I don’t know if the big budget A-lister prestige K-dramas are still a sure bet after last year saw a few do less than stellar. The biggest disappointment is probably political thriller Polaris (The Tempest) with Jeon Ji Hyun and Kang Dong Won, and production is still going forward with The Koreans a remake of the US series The Americans. … Continue reading →
There is so much to celebrate and be proud of and it the biggest surprise of the last month has got to be OCN drama The Uncanny Counter. It airs on the smallest of the three notable cable networks and features a main cast without any big name stars. But it’s been a hit for the network since the premiere … Continue reading →
Over Christmas 2020 the anime movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Train (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train) surpassed Spirited Away to become the #1 box office hit in Japan. Along the way it passed Your Name and Titanic as well, and honestly even I am surprised despite being a Demon Slayer mega fan. Spirited Away is my favorite Miyazaki movie and honestly … Continue reading →
I can’t believe it’s been over thirty years (!!!) since shoujo manga Marmalade Boy came out. It’s actually still readable though the drawing style may seem too quaint for those who prefer the current renderings, this is actually my manga generation so my preferred drawing style that is clean and wholesome. An upcoming J-movie adaptation is headed to the theaters … Continue reading →
Japan is stacking the summer 2017 deck in terms of highly anticipated adaptations, not only is there the live-action version of Gintama coming with Oguri Shun, there is also the live-action adaptation of classic shonen hit manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The arc being adapted is Diamond of Unbreakable and the gorgeous young cast is led by my adorable cutie pie … Continue reading →
More character posters are out for the highly anticipated summer Japanese movie live-action adaptation of popular shonen manga Gintama (Silver Soul). The first set of movie posters released last month were of the three main characters – Oguri Shun as the silver haired samurai Sataka Gintoki, Suda Masaki as his colleague Shimura Shinpachi, and Hashimoto Kanna as the red haired … Continue reading →
A phenomenon has been sweeping Japan and now the rest of Asia since the summer, one that is poised to set new records and break old ones. All of Japan has been enamored of anime movie Your Name since its premiere three months ago in late August 2016. In just three months the movie has become the highest grossing movie … Continue reading →
Attack on Titan is arguably the most popular manga in the world right now, with One Piece aging and Naruto just ended. Those reading along with the manga (me!) can see the story headed towards a final arc, or at least there is a conclusion in the foreseeable future as the final battle looms. There’s no better time to milk … Continue reading →
This manga to live-action adaptation feels like it’s fifteen years too late. No, let me amend that to say that it really is fifteen years too late to be adapting a very popular shoujo manga which had its heyday in the 90’s. I’m sure there are still fans who remember it fondly even if the most devout have long since moved … Continue reading →
This is a repost of the ridiculously long summary and review of Candy Candy the Japanese manga that I first wrote three years ago when I was watching Friends, Our Legend. There was a lovely little interlude in that drama where the leading lady is discussing with one of the two male leads about the types of men a young … Continue reading →
Let me start off by saying tsundere heroines are not my typical preference in my mangas. Never have been, never will be. That’s one reason I didn’t like Hana Yori Dango and its ilk. I find the hate-not/hate-like-love progression rather exhausting in a manga medium, whereas I enjoy it at times in dramas because the bickering has the 3D sizzle … Continue reading →
Drama lovers have no inkling what perseverance and determination a manga lover needs to have to endure an addiction to a long-running serial. It’s thirty plus years now for oldies like Glass no Kamen, and most recently I’ve been reading 7 Seeds and I doubt it will end anytime in the next decade. So it’s always a relief when any live … Continue reading →
I’ll be the first to argue that the quality of mangas has been on a steady decline since the late-90s. But as an addict of the original brand of crack, I can’t help but still read them regularly. Call it a habit, or perhaps just a fervent hope that occasionally I’ll hit on that one jackpot (such as I did … Continue reading →
