I have to admit that I’m not a romantic, I stay away from anything in the straight romance genre it just isn’t my thing so I’m not sure what brought me to this anime. As one that usually rejects the heterosexual monogamous couple, preferring her slash or straight out gay characters or dark romances between other worldly being or relatives and generally doesn’t like lead female characters as they never have anything in common with me and just never act as I would also being female this was a series out of my normal watching pool. And I have to say I am so glad I drifted from me stereotypical watching as I discovered a highly enjoyable little gem of a series. The stories centres around Kyoko a 16 year old girl who has quit school to travel with her prince charming as he lives out his life’s ambition of being a famous idol. While Sho Fuwa gets his big break and begins his climb up the fame ladder, Kyoko does everything in her power to support him, working multiple jobs to afford the apartment they share while making sure he is fed and supported. Kyoko being a simple and plain girl thinks nothing of the sacrifice she has made to her life if it will bring ease and comfort to Sho and she can spend time with the love of her life, her Prince Sho. We are told a fairly romantic tale at the start of the series about how all girls are beautiful and hide a goddess with them; girls just need a prince to unlock their hidden potential from a chest they have stored in their hearts. Well Sho has the key to Kyoko’s chest and unlocks the girl inside. Kyoko over hears Sho telling his manager how he only keeps Kyoko around to act as his maid and servant, that she is a plain and boring girl with no sex appeal that is only a stepping stone in his climb to stardom.Kyoko’s heart is broken and released is a spirit of such hatred and betrayal it transform our little duped Kyoko.

This is why after one episode I realised I was going to love this series. Kyoko’s inner girl is quite simply mental instead of falling into despair she becomes angry and decides to get revenge. She decides that the only way to get back at Sho is to follow him into fame and become such a shinning star she becomes more famous and is more loved than he is. Kyoko gets a new make over and sets out on journey. Kyoko has her issues from the start she seems quite bi-polar and a little scary at times. Kyoko is a hard working, honest and determined girl. She has guts and doesn’t back down but underneath this is a level of dignity and respect for her work and talent and the strength to put 100% into all she does takes her far but whenever she is reminded of Sho its like a switch is flipped and she turns into a angry monster with uncontrollable rage and a passion for destruction that scares all those around her. It’s the scary stalking crazy persona that gets her foot in the door of show bizz but it’s her hard working and determined personality that keeps her there and helps her grow. It soon turns out that under all that crazy and ambition for revenge is true talent. Kyoko does in fact have potential and while it’s unrefined she is a natural actor with true talent. What I also like about Kyoko is that her physical change isn’t too dramatic, by cutting her hair, dyeing it and getting some new clothes she doesn’t automatically become a beautiful woman. She is still a little simple and plain looking compared to the other stars around her but its when she performs and is truly made up that she becomes beautiful. Its an honest portrayal of idol beauty, clothes, make up and wigs can change a persons exterior but Kyoko’s talent and hard work can shine through this as well as her mental and angry turns which always add for great comic relief.

The other aspect of the series is the introduction of male actor and top of his game idol, Ren Tsuruga. He and Kyoko start of on the wrong foot and their relationship is plagued by misunderstandings. Ren initially takes a dislike to Kyoko because he hates the reason for her choice of career. He takes acting very seriously and is very passionate about his work. He loves acting and hates the idea of it being used for something such as revenge. But as he gets closer to Kyoko he begins to see her true potential though they have a rocky friendship he try’s to give her advice and nurture her talent. Ren also has his own interesting development as its Kyoko that unknowingly helps him plug a hole in his acting and makes him realise about his true emotions. Of course this is the beginning of a romance but as Kyoko is still on her own journey the series doesn’t focus too much on the romance which is why it makes me want these two to get together even more. Ren and Kyoko make a great pair and they are slowly, by building their relationship are also growing as individuals. Kyoko although firmly denouncing love does find something she loves and that’s acting, whether or not she and Ren will find the same doesn’t matter for the moment because Kyoko is doing something I admire, finding herself and how far her passion and ambition can take her. Not losing herself in relationships and the need for a boyfriend and romance she can truly grow as a person and see her strength and they way she inspires those around her, which is a beautiful and fun thing to watch.

Koshonin is an absolutely brilliant drama that is quite different from what I normally watch. I was drawn to it because I knew the very attractive and wonderful Shirota Yu was in it but I didn’t expect to enjoy this series so much. I’m not really into police dramas and I shy away from female lead drama’s because I never feel I can relate to the female characters or that they are too stereotyped for me. But Koshonin is different our female lead played wonderfully by Yonekura Ryoko as the female negotiator Usagi Reiko. Usagi is cold and determined not asking to be treated as a woman she wants to be treated equally and seen for how good an officer she is rather than her gender. The team don’t treat her with respect, she’s left out of decisions and missions, made a scapegoat and ignored and yet she soldiers on proving she has both the intelligence and durability for the job. Usagi also carry’s a secret past, her father (who was also a police officer) was killed and while the killer was jailed there are some facts that don’t math up and Usagi is determined to find the truth behind that fateful day. The killer himself was only 19 when the crime was committed and was part of a violent gang that went too far, called a child monster he was labelled a serial killer and placed in jail. Our killer is called Mariya Kyosuke and is played wonderfully by Shirota Yu. This shows us just how great an actor Shirota Yu is, his character is obviously suffering for some amount of mental instability, he is intelligent and calculating but at the same time unable to comprehend what he has done. Usagi visits him regularly trying to find what his motive for killing her father was but also they seem to have a bizarre relationship occurring. He offers insight into the mind of the criminals Usagi is trying to catch, he threatens to kill himself if she doesn’t visit and she says suicide would be too kind for him but at the same time seems to care about his safety. By the end of the series we learn so much about these two characters and their strange relationship, Mariya is a far more tragic character, he respects Usagi and Usagi understand this even sympathising with him.

Usagi herself is an excellent negotiator, she was top of her class and aced all the tests and challenges placed in front of her to get to this position and she proves herself in the field. She uses her words and confidence to negotiate and understand the hidden tragedy behind why the criminals kidnap or hold hostages. She begins to cement herself better with the team as they begin to understand that she is as good on paper as well as in real life, she knows how to talk to criminals and she has a clever and calculating mind. In fact she understands the criminals more than she does her workmates and seems to have a much better relationship with a deranged imprisoned murderer than any other human. She doesn’t form bonds as easily and she too has to learn how to relate and get along with regular people. This makes for an interesting drama, she may be female but she lacks feminine charms, she is beautiful but in a stern and imposing way. She doesn’t connect emotionally, she is driven with the desire to understand and to reveal the truth and overcome her personal demons.

The show has some great set pieces, kidnapping, hostage situations and bombs, it also has its conspiracies and the fact there is something wrong going on in this police system. Something isn’t right; there is corruption, the police like to make an example out of Usagi rather than allow for their underhanded tactics to be exposed. Episodes end on cliff hangers making you desperate to know what’s going to happen next. You respect Usagi’s determination and fear for her and the situations she places herself in. You want to fully understand the relationship between her and Mariya, the connection and understanding that runs between them. The music is also very good building the tension of the scenes and the genuine sense of dread. It is not a flashy series again like many of the things I love it’s about the characters their drama and struggles amplified by the danger of their jobs. Most of the characters are not in complete control of their own lives, they have their own issues and problems unable to help them selves and yet some how being responsible for the lives of others. It seems easier to save a strangers life than it does to face your own life. Many characters are excellent at their jobs but their personal lives are far messier. I like the dualities in this drama, having a strong empowered women being the central character while you have other characters like the emotional and less empowered new male recruit. This drama plays not only with gender roles but roles within society and also who is more dangerous the criminal or the people that forced him into his crime. Do we trust a corrupted police system or a mad and abused boy? I love this series and am very much looking forward to seeing the second series and watching the mysteries, dualities and conspiracies play out.

Based on a Shonen ai manga by Yoshida Akimi this J Drama is a beautiful and haunting tale of separation and companionship under the threat of ambition and jealousy and misunderstanding. It tells the tale of twin boys created in the lab to be perfection, strong and smart the ultimate humans. But this is also a story of how they are separated and the two very different paths they take. One of the brothers, Sei, grew up to be an elite bio-chemistry scientist in America. He was assigned to a project where he has to travel to a small island in Japan to investigate an unidentified virus that is spreading on the island. By a freak of nature, he found out that he has a twin brother, Rin, whose evil, dark personality is entirely opposite of him. But there is more to this tale Sei wasn’t always part of the bio-chemistry company no he was rescued at a young age by a women who was a scientist that developed a motherly bond for him and decided to take him away to raise him as her own. He grew up in a remote village and formed a bond with another local boy, the blind Moichi. The two were best friends, inseparable and even having their own secret codes to communicate with each other using a dog whistle. But happiness didn’t last long and the company found Sei, killing his mother, threatening Moichi and eventually bringing him back with them where he grew up to become an elite scientist for the company.

Years later Sei returns to Japan to help find a cure for a deadly virus that has been released into a small island. The entire Islands population has been killed and there is fear that this virus will spread to main land Japan. Sei comes to work on the virus; aloof and cold he is distant from the other scientists and acts with an air of superiority. Through a twist of fate he happens to be working at the same research facility that Moichi is helping with some tests on enhanced hearing in blind patients. Sei and Moichi are reunited and the obvious bond and friendship is still there between them. Sei shows real emotions only when concerned to Moichi and wishes nothing more to spend his life with him. Being based on a shonen ai manga (boys love) it is obvious that there’s more to this relationship than just friend ship, it implies a much deeper bond between them and you see real love between these boys. The care about each other and through out the series are willing to risk themselves for each other wishing nothing more than to live a normal life together. All this happiness and normality is ruined by the introduction of Sei’s long lost twin brother who doesn’t share Sei’s moral grounding and sanity. He is jealous of this friendship he wants his brother to join him and use their intellect for much bigger things. Rin seems nice enough to start with but he proves that he is far more calculating and manipulative than his brother; he plays mind games as well as toying with the feeling of those around him. He manipulates his girlfriend to carry out a lot of his dirty work and he has a sexual relationship behind her back with his bodyguard and childhood friend Takeru. Though this too in its own twisted way seems to have more to it, he does seem to have genuine feelings for his friend even though they share their bed with others as well.

It soon becomes apparent that it was Rin that created this virus; the island was a test to see how well it worked before releasing it in Japan. His goal to destroy the population of Japan and then using his own anti virus choose who lives and dies rebuilding Japanese society as he sees fit. He is quite evil and shows very little compassion towards anyone other than his Friend/lover/bodyguard Takeru. There are twists and turns along they way, politics about the state of modern Japan, conspiracy’s between the government and the bio-tech firms, manipulation from powerful families with invested interests and these two brothers stuck in the middle of it. Their different up bringing having shaped the people they became and the decisions they made. There is also a fair amount of tragedy. From the tone of the story you know from the beginning that this is going to have a tragic ending it’s all very Shakespearian and I knew I was in for tears. Do watch this drama with a box of tissues nearby especially for episode 8. But saying that you know there isn’t going to be a happy ending, the ending itself is perfect for the story it’s the only logical way it could have played out. By the end the Brothers have taken away so much from each other yet have started to understand each other they know what they need and what they want from each other and maybe in death only then can they find the peace they never found in life. After all they have lost all they love and care for in life, they were never meant to have been in the first place, created by science for the ambition of men with power, no chance of a normal life and they’ve hurt each other to much too really forgive each other. There own genetic mutation is failing them its only a choice of who will live out who, which twin will see his final sunset, which twin will give the other what he wants while the other waits for his unavoidable fate. It tragic and sad but sometimes a sad ending is really the only good choice.

The series is filmed with a lot of soft lighting and sombre moods; it has a gentle tone until things become more dangerous and frantic. Also noth the parts of Rin and Sei are brilliantly acted by Ito Hideaki. A note of interest is the use of Stings Desert Rose as the opening theme as well as using an instrumental reprise version of the song through out the series. The heart of the series lies in the relationship between Sei and Moichi, the love and understanding they share and how they complete each other. Even Rin and Takeru share a relationship similar but too twisted by their more brutal upbringing they can not love and share on the same level their ideas of love and companionship have been poisoned. The series is quite stylised even with the obvious fact that the brothers have superpowers and are inhumanly strong, they can achieve great feats but this is understated and not over done. I for one as a slash fan enjoyed this series immensely but also because of its more subtle and delicate approach. It was as much about the relationships between the characters and the human drama as it was about looking cool and have superhuman fighting and playing cat and mouse games. I recommend this little gem of a drama, well worth a watch.

So when I first heard of David Tennant as Casanova I was already watching him as Doctor Who and hadn’t had a chance to see his previous collaboration with Russell T Davies. Now I finally have I must admit I was surprised by how much I liked it. As a notorious slash fan a show about a man seducing countless women and having a lot of strait sex doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. Also the fact that while I think David Tennant is a fantastic actor and he is attractive but more so because of that insane vibe you sometimes get form the Doctor I do find him a bit too skinny to really make me think of him as the ultimate sexual predator. But here is where this series of Casanova did grab me so well. While Casanova is a bit of a sex fiend sleeping with countless women he has a heart he isn’t some lothario that only uses women for sex, he does in his own way love each women he sleeps with, as he says himself, “they are not just notches on a bed post”. Giving real heart to the character makes this a far more emotional and beautiful drama to watch. Casanova learns very early on that you have to listen to the needs and views of women, respect them and they will open up to you in ways most men will never understand or have the pleasure of witnessing. Casanova listens to these women gives them what they want, it’s not just a series of meaningless encounters it’s a mutual thing for both parties involved in these escapades. The other beautiful aspect of the character is the way he also somehow retains his innocence. All through his adventures there is still a naïve quality, a child like wonder to the world and the people he encounters, he is a boy playing a very adult game and while he knows what he’s doing he still acts like a child on occasions. He is still able to see the world with that childlike innocence so many adults lose when they grow older, to be able to enjoy his life without the added pressures most succumb to in adult society. It’s this quality that makes him a likable rogue rather than just a pervert or womaniser he could have so easily been.

While Casanova goes through his life his brilliance and ingenuity getting him in and out of every situation there are some constants, his faithful companion Rocco, always by his side trying to be his conscious or the voice of reason at his wild schemes and his one true love Henrietta, the only women he can never have. From the moment we meet Henrietta she is already engaged to Grimani, who has a title and money. Casanova at every step of the way is denied her by these obstacles as well as Grimani himself, who is always there to seek his revenge on Casanova taking the heart of his love. The series itself weaves a few story lines together; there is Casanova and Henrietta’s doomed relationship, getting close to each other finding their happiness only to be torn apart. There is also Casanova’s own adventures through Europe trying to stay a step ahead of the law, the schemes he hatches, the situations he finds himself and the relationships he forms with other people along the way. Lastly there is also the story of what happens to people that lose their innocence, when society becomes ruled by the rich with more money than sense, when people are corrupted by their own passions and indulgencies, lastly what happens when you have gained everything you think you truly desire. This last plot is at the heart of Casanova and is seen in the various courts he visits and the transformation of his son who he is united with after he escapes jail for fraud in Vienna.
We know that Casanova has great capacity for love and is not just a womaniser because of his relationship with one Bellino, a talented singer who is also a male castrato. Casanova is beginning to have feelings for Bellino but is so torn by the fact that he is a boy. This relationship is what makes us endeared to Casanova, he is capable of true feeling, he is not just using women and he does understand love. We know this because he finally goes to Bellino, say he loves him and is willing to break the law (homosexuality was illegal in this time) and be with him. Bellino so touched and happy about this finally reveals that he is in fact a women in disguise ( I wont spoil the ingenious little way he reveals himself its too funny a scene to spoil) and the two of them finally form a relationship with Casanova proposing. Next for them is to reveal Bellino the female singer to the world and announce their engagement and it is at the party that Bellino notices the friendship between her future husband and the engaged Henrietta. Bellino is a smart and capable woman she knows that with her career now taking full shape that her and Casanova’s life will be full of concerts and travels, Casanova will be a kept man living in her shadow and not the brilliant free spirit he is now. She recognises the love and friendship between the two denied lovers and decides that Casanova would be better of in Vienna with Henrietta so points them in the right direction. All seems good Bellino goes off to her fame, Casanova and Henrietta admit their feelings and by a twist of luck Casanova saves a priest and becomes his adopted son gaining a title and money enough to propose to Henrietta. It could have been happy endings if not for Grimani and his accusations of fraud that land Casanova in jail and by escaping making him a wanted man and forever separated from Henrietta. This is where our next journey begins.
We are introduced to Jack, Casanova’s illegitimate son who will not utter a word and we take a tour of Europe in a search for a pardon so Casanova can return to Vienna. This journey is truly beautiful and fantastic because it explores each country though its Courts, the French court so decadent and risqué. This is right before the French Revolution and you can see why the poorer classes revolute against the aristocrats. These aristocrats are so indulgent with their lives, on the surface it looks like fun and games, beautiful clothes, parties and luxuries a plenty but we also see the dark seed in the joy that comes from the Parisian’s enjoyment of watching a man being tortured and killed in front of them as if it was a sport. It is also hear the seed of darkness is placed in Casanova’s son as he smiles as he watches the execution. We start to see that he may not have inherited his father’s innocence and good heart. The striking contrast between the French Court and the English Court is brilliant. In true British fashion and a small bit of stereotyping the English court is a far more sober affair, its tea and crumpets, there isn’t dancing and exuberant costumes, its proper and well mannered the most risqué someone is being is having lemon in their tea!! It’s all very British as you would expect at the time and it’s Casanova that brings his own bit of scandal to rock the boat. But Alas things don’t go as well and our travellers have to move on once more. We go through illness and death until we end up in Naples the city below a volcano and the shocking conclusion to where a life of sin without innocence, indulgence without consciousness, risk without consequence, sex without love and what happens when you have everything you want. By this time Jack is 20 and has apparently learnt much from his father about the seduction of women, but he has taken his fathers teaching but none of the heart, none of the gentle playfulness and childlike wonder. He knows how to get what he wants, how to indulge and seduce but not to respect and love, no Casanova has lost the fight to turn his son into a good man. Naples is a bed of sin, we learn that Bellino has settled here having attained everything she has every wanted as well as raising Casanova’s daughter. Casanova is not only shocked that she never spoke of their child but at the turn her life has taken, so happy to indulge in pure sin even at the risk of her own life (after all they are living at the foot of Pompeii. But worst of all Jack has taken a liking to his sister and when Casanova tries to stop this interlude Jack reveals he doesn’t care, after all this is what his father has taught him, to take what he wants. Finally Casanova is disgusted he sees what his life has done to his son, the man he has raised, all the things he never accomplished and the friends he has lost along the way. He finally decided to hide himself stop the running, stop the lifestyle and settle believing he has lost everything in his life.

Casanova’s story is wonderful told by Peter O’Toole as and aging Casanova reliving the events through his stories being told to a young servant girl. She is us we love, we hate, we laugh and we cry just as she does. We wish for a happy ending even though we know there cannot be one but we want to go on the journey regardless. Apart from great acting and great story telling the thing that makes this production truly brilliant is the costumes. I have never seen such luxury and diversity in costumes. The colours are amazing, the designs unique and fantastical. Each court has a different look, rooms of twirling, colourful and ingenious costumes that are a true feast for the eyes. The production is pure magic, truly original and magnificent to behold that it really took my breath away each time we were introduced to a new setting. The costumes really brought out all the hidden depths and themes of each new place. Without words but with visuals alone you are able to see the truth behind each society and how it conducts itself. I truly recommend this wonderful drama for it really brings magic and heart, yet the nature of human want and need to us.

Misfits is one of the best new shows to have come out of British telly in years an absolute masterpiece. What makes this show so brilliant is how perfectly current and approachable it is. It deals with the kind of characters we are so very used to seeing and knowing, people we meet all the time that are part of our modern culture. Our main characters are a group of teens, the kind we are used to seeing, our social misfits, the chav’s, the socially awkward, the ones hiding behind false bravado, the ones that use there sex appeal to get what they want and the ones that could have done well if not for one mistake and the temptations offered to youth who succeed. Our 5 main protagonists are doing community service in London, we recognise the type as well as the location its familiar and real making it part of a world we know and understand. We the viewer can be a part of the drama because it is accessible showing us what our youth culture is like, how dissatisfaction in society has breed this new youth full of contempt, lacking in respect and as a result getting ASBO’s and serving community service. But of course there is more to each character, true feelings, issues and insecurities we are all familiar with, issues we may have been through ourselves and that also helps to make us part of the drama as we can understand some of the feelings of these characters. There is at least one character you can relate to in some way, for me it was Simon, anti social, awkward and desperate for people to pay attention to him, to be noticed to make friends. I myself went through this period in my life being the shy geek that found it hard to stand out and be heard let alone make friends and be accepted.

Now here comes that magic of watching this well crafted show, we have our Misfits, our setting and our issues, our social commentary on today’s youth, now lets add super powers!! Yes Misfits is Britain’s answer to Heroes. But instead of making a highly expensive and glossy show with characters we can’t relate to struggling with issues beyond our comprehension and settings we will never know we make a gritty drama about teens with ASBO’s getting super powers. We bring the consequences of this to us instead of wrapping a story around conspiracies and the fight between good and evil, Misfits makes it simple. What would happen to a bunch of unfortunate teens that were in the wrong place at the wrong time (the story of their lives considering they’ve all got caught for breaking the law) and how gaining powers would affect them? These teens are not heroes, with great powers doesn’t come great responsibility instead it just helps to amplify their own problems. As each characters power awakens it helps to emphasise the problems they are having. It’s a great way to explore the insecurities of today’s dissatisfied youth and instead of the glamorous world of superheroes we get the very real world of how powers would affect real people. Their powers do more to hinder and isolate them, there is no great speech about what should they do, no one talks about using their powers to become vigilante super teens keeping the streets safe, after all their all doing time for their own crimes why should they be out there saving others when they couldn’t even save themselves.
Let take my favourite character to start, Simon, the creepy kid that tried to burn a house down. He has no friends, wishes nothing more to be noticed and is sick of being ignored so his power is invisibility. Now people literally can’t see him the more he is denied and ignored the more often he disappears from view. Then we have Kelly our loud mouth overly aggressive Chav, she got into a fight and has a rap for GBH. Why did she get into a fight, well she is so very opinionated always has something to say and is always worried what people are saying about her, if she thinks you’ve bad mouthed her she will turn her aggression on you so what could be worse for a girl so conscious of what others think well she can now hear peoples thoughts! Next is Alisha, attractive fun loving party girl Alisha she got caught drink driving, again. Well Alisha knows she’s attractive and men go gooey at the sight of her, she can use her sex appeal to get what she wants. But what happens if that sex appeal increases too much, well poor Alisha would give Rouge a run for worst ability. Every time she touches someone they are taken over with the mad desire to have sex with her normally so aggressive that they will try and rape her. So for a girl that uses sex appeal she can no longer touch anyone without them trying to rape her. We next come to Curtis, he had so much potential, was going to be an Olympic runner his future secured his life couldn’t be getting better; he had everything to gain and everything to lose. One mistake is all it took, one night out and being caught for possession of drugs, ruining his career and to set an example being charged community service. He wishes more than anything to change what he did to turn back time and re do that one night, well he get his wish, he is able to rewind time but unfortunately his control of his power isn’t that good and it happens at unpredictable intervals. Lastly we have Nathan, the boy with the mouth. He is facade wrapped in facades and false bravado, arrested for stealing pick ’n’ mix. What his true thoughts and feeling are we don’t know he is more lies and comebacks never sharing his true nature. He thinks about sex, plays practical jokes, insults everyone, takes nothing seriously and seems incapable of forming real connection even with his own family. So what’s his power well like us the viewer he doesn’t know, it’s not until the very end that we find out along with him but I’ll leave particular spoiler undisclosed.

There are many things that make this series perfection, not just its fabulous way of marrying real drama with essential sci-fi. The series has great score using music to highlight the scenes and represent the characters and their emotions. The editing is modern and brilliantly ingenious. The production team on this show knew exactly when to cut, when to pan, when to use slow motion and to tilt a camera. The lighting is perfect and the style used of a gritty piece of realism makes it all that much better. It is filmed like a British drama it has a truly British feel, from the colour schemes of greys to the lack of spectacle of the powers. I for one now can’t wait for a second series as this truly is an original series, with its brilliant dialogue and great plotting and a fantastic take on the super heroes’ genre!

I have to admit that I am pretty devastated about the fact that Doctor Who has to continue without David Tenants Doctor he was brilliant and will be missed so much. We all knew it was coming but that still didn’t make it easier when the time came. We knew the significance of “he will knock 4 times and then you will die” but how it happened and the journey that would be taken was a mystery to us. I have to admit that I loved Waters of Mars; it had a great atmosphere and a much darker tone. I loved the way the series became that bit more adult in dealing with the issues that were plaguing the Doctor and his final adventures. Waters of Mars may have left a few plot holes like where the aliens came from, how they got into the ice and basically anything about the nature and background of this alien race. We assume that they saw Earth and all the water and decided that it was a much better planet for them and that’s why they went all evil and take overy. But what really impressed me about this episode is we saw where the Doctors character was heading and what he could become, a being like the Master. We saw the Doctor succumb to his ego, something he never would have if he had been with a companion. The loneliness and anger hidden by his determination and ego don’t balance anymore. For the first time we understand why this Doctors time may be coming to an end, he is turning into a person he never wanted to be so convinced of his own superiority he forgets why he respected humans and begins to think himself a God. This is the Time lords we see in the last episodes, the ones gone mad with power and delusion on their rights to this universe. The Doctor and the Master have never been so close and when the Doctor realizes it shock both him and us. If the Doctor doesn’t change he could develop into a man like the Master and as we saw in the final we see the Time Lords as they are now and how close the Doctor came to being just like them.

So we enter the Christmas final with the knowledge that the Doctor will die and that he needs to be a new man in order to not be a man like the Master or the Time lords. So we have the return of the wonderful John Simm which is the best Xmas present. John Simms performance is nothing short of brilliant and the entire episode is carried on this brilliance. So you need to get over a few plot holes or plot lines that seemed a bit random. I mean what are the books of Saxon, how did that secret society remember the year that never was, where did the positions of life come from, who does Lucy have connection with that could make an antidote, how did the master manage to jump around like the Hulk in the first movie. I know he was burning off his own life force and all, which is what he was shooting out like lightning but still not sure how that made him super strong and on some kind of cocaine laced gummy berry juice. But alas the Doctor Master relationship was brilliant they way they interact and the Doctor desperate need to save him and maybe save himself. I love having tale from their youth, all the history these two have and how desperately the Doctor needs the master, likes he’s the only one who will understand him and complete him. But this relationship is doomed by the Masters madness and even though he has gone too far he know the Doctor will never betray him and uses this devotion to continue to commit his crimes. It’s almost like he is a misbehaving child purposely causing chaos to impress the Doctor. He wants the Doctor to see the mess he creates and try and stop him. Outwitting the Doctor is like a drug to him, he also needs the Doctor in his own twisted way, and one can’t be without the other. The final scenes of the episode made me a very happy girl; I mean how can you not smile when everyone in the world has become John Simm. Humanity never looked so attractive and John Simm played the many version of him wonderful, flowing with insanity and excitement. Russell T Davies is brilliant at penultimate episodes but unfortunately he never can conclude as well. He sets up so many brilliant plots and the mind overflows with ideas of what can happen but he fails to deliver all that is promised.

The very last episode could have been so much more, it could have been beautiful. Of course Tennant, Simm and Cribbins were brilliant and at the centre of the story they were a delight to watch. The dramatic and character based scenes were fantastic and so emotional, they made me well up, which is what you get from having such great actors. However I hated the green aliens they were annoying and pointless. I couldn’t stand the females attitude like the Doctor was of no importance, she had no respect, and she didn’t get the gravity of the situation and just had a bad attitude and displeasing manner. I didn’t want to see the Doctor stuck on some ship I was hoping for some kind of Doctor Master working together to disrupt the threat of the Time Lords. The return of the Time Lords was brilliant and so was the idea of them placing the drum beat into the Masters head as a solution to their imprisonment and thus causing the Masters insanity. But it was a little lack lustre they kind of came through and then 10 mins later got sucked back in again, where were all the horrors of the time war, we hear about all these horrible things coming through with the Time Lords but without even seeing it the drama of how awful this is lost. You lose some of the danger and gravity of the situation when not being able to witness this great threat. I loved the speech between the Doctor and Master about how beautiful the Master could be and how he could just see the world not own it, the tears in the Masters eyes were so touching. Somewhere in the Master he too would like nothing much but to be with the Doctor but he’s gone too far and he knows it and the noise it control him too much and he cant fight it so he chooses to stand against the Doctor instead. By the final scene we see the Doctor hold a gun something that has never happened again a line even the Doctor has ever crossed, showing us how bad things have become. They are down to the final face off, The President or the Master and then the random shoot the box. I mean come one we have the dramatic choice to make, will the doctor shoot a person, who will he choose, will he choose the Master over humanity, will he sacrifice the Master, will he stand against the Time Lord race and condemn them. Oh no the Doctor will shoot a random box and that saves the world. Is it me or was that a little disappointing, did he really have to procrastinate so much about whether of not to shoot a box. At least the Masters final act was to save the Doctor and I am hoping the Master didn’t go back into the portal with the Time Lords because he is such an important part of Doctor Who law that he can’t be gone for good. Also on a side note anyone notice that the Presidents glove looked a lot like a Torchwood resurrection glove!

We are now left with the upsetting death of the Doctor, Tenant does it so beautifully, he isn’t ready to go, there is more too him, more to be learnt and done. He feels so much pain and unfairity but alas “maybe a Time Lord lives to long!” His final act is to save Wilf, his final sacrifice such a small and touching thing one man of no real importance to humanity but to the Doctor an essential and human a good friend. I loved his reward being the people he has come across, going back to see Rose before he regenerate was touching. Though Mickey and Martha being married, how that happen, I mean what happened to Tom.  And again Donna has no memory of the Doctor which makes me sad but at least she has money cause that does apparently solve all your problems!! Also loved the little Star Wars cantina and Captain Jack scene. I loved this cameo, I liked it linked to the end of Torchwood, Jack not being on Earth and drowning his sorrows in a bar full of unsavory characters. The Doctors last act to him after all those “Stop it” was to get Jack a date and with Russell Tovey. I am a big fan of Being Human so that was great, now I am a huge Janto fan and the death of Ianto broke my heart and good do I wish Ianto could come back but Jack cant stay celibate he’s Captain Jack and sometimes a bit of comfort in all his unhappiness should be allowed so I am pleased he got a date. In all I did really love the ending even with some of the strange plot twists but I’m not sure about the new Doctor. I will give him the benefit of the doubt until I see him in action but at the moment he just seems too young and has too much face!!!!

I started watching this drama because I’m a fan of Ikuta Toma, he’s not one of my major J idol loves but I enjoyed him so much in Hana Kimi that I thought I would check out some of his other dramas. Also the fact that this drama was called the Witch Trial drew me in as I love my supernatural television. What I found was a different drama to what I had expected. Think Runaway Jury but Japanese. This drama focuses on a new system for judging criminals that was introduced this year in Japan. This is the first drama to tackle the issue of Japan’s new “Saiban-in” (lay judge) system. The series started about a month before the actual jury system went into effect. In trial you have the three main judges that preside over the trial in court but to help them make the final choice of “guilty” or “not guilty” 6 lay judges and 2 reserves are brought in to help make the final decision. The lay judges sit in the court much like our jury system and based on the evidence in the trial must cast a vote, the votes are counted up and the winning number of votes by lay judges and main judges will decide the final verdict. The lay judges like our jury are people picked at random from our society and must vote based on what they have heard in court not their personal opinions or opinions clouded by what the public and media are saying.

This Drama is about a certain high profile case about a women who has killed her husband, because she was younger than him most seem to think it’s a simple case of trying to get the inheritance but the pieces are not fitting together well and because of her demeanour and strange events surrounding the case she has been dubbed “The Witch” and thus this case is known as The Witch Trial. Here enters our lay judges one of which is played by Ikuta Toma, Touru. He doesn’t really care about social issues see’s this as a bit of fun maybe some publicity for him and his t-shirt range “think twice” (by the end of the series you’ll also want one of his Think Twice T-shirts).

But this soon all changes as it becomes apparent there is more to the trial and things are going on in the background. The truth of the matter is someone is trying to fix the trial and that each of the lay judges in turn is getting threatened to make sure their vote is the same as the mysterious Kurokawa’s. Kurokawa is using every underhanded tactic to bully, threaten and manipulate the lay judges to do what he says and vote what he says they should vote (Kurokawa also happens to look really cool and has a lot of style one of those bad guys you just love). Our hero of the piece Touru discovers this and tries his best to help his fellow judges stand up to the black mail and get an honest vote. All is not helped by the fact that the Witch herself may be also manipulating things; she is very good with words and reading people and is playing a more psychological battle.

This series is one that has as many twists and turns as a roller coaster really. Characters change their votes and alliances each episode you never know who is working for who and right to the end you are not sure of the final outcome. I was so certain at one point but by the end there was only one character who could tell me if she was guilty or not. I do enjoy a good thriller after expecting a supernatural drama I was a little disappointed but soon got caught up in the drama of this cat and mouse who did it story. The characters all have their failings, which is why they can be manipulated, but they also have reasons to be praised. You never really know who has the upper hand and who is really in control you have to watch to find out the truth. The characters get so twisted you don’t have time to feel relief for them because someone behind the scene is ready for the next game and when things look up they soon crash down. I enjoyed this series because it was different to many things I’ve seen before as well as being relevant to contemporary social issues in Japan such as their changed court procedure. It’s interesting to see how characters crack under their own pressure, how easily manipulated people can be and how people can hold on to what they truly believe. It’s an interesting journey to see how people react and what people find most important. I loved the fact that through this drama you ask whether the name comes from the fact the woman on trial is manipulating people, are they under her so called spell or is it called a witch trial because she is being used as a scapegoat, if she gets burned it means someone else gets away with murder. After all the true meaning behind the Salem witch trials was to sacrifice women thought of as witches to keep everyone thinking they were safe and cared for, the authorities had to look like they were doing their job and tackling the issues. So its up to you really to see what you think of the trial and who is in control.

Beautiful boxer is the true story of Nong Toom a woman who was born male and entered one of the most masculine of sports to save the money to have a sex change. The sport was Muay Thai the Thai art of kick boxing a powerful, brutal and beautiful form of martial arts. Nong Toom was born a boy to a poor family but soon realized that his fascination with all thing feminine ran deeper and desperately desired to be a woman on the outside as well as the inside. Beautiful boxer details his life story from a child training to be a monk, to a young adolescent that in order to earn money to support his family discovers the easiest way to earn money is in a boxing ring, through the difficulties of being a woman trapped in a mans body trying to survive in a very male dominated sport, to being Thailand’s 1^st transvestite boxer and to finally having his dreams come true and step outside into the world as a woman.

The most interesting aspect of the film Beautiful Boxer is its duality. The character of Nong Toom sets out and masters one of the most masculine sports in order to be ultimately more feminine. Nong Toom is a woman born in a man’s body that has great masculinity but also manages to have his goals realized when he has his sex change. At one point existing as Thailand’s first transvestite boxer he has to deal with the conflicts of both his body and mind.

When Nong Toom enters a ring he doesn’t enter as a man, he has the strength, skill and physical form of a male boxer but underneath it he never denies his femininity. He choose Muay Thai as it was the only option to raise money for his poor family and as he grew in strength, determination and skill he realized just how much money could be made in this sport. Willing to put his body through the training he soon had earned enough for his parents and realized that he could also save up and get the sex change he wanted so bad. Not afraid of what others thought he explored his femininity both in and out of the ring. Having the body of a man he strengthens himself to the peak of physical ability using his male strength to achieve his goals.

But as he gets closer to his dream he begins to sacrifice his male body. At first he only wears make up in the ring but as he earns more money he begins to explore his more feminine side, wishing to look more and more like a women. He wears a top in the ring to hide his chest and refuses to strip naked at his weigh ins. He begins to take hormones reducing his strength and increasing his femininity. At one point caught between the two worlds of a professional Muay Thai fighter and a gentle woman. As his physical strength decreases his emotional strength increases. He is clear of his goals and makes the necessary sacrifices to achieve them, his resolve is set and when he has become far too feminine to fight as a male boxer (women are not allowed in the boxing ring in Thailand), and he travels to Japan to take part in a fight with a female Japanese wrestler. As much as he needed his male physicality it was only to achieve his final goal and become a women ultimately choosing femininity over masculinity.

The films main focus is that of duality which is the underlying theme of this film. The idea of masculinity versus femininity, as well as beauty and grace versus harshness and brutality. The entire film is steeped with these juxtapositions and examples of these ideals can compliment each other as well as work against each other. Not only is Toom’s duality explored but also the very sport of Muay Thai. Thai kick boxing is a violent and brutal sport using elbows and knees to make connecting blows. The risk of injury is high especially since it uses such points as the elbow to deliver fast accurate and strong blows. But at the same time it is a beautiful sport many of its moves are dance like and can be preformed with the same grace as any professional martial art. It takes a lot of talent to master this sport and to bring out both its powerful and graceful nature. It is through this that Toom learns about himself, like the sport he is both graceful and powerful he can be both beautiful and brutal.

The film has a beautiful duality in itself, unfolding in scenes that look like an artistic vision as well scenes that unfold with a natural realism. The look of beautiful boxer is much like the theme it explores. Some of the movie shows us a harsh reality and brutality of the world with even segments of the movie having a grittier tone and harsher colours and scenes. At a complete juxtaposition to these, sequences of the movie are done in an almost dream like quality, lighter colours are used and the scenery is more gentle and peaceful. When exploring the world of Muay Thai many earthy colours are used, reds of blood and browns of earth. The world of Toom’s femininity is a place of pastels and whites. As Toom becomes more feminine his clothes are the colours stereotypical of female wear and his face is paled with foundation. The weather also plays a strong part in this film. When times are difficult or harsh it is dark and cloudy, confrontation, pain and fear brings rain and evening settings. When there is beauty to behold and things are going well the setting is early morning and day time, the days are also clear and sunny. The weather matches up with the feelings that Toom is going through, when dreaming the world takes on a gentle feel and the colours are beautiful and varied. Every detail of this film stresses duality and juxtapositions. It’s a film about conflictions and only by embracing the conflicting natures within your self you can find a resolve. It’s about distinguishing weaknesses and strengths and finding what’s truly important to you. It’s the journey of one individual explored not only through themselves but through the medium of film. Beautiful boxer uses it visuals, score, cinematography and narrative to fully explore the life of Nong Toom.

So I was attracted to this because it is such a niche market a very specific genre. I mean its old Bishonen (their all in their 50’s) and they all have glasses. So if older men in glasses are your thing then you’ll love this series. This series is one of those little slice of life dramas, nothing really happens and nor does it need to. We are being invited into this world to watch and learn about these characters and their lives. It’s a nice drama about a group of people who are happy in their world and are happy to share it. The bump in the road comes from the introduction of a new character into their little world. Nicoletta comes to the restaurant to see her estrange mother and blow the lid on her mothers secret to get back at her for leaving her behind. Olga (Nicoletta’s mother) has gotten re married but her husband is against divorcees and women with children so Olga has kept Nicoletta a secret and left her behind to get on with her life. Nicoletta finally has enough of her mothers disregard for her and comes to Rome to the restaurant owed by her mother’s new husband. She is shocked to find that the entire staff of Casetta dell’Orso are older gentlemen with glasses. It turns out that Olga has a bit of a thing for this and the Husband decided to make this restaurant to honour his wife and how much he loves her. Nicoletta see’s how happy her mother is and feels she’s not really ready to blow the whole secret daughter thing so spends some time at the restaurant where she falls for one of the older gentlemen there. The series follows Nicoletta trying to work out if its love she’s feeling despite the age difference while decided to pursue her own career as a chef at the restaurant. The series gives us the back story of how the restaurant came to be, how all the staff ended up their and their various relationships. All in all it’s a simple and lovely tale of people, their relationships, friendships and of course falling in love.

Ok so yes this is an anime that I started watching because of the fan girl in me. Of course I wasn’t going to let it go unwatched there’s an entire cast of hot bishies one side is military (yay uniforms) the other is the church (yay flouncy robes).  I have to say I loved this series it was everything it needed to be, the men were hot, the action great, the story interesting, the scoring was good, the world was interesting and the slash was abundant.

The story revolves around Taito Klein, orphan slave recruited into the military but highly ostracised by the other recruits. He is training to become part of the next military cadets with the only friend willing to put aside their backgrounds for the sake of friendship. But alas Taito finds out that the general killed his father and he is the heir to a kingdom that this militaries country destroyed. Taito goes a little crazy attacks the general and gets put into a cell. His best mate helps him escape and Taito manages to crash into a group of bishops and is rescued into sanctuary which is governed by the church and therefore the military cant come and take him back (pesky politics). So this is where our story really begins Taito of coarse has a secret hidden power, hidden memories he must recover, a sense of not knowing where he belongs, a lot of angst, a best friend he misses dearly, a new mentor and guardian in the form of a hot bishop that reads porn and is the centre of a government conspiracy. But this is not all, it turns out that this world is being invaded by demons trying to eat people’s souls and it’s the church that is fighting the evil spreading through the world. Taito is stuck in the middle of so many dilemmas, does he seek the truth behind the fall of his kingdom, does he seek revenge against the military that killed his father, does he join the church and help fight this evil or does he sit about and angst about how unfair his life is. In truth he goes through all of these in some way or the other. Most of the series concentrates on his journey to find his true path, his true destiny and coming to terms with who he is and where he belongs.

This really is just fun watching and did I mention how hot the characters are? You can’t fault a fun and interesting series. It’s not the most original but it does have a great mythology running through it. Gods ruled the earth, one though was a little evil and decided that he wanted to corrupt and play havoc with the world. Well he was sealed away and to make sure he can not be reborn 7 death gods (shinigamis) were sent to protect the seal and stop him from ever resurrecting, they are known as the 7 Ghosts. Each Shinigami represents a quality or emotion, they are the seven aspects that make up god and these Shinigami have been reincarnated into the world as humans. Their role is to stop the spread of evil, as too much evil and soul eating will cause the re birth of the big bad god. The other aspect of the mythology is that each soul before being born to humanity goes before god and tells him what 3 things they would like to achieve as humans on earth. When they are born they of course forget these three goals but when they achieve them their lives are complete and they can transcend and move onto heaven. I like the mythology the idea that you have set goals you yourself have set that you must achieve in life otherwise you can’t die and move onto the next life. It’s an interesting idea that is unique to this series.

The anime for 07 Ghosts is very much a prequel for bigger things to come. By the time you’ve finished it you realize that this series is only the beginning, that everything that has happened leads to Taito’s decision in the final episode and where Taito has to go from hear. All the characters play important roles and a few are set up leaving you thinking they will have more importance to play at a latter date. Therefore the series has one of those ending no endings and I hope to god that they make more or that the manga is further ahead as |I really want to know what happens next. Plus I am a yaoi fan girl and I love slash so I want to enjoy more beautiful “friendship” moments between characters.