Umizaru 2 Movie Review

Title: Umizaru 2

AKA: Umizaru: Limit of Love / Umizaru: Test of Trust

Genre: Action, Romance

Origin: Japan

Release date: May 6, 2006

Cast: Ito Hideaki, Kato Ai, Sato Ryuta, Otsuka Nene, Fukikoshi Mitsuru and Tokito Saburo.

After Nagare was scrapped the Yokohama team was separated into different branches and different districts. Senzaki Daisuke (Ito Hideaki) together with Yosikawa Tetsuya (Sato Ryuta) got stationed in a mobile rescue unit based in Kagoshima. When his girlfriend Kanna (Kato Ai) visits, to talk about their wedding, she is stunned when Daisuke tells her he needs time to think things through.

When a huge cruise ship breaks down 2km from the Kagoshima shore, the rescue unit is mobilized to save the 600 passengers and crew. On the ship Daisuke happens to find Kanna on, but due to a hurt and pregnant passenger, they split, Kanna to evacuation, Daisuke to escort the passenger. As he is moving through the parking lot, he stumbles upon another passenger, but he is unwilling to leave his car. While lighting his cigarette on, the flares fall on the ground and hit spilt gasoline, making the second floor explode. Managing to avoid the explosion, Daisuke and the two passengers are saved by Tetsuya, only to find out that they are trapped, and have nowhere to get out…

One word: wow. Who said only Americans know how to make action/thriller movies?! This movie is amazing. I have no idea where the 2 hours I spent watching this went! They really took this up a notch!

Again we have the honest and almost realistic story, though with pretty amazing saving/surviving skills, but nevertheless, mostly realistic. Everything from the love story, to the unity of the coast guard, to the stories of the passengers, everything was made so good. One negative would be that the actual progress in their lives was not that vivid, but that is just me.

All in all, a very good movie!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Umizaru Review

Title: Umizaru

AKA: Umizaru Evolution

Genre:  Action, Romance

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2005-Jul to 2005-Sept

Cast: Ito Hideaki, Kato Ai, Nakamura Toru, Sato Ryuta, Tokito Saburo and Natsuyagi Isao.

This drama is the follow up on the movie after the recruits become coast guard divers.

A year has passed since Senzaki Daisuke (Ito Hideaki) became a coast guard rescue diver, but has still not been in an actual rescue operation. When his transfer to the 3rd district is decided, he is thrilled to find out that it is in the same city, Yokohama, as Kanna (Kato Ai) his long distance girlfriend lives in, but for some reason she doesn’t want him to come Yokohama, even though they have been mailing and talking to each other. Not only that: his new buddy Ikezawa Masaki (Nakamura Toru) is a veteran, who has no interest in him, basically not seeing him as an even equal.

Hoping to save lives and trying to adapt to his new environment, Daisuke tries his best to match up to Ikezawa and grasp the meaning of being a coast guard diver…  

The drama is a great follow up on the movie. The vibe and the mood is pretty much the same, and you really start idolizing these people who not only sacrifice their life, but also jeopardize their family life and relations. The story is not as action packed as the movie, but tries really hard to make it interesting and realistic, which I believe they did very good. The lead couple has a good chemistry with one another; somehow they just seem to be a really good duo. The drama has that emotional feeling to it, which makes you tearing, heck even cry - I know I did.

I would recommend it, but it probably would be more interesting if you watched the first movie.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

DOG x Police Movie Review

Title: Dog x Police
AKA: The K-9 Force
Genre: Action, Police
Origin: Japan
Release date: October 01, 2011
Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Toda Erika, Murakami Jun, Takeyama Takanori, Abe Shinnosuke and Tokito Saburo.

Hayakawa Yusaku (Ichihara Hayato) is an aspiring police officer with the dream of becoming a detective. When a serial bomber racks the streets of Tokyo, he is dreaming of becoming like one of those detectives that solve cases, and actually happens to spot a suspicious man. While running after him and catching him, a man is involved needing to help birth somewhere. Doing his duty, he helps the man, only to find out he is a veterinarian, and delivers puppies. Yusaku witnesses the delivery, and when the last puppy comes out, he is surprised to see it is an albino - and not breathing. The veterinarian says that it is a lost case, but shocked by that Yusaku tries desperately to revive it, and succeeds.
Several months later Yusaku is transferred to a different unit, but is disappointed to find out that it isn’t the detective unit but the K-9 Force. That unit is a dog patrol unit, which teaches dogs to search and to attack criminals. There he meets his instructor Mizuno Natsuki (Toda Erika), a harsh woman, with love for her job. Yusaku on the other hand is annoyed and disappointed in his transfer, so his chief decides to get him a ‘buddy’, a dog. By coincidence he gets buddied up with Shiro, a white dog who happens to be the albino he saved. Slowly he starts to get close to the dog, and they form a bond, but the when the bomber strikes again, it becomes the K-9 Force’s job to help…

Two plusses, Hayato and Erika, and one for the dog Shiro, being super cute, but that’s it. The story is good, but just a bit to newbie’sh for me. I feel good acting, but weak storyline, and screenplay. It almost feels halfhearted, but trying sometimes though, actually getting me teary at the end. So should you watch it? Hmm, it’s not bad, nor is it boring, just yeah, healfhearted…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts