That was so cute! Yoshizawa Ryo as Yori, a shy, introverted student in love with an up and coming actress, his childhood crush. Yeah, yeah, cliché, I know, I get it... but I can't get enough of "the ugly duckling is actually a swan" trope, so sue me!

And this had some really sweet scenes regarding the Reveal(TM). First when Yori crashed into the director and lost his glasses and the director went all O.O! And then, when said director allowed Yori to be the stand-in for a famous actor who left the set prematurely, before the filming was done, and when they prepped him up and he walked in, when the whole crew went O.O!!! It had me all a-giggle! Because Yoshizawa Ryo is really, really but REALLY pretty!

So, nothing new, true, basically your typical romantic movie but it still made me smile. Also, have I mentioned that Yoshizawa Ryo is REALLY pretty here?

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Tonight, I watched the manga based Jmovie Kingdom, starring Yamazaki Kento as Shin & Yoshizawa Ryo in the double part of Hyo and King Eisei. And it was so, so good! Especially the bromance and mainly the bromance between Shin & Hyo. And it made me bawl so hard. Like literally, tears streaming down my face, stuffed nose, all the jazz.

Because Hyo was amazing. Devoted and loyal and amazing. And his fate was the saddest part of this movie. That he managed to find his way to Shin even mortally wounded because he wanted to see him one last time, that he died in Shin's arms, promising to always be with him, wherever Shin went, that he used his last strength to send Shin - the person he trusted and loved the most - to King Eisei because he knew that Eisei would need someone he could trust and that Shin would be that person... Just thinking about it breaks my heart all anew, honestly!

And the fact that Shin never forgot Hyo? That he always reminded everyone that Hyo died protecting the king, that Hyo was a person whose life also mattered, that Hyo was amazing and kind and loyal... That whenever Shin felt his strength failing, he remembered Hyo. That even at the end, when they won the war, he remembered Hyo. Because not even their victory could bring Hyo back... Gosh!

Theirs was one of the best bromances I've seen. One of those relationships that are so beautiful and so tragic that even just remembering them makes you feel all wobbly.

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I picked up this movie because I realized that Yoshizawa Ryo played my favorite character from the manga/anime, Ishida Uryu. And must say I wasn't disappointed because he was awesome, though I wish he played a bigger part. But the CGI of his bow was simply marvelous! Yes, I have a soft spot for archers.

But also for swordsmen and Fukushi Sota was just as fantastic as Kurosaki Ichigo! I think I found yet another J-actor to follow. Great. His character was the perfect combination of funny and ballsy. And he played the part wonderfully! I could really understand why all the others would feel drawn to him.

Also, I didn't realize that Sugisaka Hana (Evergreen Love) was in this. Or Eguchi Yosuke (Rurouni Kenshin)! He was so awesome as Ichigo's dad. He's a great actor so you could really feel his undying love for his dead wife and for his kids, the delinquent Ichigo in particular. I loved the scene at the grave, when he asked his dead wife, "Could you tell Ichigo that it wasn't his fault?" Gosh...

And though we only caught a glimpse of the Soul Society, again, the CGI was breathtaking! I didn't expect it to look like that!

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Dean Fujioka as a tsundere coffee shop owner in a drama that's pure fluff. And it was exactly what I needed. Fukada Kyoko who played the main heroine, Michiko, did a fantastic job because though Michiko was a bit of an airhead, she never got on my nerves because Fukada played her in such an earnest, honest way. And her pout was so very endearing! Just like her adoration of meat!

Ayumu: You have no pride!
Michiko: When it comes to meat? None!

And the ensemble! There was not one bad character among the supporting ones, they were all so wonderfully sweet and also nuts in just the right way that you had to root for all of them to live a happy and carefree life!

I think my most favorite thing were the back-n-forths between Michiko and Ayumu, the way he always prodded her but was always there for her and the way she dished back just as good but in this oh so cute way that it made Ayumu smile!

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"Draken is Mikey's heart..."

Woo boy, is that true! What an ah-mazing movie! It reminded me so much of High & Low, Mikey & Draken, they were so much like Cobra & Yamato! Which means they were totally up my alley, pushing my buttons, making me squee like a silly goose! Goodness gracious!

I loved it so much, I loved the switching between the present and the past, how things kept changing with Takamichi going back and forth, everything but Draken's death which then always led to Hina's death. I especially loved the change that happened in Mikey who used to be so silly and fun but after losing Draken, he died on the inside, he was just going through the motions, not caring about anything or anyone, because with Draken he lost his heart. The dragon tattoo on his neck was the perfect touch!

Oh wow, oh my! I'm kinda sorta vibrating on the inside because this movie is so full of bromance and whump and the chemistry between Yoshizawa Ryo (Mikey) and Yamada Yuki (Draken) is out of this world!

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I started watching this drama for Iwata Takanori who played the part of Hachi but what really gripped me in the end was the relationship between the sisters, Hazuki and Misaki.

This is basically a slice-of-life of a drama. After a one-night-stand with her former high school teacher and crush, Soichiro, Misaki gets pregnant. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, really - she's on her way to 30 now so she is no kid anymore - but the autoimmune disease that she suffers from makes it one. Now it looks like her pregnancy might actually kill her. And so she makes a list of things to do before she dies - the main one, to make sure her sister, Hazuki, is happy so that, if Misaki died, she would be in a good place to take care of her child.

And then a lot of stuff happens. Basically.

I loved this drama. Hazuki, Misaki, their mom, they were all so well developed. And even Hazuki's new beau, Hagiwara Yohei, and his family - wonderful people, all of them! - were very 3D. I loved the relationship between Yohei and his sister. They were hilarious!

What I wish we've gotten to see more of is Soichiro, Hachi and their father. That whole situation with their dad being rich but not really there for his kids, dumping them on his 2nd wife, their step-mother, etc. That was skimmed over and only mentioned which is a shame, I think. Oh well...

Also, I loved 3JSB's Naoto's cameo as Hachi's skateboarding buddy. That was unexpected and great!

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The action in this movie was absolutely incredible but I missed some deeper character moments. Like...

Were the Ajin truly colder than humans? What happened to Kei and Eriko's parents? Why did Izumi work for Tosaki and the department that experimented on Ajins when she was an Ajin herself, how could she have just stood by and watched them do that to people like her? Etc. etc...

I think my favorite moments were the back-n-forths between Nagai Kei and Satou because Satou was a fantastic villain, deranged, sure, but you got where he was coming from and why he was so gung-ho about killing humans. Their scenes were the best part of the movie.

And then the scene at the end, when Tosaki betrayed Kei. Did he actually feel regret? We didn't really find out anything about Tosaki's motives so it was hard to say for sure but... did he feel regret about betraying Kei after everything he had done for them? It sure looked so but, well, he was as disgusting as everyone else who participated in those experiments, Izumi included, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But honestly? I was glad that both Kei and Satou escaped at the end. I usually like for the bad guys to get what they deserve but here...

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A detective mini-series - only 5 episodes - in the vein of Sherlock Holmes about a retired psychologist with issues stemming from a past case and his young wannabe writer sidekick slash protege helping an inept police detective solve cases. Hm.

Honestly, not even Shison Jun could save this one. I felt little to no connection to the main characters, the cases dragged and they were so convoluted they crossed into the ridiculous and I'm still not sure if this was meant to be a parody or if the writers actually wanted us to take it seriously. Because it was very... cringe-worthy in places.

The best thing? The song at the end, sung by the actor playing Yuri Rintaro, Kikkawa Koji, himself. That was amazing, a very catchy tune! But one song doesn't a drama make, as the saying goes.

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I can't remember the last time I was this happy that the bad guy got away! Over the course of the drama I really came to love J. Was he a murderer? Sure he was. Was he unhinged? You betcha. Did I adore him? Muchly!!!

This drama was so over the top and so crazy in certain moments but, goodness gracious, did they keep the twists coming! The twist with Takagi's dad! The twist with J and Otoya! The twist with the identity of K! The twist with Otoya's grandfather at the end!!!

The last ep in particular had so much to unpack. I think my favorite part was the kidnapping of Otoya. The way Takagi rushed to his best friend's rescue, his despair, partially fueled by his guilt of not having trusted Otoya before. And then the scene with Otoya and J...! When you compare it to how carelessly J sacrificed K, the way he treated Otoya was very different. I mean, who lets his henchmen drive his hostage safely back home?

The relationships between Takagi & J, Takagi & Otoya, and Otoya & J... So fascinating! They were all so tangled together! It was Takagi who put stop to the terrorist attack 2 years ago which put J's father in prison which led to Otoya's grandfather faking J's death to save J from prison which led to Otoya's mother's suicide... Gosh!

All the glaring inaccuracies and certain characters' dumb decisions aside, the main plot was so smart and the reveals that kept coming kept me on the edge of my seat! I loved it!

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Saitoh Takumi and Iwata Takanori in a cat and mouse game of a thriller.

And what a thriller it was! Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, it took a sharp left. I love movies like that where you think you know what's going on but in reality, there's something else going on entirely and you don't realize it until the movie lets you in on the secret! Gosh, I was so surprised! That's what I call great writing!

Also, the revenge taken in this story was so brutal, much more so than I expected! Brutal, efficiently planned and so meticulously and finely executed that none of the punished parties realized it until it was way too late and they could do nothing about it.

But it was also a very bleak and dark movie, so...

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At first, all I thought about this drama was, cute, unrealistic but cute. A guy like Riichi doesn't exist outside of a manga/drama. But looking back, I realized why he was so seemingly perfect, why he so willingly tolerated that Hanai forgot about him while working, that she didn't respond to his messages, that she let him wait for hours...

Because while Riichi was building his own career, he did exactly that to his own girlfriends. He simply didn't have time for them and they interpreted it as him not caring but he did, he just had million other things on his mind trying to make something of himself. So he knew the truth and he was willing to go on a limb, be patient and wait for Hanai to reach success. Until then, he would be there to support her.

Also, I loved that there were no jealous backstabbers. The guy who liked Hanai and the actress who like Riichi, they accepted that they had no chance and moved on while staying friends with the object of their erstwhile desire. I thought that was really nice.

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Sayaka... Sayaka was simply amazing. So sweet and kind... so sad and lonely. When she found Itsuki passed out in the parking lot, when she then offered him a place to stay, a complete stranger, the way she jumped at the chance to simply have someone there, at home, so she wouldn't come back to an empty place every night. And for half a year, for six months she had that and then she lost it again just when she thought it safe that Itsuki would stay...

My heart!
Sayaka was so much kinder than I would have been in her place, the way she forgave her boss, her mother and then Itsuki, too. And even before she did that, the way she was simply happy for him because he achieved his dream and she congratulated him and she would've left it at that, she wouldn't have tried to get him back. What an amazing, selfless, good-hearted person!

I admit I watched the movie for Iwata Takanori - but instead of his character, I fell in love with Takahata Mitsuki's Sayaka. Gosh...

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I just spent the whole afternoon and evening watching this drama because I couldn't get enough. Both the characters and the cases were so interesting and the wonderful whump was the oh so tasty cherry on top!

When Takatsuki first realized that Fukamachi could hear people's lies! When Fukamachi saw Takatsuki's eyes turn blue! Or when Takatsuki showed Fukamachi his wing-like scars...!!! Oh, the supernatural stuff was wonderful but it was also built on the sweet relationships among the characters, not just Takatsuki and Fukamachi but also Ken and Ruiko and even Namba.

But Takatsuki and Fukamachi were, of course, the main focus. The way Takatsuki opened up a whole new world to Fukamachi, the way he accepted him and allowed him to use his gift to help people! That was so wonderful. And Fukamachi's reaction to what happened to Takatsuki in the past, it was so touching...

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And once again, the power of friendship saves the day. This series might be about gangs but, well, it's as much about gangs as Sailor Moon was. It's true! Cobra's even a blondie!

But seriously now. The cinematography of the gangs riding to war was a thing to behold, when they teamed up and rode together to kick the Mighty Warriors' and Kohaku's collective butt! Goodness gracious, that was a thing to behold.

Also, as much as I adored the drama because it allowed the story to go deeper and wider and whatnot, I think I prefer the movie take on the whole thing because it felt much more concise and there weren't as many repeated flashbacks.

My favorite is still Cobra, Yamata is as protective of Cobra as ever, Murayama is still smitten with Cobra and they all still follow Cobra's lead so... nothing changed - and I love it.

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First, I have to admit that I did skip some of the Mighty Warriors bits because I'm not as interested in them as I am in S.W.O.R.D. What can I say *shrugs*

But now to the good things. S2 was such a fantastic set-up for the following movie, it went so deep on all fronts, telling us more about Mugen, about the characters' background, about the hows & whys. And it showed us so much character development, Murayama and Hyuga and even Cobra himself.

Speaking of Cobra, his journey fascinated me because we get to see him as a kid, then as an eager puppy in Mugen, all smiles and energy - and then the way he became, closed off, standing apart, always on the outside looking in, carrying the responsibility for Sannoh, and his desire for it all to be finally over, for the fighting and hurting to stop - and then, in the end, his realization that the only way to achieve that is to fight back, his renewed determination. What a journey within only 10 episodes!

I loved it. Somehow, in some way, they managed to make this drama so rich and deep, with characters coming and going, with the big bad looming and S.W.O.R.D. a world of its own within that universe...

Can't wait to see the movie now!

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