Macy
~meteor dreamland~
Understated
I had no idea just how many films Akira Kurosawa directed until I stumbled upon this film. I have only seen two, Rashomon and Yojimbo, so far. These two films and his other well known films all seem to be historical dramas or samurai epics. So No Regrets for Our Youth really stuck out to me. It is set during the pre-war period up to the end of the war (1933-1945). Since it was released in 1946, this could almost be considered contemporary.The film is mostly told through the point-of-view of Yukie Yagihara (played by Setsuko Hara). She is the daughter of college professor ousted from his position due to his views on fascism, sparking anti-militarist student protests. A lot of Hara's acting is subtle, such as her falling for one of the protestors, Noge. She never states her feelings; you can tell from her facial expressions and actions. Hara is one of those actresses that always amazes me. Sometimes I don't understand why she did this or that, but at the end of the film it always clicks.
All in all, No Regrets for Our Youth is a wonderfully slow-paced film. Its portrayal of the anti-war efforts of Japanese people was something I never thought of. Kurosawa's decision to make this film so soon after the war is also interesting to me as it shows his convictions. It's too bad that this film isn't more well known, but I understand. It isn't a samurai epic or anything genre changing. However, it's an honest, understated picture about what feels like real people amidst political turmoil and war. And Hara is an amazing heroine from beginning to end.
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Not the best from Kathryn and Daniel
My first Filipino movie was "She's Dating the Gangster" followed by "Can't Help Falling in Love." Now I LOVED these movies, though I felt SDtG had a couple plot holes. So I'm obviously going to have high hopes for any Kathryn Bernardo & Daniel Padilla movie. Unfortunately, "Crazy Beautiful You" did not live up to my hopes. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was enjoyable but it did not have any sort of brilliance that the other two films I mentioned had. This is just another run-of-the-mill rom-com full of plot inconsistencies.First, Kathryn and Daniel were great. Chemistry top-notch as always and I'm still looking forward to watching their other movies. However, the plot of "Crazy Beautiful You" is just all over the place. Kathryn's character Jackie has an about-face too soon into the movie. They should have played her being a rebellious brat more. Kiko's (Daniel) family dynamics are interesting, but handled too haphazardly. Once his annoying brother Marcus is introduced, Kathryn's character development in thrown out in order to focus on a pseudo-love triangle.
I think the overall message about the importance of family is great though the delivery is somewhat muddled. Additionally, I liked the way they handled being selfish/selfless. Selfishness is bad of course, for the most part others' feelings should be considered. However, being selfless is also bad but in different ways. No one should try to take everything on by themselves. This message I think was just as important in the movie. I recommend "Crazy Beautiful You" to all Kathryn & Daniel fans since I think they're great no matter what. But if this is your first Filipino movie, I suggest watching the two I mentioned up top first.
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Fun fantasy film
I want to say first that this movie is not a remake of the Miyazaki Hayao film! They are both based on the same children's book by Eiko Kadono (who also makes a cameo in the movie). Keep this in mind if you decide to watch this.Though nowhere near the brilliance of Miyazaki's classic, it manages to stand on its own. It suffers from a few issues common with live-action adaptations. The CGI animals for instance, especially the baby hippo. I found it distracting for some reason. In some scenes it was a puppet, others full CGI. Other than that, the film's effects were pretty good such as Kiki flying. As for actors, I absolutely loved Koshiba Fuka (Kiki) and Miyazawa Rie (Kiki's mother). They were great in my opinion. Tombo's (Hirota Ryohei) character took a minute for me to warm up to. I found him very abrasive at first, though I liked him by the end of the movie.
Though not a certifiable hit like the 1989 movie, this film was fun overall and a perfect pick for children. I was touched during several moments and even cried during the climax. Watch this only if you're willing not to compare it too harshly to Miyazaki's movie (though I also realize comparisons are always inevitable).
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I'll watch anything with Hana Sugisaki
After watching Hana-chan in Hana Nochi Hare, I'm slowly going through her filmography. I've liked everything she has been in so far, even that weird "Bleach" movie lol. "Haken Uranaishi Ataru" is unlike any drama I've seen before and definitely would not be something I would've watched if Hana had not been in it. For J-dramas, I usually only watch romantic comedies and manga adaptations. Anyway, I'm so happy I watched this!Though I couldn't necessarily relate to every character, I found myself touched by their problems. I cried a lot, of course lol. One character hit pretty close to home for me, but I won't say which! I loved seeing Ataru help fix their problems and then see how they all changed after. By the end of the series, they all worked so well together that I wished I could have worked with them. Regarding Ataru's character, I think Hana played her rather well and the mystery of her background was a nice touch. Though I liked her best once we really got to know her.
This review got kind of rambling, gomen. I think anyone who likes slow-paced, slice of life dramas will enjoy this series.
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After being raised in India, Seira returns to Japan to attend a boarding school. However, when her rich father dies, the school's headmistress forces her to work as a maid. In this version, the headmistress at least has reasons for hating Seira, though it is still appalling to watch her treat Seira horribly. Becky is changed to a male love interest named Kaito Miura. Their love story was sweet, but I felt the episode where they visit his hometown was a bit out-of-place. Masami (Ermengarde in the novel) kind of annoyed me, while I thought Maria (Lavinia) was probably the most interesting.
SS was a sweet story but unremarkable story. I think some might find the series frustrating, because the bullying scenes were a bit over-the-top. However, I still think most people will enjoy this drama. I also recommend the 1986 (find it on YouTube) and 1995 versions, though the latter does not really follow the book.
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No Life Is Meaningless
At a glance, "Junjo Kirari" might seem like just another story about following your dreams. The story, however, grows along with our heroine Sakurako (played by the wonderful Aoi Miyazaki) as she discovers the meaning of life itself. For this reason, the drama starts off very light and fluffy which represents childhood and adolescence. As the Second World War looms, it quickly becomes about persevering through hardships. Then the post-war section is where Sakurako finds true happiness surrounded by her love ones.This is only my second asadora. The first being "Hanako to Anne." There are a lot of similarities between the two as both follow a heroine from a poor family living in a small town who goes to Tokyo to follow her dreams. And both also cover the war. I've knocked out a half a point from "Junjo Kirari" 's score because of some story elements I didn't really like. So let's cover those first.
1) I disliked Sakurako's engagement with Saito Sensei. I'm assuming that there's not much of an age difference, but still a grown man being interested in a seventeen-year-old will always give me the ick. I'd also like to point out that they have zero chemistry together. Thankfully, this storyline doesn't go on for long.
2) Fueko's character easily becomes one of the most inconsistent characters of the series, but I have mixed feelings about it. It might be natural for a woman to change after marriage and childbirth. I'm not really sure.
3) The war weeks were already going on too long, but they just had to have Sakurako fall in love with Togo (Fueko's husband). Nothing happens of course, but I still hate it.
Now these complaints are out of the way. "Junjo Kirari" has a lot of good points. The heroine is a lovely and fun person to follow as she follows her music dreams and sacrifices for her family. Sakurako is stubborn and strong-willed, but not in annoying way. There are some great supporting characters like Tatsuhiko (Sakurako's love interest), Togo (a wandering artist), Kane (Tatsuhiko's mother), Momoko (Sakurako's sister), and others. I will say I didn't feel as attached to the side characters in this series, but I think that's just because the focus is given more to Sakurako. The music is also nice in a calming sort of way.
My final comment is that though this drama has a tragic ending, I will not lower the score for that. Sometimes tragedy is called for at the end of a drama. That does not mean our time was wasted, just that sad things happen some time. I really liked this drama and had a nice time watching it.
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Not Bad, But Not My Kind of Drama
I was sucked into this drama by the title. My exact reaction: "Korean drama of Little Women? I can't wait!!" I'm not a purist when it comes to book to TV/movie adaptations. So while this drama did not follow my expectations at all, I still found all the changes they did to the source material interesting. Anyway, you can't really top either 1993 or 2019 "Little Women" in my mind. I see that a lot of people have already posted reviews so I'll just include some of my thoughts.Interestingly, In-joo (Meg) is treated more like the main character than In-kyung (Jo). Sadly like most versions of "Little Women" In-hye (Amy) is given little character development. Her character really seems to be shoved to the side by the end of the drama. In-joo and In-kyung are both clearly outlined characters, but I can't say the same for In-hye. I really enjoyed the two love interests, Do-il (John Brooke) and Jung-ho (Laurie). Neither resemble their book counterpart in my opinion, but I still like them. The great-aunt was also wonderful and a good nod to the book. All I have to say about the villain characters are that I found them both disappointing and forgettable after the first few episodes.
From the comments, I learned this is a "makjang" drama. In all my years of drama watching, I've never heard this term before and will probably avoid any future dramas attached to it. While I enjoyed "Little Women", I never felt really that connected to it. I think that is in part because it is a makjang, meaning it just has some ridiculous/over-the-top moments that I could just not ignore. I also feel the ridiculousness ruined some character development. I will praise the actors who all brought their a-game. This drama was good, but not for me. Had it not been titled "Little Women", I never would have picked it up.
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An interesting take on complicated feelings
This film's story seems cliche at first, but actually becomes interesting. Cali (played by Liza Soberano) has not forgave her ex Gio (Enrique Gil) for cheating on her a couple years prior. Suddenly, he is thrust back into her life when they have to work together. Now he has to convince her that he has changed. This description is simple, but where this movie shines is its portrayal of complicated feelings.For most of the movie, Cali struggles with whether to forgive Gio or not. She receives pressure from all sides. Some calling her "heartless" for still being angry with him, others yelling "Once a cheater, always a cheater." The thing is: feelings are not that simple. And that's why I liked this movie. It did a good job on showing how complicated feelings and relationships are. You are free to forgive or not forgive someone whom you felt has betrayed you. Your feelings are always valid. I love that a rom-com had me thinking this much.
I had some issues with a few plot details, but I won't include them here since I already made a rant in the comments section. Overall, I think this was a good movie. A little emotionally heavy, especially towards the end. I particularly liked the part where they visited Korea. It's fun to see the country from the eyes of Filipinos and it was a nice contrast from the rest of the movie. I recommend this to anyone who likes romance, but I suggest you avoid it if you hate cheating story lines.
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Meh.
After finishing the first season, I entered into the second season with trepidation. The beginning starts off kind of rough. We are now minus two cast members. Rhys Miguel as Tob was possibly fired or didn't want to continue the loveteam with Kaori Oinuma (Michiko). Melizza Jimenez as Elle decided to focus on school instead of acting and was recast with Mikha Lim. Tob's disappearance is integrated into the plot as him "ghosting" Michiko. Despite the rough start, I really liked the first few episodes of the season. However, it started to go downhill towards the mid-point when the plot starts to focus only on the whole criminal investigation surrounding Dale being shot. I won't go into this because I could go on and on, but I hated it. It doesn't really pick back up after that, unfortunately.The leads, Donny Pangilinan (Deib) and Belle Mariano (Max), have great chemistry. They honestly save this mediocre second season. Without them I would've been so much worse. The plot does give them some great chances to flex their acting chops, but it's unfortunate that it never seems to go anywhere. The supporting cast feels weaker in this season besides maybe Michiko (played by Kaori Oinuma). They really threw everything at her. RJ and Kim just feel like they're as plot devices. They might've had something interesting with Lee, Naih, and Ysay, but the writers back out of it at the last second. Poor Migz, Elle, and Lorde are just there. And the adult drama between Max's dad, stepmom, and the new principal was kind of random but I would've preferred them focus on that instead of the stupid investigation.
The last couple episodes come out of nowhere. All of the sudden, Dale is just dead? WTH. I don't understand why he didn't die during surgery?? He died while sleeping?? He was in a hospital; he would've been hooked up to something. Okay, I did cry but how he died was so stupid. Then it's the last episode so they have to wrap up everything, but they don't do it very well. It's frustrating. Anyway, despite my complaints, I mostly enjoyed the series. I don't regret finishing it. I just wish it had matched the first season in terms of entertainment.
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Perfect for LizQuen fans
"Forevermore" officially launched the LizQuen ship after previous hints in the films, "Must Be... Love" and "She's the One" (I recommend them both btw). I'm going to start by summarizing the series first. Liza Soberano stars as Agnes, the daughter of a farmer, and Enrique Gil stars as Xander, the rich son of a hotelier who seemingly only cares about himself. Agnes lives on a farm, called La Presa, with a large group of people who are like a family. One day, Xander accidentally ruins Agnes's strawberries. The La Presans are desperate for cash to pay their rent and thus decide to hold Xander hostage until he repays them. He stubbornly refuses to pay them or reveal his name. Eventually, he causes so much trouble for them that Agnes just tells him to go. Agnes and her father, Buboy (Joey Marquez), later learn that Xander is the son of the president of the nearby Grande Hotel. They appeal to his father, Alex (Zoren Legaspi), who refuses to pay for his son. He instead agrees to lend Xander the money if he goes to work at Le Presa.Xander is reluctant at first, but does decide to go to Le Presa. There he has a hard time fitting in with the others who understandably don't find him very reliable. Agnes, in particular, finds him distrustful. He finds an ally in Mang Bangky (Bangkay), an old bachelor who relates to Xander's rebelliousness. Thanks to Bangky, he tries harder to win over the others though he inevitably makes many mistakes, which drives wedges into his budding friendship with Agnes. One such mistake is accidentally losing Niknok (Jesse James Ongteco), a young child who lives with his aunt Mirasol (Irma Adlawan) in La Presa. Running through the forest, Xander is reminded of the tragic death of his little brother Basty, which is shown through flashbacks. Once Niknok is found, Agnes yells hurtful words at Xander who then disappears. Agnes and Buboy go to Grande to find Xander. They meet Meg (Beverly Salviejo), his grandmother's assistant, who reveals Basty's death and that Xander's mother always blamed him. Xander eventually returns to La Presa and Agnes apologizes, starting a new chapter in their relationship.
Later, Xander realizes that he has feelings for Agnes, but is reluctant to give in to them, even telling her as much. His parents bring him back to Grande to integrate him into management now that he has become more responsible. His mother, Bettina (Lilet), resents Xander's new connection to La Presa, which becomes a frequent issue. After an earthquake hits, Xander saves Agnes from a falling down building. He confesses his feelings for her and receives permission from her father to court her. Agnes holds off on giving Xander an answer for a while, but eventually says yes to being his girlfriend. She also has to turn down her childhood friend, Andrew (Yves Flores) around the same time. Meanwhile, Bettina is working on opening an agricultural resort, hoping to earn the approval of Alex's mother Soledad (Marissa Delgado), whom has always preferred his son's first (and still legal) wife. Bettina works out a deal with Jaime and Loulie Saavedra (Michael Flores and Bernadette Allyson-Estrada), the parents of Xander's ex-girlfriend Kate (Sofia Andres).
Bettina invites Kate to the Grandes' annual Christmas party, hoping to reunite her and Xander. Of course, he is now dating Agnes. Kate seems to take this in stride and even sort-of befriends Agnes. Bettina pushes for Xander and Kate to be together, but begins acting friendlier with Agnes when she realizes that that isn't working. She invites Agnes to come work at the hotel, which will also earn her a scholarship for college. However, it goes terribly array. Xander decides to leave his family to live with the La Presans again. Meanwhile, Kate starts to sink into a depression and acts erratically. Her behavior obviously worries her parents. She lamely attempts to win Xander back. However, at the slightest pushback from Agnes and the La Presans, she encourages her father Jaime to make war on them. He attempts to seize La Presa through illegal means (having already being tasked with getting the land for the Grandes' resort). After Buboy is shot, Xander becomes overwhelmed and gives into Jaime's demands that he accompanies Kate to London. He leaves without a word, which devastates Agnes.
Two years later, Agnes, the twins Clauie and Judy (Joj and Jai Agpangan), and their new friend Karen (Karen Dematera) are attending college for a semester in Manilla. The La Presans come for a visit since Buboy and Mirasol have now decided to marry. Buboy needs to obtain an annulment since he is technically still married to his wife though he and Agnes haven't seen her for over a decade. Of course, it turns out that Marites (Almira Muhlach) is now living in Manila. Buboy confronts her and she confesses that her employer was holding her captive in Japan. Marites and Agnes are reunited after some time and Agnes allows her back into her life. Meanwhile, Agnes meets Jay (Diego Loyzaga) at school and joins his band. He gradually develops feelings for Agnes, though she seems reluctant to allow him to court her. Marites distrusts him him at first, but he wins her over when he comes to her with problems regarding his mother, who is currently working in Japan.
In the meantime, Xander has returned from London with Kate who has gotten better though still appears fragile. She eventually goes to the States after her father's shady business dealings are made public. Xander now has a successful business and loyal assistant, Orly (Jason Francisco). Orly helps Xander with his elaborate plan to win back Agnes. The plan goes up in flames as Agnes isn't even willing to hear him out. He decides not to give up yet and takes a temporary teacher's position at Agnes's college. Of course, she doesn't take this well and treats him coldly, such as only calling him "Sir." He acts respectfully towards her and, after attending a leadership workshop, the two are finally on friendly terms. The twins take sides with Clauie wanting her to reunite with Xander ("Superman") and Judy wanting her to be with Jay ("Batman"). Karen stays more neutral, though she realizes that Agnes still truly loves Xander. Agnes is seemingly ready to accept her feelings and agrees to have dinner with Xander and his family (FYI, the Grandes have since become better, more supportive family). However, when she glimpses Kate from outside, the emotions come rushing back.
Kate later finally explains to Agnes why Xander left her two years previously. Unfortunately, Agnes has now become numb to emotion, giving into fear rather than love. Xander takes this as a final rejection. He becomes depressed and his father encourages him to look at this as just a chapter in his life. Then on his way home, Alex is hit by a car and passes away. Xander, though still devastated, listens to his mother and grandmother's advice and becomes the new president of Grande Hotel. Meanwhile, Agnes and the twins return to La Presa; they are soon joined by Jay and Karen. Xander too finds himself in the area. His father's legal wife Sheree (Pinky Amador) and her brother Julius (Kit Thompson) are scheming once again. He later meets a local veterinarian Alex Pante (Erich Gonzales) and starts dating her. After his father's will is read, Xander decides to work on the agricultural resort again when the land is willed to his mother.
Xander attempts to buy La Presa, earning strong pushback from the people who once treated him as their own. Agnes meets with Xander who now treats her coldly. Her appeals don't work. However, his mother tells him that Alex likely left them to land not to complete the resort but to protect La Presa forever. Xander, realizing that this is the truth, reconciles with the La Presans and instead works out a new deal with them for a series interconnected cottages. Of course, Sheree and Julius attempt to sabotage the project by targeting the area's water supply. While searching, Xander and Agnes become lost in the forest. They spend the night holding each other. Later, Xander has Sheree and Julius arrested and ousted from the company. He ends things with his new girlfriend who has already realized that he still loves Agnes. Agnes decides to take a scholarship for a college in Japan and leaves La Presa. Xander catches up with her. They decide to start a new (albeit long distance) "forever" from then on.
Yes, that's a long summary, but it's a long show. Probably could've been cut down 10-15 episodes in my opinion. The first half of the show (e.g. before Xander leaves) is the stronger half, especially regarding the main couple. However, it does have Kate so it's not perfect The second half starts off well. It's reasonable that Agnes would act that way tbh and Jay is an enjoyable enough rival to Xander. I would argue that do they have to make Jay's life so miserable lol. Agnes's unwillingness to hear out Xander just lasts way too long. The writers could've condensed it a little. It feels like they had a hit on their hands and were just trying to extend the couple finally reuniting.
So, to conclude, I enjoyed this show for what it was. I was pretty easy to watch, despite it's length. Filipinos speak "Taglish," a mix of English and Tagalog, so I didn't have to pay 100% attention. I watched 2-5 episodes a night before going to sleep and I was able to finish it in little a month. It was a great comfort show. I recommend to LizQuen fans, but if you're unfamiliar with the loveteam or Filipino shows in general, I recommend watching Filipino films first.
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Kind-of boring
Every once in a while I come across a "classic" that I just can't bring myself to like. "In the Realm of the Senses" comes to mind since it's also a classic Japanese film. However, while that one made me very uncomfortable, "Woman in the Dunes" just kinda bored me. I can appreciate the story, the acting, the message, etc. But, at the end of the day, it put me to sleep literally."Woman in the Dunes" follows Niki Junpei (played by Okada Eiji), a substitute teacher and bug enthusiast, who comes to a remote village surrounded by sand. The villagers trap Junpei with a recently widowed woman (Kishida Kyoko). Every night, the woman shovels sand and the villagers take it away. Junpei tries in vain to escape the sand pit throughout the movie. An obvious allegory to Sisyphus.
Like I said, I can appreciate this plot. I felt that it did its job as it made me feel anxious and claustrophobic. But still, I fell asleep and I practically couldn't wait for it to end. To conclude, I didn't like it but I see it's artistic merit.
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'Nice Play'
"Jun-chan no Ouen-ka" is my fourth asadora. I chose the drama since the fansubber had just finished subbing it. You can find the subtitles over at d-addicts by the way. "Jun-chan" was different from the previous asadoras I watched. The key difference being that Junko (played by Yamaguchi Tomoko) is an unambitious heroine. This is not bad, but it does mean that the series does not necessarily have a goal it's working towards. Junko instead focuses on taking care of her family through various ways. The drama therefore feels like more of a family/slice-of-life drama. I liked this kind-of easy-going pace, but I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat after each episode to find out more.Besides family, "Jun-chan" has a secondary focus of baseball. It links to several of the series major characters and is also the source of the more emotional moments. I'm sure the third to the last episode will get you. Junko's brothers, Akira and Yuta, are the main ballplayers of the series. They are also two of my favorite characters. There is a slightly awkward transition from where they are played by child actors to adult actors. However, I thought the adults were stronger actors so that makes up for it. I particularly liked the adult Yuta (played by Karasawa Toshiaki).
The main storyline in "Jun-chan" is perhaps the romance between Junko and the Japanese-American, Shuhei (played by Takashima Masahiro). I thought these two had strong chemistry and they manage to stay interesting even after getting married. Much of the latter half of the drama is about them working through their marital and childrearing problems. Considering their strong, stubborn personalities, I liked that the writers didn't opt for a "happily ever after"-type marriage.
Now addressing Junko. She's a very low-key heroine in some ways. Junko gets most of her satisfaction out of life by helping others whether it's doing the housework or supporting her family by working at a diner and later an inn. However, she is not portrayed as being perfect. Junko has a bit of a martyr complex and is often stubborn. Her family and loved ones appreciate what she does, but aren't afraid to call her out every now and again. As a heroine, I found Junko very enjoyable to watch. I'll remember her for her bright and never-ending perseverance.
To close out, I chose to title this review "Nice Play" after a pivotal moment in the series. It's used in baseball to indicate "good game" basically. However, one character points out that this could apply to life itself. Junko, her family, and friends each had a "nice play." I enjoyed nearly every minute of the series and I liked that the ending indicates that their lives will go on after the story.
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Mostly fluffy romance
I've wanted to watch this this for a while since I saw some people comparing it to "Boys Over Flowers" (aka "Hana Yori Dango"). In hindsight, I think it's kind of a disservice to the drama though to call it a "BOF rip-off" just because it has a similar premise. I won't get into the plot because there's already plenty of reviews of "He's Into Her" on here. I'll just list what I liked and disliked about the series.Likes
1) The premise. I will never get tired of seeing a spunky girl stand up to a clique of rich boys lol. If you also enjoy this premise, this will be a fun drama for you.
2) Friendship. This isn't an ensemble drama but I really liked the large cast of friends of the FL and ML.
3) Romance. The romance here is surprisingly strong for a teen show. Donny (playing Deib) and Belle (playing Max) have really good chemistry and I see why they're a new "loveteam" now. The side couples aren't really that strong though.
4) Theme strong. I really top-notch, boyband theme song. I love it.
Dislikes
1) Rivals. RJ and Kim are the love rivals for the FL and ML. They are mentioned semi-frequently before they finally appear, but their real appearance still feels too late in the game. They end up feeling like unnecessary obstacles.
2) Fighting. Around the mid-point of the drama, the FL and ML's fighting felt really annoying.
3) Dropped and unfinished storylines. A love triangle between Ysay, Migz, and Hunter is set up but dropped. The series ends with a lot of unfinished storylines, such as Deib's brother. This is annoying as I would have preferred the story to be self-contained with the season.
"He's Into Her" is a fun, fluffy romance. The characters are well-written for what they are. Their motivations make sense and can apply to the real-world. Though it feels somewhat like a Wattpad story, I'm happy that they went that way instead of into soap opera territory. Now time to watch the sequel. Crossing my fingers that they don't ruin it lol.
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Half Blue
This is only my third asadora. I chose "Hanbun, Aoi" because I was looking for something a little lighter than the previous one I watched. It definitely delivers as the drama is full of comedic, light-hearted moments that I loved. If you've seen the "Reply" series, "Hanbun, Aoi" reminded me of it in several aspects. However, it is an asadora and has plenty of really emotional moments, especially as you get to the end.Out of the three asadora dramas I've seen thus far, "Hanbun, Aoi" has the weakest story. It starts off a little slow with the childhood and adolescence weeks, but it's easy enough to push through these and they are important in the long run. Suzume (played by Mei Nagano) is the series heroine. As a child, she loses the hearing in her left ear. This will continue to effect throughout the entire series. "Hanbun, Aoi" picks up when Suzume finds her passion. Becoming a manga artist. These weeks were no doubt my favorite and not only because I'm a manga fanatic. The world of manga, however, is sadly a tough one. Suzume manages to make her debut, but eventually decides that she can go no further. Whether Suzume should've given up or not is up for debate, but I really enjoyed how the storyline was handled.
Now the next half of "Hanbun, Aoi" was completely unrecognizable from the first. I have to say that I went through a bit of shock. I'm going to address Suzume's love interest now. Ritsu (played by Takeru Satoh) was born on the same day as Suzume and has always been on her side until they parted ways. When they reunite, he proposes to Suzume but she mistakenly says "I can't". He marries someone else a few years later. For me, this was very frustrating and only gets worse if we're being honest. On top of that, Takeru is very underutilized as Ritsu and he only gets character development sporadically.
Suzume, depressed by missing her chance to marry Ritsu and giving up her dream, starts working at a 100-yen store. There she meets Ryoji (played by Shotaro Mamiya) and they decide to marry after only knowing each other for a week. It's cute in a way, but they both come off as extremely naive in relationships. Suzume decides to support Ryoji in his dream of becoming a director, but he decides to give it up after failing and then Suzume getting pregnant. They are a happy family until Ryoji decides to abandon him to pursue his dream again. I don't know what's worse: Your husband leaving you for another woman or leaving because you're in the way of his dreams. Yikes. Suzume returns home and enter Ritsu.
The story becomes somewhat frustrating at this point. Suzume seems to just jump from one thing to another. I wish the writers had decided on a second dream for her and stuck with it. And worse, she and Ritsu are back in each other's lives but... Ritsu is still married and seemingly doesn't want to leave her, despite their obvious problems. I'm not advocating giving up on your marriage so easily, but this was just another excuse for the writers to delay the main couple again. Another time-skip. Suzume is back in Tokyo for her daughter to take skating lessons. She's failing at being a start-up businesswoman. Ritsu returns from America and is finally divorced (his wife left him!). Suzume and Ritsu partner together on a start-up. Finally, after completing their first project, they decide to be together.
"Hanbun, Aoi" has one of the most frustrating main couples I've seen in a long time. It's unfortunate because I really like them together and I just wish that we had seen more of them. However, this is by no means a bad drama because of that. Most of the characters are really strong, including Suzume (though her career choices are a bit bizarre). I love her family and her friends. She has absolutely beautiful relationships with her mother, daughter, and best friends. This is definitely the highlight of this drama. "Hanbun, Aoi" translates to "half blue." I think it means something like looking on the bright side. Though bad things will happen to you, there will always be good times.
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An easy but forgettable watch
I recently finished "Rich Man, Poor Woman" in order to watch this drama, but honestly the two dramas are so different... It's hard to even think of "Faceless Love" as a remake of RMPW if we're being honest.First, the story is fine. It's a really easy watch, so I was able to finish it within a couple days which is sometimes hard for me to do, personally. However, I also get the feeling that I will probably forget within a few months. Second, the actors all do a fine job as well but no one really stands out in my mind. Dew is a little wooden and Luke is overacting a tad during his angry scenes. They're both super good-looking though so I didn't really mind that much. Kao is a good actress but can't really rise above the kind-of meh script.
Now let's address the changes from the source material I liked and disliked as well as just some general likes and dislikes:
Likes: The series is more of a straight-up romance compared to the original, which desperately needed more romance scenes (Thank God for the follow-up movie); The motivations of Luke's character make more sense than in the original; The family scenes with the FL and later the ML's family were very heartwarming.
Dislikes: Dew's character isn't presented as a "genius like in the original, which makes him seem like just a spoiled brat. Like, why is even the CEO of the company in the first place; June's mean girl is entertaining but her motivations are weak; Kao's character doesn't become her own person like the original.
On a side note, I feel like this series misrepresents prosopagnosia (face blindness) and Alzheimer's (dementia) in some ways. However, since I'm not well versed in either illness, I will make no further comment. It just bothered me a bit.
If you like any of these actors, I would recommend the series. If you're a fan of the original drama, I probably would not recommend because it's too different.
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