Tokyo Vampire Hotel (2017)

Holy Crap! I can't believe I almost didn't watch this show because of some poor reviews. This is a masterpiece! Sono Sion is a god among men when it comes to film making. I guess a lot of normies watched this, and got angry because it didn't fit a nicely packaged storyline, but Sono Sion's films aren't about that. They're art, very visceral art, with lots of symbolism and dialogue that ask hard questions about existence and society (mostly Japan's modern society). For example, didn't you wonder why Yamada was so mad at his politician father? Maybe the isolation inside a small hotel with a dwindling population while the youth long for the "outside world" represents Japan's isolationism and birthrate decline. The walls of the "hotel" are made up of people who have given up on fighting for a change. And that's just one example of how you can interpret it. And that's what art often is, a beautiful chaotic mess that is left open for interpretation, i.e. Tokyo Vampire Hotel. The visuals were stunning. I cinegasmed every time the characters walked into a monochromed room. The characters were enthralling. The story was exciting and gripping. The music was great. I loved the opening theme by Tricot, and the bump in the night song was fun for the ending theme. Overall it was just freaking amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone who is ready to look deeper into a dark, violent, fun film, rather than your average run of the mill fantasy story.

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So much potential, but sadly fell short

To get this out of the way, I know that many viewers love this series, and that is great! I don't want my review to hate on this series, but I do want to present a different opinion.
The first few episodes are great! They are visually appealing, have an exciting tone with compelling characters, and the plot progresses at a perfect speed. I was excited and eager to see its potential. However, as the show progresses, everything gets muddy, repetitive, and pointless.

THE BAD: Without spoiling anything, the plot ends up going in boring, unnecessary directions. The main characters had so much potential and what could have been more active, strong roles ended up becoming pitiful puppets or just plain pointless. There were also so many relationships(romantic and platonic) that could have gone in different directions that would make sense and be satisfactional, but these too fell short. Additionally, the once interesting fighting and massacre scenes became tragically repetitive in the latter half of the series and felt like cheap tactics to create some sort of tension. The main character's focus is also changed later on to different people and flip-flops, as well as the main plot. These changes only furthered my confusion and frustration. As for the setting, I quickly got tired of seeing the interior of the hotel.

THE GOOD: The soundtrack was befitting, especially "Bumps in the Night" (a real bop!). The actors were cast perfectly and I enjoyed the costume design and set design at certain parts. The plot (at least at the start) is very unique and interesting.

OVERALL: All of my review is subjective, but I personally did not enjoy this series. There was a lot of potential with such a unique plot and wonderful cast, but it became frustrating instead. I wish I would have stopped watching maybe around the 3rd episode.

Lire davantage

Aesthetic whirlwind with a sprinkle of a coherent storyline

I came in the show with low expectations and tried avoid it because of the low reviews on Amazon. Eventually watched it because of Kaho. I was pleasantly surprised with the cinematography which I think makes it worth watching even if you don’t end up finishing it. It is really beautiful and a lot of hard work was put into it with the design, costumes, acting,. If you’ve watched True Blood then this is an easy show for you because the blood and gore is on the same level. After episode 5 I was just speed running the episodes because as beautiful as the show was the storyline was just getting more and more plot holes I couldn’t ignore. The storyline with the humans was tiring and dumb and Manami was tiring and dumb. It was a fun watch in the beginning but you never end up caring about watching the any of the characters and where their story would end up. If it wasn’t for my excitement of seeing the actors portray their characters I think I would’ve dropped the show sooner. All in all Kaho and Shinnosuke Mitsushima were my favorite to watch in both action scenes and dramatic scenes.

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Love/Hate relationship

This is badly written, poorly acted, and obnoxiously directed. AND YET, something pulled me in and wouldn't let go. Who watches an entire season of a show they nearly hate? This girl, right here. I have no idea why I can't rate this show higher or lower than I did. It's possible that this is one of those things that grows on you and gets better each time you watch it. Does that mean I might rewatch it later on? It is in fact possible. Can I tell you even one good thing about it? Well, Red is pretty hot. Some of the costumes are really sexy... That's all I've got 😂

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I was not disappointed. This is a high-octane roller-coaster filled with blood, sex, gore, and emotions. Sion is an extremely creative man and beats to his own drum. No matter how complicated or convoluted it may seem at first, this is a well-structured series and highly enjoyable for the right reasons. The visuals were fantastic, featuring some of the best-choreographed mayhem I have ever seen. (The series for a couple of episodes feature nothing but non-stop exhilarating action. Sono also never fails to create entertaining characters, that have depth to them, it's hard to find a single character that made the show less enjoyable. (Maybe Manami to a certain extent)

TL;DR

If you want an exciting series, that will keep you on your toes, get you attached to the characters and blow your mind, this won't disappoint. Good stuff happens when you give Sono Sion full reign and a budget.
Summary: See it before you judge.

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