Wednesday, August 31, 2011

FREETER, IE O KAU. (フリーター、家を買う。)














Fall 2010

Freeter, Ie o Kau is a drama about a young man named Take Seiji (Ninomiya Kazunari) who believes he is living an "average" life. He never excelled in anything and lived each day like a leaf blowing in the wind. One day he quits his job after working for only 3 months and begins to search for a more suitable position. After some time, his search for a dream job looks hopeless, he is constantly scolded by his father, and his mother becomes depressed. To pay for expenses at home, he finds a part-time job at a small construction company. He makes excuses that he's only working there temporarily until he finds a "real job." But as he experiences the harsh working environment and the people who take ownership of their positions, his perspective on work begins to change and also influences his life at home.

Recommendation: I enjoyed this series a lot and as I reflect back on it, I think it's because I empathized with the lead character and his myriad of issues. I for one, lost my job due to a company merger more than a year ago. I never like my job and felt like I was wasting time sitting in a cubicle. Any energy that I had, felt like it was slowly seeping out of myself. I understood Seiji's issue with work, but I also realized that most people don't work because they like it; most people wake up everyday because they have to. It was interesting to see the different perspectives people had about work. Also family issues were big in this drama and it is so true that a lot of times we don't know that we are hurting the people closest to us. In any case, Ninomiya fit his role well. I liked the construction company boss, Oetsu and Seiji's sister Ayako played by Igawa Haruka. Karina and Takenaka Naoto had main roles, but I think they could have been better. Still it was a good series to watch and has a lot of helpful advice on the struggles of life.

STORY: 1.0
ACTING: 0.5
DIRECTING: 1.0
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

4.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

Monday, August 29, 2011

ENGINE












Spring 2005

I'm hoping to finish one more drama before school starts. For me watching dramas comes in spurts; once you get hooked, it's hard to stop. I just watched four dramas in less than two weeks. I don't think I broke any records, but I did enjoy the experience!
The series that I just finished watching is called Engine starring Kimura Takuya who plays Kanzaki Jiro. He is a talented circuit racer who is a bit brash and immature. He gets fired from his racing team overseas and returns to Japan only to find a younger and faster racer that took his place on his old race team. He also returns to his home after being away for six years. His father runs a foster home with several kids of different ages who have various personal issues. Jiro never liked kids, but as he tries to get his job back, he inadvertently helps them deal with their own problems as well.

Recommendation: This was a pretty good drama, but I say this really only because Kimutaku is in it. Replace him with any other actor and I don't know if I would give this series a good rating. There are some good actors that I was surprised to see like Ueno Juri and Toda Erika, but they were still young and didn't have huge roles. Koyuki was good, but not great in my opinion. I watched Sakai Masato in a samurai movie called "When the Last Sword is Drawn" or "Mibugishiden" and I thought he was pretty descent in this series. Overall though I would watch this just because of Kimura Takuya. I enjoyed the story, but it was a bit predictable. After the first episode I knew that Jiro would be involved in solving a kid's problem every episode. Still it was worth it and I do recommend this series. By the way, my favorite kid was the fat one that gave Kimutaku the evil eye.

STORY: 0.5
ACTING: 1.0
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

Thursday, August 25, 2011

MEDAKA (めだか)












Fall 2004

Medaka is about a young woman named Meguro Takako played by Mimura. She has been living her life like a leaf in the wind; without any direction or motivation until she starts a job as a teacher for a night school. At first, just like her previous jobs, she doesn't really enjoy the work, but eventually she becomes more serious about her job and the challenges that come with it. Her nickname is Medaka which she isn't particularly fond of, but her students stick with that name. As she tackles the issues facing her students, her bond with them strengthens and she gradually learns the true meaning of being a teacher.

Recommendation: This drama was a nice feel good story. I've watched a few dramas that were set in a school environment like GTO, Gokusen, and Rookies where the teacher goes beyond the call of duty to help his/her students. Medaka was no different and so I caught myself being a little bored at times because of the predictability of the series. I also thought that some scenes were over dramatic although I know that dramas are supposed to be like that in a way. Still Mimura, who I really think is a good actress, stole the show. She has a great smile and portrays a pure and innocent type very well in this series. I also liked the perspective of a night school that showed different students of all ages going through a variety of issues different from traditional students. I also got hungry almost every time I watched an episode because Medaka and/or her students seem to always be eating something that looked delicious! I recommend this drama if you want to watch something inspirational; Medaka's smile did it for me.

Spoiler Alert: One small issue I had with the drama was that there seemed to be a love triangle developing between Shiina, Medaka, and Sakuragi that never fully developed. I was waiting for a scene in which Medaka was going to choose or at least hint at who she liked, but it never came to fruition.

STORY: 0.5
ACTING: 1.0
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

DENSHA OTOKO (電車男)

Summer 2005

Densha Otoko (Train Man) is supposedly based on true events. It's about an otaku (in this case someone who is obsessed with anime) named Yamada Tsuyoshi played by Ito Atsushi who saves a young woman named Aoyama Saori played by Ito Misaki from an abusive drunk on a train. Yamada never had a relationship with a woman and posts his experiences on an internet forum for single men. He receives advice from various strangers who eventually call him "Densha Otoko" on the net hoping that he could one day get together with the beautiful "Hermes."

Recommendation: This drama received high ratings and it was an interesting story. I really loved this series as it brought excitement and high emotion to a familiar storyline aka Beauty and the Beast. I basically was sucked into the world of an otaku and the series humanized this group who are usually seen in a negative light. As usual you have some weird characters that I would have left out entirely like the strange Japanese man with the connected eyebrows touring around the world. I also thought that Ito Atsushi did a great job playing Densha Otoko, but there were a few scenes that I thought were a bit too mushy with the studdering. I know that Ito Misaki was a former model and maybe she still is, but her acting was pretty good. I watched her in two other dramas called Kiken na Aneki and Yama Onna Kabe Onna, but her acting seemed one dimensional. I thought Shiraishi Miho who played Jinkama did a fabulous job. She enters whenever the Darth Vader tune is played and Toyohara Kyosuke who played Sakurai was just hilarious with his fantasies. Yamada Takayuki, Horikita Maki, and Oguri Shun are also in this dorama but they have small roles. I definitely believe this is a classic in the drama universe and it a series that you won't regret watching!

STORY: 1.0
ACTING: 1.0
DIRECTING: 1.0
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns



Friday, August 19, 2011

H2 - Kimi to Itahibi (君といた日々)

(
Winter 2005

It's unbelievable how time flies. This is actually my first entry for 2011. I haven't posted anything for awhile mainly due to being lazy, but I was able to find the time and muster the energy to review one of my favorite dramas called H2 which is based on a high school baseball manga. The story revolves around Kunimi Hiro played by Yamada Takayuki who was an ace pitcher for his junior high school. He won the junior high school championship with his fellow teammates (and friends) Tachibana Hideo (4th batter) played by Tanaka Koutaro and Noda Atsushi (catcher) played by Nakao Akiyoshi. Unfortunately Kunimi and Noda both are diagnosed with physical ailments ("glass elbow" and weak waist respectively) that prevent them from participating in high school baseball. Both of them enter Senkawa high school which doesn't have a baseball team. Hideo on the other hand enters Meiwa No.1 high school which is known for their baseball tradition. Hideo's girlfriend (Kunimi's childhood friend) Amamiya Hikari played by Ichikawa Yui also goes to Meiwa. Eventually, Kunimi and Noda find out that the doctor who diagnosed them was not a real doctor and they were actually very healthy in the first place. They help their school's baseball fan club to become an actual baseball team and with the help of the team manager, Koga Haruka played by Ishihara Satomi, they strive to one day play in the famous high school tournament, Koshien.

Recommendation: I'm a sucker for sports dramas as I love playing sports in general. This was one of my favorite series even though I remember being annoyed by the English teacher and the character called Kine. Still, most dramas seem to include some wacky character from time to time so I wasn't too surprised. The thing about this series is that it's really not just about baseball. It's really a love story and the conflict between the four main characters (who all have names that begin with an "H" Hiro, Hideo, Hikari, Haruka) which was interesting to see play out.
Even though I never played on a high school team or met my first love in high school, each episode has a scene or two that reminded me of the "good old days" when times were simpler. With all the responsibilities that come with being an adult, it is funny to look back and remember the problems and issues that I faced back then that now seem trivial. Yet, it was still an important time in my life and I experienced heartbreak, death, and made close friendships that still last today. When I watched H2 those memories resurfaced; something about high school and the timelessness of baseball just did it for me.

STORY: 1.0
ACTING: 1.0
DIRECTING: 1.0
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1.0
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns