If Cats Disappeared from the World(世界から猫が消えたなら) Japanese film Thoughts

   Another film starring Satoh Takeru! YAY!  The last few films I saw him in were the Rurouni Kenshin films and he gave a fantastic performance as the leading role. Lets fast forward to this film, If Cats Disappeared from the World that was directed by Magai Akira and stars Satoh along side Miyazaki Aoi, who is considered one of Japanese most beautiful actresses. I think she very cute but I don't think "beautiful!" when I look at her.... The film did well in the Japanese box office even though it didn't get the top spot. It came close by maintaining the third position for two weeks then bumping up to second place in it's third week run. Qualities that help draw in an audience was the two leads and the fact that the screenplay is based off a well known novel in Japan.

   A postman is diagnosed with a brain tumor and is said to die soon. He's then met by an angel of death that promises him more time on earth if he is willing to give up something precious to him each time he wants to extend his life. The thing the angel of death chooses will be wiped off the face of the earth.

   If Cats Disappear caused me to tear up in the first fifteen minutes of watching. Not because anything really sad had happened but because the main character doesn't seem to have anything to live for. He just goes about this daily routine over and over again in a robotic fashion. The central conflict at hand is like the icing on top of an already baked cake. You feel sorry that he's about to die but whats even sadder is the fact that he doesn't know the true meaning of life. This makes watching him trying to survive all the more pathetic and sad. The plot is more about substance than giving the viewer a fast paced storyline that won't bore you. Some people might get bored watching if your not the kind of person that can appreciate a film that wants to pull you in with character dialogue and humanism. I actually thought this film was going to be one of those ones where you watch the main character slowly die but the film doesn't make the main character out to be the victim. He knows what situation he's in but he has control. You will cry but the film doesn't try to make you cry. Relation to the character will  be the main cause of the tears that will fall. Events progressed based on what is chosen to disappear and the absence of each thing causes our main character to remember the relationships formed based on that object. Its a case of you never know what you have until its gone. Also the fact that sometimes people have more in their life than they think they have. A person's just focusing on the wrong things. Instead of looking at all the good that has happened in their life. With each object the main character is forced to relive all the relationships he has made with people including his ex girlfriend and his parents. His memories are both lighthearted and bittersweet but by the time everything is done the main character along with viewers have a brand new lease on life.

  Satoh had to act out a character that was alone most of the time except for the flashback scenes. I felt that his acting ability truly comes through in this role and it was a breath of air after Rurouni Kenshin. I loved the performances by the actor and actresses that played his parents. They were a huge part of the film's relation to cats as well as the strong resolve of the Satoh's character by the film's conclusion. The father came of as cold and uncaring but you find that that there's another side to him. Miyazaki plays the ex girlfriend who shares a deep history with Satoh's character. Their scenes are pretty awkward because of the circumstances of their break up, however, these scenes are also interesting. Especially when you get a look into what their relationship was like. The other relationships that involve friends were also emotionally touching. One of the most touching lines of the film was one said at the end of the film, "Thank you for being born into this world." I got chills listening to this line being spoken and this line fit the atmosphere of the ending perfectly too.

  The shots of the main character riding the bike around his local town was nice to watch in the beginning and end of the film.. The scenes were shot in a way to symbolize progression in the character's resolve. It might look like a simple scene of a guy riding on a bike but I see a man in the mist of making important decisions or deciding to face whatever problem that may be in his way. A scene with a waterfall that will takes your breath away also makes an appearance. Satoh and Miyazaki are stand on a bridge thats surrounded by a group of waterfalls. I'm not sure if they really left Japan to shoot this scenes but gosh, if they did, the overall result was worth the travel. I felt like the scene was a symbol of a place where life begins and ends. Miyazaki's lines in this scene give viewers the grave realization that life is meant to live in the moment without regrets. Just this scene in itself was enough for me to love the way this film was shot.

  If Cats Disappear from the World was more than I expected it would be. I thought it was going to be more about pity but it was deeper than that. The beauty of life and the relationships that make life beautiful was more of the focus than pity. Long story short, I came for Satoh Takeru and left with a heavy heart. Don't you love it?
 

At Cafe 6(六弄咖啡馆) Chinese Film Thoughts

 
 At Cafe 6 was the first Chinese film that I watched in 2017. The film came out last year but I won't watch it for fear that I would be let down. Chinese films can be a hit or miss depending on what part of China the film is produced in and the storyline. A film that grossed 6.5 million in Chinese money must have something good about it. Right? No, I didn't watch this film because of its earning but I did take that into account when deciding to watch the trailer. The trailer didn't hook me at the time either. I wasn't in the mood for a high school comedy...... You'll be led by the At Cafe 6's trailer into thinking that your going to watch another light hearted comedy about teenagers in school. Nothing prepares you for the real life lessons you're about to learn as you watch At Cafe 6.

 The cast consists of Zijian Dong(Mountains May Depart), Cherry Ngan, Lin Bo-hong, and Nini Ouyang as a couple of students with very different personalities that happen to bond during their high school years. Zijian and Cherry's characters are more quiet and reserved. Left to only be brought out of their shells by Lin Bo-hong and Nini Ouyang's characters wacky presences. During your time in high school you don't think much about the future until teachers tell you to think about the future. this means choosing the right college that fits into helping you succeed at getting a good job and later starting a family. The male characters are slackers. they don't do anything expect have fun and then more fun on top of fun. As you might know, China doesn't take lightly to students who don't want to study until their heads explode so these characters go against what is expected of today's Chinese youth. Its important to study but don't let studying suck out the fun of being young. I feel a mini revolution  through their acting every time these boys got bad grades or got in trouble and had to be punished. Like they were saying in so many words, "This is my way of life. I don't want to do things like everyone else."The girls did better in school, especially Cherry Ngan's character but that didn't stop them from being pulled to the bad side of things with these boys. I enjoyed watching their relationship with each other grow stronger. A relationship was never forgotten for years to come.

   I thought At Cafe 6 was going to be a slowly developed film. For example just a simple film with a little comedy there and a romance over here. However, this film dodged that bullet and ran in the other direction. The plot tells the story of a group of friends who meet in school and try to maintain their friendship and romances after they go off to college. You are given their story as a memory from a man who runs a cafe thats telling the story to a young women who stops by one night. Who this man could be is unknown but he tells this films plot like he was apart of the whole ordeal. Time naturally causes you and friends that you love dearly to grow apart. It can't be helped even if you keep in touch with that friend from time to time. Sometimes what you feel is enough to keep a relationship solid is not really enough and time will start to reveal the cracks in your relationship as life progresses. The second party also has to put in the effort to keep the relationship going as well. Growing apart will happen but if your true friends, you can meet each other halfway and bond again. The real problem here through is things like span of time and distance reveals all the problems you might have in your relationships while not knowing these problems were there. Well, you knew they were there but you decided to ignore them. Never let conflicts that you have with your friends or lover go undressed because that problem with just become a crack that grows bigger and bigger as time passes. Real friends can work through issues and come to a common ground. Thats the underline faith you two should have in each other. At Cafe 6 has a plot that relies heavily of this concept. Watching this film can be fun but it can also be painful, especially to people who can relate to the characters. The plot developed different layers based on emotion so distinctly that nothing felt lacking for me. I took the film as a slice of real life that teaches a grave lesson to all who watch.

  The walls of their school was what was shown for the first half of the film. I wasn't expecting much in terms of scenery but the setting helped At Cafe 6 feel more alive. Everything from the school grounds, the classroom, to the backyard allies of their neighborhood. As the character grow older, you see more of China as a city thats always on the move. The shift to college life put me in mind of other Chinese films I've seen that give off a documentary type of feel.(not this film but other films that talk about Chinese college life.) Those dorm rooms were too small for all them boys to be hanging out in.

 I started tearing up a little while typing this out. Something about this film left a deep impression on me. I've become a fan of Zijian Dong, since seeing him in Mountains Do Depart and now seeing him in At Cafe 6. I love when he speaks english too! haha Ok, I'm done now guys..... This was a good film. Go check it out!

THE ORAL CIGARETTES - UNOFFICIAL Album Thoughts(J-rock)

1. リコリス
2. CATCH ME
3. 悪戯ショータイム
4. 5150
5. WARWARWAR
6. エンドロール
7. DIP-BAP
8. Shala La
9. 不透明な雪化粧
10. LOVE

   The Oral Cigarettes is a band that was very underrated for a long time until recently. With each album release their sale have steadily improved. I first knew this band as the band that scares you into feeling a certain emotion by way of lyrical craft and vocal resonance. Something resonated with someone in Japan because their last album was number 23 on the Oricon chart but Unofficial hit the number 3 spot with 21,016 units sold in its first week. Promotion does wonders when record labels are willing to shell out the money to get it. The kind of music being promoted matters too.

   Unofficial was made with the intent of getting The Oral Cigarettes into the top ten spot on the Oricon Charts. You can hear a sort of sound that will bring in new listeners and please old fans. Sorry to say but a huge part of this bands old sound is gone but not completely. Their old sound was very angry and dark. Some of their most chilling lyrics are just them hating any and everything. I had never heard a Japanese band that outright make such aggressive songs. Japan has other music like this but their culture isn't know for being direct with one's feelings.... I guess that's why their entertainment(movies,music,etc) is so lively and strange at times. Got to get out that penned up emotion somewhere. This kind of sound isn't for the mainstream market and was most likely the reason they stayed so underrated this whole time. Unofficial pushes their aggressive style to the back of the line and comes in with more radio friendly tunes. Tunes that are catchy enough to make you forget that this band used to hate everything and their lead singer used to look like he was possessed when he sang. I believe the transition though, as these songs sound honestly like The Oral Cigarettes have leveled up their musical capabilities. Then there comes a time in the album where their old aggressive ways slowly seep back into their music. These boys won't let old habits die with tracks like 5150 that makes you want to dance in the dark and a history of tracks that have voices in the background chanting "HELP ME!" at the track's bridge. WARWARWAR also sounds like a track that could have been on one of their old albums. I like the creepy feel of the chorus. Other tracks like Love and some of the slower songs sound like they were made for people who don't like the dark gritty stuff but these tracks aren't sell out tracks. They're more like a trap to get new fans to listen to their version of crazy all wrapped up nice in a present. You never know what you'll get when you receive a present.

   Vocals sound like they come from a singer that should be in a Jack skeleton television special.  I always think of Halloween when I listen to their vocalist sing. Even their happier songs have a dark edge because of the vocals. He sings more with a falsetto range for this album than he did on their other albums. Or maybe its that the falsetto notes sound more stable this time around than on their older albums. I watched some of their live performances on youtube and I didn't like how their lead singer sounded live. He might have been having a bad day but I didn't like what I heard. The notes still have to be on pitch even if your doing rock music.... I'm going to go watch some of their more recent live videos. His vocals could have improved since then.

  My mouth formed the words,"this was a good album!" after I finished listening to it. I'm proud to see them gaining popularity and using the mainstream music style to redefined their sound. Learn to work the music industry up and coming musical artists. That's the only way you'll survive in there.

From The Airport(프럼 디 에어포트) - The Boy Who Jumped Album Thoughts(K-electronica)

Track List:
01. The Heartbeats
02. Go or Die
03. Night & Day
04. 감정
05. The Jump
06. Noise Control
07. Age
08. Wash Away
09. Never Die
10. Go or Die (Korean ver.)
11. Go or Die (From The Airport Remix)
12. The Jump (From The Airport Remix)



   From the Airport is a South Korean band that consist of two guys, Zee and Milo. They are signed with Seoul based record label Fluxus Music who's home to well known artists, Urban Zakapa and
Clazziquai. I found some of their music back in 2012 when I was really into watching Kpop music videos on youtube. Their music was more geared toward foreigners taste in music than Koreans back then and more non korean listeners knew about them because of the internet. It was happy news to hear that they signed to a major label like Fluxus since they produce a wide range of music. The Boy Who Jumped is From The Airport sophomore release for shocked fans like me that didn't know a new album was even on the way.

   The Boy That Jumps marks a very noticeable shift in direction of who their music is geared toward now.... at lest a little bit. For people reading this who don't know anything about their music, Its mainly rock electronica. A pop twist it thrown in their from time to time but these guys produce all their own sounds. Everything down from the bass, keyboard, and guitar is a DJ party of two. Yeah, I said TWO! Both guys play their own sets of the same instruments to have each other's back. I would love to see them live oneway. I've watched some of their live videos and seeing them preform all those instruments in person has to be a fun experience. Anyway, I didn't mention that they're songs are sung 99% in English which is cool from english speaking listeners. Now, its 86% in English because Korean has made an appearance in their songs. A decision to mix both languages together must have been decided or these boys opened up a textbook and brushed up on their Korean skills. I'm not sure where they are from originally but their english is pretty good. Korean being used is a good choice too because you want to more listeners in Korea to understand your lyrics. Other than the language change on one of two tracks their music hasn't changed too much. If anything, more elements of musical sounds have been added to their already made product. Sometimes you might get a song that puts more spotlight on piano. Then another track that brings out more sounds on guitar. One song had a guitar sequence that made me want to raise my hands and shout "YAS! PLAY THAT GUTIAR BOY!". I'm not a huge fan of songs that just have long sequence of DJ beats and edits without vocals but i do notice that they are having fun in the moment of creating these sounds. I love to see music artists love what they're doing. The track Go or Die should be their title track from the album if its not already. This song is addictive with its catchy beats and up beat chorus. I've listened to it about twenty times already and another thing I've noticed about all of From The Airports music is that it has the theme of  airports or traveling to another destination. They don't have to convey this message in words. Just their own take on song production makes me think of traveling somewhere else. WE GOT SOME GOOD TRAVEL MUSIC RIGHT HERE FOLKS!!!!!

  The quality of voice that you will hear the most is kinda of a tenor range. Its a quality that fits perfectly with the music they are doing but is also a very common vocal in South Korea's music scene. Edits are but on vocals sometimes that make them sound more electronica to fit the mechanics of their sounds. Nothing is taken away from the vocal, just a style choice thats not as bad as the over use of autotune you hear in other songs. I'm happy that this album sounds more personal than their first album with it comes to vocals, lyrics, and song selection.

  I'm actually re listening to the album as I type this post and as I listen, I'm finding more and more reasons why I like The Boy Who Jumped. From The Airport is suppose to be a name that represents them as an airport that transmits their music to people all over the world. Check out their first album, Could You Imagine and the song Chemical Love.

Tomie(富江) Complete Japanese Manga Thoughts

 

  Ito Junji began working on Tomie almost sixty years ago. I know I wasn't born back then. Tomie was published in 1987 and then would go on to receiving honorable mention. The series also won awards causing it to become a hit in the Japanese Shojo/horror scene. Since then the series has been published then reprinted into many different formats. The manga inspired live actions movies that currently have eight installments to date. A television special was also created for a three episode run in 1999. VIz media has been getting the licenses for most of Ito's early and latests works and released Tomie as a hardcover for fans in North America a few months ago.

   It took my forever to get my hands on a copy of this hardcover edition. I had seen it in a bookstore when I was traveling out of state but decided not to buy it then because I figured the bookstores in my own state would have it. I got home and no stores had any copies of Tomie. I had to keep calling and reserving online only to find that no shipments had been sent to the stores neat me. So, I just decided to give up until shipments finally came in. Soon some did come in, thankfully. I'm an fan of Ito Junji's works but I didn't care for Gyo or the side stores like Fragments of Horror but I loved Umizaki. I've also seen some hot his other works, Just looking at them tells me right away that they won't be for me because I don't like stories that are just created without a stable footing only to end with nothing being resolved. Tomie caught my eye because of the films. These films have been in my face for years. I always ran across them in the video store but wasn't interested in checking to see what they were about. I finally watched a few of the Tomie films and loved them so naturally I looked up the manga too but they manga wasn't available at the time. Fast forward to the present, I bought Tomie and took my own sweet time reading through the pages. Its a pretty big hardcover book with color illustrations created by Ito himself. Tomie is a supernatural beauty that can never die. no matter how much you kill her she comes back to life. Men instantly fall in love with Tomie and she can control anyone(male and female) to do her biding but she hates females most of all. The manga is presented in different chapters that can range from  a few pages to longer than nine pages. Certain chapters run longer than others and the story will span over more than one chapter. Tomie's most scary aspect can be her ability to use human desire to completely make a person destroy themselves. At times she never lifts a finger, just present while events unfold. Tomie's always at the center of the conflict though. Her appearance is never the same either but the mole under her left eye is the quality of her face that never changes. Think of all the girls back in your high school/middle school days that were absolute bitches because their looks gave them popularity. Tomie has this same personality times ten. Her attitude in some of the stories was so outlandish that I couldn't help laughing out loud. Only the best is good enough for Tomie and she doesn't care who she has to control to get it. As a read, I started to care less about Tomie and more about the characters that unfortunately become involved with her. You can only hope that someone can resist her and get the hell away from her but she hard to shake off, literally. Anyway, The plot deals mostly with human desire, greed, envy, jealousy, etc. If humans didn't have these emotions naturally ingrained into their hearts, Tomie could do much damage but since these emotions drive us on a daily basis, we're all easy picking for Tomie. I forgot to mention that Tomie also goes through her own issues that frankly make the plot more freaky visually. I'm not going to reveal too much here though. Go pick up a copy for yourself folks.

  Ito Junji is a visual genius of horror story telling. Its not his stories that are scary but the visual aids that come with his stories. You will see the Ito's progress as an artists while you read the earlier stories of Tomie to the later stories he created. The art work for the first five or six chapters don't look like much. In fact, it looks like something a student would draw in his notebook instead of paying attention in class but a charm is resonates from what was drawn. Chapter by chapter, the art starts to look more like the art we are used to seeing from Ito today. characters faces are sketched in to look more refined and the eyes of Tomie are drawn to look sharper with a hint of seductive gleam. I enjoyed seeing the art change like time was passing by before me eyes. Tommy that looked like doodle sketches was the homie of the 1990's while Tomie that was remastered was more of the 2000s version of her character. A great strategy that Ito does is adds a shock factor through the relationship between his art and the progression of his stories. One comparison would be opening a door to a room not knowing whats inside but your mind makes you believe that whatever is in that room isn't going to be good. All of Ito's works use the dreaded page turn to scary you almost to death. The next page always gives you a panel that contains some of the most disturbing visuals you ever want to see. I didn't want to turn the page sometimes because I knew what was coming. This also makes reading his works fun too. Just be warned, don't eat while you read Ito's works.... Tomie wasn't as bad as Gyo(ugh!) or Umizaki but it does have its moments in there.

   I was satisfied with what I read for the most part because I knew what I was getting myself into. Tomie is a story that will never end but most of the content hints at this fact before the conclusion. I took a long hard look at myself after reading the manga completely. Looks are nice but they fade with  time...... unless your Tomie, that is.........

Jung Joon Young(정준영)- The First Person(1인칭) Album Thoughts(K-Ballad/Alternative Rock)

Track List:
01. Intro
02. Princess
03. 나와 너 (Feat. 장혜진) [Me And You (Feat. Jang Hye Jin)] 
04. 화가
05. Star
06. Amy
07. 공감 (Orchestra Ver.)
08. PSYCHO
09. 메아리 (Outro)
 
  Jung Joon Young, a 27 year old singers who made a name for himself on the singing competition, Super Star K. He was a runner up but didn't win. This fact didn't stop him from being signed to record label and releasing a mini album that was praised highly by fans and critics in South Korea. Since then he has acted in a movie, hosted TV shows, become a radio mc, and released more music solo and with his own band.(Now known as Drug Restaurant.)


  The First Person counts as Joon Young's very first full length album. I didn't know that he had an album scheduled to be released this year but I was so ready to listen to it. He's my boy because of his honesty whenever he opens his mouth.  He has no filter during his interviews or when he talks period. Whatever is on his mind comes out of his mouth and he doesn't seem to care. I'm sure it turns a lot of people off because he makes himself look like an ass but he's probably a nice person too. Just brutally  honest. Joon Young's also one of the more popular male singers that does rock music on a more mainstream level in Korea. So I thought that this album was going to be a mix of Joon Young being more modest during his ballad tracks then unleashing his inner rock child for other tracks. The album turned out to be a whole other story all together. Ballads are the theme for this album and my time spent listening to these tracks was a dull one. Maybe my expectations were too high because I loved the other musical work he had done with his band as well as his first two mini albums. I just felt disappointed that he or his record label made him sell out for a ballad sound that they know the masses would like. Joon Young might have made this decision himself and I will respectfully say that I didn't like this album. My taste for his music came from the attraction of him being a wild child while he performed songs like Teenager and Be Stupid. The performance he did on SNL Korea was just WOW! I'm really sad that none of the old him can be found on this album. This music is too meek, too tame, to be Joon Young. The album has good tracks like the duet You and Me and the track Amy that also show his vocal growth. Who is Jang Hye Jin? She sang pretty good.  Joon young's lyrics are still good also but I question of some of his english lyrics... vocals are also still unique unlike his change from rock singer to ballad singer to fit in with everyone else. Be a leader, not a follower. Korea loves their ballads. I get it.....

  Joon Young has spoken about his vocal range in interviews before. He has a deep voice that struggles to hit higher notes. Once he said that it took him a long time to finally hit the high note that is vocalized in the song Teenager. After awhile he hit the note though. Thats the one problem I feel like he doesn't struggle with anymore. His high notes are much more controlled than before. He does still like to sing in a mostly lower tonal range but the sound quality of his voice is good.

  I'm going to give The First Person another listen to see if I can find something I like about it. Did his band Drug Restaurant come out with anything new? I need to go check for that now. Lets hope this is a phase for Joon Young OPPA!!! *shiver*** Ok, I'll stop...... BETTER DAYS EVERYONE!!!!!

 

Chihiro Onitsuka(鬼束ちひろ) - Syndrome(シンドローム) Album Thoughts(J-Rock/Acoustic)

Tracklist:

1.good bye my love
2.Ao no Hakobune (碧の方舟; Blue Ark)
3.Gensou Kyoku (弦葬曲; Fantasia)
4.Sweet Hi-Five
5.ULTIMATE FICTION
6.Kanashimi no Kikyuu (悲しみの気球; Balloon of Sadness)
7.Chandelier (シャンデリア)
8.Hi no Tori (火の鳥; Phoenix)
9.good bye my love (acoustic version)

   Chihiro Onitsuka was one of the most best selling female Japanese artists in the early 2000s but then  she took  a long break from music in 2007. She had a lot of problems with her record label and relationship issues where her ex boyfriend came to her home and assaulted her a few years back. Good Bye My Love was her first single since her return to music after her second long break, then out of nowhere came the full length album, Syndrome.

  I haven't heard a full album from her in what seems like forever. She might have been active behind the scenes(giving a concert here and there.) but she takes a lot of breaks from the music scene. I've like almost every release she has come out with since finding one of her music videos online when I was just getting into Japanese music. Well known for her deep emotional lyrics and charismatic acoustic performances, Onitsuka created most likely created syndrome with her old style in mind. The tracks defiantly make her music feel like she never left. Good Bye My Love is one of the best ballad songs I've heard from a J female artists this year hands down. I don't like many songs from the first listen but the arrangement of violin, guitar, and drums, flowed well into my ears. Onitsuka also hits the chorus perfectly for vocals. After such a powerful lead single, things get striped down so that they can remain simple. There's no big production tricks to be had with the next few tracks. She only sings and plays the piano as the bear minimum.  Onitsuka shines the brightest during these times. Its a big opportunity to hear her voice ring true. Sweet Hi-Five was my second favorite ballad style type of song. She sings this song with a lot of emotion and poise. Ultimate Fiction takes the album and speeds the flow of the album up a little bit. Its a rock acoustic song that is a shadow of her older songs such as X. This song was great for her voice too and I just like how it sound over all. They best thing about Syndrome and Onitsuka's artistry in general is her ability to make slow songs have a form of life. Ballads are not liked by everyone which is understandable. Especially if they are boring and don't progress to the singer giving a good vocal performance. Syndrome is simple library of tracks that remind listeners that her ballads are interesting without trying hard to be. I normally can't stand a whole album full of ballads but Chihiro Onitsuka is one of the exceptions.

 I don't know the right words to explain of she sounds but she doesn't sound like anyone else. One quality I notice that she likes to do for this album is sing in high range constantly. Or she might naturally have a high voice. Theres a low tonal range there too that sounds great for her but I love that fact that her high range has a fuller controlled sound than what I'm use to hearing from her. Maybe she was taking vocally lessons while she was away..... She could do her own sharping of her vocals since she plays piano though. People who play piano and sing together can tune their own voices most of the time.

  My only complaint about the album is that the song called 夏の罪(Summer Sins) that was used in the Japanese Drama Age Harassment wasn't anywhere to be found on Syndrome. It made an appearance on the Good Bye My Love single as a B side but thats it. I'm in love with this song too and I'm not happy about its exclusion from the album. 
 

The Handmaiden(아가씨) Korean Film Thoughts

  In a time when Japan Occupied Korea, A man hires a pick pocket from a house of maids to get close to a rich Japanese women so he can seduce her then marry her and take her fortune. He never excepted that the two women would fall for each other.


  I wanted to watch this film solely because Ha Jung Woo was starring in it. He's a great actor that has many different sides and shades of color to his acting ability. The screenplay is based off a novel titled The Fingersmith by English novelist Sarah Waters making the film be showcased in an alluring fashion. The plot is decided into three parts that tell the story from the point of view of three different characters. You as the viewer is forced  to see the plot unfold one way then retold again from a narrative along with new information. Its all kind of like breaking up a puzzle on the floor and the pieces are there for you to try to put back together. The film gives you the pieces to put back in their rightful places thankfully. Each piece brings you closer to the game that being played. Who is in control of this game of emotion? You will never know till the film's conclusion. Some parts of The Handmaiden might be confusing to certain people if you don't know anything about Korean and Japanese culture. Specifically, Japanese culture and their form of entertainment done by women. This is an important part of Japanese culture but they way its used in this film is sad and degrading to women. Korean culture isn't really present besides the language. Another thing is the different parts read like a storybook and made the film feel longer than it was. I'm going to leave that up to you guys to decide if this was a good or bad quality of The Handmaiden. I liked the creativeness of the presentation.

  Back to Ha Jung Woo and the cast. He's a side character compared to Kim Min Hee and Kim Tae-ri. This is Tae-ri's first major film debut and you can sense that she's new. Not in the case that her acting was bad but she felt new to films for me. Min Hee is an actress thats always continuing to improve her craft and this role was a new chapter in her career. Both actresses had to get to a place in their acting that created a sexual tension. Tae-ri as the maid who is taken away by Min Hee as the Japanese heiress who has her own problems. I enjoyed watching them act together because I could feel the tension of the happy moments and sad events that unfold. I'm also impressed with them for doing such racy scenes and not being afraid of how the media would perceive the film. Frontal nudity is shown just like in  a whole bunch of other adult Korean films. Back to Ha Jung Woo and his performance as the playboy con artists who will do anything to get money. He's the best at roles where he exudes confidence. The way he walks, talks, and looks at you makes anyone think that he's full of himself. I love these characters for him since he makes it look so easy. Cho Jin Woong plays the uncle of Hideko, Min Hee's character. Jin Woong is known for playing devious characters with stone cold hearts and this character pretty much falls into the same category. He can be forgotten about because his character isn't around all the time. When he is around the estate, you know who's running things there. His character makes the biggest impact during part 2 and 3 of the plot. The last thing I would like to praise the cast for it the ability to make this film bilingual. Two languages are spoken by all of the cast and those languages are Japanese and Korean. Japanese is spoken a little bit more than Korean but hangul is there enough to remind you this is a Korea made production. The spoke Japanese sounded very fluent which surprised me on top of Ha Jung Woo's ability to speak the language. A talented cast always grants great performances.

  Many of the scenes are either nature based outside the mansion or inside the mansion. The setting is so beautiful that I couldn't take me eyes off on the screen. From the lush green fields to the lavished structure of the mansion, fit the content of the script well. It felt very Japanese at times but then also very Korean. It felt Korean when the scenes had a more harsh undertone. Then more Japanese when the scenes had a hint of polish and class. For example the mansion scenes then the scenes that showed where the poor Korean citizens lived. One of my favorite scenes is where Min hee and Taeri's characters are running in a field with the big sky above them where dawn is about the break.

  The Handmaiden was directed by Park Chan Wook who is famous for The Vengeance Trilogy and films such as Thirst. The film received a parental rating for its explicit sex scenes in several countries. All the actors and actresses involved also gained numerous award nominations as well as award wins. I'm up for watching this film a second time because its so artsy visually. I will be honest and say that I don't watch a lot of Lesbian themed films but I liked this one.