Zíza

This is exactly one of those rare things I won't even try because I'm (rightly) afraid of giving it a garbage rating! And I sure as hell don't like doing that. I won't do it, I'll be happy, I may not have anything to talk to about with a million and a half people, but I'll survive. But it's the first time I've seen a rating composed entirely of garbage. Interesting, the poor Turks ^^

A simple story about the life of a family where it's crowded and there's definitely not a moment of peace. If you like family comedies with kids, I recommend it. It's spiced up with Japanese situational and linguistic humor. It's unpretentious, doesn't offend, but I don't see any special reason why you would have to see it (unless, like me, you are/were a fan of Ryûnosuke Kamiki). I have to salute the perfect "simulation" of sex though, that was very good. Looking for the incredible story of a poor family that isn't poor?

What would you rather be? A gift shopper or a painter? Obviously you'd rather paint, but you know what... if no one is interested in your paintings, you're just wiped out and have to make a living somehow... and by chance you're good at picking out gifts, so you give that a try... well, then you meet a wealthy guy in the cafe next to the gallery who doesn't have time, he's always working, but of course you change him in a few days, because you're great at picking out gifts and you're great at painting, and that's exactly what he needs. Bullshit without Christmas spirit. A weak 2 stars.

I felt like I was in High School Musical at the beginning, then ended up just in high school. It wasn't bad. Not that I cracked the screen with laughter, no, but I wasn't bored. One good scene is when the "best friend" has a date. That one kind of amused me. Otherwise, as always Matthew was awesome, I still see Chandler in him, but it was quite fitting here. And then, after the movie, it's interesting to watch the credits for a while, enhanced by the visual aids ;-)

The idea of Japan or Tokyo in 2030 was not a happy one. Everything was futuristic and depersonalized, people felt uneasy. Although they may have had all the comforts, it wasn't enough because comfort just isn't everything. As one character said – people want to be in trouble, people want to worry. Otherwise, apparently, life has no meaning. In terms of the acting it's ok, it’s also interesting as a journey into the not-too-distant future. It's a short glimpse of a family and certainly enough to be interesting. Though slightly naive, still probably the most realistic character was Eita's sister, played by Renbutsu Misako. Interesting. It’s topical even now.

I liked the atmosphere – slow and simmering on the burner, you don’t know who’s with whom, what game anyone’s playing, there’s a bit of confusion, secrecy, and, let's face it, chaos for the viewer (which of course I didn't mind because I rather enjoyed the confusion, plus I thought it was fine, everything will come to light, there's a second and third film, it's fair that there would be a bit of confusion at this stage). It got more and more intense. Pleasantly, and the film was still headed somewhere. In fact, it was heading there pretty fast, and I was wondering what the hell was going to happen in the other instalments if it's going this fast. It was even funny, the flashbacks to the protagonists' past were good. But oh, the length. Indeed, it was getting a bit long towards the end, to the point where I wanted to fast forward a bit, maybe just 5 seconds. But I wasn't allowed to do that by the other viewer (I didn't even ask because I could see how much the other person was enjoying it). Well, it was altogether a pretty decent introduction to this hot mess. And on we go.

The second instalment was slightly worse than the first. It didn't explain much and maybe only poured in a bit more crap (if you’re not really used to watching Asian work you’ll soon get lost in the characters because they’ll all seem "the same"). Another minus is, once again, the drawn out running time; but I get it, you have to show everything. It's not as interesting as the first instalment and the plot in particular is a bit lame. Still, an absolutely essential film, with some great scenes; it’s lacking Karasawa Toshiaki (I really missed that guy), but has Toyokawa and the homeless guy with the prophecies. You might even have a good laugh at it. Oh yeah, and "bucho" finally shows up. :-)

And here we are, in the last chapter. The hero comes back on the scene (and with stule, if you ask me), confirming what I've suspected since the first episode – who Tomodachi is. We've jumped to the year 2017, killed about a third of the world's population, but we're still doing great! Sure, it started picking up speed again, and the running time pretty much killed it again, but who cares! There's a robot! A virus! Heroes! Obi-wan Kenobi! Twins played by Sano Shirō! A light serving of plot holes! A mother! The fat guy survived (which would never happen in the U.S.)! An Enka singer! Comedy! Action! Even drawn-out scenes! And an ending that wasn't as sappy as it could have been! And watch until the very end, because the movie keeps going during the credits! And I'm writing an awful lot of exclamation points! I'm glad to see so many quality actors together, because that's what made the film series successful and watchable. But I probably wouldn't recommend watching the whole film series in one sitting, you can get really fed up with it. I sure felt that way (I would never have watched the other two right after the first one myself, but I was pushed into it by my dear other half, who I hardly ever watch movies for, but this one I just had to, and right away, and in one go, come on come on).

I'm not familiar with the Korean version, and I have a feeling I won't be watching it anytime soon, but that's certainly not a bad thing. I enjoyed it, wondering what was behind it all. There was one twist I wasn't expecting, but then it all started to make sense and everything clicked where it was supposed to, and I figured it out. It's definitely an interesting crime story. It is very suspenseful; more than anything else it plays with the psychology of everyone involved, and plays it well. Back that up with solidly played characters and you have a great show. With a very interesting and captivating soundtrack. I honestly felt like this kind of background music would have been more suited to a horror movie, but all things considered, this is a horror movie as far as the survivors are concerned.

There are a lot of series about bullying because this problem is raging throughout Japan, even though it's not talked about very often – unless someone commits suicide or tries to kill their abuser. As with all such series, a new element comes into the classroom to disrupt the system of bullying that has reigned until then, and tries to fix things with willpower, diligence, or whatever. We get to see different forms of bullying in the series, which is quite interesting to watch because one of them I had no idea the kids had worked their way up to. The acting isn't bad, Yonekura is gorgeous, and for the ladies there’s the lax teacher played by Mizobata or the students (Nomura is definitely cute like that). If you want bullying, you'll get it.