Reviews by Jan Go

The story was so bad, thank god for the speedup function in media players that enabled me to completely watch this in 1/3rd the time required.

Arisa is adored, imprisoned and abused by her dad on an island which she has no permission to leave. Harumi is chided constantly by her mom-in-law for not producing an heir. Merge their independent stories and add some unwanted and tasteless sex scenes with the usual ham acting by Jap actors in such movies and you get Rafureshia.

Sawako is a shy high-school student feared by others who suspect she will bring them bad luck if they offend her. For this reason she spends much of her time alone. Soon the popular Shota starts taking a romantic interest in her and she is able to make other friends. Can love blossom and friendship overcome rumours arising from envy?

From me to you is a live action remake of 'Kimi ni Todoke'. The story for most part sticks to what it is - a simple high-school romance. Although the character development of non-major characters is ignored due to time limit, the overall story encompasses all major plots, with decent performances by the cast (albeit with hyperacting in some situations, characteristic of Japanese teen movies). Definitely worth a watch.

Ok! For some reason I have a penchant for watching live action version of Anime and needless to say the results are usually disappointing in most cases. So far only Paradise Kiss and Kimi ni Todoke (From me to you) have been exceptions.

Lovely complex (the anime) is really hilarious and the Kansai dialect employed by the voice actors adds a genuine touch (not that I understand Japanese without subtitles). The love story between a mismatched pair and the hilarious situations they end up in leaves you wanting more. Definitely rewatchable.

The movie on the other hand suffers from a typical Japanese live action trait- in their quest to be kawaii (cute), the actors often end up over-acting in plenty of situations. This extra topping of cheese doesn't bode quite well with me. Comedy is best when humor is portrayed with just the right amount of acting. Maybe I need to be Japanese myself to appreciate it. While definitely watchable, I think this will definitely end up on my list of don't watch again.

This is a live version adaptation of the popular Manga and Anime series about the lives of two girls both named Nana. This movie focuses more on the singer Nana Osaki, followed by a sequel which is mainly about the other Nana.

Having watched the anime beforehand (around 40 episodes.) , I must say the live adaptation somewhat had me disappointed. Despite reasonable performances by the cast, the emotional connectedness and character development over the course of the animation series appears simply rushed through in the movie and leaves you unfulfilled. Not to say music tracks in the Anime are simply superb. Due to health reasons, the author did not manage to fully complete the manga storyline, so Nana is as of yet an unfinished work.

Verdict: Before watching this, watch the anime, if you can, to really enjoy Nana. I for one am glad I did.

Spoiler Alert:

A ravishing new piano teacher in a music school full of adolescents, that is the overall setting. Alessandro is quite taken by his teacher Laura, much to the envy of his girlfriend Emanuela around whom he tends to be insecure. Her brother, a good friend of Alessandro's manages to blackmail Laura with some revealing pics of her and forces her to perform indecent exposures in front of other students and especially Alessandro who is taking private lessons from her. Alessandro accidentally gets to know her predicament and rescues her.

There clearly is lots of sexual tension between the lead characters and is portrayed well. Some side plots inserted just for laughs, such as the flasher are quite irrelevant. Another side plot is Alessadro's doting mother and indifferent father, not the best things to be around puberty. Some nudity is unnecessary and inserted just for the sake of it. To sum up, it is a predictable story, however not one that leaves you with a lasting impression, despite good performance by the lead characters.

So, what you have in this movie is a down on luck reporter who is investigating a strange person, who appears at the scene in photographs of several major disasters in the 20th century. Turns out these are actually time travellers who come from the future who create/take thrill in disasters that shape the past. Soon the FBI is on his heels on suspicion of terrorism owing to his prescient knowledge of an airplane disaster. Can the hero save his son and hundreds of other lives from a disaster that is poised to strike a huge gaming arena?

Of course in such a movie, logic is thrown out the window. The cast and performances are not themselves very exciting, nor does the protagonist running around leave much time for others' character development. It still makes for an entertaining watch, but not a movie that will keep you pondering over it for long.