Kimi ni Shika kikoenai (2007)

Also known as: Calling You; Only you can hear this voice
Country: Japan
Genre: romance, friendship, human
Format: movie
Cast: Koide Keisuke, Narumi Riko, Hada Mika, Katase Nana
Synopsis: Ryo (Narumi Riko) is a silent high school girl, who finds it hard to communicate with others. That´s why she has no-one to talk to. On one day she creates a mobile phone in her head, but for her surprise, it is picked up  on the other side by a boy called Shinya (Koide Keisuke).
Rating: 2/5

It is really beautiful  movie, but at the same time you can find similar things from other movies or dramas. (In some ways it reminds me "Il Mare" or USA version of it "The Lake house", because of the time differences and all). I did not like the fact that it mostly was about one thing, that´s why, it looked like it will last forever. It seriously is the slowest movie ever. Many times it does not have any soundtrack at all, expect for cicadas sound.

If you start to think about it, isn't it scary if a toy-phone starts to work this way??! O.o But actually, their "Mind-phones" are called telepathy. At first I thought that Shinya really is her imagination.  I started to think that if those mental phones would be real, then what would happen? I sure would like to have free calls XD

But some words about characters. Ryou was so annoying to me.. I am not a fan of people who are too shy, hesitating and afraid of everything. She was really slow and many times depressive. I know that being back-stabbed by your friends at early age is painful (been there, felt that), but you just must have self-belief that you are better than any of these guys! I liked that she started to change with the time they are talking to each other. NB! she does not look like, she has not practised piano for years. When she stopped playing in 2 class, then normally she would have forgotten most of the things by that time.

I cannot say anything much about Shinya, because he did not talk much and movie mostly concentrates on Ryou. Koide Keisuke has a nice smile - that I can tell =P He had cute ideas (like long-distance date) and all his personality was sweet. I liked his grandma, because she always wore kimonos =P
I like Nagano scenery - sooo beautiful! I know that many many people like that movie really much, so watch it and then decide! It is slow, has one story-line and is hard to follow because of the time difference, but it has something sweet in it.

SPOILER review: I do not understand if really no-one knew how to give first-aid?? Okey, they called ambulance and Ryou was by his side, but they should have at least tired to check any serious damages or at least is he breathing still... I know he moved, but still! This movie goes to a list "Worst dyeing scene ever"!  like tooooooo fake!           If someone did not understand then Harada was actually Ryou, but 10 years later. Also in the end, you see that people cannot change the past (except if you are Kenzo from "Proposal Daisakusen")

The Seaside Motel (2010)

Country: Japan
Genre: romance, comedy, surreal, yakuza, (contains sex and violence)
Format: movie
Cast: Ikuta Toma, Aso Kumiko, Narumi Riko, Yamada Takayuki, Tamayama Tetsuji, Emoto Tokio, Furuta Arata, Nukumizu Yoichi, Kojima Hijiri, Ikeda Tetsuhiro, Yamasaki Mami
Synopsis: There is a motel named The Seaside Motel between a rural mountain area, where no water is found near to it or in it. A lousy swindler Kameda Masayuki (Ikuta Toma) is sent there to sell 50 fake body creams. A call girl Candy (Aso Kumiko) enters his room by mistake. As they try to swindle each others money, they find more things in life. A businessman Ishizuka Tatsuya wants to spend the first night with his cabaret girlfriend Marine in the room next to Kameda's. In the other room a former yakuza Asakura Yosuke is staying with his cat-crazy girlfriend Rui, but is interrupted by a childhood friend, yakuza Aida and his younger follower Chi-bo. The last room is occupied by Ota and his wife, who tends to be jealous. Night is full of lies and everyone lives will be changed, but no-one really meets others. What will happen when the sun rises?
Rating: 5/5
It looks like 4 different stories and they really are different, except that one's story is totally connected with others. It makes the feeling that "If he/she was not there or would not have said this, then it would not have happened!". There is impossible to say that the movie is love movie or a tearjerker - there is love, sadness, fright, mystery, friendship, it is totally surreal, but all logical at the same time. Really important is to check time when watching, because the time is always different - another scene might show the time which happened before the last one. Stories are very unexpected and everything really is related! One thing leads to another and you can see that everything has at least two sides of it. What seems good at first can end up being bad.
I liked the sounds in it and amazing shooting. There is not used a usual technicals, which makes even more interesting to watch it. now to the 4 stories...

Room 102. Kameda and Candy. I think that everyone agrees if I say that they are most likely to stars of the movie. I liked that it gave another view of Candy's work, because I have thought several times, why some women have this kind of work. It was so fun to see how they totally lied to each other, but finally were lost in their own lies too, but at the same time it showed that if a person plays around to much, then in the end others won't know if he/she speaks the truth or not. It reminds one lamb story, but I am seriously not going to write it here.

I loved some quotes by them. "A fake thing can turn into something genuine" and "Woman look into the future, but men worry about the past". I find those quotes true. It was the first movie I have seen by them, but I find Ikuta Toma an excellent actor. He has great face expressions, he seems to be able to act any character and he looks so true.

Room 103. Ishizuka and Marine. I do not know what to say about them. Ishizuka was total a*****, so he totally deserved what happened to him. Marine was really cute, but she was soooooooo stupid. Yamasaki Mami really is flexible! It is sooo amazing!!
Room 202. Yakuza stuff. In this room the most sickest things happened. The torturing part is the worst. If other rooms had just 2 people, then it had 5 people.

Riu (Narumi Riko) really asked too much. I was just watching and even I felt my head exploding. She is too freaking naive and there are to much cats.
Room 203. Ota and his wife. I think that they had the smallest screen time, but they changed much in the storyline, but not as much as others. I  liked that their story showed how to go trough grief, which made it really sad.
I think that's all.. (I am really tired as it is almost 2 am in the morning). Almost all the characters act in it, not just actors, but characters too, which I think makes it harder for actors. There are so much lies, but in the end the truth reveals as "A lie has a short legs".

Also the movie shows that your life can be changed by a total stranger who just passes by. Just because you see this person, he/she already is part of your life. Just that second might change something. While staying in hotel or riding a train/bus, think about the person in the other room or sitting next to you. His/her life and problems - we do know nothing about them, ne? ^^

1 litre of tears (2005)

Country: Japan

Genre: family, romance, human, life
Format: drama 11 episodes + special
Cast: Sawajiri Erika, Nishikido Ryo, Yakushimaru Hiroko, Jinnai Takanori, Narumi Riko, Fujiki Naohito,  (Matsuyama Kenichi)
Synopsis: The story is about Ikeuchi Aya, 15-year-old girl, who is diagnosed with a spinocerebellar degeneration disease (aka SCA type 2). The disease, which will paralyse person´s talking, walking and eating, but do not harm the mind at all, changes lives of her and people beside her.  
Rating: 5/5
The drama is true life story. Kitou Aya (1962-1988) suffered from that disease, before her death, her writings were published and drama is based on these.

 It is a MUST-SEE drama! Even if you hate sad dramas, you should watch it. It reminds us, that life is full of unexpected things and there are people who are ill and we must be there for them - not to pity them or stay away.
I definitely cried more than 1 litre of tears. I cried since the first episode till the end of it. Every time I feel like crying, I consider watching it again, but as soon as it starts, I already cry.
Sawajiri Erika made a great work. She did not not over-act. Nishikido Ryo as Hayato was great too, even though Hayato did not exist in a real life - he was the only fictional character.

The scene of Nishikido Ryo crying is considered as one of the best male-character crying scenes - it is in later episode, so look for it (I think it is in 10th episode). But this drama also had a funny fact - Nishikido

Ryo gets wet really often - some fans made funny pics about it too, but I cannot submit them here, since I have not done them and I do not know who made them.

1 litre of tears SP (2007)

Country: Japan

Genre: Human, life, romance
Cast: mostly same as drama +Okamoto Anri
Synopsis aka SPOILER (for those who have not finished watching drama): After Aya´s death, Hayato has become neurologist at the same hospital were Aya was treated, but he has lost his sight and will. He meets 14-year-old Mizuki, who suffers from the same disease as Aya. At the same time Aya´s sister, Ako, is in training to become a nurse.
Rating: 1/5
Drama was much better. If there is someone who most likely do not want to watch the whole drama, then watch SP - it takes all episodes together in a smaller amount, but at the same time it shows who the life went on after the drama ended. Besides, it is damn romantic that Hayato left emptiness, it shows how much he wanted Aya to live, but as I know - every grief must have an end - the ones, who left do not want us to feel sad. To not worry - you will still cry your eyes out.
(I have an idea - next time when I want to cry I will watch SP!)