennyu Tantei Tokage is shown at 9pm. Second of all, if donating one's own organ to dying daughter is career suicide instead of political plus, clearly logic does not exist in this dorama which is basically a superhero/sentai show.

I used to like Matsuoka Masahiro cause of Heaven Cannot Wait and Manhattan Love Story. Then I saw Yasuko to Kenji and now its obvious that like most Johnnys, he is a bad actor.

On a side note, I found out how to get Minna Esper Dayo! ep 3! Its a streaming page called Pandora TV and you can find ep 3 here.

The 848x480 x264 version of episode 3 has yet to be uploaded but I think this is where furransu gets his rips. You can download the videos by using flashget and VID-dl.

Minna Esper Dayo! eps 3

April 29, 2013, 9:57 am

≫ Next: Furuhata Ninzaburo season 2 eps 1+2

≪ Previous: Sennyu Tantei Tokage ep 1

$

0

0

As mentioned in the previous post, I found another source for this dorama which was pandora tv. The bad news is that you need to pay money to watch it in normal resolution. I don't mind paying money but this doesn't go to Sono Sion's pocket. Maybe Furransu pays for the premium and uploads to d-addicts since it allows HD download of the videos or maybe he gets them Japanese P2P programs. I've been reading up on Japanese P2P programs and the new ones require a 100kb/s upload. If Furransu's uploads haven't caught up by the end, I might consider getting the premium since it lasts for 30 days to get all the episodes. At least Furransu uploaded the Japanese subs for ep 3. :)

I actually started subbing ep 1 but gave up after subbing the first 5 minutes cause its so much work. I found myself translating stuff literally cause trying to translate the meanings is a pain. On the Furransu not uploading doramas unless there are English subs thing, it is sad but beggers can't be choosers. There's an alternate rip by \( -o _ o- )/ but its Chinese hardsubbed which I dislike cause its so distracting. If Furransu's prerogative is to try to get as many Jdoramas subbed that's fine but it disregards people who know Japanese, not that he owes us anything.

So now we have two mind readers and a telekinetic who can only move things when there is a sexual motivation, as we find out in this episode. Kamogawa Yoshio (Sometani Shota) and Hirano Miyuki (Kaho) both being able to mind read leads to a lot of humour, especially in relation to his obsession with Asami (Mano Erina). Who can blame him really.

Screencap of the year and an actual confirmed non-stunt-pantsu Mano Erina shot!

The third episode is about the fourth esper of the group, Enomoto who discovers at the end of the last episode that he can teleport, just that his clothes do not teleport with him. Enomoto sets his sights on Asami and this leads to the most disgusting phone sex scene ever. Can't wait for episode 4 cause everything else this season just screams generic except Kumo no Kaidan. This would be a good chance to start going through my jmovies backlog.

OMG, she said it again.

Furuhata Ninzaburo season 2 eps 1+2

May 2, 2013, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Tsuma wa Kunoichi eps 1-4

≪ Previous: Minna Esper Dayo! eps 3

$

0

0

Took me a while to realise that Fansubs by Us have subbed two episodes of the second season of Furuhata Ninzaburo. Loved the first season and hopefully the second season is as consistently good as the first one. The first episode is a battle of wits between Furuhata and Akashiya Sanma's lawyer character.

Really enjoyed Furuhata turning the lawyer's excuse against him. The ending got a bit far fetched and while Furuhata did prove something the lawyer could have just denied it. The murderers in this show all have some honour code where when Furuhata pokes a hole in their denial, they will give up. The alternative is that it would take more than an episode for each story.

The fun as always, is the cat and mouse game between Furuhata and the suspects as Furuhata never completely masks his suspicions and always irritates the suspects. Must watch.

Tsuma wa Kunoichi eps 1-4

May 3, 2013, 3:07 pm

≫ Next: Things of note in Jdorama-land 5/5/13

≪ Previous: Furuhata Ninzaburo season 2 eps 1+2

$

0

0

When I first read about this, the first thing that came to mind was a ninja version of My Wife is a Gangster. The dorama starts off with our simple-minded husband getting married to his ninja wife and then she disappears after one month of marital bliss. Husbands quits his job as travels around looking for his missing wife eventually ending up in Edo.

Tsuma wa Kunoichi has three parts. The first is the husband who though simple-minded, is an astrology freak and is science smart. He ends up being a school teacher and every episode ends up solving some sort of problem using science/logic. This part basically plays like a feel good comedy especially with the kids.

Then there is Romeo and Juliet part of the story. This is not like Basilisk where its ninjas from warring families. The husband knows she is close by cause she saves his bacon twice but if she's found out, she'll get killed by this former feudal lord Matsuura Seizan.

The third component of Tsuma wa Kunoichi is the historical part with forces in Japan not wanting to open its borders and using kunoichi to spy on people, especially people who come into contact with foreigners. There's this part toward to end of episode 4 that takes this dorama into a dark place which is very jarring compared to the bright story of the teacher husband.

The story is intriguing with a Romeo and Juliet who cannot meet because it would mean their deaths and all that historical stuff and not to mention some nice ninja fighting. What pulls this dorama down is that the tone is uneven. It has a bright family drama look and yet the story can be serious and mature. Acting is pedestrian.

I'm sticking with this dorama for the story and ninja fighting despite my misgivings about the tone and acting. Watchable.

Things of note in Jdorama-land 5/5/13

May 4, 2013, 8:06 am

≫ Next: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 4

≪ Previous: Tsuma wa Kunoichi eps 1-4

$

0

0

1.. D-addicts is down for the second time this week. :(

2. Looks like the fallout from Furransu 'I won't upload more episodes until it gets subbed' stance is that he's moved over to his own page, jdramacity so make sure its in your bookmarks.

Last I checked, the whole conversation about the issue was deleted from the thread.

3. Furransu has uploaded high res versions of the latest Minna, Esper Dayo! episode cause Subtle Reality has English subbed it up to episode 3! If you love pantsu, this is the dorama for you!

Need d-addicts back so I can download Japanese subs for episode 4 which hopefully Furransu has uploaded.

---

Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 4

May 7, 2013, 3:56 am

≫ Next: Kumo no Kaidan eps 1-4

≪ Previous: Things of note in Jdorama-land 5/5/13

$

0

0

Episode 4 is here and this episode is about two things; introducing a new character who can see through things and finding out the colour of Mano Erina's nipples.

While I'll never get tired of seeing Mano Erina's pantsu, Minna! Esper Dayo needs to start getting into some character stuff soon.

Right now, its still a high school gag drama and hasn't done anything interesting with the powers aside from Yoshio and Kaho reading each other's minds.

WTF. Kyo mo?

Hottest shorts I've ever seen.

Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh... so ero-kawaii~~~~~~

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....... Not with an alien looking guy who wears make up!

I really want to see whether Mano Erina can do more than just be idol cute. Hopefully things ramp up in the next episode and Sono Sion can take us to interesting places.

Kumo no Kaidan eps 1-4

May 9, 2013, 9:44 am

≫ Next: Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo

≪ Previous: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 4

$

0

0

Kumo no Kaidan starts out with a very interesting premise. Saburo (Suzuki sensei) who works in a one doctor clinic on a small island in admin, is not a qualified doctor but is so talented that Dr. Muraki gets him to do operations much to the chagrin of everyone else except of course the hot older nurse. Normally I dislike those living a lie doramas because its just heaping one lie after another until the second last episode where its a confession in front of everyone but Kumo no Kaidan starts out different.

The main difference is that the people on the island know that Saburo is not a real doctor and acknowledge his skills. As Dr. Muraki tells him, on this island, Saburo is a real doctor. Saburo is living a lie, but its for the good of the people and everyone knows to keep this from outsiders. One day, a young girl who happens to be the daughter of the director of a big hospital in Tokyo comes to the island and Sabura saves her life in a very bloody operation. She develops the hots for him and this dorama becomes your typical hospital soap opera.

Suzuki sensei's acting is not up to snuff. He looks like he is walking around in a daze after smoking some hash except when he is at the operating table. The writing breaks the writing code of show and not tell by having way too many voice overs by the older nurse that Saburo gets involved with. How many times do we have to be told something is going to happen or what Saburo may be thinking instead of showing us the moment?

Kumo no Kaidan is Breaking Bad written and directed by soap opera people. For those who have not seen it, it is the story of a good man's descent into being a drug lord. Kumo no Kaidan wants to be about this pretend doctor who is actually very good slowly lose his soul but we do not even see his soul to begin with. The writing and acting for Saburo is not good enough to support this dorama.

I don't see Kumo no Kaidan turning a corner. The dialogue is stilted and cheesy and acting non-existent. Is Hasegawa Hiroki a one note actor (Suzuki sensei) or is he a prisoner of poor writing (Kaseifu no Mita)? Could have been a great character drama. I wasn't expecting Breaking Bad level badness but Kumo no Kaiden stays within the confines of jdorama cliches instead of letting the characters act the story. So disappointing after a good first episode.

I highly recommend jadefrost's write up of this seasons' doramas. Very well written. I'm definitely going to watch Lady Joker. Too bad there are no Japanese subs for WOWOW doramas.

Lastly, for preserving precious doramas on HD, I recommend I recommend HD utilities like like CrystalDiskInfo. Apparently it can tell you when your HD is close to dying so you can back things up beforehand.

Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo

May 12, 2013, 7:53 am

≫ Next: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 5

≪ Previous: Kumo no Kaidan eps 1-4

$

0

0

Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo is one weird artistic movie. The title character Kirishima, captain of the volleyball team and most popular dude in the school never appears but what we get are all the other characters in the school trying to deal with Kirishimas absence. He permeates every conversation in this movie but only his absence is felt.

Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo is a high school movie about the various characters that we always see; the popular girls group, the athletes, the lone musician girl and the nerds. The story is also told from multiple point of views though there are not interesting revelations.

So I'm watching this movie thinking I've seen all the characters and nothing much is happening. Its cool it has multiple viewpoints but when is the payoff coming? There's a non-climatic scuffle in the end that confused the hell out of me. Have I been watching 1 1/2 hours of nothing?

Then the 'true climax' of the movie happens when the camera is pointed at the head nerd and he has an answer for why he does what he does and Kirishima's best friend runs off crying because he is living life of no meaning. He is near the top in the school hierachy yet he has no purpose. That's the only thing I got from this movie.

To summarise, there's no plot in Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo. Nothing really happens that we've not seen before and it doesn't lead anywhere interesting. I'm always complaining about jdoramas telling instead of showing but this movie isn't showing me anything new or interesting about Japanese high school life. I just don't get the praise for this movie.

Like the popular girl group. You've got the Queen-bitch, Kirishima's girlfriend with her best friend who is more like a slave and the two girls who don't really like her but hang around her because she's dating Kirishima and because they don't want to be hated by other girls. Ho-hum. I've seen this so many times in other doramas already and they actually lead somewhere.

Usually for movies that I don't get like No Country for Old Men, at least I can understand what they were trying to do. With Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo, I have no idea what its trying to achieve. Nice to see Ohgo Suzuka again but she doesn't get to do anything with her character.

Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 5

May 14, 2013, 7:16 am

≫ Next: Jmoview review: The Land of Hope / Kibou no Kuni

≪ Previous: Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo

$

0

0

Here comes the weekly gallery of pantsu shots. :) I should seek out the Japanese Mano Erina boards and find out her fans' reactions to this dorama. I can't imagine many of them being familiar with Sono Sion.

A good drinking game for Minna Esper is chug everytime a we get a pantsu shot or hear the word onani.  Thanks to this episode, I will forever remember the world yariman.

At the beginning we are introduced to yet another esper Hideo and I wondering why doesn't Sono Sion just get to the story already? Interesting to note that the kanji for Hideo is 英雄 which is eiyuu/hero. Bloody Japanese with its multiple pronunciations.

Turns out the new psychometry guy has a nice story to tell and it gave our gang a mission to accomplish. Watching them working together with their powers is awesome.

Yoshio runs around saying he wants to save the world every episode and in this episode, he has the chance to make it slightly better. As always, Yoshio's relationship with Kaho is always the heart of this series.

Really fun episode. There's not much backstory to the characters but their chemistry as a whole is starting to grow on me. Normally I would be very happy noticing something white in this screencap... who am I kidding, I still am. :)

Kinda disappointed Sono Sion didn't do slow motion Mano Erina rubbing the bowling bowl...

.. and he didn't do a camera view from the back either. Standards are slipping. Maybe Mano Erina's contract states that Sono Sion can only do a limited amount of pantsu shots.

I wonder whether Kaho's agent told her she would have to do 100 pantsu shots in this dorama. No one else but Sono Sion can get good actresses to do perverted stuff just for kicks.

I am also disappointed after 5 episodes and 50 pantsu shots that we have not had shimapan.

Kaho and the 4, soon to be 5 boners. I'm feeling the need for the group to have a hot and sexy esper.

Nice reveal at the end. Looks like we're finally getting to the main story next episode. Can't wait. Also love the promo bit at the end where the psychometry guy finds out who Sergei is, lol.

Jmoview review: The Land of Hope / Kibou no Kuni

May 17, 2013, 12:07 am

≫ Next: The making of Love Exposure

≪ Previous: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 5

$

0

0

Sono Sion's previous movie Himizu was altered and set against the backdrop of the Tohoku earthquake. Clearly the Fukushima disaster was something Sono Sion wanted to talk about and The Land of Hope is the story that he wanted to tell. The Land of hope is set in the fictional town of Nagashima where another nuclear disaster happens and residents are forced to evacuate.

Natsuyagi Isao (RIP) plays Ono, the old farmer who's house sits just outside of the border of the 20km evacuation zone. Everyone else is evacuated and Ono urges his son and daughter-in-law to leave while he stays behind with his mentally ill wife. The story is told through 3 viewpoints, Ono and his wife who refuses to leave, Ono's son and wife who move further away and a young couple who lived nearby.

There are no upskirt shots, no violence and no soliloquies with classical music. The Land of Hope is Sono Sion at his most serious and it is devoid of melodrama. Instead, it is an observation how people involved in disasters like Fukushima deal with those situations. We get some interesting commentary that's not preachy about the Japanese government keeping vital information from people and how the Japanese media propagates this as well by spreading false information that things are not that bad.

 
One of the interesting aspects of the movie is Japanese society's reaction to the dangers of radiation. People are made fun of being paranoid or bullied because they came from the danger areas. Its as if Japanese society puts on this face of everything will be all right and any behaviour that suggests otherwise is frowned upon.

There's this scene from a tv show where this housewife says that she stopped wearing masks because the other housewives disapprove her being the only one showing sensitivity to the radiation issue and she ends by saying that everyone wants to forget about radiation and be positive. I like that its not one-sided criticism with Ono's daughter-in-law developing radiation paranoia. I guess this is Sono Sion looking at both issues of turning a blind eye and overreaction to the radiation problem. 

The heart of the movie is Ono, the old man. Jdorama fans will know him better as Abe Hiroshi's father in Going My Home. Unfortunately he passed away last week. In this movie, he moves very well, can still run and carry his wife on his back. Ono is the stubborn old man who refuses to move, dotes on his wife who has dementia and is concerned about the future of this son and daughter-in-law.

I can't really rate The Land of Hope as a must watch movie. The narrative is a bit lacking and slow but the acting is good and there a few beautiful moments in this movie. Its more of a social message movie instead of an exciting narrative about society. I'd still recommend it, its just good, not great.

The making of Love Exposure

May 19, 2013, 9:47 am

≫ Next: Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 1

≪ Previous: Jmoview review: The Land of Hope / Kibou no Kuni

$

0

0

Unfortunately, no Minna! Esper dayo! this week. Not having my week tousatsu fix is worse than not having Game of Thrones. Anyway, decided to watch something that I've been meaning to watch for a long time which is the making Love Exposure. I love this Jmovie classic. Its the only movie that I've written two reviews for. One general review and one spoiler review discussing all the subtext. As Mitsushima Hikari says in the making of, its a simple story but its so complicated.

I don't really get to see much stuff about making of Japanese movies. Most of the time with American movies, its everyone kissing each other's asses saying how great they are. The making of Love Exposure starts out with Sono Sion saying to the effect that he's not 100% sure about the movie and he sometimes thinks he shouldn't be making it.

It is very interesting to watch Sono Sion direct. He keeps a figurative distance between him and Mitsushima Hikari and he is not hesitant to tell her that her acting was bad. There's this bit where Sono Sion says he can't feel anything from her acting and calls her baka. As the staff on the movie slink away for a break, you don't know whether Mitsushima Hikari is a mess because its a crying scene or because of the huge pressure the director is putting on her. I'd like to see Sono Sion direct Fukuda Kyoko and scold her for having only 1 facial expression.

 
I need to rewatch this 4 hour epic with some KFC hot and spicy. Can't believe Sono Sion shot this epic movie in only 1 month! One month to shoot 4 hours of one of the greatest jmovies of all time. Had a look for the Japanese blu-ray and apparently the one they are selling on HMV Japan is the international version cause it has English subtitles and the English name on the cover. Its such an unpopular movie in Japan that there's no blu-ray Japanese version.

Lol. Do enough Sono Sion movies and its pretty much guaranteed you'd get to do one.

Now we know where Noriko's Dinner table came from.

Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 1

May 22, 2013, 1:21 pm

≫ Next: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 6

≪ Previous: The making of Love Exposure

$

0

0

Looks like Minna! Esper Dayo! isn't the only good dorama this season. You can always count on WOWOW to not settle for the mediocre. Eiji from KDO plays the main character Sawano, a father suffering from depression who comes across 7 undelivered letters from 7 years ago and sets off to deliver the letters. Kuriyama Chiaki is Yu, the first person he delivers a letter and she involves herself in Sawano's affairs.

My first impression was that this was going to be a sappy Shinzanmono type series. However, there is something about the direction, music and story that gives me the impression this is not just a generic 7 sob stories dorama. That its not going through the motions and the dorama takes some interesting turns with the characters. They also don't really milk anything  to the point of over-sentimentality.

I don't want to spoil anything. I really enjoyed going into Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi with no knowledge whatsoever and from the opening scene with Kuriyama Chiaki holding a blade against her neck, this dorama had my attention. My opinion of Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi went from not bad, to good to this good be a very good dorama. I really like Eiji's character though its probably his easiest acting job ever. He just needs to look disinterested in everything.

Wanted to give it a must watch but let's see how the rest of the series goes. For now, very recommended show with much promise.

---

Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 6

May 24, 2013, 8:54 pm

≫ Next: Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 2

≪ Previous: Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 1

$

0

0

Bad news is Furransu has stopped creating torrents for Minna! Esper Dayo!. Luckily we get to see a lot of Kaho this episode. :)

Good news is you can watch good quality rips at dailymotion and download them using keepvid. If only it had Japanese subs but beggers can't be choosers. Beggers can only find alternative sources. The above subtitle is Japanese translation of English. Sono Sion's translation for 'fucking assholes' is 'baka na otoko'.

Three good things about this episode. First is we finally find out the source of why seemingly everyone in the town is an esper. Let's just say its very funny and Kaho does a good embarrassed look.

The second is a short Mano Erina is tied up scene and finally Mano Erina gets her Sono Sion moment, doing a short soliloquy accompanied by Beethoven symphony no 7.

Problem is, I'm still waiting for this series to go someplace interesting. Hmm, this would make a great wallpaper.

Next episode looks like a zombie spoof episode. Is Minna! Esper Dayo! going to be more than just fanservice and dirty jokes? At least Mano Erina doesn't have to act perfect anymore.

I can't believe how many times the F-word is used in this episode, not that it would offend the Japanese anyway.

Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 2

May 27, 2013, 1:46 am

≫ Next: Rinjo: The Last Message

≪ Previous: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 6

$

0

0

I really like this show. Not enough to call it must watch yet, but its certainly pretty good. Spoiler talk ahead if you haven't watched episode 1 which I urge you to do. You know how in jdoramas, there is always this throwaway redemption thing? It was there in episode one with Yu's mother and I just loved how Sawano pointed out that it was a meaningless exercise to lessen Yu's mother's guilt and Yu replies, "You think I don't know that?".

Redemption and feelings of abandonment and guilt cannot be resolved so easily and Sawano's cynical view of the world is a breath of fresh air in the black and white world of jdoramas. Emotional wounds are complicated things and its not like anyone suffering from PTSD for example can utter the words ,"I am a mechanic!" and be magically cured. If you didn't get that reference, just move along.

I really like the humour in episode 2, especially with Sawano's doctor. He's got a more rounded view which is a fun way to view depression. Instead of let's list all the symptoms of depression and make it morbid and pitiful, Sawano's doctor's view is this is what we know about depression, this is what we can do and people suffering from it can still function in their own way. It doesn't try to make Sawano into a sob story.

There's certainly a lot of Sawano's backstory to explore though and judging from the previews, it looks like the stories that we get from the people receiving the letters serve Sawano and Yu's story rather than them being just bystanders. The more I think about Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi, the more I realise it does so many things right. I hope at the end, I can declare it a must watch.

For those who like the ending song for Minna! Esper Dayo! Yakan Hikou, you can grab the song here. I'm so hooked to this song.

Rinjo: The Last Message

May 29, 2013, 9:17 am

≫ Next: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 7

≪ Previous: Haitatsu Saretai Watashitachi ep 2

$

0

0

I like the Rinjo series. Its one of the very few police procedural jdoramas that gets it right. Its your usual police maverick who oversteps his boundaries show but not everyone in the organisation is portrayed as incompetent and Moriyama sensei from Doctors plays Kuraishi's superior who begrudgingly respects Kuraishi's abilities. None of that main character has proven him/herself over and over but everyone hates the main character cause they are useless at their jobs. Most importantly, Rinjo is about how Kuraishi solves the crimes and not manufacturing cheesy/cool moments.

Which brings us to this Rinjo movie, The Last Message which starts of with one of the fakest mass stabbing scenes brought to screen. I appreciate them going for a wide continuous shot but lack of visual contact with the knife is does nothing to sell me on the scene.

The Last Message has a good story but two things take away from it. First is the story about the mother of one of the stabbing victims which just feels tacked on just to lead to a tear jerker reason for her daughter to be at the scene of the stabbings. I guess that's why the movie is called the Last Message but drawing a family picture over graffiti is hard to buy.

Second is the long debate at the end with the karmic stabbing ending which just feels so contrived. Its like stupid shit has to happen because the karmic jmovie laws decree that people always have to pay for their sins at the end of a movie.

Besides those two gripes, I like the story and the twist and turns, especially with the old policeman. They've also got a good reason to introduce this new police dude who's always pissed at Kuraishi. Watchable, just don't not as good as the series.

Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 7

June 1, 2013, 10:06 am

≫ Next: Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance ep 5+6

≪ Previous: Rinjo: The Last Message

$

0

0

Episode 7 is a disappointing filler-like episode.

First of, I just want to say I want to be a teddy bear when I grow up.

Second of all, nothing really interesting is being done with Mano Erina's character besides her not believing in Espers.

We do finally get to see the creepy long haired guy in action.

Let's just say he's responsible for the town's female population becoming Tenga girls.

I'm quite impressed they got so many extras but I guess most of them are probably real Tenga girls and Tenga is a sponsor.

Creepy long hair dude's aim in this episode was to get our hero to a simple realisation.

Its unfortunate that this could have been an awesome zombie parody episode and instead it fell flat.

I guess its more mind control than zombie but nothing really funny happened except Tenga dude getting swarmed by Tenga girls.

I must have missed something in this episode because it doesn't advance the story at all.

I never thought one day Mano Erina would be a Tenga girl.

I still have no idea what Minna! Esper Dayo! is. It doesn't seem to be a super power team up.

Its not funny enough to be a gag dorama. 7 episodes in and it hasn't built any threat.

The triangle relationship has been stalling so its not really a relationship dorama. Whatever it is, Minna! Esper Dayo! needs to find its voice soon.

Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance ep 5+6

June 4, 2013, 7:11 am

≫ Next: Jmovie review: Be Sure to Share / Chanto tsutaeru

≪ Previous: Minna! Esper Dayo! ep 7

$

0

0

I first watched this series a year ago and the first few episodes blew my mind. The last two episodes I didn't really like but didn't write about it since I watched there were no subs and lots of dialogue was lost on me. Luckily, Unsolved Cases subbed the whole series and I could finally decide whether Tsumi to Batsu belongs among the top doramas of 2012.

The one subbed scene I was hoping would flip the switch for me was the prosecutor's talk with Miroku. Miroku has basically gotten away with murder. Someone has confessed to the crime and certain people in power want the matter swept under the rug. Yet, this idealistic and delusional writer Miroku is haunted by his crime. He is haunted becauses he discovers that he is not a predator like Sudou. That his ideas about justifiable murder are not true.

Frankly, Miroku is interesting when he is doing stuff out of his misplaced daddy issues. When he is wallowing in guilt not so much. Tsumi to Batsu is about Miroku's guilt and him seeking peace in the form of a life sentence. I just don't buy that talk with the persecutor in his room. Not sold that living with guilt is better than life imprisonment or a possible death penalty. Plus, who's going to guarantee his safety in prison from the yakuza?

The most interesting character is at the end is Echika. I finally understood the falsified romance part of the title. Echika is not a character who wallows in self pity but she embodies the term misery likes company. As Miroku says, her love is violent. Echika just wants to be needed by hopeless men and Miroku is even more hopeless than her husband.

There's always something interesting about two totally screwed up people getting together but alas, the last two episodes are about Miroku making peace with what he has done and making peace with himself. I can see Tsumi to Batsu is trying to do a psychological story about someone who believed he has done righteous murders realising his guilt but it just doesn't work for me. Miroku is only interesting for me when his resentment causes him to do stuff. Good try by WOWOW though. I'll take this over  any nonsensical police dorama any day.