PAPADOL!

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

DOCTOR X ~ GEKAI DAIMON MICHIKO

Fall 2012

Doctor X - Gekai Daimon Michiko is a drama about a talented freelance surgeon named Michiko Daimon (Ryoko Yonekura) who is hired at Teito University Hospital during a time when the medical landscape is undergoing drastic changes. Specifically, university hospitals are suffering from a drop in talented medical staff including surgeons who are quitting due to harsh working conditions. Dr. Daimon has amazing skills as a surgeon, but she hardly cares about office politics and the power struggles that other doctors are intently focused on. Due to her ill-mannered nature and her unwillingness to do work that is not necessary for anyone with a medical license, she quickly develops an image of being anti-social and selfish. Still, her skills as a surgeon is unmatched and the hospital must turn to her for help. Unfortunately, as she tries to go about her business, the medical staff tie her to a dark mystery which may lead to her downfall. Is she the infamous Doctor X?

Recommendation: (Spoilers are contained below) This was quite an exciting medical drama and I do recommend it because it's definitely not boring. After watching it, I really wanted to give it 5 crowns, but something about it was amiss which I will delve into later. I really liked the story due to various themes about power struggles, hierarchical structures, ethics, and gender roles in the workplace. There is also an interesting mystery aspect to the drama that played out well. The character, Michiko Daimon grew on me and I empathized with her situation and why she chose her current lifestyle. Each episode ended in a way that left me wanting to watch another episode to see how she could help save another life. I think the acting was average though and I wasn't sure why Yonekura Ryoko won the academy award for best actress. She wasn't bad, but I thought she wasn't really great either. I also couldn't stand Kaneko Terayama, the HR manager played by Shigeru Muroi. She was just annoying. The director did do a good job making this an exciting drama, especially since the viewer cannot tell what is going on during surgery scenes. Of course this drama is fiction and I'm not a doctor so I don't truly know how talented Dr. Daimon really is and whether or not other doctors could diagnose and perform surgery the way she does, but the drama pulled me in and I was hooked. I don't want to be picky but, there were some specific things I didn't like about the drama which I blame the director for. I got a little tired hearing the narration about the current challenges facing university hospitals during every episode. I didn't think that was necessary. Also, in the last episode, I just couldn't believe that Chairman Teshihagara could prevent every media member observing the surgery done by Dr. Daimon on Dr. Torii from printing it in the paper. I mean one media member did print it, but that member was from a gossip magazine and he was paid by the chairman to do so. Finally, what really gets to me is the fact that Dr. Busujima had ample opportunity to destroy the surgery consent form signed by Dr. Torii, but instead he hid it in a book? That to me was a strange mistake and one that I just couldn't excuse. Dr. Busujima knew how valuable that document was and hiding it was just foolhardy. So, despite the drama being a must see in my opinion, I can't give it a top notch rating. I am going to watch the second season which is currently airing. I hope the script is a bit tighter than the first.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

KAGI NO KAKATTA HEYA (鍵のかかった部屋)

Spring 2012

Kagi no Kakatta Heya (Locked Rooms) is a drama about a well known lawyer named Gou Serizawa (Koichi Sato) and his new assistant, Junko Aoto (Erika Toda) who inadvertently meets Kei Enomoto (Satoshi Ohno) who is an eccentric security expert working for a security firm in Tokyo. Serizawa is a corporate lawyer and only cares about the bottom line and his image, but Aoto works towards seeking justice. The lawyers end up becoming involved in a locked room case in which they hire Enomoto to help them determine whether the case involved a murder or suicide. Enomoto is not interested in any crimes, but is curiously drawn to the locked room as he believes he can unlock its secrets. Gradually, the group takes on similar cases as more locked room scenarios come to light.

Recommendation:

First of all, this drama wasn't great, but it was good. Every episode involved a new locked room case besides the last two episodes. The fun part of this drama was figuring out how the criminals hid their true intentions in these locked rooms. It isn't a drama specifically geared toward finding the culprit because there is enough foreshadowing, that I basically knew who the criminal was in almost every episode before the locked rooms cases were solved. The cast was pretty good and it was the first time I saw Satoshi Ohno act and I think he did a good job playing an introverted and insightful character. Koichi Sato and Erika Toda also did a good job in their respective roles. This is not a bad drama in any sense, but it also lacks certain qualities, mainly character development, to make it a very good drama. Despite the drama involving crimes, it is quite upbeat and has its humorous moments.

Spoiler alert: Although it was fun to watch, I think a lot of these types of dramas lack in character development. I guess it can't be helped because it is really just focused on solving cases, but I wish I could feel like I cared more about these characters. Sometimes it seemed like both lawyers were (almost) useless despite their hard work and research (mostly done by Junko Aoto). Enomoto basically solves every case and it just lacks in background information on all three main characters. Why is Enomoto so good at what he does? Why did he end up working for a security firm? What drove Junko Aoto to feel so strongly about seeking justice and why is Serizawa a photogenic money loving corporate lawyer? I think if they answered some of these questions throughout the series I would have loved it. I have to say the twist in the end wasn't bad, but I still wish we knew more about these characters. I know there will be a special episode coming out soon, so yes, you will hear the phrase, "mishitsu wa yaburemashita" (the locked room has been solved) one more time.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

LEGAL HIGH

Spring 2012

Legal High is about a young idealistic lawyer named Mayuzumi Machiko (Aragaki Yui) who seeks support for a difficult case and is inadvertently steered toward asking Komikado Kensuke (Sakai Masato); a veteran lawyer who has never lost a case. Unfortunately, Komikado is a selfish, greedy, irritable man who uses any means necessary to win. Begrudgingly, the two team up and after winning the case, Mayuzumi decides to work under the tutelage of Komikado. The two work well as a team even though their ideas of justice and winning cases are vastly different. Will Komikado's dirty tactics rattle Mayuzumi's strong moral values or will Mayuzumi's kindness and sense of justice melt Komikado's cold heart? It's a battle of total opposites!

Recommendation: I have to be honest in saying that I've somewhat lost interest in Aragaki Yui as well as Sakai Masato recently. I never really felt strongly about them in leading roles, but it goes to show what a good screenwriter and director can do for actors. There is no doubt that the two leads have talent, but after reading about the screenwriter Furusawa Ryota and Director Ishikawa Junichi winning the Television Drama Academy Awards, I got interested in watching this show. Unless someone has some major cache as a strong actor, I usually will look for dramas with quality writing and directing instead. In this case, I have to say I was quite surprised by Legal High. It is a comedy about lawyers and it is similar to watching an anime or real live manga. Taken in that context, I thought the show was great despite its extreme characters and situations. It was funny, witty, and entertaining. Sakai Masato does a really good job playing an eccentric lawyer and I would go crazy trying to practice talking so fast like he does in this drama. Aragaki Yui does well to support Sakai and the battle of morals and ethics between the two are quite fascinating. I had to give this my best rating because I think this drama is kind of unusual and so it should be seen because it's just weird and out of the ordinary. But that is why it was entertaining and I caught myself smiling after every episode. I watched the special episode as well and I look forward to season 2 coming this fall.

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

5.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

OSOZAKI NO HIMAWARI (遅咲きのヒマワリ ~ボクの人生、リニューアル~)

Fall 2012

Osozaki No Himawari or Late Blooming Sunflower is a heartwarming drama that follows the lives of 7 young adults. They all have dreams, but they live through their insecurities. One day, Kodairo Jotaro (Ikuta Toma) who is living an "average" life holding temporary jobs is laid off from a company that was supposed to provide him full-time work. He is also dumped by his girlfriend for his indirectness and laid back attitude. Desperately he looks for something he can do without much luck until he stumbles upon an ad that requires a volunteer to work in Kochi prefecture for 3 years to help revitalize Shimanto city. He decides to go for the job without really having any plans or knowing exactly what is expected of him. At first, he starts working like any other "job" but he begins to realize that there is something unique and special about this town. As he develops relationships with the locals, he begins on a journey toward self-awareness and a purposeful life.

Recommendation: This was a solid drama. It provided a good amount of humor, tension, sadness and joy as it followed the lives and relationships of 7 characters. The story of a young man floating through life, eventually finding something meaningful to focus on and influencing others with his positive energy is nothing new. I would put it in the inspirational category, but I often felt some scenes were forced. I think Ikuta Toma plays a good central character and the acting all around was quite good, but I felt they could have developed the love relationship between Jotaro and Kahori a bit better. They were definitely bonding, but their relationship was more friend like than love like in my opinion so the ending didn't work for me that well. The scenes of the Shimanto river and nature surrounding the city were really nice to see. I felt like I was involved in this rural town away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The pace of the drama too was slow which was probably done on purpose to create a laid back mood. Overall, it's an uplifting drama about finding yourself and holding onto your dreams. There is no real closure in this drama and nothing gets completed in terms of external/physical accomplishments, but I think that is the point. So if that's what interests you than I recommend it. I've just seen plenty of dramas with similar story-lines and situations, so to me it was good, but not great.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

PRICELESS

Fall 2012

Yes I'm back! Actually, just on a little break before my last semester begins so I browsed through some recent shows and was glad to see a new Kimura Takuya one. The drama is called "Priceless" and it's about a salesman named Kindaichi Fumio (Kimura Takuya) who has a cheerful and positive attitude. His carefree life may seem out of ordinary to some, but one of the most important things he cares about is his unwavering loyalty and dedication to the people that he works with. He believes that relationships are the cornerstone to a successful business. Unfortunately he is confronted with unbelievable circumstances in which he ends up losing seemingly priceless possessions; a job, his apartment, and his girlfriend. Having to start from the ground up, he meets two poor boys which jump starts his life towards a path that only he could maneuver through.

Recommendation: So I know that Kimura Takuya is the king of dramas, but it is true that his ratings have gradually decreased over the last few years. Still, compared to others, he can still draw relatively  high ratings. I for one am always happy to see him act. I think there is still no other actor in Japan like him; he's a natural. That said I was a bit disappointed with this drama. The acting is great all around. Kimura, Nakai Kiichi, and Karina have good chemistry, and the subtle comedic scenes worked well for the most part, but the story comes off as a bit trite and pretentious in my opinion. It's subjective obviously and I know some people will love Kindaichi's character and the underdog story-line, but even a drama should be grounded in some reality. The story was too idealistic for me to care. Kindaichi is Mr. Goody Two-Shoes basically and the story falls flat when no matter how difficult a situation may be, he finds a way to succeed. I would have added a back story or a few situations in Kindaichi's past that helped develop his present character. It just felt like he was superhuman and unless the obstacles that a character faces don't inspire growth or change (he does inspire change in others though), it is just a boring character to watch. Oyashiki Toichiro played by Fujiki Naohito was the antagonist trying to take Kindaichi down. Fujiki is a really good actor and I was again disappointed that there wasn't a lot of major interaction between the two. I mean I wanted to see a brawl!...or at least a brawl of words. Anyway, enough of the negativity. I was relatively pleased and you can't go totally wrong with a Kimutaku drama. So Kimutaku fans rejoice! But is it priceless? Um, there's no such thing.

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

3.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

STRAWBERRY NIGHT

Winter 2012

I'm so happy to be enjoying my summer break at the moment and my first thought was getting back to watching dramas! I actually heard about "Strawberry Night" from a friend who said she enjoyed the bestseller. The crime drama focuses on Himekawa Reiko (Takeuchi Yuko), a talented detective working for an elite squad within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Being a woman and the leader of her team, she endures ridicule and disrespect from within the organization. Headstrong and willing to fight for justice, she pushes forward, motivated by personal tragedy. With her deductive skills and powerful intuition, Himekawa and her team work diligently to solve the most heinous of crimes.

Recommendation: I've probably stated this a number of times already, but I enjoy Takeuchi Yuko's acting. That said, I'm not a big fan of crime/detective/mystery dramas, but "Strawberry Night" I have to admit was one of the better ones that I've seen. The format at first was a bit awkward in terms of having a few episodes concentrating on one story instead of having a new story per episode. It was a good idea though as it added more depth to each story. The cases were quite interesting and even though Himekawa uses her intuition a lot, I think the way the crimes were solved required "real" detective work. Most of the episodes were well paced and I liked the creative often subtle scene transitions which I don't see a lot in dramas. For example, there was a scene showing the number 11 and it slowly changed into a set of railroad tracks, or a scene of pouring rain suddenly changed into a scene with a character shaking a mix of juice for a cocktail and finally a scene showing a character buying a drink from a vending machine and just before the can pops out the scene changes to a pachinko parlor showing pachinko balls coming out of a machine instead. So the directing was well done, but I can't say much for the acting. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible, but I couldn't help myself thinking that Takeuchi Yuko's scenes of anger or irritation felt forced. Maybe it's because I've never seen her in this type of role before. I am also biased in admitting that I don't like Nishijima Hidetoshi that much. He played Kikuta Kazuo which in my opinion was a bad choice for a huge role. I watched him in a drama called "Koinu No Waltz" and I had a choice of either falling asleep or bang my head against a wall to stay awake whenever he spoke in his monotone voice with his expressionless face. In this drama, he does improve in terms of voice fluctuation/frequency, but not much in terms of his facial expressions. I would have liked to see some kind of back story involving Kikuta just like they did with Hayama Noriyuki. Overall this drama was pretty good, but I didn't lose any sleep over it. I watched the first movie before watching the drama and I look forward to watching the second movie which is supposed to come out soon. If you like Takeuchi Yuko or crime dramas I recommend this one.

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

3.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

SAIKOU NO JINSEI NO OWARIKATA ~ Ending Planner ~ (最高の人生の終り方~エンディングプランナー~)

Winter 2012

Okay, so before I totally refocus on studying I was able to fit one more drama into my tight schedule. I was looking forward to watching this recent Yamapi drama which also included Eikura Nana; I haven't seen her since Proposal Daisakusen. I also like Sorimachi Takashi and I was curious to see how Maeda Atsuko would do since it would be my first time watching her in a drama as well. The story focuses on the second son Ihara Masato (Tomohisa Yamashita) of a director who owns a funeral home. Masato left home 4 years prior and the eldest son, Ihara Kento (Sorimachi Takashi) who helped around the funeral home business, recently disappeared without a trace. The eldest daughter, Ihara Haruka (Maeda Atsuko) took responsibility to help her father with the business while the youngest siblings, Ihara Hayato and Ihara Momoko remain indifferent to the business. Their father suddenly passes away and Masato is forced to decide whether or not to close the business that he despised all his life or to take it over and keep it running. Through a series of dramatic, life altering experiences, Masato comes to realize that there is more to the funeral business than just death and sadness.

Recommendation: If you are looking for a tearjerker you have come to the right place. I thought the cast played their roles quite well and the story was deep and thoughtful, but ultimately I ended up not being able to fully immerse myself into this bittersweet drama. It's not all sad and depressing as the characters interact in lightly placed comedic scenes. I believe the story sends a strong message about the intricacies of life and death. People regret and misunderstand each other and tend to miss opportunities to resolve relationship issues until it's too late, but the living still need to move on and there is always a lesson to be learned when someone dies. Overall, I liked the characters and the depth of the story, but from the first few episodes I felt that the incidents' occurring were too coincidental/unbelievable even for a drama. The direction of the story was a bit awkward as it focused on the complexities of running a funeral business, to resolving family issues and changing into a full blown mystery/detective story with a dash of paranormal activity. There were also a few scenes that were too mushy for my taste. Still it kept me interested, and some of the scenes with the family coming together were both priceless and heart wrenching. The ratings were unfortunately sub par, but I thought it was worth my time. I was surprised to see Eikura Nana play a major role. I think she is a good actress and had nice chemistry with Yamashita Tomohisa.

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

4.0 Out Of 5.0 Crowns

LUCKY SEVEN

Winter 2012

I apologize as I've recently been busy with school so I haven't seen any drama's recently, but I just had a short break and chose to review Lucky Seven. The story revolves around a small and humble detective agency with six members that eventually recruits a seventh member, Tokita Shuntaro played by Matsumoto Jun. He is a overconfident and brash young man who is an "expert" at wooing women. Never able to hold a job for long, he encounters Nitta Teru (Eita) and the other members of the detective agency by being a suspect in a case involving a love scandal. Fujisaki Touko (Matsushima Nanako) who heads the agency perceives a few qualities that she likes in Shuntaro and offers him an opportunity to work for her. As he goes through various cases, he learns to grow not only as a skilled detective, but also as a human being.

Recommendation: I have to be honest in saying that I was looking forward to this drama because I'm a big fan of Eita and Matsushima Nanako. Both of them just recently had great success with Soredemo Ikite Yuku and Kaseifu No Mita respectively and of course Matsumoto Jun is always a draw. Unfortunately, I would have to say that I felt unlucky after watching Lucky Seven and I wish I chose a different drama to watch during my short break. Besides the first and last episodes, there was nothing particularly interesting about the drama. The characters were underdeveloped, many cases were boring and didn't involve creative detective work, and Eita was missing in 4 episodes out of ten! He wasn't in a lot of scenes in the last episode either. I think they underutilized Matsushima Nanako's character and I was annoyed mostly by Oizumi Yo and Naka Riisa's characters as well. Other than Shuntaro and Nitta being cool, strong and smart, what special detective skills did the other members have? Kayano was the IT guru, but her character was also bland. The drama didn't take the time to show a personal side to these characters and a lot of the friendship scenes seemed forced and crudely edited. If I had to pick out one positive, I thought the martial art action scenes with Shuntaro and Eita were well done, but really the last episode was the only interesting story to me; by then I just wanted it all to be over. I would have to sadly state that you won't be missing anything here as it was mostly uninspiring detective glop.

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

2.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns