[Japanese Movie Review] MARS ~ ただ, 君を愛してる~ / MARS ~ Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru

Just before, I write about the dorama MARS ~ Just, I love you. Now I'm going to write a little bit about the movie. This movie was also aired in 2016, and it's the continuation of the dorama.

For the dorama review, you can find it here:
MARS ~Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru dorama

Okay, the first thing I will say is I'm very impressed with this movie.
I wonder when does it start to change from a romantic, high school genre into something quite mysterious and thrilling?

If the dorama tells many thing about the male side, the movie tells us more about Asou Kira (played by Iitoyo Marie)

Unexpectedly, in this movie, it will reveal more about Kira's past. If you have watched the dorama, you must be noticing that Kira has some kind of trauma related to a man. I only could guessing in the dorama, but with this movie, it is all clear.

On the other side, Kashino Rei (played by Fujigaya Taisuke of Kis-My-Ft2) starts to change. Doesn't want to hurt his girlfriend, Kashino tries hard no to be violent anymore.

However, it's not as smooth as it seems to be. Kirishima Makio (played by Kubota Masataka) starts to reveal his true face. He, who seems to be a quiet and introvert man, is actually a psycho... It was already introduced also in the last part of the dorama.

If the dorama tells us more to a romance story, in this movie, it's more thrilling, mysterious, and psycho, even though it still has some romance in it. Before, I said the dorama is quite interesting, but with this movie I conclude that it's wonderful. I bet the viewer expect that this is a pure standard romance story at first, but actually it is not. It's just so unexpected.

I like this movie more than the dorama, however, the movie and the dorama completed each other. It's just a package you need to watch.

I gave this movie 8 out of 10 for this dorama.

*this review is a personal opinion and made by me who is a newbie reviewer, if there is any mistakes, please feel free to make a correction*

[Dorama Review] MARS ~ ただ, 君を愛してる~ / MARS ~ Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru

Just finished watching this dorama today, so let me write some review when it's still hot in my mind: 

MARS ~ Just, I love you

This dorama was aired in 2016, and in additional, a movie was also made as the sequence of this dorama.

In every episodes of the dorama, you will eventually see a brief introduction of this main characters:

Kashino Rei, a boy who holds light and shadow (played by Fujigaya Taisuke of Kis-My-Ft2).
Kashino is a violent playboy who seems to not afraid of anything and will eventually beat someone who is in his way. All woman would fall for his handsome look with a cool Ducati motorbike.

Asou Kira, high school girl who closed her heart (played by Iitoyo Marie). Kira is a strange and introvert girl with a great talent of being an artist. One day, Kashino saw her drawing and amazed with it. From that on, their start to know each other,

Guess, what? A violent handsome boy with an ugly strange introvert girl starts dating? So impossible! Well, Iitoyo Marie is absolutely not ugly, but I think they are trying to make an impression as if she is nerd, strange, and ugly (；￢_￢) There's no way the producer would use a real ugly woman as an actress, right!? Even though I think everyone is actually beautiful in their own way, only some people got their beauty hidden.

Another classic story, all the girls got jealous because that ugly introvert girl is dating 'their' handsome man, and Kira starts to be bullied. If it were me, then I will kick and punch the girls and said "Hey, it's him who loves me first!" (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)

And another character came, Kirishima Makio, exchange student who holds the fate (played by Kubota Masataka). He was in the same school with Kashino before, so, he knows all the Kashino's past story. Kirishima who seems to be an introvert also, join the same art club with Kira.
While I don't want to be a spoiler, Kirishima played the mysterious important part in this dorama.

The three of the main characters are battling over the fate for love, or that's what the movie said at least.

This dorama is actually based on the manga MARS by Souryo Furumi. The Taiwanese version of live action drama has also been made before.

When I watch the first few episodes, it was quite annoying for me. A classic standard story. Handsome cool boy who likes introvert strange girl, where the girl will be bullied later on. Well, that's impossible to happen in the real life, isn't it?? Even though I always think it would be nice if I could be either the handsome boy side or the introvert girl side like in those story.

However, starting in the middle of the dorama, I'm quite curious. Well, it's still a classic story where the handsome boy actually has some secret about his past, but it somehow make the dorama more colorful, more interesting. And Kirishima is the one who knows his past.

The end of the dorama is the climax, I guess? The dorama ended up in full of mystery, full of curiosity, and likely to be continued in the movie. However, starting from that the end of the dorama, I could realize that this dorama is worth to watch. Unexpected story, not a really mainstream dorama, not like what I though at first.

Other than its story, I think the way this dorama is taken is unique. Sometimes, it feels like a kind of short story, being put on together and there it is, this dorama, and I still can understand it well because it's connected.

It's been a while since I watch a quite interesting dorama, since the last few doramas I watch is just so so, or even bad.

I gave this dorama 7.5 out of 10 for this dorama.

*this review is a personal opinion and made by me who is a newbie reviewer, if there is any mistakes, please feel free to make a correction*

[Dorama Review] Basuke mo Koi mo, Shiteitai / バスケも恋も、していたい

This time I want to review about a short-dorama called "Basuke mo Koi mo Shiteitai". The title literally means "I want to play Basketball and be in love".

Actually this is the first dorama I watched which has the least episode, 3 episode only. I could say it is a short-fastened-dorama with conclusion that the first episode is telling about the high school life, the second episode is about the time after graduating from high school, and the third episode is when everyone is already working.

The story started with a high school student named Tsuchiya Tomomitsu (played by Fujigaya Taisuke of Kis-My-Ft2) who likes to play basketball so much. He is the Captain of Kinomiya High. Even though he is not good at playing basketball, he is very diligent and practiced basketball more than everyone. Many people doesn't like it because he is still chosen as the captain, even though he is lacking of skills.

His best friend, Takamatsu Yuuki (played by Nagase Tasuku), is the MVP of the Kinomiya basketball team. He supported Tsuchiya for being the Captain. Later, he is recruited to be a professional basketball player. There are ups and downs also in the friendship of Takamatsu and Tsuchiya.

Takamatsu also has a girlfriend, Sugawara Akane (played by Kawaei Rina; former member of AKB48)

There is a girl who influenced Tsuchiya's life too. She is Hatori Sae (played by Yamamoto Mizuki). She is the one who encourage Tsuchiya to always play basketball.

Well, overall this dorama is not bad considering it only has 3 episodes. A romance and youth dorama with sports and love as the main topic. However, it still has a lot of things to be improved.

I gave 5 out of 10 for this dorama.

*this review is a personal opinion and made by me who is a newbie reviewer, if there is any mistakes, please feel free to make a correction* 

[Dorama Review] Hotel Concierge / ホテルコンシェルジュ

Well, this gonna be my first review in 2017 as well as the first dorama I watched in 2017. But before that, let me say Happy New Year to all of you! May this year will be a wonderful year for us!

This dorama actually not a so-recent-dorama, Hotel Concierge. I've always been hoping to watch this dorama since it was aired on 2015 but my Japanese is not that good to understand the whole dorama without English sub, so I postponed it until all the English sub released by kowaihitotachi in the d-addicts forum website (￣ ￣|||)

Go get them here if you'd like!

Now, let's get started!

The idea of this dorama is "Concierge is the face of the hotel" because concierge helped all the hotel's guests who is in need of something and make them satisfy. Well, I've stayed in some luxurious 5-star-hotel, and never noticed the Concierge actually. When I need something, I only went to the receptionist (or some random staff there) and they would help anyway. Maybe my requests were too easy  ╮(￣ω￣;)╭

So the story of the dorama is focusing on the Concierge in Vollmond Hotel (which the shoot is taken in the Nikko Hotel Tokyo Odaiba)

Amano Toko (played by Nishiuchi Mariya) is a new concierge which is moved from food and drink department. She is so ambitious and always try her best to fulfill the guests' request. Never say never might be her motto (￣ω￣;)

Just realized that Nishiuchi Mariya took part on Rain Tree no Kuni as the female main character who got a hearing problem. In this dorama also, she is able to do the sign language, which make me quite amazed.

Another concierge-san, Honjo Kazuma (played by Miura Shohei) which is very famous because of his good-looking and professional services.

And the elderly legendary concierge which joined them by the end of the episode 1: Shukuri Taichi (played by Omi Toshinori).

The three of them are doing their best as the face of the Vollmond Hotel.

Don't forget the talented-and-kind-manager Washio Ryusuke (played by my favorite actor ever Takahashi Katsunori - who make me want to watch this dorama). He cares about people and he tried to make the hotel great using his care without too much calculating the profit.

Every story has its villain, let me introduce you the villain: Katagiri Mihoko (played by Wakamura Mayumi), a new female manager from England who only cares for making the best profit. Her favourite word is "Not elegant". Somehow, she got a 'special' relationship with Manager Washio. I don't want to be a spoiler, so just watch it and you'll find out the real truth in the very very last episode.

Actually I'm not sure if I can say her a villain since she is not that bad also - not like those villain who hurt and harmed people (￣□￣」)

The whole dorama is telling us about various requests which is asked by the hotel's guests and the Vollmond Hotel's concierge will help them with all their might. Not only the concierge, but all the hotel staff is also helping.

Let's say the bell boys

 Or the cleaning department and housekeeping department

 The florists

 And the chef

All of them showed us a good acting to picture the daily routines in the hotel - as the workers of the hotel - even some might be too exaggerating.

Well, this kind of dorama is more likely to be a family, life genre of dorama. It's something light to be watched, yet it still give motivation and encouraging words, just as how the Japanese dorama would usually be. It's not something which would make you curious to watch the next episode, so you could just slowly watch it when you had time.

The theme song is "Desperado" by Honey L Days. Even though I think it's quite good, I don't know why everytime Takahashi Katsunori played on a dorama, most of the theme song is a not-so-famous-song from a not-so-famous-singer (at least to me). However, it never failed to get into my music playlist.

Not sure if I should recommend this to anyone, but I think it's still worth to watch.
I gave 7 out of 10 for this dorama.

*this review is a personal opinion and made by me who is a newbie reviewer, if there is any mistakes, please feel free to make a correction*