tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86092496786833623352024-03-19T16:08:56.571+08:00Asian Drama and Movie ReviewsRainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-69143930229752768522013-09-05T09:00:00.000+08:002013-09-05T09:00:00.609+08:00Finding Mr. Right Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">北京遇上西雅图 (literally: Beijing Meets Seattle)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: romantic-comedy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Mandarin and English</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Source: </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DA1MX56/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DA1MX56&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20">Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00DA1MX56" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wen Jia Jia (Tang Wei) is a pregnant gold-digging mistress who wants to give birth in Seattle. She meets Frank (Wu Xu Bo), a Chinese driver with a troubled career and marriage. As she gets to know him, she realizes what she really wants in life - him.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts' Review:</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finding Mr. Right is one of the few chick flicks that didn't make me cringe. In fact, I had enjoyed this movie a great deal. Set in Seattle (as inspired by the Hollywood movie "Sleepless in Seattle"), you'd get to see how a lone Chinese pregnant woman who speaks and understands little English survives in the city. Equipped with only some cash and her unlimited credit card, Wen Jia Jia is determined to give birth to her son to impress her rich married boyfriend. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Upon her arrival to the city, she is fetched by a driver named Frank, also a Chinese. He brought her to a maternity halfway owned by a Taiwanese woman. Because of Jia Jia's materialism and feisty character, her roomies immediately dislike her. On her first night in Seattle, I got to see how b*tchy she is (sorry, can't find the perfect word). She's getting on her roomies' nerves and also on mine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite her poor relationships with the other pregnant women, she is quick to make friends with the kind and gentle Frank. Frank used to be a physician in Beijing. His daughter Julie couldn't fit in with other Chinese kids in school, so he and his wife decided to take her to US. Since his wife earns much more than he does, he quits his job and lives with Julie in Seattle. He has trouble getting a medical license in the US, so he works as a driver. His having a strained relationship with his wife and Jia Jia being lonely, the two somehow become very close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's nothing really magical about the Tang Wei-Wu Xiu Bo pairing. However, I like the chemistry between Jia Jia and Frank's character. I think in real life, a person that is too kind (like Frank) will be appreciated more by someone feisty (like Jia Jia). On the other hand, a feisty person needs a kind and patient partner. I've seen a few couples like this and their relationship works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As Jia Jia spends more time with her new friends, she slowly realizes that money isn't what she really wants. In her late pregnancy, she is shocked to find her credit card blocked. She quickly learns that her boyfriend has been arrested for fraud. Lesson learned: do not depend your livelihood on someone else's credit card. To pay for her expenses, she starts working for the Taiwanese landlady. She also sells all her luxury bags given by her boyfriend. I find this act really meaningful. A lot of women regard their bags as important. Bags are status symbols. Jia Jia's selling her bags somehow means that she is letting go of all these material things that don't really matter to her. She also realizes that she's falling for Frank who has always stayed by her side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd like to point out that despite this being a romantic-comedy movie, you won't hear any "I love you's" from the pair. Sure, the attraction between them is quite obvious. But the lack of verbal confirmation of love sometimes confuses me. On several points of the film, I have been wondering if they're aware of their feelings for each other. In romantic movies, a character realizing that he/she loves someone is usually the climax of the story. Falling in love and <i>knowing</i> that you've fallen in love are two different things. You know, the moment when a guy realizes his feelings for a girl and he immediately runs to the airport to tell her he loves her is the moment we viewers are waiting for. But in this film, there's nothing like this. Or maybe there is, but minus the words of love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I like best about this movie is the character development, especially in Jia Jia's character. From a b*tchy and gold-digging mistress, she has turned into a mature and caring woman. It's really a huge transformation. It gives us a message that hardships in life can totally change us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have probably made this movie sound a bit too deep than it actually is LOL. It's just a chick flick. But with a nice message. The acting is okay. Don't expect an award-winning performance from the leads though. Do I recommend this? If you simply want a relaxing romantic-comedy movie, go ahead and try it. Don't expect too much. Just enjoy it.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:</span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2;"><b>6</b> out of <b>10 stars</b></span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-69807186087695531702013-08-01T09:00:00.000+08:002013-08-01T09:00:04.160+08:00Kyou Koi Wo Hajimemasu (Live Action Movie) Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alternative Title: Love for Beginners</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Romance, School</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Image Credit: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%BB%8A%E6%97%A5%E3%80%81%E6%81%8B%E3%82%92%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-DVD%E9%80%9A%E5%B8%B8%E7%89%88-%E6%AD%A6%E4%BA%95%E5%92%B2/dp/B00BQ9UW2A/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1375026099&sr=8-6&keywords=%E4%BB%8A%E6%97%A5%E3%80%81%E6%81%8B%E3%82%92%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99" target="_blank">Amazon Japan</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Synopsis:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tsubaki (Emi Takei) is a very old-fashioned and upright girl. She meets playboy Tsubaki (Tori Matsuzaka) whom she initially hates. Despite their differences, they develop feelings for each other and start dating. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Review:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not crazy about the movie Kyou Koi Wo Hajimemasu. It seems that those who have read the manga (where the movie is based on) love the movie though. So I guess reading the manga first will make you appreciate the movie more. Unfortunately, it's too late for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At face value, the movie looks good. But after watching it, I JUST DON'T GET IT. It's not the plot that is difficult to understand. I just don't see the point of the movie. The storyline is quite simple. Two teenagers fall in love with each other. The girl is old-fashioned, unpopular, and has a low self-esteem. On the other hand, the guy is a top student, a playboy, and a hearththrob. The only thing they have in common is their name - Tsubaki. I wanted to see how they'll develop feelings for each other. But I was disappointed not to see it at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the first day of high school, Tsubaki Hibino (girl) is shocked to see girls in short skirts and guys with long hair and piercings. She then bumps into Kyouta Tsubaki whom she immediately dislikes. She soon learns that she's in the same class with the guy, much to her horror. Kyouta flirts with her but she tries to stay away from him. However, because of some school activities, the two start to hangout more often. He initially wants to sleep with her, but after Tsubaki rejects his advances, he promises not to force her anymore. I thought, oh wow, he's a gentleman. Maybe this movie is all about showing love is much more than sex! Sadly, in the end, I learned that I was wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Going back to the story, Tsubaki realizes that she loves Mr. Playboy. She confesses her feelings and tells him she will sleep with him. What? What happened to her "no sex before marriage" principle? Perhaps I can understand that a girl in love is willing to do anything for her beloved. But telling such things to a guy whose feelings is still unclear is plain stupidity. I thought she's a much deeper character who would stick to her values 'til the end and this certain trait will make Kyouta head over heels with her. Turns out it's entirely different from what I expected. Kyouta gets angry and tells her "I thought you're different. You're just like her," and walks away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tsubaki learns later on that "her" refers to Kyouta's mother. On his 8th birthday (10 on manga), the mother tells the kid she loves him before running off with another man. Great, what a way to love a son. That was the last time he saw her. The poor boy has become allergic to I love you's and stuff like that. He also dreads his birthday. That is why he's afraid of commitments and has become a playboy. I understand that it's traumatic to be betrayed by the person you love. But still, this revelation doesn't make me understand Kyouta's character any better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As expected, the heroine is determined to change the way Kyouta looks at his birthday. With the help of her friends, Tsubaki gives him a little birthday surprise by sneaking into a classroom at night and decorating it with pumpkins and "Happy Halloween" signs. At the same time, she confesses her love to him (again) while wearing a polar bear suit. It made me cringe a bit. The mascot sure is cute, but it's a weird confession. However, Kyouta doesn't think like I do. He seems touched and they immediately become an item.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One year has passed and they're still together (clap clap clap). But of course, a love story wouldn't be complete without the couple's going through a bumpy road. It makes the love sweeter and in turn makes the viewers swoon. But no matter how hard I tried, I didn't feel the love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Life taught me that a guy should make a girl he loves feel special. He should treat her differently from other girls. In the movie, the special treatment is nothing else but holding hands, kissing, and perhaps gift-giving. When an ex-lover comes into the scene, Tsubaki seems to give her more attention than to his girlfriend. It doesn't feel good at all and the movie didn't give me a satisfying resolution!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The trials are too much for the couple to handle. They break up. After some time, they realize that they have become a better person because of each other. So they reconcile, kiss, sleep together beside a telescope (told you it's not about showing love is much more than sex), and live happily ever after. Huh? The credits started to roll in and I couldn't believe this movie got high ratings. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I have to read the manga. Yeah, that must be it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It should be 2 stars, but I give it more because it still managed to make me watch from beginning to end.</span></div>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-14587877323597539592013-07-29T09:00:00.000+08:002013-07-29T09:00:01.036+08:00A Little Thing Called Love Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alternative Title: First Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2010</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Thai</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: romantic-comedy, school</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Image Credit: </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061NX0QQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0061NX0QQ&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20">Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0061NX0QQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nam (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul) has been crushing on the most popular guy in school named P'Shone (Mario Maurer). The problem is, her plain looks and average intelligence make her virtually invisible. Nonetheless, the strong-willed girl is determined to win her first love's affection. With the help of her friends, Nam works hard by joining clubs and changing her appearance. Sadly, no matter how hard she tries, the only thing she seems to get is nothing more than friendship.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts' Review:
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This Thai movie totally melts my heart! A Little Thing Called Love is about an ugly-duckling who develops a crush on a campus heartthrob. The movie depicts the phase that we all have been through. It gave me so many flashbacks from my own life LOL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The movie starts during Nam's most awkward stage - adolescence. She has been secretly in love with her senior P'Shone, a handsome, athletic, and kind-hearted guy whom she thinks is out of her league. Well, it isn't entirely a secret because her friends know about it. Because of their plain looks, Nam and her friends make up a group that is considered unpopular in her school. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a typical story about first love and crushes. But as an adult, it still makes me go awww. Several Nam-Shone scenes would remind us of our own sweet moments with our object of affection. It's not hard to visualize our own crushes in Shone's character. I love how the movie captures those sweet moments. The slow-mo effects are spot-on! They're done right when it matters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite being teased about her looks, the love-struck girl is determined to get noticed by her crush. Her very good friends are of course with her. They bought a book called "Nine Recipes of Love" that promises to win a guy's heart. Throughout the movie, they will reveal each recipe or advice which Nam will obediently follow. I pity those girls for wasting their money on a useless book, because none of the recipes worked. I think it should be called "Nine Recipes to Disaster" instead LOL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's quite funny, but not to the point where you'll hurt your stomach from laughing (at least that is how I felt when I watched it). Most of my laughter came from Teacher Inn (Sudarat Budtporm). The teacher is Nam's adult version in the movie. Like Nam, she is also lacking in the looks department and is crushing on a co-teacher. However, she is more forward and is not afraid to make advances toward her crush. She plays a key role in putting Nam and Shone closer together even if she does it unintentionally. I love the scene where she is directing her drama class students while eating something that looks like a huge cracker. I don't know why, but it made me laugh!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are several scenes that made my heart beat faster because of its pure sweetness. I believe most of us can relate to the movie, because seriously, who hasn't have a crush? I especially love the Snow White scene where Nam nearly falls off the stage and Shone catches her. Awww... I couldn't stop swooning! The world seems to have stopped at that moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was wrong when I thought that the entire film would show an ugly Nam with a makeover in the end. After playing as Snow White in a drama play, Nam somehow retains her beautiful looks throughout the second half of the movie. Guys in her school start to notice her, but none of the attention makes her happy because they're not from Shone. Yeah, after all those time, she's still head over heels with Shone. It seems that nothing she does will ever get his attention. Still, even the tiniest things that Shone does for her (like carrying her bag when she twists her ankle) makes her dance inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The acting isn't award-winning, but it's quite good. I didn't expect I'd get teary-eyed in some scenes. Or maybe I tend to tear up easily, I don't know. The movie shows a span of over a decade period. I find it really amusing that both Nam and Shone's growing up look so convincing. Shone looks like a real teenager when he was actually in his 20's during the time of the filming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SPOILER ALERT: I just LOVE the revelation near the end of the movie! I have guessed that Shone likes Nam, but how his feelings is revealed is just perfect. That one final touch makes the total picture a lot more beautiful. I have replayed that part twice because that's how much I love it! The ending itself is not as great though but still okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do I recommend this movie? Of course! If you're not into love stories, it's still fun to watch because of the comedy. As a movie that caters to young people, don't expect a very deep story. Having said that, I appreciate the movie's awesomeness without sacrificing its wholesomeness (hey it rhymes!). It's a feel good movie that can be enjoyed by both teenagers and adults alike. It's about love minus lust and sex and rude teenagers. I'll tell you that I've never been so satisfied with the ending (or rather, the near ending) of a movie as much as I have with this one! One thought that sticks with me after watching - it's so nice to be in love, especially with a good guy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:</i></b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">10 out of 10 stars</span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-27843690282551652072013-07-27T09:00:00.000+08:002013-07-27T09:00:02.550+08:0049 Days Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Year: 2011</div>
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Episodes: 20</div>
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Language: Korean</div>
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Genre: drama, fantasy, romance
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<i><b>Image Credit: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MZ0P6M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005MZ0P6M&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20">49 Days</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005MZ0P6M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></i><br />
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After a serious car accident, Shin Ji Hyun (Nam Gyu Ri) is pronounced as brain dead. It's not her time to die yet, so her soul remains on earth. She meets the Scheduler (Jung Il Woo) and is given a task to collect at least three tears that are 100% genuine from people that are not blood-related to her. If she is able to complete this mission within 49 days, she gets to live again. She borrows the body of Yi Kyung (Lee Yo Won), a girl who wants to die and lives like a zombie for five years. As the series progresses, the bond between the two different women becomes stronger. Ji Hyun also starts to see her life from a different perspective as she learns about the man who truly loves her.<br />
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<i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Review: </b></i><br />
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Watching 49 Days makes me feel like being possessed by a spirit. I became hooked and couldn't get it off my mind. The drama starts with all the characters being introduced in one episode. Before I get to like any of them, a girl dies. I didn't even know that she's the protagonist (I haven't seen the poster). From then on, I became addicted to 49 days. I couldn't wait to see what was next!<br />
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The story focuses on Ji Hyun, the nearly-dead girl who has an almost perfect life during her lifetime. She is rich and loved by her parents. She is about to get married to a wonderful man. Her friends love her. But K-dramas seem to hate happy people. Before she can live happily ever after, a woman named Yi Kyung attempts suicide by running into traffic. She doesn't die but she causes a truck to swerve, which leads to several car crashes. Just then, the happy Ji Hyun arrives to the scene and her car crashes to a truck. Her soul pops out of her body and she is shocked to see herself unconscious in her car. She helplessly watches herself being rushed to the hospital and her loved ones crying over her.<br />
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She realizes that she's become a ghost. Only one man can see her though. He is known as the Scheduler, which is the series' fancy term for Grim Reaper. He explains that she is not supposed to be dead. Since it's not her time yet, she is given a chance to reclaim her life by collecting three tears that are 100 percent genuine. It means that at least three people have genuinely loved her, making her life worth living again. To do this, she is allowed to borrow the body of Yi Kyung while she sleeps. There are rules though, and the most important one is she cannot tell anyone that she's Ji Hyun.<br />
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The girl is relieved to hear it. She is confident that she can retrieve three tears in no time. She believes she can even collect more than that. Little does she know that getting those tears is not as easy as she thinks. And she realizes this painful reality as the drama progresses.<br />
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The drama has piqued my curiosity. The storyline may not be very original, but it's very interesting. As I followed Ji Hyun in her mission, I could actually feel that I am her. The emotions are very real. I watched her collapse as she learns about her bestfriend and her fiance's betrayal. I watched her parents trying to be strong for their daughter. I watched her old classmate Han Kang loving her even without her knowing it. It shows the irony of life. Sometimes, life isn't what is seems to be. People whom you think love you may not really love you, and those you think hate you may have loved you all along. It gives me a different perspective about life, love, and relationship. It's sad that Ji Hyun only gets to see who truly loves her when she's half-dead. I came to a conclusion that it's not your status, your career, nor your appearance that defines who you are. It's your soul that counts. And those who can see right through your thick outer shell are the ones who truly love you. We focus too much on superficial things.<br />
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Despite the gravity of the plot, 49 Days has it's light and sweet moments too. The Scheduler provides a comic relief in the story. He's one funny Grim Reaper LOL. What's more amusing is he has a story too. I love the love story of this drama. I am definitely a fan of Han Kang's (Jo Hyun Jae) character! I just love the chemistry between him and Ji Hyun/Yi Kyung. Han Kang is one stubborn guy who has been in love with Ji Hyun since high school. Of course, Ji Hyun doesn't know it and thinks he hates her. Another lesson learned: let the woman you love know your feelings.<br />
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In terms of acting, most actors did a great job. The Scheduler is the favorite of viewers. While I agree, I think Kang Min Ho (Bae Soo Bin) is the best actor in the series. Ninety-nine percent of a time, he did a decent job. But the remaining 1%, which is when he exhibits strong emotions, is really superb!<br />
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This is one of the few K-dramas that make me think really hard. It has made it to my list of favorite dramas of all time. SPOILER ALERT: My only gripe is the ending! Yes, I can deal with Ji Hyun's death. But not telling Han Kang about it, or not even telling him she loves him, is totally absurd! Before Ji Hyun finishes her 49 days, she cries to the Scheduler and says she's willing to give up her three remaining days in exchange for three hours with Han Kang as herself. But when she can finally do it, I don't understand why she has to pretend not to love him! Anyway, the ending got mixed reactions. You may like it or you may hate it.<br />
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Overall, this Korean drama is a must-watch! 49 Days made me cry bucket of tears. It has several poignant moments. I really appreciate to see the increasing bond between Ji Hyun and Yi Kyung. Ji Hyun used to be a bit selfish (though she has a big heart). Seeing her starting to care for Yi Kyung is a turning point in her character. It makes me love her more. I highly recommend this drama to everyone.<br />
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<i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Verdict: </b></i><br />
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<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">9 out of 10 stars </span></td></tr>
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One less star because of that one gripe.<br />
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-58806236016932295442013-07-24T22:17:00.001+08:002013-07-24T23:37:48.670+08:00Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013) Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Romantic-Comedy, School</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Credit: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A4%E3%82%BF%E3%82%BA%E3%83%A9%E3%81%AAKiss%7ELove-TOKYO%E3%80%903000%E3%82%BB%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E5%88%9D%E5%9B%9E%E9%99%90%E5%AE%9A%E7%89%88%E3%80%91DVD-BOX1-4%E6%9E%9A%E7%B5%84%E2%80%BB%E6%9C%AC%E7%B7%A8DISC3%E6%9E%9A-%E7%89%B9%E5%85%B8DISC1%E6%9E%9A-%E6%9C%AA%E6%9D%A5%E7%A9%82%E9%A6%99/dp/B00D2TO5UW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374679300&sr=8-1&keywords=%E3%82%A4%E3%82%BF%E3%82%BA%E3%83%A9%E3%81%AAKiss%EF%BD%9ELove+in+TOKYO" target="_blank">Amazon Japan</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Synopsis:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kotoko, a not-so-smart girl, finally confesses her love to campus hearththrob and genius Naoki Irie. Unfortunately, Naoki coldly rejects her and tells her he doesn't like dumb girls. As she tries to move on, Kotoko's new home is destroyed by a meteor. With nowhere to live, she and her father moves into the home of the latter's bestfriend. However, to Kotoko's horror, she learns that Naoki is the eldest son of the family. Living with Naoki makes it harder for Kotoko to forget him. She quickly realizes that she still loves him and is determined to do everything to win his heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Cheerfulnuts' Review:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm now officially a fan of Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo! I love this Japanese drama to pieces! It's loaded with fun and surprises! I have watched the <b><a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/itazura-na-kiss-review.html" target="_blank">1996 Japanese adaptation</a></b> and wondered what could possibly make the 2013 version stand out. Well, after completing the series, I can say that it has surpassed the original version. Let me explain why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have greatly enjoyed the 1996 version. But 9 episodes are not enough to show how the cold Irie-kun would finally fall for the not-so-smart Kotoko. I'm glad that the 2013 version has successfully filled in the missing holes. Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo stars Honoka Miki and Yuki Furukawa, both of them whom I've never seen before. Furukawa may not be as good-looking as Takashi Kashiwabara in my opinion, but his portrayal of Irie-kun is quite different. He is equally cold, but we get to see how he softens up to Kotoko in each episode, which is exactly what I want to see in this series! Miki is not as experienced as actress Sato Aiko, but her Kotoko is cuter and more girly. A lot of viewers who have criticized Aiko's Kotoko find Miki more lovable and less annoying. I don't dislike Aiko's portrayal, though I can see why many people are annoyed. I kind of missed her though, so I appreciate the drama's casting an actress with big ears like Aiko's! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Naoki's rival, Ikezawa Kinnosuke, is played by Yamada Yuki. He has more screen time in this version compared to the original one. Honestly, I think he did a good job in portraying Kin-chan. He's goofy, funny, and mushy. So much like the Kin-chan I knew. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The older version is more funny than romantic, while Love in Tokyo is both funny AND sweet. There are love triangles and yes, we get to see a jealous Irie-kun! Though Naoki's jealousy is very subtle, it makes me jump for joy when he's secretly getting jealous. It's fun to see him falling for Kotoko. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd like to point out that the acting is kind of raw. Thankfully, the drama doesn't need superb acting skills to deliver its message. To me, the message isn't about a girl confessing her feelings to her love interest. It's not exactly about winning a guy's heart either. It's about being optimistic and cheerful, being true to yourself, and loving someone despite his/her flaws. I'm really learning a lot from this drama, especially from Kotoko. I love her. She is naive and isn't good at anything, but I'd love to have her guts and her cheerfulness! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Needless to say, this drama caters to young audiences, especially females. The good thing is it doesn't contain all the negative elements that you'll find in a typical teeny-bopper show. This is something that I wouldn't worry my own children watching. If you want a fun, entertaining, and sweet drama that isn't shallow, this will definitely make the list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Note: If you haven't seen the 1996 adaptation, I highly recommend you to watch it FIRST. It will make you appreciate Love in Tokyo more!
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>10</b> out of <b>10 stars</b></span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-42075267659443485412013-06-20T13:39:00.002+08:002013-06-20T13:39:07.833+08:00Dinner Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: food, comedy, drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D070YY2/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00D070YY2&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00D070YY2&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00D070YY2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Synopsis:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An Italian restaurant Roccabianca is in its prime when the head chef/owner suddenly collapses, leaving the restaurant to his inexperienced daughter Saori Tatsumi (Kana Kurashina) and his sous-chefs. Despite their hard work in keeping the business running, the restaurant has lost many of its clients. With profits deteriorating, Saori is forced to make a hard decision - to hire a new head chef. The team doesn't like it but is forced to go with the plan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The new chef is Motomu Ezaki (Yosuke Eguchi), a very talented man who doesn't seem to go along with anyone. But with some turn of events, Ezaki slowly earns trust and respect from his team. Together, they will make the restaurant bounce back to its original heyday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Cheerfulnuts' Review:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dinner is a food drama starring Yosuke Eguchi. He plays as the talented but eccentric chef Motomu Ezaki who is hired by an Italian restaurant after its head chef went into coma. I've seen both of Eguchi's works - <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/lunch-queen-review.html" target="_blank"><b>Lunch Queen</b></a> and <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/patisserie-coin-de-rue-review.html" target="_blank"><b>Patisserie Coin de rue</b></a> - in which he also plays as a chef, so Dinner doesn't seem foreign to me. I actually didn't really mind watching the drama regardless of the story. I like Eguchi and I like food. Watching a food drama is certainly a feast for the eyes. I think no other nationality values food presentation as much as the Japanese do. It turns out that the drama didn't fail me. In fact, it has far exceeded my expectations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was truly a joy to watch it! It teaches me about important things such as valuing your clients, loyalty, sense of camaraderie, and having a strong passion. It also has a lot of funny scenes that made my stomach ache from laughing. The plot is simple and the characters are really lovable. Even non-chef viewers can relate with the characters. The more I watch, the more the Roccabianca team grows on me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The drama is episodic. I was expecting it to have one episode dedicated to each character like in the drama Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo, but Dinner only focused on some characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spoiler alert: The ending is a bit of a disappointment. At least that is how I felt as soon as the drama ended. But looking back, I couldn't have thought of a better ending for the drama. It may not be the kind of ending that everyone will like or be comfortable with, but it is meaningful and has made the drama even more powerful about its message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I highly recommend this to everyone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:</b></i></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>10</b> out of <b>10 stars</b></span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-43351918735998690792013-03-30T18:38:00.001+08:002013-03-30T21:37:44.709+08:00Personal Taste Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Personal Taste</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alternative Title: Personal Preference</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">個人取向</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2010</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Korean</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Romantic-Comedy, Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LC2ZUG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004LC2ZUG&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004LC2ZUG&Format=_ML160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="234" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004LC2ZUG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Image Credit: Amazon</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Park Gae In (Son Ye Jin) is a furniture designer who lives
in a traditional Korean house, Sanggogae. She is kind but clumsy and terribly
naive. In a few occasions, she encounters Jeon Jin Ho (Lee Min Ho), an
architect whom she presumes later on as gay. Due to some misunderstandings, the
two develop some dislike with each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After Gae In's boyfriend Han Chang Ryul (Kim Ji Seok) breaks
up with her, she attends the wedding of her long-time friend and roommate Kim
In Hee (Wang Ji Hye). To her horror, she finds out that the groom is none other
than her ex-boyfriend. As if that isn't bad enough, she gets home and learns
that her employee Won Ho uses her house as collateral for loan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the other hand, Jin Ho is facing some financial problems
in his small firm, making him eager to win the contract in building the Dam Art
Gallery. He finds out that the head of the museum is in love with the Sanggogae
and initially wants its designer, the legendary architect Park Chul Han (Kang
Shin Il) and also the father of Gae In, to design the gallery. The latter,
however, turns down his request.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wanting to learn more about the mysterious Sanggogae and after
overhearing about Gae In's debts, Jin Ho pretends to be looking for a new
place. He convinces Gae In to rent out a room to him. Due to her dire need of
money, Gae In agrees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After they become roommates, their initial dislike for each other
slowly turns into budding friendship. Despite the gay presumption, the roomies
start to feel something more for each other. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts' Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After watching <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/city-hunter-review.html" target="_blank">City Hunter</a>, I had an extreme City Hunter withdrawal
(or rather, Lee Min Ho withdrawal), so I decided to watch another highly-rated
drama of Lee Min Ho – Personal Taste.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The female lead is Son Ye Jin. Though I'm not sure about the
pairing, I love her in The Classic and Lover's Concerto. As a romantic-comedy
drama, I didn't expect a strong plot in Personal Taste. Granted, the two leads
are enough to make me want to watch this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Personal Taste starts strongly. In the first episode, it
immediately gives you the gist of the story and its ending leaves quite an impression
to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The drama is hilarious. The two leads are really cute and
adorable. They totally won me over despite their huge age gap. I thought this
drama is something my dad (or some men) could tolerate watching. I changed my
mind though after the series progresses. The latter part is more sweet than
funny, so it is more fitting for females to watch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't expect that Personal Taste would have such an emotional
impact on me. I enjoy watching Gae In and Jin Ho's growing friendship. It has
some poignant moments, like when Gae In opens up to Jin Ho and vice versa. I do
get teary-eyed in these parts. Jin Ho acts cool, but it's really sweet when he
starts to soften up with Gae In. I really love how he looks at her. His gaze is
filled with care and love for a friend. And Gae In, she causes troubles
sometimes, but her deep love for her friends is very touching. She's definitely
a keeper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sang Jun's acting as gay is really hilarious! Gae In thinks
that Jin Ho has a lot of boyfriends and mistakes Sang Jun and Tae Hoon as his
lovers. With so many fake gays in the drama, my jaw dropped when one character
emerges as a real gay. When I least expected it, the respected Director Choi Do
Bin (Ryoo Seung Ryong) confesses his love for Jin Ho. Some viewers may cringe
at his confession, but when Chang Ryul mocks Jin Ho and the latter catches
Director Choi looking at him with sad eyes, it tore me apart. This guy
took a lot of courage to admit his love, but it would never be reciprocated
(because Jin Ho isn’t gay). I felt sorry for Director Choi.*sniff* This scene (with
Chang Ryul, Director Choi, and Gae In waiting for Jin Ho's answer) is truly an
emotional moment and very memorable. It makes me think about the social stigma
that gay people have to face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other than Director Choi’s being gay, most events are pretty
predictable. The latter part gets a bit dragging. I’ve read that a lot of
viewers complain about their disappointment with the last two or three
episodes. I agree that they’re not as good as what the drama promises. Jin Ho
is so out of character that the story becomes unconvincing. The drama obviously
wants to incorporate some angst but it did it in an ungraceful way. I won’t
recommend this show to men or to anyone who only wants strong plots. That said,
the good and cute parts of this drama does make up for the messy parts. I still
like Personal Taste as a whole. I like how it has stirred some emotions in me. A
truly heartfelt drama. It’s worth to mention that the acting is really superb
here. I won’t mind watching this drama again.:)</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-ctDQEokDISJt21z2pB6RI40jesK80TTulgqR_GkTQS2CE4Ke_5JUCW9tT3LhN4lFjyJPjO9VjAaBWcklu-gGTvVHGnnhstg7W9uSAGjCrWFh2OjxnGAEKtfeW8XmeDKmWHVuyQN-KFk/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-ctDQEokDISJt21z2pB6RI40jesK80TTulgqR_GkTQS2CE4Ke_5JUCW9tT3LhN4lFjyJPjO9VjAaBWcklu-gGTvVHGnnhstg7W9uSAGjCrWFh2OjxnGAEKtfeW8XmeDKmWHVuyQN-KFk/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">8 out of 10 stars</span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-51429099363191165632013-03-05T11:53:00.000+08:002013-07-24T23:35:53.360+08:00City Hunter Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">City Hunter</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Korean Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">시티헌터</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Action, Thriller, Romance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2011</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Korean</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 20</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZTGRMG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005ZTGRMG&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B005ZTGRMG&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="257" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005ZTGRMG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></i></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Box set available on Amazon</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the Rangoon bombing that killed several South-Korean
officials, five officials, known as the Council of Five, decide to get even
with North Korea. Not known even to the president, they send a team of 21 men on
a secret mission to assassinate North Korea’s high ranking officials. However,
after the South Korean president announces that they won’t retaliate, the Council
of Five is left no choice but to abandon their men. The team includes Lee Jin
Pyo (Kim Sang Joong) and his best friend Park Mu Yeol (Park Sang Min) who has
just borne a son. When they are about to embark on a submarine that would bring
them back to South Korea, the men onboard shot them, killing everyone except
Jin Pyo who is shielded by Mu Yeol. Realizing that they have been betrayed by
their own country, Jin Pyo vows payback.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He returns to South Korea and steals Mu Yeol’s newborn son
from Kyung Hee. He leaves for Thailand where he raises the child, Yoon Sung
(Lee Min Ho), as his own. He gives Yoon Sung extensive training and tells him
years later about his biological father and his plot for revenge. After
studying in the US, Yoon Sung goes back to Korea with a mission and a warning on
not falling in love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He meets Kim Nana (Park Min Young), whom he develops
feelings for, and Kim Yoong Ju (Lee Joon Hyuk), a prosecutor with a strong
sense of justice. As he hunts down his enemies, Yoon Sung is conflicted with
having to choose between heroism and revenge, and between love and his mission.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">City Hunter has everything in store for you. There is
action, thriller, drama, and romance. The drama is well cast, with Lee Min Ho
and Park Min Young as the lead characters. They are both well-known actors and
the storyline is good so it makes this series a must-watch especially to K-drama
fans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The drama starts strongly and looks promising. Most Korean
dramas are sprinkled with unrealistic events, and City Hunter doesn't exempt
from that. That said, the plot is very well-developed. It gets better and
better in each episode. The series is packed with suspense that it never fails
to keep me on the edge of my seat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't know much about politics. I don't even watch the
news anymore. But I can relate to this drama. A lot of corruption exists not
only in Korea but in most, if not all, countries around the world. So it feels
really satisfying to watch City Hunter kick the asses of those corrupt officials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is some character development here. As the story
unfolds, Lee Yoon Sung has to make some important decisions. I like that he
always sticks to his principles despite his dad’s threats. I also like Kim
Yoong Ju’s being righteous and upright. Although he can be annoying at times,
having such a guy hunt City Hunter adds more depth to the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">About the romance department of the show, Yoon Sung doesn't
act sweet and all but I can't hate him. Having been trained as an assassin
doesn't make him good with expressing his feelings. It's fun to watch how his
relationship with Nana grows despite his playboy persona and his lack of social
skills. He doesn't act like Gu Jun Pyo in <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/boys-over-flowers-review.html" target="_blank">Boys Over Flowers</a> as he doesn't try
to impress his love interest at all. He protects Nana from afar and keeps his
feelings to himself, which I find really sweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love that the antagonist, Lee Jin Pyo, is someone dear to
our hero, which makes the story very exciting. There is no one harder to defeat
than someone you love. Kim Sang Joong's portrayal of Lee Jin Pyo is amazing.
He's the type of villain that you can't totally hate. Even if I don't agree
with his ways (who would?), I can sympathize with him and can't help feeling
bad for him. He also makes me shudder when he's one step ahead of Yoon Sung.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The series do have some flaws. As I've said, there are
unrealistic events, such as having too many coincidences (e.g. the hotel room
incident). Despite that, I love City Hunter. It's one of the most heart-pounding
dramas that I have ever seen. With a very strong plot, great cast members, hot
male lead, a creepy yet likeable villain, awesome action scenes... I couldn't
ask for more! You don't have to be a K-drama fan nor a female in order to like
this one.;P I highly recommend City Hunter to everyone!</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">9</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-75082108501747327132013-02-20T14:49:00.001+08:002013-07-24T23:36:15.895+08:00Boys Over Flowers Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Boys Over Flowers
Review<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alternative Title: Boys Before Flowers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">花檨男子</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Korean Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">꽃보다</span><span lang="ZH-TW"> </span><span lang="ZH-TW">남자</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2009</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Korean</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Romantic Comedy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 25</span></div>
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<img height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JFgisG6eL.jpg" width="230" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SZ0WJG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005SZ0WJG&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20">Boys Over Flowers - Korean drama (5DVD Digipak - Complete Set, 25 Episodes) All Region with English Subtitles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005SZ0WJG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Geum Jan Di (Ku Hye Sun) is an average girl living an
ordinary life. She is happy with her life until she crosses paths with a
suicidal student in Shinhwa School, an exclusive school for the rich. Since
then, her life starts to change. She is offered a scholarship to Shinhwa which
she reluctantly accepts. There, she meets the infamous group known as F4. She
tries to avoid the group, though she develops a crush on one of its members
Yoon Ji Hoo (SS501's Kim Hyun Joong). Jan Di can't stand the obnoxiousness of
F4, especially its leader Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho), the heir of Shinhwa Group. When
Jandi’s friend is insulted by Jun Pyo after she accidentally drops her ice
cream on his shoe, Jan Di stands up for her friend. Jan Di automatically
becomes the target of bullying for going against F4. Jan Di perseveres and
continues to go to school, something that has never been done by anyone who
becomes the target of F4. Jandi earns the group's respect, and Jun Pyo
unexpectedly falls for his very nemesis.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Review: <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This drama is based on the popular manga Hana Yori Dango.
Boys Over Flowers isn't the first live action adaptation of this manga. The
first ones are the Taiwanese version Meteor Garden and the Japanese version
with the namesake of the manga. Though I haven't read the manga, I have seen
and loved both drama adaptations. So when I first learned about the Korean
version, I thought that it could just be another adaptation. Nevertheless, it
didn't stop me from watching. I have seen a lot of Korean dramas and I believed
that they wouldn't just create a carbon copy of the manga. I'm curious how
they're going to make it the Korean way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the first few episodes, I was a bit disappointed because
about 80% of it is just like Meteor Garden. Boys Over Flowers may have changed
a few details and sequence of some events, but it's still quite predictable.
However, it did get better and I started to think of it as an entirely separate
drama (and not just another Hana Yori adaption). I got excited and anticipated
episode after episode.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first time I saw Boys Over Flowers, I was amazed by the
great similarity between Lee Min Ho and Jerry Yan. Both of them made Jun
Pyo/Dau Ming Si's character work. The other F4 members are pretty much what I
have expected, though I think I like the Korean F4 better. However, Geum Jan Di
(played by Ku Hye Sun), the lead female, is different from her two
counterparts. She's very goofy and I find her acting too exaggerated. Her
cartoonish actions can be a bit annoying sometimes, especially when things
started to get serious. I think she has to loosen up a bit and stop being too
cartoonish so the viewers can connect with her. Granted, I still sympathize
with her when her classmates bully her. Honestly, who wouldn't feel bad for a
girl who's mobbed with eggs in school? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't know if everyone would agree with me, but I think
Lee Min Ho fits perfectly into this handsome but cocky Gu Jun Pyo character.
Jun Pyo is the only heir to the great Shinhwa Group. He is practically every
girl's dream. Yes, he is a jerk, but his extremely good looks and his fortune
make it almost impossible for girls not to swoon over him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In real life, I would probably dislike Jun Pyo. But
everything is different in dramaland. I just love seeing this seemingly callous
guy fall head over heels in love with an average girl who hates him. He seems
to be a god, but being in love makes him look human for the first time. You get
to see how weak and lonely he actually is. I love seeing lots of character
development, and this is what I like about this drama. So yeah, the meaner the
character, the more interesting it gets as I couldn't wait to see how he'd
change into a better person (as if I haven't watched to other versions LOL).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Boys Over Flowers is very pleasant to watch. And I'm not
just referring to the good-looking boys. The places are very pretty to look at.
I enjoy the scenes in Macau the most.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite what I have said about Jan Di, her character started
to grow on me. As I have wished, Ku Hye Sun's acting got more serious and looks
more natural after a few episodes of goofiness. Though Jun Pyo-Jan Di isn't the
strongest couple in dramaland, I still think they look cute together. They
don't really have to look perfect together since they practically belong in two
different worlds. Speaking of looking good together, I love the pair up of So
Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul. Unlike in other versions, their story is much more
developed here. I find myself anticipating for them in each episode!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the first few episodes, I didn't like Yoon Ji Hoo, Jun Pyo's
friend and rival. He did a lot of things that I don't understand. I wasn't
convinced with his character and I didn't understand him at all. But I admit
that I fell in love with his character in Macau! I like the fact that Boys Over
Flowers has made Ji Hoo's love for Jan Di much more obvious. I guess his love
explains why he did all those stuff in the earlier episodes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another thing that is worth mentioning is Jun Pyo's mom Kang
Hee Soo (played by Lee Hye Young). I read a lot of people saying how scary she
looks. She is. Her glare can really pierce right through you, and it's
terrifying. I like how BOF made her much scarier though. I think this is one
aspect that is lacking in the other versions. I like how the drama has shown
more on the scarred relationship between the Gu children and their mother and
how it made her more evil yet more human.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Okay, so this drama may not be everyone's cup of tea. But if
you love Cinderalla-like stories, this drama is worth watching. If you're a hardcore
fan of Hana Yori Dango and have watched the other adaptations, you shouldn't
miss this one too. I'm not sure if this is the best Hana Yori Dango adaptation,
but I like it because they have shown so much emotion in it, just like a Korean
drama should be. Plus, the boys are really hot.:)</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">9</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-12523830927749946992013-01-31T21:39:00.000+08:002013-02-20T14:55:16.522+08:00Hi My Sweetheart Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hi My Sweetheart</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">海派甜心</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2007</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Romantic Comedy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Mandarin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415xQnvbK3L.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CIQ1V4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003CIQ1V4&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20">Image: Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003CIQ1V4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Xue Hai (<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/asias-dance-king-show-luo" target="_blank">Show Luo</a>), a dorky guy who wears an ugly mushroom
hair and a pair of huge glasses, has been left to the care of his much older
sister (Fang Fang) after his rich parents died. As the heir of a very wealthy family, his
sister has been overly protective of him. To get away from his sister and to
explore the world outside, Xue Hai decides to go to Hangzhou to study. As told
by his sister, Xue Hai goes with the fake name Lin Da Lang and pretends to be
poor to protect himself from kidnappers or something of that sort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In Hangzhou, he meets a strange and friendless girl Chen Bao
Zhu (Rainie Yang). Bao Zhu rejects him at first, but his naivety and kindness
touch her. They become friends and eventually, lovers. However, due to some misunderstandings plus some nasty rumors
about Bao Zhu, Da Lang thinks the latter has dumped him after she mysteriously disappears. He is devastated and
goes back to Taiwan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Years later, Xue Hai transforms into a hot guy that every girl
dreams of. Since the “breakup”, he never believes in love anymore and changes
from one girlfriend to another. Because of his extravagance, he is known as “<i>Hai Pai Wang Zi</i>”. When Xue Hai
accidentally hears a popular radio program called “<i>Sweetheart</i>”, he recognizes
the DJ’s voice as the voice of Bao Zhu. He immediately buys the radio station
and plans his revenge against the girl he believes to have dumped him. Little
does he know that Bao Zhu has never stopped loving him and has been searching
for him for years.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I first saw the poster for Hi My Sweetheart, I told myself I would never
ever watch this drama. The characters look too goofy – Show Luo wears this
silly mushroom hair while Rainie dresses like a punk. I wasn’t really attracted
to the drama, but after seeing the good ratings (and since I love Show Luo to
death), I decided to give this drama a chance. In the first few minutes, I was
immediately immersed into the drama. Despite his dorky appearance, Da Lang’s
character grows on me as I watched the series. He is naïve, but he is kind,
gentle, and sees goodness in everyone. He is actually more funny than annoying
(which in the beginning, I thought he was). He is so likable and it’s not hard
to understand why Bao Zhu falls for him. A lot of viewers commented that they
would sometimes forget that Da Lang is Show Luo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I really like watching how Da Lang and Bao Zhu’s
relationship grow. The chemistry between Show and Rainie is <i>amazing</i>. I’m not exaggerating. They look
so cute together that it scares me. After three years of romance, Da
Lang finally decides to reveal his real identity to Bao Zhu and propose to her.
He waits for her in their usual meeting place, but she never came. Unwilling to
give up, Da Lang gathers as much courage as he can muster and goes to Bao Zhu’s
place. Her mother, who has always been against Bao Zhu and Da Lang’s
relationship, shows him a “breakup” letter from Bao Zhu. Da Lang didn’t know
that the letter is just a lie. He believes it and leaves in tears. As if the
torment is not enough, he sees the pink panther, the one he gave Bao Zhu,
laying in the trash. That was one unforgettable scene for me. I’m really amazed
how Show could act so seriously and convincingly even in his funny Da Lang
appearance. Maybe I’m overly attached to his character, but I could feel his
pain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also didn’t expect that Rainie Yang would act so naturally
in this drama. This is the first time I’ve seen her act so good, and I’m really
impressed. I’ve been so used to her sweet image, but she had surprisingly
portrayed Bao Zhu Jie so well. I could feel her emotions and it didn’t look
forced at all. The drama focuses more on Xue Hai/Da Lang’s perspective. But
after Da Lang turns into a hot Xue Hai, it starts showing Bao Zhu’s point of view
too. When Da Lang hears Bao Zhu’s voice in a radio program, he recognizes her.
He buys the radio station and becomes Bao Zhu’s new boss. Unbeknownst to Xue
Hai, Bao Zhu has never stopped loving Da Lang and has been searching for him
for years. Of course she can’t find him because she has only known him by his
fake name. Just when she decides to give up and forget about Da Lang, Xue Hai
shows up. Seeing Xue Hai and not knowing
that he is actually Da Lang, Bao Zhu is haunted more by the memory of the man she’s
trying to forget.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Basically, the story is about Xue Hai wanting revenge while
trying to ignore his feelings for Bao Zhu, and Bao Zhu trying to forget Da Lang
(who she thinks doesn’t want to see her again) but keeps on being tormented by
his look-alike Xue Hai. I just love seeing their love-hate relationship. As
people say, couples wouldn’t know how much they love each other unless they
fight. And this drama has just proven it true. The more Xue Hai hates, the more
he realizes how much Bao Zhu means to him. It was painful yet sweet at the same
time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like how the drama is done. It is able to capture the
emotions of the characters. The camera angle, the focusing of the faces,
they’re just awesome. The OST is superb. The songs are sung by both Show Luo
and Rainie Yang, and I think it works perfectly as you get to feel more of
their emotions when the tracks are being played in the background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like most idol dramas, Hi My Sweetheart contains lots of
corniness and clichés. Granted, it does have touching moments. I got teary-eyed
in some parts that I had to stop watching just to go to the bathroom (I don’t
like anyone seeing me cry over a TV drama LOL). I do have some complaints
though. I hate the three staffs of He Yan Feng (Bao Zhu’s senior). Their parts
are forced and too trying hard to be funny. That said, they don’t really affect
the entire series since they only play minor parts in it. My major complaint,
however, is the last couple episodes of the drama. I don’t want to spoil you,
so I won’t say much except I think those parts are totally pointless. I’ve
always thought that the drama has a very nice message about love, but the
latter part ruins it. It was a big disappointment as I’ve really loved episodes
1 to 12.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, after revealing my total dissatisfaction with the
ending, you may ask me, <i>is Hi My
Sweetheart worth watching at all?</i> Even after completing the drama and
hating the ending, I still don’t regret watching it. I really love the two
leads, and their chemistry is really worth watching. The drama is full of
emotions and even if they were in a lot of unrealistic situation, I would still
find myself saying aaawww to myself. Besides, I don’t think this drama would
get popular if it isn’t worth seeing. Just be warned about the ending. :P I still
haven’t gotten over with my disappointment.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Cheerfulnuts’
Verdict:</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">7</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-57367583424189820772012-08-30T09:52:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:01:15.459+08:00Operation Love Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Operation Love</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Title: Proposal Daisakusen</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2007, 2008 (special)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Episodes: 11 episodes, 1 special</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Romance, Comedy, Sci-Fi</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z3G4LG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000Z3G4LG&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000Z3G4LG&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="200px" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000Z3G4LG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Synopsis:</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Iwase Ken (Tomohisa Yamashita) attends a wedding of his childhood bestfriend Rei (Masami Nagasawa). He is secretly in love with Rei and regrets for not being able to confess his feelings to her. A fairy then appears to his rescue by giving him a chance to go back to the past and try to win her heart.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Seriousnuts’ Review:</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As soon as I watched the first episode, I could already empathize with the protagonist. This drama is seen more from the point of view of a male. Seeing the story through a guy's perspective has always been interesting to me (especially because I'm a girl). At the start of the story, as I saw Ken rushing to the wedding, I had the wrong impression that he was the groom. As the scene went through the wedding, I learned that it wasn't his wedding and his long time secret love Rei was to be wed to another man (awwww). The couple exchanged their vows, and the reception proceeded. After Ken gave his congratulatory speech with an unhappy and bitter expression, a series of photos of the bride were shown in the big screen. Since Ken is Rei's best friend, he too was included in most of the photos. For each picture that was shown, Ken reminisced the events that occured during those times. He regretted each chance that he let pass by without showing his real feelings for Rei. Rei would then occasionally give him meaningful glances as the pictures appeared. She too was affected by those memories, and if I were the groom, I would get jealous. Ken seemed to have really a deep connection with Rei, yet, they didn't end up together. What could have gone wrong? What could have been the story behind those pictures? I was so intrigued and that made me watch the series episode after episode. A male fairy appeared before Ken to the rescue. He used his magic to give Ken a chance to go back to each photo to try and change the past, and hopefully, win Rei's heart. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is not just an ordinary drama. Although romance between friends is a common feature of many love stories, the drama was able to stand out. I think the magical element in the story made the series more interesting and entertaining. Each time travel Ken made, he still failed to win Rei. Yet, for each time he came back to the present, he saw the changed photo, with Rei smiling instead of the originally sad expression. Despite being unable to win her heart, he was able to change her sorrows into happiness. He tried his best but the main ending (wedding) was still the same. After so many struggles, Ken finally realized that he couldn't change the past. He could only change the present. As he failed in his last attempt to win Rei's heart, he took a picture of himself (a method to go back to the present) and went back to the earlier present. He was back to the present times, but instead of finding himself standing in the reception hall (as always throughout the series), he was outside the building smoking. He realized that he haven't given the congratulatory speech yet. There he decided to confess his love to Rei. If he could not make it in the past, he could make it in the present.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The drama does not only focus on the love story, but to friendship as well. I enjoyed watching the friendship among the five people. They really reminded me of my own youth and school life. We were able to follow Ken and his friends from high school to work. As they grew older, they became busy with their own lives that they seldom see each other anymore. This shows a very common part of real life. As we grow older, we start losing more and more things. What would be left are the memories. I admire the friendship they had in the story. Despite the physical distance, the five of them remained very good friends. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think that the drama made a superb job into relaying its message to the viewers. Using the time travel concept is brilliant, a thought-provoking concept. I too had so many regrets in life that I wished a fairy would appear and help me go back to the past. But instead, the story only showed how useless it is to dwell on the past and live with regrets. We should rather focus on what we can do at the present. Aside from the good story, the acting is also praiseworthy. The actors are convincing, each of them were able to portray the roles perfectly. At first I find Yamashita (Ken) to be too poker-faced. Whenever he had to go back to and fro the past, he had to let out a yell yet his face was expressionless. I grew to love him anyway, and he was able to earn my sympathy for his struggles to earn Rei's love. It's also fascinating how some of the extra characters reappear each time Ken goes back to the past. The restaurant owner, the foreigner athlete, their classmate Socrates, and the teacher who turned into a potter seem to be always just around the corner. It's funny how they show up each scene despite their little role in the main story. Their inclusion into the drama made it even more heartwarming and unforgettable. I highly recommend the drama for it's thought-provoking message and highly entertaining story as well as the great performance of the actors. Definitely not a time-waster. Two thumbs up for the drama!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Seriousnuts’ Verdict:</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>10</b> out of <b>10 stars.</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10390578833294534623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-88561971147657050192012-08-29T21:33:00.002+08:002012-08-29T21:33:50.468+08:00Asian Stars Trivia: Ryunosuke Kamiki<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Japanese: <span lang="ZH-TW">神木</span><span lang="ZH-TW"> </span><span lang="ZH-TW">隆之介</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Birthdate: May 19, 1993</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I saw this lad for the first time in <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/koukousei-restaurant-review.html" target="_blank">Koukousei Restaurant</a>.
He plays Yosuke Sakamoto, the best student chef in Shouka High School. I wasn’t
a bit familiar with Ryunosuke, and I thought there must be something about this
boy that had landed him to such an important role in the drama. It turned out
that I knew him all along! Well, not really by face, but by <i>voice</i>. Yes, Ryunosuke is a voice actor.
He has lent his voice to many popular characters: <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/spirited-away-review.html" target="_blank">Spirited Away</a>’s <i>Bo</i>, <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/secret-world-of-arrietty-review.html" target="_blank">Arriety</a>’s <i>Sho</i>, and <a href="http://asiandramaandmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/summer-wars-review.html" target="_blank">Summer Wars</a>’ <i>Kenji</i>,
among others. If you have watched the movies I’ve mentioned, you’ll know that
the characters are very different from each other. I didn’t have a clue that
they were voiced by the same actor until I read it on Wikipedia. I really have
high respect for Japanese voice actors. In my opinion, Japan has one of the
best voice actors in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Note: In the images shown above, The Great Yokai War is a 2005 fantasy movie that stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and in which he was nominated for the Newcomer of the Year Award.</span></div>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-8454774139058008942012-08-27T22:43:00.001+08:002013-03-22T11:42:31.941+08:00Puzzle (2007) Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Puzzle</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Year: 2007</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Episodes: 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Genre: Mystery</span></div>
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<tr><td><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1611637689"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInYq4t3PZt3BxRm0TXr17zhrIIDmM8mV8-wR4jzpMOlECu5C1ViynOp5upQNxiva2PfXt04VjEwYUA0TiPtBopga4m3_2oqgZuJHqb9MhyphenhyphennZ001aHEPy4X2F0-DKm33iawf09F15BzA4G/s1600/5190Msw32sL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%91%E3%82%BA%E3%83%AB-DVD-%E6%9F%B3%E6%B5%A9%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E/dp/B000PHWT3O/ref=sr_1_18?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1346077596&sr=1-18" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Source: Amazon Japan</span></a></td></tr>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A group of armed men seizes a school and takes a teacher and
a student as their hostages. The hostage-takers ask the top class to complete a
puzzle in exchange for the hostages’ lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aside from sharing the same title, being aired on the same
TV network, and having Yamamoto Yusuke in both dramas, Puzzle isn’t related to
2008’s Puzzle in any way. The former is about a group of students from the top
class who are forced to search for 2000 puzzle pieces and complete a picture within
48 hours. A group of armed men barges into a school which happens to be empty
except for two teachers, the students from the top class, and a student who is
about to quit from school. The events are slowly relayed to us through
interviews carried out by an unknown man whom I presumed to be a police officer.
During the entire interview, only the faces of the victims are shown. The delivery
method had instantly caught my curiosity and I thought something as horrible as
the Battle Royal must have taken place. I was wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The hostage-takers aren’t as evil as I’ve expected. In fact,
they aren’t scary at all. The students, on the other hand, are not a bit
memorable. It’s shameful that the female teacher cannot take charge and seems to
be the most panicky among the victims. I also fail to sympathize with any of
them. I find the students’ detachment to each other hard to believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Still, I like the delivery of the story and I was suddenly
drawn to it. It’s not boring (each episode lasts only about 24 minutes) and it’s
actually quite entertaining. But it isn’t as good at it has promised. This is a
type of drama that would catch your attention in the beginning and would keep
you from switching off the TV until the very end, only to realize that it’s not
really worth your time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_yPETN_vMl-mjc7j1femNL0s6bkQ-zTx32CImztCHA2B0lfBKpPiGk6o2DbTixtCaCtcG7KJRzgEu7Ov1v4GmZefBmSsM3dhQsrYyTgaOOGtNbr6xGRkg1qOy2SO9hjPJ3AEcL0Gnh8p/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_yPETN_vMl-mjc7j1femNL0s6bkQ-zTx32CImztCHA2B0lfBKpPiGk6o2DbTixtCaCtcG7KJRzgEu7Ov1v4GmZefBmSsM3dhQsrYyTgaOOGtNbr6xGRkg1qOy2SO9hjPJ3AEcL0Gnh8p/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+4.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">4</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars.</b>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-65446231958271284522012-07-03T14:10:00.001+08:002012-07-03T14:10:48.284+08:00Ghost: In Your Arms Again Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ghost: In Your Arms
Again <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Japanese Title: Gōsuto Mouichido Dakishimetai</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Title: Ghost in Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2010</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Romance, Drama</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058Z3AFY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0058Z3AFY&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" target="_blank"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ugP7-1siL.jpg" /></a>
</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">CEO Nanami Hoshino (Nanako Matsushima) falls in love with Korean
potter Jun-Ho Kim (Song Seung Heon) and marries him. Not long after, Nanami is
killed in an accident. Seeing her devastated husband, Nanami decides to stay on
earth as a ghost. As she watches over her grieving husband, she starts to
realize that her death is caused by a planned murder and Jun-Ho’s life may be
endangered. She goes to a fake medium named Unten Sazuki (Kirin Kiri), the only
person who can hear her, and asks for help.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I first saw the cast in the Japanese remake of Ghost, I
was excited. Two well-known actors in one movie. One is my favourite Japanese
actress since childhood; another is a charming face in Korean dramaland. I have
to admit that at first, their team-up felt a bit weird. If you’ve seen a lot of
Nanako’s previous works, you may not appreciate her having a “pretty” leading
man. Nanako looks more mature than Seong Heon, but she still is the elegant and
beautiful actress that I grew to love. They may not be the perfect match, but
they’re just okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The plot is pretty much the same. I’ve seen the original
Hollywood movie several times, but I still get excited and wondered how the
remake would show certain scenes or how it would be different from the original.
It’s interesting that the ghost is the wife instead of the husband. Without
seeing the trailer beforehand, I was surprised with the twist. Though the story
is very familiar, the change is quite refreshing. That said, I still prefer the
ghost to be a man. I just find it more romantic for a male ghost to watch over
his wife rather than the other way around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Hollywood film focuses more on Sam Wheat’s (Patrick
Swayze) being a ghost and how he befriends Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). I
like to see their friendship grow as the movie progresses. Unfortunately, in
the remake, less focus is given to Oda’s counterpart Unten. Unten lacks Oda’s
charisma. She is annoying, unlikable, and kind of creepy. Honestly, I think
it’s hard to compare with Whoopi’s Oda. Oda is one character that is hard to
forget. Unten may be charming to other viewers, but not to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Aside from making the ghost a woman, the Japanese version
tries to be different by showing more of Jun-Ho and Nanami’s love story. Probably
one-third of the movie shows how the couple met, how they fell in love, and how
they got married. Despite the movie’s effort, it’s still hard for me to
understand their love for each other. They made pots together and the next day,
Jun-Ho tells Nanami he loves her. Everything is so fast. After Nanami’s death,
it’s sad to see Jun-Ho’s devastation. But his pain is just unrealistic. How can
he feel tremendous pain when he hardly knows his wife? They’ve been together
for only months and it seems like Jun-Ho couldn’t live without her. It’s just
not convincing. Perhaps the movie failed to fully show how their love developed
due to lack of screen time. They could shorten the first part and just show a
few flashbacks of their happy times when needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One last gripe, I wish the movie had paid more attention to
details. I find it silly when the murderer chases Seong Heon and attempts to
stab him in front of several witnesses. They should make it a dark alley or an
empty warehouse to make it more believable instead of a crowded place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My conclusion is, the remake is not as good as the original
but it’s still watchable. Despite Seong Heon’s reputation as a mere pretty boy
with no acting skills, the movie still managed to make me teary-eyed. His portrayal of Jun-Ho works for me. I
missed Nanako and I’m glad to see her here. Die-hard fans of the Hollywood
Ghost may hate this film, so if you’re one of them, you may skip this movie. On
the other hand, if you enjoy watching good-looking couples (as much as I do)
regardless of the story, or if you didn’t like the Hollywood version, you may
try watching this version.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">6</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">. </span>
</td></tr>
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</div>Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-22373162751162090942012-06-22T13:18:00.001+08:002012-06-22T13:20:49.465+08:00Kaiji The Ultimate Gambler Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kaiji: The Ultimate
Gambler<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2009</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kaiji-Ultimate-Fujiwara-Teruyuki-Matsuyama/dp/B004UNHWB8/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=waf&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" target="_blank"><img height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bmKKYzxeL.jpg" width="223" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kaiji (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a man nearing his 30’s, lives a
pathetic life. With no money and no descent job, he relies on gambling. One
day, he meets debt collector Endo (Yuki Amami) who tells him to go to a
gambling cruise. If he gets lucky, he will be able to clear his debt. However,
things don’t turn out well and his life changes forever.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kaiji is not a comedy but I couldn’t help myself from
laughing because of the exaggerated emotions and facial expressions of the
characters. That said, the movie has some heart-stopping scenes and poignant
moments. The movie is full of colourful characters. As expected in <i>manga’s</i>, the characters aren’t
realistic, but each of them has distinct characteristics that make them very interesting.
The acting is superb. I think Tatsuya Fujiwara did a fantastic job on
portraying Kaiji. This is not like other dramas that could make you cry (a
total turn-off to most male viewers), but you could definitely feel the
emotions intensely. I think Fujiwara deserves a standing ovation for his
performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Despite its gambling theme, I like the movie’s message,
which is changing your life and starting anew. In the first part of the movie,
it showed the dull and uneventful life of the almost 30-year-old Kaiji. In
Japan where most people seem to be hard-working, it would be expected that
someone at Kaiji’s age would be living a good life. Because of his lack of
achievements, Kaiji was labelled as a “loser”, something he isn’t happy about
but still didn’t try to change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was after he met Endo that his life changed forever.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I like how the movie had given a lot of emphasis on
characterization. Kaiji was a good-hearted man as evidenced by how he looked
after Koji Ishida (Ken Mitsuishi). So despite his being a “trash” (as what he
was described in the movie), I appreciate his character and it’s almost
impossible not to sympathize with him. As the movie progressed, Kaiji learned
about faith and being strong. His determination had won over the seemingly cold
Endo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My first impression of Kaiji is that it’s similar to Liar
Game. It is also about a game that involves “life and death” of the players.
However, unlike Liar Game, the games in Kaiji are much simpler and easier to
understand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I highly recommend this movie!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">.</span>
</span></td></tr>
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</div>Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-1231706212400627402012-05-12T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:03:53.551+08:00In Time Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Time</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Titles: Now, I’m.mortal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: English</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Sci-Fi, Action</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2011</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006PERRMY/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006PERRMY&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B006PERRMY&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="200px" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006PERRMY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the future, people are genetically engineered to stop
aging once they’ve reached 25. Time has become the currency and people have to
work in order to live. Their time is written on their wrist and they can
transfer their time to one another through touching. The rich can practically
live forever, and the poor die one by one after continuous price inflation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Will Salas (Justin Timerlake), a man from the ghetto, lives
day to day with his mother Rachel (Olivia Wilde). After saving a 105-year-old man
named Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer) at a bar, Will unknowingly receives all the
years from Henry, leaving the latter a mere five minutes before going to the
bridge. Will wakes up and sees a note saying, “Don’t waste my time’. He runs to
the bridge but is unable to save Henry. With a century in his hands, he decides
to bring his mother to New Greenwich where the rich and old live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That night, Will is waiting at the bus stop. When he sees
that his mother is not inside the arrived bus, he realizes that she doesn’t have
enough time to afford a ride home. He runs and meets her mother, who is also
running. But before they reach each other, Rachel times out and dies. Filled
with agony and hatred, Will makes up his mind to destroy the time system.
Meanwhile, Timekeeper Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy) is looking for Will,
believing that he killed Henry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Will goes to New Greenwich and faces the rich Philippe Weis
(Vincent Kartheiser). He meets his daughter Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried) who takes an
immediate liking to him. The Timekeeper arrives and tries to arrest Will. Will
beats the men and takes Sylvia as his hostage.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I wasn’t really attracted with the cast but I decided to
watch In Time anyway after reading some good reviews about it. In the opening
dialogues, I suddenly felt that this movie was going to be good. The idea of
having time as a currency is scary. People really have to know time management,
or else, they’ll die. This is where the rich can actually buy time, making them
practically immortal. It’s pretty unique and I couldn’t wait to see how the story
would go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Despite the so-so acting, the dialogues are powerful. My
personal favourite is a quote from Henry Hamilton – “Don’t waste my time.” The
message is so strong and memorable. It makes me wonder if I had used my own
time wisely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I like the movie, but the only disappointment I have is the
characters. Will and Sylvia’s “love” for each other isn’t convincing at all.
They’ve just known each other for a few days, knowing almost nothing about each
other, and Sylvia is willing to help Will, her kidnapper, with the risk of being
killed? Without any “brainwashing”, Sylvia suddenly seems to have a scarred
relationship with her father and even turned against him. I don’t think a rich 27-year-old
lady suddenly turning into a righteous person is believable. I wish the movie has at least shown how Sylvia
has a change of heart. I know Philippe Weis isn’t exactly a good person, but
Sylvia’s actions made her appear so callous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, the movie is good. It’s unusual, compelling, and
memorable. It’s a must watch to anyone who wants to watch something different.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1065847440"></span><span id="goog_1065847441"></span></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">7</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-73964709517104933262012-04-26T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:06:17.651+08:00Strawberry on the Shortcake Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Strawberry on the Shortcake is a Japanese drama about a group of teenagers trying to understand what love truly means. Not to be confused with the American animated series Strawberry Shortcake, this drama stars Takizawa Hideaki, Fukada Kyoko, Uchiyama Rina, and Kubozuka Yosuke.
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Strawberry on the Shortcake</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Title: S.O.S.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Duration: 10 episodes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, School Life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Telecast: 2001</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The drama revolves mainly around the love lives of four
teenagers whose lives are interwoven with each other. Irie Manato (Takizawa
Hideaki) has been living a fake life after his mother left his father for
another man. He is lonely and is being bullied in school. Before he totally
gives up, he meets a beautiful girl named Misawa Yui (Fukada Kyoko). Her
cheerfulness and frankness have saved Manato, and he finds himself falling in
love with her. Not long after, Manato’s father remarries. Coincidentally, his
stepmother’s daughter is Yui. The two becomes very close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sawamura Haruka (Uchiyama Rina) is Manato’s childhood friend
living next door. She has a huge crush on Manato which he is oblivious about. After
Haruka confesses her love to Manato through love letters, the two start dating
despite Manato’s feelings for his stepsister.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yui meets heartthrob Saeki Tetsuya (Kubozuka Yosuke) who
fails to graduate from high school twice. She immediately falls for him and
starts following him around. Tetsuya, however, only treats her as a friend. He
is hopelessly in love with his teacher Asama Mariko (Ishida Yuriko) and has
been having an on-and-off relationship with her. Only Haruka knows about their
affair which she highly disapproves of. On the other hand, Manato has made
friends with Tetsuya after meeting him on the rooftop.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although I don’t agree with a lot of things taught in this
drama, I still like it. It has an amazing narration, and the mood is made even
better with Abba’s classics. After completing the series, the songs Chiquitita
and S.O.S. are still ringing in my head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Japanese dramas, it sometimes gets difficult to fully
understand each of the character’s emotions. And like S.O.S., I find the
characters strange and not easy to relate with. The real/fake person concept is
quite confusing. There were times when I don’t know which is which. Yui is too
cheerful that she doesn’t seem real to me. That being said, the characters’
oddity made them very memorable to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the first few minutes of the drama, I was automatically drawn
to the story. The title alone is enough to catch my attention. At first I
wonder why such title is given to this drama. Is it about baking shortcakes
with strawberries on top? Or perhaps one of the leads loves eating strawberry shortcakes?
But as I’ve watched more episodes, I’ve finally understood that “strawberry on
the shortcake” is a metaphor used to describe how someone loves a person. It’s
amazing how such a simple object is given a deep meaning. Although I think how
someone eats the strawberry on a shortcake has nothing to do with how one
loves, this strawberry-love analogy is very interesting. It’s like a
personality test that divides eaters neatly into two groups: the ones who eat
the strawberry first are aggressive when it comes to love, and the ones who eat
the strawberry last always wait for the right time to confess their love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am a strong believer of the saying “opposite attracts”, so
when I learn that Manato and Haruka prefer to eat their strawberry last, and
Yui and Tetsuya prefer to have theirs first, I wanted these pairs to switch
partners so bad. I just think that the first pair is a bit boring together
(although I like Sawamura) and the second pair is a bit too wild.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What I love most about this drama is how it captivates the
viewers. I can’t believe that I’ve finished it in a day. My eyeballs got really
worn-out from the long hours of watching. The events were unpredictable. I
couldn’t wait to find out what would come next. Some parts are a bit boring and
dragging though; but overall, the drama is entertaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">S.O.S. isn’t as profound as it appears to be (with all the
metaphors and stuff), but it’s not bad and can still make an adult like me
ponder about the concept of love. If you want a cute love story, or if you want
to watch a school life drama, this one may suit your taste. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">7 out of 10 stars</span>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-15572533038825415952012-03-25T18:27:00.003+08:002012-03-25T18:27:46.340+08:00Keitai Kanojo Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I haven’t seen the trailer, but in the first few minutes of
the film, I suddenly got a feeling that this would be another horror film with
a weak plot and unlikeable characters. This being a straight-to-DVD film, I
didn’t expect it to be like Ringu or other big hit Japanese horror films.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Based on the novel of the same name, Keitai Kanojo is a
sequel to the movie Keitai Kareshi.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%90%BA%E5%B8%AF%E5%BD%BC%E5%A5%B3-DVD-%E5%AE%89%E9%87%8C%E9%BA%BB%E9%87%8C/dp/B004JQP4AM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="携帯彼女 [DVD]" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yzsCcd51L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the photo to buy the DVD from Amazon Japan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Keitai Kanojo<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="ZH-TW"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">携帯彼女</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2011</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Horror</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Random killings have been taking place in Japan. The
criminals are always found dead right after the murder. According to rumours,
the killings have been rooted from a cursed cellphone girlfriend game. Once a man
downloads this game, he will have to please the simulated girlfriend named
Erika (Seika Taketomi) with his sweet words or by doing what she wants (killing
random girls). If the love meter reaches 0 or 100%, the game ends and the
player dies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Meanwhile, a girl who is also named Erika (Airi Suzuki)
witnesses the murder of her friend Chiyo. She is about to be killed when the
man stops, talks to his cellphone, and drops to the ground, dead. When Erika
sees the simulated girlfriend in the man’s cellphone, she faints and is caught
by Takashi Murase (Baba Toru).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It turns out that Takashi has been looking for his sister,
Erika Murase, who has been missing for many years. He suspects that the
killings are linked to his sister’s disappearance and the simulated girlfriend
is actually his lost sister. To break the curse, Takashi asks for Erika’s help,
who seems to have somehow connected with his sister. With Erika’s nightmare
that she is having everyday, they try to piece together the clues that might
lead them to the missing teen.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When the first victim repeatedly hits the head of some
random girl, I thought that this would be another pointless movie that I would
still watch anyway. It did creep me out a bit, but it didn’t make me jump from
my seat like what other Japanese horror movies did. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With pop singer and C-ute member Airi Suzuki starring the
movie, it has somehow made Keitai Kanojo more bearable to watch for her fans. Since
Keitai Kanojo is her movie debut, I can’t really say that she did a poor job,
though in all honesty, I wasn’t really impressed. Even with her raw acting,
it’s not hard to sympathize with her Erika Kurahashi. Who wouldn’t? For someone
who sees ghost and people dying in front of her, everyone would feel for her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The plot is original but a story with a cursed cellphone
game is just childish. As the story unfolded, I felt that the root behind the
curse is unconvincing and shallow. Though the movie is lacking in other
departments, the ghost is a bit creepy. The ending is unexpected, which is
cool, but it’s not very original.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The bottom line is, unless you’re an Airi fan or unless you
love horror regardless of its quality, don’t even bother watching Keitai Kanojo.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0WPFzYa4ZLoEqYn6fRTQgry1vYzusVMzbQUO_dnNczG98JX5tKfpViwVlodHjFYgYFb6NoU9Ksh11FjCMI4Bbf_IFR_3-mI97wlxtSUiy9Z2GtdDuuTwj_sWr2FKI6CZAIGorsPVA4j_/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0WPFzYa4ZLoEqYn6fRTQgry1vYzusVMzbQUO_dnNczG98JX5tKfpViwVlodHjFYgYFb6NoU9Ksh11FjCMI4Bbf_IFR_3-mI97wlxtSUiy9Z2GtdDuuTwj_sWr2FKI6CZAIGorsPVA4j_/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">3</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-53148663628598091092012-03-13T11:06:00.001+08:002013-02-02T14:08:33.947+08:00Rabbit Horror 3D Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rabbit Horror 3D<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Titles: Tormented, Rabito Hora 3D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">恐怖兔子</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2011</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Horror, Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LTFSMY/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006LTFSMY&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B006LTFSMY&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="200px" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006LTFSMY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At school, 10-year-old Daigo (Takeru Shibuya) kills a
pregnant rabbit before his sister, Kiriko Imazato (Hikari Mitsushima), is able
to stop him. Daigo is bullied by his classmates ever since. Kiriko, a mute
librarian who loves Daigo dearly, tells him to stop going to school. He is homeschooled
from then on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Though the two are half siblings (they are borne to different
mothers), they are very close and they share the same bedroom. Their father,
who works as a book illustrator, is very distant from them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When Kiriko and Daigo watch a 3D horror film at the movie
house, a plush rabbit pops out from the screen. Daigo reaches for the rabbit
and is surprised when he is able to touch it. He discreetly keeps it in his
bag.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At home, when everyone is asleep, Daigo checks the stuffed
animal in his bag. The rabbit is gone, but then a figure flashes across the
room. Daigo goes out and sees blood tracks on the floor. He follows it, and is
pulled by the rabbit into another world. The haunting starts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kiriko notices the weird things taking place in their home
and somehow knows that it has something to do with a rabbit. She tries to warn
her incredulous father (Teruyuki Kagawa) about the strange incidents and tells
him that Daigo’s mother, Kyoko (Tamaki Ogawa), is back. Kiriko has to do
something before Kyoko takes her brother away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I always have a soft spot for children. So when a boy is
rattled by an evil rabbit in a movie, I sympathize with him a lot. Seeing from
a child’s perspective makes me more jittery than I should be. There were moments
in the movie that I let out a stifled scream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The rabbit mascot may not look creepy at first. As I was
watching with my headset on, my sister, who was peeking at my laptop, thought
that I was watching a children’s movie. It was only when I started to cover my
eyes that she realized this “children’s movie” was actually a horror movie. The
sounds added more suspense on the film. Japanese horror movies always have
those distinct sound effects that you won’t hear in their non-Asian
counterparts. Viewers who are not familiar with Japanese films may find the
sounds weird or even funny. Nevertheless, Rabbit Horror has spooked me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rabbit Horror’s delivery is excellent. I was suddenly
engrossed by the movie. I think having someone mute as the protagonist makes
this movie unique and special. With Kiriko’s silence, her voice-over narration
makes the movie more captivating since you’d be curious about what she has to
say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The movie started strong. The moment Daigo hits the rabbit,
the movie got my attention. It got a bit confusing for a while, but when it shows
flashbacks from Kiriko’s childhood, things that were previously unexplained
became clearer. It has a twist, though it was predictable. The ending created
more questions which left me scratching my head. I wasn’t so satisfied and
didn’t want it to end yet that I stared at the screen until the end of the closing
credits. It didn’t clearly explain what was going on, but I guess it’s up to
the viewers to figure that out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The bottom line is, Rabbit Horror, unlike most horror
movies, is a no-nonsense movie. It has a story and the characters are actually
likeable. If you’re a horror movie fan, especially Japanese horror movies, you
should definitely watch Rabbit Horror. Just don’t expect to feel good after the
movie.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">7</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b>
</span></td></tr>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-77799697877661056672012-03-06T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:17:20.015+08:00Rinjo Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rinjo</span></b><br />
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<span lang="ZH-TW"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">臨場</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Police Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Duration: 10 episodes (Season 1), 11 episodes (Season 2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Telecast: 2009 and 2010</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kuraishi Yoshio (Uchino Masaaki) is a stubborn, eccentric
yet an outstanding coroner who is highly respected by his subordinates. As he
tries to solve each case, he is continually haunted by his dark past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kuraishi Yoshio reminds me of Black Jack. He is eccentric
and appears to be somewhat cold and emotionally unattached, though he is in
fact kind and cares deeply for others. This “what you see is NOT what you get”
trait makes Kuraishi interesting and unpredictable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kuraishi’s subordinate Kosaka Rumi (Matsushita Yuki) is
pretty much consistent all throughout the series. She isn’t as interesting as
the other team members like Ichinose Kazuyuki (Watanabe Dai) and Nishida Mamoru
(Kobayashi Katsuya), but she somehow makes Kuraishi’s character much stronger. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don’t have enough knowledge in the medicine field, so I
can’t tell whether the cases are realistic or not. But as much as people enjoy
watching CSI and the like, Rinjo has engaging cases that can captivate the
viewers. This drama made me think as each story unfolds. The drama is episodic,
but it doesn’t ignore the character development aspect, which I think, makes
the series strong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Rinjo II, most things are pretty much the same. The cases
are much more engaging though (perhaps because the characters grew on me). The
main difference in the Season 2 is Kuraishi. His coolness in facing his cases
seems to disappear. He becomes more passionate and a bit emotional. You would
see him shed tears too easily – something you would rarely see in the first
season. Despite that, I still like him. It’s interesting to see this other side
of his character which we haven’t seen in Season 1.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rinjo is a good drama, but it is not for everyone. This may
not be appealing to some young people. I’d also like to mention that despite
the drama’s theme, Rinjo has been very modest in exhibiting gore and violence. Season
2 is independent. You can watch it without watching Season 1, though I still
recommend you to watch the first season to fully appreciate the characters. The
second season’s ending is much more satisfying to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMacJyWG8VWAMSx7WAtMPMU91la28htVzWyqfYV7oUeEEDK093DKrPjj4_4MPhqwzdDNL8MvBjUUAgnIKxEYsYToJdVZ_CKSOaTEhLM1-XF58UomHo-VSAUzEvC0OeOhWR0tpKlSJNJqq/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">7</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">10 stars</b>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Related Products:</b></span><br />
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-5346808444019223542012-02-28T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:18:46.572+08:00Summer Wars Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Summer Wars</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Japanese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">サマーウォーズ</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">夏日大作戰</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy, Romance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2009</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Synopsis:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Math wizard Kenji Koiso accompanies his schoolmate Natsuki
Shinohara to her great-grandma’s home for the preparation of her 90<sup>th</sup>
birthday. He meets Sakae Jinnouchi, the birthday celebrant, and is shocked when
Natsuki introduces him as her boyfriend. Later on, Natsuki privately tells
Kenji that she did that to please her great-grandma and begs him to continue
pretending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Natsuki’s relatives, who are also at the house to help in
the preparation, are descendants of a samurai. During Kenji’s stay at Sakae’s
place, he receives a mysterious email containing nothing but a series of
numbers. Thinking that it is a math problem, he cracks the code and sends a
reply even without knowing the sender. The next day, he learns that OZ, a
virtual reality world, has been hacked by a high school student. To his
surprise, his picture is flashed all over the news, making him the suspect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The world has been dependent on OZ. With OZ quickly falling
to pieces, chaos ensues. The real culprit is an artificial intelligence known
as the Love Machine. Kenji has to do something to stop the terrorism. Together
with Natsuki and her huge family, Kenji tries to fix the problem before it is
damaged beyond repair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Summer Wars is about helping each other and being confident
with one’s skills. Kenji is a boy who seriously lacks confidence despite being
a math whiz. In his short stay in Sakae’s house where he gets a chance to meet
Natsuki’s relatives, he learns the value of family. When OZ starts to fall into
pieces, through Kenji’s determination, the Jinnouchi clan sticks more closely
together to defeat the Love Machine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There’s one point in the movie where the family has to
choose between two important things. While OZ is quickly taking people’s
accounts, Kenji speaks out (something that he has never done before) and tells
the family to focus defeating the Love Machine before it harms another person,
to which Naomi violently reacts. She asks, “How can we worry about other people
in a day like this?” In a meeting among the males, Riichi agrees with Kenji and
says, “You’re right. You have to protect others to protect yourself.” This line
may not be true at all times, but I like the message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love seeing the characters help each other, and that, I think,
is the gist of the story. With everyone’s encouragement, Kenji becomes tougher
and more confident. Summer Wars shows us that it doesn’t need physical strength
to be a hero. Everyone can be a hero.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My gripe is Summer Wars is a bit overwhelming to watch. It’s
easy to get mixed up with the names and the faces. There are too many
characters all at once. With so many characters, it’s difficult to fully
appreciate each of them. Having said that, the huge number of characters makes
this movie much more entertaining. The story is set mostly in a single place –
Sakae’s house. I could imagine that if there were only a few people there, I
would have felt like watching a movie about human extinction or about a
massacre of people living inside a house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The OZ is a bit complicated concept to understand. I wish
the movie would have shown more concretely how the virtual world is connected
with reality. Nevertheless, it is very amusing and fun to watch the avatars
interact in the virtual world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My conclusion is, Summer Wars is not really a remarkable
movie, but it’s still cute to watch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">6 out of 10 stars</span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-75213485173524106442012-02-21T10:29:00.001+08:002013-02-02T14:20:11.277+08:00Spirited Away Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sprited Away<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Japanese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">千と千尋の神隠し</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">千與千尋</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Fantasy- Adventure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2001</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ten-year-old Chihiro, together with her parents, is on her
way to their new home. She is upset about the move and her parents try to
convince her that the change isn’t so bad. They get lost and reach an old
building with a dark entrance. Curious, her parents decide to go in despite
Chihiro’s protest. They get in and find themselves in what seems like an
abandoned theme park. They go further into the area and find lines of
restaurants with food on the counter. Chihiro’s parents start to eat while
Chihiro looks at the place in awe. It starts to get dark, but when Chihiro goes
back to her parents, both have already turned into pigs. As she panics, a
mysterious boy named Haku comes to her rescue. She learns that humans aren’t
welcomed there, and Haku tells her to find work in order to stay and to save
her parents. She is later faced with Yubaba, the head of the bathhouse. Yubaba
allows her to work in the bathhouse in exchange for her name. She is now called
Sen instead. She starts living in the strange world where she encounters
different interesting creatures. At the same time, she tries not to forget who
she is and why she is there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is not just “another” Hayao Miyazaki movie, but rather,
this is one of the movies that had rose Mr. Miyazaki more to fame. Spirited
Away is magical and memorable. You will see many interesting (and some creepy)
creatures in the movie. As a non-Japanese, I am amused seeing even trivial
things that are Japanese. I love everything about the bathhouse. The animation
is very fluid and an eye-candy. It is not a bit surprising that it had won the
Best Animation at the 75<sup>th</sup> Academy Award. Anyone who sees the movie
would be immediately glued to the screen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We could also see how Chihiro, the main character, developed
into a better person. From a little girl who is afraid of change or trying new
things, to a girl who is more courageous, mature, and loyal. I love seeing her
grow and develop some friendships in her adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Like most of Studio Ghibli’s movies, Spirited Away has its
subtle romance. Even for a movie that caters to younger audience, the romance
is not too cheesy and not too corny. It’s just right for all ages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I really can’t think of a flaw in this movie, except that I
don’t get it 100%. Spirited Away is one of those movies that you don’t understand
completely but still love. After I finished watching it, there were some
questions in my head. But my questions simply made Spirited Away more mysterious
and more fascinating. This movie is something I’d love to watch over and over
again, making it my all-time favourite. I highly recommend it to everyone. This
is a great movie that is very engaging and would keep your eyes glued to the
screen from beginning till end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ00CgUZw2Hd0vv4JKIN959Y_Da79hw7_37_n7lIqFKeZ3mqKuW9oahG-adjPJzzVoIWJyDjLBmstiRDGxN4E-8Axd3QohunG_lu-TtVVLFLXQy18S-DnNhDLyzC1IXqXRcQT39rvcAMuF/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+10.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">10</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">10 stars</b>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-10458016068789684572012-02-16T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T13:52:59.781+08:00Shaolin Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shaolin</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-TW">Chinese Title: 新少林寺</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Althernative Title: The New Shaolin Temple<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Action, Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Chinese<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2011</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FQ1OOK/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FQ1OOK&linkCode=as2&tag=cheerfulnuts-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B005FQ1OOK&Format=_ML110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=cheerfulnuts-20" width="200px" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cheerfulnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005FQ1OOK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></i></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hou Jie (Andy Lau) is a merciless warlord who thinks mostly
about his own benefits. When he defeats Huo Long (Chen Zhihui) in a battle, the
latter seeks refuge to a Shaolin temple. Despite the monks’ request for Hou Jie
to let his fallen enemy go, Hou Jie still kills Huo Long. Before Hou Jie’s
exit, he sees the temple’s fallen board at the gate. Taking out his calligraphy
brush, he adds the line “nothing out of ordinary” on the board, thus, insulting
the monks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Envious of his sworn brother Song Hu (Shi Xiaohong), Hou Jie
devises a plan to murder him. Hou Jie’s deputy Cao Man (Nicholas Tse), who
holds a grudge against him, takes this opportunity to assassinate his superior and
his family. Hou Jie shoots Song Hu, but when Cao Man’s hired assassins arrive,
Song Hu saves Hou Jie despite the latter’s betrayal. Hou Jie barely escapes
with his fatally wounded daughter while his wife (Fan Bing Bing) is saved by
the monks (Xing Yu and Yu Shaoqun) who happen to be there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Desperate to save his dying daughter, Hou Jie runs to the
temple to ask for the monks’ help. However, he is a bit too late. His
daughter’s injuries are too serious. She dies and Hou Jie blames the monks for
not saving her. His wife, angry at Hou Jie for everything he did, leaves him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hou Jie meets the Shaolin cook Wu Dao (Jackie Chan). While he mourns over
his daughter’s death, Wu Dao feeds him. As Hou Jie thinks about his past deeds,
he is filled with remorse. He cuts his hair and tells Wu Dao he decides to
become a monk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With a great cast, the new Shaolin movie seems promising. It
is. I’m happy to say that it didn’t let me down. The fighting scenes are
superb. The team did the right thing for casting actors who know about martial
arts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shaolin focuses on Hou Jie’s character development. Andy Lau
succeeded in showing how terrible Hou Jie was in the first part of the film and
how or why he had turned over new leaf. Viewers can easily see why Cao Man
despises him so much. The characters are convincing and the plot works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jackie Chan’s fans might get mixed feelings with his “mere”
special appearance in Shaolin. Some might get disappointed for the very limited
fighting scenes he had. Others might be happy for the new image he had shown in
his character. In my opinion, Jacky Chan’s Wu Dao is a likeable character, as
his characters have always been in his movies. His presence made the movie much
more amusing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I used to regard Nicholas Tse as a teen idol. Since I saw
his Deng Sidi in Bodyguards and Assassins (2009), my outlook of him changed. My
respect for him as an actor grew, and I expected that he would give an
outstanding performance in Shaolin. He didn’t fail me. Though his Cao Man is
not as good as his Deng Sidi, he has portrayed his character well. Cao Man did
annoy and scare me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The downside of Shaolin is it focuses too much on religion.
It’s not exactly a bad thing, but viewers with different beliefs should be
prepared when watching this film. Since it involves monks, Buddhism is
profusely instilled to the audience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, I like the movie. It has excellent casting, superb
acting, engaging story, impressive action scenes, and an amazing soundtrack as
well!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">9</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> out of </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">10 stars</b>
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</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Related Products:</b></span><br />
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-53872829530565655182012-02-09T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:23:07.318+08:00Itazura na Kiss Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Based on </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kaoru Tada</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">’s
manga of the same name, Itazura Na Kiss has been adapted a few times for screenplays
in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. This review, however, is about the 1996
Japanese version, the first ever adaptation of this manga. Starring </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Takashi Kashiwabara</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Aiko Sato</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Itazura Na Kiss (1996)</b>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Japanese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">イタズラな</span>Kiss</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">一吻定情</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative Titles: Naughty Kiss, Teasing Kiss</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: Japanese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Romantic-comedy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Duration: 9</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Telecast: 1996</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After Kotoko Aihara’s accidental kiss with Naoki Irie,
Kotoko has fallen deeply in love with Naoki. Naoki is the most popular guy in
school. He is very bright and handsome but is very cold to people. Kotoko,
however, is an average girl who doesn’t seem to be good at anything. She is
everything Naoki doesn’t like in a girl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When a fire incident destroys all her family’s property,
Kotoko’s dad Shigeo accepts help from his childhood friend Machiko. The father
and daughter move to Machiko’s place, only to find out, to Kotoko’s surprise,
that Machiko is actually Naoki’s mother. Now she has to live with her crush
after the humiliating “kiss”. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wishing that Naoki will reciprocate her feelings, she
promises herself to make Naoki fall in love with her, even if he seems to be
out of her league. During Kotoko’s stay, Naoki, unknowingly, seems to fall for
her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Itazura Na Kiss is <i>pure</i>
silliness. Silly in such a way that it would hurt your tummy for laughing so
hard. Japanese comedies have always been hilarious to me, but Itazura na Kiss
is one of the funniest I’ve seen so far. I’ve read a lot of viewers comment
about how much they hate Kotoko. She is annoying, but I guess Aiko Sato’s
acting worked for her role. She is supposed to be as irritating as possible so
that Irie-kun would dislike her as much as he could; thus, making the story
very comical and amusing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Takashi Kashiwabara, on the other hand, is perfect for this
role. He is extremely handsome! It’s not hard to understand why his Irie-kun is
so popular in his school. Kashiwabara’s looks alone could sweep any girl off
her feet. Despite the lead girl’s silliness, I’m still tickled pink in every
bit of kindness Irie-kun shows to her (no matter how trivial it is). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The plot is very simple and light. It’s perfect to watch
after a hard day’s work. Both young and old would find this entertaining. However,
just for you to know, I haven’t read the manga and I haven’t watched other versions
so I don’t have anything to compare it to. Also, I have no idea how viewers who
have watched the other versions would feel after watching this. I have also
learned that the author had died prematurely before she could finish the manga
series. Since I haven’t read the manga, I’m not sure if the series have ended
it “right”. I love the ending though. But I have one gripe with the ending –
it’s not convincing at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, this drama offers you what it promises: romance and
comedy. However, it is more comical to me than romantic. If you want those two
in a drama, then you may safely add Itazura na Kiss to your “to-watch” list.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub_Ms9CBJ6yl8nvJz9uLPP0Asw0gdFUcZ7YVnbI8BI9dm9VyPjQVAytDHepyLtx_OUQfzC_zRicCmcQiiIdmXLVfnMqE9uOec7YquRdwLBof1Cy0qibRmca-lPpvGTTIeeClGda7nPf81/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+9.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">9</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">10 stars</b>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609249678683362335.post-24800404114549535722012-02-02T10:00:00.000+08:002013-02-02T14:24:19.275+08:00Year of the Fish Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Based on a Chinese fairy tale </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ye Xian</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (</span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-TW">葉限</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">),
Year of the Fish is a 2008 animated film that uses a rotoscoping technique. The
actors are mostly Asian though English is the spoken language in the movie. The
story is set in New York’s Chinatown.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year of the Fish</span></b>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chinese Title: <span lang="ZH-TW">魚年</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year: 2007</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Language: English</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Genre: Romance, Drama, Fantasy</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ye Xian (<b>An Nguyen</b>)
leaves her sick father in China and went to the US for greener pastures. She
arrives at a massage parlour and is introduced to a stern-looking Mrs. Su (<b>Tsai Chin</b>) whom they refer to as
“Auntie”. While running on an errand, Xian encounters a strange woman (<b>Randall Duk Kim</b>) who has been eyeing
her the whole time. She approaches her and is told about her future being filled
with bad luck. To counter this, the old woman gives her a magical fish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As she stays at the parlour, she realizes that it is
actually a brothel disguised as a parlour. She refuses to “serve” her clients
and as a result, Mrs. Su punishes her by making her everyone’s slave. This
marks the start of her difficult times on a strange land.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Review:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is an adult version of Cinderella but with a twist. The
plot is familiar to everyone, but it tells much more than a girl meeting her
prince charming. It talks about values and principles. Xian greatly values her
purity. She stays strong despite being verbally, physically, and emotionally
abused. It is a truly admirable trait. In the end, her insistence has paid off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The movie’s rotoscoping made it more fairy-tale like without
appearing too childish. It was my first time to watch a movie using this
animation technique. It was fun and weird at the same time. I find it hard to
appreciate the actors’ acting after their faces had been blurred. I couldn’t
even see An Nguyen’s face (I didn’t know what she looks like). Though I give importance to the dialogues of
a movie I’m watching, I’d also love to see the characters’ facial expressions.
Some viewers may find the movie too “painful” to watch, literally. It does hurt
the eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Despite my complaint about the rotoscoping, I think it’s a
great idea. It is a risky move, but it has its pros and cons. The animation is
very suitable to the movie, given that the narrator is a fish. It makes the
movie appear like under the water, which is genius because the story is being
seen from the fish’s eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My other gripe is the strong Chinese accent of some
characters. Some people may have a hard time picking up the dialogues. Being a
Chinese myself, I admit that I can’t understand some of the lines. I wish the
movie has a subtitle for more pleasant viewing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Though it is a fairy tale, Year of the Fish may not be
suitable for young children because of the theme. I recommend this movie to
adults, especially those working abroad. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s1600/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNoQ56cPJ8mT2aNmbC2TLNppsFCSEU9p7iJgoIeBnWCVdeXI6H5avfO7VtgQmOSFGAOa-thvJdPnvAm9wjKkA9kjQRKgMnLsqL7M43vFR9V7FsEoXrpgm_mfN93Del-xkBljBvhjBvEq_/s320/cheerfulnuts+stars+heartstrings.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">6</b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> out of </span><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">10 stars</b>
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Rainy Kuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134087235855495979noreply@blogger.com0