Just watched: Gantz

Gantz started off as an manga, became an anime and is now a live-action film. People who’ve died are taken instantly to white room where they wake up alive and healthy and then a large black globe tells them to go and kill aliens.

Perhaps when I put it like that, it doesn’t seem like much, but it is an exciting and engaging film.  Ninomiya Kazunari, Matsuyama Kenichi and Natsune Watanabe are all good in the three lead roles, and Yoshitaka Yuriko pops up in a minor role as a student with a crush on the hero.

The special effects-laden sections where the team fight aliens of various shapes and sizes are tightly directed. The team has no choice but to fight, and there are always newcomers in the team who aren’t very well prepared. As a result, few make it back alive. This keeps things interesting.

Away from the action, the film is more sedate as our heroes are sent back to their homes when they’re not fighting aliens. They try to live a normal life while they piece together what is happening, and wait for the next time they’re suddenly taken to the white room to do battle.

It’s difficult to describe Gantz, because going into detail about a film as dynamic and physical and also enigmatic as this seems a bit pointless. The film doesn’t concern itself with explanations, you simply have to accept things and see what happens. Which is more or less the situation our heroes are in. A sequel is promised, with a tantalising last scene which leaves many questions unanswered.

I’m already looking forward to it.

Currently Watching: Detective Conan

Or Detective Conan - Kudo Shinichi e no Chousenjou, to give it its full name. I was recently looking for something to watch and tried this purely based on the fansubbers: Heiwa Fansubs usually choose good shows to sub, so I gave this a try knowing nothing about it.

And, frankly, if you don’t know anything about it, the opening minutes can be pretty confusing. No characters are introduced since the programme-makers assume you’re either read the manga or seen the previous TV specials. If you're new then you just have to try and work out things for yourself.

The story follows the adventures of a schoolboy detective played by Mizobata Junpei (BOSS 2) and he’s clearly too old for the part. But this makes a change from the usual habit of J-dramas casting people who are far too young. It did add to my confusion, though, as I watched it and thought to myself "He goes to school? Has he been held back a few years?"

The murders he investigates are simple and this is actually to its advantage. After watching Bull Doctor, Zettai Reido and BOSS 2, to have a crime that happens and is solved in half an hour and all in one location is a huge relief. It has moments of comedy to lighten the way and although the crimes are a bit unlikely, the explanations are never so stupid that it ruins the episode.

I’m enjoying this, so thanks to Heiwa Fansubs for bringing it to my attention. It’s half as long but twice as good as most other detective shows right now.

At least one Japanese band understands the internet

Veltpunch have a new single out and an album coming soon. Since they made my favourite album of last year, I felt I couldn't just download it illegally, so I checked the usual sites for the CD but was put off by the high price. Then I looked on Amazon, hoping a kindly importer would have it.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw that the album will be available for download! Finally, I can show my love for this band in the only way I know how: money.

Just watched: Zettai Reido SP

I don’t know what to make of Zettai Reido. It’s slow pace makes you think it’s thoughtful and serious, but the crime solving is mostly helped by discovering a piece of evidence they’d previously missed or thanks to a suspect conveniently being killed, meaning they have to look elsewhere for the murderer.

It’s not all bad, though. The way they explained how the two murders (fourteen years apart) were linked was clever and did give me some hope for the rest of the episode. However, any good ideas about the crime were lost as it got stretched out to two hours. So every suspect got their own emotional story to tell, but the writing was never up to the job. It reminded me of Shinzanmono a bit, with people hiding secrets to protect a loved one, which made them look like a suspect.

The last scene, which was supposed to be the big emotional kick, didn’t exactly take my breath away. And then the credits rolled and I thought “well, that’s that, then.” I don’t think I’ll stick around for the second series.

Currently watching: Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

This series caught my eye because the lead roles were taken by two of my favourites actors, Eita and Mitsushima Hikari. Without them, I would have probably passed this by, since the storyline isn’t my usual choice.

It concerns two families who, in their own way, lost a child fifteen years ago. But one was a murder victim, and the other was the murderer. Eita is the older brother of the six-year old victim who has had to live with the guilt and sorrow ever since, and Hikari is the younger daughter of the high-school boy who committed the murder, and so she's been part of a family shunned by society for years.

One day, these two meet and begin to fall in love which, considering what’s happened between the families in the past, isn’t easy. There’s been lots of crying, emotions and angst and we’re only up to episode two. This show is not afraid to overdo it, and sometimes it’s trying too hard to engage my sympathy.

On the plus side, and it’s a big plus, there’s the chemistry between Eita and Hikari. Once they stop talking about the past and talk about more ordinary things, they become more interesting. They’re still fragile, and you can sense the hurt beneath the surface, but there’s some room for humour. The scene when they first meet is surprisingly funny and touching.

The story is beginning to set up the return of the older brother, which will no doubt be emotional for everyone concerned. Then again, almost anything seems to be emotional just now.

Just watched: Japan vs. USA

COME ON, JAPAN!

After a season which began with the England's men's team wobble about and fall over in last year's World Cup, followed by my team Arsenal huffing and puffing to a glorious fourth, and then England getting knocked out of this Women's World Cup tournament, I'm glad that a squad I have some emotional attachment to has finally won something. And it was a great game. Compliments to both sides but, yeah, COME ON JAPAN!

Recommended: Marks no Yama

Reading what others, including myself, have said about this series, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was the Japanese equivalent of The Wire. That’s how fulsome the praise has been. It’s not quite at that level, but since quality Japanese dramas seem to have dried up recently, this stood out from the rest.

The story followed the attempt of one lone murderer (played by Kora Kengo) to blackmail five powerful men. Their secret revolved around the events on a mountain twenty years ago. The police begin by investigating the murder, but are soon drawn into the web of lies covering the earlier mystery. Add to this a journalist (Konishi Manami on fine form) who has also found out about the story behind the story, and things can get complicated.

Certainly, I found myself re-watching previous episodes whenever the subs for this came out, to remind myself of the twists and turns. This series managed to pack more story in one episode then others can in ten, but even so it never seemed rushed or confused.

It’s nice to watch something that’s made with such care, with the writers, directors and actors all producing quality work. It felt like a proper story, and it didn’t try and patronise us with flashbacks to a childhood incident which made people want to be a police officer, journalist or corrupt politician. Well, okay, the murderer got a flashback or two, but it was part of the story.

If I had to point out a flaw, I’d say the ending for the character played by Kohinata Fumiyo was pretty convenient. But it was nice to see him playing a bad guy for a change. In the end, it’s a bit of a relief that J-dramas like this are still being made.