Reviews

Cast in action is worth it!

The cast is the main reason, I've been waiting for this movie for a long time and couldn't wait to watch it the moment it came out. Well, I was kinda disappointed but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Story:

Tbh, the story is a mess. They've touched on a wide and complex topic, added in too much only to deliver a portion of it. The first half was a complete mess and I had a difficult time making sense of the story while it straightened out in the second half.
Ji Kang In operates a black team in China and our main lead, Han Ji Hoon is sent there to make a report on him. Well, imagine an office guy stepping into the world of spies and war. He has no choice but to become a part of the team and gets dragged on their missions while making sense of what's going on.
What I didn't like about the story is, that it's too predictable. This pretty much killed all the thrill one can feel in such movies. A couple of twists could've been nice despite the story being too simple.

Acting:

With Park Hae Soo, Lee El, Song Jae Rim and Jinyoung (these are the only familiar faces in this movie for me =D ) in an action movie, how can the acting not be great? They're best suited for such films, especially JaeRim!

Rewatch value:

Nah, not going to watch because the story is all over the place and the action scenes are the only ones worth watching which are too short as well. Yeah...

Conclusion:

If you're up for good action films, do watch it. But be prepared for the story to make a mush of your brain in the first half of the movie!

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Too Short For Good Depth

LIKES:
The cast was good and Takeru Sato as always played his role to perfection. He's good at playing a brooding character. Also I liked his chemistry with the FL, which helped with the emotional scenes. I like the production and cinematography. The scene after the credits finished, felt tacked on, but was needed to not have the viewers revolt. LOL. The songs were okay enough that I didn't have to mute them. I didn't notice any special effects.

DISLIKES:
Distortion on the songs, as if bad editing. It was very noticeable when the girl was singing and very bad during the song that played while the credits of the movie rolled. Not enough development of the storyline during the movie, this should’ve been a series of episodes. That also caused a lack of character depth and made everything seem rushed. Because of the lack of screen time for ML and FL, the heartbreaking moments fell flat, as there was no real connection to show the viewer the depth of their relationship. Maybe that’s why they added an extra moment after the end of the credits, but it felt slapped on like an after-thought. Could've just been bad editing. The writing seemed mashed together, because some of the dialog was lacking. The South Korean version of this movie of the same name, was done in 16 episodes that were 60 minutes each. That show gave enough time for character development, depth and growth, plus a better timed plot and completed storyline. This Japanese version as a movie had so much potential and failed. Not even Takeru Satoh could save this and he's mostly the reason I gave it even a 5/10 rating.

OVERALL:
It's an easy watch and we get to see Takeru Satoh kiss, lol. For someone who never read the manga or seen the 2017 S. Korean version, it could be enjoyable. I wont rewatch it, and am on the fence about recommending it too.

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A warm heart story!

This is a nice story about people who had a bad time, endure it and overcome it with their own solutions.

Though the male lead is a nice person and the female lead is so lovely, there is no romance in this film, it is kind of a friendship.
The scene when the female lead talk to the male lead are all so full of joy.

The smile when the female lead met her mother was so bright that it broke your heart when her accident occurred next.
The way the male lead struggled to support his sickness wife was very real, people are so tiny in this life.

The only miracle in this film was that the male lead could see and talk to the female lead.
There is no other miracle, in the end, I really wished miracle could happen and bring back the female lead to life. but there was not. It is so sad but they had no other choice...

Both Chun Woo Hee and Kim Nam Gil are excellent in portraying their characters.
My Rewatch Value is low because the ending is so sad (˃̥̥ω˂̥̥̥)

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Good Fight Scenes, Needed More Time

LIKES:
Production was good and so was the cinematography. Sometimes time travel movies/shows get bogged down with details that don't translate to film well. This movie didn't have that problem. The writer(s) kept enough dialog to keep it interesting. The fight scenes were well done; blood/damage FXs, choreography, sounds, music, etc. The story needed more time, to develop the mystery of the man behind the conflicts, who we see a few times. This would've been better as a series with episodes, but for what they accomplished it was satisfying with the conclusion. As in any fighting type movie/show Yamada Yuki kills it. I liked his portrayal of Draken and he looks so good with a partially shaved head! I also liked Ryo's Mikey and Takumi's Takemichi. The music was good and added to the film, but no particular song stood out.

DISLIKES:
The Director in this had some faults, like how long he has some characters have a reaction in certain situations. In particular the director failed with how Takemichi handled some situations and same with Hina. I was literally yelling at the screen for them to shut up and get moving. I never read the manga, so my review is solely based on the movie itself. The actors don't look like they are teenagers. If you compare Tong: Memories cast against the cast of Tokyo Revengers, the Tong cast look more like teenagers than these guys. Also the beginning of the movie almost made me not watch it, but as I'm a fan of Yamada Yuki, I stuck with it. The beginning was dumb, but I'm glad I kept watching. I didn't feel any connection between Takemichi and Hina, their romance part of the movie failed. They had no chemistry, but she was needed as the explanation as to why Takemichi was so driven to change outcomes. The ending was barely satisfactory, but left too many unanswered questions.

OVERALL: A good watch with fun fight scenes/violence. I hope they make a sequel to expand on the storyline. I would recommend watching it and I will rewatch it just for Yuki's character.

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Another version of 50 first date but reverse version, where the one got amnesia is the man.

Sometimes I wonder, if I myself got this illness what will I do...? Will I got frustrated like Lu Yao (LY) or I'll be chill and life my live normally like Lucy Whitmore in 50 first date. And if that happen to me will I find the love just like those 2...?

Love is really magical, it can make you remember little thing about the one you love, like LY always remember Xing Yue (XY) deep down his memories.

The only problem I have with this movie is why they have to continue the last 30 min of this movie. Why don't they stop when LY & XY together. Yeah that last 30 minute is the one make this movie more memorable, so I don't know is that bad or good thing about this movie. But overall I really happy I found this movie...

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This was a strange little movie. A 19-year-old art student falls in love with a man twice his age. And the man, an art photographer, falls for him, too. But then the man is transferred to another city. What now? And... that's the movie.

What was interesting to me? That the student's, Yoichi's, loved ones didn't care about the fact that he fell for a man or that the man could be his father, they were simply glad that Yoichi finally felt something for anyone. Yoichi was namely very, very closed off because of what happened to his family years back so seeing him finally come out of his shell? That was enough for those who took care of him to be grateful so they all supported his feelings. That was a nice change from the usual hateful reaction of various family members in other dramas.

Also! This movie features Shiono Akihisa AKA Toujo from Zettai BL! He plays another gay character here because his Fujimoto also falls for Yoichi.

Overall, not a bad movie. Very quiet and atmospheric sice it mostly takes places in or around Yoichi's house with cicadas chirping in the background...

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De-cluttering your life can be very depressing

This movie is called Happy Old Year but does not seem to have an ounce of happiness in it... As you rather need to be completely heartless to lead a minimalist lifestyle or you have to confront all you past memories and well some of those can hurt like h*** and be the very reason you want to de-clutter your life in the first place.

The move is really well made and does a great job conveying emptiness, loss, sorrow as well as invite the viewers in to the female leads mindset. It is complex very artistic and beautifully filmed. I would say this is a high quality movie, it is not very entertain, not very touching either for that matter but the emotions are there the acting is spot on and I do feel al lot of emptyness and pain after watching this,

Though I could relate to the need to cut people and things out of ones life, since I too have cut people out of my life and though I do live in Sweden, I feel that I am not heartless enough for the minimalist lifestyle, though I do like to have free space I would like to introduce the concept of storage rooms, they rock, and keep you from having to deal with things.

So if you are in the mood for some painful de-cluttering this is definitely a one of a kind movie worth watching!

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BE GAY, DO CRIME AT IT'S HISTORICAL FINEST~~

Much sexy, much love, much wow.
Nothing beats having two lesbians happily in love and a happy ending.
do...

The sound of bells and the peaceful moon at the end do justice to the storyline, a beautiful way to drop the curtains. Although yes the movie should be tagged mature for the content.
When you start the movie you feel like a simple con movie? That's it? But at the end who gets coned for real is the real deal. In the end, you feel like no I can not continue this but pleasant it has been.

The complicated nature of humans comes to the surface in this stellar movie. Respect for the actors.

If you think about it, LOVE was what saved them, if both of them continued their initial scheme, they wouldn't have ended up together, if both of them viewed money as their ultimate goal, either one of them would've died. But they chose LOVE in the end, despite the odds, they believed in each other and I think... that's really beautiful. :') ♡

Plot twists at its best. :')

I would definitely recommend this to my fellow LGBTQ+ but only if they're above 21. ;)

To the people who made this film possible and my new women empowerment queen Jung Seo Kyung, kamsahamnida!

Sincerely,
Your gay mind blown viewer

Final Rating: 10/10

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A really funny comedy starring Hirose Suzu & Yoshizawa Ryo who didn't get their happy ending in Natsuzora - but they do here!

Suzu plays Nanase, the daughter of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, a genius death metal band leader, and Ryo plays Taku, her father's assistant, a guy with no presence whom everyone overlooks. When the CEO is targeted and set out to die in two days, these two have to band up together to save the day. Hilarity ensues, of course.

Gosh, I loved them two's hijinks! I honestly love it when Ryo plays nerds, he's always absolutely fantastic, and this part was no different. His "Ghost" - as everyone called him for his tendency to just fade into the background - is smart but very nerdy and timid while the heroine is also smart but very bulldozer like and rash and brash. It's water on my mill, honestly!

Also, the most hilarious plot point? When the heroine's father, the "dead" CEO, is revived... by TAKU's kiss, I kid you not! Why? Because they needed to kick start him with a shock and Taku was famous for his static electricity discharges that were so strong that when Taku and Nanase wanted to touch - or kiss - one of them had to stand with one bare foot on the ground to, well, ground them. This was so funny! Honestly, Ryo and his man-kissing. Is he actually aiming for some record?

Also, there are some really funny cameos, like by Satoh Takeru or Shison Jun or Matsuda Shota!

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桜のような僕の恋人

桜のような僕の恋人 I decided to watch this movie because of 中島健人 he is one of my favourite actors. I thought it would be a typical love story but it was a whole more than that.
The movie is about Haruto a normal person who has worked in many fields, one day he goes to this hairsalon and instantly falls in love with the hairdresser Misaki. The first day of his haircut she cuts his ear by mistake and then goes to apologise to him, he instantly asks her out on a date. Haruto who almost gave up his dream to become a photographer, begins to pursue his dream again and starts working at a photo studio, making mistakes but still not giving up.
Misaki on the other hand is diagnosed with a rear desease that ages her 10x faster than normal, she doesnt want to tell Haruto about it and breaks up with him.She is still in love with him and contantly wants to hear his voice and meet him.

This movie made me cry soooo much,Misaki is such a good actress and her role was played so well.Their love was definately a Love like the Falling Petals because everything about them connected to cherry blossoms❤️❤️❤️

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The best Chinese movie I have ever seen and I'm not kidding.

Try as I might, I usually find that, while Chinese movies may look nice, they usually have terrible plotting, writing, and acting. This little movie NAILS IT. It's a simple story about a 17-year old girl and boy trying to graduate from high school and becoming buddies in the process. It's slice of life. It doesn't try to be anything else, but it does what it does PERFECTLY. The acting of the female and male leads and the supporting cast is natural and nuanced. The plot subverts its own predictability to keep itself fresh the whole way through. There is beautiful camera work and a touching soundtrack (a little sweet perhaps but that's true to Chinese style I think). An excellent movie.

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ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I EVER WATCHED - THE HIGH RATING HERE ON MDL TOTALLY WELL DESERVED!!!

Wow, just wow. This movie is pure amazing. You HAVE to watch it, can't recommend it enough! Based on a true story, the movie tells about bullying in high school, where people are struggling for university exams. High school girl Chen Nian finds her bullied classmate lying dead on the ground on campus after suicide, and then she is subjected to severe bullying as well. She meets a tough guy from the streets, who she later asks if he can protect her, which he agrees to ... and a strong bond between the two grows, but then something dramatic happens.

This movie gave me a roller coaster full of emotions, on the deepest level! It made me so angry, sad and disturbed how people can be so cruel and heartless, many finding others in pain just amusing, something to laugh at! And it makes me speechless how people can just take photos of a dead body instead of calling the ambulance! Chen Nian was the only decent one, who covered her dead classmate's body with her jacket. But in midst of all misery, there is a glimpse of light and hope... this movie has lots of ugliness, but also lots of beauty. The most beautiful thing about Better Days, is the deep bond between Chen Nian and Xiao Bei / Bei Shan. Their bond is thicker than blood, they have a deep connection, like soulmates, it goes even deeper than that of lovers (its obvious they are in love with each other), rarely you find a special bond like this! At first, Chen Nian looked down on Xiao Bei for being poor, uneducated, having no goals in life, and just getting into fights. But when Chen Nian cannot anymore handle the severe bullying, she goes to him and ask him to protect her (which he offered her to do earlier but she declined), he agrees. And boy, he takes his "job" as protector very seriously and follows her around, walking always behind her. He is willing to go extreme lengths to keep her safe.

There is one particular scene that touched me so much, it gave me goosebumps! I don't want to spoil too much, but it was after Xiao Bei found Chen Nian all beaten up... so yeah, the scene involves Xiao Bei and Chen Nian, it was that moment that made their bond soooo deep, the deepest kind of bond! When seeing that beautiful, meaningful scene, I knew this movie would become one of my absolute favorite movies of all time and my absolute number 1 favorite asian movie!

I love that this movie is anti-bullying, it never blames the victim, all the blame goes to the bullies. I mean, this movie shows how some people puts some blame on the victim too, but the movie still manages to make it clear that how wrong it is for those kind of people to put blame on the victim. Chen Nian goes through hell, but some doesn't take it seriously and just says stuff like "they are just teenagers, they don't know any better, so let it just be". Luckily tho, not all are like that, for exemple the policeman Zheng Yi who really wants to help Chen Nian. He is speechless how people can defend the bullies, even more speechless how the bullies has not even a hint of remorse!

One evening, something very dramatic happens. And Xiao Bei's pure and deep love for Chen Nian makes him go great great lenghts for her. Better Days deals first of all about bullying, second is the relationship between Chen Nian and Xiao Bei, but I found both equally as important. The acting of Zhou Dong Yu (who potrayed as Chen Nian) and Jackson Yee (who potrayed as Xiao Bei) is amazing, the acting couldn't be more amazing. Actually, all actors did a wonderful job! And the cinematography is A++! Honestly, this movie is pure perfection that touched deeply my soul. There is absolute nothing I would wanna change. This movie made it even more impacrful because its based on a true story, wow. And can you believe this masterpiece almost was never released, because of chinese censorship?? I'm so thankful it was released, it would be like a huge crime to not release a amazing movie like this with such important message. Obs, if you decide to watch this, remember to NOT turn off the movie when the closing credits comes, there is a bit more to come. I will definitely be rewatching Better Days soon again, I can't get this art of movie out of my head.. it's just THAT great!! Everyone should watch this!

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Light Hearted, Comedy drama with a simple storyline

It's a simple hate turns into love story, pretty much predictable but has a lot of comedy and shows how popularity is not always good. I watched it for Chanyeol but liked the movie overall. Chanyeol's acting was great, he portrayed all the required emotions nicely. Many people are commenting about the actress' acting but it was also good. She was annoying in the beginning but had a good character growth later on. Also her chemistry with Chanyeol was nice. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a light hearted movie with humour and without any complexity.

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When I found out that the Japanese Signal was going to have a movie alongside a special, I was really happy. Since it probably gonna be long wait before we would ever get any news of a sequel on the original. And then I got curious on what kind of plot we'll get, since aside from the one used in the SP, I think there wasn't any other cases from the original that haven't been covered in the series. And it turned out that it'll be an original case.

Since the SP already implied that the corrupt politician who had been the bane for our pair of detective and profiler finally had their crimes revealed, it makes you wonder what else for our heroes to do. But it turned out that we still have the the underlings of the corrupt politicians and a whole new kind of villain. So I guess that's enough to set the stage for Oyama and Saegusa to work together again, as the SP left us with yet another cliffhanger.

So this time it was murders via poisonous gas and terrorism. A whole new story unconnected to the original kdrama plot. I guess they decided to base the movie plot to something that's familiar to the Japanese audience, cos the moment I see the mention of a poison gas and terrorism, I immediately thought about a Sarin gas attack that I once read in the news. And Jdramas really do love to reuse the plotwist about Public Safety being full of dark secrets.

Overall, it's a fine movie. It kinda took me a while to get used to seeing a much more excitable Oyama in the special and movie compared to the drama, but I guess with Oyama already getting fond of the adult Saegusa and his younger self I can't really blame Oyama to be super happy about being able to work together again with him.

There are some parts that I likes and some I didn't like, but the movie was quite decent. It's cool that BTS still contribute a song for the movie's ending cos I thought they just gonna reuse Don't Leave Me or something. We still got yet another cliffhanger--our faves can't seem to be able to meet properly--but that set a possibility of another sequel. Wishful thoughts, haha. Like I think I used to hear that there's a possibility for the kdrama to get a sequel after so long, so I guess they wanted to keep the open end to allow for such possibilities.

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