Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake

I can say without reservation or regret that this was the WORST drama I've ever seen come out of Japan.
I'm disappointed and appalled.
I know it's another oldie, but I've heard and read about it for years now, and because it stars Kaneshiro Takashi, I decided to finally give Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (God, Give Me More Time) a try.

When it was finally over, I typed a response on the AZNV.tv site, and it read simply: gag.

Kamisama is a 1998 release about a composer, Ishikawa Keigo (played by Kaneshiro), who gives up on life after his girlfriend dies trying to give birth to his child.

Six years later, he meets the co-star, Kano Masaki (played by Fukada Kyoko), an irritating and completely self-absorbed girl who resorts to prostitution in order to obtain concert tickets.
She contracts HIV as a result, and then she proceeds to take Keigo down with her ~ and everyone else in her life.

I suppose the real crime here is the rest of the world's disbelief in hell.

Everything is rosy & light, with pinwheels and rainbows, and with happy tunes in your head while skipping merrily through life while sucking on a lollipop.

It's immature, it's gay, and it's a dangerous way to blithely decide you're going to make your way through real life.

Masaki was a high school bitch who walked over her inferiors, thought that her shit didn't stink, and who cared about herself more than anyone else in the world.
Then she makes a totally ignorant decision to do the wrong thing, and for the next, 11 episodes we're supposed to go through a box of tissues feeling sorry for her?

GAG

I couldn't wait for her to kick off after the 2nd episode.

She treated her mother like dirt, talked down to her father, cared less about how her own brother would be treated by his peers, and she even dragged her idol, Keigo, into her sh*t by whining and crying like a baby every time things got rough.
Through the 12 episodes, she never once asked about him, his life, his past, his feelings ... nothing. It was always about her, how she felt, what she was thinking ...

ENOUGH already. My God, how pathetic can one human be?

THEN she has the audacity to get pregnant.

That was when I wanted to stop watching Kamisama, but I couldn't.
I'd gone that far, so I had to go all the way.
AGAIN, she didn't give a flying fack about her so-called love when he wanted to have sex with her.
She vaguely said it was wrong, but that was it.
It was as if she wanted him to contract the disease as much as he thought that he wanted to do.
He had issues to deal with, and she cared less.
He was suffering immeasurable pain, and she cared only to add to it with her own ignorance and selfishness.

I can't BREATHE anymore.

Now we have a shattered family, a destroyed music career, and a new life to think about.
WE do, not Miss Masaki, who to the bitter end refused to let go of herself and think about someone else.

Thank God she faded away, thank God the baby and Keigo didn't get her disease, and thank God this isn't reality.

Or, is it?

As I watched this incredibly annoying drama, I began to see things differently.
It came out in 1998, which was about the time when these programs started to pick up steam, so I guess the major hype about Kamisama had to do with Kaneshiro being the star, but also that it set a precedent with young, sappy girls in Asia.
This is where Kawaii and foolishness come into play.
Instead of leaving the sickeningly sweet sentimentality on the playground, where it belongs, it somehow took over the nations of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan like a deathly plague.

Second, it was subbed in the first episode by Nippon Golden Network, and then for whatever reason, SARS came into play.
By far, the WORST on the planet when it comes to subbing efforts.

That and the ridiculous story aside, Kaneshiro gave a superb performance as usual.
HE was the only reason I continued to watch Kamisama, and I'm beyond relieved to know that he's starred in some much, higher caliber films since 1998, too.

And, this poor guy ... Kato Haruhiko.
He was Masaki's first love, or to her, a person to use, abuse, and take for granted as she stomped her way through life. I liken him to the precious piece of artwork in a beautiful crystal shop, and Masaki is the bull that comes crashing through the storefront window, knocking down and destroying everything in her path.

Poor, sweet fellow. He also starred in Over Time, and he played another neglected soul, but who ends up on the good end of the stick this time.

Alas, if this movie was meant to convey the fact that people do make mistakes, but that they needn't have to suffer as a result, then Kamisama missed the mark by a few miles.

IF Masaki had truly repented, IF she had been honest with herself, and IF she learned from her mistake, changing her caustic and self-absorbed ways once and for all, I think this drama would have been more interesting and beneficial.
Unfortunately, it did none of these things.
It concentrated too much on her spoiled, willful side, and it tried to force me to take pity on her, which I refused and will always refuse to do with anyone who cannot see the forest for the trees.

Wake up and smell the damn coffee already!

Read More

Red Cliff - Chibi - Battle of Red Cliff

I love epic drama, and I adore historical storyline, but when two, hot actors like Tony Leung Chiu-wei and Takeshi Kaneshiro come together for a four-hour, two-part historical piece like RED CLIFF, it can only be described as the stuff of dreams.

Since Lent began, I've only watched Red Cliff on Sunday afternoons, with today being the fourth and final Sunday. When Lent ends on Easter Sunday, I'll go back to watching a Korean, Japanese, or Taiwanese drama per week until next year at around this same time.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai is a big reason why I am so hooked on Asian drama & movies, with Jordan Chan Siu-chun being the MAJOR reason.

At the turn of the century, and most likely when Hong Kong was at it's peak movie/actor power wise, I came across a silly DVD ordered on a whim, called Those Were the Days, starring none other than my all-time favorite, Asian actor, Jordan Chan. Since then, I've only watched a few American movies and HUNDREDS of Asian flicks.

Hero, starring Jet Li and Tony Leung was incredible to behold, with a wonderful soundtrack, brilliant color imagery, and a storyline quite captivating.
House of Flying Daggers, which starred Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau was magnificent, with a romantic yet intriguing storyline, more splendid color imagery, and an even greater soundtrack.

Red Cliff brings Tony and Takeshi together, which in and of itself is glorious to behold. The storyline is an historical reference to a time in early A.D. when the Three Han clashed (again), but with Tony's army in the south emerging victorious this time.



Very little in the way of wire-fu, though a few scenes had me rolling my eyes and groaning with sarcasm. The first part was intense, gray, and desolate, so without Takeshi there, I doubt that Red Cliff would have held my interest.
The second half of the first part brought Takeshi's war strategist character together with Tony's sweet, stoic, and compassionate character, and they worked together to wage a final battle against a powerful warlord hell-bent on merging the three dynasties into one, huge kingdom. It was also the time for John Woo to give us an in-depth study of the main characters, especially Zhao Wei, or Vicki Zhao. She is the younger sister of a southern leader, and she infiltrates the enemy camp, falling in love while recording plenty of information to take back with her to Tony's encampment.

Red Cliff 2, the second half of the four-hour drama was a whirlwind of action, and what intrigued me most was the candle kites. I'm determined to learn how this is done so that I can teach my students how to make them, and the next time we're star gazing, we can send them up into the night sky.

Another scene that will stay with me for awhile was when Takeshi's calm yet brilliant character promises ten thousand arrows in three day's time.
I won't give it away, but it was adorably funny, and I appreciated Mr. Woo's decision to lighten the load, so to speak, with a brief reprieve from the standard and expected, gory outcome of this film.

Read More

Golden Bowl / ゴールデンボウル

Title: ゴールデンボウル
English: Golden Bowl
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Sports, romance
Episodes: 11
Viewership rating: 12.5
Network: NTV
Period: 2002 - Apr to Jul

Stars Kaneshiro Takeshi as Akutagawa Makoto and Kuroki Hitomi as Sakura Hitomi.





It's a cute story, and like ALL Japanese dramas, it had plenty of meat on it's bones to keep me hooked for the duration.

Even as silly a premise as this story was (a flagging Bowling alley in need of customers, a lonely, young man with a natural talent for the sport, and a feisty, married woman with personal issues), there was not one dull moment in Golden Bowl.

Akutagawa is an excellent, amateur bowler who spends all of his spare time at the Golden Bowl, and then Sakura Hitomi shows up, taking his Lucky #13 locker, and this is how the story of a 40 year old housewife and a lonely, younger stock broker unfolds.

I wondered about that #13 throughout this 2002 drama, and I asked aloud about it as the ending credits rolled. My patience paid off, but not the way I had hoped when, after the credits ended, they returned to that #13 locker, but nothing was said or done to give us an answer.

Perhaps the screenwriter wanted to dispel any notions about it being an unlucky number, as Akutagawa was extremely lucky throughout this drama?

Knowing a teeny bit about the leading man, I wondered about TK's internal feelings, and if his oddly sad nature had anything to do with his real-life experience with heart-break at having fallen in love with an older, married woman.






Honestly, I'm not as crazy about Mr. Kaneshiro as one might think, but I do agree with the millions of women around the world that he is one GORGEOUS male.

Just looking at him makes me wonder about things like his kissing ability, what does he smell like, how soft is his skin, and could he make my knees weak if he gazed at me with those sexy, doe eyes that always seem to hint at laughter?




There are plenty of funny moments, typical but not groaning moments, and the ever-frustrating LACK of human TOUCH moments in Golden Bowl.

I know it's not in the Asian psyche to show affection in public OR on screen, but I continue to expect the characters to EMBRACE at some point in these shows, and I continue to be thoroughly disappointed, too.




Like other great Asian dramas, there are a half-dozen characters in Golden Bowl, and each with their own interesting story to tell . . . yet nothing gets tossed by the wayside or detracts from the point of the story, which fascinates and impresses the heck out of me.

And, the young bodyguard with long, black hair drove me WILD, so I liked it every time he rode that elevator with his boss & hefy side-kick.

He was HOT!!

Bowling never appealed to me, and when I played my first game in my 30's, I did extremely poorly, but it was still fascinating to watch all of the strikes, spares, and interesting splits that occurred throughout this drama.

I wonder if it helped to bring people back to the bowling alleys in Japan in 2002 or 2003?

Hey ... speaking of splits, check this out ...





I couldn't resist getting a screen shot of this. (he he he)

The story aside, I watch mainly for the eye-candy, and Golden Bowl gave plenty of opportunity to stare, trust me.
































I'm in lust with TK whenever I watch him on screen, and then I go back to daydreaming about guys like So Ji-sub, Hideaki Ito, and Kim Nam-jin the rest of the time.

Like I said, Kaneshiro isn't in my top-ten list of hunk-a-licious Asian heart throbs, but DAMN what a face!

Sexy voice, too.

He manages to make me wonder, and that's always a good thing.

Read More

Warlords (2007)

Tóu Míng Zhuàng


This bloody piece of work stars Andy Lau, Jet Li, and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Leading up to it's premiere, this dark and dismal flick garnered much in the way of anticipatory excitement in Asia and abroad, but I have no idea about what occurred afterward.

It's the story of a soldier who survives a bloody battle, and after he wanders into a filthy and desolate encampment, he manages to encourage the men to follow him into battle against his foe.

Jet Li is that soldier, and he not only cried, but he behaved like a naughty boy when he had sex with & fell in love with Andy Lau's common law wife!!!

Andy's character was the only one that stayed true to form, because Takeshi Kaneshiro's character was even more far-removed than Li's! Li portrayed a bad boy (for a welcome change, and now that he's too old for it to matter anymore), but Tak's character was ... well, he was insane, to put it mildly.



Such a refreshing change, and yet the movie was far, too brutal for me to actually enjoy. I'm sure the writers & directors kept to the script & tried to portray reality as best as they could, but ... ugh. I think I took a hot shower after it was over.

Andy's so cool, Tak is so hot, and Li is ... well, he's someone I don't think I know anymore! And, don't get me wrong, because I think it's great when actors can step outside themselves like this and shock the hell out of their fans! You need to watch the movie in order to understand where my confusion & unenthusiastic review stems from.


It was good, but in a depressing & bone-chilling sort of way that I'm not, too fond of. The acting was superb, and the storyline was quite interesting. It's just that Warlords is probably the exact opposite of Hero, and maybe that's where my depressed emotions lie.

Read More