Hero (2007/Jap Movie)

Rating: PG
Running Time: 131 minutes
Opens: 22 November 2007, Now Showing

DramaWiki (information on the TV series)
IMDB profile
Official Site (Japanese)
Official Site (English, as provided by GV and Cathay on their websites)

Wow, such a star-studded cast in this movie sequel of the hit TV series back in 2001, and a SP (special) back last year. If you have watched enough Japanese Drama serials, you’ll recognise many of them are good actors/actresses in their own right from the above picture. But of course, most of them belong to the original TV series (including SP) cast anyway =D

Yeah well, most of the cast are noticeably older now (hey, it’s been 6 years). Of course, our main characters are still the lead characters for this movie, but there are also new people starring in this one, to bring in some new elements to the show.

This time, Kuryu (played by Takuya Kimura) handles a case which at first seems pretty simple, but actually is linked with another big case that was forced to be closed to due influence of some political figure. His opponent (played by Matsu Takako’s [Amamiya in the show] father.) in court this time is supposedly a famous lawyer in defending defendants in such cases, so it’s not as simple as it is to get his way. For more details (argh no wiki article this time), please go watch the movie yourself. =P

Anyway, the characters from the original cast still retain their distinct characteristics. Like how Kuryu is obsessed with TV shopping etc. I guess people who have watched the TV series will be able to better appreciate some of the more comical things that happen in the movie. But of course, if you haven’t done so, it’s still all right since it’s really easy to understand. Also, there are also some minor references to the TV series/SP, but once again, it’s no big deal if you haven’t watched either. I guess it’s fun to see them in action again, and having their chemistry as they did 6 years ago. Lol, even the presentation of the movie is kinda like a 2-hour TV special with the opening and all. Haha.

Hmm, here’s a couple of movie mistakes or things that I find don’t really make sense.
1) Kuryu was at some height at the car junkyard when he felt that someone was monitoring him and used a broken rear-view mirror to confirm that. Yeah well, nothing wrong with that yet. So the camera changes to that of the driver (observer) who’s looking in Kuryu’s direction. He then takes out his mobile phone and call his superior from Special Prosecutors. And within a few seconds, Kuryu can actually be beside the car hearing the conversation when he’s like a meters up, several tens of metres away. I presume when the observer started calling, Kuryu was still on the junk so he could actually make the phone call in peace. Yeah so our dear Kuryu has some kind of special ability eh? Oh yah, his assistant tagged along too. Amazing.
2) The eventual key evidence (in the form of picture captured on handphone!!! yeah so ur handphone pictures may be useful u know…) showed the defendant staring at the fire. The angle from which it was shot kinda suggested that the owner was at the back of a crowd (at least before the main road). Since the owner is the arsonist responsible for starting the fire, I’d expect him to be picturing his “masterpiece” rather than turning behind and photographing some random driver who stopped by to look at the fire. Ok, even if that dude is indeed that weird (yes, he’s weird. lol) I think he should be taking the picture with the van as well, since it was such a striking design =_=. Why is there a close-up of the driver? Not like the driver is very handsome, or has some unique facial features. Ah well, I was expecting something like a “wider” shot which included more prominent features of the van AND a not so close-up picture of the driver (defendant). (also, I’m curious how those people manage to find all the 835 people who took photos of the fire outbreak in such a short time. Amazing).

And something else I noticed. The incident of the case happened on September 10, which is like 2 days AFTER it premiered in Japan theatres. Lol, kinda weird isn’t it, since the movie is supposed to be set in 2007 (because the tv series was in 2001 and “6 years” have been mentioned quite a few times). Oh well, not like it matters that much. The date I mean.

Now for some complaints! Actually the biggest complaint I have would be the subtitles issue (sigh). Granted my Jap knowledge is super puny, the fact that the English/Chinese subtitles do not even agree with each other at times sets me doubting the accuracy of the subtitles. Well at least some of the key terms I can vaguely understand so sort of some help though not very helpful. Haiz, need more QC on the subtitles man… =(

Good thing for this movie Singapore didn’t take that long to get it to screen over here, unlike some other movies (like the current Doraemon movie, among many other examples which I’m too lazy to quote). My take: 7/10 (maybe I biased). For those who like JDrama and havent watched the series, please find a way to do so =)

p.s. exams are coming… nooooooooooo

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