Zíza

Shorter than the Korean version, so there were no unnecessarily long and oft-repeated flashbacks. The story is almost the same, so there was no risk of ruining it. The music is pretty good by Japanese standards – at least as far as crime/thrillers go. The cast is very well chosen, the characters resemble their predecessors but bring their own take (at least in small ways), so it's fun to watch. They just cast an incredible ensemble. Kitamura Kazuki especially showed that he really has a lot to offer. Sakaguchi is still growing, and this obviously did him a lot of good. Honestly my biggest doubts were about Michiko Kichise, but especially towards the end she convinced me that all my doubts were unfounded. What can I tell you. Fine story, decent cast, the music doesn't get boring. Sure, the Koreans are more into the wow factor, but I liked both about the same. A very strong 3 stars.

A movie made for me: just the right amount of romance, friendship, meanness, sentiment, and action. Even though it looks like it's straight out of a video game from the last decade, I enjoyed it... a lot. I watched all the way to the end and was completely satisfied. It's clear to me that it's not for everyone, especially for those who know nothing about how the forum works and don't like cheesy animation. It's not the movie of the century, but it gave me everything I want from a movie.

It's not as funny anymore, and Hachiken isn't as laid back as he is in the anime, but it's still a relaxing affair (and they chose some of the actors so brilliantly, it's almost like they printed them on a 3D printer; for example, Tamako is perfect). There's no point in saying “this was in the anime, that wasn't"; it's really just a pity that they targeted the dramatic side instead of focusing more on the comedy, making the movie into a depressing one rather than one that lifts your spirits after a gloomy day, and that's a shame because Hachiken and co. have the chops to do that. A very decent live action film. If you liked the subject matter or the anime, you won't be disappointed, unless you expect them to cram everything in.

I kept thinking: "Why is she so mad? Why is she acting like that?"; now I get it. It's just that even though it's a beautiful human thing, it's mostly based on the piano, the music. I noticed – rather accidentally – who plays better, but I don't know why. I don't know in what. People who understand music, who have an ear for music, will enjoy this film more. I’m lacking both. But I liked the naturalness with which the film came across. Everyone has to appreciate that. Make an afternoon of it! Watch this movie – I mean that in a good way.

At the beginning, for the first six episodes or so, I was thinking how interesting the series was, suspenseful, the characters somewhat interesting, and the main character not particularly annoying. But that passed. Very soon. It was no longer a series where you needed to see the next episode, it was no longer a series where everyone was interesting, because they weren't going anywhere, nor was the main character. Throw in the same flashbacks over and over again and the series was killed. I even feel like it would have been more interesting without the main character. However, I don't think it's the actress's fault, but the script. It just killed it. The clichés that were all the rage a decade ago are flying here, they don't even have an interesting and modern denouement. Plus, it dragged. We basically knew everything in the first half of the show, but it had to be stretched out more and it became a terrible bore. I'm kind of surprised I finished watching it, but the truth is I was usually doing something in the meantime and, go figure, I didn't miss anything, I caught up every time. A series killed by bad scripting and editing. The only positive thing about it was that the actors made quite an effort, even though they didn't have much space to do so, as well as the classical music. But otherwise? A well-paced waste of time.

Basically a fairly hilarious slice of life tale that I devoured in one afternoon. This tale is also accompanied by a very good cast, so that alone makes it worth a watch. It's not too long; the ending may be a bit rushed, but what the heck, the flow was fine. Fine if you're in the mood for an unpretentious slice-of-life series with romance here and there, friendship, and a glimpse into the lives of single Japanese guys who aren't living their worst lives. An improved 3 stars.

I was curious about it, but in the end it didn't really appeal to me. Suda Masaki and Kiritani Mirei were great, but somehow I felt like Ohno Satoshi didn't put much into it. The stories tried to play to the viewer's sensibilities, and once you get sucked in, you can't claw your way out. The stories were mostly pretty two-dimensional, with some more interesting ones here and there – like the one where they’re locked in a hotel room and one of them has to die. I guess if you approach it as a morality tale for children, meant to show the quality of people's character and teach them a lesson, it's fine. A better 2 stars.

You’ve got a big decision ahead of you, because in terms of entertainment value, they're completely on the same level. I can give you a bit of a tip, though – this show is exactly the same as Asukō March!, except with more girls, more fights, and a shorter running time. So which one should you watch? All things being equal, this show offers the same amount of fun – almost none. But if you turn it off, you won't have a lot to ask... so you'll probably get to meet Japan's new acting stars. At least as far as the "leaders" go. Nice to meet you.

But yeah I was entertained, but yeah the story made sense, the dialogues too. Maybe a cliché here and there, but what the hell, it's good, it's just that the "awesome" ending buried it all... So the manga is still coming out, so it's possible that if a sequel came out, I'd raise my rating. Check it out, why not, but if you're wondering what's next, you'll have to open the manga at about that 67th episode or so. A better 3 stars and I’m praying for a sequel. A year after 1st viewing: I have to add that I've seen some episodes like 5 times because I really enjoy them, some parts (like when Kyoko hurts her leg and plays) are just great. And when you watch it with more people (after you've already seen it), it's even more fun (Sho's "sashiburi" in the first episode is just "our catchphrase" – guaranteed smile :D). So even though it's a shōjo, it’s entertaining and doesn’t make you shake your head at the heroine's dumbness (not that Kyoko isn't dumb at times, but she's not like other shōjo heroines who drive me nuts with their stupidity ;-)). A relaxing anime. And I read the manga, some parts of it several times too :-D So I raised my rating to 4 ;-)

It's been a while since I've seen the series, but I know one thing, every episode left a strong emotion in me. I haven't seen the movie, I'm not comparing. But I'm a little curious how it ran there. Faster? Here it was a beautiful smooth walk to its destination, which was obvious, yet I couldn't avoid tears, especially knowing it was based on a true story. It was really touching :-)