Zíza

I liked that this version has more realness to it, the relationships between the characters are real, plastic, and even rather complex. It’s not just the old dumb girl who's stalking a hot smartass who won't even look at her and is just mean to her. Here we've got a girl who's tough but has self-respect. We've got a boy who might take the piss out of the girl, but he really likes her and can show it. It was flawless until about two-thirds of the way through, and then it started to drag a bit too much, so I have to lower the rating and I can't give it a full five stars. There was also a bit too much drama towards the end. Especially in the last three parts (falling off the bike, grand gestures). But otherwise it's the best version of Itazura na Kiss ever made. And that's mostly because of the relationships, not just between the leads, but between everyone. Everybody behaved a certain way to everyone else, it wasn't black and white or macho. I can definitely recommend it and I’m looking forward to the second season.

I really wanted a comedy; this just wasn't anything of the kind. It's not even really a romance. It's something set in the work environment, and it happens to be set in Japan. That's why the moron Abby can't just be forgiven. :-D No, I wasn't really interested. I just got a craving for ramen, and where am I supposed to satisfy it? And it's got a weird ending. For me, anyway. A little bit Japanese and a lot too – ruinously – American. Otherwise, I can recommend it to anyone who knows nothing about Japan. For the rest of us, I'd be more likely to recommend Lost in Translation (if you want to go to Japan with the Yanks ^^).

An almost too adult-minded main character, but that didn't detract from it at all, quite the contrary. Because this normal guy is followed by a normal girl, so it all comes across as very normal. Even all the problems are very real, they just have very unrealistic manifestations. To put it better: it's a very good anime with an episodic story and intelligent characters who act, really, truly, like people. I enjoyed the main character immensely and he was one of the most human characters in anime in the past few years. He was also humanized by the fact that he got along great with all the ladies and acted straight. I resisted watching it a bit because the poster features a lady in a bunny outfit, but (perhaps disappointingly for some) that's not what it's about, in fact it's not even a harem movie, even though there are so many ladies. It's just a terribly good story from the magical Kamakura. Funny, sweet, honest. It's impossible not to root for all the characters.

Three? Actually, four views on the same thing. And they're all true. Deshō? What really happened? I'd say the important thing is a probe into the human soul, a desire to believe in humanity, but who knows. Maybe I just misinterpreted. But that certainly doesn't detract from the black and white beauty of the film. Plus, Toshiro Mifune was great. I think he's a likable guy, whoever he plays. How does that guy do it?

Well that was some drama! Nope, I didn't feel for either of them. I just couldn't get into it. I mean, they were laughable. A loser finds another loser, they suffer because of bullshit, and society is bad and life is cruel? LOL. I guess I'll be the only critic of this cold emotional blackmail written by twenty-somethings with no childhood life experience. For however hard the writers tried to be realistic, reality slipped through their fingers. Some may find me callous for condemning and mocking the suffering of the poor people in this series, but... this love polygon, where it ends with the death of one of the people involved and the ending is cut like an American romance, has turned me off for a while from other "serious" Japanese series that feature human tragedy. The characters are so stupid they should be taken out and shot. Well, except for Takeru, he's the only one who sort of pulled it off (but I guess he was pretty deep in the red if no one was going to his bar except the main characters and their extras, eh?). I just didn't like it, and I don't even feel like recommending this piece of crap to anyone. You know, half of their problems could have been handled by the police, am I right? And the hospital won't notice that it's domestic violence because it looks exactly the same as if you hit yourself on the corner of a table, right? Got a psychological problem? Go see a specialist (thankfully Ruka figured that one out). Just remember that your friends will eventually understand and love you to the very end because... ah, who gives a fuck. I walked a dinosaur.

A very enjoyable romantic series with a tasteful comedic interlude here and there. It was perfect until about the 5th episode, then my enthusiasm dropped a bit, but it was still the best I've seen in a while. I was enjoying it, laughing along with them, and when there was a problem, a tense scene that usually ended the episode, I felt tense as well. :-D Good thing it's all out now. The main couple was good, they were funny, the problems were not solved by teenagers, but by adults, and the world was immediately more beautiful. In addition to the main couple we have three or four other couples. They're not as cool, but they still enhance the show more than anything else. I liked Haruki's directness and that he went after what he wanted. The Japanese don't do that that often. I just loved the story, the acting, and the humor. I even shed a tear. Only the ending was a bit too much for my taste (it almost seemed too American to me – I don't mean whether it ended well or badly, but the way it was executed). And that brings me to another big plus, and that is the OST, which was done by the band Wham! I dare say the Japanese couldn't have come up with anything better. Their music beautifully illustrates the whole atmosphere, plus the ending is terribly catchy, so I played it every time and sang along. :-D If you're looking for a more mature romance, you'll find it here. A better 4 stars.

Holding your attention for two whole hours is an almost a superhuman feat, even though it's an interesting film. Takeru is great, surprisingly Haruka really knows how to run, and you definitely have a problem if your conscience is a plesiosaur. For my tastes, this film was a bit too "quiet". At least it felt that way to me; I felt like the music didn't start playing until halfway through the movie. Basically, the whole movie kind of goes on in a lull, and it even ends that way. It's not bad, but it's definitely not to everyone's taste; its handling is too civilized for the subject matter, and in the end it simply lacks logic – the film ended and I felt like there was something missing (=explanation, by which I don't mean the technology of transferring consciousness), despite the running time. From the trailer it looked like something more vivid; in the end its the viewer who ends up unconscious.

I get what the creators were going for, I accepted it, I had fun, I said goodbye. Unfortunately, they didn't get it exactly right, but still... RD is a show I never got bored with and I didn't even get bored with these 3 episodes, although they had a few deaf spots and in my opinion weren't just for fun. Kind of a funeral send-off XoD They're older, but their characters are still the same. And that's important to me.

The bad thing is that I still haven't discovered if the creators were serious about all the quirks and understatements or if it was just the recession. Unfortunately, I can't give it a better rating because of this vague feeling. In the end, though, it's kind of that classic series where you have some of these characters who want to do good, help others, be good, but pretend they're not really good, even though they're awfully good... If you want something where you don't have to think and you like Ishihara, don't shy away from this because you'll like it. Or rather, it will suit your requirements. A series with no surprises, no top-notch acting, but for a relaxing experience I have no problem recommending it. A better 2 stars.

I was intrigued by the anime, it flowed nicely, whereas the live-action movie dragged like crazy and failed to engage me enough to keep my attention. About half an hour before the end, I was praying for it to be over because I was absolutely not enjoying it. It was a good idea that apparently failed because of a bad script. That's also why it's hard to tell if the actors and actresses were well chosen, because they just probably didn't get many opportunities to play anything properly. Their performance was indeed mediocre. It's a shame, I was looking forward to it; but in the end it was just a bit of a "nah". Despite the unsatisfying ending, I think the anime is better because it has momentum and chemistry.