This is one of those stories of strong and witty women who rise to power or accomplish great things despite their handicap of being women in a highly patriarchal society (like Dae Jang Geum in a way).

Atsu-hime's evolution is believable and beautiful to watch. The story is authentic and gives you a glimpse of a closed world and how it changed after the Meiji restoration.

I highly recommend this drama to anybody who wants to see a beautiful story that is both historically accurate and understandable for the modern viewer.

The acting was stellar, believable and stirring all kinds of emotions. The music was epic, as much as the story was personal and without much of those epic scenes with wars and surreal martial arts.

I don't think I can rewatch it as a whole, but there are certain scenes that I would happily rewatch!

Citeste mai mult

This is one of the drama second seasons that I've waited and rooted for. And they didn't disappoint me! I'm not going to throw in any spoilers, but I must say, even if I was a bit concerned about the road the drama would follow after the end of the first season, the ending was both(un)expected (depending on the viewer, here) and truly heartbreaking ... in a good way. I must say I am still obsessed with the story - not so much the manga because I don't really like the style of drawing they used. I weep every time I hear the main theme and Itoshiki hibi yo...
All in all, maybe a doctor would be a bit suspicious of the medical part of the drama, but the story itself is beautiful and it's worth watching. Not to say that Osawa Takao, Ayase Haruka and the whole cast do a wonderful job!

Citeste mai mult

This is not your typical family drama in which everybody hooks up with everybody in the end or finds happiness elsewhere. Its premise sets from the love games and pain that we cause to each other and what lies and masks can do in relationships.
It's more of a lesson to us that trust and love must both be present in a relationship and if you build it with lies they will all crumble in the end. I can't say I disliked the ending, it was all to real and all to familiar to things I know, have seen and have felt in my own life.
Therefore, it's not sad, it's just real, and in that lies its beauty.

Citeste mai mult

I love time-slip movies and I was so happy to see Ryo-chan would play in one. It was a nice story, at some points hilariously depicting the cultural clashes between Edo and modern-day Japan.

I must say, I didn't much like the ending, well, it was better than happily-ever-after, and in some sense it was actually a happily-ever-after, but it left no room for a sequel or some more pudding!

In any case, the cast was superb, believable, the music, ok. I can rewatch it on long enough intervals (maybe once a year or something), I've already watched it three times since it came out and I can't say I won't do that again!

Citeste mai mult

Well, I must say, as much as I think that Yamapi is cute and all (cute as in kawaii, still), his acting skills need much work. For some reason I don't like Nagasawa Masami, but she was more likeable than way-too-cool-to-actually-act Yamapi (sorry to fans, but most of the times his idol-ness was too transparent in the story). Fujiki Naohito here seems quite a boring character - I mean it's probably the role, but for the first time watching him, I felt like that about his characters.
All in all, I actually watched it two times, but I can't say I was left with much from the story.

Citeste mai mult

This was the drama that did it for me. I got hooked on j-dramas and k-dramas, but this one was the first one I was really obsessed with. Even now I get all teary when I hear "Okaeri".
It's a great story to watch, but mind you, future viewers, it's not just a silly sexy-robot-boyfriend-like-comedy. It gets pretty sad towards the end so do prepare a few boxes of tissues!
All in all, the story was great, acting great as well (although I'm not the biggest fan of Aibu Saki...), music is good as well! I can't rewatch it because I know where it's going and I'd rather be surprised by a new drama, I guess. It's a great story anyway, I highly recommend it!

Citeste mai mult

A great movie, a story that is as true as it is artistic. It's not your typical pet/animal movie in which a friendship is born between a child and an animal and everything turns out okay for both - in the wild or not.
I'm trying not to give away any spoilers, but what I can say is that it's a very sad movie in the end, but as sad as life can be, really. We are taught a lesson that no matter how much we love someone (human or not), we cannot force them to live or save their lives just because we love them very much or they're cute.
I think it's a great movie for older kids to learn about how nature works and to understand the difference between what can and cannot be done, but it can be very depressing if you're expecting a cutesy-frutesy easy story with comic aspects.

Citeste mai mult

A cute little movie that is centered around a little ginger kitty, actually two little abandoned kitties looking like twins but with at least a decade between them. Anyway, I'm not gonna give out anything of the plot.

Talking about the plot, this movie doesn't really have a plot - nor does he need it. You don't get details, just snippets of crucial moments and there is no conventional plot development (like beginning - issue - climax - solving the issue - conclusion), nor are we told what is going to happen with the present-day characters, two or four-legged ones! I, for one, didn't need to know. When the ending credits rolled, I was left with a smile and I was reassured that everything in life - no matter how painful, or bleak - can be overcome and all we need is companionship and understanding.

It's not necessarily a didactic movie, but it surely gives one hope!

Citeste mai mult

Well, I dropped this drama for a reason: it was too dark for me. Maybe some people would love the story, but it felt so gloomy and unfair that I was left without hope and quite depressed after going somewhere towards the middle of the series. I skipped the rest hoping things would turn around, but the ending was even more depressing.
As I was saying, the ratings are more emotional than rational, therefore take this as a review from somebody who is sensitive to stories that are unbalanced and frustrating - which I felt her story was! But, then again, so was the era in which the Empress lived in...
If you are like me and want to see a story that has both dark and light moments, both tears and laughter and some hope in the end (something like in the Emperor of the Sea when they flee with the child), then try to avoid this drama or prepare yourself with a thread to lead you out of the depression maze.

Citeste mai mult

Well, first thing's first: this movie doesn't take itself seriously from the beginning. Nobody is expecting a thrilling human drama with deep conversations and artistic scenery - even though there may be some. In any case, as it may be shallow - for a Korean movie, that is - but, at the same time it's still the Mariana Trench as compared to most Hollywood so-called romantic comedies.
I must admit, I watched this for Song Il-Gook and I didn't regret it. I've seen it three times already whenever I need a good laugh or when I'm depressed and it always helps me. It's cute, even the third time I found myself laughing loudly at some scenes, and I probably will laugh as hard the fourth time around.
It's definitely not "Il Mare", but it's no "Valentine's Day" or whatever either. Just treat it as it is: light, romantic comedy, which is not supposed to be real or realistic, but take the viewer to another world and lighten their hearts. :-)

Citeste mai mult

First, my review will mostly seem relevant to those who've read and seen Ruro-Ken manga and anime (and so on).

Well, being quite a Kenshin fan for many years, I've been waiting for this movie since I heard they'd make it, and I'm still not sure if I'm disappointed or not. It was an OK experience (it left me with a much better mood and experience than after the OVA's, for sure!), I could see Takeru Satoh as Kenshin, although theoretically you could see he's a bit too young (the real Kenshin, even if he looks quite young, he's in his 30s - mid-30s even?) for the cahracter. There were plenty of actors of that age that could have "seemed" young.

The story is fragmented, clearly directed to fans (there are some key moments related to his costume and the creation of the Ken-tachi (:P) crew that were supposed to create emotions, much the in the same way as the scene when burnt Anakin Skywalker gets his Darth Vader mask. I was not satisfied with the contenders, nor was I satisfied by Hajime - I wanted to see more gatotsu and stuff! I would have liked to see a more connected story that would introduce Kenshin to non-otaku / fan viewers and actually tell a story not putting as much from the original manga & anime as possible and pile them up nonsensically to the public who doesn't know the stories. Except for a few, the characters seem to be thrown in much like in a relay race and Kenshin seems to run around from here and there - must be really tiring, no matter how skilled Kenshin is!!!

Except for that (and Kaoru's look - who I've seen many are complaining about, anyway!), the acting is very good, it's obvious the title characters know where they're coming from and where the character's story is going. It was rather satisfying.

About the music... Being used to the wonderful anime (I mean the series, not the OVA's) soundtracks and all, it seemed out of place. There were some of the anime tracks that I love so much I keep listening to them even now. Perhaps it would have been too much of a hustle to get the composer at least...

I am also not satisfied with the way the changed the manga and anime stories. I was expecting to see one of my favourite characters, Shinomori Aoshi. I was actually wondering if they do make a sequel, how will they include the Oniwabanshu?

It seems Watsuki Nobuhiro (Kenshin's papa :P) was pretty content with the movie, so, that's a plus!

All in all, must-watch for fans, pretty confusing for anybody unfamiliar with the original stories.

Citeste mai mult

I tried to like it, I really did, but couldn't. Normally I get the feeling of the drama later on and keep pushing on knowing that, especially with Korean dramas beginnings can drag a little bit, but in general I get a few pointers about whether or not I'll like the story.
Here, first of all, I couldn't get into the story, I couldn't believe it from the beginning.
Don't get me wrong, the acting was stellar, but the setting and the costumes were so un-authentic that I couldn't get involved in the story as to like it and to want to watch it further. It seemed like quite a high budget, but they could have afforded better costumes, not like glamorous people going to some posh Halloween party nowadays. It seemed too fake for me, too ... how to call it ... plastic (as in the material) for me to get immersed in the story.
It could be great and I've seen some people liked it, but for anybody who knows anything about history and costume history is like scratching the eyes...

Citeste mai mult