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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
Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2016
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.5
This is the first recent Japanese drama I have actually finished in a long while. I don't remember how I came across it but it was a nice refreshing drama to watch over the summer.

Story | Maybe it's just me, but the plot felt new but it also felt like a cliche by the way it was made. Main girl losses her job, runs into her childhood crush etc. It was a cute storyline. I liked the idea of Misaki getting the opportunity to work in a new environment with the brothers of Sea Sons. Their background and everything was a nice touch while the storyline moved well enough and everything made sense.

Cast | I really enjoyed the cast. Of course a favorite of most is Yamazaki Kento, and I'm going to have to jump on that bandwagon. I can honestly say that I believe his acting and his character are what made this drama as good as it was. Him as a chef was perfection and what we all needed in life ~ His chemistry with Kiritani Mirei was perfect. I adored them together. Every scene of them arguing, goofing off and having serious moments, it was all great to watch. Although some of Mirei's actions were a bit annoying, I liked her as Misaki. Chiaki and Touma were also great supporting characters, although I'm not one for Chiaki's personality. But that's all personal. All the other supporting roles were a great add on.

Music | The only song I remember is the main theme by JY (Jiyoung from Kara!) and it's such a nice sone to listen to. I think they also used this song in a slower pace towards the end of the series and I fell in love with the song again.

Rewatch | As much as I enjoyed the drama, rewatching it will probably be unlikely. I was instantly hooked for the first 7 episodes but sadly, the last 3 were lackluster for me. Usually with Japanese dramas, 9-10 episodes is enough for the writers to start a story, create a climax and then finish it nicely, but it seemed with this one that it added too much to the last 3 episodes. I kept asking myself "but why.." constantly while finishing the last couple episodes.

Overall | This has been the first Japanese drama I've seen in a while that was really refreshing. Maybe it was because they were always by the sea, I'm not really sure, but I really enjoyed it. It was a nice short drama to watch over the summer and it is really easy to get through. I'm hoping that there will be some sort of special later on because I truly enjoyed the chemistry this cast had. I recommend people watch this when they want to get away from certain genres that aren't obviously romantic ~

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Completed
Who Are You: School 2015
1 people found this review helpful
Mar 18, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
So much potential in this drama, I don't exactly know what happened but it hurts me to even score the overall score as a 7.

Plot | Honestly nothing I haven't heard before. It reminded me of the plot from Arisa (manga) but I don't get tired of the whole twin switch-a-roo. It being a high school drama is also appealing for some reason. But overall, how the writers wrote in how everything happened was written pretty well in my opinion. Everything made sense and it would've been pretty hard for someone to be confused by it.

Acting | Sungjae. Woo. Now I understand why others were raving about his acting in this show. But really, Kim So Hyun is an amazing actress for someone so young. It was extremely easy to tell apart the twins. With facial expressions and body movements she was able to let the audience know who was who and that's pretty amazing for someone who was only 15. The friends, teachers, villains etc were all good too. I enjoyed everyone's character development, especially Sungjae.

Music | There were 2 or 3 songs that they played throughout the whole drama and Reset was a really interesting song and ended up being my favorite. It fit the drama and the scenes pretty well. Wendy's song was also a favorite of mine from the soundtrack. It was refreshing to see these OSTs have rappers in them, kind of gave it a modern feel to fit in with the fact that this is a school drama.

Rewatch | So much more pain and sadness than I expected from certain characters so I highly doubt I'd come back to rewatch this whole drama.

Overall | Literally, episode 1-13 or even to 15, were really good. Everything kept me hooked. There wasn't really a boring period most dramas usually have and I was enjoying it all. But I'm not sure what happened with the ending but I was left with a bitter feeling when it ended. Maybe it's my own greed for wanting the perfect closure but for how good all the episodes were, I wasn't expecting the ending to be that..bland. Overall, it wasn't a bad drama and I would tell others to watch this. I think the actors and the overall storyline did a well enough job for me to recommend this to those who are on the fence about it ~

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Completed
After School: Lucky or Not
2 people found this review helpful
Feb 22, 2016
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Not completely sure how I came across this little series but I am glad I did.

Story | 5 high school students have an exclusive club where they pick a mission for each day and have to complete them all by a certain time. The leading lady, So Eun, becomes involved and helps the guys complete the missions given to them. It is literally a very basic plot. Extremely basic actually, but with something so simple that the writer(s?) were able to expand greatly and even though the story isn't anything special, it ended up being a feel good drama.

Cast | I knew 5urprise were all actors/singers but I didn't realize they all did a series together. They all had specific type of roles and the characteristics and personalities fit everyone perfectly. Kim So Eun was a pleasant surprise. I didn't realize that was her until she took her glasses off. I loved the chemistry she had with all the male leads! I liked her character development the best. It wasn't too fast or too slow thankfully. They put her at a nice pace and her character was quite enjoyable to watch.

Music | Ah. Great thing about having actors who sing, they can sing all the OSTs and I really loved them all! Hey U Come On was my favorite song from the drama.

Rewatch | definitely. it's so short and extremely easy to get through. It was also a nice break from all the typical melodramatic dramas i've been watching lately.

Overall | Such a nice drama. The first few episodes I kept saying - why. why am I watching this?! - but it was nice to see an actual story develop, character chemistry develop and watch something that had more fun elements than dramatic. I do wish this drama was less of a dramatoon (is that the right word?) and more of an actual drama. With the same elements of course. Again, the story was easy and simple to follow,so maybe I just enjoy school dramas more than I should. I really loved watching this cast together and the random cameos. If you're in a drama slump, I highly suggest watching this to get you by!

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Completed
The Clone Returns Home
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 9, 2016
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Before anyone reads any further, please note:
I had to watch this for my class and sic-fi movies are nowhere close to my style. Please bare with me because I really tried to understand this movie as best as I could.

Story | The plot surrounds Takahara Kouhei and like the title implies, deals with cloning and futuristic components. Honestly the plot was hard to follow the first time around. It jumps from past to present at times and there's very little dialog. It was interesting though, and once I wrapped my head around what was happening, a lot made more sense.

Acting | There wasn't much acting. There were scenes with talking but a lot of scenes of quietness and walking. I haven't seen anything with Oikawa Mitsuhiro but after watching this I'm interested in his other works. I guess for what it was, the cast did fine. Again, it's more me not being used to this type of movie and not really know how to score it all.

Music | I don't think there was any from what I remember.

Overall | When the credits rolled, I was glad it was over. But as my class discussed our confusion and whatnot, I actually appreciated the movie a bit more. It became more interesting and made you really think once you sort of put the pieces of the puzzle together. Kind of thinking like well what if this was in our future what you happen etc. so the wonder aspect was..noted. I'd definitely say watch this movie twice or three times to understand it if you didn't get it the first time.

I most likely will not be coming back to this movie again. Sri-fi was never my genre in the first place and although the movie was quite interesting, the movie was too slow paced for my personal liking.

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Completed
Moon Embracing the Sun
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 19, 2016
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.5
To anyone who still has yet to watch this drama: after finishing, you will fully understand why there was such a hype for this drama when it came out. I am upset that I have waited 4 years to finally watch it!

Story | If anyone happens to see this on Netflix, the plot given on there is nothing compared to one this site and does not give this drama justice when trying to appeal to an audience. I wouldn't even be able to put into words the story that this drama gave. There's the typical fairytale aspect is there with it's adorable romance story but also with dark twists and annoying turns while also a bit of comedy to help ease the viewers who were probably biting their nails down. This is the first time I've been speechless when trying to comment on the story, it was just perfectly written in my eyes and there are plenty of other reviews that have praised and talked more about the story.

Cast | Woo. Well, first of all, the younger cast was perfection. Yeo Jin Goo and Kim Yoo Jung are amazing actors and this is four years prior to what we have seen recently. They had their own special charms that when they were no longer the bulk of the drama, I was sad for a couple episodes. I also adored Lee Min Hoo's acting as the prince. Him and Jin Goo got me every time with their gazes and their emotions. Now, the adult cast, can't really lie, it took me a while to warm up to Han Ga In. But, that might just be me still not fully loving the historical genre. In the end I couldn't have seen anyone else playing her role and I loved her with Kim Soo Hyun. Prior to this drama, I had only see Kim Soo Hyun in Dream High and I'm not sure why because he is a terrific actor. Whether he had an emotional scene, a heated scene or a comedic scene, I loved every second of him throughout this entire drama. Supporting cast was great also, the prince, princess, family members, politicians etc. everyone was casted perfectly.

Music | Kim Soo Hyun's The One and Only You has been on repeat for the past two weeks. Might be my all time favorite OST for a Korean drama. Lyn's song and Monday Kiz's song are also perfection. Those and the instrumentals fit perfectly for every scene in this drama and after the first few episodes knew I needed these songs on my phone right away. I also think dramas are more attractive when they have a great soundtrack and this drama had that.

Rewatch | I need time to heal from that rollercoaster of a drama but I will for sure come back to this drama again.

Overall | Maybe one of the best Korean dramas I have seen. Considering this is a historical drama, that's surprising even to myself. I was actually going to complain a little about the dragged out middle in the drama but realized, everything was set to a pace to tell the story perfectly in a way that was easy to understand and I for once appreciated the slow paced episodes. I also have never fallen in more love with side characters as much as I have with this drama. Certain characters really made this drama for me and now I can fully understand why everyone was talking about this drama back in 2012. It's a must watch for all drama watchers regardless of preference.

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Completed
Splash Splash LOVE
113 people found this review helpful
Dec 21, 2015
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
If you randomly come across this little special drama, do not hesitate to watch it!

Story | A regular high school senior is struggling in school with tests and college expectations building on her shoulders. One day while on her way to take a test that will "determine the rest of her life", she became able to transport to a different era through the rain. She then enters the Joseon era and encounters a whole new set of problems. Nothing new but for some reason, it's something I don't really get tired of.

Cast | I'm so happy to see Kim Seul Gi in a main role! I've only see her in a few things and adored her unique acting. She gave her character such a refreshing feel. Not sure how others will feel, but nothing about her acting was at all annoying and I quite loved how it was different than the typical main actress. Oh Doojoon. I really need to watch more of his works. He did a lot better than I had expected and in my opinion, I thought he showed perfect emotions in his face, which is pretty big for me. Him and Seul Gi were great together! Again, I wasn't expecting much but their chemistry clicked right away and I enjoyed every second of their screen time together. Their relationship developed so naturally I really can't praise them enough. Supporting cast was great too. Ahn Hyo Seop was a little awkward but his character clicked perfect with Seul Gi's as well and I enjoyed his character.

Music | There were a few songs that were used for this drama, I believe Kim Hyung Joong sang for this special and I enjoyed all the songs used.

Rewatch | Most definitely. Only 2 episodes and I loved every second of it. I already want to go back and rewatch it again.

Overall | Why can't Korean dramas always be this easy to watch?! Minimal drama but still enough to push the story along without anything feeling dragged out. The first episode felt like I had already watched 7 episodes of a regular Korean drama and was extremely content. I'm sad because this special was only 2 episodes but I'm happy because I wouldn't want this to be dragged out to 16 episodes..maybe. I honestly wouldn't mind more episode with Doojoon and Seul Gi. Maybe I'm just too big of a sucker for romance dramas. This is a very easy drama to get through and it's perfect for days when you don't feel like watching your "Currently Watching" list but also don't feel like start another 20-24 episode drama.

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Completed
Somewhere Only We Know
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 8, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
I'm trying to find the words to best describe my thoughts on this movie but I'm just so confused on how I feel I can't really make anything out. I remember this movie being talked about but it was not what I was expecting, I actually don't know what I was expecting, but weirdly I liked this movie.

Story | There's two stories being explained, one during the end of WWII and the other in the present. Jin Tian is in Prague for school but is also retracing some of her grandmother's footsteps to explore her tragic love story. Basically the two stories being explained are being played out the same but with different circumstances. A romantic cliche if you will, but it's something I never get tired of watching.

Cast | I don't know what I was expecting with Wu Yi Fan's acting but I didn't hate it nor love it. He can play a lead, but he has a long way to go with his acting. It was hard to watch because sometimes he acted out a scene well and other times I literally hid behind my pillow. He needs some work but he wasn't the worst I've seen. Wang Li Kun was pretty..okay. I don't know, I feel like she was good but nothing spectacular. Her and Yi Fan were nice together. Chemistry was lacking for most of the movie but I thought a spark or two was seen more towards the end. I actually liked the Doctor actor and Xu Jinglei better. I was much more interested in their story than the main couple.

Music | All I can remember is I'll Be Right Here Waiting For You. It fit so perfectly into the movie that everything else I pretty much forgot. If I remember correctly, Yi Fan released a song for this movie but I don't remember it much..

Overall | This movie overall was a bit of a mess. It all made sense, but it was all over the place. Rushed relationships, some unanswered questions, I really just found myself saying "what" a lot of the time. Shoot, the first 45 minutes I said this movie was terrible. But as it went on, the movie actually did become pretty decent and by the end I was satisfied and say it was enjoyable. The one thing I really did love was the backdrop for most of the movie! Prague looks like such a beautiful city and I can't even lie, 50% of me watched this movie just because it was filmed in Prague.

All in all, decent movie. Not very long at all so it's perfect to watch on a slow day.

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Completed
Our Times
4 people found this review helpful
Nov 30, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
Such a refreshing movie to watch!
**Beware** as of this review, the links given in the comments section, the quality of the video with english sub is terrible unfortunately. To those debating on watching, I'd hold on until a better quality is out.

Story | I was thinking this was going to be a typical romantic comedy movie and I was expecting a different plot from the trailer (1. didn't read the plot online, just went right in and watched it! and 2. there were no subs for the trailer) It's the typical bad boy, nerdy girl somehow become connected because of an old school type of chain letter. Which is the one aspect I loved. It's so randomly funny you can't help but laugh because it's not completely unbelievable, well, at least to me. There was also so much more to this story than what I wrote that I was amazed they were able to fit so much into this movie.

Cast | Darren Wang is a flat out stud. I don't know if it's his charisma or his smile that pulled me in but I really enjoyed his acting. He was able to play a delinquent in a way where he could still be seen as bad but he had such an adorable side. I liked how his face showed certain expressions, without words you could easily tell every emotion his character was feeling and I love when actors can pull that off. I fell in love with his character fairly quickly. Also have never watched anything with Vivian Sung but I quite liked her and her acting. She gave her character a personality that was easy to like. I'm always scared of the awkward nerdy type of characters, they either annoy me or I love them. There's really no in-between. Her and Darren worked perfectly together. Their friendship just seemed like it formed so effortlessly in the movie. Side characters didn't have much for me to judge. I really enjoyed the friends in this movie. They didn't have much screen time but when they were around they added some more comedy into the mix.

Music | Taiwanese movies/dramas usually never disappoint with OSTs and I really liked the ending theme song.

Rewatch | Most definitely! I sat through 2 hours of terrible quality. Subs were hard to read so I'll have to come back. And after that I'll probably come back again because this movie was such a hit.

Overall | Like I said, a refreshing movie. I don't know what it was. For a movie, the plot moved at a very nice pace, there weren't too many cliches, the character's development seemed so natural and nothing seemed too rushed. The director did an amazing job with this project and I highly recommend everyone add this to their list and watch it!

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Completed
Sassy Go Go
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 27, 2015
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
When I first looked at the trailers for this drama, my expectations were kind of on the low side and the show plot was completely different than what I was expecting. This was a very refreshing drama!

Story | Two clubs, one consisting of the lowest ranking students and the other with the highest ranking students, somehow find themselves having to work together as a cheerleading club. Even though the plot is circled around their cheerleading club, there is a lot of real life and school type scenarios that occur throughout the entire drama, so it's a nice mixture of fiction and reality. The story actually goes into some deep real life issues that I don't see addressed in Korean dramas (at least any of the ones I have so far watched). So to me, it was nice that this wasn't just some upbeat cheerleading romantic comedy type drama. Now, the whole story in general, to me, was pretty unrealistic so I was interested after the first episode. Plus, I always love me a good school drama.

Cast | I simply adore Eunji. I don't know what it is exactly but she has this charm that pulls you in the drama in the very first seconds. I love how she usually has a character that does have her soft side but she is usually a feisty one and can stand up for herself. Her and Lee Won Gun were a joy to watch together. He had an undeniable charm as well. His character was playful but extremely cunning and when mad, he showed emotion that seemed all too real. Ji Soo. My god. His character and acting was probably my favorite, which literally came out of left field. Was not expecting much from him in the beginning of this drama. I haven't watched him in anything else but best believe I will be on the lookout for his future projects. The rest of the cast was perfect. The other students, teachers, faculty, and parents fit each of their role nicely. Everyone just clicked in a way and it was sad knowing after the last episode that that was it.

Music | I finished this drama earlier this week and I honestly can't remember what music was really used in this drama. Nothing really memorable for me I guess, but nothing to complain about either. I just remember enjoying insert instrumental music.

Rewatch | High possibility. I really enjoyed watching Eunji, Woo Gun and Ji Soo, so I'll of course have to come back and rewatch.

Overall | As much as I praised this drama, I did have some issues and can't give it a full score. For 12 episodes, the drama moved nicely, connections were formed in a nice timely matter that I was content with, and the flow for everything was actually pretty good for a short Korean drama. I just have issues with how the writers cleaned up big situations. I was hoping for the progress of one character to go a certain way by a certain time or episode, and when it didn't I was somewhat annoyed at it taking so long. And I was pretty disappointed in the resolve of it all, well, most of it anyways. That was my only issue though. All in all, it was a nice drama to finish. It's short, the cast it great, and the story moves along very nicely. A drama I'd recommend to anyone who asks! ~

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Completed
She Was Pretty
5 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2015
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
For the hype, I was pleasantly surprised at how well this drama turned out. I am a nut about romantic comedies and this one didn't disappoint!

Story | Typical plot where beauty changes with one of more characters and a love story is produced. Except, I don't know if this is just me, but I have never watched a drama where a main character went from pretty to "ugly" before. I wasn't sure how I'd like this concept since i expected something different with the leads but the way Hye Jin's character was written made this storyline more enjoyable in my eyes.

Cast | Can we all just take a moment and applaud how great The Most staff was. As much as I loved the main leads, the supporting actors were incredible. Anyways, Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon was such a nice couple to watch. Their chemistry throughout the entire drama was perfect and for me, was a huge reason why I enjoyed this drama. At first I was expecting to find flaws about Jung Eum's acting (or more how she was to play her character) but I think there was a certain charm she gave Hye Jin that made her extremely likable. Park Seo Joon was the perfect Seong Joon. Maybe it was just my preference, but the way he acted with certain facial expression really made me fall in love with his character. And please tell me I'm not the only one who kept saying "my god, Siwon stop" during the entire drama! I admit though, he brought a unique feel to his character and one couldn't help but love his weirdness.

Music | Insert songs, ending music etc were all nice and fit the scenes/drama as a whole perfectly. Genre isn't really my taste but still nice to listen to.

Rewatch | Probably in the future, the whole cast made this drama great. It's only a matter of time before I head back to episode 1.

Overall | Honestly, for how much I praised it, probably could've have been a little better towards the end. I was hooked from episode 1-11 and 12-16 weren't terrible or didn't drag on too much but it seemed like there was a spark missing. Or maybe if the story happened a little differently the last 5 episodes wouldn't have felt so lackluster. It was still enjoyable to watch! I say give it a try, in my opinion, it was worth the hype.

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Completed
The Liar and His Lover
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 19, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5
I'm so upset it took me this long to finally pick this out of my plan to watch movies. I just finished it right now and I'm really just smiling. (I also found out that this is based on a Shoujo manga and I am completely surprised!)

Story | Aki, a producer for the famous band Crude Play, was once a set member but near their debut decides to back away and let someone else take his place. While out humming his new song, Riko, who herself has a very unique voice, hears his hums and it drowned to him. From there the two's love story begins. Honestly, the plot given on this site didn't really draw me in to where I had to watch it right away. But the simple story was filmed perfectly! It's also nice that the story is not as big of a cliché.

Cast | SATO TAKERU. That's all I need to see and I'll watch it or add it to my list. He gave Aki such a feel that made it his own. I honestly cannot describe why I thought his acting was spot on. His attitude gave off a certain anti social feel but his eyes told a different story and that is why I love his acting so much. Sakurako Ohara was a pleasant surprise. I expected something…clingy and over dramatized moments from her acting and it was far that and I was extremely happy. Her chemistry with Sato was really nice too. The age gap (in the movie) was pretty nonexistent to me and again, I am happy that wasn't on my mind during the movie. The supporting cast wasn't able to show more of their character I feel, obviously because it was a movie but I enjoyed those casted.

Music | BEST. MOVIE. SOUNDTRACK. EVER. I may have a slight biased opinion on music especially when it comes to jrock sounding music (Crude Play) but the music that was made for this movie was amazing. I had to go download it right after finishing!

Rewatch | Definitely. I recommended this to my sister and will probably rewatch this over her shoulder.

Overall | The simplicity of this movie is what made it so great to me. The story flowed perfectly, the acting was great, there was no unnecessary dragged on moments and even though I feel some characters/side story lines were kind of pushed into a closet, I fully enjoyed this movie. I also love that even though this was based off a Shoujo manga, it didn't even feel like I was watching a live action of a manga. There was enough romance but not overly done and it was a joy to watch. ALSO! Watch the movie until the very end! Wait through the credits!

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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
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
The Eternal Zero
8 people found this review helpful
Sep 11, 2015
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I know this movie is more fiction than nonfiction but wow, I would say it's one of the best war movies I have ever seen.

Story | In modern day Japan, Kentaro finds out that his grandfather is not his biological grandfather. So his grandchildren set out to find out more about their grandfathers life during World War Two as a Kamikaze Pilot. They hear story after story to help reveal the true story of what really happened 60 years ago (assuming the present time takes place in 2004/2005)

Cast | For the most part amazing. Okada portrayed Miyabe's character so well. I don't know how to really explain it. He had such a calming feel yet but was able to show his desire to live at the same time. I actually have an issue with Miura Haruma in this movie. I personally love him as an actor and for the most part, him as Kentaro was fine, he showed character development and whatnot but my only problem was that his facial expressions and some actions were a bit of an overreaction. And it's a shame because he's suppose to be a character that us, as a younger generation, should relate to (if we are basing this off the younger generation's ignorance of war). That was the only unfortunate part. Moving on, the pilots and the older actors of those pilots were terrific. It was amazing how even though the story wasn't about them, their (younger pilots) character developments throughout the movie were fluid, believable and are a big reason why this movie turned out as great as it did.

Music | I was actually going to score music low because there wasn't much, but the ending theme song deserved a higher rating. Hotaru is such a heart wrenching song after watching that entire movie. I'm going to assume it was written for the movie and the lyrics are simple yet explain the theme of the movie perfectly.

Rewatch | Definitely. It's a movie I'll recommend to friends and if I can watch it with them, I will get the popcorn and tissues ready.

Overall | I can't say "great" enough times. Me, personally, I love movies about WWII. I have family connections to both the Japan and the U.S side during WWII so any chance I get to see a movie, I'll watch. And this definitely didn't disappoint. Though it is fiction, it was a nice little insider to what it might have been like for the Kamikaze pilots. Something most people know very little about. The struggles of knowing you are suppose to die honorably for your country but still wanting to live..that's something we as a younger generations will never fully understand and I'm glad this was a main theme for the movie.

I also believe another reason why this movie turned out so well was the connections that had to be made to tell the whole story. Everything started off in a rough patch and then the haze started to become clear and then everything just made sense. Everything making sense makes me extremely happy because honestly in the beginning I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. I also loved it because it's not just about war and finding one's self, it's so much more than that. This movie provides life lessons about living one's life and knowing that life is a precious thing even though at the that time/era it was seen as an act of cowardliness.

I hope people can give this movie a chance. Stories about WWII are slowly being forgotten or untold and this movie is a good reminded that people in that era has their own story; everyone just kind of hid it in their heart and carried on as if nothing happened. Even if war movies are not your genre, it's a movie that should be watched.

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Completed
Say "I Love You"
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 8, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
Yet another manga/anime turned live action and before going into details, I did read the manga, not completely but a good majority. So just to clarify, I'm not basing my review purely on the content in the movie.

Story | Your typical, handsome boy and quiet girl get together type of story. A very unlikely pair that get together after some misunderstandings. Along with their group of friends, they go through their relationship while trying to understand one another's feelings. Another cliche but again, shoujo. So nothing really special about the plot.

Acting | By the end of the movie I can at least say I somewhat enjoyed Kawaguchi Haruna and Fukushi Sota as the main leads..but nothing more. Their character development was pretty weak in the beginning and middle of the movie. Chemistry could be noticed but it was very dim being that this was a movie instead of a drama. I believe they played their roles fine, though I admit, Kawaguchi's acting is not one of my favorites. There just wasn't enough time for them to naturally grow close. I actually found myself wanting the movie to focus on some of the main characters instead, which is pretty sad. That being said, I loved the cast selected for the supporting roles!

Music | I'm still sitting here stunned that Happily by One Direction was playing during the credits of the movie. I usually hope for new music to listen to through asian dramas/movies so I was surprised to hear 1D. Even with my slight disappointment, it's a perfect song for the ending and for the movie in general.

Rewatch | Maybe, not sure. It was a cute movie for what it was. Not the worst manga adaptation I've seen, but not sure when I'll come back to this movie.

Overall | This is the one time I firmly believe this should've been made into a 9 or 10 episode drama. There was just too much happening even in the movie. Even with them having to cut out so much, there was still too much happening. It went from story to story so quickly I didn't really have enough time to feel a connection with the main couple. Everything happened so fast I kind of just went "..oh okay next.." I honestly felt more with the supporting characters that only had 10-15 of their own screen time. That was the only unfortunate part. For what it was, it was a good movie. So I'd say if you haven't watched or read the story, give it a shot. Even if you have read the manga and watched the anime, at least give it a try. It wasn't completely terrible in my opinion.

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