Reviews

If I had to describe this movie in one word, it would be 'cute'. Kimi ni Todoke is a cute film. It's main theme is about all the first real experiences of high school. It is the story about Sawako- a weird looking girl who resembles the ghost from the movie Ring. That resemblance part was very funny and a creative idea. So, because of that every one around her is scared of talking to her or even looking at her. As a result, she is a terribly under confident girl and often spends her time remaining secluded. While I could argue that she could have simply changed her hairstyle and the resemblance would have gone, that would have changed the entire story.

I don't get why some Japanese dramas and films have such weird female characters. It is too fictional to take in. Also, what I find funny in such scenarios is that the girl comes off as thick because she lets herself slip further down than just coming up with the idea of making a very few changes to herself. This idea is laughable and I am never going to watch a drama or movie again with this particular ridiculous plot. This was one of the downsides to the movie. Also, I found the pacing very slow and the movie too long.

Other than that, the characters were funny and all the actors acted well. I don't know these actors, so I don't have much to say about them. While the plot of friendship is the main thing here, there are some romantic elements as well. I am slowly getting used to the fact that Japanese dramas and movies only include romance as a sub-plot than as the main plot. This is yet another one.

It seemed heavily borrowed from Nobuta wo Produce. I still prefer that because the main girl was more adorable in it. In this, Sawako's character seemed dull to me. But I couldn't helping noticing how gorgeous her hair was. Really! Anyway, this movie was lacking excitement in a lot of parts. I would have loved it more if it had remained funny till the end.

Still, this makes for a good one-time watch. It is a light film so it is good to watch at any time. I would definitely recommend this to be watched at least once.

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i wanted to be in love with this movie, like i loved secret garden. i found it stayed up late to watch it and was excited for gender bending time. after its done i feel like i wasted hours of my life.
the story concept is similar to secret garden but the movie's attempt to balance comedy and drama is painful to watch. there were way too many times where the scene changed, the mood changed, or a random act occurred with no prep (music, a comment, foreshadowing, anything). It felt like the story was chopped into bits, so the characters would be discussing a matter, then the scene changes to the next day. this led to constant questions of: what happened to the issue at hand? was it resolved? who gave in?.
on top of the story line confusion, the acting was inconsistent. sometimes the male lead would act like such a man that i had to wonder, oh did they switch back? i blame some of this on the writers they didn't give us enough time to know the characters before they switched.
amid the wreckage there were some bright spots; shots of comedy were pretty well placed throughout. so if the movie was getting awful a shot of comedy would draw you back with false hopes of it getting better. they did a lot of parodies (even secret garden)so those were really funny.
i wouldn't watch again, and if you love the concept I suggest you watch secret garden a 3rd time. Overall it had a great general concept, poor writing and poor execution. i gave it a 6 because they tried to capture that "secret garden magic" but didnt have enough time and the ending is waaaay better than secret garden.

p.s. i loathe group songs where the whole world is singing. beware

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We all know the all too popular phrase, "The book is so much better than the movie!" but I'd have to say in the case of this, the movie & comic sort of go hand in hand.There are differences between the two but the main storyline stays the same, and it wasn't unbearable to watch - it was actually fun! I enjoyed this movie from start to finish, which usually doesn't happen for Manga turned Movie for me. The actors/actresses did a great job at conveying their characters and they were dead on choosing who they did for the roles. I loved this movie - It gives a wonderful 'life' lesson about chasing your dreams while still being realistic.

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Dedicated to the grandmothers everywhere… "The Way Home (Jibeuro)" could easily be called the best Korean film of 2002! It's a story of a 7-year old boy Sang-woo (Yu Seung-ho) who is left in the care of his 77-year old mute grandmother (Kim Eul-bun) in the countryside, so that his mother can go job-hunting in Seoul!

When you'll see this movie poster with a cute toothless grandma with an equally cutie-pie looking grandchild putting their hands on each other's shoulders smiling TOTALLY ADORABLY at you, it won't take seconds to make you go grab your popcorn and turn off the lights to watch this movie sitting in front of your PC (at least, it was successful enough to make me do so)!!!

The first reason to like this movie is to prove that you have a HEART!

The second reason comes from the actors themselves! I was wrong about the poster…this kid is DEFINITELY NOT some sweetie pie! The country lifestyle comes as a bit of shock to the videogame-playing-hyper-spoiled Sang-woo! Frustrated by his new home, Sang-woo begin to lash out, which includes calling his grandmother a 'retard'! Kiddo's selfishness will make your hands go ga-ga to give him couple of slaps, but if you have patience on the level of Granny's, the payoff is BIG!! Without the benefit of dialogue, Granny's weathered face & simple expressions give her character an air of quiet dignity, stoic determination, and unwavering love! There'll come times when you'd want granny to give that brat some spanks with her walking stick but her patience will make your soul cry…she gives her grandchild tons of love worth more than things he could ever want for!! Obviously she can't talk…but, instead of noise, her life is filled with beautiful views that she watches silently, absorbing the beautiful still calmness that her mountain home gives her! Granny ROCKS!!!

And, the third reason to like this movie is its contrast of silence with the scenery…think of calling this movie BORING, you'll see the wrath of heavens!!!

I don't know if the ending made me feel disappointed with the kid or not! But, definitely, the one who ended up taking my heart away was the 77 years old grandma! Have to say…after watching this movie I really missed my enni (read granny!)…I swear, you'd agree with me that being a grandmother must be a thankless job after watching 70 minutes of ungratefulness!!

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I have this love-hate relationship with this movie.

Love it for Song Hye Kyo and her leading man, hated it because of how the whole plot line was executed. Though in history, I already knew how it was going to end, I still had that tiny bit of hope that they would do something colorful about it so it wouldn't be much of a hard blow to watch. I guess have put too much expectation on my plate.

Cinematography wise, everything was beautiful, literally. Even the brothel itself was fixed up nicely. Music score was a plus, since it did help out build the drama, but it wasn't something I would remember forever. The story was a bit draggy and berserk, it swung from one plot to another and I hate having that kind of story line in the movies I watch.

So what other perk do I have with this movie aside from the leading actress? It was the fight scenes and Hwang Jin Yi's clothes.

Firstly, the fight scenes were choreographed carefully that it had really great results. Watching these fights were awesome, never mind the blood and gore, it was all good to watch. Secondly, Hwang Jin Yi's Hanbok were breathe taking. It had so many details in it and definitely glamorous even for a courtesan. I guess the fashion designer did put a hint of modernization on her dress although it was supposed to be on the Jeoseon era. Anyways, she was one of the greatest Gisaeng's after all. I guess the least producers can do was dress her nicely to cover off the sub-par story line.

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Story: As I was watching it, I didn't really feel like there was really a story in the movie at all.

Acting/Cast: I loved the acting/cast so much. So freaking much. I think my favorite part about the cast is that none of them were really overly attractive. In most movies about sex, it seems like everybody is built like a Greek god, whereas this movie had people who just seemed normal.

Yoo Chae Young was, without a doubt, the best part of this movie for me though. She was perfect in her role.

Music: Aside from a few parts of the movie where the actors were singing, I don't even remember there being any music in this movie.

Rewatch: I could see myself watching this over and over again. It had a perfect blend of comedy (seriously, the comedic parts were fantastic) and romance that I really enjoyed.

Overall: Overall, this definitely gets a 10 in my book. Even though it was seriously lacking in the story department, the rest of the movie made up for it.

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I'm in love xD

Story:
At first i thought since it's Korean they'll probably like barely talk about sex and it's mostly going to be another story... WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS! Even I was shocked at how deep they went into the sex theme ok let's not go ever board they go into enough not to make it porn... It felt like some sort of Korean sex ed tape xD but with a romance lots of comedy and touching moments :)

Acting/Cast:
Oh the cast was just perfect I wouldn't change anyone they are all to perfect for the roles they played ESPECIALLY the teen boys...
They're acting was so real at time I was wondering if there weren't "doing it" for real xD
They are all very funny and great guys and you get attached to them by the end of the film :)
Of course MY Kim Sun Ah just priceless acting as always, I love this girl so much cause even if she always plays a sweet character her acting adds a little "je ne sais quoi" to the character and to the movie/drama

Music:
I was to focused on the movie to focus on the music xD
*sorry sorry*
Ah! but the last song I do remember ... NO SPOILERS sorry you'll have to watch it to know xD

Rewatch:
Heck yeah it's just to funny it's one of those movies you can watch when bored on a rainy day when your sad or simply just want a simple but good laugh or with friends (I do not advise you to watch it with family members cause it will be very awkward :S)

Overal:
10 out of 10 it just won my hear I love it so much I'm gonna add it to my fav. movie list right now :D

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This movie is pretty simple. Once Cen Han Bin finds out about his son (which is pretty quickly) most of the movie is father and son hanging out and getting to know each other. The scenery of the movie is absolutely beautiful and the interactions between Han Bin and Bin Bin are funny and heartwarming. Watching Han Bin go from a guy who's pretty much given up on himself try to be better for his son was really sweet. You see how much he learns to love this little boy he knew nothing about, even if he doesn't really know how to be a father. Vic Zhou is one of my favorite actors and seeing him rough and scruffy was a little refreshing. I also really LOVE Benny. He is an amazing actor for being as young as he is and does a great job in this movie, whether it's him and Vic throwing witty banter back and forth or he has to get emotional and cry, he is truly great. Ella and her character's little sister were also really cute as supporting roles. It's the first time I haven't seen Ella so over-the-top but she does great as well.

Because the movie is just over a hour and a half it seems to fly by. There is nothing complicated about this film. No crazy drama between any of the characters. This is a slowed paced and sweet film. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again. If you're a fan of Vic, I would give it a try. You might be pleasantly suprised.

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Dear Movie Directors/Producers,

If a movie is not officially labeled as a "musical," or intentionally adapted from a Broadway play, PLEASE do not allow for random fits of song and dance to interject themselves into a plot line. It is awkward for us as an audience, and probably not particularly pleasant for the actors involved, either.

Thank you for your consideration,
Omnichelle

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I am not a fan of musicals in general. BUT, if I at least *know* that something is a musical going into it, I can prepare myself for it. Fair enough. But if you break into song and dance without pretense, rhyme or reason, I find it extremely awkward, and thus become a little agitated.

That bit of bias aside...

This movie is a very shallow and silly adaptation of a legitimately good story. I find that my complaint with most Korean movies is that they feel rushed and its characters commonly too undeveloped for me to care about them. You're My Pet is a shining example of this.

Jang Geun Suk pretty much does what he's done in other roles he's had similar to this--acted as a kind of rebellious yet "brilliantly talented" something or other. Kim Ha Neul plays her part well enough for what the weak, choppy plot allows. There are perhaps one or two "swoony" moments between the lead characters, but nothing particularly exciting.

Perhaps the best thing about this movie is the cinematography, which is very clean, modern and bright with interesting settings around Seoul. I enjoyed that much, at least.

If you're one of those hard core Jang Geun Suk fans, I suppose it'd be worth the watch for you. He looks pretty. But if you're like me and are a big fan of the Kimi wa Petto franchise (Jdrama and manga), skip this. You'll just be disappointed.

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One, I hate Karou. Just had to get that out there ^^; Also, I never give 10s across the board, never. Please take that into consideration when you read this review. This got a straight 10 from me!

Ok, so the choreography was simply STUNNING! I mean, I have never seen a better use of martial arts, ever. Bourne Identity comes close but this was... the economy of movement, the sword play, it was spectacular. I am getting the DVD for no other reason than to slow down the flight scenes to half speed so I can see those fights in all their glory! The fight scenes were STUNNING! The actor was so gritty, damn. You only get a tiny idea of how amazing it is from the preview, let me tell you... I wish I could look up movies by whoever is in charge of fight scenes. Just, dman.

Ok, no one cares how wonderful the fight scenes were (you better, it was something like >50% of the movie) the music... I really liked it. It was a very powerful sound track that worked well with the movie and the era. A mix of traditional Japanese music and instrumental with some classical thrown in there, it made me feel the era. It was an era of transitions and you felt it from the music alone.

Story wise, this covered the fake Battousai and Gatling gun/Megumi arcs. If you are looking for the manga made into a movie... well, this movie was by no means pure but it did a damn good job. Watching Sano fight was comical, he was the comic relief of the movie, where Kenshin was all sex he was all humor.

After my first paycheck, if it is still in theaters, I am SO going. Just an amazing movie people! The costumes, the sets, just damn. If you want to know anything more specific, email me because I feel that if I continue, it is just going to be one large joygasm about how wonderful the sword play was.

I will comment that the ONLY point I was dissappointed in was that Kenshin did not do his 'I'm so badass with my sakabatou I can slice through concrete' thing.

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