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

Library Wars SP Review

Title: Library Wars: Book of Memories

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance

Origin: Japan

Release date: April 27, 2013

Cast: Okada Junichi, Eikura Nana, Tanaka Kei, Fukushi Sota, Kuriyama Chiaki and Suzuki Kazuma.

Continuing from the movie, this special is about managing regular life and that of being a ‘protector of books’.

After being stroked on the head Kasahara Iku (Eikura Nana) is starting to believe that Dojo Atsushi (Okada Junichi) might be her ‘prince’ who saved her favorite book years back. While worrying how she’ll face him, after all she has said to him, she is visited by her parents, who have come to see her job. The only problem is she had told them she was a clerk, and not a solider in the special task unit.  Dojo, because of his personality is at first very upset of her lying about her profession, but decides to help her out. Komaki Mikihase (Tanaka Kei) on the other hand keeps a close relationship with Nakazawa Marie (Tsuchiya Tao) a hearing impaired girl that visits the library every once in a while. After recommending a book to her, about a hearing impaired girl falling in love, Komaki gets arrested – and it’s up to the LDF to save him…

I was trying not to spoil much of the special, as it is a special, but I am not sure that I gave it a good summary. Oh well… The special is a bit different than the movie, as there are way too many restrictions to TV versions compared to the movies, but they still managed to make it both interesting and quite genuine to the movie. I watched the entire thing in one go without any breaks, and I really like the entire relationship with Dojo and Iku, I can’t really put my finger on it. The age gap is pretty apparent as well as the height difference, but they grow on you… or me. All characters are written with finesse, and they are just my cup of tea.

Okay, I won’t spoil anymore. It’s is a good watch, but you’d need to watch the first movie though…

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Library Wars Movie Review

Title: Library Wars

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance

Origin: Japan

Release date: April 27, 2013

Cast: Okada Junichi, Eikura Nana, Tanaka Kei, Fukushi Sota, Kuriyama Chiaki and Suzuki Kazuma.

In 1988 the Media Improvement Act was put in motion by the MBC (Media Betterment Committee). The MIA has the sole purpose in censoring books and other material deemed too violent or too vulgar for the public. Due to the publics aggression and refusal to cooperate, the MBC was granted arms, in order to abide law. This sparked the LDF (Library Defense Force), and was formed in 2004 to oppose censorship: who also was provided arms.

Kasahara Iku (Eikura Nana) is opposed to the censorship, and was once in an iffy situation with the MBC since her favorite book almost got censored. But she was heroically saved by a LDF, whom she is unable to recognize. This event leads her to join the LDF. Here she meets her instructor Dojo Atasushi (Okada Junichi), whom she cannot stand, but little does she know he is the very hero who saved her.

In 2019 after a serial murder is arrested, horror books are found in his home. This becomes a public stunt for the MDC, as they decide to ban all horror books – but the LDF refuse. So the wars of the libraries start…

I heard about this movie from an episode of VS Arashi, and I have always been a fan of Okada Junichi, so this was not a problem to watch. There was one thing though: I didn’t think it said ‘Library’ as in the place where there are books, but I thought ‘Liberary’ as in liberty, or at least there was a miss translation. I was quite surprised it actually was LIBRARY as in the place with books, and that LIBERARY is not a word. So… Yeah, a movie about censorship of books, and actual was, with guns and swat uniforms. Believe it or not the idea is not THAT bad, but seriously… people die… like you know… guns and shooting… FOR BOOKS. I love books and I am against the entire censorship, but dying for books in the 21^st century is barbaric. Like really. How stupid do people need to become in order to have other people die, just because you can’t agree on censorship?!

Anyways… It is really well-made and action packed. The pace and story is great, so is everything about the relationships – a decent movie with all it need. I don’t really like Eikura Nana, but she was bearable here. Okada is awesome as usual, so no complaint from me.

All in all, a great and entertaining movie.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Yowakutemo Katemasu Review

Title: Yowakutemo Katemasu

AKA: Even if we are weak, we will win

Genre: School, Drama, Sports

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2014-Apr to 2014-Jun

Theme song: GUTS by Arashi

Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Aso Kumiko, Fukushi Sota, Arimura Kasumi, Nakajima Yuto, Hongo Kanata and Yamazaki Kento

When his professor is suspected of falsifying a thesis, the sponsoring for the lab Tamo Aoshi (Ninomiya Kazunari) is working at is pulled back and he is left without a job. The professor promises that in a year he’ll fix the problem, but that still is a year without a job for Tamo. He contacts his old high school principle for a job as a biology teacher in the same high school, and gets the job and is assigned a class. The school is famous for smart kids that enter Toudai, and the students usually score good results in tests. While being there he is reminded of the time he was at the baseball, and how bad how he was, which made him leave baseball 13 years ago. Still unable to let it go, he finds himself drawn to the baseball team that is so bad, the students are not even able to catch the balls. Still loving the sports, the six members that are there are yearning for a good coach, and find out that Tamo used to be in the school’s baseball team.

Set to get his revenge on the school that made him feel weak and leave baseball, Tamo declares to that very school that he will win against them, by having these students win against them. Now he has to make the team a team, and find a way to make them win even if they are as bad as they are…

Another Arashi drama with Ninomiya as the lead actor. To be honest, I was really excited to watch a high school drama, and a baseball one on top of that. Though I was sceptic about Nino being in the role as the teacher, I have to admit he is perfect in this role. Generally he is a great actor, and acting as a Tamo-sensei is pretty perfect for him. The male cast, basically all the boys of the team, are really good at acting and even raise the quality of the drama. I was a bit annoyed at Arimura, but I guess it’s her face, because her character was okay.

The drama is also pretty slow passed, so there really is not that much going on. Lol, when I finished it I actually didn’t really know what I was expecting, but it didn’t really have that much of a climax.

All in all a greatly acted drama, with a slow pase.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

A Clinic On The Sea Review

Title: A clinic on the sea

AKA: Umi no Ue no Shinryojo

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2013-Oct to 2013-Dec

Cast: Matsuda Shota, Takei Emi, Fujiwara Noriko and Fukushi Sota.

In Japan there are a lot of small inhabited islands where there aren’t any doctors, so the government made a boat that is filled with medical equipment and travels from island to island and treats the people. Sezaki Kota (Matsuda Shota) is newly hired doctor who is about to travel with the crew. He is a skilled and talented doctor with an amazing calm in every crisis situation, but he has one weakness: he falls in love in matter of seconds. Every single time he thinks too much of a situation and believes he is in love with any pretty and young woman. On the boat he befriends Togami Mako (Takei Emi) a nurse who at first didn’t believe him as good doctor, but as time passes she realizes how good he is as a doctor.

Together with a crew they treat the people of the islands, and help solve their problems - and try to make Kota stay on the boat, not off trying to wed every beauty he sees…

I rather enjoyed this drama, even though I didn’t expect I would and I found that the story was a bit more fun than dramas alike (Unubore Deka). It did strike me too familiar with Unubore Deka, but hoped and expected it to be a bit more about doctors, as it is about doctors on a boat. It honestly had too little medical in it, and was a bit uncategorized, since I was not sure what the drama was really about. We have a love story, a man doctor that falls in love with every girl he sees, and a lot of family issues, but not general theme - except comedy.

All in all a good drama with good actors and funny screen play.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Starman ~ Kono Hoshi no Koi Review

Title: Starman - Kono Hoshi no Koi

Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2013-Jul to 2013-Sep

Cast: Hirosue Ryoko, Fukushi Sota, Koike Eiko,

Kenchi a.m.m

Uno Sawako (Hirosue Ryoko) is a single mother with three boys that has been left by her husband who ran away from her and his family. Sawako lives with her grandmother and the three boys in a small town far away from Tokyo, and greets every day happily even with her luggage.

One morning while driving her youngest to childcare she almost hits a man (Fukushi Sato) swaying along the road, but barely manages to stop. When she walks out to scold the person, he passes out right in front of her. Captivated by his way of looking at her, she takes him home, and she finds out he has lost his memory due to shock.

After pondering she decides together with her best friend Misao (Koike Eiko) and her grandmother, to tell the man that he is her husband. When managing to make her children get on board, he wakes up, and the story of her younger husband ‘Hoshio’ begins…

I was pleasantly surprised, and I was sort of head over heels even though I have no idea why. I mean the story is seriously absurd, from memory loss to aliens, it really has the most bizarre situations, and I say that with having watched all other dramas. The relationship seems shallow when you think about it, but I was kind of liking it. The couple was cute, so where the kids, and the entire family was so adorable.

But I do think the main reason I liked it as much as I did was because I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next episode. I was taken aback by everything, especially by the pace. It was fast!

So if you want a cute family story with a hint of the weird and the sci-fi, this is a great pick.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts