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  • Location: South of the Border, West of the Sun
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RisefromBlackAshes

South of the Border, West of the Sun

RisefromBlackAshes

South of the Border, West of the Sun
Completed
Colors of Wind
16 people found this review helpful
Mar 14, 2018
Completed 1
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
Context: I saw this with English subtitles at the Chicago premiere on March 14th. Yes, Yuki was there and it was awesome. I will keep the rest focused on reviewing.

A better Story synopsis: Ryo is a young man living in Tokyo, mourning the loss of his girlfriend, Yuri. 100 days after her death he goes to the Bar Houdini and receives a box from the former owner that he left earlier. With this box he remembers his girlfriend said a doppelganger of her lives in Hokkaido, and he seeks her out, learning magic along the way and unraveling a mysteries in love, doppelgangers, and the truth of the magician Ryo’s disappearance.

The summary does not fully do it justice since there is a LOT of material in this film. I was genuinely surprised given the weak summaries I have read elsewhere. I was surprised that Yuki has graduated from cheesy shoujo’s into this type of role, but very pleased with this development.

Additionally, the director of this film is Kwak Jae-yong best know for ‘My Sassy Girl’. Seeing this type of collaboration between Japanese actors and a Korean director was really interesting. It lead to a really unique type of filming and mood for the film that was fresh and interesting.

Acting/Cast: There are really only two main actors; Furukawa Yuki and Fujii Takemi. However, it is important to acknowledge the supporting cast. The supporting cast really helped flesh out the story, where the main actor were not the focus or we needed a break from them. With their help the story moved a lot more fluidly.

Fujii Takemi was a real gem. Her ‘duel’ characters as Aya and Yuki (I will leave it at that) was really stunning. There was a very eerie similarity but distinct difference between both characters and she pulled it off really well. I was not completely sold on every scene, but overall a very sold performance from her.

Furukawa Yuki stole the movie, and as the main character(s) he should. Even more striking, probably because of the bad mustache he had a true dualitiy between Ryu, and Ryo. Both characters have distinct motivations as the story opens but slowly they merge together in a wonderful and natural way. Not to mention he did all the scenes on his own, with minimal use of a stand in which, a lot of the later scenes, for sure takes a toll on the body. I sincerely applaud him in his progress and can’t wait to see what he does next.

Other Comments/Overall: I was a little taken aback by the use of English music in the film. I was expecting Japanese or Korean so at times on a personal note it was off putting. I really appreciate that the more mature themes were handled with dignity and respect. It was very appreciated. It was also really cool that most of it was shot on scene in Japan mostly Tokyo/Yokohama/Hokkaido. When this movie comes out, hopefully on Netflix or something, I would watch it again for sure. (And I rarely ever re-watch films) It was really well done and incredibly compelling.

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Completed
Magic School
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 3.5
So, I mainly watched this series for Jinyoung of GOT7 just to start this off. He's always been the best actor of the group and to hear he got a mini drama was pretty awesome and the premise of a Magic School seemed pretty interesting.

Story: It's hard to say this actually had a coherent plot. It's four different people; a student, a doctor, a professional magician, and a scholar, plus their teacher coming together at the Magic School. That's really it. There's no supernatural magic, just card tricks and stuff you'd see on TV just so you know. The story follows all four characters and their motivation for studying magic, how one person assists another and a touch of romance but the plot really doesn't 'go' anywhere if you will. There's no main antagonist so the 'drama' of this series is a bit flat. I found myself drifting away in the middle of a scene and having to re-watch parts since the story didn't engage me.

Acting: I was pretty neutral about the cast aside from Jinyoung but no one disappointed me. It's hard to act when the plot is weak at best. I was surprised by Yoon Park as Jay, his character had the most development by the end of the series. His motivations are laid out clearly, and in the beginning he is not the most likable character, but at the end you empathize with him and realize he's not absolutely terrible. I wish the female characters were a little stronger, both Park Kyu Young (Woori) and Shin Eun soo (Yi Seul) are great characters. Yet, their motivations and personalities we not given as much depth as their male counter parts.

Music: You will eventually hear a Day6 song towards the end of the series. The ending theme is memorable but not too loud or annoying, aside from those I really did not pay attention. Nor was anything else really memorable.

Rewatch: My rewatch value is always low. Unfortunately, despite being a short series I don't think I would ever re-watch this. However, if you're looking for something light to spend around four hours with, this might be something to consider.

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Jan 19, 2018
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
Where to begin with this movie... I felt odd after it ended to be honest. The movie itself had a beginning, middle and end and the end was actually pretty solid for an action/fantasy movie to me at least. Afterwards though it felt lackluster, perhaps more or less from my own hype train of, "It's Kris Wu!! It's a movie about enlightenment and demon hunting!! Of course it will be good!!"

I did not watch any other adaptations or the original film, but this is a pretty straight forward sequel. Tang Zeng (Kris Wu) is a buddhist monk attempting to achieve full enlightenment, including but not limited to the use of the "Buddha's hand", a move that can even stop the all powerful Monkey King (Lin Geng Zin), along with the two olther companions "Piggy" (Pig God/King) and "Sandy" (Fish God/king). They attempt to move through a fantasy landscape in order to find the sutras 'in the west' in order for them to achieve enlightement. However, there's some demons, kings, and romantic situations in between taking them off course.

I found all the character's enjoyable to watch, and not overbearing. The cast is well rounded with evil and good characters, characters with plot twists that aren't 100% readable, as well as some backstory and depth to them. The most engaging part is the emphasis between Tang Zeng and the Monkey King's relationship. The developments won't have you in tears, but you will smile when all is revealed. Lin Yun's character, while late in the story and appearance rather brief is really striking as well in more ways then one. I was pleasantly  surprised with her delivery and chemistry with the rest of the cast.  Some of the CGI effects are both good, and bad. The more subtle usage is excellent and works well. Some of the more extreme usages of it are overbearing. However, there is a healthy mix of both so it doesn't affect my overall score of the film. And there are comedy elements in the film to balance out the action and more serious scenes, a few of them even got me to chuckle.

The music to me, didn't really add or subtract to the overall story. In fact, I don't remember much of it at all. And due to my opinion of a 'lackluster' ending, my rewatch value is low. The movie isn't deep enough in plot that I feel compelled to watch again, and the action scenes while engaging in first watch are interesting, overall didn't really stun me.

An okay movie to pass the time with in my opinion. If you're a fan of any of the actors or actresses listed, this would be a solid film to watch inbetween some of their masterpieces.

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Completed
Lies
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 5, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
"Lies" is a short film (15 minutes) that tells the story of a designer, and who you are lead to believe is his interpreter and translator. As the interview continues, you learn this is not exactly the case and why it's so powerful.

Bessho, and (I believe) Ozaki Ai, are completely complementary to one another. Bessho plays the part of an eclectic if not semi-violent in inspiration designer. The tone of his voice, against Ozaki's shows a stark contrast between man and women, but their two viewpoints as well. Ozaki has slow build up in her delivery of translation/interpretation, and the cut scenes elaborating her role will leave you wanting more.

Musically, not much going on therefore the low score. The rewatch value is high since it's so short and well delivered. Overall, if you're looking for something to just have a good 'oh' moment without watching a plot drag on forever; "Lies" is it.

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Completed
The Fairy Fox
5 people found this review helpful
Jul 3, 2017
23 of 23 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.5
Story 2.5
Acting/Cast 2.5
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 2.5
I've never been so disappointed in drama in like... ever. I was looking forward to this drama for 6+ months (it was suppose to come out in 2016), waited for the whole series (minus episode 21 for some reason) to get subbed and binged the whole series and three days... Not worth the time or effort.

Story: There is some thinly veiled, fairy foxes enter the human world pretending to be college students and bad stuff happens 'cause humans and fairy foxes don't mix. It was boring, with romance, supposed BL (Boy's Love), and fantasy thrown together with newbie actors, a shitty plot, and lots of eye candy. It wasn't a good mix if you're looking for quality. I only completed it since I was looking for the supposed BL to find none aside from two incidents in episode 1 and 2. That's it. If you're looking for BL this isn't it. There is no satisfaction in the ending either since it's abrupt and terribly scripted.

Acting: As everyone in the cast's first roles, as expected; it was bad. Xiao Mo is a hopeless protagonist, and he never develops at all. There's nothing there for you to want to support him with aside from "he's a cute lost puppy!", and that gets boring after episode 3. Rongrong was annoying, unsupportive and treats everyone like dirt. And she's suppose to be the protagonist's sister.

Side characters Chen Ruyue (Xia Wei Yu), and Gu han (Zhou Heng Yuan) and Shen Yan (Wang Yan Bin) actually develop more as people then the protagonist and his sister. Ruyue for how annoying she acts due to Rongrong being a shitty friend, actually sticks to her guns and is stable. Gu Han, for as much as you'll hate him by default, develops well as his character suggests, and you might even feel sorry for him in the end. Shen Yan doesn't do much but serve as eye-candy and friend but his acting was solid enough.

Now Lu Bai and Lu Yin (Kong Qi Li) acting; these two were the saving grace for acting and I am looking forward to their future's. Due to their roles as protagonists, they actually develop and flesh out as characters in a (mostly) relatable way. You see marked development in character, even though the physical interactions are somewhat awkward. Lu Bai's awkward smile is endearing, even though awkward. Lu Yin's character doesn't allow for too much bromance, but his voice and concern express it well.

There's annoying long intro and exit scenes (4 minutes of credits with no next episode preiews?!), and the music was unremarkable.I rarely re-watch dramas, but I wouldn't touch this one again with a 10-foot pole. A combo of inexperienced actors, a terrible script, mis-marketing for BL lovers, and no plot; not a drama I recommend. There's loads of other Fairy Fox dramas out their, spend your time on those not this.

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Completed
Pensees
1 people found this review helpful
Jun 23, 2017
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
The stroy is pretty simple a trio of three friends have long since admired a Western style house. When the house is put on the market for 3 million yen, they team up and decide to buy it. It comes with one condition that they take care of Rikimaru, who thye believe is the Chow-chow from their childhood that would bark at them. When the former housekeeper comes in though, they realize that it's not quite that simple.

Overall, for such a short special, two 25 minutes episodes, it's okay. It's not long enough to really develop a solid plot with conflict and character development. It is short and sweet and worth spending an hour of your time watching. While the roles were not difficult characters, the ladies of Perfume prove the do have some capabilities in acting. (I say this as a fan of Perfume, but also someone who knows difficult roles verses easy ones.)

The music wasn't there aside from the ending theme, and even that was so-so. Overall, a solid 6 from me. Not something I'll be skipping other dramas to re-watch, but I wouldn't mind doing so with a friend who hasn't seen it.

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Mar 23, 2017
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
After seeing how excited everyone was for this adaptation I hopped on the bandwagon and started watching as well. I wasn't disappointed per say, but this wasn't the best feature either.

Based off the manga of the same name, I can't honestly judge how accurate of an adaptation this was. Overall, the story was completely and utterly rushed during the second half. Originally slated to be a ten to eleven episode drama, unfortunately got cut into 9 episodes resulting in pretty mixed feeling for most. While all the ends are tied up and most everyone gets a happy ending; as a viewer you won't be satisfied in the slightest since everything is so quickly thrown together. The pacing of the first episodes was pleasent and enjoyable, but around episode 7 you can see the marked change in pace.

Overall, the acting was really well done. No one is over the top dramatic, but you'll still get your juicer moments you crave. For Yamamura Ryuta (Nanaryu)'s first role, he's surpirsingly charming and well rounded. He's a bit of a rock; he doesn't get too emotional, but the rather smooth delivery and consistancy for this drama is key. Nishiuchi Mariya (Asuka) is pleasent and not overwelming, dispite who her character is set up and devotion to her beliefs is very convincing. The side characters, from friends to family to implied romantic partners are all belivable and likeable as a whole. There's no real 'villian' character, much to my surprise but the plot still plays out well. All the characters are fairly well developed, aside from their rushed ending. I'm curious to see where Shono Hayama (Kanade), and Kishii Yukino (Momoko) end up in their next roles.

Nishiuchi Mariya lends her voice for the ending theme, and it suits the series well. The music is nothing special, but happily lends itself where it needs to be. My rewatches are always low so no worries.

Overall, this story had the potential to be a really good adaptation. What killed the series was having the content cut from 10/11 episodes down to 9. Not a favorite series of mine, but one I didn't mind passing the time with.

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Completed
Dansui!
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 15, 2017
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
"Dansui!" to be honest was my guilty pleasure drama. I have an affinity for the sports genre (beyond the 'yummy yaoi boys'), and this one was an honest mixed bag. It wasn't super great, but it wasn't terrible either.

The story, which is competition between a no-name school and a high ranked school, with some ex-friend, sorta rivals is nothing new to the genre. It's pretty see though with some fun moments exploring relationships AS FRIENDS and RIVALS, growing up, and competition. If you're looking for yaoi, I'd stick with the BL movies since this one has none of that going on. A sports story that actually sticks to the sport, with a surprising amount of technical lingo and improvement.

Acting, most of these guys are stage actors, which is why a lot of people commented about the 'over emoting' or 'over acting'. It's a hard transition but overall most everyone did a good job. I didn't have any really emotional moments, and no one really stood out to me. I fell in love with Taira (Ozawa Ren), since the development of his character was rather rushed but he had some major turn arounds in emotion that were pulled off fairly well. For as much as the main cast was cute and fluffy, they didn't have as much pull for me. Nothing comment-able, aside as much as you think Harumi (Akazawa Tomoru) is going to be the annoying character; he's not that bad.

What a killed this drama for me was the ending. It was not satisfactory AT ALL. We get the competition we've been waiting for, but no closure. You're holding your breath waiting for an ending, and it doesn't come. Although this is being carried over into a stage play, I'm not happy as just a drama watcher.

The music, ending theme is actually sung by a few members of the cast (they come from musical actors after all) is pretty cute. Otherwise, nothing standing out. The rewatch value is low because of the ending, but at the same time it's short enough and cute enough I wouldn't mind spending 4 hours of my time watching again.

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Completed
Ubai Ai, Fuyu
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 6, 2017
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
Oh man, where to even begin with this drama.... It's a very over the top, no-way-that-would-happen-in-real-life, but oddly compelling storyline spun out and wrapped up all in seven episodes. So if you're more of a fan of realistic dramas, this one is not for you unfortunately.

The story piles on a lot of small time concerns; meeting an ex-lover at work, recovering from such a meeting, questioning your current lover, confrontation of other partners, a lot of rather typical things that do actually happen in relationships. Pile on a cast of characters that are either rooting your relationship on, or prepared to take you apart, there is no room for middle ground. While you would think there's no way a plot like this could surprise you; every episode twisted away from what I thought was going to happen, and brought it in a new direction. This drama had me on my toes the entire time, rooting for some people, cursing others, and it was rather quick how I was to turn around who I was cheering for. The best question is who snatched whose love away in the end? (Btw, the title translated roughly to 'stolen love in winter'.

Acting; oh boy. This is where it gets good. The whole cast is golden. A little concerned about execution of such an over dramatic plot? Have no fear, the whole cast is here. Misuno Miki (Ran) absolutely STEALS the spotlight with her over the top but oddly relatable reactions. You'll be despising her character as much as you sort of sympathize with her at the end. A perfect villain or the perfect victim? You'll have to chose. Kurashina Kana (Hikaru) is the perfect opposite. More or less you will be rooting for this girl the entire time, and rightfully so. And while she appears much less dangerous a character then Ran; her development will give her the backbone to surprise you. Otani Ryohei (Shin) is the perfect match for and against Miura Shohei (Kota). Both lead males are so handsome, and believe me, incredibly romantic in the series like Hikaru you'll have a hard time choosing. Although I will have to admit, Shohei is experimenting with his acting style and it's got mixed reactions from me. Sometimes seeming too dramatic, sometimes not dramatic enough, it's fitting for this series though.

Music, realizing the ending theme is 'Magic' by AAA sold it for me. The use of repetitive songs kinda gets boring though to be honest. You can read a lot of the action and the direction it does by just the music cueing up. At least the opening theme and opening in general is short to focus more on the story. I'm not a rewatcher, but I'm curious when the subtitles come out (I did raws for this and mostly understood all the dialogues) how I'll feel about the series then.

Overall, if you're a fan of any of the main cast I highly recommend this series. If you want something so over the top, and somewhat of a guilty pleasure please watch!

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Completed
Lady Snowblood
8 people found this review helpful
Mar 5, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I might be among the few, but I really dig older Japanese cinema. A lot. "Lady Snowblood" being no exception to this.

For those familiar with the Kamimura Kazuo manga, this is the film adaptation that was given her blessing. You could even say it's among the very first manga into film adaptations that Japan has ever done! Which makes this film a treat.

Lady Snowblood is the story of revenge passed from mother to daughter, and artfully done. While it deviates from the original story from the manga, it still captures the main essence of the story and maintains all critical characters. Their are some minor adjustments made to everyone but Sensei, Mother, and Yuki (Lady Snowblood), but all are done in good taste to adjust to technology of times and time constraints. Be warned this is a SPLATTER FEST, with implied rape scenes. It wasn't for everyone then, it isn't for everyone now.

The music pulls from the original timeline of the manga, as well as current trends in music at the times. A little loud at times, but doesn't detract from the story or dialogue.

I adored the manga, and I adore this film. If you're looking for classic cinema from Japan, or are a fan of 'Kill Bill' please give Lady Snowblood a shot!

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Completed
Sori Nokoshita Natsu
5 people found this review helpful
Mar 3, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Oh man... I watched this for Kyan, he's my favorite member of Golden Bomber, and that's the only thing that sustained me through this film. It was bad. Bad as in bad, and bad as in parody.

The story is Kiryuuin wanting to fall in love the summer after his third year of high school. his best friend Jun has recently broken up with Kenji. To start off their boy hunting they go to the beach where Kyan works, and things take off from there.

Taking this as a parody; it was actually pretty good. It covers the usual tropes with romance series, and with BL series. No problems there. But the way it was shot... God awful. I can swear to you that some of the scenes were shot on the kind of camera you can pick up at a general store. It's not good quality with zoom in's or stability overall of scenes. I would attribute the poor filming if it were later, but it's 2009... At other times, their mouthes and dialogue didn't match up so I'm 90% sure some of the scenes were dubbed over and it's terribly obvious.

Really everyone couldn't hold this together acting wise; the majority of Golden Bomber sucks at acting. The over-acted scenes are hard to separate from the 'regular' acting scenes. It's not the fun cringey so much as the cringe, cringey but it did have me laughing. Kyan was a surprise gem for me to see in this film, as his line delivery and scenes were the easiest to watch.

Golden Bomber's songs, while I like them overpowered a lot of the dialogue when played. It got annoying and cut into what would be salvageable scenes and completely lost them. While only an hour long, I can't say I'll be watching this film again.

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Completed
Falling Flowers
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 28, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 4.5
If you're not familiar with Xiao Hong's life story, and her writings (The Feild of Life and Death, or Death of Mistress Wang) this story is going to go over you head. This is a film where you should have some background knowledge before watching, although if you give it a shot without it's a whirlwind of a drama once you get past the pacing.

The story is the true life story of Xiao Hong the writer, and for as unbelievable as the her life seems; it's 100% true. The chronological order is accurate, as well as names and locations for where critical moments take place. While the pacing is slow, it helps respect the duration of Xiao Hong's life, which was a very brief 35 years of life.

Acting, was honestly a mixed bag in my opinion. A lot of the scenes were well done, if not a little too bland where it seemed where I looking at people on the street verses actors or actresses. The intimacy scenes, sexual and non-sexual are very dramatically rendered, some of them too much so. If you have historical background in China, you'll understand why. Of course, there were a few scenes where I did tear up. More towards the end after you start to care for the characters, but touching where I did cry despite not being a crier.

The music was unnoticeable, at least to me. And I doubt I'll be rewatching this since I had to watch it for class and a bit longer then my current tastes.

If you're a fan of Xiao Hong, you should give this movie a shot. Even if you're not a fan of her, this movie while slow is worth the build up.

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Completed
BeatRock☆Love
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 24, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
To be 100% honest, I was not expecting this movie to be as good as it is. I was honestly surprised that both Takeru from SuG was in the lead role and Kiriyama Renn was a supporting actor. That and that fact that SCREW a real life Visual Kei (VKei) band makes a cameo in the beginning of the film.

The story is a bit bland and kinda typical for a music based movie. It the basic struggles of a niche, session band looking to sign a label contract and the struggles they face. Pretty readable, pretty basic, not a new thing. However the concept of only one member of a band being sought out (headhunting) is 100% accurate in the world of VKei so that was a pleasant surprise to featured and featured accurately.
I didn't care for the sub-plot romance between Aki and Nanami, it was honestly just filler for me. Otherwise, the plot is pretty solid and doesn't drag out too much.

Seeing Takeru from SuG acting here was AMAZING. He did a lot better then expected/I was led to believe by previous comments and such. It's no wonder that he ended up taking half a dozen cameo roles later on. Kiriyama Renn as support helped flesh out the cast, especially since there wasn't too much for the other characters to really develop on.

Of course, the music if you're a VKei fan is EXCELLANT. Love the sound track so much, so glad that they let Takeru sing for real.

Since it's so short, I might rewatch, might not. Watching it in 11 parts on youtube was not an easy feat. xD

Overall, if you like VKei or specifically SCREW or SuG; you should watch. If you're curious about the VKei world, this movie isn't a bad introduction to it either. For being relatively simple of a premise, it was a short easy watch for any drama fan.

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Completed
Crow's Blood
7 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2017
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
After seeing this recommended for a good Halloween story, it got shifted to my 'plan to watch' list. Having about 5 hours to spare, I decided to give it a watch and wasn't disappointed.

"Crow's Blood" despite it being a AKB48 production, much like "Sailor Zombie" actually wasn't bad. The plot was well thought out, leaving no plot of holes or gaping unresolved issues aside from the ending. It starts with the mysterious student Togawa Maki comes to school, and a crow crashing into the window signaling a rather mysterious set of events to come. Without giving too much away, it is a bit of a splatter fest if you couldn't tell, but no jump scares surprisingly.

The cast, once again, for AKB48 this was surprisingly good. Miyawaki Sakura (Maki) was EXCELLANT with her expressions, character development and vocalization. If she keeps landing a variety of roles I will be looking out for her in the future. Watanabe Mayu (Kaoru) also does an amazing job playing her roles, without a single flaw in her performance. Miura Takahiro (Sawada) is a great balancing out as a male lead. The supporting cast of characters were also stunning as well. The chemistry between Mai and her mother was truly touching.

The music was eh. I didn't notice it much beyond it was appropriate for the mood. My rewatch values are always low; I don't revisit series often. But this one might be a good one to revisit once Halloween is upon us again.

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Completed
Kimi ni Sasageru Emblem
4 people found this review helpful
Jan 13, 2017
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I adore Sakurai Sho, so seeing for the first time in nearly two years return to acting a bit was a warm welcome for me personally in 2017. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't 100% pleased either.

The story itself, since it's based off a true story was really heartwarming. If you're familiar with the manga "Real" you'll get the same vibes. Additionally, the story portrayed the plight of those disabled in a wheelchair in Japan realistically. It even made the point of distinguishing there different levels of disability in Japan! This isn't the kind of story where everything is okay, despite the protagonist is now disabled. It's a noticeable part of life, with it's own ups and downs, and it was approached and produced with that in mind, in my opinion.

The acting, I was more impressed by the rest of the cast then I was with Sho to be honest. Masami was excellent in her role, 100% believable through and through. She balanced out and even at times made up for Sho throughout the special. Her motivations while a little strange, were honest and realistic. It was so much more then I hoped for. Hayato was stunning. 100% did not recognize him from his previous roles, and that was a good thing. He portrayed the pain of his character incredibly well to the point I did tear up a bit. Hayato was more my focus while watching, since he seemed to have the most immediate changes in character development.The rest of the side cast, while not developed as well as perhaps the main three, are all seasoned actors who brought a lot to the table and really balanced everything out.

Now to why I wasn't satisfied with the drama; Sho was type-casted/they suited the role to fit his personality. (Probably both) As much as Sho is my favorite member of Arashi; he always plays the asshole/tsundere/however you want to label it, character since he tends to have those qualities in real life. While Sho knows how to play the character vs. being himself, and played the character in this drama; it was boring to watch. I've seen too many Sho moments in previous works to know how his 'character' would respond. His character development was pretty thin in the plot (there were a ton of hints at how he should develop overtime, but no~) until literally the last 30-40 minutes of the special when everything rushed to end in time. The saving grace was that the relationships he portrayed were realistic, even if some details were rushed.

The music was alright. I honestly didn't notice it beyond it was there, and mood appropriate. My re-watch values are always low since I tend not to re-watch, but since this only two hours and just a special it might creep in there once in awhile.

Overall, this was a solid New Year's Special that I was glad to watch. Ironically, I watched it for Sho and ending up staying for everyone else.

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