Sweet Rain (死神の精度-2008)

Starring:
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Manami Konishi
Supporting Cast
Takuya Ishida
Ken Mitsuishi
Junko Fuji
Jun Murakami
Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Erika Okuda

Chiba (Takeshi Kaneshiro) appears seven days before a person dies an unexpected death. His job is to observe the person for seven days, and then decide either to ‘execute’ or ‘pass over’. Getting his work quickly out of the way, he goes to the listening booth of a CD shop and indulges in his favorite pastime, listening to ‘humanity’s greatest invention’: music. He is...a Grim Reaper. Today, again, in the rain, he waits. His subject, her death due in seven days, is Kazue Fujiki (Manami Konishi), 27. She works for a manufacturing company, in the complaints department. Exhausted after her day, she emerges from her office. It’s time for the Reaper to go to work.



Okay this movie had me crying at the very beginning. Well, not crying, teary-eyed...yes! The little girl reminded me of my daughter and I couldn't stop comparing the two.

I've read reviews of this movie where it's too slow and didn't make sense. I don't understand that. Okay, yes it was a bit slow but it wasn't boring at all. In actuality, this movie had 3 separate stories that correlated with each other. It's not until the last story that you are like "OMG!"

This movie, at first, has a depressing feel. The rain will get to you. Its really is a mirror image of Chibas emotions. Never having lived a human life, he never really understood what living was like. So not being able to live, he didn't understand what it really meant to die either.

This is a beautiful story of life and death. I think the story was meant to give hope to those that believe hope is lost.

This might be a story for everyone. Only because I think it takes a lot of thought and having lived a life to understand how to appreciate this movie. I think all should sit and think about what the author truly meant.

Water Boys 2005 Natsu (WATER BOYS 2005夏)

Starring:
Eita as Tanaka Masatoshi
Koide Keisuke as Uehara Kensaku
Hiraoka Yuta as 名嘉尾悟
Emoto Tasuku as Koma Shunichiro
Konishi Manami as Uehara Kyoko
Sakai Ayana as Kakihara Rena
Takizawa Nonami as Buritani Michiru
Ukaji Takashi as Koma Toshimichi
Matsushige Yutaka as 名嘉尾大悟
Masuoka Toru as Uehara Kosaku
Watanabe Misako as Kakihara Haru
Kubo Akira as the head teacher
Mori Yoshiyuki as the principal
Nagumo Yusuke (南雲勇助) as Hotta Zenjiro
Tonesaku Toshihide as Hatori Manabu
Kashii Yu as Hanamura Kyoko
Ishii Tomoya as Ishizuka Futoshi
Tanaka Kei as Yasuda Takashi
Manabe Kaori as Sakuma Megumi
Nakayama Katsumi
Sekiguchi Kimiko
Nakajima Ben
Kanbe Hiroshi
Kumabe Youhei (隈部洋平)
Fuwa Hisashi (不破央)
Hiraizumi Sei
Ishihara Yoshizumi
Yajima Kenichi

Synchro Participants
Pe Jyonmyon (ペ・ジョンミョン)
Sano Yasuomi
Fujii Atsunori (藤井貴規)
Kawagishi Ginji (川岸銀次)
Sugiura Yugo (杉浦由悟)
Tashiro Koji
Tomikawa Kazuhito
Nakano Shintaro (中野真太郎)
Takahashi Mitsuomi
Taketani Atsushi (竹谷敦史)
Yanagibashi Tomonori (柳橋朋典)
Ueda Shinsuke (植田真介)
Kawasaki Ryuichi (川崎龍一)
Tamaari Yoichiro (玉有洋一郎)
Iwato Hidetoshi (岩戸秀年)
Sato Yuki
Kora Kengo
Kan Yuta (菅雄太)
Okada Yuki (岡田雄樹)
Takeuchi Tomoya
Nokubo Naoki (野久保直樹)


Tanaka Masatoshi is having troubles getting into medical school, something he blames on all the time he spent on synchro two years earlier. While on a research trip to a remote southern island of Japan, he is forced into coaching a newly formed three member boys synchro team. Tanaka has to come to terms with his past and begins questioning his future, while the three boy synchro team dream of life off of the island.



Can I be any more in love with Hiraoka Yuta? I'm not joking here. He is soooooo cute. OMG! I was in heaven watching this film. Yuta-kun in really, really, really skimpy speedos. I can't keep my tongue in my mouth. Let's just say the pause button was used tremendously just so I could get really good visuals of him. OMG! Yeah, Yuta-kun is now in my top 5 "I gotta have" list. Why does he have to be so young? I wonder if he likes older women....LOL! Okay, okay, okay....I'll stop dreamin'.



This film, other than eye-poppin'-candy galore, was just another Water Boys film. Same story, different time, with different guys other than Eita. The only difference in this movie was that not only did they have to save the festival but the town as well from land grubbers. Of course, there was a little bit of romance.....poor Yuta-kun didn't have a girl....and great choreography in the water. The ending sequence, to me, was just a little bit more risque than the last few series and movie. But nothing rated "R" about it.



Just a fun movie but nothing to get overly excited about (well, other than Yuta-kun in an overly skimpy outfit).



If I lived in Japan, I would be his #1 stalker fan. LOL! YUTA-KUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Searchin' For My Polestar (天体観測 （てんたいかんそく）,Tentai Kansoku -2002)

Starring:
Ito Hideaki as Sayama Kyouichi
Sakaguchi Kenji as Kawamura Tomoya
Odagiri Joe as Kisaki Takeshi
Koyuki as Sawamura Mifuyu
Tabata Tomoko as Miyabe/Yamase Satomi
Konishi Manami as Ida Yuri
Yamazaki Shigenori as Yamazaki Kenta
Hasegawa Kyoko as Arisaka Nanae
Uehara Misa as Matsumoto Arisu
Matsushige Yutaka as Matsubara
Otani Naoko as Mama Terumi
Tanaka Tetsushi as Yamase, Satomi's husband
Jinbo Satoshi as Section Chief Yoshida
Koike Teppei
Asami Reina
Yasui Kenichiro
Asano Kazuyuki
Yashima Norito
Akimoto Naomi
Okada Megumi
Ogi Shigemitsu

The main characters of "Searchin' for My Polestar" are 7 friends that met at college while in the astronomic observation club "Sagittarius." Being in the club was just an excuse for them to go to the beach in summer, and skiing in winter. Actually, the only time they ever observed any stars was at summer camp during their senior year.

Dreaming of a bright future, the seven exchange vows for eternal friendship. However, over the next several years, their busy schedules cause them to begin drifting apart.

It's been 3 years since that summer when they laughed together gazing at the stars. Will their friendship continue to drift farther and farther apart? Or will they manage to strengthen their friendship again? --Fuji TV

Okay, okay. I'm totally balling like a baby. Episodes 8-12....killer! I was not expecting this drama to catch me, hook, line and sinker. First of all, I started watching this because of my Joe-san. He's so kawaii! Well, I have to be upset with the wardrobe department....why do they dress him off like he is a hustler from the 70's? Drives me CRAZY!

This was an awesome drama. Actually, I really think the Japanese drama, Friends, is a knock-off of this drama. Okay, there is no wife beater in this drama but the husband of one of the main characters is distant and treats her like a servant. Totally a jerk. Then you have the friends all go through some rough patch in their lives and someone always trying to fix the others problems. Then the interlove triangle/quadrangle that never really was a love thing in the first place. That was totally confusing.

The end...well, suffice it to say.....just tore me to shreds. I'm still in tears. It was wonderful. My only beef was the very, very, very, very last scene.....when the main three characters walked in different directions. That just tore me up because they are ALL best friends....they should all be together to the very end. At that point, I wanted a best friend like all seven of them were. I want that sort of relationship. Something that is not gender bound and that special person in the group would always be there for me. *Okay the tears are really flowing again. My throat hurts from holding back the sobs. And the snot won't stop running out of my nose.......*

God, I really LOVED this drama.

Ito Hideaki


Koike Teppei

Ummmm? He has abs....OMG!!! Too bad he's too young for my taste......So I know some other girls will likey this pic. LOL!