This review may contain spoilers
When I picked up the movie Kuki Ningyo (Air Doll), the story about an inflatable sex doll that comes to life and goes out exploring the world when her owner is at work each day, I thought I was in for a cute, light-hearted, quirky comedy...BOY was I wrong about that!While Air Doll does have its quirky moments, and Korean actress Doona Bae is extremely adorable as Nozomi, the sex doll come to life, this was much much more than a light comedy. While following Nozomi's search for the meaning for living and happiness, she discovers the world and people around her are just as much in confusion about the very same things as she is. When she proclaims to a lonely old man that she is "empty inside" (as she's full of air), he sadly notes that a malady of that kind is not such a rare thing for people.
As she searches deeper and deeper into the answers for her existence, we see Nozomi's wide- eyed innocence slowly turn to sadness and detachment as she is faced with the reality of "real life" and as if to punctuate how bitter living can be, we are also given insight into the people around her, where we realize Nozomi is just one of a thousand people coping with their own personal hardships from day to day.
Without giving away any spoilers I have to say that the movie ended on SUCH a somber tone that when it was over, I just could NOT shake off this feeling of utter loneliness! That's quite a movie to make me feel like that! Ahhhh, man, I'm depressed! Somebody better give me a comedy, QUICK! Time to re-watch "Summer Time-Machine Blues" to pick me up!
Was this review helpful to you?
I've loved actress Eriko Sato ever since her mouth-watering portrayal of Go Nagai’s salacious super-heroine CUTIE HONEY, but after that, I didn’t see a whole lot of her besides a great appearance in the Matsuoka Masahiro drama YASUKO TO KENJI (where she played the Martha-Stewart-ish perfect girlfriend Ai against the harried Ryoko Hirosue in a battle to win Kenji’s heart) …
When I was finally able to acquire a copy of Funuke Domo, Kanashiki ai wo Misero I was PLEASANTLY surprised to not only see Hiromi Nagasaku in it- but ERIKO SATO as the HEADLINING actress as well!!!! Rounded out by actors Masatoshi Nagase and Aimi Satsukawa in an eclectic ensemble cast, I KNEW I was in for a GREAT SHOW!
Think SEIGI NO MIKATA with a decidedly violent and sadistic slant with more sexual innuendoes and you’ve got FUNUKU DOMO- Along with Aimi Satsukawa, Eriko gives one of the most electrifying performances of her career, and by the film’s end I was just WALLOWING in satisfaction-This ROCKING movie is DARK, DARK comedy at its absolute crackling BEST!
Was this review helpful to you?
But if I thought this movie was gonna be all fun and games, I was SORELY MISINFORMED! ‘Cause though there WAS an awful lot of that in the first half of the movie, at one point, Dear Friends becomes quite somber and turns into a serious and introspective film. Where I thought I would be spending my time drooling and pandering after Keiko, I suddenly found myself weeping like a girlyman instead!
Keiko plays Rina, a sexy girl-about town who has the world of the nightlife in the palm of her hand. She is brash, spoiled and manipulating, but when she finds herself suddenly hospitalized, she is brought crashing back to earth, her partygoing life and thrillseeking friends taking a back seat as Rina is forced to see what really matters in life.
Stellar acting from all the lead actors, especially Keiko and actress Yuika Motokariya, who plays Maki, another sick girl who gives Rina the inner strength to go on with her life when fate has dealt her a bitter hand. Also of merit is the CUTE little girl Mao Sasaki who played Kanae, a tiny shut-in patient who befriends Rina during her initial stay at the hospital. Oh, and a holler out to Hatsume Matsushima who played Rina’s partygoing friend Emi who looked HELLA like Ueto Aya in those opening scenes!
This is my second movie in recent weeks dealing with hospitalization and cancer after seeing equally terrific HEAVEN’S DOOR, the movie that starred Nagase Tomoya as the cancer patient and Mayuko Fukuda as the shut-in hospitalized girl. Though the two movies couldn’t be any more different, they both had heart at its center and guaranteed that I’d be using up all my Kleenex as it took me through its emotional ups and downs!! Sob, Sob!
Was this review helpful to you?
Well, in the end, Ryoko’s story (a tale about a set of twins, both played by her) ended up being so-so, and I’m sad to say that statement rang true for most of the other segments, too. In fact out of the five, I only really liked a couple of them- the story SEVEN ROOMS starring Yui ichikawa as an abducted girl in a mysterious holding cell, and segment Four which, in direct contrast to the other tales, was a short clip that was completely animated...It was this story that TOTALLY MADE THE MOVIE FOR ME!
This chapter was called HIDAMARI NO SHI, a story written and animated by Mizusaki Junpei and featuring perfect voice acting by Suzuki Kasumi and Suwaru Ryu. Hidamari No Shi tells a tale of a Scientist and his Robot Girl creation in a futuristic world not so different from our own...
The great charm of this clip is the pacing. As the girl goes about her daily life, the viewer is allowed to look about and take in the scenery along with her, examining what she is examining, reacting as she reacts. Every action is deliberate and precise, every sentence of dialog meaningful and heartfelt, and as I’ve stated before, the voice talent is just awesome, fully fleshing out the animated characters onscreen and making the girl seem real and believable.
The story of HIDAMARI NO SHI is ultimately a philosophical one, for though the girl’s days are spent doing chores like laundry, tending the garden and fetching the water, there are also rabbits and butterflies in her life to observe and chase, sunrises and sunsets to experience, and the quiet, beautiful sound of wind-chimes as they tinkle in the breeze. Yes, he’s created her to cook and to clean, but beneath it all is the lesson he wants her to learn most, and that is the joy and gratitude of simply being alive.
Was this review helpful to you?
Keiko's character is a quiet and pure girl who shyly comes into Muga's restaurant looking for a job, and Takuro's so shocked that such a beautiful young thing would want to work in HIS shoppe, he's almost too dumbstruck to reply! It's then that he seeks out the mysterious HANDSOME SUIT to change his appearance so he can sweep Hiroko off her feet...or will he?
Hmmm. While I can understand why a sweet and naïve young girl like Hiroko might be turned off by a showboating egomaniac like Shosuke Tanihara, I have a harder time believing she’d fall instead madly in love with Muga’s character, at least so much that she would go to such drastic measures as she does…
Ah well, in a movie, like this, common sense and credibility are thrown out the window, and you’re there to simply sit back and enjoy the ride, a feat that this movie does effortlessly! SO much fun, and MY does Keiko-chan look absolutely adorable as the shy and innocent Hiroko…! Thumbs Up!
Was this review helpful to you?
The movie also stars Keisuke Koide as the Cyborg Girl's love interest, and when we first meet up with the both of them, they're both shopping in a department store: He’s buying a birthday gift for himself, and she’s stealing clothes to wear (to replace her torn time-travel suit)… His eyes meet hers, and much to his surprise, when he leaves, she begins happily following him!
I cannot even begin to fully describe how cute she is in this movie, especially at the beginning. There’s this scene when they’ve just met, and she’s following him around town, smiling that infectious Ayase Haruka smile (Dammit, can anyone resist that?!), and once she has his attention, begins happily dancing and skipping along, MAN! SO CUTE!!!
Was this review helpful to you?
This movie was interesting and quick-paced, the fight scenes quick and stylized, and Ayase Haruka, besides being as pretty as ever (even dressed in rags!), is entirely convincing as the cold and ruthless Ichi. I loved every scene she was in, and especially liked the scenes with her and the little boy who shows her around the village and lovingly follows her around as she shuffles through town.
Was this review helpful to you?
Despite having the perfect (albeit flawed) girl right in front of him, Makoto only has eyes for classmate Miyuki, and really, who can blame him? As played by gorgeous actress Kuroki Meisa, Miyuki is the total embodiment of unattainable pretty, that holy-grail-ish purity a la John Hughes movies, and when she actually gives Makoto the time of day, no one can fault him for developing tunnel vision for her!
Of course, anyone with a heart knows that Makoto will only find true happiness with nerdy Shizuru, and I think that’s saying something for how lovable Miyazaki’s character is that I found myself yearning for her, and getting irritated whenever Miyuki entered the picture!
Only in a situation like this would I be more attracted to a gal like Shizuru over a delicious babe like Miyuki, but that’s just how it happened! The movie is just crammed full of great characters, and the forest backdrops where Shizuru and Makoto go to take photographs and forget their troubles are almost surreal, like they’ve wandered into painted pictures! All these elements made for a very solid story, and I found that even weeks after I’d watched it, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. I’d be walking about, right as rain, when I’d suddenly think about the show and become melancholy!
The story of the two nerdy students, the romantic triangle with the “pretty” student, and the “heavenly forest” they escape to, will leave a mark on you, no question about it! Like dramas like Summer Snow, you’ll find yourself thinking about it for years to come!
A story about friendship, love, and the impact we have on each others lives.
Was this review helpful to you?
As one of the four motley coal miner’s daughters volunteering for Matsuyuki’s Hula Lessons, Aoi Yu's character Kimiko seemed so steadfast and composed in contrast with the other women… at first I didn’t realize it was the same girl from Honey and Clover! But as she worked each scene, the “Hagumi” character would shine through, and I’d think “Ah! It IS her!”
She seemed a lot more mature than I remembered, too. Then when I finally got to see her perform that “dance routine” that Saburo mentioned, she was so damn sexy doing it, I really started to wonder (read:worry) just how old she was…this was no “little kid”!!!She ROCKED!
The closing scene where the group finally appears onstage and Aoi Yu’s character Kimiko goes all out for her solo routine, all dressed in white, well, that just about did it for me. She looked so “kakkoi” performing , and MAN was she gorgeous, just radiating those good vibrations!!
Needless to say, right after the movie was over, I hopped onto the computer and checked out her Wikipedia stats, which reassuringly declared: Aoi Yu, born August 17th, 1985…
Hmmm…1985. So she was probably around 21 years old when that movie was shot…
WHEW!
Was this review helpful to you?
Likes:
~ It takes Hollywood at least 3 movies to fully develop 7 characters. Asians only need 1 movie to do it. By the end of L.O.R.D., you knew something about every single character in the characters roster poster above.
~ Top notch CGI environments. The fireworks and flying scenes were really well done.
~ The funny parts were actually funny and neither slapstick nor corny.
~ I'm a sucker for any J.R.R. Tolkien LotR-inspired Asian fantasy work, and this movie is one of them.
~ The story is actually pretty good bordering on ingenious. But it was executed rather poorly b/c the screenplay/script felt like something between a first draft and polished version, probably b/c the writer and director (both the same person) had to meet deadlines.
Dislikes:
~ Weirdest parts were the eyes and facial expressions. Look in the motion capture clips, they hired a bunch of White guys to create this part of the movie. China should learn to develop their own facial and eyes motion capture tech. Put 'em Whities to shame... Like how they did with their own 5th gen stealth fighter, which is in many ways superior to the American one.
~ Music was unmemorable. I didn't remember a single tune from the movie. Oh well, music score was done by a Japanese guy actually so that might explain why it sounded so generic and uninspiring like every other fantasy anime themes out there. They should have recruited a Chinese composer instead. Just look at DragonNest: Warrior's Dawn, all composed by/with Chinese talent and probably the best LotR-inspired Fantasy movie soundtrack I had heard in years.
~ Male nudity (CGI William Chan, I'm looking at you), and attempted female nude in-bed scene at the end. Please can we just have a good fantasy movie to enjoy w/o too much CGI sexy?
--------
This is the review I wrote earlier:
I didn't like the male nudity and attempted sex scene. But other than that it's pretty alright. (There's a better Chinese produced CGI movie out there called Dragon Nest: Warrior's Dawn.)
STORY: The script felt rushed like something between a first draft and polished version. As a result the plot seemed very confusing until almost fully explained towards the end. Thus this movie warrants another rewatch to fully get the story.
ACTING: Motion captured acting was pretty alright. But there were moments that felt flat or boring, probably b/c the director was concentrating on the 3D environments or effects rather than the motion acting. But this only probably b/c I watched the 2D version.
MUSIC: Pretty standard fantasy chorus music. I didn't remember any particular piece b/c none of it was memorable.
REWATCH: Of course b/c of all the wuxia action sequences. BTW, I think this movie probably looks better in 3D. Gonna find the 3D version to rewatch later...
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This type of film requires a specific type of mood to properly enjoy. It's not the type to spoon-feed you the hard facts, and - in my personal experience at least - the lack of any good English subtitles will add to the challenge. Yet, for all of that, it's an odd little, flawed, but incredibly memorable gem. (As this review is rather long, feel free to skip to the last two paragraphs if you're having a tldr moment!)
Story:
WARNING: this is NOT an innocent film. For all its pretty colours and pretty characters, when it gets dark, it gets reeeeaaal dark. Due to spoilers I can't give much else away but just-... this is not a light-hearted story. Be prepared.
That aside you'll likely be confused, a lot, throughout this film: I was. Though the main plot behind it all is actually rather simple, (and unveiled right at the end), the way it's portrayed through a surreal lens made it an intriguing puzzle I found hard to piece together, until it was too late. Several times I thought, "AHA! I know what's going on!" But then there'd always be this one thing, then two, then several which just didn't make sense still. What's real? Was I right? You'll be doing a lot of guessing, I imagine. Even the end of the ending left me with questions.
But exactly because of that I've rated the 'Rewatch Value' rather high. I'll absolutely rewatch this film at some point, now that I know some solid facts. I feel like there's a lot of symbolism and hidden messages that I'll be able to properly appreciate the second time around. And I certainly won't be looking at the characters, and their interactions, in the same light ever again.
Atmosphere:
I don't usually give 'atmosphere' its whole own section but man, is it the main pull of this film! As hard as I had to concentrate and speculate, once I was in I honestly couldn't leave: no matter how awful the subtitles sometimes became. There's a very peculiar and yet captivating beauty to this film, like a surreal and yet dark, twisted fairy-tale. Dreams and nightmares constantly blur lines and even until the end you'll never really know for sure if some things actually happened or not. Prepare to get messed up. (And I say that with entertained but bittersweet love, as I adored it, in its own, quirky little way.)
Acting & Characters:
Oh Hong Jong Hyun! The way he played Hwan, or even just Hwan as a character, is unforgettable. (And so refreshing in comparison to his role in Scarlet Heart Ryeo.) I feel like he really stood out amongst the rest of the cast which, in general, was pretty average. Jung So Min (playing the main female lead, Hye Jung) did her job rather well, but I think I could've felt more for her? While Soo Ryeon's potential feels wasted: there was a lot of intense emotion there that I don't think got enough screen-time.
The other characters...are okay. I still can't decide whether they're entirely necessary however, especially some of their scenes. The actress who was Hye Jung's aunt did a good job in her role though. And it was nice to see a contrast of viewpoints: Hye Jung in the 'dreamworld', and the family in 'real-world', each striving towards the truth.
Music:
Meh. Though certainly not a hindrance I don't actually remember much of it. There's one song in particular that I grew fond of however. You'll know what I mean when you get there.
Overall, this film messed me up. The impression it left on me for the rest of the night - and still does - is actually rather remarkable and deserves some praise. It's peculiar, convoluted, symbolic, and really twisted. One on end I want to rate it badly: as a story I don't think it succeeded in finding the fine balance between clarity and mystery, and the conclusion isn't exactly a proper conclusion either. While on the other hand, emotionally it stirred me up and the atmosphere is so worth it.
So if you're sick and tired of the average straight road with the predictable bends, and are looking for something different - like I was - this is the film for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
It's something that can rarely be used to describe a drama. Normally it starts off good but somewhere things go wrong and the show goes down hill.
Not this one. Perfection is the best way to describe Something About 1 Percent.
I have enjoyed EVERY MOMENT of this drama. Its sweet, minimal drama, smart characters, and has relationships that feel more real and intimate than actual relationships that I've been in. Not only is the acting amazing and genuine, the chemistry is off the charts.
Although this was a remake, it blows the old one out of the water and should be considered to be the ONLY VERSION of this show. Jae In is a dream man and DaDa is someone who every woman should aspire to be.
Truly, I'll be sad to put this on my completed list but for sure, there are many rewatches in my future.
Was this review helpful to you?
This was short sweet and totally adorable show. I wish they would make more like these. There were no extra fillers, the story was focused, cute and interesting.
I really liked the grouchy bad tempered hero and for a change an innocent and lovable heroine. She was naive yet not dumb or stupid.
This was definately a feel good mood boosting drama. I finished it in one go as I could not stop.
Overall a must watch for the romantics and people who are feeling low. It will certainly cheer you up.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great cast and acting. A very nice story line. Unique. Interesting. Fun. Lovely.
The story was well-written! There is a balance in everything from family to romance to politics to media manipulation to violence to criminality to weirdness.
A MUST WATCH!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
-
Last Drama You Completed? #222 minutes ago -
BL Drama Lovers Club28 minutes ago -
Fangs of Fortune Full OST with ENG SUBS + LYRICS32 minutes ago -
** Moon BAR + Starlight KTV + Moon SPA **45 minutes ago
