Pure Episodes 1+2

I went into Pure thinking not another Hamabe Minami overacting dorama and what I get was basically a new version of Trick! Yes, that classic jdorama starring Abe Hiroshi and Nakama Yukie!

The premise is the same, a tall, lanky but not so smart guy who gets all the credit teams up with calculating girl who is unsuccessful at her job. In Trick, it was a magician but in Pure, Hamabe Minami is an idoru.

Not only is the concept similar to Trick, the mysteries are similar especially episode 2 and not to mention the music as well.

I was grinning ear to ear watching the two main characters snarl at each other while trying to solve cases. Its got the same Trick humour and I love the banter so much, the cases don't really matter.

NHK, I want a whole 10 episode series of pure! Very watchable.

Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita Episode 4

OMFG. What a freaking good episode.

Its been a while since I've watched something so good I just had to write about it straightaway.

I can't believe Ando Sakura is playing a bit part in this show, or is she?

In the beginning of the episode I liked that it went back into how the idorus were basically slaves or money making machines for the agencies and there are too many girls dreaming of becoming idorus that the supply is endless.

The story also goes into how idorus are basically another form of kyabakura where the popularity of an idoru group correlates with the amount of money the fans spend on them.

People can criticise crazy idoru fans for being possessive but the system encourages them to act this way and it reminds me of mobile games where the purpose to just to hook a few whales and get them to spend an obscene amount of money for things of no real value.

However, I must admire the purity of Ai-san's desire to see Hana cooking with a bikini and apron.

I effing love this scene where Ai is listening to Hana talk about the concert that made her want to be an idoru.

This episode is so good. I'm a cynic and I love but how Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita presents the dark side of the idoru industry but I also love the purity of Ai and Hana's desires and the beauty of the ending scene.

Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita is so freaking good, I want to slowly watch it one episode at a time because I just want to take it all in. Must watch. If you are no watching this, what are you watching jdoramas for?

Jmovie review: Sensei Kunshu / My Teacher My Love

Sensei Kunshu is a romantic comedy where Hamabe Minami from Ano Hana and Kakegurui jdorama shows puts on a really bad wig and makes horrible faces.

I have no idea which came first but I think she does a lot of face pulling in Kakegurui also.

On a side note, I remember watching at least one episode of Kakegurui and I did not even feel any sort of writing was warranted for it.

In Sensei Kunshu, Hamabe Minami plays a high school student who acts more like a 9 year old girl who is in love with falling in love.

Just as she was about to break Sakuragi Hanamichi's record for consecutive rejections,  Hamabe Minami runs into her future teacher who pays her dinner for her.

The rest of the show is Hamabe overacting like a little kid trying to get her teacher's attention. I did not find it funny at all.

Then in the middle of the show, we find out that the teacher's childhood friend is Shinkawa Yua.

Yes, Shinkawa Yua who was in the very good Akutou. 

After getting sick of Hamabe Minami's antics, I could not see how any sane man would not prefer Shinkawa Yua.

Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure all of you can imagine how this movie ends.

The teacher ends up coming to terms with his fetish for loli who always pull exaggerated faces over a yamato nadeshiko.

As someone who is not the target audience of Sensei Kunshu, I could not find anything redeeming in this movie shoujo movie but I think it might have a so bad it fun appeal for some. Meh.

Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita Episodes 1~3

Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita is about an OL Mana, who seemingly had it all who was dumped by her boyfriend because he felt that she was only using him to get likes on instagram.

Mana loses her phone and somehow ends up at an underground idoru event for Sunny Side Up where she vents her anger against Hana-chan, the worst member of the group. Mana goes back to apologies and finds herself slowly becoming an idoru otaku.

First thing you notice with Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita is that its not your typical bright light idoru story. Mana starts off the story being interrogated at a police station and we know something bad has happened while the series goes back in time to show us the events leading up to the police station.

I like the series, more real tone and episode 2 shows the dark side of idorus; the fan possessiveness and treating the girls like their girlfriend. Not to mention how little money underground idorus make and their reliance on handshake and photo events to make money.

The third episode was about being an otaku in today's world there were plenty of cringeworthy (in a good way) moments. Such a good episode.

The acting by Sakurai Yuki as Mana and Shiraishi Sei as Hana-chan are excellent. Sakurai Yuki was the Judge's assistant in Saka no Tochu no Ie and Shiraishi Sei was of course in I"s. Both of them are definitely in my good actresses list.

I've very much enjoyed the 3 episodes. I would like to finish Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita in one go but I've got Sekiro to play. Very watchable.

Color Me True / Konya Romansu Gekijou de jmovie review

Color Me True is has an interesting premise where the princess from a black and white movie played by Ayase Haruka crossed over to our world and mets up with the no.1 fan of the movie who happens to be an assistant director played by Sakaguchi Kentaro.

To be honest, the first half of the movie really lost me. I found no fun in the relationship of the tsundere princess and assistant director who fell in love in Ayase Haruka as an actress.

For a movie about an assistant director writing a script, the script for Color Me True just felt weak, especially when it pertains to the relationship of the two main characters.

We've got Kitamura Kazuki as the leading actor of the period but it just feels like he should have more to do and they only used him for window dressing.

I was seriously considering stopping the movie and then we had the big revelation half way and a very strong ending to finish the movie off.

All I want to say is, the concept is great especially the ending but execution is suss. Color Me True feels like it would have been better served as a 5 or 6 episode tv series. Another complaint is not enough black and white Ayase Haruka scenes.

There are so many things that the movie did not have time to build on like the magic of making movies in that era or Kitamura Kazuki's character and most importantly Ayase Haruka and Sakaguchi Kentaro's relationship.

Don't expect to much especially the first half and you might find a watchable movie. Color Me True is available from nyaa here.

Nagi no Oitoma Episodes 2-6

The formula with rom coms is usually to start with two characters who were made for each other but who seem to be the only people in the world who do not realise this and the fun is watching them go through obstacles to get together in the end.

Nagi no Oitoma is something very different. We have two people, Nagi and Gamon who are clearly not meant to be together or rather were not mature enough to be in a relationship together. Nagi who tried to hard to read situations and Gamon who is essentially a tsundere.

I can't believe its taken 6 episodes to realise what the hell is wrong with Gamon. I blame Japanese anime where all the guys have no personalities and tsunderes are always female.

Yes I know there are plenty of tsundere guys in fujoshi anime but you know what I mean.

I enjoy the writing of Nagi no Oitoma. The friendship scene in episode 6 is great. Love Urara and her mother. Watching Nagi learn about her weaknesses and the fact that Gamon knew all about them was fun.

The thing is, I don't want to see Nagi and Gamon together. Not just because we never got to see them happy but because Ichikawa is better for Gamon and they have more chemistry together.

Plus Ichikawa is at the other end of the kuuki spectrum where she's so good at it that all the women are jealous.

That scene where Gamon introduced Ichikawa as his colleague was painful to watch. The dude can be so smart but he can be so dumb. Team Ichikawa till the end!