Library Wars 2 Movie Review

Title: Library Wars: The Last Mission

AKA: Library Wars 2

Genre: Action, Romance, Thriller

Origin: Japanese

Release date: October 10, 2015

Cast: Okada Junichi, Eikura Nana, Tanaka Kei, Fukushi Sota, Matsuzaka Tori and Kuriyama Chiaki.

“Media Betterment announces new controls on media. A bright future for our society a sound upbringing for our children. Eliminate harmful books, media, and thought. Juvenile of fences are down 2.3 percent since the Betterment Act was passed. We must eradicate harmful books and harmful thought. The burning of books is suppression of thought! This country now exists under a reign of terror!” (intro of movie)

The sequel continues after the special. Kasahara Iku (Eikura Nana) has figured out that Dojo Atsushi (Okada Junichi) is the man who saved her favorite book and her first love. Unable to confess her love, she tries not to act different around him; but when one of her coworkers decides to burn some confiscated book she is framed for it, and in order to save Dojos reputation she takes the blame.

On the opposition - the Media Betterment Committee – someone is feeding hate toward the Library Defense Force. While the LDF is out on a mission helping a fellow Library set up a confiscated book drop off, the MBC decides to go all out and remove the task force once and for all…

Compared to the first one I liked this one a bit better, but it was no less to the first one. For some reason when you watch it you don’t think about how absurd the ‘wars’ are, and yet when you have to explain it; you kind of face palm yourself. The movie is so great, and I love that it isn’t a movie about people hating other people, rather it focuses on the issue such a free will and thought. Though there is the usual villain, and the ‘us’ against ‘them’ vibe flowing around. As the climax goes this movie nails it, as even I was pretty shocked when I understood what was happening – so that is quite the achievement.

I absolutely adore the lead couple: the fact that she is taller than him, and that he has to look up to meet her eyes *amazed* And for some reason you don’t really feel the age gap at all… so great acting! To be fair the movie has a lot of thin layer of missing substance, but they actually make up for it by giving the characters such great chemistry and personalities.

So would I recommend this movie? Yes, I would. But I believe people should watch the first one – just to get the entire picture, and be a bit loose on the entire ‘war’ thing.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Detective Conan 2012 SP Review

Title: Detective Conan 2012 Special

AKA: Kudo Shinichi: Kyoto Shinsengumi Murder Case

Genre: Detective, Mystery

Broadcast date: 2012-Apr-12

Theme song: Sakura Uta by yu-yu

Cast: Mizobata Junpei, Kutsuna Shiori, Matsuzaka Tori and Okamoto Rei.

When Mr. Mori (Jinnai Takanori) gets an extra role in a movie, Shinichi (Mizobata Junpei) and Ran (Kutsuna Shiori) decide to take the plane to visit and cheer him on.  When they arrive they see the main cast having issues among each other, and as it seems a hidden threesome. They also meet their friends (from previous special) Hattori Heiji (Matsuzaka Tori), who got a supporting role, and Tooyama Kazuha (Okamoto Rei).

Whilst under a take a sudden explosion happens, both Heiji and the main actor get taken to the hospital, and Shinichi tries to find the culprit. But when the main actress refuses to work with everyone else, and her being a super idol, the production is put on a hold. When the police arrive, the police officer and Shinichi go for the main actress’ statement, but find her hung behind a locked door. The police immediately call it a suicide, but Shinichi thinks otherwise…

I am a ‘Detective Conan’ fan, so when I watch these kinds of dramas/specials I am pretty biased, though I try to look objective in all. The special is pretty good; it’s fun, cute, and of course confusing. I tend to compare Shinichi with Hajime from Kindaichi, and I still like Detective Conan the best, not because anything other than the fact that they are more natural and believable. Of course there is a lot of weird things following, but it isn’t as unbelievable as many other detective stories.

I like Mizobata a lot and I like him in this role, also I don’t mind him acting in a role as Shinichi which I think would bother me with someone else in that character. The rest of the cast okay, though I did mind some.

All in all, fun and pretty cute.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Love for Beginners Movie Review

Title: Love for beginners

AKA:  Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu

Genre: Romance, High School

Origin: Japan

Relese date: December 8, 2012

Cast: Takei Emi, Matsuzaka Tori, Kimura Fumino, Aoyagi Sho, Yamazaki Kento, Shinkawa Yua and Takanashi Rin.

Hibino Tsubaki (Takei Emi) is a plain girl that doesn’t like to get attention from anyone. That all changes when she starts her first day of school by getting noticed, by the schools no 1 hottie: Tsubaki Kyota (Matsuzaka). Having the same name, both noticed each other, and they both end up sitting next to one another due to that same reason. Disliking his unserious personality and his playboy attitude, she hates being around him, which makes her gets teased by the rest of the class since everyone adores him. He makes fun of her, and ends up kissing her in class, much to Hibinos disgust. This leads to her becoming the class president, without wanting to be it. Kyota uses the situation by making her ask him out, just to tease her. After the best date Hibino has ever had, Kyota tells her that he will give up on her, since she really doesn’t seem interested in him, which unfortunately isn’t true, as she had fallen in love with him…

Okay, out of all the Japanese high school love stories this one is the best one made, and the couple really is beyond adorable! The storyline is very cliché-ish but somehow it has its own innocent flavor. Though the flow is pretty much typical, the story kind of is good. I think I’m starting to understand why people are annoyed at these girl stories. Yes, they are good, but damn they are typical. I think the only part that was missing was that the leads needed to get married or engaged, but else pretty much that. It’s like those American movies (Last Song, Note Book, Safe Haven etc.) that make you roll your eyes a bit, and even laugh like a teenaged girl, but somehow manage to keep you happy.

Do I recommend it? Sure, it really is okay to watch.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

GOLD Review

Title: GOLD
Genre: Drama, Family, Sport
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2010-Jul to 2010-Sep
Cast: Amami Yuki, Nagasawa Masami, Mikami Kensei, Matsuzaka Tori, Takei Emi and Sorimachi .

Saotome Yuri (Amami Yuki) owns a major sports gym and aesthetic salon. She is famous for the way she raises her children and is often called on TV shows to talk about her point of view, which are also written in books that she writes. Her older brother was an athlete, almost going to the Olympics, but unfortunately ends up in an accident. This leaves Yuri with the desire to fulfill his greatest wish to get gold, so she raises all her children to become athletes, be it swimming or running, just so that they can get gold. This sounds rough said so bluntly, but the wish to get gold is not only Yuri’s dream, it became the dream of her children as they grew up under her strict rules and ways of living.
Their lives change when suddenly situations happen of which they had not expected…

I started this drama mainly because of the cast: Amami Yuki (BOSS, Queens Classroom, Kaiji) and Sorimachi Takashi (GTO) are two of my favorite ‘non-idol’ celebs and actors. It was like those typical Japanese dramas with the typical touching speeches occasionally, so didn’t really expect much of it. Seriously, this drama caught me off guard. It really didn’t expect it to be so mature and tough, like really. It’s very serious, and very harsh sometimes, made me go like ‘whaaaat?’. On the other hand, it had its downs, like sometimes the actors weren’t really expressing the character that mainly happened in the beginning, but towards the end it became somewhat crazy. I mean wow, I thought they would all end up in some mental institution if they continued… I actually am not sure whether or not to recommend this, because the drama is, especially for j-dorama fans, very serious (like Last Friends kind of serious, maybe one or two inches more). And if you don’t have patients you’ll stop watching it, like immediately.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Asuko March! Review

Title: Asuko March!
Genre: School drama, romance
Episodes: 9
Broadcast period: 2011-Apr to 2011-Jul
Cast: Takei Emi, Matsuzaka Tori and Kaku Kento.

When Yoshino Nao (Takei Emi) failed her entrance exam for the school she was hoping for, and in order not to become a ’Ronin’ (someone who failes high school exam and has to wait a year in order to do them again), she takes her grandfather’s advice and joins Asuko High School, thinking it’s a normal high school. Little does she know the school is COMPLETELY different than what she’d hoped for: the school focuses are to send students to work, meaning crafting and stuff like this are put as usual subjects. Not only that, the school is basically FULL with boys, with only Nao and 2 other girls…

This drama is a typical Japanese high school drama, with the heart-felt speeches and friendships, lol, mainly the reason for me to watch it. I really liked the characters in this drama, all of them, but seriously, the lead chose the wrong guy in the end… anyhow, it’s fun, I laughed real hard at so many scenes, especially when Nao’s mom comes to her school, awesomeness!
It’s very much like Gokusen, with the one girl 20 boys thing, but with the little difference in the girl being a student and not teacher. Oh yeah, and the romance that I root for :P lol, again different people different taste, hehe…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
Very typical japanese high school drama, really nice and nice plot with the different kind of school and really nice cast actually. Another high school drama you gotta watch, it was very enjoyable and fun. I like that it is different even though it's the typical story and we all know how it ends and stuff but it was still different. I totally agree with Bunji that she was stupid at the end for choosing that guy -.- aarh.. but oh well. Also I think that the other female student's role was kinda weird. It was confusing whether she plays a big role in all this or not. Like her story just ends. Lol maybe I'm just used to everything has to be a fight in those dramas haha.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts