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ASAKO I & II 寝ても覚めても review

Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and written with Sachiko Tanaka

Genre: Romance drama

Year released: 2018

Duration: 119 minutes

I saw this on an Instagram reel—I'm planning to see every bookmarked movie I saved so I came back to my collections and I chose this. Before looking for the movie, the last comment I remember under the reel was "Don't even bother finding it, it's crap." Somehow I was enraged and I ran off to a different site. Because the cinematography looked really promising, and maybe I'm biased to Japanese movies. I haven't seen much. I think this is my second to "Blue". I watch more animated movies than actual people. But there's no way this could be bad. So I played it. And I knew I was right. I always loved how raw movie characters are in the Japanese cinema. I believe they represent all of us in humanity very well. We make bad decisions, we like to pretend we don't feel what we feel, we sleep like children and wake up like children, we feel angry in behalf of the people we love, we suffer for them, we forgive them, we are terrible people but we always try for the people we want to love. I think this movie is personal to me. Especially the main character. I've been in love with someone for a long time now. We won't ever be together though. That's a lie because I still hope. I don't have anyone I'm entertaining, but I always wonder, if I had a partner five years from now, who would I choose if my first love called my name? It scares me to answer so fast. Deep down, I know. And deep down, I know it won't go away. I might forget about it. When I remember, it's like I'm a thirteen year old who's enthusiastic about the multiverse and time-detoriation all over again. I hope I can love again.

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I'll never forget.

Twinkling Watermelon

South Korean Drama

Directed by: Son Jong-hyun

Genre: Coming of age, teen, fantasy, romance, comedy, musical and time travel fiction

Aired: September 25 to November 14 of 2023

Main actors: Ryeoun, Choi Hyun-wook, Seol In-ah, and Shin Eun-soo

Synopsis!

The story revolves around an 18-year-old teenager born to deaf parents and has a natural talent for music and singing. He travels to the past in 1995 when his parents were also 18 year olds and finds out his father was not born deaf.

I will try to shine brightly in my youth too...

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Ged Senki / Tales from Earthsea

directed by Miyazaki Gorou

Type: Movie

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Duration: 115 minutes

Aired: Jul 29, 2006

Season: Summer 2006

Producers: Toho

Licensors: Disney Platform Distribution

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Source: Novel (Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series)

I think this is one underrated Ghibli movie. To be honest, I don't even understand how and why MAL reviews criticise it badly. I think it's wonderful. My favourite thing is the character design of everyone. First, one of the main characters Arren who showed the most physical emotion among all of other Ghibli characters I believe second to Taeko from "Only Yesterday". I loved his face everytime. You'll know when and you know if you've seen it. Though I have to say Cob was my favourite 😭 Not to be biased to babygirls—but really, he was such a babygirl. You'll know. I can't believe no one knows about him. I want to make a hundred fanarts of him. Overall, another yet magical film. Somehow, I'm proud of Director Gorou. He did well.

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Directed by Hosoda Mamoru, written together with Okudera Satoko

Japanese: サマーウォーズ

Type: Movie

Genre: Sci-fi, Adventure, Romance, Drama, Action, Comedy

Duration: 114 minutes

Aired: Aug 01, 2009

Season: Summer 2009

Studio: Madhouse

I had planned to see Summer Wars since forever, but before, I didn't have enough understanding of its plot I read in the synopsis. As what's probably already obvious, I like movies and series set during summer but I couldn't comprehend sci-fi so I kept it on hold. When I started craving summer again, I came back reading and trying to understand this again and thought "So it's like Belle?" Because I had already seen Belle way before since it was released, and just went for it. It did not disappoint. The characters were interesting, and their interactions were real, you'll see. I also liked how high-tech the world was even when they lived with flip phones. I wish we could have advanced like that. And I cried of sheer joy? And relief in the falling action. It's great.

Summary: OZ, a virtual world connected to the internet, has become extremely popular worldwide as a spot for people to engage in a large variety of activities, such as playing sports or shopping, through avatars created and customized by the user. OZ also possesses a near impenetrable security due to its strong encryption, ensuring that any personal data transmitted through the networks will be kept safe in order to protect those who use it. Because of its convenient applications, the majority of society has become highly dependent on the simulated reality, even going as far as entrusting the system with bringing back the unmanned asteroid explorer, Arawashi. Kenji Koiso is a 17-year-old math genius and part-time OZ moderator who is invited by his crush Natsuki Shinohara on a summer trip. But unbeknownst to him, this adventure requires him to act as her fiancé. Shortly after arriving at Natsuki's family's estate, which is preparing for her great-grandmother's 90th birthday, he receives a strange, coded message on his cell phone from an unknown sender who challenges him to solve it. Kenji is able to crack the code, but little does he know that his math expertise has just put Earth in great danger.

Sources: IMDB & Animepahe

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サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる!

Directed by Kyohei Ishiguro

Type: Movie

Genre: Slice of life, romantic comedy, drama

Status: Finished Airing

Duration: 87 minutes

Aired: July 22, 2021

Season: Summer 2021

Studio: Signal.MD, Sublimation

Theme: Music

Summary:

After meeting one bright, sunny day, a shy boy who expresses himself through haiku and a bubbly but self-conscious girl share a brief, magical summer.

Note: I don't really drink soda, but this movie made me realise it's good during the summer lol. Also, as someone who's eager to learn Japanese, my greatest takeaway is that I can practice writing and forming sentences through making Haiku! Since Cherry, one of the two main characters, write Haiku. The title itself is a Haiku he made even! (That was a bit of a spoiler, peace!)

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"Drifting Home" written and directed by Hiroyasu Ishida, co-written with Hayashi Mori

Type: Movie

Aired: September 16, 2022

Season: Fall 2022

Studio: Studio Colorido

Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Coming of Age

Summary:

Kousuke and Natsume have been friends since childhood, but as time goes on, the relationship between the two sixth graders seems strained as they keep avoiding each other for a reason. One day during the summer vacation, they visit a housing complex that is scheduled to be demolished. Having grown up there, the place holds a lot of memories, but while playing, they suddenly get caught up in a mysterious phenomenon. When they regain consciousness, they see an entire ocean before them as the housing complex has drifted into a mysterious sea with Kousuke, Natsume, and others in it. Will they be able to return to their previous world? A summer farewell journey begins...

I cried very well. There was a moment in the movie where I thought "I will never be loved nor hugged like that." Lol

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"Hakubo" written and directed by Yutaka Yamamoto

Type: Movie

Aired: June 21, 2019

Season: Summer 2019

Studio: Twilight Studio

Theme: School

Durarion: 52 minutes

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary:

Sachi Koyama, a high school violinist with promising talent. Although Sachi is content with her school life and retains friends within the music club, her favorite pastime is appreciating the scenery around her neighborhood in Iwaki, Fukushima while walking to her bus stop alone. However, during one of Sachi's after-school walks, she has an unexpected meeting with Yuusuke Kijinami, a boy whom she often notices on her bus ride home. After offering to help Kijinami find a perfect view of the evening landscape—the subject of his next painting for his art club's exhibition—the two forge a bond over their mutual admiration of the beautiful scenery bathed in sunset. This chance encounter brings together these two souls who yearn to cherish the present, knowing full well how easily it can all slip away.

My most-liked dialogue: ✨

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Korean drama recommendation!

Television series Extraordinary Attorney Woo written by Moon Ji-Won, directed by Yoo In-Sik

Type: Series

Episodes: 16

Duration per episode: Average of 1 hour and 17 minutes

Aired: June 29th, 2022

Network: ENA

Theme: Legal/Law

Genre: Legal, Romance, Drama, Mystery, Politics, Life

Synopsis:

Woo Young-woo, a lawyer with autism who is raised by her single father, grrows up with one friend at school, Dong Geu-ra-mi, an oddball girl who protects her from school bullies. She graduates at the top of her law school class at Seoul National University. Because she's autistic, no one will hire her. However, through a connection of her father's, she obtains her first job at Hanbada, a large Seoul law firm. Attorney Woo's intelligence and photographic memory help her to become an excellent lawyer, as she is able to recall laws and everything she reads, sees, or hears perfectly. Being different from neurotypical peers, her manner of communication is initially seen as odd and awkward, and her strong emotional intelligence remains unrecognized. But as the series progresses, many of the people she meets, such as her supervising lawyer, Jung Myung-seok, her law school classmate and peer, Choi Su-yeon, and legal support staffer Lee Jun-ho adjust to her as she learns her craft as a rookie attorney. But she also encounters people who are prejudiced against her and others with disabilities. Many of the legal cases in the series involve finely balanced legal issues and sometimes difficult ethical questions. Attorney Woo's approach is often unique and helps resolve cases in unexpected ways. One storyline about Young-woo's parents runs through the series and involves the rivalry between two major law firms, both chaired by female attorneys, Han Seon-young, CEO of Hanbada, and Tae Soo-mi, CEO of Taesan. Another theme that runs through the series is Young-woo's strong interest in whales and other marine mammals. Her tendency to analogize situations she faces in her professional and private life with the lives and characteristics of whales and dolphins often surprises and confounds the people who surround her. Her eureka moments often coincide with fantasizing about these creatures.

For me, Extraordinary Attorney Woo was an adventure. It's funny because I was so hesitant about it at first, but it had truly become a safe space; There wasn't a second where I felt uncomfortable. I loved the representation—it did not just focus on the neurodivergent society—it wasn't just about how the main character Young-woo was autistic, but it also showed all these other people with each their atypical personalities. The show had introduced this another autistic character, who's not as gifted like Young-Woo, and it really felt right because I've had people ask autistic people: "You're autistic? But you don't think like Einstein, how's that?" So yeah, that's one of my favourite highlights. It really showed the meaning of spectrum. And OUR spectrum, all of us' spectrum. It showed diversity. It was fun. I feel like this is the only ever show that managed to represent a LOT of communities in one plot. And sitting through every episode definitely made me understand the world more, and you know, maybe it made me a bit better as a person too?

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Anime adaptation of the Japanese light novel series "Yes, No, or Maybe Half?" written by Michi Ichiho and illustrated by Lala Takemiya

Type: Movie

Duration: 53 minutes

Aired: December 11, 2020

Season: Winter 2021

Studio: Lesprit

Theme: Adult Cast

Genre: Romance, Boys Love, Drama, Comedy

Summary:

Kei Kunieda is a newscaster who strictly maintains an amiable and kind persona while at work. Although he smiles on the outside, he covertly curses at others to his heart's content. His everyday life is smooth, even if he keeps half of himself hidden at all times, but that changes when he meets Ushio Tsuzuki, an independent stop-motion animator. Soon, Kei finds himself caught in a lie borne from his two personas meeting Ushio under different conditions, with the other man unaware they are the very same person. As feelings begin to blossom between them, Kei cannot be sure if Ushio will love both sides of him—or only just half.

I cried 🥲

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Anime adaptation of "Fragtime" by Takuya Sato

Type: Movie

Duration: 60 minutes

Aired: Nov 22, 2019

Season: Fall 2019

Studio: Tear Studio, East Fish Studio

Theme: School

Genre: Girls Love, Romance, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Summary:

Misuzu Moritani is an introvert who has always had difficulty interacting with her classmates, quickly becoming flustered whenever someone tries to talk to her. Sometimes, she will use her ability to stop time for three minutes to escape troublesome social situations. One day, as Misuzu watches the suspended environment around her, she observes that her classmate, Haruka Murakami, is somehow able to move despite her temporal influence. From that moment on, Misuzu experiences new wonders as she explores more of the world she has long avoided; no matter where time may take her, Misuzu can count on Haruka to always be at her side.

It was worth the ending! It reminded me of that one scene from Princess Mononoke where San had threatened to kill Ashitaka, but Ashitaka had powerfully replied, "You're beautiful."