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Mulan (1998)
A solid movie with two big flaws.
In ancient china, you don't cut your hair due to filial piety. Your hair represents your love for your family, but also your dignity as a human being.
There was a sentence where your hair are cut short. So everyone can know at first glance you committed a crime :)
"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!"
Since the bad guys are the Huns, the story take place somewhere between the Qin dynasty and the Northern and Southern dynasty. So way after the Warring states period and the birth of Confucianism. In the ballad of Mulan, it is generally considered the story takes place during the sixteen kingdoms, so more than 100 years after the end of the Han dynasty. So by looking at the bad guys, it is hard to identify when the story is happening.
In the movie, the clothes are closer to the ones during the Han dynasty and the architectures are closer to Ming/Qing dynasty. So... when no one after they became an adult (~15ish yo) cut their hair short... except criminals... which was a type of sentence as I said earlier. (which was why during the Qing dynasty Han Chinese people were forced to cut their hair since it was a sign of the Manchu dominance and those who did not cut their hair were seen as rebels that wanted the restoration of the Ming dynasty)
So, the hair cutting scene was very disturbing to me. Although I get the meaning behind this specific scene, it was too foreign for the story... So instead of being moved by Mulan's decision to protect her father and the country... I was unable to emotionally connect for this scene.
Another thing that bugged me a lot back then is Mushu. His name was more like a random fake Chinese name, so it made no sense. The way the dragon is portrayed through Muhsu was so different from the ones I was familiar I was unable to enjoy its presence. I wasn't offended, but I wasn't amused either.
These are the two main shortcomings in the movie for me but it is an overall a pretty good movie.
1 rittoru no namida (2005)
You will cry more than one liter of tears over this real event based drama.
In the 2010s, I told my classmates that I never cried while watching a sad movie or TV series. They listed a bunch of very famous TV series and movies, and every time my answer was negative. Then someone said to me : "Watch this dram, you will cry or lot. If you don't, please go see therapy".
I was very intrigued, so I quickly watched it. I saw a sweet, gentle, hardworking and very promising teenage girl living every moment of her life. She faced injustice from life and from the people, but she was always so strong and kept moving forward. She never gave up and inspired so many people.
I saw a caring and delicate mother who was always present to help her daughter to go through unfortunate events.
I saw a little sister with a bunch of personality traits I dislike. She grew up, she became an important pillar of the family, and she was more and more inspired by her strong-minded older sister.
Aya's classmate, Asou. The most beautiful friendship and romantic relationship ever created in the history of East Asian dramas... that was the biggest liberty the production team took from Aya Kito's real story, and it was an excellent (artistic) choice.
To anyone that may be interested to watch this, please prepare a lot of tissue and enough time to recover after finishing it.
Every time I watch it, I just can't help myself but cry more than one liter of tears.
Ju-on (2002)
Perfect horror movie to play in the middle of the night.
I watched this movie during my "horror phase" during the 2010s. I watched a bunch of horror movies, but I was often disappointed by the weak plot, the overuse of jump scares and the monsters. However, I was really pleased by Ju-On.
You won't be scared to death, nor scream your lungs out after the scary scenes, but you will feel very... uncomfortable.
As an east Asian, the cultural proximity could have helped me to be more immersed in the Japanese style horror stories. Yet, I think it is the design of the ghosts that made me feel very uncomfortable.
Some may say there's nothing scary to see humans painted in white with a bad hair day, but ... they are scary.
Especially when you saw real ghosts in your life. During several times, at different age, when you were wide awake and filled with so much energy you could play rugby for an afternoon.
One of the best horror movie I've ever watched.
Ghosts are real.
Their pain and their grudge made them unable to go to the afterlife or the paradise. So they trail around trying to vent out all of their pain, so they can rest in peace.
They are just around you but just can't see them.