[FILM REVIEW] Ouran High School Host Club (Movie) (2012)

The film ‘Ouran High School Host Club’ is a feature directed by Satoshi Kan released in March 2012. It is set as a direct continuation of the live-action series aired back in 2011.

[FILM REVIEW] Cyborg She (2008)

[Read on UnitedJpop]
‘Cyborg She’ (also known as ‘Boku no kanojo was saibogu’ which literally translates to ‘My Girlfriend is a Cyborg’) is a Japanese film written and directed by South Korean Kwak Jae Young. It was released in 2008.

[FILM REVIEW] Gyakuten Saiban (2012)

[Also read this on UnitedJPop - here!]
Gyakuten Saiban (meaning “Turnabout Trial”) also known as Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney is a 2012 film based on the first instalment of a Nintendo Game Boy video game of the same name that gained a lot of success in its native Japan as well as in the USA. This film adaptation was directed by Takashi Miike.

FILM REVIEW: Tekkonkinkreet (2006)

[Read this on UnitedJpop - here!]
Tekkonkinkreet is an anime film adapted from the manga series of the same name by Taiyo Matsumoto. The title mimics a child's mispronunciation of the words "Tekkin Konkurito" which mean "Steel-reinforced Concrete".

FILM REVIEW: Paprika (2006)

[Read this here on UnitedJpop too]
Paprika is a Japanese animated Sci-Fi film based the 1993 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui. The film was directed by Satoshi Kon, who was famous for his work on many successful Japanese films.
The piece is said by Director Chris Nolan to be one of his main influences when creating the hugely successful psychological thriller Inception.

REVIEW: GANTZ 2: Perfect Answer. [Live-action] (Japanese Movie, 2011)

 

[Read this on UnitedJPop!]

As I mentioned in my review post of the first GANTZ film, I was incredibly excited for the sequal DVD to hit the shelves in the UK. So much so that I pre-ordered it soon after watching the first one. (That's a big deal for me - I can be pretty stingy with what I spend my money on!)

So, I had big expectations when I ripped open the packaging to find the cool-looking DVD staring back at me...

REVIEW: GANTZ [Live-action] (Japanese Movie: 2010)

[You can also read this on UnitedJPop here!]

As soon  as I saw the promotional photos for this film, I knew I wanted to watch it...SEE HOW COOL IT LOOKS?!

Add to that, the fact that it has one of my favourite actors in it (Ken'ichi Matsuyama - still love him after his portrayal of L in Death Note)...as well as Nino from Arashi...and I am well and truly SOLD!

REVIEW: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Japanese Movie: 2010)

[Read this on UnitedJPop too. Click here].
Let's cut to the chase and cover the main reasons why a watched this film, there are three:
1 - Maki Horikita (One of my favourite actresses...yes, I DO have favourite actresses!)
2 - Ken'ichi Matsuyama (And he was playing a weirdo again...hooray!)
3 - Tegoshi Yuya (He is just one of my favourite people in general...not really a great actor, but I enjoy just seeing him).

REVIEW: Death Note Part 1 + Death Note Part 2: The Last Name (Japanese Movie, Warner Bros: 2006/7)

I am going to write a review of these two films with the perspective that they have been combined to make one single film...because that is basically what they are in a way...the second is an immediate continuation of the first!!
I also think that it would not be right for me to split what is ONE story into two chunks just because they had to do that for the film adaptation.

My first encounter of the Death Note franchise was when I was in year 12. My friends and I would sometimes use our free lessons (gosh, I miss those!) to read the magazines in the library (we were hard workers :P). We would always be sure to look at Neo Magazine because it's devoted to manga, anime and Japanese culture in general.
I remember being intrigued by an advert in the mag for the film L: Change the World, which had been released that year. My friend (Safi again) then told me that one of my other friends, Yousra, had watched it and enjoyed all three films.

I set out to search for the film online when the webpage loaded and I was greeted with a message above the videobox (check out the terminology there...)
It said that it would be strongly recommended that I watch the anime series before I watch the films because the films would "ruin it for me". So, whilst being unsure if I would even try the films anyway as they were able to ruin things, I went to watch the anime beforehand.

I am not a HUGE fan of animes, to be honest.
I think part of the reason for that is simply because the series are so bloody long that it puts me off from the word go, I also have only just learned from a friend about "Fillers" in animes and consequently realise why Dragonball Z always took so long to get ANYWHERE at all.

However, after watching the 37 episodes of the Death Note anime (not too bad I suppose), I can say that I am very glad that I did.
Anyone with common sense will know that, if a live-action drama or film has a manga or anime predecessor, one should really read/watch that if they want to get a real sense of how the story is.
Of course, because that is how the original makers intended it to be seen!

I understand that, when making a real-life adaptation of an already existing story, things will need to be chopped up and messed about for practical reasons....but yeah, my point still remains.