JingleBells
Firstly, the production was phenomenal and credit must be given where credit is due. The in-game locations and characters were rendered in detail beautifully and feel fully fleshed-out and realistic. The use of motion capture tech for the characters was put to use effectively and made the in-game movement and action scenes feel fluid and exciting. The fight sequences themselves were well choreographed and made for captivating and suspenseful scenes.
I must applaud the casting decisons made by the producers for this show and unashamedly say that I love the actors and actresses they decided on for each role. Particularly the mains. Yang Yang as Ye Qiu was a flawless pick and I can imagine no else better suited to play this cool, calm and collected eSports legend. PLUS, the fact that they had the original voice actor for the anime provide his philosophical and deep voice... A match made in heaven. Flawless work. Enough said. Lai Yu Meng, who played Su Mucheng, was also a phenomenal pick. Even if she wan't the first pick, she filled in the role and fulfilled it so well so I give her a double thumbs up for the life she brought to her character. I loved seeing her act bubbly and pouty to Ye Qiu, which was hilarious for me to see their chemistry. Daisy Li as Tang Rou fit her character to a T. The confidence, the arrogance as well as a more softer side... she did it all and it was done well. I loved her dynamic with Ye Qiu and yes, I did hope for some romance there but it seems all we'll see is her VS Ye Qiu in never-ending fights until she wins. ( However my ship still stands ). Maggie Jiang as Chen Guo was easily a good choice. Being a bossy bos, her interactions with everyone, but Ye Qiu especially, being brave and joyful as well as showing her more emotional and vulnerable side, it was just all around good acting.
The rest of the extensive cast, whether as primary or secondary characters, were also done perfectly and fit their respective roles without fail. The cast felt real and I thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone in this show. No complaints.
The music, even though it was limited to a few songs, were all great listens. The opening song was enough to get me pumped to play games. When the show wanted to be emotional, there was music for that as well to tug your heartstrings and give you the feels. When the show wanted to get you pumped, there was music to keep you on your toes and keep your eyes glued to your screens.
The plot, while simply, was enough to keep me enthralled and wanting more even after finishing all 40 episodes. I want season 2 immediately so iQiyi, please make it happen and soon.
As a sidenote, I love that this show is getting recognition for gaming in China and I hope that mores shows like this will be made.
Season 2 soon pls
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This review may contain spoilers
Appearances can be deceiving
NOTE: Slight spoilers are in the section headlined ' spoiler section '. You have been warned.A classic rom com with all the regular stuff you'd expect. The high school setting. A festival. Misunderstandings and so on. But the premise is slightly different so that is what slightly separates it from other dramas.
First item on the list is the cast. And I thoroughly enjoyed this cast. Nakagawa Taishi is right up there with Yamzaki Kentaro as solid romcom drama male protagonists and htis movie utilises him very well. Even though he is Mr. Good Looking, there is more dpeth to his character. Playing Furuya Touwa, he is a kind and caring guy even if he sometimes acts arrogant and dense. This is what makes him more likeable the movie goes on, considering that he sheds this boastful persona and reveals his true self. You want to root for him but you also sigh and condemn him sometimes for the things he says and does.
Karata Erika plays Miwa Misono is a great pick as the female lead for this movie. Like Furuya, she is a multi-layered character that conceals more than she lets on. Her cool exterior also hides a more vulnerable and sensitive side that is gradually revealed and explained more and more as the movie goes on. As for the the secondary and supporting roles, which are Touwa's squad, they're a fun bunch and give this movie some of its comedy and plot points. As Touwa's friends, they drive the plot forward as well as Furuya's character development.
The plot itself is a slight variation of the stereotypical romcom drama formula but it still holds its own. There are moments when it is serious and also when it chooses to be funny and both are executed well. As for the pacing, in my opinion, it is just right and allows the story to develop naturally which is something I'm glad to see in a movie.
Overall, this movie is a good watch. Not amazing, but certainly not bad. I liked this movie a lot and found it to be really entertaining while also being thought-provoking . Would definitely recommend.
SPOILER SECTION:
Onto some specifics. Furuya is just plain endearing, but it takes time for him to get to this point. Seeing him put in earnest effort and work for the sake of his convictions, coupled with his honest intentions, it puts him in a new light and make me smile. He sets aside his pride and ' cool image ' in light of pursuing Misono because he wants to prove himself to her, but also help her and see her smile. Watching his transformation unfold and insistence on proving himself is heartwarming. I love that he prioritises her and is not stalkerish or weird in his aproach. He's still awkward but he can't be faulted for that. Just wholesome.
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Friendship > Romance
NOTE: Slight spoilers are in the section headlined ' spoiler section '. You have been warned.Like my title may suggest, this movie is centred on friendship rather than romance. And I very much like it as it is. Too many Japanese romcom movies are centred on the 2 main protagonists ending in a definite romance and that's the movie wrapped up in a nice little bow.
But this movie moves away from that. It focuses on friendship rather than romance. Althought I admit that there are definitely romantic sub-tones from the description and movie poste that you can't help acknowledging. But at the end of the day, the male lead wants to be friends with the female lead. It's a nice change of pace and explores how guys and girls can pursue friendship without an obvious attraction either way. ( For a time anyway...)
First, the cast. I love this cast. Yamazaki Kento, a.k.a the Rom-Com prince, as Yuuki Hase was great in this movie as a bubbly, cheerful male lead who has good intentions even if he's a bit clumsy and awkward. Very believable. Great acting. And I gotta say, the puffy, curly hair helped somehow as well. Kawaguchi Haruna playing Kaori was also enjoyable to watch. I'm not familiar with her work but after watching this movie, I am a fan. Both illed their roles impeccably and their social dynamic was generally entertaining to watch unfold. The supporting roles within this movie were also done very well. Their interactions with the main characters felt genuine and were acted out well.
The music. This is a bit of a minor consideration, but the songs in this movie were touching and flowed well when they started playing with their respective scenes. Seamless transitions and they sounded beautiful.
The plot itself was what caught my attention in the first place. I was intrigued enough to give it a watch after reading it. I'm not sure if it is completely original but it was a fresh breath of air and was engaging enough.
The movie's ending and climax were executed nicely and was about to convey it's emotional impact. However, the movie had faults as well. The major flaw was the movie's pacing. Past the beginning and in the middle portion of the movie, I felt as if the movie was quickened it's pacing and was rushing towards it's end. The minor flaw I had was with the male lead breaking character (you'll see what I mean in the movie) and it was ever so slightly annoying to see this character cave and make his ' noble sacrifice ' even though I like Yamazaki kento. The second male lead was also very irritating and couldn't really bring myself to like him.
Overall, this movie is a good watch for anyone who likes themselves a Japanese drama. At times, it is genuinely heartwarming and emotional while staying down-to-earth and real. A good job all around.
SPOILER/RANT SECTION:
Ok, I'll assume you've watched the movie. So, the confession by Fumi, the childhood friend, (RIP childhood friends; you never get chosen) was a loose end that I don't feel the movie did anything to explore. The scene where Fumi and Kaori are working on a stall and Fumi goes " What do you think of Yuuki?" and then she says " If you ever hurt him, I don't know if I can ever forgive you. " So, that is a clear indicator of her feelings towards him. This clearly pointed to a love triangle. But it was swept under the rug in favor of a lacklustre, almost throwaway confession scene for the sake of it being out of the way. Now, I can understand if a love triangle would be offputting but I feel like she wasn't really given a chance to express her feelings properly, leading to the messy confession where Yuuki and Fumi are about to set out in the rain with umbrellas. It was a situation that is fairly common I think where she ahd to finally say it because/even though she knew had no chance of him liking her back. I wished that had been addressed further and she put herself out there to let him know she was interested and she wasn't going to cave in. She should've had a chance, even if it was more and more explicit that Yuuki had developed feelings for Kaori but was keeping it under wraps.
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This review may contain spoilers
I gotta say. This movie hit me hard. Granted, the pacing was a bit slow at the beginning and character development was slow. I also wished that the movie would have given more character buiding moments either solo or as a group. Positives: But then the movie started to develop the romance and the kinda cliche " friend group " adventure where they grew together. It had the cliche event like the school festival and trip which I didn't mind. I liked the characters, particularly Kaizaki and Hishiro, and the other casting choices as well. I felt that they, the main and supporting characters, were done well and fit their roles perfectly. The acting itself was slightly lacking but the awkwardness and tension was fine for this kind of movie.
SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ MORE IF HAVEN"T WATCHED.
Negatives: But the ending left me feeling a bit bitter and empty. Yes, the movies' ending implied that Kaizaki and Hishiro ending up triggering their supposedly lost memories which would lead to them falling in love again ( like they did in the manga ). But I wished the movie would've given at least 2 more minutes for them to say something like, " Have we met before?" instead of saying " Ummm.... ".
Another thing that kinda upset me ( this is a bit of a rant by now ) was the fact that Oga, Onoya and Kariu don't remember that it was Kaizaki who gave them the line of " Cherish the present ". Yes, it was a requirement of the program that they forget him and Hishiro but I hated that the group was broken up even if they had a proper farewell ( I teared up there, not gonna lie ). But the fact that their memory of him is gone and all that's left to them is a single line... it hurt and it was frustrating. But the movie was still good as a whole.
Lesson of the movie: Memories will fade. Of people, of experiences whether good or bad. But what matters is that you enjoyed yourself. Even if you can't remember the person who said somethign to you that motivated/ changed you, it doesn't change the fact that it impacted you. It's the impact that remains, not the details.
Haizaki wanted to leave behind something of himself, which he did in the form of that line " Cherish the present ", knowing full well that they would never meet. But it made its mark and that's really the best you can hope for.
So even if you can't remember the specifics of a good memory where you enjoyed yourself with friends, that doesn't diminish the fun you had. It doesn't taint the experience you had. What matters is that, at that point of time, you made a memory to cherish and it stayed with you to remind you that you did enjoy yourself. Whether it's complete or incomplete. Memories will fade, but its impact is what matters. So make those experiences. Experiences that will last you for life.
Conclusion: I tried to encapsulate my feelings and thoughts of the movie in this comment. I apologise for how long it is. But I feel as thought this movie ought to be recognised for the lesson it taught me and can teach to anyone who watches it. It was a good, thought-provoking watch. But even for casual movie watches, it was a nice ride.
9/10 - Definitely recommend.
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This review may contain spoilers
I loved this movie. 100%. I hadn't read the manga before jumping in but since I had no idea about any of the characters it didn't really matter. This movie was beautiful in pretty much every aspect.I loved the casting choices made by the director. He brought Yoshioka and Mabuchi to life in a way that made me seriously want their actors in real life to get married. They fit their characters impeccably and even the supporting cast was chosen really well. I had no trouble believing that they were actual friends. The plot of the movie was also good, with the movie taking time to carefully drop hints of what was to come. The pacing was fine, a bit lacking at the start before speeding up. The overall acting was great across the entire cast so kudos to the director.
The romance was developed between the two mains in a way that mostly felt organic and natural. I really rooted for the chemistry between them and I am satisfied with how the movie choose to end. I do wish the movie had addressed the secondary character romance between Murao and Kominato but that is really just a personal preference.
The soundtrack was moving ( to me at least ) and well-timed in the movie. As a movie adapted from a manga, I have to say that this felt like it paid respect to the source material ( I read the manga after watching the movie ) even if it didn't follow it exactly, which I didn't mind.
I also didn't mind the cliches the movie used like the school festival and school trip. Instead, I think they were useful element to drive the movie forward. The cliche of the " friend group coming together as a whole after conflict " was executed in such a natural way that I can't hate the movie for using it. It was a testament to lasting relationships that are so very valuable and sought after in today's world and the connections made by these very different people was wonderful to watch unfold. One of the best friend group portrayals in Japanese rom com movies.
SPOILERS AHEAD. READ AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE.
I really admire the movie for choosing to be sombre and realistic towards the end when tackling the issue of death and moving on from it. When Mabuchi's perspective is changed when hie finds out his mother actually prayed for him rather than for herself, I found that extremely touching ( to the point of actual tears ) and it was one of the most beautiful moments in the movie.
Lesson of the movie: Grief is a natural process that everyone goes through when someone has passed on. However, like in the movie when Mabuchi chooses to fixate on it, that is when it has been taken too far. So, the lessons is to know that you are not alone when you have dark thoughts and are in a dark place mentally. It's a simple but powerful phrase: " You are not alone " and it shines in this movie. There is hope and there is a reason to live, tp continue to live a life that honours the person that has passed.
Conclusion: This was simply a well-constructed movie that delivered on romance and genuine emotional impact. Its faults are few in light of what it does well.
9.5/ 10 - Definitely recommend
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