Kyou Koi Wo Hajimemasu (Live Action Movie) Review

Alternative Title: Love for Beginners

Year: 2012

Language: Japanese

Genre: Romance, School

Image Credit: Amazon Japan

Synopsis:

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. 

Cheerfulnuts' Review:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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.

Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:

4 out of 10 stars

It should be 2 stars, but I give it more because it still managed to make me watch from beginning to end.

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.

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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Patisserie Coin de rue Review

Patisserie Coin de rue

Japanese Title: 洋菓子店コアンドル

Chinese Title: 幸福洋果子

Year: 2011

Language: Japanese

Synopsis:

Tomura (Yosuke Eguchi) is a culinary teacher and a guidebook writer. He used to be a legendary patissier but has quit making cakes since eight years ago. He visits his friend Yuriko’s (Keiko Toda) café Coin de rue when a girl named Natsume (Yu Aoi) suddenly comes.

Natsume travels all the way from Kagoshima to Tokyo to look for her boyfriend Umi who works at Coin de rue. To her dismay, she learns that Umi has already left and no one would tell her where he’d gone. Upon seeing the job hiring notification at the café and determined to bring Umi back home, Natsumi decides to work there while looking for her boyfriend.

Yuriko asks her to bake and everyone, including Tomura, tastes her cake. The cake, unfortunately, doesn’t meet the café’s high standards. After that, she is asked to taste one of the café’s cakes. To her amazement, the cake tastes much better than her own cake. She begs Yuriko to let her stay and to teach her to bake delicious cakes, to which the latter reluctantly agrees. This marks the start of Natsume’s rediscovery of her passion.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

I got excited when I found out that Yosuke Eguchi starred in this movie. I saw some of his shows and I greatly admire his skills. On the other hand, it was my first time to see Yu Aoi. Despite my being unfamiliar with her, she steals the scene every time she appears. I’m not really “in love” with Natsume, but she is a very interesting character.

I wish the movie has stayed more on Natsume’s friendship with Tomura. It would be interesting to see their friendship grow and Tomura becoming a happier person. There are so many plot holes in the movie that it makes the movie a bit unrealistic. Why does Mariko despise Natsume? Why is Natsume so eager to take Umi back home? What’s with the old regular customer’s ambivalent attitude towards Natsume?

The movie does have a poignant moment. When Natsume heard a customer say “oishi” (delicious) after eating their cake, it made her shed tears. It was a very moving scene. She suddenly understood how cakes could bring happiness to people. It gave baking much more meaning.

Patisserie is not an exciting movie, but it’s not boring either. Despite its flaws, it’s still watchable. I would recommend this movie to fans of Yosuke Eguchi and Yu Aoi. However, hungry viewers/cake lovers may also want to give this movie a try. The cakes are very pleasant to look at that they can captivate any hungry viewer. The camera’s constant focus on the cakes made me utter “wow” repeatedly in my seat.

My conclusion: give this movie a try. But if you don’t, you’re not missing anything.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

5 out of 10 stars

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Sankaku Review

Sankaku

Japanese Title: さんかく

Chinese Title: 三角

2010

Language: Japanese

Genre: Romance, Drama

Synopsis:

During the school break, 15-year-old Momo (Erena Ono) goes to Tokyo to spend the vacation with her sister Kayo (Tomoko Tabata). Kayo is living with her partner Momose (Sousuke Takaoka). The couple’s relationship is already sour prior to Momo’s arrival. To add insult to injury, Momose becomes infatuated with the sweet Momo. Eventually, Momo goes back to her hometown when school is about to start. Believing that the feelings are mutual, Momose breaks up with his girlfriend to be with Momo. However, he is emotionally tortured when Momo never responds to his calls and messages.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

It’s quite common to hear stories about someone cheating on his/her lover with the “bestfriend”. Sankaku also narrates such stories, but the “bestfriend” is a sibling instead who is below eighteen.

Sankaku is presented from Momose’s perspective. It’s not hard to see why he had fallen for Momo. Momo is very sweet, pretty, innocent-looking, and young. But at the same time, she is also subtly seductive. Erena Ono did a great job for portraying Momo. Actually, her appearance perfectly fits the role. I also think that Sousuke Takaoka and Tomoko Tabata are great in this movie. For a movie with limited dialogues, the delivery depends entirely on the cast. And I think the movie has successfully conveyed its story.

If you’re a guy, Momo is someone you’d love to hate but can’t. To us girls, we’d love to pull her hair out if we see a real-to-life Momo. What could be worse than cheating with your own sibling’s lover? The guy really had messed up his life for breaking up with Kayo to be with a kid. I pity Kayo, but she should not be too clingy. She is very scary after the breakup though.

I appreciate the story. The plot is so simple, yet it has tackled a lot of things about human emotions. What I realized from this movie is that feelings are very hard to understand. Love can be easily mixed up with infatuation. Temptation is hard to resist. When we love, we should not forget to use our head and our values.

After watching the movie, my twin sister loves me even more for being a gazillion times better than Momo. She keeps telling me, “I’m so thankful you’re not Momo chan.”

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

8 out of 10 stars