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Tokyo Girl
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reviews by Allan Tong
TOKYO GIRL (on
Prime)
ChinoKino
score: A
Tokyo Girl
would kick Emily in
Paris' ass in a Superbowl game.
Tokyo
Girl is
a
Prime series about a smalltown girl who finds her dreams working in
fashion in the big city, while Emily
in Paris, the
Netflix hit, follows a Chicago girl who trimphs in the European
culture capital through her Instagram account. Both heroines are
fishes out of water, bore wear gorgeous clothes and they dine in
dazzling restaurants with lovers and backstabbing colleagues.
After
watching Emily in
Paris, I
remember gorgeous Paris and posh clothes. After watching Tokyo
Girl I
remember work triumphs, everyday struggles and broken relationships.
I remember watching a real person mature.
This
comparison, I admit, can go only so far. Emily
is
told in real time while Tokyo
Girl spans
nearly 20 years in the heroine's life. Also, Emily
is
lighter while TG
mixes
drama with laughs.
Both
shows are helmed by strong actresses, though. Emily
takes
a lot slagging for being an American philistine, but Lily Collins
nails the role. Collins injects her character with unexpected
vulnerability at times. (A shout-out goes to Philippine
Leroy-Beaulieu who nails Emily's bitch boss.) Asami Mizukawa (pictured above) has a
tougher gig in Tokyo
Girl,
portraying how smalltown girl Aya turns into career woman Aya by age
40, when she wonders what th hell she'll do next with her life.
Mizukawa pulls it off.
TG's
writing is tougher, smarter and more complex.
Guys
need to watch this show to understand women better. Emily,
in contrast, overdoses on gee-whiz sweetness that would kill a
diabetic. But, hey, Paris, is dazzling.
The call: Tokyo Girl
by
14 points.
PELÉ (on Netflix)
ChinoKino
score: B
Before
Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, there was Pelé.
This kid from the slums of Sao Paulo shot to football (soccer)
superstardom and put Brazil atop the football map. This doc covers
the meat of his career, playing for Santos and leading Brazil to
three World Cups, from 1958 to 1970.
Those
years were a hell of a ride that lifted Brazilian national pride and
made Pelé a rock star. Goals, goals, goals. There's an endless
stream of Pelé making acrobatic moves on the football pitch, drawn
from vintage black-and-white footage and grainy colour. This doc is
thrilling to watch, and captures a lot of Pelé's former teammates
and coaches on camera recounting their victories and struggles.
Pelé himself, now 80, tells a lot of his story. He needs a walker
these days, undoubtedly a result of many years of taking cheap shots
from less-talented opponents. Yet, he still speaks with a sparkle in
his eye. All great. However, the issue of him never opposing Brazil's
dictator, who imprisoned and murdered his countrymen from 1964 to
1985, is thorny. Credit this film for including Pelé's critics as as
well as offering Pelé's own justification for keeping his nose out
of politics. Maybe we expect too much from our athletic heroes
(Jordan and Gretzky were also apolitical, not Ali), but I winced when
Pelé hugs the country's butcher after the 1970 World Cup victory.