Peak romance!

I absolutely loved this show. I've been looking for some nice romance in the past few weeks, and this really hit the spot. It's a classic really, there's a reason this gets recommended every single time anyone asks for romance recs.

The way Lovely Complex explores insecurity is simply beautiful, the constant hesitation, the fear that you might not be enough, and the certainty that begins to come over you as you fail over and over again at achieving your goals. Your fears manifest, a confirmation that your own body, that which you were born with and cannot change, is wrong. But through all that, the persistence of the characters, the way they persevere through these tribulations, is truly inspiring.

The setting is very adolescent, and this is a love comedy so even the most emotional moments are somewhat light-hearted. I think that's good, actually, it keeps the story flowing; the show is incredibly well-paced. I said adolescent, because it is set in high school and that's what the characters life revolve around, but the themes are very mature. I mentioned the insecurity, which the main theme of the show, but many episodes also touch on what it means to be in love, to be in a committed relationship, and what sacrifices one must make to maintain healthy relationships with those they care for.

It's beautiful.

The production quality is top notch, though very much outdated. It's Toei, the animation and music are both great, and the voice acting is fantastic too. Especially Nobu-chan, Higashi Saori might just be the GOAT. I'm not even joking, this was an all time performance by her.

What do you think? *** Rating: 5/5

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Dumb fun!

TikTok has been repeatedly and forcefully shoving GTA gameplay-attached clips of the movie Tag (2018), directed by Jeff Tomsic, down my throat. Perhaps my watching of this modern masterpiece is symptomatic of my as of now undiagnosed Stockholm syndrome, and a direct consequence of an easily influenceable mind. Regardless of my personal psychological shortcomings, this movie is surprisingly good.

I came in with VERY LOW expectations, but turns out it's just dumb fun. Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, and Hannibal Buress (hunk alert, wee-oo) all delivered good performances if you close your eyes, plug your ears, and pretend you're watching another movie, that is. Jeremy Renner and Isla Fischer, however, did actually pull off some pretty nice scenes. They didn't overplay the slow-motion shots, and I think they were pretty humorous. The action was well-choreographed and creative.

After the movie was over, I started immediately scouring the internet for self-hypnosis techniques in order to forget the incredibly odd Rashida Jones love-triangle arc. I was unsuccessful, but I believe I can keep on living through the sure-to-come recurring nightmares of bad, senseless plot lines.

The main plot, on the other hand, was decent. Nothing too special, but it's a whimsical concept! Really, isn't that what movies are all about?! ^(No.) Regardless, knowing it was based on a true story made it way more fun for me than it otherwise would've been, and the constant suspicion of basically anything Jerry did was very funny, IMHO.

At the end of the day, I think a relatively short movie that makes me laugh and occasionally flashes some cool visuals is worth watching.

What do you think? *** Rating: 4/5

Great concept, poor execution.

Everything that relates to the production value of this movie is subpar: the voice acting, the sound design, the animation... There's nothing excellent here, there's really nothing good here.

The voice acting sounds awkward at times. Japanese voice acting is known for being great, but here nearly every line feels emotionless, and the main characters sound like they're whispering very loudly instead of just talking. Which is something I can only assume is an artistic choice? I suppose it fits the theme of the movie, but it sounds bad. Notably, Anzai Chika's performance as Kobayashi was actually pretty great.

The music and sound design on this thing are also not great. It sounds so quiet, so empty. Once again, this must have been by design, as it fits the theme, but it sucks! It makes the whole movie feel bland and faceless. Just because it's about a secret and escaping others doesn't mean the movie should be empty.

The animation is somewhat decent. It's not a very distinct style, and some frames look horrible. There's also some scenes with 3D animation that are very not good. Still, for the most part it's OK.

That being said, this is definitely not a bad movie. It's a very interesting concept. Personally, I love time-related movies (like Tenet and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), and the idea of being able to stop time for a short duration is cool.

The relationship between the two main characters is also great, and very engaging. Murakami's whole personality, or lack thereof, really made me think... I wonder if there really are people that act this way. Personally, I related to Moritani WAY more, feeling overwhelmed and just wanting to run away. Murakami's whole ordeal felt very odd to me, but it was still very emotionally compelling. I think it was conveyed in a very nice way.

The conclusion was a bit underwhelming though, probably as a consequence of this running for only 1 hour. Still, it didn't leave a sour taste in my mouth or anything, I just wish there was more to the story. I suppose that's actually a compliment to the plot, in a way.

^{I related to Moritani's perverted tendencies too.}

What do you think? *** Rating: 3/5

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