1The sucking here, isn't from drinking blood or that other thing. (Dirty thoughts much?!)
Kissable Lips is a an exercise of childish daydreams. The plot makes no sense. The characters are hardly sketched beyond their purpose (I Vampire you Pureblood Argh). The time-frame it all takes place is unknowable (It seemed maybe a week or two). And there is enough glossy over-lit melodrama to say, hey Hallmark Channel we coming for you.The budget is small, but fine, the acting is the strongest aspect of the entire affair, not that it saves much. Some side characters over-act with the best of them. There is even a sequence that requires an actor to maniacally laugh because they are trying to be invited into the league of supervillains. (Illuminati...whaaat!) However, our two main actors do a decent enough job, though for the first few episodes are mostly flat and lifeless. (Ha ha, vampires...lifeless...ugh)
You will be treated to a dose of Romeo/Juliet style old school romance. Ya know, where two characters meet, have love at first sight, and within a week are ready to die for each other and want the other next to them for all eternity. That sort of romance. If you like that, then maybe go for this, maybe. The actors are cute, and you will get some good kissing (Which for a Korean BL is RARE so lap this shit up! But this year does seem to be the year of progress in that department.) But be prepared for everything and I do mean everything to be underdeveloped, unbelievable, and empty.
How much will it all just kinda happen and be ridiculous well, here is an imaginary conversation:
Me: Before, I can go any further, I just gotta ask what is a Pureblood?
The series: It is a person that can cure vampirism if a vampire drinks their blood.
Me again: Ok, so what distinguishes a Pureblood from a normal blooded? How do Purebloods come to be? Why do they exist to begin with? And why is our main character one, when even his own brother is not?
The series:Um, it's Pureblood...just ya know it's Pureblood.
Me: Is it Virgin Blood? (And his brother has already done the nasty?) Korean Blood only with no other bloods from the rest of the worlds races? (But then wouldn't his whole family be this? And hello racism!) Is it blood without something in it, like a hemophiliac or medichlorians (Looked that one up..I giggle). Or blood that has something in it...like mystic magic...yay (Or liquid sunshine!!!)
The Series: Look...it's just Pureblood kay. It is Pureblood. Just accept it.
Me: I think Hermione would have some issues here. Well lets switch and talk about the vampires.
The series: The vampires are sexy and non-threatening. If a vampire kills their snack, they too will die, just not right away, like over time, like a lot of time, until in like a matter of days they fade away sometime in the future.
Me: So like they are in agonizing pain until they die right?
The series: No, they just ya know take this long drawn-out march towards death, and in the meantime they still need to eat, and fall in love, have sex, and have a normal life knowing that eventually they will die.
ME (With side eye): Uuummmmm...isn't that called being human? I mean, isn't that what we call living life? So these are just humans with icky eating habits now?
The series: No, no, cause if they go and drink a Pureblood, killing that Pureblood, then they can become HUMAn. Just as long as it is before they ya know fade away.
Me: Wait, so if the vampires drink a person's blood and that person dies, then they too will die unless they go and...KILL...another person and become human which means they will eventually still die. Really....So kill 1 bad eww cursed with eventual death. Kill 2 good yay humanity and still death..as long as it is a Pureblood. (Which can't be defined, they just exist and this guy is just one). What if the first person they killed was already a Pureblood, then would it cancel out the original curse and it would be like nothing happened, just instant human?
The series: ...um....well...well...that isn't the point of the series. There are just ya know vampires and Purebloods and stuff. There are shirtless guys kissing too. Everyone likes that right? Oh and the vampires also have blue glowing eyes. So yay, that's fun right?
ME: Well that came out of left field and didn't answer any of my questions. But all the vampires have blue eyes that also glow?
The series: No, no, they have normal color eyes that just sometimes glow blue and well, not just blue, sometimes red too.
Me: Oh why red and blue when those aren't their eye colors?
The series: Well ya know the good ones glow blue...the bad ones glow red.
Me: Wait what, like Twilight's Golden eyes versus Red eyes? Are their "vegetarian" vampires that eat animals completely obliterating the term vegetarian and meaning they are on the side of humans?
The sereis: No ours just glow those colors they don't actually become those colors. They just glow Blue and Red depending on if the vampire is a good guy or bad guy, nothing else.
Me: Like light sabers? (2nd SW reference and I don't even like SW)
The series: That's green and red.
Me: No that is Christmas colors...Wait, the vampires are Christmas vampires, this takes place over Christmas?
The series: (Silence)
5.0 = D+, 2 1/2-Stars. Lacking and filled with flaws. Die Hards will likely still love it.
It is fun for a good laugh and a nice sexy scene and that is about it.
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KBS Drama Special 2013: My Friend Is Still Alive
16 people found this review helpful
I would totally recommend this, it's only an hour long but it's really really really beautiful and most of all it delivers a really meaningful message.
I love how the story mainly tell us about both friendship and romance, it's a really nice balance. the friendship shown in this special is really beautiful.
I think all actors and actress are doing a great job in portraying the role. I really love the main actress, she looks gorgeous. And I think Gikwang did really great, but I would say the guy who played as his best friend might be the best actor here :) But overall they're all really great !
Overall I would give this special a 10/10 cause I think this is perfect
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The movie starts with Shigeharu Aoyama standing by his wife as she dies, his son, Shigehiko also witnesses. It's seven years later and Shigehiko recommends that Aoyama should get re-married. His friend suggests that he hold an audition. He agrees and meets Asami, a beautiful and seemingly normal woman, but she soon takes him into her world of sadistic torture and violence which he may never leave.....
Audition has a lot of positives going for it. All of the main actors give brilliant performances and Eihi Shiina, who plays Asami, is eerily good. The direction suits the movie, it is slow but assured, and Miike doesn't always show or explain everything, which gives the entire film an uneasy atmosphere. The score is brooding and haunting and although the pacing may seem slow Audition is never boring.
This movie won't appeal to all, however, while some hail it as a masterpiece, others say it is sadistic and boring. My advice would be not to tackle this as pure horror, more of a slow drama/romance with splashes of psychological and visceral horror (especially in the last 30 minutes). And for those curious about the gore, there is very little of it despite what some may say, but that little bit is still disturbing.
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This review may contain spoilers
dumb FL
First of all, i loved the series. I also love the casts and their acting.Story started out good. I thought we would have a strong FL. And i love the angst about the ML's revenge.
However, starting in the middle of the series, FL became irritating. She got dumb and gullible. Causing all troubles and always needed to be saved.
She became the typical damsel in distress. Her character is easily lead by her emotions. One of her decisions even caused the death of one of the supporting characters.
This would fall more under romance and drama. Revenge/ action doesn't amount much. I love the ending evwn if it's not grand. hoping a different story for the second FL with her new found love.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have really conflicting feelings for Meuan Khon La Faak Fah. On one hand, I appreciated how it started, how the female lead is strong and cute, and how much chemistry our lead couple had. On the other hand, I thought the plot was weak, there wasn't enough emphasis on the main leads, and the ending seemed too hasty as well.Where should I start? I think on the whole the acting was good. I found Andrew Gregson really awkward with his hand gestures, but I can totally see how that ties in to his character. It's just an unfamiliar sight for a male lead to be so... childishly adorable (...) . He's absolutely fantastic in the more emotional scenes though. Matt Peranee was really cute. I wonder if all the "oppa" references were actually ad-libs on her part. In any case, the female lead was an easy character to root for (at least at the start). They also had exceptional chemistry with each other. The lunch scenes were so heart-tingling! It's a pity that their scenes got lesser and lesser, and the drama went into a makjang spiral at the end [1].
It may be because I'm not that familiar with Thai dramas, but this is one of the rare instances where I found the youngsters acting better than the veterans (youngsters and veterans are relative really, but you get the idea). Midway through the drama I got this vibe from both the father and the housekeeper that they are actually villains, but they are obviously not. The aunt was overacting so much that it actually became sort of funny.
The plot was a little meh. For a drama about romance, they spent too much time on the angst. It'll be better if the angst gave the leads some screen time, but the angst gave the supporting characters too much screen time. By the end of the drama, I just skip-watched all those portions. Episode one was so-so, episode two and three dragged me in, but at the end I survived only by crumbs of the sweet OTP moments. I think the best thing that happened to the drama was possibly the editing of the preview. I swear in every episode I think the next is going to be better and full of cute scenes, but yeah. Also, I'm a little piffed at how they wrapped up everything so hastily. They got together in the end alright (this is totally not a spoiler), but it was a little underwhelming and the flashback was way way way too long. It's almost like they decided to re-edit the OTP scenes into a whole new MV for the opening theme.
Also, the kiss scenes. Wait, I mean the lack of kiss scenes. I know how Thai dramas are like with my few experiences. There's virtually no intimate scenes at all, not the lip-on-lip kisses anyway. Even if there is, it's just them manipulating angles. Usually, I don't really mind it. On second watch of the MKLFF episodes though, I realise that there wasn't even a peck anywhere. I'm completely fine with watching them on the same screen doing nothing except eating and talking (the lunch scenes were really the highlights of the drama), but if you are going to have a kiss scene do it properly. For the forehead "kiss" in the last episode, Andrew Gregson was just kissing air lol. Like whaaaat? It's just the forehead! I'll admit that I wasn't watching properly the first time and got tricked though.
All in all, despite my complaints, I actually think this is a decent drama. Perhaps it's because I just came from a horrible one [2]. I feel the start and the interactions between the leads were really refreshing, and even though it went downhill, it didn't erode my fondness for the drama. It's probably also because of my impression that Thai dramas are in general overly theatrical. This drama actually scores lower on the makjang scale compared to the others I've watched (and tried to watch). I also have a personal preference for dramas with stronger female leads as well so there's that.
- Footnotes -
[1] I wonder how much of this is due to the fact that this is actually a remake and they had to somehow follow the plot. From what I understand though, it's nothing like the original version. I think they probably should've done away with the not-so-great plot points and kept the better ones, but I really have no idea what the original was like.
[2] For those who are curious, that terrible drama is the Thai adaptation of Princess Hours.
EDIT: Grammar and spelling.
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Underlying message of the film Is importance of primary education. I was amazed by it's realism when I started the movie. Setup is genuine, no need to check I can tell by seeing it. Heartbreaking conditions, ruined building, no facilities, poverty. It's 100% authentic portrayal of rural schooling, sufferings of rural students and people. It demonstrates how hard life is in a developing country. Everything is almost the same like the place from where I come; from village life to school.
With this kind of storyline it's obvious that it's very moving. Story may look depressing but it's full of extremely happy moments throughout the movie. A little girl writing a diary and caring about her teacher's views, when they were trying to solve the bus problem and they actually applied education in practical use, when they were using chalks and writing characters on the board...many scenes that can easily make you cry!
I read on the web & IMDB boards...many people got the feelings of movie and many didn't. I won't say more about the real feelings of movie because it may spoil you. Over analysing a movie is never good so don't try to over analyse the story and character's actions. Just follow the lead girl and you'll get what she was feeling, what she was doing and why. If you're from a developing country and especially from rural area you'll probably catch it in an instant and won't question character's decisions. Note that I'm not saying others won't get it easily. Be patient and you'll get the meaning.
Most amazing fact about this movie is it's rookie cast. None of the actors are professional actors. They all are just ordinary civilians; and on top of that the role of everyone is same as what they do in real world!! Every character has same name of the actor playing respective character...Like Teacher Gao was really teacher Gao, Mayor Tian is really Mayor Tian, TV show host was actually TV show host, TV station manager was deputy manager of TV station...you can see each person's real world work and their role on Wikipedia page of the movie. Wei Meizhi...the lead girl of the movie, is a village girl of China. With help of her brilliant performance she became famous. It's sad that after such strong start of her career she left acting career because she doesn't have beautiful face and body.
I came across this movie after watching 'The Road Home'. I was amazed by the movie and it's soundtrack. So I picked this movie because of the composer and it was a great choice...music is just like I expected! However, it's not filled with music but whatever there is...it's top quality!
Who should avoid this?
-You felt "eeeww" while reading this. Even if you felt it once avoid movie...
-Impatient, who don't prefer slow movies
-People who want to only pass the time
Who should watch this?
-A cinephile
-Someone looking for a moving film
-Someone looking for realistic material
-If you're still reading this...
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An emotional state where you feel affection for someone and you can't get that person out of your mind, affecting your ability to focus on other things.
When fulfilled, feels like you're on top of the world.
This is the film's definition of the word love and I really love this film that I call this a masterpiece.
Word hunters that's how I described dictionary makers, this movie show their fun way of gathering words and how they decide for the accurate meaning of the word and how the people use that word. This movie will make you realize that making dictionary is one of the hardest jobs in the world. A movie about making dictionary seems boring but to me its different and this is why I love japanese movie they offer different story to movie lovers like me. Its a must see movie especially if you love words and your into japanese language one of the most informative movies i watched. I love how they compare a dictionary to a boat floating into a sea of words. At first I thought this movie will become artsy slow film but to me it was not a slow movie..I call it well executed. So many unexpected things in this movie, judging the poster and reading the synopsis who can tell this movie has the lamest love letter and the lamest proposal ever LMAO!!
The acting is great..I thought this is the first time I saw ryuhei matsuda but It happens that he is the japanese guy from the raid movie no way you can tell its the same person. You can tell matsuda really study his character and didnt just copy any nerdy character from other movies, his way of portraying a nerdy/serious guy who dont have social skills but ironically who loves words is really terrific..he really deserves the best actor award on this. Supporting character are great too like odagiri and miyazaki...no nonsense acting by miyazaki and this was the first time i saw odagiri portray this type of character, his chemistry to the main lead is great their personality is different but they form great moments on screen.
The music is great too totally sets the mood and fits the story and I love how the director capture the sounds from the background which adds to the ambiance.
This film lefts a question that I can't probably know the answer forever.
What is the true definition of the word right?
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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Cup of flower tea
This is a drama you'll watch with special fondness. One I'll archive under watch again.From the opening theme, it already hints of what comes next: calm, pleasant, ingenuous.
FL checks a lot of the neither box. Simple but not backwards. Innocent but not naive. Lively but not obnoxiois. Silly but not stupid. She treats people with a genuine heart and that attitude wins people over. Shes one that draws and keeps people around her. Its just one of her many charming qualities.
ML is sharp minded but not manipulative. Strategic but not greedy. Noble but not arrogant. A bit sickly but able to fight and defend. He lacked love and warmth from his parents. But theres not a bone of meanness on him. He mostly masked his ability to safeguard himself in a palace riffed with powerplay, particularly those in cahoots or bowed to the 2nd prince.
ML-FL had a genuinely believable, well-paced relationship. From minor misunderstanding develops to an understanding, forming a cordial employer-employee existence. But far from mundane their interaction and day to day lives are peppered with hilarity and warm moments. That reliable companionship is almost like a form of courtship unique to them. Textbook case of "Familiarity breeds fondness".
My greatest praise for him would be how respectful he is of her. He learn that her valies are different to what is typical of his country. He does not force her to follow in his ways, instead every step of the way he lets her choose, gives her as much freedom as possible and backs her up even as it goes against palace norms and rules.
My greatest praise for her is her genuine personality. Whether it is ML or others, she stays true to herself but also treats others fairly. She can answer ML honestly and he can count on her for being truthful. I love how to takes her time in considering the ML and their possibilities. Entrusting your heart and the rest of your life to another is not sth done at a whim.
My greatest praise for the drama is the entirety of the casts and the stories they rell together. Unlike other palace dramas that can be hair pulling or super angsty but this one is done jus right. FL has this huge gang of sisterhood that was so remarkable and heart warming. Sisters of no blood relation that supports and helps out one another. Than theres the prince brotherhood that reluctantly forms through the ladies. Not to forget the head butler and chef of the 6th Prince that provided a lot of comedy. So many of them had such great comedic timing.
If you've not watched cause of the tag 'slow-burn', dont be. Its like a cup of flower tea. Enjoy the steaming and beautiful fragrance. And when steep just nice, enjoy the sweet cleansing taste and lastly savor the aftertaste.
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what's it like objectively +the end
The drama is off to an enjoyable and interesting start with fresh elements, a blend of emotional and funny scenes with a time-travel concept it might confuse you but it's very simple.Plot & Characters:
The second main lead Gu Shiwen is a stubborn character but portrayed in a good way—he fights back but accepts kindness from Shennan once things are explained to him without dragging, avoiding the usual tsundere trope that constantly fights back. Shennan and Shiwen have a natural chemistry and they shared soft heartwarming moments.
Production Quality:
The cinematography has that classic Chinese drama charm, with beautiful shots of rain and fields. The OST adds to the emotional moments it's my favourite part in this series too.
The Ending:
(no spoiler)
Some may see this as a sad ending, but to me, it feels more like an open ending one that could be interpreted as somewhat happy. I’d say the writing in the last episode left me wanting some explanations (not necessarily needing them). It was a bit disappointing, but not surprising-we can roll with it. Chinese drama endings are often unpredictable and, in many cases, can be sad, so this isn’t unusual.
(⚠️👇SPOILER)
The gem breaking at the end signified, to me, that the cycle of fate and time travel was over, finally freeing them from its grasp. which is the only reason I wouldn't consider this as a sad ending.
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Never seen a story like this one!
This has got to be one of my favorite CDramas that I have ever watched. I’ve never quite come across a story as captivating as this one! I didn’t read the summary before going in so I had no clue what it was about. It kept popping up on my recommended shows. The plot definitely did not follow the path of a typical CDrama. Although there were misunderstandings between the 2 MLs, they did not drag it out as we see with most CDramas. The story progression was amazing along with the progression of the characters. It was very well thought out as there wasn’t a ton of plot holes or unanswered questions.Every actor perfectly fit the character that they were cast to play. Wei Wuxian/Wei Ying is definitely an unforgettable character. He is very relatable as being kind can sometimes make you the target of hatred. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced as many emotions as I have watching this one. I found myself crying, laughing, angry, etc.
The soundtrack was also amazing and really nice to hear the two MLs singing on the OST. Even though some of the visuals were bad and you can tell it was a low budget show with some of the props and visuals looking too cheap and fake, it did not take away from the show. This is definitely a show that I can rewatch multiple times and never get tired of it.
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This review may contain spoilers
I hope yall watch it honestly its really good movie❣????. And the leads are very charming and its very kind film. Its not a sad ending and its only $3.44 or $6.44 for all of it i think to watch online.????????????????????Its very funny too and not like other gay movies where you know how it ends like. Spolier long time no see poster was in the movie. And when dongsoo told him its okay you can kiss me i was blushing. Also when the cousin was teasing them it was cute. And the fact they had sex on the beach like that. Plus when he asked him will you stay here or the city i was like well damn ik whose going back home. But the best part is the end when he came back and they run toward each other Was this review helpful to you?
It's essentially the story of how one turns from being a money-hungry, materialistic monster into one who has been changed through true love and recognition of what is truly important in life. The transformation is something you'll see through the episodes gradually and you'll gnash your teeth when the male lead is thrown aside without a care in the world. But, you'll clap your hands and jump on the couch when the ending comes... but I'll leave that to you to see for yourselves as the story unfolds.
You won't regret watching this...go on, give it a whirl!
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This review may contain spoilers
A good decent watch
Life is short and should not be wasted.Be in love and make love, the world will come to an end someday.
Funny scenes, Romance.., Suspense.. , fight scenes, some lovable and some hated characters, ... .
Shen Zhen and Lu shi Yan did not end up together in their past life.
Now we get to see their happy ending in this life.
Shen Zhen's struggle's to save his father won my heart.
I admit that the emperor and specially the empress should have had more screen time.
It was my first time seeing Jeremy Tsui . His acting is good . The Fl although tried her best, still has room for improvement.
The actress who played the second Fl (Shen Zhen's sister) did a great job. Somehow her romance plot with Zhou Su An kept the story rolling in some eps.
It's true that the past life is not explained in detail, but in my opinion It was enough.
The last episode was a bit quick and easy (lame).
Also It left us with some questions about some supporting roles.
Surely I did not like some episodes and scenes.
But Wholly I enjoyed this drama. It was a quite fun watch and I recommend it to you.
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This is a fantastic romp story about con artist, Yang Jung-gook (the always-fun Choi Siwon) who is married to badass detective, Kim Mi-young (the always-excellent Lee Yoo Young).
Yang Jung-gook's marriage is failing because of the Very Big Lie rotting at the core of their relationship. Both parties are holding on because of their genuine love for each other, but it seems as though their marriage won't last either way. Yang Jung-gook's plan is retirement; the perfect way to leave the life of crime behind him and turn his lies into truth.
The most-recent snag in his retirement plan is loan shark, Park Hoo-Ja (Kim Min-Jung, in the performance of her career), who blackmails him into running for the Assembly. Hoo-ja has big plans for her father's company - most of which involve her taking control of it despite competition from her older Unni, #1, who is in jail (Hoo-ja is the fourth of five daughters).
The premise of a con artist married to a cop was enough for me to press play on this show. Add in the potential romp-factor of him conning his way into politics and I was always going to watch. Amazingly, the whole thing is as fun as it sounds. From the first frame, this show is fast-paced, witty, well-plotted, well-characterised, fantastically acted and just a whole heap of damn fun.
While everyone's performances are top-notch, Kim Min-Jung's brilliant, impatient, entitled, loan shark steals the show. By the end, you're not just hoping that Jung-gook wins, you're hoping Hoo-ja does as well. Her battle against Unni #1 mirrors Jung-gook's battle against political corruption to the extent that you're almost sad that she has to lose in order for him to win. This is really an amazing performance by an actor who was always good but never stood out to me before.
The cinematography, editing and music are original and enjoyable and the show almost entirely avoids tired tropes from any genre. At 18 episodes (36 half hours), you would expect the pacing or plotting to suffer but it never does. It's unflaggingly good from beginning to end.
But what makes My Fellow Citizens so completely satisfying is the inherent sense of justice that underpins the show. This show has a story to tell and a message it wants to convey and it's not afraid to do it. This is as much a show about the corrupting power of greed as it is anything else. It's also a show that never lets a character - whether it's a flawed hero or a beloved villain - get a pass for their actions.
It really is one of my new favourites and I wish it had gotten more love while it aired.
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1This review may contain spoilers
poise & pain
I felt like I was being suffocated right alongside Saori because she is just a walking, open wound for two hours. Satomii just let herself be ugly and it felt so painfully real. She is frantic and aggressive and looks like she hasn't brushed her hair since Miu vanished. I didn't see a single shred of poise left in her. I saw a woman being eaten alive by the fact that she was at a concert when her kid went missing and the internet will not let her forget it for a second. Watching her scroll through comments from trolls who decided she deserves this pain was devastating. I could feel every ounce of her self loathing."If I don't read them, it is like she has already been forgotten. This is the only place people are still talking about her."
I think she feels so dangerously authentic because Satomii doesn't try to make her grief look cinematic or poetic. It is just heavy and exhausted and mean. I felt the weight of her emotions in the way she breathes and the way her voice cracks when she is screaming at people who are just trying to help. She made me feel that desperation as if it was my own life falling apart. The media in this was actually nauseating for me to watch because of how they egg her on when she is at her lowest point. I can't get that scene out of my head where she actually proposes holding a birthday party for Miu and the news crew just leans into it because they know it will make for a pathetic sensational shot. I could see Yutaka absolutely hating the idea but he is so drained that he just stands there while they light the candles.
"I feel like I'm already dead. I'm just moving because I have to find her."
It broke my heart to see her so desperate to keep her daughter's face on TV that she starts performing her own grief for the cameras just to keep the search from dying out. I felt like Yutaka trying to be the stoic anchor just felt like abandonment to her and I watched their house become a pressure cooker where they just end up lashing out at each other in the dark. The brother Keigo is obviously another part that really got to me. He was the last person seen with the girl and because he is socially awkward he becomes a target. Seeing Saori turn her rage on him because she needs someone to blame and I think it shows how a tragedy like this just fractures a family until there is nothing left.
I was completely captivated by the way Satomii inhabits this specific, haunting brand of misery. I saw her standing in that yellow crossing guard vest at the end and it just gutted me. There is no magic resolution. She is just there in the street protecting other people's kids while hers is still gone. It is a quiet and miserable kind of strength. I felt like she was forcing me to sit in the wreckage with her until the very last frame.
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