I never thought I would become so invested in a 'Produce show', but Youth With You 2 grabbed my heart from beginning and never let go.
As this show finally came to the end today, after three months of following trainees journey, I thought I would share some of my thoughts and list some of the reasons why it's (in my opinion) the best of all Produce shows.

1. Production quality is really high
YWY is a competition but the production team doesn't make it look like the hunger games. The editing is not evil but actually made me burst out laughing many times and rather on creating unecessary drama, it focused on showing hard work and friendship between trainees and how much the girls supported each other.
The cameramen usually do a really good job and don't suddenly zoom into space or into the back of someone's head while filming.
Stage effects, outfits, makeup etc. (and of course talented trainees) make the performances look proffessional and impressive.

2. Mentors genuinely care about the trainees and give them useful advices
I think that the relationship between mentors and trainees is much closer than in different versions of the show.
It was a great decision to chose Cai Xukun as the main host. He knows what the trainees are going through, because he went through the same experience in Idol Producer so he's able to really empathize with the girls. Despite his young age, he already has admirable knowledge about music and performing and he tries to share this knowledge with the trainees.
Also, I think the panel with Alicia was one of the most useful panels for every trainee/rookie I've seen in Produce shows, because she actually addressed the struggles of 'celebrity life' without sugar-coating anything.

3. The contestants
First of all, the amount of talent the trainees have is insane and I was often impressed by the stage presence of some of the contestants.
The trainees really support each other and their friendships seem so genuine. There's not a single girl who's unlikable and you actually get attached to these girls and wish them best. The girls face hardships during their training but they're still able to keep their spirits up and lighten the mood.
The tone of the show is different from what I saw in Produce101. The contestants don't look like they're going to crumble under pressure. They are not afraid to express their opinion and even joke with their mentors.

4. The message
What I absolutely love about this show is the fact that it supports diversity and girl power. Rather than focusing on being cute and pretty, the girls show that you can be cool, you can have different image but most importantly you can be yourself and keep fighting for your dreams.
In my opinion, especially in Korean shows too much emphasis is put on the visuals.
Honestly I think it would be hard for a contestant with the image like Yu Zhang or Frhanm Shangguan to go far in the Korean Produce and I don't think it would be possible for a girl like Liu Yuxin to reach the top. But in Youth With You I was so happy to see girls who were not 'conventionally pretty', girls who had different styles and personalities.

To put it short: even if you're not interested in survival shows, I think you should give this one a chance.

YWY 2 is over now and I'm really gonna miss it. I wish all the contestans best of luck and of course I can't wait to see The Nine debut.


(Annotation: By using term 'Produce shows' in this review I refer to the shows which follow the same format as original Korean Produce101.)

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Deglamorizing criminal life

Plot
We follow the life of Yamamoto Kenji – young rebel whose life changes drastically when he meets the boss of Shibazaki-gumi and becomes a part of the yakuza family.
While the movie ticks off the fundamental elements and themes of yakuza movies, such as honour, family, crime, revenge, it doesn't shy away from showing the ugly truth about the often glamorized yakuza's life. We get to see the struggles that gang members have to face when trying to adapt to the changing times and the consequences of being a questionable part of the society. The passing years bring an inevitable reality check and the movie rises the question of what is a true family and if it's possible to escape from your past.

Acting
Ayano Go gives a solid performance and so does every actor who comes on screen. We get to observe raw emotion, people engulfed in rage or torn by remorse and despair, but also silent gestures, reactions that seem so real and so human.

Cinematography
The camera work grabbed my attention from the very beginning. The movements in chase and more violent scenes are more dynamic, the camera does not just simply follow, there are pans and tilts, it slows down or speeds up when needed. There are many really beautiful shots in this movie and the good use of lighting and colours creates certain moods and adds to the atmosphere.

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Hard Core (2018) is a movie directed by Yamashita Nobuhiro and based on a manga "Hard-Core: Heisei Jigoku Brothers" by Imashiro Takashi. It combines elements of comedy and sci-fi and tells a story about life struggles and bonds between social outcasts.

To be honest, I watched this movie for Yamada Takayuki. I have been following his career with great interest, mainly because I'm a fan of his versatility when it comes to acting. He doesn't shy away from more challenging roles and aside from typical, commercially successful movies he often chooses more unique, independent projects.
Moreover, even though I haven't seen much of Yamashita Nobuhiro's work, after watching Over the Fence (2016) I was intrigued by his directing style and ability to depict raw emotions and life struggles of the lower class and social outcasts.

Therefore, after seeing the cast and reading the synopsis for Hard Core, I was expecting to see eccentric characters, good acting and absurd but deep story. After watching the movie, I may say I got what I expected. But am I satisfied with this movie? Well...

First of all, It's definietelly not one of those films most people would enjoy – I think you either accept its weirdness or call it a waste of time.
In this case, the way the story is portrayed, chaotic narration, dragging pace and the fact that even if you assume that this movie is metaphorical, some scenes just seem useless – all of these things unfortunatelly made me lean toward the latter option.

I've got the impression that while making the movie, the director kinda got lost in his artistic vision and didn't use his best skills in putting emphasis on important aspects.
I haven't read the manga so I'm not able to compare the way the story was conveyed in the source material with the movie, however it is said that a good adaptation should be able to stand on its own. In this case, the story may work on paper but it does not necessarily mean it can work when adapted into movie. Maybe that's the key problem with this film.

The strongest element of this movie is definitely the acting. Takayuki, Sato Takeru and Arakawa Yoshiyoshi did what they could with what they've been given.

It's hard for me to recommend this movie to anyone. I think different people may have different reactions to it and get different messages. To really judge it, you just have to see it for yourself.
Some people may find a deeper meaning or became totally enthralled with director's vision and I absolutely respect it. This movie just didn't appeal to me like I hoped it would.

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A solid yakuza movie

The plot is nothing new – driven by revenge, a former cop decides to go undercover and gradually climbs up the ranks of the Yakuza.

What really makes this movie entertaining, is not the story, but the action scenes. They are bloody, violent and well choreographed.

This movie has its problems, especially with the pacing. There are some dialogue-heavy scenes, rapid changes of the locations and new characters introduced every five minutes, especially in the first half of the movie. It might not be easy for the viewers to keep the track of what's happening, and the over two-hour runtime doesn't help. Halfway through the movie, I started wondering if it would work better as a short tv-series.

From such a stellar cast, I was expecting at least good acting, and I was not disappointed.
Okada Junichi once again shows off his top-notch fighting skills, so if you're a fan of his, or if you simply enjoy yakuza movies, I think this movie is a must-watch.

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It Comes or Coming (来る) is a film based on the novel by Ichi Sawamura and directed by Nakashima Tetsuya (Conffesions, The World of Kanako, Kamikaze Girls). The story focuses on the series of unexplained events and how they affect the life of the seemingly perfect family and other people involved.

For viewers who are not familiar with Nakashima's directing style, this movie may seem too eerie or overwhelming. To be honest if I wasn't familiar with Nakashima's previous works, I would probably react to Coming differently.
I will say that Nakashima's movies, in some respects, remind me of works by Sono Sion. Both directors have their very specific, original style, some of their movies can be more commercially successful, 'more digestible' for general audiance, while others are just crazy adaptations of director's artistic vision.

That being said, Coming is not everyone's cup of tea.

Throughout the movie, the story is told from different characters' points of view.
Because of narration shifts and unusual structure of the story, for some people this movie may seem too chaotic. However, in my opinion this way of telling the story adds to the complexity of characters and gives each of the actors their time to shine.
The director assembled magnificent cast and the acting is definitely a very strong part of this movie. I especially need to mention Kuroki Haru – when given a chance, she delivers stellar performance.

Nakashima once again does a great job blending different genres. This movie contains not only classic japanese horror elements but also family drama and social commentary. Nakashima is not afraid to expose problems of today's society and dark side of human nature.
Even though, in my opinion, The World of Kanako was heavier, the story portrayed in Coming can also get quite dark and twisted. The movie contains some bloody, gory scenes but because of grotesque and almost kitsch and elements, in some parts, it may seem like a parody of the horror genre.

I'm also a big fan of Nakashima's artistic style when it comes to the visuals.
One of the recurring motifs in his films is the use of flashbacks often combined with surreal visions. This practice finds perfect use in this movie as it fits really well into horror genre.
Thanks to the creative use of reflections, vibrant colors, great lighting, changing camera angles, the director is able to create some stunning shots. I was very impressed by the elaborative, artistic performance which became colorful gore madness in the final act.

Music in this movie may not stand out very much but is well used and complements what is being seen on the screen. The sound design is very good, some audio effects can send chill down the spine.

To sum up, this film's originality, plot twists and beautiful cinematography made me enjoy Coming from beginning to end.
Would I recommend this movie? Definitely yes, but you should prepare yourself for one crazy ride.

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