Tidbits: Reply 1994, Lupin III, CNBLUE in Manila

So the leads for Reply 1994 is finally cast and I'm not sure if I'm happy about it. Go Ara (Heading to the Ground) and Yoo Yeon-Seok (Gu Family Book, A Werewolf Boy) headline the sequel (or is it a prequel) to the 2012 drama hit Reply 1997.

The drama will be set on 1994 and will focus on basketball! I'm not exactly sure why it has to be called the second installment of the franchise because there's no recurring theme. Sure, it'll be set in the past, but it's just weird for me that it won't be involving idols this time? I'll still watch it, though!

I have a few qualms about the leads, however. Go Ara is one of the prettiest actresses for me. Heck, I used her photos as profile pictures in Friendster back in high school. Haha! But as an actress, she has yet to pull at the heartstrings. I couldn't stay long enough in Heading to the Ground, you see, but people are saying she's fairly decent. I guess I can keep my hopes up! Yoo Yeon-seok on the other hand seems to have the most diverse roles. He's annoying in A Werewolf Boy and partly disturbing in Gu Family Book so I guess he's effective as an actor.

I'm hoping the best for this drama because I really loved Repply 1997. As far as tvN production goes, I think we can expect a good production.

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

<3

Oguri Shun is cast for the titular role in the movie Lupin III! I don't know true this is but Anime News Network seems reliable enough. Hee. I didn't get to faithfully watch Lupin III as a kid, but I'm at least familiar with it. So to know that there'll be a live-action movie of the anime is pretty exciting! And it's Oguri Shun to boot! It's amazing how seems to be bagging the roles of iconic anime characters. Congrats to him, I guess. :)

Sakurai Sho and Tsumabuki Satoshi will also be in the movie. Ugh, these three guys in one movie I just caaaaaaan't. So who's excited? !

However,  there's still no confirmation on who'll play Fujiko. Well, I have high expectation because Fujiko seems to be a very captivating and sexy woman. Haha.

March, can't you come any faster?

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

The long wait is over. Blue Moon in Manila concluded last week and Filipino Boices are beyond ecstatic! :)

I can't find a good copy of news videos online about CNBLUE's visit to the Philippines so I guess this one from 24 Oras will do. Besides, you can see YongHwa dancing on national TV there. Hahahaha. Also, you can see me at the aiport chasing the boys, good thing the video's REALLY blurry. Bahaha.

I have yet to blog about the concert but I already blogged a very detailed account of the stalking I did here.

No biases aside, I though it was a pretty good concert, and I wouldn't be suprised if the boys would come to the country for another concert, hopefully next year. Let the savings begin! 

Crows Zero (2007) & Crows Zero 2 (2009)

Crows Zero (2007)

CROWS ZERO (2007)

Suzuran All Boys High School is known as the high school for thugs who try to conquer the school by beating each other in fist fights. During his last year in high school, Takiya Genji (Oguri Shun) transfers to Suzuran with the simple goal of being the king of the school, wanting to surpass his father who's already a mafia boss. 

The movie basically revolves around Genji trying to ally with different gang leaders in the school, and he does it with the help of Ken (Yabo Kyosuke), a gangster who's also an alumnus of Suzuran. While Genji has the skills, Ken has the knowledge on how to lead. The main advesary is Serizawa (Yamada Takayuki), the senior who has the strongest hold on the school. He leads his pack with three others and no one has beaten him yet. Genji plans to change that.

Maybe it's the Oguri Shun bias in me. Maybe it's just that I love my fictional high school bad boys. But I enjoy this movie way too much even though the premise is quite shallow, I think. But it's not the type of movie that you'd watch for depth anyway. And it it's fist fight and a lot of brooding from angsty teens that you want, then Crows Zero is perfect for you!

What I like about this movie is how our protagonist is so feisty when it comes to fighting but when it comes to dealing with people, he simply has no clue. Unlike the other gang leaders, he doesn't really know what to say and how to say things with bravado. He just fights and sometimes, he needs someone to do the talking for him. But through gaining comrades and allies, he learns to socialize and by the end of the movie, it's not just about conquering the school by himself and for himself.

Crows Zero ii

CROWS ZERO 2 (2009)

After defeating Serizawa, Takiya Genji is the reigning king of Suzuran. But this doesn't mean there's no more trouble waiting for him. The peace between Suzuran and its rival school, Housen, is broken when an old Suzuran student who killed a Housen student is released from prison. To add more trouble, a punch thrown by Genji to one of the rival school's student started the heat between the two schools. Troubles start to arise for our protagonists when Housen starts attacking them when they're vulnerable, putting one gang leader after another to the hospital. This doesn't sit well with Genji as some of his closest friends are beaten by Housen students. This may sound like a simplistic synopsis of everything that happened in the movie but I kind of feel like there are some things that are quite irrelevant to the story. I still enjoyed this movie though!

If in the first installment we see a growth in Genji, in Crows Zero 2 we fully see how much he has changed and grow into a leader. He's no longer just a thug out to prove something. Without Ken by his side this time, Genji needs to lead by himself, without anyone telling him what he should do next. And it's a nice change as he learn to takes command and to think before acting on instinct.

If there's something this movie is better at than the first, it has better fight scenes! There are definitely more one-on-one fist fights as the last few scenes show. We had a couple of good mano y mano and not just between Genji and the leader of Housen. 

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Obviously, I have not much to say about both movies. I watched them both for the hotties and for some brutality, and I got both! It's definitely a fun movie to watch if you won't try to dig deep. It's a high school movie about thugs, what more could you expect?

Well, it turns out there are more to expect from it. There are genuine moments and such youthful vibrance that I guess we could attribute to the directing. Speaking of directing, these two are actually my first Takashi Miike films! And from what I have heard, they're two of the milder ones (in terms of gore and brutality) he has  to offer. I am frankly excited to see more.

Oguri Shun and Okada Masaki Star on Space Brothers

Plot: 
When Mutta was 12-years-old and Hibito was 9-years-old the two brothers saw what they thought was an UFO flying towards the moon. They made a pact then to become astronauts and one day fly into space together.  

Fast forward to the year 2025. Older brother Mutta (Oguri Shun) works as for an automotive company and his younger brother Hibito (Okada Masaki) works as an astronaut. Although Mutta failed to follow through on his childhood promise, after losing his job, he receives a phone call from Hibito which reignites his childhood dream of flying into outer space. (Asianwiki)

I laughed so much when I saw the poster. How can that guy be Oguri Shun?! Haha. You know an actor is serious about his craft when he's willing to go through drastic changes just to play out a character. I've loved Oguri Shun since Gokusen, and I think I'll love him even more in this movie.

I have only seen two works of Okada Masaki (I Give My First Love to You and Confession) and loved him in both. So yes, I am pretty psyched to see this movie. I won't say no to some bromance and brotherly love.

The premise of the movie seems promising, too. It's based on a manga, Ucho Kyodai, and I happen to like movies based on mangas. I wonder how this one plays out. It was already released on Japan May of this year and was screened on the 2012 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

See some stills and the trailer below:

Sources: Asianwiki + FTG