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I also shared my thoughts about this series on twitter; that's my first thoughts after watching the last episode, I cried so much that until now my heart aches knowing these fictional characters deserves better; it aches me how they broke me; this might contain spoilers tooI watched the last episode earlier & knowing the words they say hits differently, I cried with all of their flashbacks together, I cried when XHT felt all his yearning for YXG; I cried as I thought about YXG deserves better;
I don't know if I can accept this conclusion without feeling upset.
Since the first half of the series, we are aware of YXG's story and it was sad; We all knew he grew up without parents, strived hard to achieve a better future, worked hard to make himself stand despite his living condition and when he finally found XHT who made him realized that one can love him & felt truly cared when YXG finally accepted himself it went to tragedy.
I rooted for their happiness, I rooted for their bright future together; I get the gist of the series of making the days count with the people you care & love but I don't get it why YXG didn’t deserve a good end, he deserves a good conclusion, after all, he's been through a lot of hardships in his life yet they took that happiness away from him, they took that development away from us
What I also cried about was, the one who’s fulfilling YXG’s dreams of going to the national university & achieving a good status in life is XHT; it saddens me to see him striving hard knowing his purpose is not with him anymore; making himself busy, meeting other people just to forget YXG; and all those years, XHT always carry YXG memories with him, it broke me into pieces because YXG is the first and last love of XHT.
Just like those stars at YXG’s rooftop, where he always looked at whenever he's sad or happy;
YXG also became a star that shines brightly there, shining upon XHT, twinkling at the night.
Maybe in another universe, YXG & XHT have a better ending; still living together, working things out as a couple, as a family; being kind & in love to each other; maybe in another universe, they still hold each other’s hand & smile as they both face the future positively. Maybe in another universe...
The last episode was supposed to XHT's reflection with all those memories he shared with YXG, maybe it was supposed to be an episode where XHT is coming to the conclusion of accepting what happened to YXG, accepting his weakness, accepting after all these years, XHT still carried YXG in him.
Tho the whole series left me with a bittersweet feeling; I would say that this series was done in high quality, with the way they directed, the soundtrack, the dialogues but yes, that conclusion still upsets me because both main characters didn't deserve to suffer, now whenever I listen to the OST, I will always felt that cry; this series introduced me to the wonderful cast who worked hard to bring us the best chemistry. I’m wishing Wayne, Chunchih, Wilson & Thomas the best in their careers.
I won't forget them, I won't forget the love between YXG & XHT, I will remember this series.
Somewhere in a parallel universe, there's a Yu Xi Gu and a Xiang Hao Ting smiling and holding each other's hand, facing the future together.
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“Dear, Watanabe Hiroko. Of course, I do remember him, but only as someone who has same name as me. And probably, It was not a good memory at all. It was happen since our first day in Junior High School.”I've been meaning to watch this ever since and to be honest, I don't know why I got this on hold for so long. I watched this film for the first time around 12 AM here and finishing it with tears at around 2 AM.
The film starts with a memorial service of Itsuki Fujii who was a fiance of Hiroko Watanabe. As she looks at his late's fiance high school yearbook, she finds out that his late fiance and his parents used to live in Otaru and that their old house was replaced as a highway. Hiroko Watanabe looks at Itsuki Fujii's name on the high school yearbook and decided to mail a letter to the address that she finds in the yearbook knowing it's her late fiance's old address back in his younger years. As she sends a letter, she didn't expect a reply but she did. The story of unraveling the past through exchanging letters and finding out who's sending the letter to her starts the mark of the past that Hiroko Watanabe never knew about Itsuki Fujii.
There's something about Shunji Iwai's film, it wraps around you with wonder with a sense of humility in each frame. The small details of character notion that tell about them and the height of the possible conflict as you prepare yourself to cry or to feel relief after that.
I did cry because of the dialogue and how the scene blends into it. I cry not because it was so sad; it was a cry of reminiscing to the first love that I never had; yes, something along those lines.
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Asako I & II is about this girl name Asako who lives in Osaka and meets Baku in a photo exhibit. Asako & Baku's first meeting is not your usual, it has literally sparked from fireworks & confidence. Asako & Baku seems to be that couple that is free in love, enjoying together's company but the thing is Baku is not your usual guy, he often missing in an unusual way. One day, Baku went missing & never comes back for 2 years. Asako moves to Tokyo but still has that reminisce feeling of Baku but little did she know, she will meet a man who looks like her first love in Osaka, the man who looks like Baku name Ryohei who works as an employee in a beer company that got transferred from Osaka since that meeting after Baku's disappearance, Asako's feelings from the man who she loved in Osaka lingers to a man who looks like him in Tokyo.
I don't have any expectations while watching this, I'm surprised that I knew most of the cast in here. The color tones for this film somewhat tell how the story will convey. I appreciate the direction & cinematography of the film as it was trying to relate it to the content. The characters especially Asako is not perfect, she tends to be selfish, she tends to be cruel but when she decides to set her heart she will pour it out. Baku is a character that is deviant, you will never know what he's thinking or what he will do next. Ryohei is a warm person, he works hard, he tries to mediate and he's never been selfish.
There are parts that seem non-sensical but I think that provides as the turning point for Asako, if it never happens then she will never know. Ryohei thought he could handle Asako's past but there's a part of him that he's scared & there's a part that he will never trust her ever again but as Ryohei already gave his words Asako who just got awaken by her true feelings seems accepting that fact but still loving him despite the scar that she did to him.
I don't think the pace is slow, to be honest, the film is almost 2 hours but I didn't feel bored, it actually has a lot of different scenes & stories. I appreciate this film, I never knew I would need it.
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"isn't that the aim of cinema... to connect you with other people's lives? it helps me to live other people's experiences by proxy."
There is something about this film that is poetic (at least for me) since my nihongo is not advance but reading the translated words into English might have different depth of meanings to its original context but I still did appreciate watching the film that didn't take away my experience for this film.
A film that didn't romanticize the impairment instead this is a film showing the depth of the conflict that the characters deal with.
I love reading, I love words and when a good dialogue/screenplay meets a good direction to its film somehow that gives me a good experience.
Ayame Misaki and Masatoshi Nagase did a great job portraying their roles. There's a connection, there's chemistry. There's something melancholic about this film yet there's something hopeful too.
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This film is about a person who struggles with depression and how they deal with life. Shuri's performance was spectacular in this film, portraying the complexity of a person with manic depression who wants to withdraw from society. Suda Masaki as the boyfriend who portrays a neutral yet emotionally intact with the character was good. Honestly, Suda Masaki on indie films is great too. He balances it portraying his characters from mainstream to indie.
Shuri and Suda Masaki in one film was a treat as they both connected with their emotions portraying their characters. I love them.
The cinematography also plays well with the story, correlating them with the character's scenes and interactions. That last part reminds me of Burning by Lee Chang-Dong where the female character dances her way to the waves of emotions while being in trance.
I guess there's few films who get a story of depression but this film gets it, hits you to the core.
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The things you hold dear, friends, family, lovers, hurt you the most. You live with thatI saw this last night with a thought of not expecting anything since I read the synopsis with a lightweight but as I dived into the film & to the story, everything seems went black. I guess this film isn't for everybody, the themes at least. The film talks about abuse, depression, prostitution, and gang-related vices but all of these things were surrounded by these kids.
The focused of the film is about this boy and his love for this ethereal singer called Lily Chou Chou, where he finds a gateway out from his dark realities. The film also has this chat like messages in sequences of the story though sometimes it bothers me because I want to see the whole film without too much flickering of chat messages but somehow it is part of the film. You need to read those chat messages in order for you to know who's who in that chat board that relates to the characters.
While this boy who likes his ethereal singer lily chou chou, the film brings you into his backstory of how he meet the people around him that causes him to do bad things. The timeline is not organized, it will throw you back into some details of the timeline then it will back to the present so it's a little confusing too.
The used of music in this film as well as the camera angles and shots that were will bring you into the 90s culture. The overexposure of light in the night, the used of a video camera as part of the backstory.
There are particular scenes you can tell that this film is owned and made by Shunji Iwai. The uses of objects and spaces as the character become part of it.
I have read in the review that this reminds them of A Brighter Summer Day and when I read that I also thought of that ending too, yeah it reminded me of that, the involvement of gang among kids and that final act. The film itself feels like a lengthy music video that is gloomy and eerie. The characters involvement to each other and their downfall were somehow controversial and intriguing to me. There are some parts that I don't get that I did read some long reviews for me to understand this film.
What I noticed is that during the chat messages, the kids in this film didn't know who's who. They tend to act as they are with each other or to other people without conveying their true feelings about what's happening in their life but through lily chou chou, her music and through that chat board, they somehow find solace and connected as they share their deepest and dark thoughts. Which this proves how is the purpose of the internet and making online friends because of having the same interest.
As I said, this film is not for everybody. It maybe triggers warning for others but for some, this film is their favorite because it speaks to them.
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I appreciate so much the plot, there's something very humane with it that the cinematography also blends. I adore the shots of the places that tell the story of Satoru's acquaintances. I appreciate Fukushi Sota here though he's still stiff at some parts I appreciate his improvement & his filmography somehow ranges from mainstream to middle. I like how the conversations & dialogues just flow naturally between the character & their past to present.
I actually smiled at some dialogues between the cat because whenever I observe my cat, I guess cat really loves the sunlight. Also there was a part that Nana is waiting for Satoru & my cat also do that waiting whenever he waits to his favorite chosen one.
The final act, it gives me a thought that when we connect with cats, dogs or any pets that we consider as a family or when you share a special connection with a person considered to be different from the view of others; there will be people who will not understand that connection despite the deepness & history of it but as day goes by the connection is still there & it will remain a special part of your life.
I used to have my first pet cat when I was in my grade school but there was one cat that was very special to us; my dad didn't like it at first, my mom, sister are cat lovers too and I remembered how I grieved when our first cat died, we put him in a box put flowers & buried him at the back of our apartment but our first cat brings joy and happiness in our home that I guess helps me to be more empathetic.
Now, we have this big cat, he's been with us since my junior year in high school so basically it's been 8-9 years since we take care of him and I guess our cat learns to adapt with us since then that he's not a bit of a troublemaker anymore and he brings joy in our home.
Enough of my cat stories, but I recommend this film if you're looking for a simple yet genuine film about people & animals/with their pets that has a good plot & cinematography (there's nothing really big about the cinematography but I appreciate the effort). Also bring tissues, if you're a softie, crybaby like me.
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Maybe after 5 to 10 years, we will all look back to this film and agreed upon on how they possibly cast all these new generations of young actors and actresses in Japan. When they first announced this film, I got hyped about it.十二人の死にたい子どもたち (12 Suicidal Teens) is based on the same manga title by Tow Ubukata, about 12 people gather to an assembly to make a decision to die. When they arrived at the abandoned hospital they found out a person who is unconscious; curiosity and questions make them investigate who killed the person. During the process of their investigation, reasons, and secrets of their purpose to die unraveled from each other.
To my surprise, I never thought that I somehow could like this? I didn't expect much before watching the film but this film surprises me in a good way.
When they first announced this film, everyone got hyped up because everyone was guessing who are the kids behind those numbers.
The casting was great, I like every actors & actress in this film. They brought out their characters & interpreted them in a way to differentiate from each other.
Sugisaka Hana, Mackenyu Arata, Kana Hashimoto, Ryota Bando & Yuina Kuroshima showed me a great performance portraying their characters dealing with their inner conflicts & how they exchanged their dialogues to the other.
The color tones and set give off a monotone start that correlates with the genre of the film. I like how they shot the frames, they made use of the setting's space and the symbolism of it.
*SPOILER*
At the final act, when the rain and thunder occurred on the place, it plays a symbolism to their interactions with the other characters while affecting their final decision. The flicker of thunder from the door while the characters are inside of the room, somehow symbolizes that there's a part of their decision already got change.
There is much symbolism from this film especially with the flashbacks, editing & how they shot the characters that answer the question.
*
The film's genre has an approach of mystery and thriller. The plot tones you to sadness but along the process of knowing the character's dealings in their lives and how they shared their pain to each other somehow gives a light and hope for these characters that despite their strong stand with their decision to die, there's a part of them screams that they want to be listened to.
I sigh in relief that these characters gave their life a chance again but like how Satoshi said to Anri that he is still obsessed with death but the moment he sees everyone agrees to canceled & got home, he felt a good feeling. I could interpret that the loneliness still lingers to him but as he got involved with the process of knowing these people & their stories, he somehow felt good that it turns out to the other side of the coin, that there's light.
Like what I mentioned, I never thought I could like this but I did; The cast did such a good job, the stories of the characters are sad & painful but I like the message throughout the film.
Definitely I will look back to this film and says with enthusiasm that how they gather all these amazing actors & actresses in one film because maybe after 5 to 10 years, this cast will hit big :)
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The feelings I’ve hid still remain as a painful secret memory
The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story
I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye
This line somehow interprets the film's plot.
굿바이 썸머 (Goodbye Summer) is about a high school boy deals with his terminal illness decides to live his remaining time back to being a student and falls in love with a girl.
Jung Jae Won known as One and Kim Bora is such indeed a visual pair in this film but too bad it wasn't fleshed out in which they have this little interaction that you can't tell whether they really like each other.
Honestly, this film is not about romance nor neither about the fragrance of youth but a film about a person's life and his perspective towards his surroundings & to the people he interacts with his limited time.
The dialogues are engaged in a humanely way but at the same time incorporating the age of the characters.
There's something dull about this film that is not very engaging.
Back to the song that I mentioned:
The feelings I’ve hid still remain as a painful secret memory
-This depicts Hyun Jae's feelings for Soo Min, he could never say what he really feels thus their memory together is a painful secret memory for Soo Min and Hyun Jae's affection for her will never be known by the world.
The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story
-This line could talk about Hyun Jae's & Soo Min's relationship because they never really knew what each other's feeling; that they can't define what kind of relationship what they had which is a heartbreaking story for the viewers.
I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye
-Hyun Jae making memories with Soo Min on the flashback is a summer story for him that he eventually has to say goodbye.
*contains spoiler* In the final act, there was this moment between Hyun Jae and Soo Min. They are talking inside the classroom, probably Hyun Jae asking her out while Soo Min knew his condition; they have this little talk about selfishness & feeling guilty.
That interaction between them but mostly Soo Min who poured out her emotions somehow gave you an idea that she indeed fell in love with him in the process but for Soo Min, Hyun Jae's actions were taken as being selfish but for Hyun Jae he somehow feels like he asked her out with sincerity of adoration to her.
You can see the two weights of it, Hyun Jae doing what he wants with sincerity but people around him keep reminding him that he needs to think things through because of his limited time while Soo Min has that long term thoughts about what if someday when he's gone, she will suffer by it because she fell in love with Hyun Jae.
Both have different descriptions about love but they felt the same way. It's sad because it never really push to the positive side of falling.
I thought I'm going to cry about this film apparently not; There are just moments of sentimental and hopes that it could have been more but never really expanded especially the climax & conflict.
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Suzu: I want to stay here forever.
I've been wanting to see this 3 years ago and finally, I watched this a few days ago and it was beautiful.
Our Little Sister about these three sisters in their adult age visits their father's funeral and there, they meet their younger sister who they share the same father. A story about family and sisterhood in the most genuine way.
I just happen to know that this film was based on a manga with the same title. Kore-eda surely knows how to capture a story about a family in a way it has more into its story than just merely shows it off with a blend of good capture of setting and cinematography that warms the tone of the whole film. Kore-eda films have that strong familial bond but on his films but at the same time it dives you into their character's conflicts & core but for Our Little Sister, Kore-eda takes us into the genuine side of sisterhood without any punches of regrets.
This kind of story often overreact by some mainstream television dramas here in my country and its so sad because it has always the same formula where the first family meets the second family then they fight for their rights or their inheritance of the late parent but Our Little Sister by Kore-eda shows the kindness, softness, and genuineness of a family and sisterhood embracing another without any prejudice, embracing them like a long time family member. The film doesn't have a big conflict to make a huge fight for but the main thing that I like is that the simplicity and accuracy of how a fiction story can also relate into someone's real life story
The 3 main actresses in this film are my favorites and I'm so glad that they cast in this beautiful film portraying a loveable and kind sisterhood.
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Han Ji Min is doing a great job in the acting department as well as Park Hyung Sik, I like how both of them are in sync with their scenes & characters.
I appreciate the details of the short film, from the cinematography and music; there's nothing really big with it but it's very genuine that seems appropriate for this type of film.
This film made me see a new perspective of people who have disabilities that they can work and enjoy their hobby too with the help of the people who believe in them. Sometimes we, who are complete & normal physically we take things for granted but for them, every day is a battle but they see through things in a good, making themselves hopeful.
Totally recommended if you're looking for a film that makes you feel good & hopeful; it's short but it's very genuine. Love to see Han Ji Min and Park Hyung Sik work together again
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I haven't seen the drama version of this that also adapted by this film. You could say that this review is a perspective of the film.
This film is about youth and romance; I think I have seen a good amount of Chinese films that centers around youth and romance which I am not complaining about, I actually have some of my favorites from them but there were also bad pickles on it that I gave up on watching.
I wouldn't say that I like this a lot but I'm on the neutral side but I can't deny that the film made me smile with the character's moments.
Whenever I watch films that center around being a student, first love, friendships, and youth, it takes me back to my youth too. Reminiscing your first crush, your evil teachers who made you suffer, friendships that have been made, embarrassing moments, school festivals and after school moments.
There are moments in the film that made me cringe but not too much; the conflict in the half act somehow not as deep as it was but it got deepen in the final act. The cast did a good job portraying the characters; I searched up the leads of this film and to my surprise that they are a year older apart from each other and somehow it made me feel old because wow, I never really feel this old while searching up celebs that were born in 19999 or 2000s.
Arthur Chen and He Lan-Dou have this cute chemistry during the flashback in youth but they have this mature chemistry when their characters are in the present time. Yes, the duality, I appreciate it,
Reasons to recommend this?
If you're looking for a sweet youth romance, I recommend this to you. The cinematography is quite good too with the soundtrack; There's nothing really grand about it but if you're open-minded and want to sweeten your film viewing then maybe you could try this.
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Before I dive into the film, I found out that this is a remake from 2009 of the same name with Lee Bo Young, Kwon Sang Woo, and Lee Bum Soo. I haven't watched the original one but I'll probably will sometime.
This film left me with bittersweet feeling (mostly bitter but not the extent that I hate it); I didn't cry throughout the whole film, I guess I just felt sad about it but not to the point I cried my heart out; there are times when I thought the characters are selfish and didn't communicate well. There are thoughts of what if; what if she just talks to him about it or what if he just admits it to her because maybe they could have more time to talk it out but I guess that's just a wishful narrative of mine. The characters always say they are each other's family but if they are really a family, they could have talked about it and maybe one of them could be saved but we can't deny the character's background as the side characters understood that both of them connected with their loneliness that rather they wallow into it,they facade it with happiness and they became each other's savior during that process.
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Dir. Bong Joon Ho captured his artistry through the lens and writing with a great ensemble cast that portrayed his characters into life.
There are actual films that I expected to be good with yes, high expectations but somehow disappointed me that felt flat but for Parasite, they grab and crushed it, showing us great Korean cinema.
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