J-Drama Review: Fishbowl Wives (2022)

 For the entirety of my viewing of Netflix’s latest adult drama Fishbowl Wives (2022) I compared myself endlessly to the pensioner Mrs. Glick from The Simpsons. Anyone else remember the scene where Bart is at her house weeding the garden to raise some pocket money and Mrs. Glick is sat in her armchair watching a steamy day-time soap opera and commenting “filthy… but genuinely arousing”?

 This eight-part Japanese drama, inspired by Ryo Kurasawa’s 2017 manga series of the same name, will have you sitting there Mrs. Glick Style with your knitting (as I very much was) picking your jaw back up off the floor and praying no other member of your family walks in on you watching such smut.

 But Fishbowl Wives is compelling, heartfelt smut. Set in “The Heights”, an ultra-glamorous multi-storey Tokyo apartment complex. The secret misery and despair of the complexes married denizens is hidden well behind a mask of outward success and affluence. King and Queen of Living a Lie are the Hiraga family.

 Chain hair-salon owning extraordinaire power couple Sakura Hiraga (played by the warm and engaging Ryoko Shinohara) and her charming, handsome husband Takuya (played by Masanobu Ando, best known as Kazuo Kiriyama in Kinji Fukasaku’sBattle Royale) are equal parts envied and adored by fellow residents of “The Heights”. A beautiful pair of goldfish swimming around a shining bowl for all to admire, but the water within is dangerously dirty.

 The viewer soon learns that their relationship is more akin to that of Julia Roberts and Patrick Bergin’s in Sleeping withthe Enemy. Takuya is a serial womanizer and gaslighting wife beater. How much more will Sakura put up with before she’s pushed to breaking point? Isn’t there anyone who can help her find the natural strength and resilience inside her to take back control of her life?

 Cue Sakura’s goofily adorable extra-marital love interest HarutoKazama. Haruto owns the local goldfish shop and has more than a few skeletons in his closet, but will face them all if it means he can be with Sakura, who he genuinely loves. However, loving another man’s wife is risky business at the best of times, especially when the wife is viewed by the husband as a personal possession and punching bag for the sole use of the husband. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Takuya is not going to be receptive to having another man take his toy out of his sandbox.

 Featuring disturbing scenes of sexual assault and domestic violence, the Sakura/Takuya/Harutolove triangle is the central pillar storyline. It’s a plot provokes strong reactions as a Westerner to the Japanese attitudes towards, and divorce laws governing, those trapped in violent marriages. Divorce, regardless of the circumstances, is still considered shameful.

 Less shameful than divorce, apparently, is infidelity. If there’s no shame in infidelity, then let me tell you, the other “Goldfish Wives” of the show are living proud as punch.

 There’s Bento Wife whose husband gets a little more than he bargains for when bringing in a third party to their bedroom. There’s Outsourcing Wife, who reasons that if her husband won’t give her the baby she so yearns for, someone else can. 

The Running Wife thinks that her husband is running away with her life and now she’s left with an identity that doesn’t belong to her. A desperate act of cheating is the only path to communication and ultimate reconciliation. 

And Renovation Wife, an adulterous, raging bitch at the best of times, cowed by an overbearing mother-in-law and high maintenance husband, finds solace and self-acceptance in the arms of a damaged contractor.

 Over-seeing, and openly encouraging these wives to stray and find both emotional and sexual satisfaction from whatever source they can is resident mystic Mei. Is Mei really psychic? Or does she just like seeing women take back some control over their own destinies and break free from the social constraints trapping all these goldfish women in ill-fitting bowls?

 Beautifully shot, clever “fishbowl” style camera work, exquisite lighting to capture and reflect moods, gorgeous musical underscore and rife with metaphor and social commentary, Fishbowl Wives is a gripping drama that is as heart-breaking as it is heart-racing. Imagine… a sexually explicit Desperate Housewives with meatier plots and considerably better acting.

 This won’t be for everyone. I enjoyed it immensely, it was hard to watch at times and not every minute of the show is flawless. But, if you’re looking for an excuse to melodramatically gasp and cry “Escandalo!” at the T.V. while clapping your hand to your cheek - then this is the show for you.

 5 stars from Straight Outta Kanto!

For more reviews like this pop on over to:

https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91

INSTA: @straightoutta_kanto

J-Drama Review: Followers (2020)

 

If the grey old Irish winter has left you feeling gloomy and unglamorous then may I recommend a hearty dose of technicolour escapism?

Mika Ninagawa's latest T.V. series Followers (now on Netflix) is a compelling and vibrant drama focusing on two friend groups of sinfully stylish Tokyo urbanites. 

Tokyo Urbanite Group A are a gaggle of gorgeous, successful professional women (and their assorted lovers and gay best friends) who confidently navigate their careers in photography, fashion and celebrity PR to greater heights. Think Japanese Sex and the City.

Tokyo Urbanite Group B are an equally attractive, but younger gang of scrappy, struggling actors and artists. Reliant on an over-saturated social media and the nepotistic whims of the uncaring Gate Keepers to Success for for any crumb of recognition, these young up and comers are edging closer to eternal obscurity. 

Followers skillfully collides these two worlds with far reaching consequences for all concerned. The obscure shoot to fame to notoriety then to obscurity once more and the famous revaluate their tenuouse roles at the top and the harsh reality of an idustry that quntifies everyone's value regardless of past endeavours.

A vivid portrayal of how not only do all lives, no matter what the social sphere, touch each other in one way or another, Followers shows the staggering power held by those that have a high social media following.

However, it's not all eye-melting haute couture, fever-dream monster cafes, Asian celebrity cameos (Miyavi, Yu Yamada, Monsta X to name but a few) and insta-worthy cityscapes of Tokyo at night. Hard hitting issues such as miscarriage, breast cancer, women in the workplace, homophobia, love, loss, back-stabbery and the public crucifixion of the famous no longer deemed worthy of fame are topics expertly handled without any overt preachy message. The drama simply unfolds before the viewer who is left to form their own opinions.

While Sacrifice x Success is the dual headed dragon each of the charcters need to over come, it's ultimately friendship and authenticity in following one's own path that is the key to happiness.

Followers is deliciously binge-worthy at just nine forty minute episodes (I watched them all in one go one stormy Saturday) and certainly has the plot subtance to go with the almost unbearably striking visual style. 

Given the electric use of neons and bold, clashing prints, it's no surprise to learn that the director for this, Mika Ninagawa, was also the director for the equally electric 2007 pop art geisha movie Sakuran featuring the rebellious beauty Anna Tsuchiya (Kamikaze Girls)

So, grab the duvet and have a massive mug of tea close at hand and forget all your troubles... by watching someone else's! Just be prepared to lose a few K in your bank account afterward booking the next flight to Tokyo! #holidayenvy #doinitforthegram

For more reviews like this head on over to:

https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91

INSTA: @straightoutta_kanto

Japan Does Christmas - an "Itsudatte My Santa!" Review.

How many weird festive holiday rituals do you personally hold dear and adhere to every year? Humans by nature are creatures of habit and slaves to tradition. Regardless of your religion or beliefs, there's no denying that December is a month entrenched in traditions, habits, rituals and ceremony. One such tradition for me, Straight Outta Kanto, is my annual viewing of the anime adaptation of Ken Akamatus's short manga "Itsudatte My Santa!".

Fellow old school manga and anime nerds will know Ken Akamatsu as the creator of legendary harem comedy Love Hina. In 1997 Ken drew a short one-shot manga for Shonen Magazine "Itsudatte My Santa!" This was later adapted into an anime OVA in Japan, 2005. Released in the west in 2007. 

We all know that Japan has some of the most eccentric and endearingly bizarre interpretations of the Christian holiday of "Christmas." Traditional turkey and ham!? No! KFC dominates the season with millions of Japanese families chowing down every yule to a bucket of chicken wings. Who cares about Valentine's Day!? December 24th is the hottest date night for young Japanese couples. And who can forget about our lord and saviour Santa Claus, nailed to a literal cross in department store windows across Tokyo!? Holiday visual merchandising... crucifixion style. 

I personally feel that My Santa is the most gloriously weird snap shot of Christmas-meets-Japan. Imagine It's a Wonderful Life crammed into A Christmas Carol but with more Big Titty Magical Girls from the North Pole.

My Santa centres around a dispirited young man on Christmas Eve in Tokyo. Our down-hearted hero is alone, once again, shunned by family and friends on this festive night - which also doubles as his birthday. For dear young hero's birthday is in fact December 24th. In honour of such a Christmassy birth date, his (now absent) parents decided to call their child... Santa!

So here we are, December 24th and young Santa is depressed that he's all on his ownio. Cue his Guardian Angel, or rather, Guardian Santa Mai - a flat-chested but large spirited Santa in Training from the Santa School in the North Pole come to Earth to give boy Santa hope and joy this holiday. (Yes. That is more Santas than a police line-up from Hell.) 

Hilarious misunderstandings, public "pervert!" embarrassments, slap-stick whimsy, a stuffed reindeer named Pedro and an uproarious run in with a Yakuza boss and his now smashed Christmas Cake ensue. In true holiday special fashion, by the end of the episode boy Santa has learned the true meaning of Christmas, the importance of family and the value of friendship. There's even a little cherry blossom of love blooming between Santa and Mai. 

Does the old saying that every time a bell rings an angel gets it's wings still hold true here? Like Hell it does! Every time a bell rings a Santa in Training gets her titties! Brace your eyes for an absolutely bonkers Magical Girl Sexy Santa transformation at the end.

The "Ittsudatte My Santa!" OVA DVD even comes complete with a second Summer Beach Special episode. Sexy Santas at the beach. Oh Japan. Never change. 

56 minutes of my life every Christmas Eve is dedicated to this weird little gem, purely because it reminds me that life and its traditions are not to be taken so seriously. Life is for living and laughing and the one thing "Ittsudatte My Santa!" will make you do is laugh.

Happy Christmas and New Year from Straight Outta Kanto.

Tell Straight Outta Kanto what you think on:

Twitter: @KantoOutta and @VenusDeVilo

Instagram: @straightoutta_kanto and @venus_de_vilo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91/ and https://www.facebook.com/VenusDeViloTheVoiceOfHorror/

Join the Pokemon Fan Club Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1623889321229114/

Listen to the Straight Outta Kanto Podcast Radio Show https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRul8v6Xpy8JFD8clhlok?si=-f1uecxqT5erPBqigRIALg and the music of Venus de Vilo https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hSAeNpNk7ydf8lgE93sHn on Spotify.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX Review

Alola, PokéNerds! Welcome to this week’s Straight Outta Kanto blog post. Straight Outta Kanto is Ireland’s number one spot for Nerd Culture, Nightmares and Nostalgia.

Answer me these questions three and find out what Pokémon you'll be...

You all know by now that here at Straight Outta Kanto we are hardcore GenWunners and devoted beyond reason to Game Freak, but even we've had trouble staying loyal of late. Lack lustre, incomplete feeling, rushed, half-hearted releases by Game Freak on Nintendo Switch have left us wondering whether there is any hope for the future of Pokémon!

And then along comes Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX - the first new Mystery Dungeon game in four years. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX is like that one last game-changing Full Restore you spam during those final crucial moments in your battle against the Pokémon Champion. There is hope!

Anyone familiar with the Mystery Dungeon spin-off series of the Pokémon games will consider the storyline to be fairly standard. You are a human who has been magically transported to the un-named Pokémon world to help save the day for various apocalyptic reasons.

You answer a quiz at the start of the game to determine what adorable Pokémon avatar you will embody for the course of the game. You also get to select your goofy but earnest Pokémon partner. You and said partner build a small base-camp and become stalwart members of the Pokémon community - helping out local neighbours and merchants by going on adventures, or, "explorations" in "dungeons" and generally saving the day.

You participate in these explorations for monetary/material rewards, add new members to your exploration team and advance through the Pokémon exploration ranks. There are addictive side-adventures to keep you occupied as well as the quests that further your progression through the main story line.

As I said, the story line is fairly basic and contains less plot-twists and content than previous Mystery Dungeon games - for example, the epic and heartbreaking Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness. That being said, it's still engaging and tear-jerking at times.

The endearing soundtrack and unique, charming, almost crayon drawing style of the animation gives a familiar game a refreshing face-lift. There is a huge amount of content and areas in the game - both as you play the main plot and post-game.

The "dungeons" are challenging and rewarding once completed but not soul-destroyingly grinding like in previous games. (They at least have the decency to leave most of the grinding misery for the post-game!) Increased battle functions and options make adding new team members and battling with them in the field more user friendly.

A more in-depth story to make the game feel less like a series of fun mini-games would be my main complaint. To be frank, this game is one of the few things that has kept me sane this last month during the Covid-19 lockdown here in Ireland.

Yes, the game contributes nothing majorly new to the Pokémon franchise, but playing it is like a comfortable and reliable encounter with an old friend. It definitely sucks you in and engages you for hours at a time so it's release during this turbulent time was ideal! It's also the best Pokémon release for Nintendo Switch.

4/5  PokéBalls.

Tell Straight Outta Kanto what you think on:

Twitter: @KantoOutta and @VenusDeVilo

Instagram: @straightoutta_kanto and @venus_de_vilo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91/ and https://www.facebook.com/VenusDeViloTheVoiceOfHorror/

Join the Pokemon Fan Club Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1623889321229114/

Listen to the Straight Outta Kanto Podcast Radio Show https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRul8v6Xpy8JFD8clhlok?si=-f1uecxqT5erPBqigRIALg and the music of Venus de Vilo https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hSAeNpNk7ydf8lgE93sHn on Spotify.

Pokemon Platinum Remakes - Sinnoh Wishlist

Alola, fellow nerds! Here at Straight Outta Kanto (https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91/ or insta: @straightoutta_kanto twitter: @KantoOutta) we are majorly excited about the new and imminent Sword and Shield Expansion Pass releases.

However, one is never satisfied with what one has and always yearns for the elusive and out-of-reach. I for one am still dreaming of a Pokemon Gen 4 remake and will not rest until I see this dream realised for Nintendo Switch.

For those of you currently unfamiliar, “Gen 4” refers to the Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum series of games from 2006 – 2009. The games are the franchise’s fourth RPG line and is set in the stunning fictitious Sinnoh region. This generation of the Pokemon series has continuously been overlooked for remakes and reboots so often by the game’s creators so that this fact is now a long-running in-joke amongst Pokemon pop culture community.

If you are amenable dear readers, I would like to share with you a few snippets of my vision (and based on discussions with members of the https://www.facebook.com/groups/1623889321229114/ Pokemon Fan Club Ireland) for what a Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum reboot for the Nintendo Switch could look like.

I have ten points, in no particular order, of things I feel we all would dearly love to see.

1. A Mt. Coronet/Snow Point Wild Area.

Yes! Can you imagine a region as vast and beautiful as Sinnoh having certain routes upgraded with Gen 8 Wild Area function!? Mt. Coronet and the routes proceeding Snow Point City in particular offer ample opportunity for such an upgrade. The post-game resort and battle areas also lend themselves with ease to becoming Wild Areas, as do the three legendary lakes. The improved cinematic graphics and audio capabilities of the Nintendo Switch as well would greatly enhance an already winning soundtrack and region.

2. HD Cynthia.

Cynthia is hands down one of the most strategically strongest (and toughest) Champions of all time, one with an extremely interesting background and is a hands-down fan favourite. Cynthia is a badass. Cynthia and her historian grandmother both. Cynthia is one of the most hands on champions in the game with regards to tackling the evil Team Galactic and frequently re-appears in later games to continue kicking your ass. There’s many rumours circulating that Cynthia is a mother and has a child who is also a Pokemon trainer. Were there to be a Gen 4 remake, I think a good meaty dose of Cynthia with plenty of, if not backstory, then “what happened next” style story building around her would be welcome by all.

3. Distortion World Post-Game Side Quest.

Forgive me for being greedy, but if we get a fleshed out Cynthia in the remakes, I also want a fleshed out Cyrus! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO CYRUS AFTER HIS BUTT WAS ORIGINALLY KICKED IN THE DISTORTION WORLD! Where did he go!? Did he ever return from the Distortion World!? IS HE STILL THERE!? A Distortion World post-game story in the style of the Grovyle;s from Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness could be phenomenal. Also, Distortion World as a Wild Area, anyone!? A Wild Area with perhaps legendary Hoopa rings similar to the OR/AS reboots, because let’s face it, a Wild Area Distortion World ain’t gonna have no boring old Pidgeys in it…

4. Pokemon follow you!

Yeeees! Let’s keep this trend of Pokemon following you around outside the pokeball going! Reserved for Yellow, G/S/HG/SS and the Let’s Go games, this is a feature that the adorable and kick ass denizens of Sinnoh deserve! I. Want. My. Piplup. To. Follow. Me. Around. Adorably. 

5. FREE THE HM SLAVES!

Alola’s Ride Pokemon changed… everything! No more HM (Hidden Machine) moves were required to take up precious space in your Pokemon’s move list and the Bidoofs, Sentrets and Zigzagoons of the world were safe! Sinnoh was such a horrifically HM heavy region I would desperately hate to see the new and improved game functions regress from their current state of freedom to HM locking certain areas and Pokemon. The Let’s Go games got around the HM issue in a pretty nifty way, by having your Pikachu/Eevee learn a special trick to get around the HM requiring obstacles, the game creators were able to make a faithful remake without cumbersome features.

6. Sinnoh Mythology Explored.

Each Pokemon game and region comes with it’s own unique and layered culture, lore and mythology but Gen 4 is where the game creators really start hinting at some meaty history. Allusions to eating Pokemon and possibly marrying them all the way to Pokemon and humans being one and the same, Gen 4 raised a lot of questions we all want answers to. Cinematic flash-back cut-scenes fully explaining the histories hinted at in the Canalave City library would be AMAAAAZING. The screen of the Nintendo Switch alone is huge, and also hooks up to your telly – so imagine a big dramatic Pokemon history re-enactment about the origins of Sinnoh on the big screen!? Come on lads! DO IT!

7. Underground Wild Area.

Underground Wild Area, anyone!? Or, failing that, just a really juicy, mini-game filled visually spectacular Underground feature for Nintendo Switch. I would play the heck out of that. It was enjoyable as a clunky little poor graphic game for Nintendo DS, there’s no excuse for it either not feature in a Gen 4 remake or to be less than its original DS incarnation. Making it a bit more like the Secret Bases of Hoenn is probably asking too much…

8. A Full Darkrai and Cresselia post-game quest.

Darkrai is one of the coolest rare Pokemon additions in the decades long list of Pokemon and is the antagonist in some of the darkest Pokemon storylines that the franchise has created to date. That coupled with the fact he has a direct opponent in Cresselia – the Holmes to his Moriarty if you will – has left me wanting some class of in-game Darkrai/Cresselia showdown for years. What better venue to stage this showdown than on Sinnohs very own Full Moon island after a dramatic battle to save Sailor Eldritch’s Nightmare-ridden son… I’m telling you. The Darkrai/Cresselia/Sailor Eldritch Arc of Pokemon D/P/Platinum is one of the saddest non-entities of the franchise. The possibilities for an epic post-game duel and rescue mission are endless. I want this post-game quest more than I want the Distortion World one. And I really want the Distortion World one…

9. Sinnoh Formes.

I have actually really enjoyed the regional variants added to the later games since Pokemon Sun and Moon and I for one welcome our new Sinnoh Forme overlords. While regional formes felt gimmicky initially with the Alolan ‘mon, I actually think Game Freak hit the nail on the head with the Galarian Formes and would love to see how some of the national Pokemon can be updated for a region as diverse and lush as Sinnoh.

10. More. Eeveelutions.

I DON’T CARE WE ALREADY GOT TWO NEW EEVEELUTIONS IN SINNOH.

I. WANT. MORE.

It’s been years since our last new Eeveelution – we deserve a new Eeveelution and as Sinnoh has already proven itself to be a region where new evolutions of Eevee cann thrive – I WANT MORE!

So that’s it in essence! Of course, there are many, many arguments for and against a multitude of other functions and features and characters and plots in the Gen 4 games that are not discussed here today, but that’s what the official Straight Outta Kanto social media is for!

Twitter: @KantoOutta and @VenusDeVilo

Instagram: @straightoutta_kanto and @venus_de_vilo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaKanto91/ and https://www.facebook.com/VenusDeViloTheVoiceOfHorror/

Join the Pokemon Fan Club Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1623889321229114/

Listen to the Straight Outta Kanto Podcast Radio Show https://open.spotify.com/show/0FRul8v6Xpy8JFD8clhlok?si=-f1uecxqT5erPBqigRIALg and the music of Venus de Vilo https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hSAeNpNk7ydf8lgE93sHn on Spotify.