Review Japan

We really enjoyed this movie, one of the best we’ve seen from Japan.

About

Kingdom is an adaptation of a Manga series of the same name which I believe ran into 3 seasons.

Shin is a war orphan and becomes a slave. There he meets Hyo, they have a close relationship for years, both who have ambitions to become “The Great General under the Heaven”. Hyo is then recruited by the Royal Army which sets Shin off on a dramatic path.

Well, I have limited down the amount of information about the plot, just wanted to provide a little taster.

Crew

Shin is played by popular actor Yamazaki Kento (山﨑賢人). His career started as a model but got his first acting roll in 2010 appearing in many productions since then.

Hyo is played by Ryo Yoshizawa (吉沢亮), another popular actor whose career started in 2011.

Yamazaki Kento interviewed by Netflix Japan, English subtitles are available:

Review

I saw a little of the original Manga series and there are distinct similarities between that and the film, even down to the costume design. From what I can make out it’s a pretty good adaptation.

The production quality is very good, they appear to have gone all out to make this into an epic including the CGI work. I did notice an error with the CGI, in two scenes the army was cheering, however, I bet many people won’t even notice.

The storyline was solid and moved fairly fast with some breaks when they needed to discuss strategy. Lot’s of fighting and action scenes.

Yamazaki Kento made the movie, he was clearly the star, sometimes comical, delightfully over the top now and again, appeared to put a lot of passion into his role.

My only criticism, this was a movie about China but didn’t feel like it at all, only when they actually mentioned the country. The production didn’t feel “Chinese” at all from the costumes to the mannerisms. I guess it was like Chinese TV and films pretending to have a scene in England where a Russian actor is faking a British accent, which I see quite often.

We gave this move a 4.5 out of 5.

To Be Continued

There is no indication in this movie that there will be a part two, however, it’s definitely happening. Both Yamazaki Kento and Ryo Yoshizawa will be reprising their characters along with others. According to what I have seen Kingdom 2 will be released this year, 2021.

Teaser

I thought Brain Man would be a cheesy superhero type adventure, given the odd title, but it turned out to be quite the opposite.

About

Brain Man (脳男) is a Japanese movie released in February 2013. A serious of random explosions occur which leads the police and psychologist Mariko Washiya to come across Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro is also known as “Brain Man”; he is without emotion, doesn’t feel pain, and has extremely high intelligence.

The film is 2 hours 5 minutes in duration and is 18+.

Crew

Ikuta Toma plays Ichiro Suzuki
He was very convincing in this role, his character was kind of frightening and every small move he made, and the way he did it, was very important for the part. Toma started his entertainment career in a child band called Strawberry Parfait but was more widely recognized in the 2007 Fuji TV drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi.

Matsuyuki Yasuko plays Mariko Washiya
She played this role very well too. Yasuko is an actress and singer with a very decent career in TV and film.

Review

This was a “who is right” and “who is wrong” type of drama, I won’t give anything away.

It was fairly violent, not too bad, and that usually turns me off a movie as I do prefer cute and cuddly. They probably could have made the movie without it but may not have been so intense as it was supposed to be.

I don’t think there was anything spectacular about the cinematography apart from the scenes showing “Brain Man” in his isolation and how they focus on his every move to make him a little scary or mysterious.

There were surprises throughout the movie, including at the end as well. I notice on Asian forums that many ask what the ending is like to determine whether it’s worth watching, this one won’t disappoint.

I felt the script left things open for a potential follow up movie, but there wasn’t. I would rate it as 4/5, the markdown was the violence and maybe the overtop acting of one of the characters.

Trailer

Not Quite Dead Yet 一度死んでみた is a Japanese comedy thriller movie released in March 2020.

About

Nanase Nobata is a university student who has a very bad relationship with her father, he works for a pharmaceutical company who invented a pill that emulates death for 2 days. He took the pill but his daughter then has to find out who is trying to steal company secrets to give them to a rival.

Crew

The film was notable for its number of cameo appearances although, I shamefully admit, I didn’t know any of them. The main case was:

• Popular actress and model Hirose Suzu plays Nobata Nanase.
• Yoshizawa Ryo plays Matsuoka Taku. He started his television career playing in three different Kamen Rider series. In Not Quite Dead Yet he plays an employee of the pharmaceutical company and helps Nobata with her quest.
• Multi-award-winning actor Tsutsumi Shinichi plays the Father, Nobata Kei.
• The only actor I instantly recognized, from his role in the Afro Tanaka TV series, was Ozawa Yukiyoshi who played the not so nice Watanabe.
• It was the debut of Hamasaki Shinji as a film Director, although he had worked many years on award-winning commercials.

Review

As always Internet Movie Database didn’t review this film too kindly but it went down well with Asian netizens, one review said it was hilarious and inspirational. In the end, the movie did come with a moral message to tell in a quick hit kind of way.

The first few minutes of the film I thought…what on earth have I just started watching?! After that initial hurdle, I started to enjoy it. It was a very funny tongue in cheek humour about death and funerals, I never knew such humour would be acceptable in Japan.

The acting was very good, kept in line with the completely bonkers style of the movie. The straight-laced father actually fit in well with the more over the top characters of the film.

There was a small number of special effects in the movie. Some special effects could have replaced the set that represented heaven with a little bit more imagination.

The movie was well worth a watch. Be patient with the first few minutes and don’t forget to watch the clip at the end of the closing credits.

Trailer

Aozora Cut (アオゾラカット) was one of those shows I just stumbled across, didn’t know anything about but thought I would watch anyway.

Storyline

Kawamura Shouta returns home to Japan, from Paris, to attend his mother’s funeral. He comes from a family of hairdressers and after beauty school decided to move to France rather than stay with the family business due to historical conflicts. Returning home he has to face up to the family issues he left behind.

Crew

The short movie starred two actors I am very familiar with from Ossan’s Love.

Hayashi Kento (はやし けんと) plays Shouta extremely well. The actor’s had many roles in different shows and in this one gets to, surprisingly, test his English Language skills. I am not sure if he speaks English but he does a pretty decent job.

Yoshida Kotaro (よしだ こうたろう;Yoshida) plays Goro, the father, and is a veteran of the acting world with many performances in his resume including stage, TV and movies. He was of course very good in this show too.

Japan Academy Award winner Dobashi Akihiro (どばし あきひろ) was the screenwriter on the show.

Review

Anything that Hayashi Kento appears in does tend to be on the cute and this show is no exception. There are many little twists and turns to surprise the audience. It wasn’t a big-budget film, more like a low budget on-screen play that would work well on stage, but was very well executed. I haven’t seen many review’s of the show and the ones I have seems to be negative, don’t let them spoil your enjoyment of it, I do recommend it. If you are a fan of any of the above actors it is a must-see.