Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

I guess Chinese drama, at times, can't skip looking at traditional vs. modern Chinese values. A lot of China has changed over the years. This drama would explore traditional Chinese parenting's constraints to a certain extent. We have Arthur Chen Feiyu (who was pinned to some scandal) and Zhang Jingyi acting as two sides of the coin. Arthur's character of Li Xun is pretty much what some may call a bad boy. Jingyi's character Zhu Yun is raised by traditional Chinese parents. This creates a bridge of romance though it doesn't end in tragedy like Romeo and Juliet . Zhu Yun and Li Xun don't fall for each other, at first. I kinda like it when the love story has hostility turning into romance. When the two fall for each other - Yun's parents get into the picture. I guess China's one-child policy does come into place. After all, Yun is an only child and I'm glad she wasn't aborted. Yun is also pretty much a Mary Sue since she's pretty, intelligent, ...

I've been having irregular watches due to real life issues. Righ tnow, it's time to give my thoughts on Kamen Rider Revice in 30 episodes. There have been ups and downs as the series went. It premiered last year on September 4, 2022. 2022 was also the 20th anniversary of the controversial Kamen Rider Ryuki - a series that I believe was hit by Executive Meddling. The series was obviously meant to kill everyone. The Wish plot was been revived in the form of the Desire Grand Prix. I'd say that there are some areas Ryuki is better but all that got flushed out by Executive Meddling. I dare say because I doubt it neither Yasuko Kobayashi nor Toshiki Inoue would even want that Reset Button! I heard the series was partly based on Squid Game - a Korean drama series that I didn't ride the hype on. I guess I hated how annoying the characters in Squid Game were because of their poor financial habits. Here, the participants of the Grand Desire Prix are all having that one wish grant...

  I must admit that it's difficult to write Copycat Killers without the spoilers. Every time I got spoiled with the events - I just kept watching more of it. It's because the mysteries in the show are utterly very good in unwrapping themselves. Mind Game and Light the Night weren't exactly that good. In this one, we've got a villain only known as Noh (actually Chen He Ping, I warned you about the spoilers in the title). This is a series of serial killings done against women for a reason. We also do have Shen Jia Wun whose mother tried to turn him into a woman. Jia Wun takes his frustrations out on women. Meanwhile, Hui Ping is one incredibly sadistic bastard you just can't ignore. At first, I thought Copycat Killer was a true story. Yet, behind every fictional villain has a very evil character that inspired him or her. The original Japanese story was written by Miyuki Miyabe. I'm yet to see the film (and I might exercise discretion). What I discovered so far was...

I'm not too keen on newer series except if said series catches my interest. It's pretty much not about if something is old or new - it's that something delivers the results I WANT. I checked out the Taiwanese series Copycat Killer . It's based on the Japanese novel by Miyuki Miyabe. In 2002, there was a movie with the same English title. The Japanese title is Mohou Han . The Chinese title is Mófǎng Fàn. (模仿犯). Very similar titles now, aren't they? Watching this one, I was getting ready for possible nightmare fuel. I was also ready to be kept awake because of how Miyabe's novel gets brilliantly adapted. Did Miyabe coordinate with the Taiwanese company, Greener Grass Production? Interestingly, Greener Grass Production was also responsible for the crime drama Mind Game . Granted, I've been sweeping between Chinese (either from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong), Japanese, and South Korean stuff. I've enjoyed dark South Korean crime dramas. Now, it's time to w...

I decided to check out this Netflix movie which I treated like an unwrapped birthday present. The film's literal meaning is I Just Dropped My Smartphone while the international distribution title is Unlocked . I wanted to watch some legal K-Drama but with me watching some more older Tokusatsu (for now) - I felt watching this movie would be better than my planned watch of the legal comedy Love to Hate You . The source material is Japanese novelist Akira Teshigawara and a Japanese film named  Stolen Identity . A familiar face returns when Chun Wo Hee (of Argon ) returns as the main character. It was fun seeing Wo Hee and her excellent acting in Argon . Sure, I don't find her pretty but good acting matters more. Though I kinda wanted Shin Hye Sun to be the main lead even if Wo Hee still convinces me that she's in a state of dilemma. We also have Im Si Wan as "Oh Jeon Yeong" (his real identity is a mystery) and some brutal murders. A father thinks his son was committi...

  It's really an oddity when some older Chinese never knew that Buddhism came from India. Some people have even mistaken the Laughing Buddha for Siddharta Gautama. It might have even shocked some Chinese Buddhists when they were told that Buddha was an INDIAN man. Now, another character often represented as Chinese is actually also too obviously INDIAN. That's the goddess Guan Yin whose full name and title is Guan Shi Yin Pusa. The name means "She who hears the cries the cries of the world." Avalokitesvara means "one who looks from above". Another Sanskrit name is Gayatri meaning "she who hears the cries of the world". Guan Yin in the Hindu context Guan Yin's equivalent would be the goddess Gayatri. Gayatri is seldom seen as an incarnation of Saraswati or a totally different character. The name Gayatri is more synonymous with Guan Shi Yin than the name Avalokitesvara. Gayatri is called the Goddess of Mercy herself. One of Gayatri's temples ...

At first, I didn't feel like watching Mr. Queen which is one weird WTF series with food porn. I'm wondering why Choi Jin Hyuk is given a rather minimal role on-screen. Jin Hyuk plays the role of a playboy chef Jang Bong Hwan. Bong Hwan gets accused of something and he tries to escape. Bong Hwan falls into the water, Shin Hye Sun (Kim So Yong) kisses him for some reason, and the two become merged with So Yong as the dominant body. I was expecting it to be a body-swapping role where So Yong gets into the modern day and Bong Hwan stays in the Medieval era. I felt it was punishment from the gods that Bong Hwan should occupy the body of a woman. Instead, it becomes a weird mix when Bong Hwan and So Yong. At first, Bong Hwan is the dominant force while his body is in a coma. However, his body would later attempt to reawaken which causes So Yong to somehow switch between personalities. There are times Bong Hwan's personality becomes dormant while So Yong becomes the dominant force...