That aside, I didn't feel like this was complete by the end. I think the drama was too short for its story, which by itself was very good, but it needed much more time to achieve its potential. Because the story is neither plain nor simple, it needed room to grow and flesh out all of its intricacies that were there originally, but never really expanded upon.
The casting was perfect. I felt every actor lived up to their characters, however again going back to the time constraint I don't feel like I really got as attached and invested in them as I should have. I feel this way especially with Kuma-chan, who was such a fantastic character (superbly represented by Chiba Yudai, who really showed off his acting skill here), but got barely any screen time. The moments we got with him were some of the best, however.
The music sometimes felt like it ebbed into spots awkwardly, and sometimes it felt like it was missing. To be honest, the only time I really paid any attention to it was when one of the characters were singing, because it was a part of them and their dialogue.
I did enjoy this, however. Someday I may rewatch it, because it really was very interesting and I loved all of the characters, but it won't be for quite a while I think. Knowing all of the twists takes something out of the viewing experience. If you have some time, I recommend giving it a try.
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Similaresque to RH+, this is primarily a bromance drama, centered entirely on boys. In fact, the only women in the story at all are their mother and two spooky twin girls who come bearing deadly jellybeans (yes, you heard that right). While I love a good romance, bromances have always had a special place in my heart and they are shockingly hard to come by. This one is perfect, beautiful, sweet, and with all the touching "group hug"/"protective!older brother scenes a girl could hope for. Seriously, this is maybe even better than RH+ for brotherly scenes, and I thought RH+ was awesome.
The basic plot itself is a bit trite, carrying on the overdone theme of bad guys think Japan is overrun with worthless losers. Consequently they have decided that the world should be remade in their image. The story throws in a neat little twist though with how the bad guys decide to RESOLVE their little problem. Instead of killing off the losers, they are killing off the ones they want to save. Let's just say you'll have to see it to get the idea -- telling any more would blow the story. There are a few plot holes left unresolved at the end (such as who the two little girls were and how Yuuki was chosen for the program), but it more or less was finished at the end. I would have watched a lot more had they chosen to develop it, but I wasn't left feeling completely unsatisfied.
The acting is pretty good, and certainly on the medium to good end of Japanese stories. This surprised me a bit because I thought the story was probably low-budget. Not because of its quality but because these kinds of stories aren't usually the movie-of-the-year ones. But they managed to pull off pretty good technical settings and hired semi-good actors. In fact, the main characters were excellent, it was just the 2ndary people that sometimes dropped the ball. All in all, I was happy with the casting and filming.
Definitely a re-watch (I've already done so twice with my favorite parts). It's a little more thought-provoking than RH+, but still a pretty fast watch. All together the show is only about 4.5 hours, and that moves pretty quickly. Honestly, it ends at horrible cliff hangers usually, which kept me coming back for more so I watched it straight through. This isn't light and fluffy, but it has it's moments. Kind of a show for a dark rainy night when you are by yourself and just want something a little scary and a little warm and snuggly all at the same time.
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This review may contain spoilers
A low budget drama with a soul (and death and brotherhood and symbolic meaning)
This series was surprisingly good.It can be said the production had a very limited budget. This is particularly evident in the sets, which often seem empty, or in the lack of actors to play minor roles. Yet they manage to tell a meaningful story.
The drama was dark, sad and more serious than I expected. Although I'm not easily moved, I admit that I almost cried at the end of some episodes (and it's not easy to do that in 20 minutes). There are a lot of deaths and each one is heavy for the characters and the audience to bear.
But the most interesting thing is not the story itself, but the message it conveys. Many people are bothered by some strange aspects of the story, but you have to accept that this story is written to tell you something else. You can see from the quotes in each episode that the writer and producer had something to say, and even the charaters' names aren't random. (If you don't want to be spoiled, skip the next paragraph.)
The series talks about two types of death: The death of society and the death of the individual. Which is the worst? The story pits Kuma-chan and Tsubasa against each other. Kuma-chan wants to “sacrifice himself” to “save his country”, like kamikazes (“fallen angels” are these sacrificed souls). Tsubasa chooses to live to find happiness with his family in a crumbling society that he cannot change on his own. There are many parallels with World War II, but also an overall reflection on Japanese society itself, and how Japan continues to sacrifice its own people for its interests (the father and son's story says a lot about how society pressure people to be performant.)
Indeed, there is too much to say in too few episodes, so it's a bit rushed. For example, the burden Tsubasa bears due to his intelligence is not mentioned enough. The identity disorder experienced by Umi would also need to be further developed. There are a few plot holes, but they did the best they could with what they had and this series was lovingly made. It could have been ridiculous, but even the candy manages to pose a real threat and cause tragic events. The music is really moving and always used at the right time. It really helps to feel invested.
Let's also say that the actors did a remarkable job. Although I love Japanese films and dramas, I have to admit that many actors overdo their roles. In Fallen Angel, each character is very well represented. Their feelings and reactions seem coherent, logical, never too much or too little. This helps us easily believe the unbelievable.
Most importantly, this is the cutest, most sincere brotherly love I've seen in a long time. The way Tsubasa strokes Umi's hair with tenderness or carries him on his back, the little secret he whispers in her ear... you can also tell that Tsubasa and Riku know each other very well by very few words and gestures . This helps the viewer feel invested and will make the final message more powerful.
It's not a perfect serie, but it's a very enjoyable and unique serie with cute bromance and tragic situations. The actors are extraordinary, the story is meaningful and it help to forget the cheap budget. Definitely worth watching.
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Basically, I loved the brothers dynamic and even beyond that human experimentation is my favorite topic that's why I love Japanese stories like Final Life . But Final Life is shot well and it's more recent so naturally more stunning but Fallen Angel has a kind of indie feel to it.
The story is basically about people's obsession with intelligence, and a lot of Asian dramas deal with this topic in a phenomenal way like the Thai series Gifted and Japanese Final Life I mentioned earlier.
Basically two brothers are living ordinary lives when suddenly after having disappeared when he was a kid, the youngest brother appears all hurt and not in great shape.
And then there are people who want to capture the youngest brother so the older brothers end up being forced into abandoning their lives so they could go on the run in order to save the youngest from the antagonists.
Anyway, I really thought the actors on the whole did a solid job and the script was good if not outstanding.
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I would defiantly re-watch this show and I would love a second season to be honest.
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