Zíza

I definitely liked this better than the 2012 series where machos throw strong words around. Nicely styled, workable, entertaining, and fairly well cast. Unfortunately, it also comes with the wickedness of it being a movie with too much subject matter – I'd say a lot of things are left out and sometimes something doesn't quite make sense, whereas I presume it all makes sense in the manga. The movie is made to be followed by another installment; whether that will actually happen is probably still up in the air, but I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it. I liked the effects, despite their simplicity (compared to US blockbusters), and after Yamazaki's グレートだぜ (“greato days") I want to see him in a new GTO film as Onizuki in about fifteen years. :-D Fine for fans, a bit confusing for someone who’s not familiar with it, there are a lot of characters but we get a few good performances (not all of them, however). I would single out Mackenyu, he strikes me as the best of the new generation of young actors – he changes like a chameleon with each film. A weaker 4 stars.

A little too serious for Yaguchi, basically a parlor drama turned on its head. I admit I was in agony while watching because I couldn't stand the family – the decisions they made were just awful (it's not even their ignorance during the beginning of the blackout so much as what happens afterwards). There were a lot of illogical things going on. If you can rise above that, you might enjoy the film. It's definitely easier to watch then. In my mind, an interesting idea poorly executed. But it's certainly interesting to watch it and think for yourself about what one would do in such a moment. The film certainly has a way of sparking debate.

A relatively uninteresting film about how aliens want to conquer the Earth. And yet you can't expect any alien technology. Basically, it just strikes me as a satire on contemporary Japanese society, where there are phenomena that need to be eradicated. Unfortunately, the whole thing is bland, too long, and even the interesting actors can't save it. It lacked the drive to really enjoy it. And it basically ended up like Murakami's 1Q84 – it's really just a romance hidden under a layer of grime.

A cool show, for which Yamada brought in the actors who were in Tokyo Family (that film was better, though). This is more of a glimpse into the sort of normal family where things are relatively fine, except that they're not actually fine, except that they are. In other words, it simply has its flaws and the viewer can see them and think it's the same everywhere. So the good thing about the film is that an older viewer can relate to it. Otherwise, it's an average film that has great end credits. It's a family movie for a quiet evening or afternoon.

Even after all these years I still haven’t quite gotten a taste for Koreeda. He makes nice films which are civil, mundane, but well crafted, and he's also quite good at polishing his actors so they don't do silly nonsense on set (like Hirose, for example; he played a similar character in Sensei but here he was more believable). The same is true of this film. It's obviously not a detective story, I guess there's some minimal investigation going on, but I still wouldn't see it in that genre, let alone a thriller. For me, it's just a regular drama that shows a sort of excerpt from the lives of a couple of people (mainly the defendant and the defense attorney). The good and bad thing about the film is that it is so multi-layered – you can explain it in your own way, even make up your own mind about the ending, take into account all the clues that have been presented to you and come to your own conclusion. And when you’re satisfied, that's just the way it was and that's that. While there is a beautiful freedom in this, I still find it a bit convenient – so, viewer, you decide for yourself how it was based on your preferences, I'm not going to spoil it for you with some intention of my own. Perhaps it would take another viewing to perhaps find a hint in the jumble and understand what the author intended, but I'm not sure I want to go through all that. After all, the film is a bit lengthy for my tastes and I can't say I was exactly glued to the screen, eating it up. Plus, there might be no clue there whatsoever and the whole thing would be a waste of time. If you want a good opportunity to philosophize and contemplate a film, this film is your ticket. It's a good movie. So I’ll give it a three.

I guess it's the director, he can’t do much better than mediocre. I was looking forward to the Ikuta-Hirose pairing, but some of that chemistry was lacking in the end. For a film that tries to feel deep, everything was delivered rather shallowly – for all that the film implied, it delivered precious little. The camaraderie between the three, the relationships between the teachers, the relationship between Ito and Hibiki; it was all just sketched out, never sufficiently fleshed out, so its effect was in the same vein – completely half-hearted. And yet I do believe that this story was told in a much more interesting and colorful way. Despite all the expectations, it was just a kind of bland film about a student falling in love with a teacher. However, all the relationships were shrouded in a veil of inadequacy, so you couldn't root for anyone. The actors might have been playing for keeps, but they couldn't actually give their characters any life or 3D dimension at all with what was being said. Too bad. But fans of Ikuta or Hirose should check it out. They'll be pleased either way. 55%.

The Japanese have made numerous movies and TV shows about bullying at work, burnout, feeling resigned and oblivious to the world around you, because that is simply the experience of the average Japanese person. This film is one of them, but it tries to take an almost supernatural approach to escaping the horror. Unfortunately, it's incredibly naive and fails to make any impact (at least on me). Add to the mix Fukushi Soto, who is sometimes acting, sometimes slacking off... For me, a pretty empty film. If you're looking for something real on this subject (bullying at work, abuse of power), you won’t find it here. Mediocre.

A nice one-off. One viewing and you’re good. It's a TV special, so it's relatively cheaply made, but kind of "sweet". The cast wasn't bad either, Kaname Jun in particular was a surprise – after all the bad guy roles he plays, he played such a cute little math nerd that I was amazed at how graceful he was, as if the role was made for him. Quick, easy, perfect after a hard day.

Once again a grownup series where everyone is human, no one is a caricature of a human. Thank you Akiko Nogi, we can always count on you! Plus it had a great cast... I rate it as the best work of the season so far. Even though it's a crime drama (I have high standards with those), and even though it has it's weaker moments, it's simply top notch in terms of character development and all of their choices. A great success.

Nice office. An interesting thriller, too bad its weirdly sliced up in such a way that it never comes together as a whole. Plus Ikuta Tōma looks like a walking zombie the whole time. It's hard to say what this movie is actually like. It’s well made, but bland and flavorless; very good at times, boring for a while, and then something interesting comes along... A nicely shot scene, a "nice" bad guy, a psychopathic chick, a whiny Japanese guy, the stoic Tomo, Kuriyama not so great... A strange movie, but definitely worth a look so you can form your own opinion. Again, it's something a bit different than whiny romantic comedies.