Without the movie it's great but unfinished, with it it's half ruined
I haven't read the manga this dorama is based on, but considering that 99% of times Japanese adaptations from manga are very faithful (sometimes even too much for their own good, but that's another story), I bet the original was a real "page-turner"!The premise is as catchy as they come, the constant twists and turns keep the viewer's interest Everest-high, all the superb cast does - bar one notable exception (*) - a great job (particular praises to Oguri Shun who's very good, to Shibasaki Kou who's a wonderful tsundere, and to the always great Nishida Toshiyuki), and the production level is absolutely top notch. I wasn't enthusiastic about the use of modern music at first (also, not being a fan of recent music - unless it's made to sound like it's older), but I have to admit it kinda works after all.
Honestly, I would've given this a 10, hadn't they decided to scr*w it all up by wrapping the story up lousily in a mostly poorly written, boringly diluted, obnoxiously hollywoodian movie. Without it, the dorama is great but feels unfinished; with it, it's half ruined. What a bad decision!
(*) Horibe Keisuke is plainly terrible as the Shogun (quoting myself from another review: "...compared to him, even Dick Dastardly from "Wacky Races" was a credible, realistic and sober villain!!! >__<")
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Too bad, 'cause everything had been top notch until then: the script, the acting, the photography/directing/editing/etc....
I normally shun remakes, but if this were to be remade, say, by Tom Tykwer (the director of "Lola Rennt" and "Der Krieger + die Kaiserin" - movies that have something in common with this one, imho) and if, while remaking it, they changed the ending...well, in that case I'd very much like to watch said remake! ^__-
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Shotenin Michiru no Minoue Banashi
0 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Rich Man, Poor Woman in New York
0 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
I often say that one of the (many) reasons why I like J-dramas so much is the incredibly vast variety of genres and of topics they address, and the great freedom the writers have. Now, this dorama is a perfect example of that! Where else could you have a whole series depicting banks for what they really are (the portmanteau "banksters" immediately comes to mind!) and thus having a bank's big gun as the villain, all the while having as the totally improbable heroes an old guy, a young and inexperienced fellow and two incredibly funny yakuza? Nowhere else, ne? ^_^;Particularly worthy of praise, as always, Nagase Tomoya's performance, but also Kohinata Fumiyo's and Matsushige Yutaka's - who add some much needed comic relief moments (plus, one of the most tragic and romantic scenes ever!) - and last but not least, Okamoto Aya's; besides, she's to die for in this, period. The only reason why I don't give this beautiful dorama a full 10/10 is that I'm a bit dissatisfied with the ending; after having built up all that tension with such a despicable S.O.B. of villain, I'd personally want said villain to be utterly crushed, disgraced, humiliated, destroyed at the end (Kusturica's "Black Cat, White Cat" comes to mind, if you know what I'm saying, LOL). This "let's give the guy a hand" just doesn't sit right with me...
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?