Reviews

Caught this harmless little story on TV recently. In this film we can see Japan in the 1950s before the great economic breakthough. Nostalgic and fascinating period shots of cities, temples, steam trains, geisha houses etc. Better than some documentaries as a record of those times and it was good to see the kindness shown by all the Japanese characters towards the lost American boy. Both kids were sensible and well mannered.

Casting, performance, location, clever one-liners in the script, wonderful attention to detail from start to finish .....this movie has everything.

Everyone in the film contributes something worthwhile so it's unfair to single anyone out. Big part or bit part, 'above stairs' or 'below', they're all great.

For a British audience 'Gosford Park' represents the best in film entertainment. I'm not sure how it will go down outside the UK though.

A 'must-see' movie if ever there was one.

Screen adaptations of famous books sometimes add to the reading experience and sometimes they don't. For me this one definitely belongs in the second group. I didn't like it much and I won't be watching Parts 2 and 3 of the Tolkien trilogy. Elijah Wood as Frodo is the biggest disappointment. Much too effeminate. Far better to form your own visual impressions by reading the book.

'Isn't being cute enough?' asks the title's question. My answer would be that a girl cuter than Kanako Enomoto has yet to be born. And when that girl does arrive, she'll be doing well to be half as good an actress as Kanako is in this series. Impossibly slender, incredibly beautiful and amazingly talented, 18-year-old Kanako's performance as Yuuko should be the envy of actresses twice her age. It's a shame that Kanako's acting ability has been overshadowed by her beauty and idol status, because she is a natural actress if ever there was one.

Since before her 15th birthday Kanako had been developing her acting ability and by the time this series appeared she was rating star status. Did she deserve it ? Well, just compare her performance as Yuuko with that of her co-star and real-life friend Sayaka Yamaguchi, who plays Setsuko. It's not the first time these two young actresses have appeared together, and in 'Kawaii dake' both of them get plenty of opportunities to show their ability. The series is all about the ups and downs of their friendship and rivalry as their characters go through college and find jobs afterwards. If the scenes where the pair of them go disco dancing don't get you moving then nothing will !

Sayaka is good, don't get me wrong, but for me she doesn't make the character of Setsuko 'come alive' in the way that Kanako does for Yuuko. Kanako really gets inside Yuuko's personality. She seems to become her character and live as her. It's much more than just acting, and all done so effortlessly.

Does the credit belong to the scriptwriters ? Partly, perhaps . But having watched Kanako's performances in series both before and after this one, it's apparent that this ability to 'become' a character is something she has always possessed. Here as Yuuko, Kanako seems inspired by the character. She knows exactly what Yuuko would say and do, and she conveys that through her acting. ( My theory is that the character of 'Yuuko' is based on Kanako's own! ). Examples of her skill are many, but among the best is surely the scene where Yuuko is called upon to make a speech at Setsuko's wedding. Overcome by emotion at the thought of losing her best friend, Yuuko is so distraught that she can hardly string two words together, but the way Kanako portrays this is superb. Her voice, facial expressions, body language, everything is just perfect. I don't know how she did it, but in this scene Kanako took her acting on to a higher plane.

O.K., I'm an out and out Kanako fan. I don't try to hide it. And I'll not try to hide the fact that good though it is, 'Kawaii dake' is by no means a great series. It's about 2 or 3 episodes too long for a start, because the plot runs out of steam after Yuuko and Setsuko leave college, and too many loose ends were thrown in to fill it out to the required length for television. Some of the 'padding' is pretty obvious and unnecessary, for instance why were the numerous video clips of a previous Kanako character ('Otonashi Karen-san' from 1998) included ? It's really even worse than that, because apparently these scenes were newly filmed for 'Kawaii dake' - if they went to all that trouble, why not make a whole new 'Karen' series ? Everyone else they would have needed was in the cast of 'Kawaii'.

I'm sure some of the credit for Kanako's terrific performance was due to the other members of the cast. I particularly liked Naomi Kawashima's performance as 'Sensei' ( Setsuko's and Yuuko's college teacher ).

In 'Kawaii dake' Kanako was working with people she knew well and had appeared with before. Compare the cast list of 'Kawaii dake' with that of 'Iguana no musume' from 1996, and there's virtually no difference apart from the addition of Sayaka Yamaguchi in a co-starring role. When 'Iguana' appeared TV Asahi must have realised they were on to a good thing, because the cast were kept together first for 'Otonashi Karen-san' and then again for 'Kawaii dake' the following year. A Japanese friend tells me that this group is known as 'The Children of Iguana' ! Well, no harm in that if it produces results like this.

Well, it is based on a legend, so the idea that a beautiful woman should think she is an iguana and see her equally beautiful elder daughter as one too is perhaps not totally freakish. These two are the central characters in the drama and the mother's rejection of Rika sets the scene for what follows.

As the troubled mother, Naomi Kawashima gives a fine performance throughout the series. She is well supported by Masao Kusakari as her husband and Kanako Enomoto as her younger daughter Mami. You would never think it from the way she acts, that Kanako was only 15 when this series was made, but she's a natural talent and had already made two or three full length TV series before this one. Just watch how she steals scenes from the others !

But the real honours deservedly go to 19-year-old Miho Kanno who played Rika, 'The Daughter of Iguana'. In this far from easy role, she uses her resources of understanding and acting ability really well, always in control of the character of Rika and never going over the top emotionally. She's definitely the star of the series and it was a pleasure to watch her.

I didn't really know what to expect when I went to see this film and at first it was difficult to understand what's going on. There are no clues that I could see by which the story can be dated,it probably doesn't matter but usually I like to know whether we're talking ancient history or something much more recent.

Then I realised it doesn't matter in this film. The timelessness is really part of the skill which went into making CTHD. It's meant to be that way. You can read it any way you want. When it comes to the martial arts sequences, especially those with Michelle Yeoh and Ziang Ziying ( sorry if I've spelled her name wrong ) well, they're just amazing, Who cares about the laws of gravity and motion when you're watching something like this ? If you're hung up about the physics, you've missed the point of the film.

I liked CTHD enough to buy it on VCDs and every time I watch it I like it better than before. It's a super film and let's have more like it.

There's no close equivalent of Japanese TV drama series in the U.K. The genre seems to be self contained and intended for the home viewers, but that need not deter audiences outside Japan from watching and enjoying them too.

The title 'Tadaima Manshitsu' can be translated as 'Full House' or 'No Vacancies', though one set of VCDs which is available calls it 'Love Hotel Story' which is in fact what the series is about. The establishment concerned is 'Hotel Ailean', and each 45-minute episode features characters and events associated with the hotel. Although each episode has an individual storyline there is also an underlying continuity represented by the attempts of others to take over, close down and in one case even burn down Hotel Ailean. The series was first televised in TV-Asahi from October to December 2000.

When the series opens Momo Kurita (Kanako Enomoto) is a school teacher, who on learning of the sudden death of her mother, the proprietor / manager of Hotel Ailean, returns there to take over these responsibilities. Kanako is no newcomer to drama series, for although only 20 when this one appeared she has been a regular since the age of 15 and has built up a considerable following during that time. The difference here though is that in her previous series Kanako has played teenagers or young adults, whereas as Momo she has to appear mature enough to take adult business decisions and at the same time handle a love interest in the handsome form of Kazuki Sawamura, who plays Sakoshi Makita in the series.

Kanako's many modelling and magazine appearances in recent years may have raised her to idol status among young Japanese people ( especially teenage boys! ), but this may also perhaps have obscured the fact that besides being very beautiful she is also a really talented young actress. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched her in previous series, but it is still worth pointing out.

Here as Momo she leaves us in no doubt about her acting ability .Momo is perhaps a more subdued character than some of Kanako's earlier roles, such as 'Yuuko' in the 1999 series 'Kawaii Dake Ja Dame Kashira' (1999) or even 'Karen' on 'Otonashi Karen-san' from 1998, though it seems more probable that because she's an adult Momo really is a more mature person. Whichever is correct, Kanako copes easily with all the demands of the role. She's always a pleasure to look at, and makes clever use of her voice and body language particularly in situations which give her opportunities for forceful expression. As for the romance angle, well for most of the time it's a pretty low key affair, probably for the reasons already stated. But when Momo decides enough is enough and goes on the initiative, things start to happen. She invites herself round to Makita's apartment, and in no time at all the romance heats up. Just watch for Momo's expression as the scene fades out - have you ever seen such ecstasy on a human face? Actually I have, when as 'Yuuko' in the 1999 series previously mentioned Kanako got what was probably her first romantic screen kiss. And she's so ravishingly pretty that who could resist kissing her ? But if this was just acting, then she's absolutely brilliant at it.

After that it's plain sailing towards the obligatory happy ending. Makita ditches his fiancee, arrives just in time to rescue Momo from a buring hotel bedroom where she was being held hostage by an obsessed admirer, and there you have it.

The series must have been well received by Japanese viewers because there's talk of a sequel, and this in itself is unusual since there is no shortage of fresh ideas and new storylines.

You've probably guessed that I'm a dedicated Kanako fan, and I'll not try to deny it. Why should I? Besides being beautiful she's also a very talented young actress. Good acting is good acting in whatever language it takes place, so for me the language barrier does not matter at all.

Kanako's acting ability is more than enough to overcome such difficulties and whether you understand Japanese or not you will know exactly what Momo is saying and thinking. So why not recognise and appreciate her talent? Watch this series and I don't mind betting you will soon be back for more Kanako. p

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It's perhaps not fair for a 'gaijin' like me to comment unfavourably on this film. 'Tokimeki Memorial' was intended for Japanese audiences and its real test should be its popularity with them. But since the film, at least in name, is a spin-off from a cult role-playing computer simulation game that did enjoy some popularity outside Japan, I'll use that as my justification.

'Tokimeki Memorial' in its original game concept required the player to assume the identity of a Japanese student who sets out to win the affections of his teenage sweetheart during their time together at Kirameki High School. The word 'Tokimeki' means 'throbbing'and this is a reference to the beatings of the young lovers hearts as their budding romance blossoms. The game first appeared in Japan in the mid-1990s and soon came to assume cult status, with CDs, websites , books and other material devoted to it. So by 1997, when the film was made, the time was ripe to cash in on this fame and attention and at the same time provide a showcase for up and coming young Japanese actors and actresses.

So far so good, and had the screenplay kept more closely to the high-school setting of the game a reasonably good film would probably have resulted. In fact, except for about the first and last 5 minutes of the film, the story is set in a remote seaside resort where our teenage high school crew help to run a fast food restaurant near the beach. The chief female character in the game, 'Shiori Fujisaki',is relegated to the status of a walk-on part in the film, while young actresses like Kanako Enomoto and Sayaka Yamaguchi are given hardly anything to say or do to justify their appearing in the film . Both of them can act if they're given half a chance, especially Kanako. And to see what the pair of them can do together, just watch the TV series 'Kawaii Dake Ja Dame Kashira'.

The young cast are all easy on the eye and enthusiastic in what they do, but I don't think anyone's reputation will have been enhanced by this film. It's not their fault, the basic problem is that once the high school setting was dropped there was no real plot or story to hang the film around. What action there is is insufficient to sustain a film with 7 characters of equal weight, even if it is only about 90 minutes long. There just isn't enough story to go round that number of people given the setting that was chosen. Left in the high schooI, things might have been quite different. 'Dead Poets Society' was set in a high school, it had a similar number of characters of similar age, and it turned out pretty well I think, Robin Williams alone would not have made 'Dead Poets' the success that it was, the real difference was the strong storyline. But 'Tokimeki Memorial' had neither a Robin Williams nor a strong story ,so the comparison is perhaps too harsh.

'Judgement reserved' seems the most fitting way to sum up my impression of this film.

Excellent action replay of the actual attack but I thought the film was trying to be all things to all men, and that's never easy:

1. The romance angle would have made a good film by itself

2. The historical details were not as accurate as they could have been - wasn't the liner 'Queen Mary' used as a troop ship in WW2 and painted all in grey ? And the time when Rafe flew with the RAF in the Eagle Squadron was said to be 1941, but the type of combat action shown was typical of the Battle of Britain period in summer 1940. The Luftwaffe had given up daylight bombing raids over Britain by 1941 in favour of night attacks, i.e. 'The Blitz'. In any case its main activity in 1941 was supporting the German invasion of Russia.

3. The account of the Japanese planning of the attack and the American code breakers attempting to fathom out what was going on is another aspect that could well have made a good story in its own right.

But I think the way the critics have panned Kate Beckinsale's American accent is very unfair. It did not strike me as implausible, certainly no worse than the efforts of US actors to speak in English accents.