angelicme_ Reviews

Kon'na koi no hanashi (1997– )

Possibly the Greatest Love Story in the East!

[10/10 · 27 November 2005]

I wouldn't be over dramatising this story if I called it the greatest love story of it's time. The story itself is really about believing that one can change their ways with the help of their friends... But like it of not A Story of Love is a love story, and a classic of that. The film is centred on three people, Harashima (Hiroyuki Sanada) the rich, dashingly handsome and cold man of the story who only has three months to live, his 30-yen-poor friend Konosuke (Koji Tamaki) and the beautiful, kind and (in Harashima's words) "amazing" Kaori (Nanako Matsushima) who almost instantly captures Harashima's heart and proves to him that love is a real feeling.

A Story of Love is also that of a forbidden love as Harashima is not only rich but engaged to a beautiful woman (Naho Toda) whom he doesn't love but is the daughter of a powerful man who will help his business. In eye-sight, poor Kaori doesn't stand a chance again her as she is poor and has nothing to offer Harashima but her love and support. However, Harashima can barely keep away from her. Despite his constant promises to his fiancée, Konosuke and even Kaori herself on the street (resulting in both of them rushing off home in tears), he always breaks them and hits her with his famous line, "Can you keep me company for a while?" Konosuke believes that Harashima is a good man at first when he thinks he's a gardener but once finding out he's Harashima, orders him not to go near Kaori ever again. Reason isn't because he believes he's a cold man has he had already seen the better side of him, but because he fears for Kaori's feelings. Kaori is one to fall in love quickly, but never had she fallen so deeply in love before. Knowing that Harshima is engaged and "out of her league" hurts her so much, that Konosuke fears for her self-confidence and even her sanity.

Fear not though, as true love wins over all of these boundaries and Kaori and Harashima stay together until the day he dies, and even afterwards as she and their friends will never forget him and she even talks to him sometimes. It's beautiful and very romantic. Not once does Harashima need to say he loves Kaori as it is right there is his eyes and the pain and longing he has to be with her is so wonderful that it makes your heart beat so quickly. Not once does he kiss her, he just holds her hand, hugs her and they sit together like a loyal wife would do for her dying husband.

"A Story of Love" has some of the most romantic, most poetic and most adorable love scenes I've ever seen. It stands alone among TV shows but it's space, it's colour and it's various story lines. If you have a chance to see it, the do so as you owe it to yourself to watch this amazing story of a dying man is is transformed by his friends and the woman he loves.

10/10

Spiral (1998)

A Ring-useless Sequel.

[2/10 · 28 May 2005]

I'm just gonna give you the real low-down on what goes on in Spiral, save you from watching most of it...

'Spiral' is about this doctor who wants to kill himself because of the death of his son (partly his fault). However, he can't do it. One day he finds that his old rival from school Ryuji is on the chopping board after being found death in his flat the other day.

The death looks strange and the police think it was either murder or suicide, Andou however thinks it's just sudden death. There is some strange things in this sudden death, even to Andou. He finds these coded numbers in the throat of Ryuji.

After this... cuts through boring blah-blah... Reiko Asakawa is found dead. Here, her snoopy ex-boss keeps turning up. On one occasion, he turns up to show Andou the diary of the now sadly dead, Reiko Asakawa. In this diary, it explains everything that she felt, thought and saw during her life 'particularly, the cursed videotape and what she and Ryuji were up to' in the week. While being given the diary and the video, Ryuji appears and grins at Andou. After that, Yoshino gives him a copy of the tape he stole from Reiko's flat, and disappears till later in the movie...

After watching the videotape, Andou has a nightmare about Sadako's death. He thinks that what Ryuji is haunting him for is that he wants him to destroy the videotapes before he dies. So, he tells Mai about it and ends up sleeping with her (hmmm...) After that, Andou asks Miyashita (his pal) to run the virus tests on him (to see if they matched Ryuji's and Yoichi's) to see if he's contracted the virus. Miyashita then reads the diary...

After a spoiler which I can't tell you. Yoshino comes forward to Andou to tell him that he's having nightmares about Sadako's well. Andou believes that Yoshino must have watched the videotape, but he exclaims that he didn't, and wishes that he'd never laid eyes on 'the diary'. So Yoshino makes Andou take them... Before dying of what seems to be a strange bruising of the neck. Ryuji and Yoichi didn't die this way, so this didn't seem right... However, Andou goes on blaming the video...

In Yoshino's sample, it proves that he died a new virus, working with Sadako's virus.

So they all think it must be a new illness.

Miyashita also comes forwards and tells Andou that he's have nightmares about the well as well. Knowing that Miyashita hadn't watched the video, he starts to believe that maybe Yoshino had got the virus some other way. After all, there is a new virus working with Sadako's virus... And there is only one other way Miyashita could have contacted the 'Ring Virus'...

Reiko's diary! Why is it Reiko's diary causing all the trouble, and not the videotape? After all, Andou watched the videotape and has destroyed them all because of what Ryuji wanted him to do? Will Ryuji want the diary destroyed next? And what about Mai, where the hell has she disappeared to in the movie??? Some of those answers will be answered if you read the diary.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Magical Miyazaki Strikes Again!

[10/10 · 9 September 2004]

Once again, Miyazaki has unleashed another great movie into the world. I was so lucky to see it at Venice Film Festival with my cousin and mum. That's one Italian holiday I'll never forget!

Watching this movie was something I've wanted to do in ages, I've followed its progress and waited just like others to see it come out. It was worth the wait, it's great!

It starts off like the book, a plain (yet in my opinion, quite pretty) eighteen year old girl, working as a hatter in the family shop. As the oldest, Sophie tells herself that she will live a very boring life. One day, there is news that a scary castle has started floating around the hills of Sophie's hometown. It's said to belong to 'Evil Wizard Howl', who is said to eat the hearts of young girls. Sophie, not thinking herself as much doesn't worry, as she's sure "...he only eats the hearts of pretty girls".

One night, after being saved from trouble by a handsome man who said he'll be back to see her... A witch, who had seen what had happened comes to visit and puts a curse onto Sophie turning her into an old woman.

I won't say anymore from fear of giving out massive spoilers... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE! When it gets near to you... WATCH IT! YOU HAVE TO! IT'S GREAT! BETTER THEN SPIRITED AWAY! (And we all thought that wasn't possible) BUT IT'S Truly THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVER! 10/10 AND ****** SIX STARS (not 5) SIX!