Beautiful cinematography and great message, but a little overdramatic
This was almost the perfect melodrama. I really loved the way they portrayed differing worldviews between different characters based on different upbringings.The relationship between the FL and SML were undoubtedly the best part of this movie; I kind of wish they'd have gone more into that because it was short-lived and kind of one-sided. Other than that, the SFL also was a really great character and I also wish she got more screentime. The pacing overall was okay, but plot points aren't really explained much. This movie is more about the feeling.
The anti-bullying message was really powerful, but I kind of wish it didn't get so explicitly didactic near the end of the movie with all the political and legal references.
With that being said, I think sometimes the way the movie was filmed really felt just a tad bit over-the-top, with monologues that were beautiful but so literary sometimes it kind of took me out of the movie because "who talks like that?" Other than that, the filmography is pretty great; there's a lot of time dedicated to montages and stuff though, so if you like a more in-the-scene sort of movie, this isn't it.
I really liked the ending (unfortunately I didn't really cry at all) but overall this was a decent watch.
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Surprisingly Good
I loved this movie. I found the female character so refreshing. Even as her parents kept her lock up because they were rich and would not let her learn about the world she was strong, smart and very logical. She ran away from the Filipino and went to Korea to meet stranger who gave her a job and a place to stay. I love the romance and the chemistry between the lead characters. The story takes an interesting turn but I like the lead male character realizing what is important in life. I also like the parents giving her a chance after she ran away. I really enjoy it. A must watch. The performance of the actors was good.Was this review helpful to you?
The acting was all serviceable. The problem is that there was no depth to the characters, no moment when we were able to see behind the frozen masks. Everyone was staid and emotionless making it very hard to care about any of them. Ekin Cheng's hair that magically blew in every scene had the most life of any character.
From beginning to end the CGI dominated the movie. Unfortunately, even for 2001, it wasn't very good. The cinematography was awful. The few sets that had any realism were also bad. Even the fight scenes, which did have some interesting moments were too often overpowered by the special effects. Very few scenes were not CGI enhanced which along with the unemotional acting made everything seem distant and cold.
The story had some good ideas and moments. Sadly, too often, it veered into an incoherent mess, seemingly unable to keep up with its own world building and mythology.
If a movie is going to take itself this seriously then it should be well thought out and give us characters to care about. Or it should have the decency to be so bad that it's good. Zu Warriors failed on both counts.
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Not Your Typical Serial Killer Thriller Movie!
I went into this movie thinking that I would know how it'll end but the characters and story kept on surprising me! The storyline was written well and the scenes were carried out very nicely by the main cast members. The action scenes were amazing to watch and there was some really great thriller heart-racing moments. There were no jump scares, which is good because I don't like them, but that did not make the movie any less scary or intense to watch. There were also no dumb characters, which was surprising because some thriller movies usually do. I am amazed again by Wi Ha Joon's acting and I am excited to see him in more works as the male lead. Wi Ha Joon has great chemistry with Jin Ki Joo so I would love to see them as romantic partners in a drama someday. Anyways, this movie was a great watch and not your typical thriller movie. It is a great choice for people who are afraid of thriller movies because this is as exciting as a thriller without too much scare.Was this review helpful to you?
Heart-warming and with a vengeance
I could tell this was a good movie — the relationship between the pawn shop man and the little girl were undoubtedly the best part of this movie and I kind of wish we had more of their scenes. The fight scenes are cool and overall this is just a really satisfying vengeance movie.Unfortunately, however, something just didn't click with me when it came to the villains. I've seen plenty of organ donation villains in Korean movies and just kind of felt meh about the ones in this movie — other than the scenes with the kids, I felt like the villains weren't very scary and were almost cartoonish at times, so I'm not really sure if I felt the high stakes there.
Overall still a really good watch esp. if you're in the mood for the revenge genre!
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1 in 10.000 in 3650 days?!?!?!?!
I am not gay and i don't search LGBTQ+ dramas. However, i tried this one.Since i am a little ignorant, i did watch this as a love between two people. I don't know if there is more.
STORY - this was a bad story for me, especially because of the time gap. I am European and I cannot understand this. Why there are so many dramas where people that are in love stays far from each other without the slightest communication? 10 years? How is this possible?! They date 1 year and then... They know, they feel that they love the other, even with that BS of statistics, they long for 10 years. So, why? For drama? Does this make any sense?
They portrait a beautiful love between sceptical Ah Ra and the bold Eun Ha. How can they drift apart for so long?..
ACTING – the pace and the characters are one dimension, so they did a good job.
MUSIC – like it!!!!
REWATCH – Don’t think I will because I know how it ends and there are more shows in my long list.
OVERALL – a love????? Story about two souls but… with 10 year gap, a story about 2 women that loves the other but I don’t know if they love themselves to realize that can be happy together..
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This review may contain spoilers
Thought-provoking but not a film with mass appeal
The Chinese title of this short film is "The Distance that Isn't Heard" (which can either refer to the distance between people who don't hear each other out or literally "inaudible distance"). We have the story of a gay couple in a society which has achieved (more or less) equal rights for gay people and in which people have become more accepting of homosexuality. But even without the hurdle of a lack of acceptance, can two men who are attracted to and love one another overcome differences in political outlook?The good thing about this short film is that it does not have an in-your-face message or preach anything in particular. It shows the relationship between the two men, but there may not be a clear point to discern from the scenes which are nonetheless beautifully shot. The film is open to interpretation. Its strength may also be its weakness, however. It may come across as being a tad pointless or somewhat pretentious in adopting a needlessly disjointed narrative structure.
If we consider the film to be about love, it is easy to think that when one is in love with another person, one won't care about the other person's occupation. But is it love if one does not even know the other person's occupation or has not made an effort to find out? When one of the main character yells "I can't hear," is it literally that he can't hear what the other is saying because of the noisy environment or is it an indication of a refusal to hear another person out when the latter is on a different side politically? (There is perhaps an answer suggested in the scene where one shouts "I can't hear (you)" and the other shouts "I *also* can't hear (you)".
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This review may contain spoilers
My motion graphics lecturers would cry tears of joy at that ending ngl
Honestly I'm glad I'm close to ending this year with one of the best films I've ever watched.It's a feelgood movie with the right amount of comedy that's executed pretty well. Just when I thought the humour would peak at the "Guy comes out of elevator door and bends over and drops everything he has" (if you've watched, you know what I mean) scene, there were [i]more[/i] funny scenes.
It's not just all comedy though, and when it's supposed to be serious it really does succeed at being poignant and serious about the subject matter. With the context of the sexism that still exists in Korean society(to my knowledge) and in general when it comes to workplaces in Asia, the movie's backstories and motivations for the two protagonists made sense thematically and didn't feel too preachy. Acting from the leads and supporting cast was superb, and I really enjoyed their chemistry!
I guess it just...made sense? Characters that seemed irritating at first grow and change throughout which was really nice to see. The plot isn't some meditative philosophical focus on the topic, it manages to get the point across and address its issue while remaining pretty respectful, which I enjoy.
It's also why I mentioned this is a good feelgood movie if you just want to see good triumphing over shitty people - because c'mon, we all need that shit in our lives every now and then. At least, I do. Sometimes I just want something that's funny and action-packed with the most "cliche" trope of good being pitted against all sorts of bad, because it's a reliable feelgood type of thing.
The motion graphics near the end was fascinating as well, and the VFX throughout the movie.
One of my only complaints is that the camera work can be very wonky and disorienting, especially near the end. But it's not THAT horrible, so it doesn't change my opinion of the movie much, if at all. Furthermore, though this may be on Netflix's end, the translation is confusing when it comes to the introducing of Ji Chul and how he relates to the two protagonists. I could never figure out if he's a brother-in-law, if Ji Hye is his wife, if Mi Young is HIS wife, and other such stuff. Though looking at the cast it seems clear who's related to who because of the names...? Kind of? It's quite confusing. But again, probably just a Netflix translation error and not the script's fault, who knows. It's a small gripe anyway.
Overall, I really enjoyed this! I wish there was more to the OST though, and as I mention that I realise I don't remember any music that struck me as anything during the movie(usually I notice instrumentals playing), though vague recollections of one instrumental that compliments one of the action scenes decently enough. More care could've been put into the OST, but it's not something that drags the movie down in my opinion. The theme song bangs too. :)
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Good Enough
Japanese Movie "Tokyo Revengers" is the live-action adaption of the popular manga series with the same name.The overall movie has a nice atmosphere and the fans of High&Low would probably love this film as well. It has plenty of great fighting scenes that were well executed and well-choreographed. The performances were all masterful too, but the main lead was especially enjoyable, funny, emotional, and diverse. The dynamics between the cast were also pretty strong and that helped creating the right team environment that the movie needed to promote right from the start.
However, and even though the film is well made and the camera work is brilliant, the story felt like it only stretched the surface, like something was missing as the movie was moving towards the final showdown. The ending was pretty rushed too.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you happen across people talking about this movie online, you might notice how people either hate it or love it. I am somewhere in between. I don’t think that this movie was a waste of my time, I also don’t think that this movie was poetic cinema. For me, it was somewhere in the middle. There were parts of the movie that I really enjoyed and some parts that felt very draggy. As the title suggests, the movie was sweet at times and sour at other times. It sought to portray a realistic side of couples struggling to find a balance between their work-life and love life. For the most part, it worked. But sadly, the movie attempted to be more than what it was intended to be. The story was a mix of melodrama, comedy and romance genre.In an attempt to bend the genre, the story lost its depth. It never tackled the hard themes introduced in the story and moved on like nothing happened. If the first scene was melodrama, the next was comedy. So even when the couples were dealing with hard times, they didn’t focus on an issue or even discussed it. There was no point where they thought about their actions and how much they might affect the other person in the relationship. Even worse, there was no consequence to their actions at all. Both of them were like robots moving from one day to another.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling the actors robots. They were completely amazing. Jang Ki Yong, Chae Soo Bin and Krystal were the lifelines of this movie. They did a great job portraying their flawed characters. The problem was the script of this movie that added a lot of complexities to a simple story by bending genres and making these characters look shallow. That said, I will still recommend this movie if you are looking for a light movie to watch. Even though Sweet and Sour was melodrama it most certainly felt light since the difficult subjects were sidelined as quickly as they arrived. Speaking from a critical point of view, if you are going to talk about these issues you need to at the very least address them. However, it still made a decent watch. It had some highs and some lows.
Conclusion
Whenever I write a review I know if I liked it or not but it is hard for me to say with certainty if I liked this movie or not. So please watch it and judge it for yourself, at the very least this movie was a good one time watch. Don’t go into this movie expecting romance. If you have some free time and a Netflix subscription I will recommend Sweet and Sour to you. Please come back to let me know if you liked it or not. Also, to talk about the ending with me.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Sweet and Sour – Ending Explained
(CW: Mentions of cheating and abortion)
If you are a little confused about the ending, this is where I will try to explain what happened at the end of Sweet and Sour. There were two Hyuk in the movie – Jang Hyuk (Jang Ki Yong) and Lee Jang Hyeok (Played by Lee Woo Je). For simplicity, I will call them Hottie Hyuk (Jang Ki Yong) and Cutie Hyeok (Lee Woo Je). When the movie starts we are instantly jumped into the story of Cutie Hyeok falling in love with the nurse Da Eun. Even though Cutie Hyeok is a patient and Da Eun is the nurse, Cutie Hyeok takes care of her more than she takes care of him. Within the first 20 minutes, we see them go from strangers to going on a trip to Jeju.
She gifts Cutie Hyeok a pair of sneakers before their trip to Jeju as a couple’s gift. Cutie Hyeok wears the sneakers and runs around at the airport in excitement while she waits for him to come back. The camera shows him start running with determination to lose weight and then cuts from Cutie Hyeok running to Hottie Hyuk running in the same couple’s sneakers. The intention here is to say that they are the same people and the Cutie Hyeok lost weight and became this Hottie Hyuk.
The director very smartly diverted all our attention throughout the movie by adding hints that both Cutie Hyeok and Hottie Hyuk are the same by giving them exact same personality traits and background story. Both are pushovers and let Da Eun order them around. Both took a car from their parents to drive Da Eun around. Both are Engineers. Both met Da Eun at the hospital as patients. Both hate the Doctor guy that keeps hitting on her.
In the first part, we see Cutie Hyeok refuse macaron on their date and then later in the movie Hottie Hyuk says that he hates sweets – further confirming the audience that he is the same person. There are several other instances where we think that it is the same person, like the nurse trying to remember if she has seen Hottie Hyuk somewhere. We think that she realised that it is the same guy and he lost weight. However, in reality, they are not the same people. The movie is not chronological. It jumps back in time when we are introduced with Hottie Hyuk.
Da Eun is dating Hottie Hyuk for a while when we meet him for the first time. When her relationship with Hottie Hyuk starts getting bad, she meets Cutie Hyuk at the hospital. The night she is going through a very hard time with her abortion and Hottie Hyuk leaves her to go to work, the same night Cutie Hyuk finds her number and calls her. She tells him that she is alone at home and he should come over.
Cutie Hyuks changes the light bulb and throws the trash that Hottie Hyuk didn’t. Their relationship starts getting worse as time progresses. Da Eun starts dating Cutie Hyuk while Hottie Hyuk is busy at work and unable to go home. They still try to keep the relationship working but after a particularly nasty fight where Hyuk accidentally calls Da Eun Bo Yeon (Krystal), they break up with no discussion that they are breaking up.
Later, Hottie Hyuk cheats on her with Bo Yeon (Krystal) and doesn’t go home for some time. He tells Da Eun to take anyone she wants to Jeju which she does. Both the first airport scene and the last airport scene are the same scenes. Da Eun gifts Cutie Hyuk the sneakers and Cutie Hyeok starts running in excitement. This is when Hottie Hyuk finds her at the airport and then both Hyuk and Hyeok crash and fall down.
I hope this explains the ending.
Thoughts
Even though the ending had me scream at my tv and then start laughing hysterically, I still think that this ending was the weakest and the strongest part of the movie depending on the way you see it. On one hand, it gives a fun, unexpected twist to the melodrama but on the other hand, it makes the entire relationship meaningless. At the start when the camera cuts from one to another, we don’t want to believe that Cutie Hyeok lost so much weight that he turned into Hottie Hyuk. But as the movie goes on they kept adding hints in the movie that just makes us convinced that both are really the same person. It was brilliantly done and we need to give the credit where the credit is due.
- That said, cheating is not cool.
If you are watching the movie from a critical point of view, the movie loses its charm. Throughout the movie, the couples did nothing to show that they should be together. Both were terrible to each other. Da Eun takes advantage of Hottie Hyuk the entire time she was with him (much like what we see her do with Cutie Hyuk in the beginning). Hottie Hyuk gets a car and commutes for hours just to spend the night with her. He does house chores and drives her around. She is never considerate of his hard work and his exhaustion.
Hottie Hyuk (side note: I think I have probably called Jang Ki Yong hottie over 100 times by now but did I lie? lol) was also a terrible boyfriend. He never listens to her and only talks about his problems with her. He doesn’t tell her about his girl colleague and keeps lying to her about it even when he was not cheating on her. He is also doing the bare minimum for her. Especially, when she needs him the most. Had the writers not tried to make the story realistic and melodrama, the rest of the story would have made much more sense, and the ending twist would have even been funny.
The entire time the couples were not honest with each other, they had no emotions towards one another. Even after going through such a hard time, they barely communicate or even fight for that matter. Da Eun goes through abortion, she gets cheated on, her boyfriend is never there for her but when the movie ends we forget it all and she becomes a con artist that takes advantage of men.
“Where did it all go wrong?”
I would like to argue that the entire relationship was wrong. He was a pushover and a liar. She was selfish and a liar. What did you think of the movie? Do you are or disagree with me? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you guys. 🙂
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Great sequel to a lovely prequel
This movie takes of where part one ended, and it does it beautifully showing how these two keep trying to figure out what they want from each other. What triggers them and if and how they can deal with the inevitable end for the one week relationship that is playing games with their minds.This movie has several moments of tension, making the viewers wonder how will this go? is Seiryo really a masochist falling for impossible people? Or will he Skipp Yuzuru and go for his sister instead? Is Yuzuru really just a jerk? And what about that Shino girl that keeps calling and ruining things?
Part two was just as sweet and fun if not even sweeter, easy to watch and all round lovely... But do watch part one first! And well if you did not like pet one you will not like part two...
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Fun, sweet, interesting plot
I am trying to find the right words to describe the first part of this beautiful duo (both movies and characters).The movie starts off showing us two very different beautiful boys.
One is known for disappointing the ladies by having a beautiful face but never living up to the charm the girls expect from him. The other is known for being more of a fantasy than a man, who will give more or less anyone a chance to live in the dream of dating him for one week, before he ends it in a beautiful way leaving all his exes happy with the experience. While this behaviour has become well known and more of a joke, this wounded soul really is just trying to mend his broken heart and fall in love.
The first guy is of course cureus and seems to have the approach "Ill try anything once" having this set for a week seems to make it "safe" for him to enter and have fun with it....
The dynamics between these two very different characters is really sweet and fun to watch as they try to understand each other.
And is definitely an interesting start making you long for more... luckily this is from 2015 so part two is already out there and fully subbed...
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Bittersweet
i just rewatched it again, and Im impressed.Its not never done before but its a bit beautiful or whatever nonetheless.
People hate the ending sometimes a bit but i like it alot. As i said its bittersweet. Not sad at all but not happy.
Not really a spoiler but it is happy, but by the time it becomes happy theyve already lost too much, mostly time. Their youth. Other peoples time.
Its a bit open ended but I believe it was happy.
0 qualms with the acting.
I do wish they got a different guy for the older version of ahan(? I dont remember the name, i nean the guy whos not birdy) because I really noticed that slight bump(?) to the younger actors nose and its quite a distinctive shape.
So when they showed the older guy with a straight nose my brain was a bit confused but anyways. I digress. Its obviously totally irrelevant I just wanted to get the 500 characters in
That said I think the story could have survived without the random white priest. But it ties into the directors real experiences so I dont mind either. Profiter du moment. Except if youre gay. The ending and the truth about the white guy made it a bit sadder or relevant though.
I read through all the imdb negative reviews and I dont completely understand them. I never felt much of that. There was a slight choppiness to the movie but that was only because of the 10 minutes of deleted scenes, which i would HIGHLY reccomend watching on youtube after the series. Well shot and acted otherwise. It feels nostalgic though I was not really alive for any of this.
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The Night beyond the Tricornered Window
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This review may contain spoilers
This Film RUINED the Manga... Watch the Anime!!
The anime was so much better!!!!This film doesn't even do the manga justice.
It's a plot hole festival!
It makes the manga look bad. Go watch the anime!
~~~ STORY ~~~
This is what happens when you try to fit a full manga series into 90 minute film. You get a crappy film that is rushed, full of so many plot holes, and isn't true to the original story. In fact, this film makes you so confused and irritated!
I just finished watching the anime, and watched this film the day after finishing the anime. I have never read the manga, but the anime was very suspenseful and kept be on my toes. It wasn't the best suspense, horror, mystery anime out there, but it was enough to get me invested. The anime was interesting enough to make me curious about the film. This film did a terrible job at telling the story of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, that I regret watching it... Which sucks because Shison Jun and Okada Masaki are some of my favorite actors.
~~~ WHAT THE STORY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ~~~
Kosuke Mikado has always been terrified of ghosts. Why? Because he has the ability to see them. When he was 4 years old his father went missing, only leaving behind a jewelry box.. Strangely, no one, even his mother, remembers his fathers name or face. One day an exorcist named Rihito Hiyakawa arrives at his workplace. Hiyakawa saves Mikado from a ghost before turning to him and saying "You're my Destiny."
After that incident, Mikado is forced to work for Hiyakawa solving bizarre cases related to the supernatural. However, they keep running into the name Erika Hiura. As the duo investigate, the secrets behind Hiyakawa keep piling up, and it all might have something to do with Erika Hiura and Mikado's missing father's jewelry box.
~~~ WHAT WE GOT ~~~
Mikado is terrified of ghosts and can see them. One day Hiyakawa comes in and forcefully makes Mikado work for him. They repeatedly come across the name Erika Hiura during their investigations, but Hiyakawa doesn't care. Even when her body guard kidnaps them to help save her, he doesn't care. Mikado chooses to ignore Hiyakawa's wishes and investigate Erika Hiura and the bizarre cases himself. He learns that Erika Hiura is just a pawn. She is being manipulated by "Sensei," who is a leader of a cult. Mikado somehow ends up working with Hiura only to discover that Hiyakawa mass murdered the cult in the past after they mistreated him. The End!
Are you confused? I am.
~~~ WHAT's MISSING ~~~
Aside from an actual storyline? Everything!
Plot - The film tried to condense the plot so much that everything great about the plot of the manga/anime was missing. (Remember, I am going off the anime since I haven't read the manga.) The plot revolves heavily around Hikawa and Mikado. Hikawa's motivation is to make Mikado never leave his side. Meanwhile Mikado just wants to help and stop people from dying. As they solve cases Hiyakawa's strange and mysterious backstory unravels. Everything is linked to Erika Hiura, the cult, and "Sensei." Even Hiyakawa and Mikado aren't safe from "Sensei's" grasp. Hell, even Mikado's mom isn't safe from "Sensei." Everyone is a pawn in "Sensei's" master plan.
That being said, the film tried to cram all of the cases related to Erika Hiura and "Sensei" into two very short cases. They even tried to cram Hiyakawa's elaborate and tragic backstory into a minute. They didn't even touch upon Mikado's special abilities and why he can see ghosts. They talked a but about the power of words, but they didn't do into detail about it, or why Erika Hiura used her name in the curse. The worst yet, was that they just had Mikado sign a contract to Hiyakawa, and showed that Hiyakawa was manipulating him without even explaining why Hiyakawa did that and even use the power of being connected to each other.
The whole point of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is the bond between Hiyakawa and Mikado, yet the film did nothing to show it. They are supposed to be spiritually bonded together which is why Hiyakawa is jealous of everyone that can "touch Mikado's spirit." Mikado also can't seem to leave Hiyakawa alone, despite finding him strange. They have a strong bond together which is why they exorcize ghosts together. Even when the Hiyakawa misunderstand Mikado's intensions and acts out on his own, Mikado get upset at Hiyakawa, but he still wants to save him. However, the film made Hiyakawa out to be the pseudo villian, and all Mikado had to do was talk to Hiyakawa for a bit and great film over. They didn't even attempt to solve who "Sensei" was, why Erika Hiura was working for him, and what in the world the cult was. They just introduced everything and "Hey, Hiyakawa mass murdered the cult in the past because they were abusing him, so the end. You don't need to know who 'Sensei' is and why he did it."
Characters - All of the characters are watered down and just plain messy versions of themselves in the film. Other important character are straight up missing.
Mikado Kousuke - The key to everyone's heart. He somehow has the power to help everyone heal and fix their issues. He is also deeply tethered to "Sensei" even if he doesn't know it yet.
Hiyakawa Rihito - A man who was abused and manipulated since birth. He has the power to forcefully punch away ghosts. He was born and raised by the cult as a god, to get rid of their impurities. He was never given or shown any type of kindness or love. He believes Mikado is his destiny. He will do anything to keep Mikado next to him, even if that means bonding and tying Mikado to him forcefully.
Hiura Erika - A teenage necromancer, who was sold to "Sensei" and the cult by her father. She is forced by "Sensei" to curse people to fuel his master plan. She hates "Sensei" and wants to run away and be free from his grasps and her own power.
Hiroki Hanzawa - A cop who helped Hiyakawa after he mass murdered the cult. Despite his rough demenor, Hanzawa has a soft spot for Hiyakawa. He doesn't believe in the supernatural, but constantly asks Hiyakawa for help solving unsolvable cases.
Kazuomi Sakaki - Erika's yakuza bodyguard, who was only in the film for 1 minute. He looks cold and scary, but he's actually a really caring guy... at least for Erika. He hates everyone that tries to hurt Erika, even her father and "Sensei." He would save Erika from her hellish fate if it weren't for the fact that he would be killed if he tried to help her escape. He becomes an important character in the later half of the manga/anime. He tells Erika, "If you're going to escape. Take me with you."
Keita Mukae - An exorcist who was cut from the film!!! Like Hiyakawa, he can exorcize ghostss, however his tactic is to talk to them to ease their minds before exorcizing them. He's very good with establishing bonds with people and ghosts.
"Sensei" - A selfish man who manipulates people and ghosts for his own selfish gain. He has Hiura Erika do the dirty work, so nothing can be traced back to him. He has a fear that if people find out his name and face they will destroy him. He has pure hatred for Mikado.
~~~ IS THIS BL? ~~~
The film is not, but it's supposed to be. The film version of Hiyakawa is too stoic and doesn't get jealous of Mikado at all. In fact, he doesn't even bother to force his way into Mikado's spirit. Even Mikado doesn't care enough about Hiyakawa to prioritize his safety. They don't even touch on the fact that Hiyakawa called Mikado his "destiny" in the first scene. Also the exorcism isn't as sexual at it is in the anime/manga.
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is published by a BL magazine and is classified as such, but the anime was more Shounen Ai than BL. However, I'm not sure if the manga explicitly makes that distinction. In the anime, it's clear that Hiyakawa is in love with Mikado to the point of obsession. Mikado clearly has feelings for Hiyakawa, but it's unclear if it's romantic or not. Either way, they do have a spiritual bond that is stronger than everyone else. Also, they both occasionally do and say things that make other people question whether the two are dating or not.
Also, the exorcizing that Mikado and Hiyakawa do together is very intimate. Then exorcizing ghosts, Hiyakawa explains that isn't supposed to feel good because it's cleansing the air. The more of their spiritual power they use the better it's supposed to feel. When Mikado compares it to sex, Hiyakawa agrees that it's similar. In the anime, when they do exorcizing together, they are both exhausted and disheveled after... Like they had gone a few rounds together. Usually Mikado is slumped over Hiyakawa. Also Hiyakawa bites Mikado occasionally because he "get's too into it." That being said, when Mukae and Mikado exorcised together, Mukae was respectful and held Mikado's hand. He didn't force his way into Mikado's soul.
~~~ OVERALL ~~~
I really liked the anime, but the film was terrible. While I wasn't really expecting the film to incorporate the BL aspects of it, I was expecting a decent horror/suspense film. I got none of that.
This film was full of plot holes and didn't even manage to tell a decent story. There was no plot at all! This film was created by a big name company with big name actors, yet how did the film not manage to have a decent plot? They really tried to rush through the whole plot in 90 minutes and failed spectacularly. They didn't even solve the mystery that they were setting up to be the big climax.
Do I want a sequel? No.
Do I want a TV series? Maybe... Actually no. While I think the plot of the manga is more suited for a TV series, rather than movie. I think that since the exorcism and spiritual bond aspects of this story are very abstract and sexual in nature, it would be very difficult to show it in live action. The anime was great since we could see the different planes and the abstract nature of the bonds, everything was unrealistic. It would be hard to show different realms and bonds to each other's hearts without lots of CGI.
I personally think The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window should have been left as a manga/anime and never turned into a Live Action Film.
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A Worthwhile Adaptation…
Adapting a popular manga and anime series to a live-action movie can be a case of trial and error with attempting to appease newcomers and fans alike rarely ending in overall success. Nevertheless Tsutomu Hanabusa and Izumi Takahashi decided to take on the challenge of mangaka Ken Wakui’s popular series ‘ Tokyo Revengers’ to the big-screen with an adrenal-infused movie that delivered all of the franchise’s punches and blows.
Akin to its original source material the movie focused upon deadbeat " loser" Takemichi Hanagaki ( Takumi Kitamura). At twenty -six years old and stuck in a job that he absolutely loathes with the passion , Hanagaki soon comes to the conclusion that he’s reached a stalemate with life-given opportunities . However fate has other plan for the unlikely hero.
Hanagaki stumbles upon the revealed truth that his ex-girlfriend Tachibana Hinata ( Mio Imada) perished at the hand of the notorious Tokyo Manji Gang. When Hanagaki is given a golden-opportunity to travel back in time to save his former-girlfriend from her violent death, Hanagaki becomes determined to do whatever it takes to save Hinata. The " crybaby hero" is forced to befriend the Manji group’s unlikely leader Mikey"( Yoshizawa Rio), and his right-hand man " Draken" ( Yamada Yuki) as he attempts to infiltrate the gang and prevent domino- effect -events from occurring through his timeline. However as Takemichi works together with Hinata’s younger brother and detective Tachibana Naoto ( Sugino Yosuke),Takemichi’s life begins to diverge in new directions as he dives deeper into the underworld of delinquents…
Tokyo Revengers’ has always had a “ love-hate” relationship with fans and enthusiasts alike. Whilst many have praised mangaka Ken Wakui’s popular series for its intriguing setup and characters, the series has always hit a rut with audiences over two notable flaws : the believability of its ensemble of teen characters actually acting and being their age, as well as the plot holes and loops which remain greatly prominent in the manga writer’s well-known work. In many ways Takahashi and Hanabusa are subtly decisive within the included elements in their adapted live-action movie.
Of course the director and screenwriter are careful not to stray too far away from the source material. On the other hand subtle changes can become prominent to audiences through certain directions of the storyline and especially with consideration to the age of the characters. Takahashi presented the characters as slightly older than their original counterparts; arguably resonating with audiences by the complex journey of adolescence reflected through the allegorical harshness of reality and experiences onscreen.
Paired together with Takahashi’s kaleidoscope of eclectic genres from mystery to action and then romance, there’ s a gritty-edge to Hanabusa’s focus upon fight scenes which add a notable focus upon violence throughout the movie.
Although silly and lighthearted gags transcended onto the big-screen from Wakui’s manga in order to lighten up heavy-angst and fist fights, Hanabusa downplayed comic relief a lot in his adaptation. Instead the movie’s pacing could feel heavily impacted by the blows and fists of its onscreen characters. The elements of comedy which heavily dominated Wakui’s work against darker panels were sparingly dispersed throughout the film; necessary padding at times but gradually beginning to unravel the storyline’s loose-ends.
As the film’s narrative progressed it became evident to audiences that there was an evident disparity in fight scenes. Arguably Hanabusa’s defence against main lead Takemichi Hanagaki being a visible weakling who is often beat up is excusable to a certain extent as he’d rarely escape from a fight or brawl scene unmarked. Nevertheless there was an unintentional farcical element as the storyline progressed with the contrast between realistic physical strength amongst those engaged in the action soon growing clearly visible for audiences.
Of course Hanabusa wasn’t entirely devoid of coherency when attempting to film the fight scenes of the movie. Together with the help of Tomo Ezaki , there was something surprisingly pacy about stunning visuals coinciding against emotional punches especially as the climax began to arise. However the movie’s climax did help to mark drawing up the fight for audiences, the delivered result of aesthetic and visual brawl sequences could often feel like a coated exterior to draw attention away from the anticlimactic buildup of initial events and the delivered result.
Another element of the movie which arguably suffered under the restraints of pacing was the romantic relationship between Hinata and Takemichi. It is arguable that Hanabusa did not entirely abandon the onscreen relationship between the main lead and his former-girlfriend as this did arguably remain one of the greatest-driving forces for the storyline and Takemichi’s personal goals. On the other hand it could often feel as though Hanabusa used the romantic element of ‘ Tokyo Revengers’ as merely padding once again again the violence of the series; necessary for framing the storyline and plot-drive but rarely shaping out the relationship and complexities for Hinata and Takemichi with more definitive edges.
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding the casting choices of our main leads. Whilst there were admittedly a few scenes where audiences had to power through certain wooden line deliverances, it’s undeniable that Kitamura is brilliant as Takemichi. The actor managed to bring out the awkward charm of Hanagaki’s adult-self navigating his past against his rekindled courage and determinism which gradually awakens through Kitamura’s subtle yet profound micro-expressions and intonations. Costarring with Kitamura are Ryo Yoshizawa as Mikey and Yuki Yamada as Draken are astounding in their roles by adding an idiosyncratic ambience to their onscreen personas that is both heartwarming and threatening.
Then there’s Mio Imada as Takemichi’s former-lover. Whilst Imada’s screen time is restricted due to her character’s limited scream appears des , her performance did offer a level of sweet and dynamic charm to her embodied role as Hinata and carried through with natural chemistry towards her costar Kitamura.
The vision of Hanabusa’s work was aesthetic for audiences but admittedly without a few flaws. Exploration into Takemichi’s reasons for time-travelling and the handshake being the ultimatum are left hanging the air in the movie’s tight-paced storyline. Additionally there were often few transgressions ( aside from haircuts and technology) made between the past and present eras for the audience. Whilst it would’ve been ridiculous for the series to have nuanced each time-leap in depth there were certainly a multitude of missed-out opportunities to explore a manipulation of cinematography. This could’ve easily been done in order to highlight a greater sense of pathos and nostalgia by Takemichi as an adult experiencing his youth once more. Despite this the ending delivered audiences with a fairly satisfying and outcome to the events of the movie.
Hanabusa and Takahashi’s adapted live-action movie was an evident challenge from the outset. Whilst the movie is evidently limited to a certain extent carried on by noted flaws from Wakui’s work as well as the director and screenwriter’s own directions having their strengths and limits. Nevertheless ‘ Tokyo Revengers’ was a fairly satisfying and adrenal-ride; pacy at times and slightly tedious in other parts, but engaging and intriguing through its cast and setup tone by Hanabusa and Takahashi.
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