Being a big fan of Japanese baseball (as well as of the "supokon" manga genre so popular in Japan - to name but one author: Adachi Mitsuru!!!), I had really great expectations for this "Yowakutemo Katemasu" aka "Baseball Brainiacs". Unfortunately it couldn't really live up to the tremendously interesting premise (reminiscent of the "Moneyball" story, for those of you familiar with the Oakland Athletics management's "sabermetric" approach to baseball, popularized by Michael Lewis' book, adapted into a movie starring Brad Pitt): how could a weak team, made of students spending a lot more time with books than with bats and gloves, get a chance to win against all those yakyuu clubs competing twice a year to get to the Koushien (the Japanese High School Baseball Tournament, held in the eponimous stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture)?
I was expecting a lot of witty tips and so much strategy to make even your regular chess player pale in comparison, but nope, all we got instead were a bunch of "motivational speeches" filled with, let's be honest, boring bla-bla, and guess what, the obvious "practice your swing a thousand times a day"...duh!
Too bad, 'cause the cast did pretty well, and the characters were mostly interesting; the drama also had OK music and a decent production value, so it could've been much, much better, had the writer had a proper knowledge of baseball and more respect for the game and for the baseball fans among the viewers.
(it didn't help either that the original subber also showed no knowledge of baseball, constantly confusing "strikes" with "hits", *sighs* >__<)

Citeste mai mult

This "Tsuribaka Nisshi" is adapted from a tremendously successful manga, whose publication started back in 1979 (LOL it's almost as old as me, kudos for that!) and has by now reached the incredible number of 128 volumes (yep, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT! Not many mangas can get close to that!!!). Not only that; as popular as it it, it's been adapted into more than twenty movies (curious detail, Nishida played Hama-chan in the movies, and Suu-chan in the drama), into an anime and last but not least also into this drama, sporting two seasons and two SP episodes.
It's easy to understand why this story's so popular, watching this first season: the sheer humaneness of the characters, the many hilarious scenes, the overall heartwarming atmosphere and messages conveyed...what's not to like, seriously? Too bad there were a coupla not-so-well written episodes, otherwise it would've been a perfect 10.
The cast was also commendable, they were all absolutely great, a virtual standing ovation for them all!
A very nice and catchy music and a better than average production value complete the package!
p.s.
Unfortunately, the second season saw a terrible drop in quality: everything that here worked as a clockwork, there has been exaggerated to the point of embarrassment - if you pardon the culinary metaphor, it was as a chef who, upon noticing that adding a spoon of vinegar and a pinch of pepper to the sauce made it delicious, decided to add a liter of vinegar and a kg of pepper the next time; unsurprisingly, it ended up being terrible).

Citeste mai mult

I wanted to watch this "Million Joe" for a coupla reasons: on the one hand, I've been reading manga since my late 20s (I'm close to 50 now, so feel free to do the math, LOL) so I'm always interested in watching dramas that portray manga artists and the harsh reality of their job; on the other hand (and I'll be honest, this was an even stronger motive!), the lovely Imaizumi Yui (who's been my first "oshimen" when I got into idol groups) stars in it.
And man, her amazing acting talent (shown in all its glory mostly in the next to last episode where she really steals the scene!!!) make me even more outraged at the sad fact that she decided to retire from the scenes due to a paparazzi persecution (BTW, imho paparazzi share with pimps and banksters the dubious "honor" of deserving the title of "scum of the earth" - but that's another story).
Anyway Zuumin ain't the only one acting well here, the whole cast was really good, also thanks to a pretty well-written script that managed to keep the viewer's attention till the end. Add a nice production value and some equally nice music, and the result is a tremendously interesting drama that might not be absolutely perfect, but gets really close to it! Highly recommended!

Citeste mai mult

"Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo" was originally a novel, first published between 1965 and 1966, from which sprang a plethora of different adaptations: four dramas (including this one), four movies, a stage play, a manga and a world-acclaimed and überfamous animated movie, ten years older than this drama.
Now, the big problem with doing the Nth adaptation of such a famous story is that you risk either being too faithful to the original (and/or to a previous adaptation which got even more famous than the original, as it might've been the case here), thus resulting bland, unoriginal etc....or else doing just the opposite, that is, adapting it too freely, changing too much and therefore ending up enraging the fans.
That's why taking up such a challenge ain't no easy task, and I'm sorry to say that imho the screenwriter didn't do such a good job. The story manages to be more faithful to the original book than to the anime in some parts, and that's kinda nice...but then the too many new elements felt unnecessary and detrimental to the overall quality of the script. A coupla side stories showed potential, but were way too short due to the drama having only five episodes (which begs the question: why bother with side stories then?). All in all, I'd say it felt as if the author tried too hard to please the modern public's tastes (real or perceived).
The cast did well, and the "packaging" is the best aspect of the drama: great direction, editing and photography, lovely scenery, nice music.
You'll probably appreciate this more if you've never read or seen the original or one (or more) of its many adaptations, imho.

Citeste mai mult

In my reviews, I've often criticized this or that director for being "the Nth victim of the nefarious influence of the French 'nouvelle vague' and 'Cahiers du Cinéma'...", but I wouldn't want to give off the wrong idea that I have a beef with French cinematography altogether. Nothing like that. I only dislike pretentious and "artsy" stuff like "À bout de souffle", whereas I *adore* the *real* art of directors like, for example, Jacques Tati...whom I'd bet has been of inspiration to this tremendously nice "Kaito Ruby"! ^___-
The relaxed and funny atmosphere, the light romance, the splendid cinematography, the lovely music...it's a great watch, wholeheartedly recommended to all those who can appreciate such "oldies but goldies"!
The only reason why I don't give it a perfect 10 is that imho the plot is a bit too flimsy...had they gone a little deeper with that, it would've been absolutely perfect...still, it's very close! 9/10

Citeste mai mult

Amidst the plethora of high-school related dramas featuring the "inspiring teacher" trope, this "Dragon Zakura" stands out for a few reasons: first of all, that the "teacher" in question is actually not a teacher, but a lawyer (and there your "suspension of disbelief" superpowers will need to strongly assist you, 'cause the guy doesn't do anything even remotely related to a lawyer's job throughout the whole drama, LOL); secondly, because as an experienced teacher myself, I must say that some of the tips given by Sakuragi-sensei and his talented colleagues (I'm referring of course to the teachers he brings with him, not to the ones already in the school - those and the moronic principal should jump off a cliff and the cosmos wouldn't be any worse for that, quite the opposite, ehm), I was saying, some of the tips Sakuragi&Friends give are not only extremely accurate, but also denote, at least imho, that they originated from someone (I suppose, the manga author, right?) with both teaching experience and wits. And that, by itself, would deserve a 10.
Unfortunately, there are a few details I couldn't help but frown upon; I've already named a coupla (the school's "teachers" + why a *lawyer* as ML, for crying out loud?!? Pardon me, but I'm afraid I'm a true Shakespearean there - LOL some of you will get what I mean, otherwise google "Shakespeare" and "lawyers" ^__-), but there are more, for example the hairstyle of most characters (basically all but Sakuragi, Okuno and Mizuno - why all those yankee/gyaru-looking characters? Thus perpetuating the typical living oxymoron of youngsters thinking that they're being rebels while all they're actually doing is to follow the musical system's dictates - which means, establishmentarianism at its worst...), the obnoxious evil twin (who would deserve to end up like the villain in Kusturica's "Black Cat, White Cat"!!!), and most of all (don't worry, no spoilers, I promise) an ending which I actually found a bit unsatisfying.
All things considered, it's still a very solid drama. 8/10

Citeste mai mult

Hidden gem, highly recommended!

This dorama is yet another example of how many Japanese masterpieces are out there, vastly ignored by the Western audience.
Now, since it's unsubbed, I've watched this by helping my little more than basic knowledge of Japanese with self-made machine-translated subs (nothing too complicated: you just take the Japanese subs, run them through a machine-translation site, and then retime them to the RAWs by removing the commercial breaks gaps).
And I'm so happy I did, 'cause this is the very definition of "hidden gem", seriously!

A marvelous script, mixing quirky and lovable characters with hilarious comedy elements and deeply humane moments.
A great performance by the main cast (kudos to all four of them! I wanted to watch it 'cause my beloved Moririn and Sakai Wakana are in it - the former is not only such a marvelous actress, but also at the top of her beauty in this; and the latter is always a pleasure to watch, period. But both Mikami Hiroshi and Toyohara Kosuke were *absolutely* great too! Well done, guys!).
Some *fantastic* music (some of the OST reminds a lot the best Goran Bregovic tunes from Kusturica's movies!), great direction/editing/photography complete the package.
Perfect 10!

Citeste mai mult

A refreshingly light approach

The "FL with a terminal illness" trope is one that has been used (and sometimes, abused) over and over in Japanese cinematography, be it in movies or in dramas. It would therefore be quite understandable that viewers might feel a bit wary of the Nth tale featuring said trope. But if they were to shy away from this movie because of that, well, they'd make a terrible mistake, imho. This one is a fresh take on the old trope, graced by some nice writing, by a fantastic performance from both leads (Nagasaku Hiromi and Sasaki Kuranosuke), and last but not least, by a light approach on this tough topic which gives it a somehow original flavor.

Citeste mai mult

Great mystery part, a bit lacking action-wise and in the comedy

A bit weaker than the first movie, this "Detective Chinatown 2" is imho extremely good in the mystery part, where it manages to be interesting and quite gripping, while it lacks a little action-wise, particularly if compared to the previous movie (I suppose that setting it in New York City didn't help with that - I hope the Tokyo setting will provide better action opportunities in the third chapter!). The comedy is also definitely not as effective as it was in the original movie: Tang Ren's character is often way over the top and sometimes even borderline annoying; also the supporting characters left me with mixed feelings, a few of them are a nice touch (like the cute hacker), but most of the others are little more than extras and don't add much at all.

Citeste mai mult

Weak script...

Sooner or later it was bound to happen: here's the first C-drama that left me with a "meh" impression...^_^;
Okay, this was my first "wuxia" and I have to confess it didn't leave me wanting for more of that genre.
But let's start with the good points: I decided to watch it because I had been very favorably impressed by Dai Lu Wa in "When We Were Young", and I can't say that she let me down in this drama, despite her character not being particularly well written (I loved her in the final episode though, LOL! That's how villains should be treated, in my book! ^___-). As far as I'm concerned, though, Jean Kao really stole the scene here (wow, seriously! Gorgeus!). As for the actors, I particularly liked Li Bin, Wei Yi Bo and Zhang Yu Jian. I really loved the costumes and the scenography, as well as the photography; the music too was quite nice.
And now to the drawbacks.
The drama itself could be roughly divided into three chunks: the first one was the most interesting and best done; it got a little confusing in the middle part, which was anyway still enjoyable; the problem is that the last third was barely watchable, with a weak plot, ridiculous villains and generally an inconsistent script which tried to put too much stuff together and failed miserably.
I also found part of the cast way below par (particularly Zhu Jia Zhen, he had me climbing the walls every time he was on screen - as I always say in these cases, "compared to him, even Dick Dastardly from 'Wacky Races' was a realistic, sober and credible villain"!).
Last but not least, I must confess probably not being a big fan of the genre; I suppose it's somehow a cultural limit of mine: just as I'll never understand America's passion for their spandex-clad superheroes - nor Japan's penchant for their "tokusatsu"! >__< - I'll probably never fully get those combats with people flying; as an Italian, if I really have to see actors pretending to fight, I'd choose a "Bud Spencer & Terence Hill" kind of flick any day of the week ^__^; (oh, BTW...Zhang Yu Jian's character actually reminded me a bit of one of those funny types always portrayed by Terence Hill!).
Regardless of personal preferences, though, I still think this show could've been much more enjoyable with a more solid and coherent script; as is, I can't give this anything more than a "7", sorry.

Citeste mai mult

MASTERPIECE!

I must confess I've never written a review for a drama which already had 49 (FORTY-NINE!) reviews...it's kinda intimidating...^_^;;;
Not to mention, you might ask why anybody would want to add just another review...as if there were anything new to say that hasn't been previously discussed, right?
Well, I'm sure that there's nothing new I could actually add to all that the C-dramophiles here have already written, therefore I've decided to write a review targeted at my fellow J-dramophiles, the ones who - like I used to do until last year, before "discovering" C-dramas! - only watch Japanese productions.
Folks, whatever your excuse is for never having tried watching a Chinese production until now, take that excuse, stick it into a deep drawer and forget about it! And don't do it because I'm telling you, no, do it for yourselves! Believe me, you don't want to miss out on gems like this drama! This is a complete masterpiece (yep, you got it: M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E!!!), splendidly written, acted (honorable mentions for Wan Peng, Neo Hou and Dai Lu Wa!), directed, filmed...everything in this production is absolutely *top-notch* (starting with the beautiful opening credits accompanied by that lovely song!) and it'd be such a pity to deprive yourself of the pleasure of watching this only 'cause it doesn't come with a Japanese flag on it, see? ^___-
So, what are you waiting for? Go watch this right now!
I'm pretty sure you'll thank me later! ^___-

Citeste mai mult

A streetcar named...Hope.

In these chaotic, apocalyptic times we're living in, I've often asked myself "What's the purpose? What are we supposed to do?"...and this short yet splendid SP happens to contain some really good answers.
What can humanity do in its darkest hour, when everything seems lost?
We can find hope, it's as simple as that.
And hope can come from all sorts of apparently insignificant (but instead oh so meaningful!) things: a small gesture of generosity from a passer-by, a simple act of selflessness...but also the kindness and compassion we can have for each other, as well as each and every one of the plenty of things we take for granted all the time - but shouldn't! (watch this SP and I'm sure next time you'll see a peach, a 5-yen coin, a cucumber, a wire...and of course, a streetcar!....well, you'll look at them a little differently, and you'll feel thankful).
What more could we ask of a short SP than to teach us such a marvelous lesson?
And while doing so, provide us with the lovely message that, whatever happens, "...NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE DESTROYED".
Great script, wonderful cast, lovely music...in one word: perfect.

Citeste mai mult

This "Shippu Rondo" is a little weird (but nonetheless enjoyable!) mix of action movie and comedy. Weren't it for some plotholes here and there and for some details that seem too unrealistic, I would have given it a higher grade.
Still, the very good cast (Abe Hiroshi and Oshima Yuko above all else), some very funny comic-relief (Abe Hiroshi on skis is as hilarious as he was in "Kekkon Dekinai Otoko"!) and some pretty sleek action scenes (the "car-chase" with the kei-van and the fantastic snowboard-chase most of all!) grant this movie a solid "7", in my book ^___^

Citeste mai mult

As a straight guy, you might guess shoujo ain't really my favorite genre. Nevertheless, I'm honest enough to admit it when something is well done, regardless of the genre! And this "Good Morning Call" is pretty well done indeed, albeit not being particularly original: there's a naive, pure-hearted-if-a-bit-spazzy heroine, a cold and horribly curt ML who (very) slowly warms to the FL, the heroine's best friend who's too good to be true (seriously, raise your hand if you've ever met someone so perfect IRL, LOL) and last but not least a few more male characters who would all be a much better choice for the FL but of course you know they'll all be friendzoned one after the other.
Still, the screenwriter managed to make this a very pleasant watch by accurately dosing and mixing all the ingredients, adding a lot of funny humor, some brilliant ideas here and there, and some endearing minor characters.
To top it all, the acting is better than average (except for the stone-faced ML whom I found plainly terrible, sorry) and there's some very nice music.
I would've given it an even higher grade, weren't it for the fact that I think 17 episodes were a tad too much, and the last 4 or 5 felt a bit draggy, imho.

Citeste mai mult

Quality-wise, a real rollercoaster

Already halfway through this "Tamagawa Kuyakusho of the Dead", I started wondering how the heck I was gonna review it. Why? Well, because it is, quality-wise, a real rollercoaster: one moment you climb up high, the next you take a plunge into the abyss! Normally I am a dedicated advocate of comic relief (of course it depends on the genre, but let's simplify a bit for the sake of discussion), but here it is, for the most part, just idiotic (I'd say the decent part is, like, only 10% of it). On the other hand, the "serious" part of the story is where this dorama reaches its high points (take episode 6 as a perfect example of what I'm saying), but the fact that it is so constantly and obnoxiously intertwined with the aforementioned übersilly scenes just ends up stealing some of its value.
And that's a real pity, 'cause apart from that, the dorama is surprisingly better than expected. Indeed, by watching the opening credits one might expect one of those westernized dramas that I refer to as "Western TV series in disguise", but it doesn't take long to realize that, luckily, it isn't the case here; yes, the form might be a bit "westernized" sometimes, but the substance, the core, the values...oh, they're all Japanese, folks! Thus the deeply original (and so beautifully humane!) approach to the zombie genre...which, I repeat, without the too many silly scenes would've deserved this title a much higher grade.

Citeste mai mult