KenTaro
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The story is kind of hard to understand. Its mostly Wong Fei Hung and his 4 students have to save the town from pirates.
The Cast looked good but wasn't used to its potential. I'm sure they could of thought of a different plot to do with this movie. The romance between Vincent Zhao and Rosamund Kwan has no chemistry. When your main actor Jet Li leaves the series and you continue it with a different actor that is a tough job. Vincent Zhao did fill in with the fight scenes but him to fill in for the romance part just didn't work out at all.
The Music was missing. The intros in the series are always good but in here it wasn't. It is Wong teaching his students martial arts but with a weird instrumental music. They barely used the Wong Fei Hung theme. The only good music in here was that they used the Jackie Chan version of singing the Once Upon A Time In China song at the end.
Re-watch: I don't recommend to rewatch it but sometimes I do for the laughter.
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The importance of a smile
Most people know Kamen Rider Kuuga for being the show that made an impact to many things. The Odagiri effect is named after the main actor in Kuuga, Odagiri Joe. You can find more about the Odagiri effect online. Kuuga also helped restore the kamen rider franchise and why it is still going on today. Back in the 90s, the kamen rider franchise didn't air any series until kuuga in 2000. The difference between shows back then to today can be seen in Kuuga to many factors.Story: The plot in Kuuga is quite simple. The monsters in the series are called Unidentified lifeforms number # (or grongi) that have revived. Godai Yusuke is chosen to become kuuga (unidentified lifeform number 4). When you watch kamen rider, you have to consider what are the goals for the villians. In kuuga it is simple, the unidentified lifeforms just want to kill humans for their game of killing a certain amount. Sounds pretty simple and cliche but it is actually dark. You see today in kamen rider or other tokusatsu shows killing people is not common anymore. In Kuuga death is common and it plays a huge factor into characters. What makes Kuuga special is how the show feels like a Japanese drama than a typical kamen rider show. It has features in it like police action and elements of human drama or slice of life. Kuuga has only one kamen rider in it compared to today, almost all kamen rider shows has more than 1 rider. Having one kamen rider in kuuga, helped made it feel unique. Kuuga felt like a big deal to the people in the city as he was their hope to defeat the ULFs. Also the police in this show are useful than other kamen riders series as they learn from the ULF and improve to help kuuga defeat the ULFs. The show is also violent in scenes of blood during some Kuuga fights. Adding scenes of blood helps the realism of the show that creates drama.
Acting/Cast/Characters : Kuuga couldn't be successful without Odagiri Joe as Godai Yusuke. Godai is a happy positive guy that makes others smile. Godai is a great main character as he balances the personality of one that isn't too comedic nor serious. There are many things about Godai that make him who is he as I remember him after. His iconic gesture of giving a thumbs up to people, his joyful smile, the 2000 skills he knows, the blue sky he adores, or just being a great human being in getting through to people who are sad/mad. Godai Yusuke would not be the character he is if not for Odagiri Joe.
In Kuuga, the supporting characters are some of the best in kamen rider. My favorite has to be Godai's elementary school teacher. His first appearnce in the 2 part episode is still my favorite episodes of Kuuga. Ichijo is a police oficer that leads the police team when the ULF appear. Ichijo is mostly called as the second "kamen rider" in Kuuga from fans due to his fearlessness of fighting along with Godai in his battles. What is great about Ichijo is that he does not always rely on Godai. Other characters are friends with Godai or his younger sister help make Kuuga great due to their connections, usefulness, or stories with Godai.
Music: The opening for Kuuga is legendary like most kamen rider openings. It fits the mood of the show well. Some memorable lyrics from the opening is "No Fear! No Pain!". Kuuga has an ending song that is rare in kamen rider shows these days. The endning song of Kuuga is a mood to calm down and feel better after watching an episode of kuuga.
Rewatch value: I finally decided to watch Kuuga as I have seen mostly all other kamen rider shows and wonder how great is Kuuga. The way Kuuga feels like a Jdrama than a normal toku show, plays a part to how I would want to watch kuuga again. Watching Godai's positive personality over again would be a joy.
Overall : If there is a goat in Kamen Rider, then Kuuga/Godai Yusuke is that goat of kamen rider. I can see why he is so popular and beloved. If you ever want to watch kamen rider then choose Kuuga as your first. If you like Jdramas, then Kuuga is right for you because it feels the closest to one.
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The first half of the show was good
Story: At first the story got me interested to see the show and it was working. The first couple of episodes up to around 20 moved at a great pace then the story just dragged and confuses you with the plot twists. I was very disappointed in the fight scenes in the show as they weren't many memorable. The first half of the show featured more fight scenes than the second half. It didn't help that I honestly didn't care about the romance between the male lead and the female lead. I didn't like the female lead's character nor did I care.Acting/Cast: I like the character Lu Ping and the actor Arthur Chen is someone I will consider watching more films/dramas of. This is my first time seeing him in a drama and the character wasn't the best but not the worst. I was very impressed to find out that the actress who plays Su Tang was very young while filming the drama. I didn't like the acting who plays the female lead. I don't know if it's her acting, the character, or the story but I didn't care enough for her to be with Lu Ping.
Music: The music to me is the best part of the show. Well I certainly loved the soundtrack in the drama. I like the ending song more than the op by not by much and I don't really like pop style music for wuxia dramas. They really did a great job with the soundtracks. They were pretty good memorable one's I like but I can't find the name of them.
Rewatch: The first half you could say of this drama was great if I would watch it again. I don't see myself watching through the whole episodes again based how the second half of the show went.
Overall: I can't say I hated the show because of how poor the second half went or the lack of fight scenes due to the soundtrack and the first half of the show. I ended up finishing the drama instead of dropping too. It was an ok drama.
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It's Lunch time!
I choose to watch Lunch Queen in honor of the passing of Takeuchi Yuko this year. I needed to watch a drama of hers to remember her of her great works and not think of the sad side of this.Story: I think the plot of this story is kind of weird/dumb but great in the same way. I wasn't a fan of having Natsumi faking that she was the fiancé to their older brother throughout the show because they wouldn't make a move on her so I thought. I think they could have made the plot work as well if she just worked their as her job instead of faking as their brothers fiance. The show is about a woman who has had a rough life before but changes and cherishes the best days of her life as she works in a restaurant. It also teaches you about how wonderful one's food can change a person. Most people would watch for to see who Natsumi ends up with (romance), but the show leans more towards food, drama, and family.
At first I looked at it as Natsumi being a sister like character to the family but over time the two brothers Yujiro and Junzaburo fall in love with her. These two are really the only ones that really show they like her. By the end of the drama, the romance genre has been applied but I think they should have went all in on it. They really play with your mind on the last episode by having Natsumi not ending up with one. At first I thought she should end up with Junzaburo because he liked her first but then they decided to make Yujiro slowly like her as well as Natsumi seemed to like Yujiro more. It would have made sense for Junzaburo and Natsumi to be together because then Yujiro would be the man and letting it go but if Yujiro ended up with Natsumi, as shown Junzaburo couldn't get over her. It would be awkward to see the girl you loved everyday in your place where you work who is now your brothers wife. Maybe they ran into a dead end so they ended with her not end up with one.
Acting/Cast: First thing that impresses me of this drama is the loaded and I mean loaded cast. This drama was made back in 2002 and these names weren't as popular as today. Your main casts consist of Takeuchi Yuko, Eguchi Yosuke, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Yamapi, and throw in Yamada Takuyuki. This drama might have been the start of these young actors careers into popularity in the acting industry. Eguchi might have been a known name by this time but still this drama was a great role for him that is amazing. I really liked Yuko's character here as it is more of a tomboyish. She has shorter hair and has strong skills such as fighting skills. The trio of Eguchi, Satoshi, and Yamapi as brothers were my favorite part of the drama. Eguchi really nails the role as a father/older brother figure.
Music: The ending song is an american song which can be rare for Japanese dramas. It suits the fun comedy style of the show. The drama has a nice emotional insert song called Morihana Shojo Hajashi by Inoue Yousui. It really makes you think back and reflect.
Re watch value: I love the cast of the drama. I would re watch this drama for the cast and their interactions with one another.
Overall: I would have given it a 10 if they gave a ending to who Natsumi ends up with instead of that. Putting aside the romance aspect of the show, it is worth a watch. Watch it for the simple plot or for the cast.
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Love and Farm!
I didn't think a drama about farming would be something to watch but it was watchable.Story: It stars with 6 students going to Hokkaido in a town where they learn about the farm life for an internship. Only one of the students actually wanted to do this internship and had farming as their goal for the future. The other 5 were picked by random or some sort to go as well even though they weren't that interested in farming. This drama is not all about teaching these students what the farm life is but also about how these students become more mature and learn from this experience. I like that each of the 6 had a different personality and motive for why they are there or what they want to do. We got good character development on 5 of them except for one of the students. I was disappointed that they didn't explain more about Wakamatsu, he was't show as much as the other 5 and was basically the comedy student of the group which I felt sucked. Most of the drama was about the character growth of the students and the last episodes focused more of the state of that town. The issues in this drama that the students faced were realistic. I like that they really showed how much of sacrifices farmers face each day and that miracles aren't likely to happen to solve your problem. I was very disappointed that my favorite minor character Katsuya's mother didn't make it through the show. She was easily the kindest character of this drama and helped the students for how long she lasted. I only wish she interacted more with the other students. This show had ok enough minor characters but think they could have done more with like Takashi's sister. All 6 of the students along with Katsuya and Takashi's sister had a connection with one another who they liked but they really didn't take it far. No one really ended up with one another at the end but the feelings were confessed to the ones they like. So if your looking for romance in this drama then best of luck because the friendship of the 6 were more focused. I love the way they presented that being there at the town during the summer made the students live like a kid again and not worrying about their life.
Acting/Cast: I really do think the cast here was filled with popular names. Karina, Toda, and Aibu those are some names I know and became more popular later on. I mainly watched this drama for the loaded cast and because I wanted to see more of Tamayama Tetsuji. I also find it amusing of the growth of his facial hair from the beginning of this drama to the end. I like the cast, it was strong and good.
Music: The ending song is called Green Days by Makihara Noriyuki. Nothing special at first listening to it but it got a bit catchy later on. I think this song was fine and the title Green Days relates a bit to the drama.
Re watch: A drama like this is my type I like to watch because of the pace of the show. I like the feeling of the drama from the farming they do to the small stuffs like festivals they celebrated. I'm a fan of dramas that showcase more of what the characters do outside of their work. So I would watch this drama again maybe again during the summer time.
Overall: This is not a bad drama that people think it is or the rating it has here. It's not just about learning to farm or a farming simulator drama, its also the usual slice of life drama which I am a fan of. This drama is another example to why I love dramas in the 2000s.
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This review may contain spoilers
So I was looking at the tv ratings for the spring of 2019 for Japanese Dramas and saw Radiation House delivering and thought What is this drama about. I waited for all episodes to be subbed and watched them right after it was done airing and I must say it was worth the watch because I really loved it. Story: Some details that aren't mention on here about this drama is that Igarashi and Amakasu were childhood friends. Igarashi moves away but Amakasu promises that Igarashi should become a radiographer while she becomes a radiologist so they can would work together in the future. Igarashi meets Amakasu at the hospital but she doesn't remember him. Throughout the whole drama Igarashi tries to get Amakasu to remember him. Igarashi works with a radiography team that takes images of a human's body. I really love that the main characters of this drama weren't doctors instead it was radiographers. The drama shows that there aren't just doctors in the hospital but there are also radiographers and radiologists that don't get a lot of the credit as doctors do. There is a surprise about Igarashi. There are some "romance" moments in this drama and its teased a lot.
Acting/Cast: This is my first drama watching Kubota Masataka in it and his acting of Igarashi was top notch. Honda Tsubasa's acting has improved quite a bit since the last drama I have seen her in. Endo Kenichi and Asano Kazuyuki were two good supporting actors that had me laughing throughout the drama.
Music: The drama song was called "Remember me" by Man with a mission and its a very good song. It fits the drama very well because Igarashi wants Amakasu to remember him.
Final Thoughts: I can't wait to watch the special. All I know is that this drama needs a second season. Unless the drama special continues where this one ends off then maybe not. Either way I would love if this drama gets a second season. More cases of images to take and the development of Igarashi and Amakasu. I wouldn't mind if this drama got up to 3 seasons like Code Blue. To me this is the best Japanese medical drama. It feels different because of how the doctors/nurses aren't the main role but someone new is. I also think this is the best drama of 2019 as well.
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The story of each episode is very good. Students have problems and the teacher is there to help them. In Hammer Session I love that their is no fighting instead Hachisuka shows the students a “Hammer Session” and the Hammer Sessions are so cool to watch. I love his teaching, I wish more teachers could be like him. It felt realistic that you could connect with the student and their situation. The comedy in this is so funny and right on point mix with the drama.
Hayami Mokomichi played the role fantastic for both characters. Kaede she was annoying a lot. Assistant teacher was fine, the principal was alright, and Otowa’s partner was so funny he made me laugh a lot. I recognize some of the actors playing the students.
There is only one song which is at the end of the drama and it fits along with the drama. If you watch closely and listen there is a wonderful ost that replays for each episode and makes you feel better. Its one of the best osts I have heard. Its also on youtube.
I will rewatch this one plenty of times. I know this type of drama is the same as others but I wish some of these school dramas are made still. I really would like to see some actors that use to be the student in a school drama than be a teacher in a new drama.
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The Acting was decent not a lot of popular actors but if you have Jet Li in it the movie will be good. The american actors were also surprisingly good. Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan have wonderful chemistry together.
In this movie the story has a much better plot to understand why they traveled to America. There is like 2 problems in the movie one in the beginning and another one in the end so its not just about Wong Fei Hung and his memory loss.
The Music in this movie made me very surprised. While Jet Li was still portraying as Wong Fei Hung in the first 3 films the music in those films were the best. What surprised me was that the music they used in here was just instrumental. Usually they have a singer for their intro but they decided to go with instrumental music and it still sounded cool. Whenever Wong Fei Hung Fights he always has this bad ass music that fires him up.
Re-watch well I always love to re-watch my favorite movie series. Every time I watch them I always find something new each time. I recommend to re-watch this more and more.
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Bittersweet end but still a beautiful story
25 21 was a drama in a weird spot for me. I wanted to watch it but didn't at the same time. I had spoiled myself and checked the spoiler of this drama because I heard that it was a hot topic from fans. It took me a while to decide to watch this drama preparing for what would happen.My honest opinion is that I very much loved the first 9 episodes of this drama. But the other episodes after when Hee Do and Yu Rim become friends weren't as good as the first 9. They still were good but weren't incredible like the first 9. The drama captures you in with our main characters backstory to connect and root for. Both of our leads have clear goals and issues. Hee Do strives to become passionate with fencing again and also becoming her fencing idol's rival. She has a mother who is a popular busy news anchor that neglects Hee Do leaving her alone a lot. She is not there to support her which leaves their relationship miscommunicated and bickering. Yi Jin wants to bring his family back together one day as they are separated from the times crashing his father's career. He once had it all but now has to start at the bottom alone. Both of the leads become each other's support as they get through these tough times.
The ending to this drama is the most talked about whether you were fine with it or hated it. So in short our two leads do not end up together. If I saw this drama when I was couple years younger, I would be on the outrage of why they didn't end up together. But my current self "ducks undercover" was fine with the ending and understood it a bit. They had this friendship or "rainbow" relationship as Hee Do was growing to become a fencer winning gold medals and Yi Jin starting out as a news reporter. When they became more successful and older, their relationship became well romance. Their turning point is when Yi Jin goes to America suddenly to cover the 9/11 attack. He is there alone and suffering from how this news affected people and himself. He then holds his suffering to himself which he stops replying or reading messages from Hee Do. Yi Jin got accepted a job in New York where he will be staying that would lead to their break up. He returns back to Korea and they both break up. Hee Do mentioned that when they became a couple, she wanted to share everything with him including his suffering. He thought her support was burdensome to her. She sees her relationship with Yi Jin as her relationship with her mother now. She waited for her and was let down leaving her alone a lot which Yi Jin is doing now. Also Yi Jin's career path is similar to her mother's too. She doesn't want to experience that kind of relationship again in the future which is a reason to their break up.
I can agree that it was a sad ending for me when they didn't stay as a couple and gotten married. But I don't find their breakup ending to be bad. It does make sense to me. I think I missed some stuff but I couldn't find a reason to support Yi Jin's side. I could only understand it from Hee Do's side on why their relationship had to end. He stopped communicating with her sharing his suffering with her and their schedules were too busy to handle a relationship. I feel like they became a couple at the wrong time when their journey was at it's busiest. Some might say well why couldn't they get back together when she retired from fencing and he was back in Korea? Well he still would be busy now as the news anchor which doesn't fix the issue Hee Do had with him of how he was going to be not there for her like her mother.
Their story is told from a perspective of the present from Hee Do's daughter reading her mother's diary. A couple of episodes in, there are clues that can give away the end game. Her daughter's name is Kim not Baek which is in Yi Jin's name. I don't really like this idea of their story being told from it being in the past. It didn't interest me. It also kind of played viewers into the guessing game of who Hee Do's husband is. Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't show her husband and to me that's ok. I realized her husband that isn't Yi Jin was not a important part of the story. I think the drama would have been fine without it being told in the present from a diary. I can see a bit why they done this so you can feel not as sad when the ending happened assuming you caught on the clues they gave out early on.
The cast was phenomenal. Kim Tae Ri was an excellent choice as Hee Do. Music of the drama was good as well. Would I rewatch it again, surprisingly I would. The story built of how it all happened is worth it even if it's a sad ending. Sometimes dramas go with the sad ending that doesn't make sense but here it does make sense for me. The leads had great chemistry together. Dare I say their chemistry before becoming a couple was better.
My favorite story in the drama was the determination of Hee Do training to win the gold medal and beat Yu Rim. My favorite scene was when Hee Do was congratulated, cheered up, and proud of her by the old folks at the restaurant after she was being called horrible stuff by the public.
Whether you liked the ending or not, I hope you at least admire/enjoyed the story.
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Season 2 was amazing as season 1.
Story: It starts off continuing off of season 1 with the serial arsonist case and the cliff hanger of whether Hogae and/or Dojin survived the fire blast in the garage. The first couple of episodes of season 2 is wrapping up a case from season 1 so it doesn't feel like a new season yet. The big moment that happened was Dojin ended up dying early on. It's a big deal when the writers kill of a main character only couple episodes into a new season. I think these first 4 episodes could have been fit into the first season and having both seasons be 16 episodes like how most Kdramas are.It doesn't feel like season 2 yet until after episode 4. They introduce two new characters to replace Dojin and Anna(I don't know why Anna had to be replaced). Doha filled in for Dojins spot in the drama as a member of the NFS team. Woo Sam Soon replaced Anna's role in the detectives team. Both showed more lively personalities that I was unsure of but later on I was fine with their additions to the drama. Another difference is more focus on the NFS team and much less screen time for the firefighters. When they killed off Dojin, they also killed off a lot of focus on the firefighters too. Instead of replacing Dojin with a new character in the firefighters team, they replaced him with a new NFS character and focused more on that team. It still had great suspense as I was on the edge of my seat in these cases. A lot of more bomb/explosion scenes than fires.
I was impressed by the teases and twists from the writers. The ones that stood out to me was the character of Doha(Dojin's childhood friend). They made him look very suspicious as the arsonist. He was in a hotel room by himself calling Dojin, he wore black clothes, was at the scene of the crime where Dojin died and he left, and was the childhood friend of Dojin that wanted him to help take out the fire. I thought he was the arsonist because of that reason. I was fooled by the writers and Doha turned out to be a good guy. I loved how in depth they also went at making us believe the MC Hogae did die at the end. Him being in the caravan as it exploded? The bodies found in it looked like it could be him. Hogae dying together with his father from a bomb at the rooftop of a building. They even showed us a autopsy of Hogae to make it look real. Even the characters that loved him showed real emotion of his death. Of course he was alive at the end and it was a heck of a plan to trick the main villain he died to finally catch him.
This drama is not a focus or heavy focus on romance but they did tease it early on and delivered. I adored the relationship between Seol and Hogae throughout the drama. Great moments between them that didn't feel forced. The romantic subplot was a perfect touch to the drama. It probably hooked viewers to stay and watch even if someone as beloved as Dojin died.
Acting/characters: The acting and characters have to be my favorite part of the drama from both seasons. The police team had the best chemistry between the teams. Everyone was so likable.
Music: The soundtrack was good. My favorite song was "Hold my breath". It has a sad tone and fit well into the sad moments of the drama.
Overall/rewatch: If they ever decided on a season 3, I will be ready to watch it. I can see why there wouldn't need to be as this one wrapped up everything well. Great cast, great plot, and best of what I like a subplot of romance with a happy satisfying ending. A amazing journey I'd love to watch again.
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The plot interested me how the couple were already living together in the first episode. It was different for me that they couple(to be) just are living together. The show developed their relationship of how living together can change your relationship with the people you live with. I kind of hated the episodes where they go back and forth if they love each other or not too repetitive.
Characters I hate were Uehara's sister in law or first crush because she mostly kept appearing too much but then stop appearing which made the show better. I'm not sure why some of the guys except Uehara keep telling Nao that they like her or secretly like her while she likes Uehara or is her boyfriend.
There were some really funny moments that I enjoy. That ending I won't spoil made me go WOW. It's almost certain that a second season was gonna happen and it will be interesting to watch. I don't see why it had 17 episodes which felt long a little, wished the ending part where they kissed would of been better a little.
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