Zíza

This is like Hercule Poirot for me – some episodes are brilliant, some are terribly boring. Plus, it also depends a lot on who is Mizutani's second. What appealed to me most about this is that so many familiar faces appear in this series and the Japanese love this series so much, otherwise it certainly wouldn't have been on the air for over 15 years and gotten several films that crowds of exuberant Japanese headed to the theater to see. If you like crime dramas, why not, have an episode here and there during dinner; this is just the ticket. The episodes don't particularly follow each other (there are exceptions, of course), so you can pretty much start anywhere.

This cute series worked out well for my taste. I know when I started watching it, some 7 episodes were already out, and I sucked them down like a raspberry – it was a nice show and I never felt bored with it. Even just that bed scene when they got up “the morning after", awesome, no freaking out. In episode 7 I was very taken with the cart he was pushing her around in like his shopping, it seemed terribly out of place in such a series (the cart reappears full of flowers in episode 13, in case anyone was wondering :-D). There were cute scenes, nothing was particularly insane – well, except maybe her obsession with shoes, unbelievable how much! There were scenes that had me in stitches, laughing; for example, the "Ajusshi, be ambitious" scene in episode 14 was brilliant, or the gay scene in the restaurant in episode 15. I also really liked that the main character was adamant, strict, and didn't whine. Finally, after a long time, I’ve encountered a really strong heroine; that makes me very happy. The doctor who was wooing her got the message right away and she didn't bother him too much, which also impressed me very positively. And the baby's father... such a cutie for the ladies. ;-) When I first heard the theme song I kept wondering what it reminded me of... in the middle of the series I finally remembered – Heartstrings! So the music wasn't anything too original, but who needs that when they like the rest of it? It had its quirks and weaker moments here and there, but it was still a very enjoyable show. A better 4 stars.

At the beginning it’s nice to see how much money was poured into this, and you’re glad because it's nice to look at. Action. Boom. Bang. It's got momentum, drama, typical Korean romance, a fitting soundtrack. And Zíza's like, wow. But after a while, it gets tiresome. The tension breaks and it's just a weird, never-ending chase after IRIS. There are shootouts, there are foreign lands (Japan, Hungary), a nice actress, Kim Tae-hee (whose character I liked at the beginning but started to get on my nerves near the end), an actor who certainly breaks girls' hearts but isn't my type, Lee Byung-hun. An interesting story at the beginning that should have ended for its own good after 16 episodes. It didn't, and the remaining 4 episodes were more of an ordeal for me than anything else. It had lost its initial charm. What's more, if only I hadn't expected such a bizarre ending. Seriously, the scenes were leading up to it, to the point where I was embarrassed that it actually happened. Btw. notice in the last episode, between the 40th and 41st minute, the dog in the background on the red carpet.

In my own way I kind of get it, or at least I believe I understood what was going on, sort of peripherally. Still, it has an air of mystery to me. Might want to watch it again. Anyway, I can't give it fewer stars, although it's kind of slow and didn't grab me at all at first – in fact, it was quite boring. It's just that the deep thought – if I haven't picked it out – just says something to me. It tugs at my sleeve and pulls me away. Heaven is not the same as it used to be. :-)

If you're enthralled by Hanzawa Naoki, and Shitamachi Rocket along with it... and you actually like Ikeido Jun's work, you'll like this too. It's his standard work from the banking sector. With a little bit of fatalism. With bubble economics. With Saito and Mukai. But this is his weakest work for me. Still, it's certainly not bad. If you've had enough of romance and action, here are two guys trying to be good guys in an environment that makes millions. Maybe it would be more interesting for a person interested in the era or the banking industry than it is for me.

One star is for the music and the other is for the jokes. Otherwise, it was a film that was way too long, considering we didn't learn anything anyway. I didn't get me until halfway through. If it wasn't for the music, I would have felt like I lost the time for nothing at all. The psycho is so uninteresting, or maybe I've become too sensitive, or vice versa. :-O For me it was boring.

I kind of disliked the actors (but maybe that was just because their characters were written the way they were written), and I couldn't root for them in their troubles and therefore didn't enjoy it at all. In fact, I found it rather boring. And the ending was not for me at all. Seen a million times and it doesn't matter if Doctor Strangelove loves women, men, or trees. If you want a movie with a coming out, try something else, I doubt you will have to look long if you check out what others here recommend.

Interesting subject matter, awfully nice effects, but I couldn't actually get into it until the end. Sure, there were some great moments where I thought it finally had the right drive, but unfortunately it fizzled out again rather quickly. My second disappointment was that nobody actually has any idea why Se Joo fell in love with Jin Woo. Does she like money, self-harm, and wounded animals? On the other hand, it was clear why Jin Woo took a liking to Se Joo (he just needed a sucker who would trust him and be boundlessly devoted to him, apparently this is something guys go for and need if they have a big quest ahead of them). At least that was good. In terms of the screenwriting, it wasn't great; you could tell it was pretty similar to W, except someone kept the screenwriter on a tight leash so it wouldn't be as much of a mess as the previous work. I would even dare to say that it was the director who gave it the form it needed. As for the actors, if you like them, you'll get what you're already used to. Not a hair more. The ending is predictable (because how else were they supposed to get out of it, right? They had no capacity left for anything else). And was a big disappointment for many. On the plus side, you simply want to know what's going to happen next, how it's going to turn out, and why it's actually happening the way it is (even though nothing else about it interested me). You won't get a satisfactory answer to that last one, it has its bugs. But why not. It's like light fare without a distinct genre. Certainly not a series about love. A mediocre 3 stars.

Maybe you’ll see it differently if you read this article first (I know, it’s long, but all the more interesting). It may be a bit of a spoiler, but it makes for a more enjoyable experience, hopefully a more balanced one, when watching this anime. Balanced more by the unpleasant sensations. When one thinks about it, it's a much more sinister series than it might seem.

Alita is a pretty good movie. Nice effects, nicely shot, great action. Alita isn't a whiny girl and to some extent the heroes are appealing. The Dolby Atmos worked well for it. It was just a little too shallow for my taste; it basically didn't give you the space to like anyone. Those who know the source material might like it. If they can get over the inevitable loss of information. A better 3 stars.