If you're looking for a high-powered, adventure packed, human drama... then this is not the show for you. Yasashii Jikan is a very gentle, soft, emotional drama about estrangement, regrets, time, and healing. It is incredibly beautiful, captivating, and warm. I really did feel time slip away from me in a gentle fashion while watching, though not in the same way as I do when watching other things. Its a look at life, in all its complexities, as well as human emotions and memory. The story is beautiful, the cast was wonderfully chosen, and the two leads were especially captivating. The story was wonderfully timed, and the entire series was packed full with thematic elements that just beg to be analyzed.

But once again, if you are NOT looking for something very subtle, gentle, and slow, this show will be a huge disappointment. I personally found it to be a ready break from the rush of my daily life and the other shows I have watched, and I thought it was a masterpiece. This being said, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who would not enjoy such a quiet and gentle drama.

Leia Mais

This short drama is probably best described as a mini-series, following the choices of a cop, a serial killer, and a truth-hunting young reporter. The story is hardly simple--it involves multiple crimes, complicated politics, and mental illnesses, as well as a haunting question about what on earth happened twenty years earlier which spiraled into the current case.

The actors were well chosen, and the characters they presented were concrete and coherent. The music in this drama was spectacular--from chilling to dramatic to sweet. The director and editors did a good job at compiling a lot of information and a really dense script into something which could be understood and followed without a huge amount of technical knowledge or several rewatches.

While I personally don't think this show has great rewatch value, I did enjoy it immensely. If you like straight up suspenseful and dramatic mysteries, this is a great, short drama for you. However, I would like to warn you that this story may challenge your feelings of justice, tamper with your heartstrings, and will probably feel a little hard to start. However, I would heartily recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

Leia Mais

This show was an interesting and cute watch. While it is episodic, the viewers feel compelled to keep watching because of a single background mystery which is counting down to the show's climax. The characters are amusing and one could easily say the series mostly is putting a set of foils into different situations and seeing what occurs between the characters.

The main con that I had with this show is that occassionally it just fell flat. The acting, the script, or the pacing tended to be at fault--and I usually blame the pacing. Because the show's running time is short and the series is episodic, I always felt as though things did not get to develop "naturally", and it bothered me.

That aside, I still give this show an overall rating of 7, because the overarching plot and characters were interesting.

Leia Mais

The story was incredibly well put together in a very short amount of time. The cast and crew developed the characters very well, and in such a manner that the viewer comes to care for them. The story mixes suspense, drama, a touch of humor, and a huge dose of family together to make a truly riveting and enjoyable story. I wish that it had been longer, and I have to admit, I wish that the story would have shown some things after the ending given. A few things were kept hazy in the story, which could be considered a plus or a minus depending on whether you like all your loose ends tied (I considered it a plus is most cases). This TV movie won some awards from what I understand, and I can fully see why it did. If you enjoy good acting, good stories, and looks at dysfunctional situations, you will most likely enjoy this film.

Leia Mais

This film is a beautiful piece, but I certainly would want to add caveats before suggesting it to most people.

This film is very quiet, rather slow paced, and very thoughtful in atmosphere. I cannot claim to have been riveted by it, however impressed I was. I find the idea of calling it a "mystery" to be a bit farfetched, because, while there is some mystery, it is more a psychological film about grief than anything else. The story is told through many seemingly disjointed scenes which jump between past and present, across space, and between the five main characters without much rhyme or reason. This scattered effect is very similar to the experience many people would have when in the grips of grief, so in the film it makes a great deal of sense.

The film is very atmospheric. There is minimal distraction from the sensation of it being "everyday" and "every person". There is no background music distracting you, minimal unnecessary noise, few panning shots. The film seeks to put you into a somewhat surreal setting by mimicking real life very closely. The silence, the the things kept in shots and kept out, and minimal close-ups manage to maintain that illusion very well.

I think that it also helps the viewer to appreciate the film when they know a little bit about the situation which it is hinting towards--which was the 1995 terrorist attacks in Matsumoto and the Tokyo subways using sarin gas which was perpetrated by a Japanese doomsday cult called Aum Shinrikyo. For the families who lost their loved ones, there is some closure--but many people lost loved ones to the cult itself and were denied that closure. The film starts off by drawing attention to this--there was a memorial for the victims mentioned, but none for the perpetrators who were killed by the cult. This is an important thing to remember when viewing this film.

The acting, direction, and story were all excellent. I, overall, really enjoyed the lack of theatrics, and thought it was very fitting. There is enough unrevealed information to keep you curious about what else will be revealed by the end, and all of the characters are rather slowly unwrapped, which keeps it interesting. This being said, if you are looking for a suspenseful, fantastical, or even a particularily straightforward movie to watch, I would not recommend it. It is neither a comedy, nor a tragedy, nor a mystery. It is, however, an artistic and thought-provoking piece. People who enjoy those will most likely enjoy this film as well.

Leia Mais

This show is a comedic, heartwarming look into both the reality of male pre-school and kindergarten teachers and the hearts of children. I generally find that if you really enjoy children, chances are you will enjoy this show, which, in many ways, has the heart of a child encased in a more grown up world, just like the main character is a man with a child's heart in a man's body.

Because of the comedic aspect to the show and its use of young children, the show has some quirky acting that reads a bit like a manga at points. The music in most of those scenes also reinforces the physical comedy which is often being used. Some viewers who are more appreciative of very subtle acting used more in dramatic works may be turned off by the way that this is done in this show. I found that the acting was tailored in such a way that seemed to be most apt for the spirit of the show, but I am also not someone who studies actors intensely. Similarly, there are times that the script seems to be somewhat cheesy, but again, it fits well into the spirit of the show.

I would definitely recommend this show to others. I thought it was delightful. It has some wonderful bit parts, a bunch of adorable children, and it deals with issues which a lot of families will actually face alongside raising young children. I give it a pretty solid nine out of ten.

Leia Mais

I feel like this show is likely to be a hit-or-miss show for most people. Its one of those unconventional "pure love" stories about a pair of high school sweethearts who are faced with an impossible set of circumstances.

For me, the story was precious. Completely and utterly adorable. I loved it. I laughed so much, and had some tears, and yelled at the characters sometimes--signs of a wonderfully balanced drama for me. I watched this entire show within two days. I thought that the two leads were both precious, their families were well cast, and our villainous female was just obviously manipulative enough you disliked her early on, but not so much you completely discounted her feelings as they were unraveled. Everything was kept at a relatively believable (as much as it could be, I suppose) level for two people put into this situation, and the characters developed nicely as the story continued.

Now, I will specify right now, that the special effects are not amazing. If you are a stickler for awesome quality, then the green screen merging will probably drive you nuts. I think they did very well considering the sort of budget a television show would have to do it--it would be one which would be great to see remade even now, nearly ten years later, just to see how much better the ability to merge the two "worlds" on that sort of budget would be. Furthermore, I did find the music amazingly unremarkable. It was complete unmemorable. Fortunately, the show was memorable enough on its own.

Finally, I foresee that a lot of people will have conflicting feelings on how the show ends. I personally thought that it was a somewhat apt solution all things considering, but I did wish that it had been different. But I found it to be beautiful ending, even if it wasn't the fairytale end I was expecting.

So, with those things in mind, I would recommend this drama to anyone who wants a relatively light, cute, romantic comedy, and who will get lost enough in the characters and plot to be able to forgive the shows weak points.

Leia Mais

I confess, this is my favorite of the Ju-on films. In general, I found the plot most cohesive and comprehensible in the Black/White films, and I found this plot the most interesting. It is the only one of the Grudge films which has actually caused me to jump.

This film is pretty dark, but that should be expected from a film of this genre. What some viewers may not be used to is the lack of chronology in the story telling. If you don't do a good job with keeping the sequence of events straight, and especially if you can't keep the names straight, this film is going to be very frustrating to watch. It jumps between character stories and time periods rapidly for effect.

By in large, when it comes to themes this Ju-on takes the cake, in my opinion. Sexually abused children, family massacre-suicides, psychological disorders, family secrets, and of course, revenge, are all locked up in this rather short film.

I would definitely be willing to watch this one again, preferably with a large group of friends who had never seen it before in the pitch black. This being said, there is a chance that many viewers will find this film confusing or unnecessarily roundabout. If you enjoyed the other Ju-on films, I would at least suggest giving this one a try.

Leia Mais

I watched this film immediately after watching the Prequel, and was surprised by how different the vibe was. While I had enjoyed the first film, I feel it lacks the heart that this film has. Not just because the characters have grown up in this film and are experiencing adulthood (and the actors, I believe, have become much more experienced :)), but because the simple scope of this movie is that of an entire community and what it means to be a part of it. The ending of this film was amazing, and I think that it is one I will want to rewatch. It transcended the humor to be about a lot of people, and I think that's what I enjoyed the most. :) I would recommend it, especially if you enjoy Arashi!

Leia Mais

This drama surprised me in that I was expecting to find it a lot more... hopeless? The story is beautiful, and has an outstanding ending. While I was a little bit worried at the beginning (I am a Christian and some of the religious themes in the beginning got a few worries from me), I found myself utterly drawn in. While I wouldn't say the actual plot was "human", the characters most definitely were.

I really loved the actors they chose for this drama. Both of the leads were astounding, and had an amazing gift with subtle facial expressions. They both owned their roles.

This story questions the true meanings of justice and truth, as well as exploring redemption and atonement. It was beautifully filmed, beautifully acted, and well put together.

Leia Mais

This show is an amusing, brilliant parody of all things detective. It picks holes into the classic cliches and tropes of the mystery genre while creating witty dialogue with a very original outlook from the point of view of literary characters who have lives external to the books they are portrayed in. Each member has a role to fill, and even when they don't like how their role is going, they must attend to it properly or risk being written out.

This program destroys the fourth wall completely. There's a "backstage" room for the characters to meet in externally to the story, there's comments about ratings and audience approval, and their are unexplained or seemingly random changes which mimic the flaws of a poorly-conceived mystery which all mystery lovers love to hate.

I have to confess I wasn't wild about this show until I had seen several episodes. Its humor, while so obviously satiric, was not really what I had been expecting. After I lost all of my expectations for brilliant mystery, I found myself wrapped up in the comedy, satire, and witty "outside the box" thinking which went into it. The episodes were cute, the music fairly decent, and the cast had the energy and mannerisms necessary to making their roles work. It generally seems to be a show that people had a lot of fun making, and because of that, viewers can have a lot of fun watching.

If you aren't a fan of the mystery genre, a lot of this humor will fall flat. If you are, then the humor may irk you as being insulting to a genre you love. However, if you can just watch this show without trying to take it seriously, it becomes a real gem.

Leia Mais

This show is so heartwarming, and I am not just saying this as an animal lover. It shows very much how different living creatures all entwine their lives, man and beast alike, and how much of an effect it has on us. The actors were excellent and the storyline beautifully put together. I liked how everything tied up but not really at the end, as it felt like the ending to a day as opposed to a "drama."

I will say that this can be a bit heavy for an "everyday" kind of watch, and I needed to be in the mood to sit down and get involved in something to watch it. It has a lot of really fascinating technical aspects to the veterinary work, as well as a lot of political overtones. While I do think that some of the political agenda in it could be tempered a little bit with comments about how best to care for both man and beast, I certainly did not disagree with them. It gives a lot to think about it, a lot of cute furry critters, and a lot of fun moments between the three leads. I would definitely recommend this show.

Leia Mais

I thought this entire special was possibly one of the cutest larks ever. Its incredibly silly, and I think that only truly silly personalities would really appreciate it. There's no point, no major climax, no character development--just a lot of funny moments wrapped up in the main character's unfortunate agreement to pretend to kidnap the daughter of a yakuza boss.

The background music is upbeat and matches pretty well with the general off-keel feel of the show. The acting is pretty kooky as well--especially as there is really no subtle background drama.

While I generally like programs with a bit more meat to them, this special is cute and easy to watch. There's a bit of mystery if you enjoy that, a bit of action, but mostly just a bunch of thrown out silly moments. If you are someone looking for a light watch this is a good choice. Just don't expect too much from it, sit back, and relax. This is definitely one I know I will rewatch with my family.

Leia Mais

This film was an interesting homage to a wonderful manga series.  I thought most of the components were wonderful--the casting was good, the cinematography was gorgeous, and music was lovely, and the CGI was above par for an anime film.  Al and Ed were pretty much on point the whole time, and that is incredibly important.  And, can I mention they had the perfect Hughes?  He looks so much like Hughes!!  I was so pleased!!

There was only one snag... the writing.

Or I should say, the choice of what to include and not include in the film.

Overall, they made a lot of tweaks to the storyline to fit the story into two hours.  When I saw they were making a film of FMA, I wholly expected the film to cover the bare beginning of the story--maybe through Shou Tucker and perhaps as far as Laboratory 5.  For some reason, they chose to deviate vastly from these expectations.  While the actual meat of it wasn't badly executed, the alterations to the timeline damaged the impact of the story greatly, and took away a lot of the things which makes FMA such a good story to begin with.

I, overall, would recommend this to fans who are very familiar with FMA and not bothered by the idea of the story grazing over a lot of important plot points and character development, but if you want to bring someone into FMA this would be a terrible film to show them.  Stick with the manga or the FMAB anime for that.  But for a fan just wanting to scratch a FMA itch without rewatching or rereading a MASSIVE story?  This would definitely do the trick.

Leia Mais

This show is definitely a show made for mystery lovers. What I mean by this is that if you enjoy well put together mysteries, you will probably enjoy this show very much. It is certainly episodic, but those who don't mind that will be able to easily overlook it.

This program was well cast, especially considering the ages and experiences of most of their stars at the time; I was impressed by them. The music wasn't overly amazing, but there were certainly a few themes running throughout the show which were well put together. I would consider the television show a step up from the special which aired the year before--it is significantly better put together.

This being said, I do have a few reservations about this program, the main one being that the individual characters did not get developed overly well, nor did the relationships between them feel particularly natural. A lot of the character development scenes between characters felt cheesy or ill written, lacking the dramatic "oomph" that would have made it truly compelling.

To sum it up, I give the mystery logistics a high score, the actors a medium-high one, and the character development a medium low. I definitely thought that it was worth the watch because I loved the mysteries and the characters were adorable, but I think that if you watch it you should be aware that this show is mostly just cute wrapped up with some suspense and a lot of puzzles. :)

Leia Mais