YueofBlueGables
There were many heartwarming moments in this dorama. It may look like it is going to be a dark story.. and it was sometimes, but only a little. Mostly of how it was filmed. I love the direction of this dorama. The change of lights whenever Maya was near. I love how it was filmed from below to make her seem more impressive, scarier.
Finally! I watched Amami Yuki in a dorama. She was imposing, elegant, lady-like, yet terrifying. Always mysterious, never cartoonish. The female version of Snape. Is she a bully? Is she a good person? On the other hand, Shida Mirai was by far the best child actor. Her tears were so good. Her cute face so adorable. I believed her character, and I never felt she was acting. It was like she was Kazumi, with that silly yet cute "tee-hee" expression. The other child actress that was very good was the one who played Shindo-san. Looked like an anime-character too. And maybe the top student, Nishikawa, was also good. All the other children were ok, some of them even MEH. Kaho was excellent as the older sister, as always. Made me cry a little bit with all her love for her sister. I love her relationship with Kazumi. A protective teenager of her little sister? Who was always there for her. I think I've never seen this kind of normal, yet heartwarming sibling relationship in a dorama yet.
The ED sequence was so good, I always watched it with a smile on my face. Amami Yuki moves so elegantly, she looked like a 90's Pop Princess.
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If I had to choose a drink, it would be HOT CHOCOLATE (warm and sweet).
If I had to choose something edible, it would be COTTON CANDY (fluffy).
I had a smile during all the first 12 episodes, it is that cute. The first 12 episodes were the cutest thing I've ever watched. I disagree with people saying that Naoki was an ass (ok he was, but he wasn't harmful, unlike **coughHyuugafromRMPWandDomyoujifromHYDcough**) and Kotoko certainly wasn't stupid nor stalker, just a teenager in love (if she was a stalker, I think me and hundreds of girls were/are stalkers in HS).
The love triangles that happen throughout the story were well done and not annoying at all, since nothing happens. Kin-chan is the sweetest second lead character I've seen so far, and it was hard not to root for him. But since Kotoko was my favorite character, and everything that made her happy was Naoki, I just had to root for Irie-kun, even if it was hard to do. Like in the final 4 episodes,which were by far my least favorite episodes and the reason I downgraded my rating.
I absolutely ADORED Miki Honoka as Kotoko. Any other actress would have made the character a silly, pathetic one. But thanks to Honoka, Kotoko is the most adorable heroine I may have seen in a dorama. So cute, so bubbly, so charming, so charismatic. Her expressions were so funny, so adorable. Her different hairstyles, her imperfect eyebrows... everything about her scream KAWAII.
Furukawa was good as well, since he didn't have to show much in his expressions, but my, he showed so much in his eyes. I only wished he wasn't that skinny, because he had the perfect height, and of course, a perfect English accent.
The only actor who wasn't so good was Sudo-sempai. He overacted too much, like an anime character. Like Oscar from Hana Kimi, only that in this dorama it looked ridiculous. Naoki's mother overacted a lot as well, but it suited the moment.
I LOVED the OP song and opening sequence. So cute.
As soon as I finished it, I wanted to watch it all over again. I am missing them so much, and it has only been a couple of days! No doubt I'll re-watch this. Very recommended **hearts**
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I wouldn't call it a comedy where you would laugh out loud, but it was entertaining, very slice-of-life-ish. I wonder if Maki Yoko can truly draw? Her work was very charming. And I also think she was the best in the trio, which surprised me since I thought she was too stoic in other works I've seen before. And this is unrelated to the movie, but I liked her voice as well.
The ending was so funny! I mean the outcome of Mizukawa XD
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Why? Because there is no awkwardness, no blushings, no exciting moments where one of them is thinking "does he/she likes me?". It is about honest love, where both characters get to know each other, like to quarrel and pretend they don't like each other, until someone else point the truth to both of them.
I honestly didn't think they suited each other: Yuriko is too robotic, methodical, and doesn't know when and how to read the mood. On the other hand, Takumi is a nervous hikkikimori. Do I need to add more? The last two people who want to find love, or expect for someone to love them. It took me a while to warm towards them, more specifically, it was episode 6 that changed everything. I find that episode the best, since it moved me to tears. I guess everything that relates to parents is poignant for me. But not only that, it is the episode where both Yuriko and Taniguchi start to change for better. By the end, the changes may not be OH WOW, WHAT A CHANGE, but they were significant, enough to make them more likable but still staying true to their essence.
Some situations were so funny. Like Taniguchi cooking for the family.
Cast: (9/10) Anne and Hasegawa Hiroki were perfect in their roles. I could actually see Anne as a robotic girl, and Hasegawa as a neurotic hikkikomori. I wish their respective other love interests weren't so attractive. How in the world someone as punk and pretty as Kaori (Kuninaka Ryoko) could hold a 15-year crush on someone like Takumi? How in the world someone as attractive and nice guy as Washio-kun (Nakajima Yuta) could fall in love with such a strange girl? These two may have been the nicest love interest both weirdos could find, but I couldn't root for them at all. And ok, Washio-kun may be an "ii-otoko" (as Takumi likes to say) but he was also kind of silly and also a wimp. What the need to cry at the end?? It was too much... not even Kaori cried.
This is the 3rd CURRENT drama I am watching with Matsushige Yutaka, he is like an Uncle to me XD Everything he does, he does it well. He does some funniest expressions without being too slapstick.
Takumi's mother (Fubuki Jun) is the Dorama Mother... I guess because she is perfect for that role.
I found Yuriko's mother (Wakui Emi) a bit annoying in the first couple of episodes, but later on I liked her role. I love that not only Yuriko likes to talk to her, but her father as well. Isn't that cute? She is dead, btw. She plays a ghost-like.
Music: (5/10) OMG, the OP song was ridiculous, but guess what, it totally match the dorama. It is silly and olfashioned, just like the characters of Yabushita and Taniguchi. The ED song was better, though.
I absolutely love that this was set in Yokohama, such a beautiful city! In Christmas time it looks sooo pretty. BEAUTIFUL.
The ending was good, but for anyone who wants more -like me-, the SP is a must.
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And a Korean-actor was cast, maybe to have a wider audience? The English he and Michelle speak was not bad, but it wasn't too good either. Which wouldn't have bothered me at all except that they talked in whispers! I had to come closer to the screen to understand at least half of it... and they were supposed to talk in English every day or so... ha! As if.
I loved the contest they have at school, it is one of my favorite plot to watch in a live-action. Kinda like HanaKimi, where there are several groups that compete against each other, in the silliest games! My favorite part of the movie! My least favorite: everything that was about Michelle and her brother. What a pain, it dragged so much sometimes. I wanted more Host Club, more Tamaki-Haruhi, not more about a girl with the most terrible hair (seriously, how could she comb that tangled mess??) and with a brother complex.
I wish the scriptwriter had chosen another arc instead of that... nevertheless, it was good to see the gang again XD
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So once the shock of watching such a LQ dorama passed, I was hooked with the story. It has a Mexican soap opera feeling; the angles of the camera, the old soundtrack, the clothes... Even that apple in the middle of anything was so soap-opera-ish. I did not understand what it meant, although after half of the episodes, I kind of understood (the banner says "True love never runs smooth"; and it is obvious Teppei's and Riko's is True Love).
The story is a slice of life, a romantic one with several misunderstandings. Because the dorama has 11 episodes only, the misunderstandings don't last long (thankfully), but they happen one after the other.
All I can say is that the script was so well done I was immediately hooked, and it did not matter that I did not like most of the characters. Out of 5, I liked 2. I disliked the others intensely.
Who I liked?
- Riko, played by Matsu Takako. She can act, that is a big plus. Besides, I liked her personality. I like that she was so different from Sanae, that she was so easy-going and mostly annoying, but at least, very honest. Every time she cried, I was tearful. Poor girl, she suffered so much, but she never gave up! I admired her, because if I was her, I would have given up since episode 3.
- Eriko: Her best friend, interpreted by Fujiwara Noriko. She was a cheerful girl who was always there to support Riko-chan.
Before I start with the "who I did not like", I want to say that Kimura looked his best here. Not only he is younger (duh), but once he cuts his hair (or it is cut by someone else hehe) he looks really good. Nice haircut, simple but very sexy.
So...
Who I did not like?
- Teppei: while it may be true that KimuTaku looks his best here, it is also not his best role. Sure, Teppei is a "kakkoi" guy, he is a hard-worker, a nice friend and co-worker (what guy would be so nice to not have yelled at the girl who cut his glorious hair?). He also has his moments where the female audience would go "awwww" (such as when he hugs Riko from behind.. or when he runs to her hometown once he hears she is having an omiai). I had Shingo in mind during these scenes. There was a corner in SMAPxSMAP where the guys had to decide between A or B, which action is best liked by women? And according to Shingo, he had Kimura's characters in mind to decide, because Kimura's character are like, the epitome of Hero in a Romance. Well, not really. Teppei is not only a lecher, but an awful boyfriend. He makes Riko suffer constantly; he plays two sides. The only option Riko had was to trust him, and how could she? Even I had my doubts whether he really loved her or not. And once he hurt her, and she ran away, he went after her to do, what? To stay in front of her and be quiet? Say something, damn it!
Another thing I hated about him, but I guess it is all Kimura's, is that bad habit he has to smoke every damn time. In the office. Inside the taxi. At the bar. In his department. I hate smoking, and I hate that Kimura has, in that time already, smoker mouth (gray lips, stained teeth). Not appealing at all.
- Soichiro: what can I say, the Katagiri brothers are the worst. After he commits the worst crime a man can do to his fiancee, he has the nerve to ask for forgiveness. What an ass.
- Sanae: although she is nice and does not have ill intentions towards Riko, I could not stand her. The main reason is that I hate her type: perfect ex-girlfriend, perfect housewife, soft-spoken, always there with Teppei even when they have broken years ago. So fragile she needed Teppei (Te-chan **sneer**) always there for her (and the stupid guy who had to comfort her even when his Girlfriend was there suffering). Besides, first she "loves" Soichiro; then turns out, she has always loved Teppei, and at the end, she wants to try things over with Soichiro. Make up your mind, woman!
To me, the story was somewhat similar to Inuyasha (I love that manga/anime). Teppei is like Inuyasha (although Inuyasha was more sensible, and he truly appreciated Kagome), even their personalities were alike: serious, rescuing whoever needed him. Riko is like Kagome, suffering because her love one cannot forget his first love. And although she suffers and cries because of him, she cannot go away. Better to suffer than not being with him. I cannot say Sanae is like Kikyo because she is not... at all.
There is not a single boring moment on these 11 episodes; true, there were times where I was biting my nails because of certain misunderstandings (although I was always rooting for Riko, and if she misunderstood something, it was for a good reason). I would recommend it to people who likes or liked to watch Latin soap operas.
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It may be dull to watch a movie where the entire story happens inside a small, dark room, but Kisaragi proves the opposite. The script was very good, well paced, and I love the mystery. Not predictable at all. I was finding out the truth along the guys. The plot is the kind I love to read in books.
The actors were all good in their parts. Heck, another movie with Oguri Shun :S but his role was very different from the kind I saw so far: not cocky, not cool, just a fanboy happy to celebrate his favorite idol gravure's anniversary death.
It is funny because currently I am reading a book about idols, and almost everything they say in the movie about the girl's life is in the book...
Very recommended. Only 5 guys inside a room, trying to solve a mystery. But how the mystery is portrayed was spectacular XD
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Sengyou Shufu Tantei ~Watashi wa Shadow
1 people found this review helpful
This kind of drama suits Fukada Kyoko so well. She is stunning, looks like a doll. Acts like a doll too, sometimes very wooden. And she loves to pout, but she does it so well! She is perfect for a simple-minded character. Recently I watched "Please love the useless me" (which was good, btw) and I said that Shunin was like Buchou, a little bit. And surprise! She has a dorama with Buchou, nonetheless.
I liked the show, otherwise I wouldn't have finished it in a couple of days. It was light, as light as a dorama about cheating husbands can be. Kiritani Kenta runs an agency that investigates extra-marital affairs. Serina comes to work for him, and in the meantime, disguises herself to be close to her husband in his office. So while she is in disguise most of the times, it was pretty much the same outfit, not all the variety that shows in the poster, which was a bit disappointing.
I hate love triangles, and even if the two guys are these 2 hotties, I couldn't like it. Besides, for the first time, I had a 2nd-lead-syndrome. Guy 1 is a jerk, does not appreciate Serina, takes her for granted, commits the biggest treason, does not deserve her love. Guy 2 has a lot more chemistry with her, is the only really likable character among punchable characters, and what is more, is not a jerk.
And Serina... my, I wanted to shake her so badly many times through the drama. All she says is "Fumi-kun, Fumi-kun". She is very in love with her husband, to the point where she looks obsessed. She is the sweetest, but also a stupid, weak, and too forgivable. She does nothing. This is supposed to be the journey of a dependable woman that becomes stronger, but if stronger means turning right... (???) Every day she is watching her husband with his boss, flirting or not, sharing a mascot charm strap, etc, etc, and she does nothing except mope. Gawd, it was infuriating.
Terrible ending. She does not change at all. Oh, and btw, her father is another big jerk! Can't recommend this to any feminist. The romance is super offensive. Taking aside that offensive fact, Serina in cover + some cases were amusing to watch.
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I liked the characters so much. The cast was OK, but not perfect. But the characters were very likable! Let's start with Horikita Maki. I don't find her a good actress, to be honest. She is very stiff. Her talent, however, is that she is extremely charming. Maybe she was extra kawaii in this dorama, or maybe she improved in her acting, but I think this was her best role so far -not that I have seen many of her works, mind you.- Chisato was a very likable character: a bit tough, a bit soft, and not annoying at all! So different from her role in HanaKimi. Unlike in other doramas, I understand why the boys ended up loving her.
The boys... At first none of them make a good impression. Takeru (Okada Yoshinori) is a yankee that is hard on Chisato since Day 1. Satoru (Seto Koji) is a hikikomori with the worst kind of hairstyle, which was a shame because he has an adorable face -though a bit feminine-. Akira (the youngest son) was a bit stiff and it seemed like he was going to be a brat. Masaru (Yamamoto Yusuke) is a model who has a woman-phobia, and looked like a drag-queen. Sho (Osamu Mukai) is a playboy who likes money only, and is father of a boy. The older brother takes longer to show, only bits here and there, and at first he looked like he was going to be trouble.
The secondary characters were also charming: from Kyoko, Sinzo-san's (father of the boys and husband of Chisato for a month until he dies) secretary, to the kogal that works at the store. I have to say that the actress who played Kyoko (Takashima Reiko) is so elegant! And looks like an older version of Sawajiri Erica...
It was strange to see Horikita Maki with that guy Yamamato (Sinzo's other secretary), now that they are married. But well, his role was ok and he grew on me. Kind of.
So the challenges that Chisato had to face were silly, so what? I loved the Mother's Goals. Not so much at first, but from #3 or so, when they boys decided to help her, it became funny and entertaining. Slowly all boys started to be nice and sweet. Since they are almost all the time together, it was easy to see and accept their bond. I liked them all, even Akira (it is just that the boy could not act, poor child), but my favorites were Sho and Takeru. Sho because Osamu Mukai looked his best here; he was such a handsome guy! And Takeru because he was damn funny, and his bromance with Sho were just the best. Next in line is, surprisingly, Fuu. He seemed very disagreeable at first, but actually he was a nice guy! I don't know if it was for that, but now I like Kaname Jun more than I used to.
There is a lot of bromance (Sho/Takeru and Masaru/Satoru). There is a lot of fanservice (the guys spent most of their time in their spa, ergo, half naked). There are lot of scenes that could have been cheesy, but were not (all the times that they referred to them being a family. Or Chisato remembering her time with Sinzo-san). There is also a bit of incest, if it can be called like that (Chisato and her father. Three of her "sons" falling for her). Lots of unrealistic moments (Kyoko showing up from nowhere. Inoue the ninja maid. Hidden treasures. The castle itself). A bit of allusions to other doramas (actually, just one that I remember, and it is at the final episode where Yamamoto Yusuke poses as his character in HanaKimi... I loved that part!). And there is actual romance, not just an allusion to it (TWO kisses! and many moments together
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What is so great about this show?
**Cast/Actors**
I don't think I have ever watched a show with such a colorful characters. Sure they may be the stereotypical ones -the energetic one, the funny, one, the playboy one, etc- but it worked. And most of them had a story going on, so we get to know them. It is funny because I was reading this forum in tokunation after I finished the episodes, and there was some really heavy discussion about Daigo being "too perfect". I wasn't bothered by it in the least. In fact, to me it made perfect sense, and I will say why.
Because to me, the characters of ZSK were based on "One Piece".
Huh? Some will say. And no, I am not a OP hardcore fan. Yes I like it, but not to the point of seeing resemblance to OP in every corner. Only in ZSK I felt that way, and only regarding the personality of characters. For example:
- Daigo/Luffy: both are "Red" and the leader of the team. Both are very energetic and also very excited about everything (battles, their nakamas, etc). Daigo's outfit, especially the red vest, is very similar to Luffy's vest. Most of the battles are won by Daigo/Luffy.
- Ian/Sanji: both are the "playboy" of the team. Ian is Black; Sanji always wears a black suit. Both of them have part of their bang falling above their left eye.
- Souji/Zoro: both are good at sword. Souji is Green, while Zoro has green hair and mostly green outfit. Both are serious and don't talk much. Souji did not get along with Ian at first; Zoro and Sanji are constantly fighting. Souji lives in a dojo; Zoro grew up in one until he decided to go out to become the best at sword.
- Nossan/Ussop: both have curly black hair. Nossan is known for telling old man's jokes; Ussop is known for lying. Both are the comic relief of their respective series. Nossan is the Blue K.; Ussop wears wrist-bands that have blue on them. But most of the times, Nossan wears pants and shoes of the same color as Ussop's outfit.
- Amy/Nami: even their names sound similar. Both are kind of tomboys girls; Amy is a rich girl while Nami loves money the most. Both of them are the only girl in the team for a long time.
- Uchy/Chopper: both of them are "different" from the others (Uchy because he comes from another time; Chopper because he is a talking-animal). Both are cute and very innocent.
- Yayoi/Robin: both are the last girl to join; both are somewhat nerdy. Yayoi is Violet K.; Robin wears violet clothes.
So that's it. These are my thoughts about the resemblances. Not much, but episode after episode I couldn't help but comparing both of them.
I looooove the actors. I was impressed by Daigo's energy. Man, that actor was the most energetic MC or what! Even when he was dancing it was with all his might. All of them were really good at fighting; Amy knew how to cry, and man, that Saito Syusuke (Ian) is the most handsome Japanese guy or what! All in all, I have to admit that, although I love everyone of them (not only the Kyoryugers, but everyone! From Candelira to the weakest monster) my favorites were Uchy, Ian and Nossan. I love that, although Ian and Daigo and Souji are young boys, they do not look girly, nor too boyish, but men. Which is something that bothers me about the next Sentai show (Resshai something... TOQrangers or similar). The red ranger looks like a girl! And I saw in some videos that he even wears lipstick... I can't imagine Daigo or Ian or Souji putting themselves lipstick... which, all in all, make them manly even though they are super young.
**Story**
It wasn't complicated, it did not have many twists but it was enjoyable, all 30 minutes of it. Definitely a show for either kids or adults. Or kids AND adults. It wasn't only about the Kyoryugers defeating the bad guys: it was also about Daigo and his father; about Ian looking for revenge (and that last scene with Aigaron was touching or what!); Souji attempting to be a better swordman; Nossan trying to hide from his sister that he was a Kyoryuger. I love that Candelira and Luckiero weren't bad and have their HEA. I love the little tease between Candelira and Nossan. I love the Spirit Rangers.
**Opening and ending sequence**
May be the first time I watched the entire show (all 48 episodes of it) from beginning to end. I LOVE the songs; they are so energetic! Wait, am I repeating the word "energetic" over and over again? That is because the whole show was full of energy! It doesn't have a single dull moment, and the opening and ending sequence may be the most excited of all. I love the little kids, and newly-married couple, and basically, everyone that dance at the end. I've read that some sentai heroes from other shows also appeared dancing at the end; isn't that just too cool?
**Henshin!**
What at awesome transformation! With a samba dance. It was so funny and so much fun, to watch the 6 Kyoryugers dancing and shout "fire!" to become Kyoryugers. And when it needed to happen, also when Yayoi, and Torin, and the old guys, had to dance as well. I love that the Henshin is included in the little dance at the end.
**Everything that is MECCHA and whatever**
Ok, so I am not really an expert in that area, but it was so much fun the gun + the little pills to transform and fight, and the meccha part (where all parts of a dinosaur join together to become a gigantic robot). Ahh the memories! When I used to watch Power Rangers, the American edition, when I was younger...
I did not want the series to end :( I can't believe 48 episodes went to fast. Luckily I still have 3 more movies, but still :( Super recommended
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"ah, I want a teacher like Hara-sensei when I was in school" (he loves his students, he gives wonderful and encouraging speeches, and he is so cute <3).
"ah, I want to have students like them" (they were all nice people and honest and not one of them was mean and they were all fighting to have a good time in their first year as co-ed).
"ah, I want classmates like them when I was in school" (they were all fun and supportive).
There are like 12 students that are the main students in the drama, and each one of them contributed to the story. There are silly and fleeting romance stories between them: one day A loves B, next day B loves C, so A falls for D, and so on. Still, their friendship was never fleeting; this was a classroom to remember fondly in the future. I specially teared up when the transsexual student came out of the closet and all her classmates were like "we knew and that's ok". Same when her father, who at first refused to acknowledge his beautiful son loved to dress as a girl, finally embraced the reality and said "thank you for pretending to be a boy all these years till now". What a beautiful quote.
The script was beautiful, nothing corny about it. I can safely say that this drama is one of the best school comedy in Jdramaland. This one deserves more love! When I was in ep. 6 or so I was already a bit sad since it was almost the end.
Nishikido Ryo was lovely as Hara-sensei. No wonder his student fell for him. Not only he is a kind person, his smile is bright and he loves what he does. And I love Hachiya-sensei's love story with him. The kabe-don, and the grip in the train, and all her craziness. And of course, she looked so pretty with that short hair. It suits her heart-shaped face. Really, I loved everything about her, from her face to her personality to her weird clothes. And she must be super-tiny because Ryo is short, but he was at least one head taller than her O_O
The principal (Namase Katsuhisa) suits this kind of role perfectly. He wasn't annoying (like his role in Gokusen), and his talk-show was very funny. First time I liked all teachers in a school drama! And all these students too... I loved them all. I have seen most of them is small guest roles in other dramas, so I am happy to know that they are doing well, being still young.
Music was ok, I didn't pay much attention to K8' song but I know it suited the fun, vibrant life of school-life.
Mini-reunion: Ryusei Ryo (my boy!) with another Kyoryuger member.
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But the plot was very weak. Everything that happened was soooo Latin Soap Opera-like:
- The two main characters don't like each other at first.
- There is a love triangle.
- There is the evil, rich, beautiful rival, who makes the hero believed he slept with her (at least, it wasn't a fake pregnancy, but I think it was only due lack of time).
- The hero changes and realizes he loves the girl.
- He makes sure to tell her in a party, in front of hundreds of people.
- Wedding.
MEH. And sorry Ohkura, but the guy you interpreted was a jerk. He did not know that he actually did not sleep with the "evil woman". But I guess he would never tell Saya about it, and hello, that is cheating. It was not like they took a break and he was a free guy. That bothered me immensely.
Not my kind of "romance".
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There are a lot of: tears, clenched fists, yells, listening while hidden, fights, overreact. Most of the tears are lame, and in group. The only guy that moved me with his tears was Mizusawa, the gay guy (poor actor, is he fated to play gay roles all his life? First Takumi series, now this...) I liked his story, how he was rejected and how the guys reacted. Not because it was good, but because it was the most real scene I saw in the whole dorama. The guys in the team were scared to be labeled as gays as well, and were a little bit cold towards him. Of course everything ends well, with them accepting Mizusawa and blah, blah, and again, with a predictable scene where all of them are crying and asking Mizusawa to please not quit the team.
The listening behind doors are mostly done by the teachers, more specially the one played by Kuninaka Ryoko. I thought Akira's role was going to be good, but alas, he ended up being the cliched good teacher who touches his student's hearts (why? he didn't spend that much time with them, he wasn't prepared to be their coach. But all of them accepted and liked him enough to shed tears only because he "worked hard" by researching for their performance). It was silly, and he looked even more silly because he looked like Dave Grohl in "Learn to Fly" or any one of his videos where he plays dumb characters.
Overreacts... gawd, these guys liked to throw punches and kicks just because. It was so stupid. Like for example, one of them is walking down the streets, there is a group of yankees, one of them bumps his shoulder and the result? A fight. Most of the chapters ended with some of them with bruises/blood in their faces (the ending involves with ALL of them with bruises).
Yamamoto Yusuke surprised me with this role... in a bad way. He spends most of the time shouting. Most of the time glaring. But so what, he is always the good guy who helps and supports his friends **eye-roll** The villains were so cartoonish, with their "evil" smile and of course, they all redeemed themselves at the end.
Kaku Kento and Sato Jiro... the only two characters who were the comedic relief, so of course that involved A LOT of overacting. Minna, this wasn't an anime. This wasn't a comedy dorama. They looked stupid instead of funny.
Tomiura Satoshi, who played the cute character... yes, he is cute and I wanted to pinch his cheeks a couple of times, but gawd, his voice! Does he really talk like that, like he is 5 years-old? he was like 19 in that time, he couldn't have NOT broken his voice yet.
Seto Koji... I don't have any complains, he (along with Daito Shunsuke) were probably the best. Although he did cry too much for my liking. Gawd, did they have to cry so much??
I am sure that Daito and Kaku Kento were picked for their talent in acting only, since they barely did any tumbling. In general, the tumbling was super amateurish. But overall, since the actors did them all by themselves, it was, if not impressive, at least remarkable.
11 episodes felt too long... I fast-forwarded the last 2 episodes. This wasn't for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
To FX: is Guo Baokun a joke to you? :/
In spite of its flaws, JoL is still one of the best cdramas this year. I admit there are many things I was not a fan of but can't deny I enjoyed every episode (except maybe the arc with the Ming family) and I even cried a couple of episodes (ep9 with DZ and ep32 with Wang'er). JoL has so many endearing characters that every time we had a comeback of someone familiar I was like "Fei Jie!" or "Uncle Wuuuu!". Even with the Royal Princess, who has a much better hairdo this season XDOf this season, I like that FX does not feel so much like a Gary Stu. Yes, he is loved/hated by many, but also many are just using him. And I like the difference between young FX and older FX.. he is not that cocky and arrogant as before; he matured and has seen the dark side of the world and of the people, of course he will be more serious and less playful. I love to see a MC that witness injustice and does something about it; he would have been besties with Wei Wuxian.
I also like that this season it does not feel like a harem like in S1. I am a fan of Wang'er-FX pairing, I think they match perfectly and while I adore Haitang DuoDuo, she feels more like a buddy, a best friend kind of gal.
As for its flaws, the pacing was all over the place, each arc takes a couple of episodes and then it is forgotten, like what was the point? Except maybe for S3. But the brothel arc, the examination arc, the court arc, there are so many arcs and then the main characters of that arc kind of disappear (like the princess from Northern Qi, hello?). And not only that, what was the "mission" of Guo Baokun and FZ? As much as I love FZ, his travel to Northern Qi took like a day for us audience, so it was a puzzle that he changed so much and "experienced" the lives of the people there. And frankly, I feel a bit sad fo GB because the whole S2 ended and FX STILL did not freed his father :(
The OST is ok, nothing memorable unlike S1. But what bothered me the most was the change of Ye Ling's actress. This one was so bad and nothing like Ye Ling at all. I didn't like the new Prince Li and new Yao Bingyun either (he wasn't as serious and rigid as the 1st one) but it was acceptable, unlike the change of Ye Ling.
I also didn't like the PP... I was unpleasantly surprised by it. Yoghurt in JoL? Are you kidding me -_-
But still, the acting + the mystery of the grand-masters and Uncle Wu and the awesome cliffhanger at the end left me very satisfied IN SPITE of having more questions than answers.
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This review may contain spoilers
Best Singing Competition Show... ever
There is no other competition show as good as this one. You will just watch the performances in awe, all of them. All 36 contestants are not only sweet and attractive, but they are all talented as heck and you can see how much they love what they do. The only reason the final does not have 36 Principals, ergo, Winners, is just because of the lack of confidence and/or experience... ALL of them are wonderful, and I love that each one of them had a moment where they shine on stage.Prior starting this, I was a fan of Ayunga and Zhou Shen. I was also familiar with Gao Tianhe (because of TTXS) and Zheng Yunlong (because of YunCiFang). After finishing this, I became a fan of maybe 95% of them. Like Wang Xi... the moment he sung the first note, I was in love. I think he shines best as a solo, instead of in a group, but I loved how he supported ZS who had little confidence in himself.
Yu Di was so consistent and each of his performances was a standing ovation one. I guess I loved the most experienced artists (they were unbeatable), like him, Wang Kai, YunCiFang and Wang Xi. In that sense it was amazing to see Cai-Cai, who was one of the youngest, to perform each time like a pro. Still, there are others not that experienced but still performed like stars, like Li Qi (that voice! Their renditon of "The Sound of Silence"... wow); Liao Jialin (he suited Wang Kai so well); Zhai Lishuotian (he was born to be on stage).
I looove the bond btw Ayunga and Dalong, and how much they love the art of musicals. They were the harshest judges on themselves, and the best mentors on the younger guys in their team. Each of their duets was a pleasure to watch (their chemistry!) and there is no doubt Ayunga was the star of the show. The judges adored him and the competitors were always clapping for him. Ayunga singing in French? His French wasn't as good as the other two but who cares when his harmonizations are the best? The rendition of "I'll cover you" with ZYL... how much they improved from their uni days!
I love that there is no elimination (all 36 are there till the end) and I am thrilled that this show made them popular and made bel canto and musicals a much popular genre in China. The guys were mostly there to make this art more well known and to improve themselves. I am not lying when I say I am rooting for each one of them (ok, not so much for Gao Tianhe haha, such a diva) and I looove that the Professor Liao who was also a judge, made some good advices and even invited the 1975 children :) and even Yu Di got some job offers! I love it :)
I wish I could read more about each one of them and see what are they performing now, if they are still in this bussiness and what happen to each one of them. At least we still have Yuncifang and Zhou Shen and Wang Xi **teary-eyes**
There are 2 versions, the normal one (1hr30min each ep) and the extended one (2hrs each ep approx). I wish I could watch the extended version, but the subs in youtube are not synchronized, while in DM are ( the normal version). So please watch this amazing show on Dailymotion... YT also mutes some performances.
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