Zíza

It was sweet like all the cakes I've seen, and unfortunately didn't offer so much as a morsel of anything good. I didn't heed Natascha's warning, and what a way to end it: drooling at the mouth :-D But luckily it's not just about the cakes (if it was, I'd have to stop before the end, get on a bus and go to some cake shop that makes such beauties), but also about the relationship between the Tokyo family and the Edo samurai, which was presented nicely, casually, clearly. For me, a family rabukomedi that doesn't have violent twists and ineptly planted misunderstandings. However, the typical Japanese ending didn't impress me much; it instead left me feeling a bit, though I have no idea why. I can ultimately call this a nice fairy tale that I can watch once and then forget. Do you want something unpretentious, with a relaxed atmosphere and good acting? Maybe a bit of a treat after lunch? Reach for this little film.

In the end, it was a very enjoyable romantic comedy where the relationship started like nowhere else (at least that I've seen). Natalie was excellent as always, Ashton was a good guy (and he got away with it). Together they made a nice couple, where a lot of interesting and original ideas were presented (carrots, the Period Playlist). I enjoyed it, I had fun (above all, I was entertained). I left satisfied. I even think I would be happy to watch it again...

Some scenes are absolutely perfect, and if it wasn't for those, this movie would have gotten one star less. An interesting bit here and there, and you might wonder where the dreams and hallucinations begin and end, but that's about it. If you like Robert Downey Jr. he's in pretty good form here; otherwise it's a pretty bland and flavorless film. A weaker 3 stars. Btw. it took me a while to recognize Mel ^^

I haven't seen the anime, so I won't compare. I almost didn't recognize Satō Takeru here (after all, he looked completely different in Rookies and his personality was different too) and I'm glad for that. I'd say it's also good that we didn't hear him sing, but it was still disappointing. I'm not particularly literate when it comes to sound (singing here). I had a lot of trouble with Beck's musical style at first, but it got better over time, I started to sway to the beat and enjoy it (maybe they were improving by leaps and bounds, who knows, I'm a bit wooden at this and I can't tell that much). I'm not a fan of Hiro, I've never thought of him as anything more than a pretty face, but there was a moment here where he convinced me he was an actor, too. He just convinced me at the moment and I don't know why, it hit me in the gut. That simple scene where he says "Sh-sh-shit". Interesting. I was looking forward to seeing Mukai, but I didn't get much of him, plus the blonde hair doesn't suit him well (so much for the reason I watched the movie, I guess...). I fell in love with Shiori here (I've seen her before in A Little Princess and The Witch Trial, where I remembered her as a pretty face, nothing more, but here she just made it to my list of favorite actresses), her character wasn't annoying at all, on the contrary very cute. On the whole, the film flowed pleasantly, yet the running time was a bit long for my taste. But it was good. EDIT. 26 May 2015: I'm lowering my rating; I watched it today for the second time in 4 years and discovered that, even though it's not a bad movie, it definitely doesn't deserve 4 stars. Oddly enough, what bothered me there the most was how everyone was so blown away by Koyuki's voice, which the viewer couldn't even hear, that they completely forgot they were at a rock concert. A nice musical film full of pretty faces. Well.

I don't know, but I’m feeling massively disappointed. The beginning didn't really grab me, they all had to sin in some horrible way in order to be blackmailed... They're all idiots to the point of being painful, and the badguy is the smartest in the end. Think twice. As much as I like Ikuta Tomu and he had my sympathy here, I just feel terribly robbed of the time I spent on this. But that's just my feeling, others are reviewing it positively.

I'm going a little crazy and giving it 5 stars. Admittedly, I wasn't that into it at first, and I wondered what would come out of it again. In the end, something came out of it that didn't have that typical melodramatic side that just about every Korean dorama has, and on top of that it managed to surprise me. It showed all those emerging Korean idols beautifully. It had a beautiful song (“I Dream High") that I fell in love with. Sometimes I was annoyed that it skipped weirdly, I figure it was poorly edited, but otherwise... awesome. It was a very nice treat for my hormonal little soul. Dance. Singing. Rivalry. Friendship. Even the love is handled in a very nice way. I enjoyed it and from about week 3-4 of the show I was looking forward to the next episodes. You like kpop? Grab this with all ten fingers. Do you like kdorama? You should, too. The references...! (Cinderella's Sister, Boys Over Flowers... there was also Rain's song playing near the end... it's a pleasure if you recognize it ^^) No, everyone should grab it, get over the beginning, and then if you don't like it, it's just not for you (obviously... :-D). It's hard to say who to recommend it to, because it's just got something going for it. Man they set the dorama bar pretty high in Korea for 2011. A weaker 5 stars.

It just goes around and around and around, and it stops being funny, it gets boring, irritating. In the beginning it still seemed original, but after a few episodes you get tired of it. The jokes are all the same, only the situations and settings change. Fine, the main character is not a saint, awesome, something different, thumbs up, but in anime even a character like that gets lost in this kind of crap. And this is supposed to be a replacement for Bleach? Pretty doubtful. Plus, the animation isn't even anything groundbreaking, so what's to keep me watching? Belbo and Zelda both started to irritate me. Another minus. I don't find this franchise rewarding. Just a waste of valuable time. A weaker 2 stars. But the manga is supposedly good, readable, entertaining. So if you're interested in Beelzebub, skip the anime, read the manga. 5 out of 5 otaku recommend it.

Merry has the makings of an interesting show early on. But then I guess she twists her ankle, along with whatever else she’s got: weird dreams, phantasmagoria, mysteries, a bit of atmosphere ruined by the stench of high school romantic comedy. And that just doesn't suit Merry. Once again you have several characters and they all follow a template, creepy stereotypes that aren’t a problem at first, but become tiresome as you keep watching. The anime definitely has its positives. Um... music? Animation? Not impressed. Maybe the cuteness of the main character in the beginning. After episode 7, done, enough.

A TV movie with TV quality, with actors who were in at the moment. You watch it, then suddenly find that the wall behind the screen is more interesting... you watch it, then suddenly realize you don't care whether or not Yuuki dies... you watch it, it's over, you give a “hm", possibly add a shrug. Even though it had an interesting theme that could have made the masses cry (and I do believe it was moving for some), all that came out of it in the end was just a dry nothing. But at least I got to see Oguri in something with Kamenashi. 50%

A standard, truly Japanese comedy with a really great ending in a swimming pool. You run into a lot of old friends here, be it Tsumabuki, Tamaki, or Takenaka, and you’re glad; after all, who doesn't like seeing old friends? But it's still standard, it's still kind of run-of-the-mill comedy. A good idea, good music, good performances. Everything is good, but nothing is outstanding. I can recommend it because it doesn't spoil your appetite; so if you're in the mood for something Japanese but not complicated or heavy, you can definitely turn to Waterboys. However, there’s much better work from the director Yaguchi, the three years more recent Swing Girls.