MEI CHAN NO SHITSUJI (メイちゃんの執事)

Winter 2009

This drama is about a young girl named Mei Shinonome (Nana Eikura) who was living an ordinary life helping her parents run a small udon shop. Her family was poor but she was grateful to have loving parents and friends. Unfortunately one day her parents are killed in a fire that destroys the udon shop and her life is turned upside down. Even more, a strange young man named Rihito Shibata (Hiro Mizushima) suddenly appears and tells her that he has come to serve her as her personal butler. She finds out that she is related to the great Hongo family and that she must attend the exclusive St. Lucia Girl's Academy where all the students have butlers to care for them. Kento Shibata (Takeru Sato), her longtime friend enrolls as an apprentice butler to stay close to her. At the school, she is met with disdain from all the girls and Mei begins to doubt her new position. She then meets the beautiful and mysterious Lucia (Yu Yamada) who is the leader of the highest ranking Sole class. Lucia comforts Mei at first but will she help Mei get acquainted to her new life as a wealthy heiress or is Lucia planning something more sinister behind the scenes? In any case, both Rihito and Kento do there utmost to protect her.

Recommendation: I was interested in the drama because Nana Eikura is one of my favorite actresses. I was also surprised to see some familiar faces such as Hiro Mizushima, Yu Yamada, Osamu Mukai, and even Shiori Kutsuna (although she had a minor role). It was also the first time I saw Takeru Sato and I think he was the best actor in this drama and made it more fun to watch. This drama is based on a popular girl's manga and it is adapted so that it reflects a manga style. Honestly, I wish there were less dramas that try this because I don't think it works well. On the other hand, I'm a guy and this drama is probably geared towards young girls so I might be totally wrong here. In any case, I found the plot to be formulaic as Mei is hated at first, but starts to gain confidants as she helps her fellow classmates one by one to deal with their personal problems. The story is too much of a fantasy for me to swallow and it was difficult to immerse myself in a strange world of super wealthy girls, duels and hard rules against love between butlers and their masters. I did enjoy the acting from the main stars and love triangles that develop between them. If you are into "manga-esque" romantic comedy dramas with an eccentric story-line than this may be one to take a look at.

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

3.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

LOVE SHUFFLE

Winter 2009

Love Shuffle is a drama about four young people (Kei, Airu, Ojiro, and Kikuta) with different personalities and occupations who happen to live on the top floor of an exquisite apartment building. One day they coincidentally take the elevator at the same time during a storm and end up getting stuck due to a black out. With nothing else to do, they get acquainted and begin conversing about their love lives. With each of them questioning the purpose of love, they decide to "shuffle" their partners or acquaintances with each other as a test to find out if they can fall in love or affirm that their former relationships were indeed the best for them.

Kei Usami (Hiroshi Tamaki) works for a highly regarded corporation, but was offered the job mainly because his fiance, Mei Kagawa (Shihori Kanjiya) is the daughter of the chairman of said corporation. Airu Aizawa (Karina) is a multilingual translator who is contemplating the meaning of love and marriage. Yukichi Oishi (Daigo) likes Airu, but he tends to buy friendships and anything else he wants with money. Ojiro Sera (Shota Matsuda) is a talented model photographer and a womanizer. He brings along a model, Reiko Kamijyo (Hijiri Kojima) who tends to see men from a physical perspective. Masato Kikuta (Shosuke Tanihara) is a psychiatrist and the mastermind of the love shuffle. He brings along a suicidal patient named Kairi Hayakawa (Yuriko Yoshitaka) as a form of treatment, hoping that she stops attempting to kill herself if she finds a lover. Will the game of love work or will it cause more harm than good?

Recommendation: This drama had a good cast of characters but a sub-par cast of actors to play them. The story of switching partners every week to find love was interesting and the chemistry between the characters were fun to watch. The script was ok too and I found myself laughing quite hard during some silly scenes but some of the puns were hit or miss. I felt that this drama could have been better in terms of the selection of actors. Also, the story in my opinion fizzled in the end and I just didn't feel emotionally attached to the outcomes of each character. I blame the directing for this especially the last episode in which all the stories for each character needed to be resolved. So due to time constraints it felt like the outcomes were squeezed in to fit the length of the episode. Since Kei and Airu are basically the main characters I would have liked to see the other character's problems solved in episode 9 and have their issues worked out in episode 10. That would have created more drama in my opinion and probably a more "natural" ending. This drama wasn't bad, but it isn't a must watch. If you want something lighthearted with a lot of puns this drama is for you, but for me, the frequently used phrase, "say it ain't so Joe" sums it up for me.

Spoiler alert: I wasn't happy with the last two episodes. The final episode in particular seemed like it was edited without much thought. Problems were resolved in a cut and dry manner which sucked all of the emotions I had for the characters, especially when Mei and Yukichi got married. That was certainly a surprise, but it felt rushed and came out of nowhere. They didn't even seem good together. That said, episode 7 was the funniest for me especially when Kei and Airu find out Kikuta was gay.

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

3.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

BOSS

Spring 2009

As I was watching Boss, I felt that it was predictable and I couldn't get into it at first, but as I kept watching the series, I gradually ended up enjoying this drama. Boss stars Amami Yuki as Osawa Eriko who works with a nice cast of actors including Takenouchi Yutaka, Toda Erika, Tamayama Tetsuji to name a few. Heading a newly created police division with a group of unusual detectives, Osawa Eriko takes on violent and difficult cases and proves to be a force to be reckoned with. Tall and beautiful, she must not only solve crimes, but also teach her small group of detectives to work efficiently as a team.

Recommendation: Boss was a fast paced, funny, and smart drama. The use of computer graphics was creative and each case that needed to be solved was interesting, but I wasn't very fond of the fact that almost all the episodes showed who the criminal was in the beginning because it took out the suspense of discovery. Obviously reality must be suspended to a certain degree when watching dramas, but there were some episodes that I thought were a bit over the top. Still, the series was entertaining and got better as it progressed. I recommend this drama especially if you like something fairly light, funny and creative despite the series being revolved around crime.

STORY: 0.5
ACTING: 1
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 0.5
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1.0

3.5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS

BUZZER BEAT

SUMMER 2009

I like the fact that sports can create dramatic events that are inspiring and moving. Incorporating a fun loving cast headed by Yamashita Tomohisa (Kamiya Naoki) and Kitagawa Keiko (Shirakawa Riko), Buzzer Beat takes you on a journey of love and reminds us to never give up on our dreams.

Chemistry was the first word that came to my mind when I was watching this drama. The cast worked really well together. Whether there were scenes with Naoki and Riko, Riko and Mai (Riko's roommate), or Mai and Shuji, there was hardly a dull moment. The opening theme song by B'z (Ichibu to Zenbu) sets the mood for this drama. I was constantly excited to listen to the theme song whenever it was played. Emotional scenes were abundant and a good drama will make you feel all kinds of emotions. The episodes kept getting better and better especially from Episode 4. There were heart cringing moments as well as moments of relief. The acting was done well and I didn't think the cast overdid their parts. There were plenty of scenes with male upper body nakedness that would probably drive women crazy, but being a guy I was more jealous than anything else! I thought the setting at the basketball court with the large ad displaying a child with balloons was a nice touch. It seems that good dramas tend to have this one setting that reminds you about the drama when you look back on it.

Recommendation: Buzzer Beat was one of my favorite dramas. I just thought the music, acting, writing, and directing fit well together. The story took me back to a time when dreams were strong, and hope offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, just like a buzzer beater.

STORY: 1
ACTING: 1
DIRECTING 1
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1

5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS

TOKYO DOGS

FALL 2009

Tokyo DOGS stars Oguri Shun (Takakura So) and Mizushima Hiro (Kudo Maruo) as police detectives who are forced to partner up to solve a mystery involving a young girl named Matsunaga Yuki played by Yoshitaka Yuriko. Takakura is an accomplished level headed detective who was working in New York City until he was held responsible for a botched drug case and was sent back to Japan. His father was murdered by a Yakuza boss named Jinno and he vows to catch him one day. Kudo Maruo is a hot headed brash detective whose personality is totally opposite of Takakura's. Their relationship gets off on the wrong foot from the beginning, but through dangerous experiences they learn to work together to resolve an important case.

Overall I enjoyed this drama, but at times I got tired by some cliche scenarios. The acting wasn't particularly good, but I did enjoy Kudo Maruo as he provided comic relief and added some excitement to the series. Takakura So's conversations with his mother were funny too. Some of the minor characters jokes and punchlines were flat. I didn't think the series went deep enough to develop the characters especially Kudo Maruo's since we don't find out anything about his past or his goals etc. Matsunaga Yuki lost her memory and I felt that I was supposed to feel bad for this character, but I had a difficult time doing so maybe because I was looking for a spark to ignite her relationship with Takakura and there weren't enough situations which made me feel like Takakura and Matsunaga were close. Sometimes I think that these types of dramas are going to continue into another season which is why the characters may be underdeveloped.

Recommendation: If you like the main actors for this drama I think you would be disappointed because Oguri Shun and Mizushima Hiro do a decent job to push the series forward. Although I felt some dialogue between minor characters fell short of funny, there were memorable scenes in the series. I was glad to see the ending because the last couple episodes were quite interesting.

STORY: 1
ACTING: 0.5
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 0.5
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 0.5

3.0 OUT OF 5 CROWNS

SMILE

SPRING 2009

Since there are so many dramas each year, I usually pick one or two that did well in ratings per season. The viewership for Smile was not so high, but I love Nakai Kiichi and I knew that Matsumoto Jun and Aragaki Yui were popular. I gave this drama a shot and I was honestly surprised by the depth of the story as well as the characters. Hayakawa Vito played by Matsumoto Jun, is a young half Filipino half Japanese man who grew up enduring racism and prejudices. The past always seems to catch up with Vito as he tries to overcome his fears with the help of Mishima Hana (Aragaki Yui) and Ito Kazuma (Nakai Kiichi).

After watching various dramas, I ask myself if I learned anything from the story. I think it was a great idea to show how some people fall into the trap of "judging a book by its cover." I know that Japan is still mostly a homogeneous country and although my parents are Japanese, I was born and raised in the U.S. I felt the pain that Vito experienced when he was misunderstood. I also could empathize with Nakai Kiichi's character of being ashamed of who you are. The experiences that these characters went through hit home and I felt myself wanting to watch what would happen next.

I've watched a few movies with Nakai Kiichi and I always thought he was a versatile actor. In Smile, I think he did a wonderful job of adding a strong persona to his character who was a stubborn and talented lawyer, but also had a painful past. Matsumoto Jun did well to portray Vito as a kind, hard working young man. Aragaki Yui's also did well, although I did remember wishing that she could speak (Mishima Hana lost her voice because of a tragic event in her past).

Recommendation: I highly recommend this drama. It is about people who are haunted by the past, but through hope and love, they try to move forward with their lives. Nakai Kiichi is great, Aragaki Yui is very cute and Matsumoto Jun will definitely leave you with a smile.

STORY: 1
ACTING: 1
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 1

4.5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS

MR. BRAIN

SPRING 2009

Being a huge fan of Kimura Takuya, I was looking forward to watching this drama. Although I felt that Kimutaku's performance was, as usual, very good being an eccentric neuroscientist, the drama as a whole did not do much for me. I didn't feel emotionally attached to any other character except for Kimutaku's (Tsukumo Ryusuke) even though his character never fully developed either. I was hoping for more developments between Tsukumo and Yuri Kazune's relationship (played by Ayase Haruka). There were many minor characters which I thought would have been nice to develop as well. Being a mystery/comedy, I guess this can be difficult to do. It is my intuition but maybe another series may develop in the future? I just felt a bit empty handed after it ended.

The drama was a short 8 episodes and mysteries would need to be solved by Tsukumo, Yuri, the two detectives and the Institute of Police Science. For the most part, I could not get too excited by the mysteries because I knew that eventually Tsukumo would solve them in his own clever way, but Kimutaku's acting skills pulled me through to the very end. I could not get enough of his high pitched laugh and the way he would skip and walk.

I was amazed by the number of famous or popular guest actors and actresses such as Gackt, Nakama Yukie, Kamenashi Kazuya, and Koyuki just to name a few. I also liked the two police detectives; Mizushima Hiro's character Hayashida who did a good job of creating a bit of comedy relief with Shitara Osamu's character Kanda. I learned a lot about the brain although some of the things they claim in the movie may be fictional.

Recommendation: I recommend this drama especially if you like Kimura Takuya and mysteries, but if you're willing to invest a lot of time looking for entertainment that is uplifting, moving, emotional, or exciting, this may not be the drama for you.

STORY: 0.5
ACTING: 1
DIRECTING: 1
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 0.5
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 0.5

3.5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS