A Realistic Love Story

Now this isn't really an average love story. It's more of a realistic slice of life + love story film. In life, things sometimes just doesn't go the way you want no matter how hard you try.

That's the crux of this film. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try your best. This movie is about the 5 years journey of a couple who is deeply in love.

Can their love withstand all the pressures from their own insecurities ? Will they stay together even if their love has started to fade ?

Kasumi and Suda are two of the best actors in Japan at the moment. Therefore, their chemistry are off the charts. I actually watched this movie because of Kasumi and I can say that she's still one of the best actresses around.

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The Witty Dynamic Duo!

The chemistry is fire!

This is a story regarding a brilliant but flawed lawyer and his by-the-book assistant.

Yoshio Haneoka is brilliant and has a photographic memory. However, he suffers from panic attacks whenever he is under severe pressure.

Shoko Ishida on the other hand has failed her bar exams 4 times. However, it is not because she is dumb. I will not spoil the reason as the reason itself is considered a major part of the plot.

They both now work in Ishida's father's law firm, taking on a variety of cases. The question is : can this flawed duo actually solve any of the cases that they take on? Can they overcome their own weaknesses and fears in the process?

Every episode deals with cases involving different scenarios and it's refreshing to see how the duo uses different approaches to solve the cases.

There's also a romantic angle involved but it doesn't overshadow the main story so it's really well done in that aspect.

The acting is top notch, as expected from the likes of Kasumi Arimura and Tomoya Nakamura.

Watch it, even if it's just for the lit chemistry between Kasumi and Tomoya.

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An Amazing Entertainment/Reality TV Show With an Amazing Casts

Where else are you going to be able to watch a show with so many amazing actors and actresses all in one? Look no further.

Every episode is either funny , interesting or purely entertaining. I just couldn't stop laughing at times. It's interesting to see the actors' genuine reactions to some unexpected situations.

I came for Kwon Na-ra (she's just sooo amazingly beautiful, funny and silly) and now I can't wait for more! Seeing the likes of Park Seo-Joon being so silly and funny is really a sight to behold. (Radio?? lol. Watch it and you will know what I mean).

It's really a show worth watching even if it's just for the sake of seeing popular actors and actresses interacting with one another, some whom have known each other previously whilst some whom are fans of each other but have never met. You might even end up watching their dramas (like me as I'm now a fan of Choi Sung-eun as well, lol).

This is one show that is definitely not to be missed!

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What An Amazing Mini-Series. One of the Best Jdrama of the year!

It won't be an exaggeration to call this one of the best, if not the best Jdrama of the year.

It's amazing how a 25 minutes 6 episodes short drama can have such an impact on the viewers.

This drama is based on a real-life criminal probationary System in Japan where trained volunteers are appointed as probation officers for convicts.

This drama essentially follows what I will call the adventure of one such female voluntarily probation officer, Kayo Agawa in her duties in dealing with 3 convicts who were placed on probation.

Each convict's case is dealt with separately although there are some overlap in so far as the supporting actors appearances are concerned. I have to say that each episode is so thought-provoking, touching and excellent that you will be amazed by the amazing acting from all the casts involved.

This is the first drama that I've ever watched that dealt directly with the job scope of a voluntary probation officer and it's really an eye opener on the challenges and difficulties faced by such officers. You may even wonder if some of the things showed in this drama are true and although it may seem unbelievable at times , it is actually totally true in real life. I've read articles that confirms that the depiction in this drama of the workings of such voluntary probation officers in Japan are pretty accurate.

If you are someone who wants to watch something unique and different from your everyday romance/horror/comedy drama, this one is for you.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a gem of a drama.

PS: Ishibashi Shizuka is really a scene-stealer everytime she appeared on screen. I'm really amazed by her great acting.

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A Wonderful Tale of A Mother's Love

At first glance, I had absolutely no idea what this movie is about. I started watching thinking that it was just a normal story about a young girl trying to achieve her dreams of being a pianist.

How mistaken I was. Beneath the surface lies a wonderful tale of the depth of a mother's love for her child.

To be frank it's hard to write this review without giving out spoilers because even going a bit further into the film will pretty much end up spoiling it.

To some, this may be a simple run of the mill sob story but if you actually look at the relationship of the leads, you will understand why the twist towards the end of the film is actually much more touching and memorable than a generic sob story.

I've known of Ishihara satomi's popularity but I've only really watched a single drama of hers. She's really beautiful but her acting here made me understand why she's one of the most popular actresses in Japan.

Nagano Mei is a very talented up-and-coming actress and again, you can see why she's highly regarded thanks to her good acting here.

Kurumi Inagaki who plays little Miitan will be a star actress in the future (I hope). Her acting here is absolutely top-notch for a child actress.

Prepare some tissues. Perhaps at the end of the film you may want to give your Mum a big hug.

PS: my rating of 9 for rewatch value is mainly for those scenes of Miitan and her Mum (both child and adult Miitan).

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The End of A Masterpiece Live Action Series

So, it's finally the end of a masterpiece live action series and what a fitting ending it is, going back to how it all started.

This movie is totally different from the previous ones in the sense that here, there are no fancy flowing moves, just pure killing. You won't see those fancy hiten mitsurugi Ryu moves like amakakeru cause' Kenshin just kills as fast as he can, as brutal as he can. No feelings, no sympathy, no second thoughts.

It's also about how a woman who's lost her fiancee to a brutal killer, ended up falling for the killer. Will they actually have a happy ending? If you have followed the manga, you will know the story.

Granted, there's no way they could have cramped every single bit of details in the Manga into a live action. It's just impossible and can never be done.lets be realistic.

Everything about rrk, every single movie, has been fantastic. This one is no exception. In terms of storyline, this is the best of them all. I've always felt remembrance was the best arc in rurouni kenshin. Kasumi as tomoe is really fitting, especially with the ice cold demeanor.

Issei being Issei will always have the necessary screen presence. Of course, takeru is literally the embodiment of Kenshin. I just can't think of any other actor In this role.

You will never find a better live action movie from a Japanese manga. I don't think this series of film can be surpassed. I'll rate this as number 1, with I want to eat your pancreas being 2nd.

I won't say anything else. watch it for yourself. There's a reason why both rrk movies are in the top 10 highest grossing movie in Japan this year. Lastly, damn kasumi is gorgeous here.

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Vengeance is best served cold!

Amongst all the romance, slice of life and comedy dramas, we have been served with this gem of an action cum legal drama (with a tinge of mystery added in).

First off, dramas tend to stick strictly to their main genres (e.g romance) for most of their airtime. Hence, it's fascinating how this drama managed to mesh two separate genres effortlessly without sacrificing one or the other.

This is mainly due in part to the superb script and excellent acting by all the actors.

Acting wise, Jo Bo Ah is excellent as the mysterious Cha Woo-in. This is the first time I've watched her in an action role and boy did she nailed her role to perfection. She impressed me a lot in the first few episodes of Tailed of The Nine Tailed and boy did she ramped up her acting here.

I've watched a few of An Bo-Hyun's dramas but he was mostly in supporting roles. However he clearly showed his acting chops here. It is pretty impressive how he managed to keep his actual motives a secret for quite the duration of the show.

This drama also touches on many thorny and controversial issues which has been affecting the public not only in South Korea but other countries as well i.e sexual assaults and bullying. It's good to see directors not shying away from shining the spotlight on such major issues instead of just relegating them to the side.

Another major plus point of this drama is that equal screentime and emphasis are given to both male and female villains. We have plenty of tv series which focused purely on the male villains as the main villains whilst the female villains are sidelined.

Viewers are also kept in suspense as to whether certain obviously evil characters will be able to redeem themselves. The writing on this part is superb.

All in all, I will call this a masterpiece action/legal drama. It's definitely worth your time, as it did mine.

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Such a gem of an asadora

This is my first time watching an asadora. No doubt the only reason I even considered watching a 156 episodes (albeit 15 minutes each) show is because the lead actress, Kasumi Arimura happens to be my favourite actress.

However, over the course of the show, I cant help but be impressed with the storyline and acting of the casts. You have almost every genre thrown in i.e a slice of mystery, romance, family relationships and comedy. Of course there isn't any action scenes (LOL) but It was a truly enjoyable watch.

We basically follow the journey of Mineko whose peaceful countryside life was thrown into a turmoil when her beloved father who was working in Tokyo suddenly disappeared one day. As she goes to Tokyo in search of her missing father, we basically witness all the trials and tribulations she faced in her.journey.

The show started off slow and boring at times but picked up speed the moment Mineko arrived at Tokyo.

Of course the 156 episodes may not be for everyone (and there's a 4 episodes part 2 as well) but it was totally worth my time. The supporting casts did really well and everyone played their part to perfection. Definitely worth a watch.

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A masterpiece for the Ages

This is really a masterpiece for the Ages. It's not my first japanese movie, far from it. But it's one that strongly reignited my interest in Japanese entertainment and it brought me to Minami Hamabe, one of my favourite actress.

It's hard to imagine how such young main leads, Minami Hamabe and Takumi Kitamura are able to carry a movie on such a tough subject to perfection, but they did and boy did they do it with aplomb.. Yes, terminal illness movies are plentiful. However this is so very different from the typical run in a mill terminal illness shows.

There's no heart-wrenching sorrowful sad tale, at least not until the very end. It's actually a pretty cheerful movie up until the major twist at the very end.

My favourite quote in the movie was that every meeting between people is not due to fate or coincidence, but is solely due to the choices we make. This is so very true in our everyday life. Your own choices determine the outcome of your life.

I have watched the film, the anime and read the book. All the adaptations are so well-done. However I do advice that you watch the anime after you watch this film, because it will perhaps make you feel abit better, like it did to me.

As I said, a masterpiece for the Ages.

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A Korean Gem and Masterpiece for the times

When I first watched this drama, I couldn't even finish the 1st episode because I thought it was really boring. I wasn't much of an IU fan back then.

However, somehow I decided to watch Hotel del Luna (another masterpiece from IU) and that brought me back to this drama.

It was then I started asking myself "how the heck did I almost miss this greatness of a show?".

To think a couple of years back I used to dislike IU because I thought she was too overrated and only sings those teen songs. How wrong I was. Now I'm her biggest fan. I practically went searching for all her songs , downloaded all her tv shows and films.

Going back to this drama, it's just utterly touching and amazing. It's so realistic and full of life lessons. Don't even get me started on the awesome soundtrack by Sondia.

A drama turned me from an IU doubter to a huge fan. Seriously this girl can do everything entertainment wise. Her acting is just out of this world here. You will hate her at the start, sympathize with her in the middle and love her in the end.

Having a hard time in life? Maybe you should just try telling yourself "it's no big deal, it's really not a big deal". It might do wonders at times. Watch this. You definitely won't regret it.

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An All Time Great J-Drama

I think it's the only drama I've watch more than 5 times. Yet every single time I've rewatched it, it still touches me.

The story seems really cliche i.e female lead with life threatening illness but there's just so much more to it. To see how the male lead stood by her despite having his own misgivings about her shady past just never gets old.

To me, this is really a story of tolerance, acceptance and understanding in love. It's also a story about perseverance. For example, there s a quote in the drama that even an illness can be a door to something good..How having to give up your seat to an old person is a bus is not unlucky, it's lucky because you are doing something good. That even if you forgot to bring an umbrella during a rain doesn't mean that you are unlucky, because the rain will eventually stop.

PS: Yada Akiko is such a cutie here. I actually rewatched this more than 10 years after I first watched it and I still find her and this JDrama to be one of the main reasons I'm so into JDrama.

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A Tale of Epic Proportions

This is such an epic. Starring 2 of the best actors of all time in Korea, Han Hyo Joo and Ji Jin Hee, the chemistry between the leads are just astounding.

You just got to love the pure, sincere love that the King has for Dong Yi. It's just so sweet and innocent at times. The best part is seeing how no matter what sort of rumours or lies being spread, the King's trust in Dong Yi never wavers. That's really the best part of the drama.

The supporting casts, from the deceased Queen Queen Inhyeon to Jang Ok-jung were all excellent in their roles. The scheming villains were portrayed wonderfully and the storyline is just superb.

Despite the obvious length of the drama, the gripping scenes coupled with the tension up until the very last episode managed to keep me on my seat.

A tale of love, endurance and courage for the times.

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An inspiring tale of ambition, love, family and affection

This is definitely one of the longest dramas I've watched, and my first with more than 20 episodes. However I gotta say, boy was it worth it.

The chemistry between Han Hyo Joo and Lee Seung Gi was really amazing. I've previously only heard of Lee Seung Gi but wasn't really into his works but he was really good here.

Han Hyo Joo is one of my favourite actress so naturally I'll be biased towards her. However it is undeniable that she's one of the best if not the best female Korean actress. She just carries her role so well. The range of emotions she displayed were awesome.

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest stars of the show has got to be the grandma. All the actors and actresses in this drama played the role really well, be it the protagonist or antagonist.

This show is simply one which tells the importance of perseverance, dreams and family.

This is definitely one of the best Korean drama, if not the best of all time.

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Kakegurui Masho!!

Kakegurui Masho!!

Everyone's favourite female gambler, Jabami Yumeko is back to entertainment us! This time, she will be facing off against the enigmatic Makuro Shikigami (somehow his name sounds like shinigami. Not sure if this was an intended pun).

We will also finally get to see the Student Council president, Kirari Momobami in action!

Story wise, it's pretty straightforward. Acting wise, the casts are just as good as usual. It's one of those fun live-action films which combines short moments of seriousness and plenty of sillyness. If you like to watch a cute and serious Hamabe Minami in the same movie, this is one for you.

Hamabe Minami = Jabami Yumeko. I just can't imagine anyone else playing her role. Of course, let's not forget Aoi Morikawa, Mahiro Takasugi and Ikeda Elaiza are really good in their roles too.

If you are a fan of Kakegurui, it's a must-watch. Definitely one of the best live-action adaptation of a manga.

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