An interesting yuri-esque drama from the early 90s, bordering on GL

Sugao no Mama de is a story about two girls from very different walks of life. They cross paths and unexpectedly become involved with each other; this event ends up being one of the most significant encounters of their lives. Yumiko is from an upper class family, and she acts the part of a prim and proper young lady. She dresses in blouses and skirts, she listens to classical music, and works at a library. She's not entirely unhappy with her life; her days pass peacefully and without trouble. But she isn't connected with her true self and her most earnest desires. She hasn't felt fully in control of her life for a long time, after facing some troubles earlier in life that scared her back into her shell, so to speak.

Kanna is just the opposite. She's a confident, aggressive woman who is trying to make it as a dancer. She's a bit rough around the edges - she smokes and dresses like a bohemian. But something about her entrances Yumiko, and she can't ignore her admiration for the woman. When Yumiko sees her dance for the first time, her heart swoons like it hasn't in years, and its like she falls in love. The two become increasingly involved from then on.

I have seen quite a few older JDrama, and I have to say that this one goes pretty far towards a sort of lesbian relationship. It's not explicit, and the characters don't actually become intimate with one another. But so many scenes of them together are framed with strong romantic overtones. They rely on each other and think of each other constantly. The girls are far more important to each other than anyone else in their lives. There's a conversation part way through where they pledge to be together forever - even when they grow old and their children are gone. Even the opening to the show is all about the two of them - it ends with them holding hands and laughing in front of the sunset while the English lyrics say "true lovvveeee". That doesn't even touch the most romantic bits between them in the show, but I want to avoid spoilers. Really. It's kinda crazy that this exists.

There are male love interests though, to be clear. Thankfully, they're all fairly decent actors. The back half of the show focuses a bit more on them, and the drama is raised significantly. I think I didn't quite enjoy that part as much as the first half, but it was still quite good. The writing is consistent and compelling, adult and believable. I found that the drama between the characters didn't feel contrived like it does in other shows, and at the same time the characters behaved realistically in those situations instead of having overblown reactions. I think I'll really treasure this show. 8/10

Recommended if you like 90s Jdrama, GL, or stories about deep friendships between women.

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This movie is confusingly bad, twisting off in a weird direction and adding nothing to the original.

After having a good time with Ringu (1998), I decided to take a chance on this sequel that was strangely released at the same time, as a sort of sister movie. It shares a few actors and sets, but it was made by a different director and has an entirely different feel. It starts off with a decent opening act, setting up an interesting new character, and a new investigation of the mystery of the tape. Some of the shots are quite pretty to look at, too. But the plot never really becomes satisfying - the writing gets worse and worse until it reaches a laughable and bizarre conclusion.

The villain of the first movie was the apparition of a powerful psychic girl who died years ago. She was a tragic figure - but she was absolutely horrifying. There was no reasoning with her, and no grand motivation to her curse, it was an expression of her hatred. Sadako is back this time alongside the tape, but this time she's.... sexy? Her disturbing appearance from Ringu is replaced with a pleasant look and a saucy attitude. It turns out that the videotape didn't really have much to do with anything; it was just a minor part of her grand plan. The investigation this time is medicalized. The curse isn't just something supernatural, it's a virus. And you almost want that to work for a second, but it's never really explained or understood, and it never becomes satisfying. The curse becomes something dry and boring, until it becomes something ridiculously outlandish and impossible!

The original Ringu relies heavily on the supernatural. The curse is something fully spiritual, but it's actually explained in detail and the viewer comes to understand it satisfactorily. The virus in this movie is something super bizarre that you can never quite understand. It acts like a curse, then it's a disease, then it's a curse again, then it's freaking super powers. I can almost guarantee that you won't believe the way it acts towards the end of this film. It's truly a slap in the face.

Another thing is that there is not a single scary moment in this movie. There's no horror here at all. It just strings you along with a weirdly convoluted and bad plot. It feels like the back half of the movie was rushed out in a hurry - there's almost no weight to anything when the reveals start hitting. Thankfully, this sequel doesn't manage to retroactively ruin Ringu, because it's almost impossible to square what happens here with the events of the original. The characters that are borrowed just aren't themselves, and the spirit of the curse is entirely gone.

Strangely enough, this movie seems to be fairly faithful to the original books, which is wild to me. But those stories seem to get even more far-fetched as they go along. I suppose Ringu just made something great out of a fairly mediocre work.

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A 90s detective drama which is intriguing and dark.

Keizoku is one of those 90s Jdramas that really holds up. You can tell that it's an older series, but it has a special style about it that makes that all the more appealing. TBS made a lot of my favorite shows from this period, and this was certainly another winner for their record.

The main character (Jun Shibata) is a slobbish woman who is also a genius detective. She doesn't take much care about herself, and she's sort of hopeless in a lot of respects. She's obsessed with love, but she really hasn't got a chance. However, her intelligence and astuteness lead her to solve case after case. This type of character has almost become a trope; but what's nice about this version of the formula is that the main character doesn't feel completely superior to her supporting cast. She's actually the junior in this situation, and they all have their own strengths to bring to the show. Best of all, Jun Shibata is not the only capable detective on this team. Mayama is more of a hardboiled, streetwise kind of cop that understands people a lot better. He's also very smart, and often manages to solve cases to a greater degree even than the genius. Interestingly, he also has his hands tied up in the darker, conspiratorial side of the world. At first unassuming, his story eventually becomes a very satisfying plot thread.

This show builds up a character that is, to me, one of the greatest villains in detective history. I won't spoil what's going on with him. But I will add a reminder to fellow watchers that the occult is not out of the question for Keizoku. This show believes in magic, as it makes a point to tell us - it just hasn't seen it yet. Nothing is really out of the question when it comes to the climax. And I think everyone will be surprised by the way it plays out.

The cinematography is usually pretty good. Sometimes it gets ambitious and turns into something special, but usually it just depicts things competently. It's a show that feels like it gives you a fair chance with the mysteries, without feeling like it has to lay everything out for you to the point of obviousness. There is a dark twinge to the writing, however. A lot of times, when you start empathizing with the murderer, it will add one more sinister turn to make it all shocking again. This show believes in the evil of humanity, and it isn't afraid to show it. The music works well. I'd say that the OST isn't amazing, but it has three or four standout tracks, and overall it uses the score well.

I loved Keizoku, and would heavily recommend it. However, the hour and a half special (Phantom) is GARBAGE! It was hard to watch after finishing such a great series. I really don't know what was going through the producer's heads with the special. But it is literally stuffed with bizarre humor the entire way through. It features a passé amnesia trope to avoid progressing the story, and brings several characters back to life for no good reason. Honestly it goes a long way towards diminishing the mystique of Keizoku. It is funny, but you can just see how uncomfortable the actors are performing some of those strange comedy skits. It's totally out of step with the main series; it's almost a blooper reel.

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