Review – Summer Wars (2009 Anime Movie)

I had been intended to review this movie since long, but losing the file makes me confused how to start it all over again.

From animenewsnetwork:

When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family’s Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation. Natsuki’s family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era, and they’ve all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae. That’s when Kenji discovers his “summer job” is to pretend to be Natsuki’s fiancé and dance with her at the birthday celebration. As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki’s act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can’t resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes a hijacking of the social networking site through which most of the world’s social and business traffic flows.

So… here it is. Imagine a world, where your real life and your net-life can’t be separated no more, where your real life is integrated into your created avatar, when you just need one account to cross all the border. That’s pretty much the world in “Summer Wars” in, and I can say this confidently, that our world most probably going to.

[Among the Lines] The King 2Hearts: Does Bong Gu = Hitler?

[SPOILER ALERT]

Different with previous post, this one never made appearance as comment in dramabeans thread.

Though the title is about Hitler, but this post more likely discussing Bong Gu as a mortal enemy for every war in the world, and particularly about South and North Korea.

Bong Gu is a definitely an enemy character, he is megalomaniac, even the smallest thing could be his motivation to kill somebody. Let’s break it down:
1. He kill Jae Kang and Queen because Jae Kang forbid him enter South Korea
2. He put Jae Ha as mortal enemy, because Jae Ha insult him with calling his ‘real name’, and later because Jae Ha make his girlfriend belittling him
3. He grieve for Hang Ah and slaps her, because Hang Ah also call him Kim Bong Gu to insult him
 4. He KILL Shi Kyung, because: 1. Shi Kyung betray him, 2. Because if he can’t get Shi Kyung, neither do anyone else.

and who can forget this scene?

He is little hitler, note that Korea was separated after WW II. WW II is actually the result of axis formed by Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito (axis of WW II), and Hitler is the greatest among all, though it’s after Japanese imperial that Korea separate, but it’s his ideology which divide Korea.

At first, I think he is a portrayal for HITLER. Why?

[Read Behind The Lines] The King 2Hearts: Jae Shin and the Valkyrie

Only read this after you’ve watched The King 2hearts episode 17, because this is explanation (and assumption).

Originally, this post is my comment in dramabeans comment thread, but since the comments piling up, I move this here to ease to read, and add some pic, but the information mostly the same.

Most of us must be remember when we were wondering what had BonBon do to Jae Shin. Probably even until the extent of guessing lots of terrible things, iclude r*pe, abuse, humility and else, but tracing back, the writer had given us a very CLEAR clue, but apparently none of us realize it.

The clue it self is “Ride of Valkryes”, Bong Gu’s favorite piece, also the song which trigger Jae Shin’s panic attack. Is it just because the song played when the ‘incident’ happened? I don’t think so…. I believe it is well planned, by Bong Gu.

Let’s back track, what is Ride of Valkyries?

Review (ending) – The King 2Hearts

[SPOILER FREE]

It’s difficult to conclude this series in simple words/sentence.

The most appropriate word for this drama is maybe: what a roller coaster ride this is!

First of all, I must admit that this drama isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. Mostly because of development of the story as well as the background plot, its squeeze every little drop in your brain, hence when you fall for it you fall hard, and when you don’t like it you just dont. The prominent strength of this drama is the weakness as well. The drama shove a lot (may be too much) of information at one time and makes it difficult to digest in one gulp. Thus, viewers need (and I emphasize it again: NEED) to discuss, to ask and sometimes, (more likely, often) google in order to understand, not just a mere knowing, most of the background. By experience, I can say that digging the infos make me appreciate the drama more and more, and accepting the logic of the writer.

This drama is a kind that never do things too little, there are misery, sadness, sarcasm, insult, some of them hurts a lot, but with open mind at the end this drama left us a fuller feeling. The King 2Hearts, isn’t a mere entertainment, but also a lesson toward life, toward reality for those who willing to embrace and reflect back.

Let’s start the review:

CASTBOARD

All the relationship was began from here:

1st Cast Board

The Casts

The most prominent problem prior among fans before the airing is AGE GAP. Predictable, since Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won’s gap is 9 years, add the fact that  Seung Gi is in younger side. Even me feel the doubt.. Not just that, Lee Seung Min who plays his hyung was 20 years apart, and even Lee Yoon Ji

Midway Review: The King 2Hearts (Drama)

-This post was written at the end of episode 10 of The King 2Hearts-

Watch this drama because of Lee Seung Gi, and I don’t wanna be a hypocrite by add other initiate reason. Up until Lee Seung Gi was casted, I don’t care for any word for this drama, no matter that the heroine is Ha Ji Won, or the writer and director is the key factor behind Beethoven Virus, Lee Seung Gi is my turning point, yes, I am that shallow.

Now, I am at the point of addicted, obsessed, or add any other words that describe somebody who always longing for this drama. Dare to say, It’s not Lee Seung Gi effect in me (as usual), it’s because the drama itself, in simple word, is AWESOME. Terrific. Superb. anything other that make me speechless.

Enough about me (and my obsession), we’ll talk about the drama now.

[Spoiler Alert]

-The Grand Picture-

Correlation Chart

Concluding by my self, each week of this drama has its own topic, the emotional connection for each pair of an episode is needed. The drama starts at a fast pace, a brief introduction (hiding some future hint), less conflict and much comedy (OH! How I miss the comedy!), dark comedy it is. In the first week, we’ll get more about the characters, their background, shortly, mere introduction. The second week, we were introduced to underneath problems: South-North Korea difference in ideality, pride, and prejudice within, trust problem, which all of them is just a small picture of the future problem(s). Let’s breathe a sigh of relieve in the 3rd week, I called this romance week, there is no CLEAR evidence of a political issue in this week, just the growing feeling between the pair. 4th week presents us tears as its main dishes, the back-to-back episode led and provide the viewers very delicious family moment as an appetizer, just to reveal a heavy choice of the dishes, they add a slightly sweet taste of romance and familial thingy to chill your feeling, but not enough to digest all the tears. As 5th week going on…you heard heartbroken everywhere, misunderstand piling, emotion bursting and layers revealed.

-The Characters-