[REVIEW] 3D Kanojo: Real Girl

3D Kanojo was a cringey movie at first but as you progress along the story, it gets deeper and more meaningful. I got past the first impression stage and the rest of the storyline amazed me. I’m glad it happened this way. Otherwise, it’ll just be a piece of cringe-worthy crap film.

It’s about a nerd guy Tsutsui who lives in his fantasies and doesn’t interact with the world because of how risky the “3D” world is. (3D stands for real life while 2D stands for anime). That’s easily understandable, we all know how shitty life can be and we always look to entertainment to give ourselves some space to unwind without worrying about real life problems. That’s normal. But this one gets overboard, he talks to himself and he isolates himself. He only has this one friend who also lives in 2D fantasy world like him (I don’t want to spoil it but there’s an interesting surprise/plot twist with this friend!!) Until one day, this one aggressive girl asks Tsutsui out and dates him and therefore forces to live in 3D world. He goes through a lot of emotional struggles to get by and survive to the point where he realizes that it’s a lot more worthwhile, meaningful, satisfying and fulfilling to live in real life than 2D despite the challenges and the pain. It’s a great movie, overall. Helps us get back to be brave enough to face reality and take risks whatever life may bring.

What led me to see this was Sano Hayato. I knew him because of Todome no Kiss (which reminds me, I haven’t written a review of that!!) His acting was great but I’m afraid he’ll get overtaken by other young aspiring actors, I mean, you already have the young elites like Mackenyu, Yamazaki Kento and Nakagawa Taishi. I just hope he makes it as far as them somehow too.

Talk about Ayado, I think she’s a lot more relatable than Tsutsui!

As for the cast, I’m not quite familiar with most of them but they did great nonetheless. Kudos to the whole 3D Kanojo team!

Starring: Sano Hayato, Nakajo Ayumi

[REVIEW] Over Drive

The movie that got me thirsty. Warning: there’s a lot of shirtless Mackenyu scenes so prepare yourselves.

It was great! I was just hoping that there’s even a tiny bit of romance involved but nah, don’t expect a kabedon or any romantic scene. Just probably this one time when he got drunk and he mistook a girl for somebody else and pulled her close to him but that’s all you have.

It’s more of a chase-your-dream plot, a past tragedy and dealing with family conflict. For those who lose hope in life, this might be a movie you want to watch. It’s full of hope despite almost impossible challenges. Miracles happen.

If you past helps you move forward and chase your dreams, then go for it. That’s what Mackenyu taught me here. As for his brother, he thought that Mackenyu using his past to motivate him was off because it changed him and doesn’t do him any favors despite having the drive. Big bro thinks Mackenyu should move on. But what’s great here is how Mackenyu had a choice – to get motivated by his past, sustain that drive and work on his personality better thru other means (via appreciation of the mechanic team and his brother).

What I love about the brothers is how they move forward with life, despite differences and unfinished internal conflicts. Life is just shitty and you just gotta move on and deal with what’s important at the moment.

Starring: Arata Mackenyu, Higashide Masahiro, Kitamura Takumi

[REVIEW] Sensei Kunshu

Sensei Kunshu was a great movie. It was so much fun to watch! The fact that you have Ryoma in it is reason enough for it to be huge but everything else just added up, storyline, flow, casting, acting, everything!

The storyline is actually very cliché when you think about it but it gives you a fresh look at the movie. It looks new and fresh despite it being used too much. The rest of the factors just add up to make it look great. It’s your usual student-teacher romance where your sensible ikemen teacher is a huge tsundere but the girl here is a lot more passive-aggressive despite looking desperate about wanting to have a boyfriend quick. Nevertheless, it was so much fun to watch. You have two people who need to face reality and a best friend who was always there for her and loving her despite knowing he was always invisible to her. And the ending song just made it all the more fun and interesting. Who doesn’t like a Jackson 5 song? I was beginning to wonder where that song would be in the movie and as I noticed that we were reaching the end, I thought they’d never use it. Turns out they saved the best for last. Great move. You will really end up smiling. A classic storyline with a fresh take and a hint of comedy.

Takeuchi Ryoma, damn! Who doesn’t like this guy! Class A acting, superb and well done. He can indeed play any role, from the feeble Sera Masashi (Black Pean) to the tsundere teacher. (He’s a lot more aggressive in real life though, just try to watch his interviews and guestings)

I’m really not aware who the rest of the cast are but the one who really stuck with me was the guy who played the best friend, Kotake. (I actually mistook him as one of the members of King&Prince, turns out I was wrong haha) The lonely best friend type always gets me because of their selflessness. They never really get what they want and they’re fine being invisible as long as they make their loved one happy. And this guy portrayed that very well. No signs of selfishness.

Hope this gets a Part 2.