Spring 2012
Papadol! is a drama about a Japanese idol named Ryo Nishikido (who plays himself). He is part of a popular idol group called Kanjani8. Idols have strict rules to live by and one of them is to be single. But on a fateful day, Ryo meets Haruka Hanamura (Yuka) and they fall in love. Haruka is a single mother, taking care of her three children, Mei (Umika Kawashima), Yuto (Yuki Imai), and Kana (Kanon Tani) and her own mother, Natsu (Atsuko Takahata). Due to Haruka's mother being ill, Ryo desperately seeks to reassure her. He suddenly proposes to Haruka and they get married. Ryo is confident that he will be able to juggle his idol duties while taking care of his new family. Will he be able to keep his private life secret? And will his new family accept him as their father?
Recommendation: I was recommended to watch this drama by commenter: ashappyasiget. I would first like to state that I'm not a huge fan of Ryo Nishikido nor am I a die hard fan of idol groups. That being said, I was surprised by this drama. The story may have been done before, but this was the first drama that I've seen where the main character plays himself. To put Ryo in a difficult situation, he gets involved in a relationship that is strictly prohibited. This was an interesting idea and I thought it was unique. Idol groups are popular in Japan and it was fun to get a glimpse of what they go through even though Ryo's strict schedules may have been over dramatized. I liked the cameo appearances by popular idols and celebrities too.
The acting was good, I wasn't blown away particularly by any actor, but I think Ryo Nishikido did well in playing himself. The actors had good chemistry and Kanon Tani was really cute.
The directing was okay for me as well. I found myself having a hard time believing that Ryo was able to keep his secret unexposed for most of the drama. Also, the pattern of convincing each family member that Ryo is actually a decent human being and having to face the ex-husband was probably necessary, but has been done a lot in other dramas, so I wasn't too thrilled by that.
Still, the drama offers fun and tear jerking moments. I think if you are a fan of Ryo Nishikido, this is a must watch. I liked the portrayal of a man experiencing growing pains and really finding out what it takes to be a responsible idol, husband and parent. It also provided an interesting perspective on the choices that a person makes and the consequences/sacrifices that need to be made to live the life you want.
To ashappyasiget: Hope you enjoyed my review. I think you may have liked the drama more than I did, but I still thought it was a solid family drama! Thanks for the recommendation.
Story: 1.0
Acting: 0.5
Directing: 0.5
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0
4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns
Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI gave myself a long break from Nishikido after 'the last friends'. He was scary in that drama. I guess thats the thing about good actors, they play the role and not themselves.
I was really skeptical about watching this drama and did not expect much from it. The premise of the drama also seems boring, about an idol father managing career and his relationship.
However, i ended up enjoying this drama. i think this is one drama where we get to see Nishikido put one different acting role... . This drama made me want to watch his other works, so i ended up watching Orthros no Inu, Ryusei no Kizuna, 1 liter of tears, Niini no Koto wo Wasurenaide and listening to some kanjani8 songs :)
now am watching his latest drama Yorozu Uranaidokoro Onmyoya e Yokoso, which i much say is pretty good...hohoho
Your welcome! Yes, his role in Last Friends was quite scary. Sometimes when I really like an actor/actress, I tend to try and find other dramas that they starred in. I guess you really like Nishikido Ryo! I'll try to check out his other stuff in the near future.
Deletethis is a good place to watch jdramas(dramago.com), discovered it very recently.
ReplyDeleteI think Nishikido Ryo is a talented and versatile actor. I wish him all the best and i look forward to his works in future as well :)
Thanks for the info. I'm always looking for a site to watch dramas ever since dramacrazy went down. I currently go to gooddrama.net, but I will check dramago.com too!
Deletei think dramago is a cleaned version of gooddrama. Gooddrama has a lot of unnecessary aid and makes your computer heat up and shut down at times. The video quality is also good in dramago. There is also dramacrazy.eu but they don't have that many jdramas and the video quality is not that good.
ReplyDeleteOh I didn't know that! I think I will definitely give dramago a try now. I never thought the quality was that great with good drama. Thanks!
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