Well, where to start...

This movie is a mess. A good kind of fucked up mess. This movie carries on the crazy roller-coaster ride from the anime and bring another kind of horror to the realm of live action. It's very graphic and I'd recommend you to be 17+ before you watch Himitsu: Top Secret. This movie is fucked up and I'm serious.

For the plot and acting, you don't have to worry. You might say that Ikuta Toma wouldn't fit Maki's shoes but you'll be utterly wrong. Toma carries Maki's grief and guilt so well that you won't mind anything else and Okada Masaki is perfect for Aoki. Just don't expect subtle shounen-ai like in the anime because their relationship here is just like any proper boss-subordinate.

The movie itself has squicks that normal human would feel like ready to vomit about. I'm a squeamish movie-goer and I don't regret ever watching this movie, even though I want to throw up my dinner afterward. Let's just say that if you ever watch the anime, you'll get the same sense of dread if not more because hey, we're talking about a live action here.

You want psychopath? You get one.
You want a strong but vulnerable Maki? You get one.
You want a plot worthy of Pink and Gray? You get one.

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This drama is a fresher take on mystery genre, since I've never seen any drama that dealt with a company that deleted your life upon your death. It kept you on your toes to figure everything out and it filled you with delight and satisfaction when you got it right. And the story was touching and unexpected, you watched it unravel before your eyes and you'll be humbled by the humanity of humans shown in each episodes.

The acting is top-notch and I couldn't think of anyone better to cast as the two main leads, their friendship grew so naturally and their dynamic is one of the most important aspect of this drama.

I find it difficult not to give this drama a solid ten. I'm sold as hell even from the first episode and even the next episodes flew by me so quickly that I didn't even notice I've reached the last episode.

And I still want Season 2. Fight me.

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It's a movie aimed for the younger generation who have started to work. At the first glance, this movie is just a mediocre action-humor staple with a dash of attempted romance. Hence why I gave the rewatch value an 'okay', but not 'great'.

The movie itself is weird (especially the sketchy company boss you'll find out later on) if you're not familiar with Japan's societal condition, but rather, it's something to think about if you can relate with it Hero Mania is about choosing to take action against what you know is wrong. It's about choosing to fight and to be swallowed by your passion because you know that you can't just be complacent and go with the flow. It's in the how the movie portrayed how bad the society can be if you choose to plug your ears and close your eyes.

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This series is the live-action adaptation from “Messiah ~Special Public Security Bureau Section Five~” written by Madoka Takadono.

As a prequel which should have explains the background of this movie series, it doesn't show much about our Secret Service. I don't even think that this movie is about Sakura anymore, but just a bunch of trainees on their first mission. They lacked subtlety, they stuck out like a sore thumb and the fight is just mediocre. The acting is a solid 6 of 10 but you'll see that they improved on the sequel.

Or I guess that's why this is a prequel.

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This movie is so subtle that you just realize that everything ties together so beautifully only at the last 30 minutes of the movie. The acting is top notch, Toma Ikuta at his best and Toda Erika is dazzling. The story is heart-rending and it will leave you in a daze. I didn't expect much because the cover is just like another ordinary crime movie laced with a dash of romantic comedy.
It exceeds my -and your- expectation. If you let it.
It ended up tearing my heart apart. And I'm not ashamed to admit that by the time the end credit rolls, my eyes are puffy and I'm sobbing like a baby.
Watch it, you won't regret anything.

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