leahakiko
California
Story | Wataru is originally from Hagi, a small town with nothing much to offer. He moved to Tokyo to work as a photographer at a travel agency and is unwillingly sent back to Hagi on an assignment. While there he meets up with family and old friends he hasn't seen in a couple years. Being back he soon realizes that his hometown offers a lot more than just old buildings and natsu mikan. Through encounters and interactions with many, Wataru finds his true self and the true beauty of his hometown. Honestly, the story itself isn't very interesting but it being so simple and down to earth is what makes it worth a watch.
Cast | Would be lying if I said I didn't start watching this because of Matsumoto Jun. I haven't seen many of his works post-Hana Yori Dango but I very much enjoyed this laid back role. His character was immature and had tunnel vision, but as the movie went on his character development had a nice pace and flowed perfectly for this short movie. Nothing too quick or too slow and I loved it. It has also been a while since I've seen Eikura Nana in anything and though I didn't exactly love her as Natsu, her and Jun were nice to watch together. Supporting characters all had their small important parts and the actors portrayed their roles perfectly in such a short time. The choir children were adorably great too!
Music | Furusato is a nice simple song that is used throughout the entire movie and it was the perfect song for this type of movie. Not sure what it is when children sing a song with meaningful lyrics, but it puts you in the right mood. Also Arashi sang this song at the ending of the film and I do love me some Arashi.
Rewatch | Probably not. It's just a feel good movie that's nice to watch once and be done. That's also my opinion but I don't see myself coming back to this movie.
Overall | Like I said, it's a feel good movie. One that makes you think a lot about your own life when you finish. I love those types of movies. Plus, I live in a city, and these types of feelings of a hometown aren't as deep and meaningful like in the movie. So I enjoy finding gems like this. Also, the scenery director did an amazing job at showing what a beautiful town Hagi is! I believe a lot of the scenes were more powerful because of the backdrop. I fully enjoyed this movie. It's an easy movie to watch when bored or over the weekend ~
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Story | Kugayama Shusei is a popular student due to his good looks. Nishimori Aoi is an average girl who happens to live alone because of family circumstances. Turns out Shuusei lives next door to Aoi and after a chain of events caused by Aoi, the two end up living together while his apartment is under repair. Typical Shoujo cliche but who doesn't love a good romance?
Cast | I'm not sure what didn't click for me. I didn't love, like or even dislike Ayame as Aoi. It was more of a "meh" feeling. She had her moments were it worked and I liked her acting as the character, but there was just something that didn't work. Yamazaki Kento as Shuuhei wasn't exactly bad either. I actually liked him. I just don't think he and Ayame's chemistry clicked at all. I don't think the direction of the movie helped either. I loved the relationship between the mains in the manga but in this I honestly preferred Ryosuke and Moe's relationship. Since this was a movie based on a manga, it's hard to show all the important characters enough so I can't really say I liked the other supporting actors since their time on screen was so short.
Music | I love Honey L Days! I love when they make OSTs. Kimi iro deizu is a pleasant song to listen to..I unfortunately worked at a Japanese company they only played Japanese music and this song was on loop for a good while so it's not as enjoyable to me as it probably is to everyone else.
Rewatch | Probably not. I felt nothing from the main couple and it's a shame. I highly doubt I'll come back to watch any of this movie.
Overall | It's a shame. It's a great manga and I never understand why mangas that are quite lengthy are usually only turned into movies. I'm not sure if I would've preferred a drama version of this because I wasn't really feeling the cast, but there was a lot of information in this manga that wasn't used to potentially make this live action better. I get that a movie needs to fit into two-ish hours and for what it was, the movie was decent.
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Story | Sexism in life is the main theme. Several women who are in the work force deal with sexism constantly and due to certain circumstances end up working together at a restaurant started up by the main heroine. Just like the title, it is a restaurant with many problems. Exactly like women in the work force. But the restaurant becomes a safe place and a place for them to work without the prejudice and discriminations that are usually used against working women. These are real life issues that real life women (and even men) deal with daily.
Cast | At first I was kind of "meh" about the cast but as the episodes went on and the characters started to develop, I had zero issues with the actors or their acting. Everyone had great chemistry together and it worked out perfectly. Though there is quite a number of serious moments, the actors were able to also give off comedic vibes to keep the drama going and I loved those moments. Maki Yoko was a strong in this drama. She gave her character the perfect amount of courage, sympathy, anger etc. Can I just add how much I loved Yasuda Ken's character. Best. Character. Ever. Anyways, I believe every character had their own unique color and the actors were able to portray that extremely well.
Music | Instrumentals during scenes and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's OST Mondai Girl was the ending theme. I scored low only because I'm not much into that type of music. The song is ok but just not my style.
Rewatch | Not too sure. I think I'll more recommend this people than actually rewatch it myself.
Overall | It's not a bad drama. I actually think it's quite an important drama because these types of issues aren't usually the main theme of a drama. These are real life issues that happen everywhere in the work place and it's disgusting. So many double standards and the following of Confucianism in the Asian culture is a big issue that I wish was talked about more. Unfortunately, I am only disappointed with this drama because 1. it was only 10 episodes long (which is normal for Japanese dramas) and 2. because it was so short, a lot of situations that should (or I thought should have) have been focused on more were only glimpsed at and a lot of big situations in this drama were opened and instead of being closed completely, they were slightly left open leaving me not feeling content.
I can't lie though, the issues and how things were dealt with and positive things that were said, made me happy. I can genuinely say I liked this drama. It's a nice short drama that you can get through in a couple of days or a weekend. Please give it a chance!
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Story | Two middle school students, Yoshioka Fubata and Tanaka Kou shared mutual feelings. But due to circumstances, Kou ends up moving away and the two lose contact. However, a few years later he returns but as a completely different person which confuses Yoshioka. With the help of a few friends, Yoshioka struggles to try understand Kou's new self and break his hard shell.
Plot is a cliche, I admit. Typical type of Shojo manga storyline but it's a cute story about love, friendship and acceptance.
Cast | Overall I did like the cast. I believe Higashide Masahiro portrayed Kou's character nicely. Playing someone with a "dark" past but keeps it hidden from the world can be done wrongly and I have to say I loved Masahiro in this role. On the other hand, Honda Tsubasa, I have issues with. I didn't love her acting as much. Her bubbly personality seemed too forced. Some of her scenes with Kou were kind of ruined by her weird facial expressions and kind of robotic acting. That being said, her chemistry with Masahiro wasn't 100% here but it wasn't invisible either. There was a spark, but maybe because this was a movie the connection between the two couldn't go deeper.
Supporting characters, I'm honestly disappointed about. I liked those who were casted but this is a manga that had so much information you can't possibly expect everyone to have their moment. I thought the supporting characters played a big part in the story and it was unfortunate their character development in the movie wasn't a priority. (This is probably when the debate on whether this should've been a movie or drama will come into play)
Music | Instrumentals were nice. Helped set the mood for certain situations. Ending theme was cute and nice on the ears. Nothing really to rave about though.
Overall | Again, for what it was, the movie was good. They tweaked a few things and changed certain situations to fit the movie into 2 hours. And the changes I didn't have an issue with surprisingly. What they changed flowed nicely in the story. I'm glad that even with the changes, they kept the important parts of the story the same and they made sure to highlight those scenes. I can't say if this would be better as a drama or not because there is so much in this manga that I can already see things drag on, so as a movie, it's honestly more than what I was expecting. I also say good because the character developments weren't as great as I had hoped but still somewhat noticeable.
If you read the manga or watched the anime, I say give it a try when you're bored and can't find anything to watch. If you haven't, definitely add this to your list! It's a nice romance movie.
Rewatch, I'll probably come back. I really liked Masahiro so I would definitely watch this again despite my small concerns. ALSO, watch till the very end of the credits! The last scene was short but pretty darn adorable!
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Story | The whole doppelgänger scenario where something happens to one so the other fills their place. There's also love, loss, family drama etc. The whole works. Story may be a little confusing at first. It goes back and forth through time to explain situations later on. Also give you a headache from trying to guess what is actual and what is not.
Cast | From the main roles to the supporting roles, I loved everyone who was casted. I haven't watched Ji Hoon in a drama since Goong and it was weird seeing him with this serious role at first. But his acting was superb! His character change was natural and nicely paced. Him and Soo Ae were great together. I liked their chemistry but at times I felt like there was more emotion from Ji Hoon's character and it didn't match Soo Ae's as well as I'd hoped. Even so, I loved them as the leads.
Jung Hoon and In Young were simply fantastic! Their acting/chemistry together was spot on. And you know an actor has done their job when you can't fully hate or love their character.
Supporting cast was great too! Family, friends, loan sharks etc I loved. This drama has me waiting for the day when Hoya gets a lead in a drama. And just have to say, Min Woo's assistant was by far the best supporting character in that entire drama.
Music | Besides the instrumentals for scenes, I don't remember much so my score is low.
Rewatch | It's hard to say. There was much suspense in this drama that it'll be hard to watch again since all the twist and turns won't be as surprising. One day I know i'll come back to it because I seriously adored Ji Hoon's acting but as for now, probably not. That's the only reason my score is so low.
Overall | Honestly, maybe the best drama for 2015. I loved it. Truly. I had so many emotions while watching, god..it was terrible! So many twists and turns to keep you into the story. At some point you may think "ok, really. more?" but I was honestly ok with all the back and forth-ness of it all. It made 20 episode go by fairly quickly and though some may say it dragged, there wasn't a boring episode in this entire drama. Give it a try, at least the first 3-5 episodes.
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Story | (This movie goes back and forth between the past and the present, so don't get confused as to why the main actress is with two different men.) Two love stories in two different decades. In both stories, someone writes a love letter to the person they themselves have feelings for, but let someone else use their true feelings to attract the one they like. Through many events, both stories develop and change for the better and for worse.
Cast | Originally, I only watched this because of Jo In Sung, but ended up loving Jo Seung Woo's character and acting. His character was lovable and when he was serious, I could feel my heart jerking. Ah. he was great. Son Ye Jin was great as her two roles but her chemistry with Jo Seung Woo was undeniable. There wasn't much time to show a better connection between her and In Sung's character but even with the little time they had, I loved them together. Lee Ki Woo made his character extremely lovable and you couldn't help but love him even with the storyline. Not much air time for the supporting characters, but I enjoyed them.
Music | Any movie or drama that has an amazing instrumental will automatically win me over in the music category. When I Love you More and More is an amazing OST with lyrics and with just instrumentals. It puts you in the right mood for this type of movie.
Rewatch | Not too sure, I did love it though. It was a great movie that is for sure, but my god was it sad. It hit me in a certain spot and I'm not sure if I could handle this movie a second time. Maybe in a few years I'll rewatch but as of right now, I am scarred from the greatness of this movie.
Overall | Great. That's it. I'm not going to lie, parts of this movie moved slower than I hoped. But the last 20 minutes of this movie made all those slow moments worth it. This is that type of movie where you need to watch it because of the ending. The ending made this movie great (to me). If you're ever in the mood for a romantic yet tearjerker (hope that's not just me that love that combination), this is your movie. Please anyone thinking about this, give it a watch!
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Story | It's quite different than what I was expecting before reading the plot. I always expect some smart handsome doctor to come in to a hospital, be a little rebel, and change from life lessons or something. This was completely off. Park Si On is far from the typical male lead. He's a doctor that has autism but has an amazing talent to memorize medical terms and is able to diagnose patients quickly. Due to prejudices, he's already judged as being someone who is incapable of ever becoming a surgeon. Throughout the drama Park Si On learns more of what he can't understand socially while at the same time, the people around him learn valuable life lessons and break their prejudice walls.
Cast | Loved. That's it. I loved Joo Won. He, in my opinion, portrayed Park Si On's character perfectly. Moon Chae Won was perfect too. I loved her chemistry with Joo Won on screen. They just fit perfectly together and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Joo Sang Wook was just as great. I loved his tough personality. With his character change he was able to keep that stern role while still being extremely likable. Supporting cast was great too. The nurses (head nurse especially!), interns, directors, patients etc. Whether good or bad, I liked how every character was portrayed.
Music | Besides instrumentals, a few OSTs (2Bic I believe) and the same insert song, music was simple and nice. Nothing to rate really high or really low though.
Rewatch | As much as I loved this drama, I doubt I will rewatch it. Like crime type dramas, medical dramas live off of the suspense for the next episode. Since knowing what has happened, I have a hard time rewatching these types of dramas. Maybe in a few years, who knows.
Overall | I think because this was a medical drama I never felt bored when watching. If the love line wasn't going as fast as I'd want it, I'd be distracted by the hecticness of the hospital. I thought it was evened out nicely. (Although I expect people to disagree with my point).
Anyways, this drama is such an eyeopener. I knew very little about Autism and through this I was able to learn about how one might feel or how one sees the world because of such a disease etc. Whenever something would come up as to why Si On was a certain way and they explained it, I sat there saying. "Ah. That makes a lot of sense" I myself learned a few life lessons from this drama and I am extremely happy I ended up watching this drama. Oh, romance is very minimal, but I believe it wasn't needed to push the plot along. So please give it a try!
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Story | An ugly duckling turned Cinderella, poor girl turns rich type plot with a pretty big twist. Honestly the plot sounded extremely interesting to me, very unrealistic but I love that about dramas. Thinking about it now, it's a hard plot to follow through perfectly until the end. Which could explain a lot.
Cast | I'm very hit or miss about the cast. In my opinion the only reason I was able to finish this drama was because of Chris Wu. I liked the other cast members, but there was something very lacking as the episodes started to go on and I only looked forward to any scene with Chris's character. Hsieh Nikki's acting wasn't bad though, her chemistry with Chris Wu was actually enjoyable to watch. Maybe it's just because I don't like how her character progressed throughout the drama. I'm not really 100% sure. I try not to tie a person's acting with how a writer writes a character but it's hard not to sometimes. Side characters were ok, less satisfying than what I'm normally used to.
Music | Probably the thing I liked the most after Chris Wu's acting. I really enjoyed the intro and ending theme! There was also an instrumental song that was used throughout the drama that I really loved (if anyone knows the title, please tell me!)
Overall | This drama kind of just faded towards the end. There were a lot of things left open and a lot of unnecessary new things added towards the end of the drama. Things that seemed like a crisis in a few episodes were eventually forgotten about without proper closure. Characters that I thought were going to play a bigger role disappeared too. There was so much potential with this drama and I am sadly disappointed. It's highly unlikely I'll ever rewatch this drama.
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I had seen the trailer for this movie on tv and kept telling myself to watch this but never got around to it and I'm mad at myself that it took me as long as it did. This is a feel good movie that you can't help but love. But be warned, if you're looking for romance more than anything else, this isn't that type of movie. Don't pass it up though! It's great either way!
Plot | An older woman is given the chance to go back to her younger years and live the life she always wanted. She has the chance to finally go out and do something for herself instead of always having to think about her family first. Of course not realistic and it's nothing new but to me I found it more interesting because the older woman grew up pre Korean War and times were much, much different compared to if this was an U.S citizen (I hope that makes sense to people, might when you watch the movie~)
Cast | Shim Eun Kyung is hilarious! Hands down. I knew after I watched her in Sunny that she was going to be perfect for these types of roles. She's still pretty young but got the whole ajumma talk/walk down perfectly. I also loved how well her and Lee Jin Wook meshed. Finding out their age difference in real life had me a little shocked but I loved their chemistry and you didn't really see age as a factor here. Loved all the other side characters too. (Jinyoung and that face paint was just…)
Music | GREAT. No words can describe it. Raindrop and White Butterfly are amazing OSTs and Eun Kyung's voice is perfect for them both.
Rewatch | I'm not too sure at the moment. It was a fun movie but the romance it does lacks is what I usually crave in movies/dramas. I get it, some things just couldn't happen because of the whole plot. I 100% accepted that. I just love me some romance. Maybe in a few years I'll come back.
Overall | It was a great movie to watch. Pretty simple. Yes it had a lot of comedy but it had some serious moments that put a lot of things into perspective, which I liked. Not to mention the ending was seriously too perfect. If you have netflix or just need a random movie to watch, this is a must watch!
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Story is the typical girl looks like boy, uses that to "trick" certain people, gets closer to the male lead..the same old stuff back in the last decade. What made this drama different then most was the fact that the lead actor was unaware of her gender and was a poor guy thinking he was confused. That to me, was one of my favorite aspects of this entire drama. This ended up being a romantic comedy without going too overboard on the comedy (in my opinion). The relationships formed naturally on screen between the leads and between all the side characters. There were some slow parts in this drama but for 17 episodes, I thought things moved fairly quickly. This story just has side stories for most of their other characters.
Cast. UGH. I completely forgot how much I loved this cast! Gong Yoo and Eun Hye are seriously a match made in heaven. Their on screen chemistry was simply undeniable. From when they met until the very end, all of their scenes together were pure perfection. Their acting was so perfect it seemed real and I haven't been able to find a Korean drama where two actors grab my attention like these two.
All of the side character actors were just as perfect. The cafe workers (rip Lee Eon), all the family members and others were casted perfectly. Everyone just seemed to mesh extremely well together.
Music, honestly was never a favorite of mine. Though the whole "la la la lala" song would get stuck in my head for days, there was nothing really special about the music used.
As stated, I have rewatched this drama and believe me, in time so will others. It's just that type of drama where you wouldn't mind watching it from beginning to the end again. I always recommend this drama to new drama watchers and I think I always will. It's a feel good drama and it's also up on Netflix for the time being so if you have it, watch it!
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Story wise, it's unique. The whole seeing smells is something I never would've thought would work but it was all written in extremely well in my opinion. There was plenty of suspenseful scenes throughout the whole drama which kept me hooked for at least 14 episodes. I'd say overall the story was planned nicely, some things were left dry but had they gone into anything more there would've been more then 16 episode, and I think 16 episode was just enough for this drama.
Cast I really, really loved. I liked Yoochun and Se Kyung as the leads (heard people aren't fond of her acting but most like her in this) Their chemistry was enjoyable to watch, especially their comedic scenes. But what really made this drama was Goong Min and all the other character actors. I've never seen a drama with Goong Min and boy did he impress me. He played his character so perfectly it'll be hard for me not to imagine Kwon Jae Hee whenever I see him. The police force was always entertaining to watch. Jin Seo's serious character fit in too well with the three detectives, though they were somewhat useless at time, they were much needed comic relief at other times.
Music wise, I can't really remember much, just the music they always used for Kwon Jae Hee (which I weirdly liked) but OSTs weren't anything to remember.
Overall it was a good drama but nothing to be wow'd about. Unfortunately the last few episodes were kind of a disappointment considering how good the 13ish episodes were, hence the low score. I felt after a while they geared away from Cho Rim's ability and it was hardly used like I thought it would be. Even with the disappointment, I don't regret watching this, and I would recommend people give this drama a try. It's also nice that it's only 16 episodes so anyone could really plow through this drama.
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Story is based off a real baseball team during the early 1900s from Vancouver mainly made up of Nisei players who struggle to balance working (twice as hard as the Whites while getting paid much less), baseball and most of all they struggle to win. But Reggie (Reji), the leader figures out a way to be able to beat the "big and strong" Vancouver teams. They get praised for their "brain play" and start to win while fighting the discrimination they receive daily from the White community. I feel the main point this story was trying to point out was that this game that everyone (ok not really) loves can change the minds and hearts and help build a bridge to connect the two communities.
Cast, I was able to recognize some of the actors/actresses used in this movie. Wasn't even the slightest bit disappointed with any of the cast members. I loved Satoshi and Kame's roles. They played their characters well. One being shy and the other being tough around the edges but at the same time gave some needed comic relief at times (along with other actors).
Also never watched Mitsuki Takahata in anything before but her acting was perfect. Her scenes had everyone's attention. Everyone casted was terrific!
Can't remember music too well, besides the upbeat instrumentals during the baseball scenes.
If i could buy this movie now, I would just so I could watch it again. It was a heartfelt movie.
I can't praise this movie enough. If you have a chance to see this while is plays at film festivals, you MUST watch this. It may seem slow in the beginning but it moves along nicely. This is just one of those movies that really makes you rethink things after finishing. Terrific movie & I hope it wins all the awards it deserves.
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Plot was interesting though. I don't watch much action/drama type dramas. It's a little bit of a cliché. Typical people knew each other in the past, were separated for certain reasons, and are reconnected 20+ years later. The way it was played out wasn't too bad, can somewhat be realistic.
Cast, for the most part I loved. Especially Chang Wook. He played the Healer really well in my opinion. Yet he was able to play such an adorable office worker at the same time. He was fun to watch in this drama. Park min Young was great too, I already like her acting. Them together, chemistry wise, was perfect. As the episodes went on I just wanted to watch those two and forget about the plot.
Supporting cast, there was a lot..But the main supporting cast was a joy to watch. The Ajumma, Moon Ho, Dae Yong, and the cyber detective helped make this drama better. (especially the cyber detective towards the end!) Also, Chang Wook did an amazing job with all the fighting/stunt scenes. I'm not sure how much he did but everything looked very realistic and I loved how the camera angles were used!
Music I really didn't care for. The ending song always just sounded cheesy to me but instrumental, it was nice on the ears. But nothing really stood out to me.
Overall it was a good drama. I'm only disappointed with how things ended. A lot of points in the drama were left unanswered or they were answered in a low-key type way to give the viewer I guess a little bit of satisfaction but never really addressed them fully. So much happened in this drama maybe some things could've been left out to talk more about other things but in the end everything did make sense. (which may contradict what I'm saying but after finishing this drama I understood how everything was planned out) I just would've liked to see..more? I felt like the ending happened so quick that it didn't feel like a final so I'm left feeling a little sad with that.
I'm not 100% sure if i'll ever come back to watch this again. It was a good drama don't get me wrong and I would recommend people watch this but, It wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I might just come back to watch Chang Wook's scenes because they were A+
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My only problem with this drama was the length. Though I did like it a lot, this drama probably could've been 20 episodes and would have still been good. A few issues and misunderstandings were dragged out longer than should have but that's what you get with Korean dramas.
I loved the whole cast. I felt that Eun Hye's acting at time was a little..much but it was necessary for Ji Hoon's character, so i couldn't really be annoyed. I think my favorite actor was Kim Hye Ja (Queen). She was so adorable! Her sweet attitude and voice was perfect for such a role. Supporting cast was great too. I thought everyone was casted perfectly.
Music was fine, Perhaps Love and the instrumentals were nice to listen to ~
I still do rewatch this drama from time to time (since I have the DVD) but I don't think I could sit through episode 1-24 without skipping parts. One full time was enough for me. But I feel this is one of those "classic" dramas most drama watchers come across at some point, so at least give it a try!
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Story is pretty much Jae Young's character is sent to a rural area to help coach a baseball team to help try and clean up his image. The team he ends up coaching is hearing impaired. He's stubborn at first then becomes a passionate coach to help these boys become a better team. It's a great movie about not making excuses just because you are slightly different and giving your all to prove others wrong.
The cast was outstanding. The mains, the adults, all the kids. They were all casted perfectly! All the acts who played the baseball players were so good. Their skills made everything so believable. Until I realized who some of the actors were (HyunWoo), i honestly thought some might actually be hearing impaired. But I loved everyone in this movie.
Definitely a movie to watch/rewatch. Especially if you're in the mood to cry (that sounds odd..) Even if sport movies aren't your thing, give this movie a shot. You won't regret it. But make sure you have tissues near by just in case.
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