ifeeltherush09

If you’re after kyun kyuns and eye candy, this one is for you. As the ad promotes, it’s full of attractive men and kabedons in a high school setting. It fulfills your ultimate shoujo fantasy of getting chased by handsome Japanese men, if you’re into that. Men cast members are from LDH. You have Nobuyuki Suzuki (who, to me, is probably the most attractive out of everyone), Katayose Ryota (he looks to me like an LDH version of Tegoshi Yuya), Kawamura Kazuma and other LDH talents I have never heard of. (I’ve never known them because I mostly focus on J&A, that’s why). The whole series is basically an introduction of the movie released this March 2019. (Wow, it took more than 5 episodes to introduce a movie and keep everyone hooked) All these good-looking men are after one girl, Naruse Kanon and the series goes through how they get attracted to her and eventually decide to compete against each other to win her (and thereby win the Prince of Legend title which now looks like a secondary story when it should be the main one since it’s the title of the series).

What’s ironic is Naruse Kanon. When you have a shoujo material, the girl usually acts all cutesy and fragile. However, this one isn’t fragile at all. She’s cute but she’s nothing like a typical kawaii Japanese girl who’d go kyun kyun every time a guy gets close to her. In fact, she doesn’t really care at all. Her cutesy side only appears in these men’s fantasies, especially Suzuki’s. Other than that, she exerts no effort at all in attracting these men.

Most of the guy’s reasons for liking her are quite unrealistic and shallow. Take Suzuki for example. He mistook her for being a brave woman protecting another person and fighting up against bullies when in fact that was just an acting project. When he knew the truth, he got disappointed and still fell in love with her. Now, I don’t understand why. Perhaps he’s attracted to the fact that she keeps resisting his feelings for her? Or the whole chasing process got him to like her since he’s competing with Ryota too. Another shallow motive is Ayanokouji’s. This guy always had a problem remembering people’s names (like literally, he doesn’t remember any name even of people he’s always with) that when he magically remembered Naruse’s name, he suddenly fell in love with her. Really? Sure, it was a miracle that he even remembered any name but maybe he was too filled with emotions in realizing that he successfully remembered a name that he ended up falling in love with her. He wasn’t even interested in her to begin with. He just feels that he loves her when that name-remembering moment came to him.

Another guy with a shallow reason is Hokuto. She just saw her crumpling a piece of paper and throwing it in the trash bin while crying one day and he fell in love instantly, thinking he needs to protect her at all costs. Because she cried, it made her “fragile”, thereby, needing his protection. This not a very common reason to fall in love in an instant. Since that moment, he’s been watching her from a distance. Kazuma and Ryota were the only guys with reasonable motives for liking her due to constant encounter with her despite being unpleasant. A love-hate relationship can go places.

Ryota had too much airtime just by the way. Maybe he has a bigger role in the movie. By the way, the way he expresses his anger and frustration is very unmanly and cartoonish. He just closes his fists and moans in anger. Krrr~ This childish character doesn’t do much justice to Ryota in a shoujo setting. Given that this is shoujo, I expected a manly character in him since he’s the main character.

The rest of the men have less airtime compared to the guys I’ve previously mentioned. They didn’t contribute much to the flow and direction of the story (except for Akihisa who’s gay for Ryota which is really amusing).

Ryo Kato’s and Kohta Yamato’s character (Kohta looks hot btw) are “collecting” and spying on these attractive men chasing after Naruse and just decided they’d be contenders for the Prince of Legend title without getting the guys’ consent. Weird. These men aren’t even aware they’re contenders for the title. All they know is they want Naruse.

The music was probably the best one for me. They revived old American (?) songs and sang it in their own version. Kazuma, Hokuto and Ryota sang some of the songs and they’re so good I even added them in my playlist.

Perhaps we’ll get some clarity in the movie. I don’t want to completely judge this without seeing the movie so I’m hoping it’ll be a good one. This series is actually very confusingly amusing. It’s weird in so many ways but I enjoyed watching it. There was always something to look forward to in the next episode so I hope the movie won’t disappoint.

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.

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

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

KYOU KARA ORE WA IS THE WAY TO START THE YEAR RIGHT.

Kyou kara Ore Wa is about two ordinary students who vowed to be delinquents and the rest of the episodes tell their tales of beating up other schools who abuse their “authority” as delinquents.

What’s interesting here is how vast and differentiated each character personalities are while staying fun and enjoyable to watch. Mitsuhashi is the funny guy in this. Looking at Kaku Kento, he looks ordinary. Mitsuhashi is not the big-guy type people would get scared of but he eventually worked his way up the delinquent ranks for Chiba high schools to respect him. He even had a fight with an abusive Yakuza (guess who played the Yakuza?). For a new delinquent like Mitsuhashi, he did very well for the whole town to respect him.

What’s also impressive about Mitsuhashi is how he uses strategies and tactics to defeat his opponents like fooling Akehisa with catsup on his face, using fireworks in a harmless way and pretending to be afraid by “turning” to a diligent student for some time while getting his revenge plan in place. Mitsuhashi is strategic and smart, which lets him get ahead of other delinquents. When he says “It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you win” (this line was also said by Satoshi and Sagara - we’ll get to that later) there’s a lot of truth in it when you look at society, as long as you don’t cross the line (meaning, seriously harming others). At least Mitsuhashi set the limit (remember when he threw the knife and almost hit someone?) Because morals aren’t rewarded, people resort to other tactics to get ahead in life. It’s all about strategy and not being fair anymore without, of course, harming others.

This makes more sense when you look at Ito. Ito doesn’t resort to witty tactics like Mitsuhashi. He fights head on, fair and square. Perfect example was when he had his one-on-one with Satoshi and he kept his eyes closed the entire time. Because he has morals and he strives to be good and fair despite the unfair setup. This is what makes him strong. He has the will to protect others without sacrificing his morals. You can see the difference here between Ito and Mitsuhashi which makes them the perfect pair.

To further support Mitsuhashi’s uniqueness, you can see how common other delinquents in Chiba are. Students who fight head on and who use common strategies like a metal bar, knife, plank of wood, among other common items. Take Sagara for example. (Sagara is just more aggressive and borderline no morals at all but other than that, he’s like the rest) Reason why Mitsuhashi stands out from the rest is because he’s the only witty one (plus insanely strong actually). He wins thru smart tactics without severely harming others and he doesn’t utilize commonly used strategies. Plus, he puts so much fun and personality to the fight. He is unique and doesn’t live in status quo which allowed him to get ahead compared to other delinquents in Chiba.

Satoshi is a very interesting character. He’s Ito who just woke up to reality. He wanted Ito to learn that life is unfair but Ito remained faithful to his morals and kept his eyes closed. Satoshi learned that situations are unfair which is why most people stray from the moral route to take advantage of things that will let them get ahead. But he knows very well that while life is unfair, it doesn’t mean you have to be. I hope Ito’s and Satoshi’s friendship gets explored. Or who knows, Satoshi might even start being friends with Ito and Mitsuhashi.

Kaku Kento was such a great actor. He looks like an average guy but he nailed the performance. He was so much fun to watch and he portrayed the character well. If you visit his Instagram page, you can see he looks like a fun person to be with, very much like Mitsuhashi. He embodies Mitsuhashi’s humor really well which is what makes him perfect for the role. By the way he’s 29! 29 year olds don’t usually act as students anymore. Well, not Kento. He doesn’t age.

Ito Kentarou was so cute and his monolids are adorable! His acting was great though I think Mitsuhashi stands out more because of his colorful personality. Ito was pretty normal but still really cute especially when he’s with Kyoko. He suddenly switches to adorable mode. Haha.

And what’s with Imai’s and Satoshi’s chest pads? Hahaha.

Suzuki Nobuyuki will always be an attractive one. The chest pads just ruined it! I honestly think he can portray a strong, authoritative boss. It’s all in the acting. I don’t think there’s a need for the pads. Unless Satoshi’s anime counterpart is a really muscular person?

Taiga was so adorable here. Imai was innocently stupid! Can’t find the guts to despise his severe stupidity! Haha. He is innocently nice which is evident in his friendships with Mitsuhashi and Ito despite their teasing differences and when he forgave Akemi without thinking twice for cheating on her. This guy is just pure. Well done, Taiga.

On the other hand, Sagara was insanely intense. He never had a heart for being kind and would hurt, cheat, lie and betray his best friend just to get what he wants. So much pride and love for power. He was such an antagonist the entire time but I found myself suddenly attracted to him in the last episode! Suddenly, he was hot and attractive, I don’t know why. Maybe that’s just how girls get attracted to bad boys or something. Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of Hayato’s dramas! Hope he still acts as a bad boy! Haha.

Riko and Mitsuhashi’s subtle romance was very impressive. I love how Riko is more aggressive than Mitsuhashi by nicknaming him San-chan and she never hesitates to approach them to hang out rather than waiting for the guy to move. Mitsuhashi, on the other hand, never really showed any signs to her (only “hate” feelings behind her back) until that one episode with the helmet guy. Suddenly saying “my woman” was definitely a plus. Later, we learn he asked Sagawa to guard Riko in case anyone attacks her and when Kyoko gets kidnapped Mitsuhashi goes straight to Sagawa to ask about Riko. He loves her in his own little way. These were probably the only romantic scenes between the two but these had so much impact in strengthening their bond. Hope to see more of these!

AND OMG TALK ABOUT THE OPENING SONG. It was so catchy it was just so appropriate for the series. It’s actually an old song called Otoko no Kunshou. You can search for the original MV on Youtube. What’s funny is that the man who plays Riko’s dad in the drama is actually in the original MV! It was just so appropriate for the drama - loud, fun, upbeat and catchy. Hope they release a full song.

I would definitely recommend Kyou Kara Ore Wa to anyone. The only things that people might not like about this is blood and violence but other than that, it’s a fun-filled, comedic Jdrama worth watching. What a way to start the year. Thanks Kyou Kara Ore Wa! Hope production considers filming part 2.

This is how amazing the drama is!

Starring: Kaku Kento, Itou Kentaro

OKAY THIS WAS GREAT. THE BEST LOVE STORY I’VE SEEN SO FAR THIS YEAR. Because it’s not about a guy who likes this girl just because. It’s not about your typical dream guy who does kabedon on the girl. It’s a lot more relatable and grounded on real life. Makes me realize why I didn’t notice earlier this year that most Japanese teen love stories nowadays are so cliché and dreamy. It’s about Love finding two people. It’s about Love working its way on two people’s lives. It’s about people who always run away from their problems. It’s about coming to terms with your own feelings and how trying to admit that you love someone is hard as it is. Wao had a lot of guts doing that but in real life, you don’t find a lot of Waos. You find a lot of Gens! Gen is the reality-grounded person here. (I kind of already expected Shima to be reluctant about her feelings, I mean, that’s just typical of a girl) It’s about life and love making its way to you, creating situations that would force you to learn and grow up, something that was really well put in a love story.

It took them to critical moments before they finally realized how they felt for each other. Shima’s moment started when she saw Haruka kiss Gen (though she didn’t really make a move afterwards, which is common). Gen’s awakening moment (finally!) started when she heard Shima was leaving. It was very interesting also how Shima already indirectly told Gen she likes him (the scene where Haruka asked them both to meet at this place) but Gen never really deliberately showed interest until the last minute – which makes you think, is he even interested despite the way he’s acting towards her? Or is he just trying to pull off the cool guy act? Probably the latter. I think he was acting from his unconscious feelings for her and he never realized fully how he felt even if he was already acting like it. I mean, when he gave her the firework, when he desperately looked for her in the woods but he never fully realized it himself, not until he knew she’d leave for Tokyo. Interesting how someone leaving really makes you realize how much they mean to you. Now that’s realistic! At least the final scene wasn’t filmed in an airport! Haha!

And don’t you think it’s interesting how Gen’s and Wao’s personalities seem to really complement each other? Gen’s strong physicality covers up for Wao’s weaknesses while Wao’s strong feelings and frankness rivals that of Gen’s naivety. What Wao can’t support, Gen can definitely provide and what Gen can only think of about love, Wao can definitely admit his feelings strongly to Yumi and act against the Omiai. Friendship goals right there.

The fact that I wrote this review right away after watching the movie and the fact that the storyline was the first topic I discussed mean that I found the movie reallllyyyy good. Somebody award this movie already.

OKAY so let’s talk about Shima. Loving all the “stand up for herself” vibe. I also love how she’s also a girl who loves running away from her feelings. She’s pretty typical and relatable.

Gen was so naïve though, he never realized he hurt Shima? But that’s just reality. Most of the time, men really don’t understand women and they end up hurting girls. I love how he is not the dream guy I was expecting love stories to be. He’s definitely a popular guy but not the typical, kabedon, dreamy type.

And come on, KOTAKI NOZOMU. I was already interested in him way before seeing this movie but not as much as I like Mackenyu. This movie is definitely going to boost his career up. Really, I just saw this movie because of him but I’m glad it ended up being more than just him and his good looks.

Mahiro Takasugi. Don’t you think he looks a lot like Teppei Koike. More like, this generation’s Teppei Koike.

Tanimura Mizuki is a teacher now!! Dayum! Seems like only yesterday when I saw Mei-chan no Shitsuji when she was still a student. All the high school lead actors from years ago are now adult teachers like Matsujun, Ikuta Toma, Tanimura Mizuki, Yamapi, etc! Time flies by so fast!

Oh and by the way, this is so much better than Honey. Sorry, Sho.

Starring: Kotaki Nozomu, Kuroshima Yuina, Takasugi Mahiro

IT WAS AMAZING. DEFINITELY BETTER THAN FMA LOL

Unlike FMA, Bleach was friendly to non-anime, non-manga fans like me. It was well put out, easily understandable and they used an arc that really introduced the whole Bleach world. FMA looked like a whole mess of scenes from various story arcs that don't line up together to fit a movie. Every jargon was explained well, every place was discussed, I think it's a great 1st movie. Hope there's more. Bleach was smooth and I'm glad I watched this!

SUGISAKI HANA DAYUM. This girl can play any role! The cutesy innocent little girl, the strong willed Edogawa Oto or the badass Rukia! There wasn't any slight awkwardness or cutesy feel in her acting here which is good. She doesn't even need to look the part, to look like Rukia when she can definitely portray the role. That's one sign she is a great actor. (I'm really glad she was cast for Hana Nochi Hare instead of Hirose Suzu, I mean Suzu is great but I'm glad I got to know Hana.)

Ichigo Kurosaki. Because Hana was cast as Rukia I can't help but think Nakagawa Taishi can also play Ichigo. I guess I can't set them apart lol. Fukushi Sota was great though! I don't have any negative take on his portrayal.

Love the music too! I'm so glad they still opted for the rock music it suits the movie really well and portrays how badass every single character was even Yoshizawa Ryo! I am just so glad they didn't go through the traditional cultural Japanese route as far as the soundtrack is concerned. It set the film's tone really well and was faithful to the general music direction of the anime.

Also, why does Yoshizawa Ryo's roles always gravitate towards the silent guy with glasses in the corner of the classroom. Hope he gets lead roles someday. He is one talented actor!

Starring: Fukushi Sota, Sugisaki Hana, Yoshizawa Ryo, Miyavi

Overall, it’s okay 😊

Hirano Sho lived up to my expectations even if I was biased over my admiration for SixTONES that I ended up deliberately hating King & Prince for the wrong reasons. (and I’m still not over it! Come on, SixTONES has been around for so long, just make them debut already! I think this deserves another post since it’s getting too long now, lol) He was a great actor since seeing him in Hana Nochi Hare. He's an adorable good kid dressed in bad boy clothing which, I think, works.

Let’s talk about Yuna. I think she’s a great actress but I really don’t see her chemistry with Sho. Moreover, seeing her as a damsel in distress here was so new for me. I was so used to seeing her as the strong woman from Kyou no Kira-kun and she looked more natural there. Here in Honey, it felt like she was forcing her voice’s pitch higher that it didn’t seem natural. Kogure Nao’s 30+ year old self in the ending suited more for Yuna than Nao’s high school innocent version. I guess she’s more fit for strong independent women roles than the typical high-pitched high school girl. Other than that, I find her gorgeous.

Next. Is it just me or the actor who played Sou-chan (Nao’s uncle) looked like a perv. Hope it really is just me.

The story was okay too. If there’s something you’ll get from this post, it’s this: the movie was cliché. But that’s okay. It didn’t quite provide the refreshing take to a cliché story line but it was well put out. I always wondered why Onise (Sho) suddenly just asked her out of nowhere and that scene in the first parts of the movie just kind of already set my mind to thinking “Oh, this is just another cliché movie where there’s just a romantic move and not much reason why he loves her in the first place”. I had this mindset throughout the movie which was further reinforced by scenes like Onise taking the blow from his bullies to save Nao and Nao getting jealous over this other girl Onise is hanging out with. I spent too much time thinking this in my head that when the scene for Onise’s reason finally came, it didn’t have too much impact to turn over that cliché impression. However, if you look at other parts of the story, there are other things that makes this a good film. Friendship and love through odds (Onise and Misaki, Yashiro and Misaki), letting go/family (Sou-chan letting go of Nao), facing life and being stronger (Onise and Nao) and getting back up in life (Onise, Misaki and Yashiro’s personal struggles). That’s why I think it’s a good movie after all.

Starring: Hirano Sho, Taira Yuna

I’m done with the drama and I loved it! I love how they didn’t give so much screen time and importance to the political issues which screams that there are more important things - to save a life in danger! Because one life matters so much more than any politics and you shouldn’t need to sacrifice one life (or one patient category, which is the children, in this case) to benefit “many, future patients”. Most parts of the screen time were purely devoted to Iyo and Misaki. I love how the overarching politics-filled theme here didn’t really matter so much because it really doesn’t! Usually, dramas have a continued storyline even if there’s a case/story of focus in every episode. It’s more evident in detective and medical dramas because you can easily setup cases/patients per episode. Like, say, in Black Pean, the overarching story was Nino’s revenge despite cases per ep and that story mattered so much. In The Good Doctor, it didn’t matter. What mattered was the everyday heroic deeds of your pediatricians and that’s more than important than anything. As you progress in the episodes, Minato’s autism became less and less talked about and the story focused more on the patient at hand BECAUSE IT’S FUCKING MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLITICS AND DISCRIMATION! AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT FUCKING AMAZING!

Bottomline, prioritize! Focus on what really matters. Bullying, discrimination and office/hospital politics won’t get you anywhere and it’s not even worth your time.

Another beautiful thing about this drama is how Takayama’s girlfriend (I forgot her name, lol, but she was the president of the hospital) struggled to understand the situation from every angle. She even went to the pediatrics division herself to figure things out! Plus, she didn’t submit to threats of loans and investors backing out from the deal. She was a real president. Even though she seemed to struggle so much, she didn’t let the situation control her and she further asserted her authority over the hospital. Now that’s real leadership and women empowerment.

Lastly, do I even need to mention? The background music was so touching, I cried in every episode! The ending song sounds so soothing too!

Good job to the cast and crew of The Good Doctor! *fist bump* *clack!* (makes the clack sound with my tongue!)

First off, everything about this drama was great, cinematography, story line, cast, acting, everything. You have well-known actors like Ueno, Naohito and Kento and this drama is based from the well-received Korean drama with the same title. What more can you ask for?

It focuses on Shindo Minato, an aspiring Pediatrician with autism and savant syndrome. As you would expect, society isn’t very friendly to people with autism. This drama features his continuous struggle as he pursues his dream, despite what society tells him. What is impressive about him is that his dream is more focused on HELPING children. Not really on BECOMING a pediatrician. As most people would focus on becoming what they want to be when they grow up, Shindo directs his dream towards helping the people concerned (kids, in his case) and sees it as his purpose. Reason for his drive is due to his horrible past but I won’t delve into that.

Let’s stray a little. This post will focus more on the politics inside the hospital which was so obvious that I can’ even ignore it. (You might want to watch Black Pean, too, read my review below. Black Pean is a lot more political than this one)

So here’s the situation. The hospital is having financial problems. Investors backing out due to declining profits and expenses blowing up. Reports point to Pediatrics Division as the main reason why this is happening. So naturally, they plan to close it and invest more on other divisions that earn them more money. The employees under Pediatrics would be transferred to other departments eventually but what’s of more concern here are the patients and their families who rely on these pediatricians. Who will now take care of their children? Apparently, there aren’t much pediatrics divisions in other hospitals in the area (this is shown in episode 3 where a child died due to various local hospitals declining the ambulance’s request to take her in despite the quick attention from the ambulance team, she was just inside the van, writhing in pain, as the ambulance team contacts nearby hospitals and waits for them to accept this child. They waited for four hours before the ambulance team’s request got to Togo Hospital). If Togo’s Pediatrics closes, where will they bring their children? What will happen to them?

Closing the Pediatrics division is portrayed as a heartless move here because of how the drama focuses on patient relationships and how saving kids’ lives are dramatized so much (But isn’t that true anyway? I mean, saving a life is a noble act, you don’t even have to dramatize it) that you’ll just close the division because it’s not earning. Meaning, you don’t really care about the patients, you just care about the profits enough to just throw the kids away. (Don’t know much about reality though, when this happens, do hospitals take the initiative to book patients in other hospitals to compensate for this move?)

What’s incredible about this is how it mirrors reality. This is exactly how corporations work. Only this time, it’s a hospital with REAL stakeholders, LIVES IN DANGER, kids who need medical attention. In corporations, you stop selling products that don’t earn you money, or you improve it so people will like it better. What do the products do to people? Great experience, easier way of doing things, better way of living. That’s great! But in a hospital? In some cases, unattended kids might just die because of an emergency, a sudden rupture in a few organs, hemorrhages, etc. How could you let kids go unattended? Even if it’s just a small percentage of the hospital’s entire patient population, every life matters.

I love this! It’s a drama about an overprotected girl, Kahoko (played by Mitsuki Takahata) who comes out of her shell as a boy named Hajime (played by Takeuchi Ryoma) tries to get her to explore the world.

Mitsuki was soooooooo cute!! She doesn’t even look like a 26 year old! And she portrayed Kahoko very well. She was adorable, she looked like she must be protected at all times!

Ryoma will always be my favorite. I’m glad Hajime is very similar to the real Ryoma. For all those not aware, Ryoma is a bit of a bully. The bully-fun type. I never thought I’d be fooled by Sera-sensai and Otaka Dan! Well, that just proves how effective of an actor he is.

Who knew a tough guy like Hajime would end up with a spoiled girl like Kahoko. It’s a very unlikely pair, at first glance, but you see it all work out despite a lot of challenges which tells us that not all unlikely lovers will end up in wreck. Just give it a try, you won’t know what can happen.

What I’m surprised about this is how weak Kahoko’s father was. It wasn’t your typical patriarchal, Asian drama where the father is a whole lot stronger than the mother. Even both her grandfathers don’t seem to have enough conviction and is always overpowered by the females of the house. Ryoma’s character, as far as I remember, is probably the only strong-willed male in the whole drama. I’m just glad the drama went to this direction, hopefully the Japanese culture gets a taste of women empowerment as well in the coming years.

Lastly, let’s talk about Ito, Kahoko’s cousin. Her ideals are despicable, which is why Hajime hated her. But what is interesting is there’s a lot of Itos in this world, blaming everything in their lives except themselves and you could be sure you can’t count them with your fingers.

Overall, it was a great drama and so much fun to watch. It kept me wanting for more episodes. But don’t put your hopes up too much, it lacks substantial romance. There are hints of kabedon, confessions and marriage (Oops! I just spoiled the ending! Haha) but it’s not something you’d gush over.

Okay, don't expect too much from this post.

Everything was great. Until episode 7. Such huge disappointment. I'll get there later.

I LOVED WATCHING HANAHARE AND I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. The flow, the characters, everything. I loved how they remained faithful to Hanadan and kept essential elements from Hanadan, like Airi who reminded me of Sakurako (though she wasn't the reason Haruto and Oto met), the rivalry between Tenma and Haruto which reminds you of Tsukasa and Rui, Oto's mother who is as innocent as she can get, pretty much everything! They stayed true to the structure and elements of Hanadan while still remaining unique, fresh and new. Brilliant move, really.

Then there's the cast. I didn't really know Hirano Sho from anywhere so I judged him but after watching Hanahare, he proved me wrong. He has star factor and such a great actor. He portrayed the weaknesses and vulnerability of Haruto as well as his excitement for Oto. Cute and effective.

I'm really glad Hana was cast as the heroine. She's such a great actress I wish she gets nominated for an award. I couldn't even begin to describe her she's just amazing from every angle. She portrayed her role very well.

Nakagawa Taishi is an expert already! Haha! I couldn't say any negative thoughts about him. He did great, like he always does.

Then there's Megurin whom, like Shigeru, I can't seem to hate. They have quite the same fate (Shigeru is more fun though). They never really did anything wrong but they're victims of circumstances. No matter how hard they try, they didn't succeed. What makes it worse is Marie portrayed the role! She looks innocent! How could you ever hate her for getting in the way of your favorite pair? I've known her since Kyou no Kira kun and she's lovely. Well, that's great casting there.

C5 didn't really have the sense of authority and power like F4 did. F4's impact was pretty stifling. Maybe it's because they showed C5 their back story or something. But I don't think they portrayed their authority very well. They somehow lack the confidence and conviction they just seem like a bunch of Haruto-followers. Talk about Sugimaru! All he does is weights like is there any other scene when he doesn't do weights? What a joke.

Okay so let me get to the point where I'm just so disappointed at. It's episode 7 where Haruto visits the Domyouji mansion and Oto joins him. When they got inside for tea with Tama and Nishida, both Tama and Nishida told the story of how Domyouji was not a perfect person to start with. I mean I get it, they're trying to relate it to Haruto's issues and finding a way to make him feel better. Domyouji is the focus of this scene for Haruto to emulate but surely they could at least mention Makino somewhere???? Since episode 1 I've never heard anyone mention Makino anywhere! The way Tama referred to Makino was "there was a girl that changed Bocchan" "she was just an ordinary girl" "she was one girl" SURELY SHE HAS A NAME? You have Domyouji's pictures plastered all over the mansion yet you don't have any trace of Makino? What the hell happened? I thought they got married? I thought they're gonna have kids and she's just suddenly not present. F4 gets their cameos, I mean I would understand if Inoue Mao can't appear but YOU COULD AT LEAST RECOGNIZE HER? Shit I'm so disappointed! Is this patriarchal society at work? She deserves recognition! There won't be a Hanadan in the first place without her! Surely if Domyouji was there he would probably be yapping about her and give Makino all the credit she deserves! To put fuel to the fire, Tama says to Haruto and Oto as they leave the mansion "come back when Bocchan gets here" like hello, is he alone in the mansion?

But hey, this is just episode 7. I hope they give her credit in the next episodes. I mean, come on!!!!

Okay, I think Black Pean was pretty amazing.

I was pretty impressed by the music since it really set the tone, even if it keeps playing over and over. I’ve never been so engrossed in a background music. A few notable ones are from Hana Yori Dango and Avengers.

The cast was great! Everyone did really well. Special mention to Takeuchi Ryoma. This guy will have a future! I was particularly moved with episode 2 when he was so scared of the surgery. His emotions get past the screen it’s like you can really feel his worrying and nervousness. It was just apt for him to be the narrator, I really felt him. I was already impressed ever since Otaka Dan in Teiichi no Kuni and I can definitely say he’s worth a follow. Of all aspiring actors, I’m glad I saw him in the limited movies and dramas I watch.

Saeki Seigo was another thing. He was so brilliant he looked like an antagonist who was always the good guy after all this time. Reminds me of Severus Snape. Great actor, no doubt.

Takashina is an inspiration to all aspiring doctors. He has the talent, the right attitude and the right mix of discovery for the medical community. He was just pretty stupid to still report everything to Nishizaki after he drove him away in the Caesar operation. But I’m glad it ended well for him too.

Need I mention? Nino is a given. He’s always great in every film he stars in. Never disappoints!

Hospital politics is pretty intense though. Makes you wonder if you have Moriyas, Nishizakis and Kurosakis in your own ward. We need more of Sera, Takashina, Tokai and Saeki who are willing to risk their jobs to save a patient.

I liked the message of the drama, too. Keeps you humble and learning.

Three days ago, the Johnny's fandom was disheartened due to Subaru leaving. Now, everyone is screaming because Jun did a cameo in HanaHare!

My fangirl feelings from ten years ago are coming back! It's such a throwback! Domyouji's walk, (how his left and right shoulders go up and down with every step!, Gosh, I miss Domyouji!), his curly hair, his shades, his slanted lips, his everything!!! It's like we all leapt back in time to see him again. He acted really well. It didn't feel like 2018. It felt like 2007 Well, Domyouji is a very distinct character anyway and Jun did great portraying him again. Very consistent acting. Let's hope this isn't the last time we get to see Domyouji.

What's amazing is that since it was set sometime after HanaDan the movie, it really looks like he never aged considering they shot the scene possibly after 2015 when Jun's aging was apparently obvious. Maybe that's part of the reason why they kept him at back view and side view. Haha! Unlike most people, I wasn't really bothered with the side view and back view. I'm happy with it as it is. I really thought this scene was shot in 2007 or so until my friend reminded me that the manga was written in 2015. Lol.

Another thing, I loved how mature they made him. He wasn't simply beating up people anymore. He was protecting someone. And that was the lesson he taught to Hirano Sho's character. "You have to be strong to protect the people who are important to you".The legacy he wants Sho to take over in Eitoku. AMAZING

Lastly, he was less aggressive. Although he is still the forever violent Domyouji, he didn't throw as much punches as he did back then. Probably due to his aging. Haha! I could be mean, sometimes, and wrong.

What I'm looking forward to, is how Jun will talk about this in the intro of VSA. This will have to come up in one of Arashi's variety shows, I can feel it.

Oh by the way, don't you think the hologram looks too off? This isn't 2050 or so.

Is it true that Twitter Japan broke because of Jun's cameo? That would be amazing though.

This one was amazing, too. I don’t have anything to say bad about the cast, the story, flow or anything at all.

The plot was well written. And what I really like about this is it’s a continuous story unlike detective stories where you have one whole episode that can stand alone without the rest of the episodes. In other dramas, one episode is one story, is one case, period. This is one is a continuous flow. (Why am I even comparing it to detective dramas? Because I’m also currently watching 99.9? lol) I loved the ending by the way! You can see how Otaro changed so much, from being an apathetic person, to someone so full of love and consideration. He didn’t realize that he loved Saiko until the very end and he’s willing to sacrifice a lot for her.

Casting, GUREATO DAZE! We have the great Yamazaki Kento who can portray any role under the sun, may it be a student, a depressed person or a host. The flirting and kissing in this drama is so over the top so for those drooling over Kento, this one is definitely for you. Don’t let 2018 end without seeing this.

Mugi Kadowaki. I didn’t expect much from her since I only saw her from Wolf Girl and Black Prince but she played her character really well especially in crying scenes. Saiko was an awkward person as she was supposed to be. Great role for Mugi.

Mackenyu. I love how obsessed he was of Mikoto. His acting was spot on too. No complaints at all. Even when he dressed up as a host and a super creepy guy in one episode from Todome no Parallel, he nailed it very well. Even in the ending, you can really tell that he loved Mikoto so much. “Aishiteru, Mikoto” Good thing they aren’t real siblings.

Bonus:

The Filipina extra. Wasn’t she amazing? It came a surprise to Filipino fans and it was so fun watching her. I hope to see more of this in other dramas. How lucky was she? Somebody get her name and let’s google her.
GEM TV Asia held a meet and greet with Kento to promote Todome no Kiss. Well, I wasn’t a part of it in anyway but based from the videos, it looked fun.

Okay, this one is unexpectedly amazing that it doesn’t even need a super idol like Yamada to make it more stellar. The storyline, plot and the way the whole movie is put together is just, wow and are more than enough for its own magical brilliance. Go see it now! You won’t regret watching it. I couldn’t even see any flaw that I can criticize. Well, there’s Atsuya’s obvious hard-headedness (which will really irritate you to the core) but that’s part of the story and there’s a resolution to that! It’s part of the reasons that made it amazing, and which makes the Namiya General Store itself, spectacular. The store changed lives so much that time found its way to helping people even in the far-flung future, far beyond the death of Namiya-san which made his legacy live on to the lives of those he helped during his time.

First off, this movie is ridiculous. It’s not friendly to non-anime fans and the scenes were all over the place. Easy to understand for those who’ve seen the anime, but not to non-fans. I couldn’t quite follow the flow. I would constantly ask my friend what was happening for me to understand what was going on. Unlike Jojo, where, yes, I have questions, but they would usually be answered later on in the story. This one, I just didn’t understand at all. I had so many questions. Who are the homunculus, who was Lust? What’s Mustang’s role? What’s the point of Tucker? I mean, I can see why everyone was so into Nina merging with Alexander but what’s the point of that scene to the overall plot? Besides, in the ending of the film, it seemed like Mustang was the hero here. Or perhaps I just didn’t understand most of it.

Acting wise, it was okay. I just didn’t like Honda Tsubasa’s crying scene but the rest of the cast did great. Sorry, Honda.

No more words. Gureato daze! For someone like me who hasn’t seen the anime thereby not having a single concept of expectation vs reality, it was a superb movie!

CGI was great, everything seemed so real. Plot wise, the story was so neatly arranged that it was easy to understand (unlike Full Metal Alchemist. Let’s talk about FMA in a bit). I didn’t have a single idea of what Stands are all about and what they can do but Jotaro was nicely put there to explain it to a non-anime-watching audience like me. It was friendly even to non-fans of the anime which I appreciate a lot. So I understood the story.

There’s nothing to criticize about the actors. They’ve casted veteran ones that I don’t have anything bad to say about them. Yamazaki Kento is nailing it as usual. Mackenyu, even if he’s just starting his career, has already proved himself so much and further convinced viewers that he’s worth watching out for. If he was able to nail Okuyasu then he can pretty much portray anyone already. Kamiki Ryunosuke, check, no problem at all. So is Okada Masaki. Great actors! It’s just that Okada Masaki was too attractive for his own good.

Side note: Did you know Mackenyu had to audition twice for Chihayafuru? My respect for this guy has gone up so much. He worked reaaaally damn hard for the role and his mentors in Chihayafuru helped him so much to play Wataya beautifully. Moreover, despite being the son of the famous Sonny Chiba, he wasn’t treated extra specially, he wasn’t a VIP. He worked his damn hardest to where he is now. I think that’s just downright admirable.

This movie looks pretty cliché but I’m glad it ended well. The ending was predictable but despite that, it’s still refreshing to watch and it didn’t disappoint. Overall, great job!

I just didn’t expect the casting to be this surprising. They all performed well generally but it probably was just me who wasn’t convinced with the casting. Probably because I couldn’t get off cute old Kusunoki in my head lol. (Kusunoki was the loyal butler who Chiba Yudai played in Momikeshite Fuyu). As for Komatsu Nana, I couldn’t also get Yukako (her role in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure live action) and Abe Yuuko (her character from Yume wo Ataeru) off my head. Seeing her in a different light was a huge turnaround for me to which I was surprised and probably why I wasn’t convinced because it was a whole new different, victim-of-a-bully, submissive role – which didn’t fit the initial image I had of Komatsu. Aside from her previous roles, her beauty intrigues me. She’s gorgeous, believe me. But her beauty isn’t quite the gentle, caring type. She looks strong for a laid back role. I don’t want to blame them as much as possible but it just seems to me like she needs improvement in versatility.

As for Chiba Yudai, he never looks old! He’s 28 and he’s still portraying a high school teenager. Even though I can still see Kusunoki in him, he was indeed a sparkling white prince as Shirakawa. He’s always been great, I wouldn’t even question his acting.

Nakajima Kento. Even though I never really found him attractive, I think he nailed being Kurosaki. His acting was spot on and hey, who didn’t feel kyun kyun whenever he would bite Yuu-chan’s ears or say aggressive stuff to her?

Plot? Great. Even if it’s so cliché and predictable, it felt great watching it. Even if Chiba Yudai and Nakajima Kento might have felt really embarrassed with their lines, their acting was amazing. Great, great, great!

Let’s not waste time. I’m not really impressed. Or I’m just probably unimpressed because of Komatsu Nana’s acting. Again, I think she’s more suited for strong and aggressive roles, unlike Akabane Yuu or Kururugi Yuni. She needs to work on looking laid back because her face just seems so strong.

Talk about the plot. I think the overall story is quite interesting. It’s just that I wasn’t impressed with how the flow of events led from one moment to another. It didn’t had me itching in my seat, worrying about what will come next. I was constantly distracted by the things around me that I didn’t feel bad about getting up my seat and pausing a scene. Usually when I get up and do something, I usually hurry and try to finish what I’m doing so I could quickly go back and watch the movie. But this one didn’t really get me excited to see what’s going to happen next. Even in times of conflict, it just seemed like things happened so normally. Also, the ending. Seeing Yuni going back in Japan to show Haruka the blue sunset didn’t seem so convincing at all. It didn’t have so much impact even if Yuni related it to Haruka lying to her to make her study abroad. Like Yuni, I had an expressionless face while watching this movie.

As for Yamapi, I think his acting improved. Not much, but it did. Looking back, I really hated watching Kurosagi because of his expressionless face (or was it supposed to be like that?). I mean, compare him to Kristen Stewart, I think he’s just like that. He needs to smile more. But here at Close Range Love, he may not have smiled so often and still had those stationary brows, but his eyes conveyed a lot. Maybe that’s how Yamapi’s acting goes. He acts with his eyes.

Lastly, there’s Kotaki Nozomu. This guy has so much potential! Aside from being one of Johnny’s future actors he really is good at acting! He already did great at Momikeshite Fuyu and I was even more impressed seeing him here. His emotions were just so obvious that you can read him so easily. Very easy to understand and he’s got so much stage presence that even if he’s just a supporting role, you can feel his emotions covering the whole scene. Great job Kotaki! Let’s hope Johnny-san gives him lead roles.

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Entries tagged with #review

[REVIEW] Prince of Legend

[REVIEW] Sensei Kunshu

[REVIEW] Over Drive

[REVIEW] 3D Kanojo: Real Girl

[REVIEW] Kyou Kara Ore Wa

[REVIEW] Principal: Koi suru Watashi wa Heroine desu ka?

[REVIEW] Bleach

[REVIEW] Honey

[REVIEW] The Good Doctor Final Episode

The Good Doctor (Japanese ver) [until Ep 5]

[REVIEW] Kahogo no Kahoko

Review: Hana Nochi Hare (until Ep7)

[Review] Black Pean

Matsujun's cameo on HanaHare

Review: Todome no Kiss

Review: Miracles of Namiya General Store

Review: Full Metal Alchemist Live Action

Review: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable

Review: Kurosaki kun no Iinari ni Nante Naranai

Review: Close Range Love