There's just something inspirational for me about sports movies. They're usually about perseverance through adversity, about developing and honing discipline, about harnassing whatever demons might drive you.

Ashita no Joe has joined my favorites list of sports movies, ranking up there with We Are Marshall, Invincible, Glory Road, Cinderella Man, Your Eyes Tell, and Buzzer Beat. The haters can say what they will about Tomohisa Yamashita, but he gave a pretty outstanding performance, the way he always does. He will never be a hugely emotive actor. Subtlety is how he performs and it works for him, just like it did here. But I think the performer who really stood out is Iseya Yusuke as Rikiishi. I connected with his character on a deep level. To go that extra mile of crazy to participate in a fight, to lose that much weight, to train that much and for so long for that one fight with that one guy, that's the dedication that only athletes can understand on an intimate level. I didn't want either of them to lose in that fight, that's how invested I was in both of them. Hats off to Tomo and Yusuke for whatever amazing training they underwent for this film. It paid off, in spades.

As far as the characters are concerned, Joe's interesting in that I didn't always like him. He felt like a one-trick pony with his counter-punch. It felt like a cheap gimmick done only for show. Which considering Joe's arrogant nature, it probably was. But he finally manned up at the end and fought what felt like a real fight, finally becoming a true boxer, or at least starting down the road to becoming one. Whereas once I got to know Rikiishi better, once he started training in earnest, I really liked him. He just seemed like an all-around good guy, and a much more well-balanced man emotionally than Joe who was all hyper with bitterness and angst.

If you love serious sports dramas, particularly boxing dramas, then you'll probably enjoy Ashita no Joe. Romance had no place in this movie and I'm glad because it would have seriously detracted from the story. In the end, in spite of my being a huge Tomohisa Yamashita fan, anyone could have played Joe and I still would have loved the movie. It's awesome that he's in it, but that's how much I loved the story, that it didn't hinge on a certain actor playing the lead role.

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I loved this drama more than I can even say.

While it dabbles in tropes, it really is just dabbling. The love rivals never even really get started. Gu Chuan effectively puts an end to the "other" girl in love with him instead of just letting her continue to create jealous problems. In effect, he fires her. After watching the insanity that was "Sunshine of My Life," I was amazed that there was a ML out there who could actually tell the "other" woman, "No, I'm never loving you and I'm actually letting you go because you're creating mayhem." Not word for word, obviously. But that was a favorite moment of mine. Not because I hated Su Man Lin, but because she needed to move on.

His parents were awesome because they loved Jiang Xiao Ning. Wow, that's rare, because usually one of the parents always has some sort of girl lined up for their boy and nobody else will do. So I loved that they just wanted him to be happy and supported his relationship with Jian Xiao Ning.

The secondary couple and the main couple's best friends were AWESOME. Love Chloe Zhao and Wayne Liu. They were truly a great match romantically and as best friends to the leads, Gu Chuan and Jiang Xiao Ning. I find that a lot of "best friends" end up as challengers for the love of either the ML or the FL. And I hate that. Not so here. Yan Yan was in support of Xiao Ning from start to finish. And Cheng Ran is undeniably my favorite best friend for the male lead as of now. Supportive, compassionate, somewhat silly, and unfalteringly loyal. He's what best friends are supposed to be but seldom are.

Then of course we have our amazing leads, Allen Ren and Fair Xing. OH MY GOSH, such delightful, sparking, lively chemistry, and all done without having to kiss each other on the lips. No, the leads never kiss, deal with it and move on. The kissing wasn't needed. And honestly, if the rumors are true and Allen Ren doesn't kiss anyone other than his wife, then that endears him to me. And I support him in that choice. If it was because he was getting over a nasty bout of sickness, that's his choice too. But regardless, their chemistry sparkled so brilliantly anyway, they were just so cute to watch. Fair Xing really impressed me in her role here as Jiang Xiao Ning. I already liked her before, but she pulled out all the stops here.

I'm only giving the "story" 9 stars because I do feel it wrapped things up conveniently at the end. It could have been done better so I was a little disappointed at how quickly it ended. But I can deal with that disappointment. It doesn't affect my overall rating of "Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard," and I know that I will definitely rewatch it as soon as possible.

All the things that sometimes annoy me in Cdramas were either so mild as to not bother me or they just didn't happen at all. Maybe it was the science fiction element of his mechanical heart that I loved so much or maybe it's just the charm of the actors and the setting, I don't know. But for me, everything lined up perfectly and "Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard" is now my favorite Chinese drama, having miraculously unseated "The Brightest Star in the Sky."

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This drama was such a refreshing change of pace. It reminds me of the cutesy cooking manga I used to read like "Mixed Vegetables" and "Kitchen Princess," but not in a high school setting. I like the business atmosphere a lot. The lead actors Tomoya Nakamura (one of my newer favs) and Nana Mori have excellent chemistry despite the drama being decidedly non-skinship. It might be because Mori was so young, or just the route they decided to go, not sure, but it actually worked. Because it allowed the focus of the drama to be on the actual story, not on "ooh, they're touching." The one thing I don't usually care for are tsundere characters and Nakamura's character is definitely that. It took roughly 5 episodes for me to warm up to him. But once I did, I realized he was a pretty nice guy. It probably helped once, well, his plotline twisted unexpectedly and made him more accessible. The FL has a lot of emotional hangups from previous failures so it's interesting to see her work through those as the story progresses, learning that failing doesn't mean quitting, etc. Some really excellent messages. AND, this drama has the absolute nicest alternate love interests I've ever encountered. None of that backbiting and sniping we usually see, just genuinely nice people. That was such a breath of fresh air. And of course, rooting for the age-gap couple. Because they're darling, once you get to know them. This might be one of my most favorite age-gap stories, actually. It just took it's time in the telling. Overall, a sweet and clean drama for anyone who likes cooking, age-gap romances in a business setting, and sweet fluff.

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I am now 2 for 2 with shorter drama series that I pretty much loved. I doubt I can keep up the momentum, but whatever, at least I found "Marry Me!" This is the most precious series and deals with a lot of hidden hurts. Shin and Himari have a long road to happiness and understanding. He takes on the task of marriage as part of his job, and Himari has fallen so far to the bottom of the pile that she's lying on the ground looking up, desperate for someone to save her. Together, they save each other. I love newcomer Rinka Kumada as Himari. I felt the depression and hopelessness in Himari just oozing out of her, just as I rejoiced in every laugh and smile and joyful moment she experienced with Shin. That actress is a marvel and I hope to see more from her in the future. Toshiki Seto is also fabulous as Shin. He brings such a calm steadiness to the role, with lots of authentic facial expressions and mannerisms. While I sometimes appreciate dramas with skinship in them, I'm so glad they didn't go that route for Marry Me!. It would have felt like too much. Instead, the characters are allowed to tell their stories without forced intimacy for ratings. I'm not saying they never touch, but it's a very clean and straight-laced drama. I just came out of it so invested in Shin and Himari's relationship. It felt like watching real people. And this is the first time I've felt like a series with episodes under 30 minutes actually developed a sufficient story. Marry Me! is a drama I will rewatch. It's just too precious not too.

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hated the ending

I don't often have a reason to hate official endings to movies, but this one, yes, I hated it.

I've never seen such a horrible lack of gratitude from a female lead in my life. Or any person, for that matter. If you are in a relationship with someone, LET THEM HELP YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT. She pretty much spits in his face with her bravado of "I can do it on my own," but actually, "no, you can't, because you have to borrow money from everyone except your boyfriend." And she really acted like a prostitute there, I thought, coming on to him when she gave him the IOU. She seriously cheapened herself and treated his 6-year love as if it meant nothing to her. I couldn't be on her side at all at the end. Her pride was foolish and arrogant and ugly.

I watched the deleted scene ending. And in the end, he's still chasing her. She's such a pathetic coward who still gets her happily ever after. Help.

The only reason I didn't rate the film lower is because it is very pretty, Zheng Cheng is a doll, and I didn't hate Yunjin Su until about 3/4 of the way through the film. I'll still never watch it again.

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a lovely film

It's a perfect blending. It has the story of terminal illness that I'm so insanely drawn towards. And it has a combination of my two favorite countries, Japan and Finland, where my ancestors are from. I've visited Finland once, along the coast of Vaasa, but now I want to see the Northern Lights so I'll have to return some year in the winter. I've added it to my bucket list. Overall, a truly lovely movie that doesn't end where a lot of terminal illness stories end. The lead characters are charming, and though I don't like the buying of affection, this movie handles the topic with tact and grace. I loved it, start to finish.

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meh

I actually dropped this one, which is weird because it's only 2 hours long. But I just couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the story or the characters. There's a serious lack in the screenplay. I'm supposed to care about these leads, but they have almost no time together in the first 1 1/2 hours. And what they do have is choppy bits and pieces. It's not like watching a drama where there's enough time to grow the relationship. That's probably what this needed, at least 10 hours instead of 2. I wanted to love it because I like these types of stories, but the passion from the actors just wasn't there so combining that with, I think, a very poorly devised script, oh well, it just didn't work for me. And what's up with the FL's clothing? She has no fashion sense whatsoever.

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not super memorable, but with a couple of gems

In the grand scheme of things, this drama is entertaining, but not super memorable except for two things.

First, Yahagi Honoka as Tsubaki of PBS was brilliant. It's terrific seeing her in something other than Itazura na Kiss. She's a lively, fun actress, and it was hilarious watching her tramp around, tracking these women who are her research subjects.

Second, the relationship foibles of Miharu, her long-time boyfriend Ryota, and Tokita, the younger man out to steal her away. That's kind of the only relationship that felt halfway real to me. I love Sato Ryuji as Ryota, and I feel like he's probably waaaaay too good of an actor to be in this show, so he added a certain emotional depth, I think. I appreciated the mistakes made and the forgiveness offered, but I also wish that hearts didn't have to be broken along the way. Poor Tokita. Miharu's story was the only reason I kept watching so I'm glad it was such a big focal point for the series.

I couldn't have cared less about the other three women. They were all over-acted portrayals of stereotypes so I just rolled my eyes and moved on.

Would I watch it again? Probably not. However, I did appreciate that while dealing with mature themes, it didn't go heavy on the sexual content. That would have been too much, I think. Oh well, I watched it, it was fun, and now my brain will probably wipe it from my memory except for Sato Ryuji as Ryota and Yahagi Honoka as Tsubaki.

Watch it on Viki for subs and HD quality streaming. Very nice.

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about average

Ok, so I didn't hate it. But I'm not super keen on blackmail romances, so that part felt a bit icky.

HOWEVER, I felt like the FL took responsibility for her actions and was genuinely penitent for hurting the ML. I appreciated that.

Is the movie anything hugely memorable? Probably not. But it was still an entertaining watch the one time. Like someone in the comments said, it's fine to watch if you've really got nothing else to watch at the moment.

One other thing. The movie poster is hilarious. If you're going to watch the movie just for that scene, don't bother because there is no such scene. Misadvertisement is so funny!

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Sweet and Silly

It's funny thinking that it's been at least eight years since I first read the manga. It was actually the first shoujo manga I tried, and I loved it. So cute!

The movie captures quite a bit of the magic and silliness of the story, maybe a bit over the top at times, but I think that's okay.

Story: Somehow they managed to condense the story into 90 minutes convincingly. It's actually a fairly decent adaptation and that surprised me. Just enough was left in to keep the feel of the manga, but cut out the unimportant stuff, like Asami's crush on her brother and her manipulating Fumi, two things I never liked in the manga. Plus we didn't have to sit through a sports festival, so YAY!

Acting/Cast: Here's where the movie shines. Eight years ago I had no idea who Yuuki Furukawa or Suda Masaki were. Now I do, so I'm glad I didn't watch "High School Debut" in 2012, but only found it now. Because now I can fully appreciate how fun it is having these two amazing actors in this movie. Suda stole my heart as Fumi, a character I've always loved. He was absolutely darling, in so many ways, and only 18, so the enthusiasm he displayed is adorable. And Yuuki, despite the CRAZY hair, was great as Asaoka. They were both so lively here! Mizobata Junpei worked as Yoh, although it took a little while for me to settle into him playing the ML. He's a silly secondary character in "Buzzer Beat" with Yamapi so that took a bit of convincing for me to buy him as Yoh, but I really liked him in the end. And of course, Ono Ito as Haruna. She would have been 16 at the time and she worked really great in such an energetic and honest role.

Music: About average, honestly. Nothing really memorable, but not bad.

Rewatch Value: Since I'm a Suda Masaki fan to the core at this point, yes, I'll watch it again. And Yoh and Haruna are very cute together, once I overcame some of the absurd filming elements. I think it's probably a rewatch only for Sudacchi fans or folks who really loved the original manga, like me.

Overall: It's a fun film. Silly, very silly, but the manga is silly too, so it works. I was surprised to find an almost actual kiss at the end between Yoh and Haruna. I was expecting another flat board kiss as I call them, so this one was a pleasant surprise. If you like silly high school dramas, emphasis on silly, and are a fan of any of the actors, then this one is well worth the watch. Like I said, Suda was adorable. The hair, the smile, the clothes, all the feels. He's reason enough to watch "High School Debut."

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You can't get better than Kame and Yamapi and really, they're the main reason people will watch this anyway. Poor lead actress, whoever she is, to be stuck opposite the dynamic duo. The best scenes are with Kame and Yamapi, the song is awesome so watch it every time because the ending changes a little with each episode, and overall, just a fun, cute drama that would be forgettable except for our darling male leads. Yamapi isn't in it quite enough to suit my tastes, but when he's there, he packs a punch. It was easy to tell the guys were just having fun. Will rewatch when I'm in need of a Kame and Yamapi fix.

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all the things

I loved Zee until this series, now I'm struggling to even want to watch him in anything else because the character he plays here gives me the skeevies. I never thought that could happen because I loved him so much as Fighter, but apparently, it's the character I love.

In Cutie Pie, there's so much toxic manipulation going on. And I dropped it at episode 5, imagine how bothered I would be if I had kept going, which is why I dropped it. I know it's super popular, fans are all over Zee and Nunew, and all of that, but I honestly don't care about the hype, and did not like the drama. It's got loads of manipulation and toxicity running around the table, people not being their authentic selves, communication issues, and for all I know, consent issues later on. I didn't get that far.

I think if folks have any sort of trigger related to narcissists, manipulation, and toxic relationships, this is not going to be the drama for you. I handled the manipulation of Fighter with Tutor just fine because Tutor was one tough cookie in Why R U and knew how to hold his own where Fighter was concerned. Just like Saint held his own with Zee. But in this, Nunew just seems young and out of his depth and that's how the character is played. It bothers me because they're continuing to play the roles for the fans and recognizing Zee's addictive personality (watch him in interviews and such with Saint 3 years ago, you'll see what I mean), it's just going to get worse and likely Nunew doesn't have any defense mechanisms in place like Saint did.

I just backed out of Cutie Pie before it got worse. I actually was excited for this drama when I first heard about it so I was disappointed that it ended up being so concerning. But it's going to continue to grow in popularity, people will continue to love it, and so be it. I just had to join the small group of folks who didn't like it and have been brave enough to say something. I hope Nunew and Zee are excited about being glued together through the rest of their acting careers, because that is exactly what is happening. And, honestly, it's a cute trend in old Hollywood, but not today.

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over-hyped but worth a watch anyway

While I'm enjoying this drama, I'm not loving it. The cases are too formulaic, the "mystery game" set of episodes makes no sense (3 out of the 7 invitees know his history and the history of the house, so how can they fairly be involved in the game play?), and I was having definite "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Diagnosis Murder," "Castle," and "Murder, She Wrote" flashbacks. That's what happens when someone who is not a PI or an actual law enforcement officer ends up embroiled in mysteries. They can be fun to watch, but usually nothing more because they're falling back on overly-used tropes that have been around for decades.

I like Suda Masaki. Most of the time. Here, he's entertaining, but the character doesn't have a whole lot of depth other than being a fairly smart-mouthed college student with so much intellectual prowess that he has a superiority complex. Rather like a certain literary detective everybody keeps alluding to. What that means is that this has been done before, and better, by far more skilled storytellers. And I am not impressed with any of the secondary actors. They're rather lackluster and only in entertainment would cops actually allow a citizen to help with crime-solving. Plus, the female cop is driving me bananas. If she had more confidence in herself than others would have more confidence in her. And she has no chemistry with the ML who she is supposed to be crushing on. So that side plot is just irritating.

The drama is certainly worth finishing. But in the mystery/thriller genre, it's not going to be a favorite. I won't regret watching it, I know that much, but there are already other mystery dramas that I like so much better (Shoutai, Seigi no Tenbin, Gourmet Detective Goro Akechi). It reminds me of "Strawberry Night Saga," so much anticipation and a bit of a letdown. I don't mind camp. Sometimes I actually prefer it because it works with the story (like Gourmet Detective Goro Akechi). What I hate is pretentious writing and this drama is full of it. And this is coming from someone who loves Jdramas.

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Totally watching this for Li Ge Yang in a male lead role FINALLY.

As other reviewers have already mentioned, the flow of the drama itself is a bit messy and choppy. I sort of expected that going in since the episodes are only 30 minutes. So I wasn't surprised. The transition between memories (i.e. when they're in high school) vs. the current day in college also gets a little fuzzy. There were times when I wasn't sure where I was in the timeline until I caught on to the uniforms in high school.

One thing I did like is that it's made clear that Luo Yan has liked Fang Li since he first met her, BUT because he was what 15? at the time he didn't quite know what to do with the feelings so he resorted to bullying. That's nothing new either IRL or dramaworld. I don't like that trope, but I can forgive Li Ge Yang just about anything.

Speaking of, I loved the drama because of him. All of the insanity and miscommunication and frustrations aside, he is ADORABLE as always. And it's high-time he got to be the ML. Only he could have made me love Luo Yan so much. All the angsty, YA yearning for love that he goes through, this drama just had all the feels. And Luo Yan finally figured himself out at the end and was able to communicate his feelings, so yay. And there's kissing, which I've been hoping for since I first met Li Ge Yang in "The Love Equations," so that made me super happy.

The FL is silly and ridiculous but wears it in a pretty cute way. I don't always like her, but that's normal for me with the Chinese female leads. She is actually a little bit aggressive towards him too, which I liked since most Chinese FL usually take a very passive approach. Her dream of their first official kiss as a couple is so cute because he breaks it off to tell her that her phone is ringing and she simply yanks him down for another kiss. It was just in her dream, but still, it shows where her head is it and passivity really isn't her nature.

The OST is super fun. Apart from "The Brightest Star in the Sky" this series probably has my favorite OST in a Chinese drama. It just fits the characters and the story so well.

Would I rewatch? Yes. Probably not the whole thing, but favorite scenes yes. And if VIKI ever subs it, then I will rewatch the whole series because I am dying for better subtitles than what Amazon Prime dishes out.

Overall, super cute with some storytelling flaws that in the long run I didn't care about one whit. Because it's Li Ge Yang and I couldn't stop smiling. We'll see how it ends and I'll update my review if it needs it.

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