Peppersqueak
Sitting on a star looking for the moon
There was plenty of girlcrush material and the dopest thing is that it's based on a true story. It's showing the new generation of female powerhouses.
The story was not the most memorable, more so the characters and their relationships. Especially the story of the north korean defector really broke my heart. Even more the match between north and south. The ending was more open, wich seemed rather fitting given the situation of the characters.
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I was not impressed. At all. It started of fine but I was really hoping that it would not follow such a repeating pattern, with I'm not a fan of.
The female lead reaaallly irked me. I'm not trying to spoil anything ( maybe a little) but the way she treated the male lead seamed ignorant and came across rather uncaring. He persistently tried to confess and it was so hard for him you could see that. Yet she didn't even make the effort to listen, even though she "apparently" liked him. Also the efforts she told were.... Weak to non-existent and kind of puzzling, so when you don't pay the most mindful attention it gets overlooked. And let's face it, not everybody has such an eye for teeny weeny details.
I think the main lead should have just moved on she didn't have him attention nor the love he needs
Personal note:
I would really appreciate more dramas where not only one character makes an effort.
Even if you try to make the female leads always perfect they aren't. Especially in this drama where the girl doesn't seem that lovable yet she is always the center of his universe and he gets hurt time and time again.
I think scriptwriters should always pay attention to how the character feels and maybe let the character have a personal point where he / she says that it's just not worth it and to take a step ack and maybe take another way.
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First of all, Im so glad it's over. I think over 25 episode dramas are not for me. I tend to binge watch all dramas in a few days but 40 episodes in 5 is a new record I do not want to repeat.
I've tried to watch long dramas on numerous occasions but got bored and stopped. With this one I was resolved to watch it to the end.
And guess what. It dragged..... Like unbelievably dragged. I expected this with 40 episodes but like this got so bad in the second half. The last episodes where absolutely ridiculous it felt like a whole different drama.
The drama made my hopes go high up by starting off really good with alot of funny scenes eccentric characters and a calm atmosphere. I still stand by my opinion that the actor of liu xia is truly talented. Jiangle was my second fave he was such a sweet sensitive sunshine.
Then in the second half it took a sudden dip.
Liu xia the main character was suddenly pushed into the background and the whole supporting cast seemed to be the main cast now.. like wath? I've never seen that in a drama before only the supporting characters getting less screentime. Then alotttttt of supporting characters where introduced. In the first half too but in the second it became more apparent. All the teams they played against seemed to need that extra attention. There were seriously so many supporting roles that I got overhelmned. I couldn't remember names anymore everyone seemed to have some kind of special ability and some seemed to have some kind of relation with the players of yu quing. Like the screenwriter being... "We need a backstory in the last 10 episodes with some unknown characters that didn't appear until the last minute. NOW."
The last match of the provincial finals was absolutely ridiculous like totally bad. I cannot describe how bad this drama got in the end. Yes of course every character has some special move etc.
But like it got to almost a kind of over cgi kung fu /wuxia level in the end? If you scroll down the cast list I can guarantee you that those are not all actors in the drama.
We also have alot of product placement in the second half wich was a little annoying but bearable.
Of course we also needed a comedic relief duo because they make everything funnier. *Rolls eyes. And of course they made one character conceited and smart mouthy and then other one chubby and hungry. Ohhh how original that is.
The female cast was very small, like only being 5 person big. I found the female reporter and qiao chens love interest kind of unnecessary? But who cares we already have so many unnecessary characters anyways.
The sets where.... Bland. One color palette, reuse 1 set multiple times bland..... The sets looked like those in a 15 sec commercial shoot only that they where used for more than 40 episodes.
The filming was.... Not that great. I didn't get alot of bird view filming even though that would have been very helpful since they were playing tennis. The cameras were also glued way to closely to the character's so that you almost didn't get any good perspective shots. The close ups were overused and almost obnoxious. They used a way too high resolution camera so that you could see every little pimple and every bear stubble.
I think some of the closer supporting cast could have been better chosen. There was not a lot of room for natural character development since the cast was so hugeeeee. I missed the funny scenes with liu xia from the first 15 episodes.
In the end I thought I think I wasted my time watching 40 episodes of this when 20 would have been enough and would have saved me from a very bad continuation.
( I almost forgot lu xias dad. I liked him for the most part he could have gotten more dad son moments. I found them to be very sweet.)
Im probably going to irritate some fans but keep in mind that this is my personal opinion.
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I think it's useful to know that this movie is actually based on a manga that ended in 1987 when yankee culture and bike gangs were in their prime so that's actually were the concept comes from, and it does seem a little, if not ALOT outdated.
Actually the ages of the main characters were not very fitting? Atleast the FML did not behave like a middle schooler at all. Essentially it's about 2 people in a dark place in their life meeting each other and kind of finding that soulmate connection and the comfort of a perso who understands and loves you.
For me it seemed more like a friendship than a romantic entanglement. The problems the FML has with her mom I think are not portrayed in the most easy to understand way, atleast that's what I think. Actually the conflict that they both had and the lack of love and attention her mom gave her was settled way too quickly and not that realistically..
Some scenes didn't really make sense?
Like there was not alot of logic or thinking where I think the writing was truly lacking.
It is filmed very gorgeously mostly ant sunset and night wich makes the film very atmospheric and artistic in a cinematographic sense.
I would say it's not as heavy as I initially expected it to be but it's more on the serious side.
All in all a average watch for me :)
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This took me way too ling for a 10 ep drama and I browsed through the last 3 episodes.
I lost interest big time around the halfway point. For me it kind of lost its original sparkle? And charisma....
The pros:
-If you love unique character design this is for you. My personal faves were kuranosuke and the driver hanamori.
-Fashion. Big time. I totally got some style inspiration from this and I really have to applaud the stylist for the stunning outfits and especially kuranosukes cross dressing!
-Overall flair. I admit I feel like it was list in the latter half nonetheless, tgis drama has a very unique concept and overall plot.
- maybe if you read the manga and/or watched the anime this might be on your nostalgia list.
The cons:
-this might be harder to enjoy for ppl who never or rarely watch animes since it is a live action and these tend to be a bit more on the high energy overacted side.
- dissapointing latter half. Around episode 6 this drama kind of lost my interest. It started to get more crammed and lost alot of the comedic element and eccentric character.
-very lacking romance. If you came here for the romance tag. Sigh, sry to dissapoint you but there's not really alot of romance involved. Yes it is part of thr plot but I actually think it's very anticlimactic and there's practically no chemistry.
(Seto koji is stunning in this btw)
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The positives:
I actually started the series love 020 before watching the movie several times but never ended up completing it.
This movie is very different. The characters actually have personalities and are very different to the drama but also the story takes a very different approach.
The visuals are far superior compared to the drama and this has some awesome RPG action instances I actually really enjoyed.
The cinematography is much more high end budget and animation wise.
Also the movie didn't feel draggy or squeezed together, the length was very fitting.
The negatives:
I was not very interested in the story. It didn't feel fresh or detailed.
For me it was more like a cookie cutter fantasy movie for pre teens.
No real diving deeper into the characters, their past or the FMLs goals.
The chemistry was .. meh, nothing enchanting or fascinating.
I feel this movie heavily relied on the visuals instead of the story.
Plot wise dissapointing and the supports like in many other movies did not get enough time to shine. The acting was not bad but very on line with the industry average for me.
My overall rating is a 6
Worth watching for awesome animation and visuals and some classic swooning.
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The cinematography and visual storytelling.
This movie has great daydream and mind reading instances where you get drawn into the world of the fml.
Where the fantasy goes crazy and where imagination takes over and sometimes crosses into the real world.
In the first half of the movie it was a true aesthetic feast and made me want to screenshot everything.
In the later half it did die down wich made the later part much more boring.
The idea of looking into someones daydreams is amazing and a truly unique concept.
Unfortunately this is one of many movies wich I would like to diagnose with: "live action syndrome".
Wich basically means: cut up story, rushed plot and inaccuracies wich are often times not avoidable.
For reference I read the first chapter of the manga wich this was based on. The manga officially ended in 2017 were as the movie already came out 2016. So I came to the logical conclusion that part of the second half of the movie was written out of thin air since the manga didn't finish at that time. (Wich also explained why it got boring)
The acting wasn't spectacular at all. The fml was a typical timid shy person.
I think the supports didn't get enough airing time, wich is unfortunate since one of the supporting actors I really enjoy watching.
My conclusion:
If for not the points above I think this is still worth the watch solely for the imaginary and visual rich instances.
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I think it's more of an arthouse movie with alot of poetry and pictures that leave much to your interpretation.
Let's start with what I liked. I have to say it's the way it's filmed. The stillframes, the angles, the composition. I could tell director put alot of thought into every shot.
The choosing of light was interesting most of it being twilight or sometimes even at night.
The story, looked at without the filming does not have alot of consistency. Im pretty clear that the movie would be much worse without the art of filming.
The acting is not Masterclass. I did not get smart out of the ml. First he behaves like a giant douche and then is still douchy but also nice? A tsundere?
I just didn't like how he treated the fml ecpecially in the beginning. He was the person barging in and being a squatter.
The fml.... Meh? Not much to say, just portrayed an uninteresting character? I think she could have worked with more.
The filters being sepia and mostly on the red greenish pallette is probably not everyone's thing.
What made me like the movie in the end significantly more is the ending.
Im gonna try not to spoil here: meeting at a crosswalk from places you think you never going to visit and meeting in the middle was a really good choice for an ending.
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Hmmm I say yes we shall, but only a quick waltz.
For me this was average. I really liked the idea behind the story. A drained office worker leading a monotonous life and learning and enjoying dance is a great idea.
So what did I like?
First what comes to mind is where it's filmed. In the evening on te streets of tokyo for alot of the scenes.
The neon signs glowing in the dark and reflecting on the wet asphalt leaving a glissening shimmer.
Our ml always takes the train and more than once a shot is shown where the lights reflect on the trains side wich is I think a great composition.
Also the dance practice at night beneath a bridge with only shimmering lights reflected on the asphalt and a light fog over the ground was I think phenomenal and reminded me of an old Hollywood movie.
Some of the scenes at Blackpool where nice to watch. The big ballroom and the costumes..
And how could I forget the main component of the story? Dance. I love the dancing scenes and the ballroom dancing. The dancing in the dance class, in the competition and at Blackpool was wonderful.
The Music was wonderful. Something between a Hollywood dream and disney fairytale.
What did I dislike?
First of the crush the ml has on the dance teacher. I understand the fascinating and admiration with her elegance an dancing very well. As well the curiosity seeing her everyday from inside the train looking out of the classroom window.
I n the end the curiosity and the crush is what brought him to the dance class but I dislike him trying to invite her for dinner and seemingly ignoring everything besides his dance class and crush.
I like how the dance teacher told him off which was more than appropriate given the invite.
What I didn't understand was his wife thinking he has an affair but not asking him and instead hiring a detective. Wich I cannot comprehend even if I try. I understand her unsureness and anxiety, but she has ll the right to ask.
The acting was not masterclass and tended to be in the average.
The comedy was... Meh? I didn't find it funny but it also wasn't to bad.
Takenaka Naoko was in this one. I seem to watch alot of dramas / movies with him in it.
His performance here was not my personal favorite.
To close this review I would say it's a good film to watch on a Saturday night when you feel nostalgic and want to see a light and feel good movie.
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And Im sorry that is no the most positive....
But still here is my opinion:
Suika actually has an interesting setting.
4 single woman living in a share house. All with their particular hobbys and quirks.
Each episode has a little life lesson shared from the proprietress wich I think is a good detail.
For the series they decided to make 34 year oldbank worker hayakawa san the main person. A typical 39thies office woman still living with her parents. And ending up at happiness sancha.
Here is the thing. I don't have a problem to make an average person the fml. I actually think its a nice change.
But still even if your character is written all to ordinary you still need to make the character somewhat interesting.
I found evry other other person in the share house more interesting than her.
The acting was for me all in all very bland.
I ended up forgetting what happened in the last episode because it didn't leave an impact.
There were no "memorable moments" ao to speak.
And I have to say the drama did not get better in the second half for me.... Actually it was going down hill.
The baba mariko 3 million dollar embezzling story could have been interesting. But it wasn't. I mean there are alot of ways to make that side plot more funny and enjoyable. Still the interaction between baba chan and mariko san were bland. Like most interactions with the characters. There didn't seem livelyness or witt in any of the conversations.
What makes a character interesting for me are how they interact with people, how they have surten characteristics or strengths and weaknesses. And I just didn't really care about the characters in the drama. I couldn't connect to them or was impressed by the acting.
In the end it did feel washed out to me and I thought that it was a waste of time. I didn't think the ending was satisfying or made sense.
(Please don't let my review demotivate you from watching the drama. This is just my opinion)
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