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Jigeum uri hakgyoneun (2022)
High-budget show with slow and boring story line
The resources of "All of Us Are Dead" would allow for a good show. You can see there's money involved and talented people behind the scenes, making most special effects feel well executed. The actors also are at least decent most of the time.
Where the show is lacking severely is in the story department. There are some fun ideas for groundwork of the show but beyond that, its execution is disappointing. Characters behave unimaginative, stupid, and unlikable to force the desired emotions (like sadness or tension) onto a scene. The overall length of 12 episodes à one hour each causes scenes be dragged out and lots of focus on story lines that should only have been minor mentions.
In general, I found myself somewhat interested in the show over the first few episodes. By the end of it, I was mostly laughing at how bad and repetitive everything has become.
If you're a zombie buff like me and think that "Zombies mixed with teenage drama" sounds like a fun concept, it's probably worth to give this a watch. Otherwise it's an easy skip.
Thunder Road (2018)
Good tragic, not a comedy
Amazing acting and a well-done indie feel is what makes this movie stand out. Just from a technical standpoint, it's a good tragic.
On the other hand, it seems very odd to me that this would be classified as a comedy. I have read theories that this was done purely for marketing, which would be understandable. But I have read reviews of people describing the "amazing cringe comedy" and how they "couldn't stop laughing" which is just bizarre to me. There is a great number of "comic" scenes, in the meaning of "weird". A few of them are lighthearted and I can see someone cracking a smile during those. But most of them present real life problems that people with mental illnesses, such as the main character depicts, encounter and struggle with.
To me, those scenes just added to the tragic: showing how intolerant society is towards people who don't completely fit the norm. But the frustrating thing is that apparently, this is in no way exaggerated from real life. Apparently, viewers also find it funny to laugh at characters who stand out in their struggle to live a normal life.
Samâ uôzu (2009)
Solid collection of cliches
"Summer Wars" isn't a masterpiece of invention. All its elements (audio, visuals, story line) are decent but nothing stands out as extraordinary.
The soundtrack felt fitting and emotional during the scenes but completely forgettable as well.
The visuals were well done, especially during the fight scenes, but just on par with modern anime standards.
The characters and plot points were a mix of elements that you can easily find elsewhere. You have the shy protagonist, the annoying children, the strong family lead etc.. You have a typical suspense curve of a drama. From a technical standpoint, this movie hits all the right notes but in no way does it try to surprise the viewer.
"Summer Wars" is definitely worth a watch if one is looking for a well-made but simple anime. However I doubt that I will watch it a second time.
Note that several conflicts in this movie are resolved in combat (not realistic bar fights but full blown anime fights), so it might not be accessible to everyone.
Tenki no ko (2019)
Alright for its genre
It's an alright teenage-love / coming of age anime like any other. It hits all the usual notes and is very predictable. The overall idea, while novel, is nothing special either.
Unfortunately, the characters, especially the main protagonist, become more unlikable as the movie progresses which makes it hard to sympathize and root for them.
Animation and visuals are great and music, though not memorable, fit the scenes and was composed well.
Overall, it's worth a watch if you like anime and this genre in particular. But it's definitely not as good as "Your name".
Jagten (2012)
Good movie with stupid characters
I can definitely say that I like the topic of this movie and its approach to it. I also like the general story line and the acting. It had a good use of camera position and usage of sound to make many parts feel tense. You root for the main character and are scared that something bad will happen to him.
Besides that, there is one thing that really hurt this movie in my opinion: the characters act irrational and stupid. I am fully aware that this is kind of the point of the movie, to show that one small mistake can get out of control and destroy a life. However, I feel like it was overdone. I am quite sure I am not the only one who hoped that something bad happens to the people in the store and their likes, but I can see how their behavior makes sense in the context of the movie. Anyhow, there are scenes where people seem to be acting hateful just to get the movie to the point where it should be. Most notable for me, the scene in which Grethe gets her friend (?) to talk to Klara the first time. That is not anywhere close to how such a talk with a child should or would be executed by a professional. Maybe it is supposed to be that way because from what I could tell, Grethe's friend is just some guy who is not actually qualified to do that kind of work. Either way, it just felt very forced and artificial to me and I was close to turning the movie off because it felt so unbelievable.
But as I said, it is mostly a good movie except for this weakness and after some time, these awkward, forced scenes fall off.