2LDK

I started to watch this soon after I got it.  The Summary I read about said it was funny but I found it to be a bit slow in the beginning.

One girl, Maho Nonami, to the left in the pic was pretty unattractive and her roommate, Eiko Koike was better looking but not by much mind you...I kept watching out of curiosity since I wasn't ready to watch the whole thing right then and there.  I wasn't much impressed with it; but I'd gone thru the trouble of getting it so I may as well watch the movie.  Worst case, I would fall asleep and get a nap out of it.

When I finally sat down to watch the whole thing, I thought it was good.  It wasn't "HAHAHA" funny but it had its moments.  The fight scenes were funny...I'll give it that.  The ending, also funny in a sad way.

Eiko Koike and Maho Nonami are Nozomi and Rana (no surnames in the movie).  They're aspiring actresses and roommates.  When the movie starts, we find out that both girls had just auditioned for the same part in a new film "Yakuza Wives".  While they wait for the phone call to find out if either one gets the part, they start to fight about stupid little things and you realize that they really hate each other.  The funny parts were mostly when they were fighting, though in the beginning, when they're talking to each other, the sarcastic remarks are hilarious.

I didn't expect the final showdown to go down the way it did...despite my inital thought that it was somewhat slow and boring in the beginning...once Rana arrives home, that's when the fun started.

g@me

The two major characters in this story are Sakuma Shunsuke (played by Naohito Fujiki) and Katsuragi Chiharu (played by Yukie Nakama).  The only reason I watched this movie was for Naohito Fujiki.  I'd seen him in a drama (or two) and I thought he was so good looking...I had to watch more of him.

Naohito Fujiki is Sakuma, an ad executive who is slightly upset that his idea gets the heave ho when the CEO of his company (Mikado Beer), Mr. Katsuragi, decides to take the companys ad in "a different direction".  Sakuma later comes up with a different idea only to find out he's been taken off the project completely.  With his pride hurt, he hands around Mr. Katsuragi's home trying to figure out a way to get back at him and he happens to run into Katsuragi Juri running away from home.  Sakuma sees an opportunity and follows Katsuragi's daughter to a motel where she attempts to get a room but is told nothing is available.  She makes for the public phones nearby looking to call another place when Sakuma tells her she won't find anything available at that time of night.  She tries to run away from the stranger but he calls her by name and she stops running.  Sakuma, with his pride hurt, and Juri, with her own bone to pick with her father, both decide to fake Juri's kidnapping in order to get a big payday.  With Sakuma's intelligence, everything seems to be going according to plan.  They get the money, and he lets Juri go. 

Things change a few days later when Sakuma hears on the news that the body of Katsuragi Juri is found...that's when the whole movie takes a different twist.  After Sakuma hears about the discovery of Juri's body, the story again takes another twist.  There were a few times I thought one thing was going to happen only to find out I was way off.  I've never been one to find deep meanings in movies...I just like to watch without thinking.  Even though most of these movies (and more so with dramas) seem to be somewhat predictable, there are times when they take a different route.  I would definitely watch this movie again (and again).

One thing that terribly disappointed me about Fujiki.  He's so good looking but  OMG...the man cannot kiss.  There was a scene where he kisses Juri and it looked awful.  Looked sloppy...almost as if it was the first time he'd ever done it.  I sat there and watched in horror...I don't know if it was on purpose or if that's the way ahe kisses.  It was just bad.  But I'd still watch the movie again!