NAKANAI TO KIMETA HI (泣かないと決めた日)

Winter 2010

Okay really, one more drama and I'll return to full study mode. Nakanai To Kimeta Hi is a story about a young woman named Tsunoda Miki (Eikura Nana) who lands her first job at a prestigious company only to find herself the target of bullying by her co-workers and superiors. When she makes a few mistakes, nobody believes in her abilities to do her job and she is constantly harassed and ridiculed. To support her family she is determined to endure the cruelty, but going to work each day becomes more than tortuous. Losing confidence and her courage running thin, she finds a few allies to lend her support and she begins to realize that through her determination to never give up, she will not only change herself, but others as well.

Recommendation: So after being impressed by watching Eikura Nana in a previous drama, I had to see her again in another show. I thought she played her role quite well in this drama and it was an exciting one as well. The underlying themes of never giving up and holding on to your values was strong and I enjoyed the pace. However, I got a bit bored by the usual "innocent, uncorrupted, straightforward character eventually melting the hearts of her enemies" type of story line. There were some cheesy moments and it felt too idealistic/unrealistic at times for my taste even for a drama. I also disliked the outcome between Nakahara Shota (Kaname Jun) and Tsunoda. *Spoiler Alert* In my mind, I can't believe that Nakahara stayed with Tachibana Marika (Anne) even after finding out how evil she was. She even tried to kill Tsunoda and she didn't go to jail, but still got to be with the guy in the end with no consequences. Hmm, I didn't like that at all. Anyway, with the exception of a few holes in the story, I thought it was well made and I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the resolve to overcome their problems. I recommend this drama as it may resonate with many people who have experienced working with a difficult co-worker or company.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

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

HOTARU NO HIKARI 2

Summer 2010

I watched part 1 a few years ago and back then I remember not being excited about this drama, but after watching a few episodes it stuck on me and I felt it was a "sleeper" hit. I really enjoyed it. Part 2 picks up the story between Amemiya Hotaru played by Ayase Haruka and Takano Seiichi (Fujiki Naohito) three years after Hotaru leaves for Hong Kong. When she returns to Japan in the summer she is shocked to see an upset Seiichi (or Buchou which means section or department head). During the three years that they were apart, she only sent him one letter while he was patiently waiting for her return. The story moves forward with both of them living under the same roof, drinking beer, and contemplating on the complexities of love and relationships.

Recommendation: This is a nice chick flick. It's light, funny and warm just like the summer. I got a few chuckles out of Buchou's imitation of Hotaru. In some ways though, the story line seemed a bit far fetched even for a drama. I mean how can you prepare to get married when you haven't had much of a physical relationship? And I really can't imagine someone waiting for a girl for three years when all he gets is one measly letter. Finally, how can Hotaru be so dense? Besides those difficult to imagine scenarios, this drama was good. It's upbeat and the story deepens when another young stud tries to woo Hotaru. The acting was good too and the characters were all unique and lively in their own ways.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

NATSU NO KOI WA NIJIIRO NI KAGAYAKU

Summer 2010

This drama stars Matsumoto Jun as Kusunoki Taiga and Takeuchi Yuko as Kitamura Shiori. Taiga is a second generation actor living under the greatness of his father's legacy. He always seems to find an excuse about not being able to "break out" but he never realizes that the problem lies within himself until he meets Kitamura who lives a cheerful life with her daughter. She was a big fan of Taiga's father and supports Taiga in different ways. Taiga soon finds himself attracted to her, but because of an unfortunate accident in the past, she is not quite open to love.

Recommendation: I enjoyed this drama especially since both of the main actors are quite good. Matsujun cracked me up with his childish gestures and Takeuchi Yuko's beauty is mesmerizing. At first I couldn't imagine how Matsujun, who still looks like a kid, can woo an older Takeuchi Yuko, but it did work on a certain level. Kobayashi Seiran who plays Kitamura's daughter, Umi, was really cute and Kiritani Mirei was descent. I liked how Taiga matured from episode to episode and I empathized with Kitamura while she was trying to deal with the death of her husband, but I felt like the 10th and final episode ended abruptly; like it was rushed. Maybe they could have added an 11th episode. The theme song Please Stay With Me by YUI went well with the drama. The genre for this drama is "romantic comedy" but it's not that romantic or super funny. It was a well done drama nonetheless.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

TSUKI NO KOIBITO

Spring 2010

I had strong mixed emotions about this drama. For one, I thought it was really hyped up because of the all star cast. I do believe that Kimura Takuya is probably the best in the business and Shinohara Ryoko is a favorite of mine as well. Lin Chi Ling, Kitagawa Keiko and Matsuda Shota were all good. I don't know how well Matsuda and Abe Tsuyoshi spoke Chinese, but I thought Lin Chi Ling did a good job with her Japanese.

Anyway, from the first few episodes I got this feeling that the plot was getting really messy. I didn't feel anything for Rensuke or any of the other characters, although I did appreciate the romantic buildup between Rensuke and Xiu Mei. I guess if the theme was romance, I wanted to see more development with all three women with Rensuke but it didn't really happen for me. It was a bit sudden and I felt it would have been nice to add one or two more episodes even though the last episode was quite long.

Recommendation: The last two episodes were enough to keep me satisfied with this drama. Kimutaku and Shinohara are polarizing. Because of these two actors, it is enough for me to recommend watching this series. It was too short and drastic for me to say it was a classic though.

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

3.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

SUNAO NI NARENAKUTE

Spring 2010

Sunao Ni Narenakute stars one of my favorite (and in my opinion) versatile actresses Ueno Juri. I think that it is rare to find a drama that is great from the first episode all the way to the end. Unfortunately this drama was not that type of drama, but nonetheless it was good overall. It felt awkward when all the main characters met together in person for the first time after being friends on Twitter. I guess that was the intention, but as their friendships gradually grew stronger, I realized that I was also getting more interested in the story as well. This drama was sure enough filled with complicated human dilemmas but in some ways I felt empty handed partially because some issues were abruptly resolved and some subplots never reached closure. There were some heart stopping moments that I didn't expect which made this drama a pretty exciting one though.

Recommendation: Although I didn't think the acting or the story was particularly great, it wasn't bad. I felt like the series was building up to a climactic ending that never really emerged, but strangely I wasn't disappointed in watching this drama. In other words, it was like buying a nice puzzle, that never came with all the pieces.

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

3.0 OUT OF 5 CROWNS

CODE BLUE SEASON 2

Winter 2010

Code Blue Season 2 continues the story of the four flight-doctors in training who are working diligently to hone their skills and graduate from the fellowship program. After Kuroda leaves his position, a new supervisor named Tachibana played by Shiina Kippei oversees the four young doctors. The series again takes the viewer into the fast paced and hard nosed environment of the emergency medical service where a split decision can result in utter tragedy or ultimate joy.

After watching the first series, I was looking forward to the second season. I was not disappointed. I felt that the overall theme of season 2 focused on the personal lives of the main characters which also included the flight nurse Saejima. The first season was good but I really enjoyed the second season even more since the series delved into the characters past and personal issues in depth while having to work in an environment that needs to maintain a balance between separating oneself from the personal issues of the patients. Every episode was emotionally charged and most of the elements in this drama worked very well. I later found out that Lily Franky was in this drama which was interesting too.

Recommendation: Just like the first season, if you don't like blood and surgery, you may not want to watch this drama, but it is really good and worth the time to see it. It's amazing how tragic life can be, but when watching this drama, it was sad but not depressing which some dramas tend to make me feel. There is a good mix of tragedy and hope as well as some comedic scenes. I am glad they also added a few scenes that were outside of the usual hospital or emergency situation settings. The bar scene in episode 7 was one of my favorites.

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

5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS