Bayside Shakedown 2

bayside shakedown 2

Mariko started watching “Bayside Shakedown 2” on TV Japan and noticed there were English subtitles on it, so invited me to join her. It’s a cop movie about a local precinct (Odaiba) which comes under control of the Metropolitan Police Department to solve a murder. The plot was pretty bad actually, with a lot of things that didn’t make sense. The cops were so stupid and it was frustrating the way they acted. At least there were a few funny parts in it, but the film was way too long and dragged-out. Thinking about detective stories, I think the drama “Shinzanmono” is much better and smarter. I can’t recommend Bayside Shakedown 2 unless you have nothing else to watch.

Karate Girl

Karate Girl

I just finished watching “Karate Girl” on Netflix streaming and it was not bad!. The plot was a basic story of revenge, with nothing really special about it. But the karate was really good! Rina Takeda has some amazing moves, and kicks a lot of butt, and of course gets her revenge. That’s not really a spoiler because you quickly figure out that the plot doesn’t have any unexpected twists. Still, it’s an entertaining hour-and-a-half movie. Recommended, but just barely. The trailer is below:

Catching up with Amachan (あまちゃん)

Amachan あまちゃん

OK, so I am about 50 episodes in on Amachan. I saw that there are soft-subs available so I decided to give it a watch and so far, it’s pretty good! There are a couple of really funny moments so far (Ghostbusters anyone?) and the ama/idol story is holding my interest. And you know what? The story makes a whole lot more sense with subtitles! I think what makes the story good is the variety of characters. Each one has his or her own motivations and wants, some are simple, some are complex, and some are mysterious. It’s fun to see how the plot evolves and characters come into the story. I can’t wait to fire up the tablet and watch another dozen episodes!

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Photo info: Canon PowerShot SD800 IS, 4.6mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO418

On a side note, while we were in California visiting my parents, we went to Mitsuwa Marketplace and they had a special Iwate stand set up where they were selling special regional food items. It was pretty cool. My mom and I took pictures with Amachan. Quite thrilling, isn’t it?

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Photo info: Canon PowerShot SD800 IS, 4.6mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO409