Just a quick post on a few other films that I caught this year, two of which on the flight back to the UK on Emirates just a few days ago!

Ansatsu Kyōshitsu「暗殺教室」
Assassination Classroom

This film adaptation of a manga[1] was one of the weirdest films I’d ever seen. The weirdness was in the story’s premise. The film started off with a military squad attempting to hunt down a tentacled creature of some description which pretty much wiped out the whole bunch. And the next bit of the story described that this same creature destroyed a large chunk of the Earth’s moon and promised to destroy the Earth within the year but offered mankind a chance. The creature will become a homeroom teacher (referred to as Koro-sensei by his class) to a bunch of down-and-out students from E Class at Kunugigaoka High, and if the students succeed in assassinating him/it, the Earth will be saved. It wasn’t long into the film that Koro-sensei’s appearance was made apparent – an octopus-like creature in a gown and mortar board combo, but with a yellow smiley face.

Exactly.

WHAT THE FCUK WAS THAT?

Obviously, any attempt to kill Koro-sensei is pretty much thwarted by a multitude of self-defence mechanisms, most of which involved his ability to move very fast (he can fly up to Mach 20). There was more to Koro-sensei that meets the eye. Peppered in the film are clues to the creature’s identity/origin which is likely known to the fans who had read the manga. And despite the fervent attempts at devising new tactics to kill Koro-sensei, the students began to develop a liking to him as a homeroom teacher. By the time you get to the film’s conclusion, it will be made obvious that the overall story ain’t over yet. The sequel, Assassination Classroom ~Sotsugyō-hen~ (Graduation Edition) will be screened in 2016.

I actually loved it. I recognised none of the actors. It wasn’t until I Googled the film up when I read that Ninomiya Kazunari (of Arashi) did the voice of Koro-sensei and that Kang Ji-young (previously of KARA) was the buxom blonde English teacher named Miss Jelavic (wrongly pronounced Yela-bitch by the students, thanks to the absence of the letter V in nihon-go).

The DVD/Blu-Ray should be out next month, and I just can’t wait to… well, you know, obtain a ‘copy’.

Maku ga Agaru「幕が上がる」
When The Curtain Rises

This one isn’t a manga adaptation (but of a book written by Oriza Hirata) but my interest was piqued by seeing the main cast comprising members of the zany idol group, Momoiro Clover Z. I don’t listen to their stuff but I was made aware of this quirky quintet when they performed Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo with SCANDAL. The film tells about a group of female high school students who are members of a drama club which is not doing too well. Losing in inter-school competitions, failing to impress the new students when the school re-opens in April – the usual formula that doesn’t bode well for the club. It wasn’t until Saori (Momota Kanako) was made club president that the club was introduced by chance during one of their club sessions to Yoshioka-sensei (Kuroki Haru[2]), a new teacher at the school, who happened to be an actor previously. Yoshioka began to guide the group, albeit reluctantly in the beginning. Saori and her club members became increasingly confident after being inspired by their new mentor, and began to take steps to enter this year’s prelim drama competition that will lead to the inter-prefecture level.

The story’s kinda average, probably due to the Momokuro girls’ level of acting. They do appear to be themselves, however, which probably gives the film a kind of a ‘slice of life’ feel to it. I’m not sure what their male fans are like, but I just wondered if there were segments in the story that were designed to be fan service of some vague description.


Seen better. Hehe.

Nevertheless, worth checking out if you’re into, um… relatively mundane high school dramas.

Kuroshitsuji「黒執事」
Black Butler

This is another shōnen manga adaptation for the list – I actually bought the DVD in KL like last year and never got around to watch it. Then, the Blu-Ray came out and was available for me to buy at HMV. A week before Raya, whilst folding my laundry, I finally sat down and watched it. Again, Gōriki Ayame was the main reason why I watched this. Yeah, kayu acting but do I care?

As I understand it, the film is slightly different from the manga in many aspects, hence a rather loose adaptation, with the film set in a futuristic world which is divided into the West and the East (the manga is set in London). Gōriki plays Genpo Kiyoharu (Shiori), a wealthy heir(ess) that is protected by her demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis (Mizushima Hiro). Shiori’s parents were killed by unknown agents when she was young, but she later returned to run the family’s business in the guise of a boy named Kiyoharu. Genpo and Michaelis teams up to solve mysteries plaguing the city, in the hope that her parents’ murderers will be brought to justice. Things began to become a little bit clearer when certain members of high society appeared to die by a grotesque process that mummify their bodies.

Sorry to disappoint you, especially after reading this far. The film’s not too good, despite the promising action sequences albeit scant for a film that could promise much more. At the mo, this’ll do for a J-dorama but not as a film.

Kurōbā「クローバー」 
Clover

Lastly, a quick one. This is a bit girly as this film’s a shōjo manga adaptation. It has Takei Emi (Rurōni Kenshin to name one film) in it. Hehe.

Takei plays Saya, a single woman who works as part of an event organising team in a premium hotel in uptown Tōkyō. She does have a few flaws (eg she lacks confidence and tends to come to work late) which gets her in hot soup with her no-nonsense boss, Tsuge Susumu (played by Ōkura Tadayashi of Kanjani∞). Her reason for remaining single is due to a promise to come back and sweep her off her feet made by Haruki, her then boyfriend from middle school, who is now a famous actor (Nagayama Kento). It wasn’t until one day, she came upon her old flame (with a hottie) at the hotel by accident. And after spilling all over a few drinks with her boss, Tsuge began showing a greater interest in Saya, despite his stone-faced exterior.


Things began to be a little complicated for Saya once Haruki re-enters her life, and Tsuge himself having to deal with a job promotion which gets the attention of one of the hotel directors, played by the delectable Natsuna.

This one feels like a J-dorama for the right reasons, and instead of watching 9 or 10 20-minute episodes, you get to see the conclusion after two hours. Watchable, even by my standards,

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[1]Aren’t they all?
[2]Jane Honda of Legal High 2 fame!