Jmovie review: Peak: The Rescuers / Gakku

WHAT IS IT?

Mountain rescue movie with Oguri Shun, Nagasawa Masami, Watabe Atsuro and Gira gira. Oguri Shun is Sanpo, this super mountain rescuer who always has a stupid smile on his face. Masami is the newbie rescuer who does all the usual things that newbie characters do.

WHAT I LIKED

- Good casting

- Great mountain views and tracking helicopter shots

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- Cramming a lot of stories into a 2 hour running time.

- Feels like a Japanese version of a Michael Bay movie where instead of an explosion every 15 minutes, it tries to create too many moving emotional moments with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The result is that the movie doesn't allow the characters and stories to breath and dulls the emotional impact.

- Horrible CG work that looks really, really fake. Its a mountain climbing movie ffs. They should have done a lot of scenes with far wideshots of stunt people at actual mountains and extreme close ups of the actors to hide the background. I know its not Hollywood big budget but if you don't have the money, spend it on when you really need it. Its a mountain rescue movie and obvious CG just takes me out of it.

Decent shot of Oguri Shun carrying dude on his back while climbing out of a crevice..

.. turns into fakest CG rope 1st person perspective ever.

Whoever did this composite image did a shoddy job.

SUMMARY

Instantly forgettable bombardment of try hard tragic and touching scenes masquerading as an action movie.

Abusive workplace in jdoramas pt 2

Was reading this article titled 'Japanese Game Developer Apparently Harassed So Much, She Attempted Suicide' on Kotaku about this female employee who claims she was harassed and bullied while working at Capcom. What I want to talk about is not whether she was bullied or whether she was a useless employee that they tried to get rid of but the comments by Artic_Visionary which I will copy in paste here in italics.

Two things:
1) Most Japanese companies the size of Capcom hire new graduates straight out of college and train them to fit into the corporate culture there -- regardless of their major. If an employee is under-qualified, it is almost universally the company's fault because they haven't done enough to transition that person from education to employment.
2) Often times this kind of harassment stems from superiors who want to keep the status quo and can only eliminate troublesome (i.e. people with new ideas) employees by harassing them until they quit.

Capcom's HR people get applications from hundreds of soon-to-be-graduates of many major universities every January or so. If the applications come from students at lower universities, they are the first in the trash.
 
The applicants then go through hours of rigorous interviews to see how that person will fit into the Capcom *culture*. Experience is almost never necessary for new employees. They will get that experience at the company, and it's taken as a given that the company will train its employees -- i.e. mold them into good Capcom employees. This is the whole root of the lifetime-employment structure in Japan.

The big problem with this system is once you get into one of these big companies, you do whatever it takes to keep your job there. Often times that means working ridiculous amounts of overtime (see: karoushi - 'death by work'), or just keeping your mouth shut as you are abused by your supervisors.

You're not really applying for a company position, you're applying to enter a culture. And leaving that culture has severe implications on your ability to enter into other company cultures because you've already been trained to spec for somewhere else (i.e. you're not a pliable anymore).

I understand that you want people to stop being entitled, and that's more common even in Japan than it was before, but often times the choice comes down to sacrificing your future career opportunities and putting up with bullying. Only the sharpest people have any prospect of career mobility, and the Japanese university system rarely produces those kinds of individuals.

The thing about this article that sets off red flags for me is the term 'senior employee'. This is called Jyoushi in Japanese, and it's a hugely important term. This isn't her boss. This is someone with more seniority than her that is pulling rank to make her life hell. Bosses don't train their employees in the Japanese system. They rely on Jyoushi to supervise their underlings, even though Jyoushi don't have any authority, whatsoever. Jyoushi are supposed to be respected because they have seniority, but what that can also mean is that two people are theoretically doing the same job (programming) and the underling could have more working knowledge.

My thoughts

- A lot of interesting statements here, some of which I've read before. The first thing that came to me mind was the company induction in Freeter. Getting the employees to do weird exercises together.

- My pet hate is colleagues in doramas being dicks just for what I perceive to be useless challenge storywise for protagonists. Are such meaningless abuses by senior employees so common in Japan?

- If this is true this explains why the main character who always does his/her job well continues to get the irrational hate from colleagues.

- If quitting one's job is a death sentence then I can see why they put up with it. Would management not back up a less senior employee who is capable rather than an abusive jyoushi? Or is there a culture of no one must rock the boat and you have to put up with it until you get underlings to abuse yourself?

- Changing jobs is so common in Australia. Most of the people I work with now were not there when I started. Its more about what skill sets you have acquired in your job and how it can be applied to your new one.

- I still think characters like the boss from Strawberry Night in the above picture who just shouts for no reason every episode and does nothing useful. It does nothing for the story.

Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance ep 2

I love this dorama despite the fact that I have no empathy for Miroku. He is an interesting character with a messed up view of reality. I'm guessing the book that he is passing of as his was written by his father and that is where he got his motto of murder is justified if its to punish evil. Is what is written in the book his father's thoughts or the inner voice of a character?

Miroku kind of reminds me of Rorschach from Watchmen except I don't think he has seen the kind of things Rorschach has seen in order to form an extreme viewpoint of the world. However, I am interested to see what events made him Miroku this way. The yakuza behind Baba Hikaru's operation tells Miroku to stay away and he is scared shitless and burns all his research material. At least he knows the difference in danger between investigating a prostitution ring and crossing yakuza.

However, Risa shows up at his door seeking his help to escape her predicament. She entraps him with the 'you're a nice guy, not like everyone else' shtick to entrap him and make him feel responsible for her. That's what you get for meddling in other people's business and telling them how to live their lives.

All fear of the yakuza gone, Miroku proceeds with his plan which is very obvious from the end of episode 1. Can't say I'm supporting him cause its not vengeance but then again, Hikaru is a bitch that is easy to hate. I love how the whole sequence from him procuring the weapon to him running to the apartment trying to avoid detection and going through with his plan is almost from a first person perspective. The viewer is right there with Miroku. You can see his sweat, feel the uncertainty in his breath and wonder whether he has the conviction to go through with it.

When Risa appears, there's this long moment of tension where I wondered what she was going to do and how Miroku would react. Would she cry over the best friend, Hikaru and exclaim 'I never wanted this!' or would she be Miroku's partner in crime. Risa starts dragging the body and I'm thinking she's gonna get more blood all over the floor.

Then Risa grabs a knife in order to chop Hikaru's body up. OMG. One aspect of Risa character that I had not considered appeared. Was she really forced into this slavery by Hikaru? Or is she someone with a masochistic side? Looking for someone to hang on and doing anything for that person? Risa knew Hikaru set up her rape and yet she still stuck with her. By killing Hikaru, Miroku was Risa's new master. Except Miroku was neither interested in Risa or taking advantage of the situation. He's just pissed off cause this is not according to plan. You can add super control freak to his list of character traits.

Risa's mom shows at the front door and there's this high tension, silent scene where you knew a phone was going to go off. I was thinking please don't turn this into a dark comedy with the mom getting offed. I love that look of horror and realisation on Risa's mom's face after the phone stops ringing and she slowly closes the door. Awesome acting. Not need for words to express the thought going through her head. Miroku manages to escape with detection. That was another very exciting sequence. You can feel his heart jumping out of his mouth as he calmly walks past an approaching police car.

Anon mentioned in comments that this is based on a manga which is based on the Russian novel crime and punishment. Yes, its good source material but what's important is the execution. If this were a TBS/TV Asahi dorama, it would be very bad. Looks like Furransu is not uploading the rest but at least we got the chinese subbed ones. Sadly, the subs are hardcoded. Beggers can't be choosers. If anyone knows where to get the Japanese softsubs, let me know. Just wanted to write about ep 2 before I start watching ep 3.

Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance ep 1

qnuy asked Vulcan300 in the Suitei Yuuzai thread whether they were going to sub Tsumi to Batsu. Vulcan300 replied that it was too dark for their tastes and it pricked my ear. Did a PM and was sent the ep 1 subs. I am happy to say this is the type of Wowow dorama I want! Dark and unrelenting. None of that Sesame Street crap from Suitei Yuuzai. Feels very much like a Sono Sion movie. If you're a fan of Sono Sion, stop reading and PM Vulcan300 for the subs!

Marks from Marks no Yama plays the main character Miroku. Miroku is this socially detached guy from the country who moved to the city for uni. Except he doesn't go and locks himself in his room all day. Its clear something is wrong with this dude and we get a few reasons. His dad who I think is a writer passed away when he was young. My guess is suicide. Miroku's mom stubbornly believes in his dad and tells him to grow up and be a great man like his father. Miroku's sister played by Ito Ayumi works to support his studies and he believes that she is going to marry a rich dude for money which pisses him off.

One day, Miroku gets propositioned by a cute high school girl, Risa for sex. He turns her down and proves that he is mentally insane. Unless of course he suspected it might be a trap. However, Miroku follows her and scares away her next customer by banging away at a signboard and giving a deranged stare. It seems he gets pissed off at women doing stuff for money.

Miroku follows Risa and discovers that she is part of an enjou kousai ring led by Baba Hikaru (Hashimoto Ai). Hikaru is the best bitch you'll love to hate since Fukuda Saki in Life. She bullies and abuses Risa without remorse and forces all members of the enjou kousai ring to service 3 customers a day.

Hikaru is an awesome character. A villain who revels in being a bad. She does it because she enjoys it and makes no apologies. Hikaru gives her business card to Miroku who is appalled by what he sees and then he gives her a proposition.....

This won't turn into Suitei Yuuzai because there's no way to go Sesame Street on this. Tsumi to batsu will go places we never go in real life. Miroku is naive and delusional but he is self aware. I love it when he calls himself a hypocrite after admonishing Risa.

Miroku is a character who's life and priorities are screwed up to the point that he is looking for a mission in life. A reason for existence. They'll be plenty of time character examination with 6 episodes. Nurse Miki from Iryu seems like she will play a big role in this dorama but her character hasn't appeared yet.

As can be seen from the pictures, Tsumi to Batsu looks awesome. Its typical Wowow muted colours movie look and its always such a contrast from your colourful and brightly lit from 3 light sources jdoramas. After seeing Wowow doing it for all their shows, bright colourful doramas seem to be a stylistic choice. Perhaps to achieve that anime like unreality.

Furransu says he will only upload the rest if the series is subbed. At least we've got the chinese tvrips and I'm downloading ep 2. Hope the chinese subtitles can be turned off or it will be distracting. Guess I'll find out in 15 minutes. I just love the Baba Hikaru character. After watching Tsumi to Batsu, I'm as happy as a Hulk smashing aliens in Manhattan. 

Suitei Yuuzai 3-5

Where do I start? So many things I want to say about this dorama but its probably easier to start with the bad points. As mentioned earlier, the journey that the journalist Seiji goes through is, 'Oh, I didn't know my article would hurt the families of the victim and Shinozuka. I'm going to wallow in self pity and try to write articles that will not cause pain to a single soul'. The premis of Suitei Yuzai is an innocent man who was wrongly convicted and somehow it has devolved into a veteren journalist finally realising that people get offended by his articles.

You can see the writer of Suitei Yuuzai trying to create this maelstrom of heavy emotion like in Soredemo Ikite Yuki. The innocent man, Yoshio who spent 12 years in prison. His daughter who refuses to see him because he pleaded guilty. The journalist who accused him of murder in print. The police officer  who got the confession out of him. The victim's family who don't know who to hate anymore. Its a goldmind for drama.

Yet the big scenes mostly fall flat. Why? Because Suitei Yuuzai breaks the cardinal rule of writing. Show the audience instead of TELLING THE AUDIENCE. In Soredemo, the dialogue is natural and you feel like you're a fly in the wall, observing the two families. In Suitei Yuuzai, it feels so contrived. There is no build up. Its just a big arrow with the words, 'hey look at this great scene of angst and pain because the actors are trying their damnedest to cry.'

Like Mimura telling the audience that everyone in her family blames themselves for her sister's death. Came out of nowhere and felt so shoehorned in. Why bother putting it in when you don't have time to do it properly? Lots of scenes of characters doing their woe is me speech. This is one show where I can say Nakamura Toru is overacting, or at least he looks like his overacting because his character is so stupid.

I think the reason that Suitei Yuuzai fails is that the writer tries to pack too many things into 5 episodes. We've got all the issues in the second paragraph. There's also the reason Seiji's wife divorcing him because his family is always afraid for his life and his colleague which we hardly know dying so we can have another crying scene I don't care about. The politician using Yoshio for his image. Kuroki Hitomi's aim in this whole story. Too many issues to address in so little time.

Its a damn shame because episode 1 and 5 are superb. Ignoring the script, the directing, music and casting on the whole is awesome. I was watching episode 5 thinking this is so good. How could they stuff it up so much? The main mystery which bookends the dorama is decent. There's this scene in ep 5 when Shinozuka looks out the window and sees the unblinking Jinnai Takanori and you can see a gamut of emotions starting to creep up his face as he sits down with an almost exasperated body language screaming what should I do?

That scene tells me Shinozuka should have been the main character of the series because that's where the conflicting emotions lie. The maelstrom of emotions is already within one character. Of course its not like Shinozuka doesn't play a major part but the backbone of Suitei Yuuzai is this reporting running around afraid to hurt people and crying in half his scenes. Shinozuka is like this silent character that you know only from his interactions from other people instead of observing him. The story should have been through his viewpoint. Think of how much better the above scene where Motokariya Yuika breaks down would be.

Yeah, I know they needed Seiji's viewpoint to solve the mystery. Doesn't mean that they couldn't have excised most of his useless personal stuff and used him mostly for plot device. I can't say it an absolute don't watch because of how good the first and last episodes are. Actually, just watch 1,4 and 5 and ignore 2 and 3.

Legal High eps 1-4

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Sakai Masato is Komikado Kensuke, a lawyer with a 100% winning record who will do anything to win. He used to be partners with Yabe Kenzo who is the villain of the series but something happened to break their partnership. Aragaki Yui plays the idealistic and naive lawyer who at the beginning of the series works for Yabe Kenzo as an expert in foreign transactions who does her first pro bono case as a defence lawyer in a criminal case.

WHAT I LIKED

- Komikado sensei doing anything to win including hiring people to protest outside court, tampering with witnesses and blackmail.

- Komikado calling Aragaki Yui an asadora heroine because of her misguided  and ignorant sense of 'justice'. I like how it question right and wrong, especially in ep 4 in regards to the crusading lawyer and the residents who have other reasons for suing the property developers.

- Its kind of a very light version of Boston Legal/Ally McBeal. 

- Aragaki Yui's acting being tolerable.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- The legal arguments just aren't interesting/funny. Instead it goes for sentimental parables which just  I just find boring.(see ep 3)

- There's something missing from Legal High because I always find myself skipping scenes. Whether its Komikado not being as strong a character as Bengoshi no Kuzu or if there is a lack of chemistry between the leads, I don't know.

I'm just indifferent about the characters and series and don't really care about watching the next episode. Makes me feel like watching Bengoshi no Kuzu though browsing my old reviews, it seems that show is weak in terms of legal stories and is carried by Toyokawa Etsushi's acting. Legal High is watchable since there's nothing I really hate but I don't feel compelled to watch the next episode either.

Manufacturing empathy through abusive workplaces in Jdoramas

Came across this article that deconstructed why Ruffalo's Banner in Avengers worked. The one keyword that stood out for me as 'assumed empathy'. The concept that the audience would care about a character just because he/she is the main character. The writer goes on to say that the script has to present a character that is engaging and flawed in order to capture the audience's attention.

After I read that paragraph, the first thing that popped into my head was one of my most hated cliches in jdoramas; the abusive workplace. The main character who sticks out because his/her colleagues and superiors are useless and hate the main protagonist for no reason. This is most prevalent in police and teacher doramas.

For a long time, I have always wondered why dorama writers always felt the need to present additional obstacles in police shows? Why always the boss who is shouting and abusing the main character at all times but never doing anything useful? Why does the abuse continue even after our protagonist has proven him/herself over and over? Why always present the other police officers/teachers/etc as incompetent?

Is the answer to the question that this is what jdorama writers think will create empathy for the main character? That a main character who silently and continuous tolerates the abuse from his/her superiors while saving the day every episode would arouse the audience's sympathy? Are we suppose to care about the main character who cannot tell his/her boss, "Fuck you and your shouting tirades. I solved the last three cases no thanks to you. If you don't give me the respect I deserve let's see you do some actual work"?

Instead the main character has to trudge through 10 episodes to at least get some respect. Are the writers telling the audience; see, the main character may stand out but he/she is just like you, putting up with unreasonable bosses and stupid colleagues! Now feel empathy because you are both experiencing an abusive workplace!

The evil principal and teachers worked in GTO because it was funny as hell and the principle was likable and actually got my sympathies when his wife and daughter went to live with Onizuka, lol. This pattern or formula has been repeated so many times without the writers thinking do we actually need the whole police organisation to be against the main character to make him/her interesting?

I'm not saying cops in police doramas should all get along but rather if they don't, its because of interesting reasons that create more tension like clash of jurisdictions (Marks no Yama) or wanting to get credit. It has to serve the story and explore the protagonist's character/personality. Maybe I'm thinking too much and its just a case of too many writers just applying the GTO template to workplace doramas because they assume its a one size fits all. Maybe main characters who put up with abusive workplaces just somehow arouse the empathy of the average Japanese viewer.

For me, I feel empathy for a character when I start to understand him/her. When I need more than one sentence to describe the character. I don't need to like or even agree with the character. The important thing is I need to see that the character is not 2D. Showing the audience instead of telling is important. I don't feel empathy for a character just because he/she is enduring hardship. Its when I see what type of character that protagonist is and how he/she responds to difficulties. Hope this made some sense.

Unmei no Hito eps 3+4

The tension in Unmei no Hito never lets up. First two episodes are about uncovering the government conspiracy. The third episode is about the fallout from Yuminari Ryota getting so pissed off with the government that the decided to trust the opposition leader with the evidence. There is nowhere to run once the actual leaked document is revealed.

The fourth episode is about two things. Firstly that the power of media is not so affective against a government that has control over the police and prosecutors. The newspapers may shout the truth but the government can decide when and where the war for public opinion is to be fought.

Secondly Ryota has broken Miki's trust. He failed to protect her and she is going to be used against him. How much should he fight? The court case and public interest is no longer about the cover up. The government's constant denial and now focusing on more sensational revelations means that Okinawa is last year's news.

Unmei no Hito also looks at Japanese women in the 1970s though the eyes of Miki (Maki Yoko) and Yuriko (Matsu Takako). Miki has to work because her husband is unable and he constantly resents her because she is now the breadwinner. Miki is free to work yet her husband always reminds her that her position is because of him and he constantly monitors her coming and going because he is insecure.

Yuriko is the perfect housewife who lives for the husband. The yamato nadeshiko.The ideal woman of the 70s. Of course, Ryota is too obsessed with being a journalist that he takes her for granted. It will be interesting to see how she responds to the revelation at the end of episode 4.

Saka no ue no kumo eps 1-5

WHAT IS IT?

An NHK special dorama which was aired over three years. For a total of 13 episodes. I had bought the HK autotranslated series before I went to Japan but since its being subbed now, I'd rather watch it with proper subs. It tells the tale of 2 brothers, one who joins the navy and the other the army and their friend who became a famous haiku poet.

WHAT I LIKED

- Very, very ambitious dorama

- Great casting, similar to Unmei no Hito. Masahiro Motoki, Abe Hiroshi, the killer from Shokuzai, Kanno Miho, Matsu Takako and lots of actors in bit parts.

- Interesting era for Japan at the end of the 19th Century and the climax I assume is the Russo-Japan war.

- They actually got some decent actors for English speaking roles.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- The first 3-4 episodes did feel like a documentary with the three characters shoehorned in. Kind of like how Kodoku no gurume is more variety show than dorama. The narrative struggles between the three main characters and the world politics and they don't feel connected at all. Lots of this guest star is playing this historical character and this historical character will do this. Omake for history buffs I guess.

From a historical perspective, I'd rather see the leaders from other countries and what their plans and aims are. It'll get better I guess as the characters start playing a more prominent role. Saka no ue no kumo tries to paint the big picture but its not detailed enough without perspectives from multiple sides.

- Masahiro Motoki tries hard with his English but I wish they had gotten Hiroyuki Sanada. My problem is not the pronunciation but its obvious he memorised the difficult lines and is trying very hard to navigate the tongue twisters. Whoever the English coach was on this dorama should have told him to pause a lot more.

All that budget and they couldn't afford some real looking beard?

SUMMARY

I want to like this dorama but I neither care about the characters and I just wished they'd get deep into the politics of the era but it mostly shows the Japanese perspective. Mostly watching for the history bits  but hopefully it gets better as the main characters become major players instead of just being spectators.

Unmei no Hito eps 1 and 2

WHAT I LIKED

- Great cast. Motoki Masahiro, Matsu Takako, Omori Nao (Hagetaka), Maki Yoko and Manpyou Daisuke. Awesome acting all around. Nice to see Maki Yoko get a meaty role.

- You see the ending in the beginning along with flashes of what will happen during the series..... and it doesn't matter cause its still a bloody exciting political drama. Its all about execution.

- You got politics, cover up and debates about the role of journalists. Lots of issues to cover. Should journalists play kingmaker? Does the public have the right to know sensitive and confidential government documents?

- Main character is an idealist who is also very headstrong to the point of ignoring others. Lots of characters who will do anything to do achieve their goals. Whether they are right or wrong or whether the end justifies the means is up for debate. The characters aren't as clean as Kanryoutachi no Natsu and more realistic.

- Newbie reporter used to explain stuff to the audience who is not a johnny and does not appear more than necessary. cough Ai no Nedan. cough.

- I thought WOWOW was going to save this season with Suitei Yuzai (it still can) but I'm surprised this excellent show is from TBS and not NHK.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- Not enough people downloading the sub files. Please pimp this dorama.

- Just realised that ep 3 subs are out and its 2 am. Sleep can wait....