Movie Review: Tajomaru

I had been waiting for subs for this movie ever since the DVD came out. I was disappointed that the DVD didn't come with subs, but DLAZNMovies finally had a copy. Here's the specs:

Set sometime in the late Muromachi period, Naomitsu Hatakeyama (Shun Oguri!!!!) is the second son of the distinguished Hatakeyama family. His lifelong friend and and love interest is Ako-hime (Yuki Shibamoto). When Ako-hime's father dies, Yoshimasa Ashikaga (Kenichi Hagiwara) elicits a decree that will forever change their fates.

Soon afterwards, Naomitsu is betrayed by his very own brother Nobutsuna Hatakeyama (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), who plans to forcibly take Ako-hime for himself. Naomitsu loves Ako-hime so much that he is ready to give up his life and flee into the mountains with Ako-hime. While travelling through the mountains, Naoitsu soon faces another betrayal, this time from retainer Sakuramaru (Kei Tanaka), a man Naomitsu once saved from death and took care of like a brother.

Naomitsu Hatakeyama then comes back as Tajomaru ....

Review:

Shun Oguri did not disappoint in his roll as Naomitsu/Tajomaru. I have to say that this is the best movie he had been a part of so far. Naomitsu as a character was very well developed and believable. Love, pain, and outrage changes the character though out the movie. He always states that he only wanted Ako, and that being the heir or inheriting a title or gold didn't matter to him at all.

Nobutsuna is the older brother and the heir of the Hatakeyama family. The beginning of the movie portrays Nobutsuna as the weaker brother, Naomitsu losing to him in things on purpose and stating he could never win against his older brother.

Sakuramaru is a hard character to accept. Let's leave it at that to keep away from spoilers.

Ako grew up with the brothers and even when they were small preferred Naomitsu over the older brother Nobutsuna. Later in the movie both her parents die and she is supposed to marry Nobutsuna in order to give him her father's title and gold. I really loved to hate this character.

The story line is excellent; marked by betrayal, love, misunderstandings, hatred, forgiveness, confusion... the list goes on and on.

And one thing I cannot leave out is the band of bandits Naomitsu travels with while under the name Tajomaru: Saru, Doken, Taka, and the others MADE the movie.

So... go watch. While waiting on an english subbed DVD, download a copy at DLAZNMOVIES, link in the corner.

Asian Movie Spotlight: Azumi

Summary:

Azumi is a Japanese movie that takes place during the Tokugawa era. A samurai is told to take a band of kids orphaned by the war and to raise them as assassins to destroy Toyotomi and the other warlords to prevent another war. Azumi (Aya Ueto) is the only girl in the band of assassins. She was found as a small girl by Nachi (Shun Oguri ^.^) and taken in by their master.

The 10 (Azumi, Nachi, Ukiha, Hyuga, Amagi, Nagara, Yura, Awa, Hiei, and Komoru) grow up as brothers and sister. One day their master finally says it's time to leave their secluded hut in the mountains and go on the "mission" they had been trained for their entire lives, but first he has one more thing to teach them. In order to make sure the teenage assassins have no emotions on who they kill, they are ordered to pair up... then kill the other.

Review:

The movie is amazing on action, BUT, if you are looking for as-real-as-it-gets effects you won't get it. Azumi's style is artistic violence, so to speak. Larger blood splatters, but not "gory". Aya Ueto portrays her roll perfectly. Azumi is NOT a cold blooded killer, but she does her "mission" and still carries the burdens of her friends and the victims with her, making her an emotional turmoil on the inside and a sleek, sword-wielding assassin on the outside.

Other:

There is also an Azumi 2 out, which is also fantastic. I suggest watching them both. ^.^

Hana Yori Dango

Title: Hana Yori Dango

Genre: Romance

Language: Japanese

Year: 2005-2008

Episodes: Season 1- 9epps; Season 2- 11epps; + Special

Summery: Season 1: Eitoku Gakuen is a school where only the richest families send their children, and the sons of the richest of the rich rule the school. They called themselves the Flower 4, or F4. Mimasaka Akira’s (Abe Tsuyoshi) family works in the underground world, and he only dates older women. Nishikado Sojiro’s (Matsuda Shota) family owns a tea ceremony school and he is the biggest player of the four. Hanazawa Rui’s (Oguri Shun!!) family owns a large company. He’s very quiet and hardly gets involved in anything unless his childhood sweetheart, Todo Shizuka (Sada Mayumi) , is involved. Domyoji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun, of boy group "Arashi") is the heir to the Domyoji World Finance Group, is the richest of the four, and is also their leader. If a student so much as looks at Domyoji wrong, the leader will send out the “Red Notice” on that student. From then on the others will harass the student until the student is driven out of the school.

Makino Tsukushi (Inoue Mao) is a poor girl whose family forced her to go to Eitoku despite the costs, hoping she would find a rich boy to marry. She had hoped just to get through school without being noticed, but one day a friend received a Red Notice and she was forced to face Domyoji.

Season 2 (**SPOILERS if you haven’t watched season 1**):

Months after Domyoji left for New York, Makino has fallen out of touch with him. She calls only to be sent to voice message. With the encouragement from Rui and the other F4, she goes to New York to find him on her own. Both eventually return to Japan, and Domyoji seems to be over Makino, but will not let the waiting Rui take her as a girlfriend. Discovering Domyoji is engaged, Makino gives up all hope, but Domyoji isn't quite ready to let her go, but his mother Keade (Kaga Mariko) is still bent on keeping the two away from each other.

Review: Hana Yori Dango is a drama in every sense of the work. It seems every time the main characters get a nice break, they are interrupted in some fashion. Matsumoto Jun is the perfect character for Tsukasa, and Oguri Shun, of course, is great as always. Defiantly worth the watch if you don't mind chewing off a few fingernails in suspense!