Operation Love Review

Operation Love
Alternative Title: Proposal Daisakusen
Year: 2007, 2008 (special)
Episodes: 11 episodes, 1 special
Language: Japanese
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Synopsis:

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.

Seriousnuts’ Review:

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. 

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.

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. 

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!

Seriousnuts’ Verdict:
10 out of 10 stars.

Asian Stars Trivia: Ryunosuke Kamiki

Japanese: 神木 隆之介

Birthdate: May 19, 1993

I saw this lad for the first time in Koukousei Restaurant. 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 voice. Yes, Ryunosuke is a voice actor. He has lent his voice to many popular characters: Spirited Away’s Bo, Arriety’s Sho, and Summer Wars’ Kenji, 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.

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.

Puzzle (2007) Review

Puzzle

Year: 2007

Episodes: 4

Language: Japanese

Genre: Mystery

Source: Amazon Japan

Synopsis:

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

4 out of 10 stars.

Ghost: In Your Arms Again Review

Ghost: In Your Arms Again

Japanese Title: Gōsuto Mouichido Dakishimetai

Alternative Title: Ghost in Love

Year: 2010

Language: Japanese

Genre: Romance, Drama

Synopsis:

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

6 out of 10 stars.  

Kaiji The Ultimate Gambler Review

Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler

Language: Japanese

Genre: Drama

Year: 2009

Synopsis:

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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 manga’s, 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.

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.

It was after he met Endo that his life changed forever.

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.

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.

I highly recommend this movie!

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

10 out of 10 stars.

In Time Review

In Time

Alternative Titles: Now, I’m.mortal
Language: English

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action

Year: 2011

Synopsis:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

Overall, the movie is good. It’s unusual, compelling, and memorable. It’s a must watch to anyone who wants to watch something different.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

Strawberry on the Shortcake Review

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.

Strawberry on the Shortcake

Alternative Title: S.O.S.

Duration: 10 episodes

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, School Life

Language: Japanese

Telecast: 2001

Synopsis:

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Keitai Kanojo Review

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.

Based on the novel of the same name, Keitai Kanojo is a sequel to the movie Keitai Kareshi.

Click the photo to buy the DVD from Amazon Japan

Keitai Kanojo

携帯彼女

Year: 2011

Language: Japanese

Genre: Horror

Synopsis:

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.

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).

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

3 out of 10 stars 

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Rabbit Horror 3D Review

Rabbit Horror 3D

Alternative Titles: Tormented, Rabito Hora 3D

Chinese Title: 恐怖兔子

Year: 2011

Language: Japanese

Genre: Horror, Drama

Synopsis:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Rinjo Review

Rinjo

臨場

Genre: Police Drama

Language: Japanese

Duration: 10 episodes (Season 1), 11 episodes (Season 2)

Telecast: 2009 and 2010

Synopsis:

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Summer Wars Review

Summer Wars

Japanese Title: サマーウォーズ

Chinese Title: 夏日大作戰

Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy, Romance

Language: Japanese

Year: 2009

Synopsis:

Math wizard Kenji Koiso accompanies his schoolmate Natsuki Shinohara to her great-grandma’s home for the preparation of her 90^th 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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My conclusion is, Summer Wars is not really a remarkable movie, but it’s still cute to watch.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

6 out of 10 stars

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Spirited Away Review

Sprited Away

Japanese Title: 千と千尋の神隠し

Chinese Title: 千與千尋

The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro

Genre: Fantasy- Adventure

Language: Japanese

Year: 2001

Synopsis:

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

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^th Academy Award. Anyone who sees the movie would be immediately glued to the screen.

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.

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.

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.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

10 out of 10 stars

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