Kingdom

Dec. 26th, 2019 10:04 am
sunako_yue: (Default)
"Set in Qin Dynasty during the warring states period in ancient China. Shin (Kento Yamazaki) was a war orphan. He has a dream of becoming a great general Shin has a fateful encounter with young King Eisei (Ryo Yoshizawa). King Eisei aims to unify all of China. (asiawiki-2019)"
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I was delightfully impressed with this movie, from the plot to the fighting scenes. It may be like 2 hours long, but time flew by, there wasn't any boring scene, it has plenty of action scenes and it was fast paced. I've seen Yoshizawa Ryo in just one drama and I wasn't impressed, but he was the star in this movie (sorry Kento). He wasn't as dead-panned as I remember, or maybe his character just suited him. Yamazaki Kento was good as well, he still needs to get better but I have a soft spot for him. And Kanna... ah well, she is pretty and that's it :) Kanata Hongo is just perfect for cowardly brat type of characters, his sneer is always excellent.

I wish Nagasawa Masami had a bigger role... this movie made me realize she is great for badass-warrior-like roles (but she is also great for silly roles like Dako-chan... she just doesn't suit the cute, romantic, pathetic role).

As someone who has not read the manga nor the plot of the movie, I loved it. I will even re-watch it maybe this weekend. If the budget for the sequel is the same as for this one, I will definitely watch it, since the CGI was excellent, as well as the script and the action scenes.

**My rating: 9/10**
sunako_yue: (Default)
Kei Nagai (Takeru Satoh) dies in a car accident, but his body is recovered and he is revived. From the accident, Kei learns that he is a type of immortal known as Ajin (demi-human). Ajin are considered dangerous by humans. Kei as an Ajin is found by the government and sent to a research facility. There, he is held in custody and undergoes painful experiments.

Sato is also an Ajin and a terrorist. He is the only one to extend a helping hand to Kei, but Kei can't take part in Sato's plans to commit mass murders against humans. (asiawiki-2017)


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I loved this movie, a pleasant surprise because I didn't know the plot (I have not read the manga), so everything was unexpected. I loved that it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long... most of the times a 2 hour movie or longer feels like dragging for me. But this movie was ACTION, ACTION, ACTION.

The idea of the Ajin is pretty cool, and the fight scenes were awesome. I think this is the kind of plot that HW would love to adapt, so I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years in the future we get or a remake or a movie similar to this one.

Personal opinion of each actor:

- Ayano Go: loved him. His action scenes were excellent, and he gives a bit of fanservice by showing his 6packs, ha! He suits the villains so well (GANTZ, CROWS ZERO), I only wish he had a different hairstyle... longer hair would have been awesome.
-Sato Takeru: not a fan of him, but he does very well the action films. He should stick to this kind of roles. He also provides a bit of fanservice as well XD
- Chiba Yuudai: too bad his role is so small... I wish he had Shirota Yuu's part... CY has a devilish baby-face, which makes him ideal for not nice characters, and I hate Shirota's hair covering his eyes (also, he is a MEH actor).
- Kawaei Rina: the former AKB girl, who lately seems to be acting with Ayano Go many times (Kounodori, Frankenstein...) I like that she also has fight scenes. Her relationship with her boss is kinda blurry, we don't know her background and what are his feelings for her.

Excellent ending, and the OST was perfect for the movie.

***My rating: 9/10***
sunako_yue: (Default)
Set along a backdrop of a fictitious second world war at an international city in Asia.

In Japan, Lieutenant Colonel Yuki (Yusuke Iseya) recommends the creation of spy training school "D Kikan". Meanwhile, Kato (Kazuya Kamenashi) is facing capital punishment for his refusal to follow a superior's order. Kato is then scouted by "D Kikan". He goes through a harsh training regiment and faces his first mission as a spy.

In order to seize American ambassador Graham's confidential documents "Black Note." Kato infiltrates into an international city. A battle to gain possession of the "Black Note" ensues between Kato, a mysterious woman named Rin (Kyoko Fukada), the British Spy Agency, the Soviet Spy Agency and the radical army in Japan.


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This was a great movie, lots of action and spy things. I haven't seen this kind of thing since... well, I don't remember. I liked how Kato was so good in his training (disguising and picking locks). I feel like the movie did not make so much use of his abilities. I can't believe that Koide Keisuke plays at first a bully. He has such a nice face. But he was awesome (as always). The guy who played Colonel Yuki was so good. First time I see this man. He has a strong presence. Reminded me a little of Cillian Murphy.

As for Kame, I am so proud to say he did an incredible job as a spy. Generally speaking, I prefer to see him in goofy roles (like in "One Pound of Gospel") but he was very good and credible in his spy role, getting into fights and running. He looked so tiny here. His face, his body.... I love his hair in this movie. It suits him so well. He has to speak English several times in the movie... I admit I did not understand him a couple of times, but overall he did a good job. So cute! Kame speaking English <3

To be honest, I don't like Kyoko so much as an actress. She is so wooden, like she is some kind of doll. All stiff and beautiful. No idea if she did any surgery to her face (she was pretty even back then), but surprisingly, she did a good job here. I guess you don't need to have acting skills to be in an action movie (sorry Kame! I am talking about her only). And again, I feel like the female role was a bit MEH. At the beginning, it was very MEH. Again a guy, who is supposed to be cold and composed, gets involved with a problematic, yet beautiful woman. An insta-love (on Kato's side), which is always bothersome for me.

Not sure if the Japanese people who choose the casting are happy to have anyone who is foreign and who can speak English, but to me the English speaking actors were bad. Not the first time I think this. It is like they overreact in their speech or something.

It ends in a way that make the audience want to have more (so please director, make a sequel!).

Excellent soundtrack (I looooove "Dead or Alive").

My rating: 8.5/10
sunako_yue: (Default)
Several months after "Crows: Episode 0" trouble brews again when thugs known as "The Army of Killers" from rival high school Hosen Academy threaten Suzuran High aka the School of Crows.

The ruthless Hosen gang go after Suzuran alumni Sho Kawanishi after his released from reformatory for killing a Hosen member two years back. Kawanishi turns to his younger Suzuran gang members for protection. The Housen gang then seeks out right revenge on the entire Suzuran school, while in-fighting at Suzuran High makes them even more susceptible to the Housen threat. (asianwiki)

CrowsZero2

Geez, I've seen a large part of Oguri Shun's filmography and I don't even like the guy. But like it predecessor, this movie rocked! While in the first movie we get to know the guys, here everyone is established, and of course you can't help but like all the boys. They are mostly allies... mind you, not all of them. Kirishima (Daito Shunsuke) still refuses to be part of GPS; there is a kind of bromance (love-hate) between Izaki and Tokaji, and although Genji defeated Serizawa in the previous movie, Serizawa is not part of his gang. Genji still tries to defeat the undefeated Hayashida. But when a former student, Kawanishi, is threatened by the students of Hosen School, and foolishly, Genji gives the first punch in a non-violence pact, the thing transforms into a Suzuran vs. Hosen thing.

This movie may be a little more violent than the first one. First of all, there is a history of a murder of a Hosen student by the hand of a Suzuran student... with a knife, nonetheless. A former student from Suzuran, turned into a Hosen student, tries once to stab Genji. While our boys hang out at night, in different groups and places, they suddenly encounter gangs of Hosen and the fight begins. Tsutsumoto, part of Serizawa's gang, is beaten almost to death and has to be in hospital for 3 months.

So yeah, the movie is certainly more gory. There is a lot of blood, of bruises. It was exciting but at the same time, very distressing, each time a hundred of Suzuran's went against a thousand of Hosen. Black uniform against gray uniform. All fights were so well done! Looked all very natural, not like a dance but like an actual street fight. The final battle was epic, no doubt about it. And wasn't the new leader of Hosen school a nice guy, offering Genji that bottle of water? They boys may be sadist-masochist, but they were also nice people, including Narumi (who I just could not see as a bad guy at first... I first saw him in the dorama Tokyo Bandwagon and he was so nice and polish.. so different from this role).

I still think that Serizawa and Izaki are like, the coolest guys ever. They don't need much dialogue. Both of them have an incredible presence in the movie. I love this actors (Yamada Takayuki and Takaoka Sousuke) and I definetely want to see more of them.

We get to see Ken again, although his role is not that important. Honestly, Kawanishi's part was like a filler (well, he is the reason the whole battle begins... and after that, he kinds of lose importance to the story so the whole Yakuza thing was almost like the scriptwriter improvised something else for him). If Ken and Kawanishi, after the first incident, were cut from the movie, it would not have been mattered at all.

Another scenes that I would not minded if they were cut or never filmed was the girls' scenes. First of all, Kuroki Meisa's role. I kind of hate her in the movie, and it is not because of her acting (ha, like she acts... all she does is sing a lame song and move her body) but because she is so irrelevant. She says like, 5 lines, and in the credits, she is more important than Izaki! Not fair at all. The other scene was with Kyoko-rin and Makise's date... I know it was added to have a comic part, but honestly, it was not that funny, and should have been cut.

Between the new guys, I like Kaneko Nobuaki as Narami. Looked like a punk but was nice and fair (he stopped the crazy guy to stab Genji, because that is not how things are done). Miura Haruma was a bit irrelevant, but he was the younger brother of the killed guy, and it gave the movie an opportunity to have a sequel. Ayano Go... Yikes, I dislike this guy. He has the face of a criminal (or he is a terrific actor and just made me dislike him in "Mother", where he plays the role of a child-abuser). I don't understand how people find him attractive... If I find him walking on the street, I will definitely cross to the other side. And people say Tanaka Koki has the face of a punk? Err, look at Ayano Go please. If at least he could cut that awful hair... When he was standing there under his umbrella, it was like watching Michael Jackson or something (with all due respect to the King of Pop). Thank God my dear Serizawa is the one in charge to kick his butt (and what a way to kick it!)

So besides the irrelevant parts, another scenes that needed NOT to be there and was a total waste of time, and annoyed the hell out of me, were the two songs: one of them by Kuroki Meisa. Please, why the need to add them? Were the producers paid so much money to promote these singers? It was like watching a commercial... we are forced to listen to this lame songs for 3 minutes minimum each, top. What a waste of film.

(why the hell was Kuroki Meisa cast??? Her role is so irrelevant...)

In summary, I love the sequel. What are the chances to have an AWESOME sequel? Barely, but this once succeeded. Besides, all the same actors are here again. Looking exactly the same... although Serizawa has longer hair and there were times where I thought I was watching Shibutani from K8...

Anyway highly recommended. My rating is 9/10 (Would have been a 10/10 if it wasn't for those 2 crappy video songs).
sunako_yue: (Default)
Suzuran High School is also known as The School of Crows. The biggest clique, Serizawa Army and its boss Tamaran Serizawa are challenged by a new student to the school, Kenji Takiya. Takiya, son of a yakuza boss, wants to be the school’s ace fighter. But at the advice of Ken Katagiri, a low-ranked start-out yakuza, Takiya starts to muster together a gang of his own. And as he grows into a true leader, he must face an ultimate battle with Serizawa’s gang. Through Serizawa and Takiya’s battle, director Takahashi shows not only his unique aesthetics for violence but also the true meaning of charisma, friendship, and leadership. (asianwiki)
Crowszeroposter

I admit the movie does not have the best beginning. I was lost; one guy punching another guy; one guy shooting another guy... It did not make any sense, and it was not explained. Nothing.

Enters Genji (Oguri Shun). Wanting to fight too. Out of nowhere. I knew that I picked a movie about yakuza, so I was expecting some violence, but a bit explained at least! Then, once Genji allies this Katagiri, is when things are a less confused and when i started to enjoy the movie.

It was an awesome movie. Good cast, excellent fight scenes.... Even the idea of fighting to be the leader of the school was good. These guys fight without venom. Just because they want to rule the school. If you take that aside, they could have been great friends. There is no hate, no hard feelings. Since Genji is new at school, in order to escalate to the top, he needs to fight against the leader of each gang. Once he defeats the leader, not only he takes his place as the new leader, but also befriends the guy. Isn't that awesome?

Now I understand why people consider Serizawa (Yamada Takayuki) so cool. He was certainly very kakkoi. He is not even tall, but he showed leadership. And ok, he is very handsome as well (to me, surpasses by far this Oguri Shun). I was rooting for him most of the time, to be honest.

The special effects were better than other Japanese movies I've seen, except that scene where Serizawa plays bowling with some guys. I don't even understand why would they include that scene... To show us that Serizawa was a bully and/or a sadist? Because we know he wasn't. He was kind (towards this sick friend) and was against violence towards women. What more proof did we need?

Another thing that was totally out of place was Kuroki Meisa. Her role was so unimportant. Was she included to just have a pretty female face (with awful boots)? She was so irrelevant to the story. I almost wish she wasn't part of the movie (and I have nothing against her, but against her role).

I also liked the final battle, when the gangs come all together with their umbrellas. On the other hand, I think that the fight between Genji and Serizawa was a bit too long.

Very recommended. I would say that this is a typical male movie. All guys will like this movie. Some girls as well. Lots of fighting, tough guys, friendship, and thankfully, no deaths.

My rating: 9/10

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