This was awesome, the perfect drama for Xmas time: funny, sweet, romantic, intriguing, the whole package. I admit, my main interest in this was Rowoon as Jung Ji Woon but I was also glad to discover Choi Byung Chan and through him Victon! Nice!

My favorite thing was that for a big part of this drama, many of the characters actually really thought that Lee Hwi was a man. Jung Ji Woon when he fell in love with her among them. After some initial bi panic, he just went with it. Or Shin So Eun, when she realized that Ji Woon was in love with the king - there was no horror or disgust, she was just sad that he loved another. The overall reaction was mostly "you love someone else, not me" and not "you love a man" which honestly hit the right spot with me.

Also, poor Ji Woon's father, a killer that he was, mind you. The crisis that he went through, just imagine it. First, he finds out that his son is the king's beloved - a shock in itself - followed by the fact that his son is the king's beloved! What must've gone through his head... "Either my son is into men... or I made a serious blunder 10 years ago!" Ha!

Wonderful drama. It really, truly hit the right spot. Lovely...

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This one was only so-so. It really didn't click for me, not even Satoh Takeru as Koyuki could save it.

The thing is, except for Koyuki and his drummer friend, Saku, I kinda didn't like anyone in this movie much. Or not at all, really, especially the lead, Ryusuke. His arrogant behavior, his endless issues, the way he treated his band members and kept causing trouble without even apologizing, it honestly rankled. When a character gets punched and you cheer it's obvious that you and said character really didn't hit it off.

Also, I saw many people complain that Koyuki's singing voice was muted, that we never actually heard him sing, that we only ever saw people's reaction to hearing him sing but from what I understand, in the manga, his voice is mesmerizing, magical, angelic and whatnot and like the director said, no matter who would've sung the part, people would've been disappointed because the bar the manga set was so high. That's why I think it was wise to not even try to match the standard and just leave it to people's imagination.

But... yeah. Overall, I was disappointed. The movie was way too long (it's almost 2.5 hrs. long!), the writing was all over the place and the acting also left much to be desired.

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A very short movie - only 72 mins. long - about two gay lovers, Ootani and Tachibana, who have been together since high school, and their little bout of jealousy, brought up by their old female high school friend entering the picture again after many years.

That's pretty much it. Basically, a slice of life story about an old and never resolved misunderstanding. There's nothing deep or, I don't know, groundbreaking about it, it's just a sweet little bit of a story. But it's true that their little necking at the end was hot. It really felt like they were longtime lovers, familiar with each other in the most intimate way.

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This movie was really, really good! And Satoh Takeru was absolutely mesmerizing as Aki. Aki's depression and his disgust with the whole music industry in general and with their manager in particular, the change in his outlook at life after meeting Riko and then his fall back into depression after the manager forced him to choose between his happiness and Riko's career... Satoh Takeru was so good!

I think my favorite moments were the ones between Aki and Riko, and then between Aki and Shun. When Riko, a high school student, promised to take care of Aki after Aki fell apart in front of her... And Shun, so worried about Aki, prompting Aki to do what was best for him first, even if it meant leaving the country and them, their old friends, behind... That was so lovely!

But I have to say, if this tiny glimpse behind the scenes was even remotely close to what's really happening in the entertainment industry in Japan every day then... yeah, no. I would never even dip my toe into such a cesspool, thank you very much. The manager's behavior gave me honestly the creeps!

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This movie really embodies the saying "Divided we fall." If they had only listened to Cobra from the beginning, when he tried to tell them that they needed to work together against an outside threat. But no, they knew better. Well, all of them but Murayama, of course, who is so smitten with Cobra that he would agree to anything he said, so.

What really hurt was when a part of the Hoodlum Squad - his own people for whom he fought and bled in the past! - turned against Cobra, too. Not that I didn't get Tetsu's desire to help his father but he, his father, the others they were making a deal with the devil and after everything they'd been through in the past, I didn't understand how and why they even trusted Kuryu. Kuryu's henchmen literally murdered people to get what they wanted, how could've Tetsu believed that his dad would win anything in this equation?

(And considering what happens to Cobra in the next movie, it hurt even more because if only his people trusted him...)

But really, Cobra has guts! Like, holy smokes! But he's also wise and not easily provoked. I loved how he kept coming to Rocky, again and again, to change his mind. And when Rocky insisted on this doomed exercise of his, Cobra still told him that, alright, but if Rocky needed help to just let him know. And then he came to Rocky's help, after all, even unasked. I love that Cobra doesn't let his ego get in the way, that's a really fantastic thing in today's entertainment industry's obsession with overblown macho-ism.

Also, Murayama! He is really head over heels for Cobra, isn't he? Like, he doesn't even try to hide it. When he went to Hyuga and fought him to make him join Cobra's plan! Cobra didn't even ask him to do it, he did it on his own initiative, for Cobra. If there's any romance at all in this franchise, it's definitely Murayama's one-sided smittenness with Cobra.

Another thing I loved? That more Exile members - and 3JSB members in particular! - joined the cast! It's so much fun watching them all punch each other's daylights out! Ha!

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And another Jdrama where the power of friendship saves the day and its message is that you're never wrong believing in people and trusting them. Even when they betray you, you haven't been wrong believing in them because their betrayal was their choice, you did nothing wrong.

Also, another drama featuring the Exile Tribe members. In abundance!

The series was so sweet and funny and cute, though it did have its cringe-worthy moments - their battle cry of Who Are You?! was, well, yeah... just like their heart-to-heart moments during the battle at the end - and the humor was sometimes rather juvenile - it is a drama about 7 guys, so - but overall, I loved it!

I loved that all the main characters were thoroughly fleshed out, every single one of them - like Pii-chan who let his wife buy all kinds of stupid stuff online (which came surprisingly handy during their escapades) because they couldn't have kids, or Mikki who took care of his grandma with Alzheimer, or Choko who lost his parents as a kid (for which he blamed himself) and since then had no regard for his own life - that it didn't feel like they were just extras to Kiibo's main hero. Every one of them felt alive, if you know what I mean?

My main reason for watching it was, of course, Iwata Takanori, who was simply awesome here and his character had so much depth! I loved it!

Also, there was this one particular tune that was just so cool! I fell in loved with it!

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I know that this was the last movie released but since I knew that, sure, it would be poetic but also dark and depressing - or at the very least sad - I decided to watch it before The Final because I didn't want to end my Rurouni Kenshin watch on a sad note. Ergo.

And it was truly amazing, like all the other Kenshin movies. And also very necessary, at least for me personally, to see what Kenshin was like before, while he was still a killer, how bad it was for him, what a toll it took on him. It was necessary if I wanted to truly grasp why he stopped killing and why he would never do it again, even when doing so would seem reasonable or justified. The contrast between the Kenshin before and the Kenshin later on is staggering.

The love story was heart-wrenching. On both sides, Kenshin's and Tomoe's too. Because they truly fell in love even though they never planned to. His heartbreak, her need to protect him at all cost... Yes, I cried.

I've seen complaints that there weren't enough fights or whatnot but from my point of view, it was very well balanced, the character driven story and all the killing. I think that if there were more of it, it would've become cartoonish because, well, sword fights are very bloody. So.

Only one movie left now...

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This special wraps up the drama and sets up the upcoming movie, The Hound of the Baskervilles, that should air at some point next year.

In the special, we find out what happened after Shishio and Moriya's henchman fell off the pier and disappeared, how Wakamiya - with the help of a female journalist - tried to find Shishio by digging up his old cases, so it's pretty much a clip show, true, but the added bits, esp. the scenes where Wakamiya meets up with all the people he and Shishio helped... those really tugged at my heart.

Mostly because Iwata Takanori is an amazing actor and here, he's just... Usually, Watson is portrayed as a good-natured, well, fool - a bit, let's face it - a round-bellied everyman's man. But Wakamiya is, uhm. He's kind, that's true, but he also has anger issues and unlike in other adaptations, he's the much less grounded one of the two. And I truly have to applaud the costume department here because they kept sticking Wakamiya in oversized sweaters with sweater paws which made him look even slighter - I noticed that Iwata Takanori looked very thin in this drama, especially next to Fujioka Dean's Shishio which, strangely, fit the dynamics of this Holmes and this Watson pair perfectly.

Also, the fact that this drama did not in any way or shape or form debunk that Wakamiya had feelings for Shishio? That was *chef's kiss* As in, after Shishio's "death", in his blog, Wakamiya wrote about the loss of a "loved one" and when their landlady went all, "Oh, I knew you were in that kind of a relationship!" Wakamiya didn't go all, "You got it wrong" or whatever, he just started talking about something else, so... You know.

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A story about a disabled person who finds love and gets his happy ending? A sight unseen! But lo and behold, it really does happen in this movie. I'm kinda not used to this!

Iwata Takanori plays the male lead and he's ah-mazing. He's one of those actors who, when they smile, you can hear angels singing. I'm exaggerating, I know, but seriously, there's simply something about him smiling that gives you warm fuzzies. And in this movie, he's the embodiment of sunshine and unicorns: warm, kind, loving, sweet... That's why his character's story, the obstacles he has to overcome and all these little frustrations that he meets every day, all that hits you where it truly hurts.

And then there's Sugisaka Hana as the female lead and she's as cute as a button and the way her character sticks with the ML, the way she supports him and goes through all the hardships together with him because for her, it's all worth it, he is worth it... yeah. I bawled.

If you love whump there's some really good one in this movie, too!

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Now this is what I call a groundbreaking, original and feminist take on the Sherlock Holmes myth. As much as I liked Elementary, except for making Watson female, it really wasn't anything special despite being hailed that way. But this one?

Sherlock? Female. Watson? Female. Moriarty? Female. Mary? Male. A complete gender switch of the main characters. And yet they were still Sherlock and Watson and Moriarty! Especially Watson - or Wato - with her PTSD because this Watson actually was in a war zone, she was injured, all the things I was missing in Elementary. Thank you, Miss Sherlock, thank you!

The only character who kept his gender was Mycroft - or Kento here - but I adored his relationship with Sherlock. They bickered but very friendly, affectionately, they loved each other very much, you could actually feel it! And the infinite trust between them!

Fascinating cases, a fantastic build-up of a great friendship, many call backs to Doyle's original - even the Reichenbach Falls! And the final case was so good! I loved that it focused on both Sherlock and Wato, that they were both involved, that Wato wasn't a bystander. I truly, honestly, deeply loved it!

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A very short and entirely angst-free Cdrama. Like, there's no angst whatsoever. Not even a smidgen. It's all fluff and good feels. All the parents are loving and reasonable and sweet, the brothers love each other very much and except for this one jealous girl nobody is trying to break up the main couple, just the opposite, everyone is rooting for them and... yeah.

A teeth-rotting fluff led by a cast full of newbies who have fantastic chemistry. If you ever feel like watching something that will make you smile like a goof and that won't make your heart hurt, then this is the drama for you. Sunshine and candyfloss, that's this drama, basically.

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This is, hands down, one of the best Cdramas I've ever seen.

Based on the name, you would think it was a cutesy comedy, right? Wrong! It's an action thriller about a Violent Crime Unit and it takes place in several countries, in cities and in the jungle, there are drugs, murders and explosions and it's so action driven and suspenseful! Ah-mazing!

I loved Xu Xu. She was so smart and also so strong despite being petite and, well, snail-like in anything physical. But she worked hard on herself and she overcame so many hurdles - and Ji Bai, once he overcame his instant dislike of her because she had been forced on him by his superiors, always stood by her side and encouraged her and showed her the way and their relationship was just so good!

I loved how this drama was shot, using steady-cam and shaky cam, drone and CCTV footage. The cinematography was marvelous thanks to that. Just marvelous. And the music! The sound mixing in this was heavenly, the thump-thump-thump during the suspenseful moments always got me. I loved it.

I can highly recommend this drama to anyone who likes thrillers with a smidgen of romance and a lot globe-hopping and action. It's just 21 eps, 30+ min. each, but it's so worth it!

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The reveal of the killer and the callousness of that person really surprised me, that was a great twist. But overall, it wasn’t all that suspenseful a mystery, wasn’t it? And sometimes, I felt like petting our heroes and telling them, “You cute but you stupid, ain’t you?”

Luckily, where the show was really strong was the chemistry between the actors playing the various pairs, Bun and Tan, Tat and Sorn and even M and Oat, as little as we saw of them together - but that we even did get to see them together, that they gave us this hint of them possibly becoming more, that we witnessed them laughing together, I really appreciated that, that was surprising and not at all unwelcome, thumbs up. And I honestly hope that we get to see these actors playing couples again (as it sometimes happens in Thai dramas), that would be awesome!

I think my greatest happy surprise and discovery here was Great Sapol who played Inspector M. What a good looking man and a great actor! I’ll have to check and see if his other dramas are available with subs because, gosh... what a man!

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I think they couldn’t quite decide what they wanted this drama to be, if a school romance or an epic fantasy, a serious drama or a comedy, if they wanted one super mighty lead character or if they wanted the day to be saved by the power of friendship. And somewhere in this, the story got lost. It could’ve been quite epic if they only focused more on the actual story instead on various school shenanigans and whatnot. Oh well...

What I did love was the CGI of Li Xuan’s powers - when the writers allowed him to use them, that is, which happened rarely. And it’s too bad because when he kicked butt, he kicked butt big time.

Another thing that I loved was the friendship between Li Xuan and his bodyguard, Changqing. The actor who played Changqing, Zhang Cengceng, was amazing, he had this quiet power about him. Unfortunately, like with many other things in this drama, Li Xuan and Changqing’s relationship kinda got lost in the kerfuffle around the middle and then it simply... fizzled out.

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I was looking for something very short - it’s only 4 eps, 10 mins. or so each - to fill my time and this one drew me in because it featured actors from Gen Y. Pretty much everyone in this drama(let) is in Gen Y. So... yeah.

Because it’s so short, there isn’t really space for big twists or any real development but it’s still a cute story. A veterinarian comes to a resort to nurse his broken heart and meets a cute bartender with a heart of gold. And that’s it. But it’s cute, the actors have really nice chemistry and... well, there are bunnies.

Also, despite being short, it doesn’t look cheap. The cinematography is really nice, the picture quality is HQ and the title song is really catchy. I think it’s worth your 50 mins. or so even if it’s just the beginning of their story.

PS: There is a sequel!

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