Zíza

The likable Abe Hiroshi returns as the indiscriminate but good-hearted lawyer Sakuragi. Once again, he's put in charge of a bunch of kids whom he helps, not only with getting into the most prestigious college in Japan, but also with their personal lives – because you need to be a well-adjusted student to be able to pass tough exams, right? I have to admit that I liked this season a hair more than the previous ones. Very well handled characters, not only the students but also the teachers and the antagonists. Although it slips into expressive extremes at times, it doesn't matter because the series is entertaining. It's funny, suspenseful, dramatic, touching, and relaxing. Sure, it sticks to the traditional "every student has a problem, so we have to solve it in one episode and then move on to the next". But here it was so well done that I wasn't bored; on the contrary, I wanted to see more and more episodes. Why? It's always well balanced in each episode – student problems X adult problems X comic relief X focus on learning (we get realistic and logical tips on how to prepare well for exams). Honestly, you don't even need to have seen the previous season, even without knowing it you'll enjoy it; you just won't be as excited when the previous pupils flash by, that's the only downside. The first classic high school story in a long time that gets you pumped up and makes you say you want to go back to high school so you can try again.

A classic day at the Wangan precinct. A robbery, a former chief and deputy come to pry, and on top of everything else there’s Wan's wedding, which will be covered by Aoshima. Not enough for you? I'm not surprised. That's why they also added the hunt for an international con artist and murderer who may never have been seen by anyone. Or has she? This TV special really goes back to the roots of the show, it really feels like a slightly livelier two episodes of the series. The classic mess, chaos, but everything turns out all right in the end. The best part is watching what’s happening in the background, like when the main characters are having fun at the station, you'll have even more fun, maybe see Sailor Moon or something... For me, it was a necessary bridge between the third and fourth film.

This is disturbing. A film full of beautiful and ugly images, interesting and boring scenes, full of Nikaido Fumi's breasts, treacherous music... I’m not sure what I saw. At the beginning I was still enjoying figuring out a lot of things, researching about it, but as time went on I got tired of it and just watched the changing images without interest. Even though it's only 100 minutes long, I feel like I've been watching forever. In the end, Barbara is a town compressed into a single point. Dirty, beautiful, miserable, and sophisticated, a constantly repeating history.