Zíza

Can you imagine if someone made a suspense series about college entrance exams? Apparently the Japanese can, and wham, here we go. It's not world-class, but it sure is entertaining. You watch five episodes, maybe realizing in the back of your mind that nothing has actually happened yet, but you keep watching anyway because the music says it's just going to get messed up (and I’m not saying that to be mean). Who was that? Who all is involved? Why is everyone so suspicious? And why does the professor's 16-year-old son have such big eyes? A weaker 3 stars.

It's not a bad series, but it would be much better as a movie. It seems to me that it consisted entirely of fluff-fluff-fluff-fluff-fluff-interesting scene-fluff-fluff-fluff-fluff. It's sad, but even then it didn't really grab me by the heart, the acting and the characters weren't very interesting, and overall the whole thing was just about average, and I admit I skipped some scenes because they were boring. I'm not going to hype it up just because there's a little girl who has AIDS and she and her whole family have rough time of it. The portrayal didn't sit well with me; like I said, if this were a movie I'm sure it would be a blast, but this way it's a bland, watery porridge. Plus, I was really annoyed with the way the girl was always bawling. A very very weak 3 stars.

4 weird girls found each other (more will be added later), picked up instruments, sang, and someone drew it... I only enjoyed 2 episodes – the first and the last, the other 10 episodes didn't impress me (I haven't seen the bonus 13th episode and I'm not going to watch it). What I'll remember from this series is not the music, which is a bit sad considering the subject matter, but their silly teacher who always wanted to dress them up in something, etc... there are more than enough weirdos and maybe it would just take someone normal to make me much more interested. But I have to say, they're drawing some really nice fanart for this anime... :-D Anyway, I won't be watching season 2. I enjoyed it, I'll forget about it in 3... 2... 1... Eh? Yeah, a weak 3 stars.

It's exactly the kind of show you either love or hate. You either find something funny, intriguing, or hypnotic about the oddball humor or you toss it aside after the first or second episode. I did finish watching it, and I have to say that the end of episode 11 was the best part of the whole series – I enjoyed the translation, too. Don't worry about the weirdness, check it out; after all, 10 minutes per episode isn't that much. ;-)

Such a TV classic. We all have problems, so we'll help each other out. Some in their condescending way, but still a pal. Almost all the episodes are touching, so if you don't have an onion handy but want some of those tears, go for it. The story is mediocre, the acting is mediocre too (there's just no one here with anything interesting to play). But it's such a nice addition to the hospital dramas, where thankfully there's no rivalry or striving to outsmart all the other doctors; they're all kind of trying to get along and save the patients, which is very nice. Plus, it's lightly spiced with humor, so the sad scenes tend to be lightened up with various skits within the episode to entertain. Interesting cast, interesting guest stars. Maybe it would have been great if Ayano Gō had just concentrated on playing the piano. ;-)

It's definitely not a series without its flaws; even the beginning didn't particularly grab me, but as it went on it just sucked me in and I couldn't stop watching. I watched the second half of the series in one sitting and I'm so glad I didn't watch it when it came out because the wait for the next episode would have killed me. Matsushima, though she was yet again playing a teacher – I may not know her otherwise – really shone. I finally felt like she managed to extract all the acting talent she has in her. She was perfectly complemented by my favorite Japanese actor, and I could have snorted with delight. Who's the culprit? What was really going on? And it all started with selfishness... I kept changing my mind about who the culprit was until the very end, and at the end it really surprised me who the real culprit was. Like Karel Gott accepting a Nightingale: "I really wasn’t expecting this." And that hasn't happened to me in a long time.

All right, why not give it 5 stars? It has a good story for 28 minutes and I liked the animation, too; it wasn't full of pathos or saccharine, it knew how to make an impression. Plus, it floated right along with the mood I was in, so my rating is affected by that too. It's a bit sad; if you're "depressed", it's very sad. It won't sweeten your life, but it knows how to caress your soul; that is, if you're in the right frame of mind.

It started out interesting; not a very original concept, but at least this girl wasn't a nun (remember You're Beautiful) and wasn't constantly agape at all the things she was encountering in the world of "boys". The music is typical K-pop (oh, right, the name...), but also nothing miraculous. It was cute (at times the couple's interactions were awesome), sometimes insane and overwrought, laughable, confusing. It was flagging a bit towards the end, but it still somehow held on to 3 stars. So why did I only give it 2 stars? The abrupt ending. I don't know what happened, but they cut the series by 2 episodes, so it just ends as stupidly as it possibly could. I would have been happy for that length, but it would have to wrap up all the problems it introduced, so it just sucks. And what a disappointment. Add to that how I wasn't always entertained... and that I was bored and rolling my eyes by the end. A weaker 2 stars. The heroine may have done a decent job of pretending to be a boy by the standards of a Korean series, but those boobs... no one could have missed that. Boing. And the shower scenes have leveled up, I must admit – not just one guy anymore, but now 7. What show can top that? :-P

To me, this movie is just a very extended and edited version of a video of Angela playing and singing her song “Tegami" to the students. You won't get by without tears, reflecting on life, maybe remembering what you did when you were 15 or wondering what you’ll be doing in 15 years. A film from a high school setting that can definitely warm you up. We get a nice setting with a song. Plus, this film made me realize how often a character portrayed by Kiritani Kenta can very smoothly push the "little things" further and lift the spirits. From what I have heard from his colleagues in various interviews, he is like that himself. A strong 3 stars.

I'm familiar with the source material, both manga and anime, but certainly familiarity like this doesn't affect the rating and overall "digestion" of the film. It's the kind of goofy thing where you just don't know whether to laugh or roll your eyes. Luckily Rena Nōnen made the whole experience enjoyable for me; she really has it in her, I guess it's those peepers of hers that do it. Plus, Masaki Suda is another "teen" I watch and I was pleased with his performance here (he was walking on pins and needles!). We simply get a glimpse into the lives of nerds (played as if they've fallen out of the manga), maybe even fall a little in love, but like everywhere else, we don't get a satisfying result. If you're not in the mood for something wacky, don't even bother watching it. Unfortunately, it felt like a big bore at times – the footage is really overdone. A weaker 3 stars.