Another year has passed. I had quite a few ups and downs
during 2019, but I will remember this year very positively. Things significantly
improved for me professionally as well as personally. In terms of blogging and
my fascination with Asian Cinema, I have been more active in 2019 than ever
before.
In my last year’s update, I wrote about the beginnings of
this blog and my tough personal journey through the years. The year 2018 marked
a huge catharsis for me. I am still a member of MyDramaList, a wonderful
community focused on brining out the best Asian dramas and movies, and I continuously
contribute my editorials there. However, I eventually decided to delete
my Tumblr account because of the increasingly stringent policies of that site. After
getting persuaded by a friend, I set up a Facebook page, but only to
promote blog posts and my work on other sites. Speaking of which, in the second
of half of 2019, I joined Asian Movie Pulse and Asian Film Fans, two great
sites devoted to Asian Cinema. In terms of the latter one, I volunteered to
help out two wonderful guys with the site itself and its Youtube channel.
In consequence, you can expect some video materials from me, but rest assured,
I will not abandon the blog.
What’s more to add? I am also active on Reddit, so if you
want to see my adventures with VHS, City Pop, or Initial D, then you can follow my
profile there as well. In addition, I kept my promise from the last update and
put out reviews of not only films, but also dramas (3 reviews) and anime (9
reviews). A new section (Taiwan) was also created. I hope that I will be able
to expand with new sections and types of reviews.
That’s it for the moment. Just as I wrote last year, Thank
You for being here, reading my opinions, and most importantly, appreciating the
grandeur of Eastern Cinema. I wish you all the best and Godspeed! Stay warm,
keep safe, and always shot for tomorrow!
When you love something, it never really disappears, does
it?
The passing year 2019 was rich in many great dramas from
South Korea, China, and Japan, but I could check out only a handful of these
because of the tight time schedule and busy workload. In consequence, I find one of
the dramas I managed to watch particularly relatable: Tokusatsu Gagaga is a
wonderful story about the pursuit of personal interests, making new friends,
and discovering the true self.
Release Info
Developed by: Niwa TangaStarring: Fuka Koshiba, Kana Kurashina, Haruka Kinami
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: トクサツガガガ No. of eps.: 7
Synopsis
Kano Nakamura (Fuka Koshiba) is a 26-year-old diligent
office worker. However, at her time off, she is a devoted Tokusatsu geek (a fan
of special effects shows). Nakamura lives in constant fear that her co-workers
will find out about her passion and socially condemn her. The same fear applies
to Nakamura’s mother (Yuki Matsushita) who is a fervent enemy of Tokusatsu
shows and believes that girls should only be interested in girly stuff.
Nevertheless, during her attempts to avoid being exposed, Nakamura meets people
with similar interests and learns how to accept herself without feeling any
shame.
Bestial Storm! Jushowan!
Tokusatsu Gagaga is a 7-episode drama produced by NHK
network on the basis of a 2014 manga series created by Niwa Tanba. The show
itself is not yet another parody of popular Tokusatsu franchises like Super Sentai or Kamen Rider, but more like a love letter to everything these shows encompass.
Evidently, the real Tokusatsu shows are not referred in any way due to
copyright issues, but the fans should appreciate the fact that TV Asahi
participated in the production of this drama by designing the suits for the
characters of the fictional Jushowan show watched by Nakamura. (The "Jushowan
Rangers" looked super cool!)
However, the drama is not all about throwing Easter Eggs at
Toku-geeks. The story is actually an extremely touching tale about not minding
the social conventions and enjoying what we truly like, regardless of age,
gender, or race. In fact, Nakamura is not the only geek in the drama. She
encounters fellow Tokusatsu fanatics, like a peculiar lady called Yoshida (Kana
Kurashina) who is also into Jushowan, and a child "Damien" (Kokoro Terada) who often shares existential quotes. In addition, Nakamura befriends an idol fangirl,
Kitashiro (Haruka Kinami), and an anime fan, Mr. Yakuza (Manabu Takeuchi). Because
of them, the main protagonist learns there is nothing infantile in loving the
childhood stuff, for it motivates the geeks to be better in daily life.
As a result, Tokusatsu Gagaga tackles many common stereotypes,
such as work ostracism, living in loneliness, school bullying, or tense family
relations. The last aspect is especially important because, in the second half
of the drama, we see Nakamura stand up to the greatest enemy, her own mother.
The conflict and its resolution is the reason why this show is so great.
The only small disadvantage I could think of is the
insufficient number of episodes. Some of the subplots could have been carried
further, so the drama could have easily been 10-episodes long. Yet, the
shortness is redeemed by the involvement of Tokusatsu veterans: Kenichi Suzumura, best known to the fans as Ryutaros/Kamen Rider Den-O Gun Form, is the
show's narrator; whereas Tomokazu Seki, the voice of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger's
Mobirates transformation device, plays General Genka. In addition, legendary
Tokusatsu actor Hiroshi Miyauchi has a cameo at the very end of the drama!
With regard to performances, Fuka Koshiba is just awesome as
Kano Nakamura (I loved her over-the-top expressions!). Another great
performance is delivered by Kana Kurashina as the unforgettable Yoshida (a.k.a. "Toraiger
No Kimi!"). Haruka Kinami, Kokoro Terada, and Yuki Matsushita provide wonderful
supporting parts.
Recommendations
If you love some particular franchise, or you are a
multifandom type like me, then Tokusatsu Gagaga is the perfect drama for you. It
brilliantly communicates the message of never giving up and pursuing one’s
passion. Like many other viewers who liked the show, I wait for the second
season. Please make it happen, NHK and TV Asahi! In the meantime, I’m going to blast the EmerJason’s
main theme through my car speakers: Emergin’! (Fight!) Emergin’! (Fight!).
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence; or, A Cop and His Dog
Don’t forget, Batou. Whenever you get online, I will be with
you.
9 years after the original movie, Mamoru Oshii returns to
the world of Ghost in the Shell with the sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2:
Innocence. The film was given the title of the best sci-fi movie at the 2004
Nihon SF Taisho Awards and it also was in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film
Festival. Does the sequel live up to the standards set by the first movie? Let’s
find out together.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: イノセンス Inosensu Runtime: 98 min
Synopsis
Roughly 3 years after Major Motoko Kusanagi disappeared in
the Net, Batou and Togusa, members of Public Security Section 9, investigate a
series of gruesome murders committed by gynoids, sex robots with doll-like
features. After examining the gynoids’ remains and even “questioning” the
Yakuza, the partners determine that every gynoid had an “illegal ghost”
contained in their brains. After confronting a master hacker, Batou attempts to infiltrate the headquarters of Locus Solus, a
company responsible for the production of faulty gynoids. He discovers that the
consciousnesses of the dolls were duplicated from the ghosts of real
people…
Scientific Love
Between 2002 and 2005, Ghost in the Shell exploded in
popularity due to its two-season anime series Stand Alone Complex.
Possibly, this might have served as some encouragement for Oshii to come back
to the project. With a multi-company production and a budget of 2 billion yen,
the director had more creative freedom in crafting a new story set in this
universe. Even though Oshii himself claimed that Innocence is not entirely a
sequel, the film clearly addresses the events from the first film.
Because Major Kusanagi disappeared at the end of Ghost in
the Shell (1995), the main protagonists are actually Batou and Togusa. These are the
characters with whom we spend most of the time. They engage into a nifty police
procedural in the first half of the movie. However, the story takes a U-turn in
the middle in order to become a hallucinatory psychological thriller with a bit
of action elements. Is it a bad thing? On the contrary, Innocence benefits
greatly from well-written protagonists and storyline shifts.
In addition, the animation work done on this film is really
great (the Basset Hound is adorable!). Unfortunately, it does not match the 2D
greatness of the first film because of a lot of CGI sequences. Some of these
look really good (the parade scene) and some not so much (flying birds or the
opening shot). However, even so-so CGI did not distract me from enjoying my viewing
experience. Shoving CGI on force into the re-release of the first movie,
on the other hand, is a real crime.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence has an interesting script
and engaging three acts. Nevertheless, what makes it inferior in comparison to
the first movie are loads of philosophical quotations uttered by nearly every
single character in this film. While the same thing was done more gently in the
first part, here you just can’t escape the philosophical ponderings which are
thrown at you from every side. I do not want to say that this is a bad thing.
It is Oshii’s style of story-telling and I accept it, but some of the dialogue
could have been less heavy-handed. As a result, you really have to dig through
the citations in order to understand what is going on with the story.
Still again, I appreciate the script that actually builds
upon what was done in the first film. The animation is very good for mid-2000s
standards and I appreciate what the animators wanted to achieve. In addition,
the voice acting is top notch. Akio Otsuka and Atsuko Tanaka will always be Batou
and Major, respectively. I also loved the small parts done by Yoshiko
Sakakibara and Naoto Takenaka. I will recognise their voices everywhere! The
music score by Kenji Kawaii is just as awesome as in the first film.
Recommendations
To sum up, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is just a little
bit weaker from its predecessor, but it is still an enjoyable sequel. Give it a
try if you have a chance. Make sure to grab a proper release, though, because
there have been a lot of licensing drama going on around this film. I
personally recommend the Funmation release from 2017. When time allows, I
should be able to review the Stand Alone Complex show. Ghost in the Shell
enjoys recent resurgence in popularity due to the upcoming (and already controversial) Netflix show. Thankfully, there are always Oshii’s films to rely on.
It wasn't just one or two people. He took pictures of them
when they were alive and then went back for more when they went crazy and died.
The Wailing is a South Korean supernatural/mystery horror
directed by Na Hong Jin (The Chaser (2008)). The year it was released, it gained
both critical and commercial success as well as lots of awards at many film
festivals. I remember being vaguely aware of the movie back in 2016, but it was
this year when I finally had the time to sit down and calmly check it out.
Needless to say, The Wailing blew me away with its gripping plot and
unconventional storytelling. Release Info
Directed by: Na Hong JinStarring: Kwak Do Won, Kim Hwan Hee, Jun Kunimura, Chun Woo Hee
Language: KoreanOriginal Title: 곡성 Runtime: 156 min
Synopsis
Jong Goo (Kwak Do Won) is a local police officer who investigates
a series of brutal murders in his village. The perpetrators had a rash and
behaved in a very violent manner only to fall into a stupor and die after
committing a murder. Jong Goo’s investigation leads him to believe in
rumours about the Japanese stranger living in the mountains (Jun Kunimura) who
is responsible for the spread of an unknown disease. John Goo starts having
dreams about the stranger and, soon after, his daughter, Hyo Jin (Kim Hwan Hee),
falls ill. Desperate to cure Hyo Jin, John Goo succumbs to the gossip and confronts
the Japanese stranger. In consequence, a series of supernatural events ensues
which make the police officer doubt who to trust and who to fight.
The Exorcist 2.0
I have to say this out front: The Wailing is the best horror
film I have seen in the last ten years. I know that giving it a label of pure
“horror” may be debatable, but that was my primary impression after spending
two hours and a half watching a village that descends into primal frenzy.
The greatest advantage of the film is its ambiguity. There
are subtle moments, grand sequences, and bold playing with the language of film
itself that made me think about David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) or
Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000). After watching the film, my mind was
crammed with multiple theories about what really happened in the story. Did everyone go crazy because of bad mushrooms? Maybe there were some supernatural forces
working behind the scenes? Suffice to say, I am not the only viewer with
similar thoughts. The film is deconstructed again and again by its many
fans.
Director Na Hong Jin allegedly devoted the whole 6 years for the
production of this movie. To be honest, the meticulousness of his endeavour is
clearly visible on the screen. Apart from playing with conventions, we get to see
some folktale stuff as well as references to Buddhism and Christianity. The
further the story goes, the more gripping it becomes, which only made me regret
that I checked it out just now. What is more, the final climax… OMG (no
spoilers), it left me absolutely gobsmacked.
With regard to performances, Kwak Do Won does a very good
job as a clumsy cop/loving father lost in a maze of vagueness and ambivalence. Kim
Hwan Hee is wonderful as a daughter in distress. Long have I waited and now I
saw such a professional child actor. Nevertheless, the ultimate praise goes to Jun
Kunimura for his supporting part. Seriously, he should have won an Oscar for
his performance!
Recommendations
If you have not seen The Wailing yet, do not repeat my
mistake and watch it now. As I said already, it is a beautifully crafted film that
sent chills down my spine. I would go as far as to say that it eats the classic
William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) on breakfast. The Wailing is in a league
of its own. By the way, be extra careful when somebody wants to take a picture of
you!
That’s it for the moment. Just as I wrote last year, Thank
You for being here, reading my opinions, and most importantly, appreciating the
grandeur of Eastern Cinema. I wish you all the best and Godspeed! Stay warm,
keep safe, and always shot for tomorrow!
