Princess Jellyfish (2014)

Princess Jellyfish...I felt like the anime wasn't really my style and I never did give it a try. I'm also not the biggest fan of live-action films since they always seem less magical (?) than the other adaptations. So, with that in mind, I have to say that I seriously regret not watching this sooner. It exceeded my expectations!

The storyline is simple but fresh. The movie was fun, it addressed some serious issues, and it was somewhat lacking in the romance department. Exactly what you'd except from a Japanese movie...and that's not a bad thing. What really made this movie great were the characters, none of them were forgettable! This is mostly thanks to the actors who were just amazing. Both of the leads knew what they were doing, they were both new to me but Suda Masaki has plenty of projects under his belt ( he has like three movies coming up next year! wow ) and Nounen Rena is also quite talented ( Amachan anyone? ).

This is a feel-good movie, funny and light-hearted...and I honestly don't have any complaints about it. I'd definetly recommend this to anyone who wants a break from melodrama, anyone who likes fashion, and anyone looking for a good weekend movie.

PS. The soundtrack was so great!

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Watching this movie was like opening a plastic wrap with a bunch of gummy bears. It was sweet, colorful and full of fun.

The movie may seem nonsensical or rather another "Make Over" concept at first, but gradually, the fun starts when the cross dressing male lead Koibuchi Kuranosuke gets more involved with the female lead Kurashita Tsukimi and her housemates. I think that's where the story line actually picks up. Kuragehime may not have a great romance aspect into it, but it does give hints as to whom the character's heart actually belongs to. The portrayal of an Otaku in this film is also quite a bit over rated to my taste but then there's Kuranosuke who by the way is trying to hide the fact that he is a male cross dressing as a female so as not to be hated by Tuskimi's housemates who thinks he is a girl... so that actually became a redeemer factor for me. The story revolves around this simple story line made complicated by the characters themselves. Though there may be additional conflict inserts along the plot line, it didn't give much impact to the over all feel of the film.

Acting wise, I really enjoyed the fact that the main lead is comfortable wearing female clothes and actually looks good in it. Compared to other cross dressed actors I've seen, Suda Masaki nailed his role, he never once looked like he was a trying-hard-wannabe-cross-dresser. It was fun watching him punch the air in excitement, dress up Mitzuki in pretty clothes and walk like a model while speaking in a male voice. The way he acted spelled FUN all over the place. Then there's our female lead, Mitzuki. Nounen Rena who portrayed this character (with her glasses on) looked so much like Aoi Miyazaki from the Movie - Tada Kimi Wo Aishiteru. Sorry, I had to insert that because I really found the resemblance quite astounding! Aside from that detail, I found myself liking her character. It wasn't as strong as the male lead, but it was cute enough to compliment Masaki along the way.

As for the other supporting actresses, I found each characters lovable: Banba (afro girl), Mayaya (Bangs Girl), Chieko (Doll Girl) and Jiji (Old Man lover girl). The person who caught my attention though was the afro girl. I really find her fetish for trains a bit odd, but her other skills like photography, having a keen eye, attention to details... those things made her really interesting. Oh! Her BIG Afro wig was a big plus too. Aside from these girls, I will have to insert Kuranosuke's brother - Shu Koibuchi and his ever faithful driver Yoshio Hanamori (played by my favorite Mokomichi Hayami-san!!!). Their tandem in this movie is funny, despite the over-acting in their part, I still find the slapstick comedy funny.

Music wise, I find it endearing and catchy, it also made me check out the band which was SEKAI NO OWARI. Ironically upon listening to their music they have the same feel as the American Band: Owl City, and when I did my research they already had a show together! That piece of information was really awesome. Another trivia about SEKAI NO OWARI, they are also the same band who sang the OST for Attack on Titans (but it's such a shame the movie wasn't up to my expections).

Over all, this will be worth your time if your mood is into a feel-good-funny movie with bits and pieces about Otakus, Gender Bender and Fashion.

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When the japanese movie scene run out of plot or new and thrilling ideas they just jump on the safe boat : Live actions.
In this case, I think that Kuragehime ( just like a lot of other live actions adaptations) shouldn't had become a movie.
I'm a huge fan of the anime so when I found that it was going to get a live action adaptation I was so exited.
Unfortunately, I found this movie boring to the core.
The only diamond here is Suda and his acting.
The crazy and beautiful thing about Kuranosuke is that he's actually a straight guy who just love to wear girl's clothes.
Even if he's wearing a dress or a wig, he's a boy. He can both talk like a boy or a girl, but he's definitely a straight guy. Just like some drag queen who just wear sparkling clothes without being gay or anything.
Kuranosuke is basically a kind of modern and young drag queen.
His character was well portrayed and , trust me, he's the only reason to watch this adaptation. But, obviously, if you didn't read the manga nor watch the anime you can find this movie enjoyable.
But, unfortunately, I have watched the anime so It was quite hard watching this movie till the end without falling asleep in the middle.
The plot it's the same, but now I'll tell you what made me dislike this movie so much.
The lead actress and her horrible acting while playing Tsukimi.
Tsukimi is a shy, innocent , nerd girl. You can not fall in love with her, because she's a ball of sunshine and her cuteness just makes you cry while cuddling a stuffed Jellyfish.
Her beautiful personality it's a great match with Kuranosuke's one, who's hype and shining.
Talking about the lead actress, she didn't make me feel any of those characteristics said before.
Her acting was plain, her voice's tone gave me chills down of my spine, but in a bad way.
Probably people would say that it's mean saying that an actress can't act. But, in my opinion, when it comes to actors, just like singers, you have to leave aside your feelings for an actor and just judge objectively its performance.
In this case, Nounen Rena did an awful job.
Why am I saying this? Because I know her from “Hot road” and she has done the same afwul performance even in that movie.
She wasn't the right choice for this role, she was totally overshadowed by Masaki Suda.
Another good thing about this movie ( The good things about this movie are just TWO single points on my list) is the group of the “Amars.”
Skilled actress, funny and adorable. They had the magical power to bring those characters to life.
Talking about the director, I knew it from the start that I shouldn't had trust him with this adaptation.
I know him from LDK, movie that I rated 4 because, leaving aside Kento's cute face, was a totally bore.
I'll just finish up this review, if I may call it like that, by saying that if you love Suda, you definitely have to watch it.
But, if you are a fan of the anime, I think you will be a little bit disappointed by it.

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I will start this off by saying that I have not read the manga or seen the anime, which is why I didn't have any expectations prior to watching this movie.

I think that the most important thing to note about the overall enjoyment is that in order to enjoy this movie, you need to throw every expectation you have about it in the water.

The story was nice - I think that's the most fitting word for it. It was pretty predictable plot wise, but still enjoyable since it provided an unusual twist on the world of otakus. You don't see a girl obsessed with jellyfish every day, nor a crossdressing dude who juggles some strong masculinity and femininity so perfectly. The side characters each had things to contribute to the plot, even if they weren't huge plot points. It's a nice story about finding who you are and accepting yourself fully. The focus isn't on the romance, it's more on the sisterhood and friendship that blooms between the characters. Overall, predictable but interesting. 7/10

I was very torn about how to rate the acting. In the end, I decided to go with 8/10 only because of Suda Masaki. He is outstanding in this. Without him, I would have rated it 6/10. If you're making live action, you need to play the part, because anime characters don't exist in real life. In my opinion the only one who succeeds in this is Masaki, because the role fits him like a glove. Everyone else is sorta over-the-top, literally trying to incorporate anime aspects into Live Action, which is always my biggest problem with it. Masaki manages to portray both the masculine and feminine sides of his character, and they're both presented wonderfully. 8/10

The music was okay. I actually didn't notice it much until it became TOO noticeable, when it was overdone slightly. Again, it's music that would fit an anime, but not a Live Action. 5/10

I don't rewatch movies like this, and it's pretty average when it comes to this genre. That's why I gave it 3/10.

Overall: Another attempt at making a real life anime. That is the distinction between good and bad live action remakes. Watch this if you don't really have other cutesy stuff to watch, or if you like Suda Masaki. He doesn't disappoint. 6.5/10

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Princess Jellyfish was an odd ride. The story is weird, the ending is unconventional, the concept crazy enough, even for a manga based movie. I didn't mind the boy who dressed as a girl, actually, it gave some spice to the story. But, I would have liked to have a better background story for him, like when he started cross dressing, or why. Then, the girls were odd and kind of over the top. I get that they were a sisterhood, but some reactions were too much and turned the movie a little cheesy. The love story, in addition, was okay, but the ending ruined it. Though, that can be seen as a unique feature for the movie, as it didn't follow the romantic comedy pattern and was, that way, more original and definitely more memorable. Finally, the performances were okay and the leading lady cute enough to support the whole project, as well as her cross dressing partner.

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I'm not a fan of this story. Back then when the anime came out I watched it because it was so popular. It's so exaggerated, the whole "we are otakus and are afraid of beautiful people because we will burn to ashes when we look them into the eye" is a bit strange. After seeing the movie AND the anime I only remember the two boys and the girl. I will admit that I'm very salty about the love triangle. I wanted to see her with ... well ... never mind. So even though I'm not a fan of this story I think the movie did GREAT. It's by far the best anime adaption I have ever seen. The actor played the girl VERY convincingly. I'm a sucker for gender bender and the actor did good. I was not bored for one second. I think I watched it even twice. If you want something fun and well made, and you like boys disguising as girls, then go for it.

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