About a Film: As the Gods Will/ Kamisama no Iu Toori (2014)

What the hell is wrong with God? 

(Takahata Shun)

Director: Miike Takashi

Screenwriter: Yatsu Hiroyuki

Stars: Fukushi Sota, Kamiki Ryunosuke, Yamazaki Hirona

Origin; Japan

Runtime: 117 minutes

Sinopsis: High school students forced to play a game for the sakes of their lives

Based on manga by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and Fujimura Akeji

The movie initiated with a saying from a student named Takahata Shun and a question from a student named Amaya Takeru. Both of them saw their lives as meaningless. But then, suddenly, they have to face with games which can take their lives. The first game is the game called Daruma ga Koronpa which has already brought some casualties and the remaining students were desperate to think what they should do to stop the Daruma. In here, Satake played by Shota Sometani was the one who told how to win the game calmly. Then, this first sequence showed me how the story would be continued in the following scene. I'll say Miike Takashi folded up the story interestingly. Well, I haven't seen the manga, but this movie is interesting. It's bloody and gore, but it's not the only thing that presented in the movie. You could see some values about how to live and how to see how valuable your life, especially for the high school students.

Speaking of high students, it's kinda bring back memories. Fukasaku brought Battle Royale live-action adaptation earlier which also had a similar plot: high school students fought for their lives. The movie received controversial response from the audience, yet it's successful to make its point as one of the respectable movies, coming from Japan. And for this movie, I saw some responses about it. One of my friends found this movie is a bit confusing because the 'games' came out from nowhere. Well, for me, it can't be helped since it's based on manga and Miike needed to shorten the length of the manga into two-hours movie. Making the manga into this movie is challenging itself. However, I'd think it was not bad a live-action adaptation. Well, it's started in the middle of the game, but it gave a good explanation about the premise of the manga. It worked for me, but everyone had their own way of interpreting the movie. However, I'd might be lying if there is no weakness in the movie. Manga with survival theme usually had many characters and the movie is a bit failed in showing the depth of a character since it had only two hours to present the story. Other than that, this movie looked like a bit absurd, haha. But, it's just a matter of you haven't read the manga or not. Personally, this movie is a bonus for me because I could see Kamiki and his evil smirk. That's all.

(enjoy the trailer)

Credits:

International Film Festival Rotterdam @ youtube

About a Film: Dark Water/ Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara (2002)

I can handle anything, just as long as you're with me

(Yoshimi Matsubara)

Director: Nakata Hideo

Screenwriter: Suzuki Ken'ichi

Stars: Kuroki Hitomi, Kanno Rio, Oguchi Mirei

Origin: Japan

Runtime: 101 minutes

Sinopsis: While a mother and her children tried to begin a new chapter in the new apartment, they encountered with a spirit of a little girl which came along with the traces of water

Based on novel by Kooji Suzuki

For some people, the movie must not be as scary as Ringu, but for me, this movie is also frightening, as same as Ringu, even i'll say if this movie has more impact than Ringu since the event occurred in the movie is possible to happen. In fact, the movie seemed to have similar hint with the accident of Alice Lam, though it's happened in the different year (you might google about it, if you're curious about that). And about the movie, I think it has a strong story. It began with the childhood memory of the mother and then, the mother had to realize that her daughter might have similar path with her because she's going to divorce with her husband. You see, for the first sequence, the movie tended to enhance the drama side. Compared with Ringu, it's surely a different thing. Ringu began with the story of a strange video which make people died in seven days; meanwhile, this movie began with a memory of a young girl, waiting for her mother in school. Quite different, isn't it? and the spirit was giving a quite 'tame' appearance, being metaphorized by the water.

In here, water is the red thread of the story, as the title also called Dark Water in its English version. Water was usually linked with the source of life; but in the movie, as the water is being dark, it seemed to tell that the water is there, to invade the life of the living one. Well, it's just my wishful thinking, but Japanese narrative usually has an interesting meaning and it symbolized something. For me, the movie told about the desperate mother who wanted to raise her own daughter, without the support of her ex-husband. She tried, desperately, to give a proper life to her daughter, wanting her daughter to not to have similar childhood memory with hers. But, for some reason, she found that she wasn't really satisfied with her choice. However, she kept struggling to make everything worked, though everything was not happened, as she planned. But the important thing is everything that the mother did, even though it looked like pathetic trials, it showed how the mother loved her child, just like the decision she made in the ending. It told how the mother loved her daughter, though it might seemed unfair for the daughter.

In sum, this is not your usual horror movie with jumpy and scary scenes. it's more like a story about the love of a mother toward her daughter. It's heartbreaking, and it's not really a horror movie. For some, it can be a boring one; but you might see there is something more about the movie than to make you afraid of it. Everything has a heart-broken history, even for the spirit of the little girl who looked for her own mother, wanting to be loved.

(here's the trailer)

Credits:

munky2ube @ youtube

About a Film: Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Gokumon Juku Satsujin Jiken SP/ Kindaichi Case Files Gate of Jail Private School Murders (2014)

Well, as the title said, it's one of Kindaichi live-action series. The story goes with Kindaichi who joined his friend to study in a private summer school to upgrade his grade. Then, as usual, there is Kindaichi, so there is a case. The students in the private summer school is killed, one by one. And Kindaichi need to solve case in order to stop many students lose their lives. Well, the story is....quite simple, but I know there will be many fangirls willing to watch this. This movie has some ikemen, after all. As for me, I watch the movie because I want to see Kindaichi live-action (I also haven't seen the MatsuJun version). Yet, it's quite funny to see Kindaichi becoming ikemen. I mean, Kindaichi that I know from the manga is not this handsome, pffft.

However, I can enjoy this SP a bit because Hiroki Narimiya is portraying a bad guy. He's always good at being a bad guy, so it's a bit entertaining. To see Kazuki Kitamura in here is also quite helpful for me to keep my eyes to this SP. And again, Nickhun. I thought I've ever saw him in another JDrama, but I can't remember the title. And Chun Wu, I recognize him from some TW drama. And that's it. Not really find it interesting, but I can force myself to enjoy it.