ANNOUNCEMENTS

I am sorry to announce that I have made a decision to officially close Cypsis' Blog.

All the reviews stay up as they are, but I will not write more reviews. Cypsis' Blog had many ups-and-downs during those 7 years and I have tried to give the best I could, but unfortunately my life has moved on so much that finding time for reviewing has become more and more difficult. Closing the blog is breaking my heart, but I have thought a lot about it and understood that it is for the best. I am very thankful to everybody who have enjoyed reading my reviews.
(PS. I am still continuing to watch Asian dramas and you can always find me on Mydramalist.com)

Thank you for all these 7 years. I hope that those 240 reviews made you happy. I truly had unforgettable time writing them!

Sincerely, Cypsis
01.01.2018
Showing posts with label Nukumizu Youichi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nukumizu Youichi. Show all posts

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Loss Time Life (2008)


Country: Japan
Genre:  mystery, life&death, human, surreal
Format: drama, but all 9 episodes have different stories and so do Specials too
Synopsis:
The main idea - there are people who take life for granted, thinking they have time and do unnecessary-pointless things. What if when you die you are given extra time - additional time as they do in soccer? How would you spend the last hours of your life when there are 4 man always reminding you that the clock is ticking...
Rating: 2/5
I am going to make each drama detail-review separately with casts, it is a little bit easier to understand then - But I will put only one rating to all of it.. sorry for possible spoilers too!
I liked that they made it like sport overcasting - I do not know much about football nor footballers, but it was fun in drama. I bet those who know a bit about football and "its legendary players/moment", will have more interesting time watching it. I like those weird comments they make and referees are funny - I consider them as one of the highlights =D Especially during the commercial break. Drama also has a documentary-touch in it, which makes watching it really awesome.  
Episode 1. "Cameraman"
Cast: Eita, Fukiishi Kazue, Koichi Mantaro, Oshima Yoko,
Eita plays an cameraman, who takes photos of disasters, for example fires and hostage dramas,  for newspapers (which I find really disturbing and sick). Being an awarded photographer he wishes to dye on the scene of crime while taking a great photo. After his first-page-photo gets changed with heartwarming amateur photo,  he decides to take an even better photo for photo contest, but situation gets complicated with him being the foresight of the gun.
- Nice and interesting episode to start drama. It explained very much about the whole drama. It had the most documentary look - some moments it seemed that Eita did not know they where filming xD  He gets yellow card for saying "I was killed/ I died". Ends with a big twist so you start to wish that he will stay alive. 

Episode 2. "Detective"
Cast: Koyama Keiichiro, Hiraizumi Sei, Waki Tomohiro, Yamaguchi Miyako, Tanaka Tetsushi
Tsunami Kouta is young fresh detective whose dream is to catch villians and resolve crimes. His dream gets crushed when he finds out that his supervisor is old detective Gomi, who spends time on drinking tea. Finally, they are one step from arresting a criminal, but the criminal is fast and does not use gun for the first time in his life.
- So Kouta gets "loss time". It is very interesting to see how he tries to see some threads in this mess, which takes him back to armed bank rob years ago. The main sentence is "Only the dog who chases tirelessly gets feed", sadly it comes with big losses. the saddest moment is Kouta's phone call to mother. He gets red card for wanting to refuse from loss time.

Episode 3. "Sukiyaki"
Cast: Tomochika, Matsuzawa Kazuyuki, Tajima Yumika, Nagashima Shugo,
A mother who sacrifices everything for her family and also saves from everything. She must pay hard to make her family the best sukiyaki in the world. - It is sad episode, because I think she is the only one who really becomes discouraged and feels helpless - and that is not because of the dying, but because she is afraid how the family will survive without her. She literally saves from everything - all things you know in the world, she will make an cheaper alternative for it. You can see a race of the crazy housewives and how mean they can be.  

Episode 4. "Nurse"
Cast: Ueno Juri, Shitara Osamu, Rokkaku Seji, Nukumizu Youichi
I think it was the funniest episode. Matsunaga Yukiko is a nurse, whose boyfriend has dumped her and she finds the suicide to be the only possibility. At first she wants to re-kill herself, but she gets yellow card, like that would stop someone who knows nothing about football. She meets with Omoto who also wants to jump from the same roof as she did. Main sentence is "Even one loss is not the end of the world". The end is rather unexpected. - I do not understand suicides, because I do not see any reason to be enough to end one's life.

Episode 5. "Childhood friend"
Cast: Ito Atsushi, Minami, Iketani Nobue, Yabe Kenji,
This is the most cliched episode. It is cute, but usual story that guy, Hajime, has promised to become mangaka in childhood. Life roads have gone apart and girl, Yukari is going to be married - right when she hears that Hajime has debuted as mangaka. By chance they meet again, but time is limited.

Episode 6. "Hero Show"
Cast: Tanaka Naoki, Tanaka Kei, Yasuda Misako, Takagiri Hairi, Harada Atsushi, Hatano Hiroko, Okuda Tatsuhito, Hayakawa Ryo
It was the weirdest episode.. Koichi is very egocentric and he cannot fulfill any of his dreams. He wants to be world-famous actor, but non of his dreams include his wife Yoko. - Koichi was the woooooooooorst actor ever! and whoever played the part of SunVisorX was amazing =D There are really cute animations included to episode and in the end you want him to have extra time, but surprise-surprise - I did not understand a thing what happened to him in the end - did he die? did he got extra time? what it was?? 

Episode 7. "Wife of a mob member"
Cast: Tokiwa Takako, Hamada Gaku, Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Nomaguchi Toru,
Ruiko is a yakuza-family's member. She hears that her husband has been taken by another yakuza-gang and she is going to take a revenge.  - It is a little bit sad. I say spoiler - she is fighting for  her love, but it comes out that all this time her husband wanted to have a normal life with normal family and in reality she was the real target. - Tokiwa Takako is very elegant and I looooove her kimono. I like that Ruiko has pride and she does not let herself fall, but it is too sad to see how she is trying to not express her real feelings.

Episode 8. "Director"
Cast: Maki Yoko, Iwasa Mayuko, Takeno Isao, Omiya Taro, Yajima Kenichi, Nukumizu Youichi
Actually, this was my favorite episode. Horiike is a company section director, who is real workaholic and has committed all her last years to her job - not because she wants to work so much, but she has a great sense of duty. Even so, she gets fired when she gives wrinkles what to change in the company. - This episode shows the most how irresponsible, mean and two-faced people might be. Horiike dies from heart failure, which occurred because of too much work, stress and less sleep time. This is something that most likely will happen to me if my current life-style continues O.o. I liked that she was very rational and knows what to do. She is the only character who showed the most sides of herself in the whole drama. Sentence is "Getting fired is like heartbreak in relationship". You can also meet again with Omoto - so sad that he is rather stupid.. Even though Horiike gets yellow card for changing clothes, the referees finally allow it - they are too sad. In the end, all she wanted to do, is to be happy - I liked that she sometimes thought that maybe going with her boyfriend would have been a better choice.  

Episode 9. "Hikikomori"
Cast: Oizumi Yo, Haruyama Mikisuke, Koide Saori, Tajima Reiko, Oshima Yoko, Nukumizu Youichi
Miura is a guy who has no desire to live, but also does not make a suicide - by the way, he has not gone out of the house for 12 years! New judge is Omoto and even referees are having hard time with understand the loss time as the clock seems to be broken - or is it?  - Miura is sooooo useless -.- he annoyed me so much, so I liked the end result :) 

Special/ Overtime "Omoto Yuzo Monogatari"
Cast: Kuriyama Chiaki, Kajihara Ken, Sakai Wakana, Tamura Ryo, Nukumizu Youichi, Tajima Reiko, Oshima Yoko
From the title it seems like Omoto will die, but no. The Special episode explains everything about Omoto.. and his wife, his former job etc. It is just like another episode. Nukumizu is amazing actor - he is so talented and funny! Omoto's life story is cute and the end is veeery cute. Sakai Wakana is adorable and I like that she plays stupid person this time xD All in all, it connects many previous episodes together and makes you realize what was going on.

I hope it can make you understand your life priorities - I wish I could tell it made my mind clear from this point, but with current life tempo I cannot have any other priority than school and entrance exams, BUT I know that the most important in the life still is family, love and friends ^^

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Troubleman (2009)


Country: Japan
Genre: surreal, yakuza, life,
Format: drama 12 episodes
Cast: Kato Shigeaki, Takezai Terunosuke, Iwasa Mayuku, Nakayama Yuichiro, Riju Go, Kino Hana, Terajima Susumu, Osugi Ren, Nukumizu Youichi, Satsukawa Aimi, Kanai Yuta, Katagiri Hairi, Miyaji Masako, Uechi Haruna
Synopsis: Tokuda Kazuo is cursed with bad luck - since birth only bad things happen to people near to him. As things get even worse by every day, he tries to find a way to get over that curse. One day by all kind of things, he ends up with his five other apartment residents in the same room and soon it becomes clear that they share much more than that apartment...
Rating: 5/5
Really short drama, okey, it has 12 episodes, but they  are like 30 minutes long, but at least 5 minutes of it are beginning and ending themes (I've said it before, that usually Japanese dramas are 45 minutes long). I do not understand how can it have soooooo low ratings?????!!! Average is like 2, but I think that it is a masterpiece. I am afraid that it is because it aired on Friday nights 00:12 - older people sleep already and young ones party (at least in my country xD) This is one of the most surreal and most interesting drama ever!
It perfect example that you cannot fight with the fate, it seems like a endless ring and it is impossible to get out of it. There is a saying that "What good for one is bad for other" - it is like a main theme in "Troubleman". I like the script. It is just sooo amazing. Beside, Kato Shigeaki is amazing in his role! All this pronunciation and acting is über xD
The built-up is amazing. At first many things seem hard to understand, but once you know the truth, it gets unbelievable scary. I think that this drama shows how small actually the world is (In real life, doesn't world seem small when you read my blog, but you are on the other side of the world? xD)
I cannot say anything much about characters, but I think that Yakuza's (the one in apartment too) story was the saddest. Whole drama shows different sides of life - we really can't see others past and feelings.  But I can say some words about Kato Shigeaki and his role.
Firstly, Tokuda's work suited him so much, but like always, if you do something great for people, you do bad for company, which gets you fired -.- A big line in it are mangakas and they are soooo kowai! (scary) I have always admired their drawing skills, but this time the gave me creeps! Especially Marcus the monkey O.q I have never liked monkeys and now they like even less -.- I think that maybe because they had to spend so much time alone there and then for the first time a handsome/sexy/great guy walks in - yeah, you might end up as a lunatic so. I have always thought if Kato Shigeaki can draw so well in real life too (I know that he might had somebody else's drawing), but he has played mangaka already for twice! (the second time was in "Chichi yo, anata wa erakatta")
I have always wanted to try hypnotherapy, which they do much in it, but I am afraid that I might recall some strangled memories, which might change my life (don't you sometimes have this feeling of fear in some situations like your mind says that something bad has happened this way, but you self cannot remember it?)
I love the theme song!! It is "Funky man" by NEWS (who are my favorites =P) and also in the very last episode there is a unplugged version of "Forever". I think that the end is the most romantic thing I have seen xD but when to think about March 11th 2011 in Japan, then it is a little bit sad and inappropriate. But still, I love this drama, it is just sooo wicked. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Chichi yo, anata wa erakatta (2009)


Tagline: 1969 nen no Oyaji to boku (Me and dad in 1969)
Country: Japan
Genre: family, time travel, history
Format: movie
Cast: Kato Shigeaki, Aibu Saki, Tsutsumishita Atsushi, Nishida Toshiyuki, Izumi Pinko, Oshinari Shugo, Nukumizu Youichi,
Synopsis: Onoreda Riichi (Nishida Toshiyuki) and Harumi (Izumi Pinko) have been married for years. Now Riichi is forced to go on a early pension and because of family troubles, divorce becomes possible option. Their son Masaru (Kato Shigeaki) has not got any job and fights with father are usual things. After one big fight Masaru leaves home, he falls from the building´s roof and goes trough a time-slip, waking up in year 1969, when his parents went to university.
Rating: 2/5
I must say that i like that movie just because of Kato Shigeaki. I do not know why, but I enjoy his acting very much. And I loved that they had put in use Kato Shigeaki´s music talent ^^ I love when people, who can sing, are singing in dramas/movies. Beside he sings a great song there - "Kiseki" by Greeeen. (The funny thing is that Kato Shigeaki is in NEWS and many their songs are written by Greeeen ^^)
What I enjoyed too, is that this movie shows the life in 1969-s, when there were big street protests because of the economy and political reasons. It also compares nowadays with past about life, youth, opinions etc.
It might look too slow movie, but it is sweet actually. The start is reaaaaaalllly slow, that I did not like, but I liked the fact that later it was clearly seen how emotions and out-views changed. There are many times when young people do not understand their parents and parents do not understand their children. Ones want to be free and independent and others want their children to succeed in life. I think that most of the time children forgot the fact that their parents have been young too and parents tend to forgot what their youth was like.
I did not understand the Ryu Shi-won part. It was a little bit over-done - had nothing to do the main- nor side-stories. I liked Oshinari Shuga acting too - actually I did not recognize him at the first sight xD From the side-stories Harumi-Kamijo story was the best. 
A little cute fact - in this movie Kato Shigeaki character wanted to become mangaka (Manga artist) and in the next drama (If we exclude "0 Gyoushitsu no Kyaku: Kanpeki no otoko") "Troubleman" he was a mangaka.