Monday, July 16, 2012

HAKEN NO HINKAKU (ハケンの品格)















Winter 2007

"Haken No Hinkaku" loosely translates to "a temporary worker's dignity" is about a temporary worker named Oomae Haruko (Shinohara Ryoko) who is highly skilled and maintains an A+ class ranking among her peers. In an ever increasing global economy, businesses need to stay competitive at all costs. In order to do so, full-time employees are laid off and cost effective temporary staff are hired. At S&F, a young man named Satonaka Kensuke (Koizumi Kotaro) is promoted to manage the newly created marketing division. For support, Oomae Haruko, Mori Miyuki (Kato Ai), and Kin Kosaku (Kamiji Yusuke) are hired to help out temporarily. Oomae works efficiently, but with somewhat of a chip on her shoulder especially when it comes to dealing with full-time employees. She  never works overtime, only works for three months per contract, and never socializes with her coworkers. But strangely for the first time as a temporary worker, she soon finds herself involved in her coworkers' affairs more than ever.

Recommendation: This drama still portrays the sign of the times. I personally was a temporary worker having to prove myself for six months to get a full-time position with benefits. I thought the drama did very well in showing the differing attitudes and perspectives of temporary staff. Shinohara Ryoko is a talented actress and she killed this role. It was filled with comedy and inspiring moments without the mushiness. The actors had good chemistry and each episode was well made. Oomae Haruko is basically a super hero in an office setting, but even super heroes are vulnerable and have weaknesses which she learns and grows from. I especially liked episode six when Oomae had to wear the heart headgear and make a cute speech; it was so hilarious. I have to put this series up there with my faves. I watched it twice and it was as good as watching it for the first time!

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, July 13, 2012

SEIGI NO MIKATA (正義の味方)













Summer 2008

Looking for something off the beaten path, I picked this drama called "Seigi No Mikata" or Ally of Justice starring Shida Mirai as Nakata Yoko and Yamada Yu as Nakata Mariko. The story is about two sisters who have quite an extreme relationship. The older sister Mariko is a beautiful and smart woman, but underneath the glamour lies a cunning and deceiving manipulator. Once she sets her eyes on something, she is determined to obtain it no matter the cost. The younger sister Yoko is a sweet and loyal girl who is constantly harassed like a slave by Mariko to do her evil bidding. Ironically, whenever Mariko acts on her "evil" instincts, people around her benefit from it. One day Mariko meets a handsome young man named Yoshikawa Naoki (Mukai Osamu). Determined to marry him, Mariko sends her younger sister to investigate every little detail about Naoki. Yoko is first reluctant to do her bidding, but realizes that if Mariko marries Naoki and leaves home, she will be free of her sister's demands. All her life, Yoko wanted to expose her sister's evil nature, but now must do everything she can to keep it a secret.

Recommendation: This is the first drama that I've seen with Shida Mirai and Yamada Yu playing main characters and I was quite surprised. Both actresses were very funny and had great chemistry together. This was a light hearted and quirky drama. The facial expressions from both Shida and Yamada were great. Having Mariko's unkind acts develop into good deeds got a bit redundant after awhile, and the characters never change or grow up much, but I found myself laughing a lot at the extreme storyline. Shida Mirai played her role really well and I look forward to watching her again in the near future. Anyone who had a demanding or controlling older sibling can relate to this drama. If you're looking for something light and funny, this drama is for you.

Story: 1.0
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 0.5
Emotional Factor: 1.0

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

Saturday, July 7, 2012

MY LITTLE CHEF


















Summer 2002

Another past favorite of mine is this drama called "My Little Chef" starring Yada Akiko as Kamosawa Seri. Seri is a young woman who has a talent for cooking. She dreamed of taking on after her father who was a famous chef. One day, she gets an opportunity to work for Etoile, a popular French restaurant. With her step sister, Kamosawa Nazuna (Ueto Aya) tagging along, they find out the restaurant's former manager, Tachibana Kensaku (Abe Hiroshi) who they were supposed to meet no longer worked at Etoile. Kensaku accidentally discovers that Seri has a unique talent as a cook and gambles on her skills by opening a small restaurant called Petit Etoile. Thinking that he can pay off his debts and establish himself as a highly skilled manager again, Kensaku hires other members to work at the restaurant. Little does he know that his bet will drastically change his life forever.

Recommendation: This drama was quite good. I enjoyed the characters even though they didn't develop or grow in a sense, but through their situations, I caught myself rooting for them as they tried to succeed in the food business. The story was unique in that Seri had to meet her customers directly in order to create delicious meals. This was a double edged sword as it was a great selling point, but she could not handle a large amount of customers per day. The directing was formulaic but it had a good if not safe mix of comedy and drama. I understood how food could make people happy and alter the minds of customers, but sometimes I felt it was a bit extreme. Overall, my stomach growled after each episode and the settings in the restaurant and of Nasu looked like something out of a dream. Would I recommend this drama? Ouie!

Story: 1.0
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 0.5
Emotional Factor: 1.0

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

Sunday, July 1, 2012

YAMATO NADESHIKO (やまとなでしこ (大和撫子))














Fall 2000

Bringing back a bit of nostalgia from my youth (I know I'm dating myself here) I took a road down memory lane and watched "Yamato Nadeshiko" again. The story is about a young woman named Jinno Sakurako (Matsushima Nanako) who suffered through the harshness of being poor. She vowed to one day marry a rich man and never have to deal with financial problems. Working as a stewardess, she infamously becomes known as the queen of gokkon (group dating) dragging her co-workers to join her in finding the perfect man to help her attain her materialistic dreams. Things start to unravel when she meets Nakahara Osuke (Tsutsumi Shinichi), a brilliant mathematician who fell on hard times. A sincere and pure hearted man who would do anything for Sakurako, he tries to desperately woo her. Unfortunately she wants no part of him when she discovers how poor he is. But as their lives indirectly intertwine, Sakurako isn't sure what it is, but something other than the power of money draws her more closely to this strange man.

Recommendation: Wow, it's really been awhile since I last saw this drama. I noticed many flaws that I didn't before, but it really doesn't change my impression of the series too much. The framework has been overdone and compared to dramas these days, the story is nothing new, but what makes "Yamato Nadeshiko" special is the draw of Matsushima Nanako. She really was great in this drama. Her beauty is unique and her charm is magnetic. I think this was one of her best works. Whenever I think of Matsushima Nanako, this drama always comes to mind. It's a feel good romantic comedy and has all the parts working like a cliched drama. The characters are great, Tsutsumi Shinichi plays a down on his luck poor man convincingly, and you just have to feel bad for Shiota Wakaba (Yada Akiko) who plays the "girl next door" type exceptionally well. Again the story is nothing new, but it is well made and one that I would put up with the all time classics.

Story: 1.0
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 1.0
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0

5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns