Harufuwei begins when a young high school senior named Hiro (Kitano Kii) falls for one of her classmates, Shuu (Masaki Okada).

She watches him excitedly during one of his basketball games, but becomes TOO excited and becomes faint. Her friend Meme, played by Naka Riisa, takes her to the nurse’s office to calm down.

While they’re there, they both fall asleep on the beds and time passes. The basketball game continues on, and Shuu accidentally gets hit in the nose and has to go to the nurse’s office as well. Meme and Hiro are both awake by now but Hiro has a wet cloth over her eyes, and does not realize that the boy she’s been head over heels for is in the room right now.

And so, she reveals to Meme (in front of Shuu), she really, really, really likes Shuu, and intends to confess to him. Shuu is shocked, and as Hiro throws the wet cloth over her eyes from her face, he runs off before she could see him.

Shuu asks her out the following afternoon, to Hiro’s delight, and they begin dating.

Things aren’t always happy though, as Hiro finds out. She eventually finds out that he’s applying to Waseda University, which is a university in Tokyo, and she’s planning to stay in Hokkaido. She begs him not to go though, and so he changes his mind, even though his teachers tell him that it would be much better if he were to go to Waseda.

Hiro is happy, but soon, she starts to think. From the words of her teacher, “In the long run, which would make you guys happier?”

Staying with her in Hokkaido would make them happy in the short-term, but wouldn’t going to the prestigious Waseda work out better in the long run? Hiro wants him to stay… but…

Thoughts:

I thought this movie was going to be really sad and stuff, or the trailer gave me that impression, but I was really suprised at how light and cute this whole film was. I’m actually a senior in high school, and I guess I can really relate to this story, because I’m thinking of what college I’m applying to, and the fact that I’m probably going to leave all my friends and family behind for a few years.

Anyways, I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I thought it was so cute. And the little bit before the credits was really good on Kitano Kii’s part. I thought she was a great Hiro. She played her headstrong character well. Masaki Okada, on the other hand, did a great job playing Shuu. Shuu was always so patient with the rambunctious Hiro, and he was so sweet and goofy.

Pros:

- I really like Masaki Okada and Kitano Kii together.They really are good actors, and they stand out. It was really cute when their characters bickered and then made up. It made me smile. (For example, they randomly bickered over the pronounciation of the word ‘halfway’– Hiro gets it wrong calling it ‘harufuwei’ instead of ‘haafuwei’, thus the title. It’s supposed to be mistaken.)

- I liked the plot a lot, and I liked how everything flowed together and seemed so normal.

- The song, Halfway, by Salyu really matched with the atmosphere of the movie.

Cons:

- It was too short, in my opinion. Only 1 hour and 25 minutes?

- It’s not an exciting movie. It’s really slow. But, that’s the point, and I love it.

Grade: A+

Overall, just a sweet movie that I think I’ll watch again.

Ohhhh snap. I’m supposed to be doing my assignments. Never mind. I’ve just spent about 15 hours on the best PSP game ever. (Don’t worry, no plot spoilers that you shouldn’t know of already.)

This PSP game is about a person Zack Fair, a 2nd-class SOLDIER in the ShinRa company striving to become 1st-class SOLDIER. Although seemingly cocky at first, Zack matures and becomes even stronger as he unravels the mystery of the disappearance of fellow SOLDIER 1st-class Genesis. This game is a prequel to FF7, which stars the internationally known character, Cloud Strife.

I borrowed this from my friend, because I had played FF7 casually before, and I knew all about what happens and stuff. I wasn’t really INTO it, though. But, after playing this game, slaving hours at a time defeating monsters and unveiling plots, I fell in love with it.

The story is something that even a FF7 newcomer can get (which is good), and within the first few minutes of the game you fall in love with the character that is Zack Fair. (Not like IN LOVE, mind you. I meant like, I really enjoyed playing his character. He isn’t emo. Or broody. Hi Squall.)

And if you HAVE played FF7, this game becomes an even better treat for you. You get to see your old favorite characters again, albeit younger and better graphics. You get to see how it all began, and you begin to piece the puzzles together and you realize why this all fits in together.

And, the ending. I have to say that I loved it. I loved the whole aspect of it. Not spoiling anything, but the way the game made it, it just made you want to think.

This game has kept me thinking for a while now.

Pros:

- Fantastic storyline, likeable characters.

- Easy for FF7 newcomers to catch on; nostalgic treat for the old FF7 fans.

- Zack Fair.

- (Does this spoil? Not really.) I thought Zack and Aerith were cute. All my Cloud/Aerith friends have been converted.

- I liked fusing my materia in Materia Fusion.

- Easy controls. You can press X repeatedly and own monsters easily.

Cons:

- It could be too easy. But not for me. LOL.

- Side missions are repetitive. They’re only useful for like leveling up or nicer items.

- I hated how you couldn’t skip cutscenes. Like, you would lose and then start over from BEFORE the cutscene, you that meant you had to watch it all over again. I, myself would just set my PSP down. For this one certain long cutscene that I kept losing on I just set it on my bed and went to the kitchen to fix myself a sandwich.

- THE LAST SHINRA SOLDIERS. I want to smack them.

Grade: A+

Gameplay time: 15 hours.

I should probably review Buzzer Beat and Otomen. Too lazy. Let’s just say that Buzzer Beat is good, Otomen has nice characters but is blah.

She forgot her bra.

This episode consisted majorly of Riko denying that she likes Naoki. She tells Mai that the cellphone she returned to Kawasaki was Naoki’s, and thinks it’s destiny. Mai asks if it’s the destiny between her and Naoki, but Riko blatantly denies that, going to a “I like Kawasaki” chant. LOL.

Meanwhile, Naoki suspects Natsuki of cheating. But, following in the footsteps of Riko, denies it and thinks she’s faithful. I presume all the viewers are going “SHE IS, SHE IS CHEATING NAOKI!”

Also, since Naoki’s sister Yukino is back, the recently kicked out Shuji moves in with the musical girls. Mai and Riko aren’t afraid to show their ungirly side, and Shuji also has a list of chores to do. Haha, poor Shuji.

Riko ends up crying because of what Kawasaki did. Long time ago. They make up though. Part of it thanks to Naoki.

I felt kind of bad for Naoki when he was going to give his sweet bunch of sunflowers– er sunflower, but he ended up not giving it, because how can you compete with an enormous bouquet of flowers? Or so he thinks. (It’s the thought that counts, you know.) He DOES have a girlfriend, but she’s a bitch.

Riko gets the sunflower though. And likes it more. LOL.

Naoki fits all the puzzle pieces together, and sees that it’s Ren (I think that was his came? Stalker dude, if I got it wrong.) she’s cheating on him with. Dun dun.

Boo, you whore.

And, seriously. It’s obviously blatant. In the end, Naoki sees them kiss. Boo hoo. Break up time anyone? Also, Riko admits to liking him.

In other news, water is wet.

Thoughts:

I like Shuji and Mai, and I think they’ll end up together, don’t you think so?

Besides that, I love Shuji. He gets to be the scapegoat in this drama, but he’s so adorable, in a way. He’s like one of the girls, after moving in with them. Haha. Too bad his room is a closet, pretty much.

My favorite part(s) were pretty much all of Shuji’s parts, honestly. He’s so funny.

I also don’t mind Kawasaki, but I don’t think he’ll end up with Riko, of course.

Aaand, I don’t like Natsuki. I think I’d probably like her better if she dumps or gets dumped by Naoki and dates her stalker. She’s a bit of a bitch, to be quite honest. D: A lying one too.

Grade: A

This is what he does for fun. D:

Asuka is a manly LOOKING high schooler who secretly loves girly things. He tries to hide his hobbies by joining kendo, but when a new girl Ryo comes along, Asuka can’t help but show his girly side.

Quick thoughts:

I thought this show was pretty good. I think Okada Masaki matches Asuka. He’s tough on the outside, but when it comes to stuffed animals and baking cakes, he’s all girly.

"Perfect!"

I’m still half-half on Kaho, but I’ll give it another episode, since she didn’t have much scenes for me to judge.

I think Sano Kazuma is a good Juta, because he was pretty believeable. I thought besides Asuka’s girly things, Juta’s scenes were funny. Especially when he was spying on Asuka.

"Meow?"

As for Seto Koji, as much as I really, really like him, I didn’t find myself believing that he was a wimpy kid. Or, I think I should get used to him as the character. I think he tried too hard? Well, I think he’ll improve. Or, my mind will fix itself.

Well, anyways. My favorite scene was the last kendo scene. I usually find kendo kind of uninteresting, but the last scene with them fighting with kendo sticks was pretty cool.

Grade: B, because I think I had too much expectations? And I read the manga, so that raised the bar too. I’ll definitely keep watching.

This is Makino Tsukushi.

Oh, that’s not the bad part.

And this is Domyouji Tsukasa. Yes, it is him.

This is just a warning.

I’d advise you NOT to watch this as your first Hana Yori Dango. If you’re going to watch HYD for the first time, start with HYD the series, or even Meteor Garden or Boys Before Flowers.

If this was the first HYD you saw, you’d probably be like, “WTH is this show?” And probably won’t watch the really good series that spawned out of the original manga. (Ahem, the Japanese HYD series.)

But, if you HAVE seen the Hana Yori Dango series, you’d probably think that this was seriously hilarious. Because it was. Placed during the middle 90′s, you’ll find the hairstyles and clothing a bit different than … now.

LOL.

Pros:

- HILARIOUS. It’s SO 1990.

- Fujiki Naohito is gorgeous as Rui. Just saying.

Cons:

- Uh, don’t watch this first if this is the first HYD you’re going to see. I’d recommend the Japanese series. Oh, the other two are good, but I just happen to prefer the Japanese series more. The Korean one was so… over-dramatic and I ended up not really liking the main girl/main guy that much, and the Meteor Garden one was a bit old and long.

Grade: C

This episode includes the phrase, “LOVE MAKES ME STRONG.” Which is so very true when it comes to Naoki and Riko.

Riko ends up going to a practice game between the JC ARCS and some other team. This is because she’s now technically dating the coach, Kawasaki. She sees Naoki play, and watches him miss shots that he really shouldn’t have missed. Riko had seen him practice at the South Park, and so she knew that he could do much better than that.

Riko ends up standing up during Naoki’s free throw, telling him off. She tells him that he’s better than that, and he’s being stupid right now, etc. This pumps Naoki up, I guess, and he ends up making ALL his shots after that. The cheating fiancee is impressed by him again.

Speaking of the cheating fiancee, Natsumi ends up being stalked by the guy she slept with. He calls her, goes to her house, and all those stalking stuff. Creepy. But, it’s her fault. And to top it all off, she’s pretty much using Naoki to get away from stalker-man. She deserves him.

And then there’s Riko’s best friend, Mai, who ends up going on a double date with Riko and Kawasaki. Kawasaki brings along one of his players, Toru. Mai falls for him at first sight. But, I don’t think she’s ending up with him.

According to the Buzzer Beat OP, she’s ending up with Shuji! Or so I think they are.

Lucky gal.

Anyways, in the end, Riko and Naoki meet each other at South Park once again. Actually, Riko saw Naoki playing basketball there, so she ran to see him. When she got there, he wasn’t playing anymore, but waiting for her. Aw. They end up telling each other their names and ages, because even though they’ve become pretty close recently, they never even asked. What? Really? Lol.

Riko then leaves, and Naoki looks at the big poster on the wall near them. It reads, “LOVE MAKES ME STRONG.” It’s in English though, can he read it? I dunno, but it does make sense.

(Errr, I feel a bit sorry for Kawasaki. Who does he get in the end?)

Pros:

- I think this episode was very entertaining for me. I actually think Yamapi’s improving on his acting. He’s not as dead-eyed as he was in… his previous dramas.

- I still love the theme song.

- All the characters really, besides Natsuki and the stalker.

Cons:

- Natsuki and the stalker.

Grade: A

Next episode has a beach scene. Yaay. And hopefully, Naoki gets rid of his fiancee/girlfriend. Also features Naoki carrying Riko on his back.

(I felt a need to add this.)

Koide Keisuke and Hayato Ichihara. They’ve hit the home run! (bad pun, sorry)

This summary is going to be super super short. All in all, they end up challenging the team with the ex-Nikogaku baseball player Enatsu, and smashing them into pieces. They then enter the Koushien tournament, which there Mikoshiba and Aniya’s childhood friend get badmouthed. That doesn’t faze them, and they end up winning their games.

But, problems arise when a freshmen steps up and challenges them to fight, because they were once the best fighters at the school. But, even if the freshman’s gang trashed the baseball field AND the club room, they refuse to fight back.

Kawato-sensei solves most of the problems they have with dreams and such. He then ends up resigning though, to protect Nikogaku’s team from getting disqualified during a game. (Lol, which it was sort of his fault in the first place.)

Aniya tries to win the games by himself, even if he has a fractured rib. Mikoshiba objects to that, and ends up hitting a major homerun, with two outs and bases loaded. Wow.

Kawato comes back at the end, and they are all happy! Hoorah!

Thoughts:

Well, I liked it. I wish I had a teacher like Kawato; Kawato is the type of teacher who is ALWAYS on the students side. Even if one student says, “I WANT TO CONQUER TOKYO. THAT IS MY DREAM.” He goes, “GO AHEAD! (Do it in a nice way though.)”

Lol.

Pros:

- Aniya and Mikoshiba were my favorites. Also, I happened to like the Nyaa~ boy.

Cons:

- Shinjo at the beginning, but at the end, he becomes someone funny to watch.

- Err, FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND THEY’LL COME TRUE! (maybe.)

- I would’ve liked to see Aniya get together with his childhood friend. I mean, he WANTS to get into her skirt. Lol.

Grade: A-

Oh, random, but I saw the guy who plays Sekikawa on SASUKE/Ninja Warrior. He didn’t get very far, but I thought that was something.

Koichi Kawato is a newly hired teacher at Futakotamagawa High, where the baseball team is known for a massive fight that occured during their last game. The baseball team is compiled of cigarette-smoking, rule-breaking, tough guys who think they know it all, sporting really crazy hairstyles.

Despite their outward appearance, Koichi (Sato Ryuta) sees that they really do want to play baseball. Even though they all deny it, Koichi and one sane baseball club member Mameshiba (Koide Keisuke), one by one they begin to realize their true goal: to aim and reach for Koshien.

(Koshien is a big high school baseball tournament, I believe.)

But, aiming for Koshien isn’t easy. The baseball teams are hard, and they’re still rookies, besides the head of the gang, Aniya (Ichihara Hayato). They even lost to the girls’ softball team by more than 15 points. So, they begin to practice more, and maybe they’ll get there.

Thoughts:

This series is so fun. It’s like Gokusen, but less emphasis on hot guys. The teacher is like Onizuka-sensei 2.0 or Gokusen-sensei male-version. He believes in his students, and goes very far to help them.

Ichihara Hayato is in this. I’ve seen him so much lately, haha. He plays the head of the group, Aniya, the one who is actually naturally good at baseball. He’s not the captain though, for that’s Mameshiba, who’s played by Koide Keisuke (he’s the gay afro drummer in Nodame, LOL, and also Yuu in Koizora).

Oh, Shirota Yuu also is in the baseball club, as Shinjo. He’s the character I have a like-hate relationship with him. At the beginning, he was all bratty-like (hard to describe), wanting the baseball club to stay as is, which was playing mahjong all day and smoking. But, in the end he learns his lesson and wants his friends back, and so he rejoins the club. But, once he returns, he’s a bit behind. He’s clumsy and tall. TALL. Shirota Yuu is 6’1″, so I thought it was absolutely funny watching him walk across the crowd. He TOWERS them like nothing. Haha.

And then he falls. I lol’d harder.

Pros:

- Entertaining, and I learn a BIT more about baseball.

- I really like Ichihara Hayato’s voice. It’s raspy; how weird. His eyebrows have been attacked by manscapers though.

Cons:

- Onizuka-sensei 2.0, sort of. You know, the whole ‘ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR STUDENTS!’ In real life, the students (aka my class) are manipulative.

- The principals SUCK. The first principal redeemed himself, but the second one currently sucks.

Grade: A- (around that.)

I’ll keep on watching.

Picture from the official site.

Starring Okada Masaki and Inoue Mao.

Boku no Hatsukoi, Kimi ni Sasugu, or I Give My First Love to You, is a manga turned film about two people named Takuma (Okada Masaki) and Mayu (Inoue Mao). They first meet at a hospital, where Takuma was staying at because of a heart condition. Mayu is the daughter of the cardiologist that treats him. During this time, they become closer and closer, and when they were 8, Takuma made a promise, that once they were 20, they would get married.

So, they became childhood sweethearts. But, during their high school years, Takuma starts distancing himself from Mayu, much to her dismay. He doesn’t want her to find out his secret, which was the fact that he didn’t know how long his heart would last after the age of 20.

But, what he doesn’t know is that she knows his secret as well.

I’ve noticed that there are two movies I’m seriously anticipating on watching. And both of them have Masaki Okada in it. LOL. Coming to Japanese theatres October 24, 2009!

Rainbow Song is a film is about two college filmmakers working on a movie, and they eventually fall in love. Eventually.

I remember watching this right after I saw Water Boys 2, and I completely into watching Ichihara Hayato movies. It was really hard for me to find, and I pretty much had almost no understanding of Japanese then, so when I DID find it, it was in RAW. I was troubled.

But, eventually, I got myself up and watched the movie, with my Japanese to English dictionary at hand to double-check on the words I don’t understand.

In the end though, I really didn’t need to use it because the acting and emotions were easy to read, and I could tell what they were saying.

Hayato Ichihara plays a guy named Tomoyo who’s fallen in love with Kyoko (Wakana Sakai). In an attempt to get nearer to her, he asks Aoi (Ueno Juri) to give him her job at the record store. Aoi blantly refuses, calling him annoying and a stalker. But, eventually, she befriends him, and casts him as the leading in her ‘End of the World’ movie, making Kyoko the leading girl, to help him in his attempt to get Kyoko to date him. That plan doesn’t really fare well, as Kyoko starts giggling everytime they do the kissing scene. Aoi steps in and replaces her as the leading girl, because she doesn’t want her first movie to fail.

Eventually, they finish the movie, and Tomoya and Aoi become closer, to the point where they both fall in love with each other. They don’t say anything, and soon Aoi tells Tomoya that she plans to go to the States to become a better director…

Also, Aoi Yuu plays Aoi’s(lol) little sister, who is blind.

Thoughts:

Without giving anything away, I’d have to say that this movie is really great, and there’s a really good lesson to learn here. You shouldn’t always hide what you need to say, because sometimes it could just be too late.

I’m serious. After this movie finished, I was in tears, thinking that I should call anybody and just tell them I really appreciate them.

And then, a year later, I found the subtitles for this movie, and watched it again. Afterwards, I was in tears, again, because I think you really shouldn’t hide your feelings.

Thus, my favorite movie. Oh, this and Go.

Pros:

- Everything!

- The ending, even though I know some won’t like it, like the friend I saw it with. And the ending song.

Cons:

- Sort of slow-paced; but I think it’s reasonable.

- Oh, Tomoya.

Grade: A++++

I’d like to see Ueno Juri and Ichihara Hayato in another project one day. I don’t know.