Live Action Suggestions?

[Zapaan]

Not really sure if this post really belongs here as what I'm asking about isn't really anime, so if it should really belong to another forum, mods, please feel free to drop it in an appropriate forum.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone can recommend some good live action Japanese movies and/or series? No real specifics on genres, though I have to confess to being a total sucker for samurai and yakuza flicks (usually anyway).

I've seen quite a few Japanese movies, most notably every single Kurosawa movie ever made (except for Only The Bad Sleep Well which I can't find anywhere), as well as a buttload of Takeshi Kitano's movies, as well as several that I can only classify as being unique to Japanese film (ie. Full Metal Gokudo, Ichi the Killer, Tetsuo the Ironman, etc.). Too many to actually list off really.

What I'm mostly interested in at the moment is not so much "slice of life" types of movies (though those are good too) but rather movies that illustrate Japanese culture (either past and/or present). Not necessarily as the primary focus of the movie, but as an element within it. Movies like Lost In Translation (while not technically a Japanese movie) are a good example of what I'm talking about I suppose.

Anyway, any recommendations would be muchly appreciated, and hopefully spark some interesting discussion at the same time

- Z

[Sakaki]

For live series this is a good place to go: http://drama.afraid.org/japan-tv/main.html .

I've watched pretty most all the Japanese ones so far and they have been pretty good.

I don't know if they are really what you are looking for, as they are TV dramas, mostly of the romantic/comedy with a problem thrown in.

But the series synopses page is pretty good for descriptions.

[Zapaan]

Originally Posted by Sakaki

For live series this is a good place to go: http://drama.afraid.org/japan-tv/main.html .

I've watched pretty most all the Japanese ones so far and they have been pretty good.

Thanks, I'll have to check some of them out. Can you recommend any of them? Considering the volume there, I have to admit, it's a little daunting. Kind of like randomly throwing darts and hoping for a hit/miss type of thing.

I don't know if they are really what you are looking for, as they are TV dramas, mostly of the romantic/comedy with a problem thrown in.

But the series synopses page is pretty good for descriptions.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, I'm pretty easy (or so I'm told ) when it comes to genre, as I'm more looking for something that might give some more exposure into the culture. Of course even if that's not part of it, a good show is always welcome anytime

So what do you recommend among those titles?

- Z

[Sakaki]

Well... "Long Vacation", "Beautiful Life", and "Summer Snow" are probably my favorites of what I have watched so far. And then "Good Luck" and "Young Father". "Bus Stop" looks pretty good but is only to the second EP..

All are modern day Tokyo set stories, so there really is nothing overtly cultural to them, but there are still cultural nuances to be seen in them. Like in "Beautiful Life" the way someone handicapped is viewed is kind of covered.

Oh, and I just finished GTO, it is also pretty good. Very funny this one was taken from the manga and anime of the same name, which I haven’t seen, so I’m not sure how it compares to them.

I think that "Long Vacation" is my favorite, probably because I like the lead female character though, so that might be a little slanted.

You might also want to check out this topic where J-dramas were discussed: http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...8&page=1&pp=30

[Zapaan]

Originally Posted by Sakaki

Well... "Long Vacation", "Beautiful Life", and "Summer Snow" are probably my favorites of what I have watched so far. And then "Good Luck" and "Young Father". "Bus Stop" looks pretty good but is only to the second EP..

All are modern day Tokyo set stories, so there really is nothing overtly cultural to them, but there are still cultural nuances to be seen in them. Like in "Beautiful Life" the way someone handicapped is viewed is kind of covered.

I guess when I say cultural, I'm not really speaking distinctly cultural or necessarily talking about major differences that stand out. It's more things like what they eat for breakfast, or the fact that most households go shopping daily for food rather than buying food for a week or two at a time as we do in Western cultures. Things along those lines. As well as the big stuff too

Oh, and I just finished GTO, it is also pretty good. Very funny this one was taken from the manga and anime of the same name, which I haven’t seen, so I’m not sure how it compares to them.

Actually, I recall trying to watch the first episode of that some time ago (last year maybe?), but ended up deleting the file after about 10 minutes into it due to the horrendous subbing. I don't recall which group did it, but it was the kind of half Engrish that you get in Chinese bootlegs. I'll have to check them out again. In a similar vein, I've been grabbing the live action Gokusen episodes (only 2 so far) which aren't too bad, though I can't say I'm too fond of the actress they got to play Yankumi, as she doesn't possess the presence the character requires (though she's certainly attractive ). If you liked GTO, you'll probably enjoy Gokusen, as it's very similar.

I think that "Long Vacation" is my favorite, probably because I like the lead female character though, so that might be a little slanted.

You might also want to check out this topic where J-dramas were discussed: http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...8&page=1&pp=30

Thanks again for the reccomendations. What about movies? Any favorites in that area?

- Z

[Sakaki]

Originally Posted by Zapaan

Thanks again for the reccomendations. What about movies? Any favorites in that area?

- Z

Check this topic out if you havn't already, it has quite a few movies on it. http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=15709

Juzo Itami's movies are pretty good too. (Tampopo, The Funeral, A Taxing Woman are some of his)

A relatively recent one I liked was "Kikujiro".

I have a really bad memory for names and titles, so I don't remember allot of them. Most ones I have seen, I got to see at Michigan State University when they have a Asian film series every fall, a very nice perk of living only a couple of miles from the campus.

[Keit]

I really recommend GTO Live Action it is one of the better things I have seen

Maybe thats because I enjoy seeing live Japanese people, and the show evolves a bit more in the end, the first episode maybe wasn't all that good but the rest are just awesome. Give it a try!