Zíza

I liked that this version has more realness to it, the relationships between the characters are real, plastic, and even rather complex. It’s not just the old dumb girl who's stalking a hot smartass who won't even look at her and is just mean to her. Here we've got a girl who's tough but has self-respect. We've got a boy who might take the piss out of the girl, but he really likes her and can show it. It was flawless until about two-thirds of the way through, and then it started to drag a bit too much, so I have to lower the rating and I can't give it a full five stars. There was also a bit too much drama towards the end. Especially in the last three parts (falling off the bike, grand gestures). But otherwise it's the best version of Itazura na Kiss ever made. And that's mostly because of the relationships, not just between the leads, but between everyone. Everybody behaved a certain way to everyone else, it wasn't black and white or macho. I can definitely recommend it and I’m looking forward to the second season.

It's got cool scenes of course (how Tatsuhiko's present intertwines with the past towards the end is very cool), otherwise it wouldn't be Sono, but unfortunately it simply wasn't much of a ride. I was a bit bothered by all the violence – I'm not talking about the fights, these of course were desired; there was just an added element to them that didn't sit well with me. Plus, I wasn't really interested until about an hour and a half in. It just seemed to be lacking in life. A revenge romance with a pubescent mind and pangs of guilt. Japanese action as it should be. The ending was contrived, and though I was considering a higher rating, I'm sticking with a better 3 stars.

I probably enjoyed this installment the most of all. It builds nicely on the earlier ones, just with better dialogue and effects (no surprise there). Everything is completely transparent of course, but apparently I'm a Star Wars fan so I didn't mind, on the contrary I enjoyed it and downright demanded it. I left the cinema satisfied.

It started off really nicely, I could even get past the fact that Ellis was a bit of a jerk, or the awful stalker stuff like in Twilight, but then it lost its charm. Despite all the beautiful imagery and settings, despite the pleasant narrator's voice, it ended up being pretty dull and my enthusiasm for that strong beginning cooled down quite a bit. Basically, everything that happened from the moment she crashed the car around was worthless. A nice romantic flick, kind of a weaker The Makropulos Affair that turned out to be something completely mediocre in the end, even though it had its chances to stand out. Not to mention that I actually didn't wish it for the central couple – not like that, not so hastily. In the end, I thought she loved his dad more, but that was probably because Ford is just a much better actor than Huisman.

Such a TV classic. We all have problems, so we'll help each other out. Some in their condescending way, but still a pal. Almost all the episodes are touching, so if you don't have an onion handy but want some of those tears, go for it. The story is mediocre, the acting is mediocre too (there's just no one here with anything interesting to play). But it's such a nice addition to the hospital dramas, where thankfully there's no rivalry or striving to outsmart all the other doctors; they're all kind of trying to get along and save the patients, which is very nice. Plus, it's lightly spiced with humor, so the sad scenes tend to be lightened up with various skits within the episode to entertain. Interesting cast, interesting guest stars. Maybe it would have been great if Ayano Gō had just concentrated on playing the piano. ;-)

A lot of things are beautifully natural in the series and I'd say most of the dialogue is well polished; unfortunately, even though it's only 11 episodes long, it suffers from the malaise of Asian series – the ending is drawn out to the point of hurting the quality of the series. All it needed was those eight and it would have been a really good romantic series. Only it wasn't, it had to be muddled, stretched out, filled with unnecessary cotton wool; so I had to lower the rating. Not to mention the ending, which is so Asian. Fortunately, a big plus was the music by Queen and the acting by Kimura Takuya – when he plays ordinary guys, he plays them so convincingly that you aren’t surprised that the heroine falls head over heels in love with him. It could have been better. And definitely don't look for hockey in this, that's just a setup, a means for the two to meet and for things to get a little messy. A beautiful 3 stars.

Just like the show, we have a perfectly thought-out script, great dialogue, situational humor, and a criminal. And as usual, Aoshima gets caught up in it until he can't sleep. A very good continuation of a perfect series. It entertains, amuses, thrills, and again, as the icing on the cake, a very good soundtrack plays throughout. A strong 4 stars.

Such an ordinary friendly film set in a small seaside town and all based on true events. Which doesn't really matter, because even if it wasn't, it still doesn't change the fact that it's slow, full of an old people's active energy and an indecisive guy searching for himself and afraid that he's actually passed the age at which he can find anything. Basically, he's worried about what a lot of twenty- maybe thirty-year-olds are worried about, too. Relax, even at 60 you can start something new.

This whole hard show is about life. And because life is not a feather, this show is not easy either. As in life, we do experience some moments of happiness and bliss here, but from the start you can sense that things can't possibly turn out well. Don't be fooled by the uninviting poster or the not-so-interesting description, this is a very good series with a deep concept and above-average performances, led of course by the indifferent protagonist played by Dōmoto Tsuyoshi. It's not a series you watch because you want to see beautiful young actors, but because you want to see people like yourself. No one is flawless, but everyone wants something, preferably the best. A simple eight episodes ending in heartbreak.

I haven't seen such an entertaining anime in a long time. I absolutely loved the yellow octopus teacher's brand of humor and had fun with him as he teased not only the students, but also the governments of various countries. It had suspense, friendship, action, good dialogue, and an interesting story that had me so caught up that I had to watch it twice. I just loved it. I can't wait for the sequel, although as a true enthusiast I've already managed to spoil everything that will be in it.