2
Saeng
in my Pillowfort
Why I gave ten points:
* The main character was quirky, energetic and enthusiastic, without being annoying. These traits were balanced with a grounding earnestness to understand and to grow.
* Overall, the show has a positive outlook on life and work, it is a Japanese-typical "ganbarimasu"-type of story. This, too, is balanced with scenes of failure, of darkness that lives within people, of sadness and introspection. Not everything is roses here, just like in Real Life.
* During the unfolding events, we get to grow close all of the characters, mangaka and editors alike. Some are more multi-faceted than others, but they all have their individual characteristics. Many of the characters get some chance to grow, sometimes in subtle ways -- which is an accomplishment to show for so many characters in such a short time.
* I liked that different sub-storylines connected to others, sometimes just for a few moments, sometimes longer.
* No Romance! It's about the characters and their journey, their interactions as colleagues and/or as editor-and-mangaka. (There is one scene when one character sends some glances in another character's direction which could be seen as some kind of romantic interest, but that's never acknowledged, and it's only the one time.)
* The struggles in the storylines were all either internal struggles of a person or issues of the publishing industry. There were no external conflicts, no "evil" people -- in short, no unnecessary drama.
* The length of the drama was just right for the storyline. It doesn't need more, but if it was shorter, the atmosphere would probably suffer.
All in all, I recommend the series, which has an overall optimistic tone balanced by darker and more sombre parts, which make a well-rounded story, with a small plot twist in the last episode.
[This is a very slightly edited version of my review on Viki.]
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This show is NOT: A romance drama. And NOT: A baseball drama.
Why not a baseball drama? Well... It's about the time between seasons, so there can't be any games played. We actually see only bits of a game at the start and pieces of two practice games. That's all.This drama is more about the politics and management side of professional baseball in South Korea. If you are not a fan of strategic machinations and emotional development of characters, you might want to give this show a miss.
I liked that the drama does not insult its audience's intelligence. It does not spell out every little thing, it does not repeat the same information endlessly, and there are several times when little throwaway comments or actions make an impact in later episodes. This is not a drama to watch while doing other things.
I especially liked how realistic the actions of (almost) every character was. In systemic coaching (which I'm starting to learn for professional reasons), two of the main theses are: "Every person's actions make sense for that one person within the current situation, always." and "Every decision has a prize and a price."
Even if some things are only hinted at, or not fully explained, there's this feeling that every character has their own motivation for their decisions. There is no pure good or evil, just people.
The actors did a terrific job in bringing their characters to life.
I'm also glad that the writer did not try to force a romance into the plot. The dynamics between the two main characters were of the profesional sort, maybe with a hint of a possible friendship, but nothing more.
And one last thing I loved is the ending. This is not a 100% happy, team-spirit-has-overcome-everything ending, but an ending which rather shows that even though you might have grown, things will probably not work out like you would have wanted them to. For me, that was absolutely satisfying.
[this is an updated version of the review I posted on Viki]
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The story, just like Death itself, is quite simple and could be told in a few sentences.What makes this movie amazing is how script, settings, nature, music and acting make a whole that is more than the sum of it parts.
The script itself - a journey to self-discovery, a story about leaving and letting go --has some rearkable lines that could sound cheesy but the way they are spoken, feel like profound truths of life. The acting makes as much use of silence as of speaking. The ritual of nokan has few words spoken, but the body language of the nokanshi and the bereaved speak volumes.
The music with it's leitmotif of "the Traveller" bridges the gap between what we see and what we feel.
And nature itself follows the flow of the story. The ending of the dream happens in late autumn, the winter storms accompany the lowest point of Daigo's lfe. Spring brings new hope and new life.
Similarly, the houses tell the stories of their owners: The bath house is run-down but lovingly maintained, Daigo's house where his mother lived is full of her own life and the memories of Daigo's father, and last but not least, the Nokanshi's living space is full of green and flourishing plants.
All of this is done with lovingly attention to detail: The ritual itself, of course. But have you seen that when Daigo washes the bath house owner's body -- the bowl Daigo uses is one of the bath house's?
When so much of the movie relies on silences, on the music and on the settings themselves -- what use is a review that uses the written word? Go, watch for yourself and feel what you see and hear.
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Rokuhodo Yotsuiro Biyori
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What is a family?
Six aspects I loved most:
* No romance! Yes, it feels like a BL at points, but it's not. This is about people who have found a place and people they belong to. If you consider all the families that are shown -- the four Rokuhoudou men, the chef, his daughter and the young man from the Italian lunch place, the brother and his patissier, and all these people who only appeared in one episode but found each other in the café -- none of these are what you think of when you first hear the word "family".
* The locations, the food, and the way both were filmed.
* Although this is a manga / anime adaptation, the producers made things look realistic -- no strange wigs, coloured contact lenses. The acting definitely shows the heritage, but it's not too over-the-top, and doesn't distract from the message at all.
* The intimacy between the four men in the café -- I loved that they don't shy away from expressing their feelings by touches, hugs, etc.
* As a bonus, they managed to include the Covid-pandemic as a plot point to underline the message on how integral their little family is to the Rokuhoudou guys.
* Nothing ever felt rushed in the story telling, it was slow where it should be without letting things drag. After all, this café is all about finding a place to enjoy good food, good drink and good company.
Overall, a lovely story about family, and where to find it, with a lot of tasty food.
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Down-to-earth but with introspective tones
The cases as they are, are not that complicated, it is much more about the characters themselves, their story, their motivations and how they deal with grief and danger. There a quite a few scenes where it seems as if "nothing" is happening -- those scenes show the characters, what they think, how they (re)act. Sometimes theyare there for the atmosphere, to allow for some introspection.As such, the pacing can feel slow at times, but in my opinion, there is not one scene that's superfluous ar dragged out. Everything has its time.
This, and the fact that nothing is glittering or modern in this drama, make it exceptional. The main character is linving in a small neighbourhood in a house that doesn't even have an indoor toilet; the police in Shangta have their quarters in an old cinema, where there's no heating and the walls are crumbling. The whole town looks more or less run-down -- as do the actors. There are no airbrushed, beautiful people in colourful clothing here. Everything feels real (and very, very cold).
I love how down-to-earth the police are in this drama. While I certainly don't expect any real criticism of the system, the way the police officers make the best out of their limited ressources, how they grumble a bit about them but basically take them with a bit of humour; how they plod along and try to find the girl, but as humans, fail again and again -- this also makes the characters relatable.
And after the cases are closed, they all return to their daily lives; they live on as before, but something in them has changed.
Another point that I loved were the female characters, few of them as there were:
* The girl, of course. What a great actress! And what a strong and resourceful character! This is not a pitiable and helpless victim.
* The karaoke bar owner. She lost her family at an early age, is clearly jaded -- and still finds humanity and love in herself.
* And last but not least, the fire watcher ("bear lady"): She was beautiful in her love for the forest and the creatures living there, but was very realistic in her approach to life and death. She lived alone and was happy with that. She felt very solid and grounded.
One last mention goes to the music -- both the songs for the opening and closing credits are beautiful and fitting for the rest of the series.
[Cross-posted to Viki]
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The Ghost and I Becoming Family
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1980s action movie cop meets progressive millenial
Mao Bang Yu and Wu Ming Han couldn't be more different -- while the latter is a walking 80s action movie cop cliché, complete with casual sexism, homophobia and fast car chases, the former is an enviromentally aware, gay and family oriented millenial.What could go wrong, when those two are tied in a ghost marriage and Wu Ming Han has to help his "husband" move on to the next life?
Don't let yourself be fooled by the macismo in the beginning, this movie will show its depth later on.
This movie combines the best of old-fashioned action movies with a healthy dose of humour, criticism of sexism and homophobia, and a story about personal growth.
The bickering between the two main characters made me laugh, the grandma and her circle of aunties giggle, and the father's story cry.
Only one aspect is rather unfortunate, that with all the good messages about tolerance and equality, the fat, gay cop remained an object of "comedy", and did not get his own moment to shine.
The acting is great overall, the pacing fast, but lets the quieter moments breathe. I never would have thought that an action film could move me to tears, but this on did.
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He's Out There Somewhere
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This becomes very obvious in this film. The question of what Mu Ran will find when he arrives -- thee meaning of "Su Chen", who he is and where he is -- this is not the point of the film (also very obvious after a while).
The people he will meet on his journey, who live very different lives but are all part of the queer community, who will tell their stories about love and loss, about family and partnership, these people and their stories are at the heart of the film.
Mu Ran, and with him the viewers, will learn what it can mean to love. Will we regret having taken or not taken the opportunity to find happiness?
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Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store
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Most of the scenes are relatively unconnected, there's not much plot development (and certainly no character development), and apart from the last episode, most of the scenes could have been swapped around without any detriment to the whole.
These unconnected skits remind me of the best of British comedy of the 1960s to 1980s in the heritage of Monty Python. The absurdity rivals skits like "The Cheese Shop" or "The Dead Parrot". It certainly wouldn't have been out of place in shows like "Not the Nine o'clock News" or "Fry and Laurie", only that the humour is, of course not in the English style but very Japanese.
The characters -- obviously caricatures -- are excellently done by the actors, and, if all of them did not have the great comedic timing they have, I'd suspect a lot of ad-libbing, this feels just so fresh and spontaneous.
You might find it too weird if you're not much into the surreal and absurd side of life, but if you are, you should give this series a try!
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Drama for All: Super Man
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I appreciate what they wanted to do...
... but this was not it.The premise of the mini-drama, that a normal guy finds it completely normal to help others in need -- and to make a comedy out of it, I love it.
I loved the message that a "Super-Maen" can exist in each of us , and that society might be better if we would be more like Maen.
I liked the criticism of modern "journalists" who in its pursuit of stories not only disrupts ordinary people's lives but sometimes go so far as to fabricate stories out of thin air.
I liked how it shows how fickle society can be, when people flip from adoring to condemning in an instant.
I liked the problems that were touched upon, like domestic violence and poverty.
I loved Maen's family -- the parents with their hobbies were comedic gold!
Unfortunately, the other actors tried too hard -- quite a lot of their scenes could have been funny, but something was lacking. Sometimes it was the acting (which was either too much or not enough, especially Mew Suppasit's scenes with the young boy it seemed as if he forgot how to act), sometimes the script dragged (some comedic bits were just too drawn out -- comedy is all about timing, and it's missing here).
Honestly, I found it hard to get through both episodes.
Overall, I could have lived happily without watching it, but it's only two hours, so I'm not too bothered.
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Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shouninyokkyou wo Kojiraseteiru
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Don't let yourself be fooled by the comedy
This is one of the queerest BL dramas I've watched so far, a hilarious comedy with two people who find their way to self-acceptance. [more on that with spoilers below the ***.]The comedy is strong in this drama, so much so that I was completely thrown when things got much more serious near the end of episode 3 when I first watched it. It has the Japanese-typical style of acting for comedies, wonderful side characters, and a lot of funny moments. I love how they decided to put strong manga elements in -- like the onomatopoeic word like for the ringing clock, or certain style elements like the extended bellies after overeating. Also, though not part of the comedy side, I loved how the flashbacks are initiated by "opening" a manga-like panelled page.
All of the characters have their comedic moments -- best of them all is, the bearded beauty, who is just so kind-hearted that even Mamoru can't help but to like him.
The script and the directing is very tight -- there's not a second of irrelevance in this drama, it's either for a comedy element or for the plot development. I liked the use of light and darkness to accentuate the feelings of our protagonists. And the intro song has become one of my favourites!
Acting is great all around. Even after several rewatches, I've not found a flaw. Especially Issei's facial expressions are so spot-on,that I just looked at his face for a whole rewatch -- when does Issei use a fake smile, when a real one; when does he stop smiling, and does he look relaxed or menacing when he does that? Really, I've only seen one actor use smiles of a similar calibre, and that was in Beyond Evil.
***
And this is the spoilery part, but also where I explain why this drama goes much deeper than I thought at first:
Mamoru, who is our main character, has felt like an outcast since ... maybe forever. He is a gay man with a love of drawing gay erotic muscle doujin -- both things that define him and which he feels are to be ashamed of, to be hidden.
And which queer teenager hasn't at least once felt like that? (Well, minus the gay muscle doujin, perhaps.)
Only, for Mamoru, this feeling of being alone, of being someone with a shameful identity -- this feeling transforms his whole sense of self. Only during the ComiKing, where he can sell his work alongside same-minded people, and only when his work sells well, is this dark cloud lifted for a short time.
He is not able to understand that his family's indulgence is not indifference, that Yamada is not just someone who likes reading his doujin but also his friend, and he is not able to hear that Issei's "I like you" is not the same "like" as in "I like my fans".
It takes a journey through dark days for Mamoru to accept who he is and what he loves.
I love how this drama tackles how living in our world can impact the sense of self of queer people -- and that it shows us that maybe, if we dare to tell the world who we love, light will fill our life and we can find happiness.
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Solid Thai BL with blue-collar characters
If I had to recommend some Thai BL dramas, then this one would be among the recs for someone who has seen a few already and wants to explore the genre some more.What I liked:
* Highest point: Blue-collar workers in a lot of roles and as love interest, which is a refreshing deviation from all the super-rich college boys, who I am sick of. We need more normal people in Thai BLs. In connection to that, a gentle critique of classism.
* Very gentle and smooth evolution of the main couple. I love how they care for and respect each other. The dynamics between them feel very equal from the first time they meet (which is reflected by the use of names instead of titles and the pronouns เรา /rao/ and นาย /naai/).
* Workplace setting; hospital with a good balance of medical jargon and not too much nonsense.
* middle-aged long-term same-sex partners as advisors and role models, who get a decent amount of screentime.
* a trans gender person in a non-comedic role.
* the three riders, who provided not only comedic relief but also gave Mork the occasional insight.
* The acting is decent, if a bit uneven on Fluke's part (Mork). Pat (Por) was excellent as the slimy boyfriend.
What I did not like:
* the doctor-only couple. I'm allergic to bullying (and what Toy does, can only be called bullying). Yes, he does apologize in a way, but even after, he "teases" Boss, and runs rough-shod over his mental needs, we almost never see Toy respect them. Boss is shown as an introvert, with a sensitivity to explosion noises and a need for his order and rules. In their progression, it's Boss, who has to change much more than Toy and "overcome" his needs. Also, there's no real connection to the main couple , other than that they both work under Tawan. I would have liked to see more of the love story between Fueng and Kru Ai than them.
* The critique of classism ends when the relationships get serious -- only after Nadia learns that the barista owns his café and is a famous YouTuber, she accepts his advances. Mork starts his college education to be able to "care for Tawan" (which shouldn't be needed, Tawan should earn enough as a doctor.) and even ends up with the same hairstyle (helmet-like and styled upwards) as all of the higher-class characters.
* A bit of inconsistency in how and when Mork realises his feelings -- he does so twice in ep. 4 and in ep. 7.
* The sub-plot with the kid could have been improved with a bit more room -- as it is, it doesn't feel like an organic part of the whole story. The kid appears, is there, and disappears again. At least, maybe show him in the epilogue scene?
* Por and his boyfriend have more heat between them than the main couple -- either tone one down or give the other a bit more intimacy.
Overall, a solid 8 objectively -- in my feelings, it's more a 9 because of the gentle progression and the respect in the main couple and the blue-collar characters.
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Honestly, I have never been so bored with a show before. I don't know how I managed to finish it.* The storyline was dragging on and on, and I had the feeling that nothing much happened at all. I even drifted off during later episodes. The thing is, I do not mind slower paced series, if -- IF -- it fits the storyline. Also, twelve episodes of basically the same over and over again gets boring whatever the content might be. The plot could have been tightened to maybe four episodes or so.
* The writer seems to have only a passing idea of how the music industry, cafés or workplaces in general work. Examples that annoyed me most: Sentences like "Now that you are debuting, you are a real artist!" (or something like that), an employee mopping the floor during opening hours without reason, taking breaks just ecause you want to, "trainees" that practice unsupervised and are something like eleven years old(?), a freelance composer who then has to got to Shanghai (?). Overall, it feels as if the writer was one of those "trainee" children.
* The camera work was uninspired and kind of static.
* The acting was stiff, which was most apparent in group scenes, where those actors who did not have something to say just stood around like mannequins.
* The sets showed the tight budget, and putting a rainbow flag doesn't improve things. Although I did like the colour scheme they chose.
* Other people have already commented on the band's musical abilities, which I cannot remark upon, since I myself have no abilities in this field whatsoever. I don't think the pink-haired guy's singing was very good though.
* If the story is about tasty coffee, then I want to see tasty coffee! We haven't even seen how Plengrak brews it -- show us how the grounds look like when the water is poured into the filter, at least. The director responsible should maybe look at some Japanese shows who excel in showing food and drinks and make the audience crave them.
All in all, I'd say to give this series a miss.
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If you don't have the budget, you should you use it to your advantage
Overall, I liked the idea -- people coming into a café where its barista can make a coffee flavored drink based on the cup you choose and then, when you drink it, it will help with the problem you currently have.It's an interesting twist on shows with similar ideas like the Japanese "Three Star Bar" or the S-Korean "Would you like a cup of coffee".
I also don't mind that it is basically just a long commercial for the Vibie platform.
What I do mind is that the production is lacking.
In episode one, there are serious sound problems, which do get better in the following episodes.
The acting is bad to mediocre -- considering that most of the people are just internet personalities, not actors, it is probably to be expected.
The set is ... obviously a set that is trying very hard to be a real café. I can only guess why they couldn't rent an actual café for their filming or why the set looks so cheap (what café has only one table and a sofa and is an office space converted to a café?) -- probably they did not have the budget.
In my view, if you don't have enough money to make things look good, you should either choose a story to something you can afford (the new "Fake Buddies" did this very well) or you "own" it. Why not go all the way and make it obvious that this is a set? Let it take place on a theatre stage, make the props look like props -- except maybe for the magical coffee -- theatre is magic, and the way the drinks help people is too -- and with this, you'd have made a mediocre story with a small budget into something special.
As it is, I can only say: Nice try, do better next time.
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If you miss all of the old detective classics then give this one a try!
This is a classic Whodunnit crime drama, only that the Who is not the question, only the How.It has all the tropes:
* There is the eccentric genius (Enomoto), who is set apart from the world by mannerisms and interests. His personal life and background is mostly of no importance (and in this case, even a mystery),
* He has sidekicks who are mostly there to give a bit of comedy and occasionally provide some important clue
* It's case driven, not character-driven -- There's little to no character development. In fact, apart from some broad strokes, we don't know much ablout the three main characters.
* The cases are presented in episodic format, one case per episode, and in each episode there's the same clear structure.
* The way each scene is set up -- from the way Enomoto inspects the crime scenes to the spatial arrangement of the characters in key moments -- it all feels very old-school.
* And, last but not least, the background music. These new and fresh melodies are used in a classic way -- we hear the "he's thinking hard", the "the important clue is coming", the "this is the introductory scene", the "here comes the comedy part" in the respective scenes.
I am not able to explain this in detail, but it feels as if the writer and the director used these tropes very deliberately to create something new from the old. I welcomed these tropes as old friends in new clothes, rather than roll my eyes at them.
Seems boring? For case aficionados, it isn't.
The cases are, as usual sometimes a bit far-fetched, but always solidly built. If the viewer is paying attention, they can even spot the main clue or at least guess the outline of the solution. During the introductory scene, Enomoto usually gives a hint what to look out for (I only noticed that after eight episodes or so, which is a shame). Only in a few episodes there's a clue we only get told during the relevation scene.
The fresh air mostly comes from the main premise -- even though everything else is a classic "Whodunnit", it's about the "How" not the "Who". All of the cases are locked-room murders; Enomoto is a lock-smith, who is only interested in how the room can be "unlocked". As a consequence, we usually know who the culprit was very early.
Even though the characters are only painted in broad strokes, they don't come across as one-dimensional -- I felt that I knew them like new-ish colleagues, I know how they are at the work place and what to expect from them, and I know a few titbits about their private life. The script and the actors were very good at hinting at a backstory for the characters, implying that there has gone more than a few thoughts into the world-building here. This is enhanced by the excellent acting -- especially the minuscule shifts in Enomoto's face combined with his almost robotic bady language give him more depth than being just a puzzle-solver.
Overall, this is worth a watch, maybe even a second one after a few months to see if I can catch more hints and clues. I like the way the creators took the classic tropes of the detective genre and used them to their advantage to make something fresh.
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Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka?
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You need courage to take the next step
This movie with its simple love story has fast become one of my favourites -- a story about two very ordinary men who fall in love with each other and take the first steps into a relationship.I love how the film shows us the insecurities that come with having a crush on a man as a man, the questions that come with getting to know another person -- will you like me, too? Do we have a chance to come together? Will I take the step into the unknown?
And at the same time, both men as well as us get to experience the giddiness when we feel that our feelings might be reciprocated.
We get to see how these two men, who seem to be very different in their hobbies and lives, try to find the courage to open up to each other -- only then the relationship may move forward.
The film makers obviously had to make do with a low budget, there are some sound issues in outdoor scenes. But they did not need much more -- as I said before, this is a simple love story of two ordinary men, who could be our neighbours, our colleagues, ourselves. Accordingly, the use of places, of light that is already there makes the film feel very real.
I also love the sets, which are lovingly filled with small details: There's the changing date on the white board behind Koiwai's desk. There's the small detritus of the life of a working person in Yamashita's room. There are the messy bed sheets near the end of the film.
I'm looking forward to rewatching the story of these sweet and gentle people.
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