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  • Last Online: Apr 26, 2023
  • Location: California
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  • Join Date: June 22, 2012

leahakiko

California

leahakiko

California
Completed
Niini no Koto wo Wasurenaide
7 people found this review helpful
Jul 19, 2013
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I have had my fair share of sad Japanese movies and dramas but by far Niini no Koto wo Wasurenaide is the one thee saddest drama I have ever come across.

It's based off a true story, which just kills you a little more inside as you watch. A 15 year old boy who is so ambitious about school and life suddenly finds out he has a tumor in his brain. Just knowing that alone, your heart breaks a little inside. He had so many goals for his future and for this sudden news to come out of nowhere, Keisuke falls into despair and becomes rebellious and has given up on everything in a way.

I have cried during many movies and dramas but this one, this one had me crying buckets. I paused this so many times because I couldn't breathe or my eyes were too watery to read the subtitles.

That's when you know the cast did a phenomenal job at acting. Ryo. Oh Nishikido Ryo. When he cries, boy can he cry. His acting is always amazing. But I think this has to be one of my favorite works from him. His scenes where he lashed out at his mother felt so real and emotional. With that, Hitomi Kuroki, did an outstanding job as Keisuke's mother. The scenes with her and Ryo were just amazing. Everything felt so real. Too real even.

This is a real tearjerker. Just thinking about it makes me want to tear up. If you decide to watch it, please be prepared with a box of tissues. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see a sad movie or loves tearjerkers.

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Completed
Sunny
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 26, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Wow I wasn't really expecting to love this movie, heard of it because of Kang Sora but never read the plot until I looked on this site and all I have to say is that this movie was simply amazing. It is just once of those great stories about friendship during school and 25 years later.

I love love love romance in any movie but I didn't mind at all that there really wasn't any in this movie because it didn't need it at all. The story of the girls friendship was strong enough to keep the movie going. And the cast was extremely cute and funny throughout the whole movie and during the emotional scenes they acted well.

To my surprise there was a lot of fighting. which i don't mind at all because they made some scenes hilarious.

would definitely recommend this to anyone!

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Completed
Letters from Iwo Jima
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This is probably one of the best war movies I've ever seen without getting bored or confused. I actually had to watch this for History back in high school (had a list of war movies) and I just picked this one because I love learning about WWll and it was the only Japan war movie.

To my surprise when I started it Ninomiya's face appeared. Same with Ken Watanabe. (didn't look up the cast, just watched it on netflix lol) Ninomiya is a great actor and meshed well with Ken, who is just one of thee best Japanese actors I know. The supporting cast was also great.

The movie mainly shows the Japanese side of WWll for the battle of Iwo Jima. it also showed the horror of the battle but also some good which is weird to say for a war movie. to some people it can be a little..glory but i didn't think it was too bad.

the reason why I rated music so high is because i absolutely loved the instrumental music that was used for this movie. It puts you into a bittersweet mood.

Obviously this movie isn't for everyone, since I know a lot of people could care less about history, but people should give this movie a try.

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Completed
K-POP - The Ultimate Audition
8 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2012
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
Oh how i wish this drama was 16 episodes instead of 14. i'm betting the ending would've been SO much better and not as rushed, my score definitely would be different.

But other than that, i actually enjoyed this drama! It reminded me a lot of You're Beautiful but after a while it didn't. I loved the cast. The main characters seemed to have ok chemistry and they were cute together but some things could've been better if anyone catches my drift :P

i liked the music they used/made. it was catchy and fun to listen to.
if the ending wasn't s bad i'd probably watch it again

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Completed
Clover
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
Huh. I don't know how I ended up watching this movie but I thank youtube for having this on the "related videos" sidebar!

Story | Suzuki Saya is an office worker in the event planning department for a hotel. She's always having to be corrected by her strict and straight forward boss, Tsuge Susumu. What seems like out of left field, the two begin a relationship and along the way they both learn some valuable lessons about themselves. A very typical Shoujo manga plot. In other words, another cliché, but I am a person who doesn't get tired of such clichés.

Acting | Can we just all take a moment to appreciate how beautiful Takei Emi is. She's always been pretty to me, but it was extremely refreshing to see her play a more mature, non-student, older role. She still had the goofy, cringe worthy type of moments but I quite enjoyed her as Saya. I don't believe I've seen Okura Tadayoshi in anything so at first I didn't even realize it was him. Strangely, I loved his character and how he played it. He was a type to hide his emotions and he acted that out well and when he did need to show emotion he showed a nice amount that would seem believable for his character. Chemistry wise, for a movie, I thought it wasn't that bad and it was presently on screen. Things kind of just happened so I was like "oh, okay well..okay." but they had so many moments where I honestly thought they were adorable together. Supporting cast, I really liked Saya's hotel coworkers, especially her two close friends. They had small roles but somehow played a bigger role than I had anticipated.

Music | Besides Kanjani8's song and the use of a Disney song, I don't think there was anything besides instrumentals. Kanjani8's song was a nice touch for the ending credits.

Rewatch | Not anytime soon, but I know I'll come back to it some day.

Overall | For a live action based on a manga, I thought it was actually pretty decent. My only complaint is I wish they used Hino Haruki's character is a better way. I don't really know how to describe this without spoilers but I thought his character could've been used to help others character developments, well, more than what was given. Other than that, I don't really have any other complaints. This was a simple and cute movie. Not sure why the score is low, but give it a try!

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Completed
The Classic
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 17, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
Ah man. My eyes are still red from crying. I don't understand why I loved this movie so much. It was simple and a complete cliche, but the acting, the ending, and the overall finish of this movie left me feeling sad yet completely content at the same time.

Story | (This movie goes back and forth between the past and the present, so don't get confused as to why the main actress is with two different men.) Two love stories in two different decades. In both stories, someone writes a love letter to the person they themselves have feelings for, but let someone else use their true feelings to attract the one they like. Through many events, both stories develop and change for the better and for worse.

Cast | Originally, I only watched this because of Jo In Sung, but ended up loving Jo Seung Woo's character and acting. His character was lovable and when he was serious, I could feel my heart jerking. Ah. he was great. Son Ye Jin was great as her two roles but her chemistry with Jo Seung Woo was undeniable. There wasn't much time to show a better connection between her and In Sung's character but even with the little time they had, I loved them together. Lee Ki Woo made his character extremely lovable and you couldn't help but love him even with the storyline. Not much air time for the supporting characters, but I enjoyed them.

Music | Any movie or drama that has an amazing instrumental will automatically win me over in the music category. When I Love you More and More is an amazing OST with lyrics and with just instrumentals. It puts you in the right mood for this type of movie.

Rewatch | Not too sure, I did love it though. It was a great movie that is for sure, but my god was it sad. It hit me in a certain spot and I'm not sure if I could handle this movie a second time. Maybe in a few years I'll rewatch but as of right now, I am scarred from the greatness of this movie.

Overall | Great. That's it. I'm not going to lie, parts of this movie moved slower than I hoped. But the last 20 minutes of this movie made all those slow moments worth it. This is that type of movie where you need to watch it because of the ending. The ending made this movie great (to me). If you're ever in the mood for a romantic yet tearjerker (hope that's not just me that love that combination), this is your movie. Please anyone thinking about this, give it a watch!

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Completed
The Vancouver Asahi
6 people found this review helpful
Apr 27, 2015
Completed 4
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
Had the pleasure of watching this movie at a film festival and I am so glad I did. I may be biased when it comes to Japanese baseball movies but when I say this is good, it really is great.

Story is based off a real baseball team during the early 1900s from Vancouver mainly made up of Nisei players who struggle to balance working (twice as hard as the Whites while getting paid much less), baseball and most of all they struggle to win. But Reggie (Reji), the leader figures out a way to be able to beat the "big and strong" Vancouver teams. They get praised for their "brain play" and start to win while fighting the discrimination they receive daily from the White community. I feel the main point this story was trying to point out was that this game that everyone (ok not really) loves can change the minds and hearts and help build a bridge to connect the two communities.

Cast, I was able to recognize some of the actors/actresses used in this movie. Wasn't even the slightest bit disappointed with any of the cast members. I loved Satoshi and Kame's roles. They played their characters well. One being shy and the other being tough around the edges but at the same time gave some needed comic relief at times (along with other actors).
Also never watched Mitsuki Takahata in anything before but her acting was perfect. Her scenes had everyone's attention. Everyone casted was terrific!

Can't remember music too well, besides the upbeat instrumentals during the baseball scenes.

If i could buy this movie now, I would just so I could watch it again. It was a heartfelt movie.
I can't praise this movie enough. If you have a chance to see this while is plays at film festivals, you MUST watch this. It may seem slow in the beginning but it moves along nicely. This is just one of those movies that really makes you rethink things after finishing. Terrific movie & I hope it wins all the awards it deserves.

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Completed
From Me to You
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
For a movie I think this came out well. I never read the manga but watched the anime and the movie used a lot of the main, important parts I believe.

I loved the cast. Though I'm not a big fan of Mikako Tabe, I think she played Sawako well. And i may be biased with Miura Haruma, but I love him in almost every drama/movie he's in. The supporting cast was also great.

Maybe this would've been better as a 8,9 or 10 episode drama but for what it is, i think it was a great movie and i rewatch it all the time
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Completed
1 Litre no Namida
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2012
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Oh how does someone describe a drama like this without getting sad. This was the very first emotional drama i ever watched and i must say, i have never cried so much during a drama.

this drama was based off a true story, which makes it sadder when you realize it, and considering they only made 11 episodes, they fit quite a lot and still made it an excellent drama.

the cast was p e r f e c t i o n ! Erika played Aya amazingly while Nishikido Ryo played his supporting role well. (his crying scenes made me BAWL) the family was also great and same with the others that had small roles. the music was also just perfect. the songs put you into a certain mood, it's hard for me to even explain but it makes the drama that more emotional.

i would recommend anyone to watch this. it's very sad but also extremely inspiring. and if you can, read the real diary from Aya (;

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Completed
Ikemen Desu Ne
10 people found this review helpful
Jul 13, 2012
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Watched you're beautiful way before Ikemen Desu Ne was even talked about so I gave this a chance, i usually love Japanese dramas more than Korean ones especially if they have the same story, and even though i saw YB first i loved this version a lot more. partly because it was only 11 episode and got right to the point but not in a way that was too fast. (I get tired of Korean dramas easily for dragging on.)

I preferred this Ren & Mio a lot more. the actors chemistry was good and they acted well together. I actually liked them a lot more than the Korean actors.

The music was the same as the Korean version, just in japanese & there was an added song which is probably the best song from both versions.

All in All, it's a good drama. i rewatch it again all the time (:

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Completed
Close Range Love
7 people found this review helpful
Sep 13, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
I'm trying to start this review and the only word in my mind is "meh". It wasn't terrible, it was actually kind of cute, but there was just so much lacking in this movie. I'm also not going to compare this to the manga since I haven't gotten the chance to read it ~

Story | A close teacher and student relationship starts when prodigy student Kururugi Yuni, who excels in every subject except English, start having one-on-one tutoring with Sakurai Sensei. As the tutoring continues the two generally become closer and start a forbidden relationship. Your typical Shouju manga with a cliché relationship so it's nothing new.

Cast | Hm. I'm not completely dissatisfied with the leads but there was definitely some chemistry lacking. I liked Yamashita's acting and I enjoyed Komatsu's acting (Her poker face was the best to be honest). They played their roles in a way that I thought was believable but their was just no real connection. There wasn't much character development either. This may have been because it was a movie and the time to connect was cut short. Supporting cast didn't have much time to shine either, but for what was given, I liked the characters and the actors.

Music | …was there even any? I honestly can't remember. If there was an ending theme song during the credits I missed it because where I watched the movie, it cut off right when it ended.

Rewatch | Probably not. It was a cute movie. Simple story, easy to follow, etc but it was kind of a bore. I kept checking the time to see when it was finally going to end.

Overall | I can't really lie, teacher-student relationship type stories make me cringe a little. I over think and it's just too much sometimes. but even with my slight bias, it was an okay movie. It's a simple to watch movie if you can't find anything. That's really it. I just wish this was turned into a drama rather than a movie. I feel such story lines with interesting characters need more time to develop and establish themselves, to help better the story and make it flow better. Plus I did enjoy these actors and would've liked to watch their character developments because it was too hard to believe the situations when everything moved too quickly

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Completed
Saigo no Yakusoku
7 people found this review helpful
Nov 28, 2013
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Not sure what I was expecting from this special because of..well, Arashi. I usually don't expect much from movies/dramas/specials that have all Arashi memebers. But I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this.

Story was interesting. Not anything too exciting. But it really kept me hooked. The whole time I was trying to guess the outcome, while already having a few suspicions, but I couldn't figure it out completely which made me want to keep watching.

Besides Arashi, I liked the supporting cast. I especially liked Kuroki Meisa. I don't know what it is about her, but I really like her. The supporting cast kept giving hints about certain things that was happening and kept making me wanting to guess what was coming next.

This was good to watch when you are bored or in a slump from your other dramas. Would definitely recommend this, especially if you like Arashi (;

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Completed
Protect the Boss
7 people found this review helpful
Nov 20, 2013
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
After reading reviews on this drama and finally watching it, I'd have to say I agree with what a lot of people have said.

This had a typical kind of story, rich guys, poor girls etc. But there was just something different about this drama. There was just something unique about this drama. I can't even put my finger on why or what made it unique. Maybe it was the all of the cast with a mix of the fun instrumental music that's played in every episode. I honestly can't say without giving spoilers away.

I absolutely loved this cast! The chemistry with all the actors was simply amazing. This is the first time where I loved every character, and that is simply hard to do. I couldn't even help liking the "bad guys". The main girl had such a strong personality and wasn't easily bullied. She would fight back. Which is something I wish more dramas would have. Lord knows how many times I almost punched my screen because the main girl can't stand up for herself.

Can I just say that Ji Sung & Jaejoong are some serious eye candy! First time watching a drama with both of them and I was impressed. I didn't expect Jaejoong's character to be like how he was with Ji Sung's character. And this was literally the first time where I didn't hate "The Other Girl" (Ji Hye's character) Yeah, when you first see her you think, oh lord, now the drama starts. But seriously right after that feeling I liked her! She was always fun to have in the scenes, she made me laugh a lot actually.

Wasn't much music besides a few songs and a few instrumental songs, but it all fit perfectly.

I would've given this drama a higher score but I honestly felt the last few episodes were unneeded. By 15 I wanted it to be the last episode but they kept dragging the last 3 episodes with a storyline that I felt could've been done within one.

But other than that, great great drama!

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Completed
Pika*nchi Life Is Hard However Happy
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This is really just a funny story about friends exploring Harajuku and event that happen to all five of 5. It was completely different than what i was expecting.

Of course i decided to watch this for Arashi. And well....their characters were extremely funny, weird, and cool. especially Ohno, he has an act at acting...weird haha.

I really loved the theme for this movie. It has a rock vibe but is still pop-like Arashi.

all in all, it's a really cute movie & it doesn't hurt that all 5 arashi members are in this movie. for how, I guess, plain the plot sounds, it was a good movie and I rewatch it all the time

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Completed
13 Assassins
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
To be honest, when it comes to Samurai or back in the day Japanese movies, I'm not the first one in line to watch. But decided to watch this with my dad and I was honestly surprised at how much I actually liked it.

Longest fight scene i have EVER seen. It was pretty glory at certain parts but I dealt with it. Loved the cast, and the fight scenes didn't look choreographed, which is a A+ in my books.

Of course this movie isn't for everyone but if you're in the mood for an action movie, i would highly recommend this one.
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