Reviews

Tonally messy but otherwise great

While the main body of its story is at tonal odds with its framing device, Junya Satō's Yamato is an impressively made, often brutal exploration into the lives of those aboard Japan's most iconic warship during her final days at sea. Yamato oddly decides to use the Titanic and Saving Private Ryan storytelling formula, which is where this tonal contradiction stems from, it's at heart an anti-war film but the framing device dangerously treads the line of propaganda mode (the song at the end almost tipped it over the edge). However, Yamato manages to sail on unopposed, opening up discussion and criticism of such reckless leadership that led to such an abhorrent waste of life, a suicidal last defence. Satō's clean direction helps to highlight the outstanding production design, most of the budget having been spent on painstakingly recreating part of the titular ship on a 1:1 scale, the two complement each other exceptionally well. Joe Hisaishi's music isn't as memorable as some of his other efforts, it often feels like he's emulating a Hans Zimmer score, but it's an effective soundtrack nonetheless. Backed by great performances and a stunningly realised final battle, Yamato strategically uses the ruptures of trauma in an attempt to erase any inconsistencies, all the while reassuring its shocked audiences with a familiar, if conventional, film style.

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When the dawn breaks, i'll be the first to see you

This movie was a pleasant surprise. I knew nothing about it, but I loved the simple and fresh story of two young people who help each other overcome their fears. The film had a compelling narrative, exceptional cinematography, and music.

It is a youth movie about Akane, a girl who hides her feelings with a fake smile, and Seiji, a carefree boy who is kind, firm, and loves drawing the sky. They become close when Seiji helps Akane with their school festival and learns her secret.

The final part reveals why Seiji liked Akane, and it was beautiful. I also loved how the movie showed the beauty of colors and the sky, like a moment of youth.

Even though this story is common, it is still enjoyable and warm.

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When God returned the time to those people who were always one step behind

I haven’t seen the original, but I know that the Japanese version has the genders reversed. It is a story about two people who have very different rhythms of life. Hajime is always one step ahead, while Reika is always one second behind. This alone will affect their destiny in this movie. The quirky and comedic setting is quite interesting, and the fantasy element is not too exaggerated, but it can be a bit confusing. The first half of the story is somewhat dull, but it becomes more enjoyable, engaging, and well-paced when the point of view switches to the female lead. As someone who hasn’t seen the original, I found this movie interesting and refreshing.

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All style

Gakuryû Ishii's Shuffle is mostly just a short exercise in style if nothing else. Often extremely hectic and practically headache-inducing, it lacks any form of narrative or characterisation, Shuffle instead concentrates on two intercutting and unfocused subplots that ultimately amount to very little. Adapted from the legendary Katsuhiro Otomo's short manga, Run, although Ishii never actually asked for permission until after the film had been shot, go figure. Granted, the exhaustingly long chase through the Japanese streets which make up the majority of the film is shot in wild, semi-abstract patterns so that you're never quite sure what you're seeing and backed by a repetitive if memorable industrial synth score. You can certainly feel the influence Ishii's punk stylings would have on more modern Japanese cinema but I just wish there was a bit more meat on Shuffle's bones to really make me fall in love with its underground grim.

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A paradoxical relationship

A painfully slow yet exceptionally captivating tale of a man who chooses to devote his life to evil and the madness that follows, The Sword of Doom is more often than not defined by its meticulously precise construction. Serving as the first part of an unfinished trilogy adapting the famously incomplete Great Bodhisattva Pass, The Sword of Doom was thrust upon Kihachi Okamoto by Toho, due to them being dissatisfied with his previous film. Here, Okamoto not only delivers a grand, sweeping epic crammed with beautiful shots and exceptional staging but also marks it out as an expression of rage, conditioning and stylish tension. Although I found the pacing glacially slow in comparison to his other works, it's Tatsuya Nakadai's stunning performance that incarnates perfectly the paradox at the heart of his character which makes for such engaging viewing that it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me. Clean yet brutal, The Sword of Doom makes for a remarkably vicious gesture of destructive essence, with unmistakable visual beauty inseparable from horror.

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A Toho take on the Nikkatsu crime drama

The Last Gunfight benefits from being helmed by the immensely talented Kihachi Okamoto and his odd sense of humour. From Toshirō Mifune's fast-talking, no-nonsense, bitch slapping detective to mariachi-looking yakuza killers who sing at gentlemen's clubs in their off time, the film has an ample sense of style complete with a heavy jazz-infused score by Masaru Satō. While the film certainly has issues with its pacing and otherwise predictable story; the use of old film noir sensibilities, lovely use of colour and dynamic quick-cut action that marries with the more heavy cross-cutting editing, ultimately means that The Last Gunfight will more than satisfy many Okamoto fans looking for something a little bit different and a hell of lot more camp.

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It's more than art, it's life itself!

If you're worried that it's gonna be a boring art movie, then I'm here to share that it's not.

It's more than art. This movie reflects life itself. There are lots of life lessons that we can draw from this movie.

It's beautiful, inspiring and touching.

It's also very therapeutic to watch the lines being drawn and healing to feel through the emotions the ML go through.
In fact, the ending is so satisfying, especially the last scene when we get to see the ML draw his strokes!

Overall, it's a very well-hidden Jap Gem that needs more exposure!

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Musical without the music

I fell in love with Lee Bong Geun's voice when watching Six Flying Dragons (which I recommend, BTW), and started researching him. When I found out that he was cast in a movie about a travelling singer, I HAD TO watch it!
How huge my disappointment was when this fascinating, unique traditional singing was covered up with generic "film music" of the type you can hear in cheap productions from around the world. Why would you do that? If I watch a movie about traditional music, I want to hear traditional music, not some stock musac.
The travelling singer is performing in front of the crowds? You can barely hear his voice from beneath a western style orchestra playing a romantic tune. A girl is about to sing a song for a granny? No way, you cannot listen to that song a'cappella, they need to play some cringy strings as an accompaniment.
You hate traditional music so you make a movie about traditional music? That's just plain stupid. Playing background music while the character is singing is in itself quite weird, if you ask me. In case of a movie that was supposed to showcase that very singing, it's absurd.
I was let down and irritated. As I wanted to watch this movie because of music, I dropped it in the middle.

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found it on asiancrush live tv

had nothing to watch, this was on live tv so I just let it play while I was working.

it's a classic romcom. he is rich and knows about stuff, she is an employe at his company and needs his help. then it becomes a will they wont they situation. at first they don't really like each other but there is something that draws them toward each other.

it was okay. it's super weird when it is both in English and Korean. he apparently understands fluent korean, but he only speaks in English? Who would do that in real life? and she understands fluent English but only speaks in Korean? so weird. But it's a movie so I will accept it.

If you are looking for a simple romcom with a cute story about office romance then this is a totally fine movie to choose. There are several fun moments, and the chemistry is good as well.

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Powerfully Jang Okju

Ballerina is a film that tells about Jang Okju, who is a bodyguard with an incredible history in martial arts, swords and even rides a motorcycle. She's wonderful. Then her friend, who is a dancer, hires her to carry out revenge on Choi Pro.

Choi Pro stars Kim Jihoon, and what about him as a villain? This is a perfect role for him. Cunning, perceptive and evil. A sexual predator. He lures his new victim to a hotel, but he doesn't expect her to be someone like Okju.
The action scene is incredible. Full of electrifying movement, blood and eloquence. We get to see how brilliant Okju is in his work.

Choi Pro wants revenge on Okju too. Men think they are the center of the universe, so he thinks he is right to take revenge on someone after what he did. While Okju is hiding until he can gather his strength to fight Choi Pro again.
Is she right to do all this? No. But here in this profile we always side with women.

The ending was worthy of a Targaryen.

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It's such a beautiful film that it deserves better copy and better credits, but let's at least be happy with what's available. For me, the experience of the film was supported to the greatest extent by the music (it's that special atmosphere), which stopped only for a moment. In the second half of the film, I shed a tear here and there, sometimes because of the "special atmosphere", sometimes because of the story. The film is completely Japanese, exactly according to their requirements (according to Japanese women, beautiful bishonen youths and manga characters) and perception, and will probably always remain behind in the evaluation, because Western viewers also evaluate it according to their one-sided "standards", binding themselves and not with the story and acting bulls to understand. The story is deep and visceral, the acting is convincing and exactly as the Japanese require in this kind of production, the music is absolutely dominant, I already wrote about it, and the processing is tasteful (especially the nude scenes). I will come back to you sometime, dear picture, even for the third time ....


Je to tak krásný film, že by zasloužil lepší kopii i lepší titulky, ale buďme rádi alespoň za to, co je k dispozici. U mě podpořila největší měrou zážitek z filmu hudba (to je ta zvláštní atmosféra), která se zastavila vždy jen na chvilku. Ve druhé půli filmu mi i sem tam ukápla slzička, jednou z té "zvláštní atmosféřy", jindy kvůli příběhu. Snímek naprosto japonský, přesně dle jejich požadavků (dle Japonek krásní bishonen mladíci a mangovské postavičky) a vnímání a zůstane asi vždy v hodnocení pozadu, neboť jej hodnotí i západní diváci dle svých jednostranných "norem", zavazejíc sami sobě a nejsou s to příběh a herecké býkony pochopit. Příběh je hluboký a niterný, herectví přesvědčivé a přesně tak, jak Japonci v tomto druhu produkce vyžadují, hudba je naprosto dominantní, o té už jsem psal a zpracování vkusné (především nahé scény). Vrátím se někdy za tebou, milý snímku, i potřetí ....

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The above-average Korean short caught my attention. I would rather choose a subject from a different barrel (e.g. a poet and a reader), because even if, for example, equality of men who like men with the majority will be achieved one day, education will always be viewed differently, even in countries where there is an LGBTQ+ community recognized (love relationships between teachers and students), be they hetero or other relationships. Despite some enthusiastic reactions on the net, this time I agree with ŠK that I also missed more depth there, the actors symposia, especially the shapely Jae Hyun, but only a little repressed.

Nadprůměrný korejský kraťas mě zaujal. Námět bych spíše volil z jiného soudku (např. básník a čtenář), neboť i když třeba jednou bude dosaženo rovnosti mužů co mají rádi muže s majoritou, tak na školství se bude vždy pohlížet jinak, a to i v zemích, kde je LGBTQ+ komunita uznávána (milostné vztahy mezi vyučujícími a žáky), ať už to budou vztahy hetero či jiné. Přes některé nadšené reakce na netu se tentokráte shodnu s ŠK, že i mě tam chyběla větší hloubka, herci sympoši, především urostlý Jae Hyun, ale jen tak trochu odříkané.

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Average Movie that Could've Been Better, Overall good romance

This felt like an average romance movie, I did like the romance initally but felt that the main lead was annoying, Kawano was always so open and vulnerable and it bothered me that Itsuki was in a pity party, it didn't make sense to me because he had been disabled for 6 years at this point, but still held on to feeling like he couldn't be loved, which is the main problem that the couple face, so it was frustrating to watch. Even the surgery felt random to me and pathetic because Itsuki should've said this to her earlier and to her face, not through a note. I'm glad they both are together in the end but it was annoying to get through.

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Its all a series of break-ups and make-ups

It's said that very many romantic dramas have a start, a middle and a 3rd act break up followed by the happy ever after. If you want to know what a third act breakup looks like, its all this movie.

Xie Yan, enamored with Shu Nian, showers him with attention, while Shu Nian, wary of a heartbreak, attempts to maintain a cautious distance. The film navigates through a series of break-ups and make-ups, evolving into what even the characters themselves acknowledge as a game. The plot cleverly explores the intricacies of their love, presenting a roller coaster of emotions.

What continues from the 1st movie is the strong chemistry between the two main characters. Shu Nian is in love with Xie Yan irrespective of the number of times he breaks his heart while Xie Yan remains helpless to convince Nian about his true feelings. Our two main leads have portrayed these emotions brilliantly through their stellar performances. However, where this movie falters is the lack of character depth. Shu Nian and Xie Yan appear to be one dimensional wherein one is always distressed anticipating the relationship to fall apart at every step while the other struggles to keep it going without clear communication with his love ineterst. This makes the movie predictable as we already know how the characters will react to a given situation. There is a lack of character development deeply hampering a deeper connection with the leads.

This movie however does a great job of taking us on a roller coaster ride of emotions. There are multiple moments where we see the characters sharing their love for each other only for the next moment to dampen their relationships. Other than Shu Nian, every other character seems to be interested in jeapodizing their relationship including Xie Yan.

In conclusion, if you've invested in the characters from the first part, this sequel is a necessary watch to witness the resolution of their turbulent love story. The commendable performances elevate the experience, even within the confines of a somewhat foreseeable narrative.

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