Jmovie review: Space Battleship Yamato

Title: Space Battleship Yamato Release date: 12/1/10 Genre: Space Drama Cast: Kimura Takuya, Kuroki Meisa, Yamazaki Tsutomu Plot: Earth has been destroyed by an alien race called Gamilas. The only hope to save Earth is a radiation reduction device on planet Iskandar. What is good: Surprisingly, Meisa Kuroki's acting is pretty good! What is bad: On the flip side, Takuya Kimura doesn't live up to his potential. Letter rating: C

My husband is a big fan of the original Space Battleship Yamato anime from the mid-70s. I enjoy watching KimuTaku so I figured this would be perfect for the both of us. Since it was our 10th wedding anniversary, this is what we watched as we snuggled close.

Maybe it's because we're so familiar with the original anime that this seemed to fall short. It's not an awful movie, but it definitely seemed to rush things. When the ship arrived at Iskandar, I turned to my husband with a surprised "Already?!" At the same time, my husband missed the noise from the original Wave Motion Cannon. My husband was also uncomfortable with the changes made to Mori Yuki. In the original, she was a rather feminine nurse, though she did get additional responsibilities later in the series. In the movie, she's a brash ace pilot. Quite a huge different, to say the least.

In all, both of us liked the movie. I would probably sit through it a second time. However, hardcore Yamato fans should be careful. This isn't the same old battleship anymore.

Jdorama review: Good Luck!!

Title: Good Luck!! Broadcast dates: 1/19/03 - 3/23/03 Number of episodes: 10 Genre: Drama Cast: Kimura Takuya, Tsutsumi Shinichi, Shibasaki Kou, Uchiyama Rina, Kuroki Hitomi Plot: Shinkai (Kimura) is a co-pilot for All Nippon Airways (ANA). As he strives to become captain, he comes across a variety of people, including the strict Captain Koda (Tsutsumi) and mechanic Ayumi (Shibasaki), that help him achieve his dream. What is good: The actual piloting parts were interesting. What is bad: The entire middle section of the series. Letter rating: D

Yes, I watched another KimuTaku show. Sometimes I think these will kill me.

Once again, parts of the series are awesome. The final two episodes had me hanging on the edge of my seat. (Even though I really knew deep down that Takuya wouldn't lose.) Unfortunately, out of 10 episodes, at least 6 of them are completely unnecessary. The information has already been given to us but the story takes forever to relay it to the important characters. I would have liked the show better if they took the final two episodes and made those the focus of the show. Instead, we get way too many scenes of Shinkai wandering around the hangars' metal buildings. I get that Ayumi works there and he wants to see her. But you don't go wandering around those places!

ARGH. I need a break from KimuTaku for awhile. Hopefully, Oguri Shun will help ease my pain.

JDorama review: Tsuki no Koibito

Title: Tsuki no Koibito Broadcast dates: 5/10/10 - 7/5/10 Number of episodes: 8 Genre: Romantic Drama Cast: Kimura Takuya, Shinohara Ryoko, Lin Chi Ling, Kitagawa Keiko, Matsuda Shota Plot: Hazuke Rensuke (Kimura) is the president of an up-and-coming furniture company. His life changes dramatically when three women compete for his love. What is good: I liked the ending. What is bad: It took so very long to get there. Letter rating: C

This show made me absolutely hate KimuTaku for the first 5 or 6 episodes. Since this is only an 8-episode series, that's an awful lot of time hating the main character. He does redeem himself, of course. It just would have been nice to see that change start around episode 4 or 5.

Shinohara Ryoko is awesome as designer Maemi. She made me feel so bad for her character, even though she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. I think she totally made up for the crapfest that KimuTaku was.

Poor Kitagawa Keiko got robbed though. Onuki Yuzuki is completely a throw away character. She has no real importance to the show. Even when she tries to make big reveals, the information has already been given by another character. She's convenient but unnecessary.

Now onto Lin Chi Ling, who, in my opinion, takes up way too much time. I'm pretty sure her role was to show what a hardass Hazuke is with everyone, even those he claims to love. But all she really did was take away from the awesomeness that is Maemi. However, the interaction between the two women was nice. I guess that is one redeeming value.

This show absolutely depended on the actors and their characters. There wasn't a big plot to reign the characters in. If the characters failed, the show would fail as well. For the most part, the characters are annoying. It isn't until the last few episodes that anyone shows any redeeming values. I didn't think the show was horrible. It was just meh.