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xXabsintheXx
독일 ~ Where the waves gush against your windows
Some things a bit overboard, some things a bit too convenient, some things/characters too predictable, and it's definitely not some profound dystopian drama. But it definitely scratched the surface and had quite some nice starting points worth thinking about IF something like that would ever happen. How would women rule the world, what about birth rate and birth control, how to secure mankind's survival, etc.
It's probably just me taking attention to that, but even though it was maybe just randomly put into the story, it's actually quite logical that waaaaay more female relationships would exist in that environment and feel soooo normal. I hope, you know, what I mean. Another normal than what we have in our sociaty right now (where's still fighting for acceptance in many parts of the world).
Though I'm almost sure they wouldn't "sell" men like that if they are that valuable to the world.
The setting kind of resembled Squid Game, only without the death threat. I quite enjoyed the games, they really put some thoughts into those. Also, nice music and such beautiful shots here and there <3
And I was totally surprised by the good acting of the whole cast. I was esp. fond of the supposed evil SFL. I liked her performance, her facial expressions and gestures quite a lot.
I also liked the main couple, but I hated the hairspray hairstyle of the ML and his overly careful way of running his hand "through" his hair, lol.
Overall, a somewhat basic stereotype kind of character setting, but they still put together a really enjoyable story with only 8 episodes and even left room for a 2nd maybe deeper season. I would totally go for that since there's a lot more to tell about just everything. Potential's there. Hope, they use it wisely if they decide to it.
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As expected I didn't quite get all the details after having that forced break from part I. But I remembered enough to get into the story again. Thank god.
And I still love the whole story. The concept, the storytelling, everything was well planned, well written and played out almost perfectly. I loved the methods the FL used to get her revenge, the people she approached, the way she made them dance at her tune and how everything was slowly unraveled. The characters were well crafted and every actor/actress did a great job with their performing, because it made the story so much more enjoyable.
I don't know why but the husband got some special attention from me. I just wanted to hug him all the time. At the same time he had a strong demeanour which attracted me quite alot, and it only slowly crumbled piece by piece. I really liked his encounters with the FL and it's a pity, that he didn't get more screentime. The only thing I couldn't agree with was his last act. That just didn't fit his character and would have been better to be left out.
The ML was also some interesting character. Being the headsman of the FL worked well despite his bright personality most of the time. Though I do think that the actor could have put some more darkness into his ego, make him more branded. The one thing I couldn't comprehend at all was the love story. It felt forced, I didn't feel the passion. Every bit of intimacy felt out of place, even though I liked the concept of them supporting and using each other.
Definitely something worth re-watching.
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Picturesque, Breathtaking, Devilishly Good~
So, here I am, after finishing Till The End of The Moon, flabbergasted by that abrupt ending. I'm not saying that it was rushed. The finale was indeed well paced and worth being called "finale". I was just so into the story, that I actually expected some more "after effects" after the finale. But it suddenly ended and left me with some unfinished emotions as well as some unanswered questions, i.e. was the last big misunderstanding clarified to the world? That will probably be my only drop of bitterness when I reminisce about this drama.The story itself was a great journey, full of sadness, hatred, jealousy, bitterness but also love (but I guess you can apply that to every Xianxia). It feels like ages since I watched the first episodes (even though it has only been 2 weeks), so it's kinda hard to recollect every moment (guess I have to watch again, lol).
I was able to connect quite well with the characters very early on, even though Luo Yun Xi's character Tantei Jin was hard to grasp at the beginning because his image from Ashes of Love was still dominant in my mind. But he convinced me in no time and before I could even think about it, I was already convinced by his new character. And now, remembering the very first episode with him, I have to say that he introduced a phenomenal, cruel Devil God to the world.
I was always worried that the slow changes in his attitude and mindset caused by Ye Xiwu (FL) would be destroyed again, everytime someone betrayed him. It was completely understandable that he remained so insecure for 2/3 of the story when you think about the way he grew up, although I'm a bit sad that he didn't investigate enough and didn't give the benefit of the doubt at the end of the human realm arc. Same goes for Ye Xiwu. It took her a very long time to actually believe in him. Even the slightest "seemingly" evil deed done by Tantei Jin would throw her back into believing he would never change and always be the Devil God she feared so much.
What the story was also good at was showing how fast people and immortals were to prejudge and find a first obvious culprit without much investigation, instead of believing the truth they should know deep down. At least the immortals should have been a better judge of character. I was also most frustrated with the accused ones to never explain the whole thing or at least enough, always pausing in their sentences, and the accusers to just assume their own truth with only fractions of the circumstantials. So many things could have been prevented.
Regarding the love triangles, I'm glad they didn't give much weight to that part. They were there, yes. They caused some trouble, yes. But they vanished quite fast, too. Much to my liking, since I hate that trope the most.
It's been a day after finishing the drama and the music is still lingering in my head as well as those stunning costumes and breathtaking scenes. You just never want to look away but absorb every single image. Don't know how to get it out, don't want to either. I want to restart it, yet I don't want to. Xianxia always leave me with a weird feeling.
If you look for something similar to Ashes of Love or Love Between Fairy and Devil, then feel free to watch this as well. It won't disappoint, I promise.
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The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
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A perfect story
The story was captivating, the pace was really good and the storytelling was almost flawless from beginning to end. CGI, costumes and make up were stunning, the choreography of the fights was awesome.I appreciate it a lot that they took their time to tell everyone's story (expect for Bora's, that one came up short, though you might argue whether their was actually enough told for the story). That way I could connect with them, understand their actions and enjoy their adventure. The acting added its sweet part as well, so there wouldn't be anything to complain about. I mean, there was no dull moment, not even for a second.
The music was fantastic. Sweet and melancholic, creating a perfect mood.
A round about satisfying watch that depicts the concept of "Yin and Yang" in an understandable and impressive way. As a side snack you get a nice bromance, too~
(On a side not, what I didn't get was the serpent at the beginning and the one from the main story... That one wasn't the same, was it? But if not, why were there more than one? The story sounded like there was only one. But if it was that one, how's that possible since the main one was concealed at that time?)
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It's one of those dramas that lives from its characters as there were many multi-layered ones who drove the story forward and whose cast did really good in portraying them. It's rare that I don't look for flaws in at least one or two actors/actresses. I just enjoyed all of them, the leads, the second leads, the side characters, the villains.
I often have concerns when it comes to characters pretending to be the other gender. And even though I started doubtfully, Park Eun Bin convinced me otherwise. She did really well in portraying someone that had to hide her gender for years, starting to feel more comfortable in men's clothes and acting way tougher than one would expect, so that it would lead to a natural rough behavior. In the end I found it somewhat funny but totally fitting that in her developing relationship with the ML, she was the strong one while Jung Ji Woon was the softer counterpart. She took the initiatives while he followed. And he definitely cried more than her, lol. BUT he never felt unmanly or something. Rowon achieved a good balance between his character's soft side and his strong/brave moments. And he was a good equivalent to Park Eun Bin.
At some point in earlier episodes I started to wonder why she continued to pretend to be someone else, since it was such a toll on her. But later on I realized that everyone just wants to live. And don't always need an answer to everything. Sometimes things are just like that without any deep reason.
One thing I'd complain about would be the part where people from Ming were visiting. They hinted so much to another back story that I actually expected them to make use of that in later episodes but they never did, which is quite sad. I would have loved to see as to what that part might have led.
And the music... In my humble opinion, I thought it was too weak and didn't support important scenes well enough. But that's just me.
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Delicate and Raw
When I randomly started this, I didn't think I would finish it so fast. But here I am two weeks later, giving this one a full 10.If I had to describe this drama with one word, it would probably be: ~"delicate"... and every other attribute you would associate with it. While watching I always felt like intruding some kind of intimate privacy. I know that sounds weird but I just don't know how to describe it otherwise. The music fits so well and adds enough sorrow and longing to the story, to make it even more perfect.
The cast did a fantastic job in portraying their different roles, be it in the past or the present. They did well in showing that even though some of them were reincarneted, they still got different personalities and therefore acted to their experiences, not their past selves. As for the immortal main lead, he went through some dreadful ordeals that explain his 600 years lasting urge for revenge. Even more remarkable was how he faced the new trials that arose after circumstances changed. Lee Jin Wook did an unbelievably awesome job in displaying the subliminal evolution and growth of his character during and after overcoming those challenges and still keeping them locked up to the very last minute until they finally erupted.
The "other" villain was a fascinating individual himself. He was multi-layered and yet he always seemed as if something was missing. Considering his body condition that part was quite accurate and well played. He managed to make me care for him enough to feel somewhat sad at how it all played out in the end.
I'm impressed how well the writers managed to keep me in the dark about the overall story. Whenever I thought I knew what was going on, they added another angle to the story and threw me back to the start. They sit through that way till the end without losing its original tension which many other dramas fail to accomplish, and I'm so glad about that because it gave the story some constancy.
Every part of this drama interwines so well with the other ones, whether it be the cinematography, the music, the cast or the script. Putting everything together creates a great watch, I didn't expect to love so much. And I'm so glad that there's no cheesy "I love you" line. That would have ruined the whole thing.
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A weird first episode, a great middle-part and a totally rushed finale
I've only recently entered the Xianxia universe, everything is still fresh and new to me, so bear with me and my totally subjective point of view and rating. My first one was Ashes of Love which I binged within one week (and only two weeks ago at that, hence still present when I started this one), so the bar was set quite high from the very first minute.The story is intriguing and the title itself already hints to what you can expect (even though it sounds a bit cheesy). Two completely different beings fall in love with each other. You can already smell the scandal, the passion and the tragedy. Everyone who's a sucker for starcrossed lovers would take the bait. Me included, even though I didn't want to give in to the hype during its airing time. But the temptation was too big and I didn't regret it afterall. I'm actually glad because I can't be spoilered anymore (the risk was high, believe me).
The first episodes didn't pick me up right away. It was quite slow-paced and the female lead's voice was very high pitched. Many people complained about it. I bore with and got used to it pretty quickly though, until I didn't mind it at all anymore. At some point it started to fit her. It formed her character throughout the drama and became a special trait while she was evolving. It also helped distinguish different sides of her later on. She started off as a somewhat naive young woman who already experienced some hardships, i.e. not being accepted by others but her master, or loneliness. But she also got a sense of responsibility and took care of the destiny books in Arbiter Hall where she lived. Sometimes she behaved a bit childish but at the end she instinctively did the right thing. I wouldn't call her foolish either. She often found solutions on her own, even though those caused inconvenient consequences once in a while and were not always to my liking. But as the story went on, she grew with her tasks. I was really impressed by her resolution whenever she made a life-changing decision. Once she realized her biggest desire, she never wavered. I didn't always know what she was going to do, but I was never let down by her.
Dongfang, the male lead, had a hard time to win me over. But once the ice was broken, it was a pleasure to watch his character grow. In the earlier episodes he was moody all the time, what I could totally understand regarding the situation he was in. Sometimes though I found his expressions somewhat lacking, albeit that part was intended right from the beginning, and got explained later on. The missing emotions had positive effect though. It was quite impressive whenever his cold demeanor unexpectedly burst into fury. In the second half then, Donfang's character also gained a lot more layers and got complexier which made me happy beyond explanation. There was a point that completely changed my impression of the actor himself and allowed me then to fully enjoy his performance while finally wholeheartedly diving into the abysses of the lead.
The God of War, Changheng was never a character, I liked a lot. He was the second love interest which didn't even bother me. But he never thought twice about his implusive decisions. And when consequences hit him or bystanders hard, he rowed back. He decided on his own what was good for others. At some point though, he actually changed to the better, made me like him in some way which I didn't think was possible in the beginning.
The side cast was as intriguing as the main leads, I was invested in their stories alot, esp. Rong Hao's. Without telling too much, his tale was one of the most understandable and heartbreaking ones. On the other hand, Dongfang's brother got a reasonable history on his own. Whether intended or not, he never made me trust him completely though. There were also some loose ends of other people which I had liked to be explored some more, but I guess I can't have everything.
The acting was overall really good, however one or two people still need some fine-tuning, for example Dongfang's ~sidekick. At times he acted really well, in other situations he didn't seem confident at all.
What I really appeciated was that the love story took its time. It was slow-burning and subtle, hence it released a satisfying feeling when it finally bloomed, and got poignant at its climax. Misunderstandings get cleared pretty fast, too.
But as great as the middle-part became, the end itself was a small let-down for me. Alot of things suddenly happened in a really short amount of time. As if the writers didn't have enough time to tell everything. Fast changing scenes and small time jumps that led to a dysbalance of the overall atmosphere. Because it felt so rushed, the tension somewhat abated and didn't touch me as much as previous events in the drama. That part would have been a great finale if they had added one more episode.
As for the framing, beautiful music and CGI, and stunning costumes make this drama a feast for eyes and ears, but my absolute no. 1 highlight is Dongfang's hair. I can't even fathom what spell bewitched me here. I was always in awe whenever I saw it (which happened like... 90% of the drama, yes).
If someone is considering whether to watch this one or not, I'd say yes. It doesn't have that many episodes, the story is easy to understand and the character development is quite presentable. Also, there's a nice shifting of who the actual villain is even though it's predictable (if you include jerks, that damn almighty emperor would get first place, but who asks me).
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If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.
It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.
Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.
The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.
I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.
SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.
Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).
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The story was well woven and well told. It was capable of chaining me to my seat and making me binge this in no time. There were minor and major key scenes all the time, that kept me guessing what could happen next and made me unable to stop. They also built up a captivating amount of tension before every event. To say that certain things were predictable might be right. But it's not meant to sound negatively. It's more like you fear what would happen and wait in anxiety.
The acting of almost everyone was soooo good, I enjoyed it alot (except for SML's mother... that was really bad). What I appreciate the most is that the leads never led me down. Not even once. Maybe they didn't always do things to my liking, but it was always reasonable and just the effect of past events. They stayed true to themselves (as far as that was possible considering the Yun Elixir). They touched me with their love, passion and made me feel their pain and suffering, as well.
The side cast did their job well in supporting the leads and the story. Especially the snake, the fox and the phoenix's guard were my favorites. And what I liked about the ending was that every character, good or bad, got one that fit in regard to past happenings. There's no mysterious incomprehensible happy ending for everyone.
What a ride... I'll definitely re-watch this some day!
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Interesting story, but lacking in character design
The idea was interesting, the storytelling was good enough to keep me going. As I said before, I liked the cases they were working together, they made me somewhat invested in the characters tragedies.But it was sad that they didn't put more effort into building a solid background for the exorcism itself. They always mentioned some historical infos here and there, so it would help the current case, but it always felt only half-baked and clumsy in thinking it through. Especially the dealing with the cases during the last episodes, even though the action during those episodes was really good.
I always found Jang Na Ra's character very one-dimensional, although I liked her resting b**-face at times. But seeing it throughout the whole 16 eps was tedious. And there was NO character development, a smirk here and there doesn't make it any better. Her male part, Oh In-Beom was way more interesting (even though I'm usually not a fan of the actor). Jung Yong Hwa's acting skills were somewhat limited (or the writing lacked) but still more entertaining than Jang Na Ra here.
Also, the villian!! Please... I'm a fan of Ahn Kil Kang, but the writing of his character was just so, so bad! There was no depth, no background story, no explaining of his character. What a waste of potential.
Overall: Entertaining because of the cases and the CGI. Really, the special effects were really well done! The ghosts at times were frightening, one or two jump-scares (when you watch it at night, alone, lol), and that special faceless one was an interesting idea and a good implementation.
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A Shallow Pond
This one was easy to marathon because of its small amount of episodes, and with a duration of 45 min each, they kept even those kinda short.The title is dope. Can't deny this, I'm a sucker for those things. And it fits, too.
As for the story... I'm always in for a nice Sci fi plot (as a writer you can let your imagination run wild and create so many things, as long as you can make them believable) and the basic idea here is indeed interesting. But when you look at every element, there sadly is nothing new. The overall story is very similar to The Expanse (some of you might be familiar with that show) and some other interstellar movies. The storyline and the characters are very stereotype and predictable. There's the team leader who wouldn't move and wants to finish the mission, the rebellious biologist, the spy and a mix of some different crew members. The politician who is a follower of capitalism and confidentiality, and a hidden third party.
The thing that annoyed me the most was the technical execution. It's set in the future, there should be a certain digital and technical progress in everything. Some things did indeed look that way, but then again there were so many things that didn't fit in. Usually I like to overlook things like that but in these kinds of shows I want to see the progress in every little detail, no matter how small it might be. I want to admire them. I want to ~feel that the story is located in the future. Not to mention the medical parts. Come on, the doc only needs one look at a patient and already knows what's wrong with him. Yeah, right...
There are things happening and decisions made that seem weird. You want to know why they did what they did, but you don't get an exact answer.
So, with all the criticism above I couldn't decide whether the show was either too long or too short. The second half felt dragging (funny considering that it has only 8 eps in total), yet I wish they would have added more episodes to explain every single puzzle in more detail.
The inaccuracies turned The Silent Sea into a shallow pond.
I do praise the cast, they at least did a fantastic job with an otherwise lacking script. Some extra points for them, the cinematography and the idea. This doesn't mean it was a complete failure though. It had its good parts as well, I did enjoy certain things and also completed the show.
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Way better than expected
First of all, the poster of this drama is totally misleading in my eyes (it was one reason why I hadn't started this already earlier). The Tale of Nokdu is not as happy as you might think.I admit that I was pretty much turned off after watching the first episode. A lot of scenes felt a bit overdone, they tried too hard in building up tension, the comedy was not to my liking either and they didn't succeed in stirring my curiosity at all. I wondered why the drama had such a high rating. Jang Dong Joon's well done cross dressing and an MDL's friend's advise to be a bit more patient made me continue. Well, I'm glad I did.
The first half of the drama was kinda spinning in circles and the story didn't move forward. But the comedy got alot better, while the story gained ground and became steadier, so they didn't have to try so hard anymore in convincing me. And then after the first half it felt like a tornado went through and turned everything upside down. Everything suddenly became 100 per cent more serious. By that time I already developed a certain attachment for one or two people other than Nokdu.
As the story went further I got seriously invested in the side characters and their circumstances. Whether it was the king, who was intimidated by his own status while being overwhelmed by the fear of losing it, or the Muwoldan group, who had an honorable reason to fight but got tangled up by the higher-ups power struggle. Or Cha Yoel Moo with his unrequited love, always helpful, always patient and almost becoming a fool for playing the second fiddle at some point. There's more to him than one might expect though.
I started to care for all of them, whether they were good or bad. The story managed to show more than one side and therefore made their decisions somewhat more reasonable. Sides shifted, re-groupings took place and made me utterly eager and anxious at the same time, for I couldn't foresee the next steps.
I think Nokdu was the most pitiable person among them all. His sole existence put everyone around him in uncomfortable positions. He had no say in who he was, yet people started to assume things and used him for their own selfish desires. But he never gave up, he never let himself get down. I was extremely satisfied with how well he managed to pull through all those obstacles and always stood true to himself.
Nokdu's sword fighting skills were a pleasure to the eye, it was beautiful and deadly at the same time. He was exceedingly well trained. He never sought the battles out himself, so I was glad that he could defend himself like that. Confrontations like that were unavoidable on his path. But he never looked invincible either. When he was hurt, he wasn't able to fight that well three days later. When a group outnumbered him, he was bound to get hurt badly.
Though the romance was nothing special to me, it still managed to stir my emotions at the end. Dong Ju is the girl who wanted to take revenge and who's rock solid decision got shaken up by Nokdu. Well, I've seen more captivating ill-fated couples than this one, but I was not bothered either. I was fine with it because they didn't add baseless tearjerkers. And they had some really nice moments as well.
Nokdu's brother was the weakest piece in my opinion. They tried to explain his motivation but it never touched me enough to actually care for him.
Certain details of the finale were... unexpected but I still liked it. If I had one regret though, it would be a certain realization of the king and with that maybe a different outcome. I had anticipated it so much, that I felt a somewhat unpleasant letdown regarding that. But maybe that's just my selfishness.
So, if you feel the same as me before about starting this, I advise you to try it out. It's better than what it might look like ;)
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1. Sato Takeru in a Hakama
2. Samurai
Oops... I thought I would list more things... I didn't even read the summary, so I can't say I went for the plot either.
Apparently, this one's based on a novel and an actual historical event. The film doesn't solely center on Sato Takeru's character. It tells the story of the people of Annaka (today a town in Japan). Its lord is concerned about how his samurai are doing during this time of peace while foreigners (through trading) slowly start to approach that so far closed Japan to outsiders. He sees a thread in them and doesn't want his men to slack off. Therefore he starts a marathon to keep them on track.
At first it sounds somewhat unusual. But it was a really pleasant watch for me. There are no fancy sword fights or overwhelming poetic dialogues or scenes. It simply shows how unstable peace was back then (spies laid low everywhere), how one single letter can change for the better or worse and how people who were only aiming for their own goals before, start to fight unitedly to protect their territory.
I felt really comfortable while watching. The atmosphere wasn't too heavy, though there was still some seriousness to it. The film doesn't go into too much detail and yet you grasp all the subtle circumstances everyone is in.
It starts on a calm note but it never drags. It has a steady rhythm to tell the story, very well paced, in my opinion. You don't always need action-loaded elements to enjoy something like that. Sometimes you just need a well thought through strategy that puts every piece together in the final stage. Combined with some beautiful cinematography, you get a real nice dish served.
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Sometimes, esp. in the beginning I contemplated about the rating while I watched this show, because I kept remembering all the things that annoy me in crime k-dramas. But the more I watched the more I forgot about those, and therefore enjoyed this a lot more. There's just no way you can compare this one to a k-drama.
The story is perfectly mixing comedy, crime, mystery, friendship and a bit of romance as well (without focusing on it too much). And I even got all my favorite tropes~.
I usually tend to roll my eyes on dramas that try too hard to be serious and cut to the next comedy scene without a warning. Bitter Blood though managed to smoothly walk that bridge without looking too idiotic. Of course, the cases are somewhat exaggerated and nonsensical, even more so the way the team is handling them. But that's not because of the situations itself - those were actually quite interesting - but more because of the characters. They are however the reason why it makes the whole thing great again.
With their unwavering friendship and unusual teamwork they achieved the most important thing in a drama: Getting the viewer attached. Every single member of the squad team felt unique and showed enough substance to make me care for them.
Most of all Sahara Natsuki and Shimao Akimura. Natsuki with his somewhat clumsy, yet determined way was the perfect fit for the eccentric and fashionable Akimura, and together they formed a great team that supported each other. They were completely different in manners and yet totally alike. No surprise at all since they are connected through a bitter past and share the same blood. I loved their interactions. It showed affection and respect for each other whether they admitted to it or not. Their constant bickering just made it clearer every time.
The finale was something I haven't seen for a long time. There are some basic things you can probably vaguely guess but the actual event(s) totally surprised me, some of it because of little details I didn't see coming, other things because of how they proceed towards a certain... moment where all the threads come together.
The main villain was nuts, insane as you would expect. A stereotypical psycho. I found it funny that they used the opera "Erlkönig" as his distinguishing feature. But if you know what it's about, it actually fits his objective which he was so ambitiously working towards. If I had to complain about one thing it would be the his back story. You get some hints but you never get the actual story.
I might have started this because of Sato Takeru but I stayed because of so many more reasons - most of all because I could loosen up and wholeheartedly enjoy this little gem.
So whether you're already into J-dramas or not. This is a definite recommendation to all of you ;)
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As I watched the movie, I realized once again that only Japan can create that kind of varying atmosphere. It started as some depressing slice-of-life genre, transformed into some fun Sc-fy action, jumped into the Death Note universe and came back for some superhero clash.
Two people of different age and circumstances stumble upon the opportunity to actually try out a "What would you do if you had god-like power"-situation while turning their innermost body parts into a superhuman robot. Due to their varied life experiences, their paths divide into completely different directions. Even though there's an explanation for the cause, they don't reveal the purpose of it all, and instead focus on the main characters development. You know pretty early on that there will be a hero and an anti-hero.
They use stereotype ruthless public bashing to corner the characters even further. Since there's no bloodthirsty psycho, there's no exaggerating use of gore either. But there is a very high death toll that makes you swallow nonetheless because of its simplicity. Like snapping fingers it happens without creating tension, no extensive explanation and delay. Just like that, it hits you in the guts (and that might not be to everyone's liking, just so you know).
CGI was totally okay in my eyes and the constant change between background music and silence I liked as well.
I don't think it's a movie for some real deep thinking. There is that question "What if...", but it's just that. The rest is either to people's liking or not. I for myself enjoyed the movie. And Sato Takeru can definitely pull off a high school kid.
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