Drrrraaammaaasss (Fall 2010 only)
Welll hiiiiiii!
So I'm in Japan but I have a separate blog for that so I'm not posting anything here. Not that I ever posted anything here anyway. lol I'm so fail. Anyway I'm here to continue my tradition and share with you the dramas I am currently watching. :D They include the Fall 2010 dramas and other dramas from the summer and other times that I am catching up on. xD; So it's gonna be long....but not as long as last time. 8Db
Atami no Sousakan (Atami's Investigators - Summer 2010)
Cast: Joe Odagiri (Boku no Imouto), Chiaki Kuriyama (Battle Royale, Kill Bill Vol. 1), Yutaka Matsushige (Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku, Bloody Monday 1&2, Hachimitsu to Clover, Proposal Daisakusan), Eri Fuse, Sakura Ema
Wow, this drama was so entertaining. It's a mystery centered about the disappearance of a bus in Atami and the four young women riding it. Two investigators from Tokyo, from the Wide-Area Investigative Unit (similar to the FBI) come to investigate, and team up with local investigators to solve the mystery behind the missing girls and their strange connections with the people around Atami. This drama was filled with lots of wtf moments, but they were the good kind of wtf moments. xD It's a pretty humorous and eccentric drama, but I really, really enjoyed watching it. Thr characters were very complex and diverse, and each had really interesting connections with each other. It was a great drama. I recommend! :D (Also I will not liie that I was fascinated with this drama because I live just 30 minutes by train to Atami hahaha.)
Freeter, Ie wo Kau (Freeter, I'll Buy a House - Fall 2010)
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya (of Arashi, also in Ryuusei no Kizuna, Yamada Taro Monogatari, Letters from Iwo Jima), Karina (Love Shuffle, Bambino!, Koizora movie), Atsuko Asano
Sooooo it's another dramatic Nino drama. He specializes in those. xD; No but in all seriousness this drama is actually quite interesting. Nino plays a young man in his mid-twnties who quit his first company because he thought they were too weird for him, and he couldn't get another job so he worked part time at various places until he starts working as a construction worker. There he meet's Karina's character, who teaches him the value of construction work. In the meantime, his mom faces bullying by local women in the neighborhood and falls into deep depression, and his father refuses to move, so Nino decides to buy a house as his freeter self in order to help his mom. It's dramatic, and of course there is a tearful scene in the rain (with mud), but it's enjoyable none-the-less. xD Also Maruyama from (Kanjani8) appears in it and plays a minor and kind of useless role. xD;
GOLD (Summer 2010)
Cast: Yuki Amami (BOSS), Masami Nagasawa (Boku no Imouto, Last Friends, Proposal Daisakusan), Tori Matsuzaka (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger), Masato Yano, Emi Takei (Otomen), Takashi Sorimachi (Great Teacher Onizuka)
So I don't know this drama is really dramatic and kind of boring at the same time. It's about this woman who, in addition to owning a beauty and health business and being a major face in the media, strives to make her children earn gold medals in the olympics in their respective sports and how they all struggle and conflict as a family, and how the woman's secretary sees the family and learns about herself. I don't care too much for the drama all that much, to be honest. The subs are coming out SLOWER THAN A TURTLE (they're only on like episode 4 and season aired in June) but I honestly don't care too much. lol. But maybe if they had come out faster and I had watched it more consecutively then I might have liked it better. I dunno. It's a weird drama though. Sometimes it's funny, like when the secretary, who's kind of scatterbrained, and the main woman have conversations (because the woman always convinces the secretary to think contrary to what she though before), but other than that I don't find it all that interesting. The subs should come out faster. I mean seriously, it's been 6 months. lol.
Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna (Guilty The Woman Who Made a Contract with the Devil - Fall 2010)
Cast: Miho Kanno, Hiroshi Tamaki (Love Shuffle, Nodame Cantobile, Water Boys drama & movie), Michiko Kichise (Bloody Monday, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, Maou, Liar Game, Nodame Cantobile, Attention Please), Toshiaki Karasawa, Kotaro Yoshida
I quite like this drama also. It's about a girl who was framed for putting poison into some chocolate cakes that she gave to her brother-in-law and nephew, and was put in jail for a long time before she got out on good behavior. She works cheerfully at a pet grooming place, but on days off she exacts her revenge! Hiroshi Tamaki gets romantically invovled with her while investigating a separate incident, but soon he realizes that everything is connected. It's quite interesting. I'm on episode 7 or 8 (I don't remember) and I'm really waiting for everything to come to a realization. It's going to be a great ending. 8D Well that's what I thought before I finished it. Well the wrapping up part was great but all of a sudden there was this stupid twist at the end that was just stupid and unnecessary and I was just like "Really? REALLY?!" Ugh lame. But overall it was a good drama. xD
Hammer Session (Summer 2010)
Cast: Mokomichi Hayami (Shinzanmono, Oh My Girl!!, Zettai Kareshi, Densha Otoko drama, Gokusen 2), Mirai Shida (Himitsu, Shokojo Seira), Manami Higa (Majo Saiban, Code Blue), 1858295601759175071985670 high school students
OMG MOKOMICHIIIIIIII!!! I am in love with this man. He is tall, dark, and handsome. I want him to be the father of my children. ....But that aside. I enjoy this drama, except there are no subs past episode 7. D; Mokomichi plays a swindler who escapes from jail and then is hired as a high school teacher, and he uses his brilliant swindling mind to teach the students great lessons in life. xD I mainly watch this drama so I can stare at Mokomichi but I also enjoy the plot. Every episode is centered on a different student and a typical problem with Japanese high school students nowadays, so it's kind of an interesting study of Japanese culture and Mokomichi. I recommend, for the most part! :)
Hotaru no Hikari 1 & 2 (Hokaru's Light/The Light of Fireflies - Season 1: Summer 2007, Season 2: Summer 2010)
Cast: Haruka Ayase (JIN, MR. BRAIN, Rookies Movie, Hero movie), Naohito Fujiki (Nakanai to Kimeta Hi, Shibatora, Proposal Daisakusan, Great Teacher Onizuka), Yuka Itaya (Nagareboshi), Ken Yasuda. Season 1 only: Ryoko Kuninaka (Tumbling, ROMES, Celeb to Binbo Taro, My Darling is Foreigner, Hero movie, Densha Otoko movie), Kazuki Kato (singer, also in Kamen Rider). Season 2 only: Osamu Mukai (Shinzanmono, Ninkyo Helper, Atanshinchi no Danshi, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Hachimitsu to Clover drama, Bambino, Nodame Cantabile)
Sooooooo I really really really like this drama. It's so cute and fun! Hotaru is what is referred to as a himono-onna, a woman who works really hard at her job but then goes straight home, changes into sweatpants, and lies around eating snacks, drinking beer, and reading manga. She's living in this great traditional style house with a veranda and a lovely garden, and then one day her boss suddenly arrives at her house and claims it's his, and after some circumstances they start living together. But the boss is precise and orderly while Hotaru is sloppy and lazy, and they have lots of hilarious conflicts. Hotaru has love problems and consults her boss on them, and he helps her get with the guy she has a crush on because she's really bad at relationships. But of course, in the end you know they fall in love. ;] The second season is about them preparing to get married and the troubles they have along the way. It's super cute, their relationship! And I TOTALLY identify with Hotaru because I'm so bad at love too! It's just heartwarming and fun and often really hilarious. I definitely recommend it!
Himitsu (Secret - Fall 2010)
Cast: Mirai Shida (Hammer Session, Shokojo Seira) Kuranosuke Sasaki (Orthros no Inu, Triangle, Zettai Kareshi, Densha Otoko movie)
This drama is about a family of three that lived happily until all of a sudden, the daughter and mother are caught in a bus accident, and the mother passes away while the daughter survives after being hospitalized for some time. But a strange thing occurs, and the mother spirit remains in the daughter's body. The father then has to deal with how he should respond to his daughter, who is actually his wife in personality but who must continue to live the life as the daughter. Both of them have to work through this issue, while the father enshrouds himself in discovering the causes of the bus accident. It sounds really complicated but it's pretty deep, and really quite interesting. I pretty much enjoyed watching this drama all the way through, because it was really entertaining and also quite thought provoking. Also, I think the acting was really very good. I do recommend.
Joker: Yurusarezu Sousakan (Joker: Unforgiving Investigators - Summer 2010)
Cast: Masato Sakai, Anne (Nakanai to Kimeta Hi, Samurai High School), Ryo Nishikido (of NEWS & Kanjani8, also in Orthros no Inu, Ryuusei no Kizuna, Last Friends, Attention Please)
This drama is quite interesting. It's about investigators in the police department who, after finding out the law cannot prosecute a criminal for lack of evidence or whatever other reason, will take care of the criminal themselves. I really love Ryo, he's got the most precious face ever. But Masato Sakai bother's me. His face is weird, like, it's all...idk, pudges it looks like. xD; Like when he smiles, it's like his eyes are closing and that's the smile. xDD; Idk it's kind of mean to say. I think he's a good actor, but sometimes I can't tell what his expression is because his face is so weird lolol. But that's also the character, I guess. lol. Anyway, I'm interested to see where the drama is going. I'm not a huge fan of any of the characters in the drama and so far it hasn't been mindblowing or anything. But it's interesting.
Juui Dolittle (Veterenarian Dolittle - Fall 2010)
Cast: Shun Oguri (Tokyo DOGS, SMILE, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Hana Yori Dango 1&2, Detective Konan, Gokusen, Great Teacher Onizuka), Mao Inoue (First Kiss, Hana Yori Dango 1&2), Hiroki Narimiya (Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, Bloody Monday 1&2, Innocent Love, Honey & Clover drama, Orange Days, Gokusen, Nana movies)
This drama has a LOT of big names in it. *_* I was a bit starstruck watching it. It's about Shun, who's a veterinarian who hates people so he acts like an asshole all the time, but he's a really superb animal surgeon. And even though he sucks at dealing with people, he always teaches them a lesson through treating their animals. I don't know, I didn't think the drama was stunning. Shun, of course, was great, but I think the idea of the drama was kind of boring, lol. Shun's character was bleh (and his HAIR! so greasy and gross looking--I like Shun with short hair :D) and the other characters were meh too. You can tell this came out of a manga because it has that kind of feel to it, and the ending wrapped up all too neatly, and a little too quickly, indicating that the manga is longer and possibly still running. Oh well. At least the animals were all cute though! :D
Kurosagi (The Black Swindler - Spring 2006)
Cast: Tomohisa Yamashita (of NEWS, Code Blue 1&2, Buzzer Beat, Proposal Daisakusan, Nobuta wo Produce), Maki Horikita (Tokujo Kabachi!, Atashinchi no Danshi, Innocent Love, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Nobuta wo Produce)
Sooooo we're watching this in my Japanese class, which is specifically watching dramas and answering questions and studying slang and stuff that appears in them. xD; I don't mind though. It's about a swindler who swindles other swindlers to get revenge for his family. It's pretty interesting, but my god watching it without subs is HARD. I get mostly everything but the part where he swindles his oppenent, because it probably wouldn't make too much sense to me in English anyway xD; Ugh it's so difficult. Anyway Yamapi is not a very good actor generally but he's not too bad in this drama. Except there are moments when you're just like "Oh god, Yamapi, change your expression for once" lolol. I generally enjoy this drama even though I don't get some parts, but I wouldn't rewatch it in English so I could understand it better. It isn't that good. xD;
Nagareboshi (Shooting Star - Fall 2010)
Cast: Yutaka Takenouchi (BOSS), Aya Ueto (Zettai Reido, Konkatsu!, Celeb to Binbo Taro, Attention Please, Ace wo Nerae!), Shota Matsuda (Tsuki no Koibitio, Liar Game 1 & 2, Meitantei ni Okite, Love Shuffle, Hana Yori Dango 1&2), Kii Kitano (Kyuumei Byouto 24ji 4, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, BANDAGE movie)
Ohhhh I really really like this drama. It's so interesting! It's about this family who's daughter has a liver disfunction (or something like that) and needs a transplant soon, or she won't live for much longer. Her older brother and mother look really hard for a donor, but in Japan the law requires it to be a family member or someone who has already passed away, and no one in the family will volunteer. So her older brother breaks up with his fiancee and marries an ex-prostitute who volunteers to donate her liver for 3 million yen. It's a really complicated issue that affects everyone in the family, and even the doctor, and the characters are really complex. I'm really curious to see how this turns out in the end. Plus, this drama has an allstar cast, which is fabulous because the acting is really great. I'd probably say this is my favorite drama out of all the one's I'm watching right now. But the subs are sooo sloooow~ As always happens with my favorites, unless it's a Johnny's drama. lol.
Ogon no Buta (Golding Pig - Fall 2010)
Cast: Ryoko Shinohara (Tsuki no Koibito), Masaki Okada (Otomen, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e), Yo Oizumi, Kenta Kiritani (JIN, Ryuusei no Kizuna, ROOKIES, Kurosagi, Solanin)
This drama is about auditors who check out discrepancies in the budgets of government agencies to make sure tax money is being used properly. xD Yeah it's kind of a lame idea, and it's kind of a lame drama. It's all about justice and stuff. I really liked Ryoko Shinohara in Tsuki no Koibito but her character is kind of basically the same, just a little more extreme, so I got bored with it. But I watched it to the end, which is something. It wasn't exactly boring but it wasn't exactly stimulating either. lol. There were silly times and serious times (that were of course overdramatic), and there were a lot of times when I couldn't take it seriously xD; But I'll give credit to the writers who thought of 8 ways for tax money to be embezzled. xD
Perfect Report (Fall 2010)
Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki (First Kiss), Keisuke Koide (JIN, ROOKIES, Nodame Cantobile, Gokusen 2, Koizora movie), Saki Aibu (Buzzer Beat, Mr. Brain, Triangle, Zettai Kareshi, Attention Please, Water Boys drama), Yuya Endo (Massugu na Otoko, Shiroi Haru, VOICE, Nodame Cantobile), Yu Koyonagi (Yankee-kun to Megane-chan)
I don't even remember what this drama is about. xD; The subs are, once again, coming out sooooo slow. ;_; Well I think it's about this female reporter who is like the head of her department but everyone under her sucks and she doesn't get respect from anyone and gradually these things change. xD; Idek because I've only seen two episodes. >_>; So I can't really tell you how good it is. lol. But I think I didn't hate it? It's pretty standard for a jdrama though, I feel.
Q10 (Fall 2010)
Cast: Takeru Sato (Bloody Monday, Mr. Brain, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, ROOKIES, Kamen Rider Den-O), Atsuko Maeda (of AKB48)
Lol I only watched this drama because it was right before Arashi ni Shiyagare on the same channel on Saturdays. xD; It was pretty lame...pretty much like Chobits except not half as sexual. In fact I'm almost sure it's based off of Chobits. It's about a high school guy who randomly finds a robot in a myserious attic of his school and names her Kyuuto (for Q 10 in Japanese), and then they go around doing...stuff. Idk it was kind of uninteresting so I didn't pay too much attention to it, plus I was watching it without subs so my comprehension was lower. xD; I also didn't finish it because I didn't care. So I can't really give a great review of it. lol.
Reinouryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso (Spiritualist Kyoko Odagiri's Lie - Fall 2010)
Cast: Satomi Ishihara (Hidarime Tantei EYE, VOICE), Shosuke Tanihara (Mioka, Shinzanmono, Konkatsu!, Love Shuffle, Triangle, Gokusen 2), Yuko Oshima (of AKB48)
I really like this drama! Satomi Ishihara and Shosuka Tanihara have good chemistry on set. Ishihara plays a famous television spiritualist who is not actually a spiritualist but rather just someone with good observation skills (similar to Psyche), and Tanihara plays a detective in the mysterious supernatural crimes division who is looking for a real psychic to help them solve the mysterious "no.9"'s. Together they solve paranormal phenomenon that are not actually paranormal events, and helps people along the way. It's a pretty funny drama. The characters are a little silly, and the overall scheme of things a little unrealistic, but still it's an enjoyable drama. I recommend. :)
Second Virgin (Fall 2010)
Cast: Kyoka Suzuki. Kyoko Fukuda (Massugu na Otoko, Karei Naru Spy), Hiroki Hasegawa
Wow, this was definitely an adult drama. It was about Rui Nakamura, who is a successful businesswoman who put her career before her family. She is divorced with one son, and has no interest in love. At least until she meets Ko Suzuki, a man 16 years her junior who is an economist with a lot of initiative. They are instantly attracted to each other and begin a steamy adulterous affair. I was surprised, there were actually sex scenes in this drama. o_O But it's a pretty good drama. Ko's wife is really annoying so there were some times when I was like 'UGH DON'T WANT TO WATCH" but most of the time it was pretty good. The ending sucked though. A lot. I was totally like wtf. But otherwise it was interesting. xD I think the actors were all pretty good; actually Kyoko Fukuda, who plays the wife of Ko, was really good, I think. But I didn't like Ko's actor that much. Maybe it was his character but he was pretty expressionless most of the time. Plus I think he looks like a snake. >_>;
Spec (Fall 2010)
Cast: Erika Toda (BOSS, Ryuusei no Kizuna, Code Blue, Liar Game, Hana Yori Dango 2, Nobuta wo Produce, Death Note movies), Ryo Kase, Saki Fukuda (Ghost Friends, LIFE), Yu Shirota (Samurai High School, ROOKIES, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Prince of Tennis movie)
This drama was pretty good. It's about two detectives who are investigating supernatural phenomenon...but like for real, unlike Reinouryoukusha Odagiri Kyoko ni uso. xD; It was pretty in depth and complicated. I enjoyed the characters and the humor that was put it in, and I like how the humor contrasted with the seriousness of the plot. Overall it was a really good drama. Normally I don't like Erika Toda that much (she just always comes across as fake to me in her acting) but she was good in the drama. Ryo Kase was good too, and of course Yu Shirota. The ending was kinda crazy though. I was definitely a little flabbergasted xD; But I recommend! It was really interesting.
Also, movies I watched recently!
My Darling is a Foreigner (2010)
Cast: Mao Inoue (Juui Dolittle, First Kiss, Hana Yori Dango), Jonathan Sherr
OMG this movie was so precious. xD A little corny sometimes, but totally adorable. I really like Mao Inoue's acting, plus she always has the best hairstyles. xD Except in Juui Dolittle. She had nothing special going on there. Anyway Jonathan Sherr is not especially famous or anything but he's pretty good-looking, I think, plus his character was kind of childlike because he was supposed to be a foreigner who didn't know anything, so he was kind of endearing. xD I think even though the movie was supposed to be about how interracial relationships are not so bad it ended up being a little racist after all. xD; But his Japanese was awesome so I was also impressed. xD; Anyway it was a super cute movie, the acting was good, and I like how they put in videos of real interracial couples talking about the silly things their foreigner partners say. xD But I was mildly depressed it was all about male partners though. Where is my chance? );
Dance, Subaru (2009)
Cast: Meisa Kuroki, Ara, Yuuta Hiraoka, Miku Sano, Kaori Momoi
Sorry I got lazy and decided not to look up what they actors have been in. xD; But anyway, Meisa!!! My girl, man. I love this woman. xD This movie was pretty good. Subaru is a young girl who really loved to dance but her father really disapproved. She shared a special bond over dance with her little brother, who suddenly got sick and passed away. As she grew older she learned to dance from a (near) strip club and steadily gained skills in ballet and dance, until she decided to enter a major dance competition. It's quite a touching story. It wasn't powerful enough to make me cry, but it was a good movie. The dancing was pretty good. I don't think Meisa is the best dancer around, but her build is right and she really made it work anyway. I was impressed. Overall it was quite an enjoyable film.
SOOOO that's it FINALLY. omg. xD; It took me like months to write this because I kept forgetting about it. xD; But yeah. Now the winter dramas have started and I'll need to post about those. I wonder how long it will take me this time. xD; Anyway, enjoy!! <3
So I'm in Japan but I have a separate blog for that so I'm not posting anything here. Not that I ever posted anything here anyway. lol I'm so fail. Anyway I'm here to continue my tradition and share with you the dramas I am currently watching. :D They include the Fall 2010 dramas and other dramas from the summer and other times that I am catching up on. xD; So it's gonna be long....but not as long as last time. 8Db
Atami no Sousakan (Atami's Investigators - Summer 2010)
Cast: Joe Odagiri (Boku no Imouto), Chiaki Kuriyama (Battle Royale, Kill Bill Vol. 1), Yutaka Matsushige (Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku, Bloody Monday 1&2, Hachimitsu to Clover, Proposal Daisakusan), Eri Fuse, Sakura Ema
Wow, this drama was so entertaining. It's a mystery centered about the disappearance of a bus in Atami and the four young women riding it. Two investigators from Tokyo, from the Wide-Area Investigative Unit (similar to the FBI) come to investigate, and team up with local investigators to solve the mystery behind the missing girls and their strange connections with the people around Atami. This drama was filled with lots of wtf moments, but they were the good kind of wtf moments. xD It's a pretty humorous and eccentric drama, but I really, really enjoyed watching it. Thr characters were very complex and diverse, and each had really interesting connections with each other. It was a great drama. I recommend! :D (Also I will not liie that I was fascinated with this drama because I live just 30 minutes by train to Atami hahaha.)
Freeter, Ie wo Kau (Freeter, I'll Buy a House - Fall 2010)
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya (of Arashi, also in Ryuusei no Kizuna, Yamada Taro Monogatari, Letters from Iwo Jima), Karina (Love Shuffle, Bambino!, Koizora movie), Atsuko Asano
Sooooo it's another dramatic Nino drama. He specializes in those. xD; No but in all seriousness this drama is actually quite interesting. Nino plays a young man in his mid-twnties who quit his first company because he thought they were too weird for him, and he couldn't get another job so he worked part time at various places until he starts working as a construction worker. There he meet's Karina's character, who teaches him the value of construction work. In the meantime, his mom faces bullying by local women in the neighborhood and falls into deep depression, and his father refuses to move, so Nino decides to buy a house as his freeter self in order to help his mom. It's dramatic, and of course there is a tearful scene in the rain (with mud), but it's enjoyable none-the-less. xD Also Maruyama from (Kanjani8) appears in it and plays a minor and kind of useless role. xD;
GOLD (Summer 2010)
Cast: Yuki Amami (BOSS), Masami Nagasawa (Boku no Imouto, Last Friends, Proposal Daisakusan), Tori Matsuzaka (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger), Masato Yano, Emi Takei (Otomen), Takashi Sorimachi (Great Teacher Onizuka)
So I don't know this drama is really dramatic and kind of boring at the same time. It's about this woman who, in addition to owning a beauty and health business and being a major face in the media, strives to make her children earn gold medals in the olympics in their respective sports and how they all struggle and conflict as a family, and how the woman's secretary sees the family and learns about herself. I don't care too much for the drama all that much, to be honest. The subs are coming out SLOWER THAN A TURTLE (they're only on like episode 4 and season aired in June) but I honestly don't care too much. lol. But maybe if they had come out faster and I had watched it more consecutively then I might have liked it better. I dunno. It's a weird drama though. Sometimes it's funny, like when the secretary, who's kind of scatterbrained, and the main woman have conversations (because the woman always convinces the secretary to think contrary to what she though before), but other than that I don't find it all that interesting. The subs should come out faster. I mean seriously, it's been 6 months. lol.
Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna (Guilty The Woman Who Made a Contract with the Devil - Fall 2010)
Cast: Miho Kanno, Hiroshi Tamaki (Love Shuffle, Nodame Cantobile, Water Boys drama & movie), Michiko Kichise (Bloody Monday, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, Maou, Liar Game, Nodame Cantobile, Attention Please), Toshiaki Karasawa, Kotaro Yoshida
I quite like this drama also. It's about a girl who was framed for putting poison into some chocolate cakes that she gave to her brother-in-law and nephew, and was put in jail for a long time before she got out on good behavior. She works cheerfully at a pet grooming place, but on days off she exacts her revenge! Hiroshi Tamaki gets romantically invovled with her while investigating a separate incident, but soon he realizes that everything is connected. It's quite interesting. I'm on episode 7 or 8 (I don't remember) and I'm really waiting for everything to come to a realization. It's going to be a great ending. 8D Well that's what I thought before I finished it. Well the wrapping up part was great but all of a sudden there was this stupid twist at the end that was just stupid and unnecessary and I was just like "Really? REALLY?!" Ugh lame. But overall it was a good drama. xD
Hammer Session (Summer 2010)
Cast: Mokomichi Hayami (Shinzanmono, Oh My Girl!!, Zettai Kareshi, Densha Otoko drama, Gokusen 2), Mirai Shida (Himitsu, Shokojo Seira), Manami Higa (Majo Saiban, Code Blue), 1858295601759175071985670 high school students
OMG MOKOMICHIIIIIIII!!! I am in love with this man. He is tall, dark, and handsome. I want him to be the father of my children. ....But that aside. I enjoy this drama, except there are no subs past episode 7. D; Mokomichi plays a swindler who escapes from jail and then is hired as a high school teacher, and he uses his brilliant swindling mind to teach the students great lessons in life. xD I mainly watch this drama so I can stare at Mokomichi but I also enjoy the plot. Every episode is centered on a different student and a typical problem with Japanese high school students nowadays, so it's kind of an interesting study of Japanese culture and Mokomichi. I recommend, for the most part! :)
Hotaru no Hikari 1 & 2 (Hokaru's Light/The Light of Fireflies - Season 1: Summer 2007, Season 2: Summer 2010)
Cast: Haruka Ayase (JIN, MR. BRAIN, Rookies Movie, Hero movie), Naohito Fujiki (Nakanai to Kimeta Hi, Shibatora, Proposal Daisakusan, Great Teacher Onizuka), Yuka Itaya (Nagareboshi), Ken Yasuda. Season 1 only: Ryoko Kuninaka (Tumbling, ROMES, Celeb to Binbo Taro, My Darling is Foreigner, Hero movie, Densha Otoko movie), Kazuki Kato (singer, also in Kamen Rider). Season 2 only: Osamu Mukai (Shinzanmono, Ninkyo Helper, Atanshinchi no Danshi, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Hachimitsu to Clover drama, Bambino, Nodame Cantabile)
Sooooooo I really really really like this drama. It's so cute and fun! Hotaru is what is referred to as a himono-onna, a woman who works really hard at her job but then goes straight home, changes into sweatpants, and lies around eating snacks, drinking beer, and reading manga. She's living in this great traditional style house with a veranda and a lovely garden, and then one day her boss suddenly arrives at her house and claims it's his, and after some circumstances they start living together. But the boss is precise and orderly while Hotaru is sloppy and lazy, and they have lots of hilarious conflicts. Hotaru has love problems and consults her boss on them, and he helps her get with the guy she has a crush on because she's really bad at relationships. But of course, in the end you know they fall in love. ;] The second season is about them preparing to get married and the troubles they have along the way. It's super cute, their relationship! And I TOTALLY identify with Hotaru because I'm so bad at love too! It's just heartwarming and fun and often really hilarious. I definitely recommend it!
Himitsu (Secret - Fall 2010)
Cast: Mirai Shida (Hammer Session, Shokojo Seira) Kuranosuke Sasaki (Orthros no Inu, Triangle, Zettai Kareshi, Densha Otoko movie)
This drama is about a family of three that lived happily until all of a sudden, the daughter and mother are caught in a bus accident, and the mother passes away while the daughter survives after being hospitalized for some time. But a strange thing occurs, and the mother spirit remains in the daughter's body. The father then has to deal with how he should respond to his daughter, who is actually his wife in personality but who must continue to live the life as the daughter. Both of them have to work through this issue, while the father enshrouds himself in discovering the causes of the bus accident. It sounds really complicated but it's pretty deep, and really quite interesting. I pretty much enjoyed watching this drama all the way through, because it was really entertaining and also quite thought provoking. Also, I think the acting was really very good. I do recommend.
Joker: Yurusarezu Sousakan (Joker: Unforgiving Investigators - Summer 2010)
Cast: Masato Sakai, Anne (Nakanai to Kimeta Hi, Samurai High School), Ryo Nishikido (of NEWS & Kanjani8, also in Orthros no Inu, Ryuusei no Kizuna, Last Friends, Attention Please)
This drama is quite interesting. It's about investigators in the police department who, after finding out the law cannot prosecute a criminal for lack of evidence or whatever other reason, will take care of the criminal themselves. I really love Ryo, he's got the most precious face ever. But Masato Sakai bother's me. His face is weird, like, it's all...idk, pudges it looks like. xD; Like when he smiles, it's like his eyes are closing and that's the smile. xDD; Idk it's kind of mean to say. I think he's a good actor, but sometimes I can't tell what his expression is because his face is so weird lolol. But that's also the character, I guess. lol. Anyway, I'm interested to see where the drama is going. I'm not a huge fan of any of the characters in the drama and so far it hasn't been mindblowing or anything. But it's interesting.
Juui Dolittle (Veterenarian Dolittle - Fall 2010)
Cast: Shun Oguri (Tokyo DOGS, SMILE, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Hana Yori Dango 1&2, Detective Konan, Gokusen, Great Teacher Onizuka), Mao Inoue (First Kiss, Hana Yori Dango 1&2), Hiroki Narimiya (Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, Bloody Monday 1&2, Innocent Love, Honey & Clover drama, Orange Days, Gokusen, Nana movies)
This drama has a LOT of big names in it. *_* I was a bit starstruck watching it. It's about Shun, who's a veterinarian who hates people so he acts like an asshole all the time, but he's a really superb animal surgeon. And even though he sucks at dealing with people, he always teaches them a lesson through treating their animals. I don't know, I didn't think the drama was stunning. Shun, of course, was great, but I think the idea of the drama was kind of boring, lol. Shun's character was bleh (and his HAIR! so greasy and gross looking--I like Shun with short hair :D) and the other characters were meh too. You can tell this came out of a manga because it has that kind of feel to it, and the ending wrapped up all too neatly, and a little too quickly, indicating that the manga is longer and possibly still running. Oh well. At least the animals were all cute though! :D
Kurosagi (The Black Swindler - Spring 2006)
Cast: Tomohisa Yamashita (of NEWS, Code Blue 1&2, Buzzer Beat, Proposal Daisakusan, Nobuta wo Produce), Maki Horikita (Tokujo Kabachi!, Atashinchi no Danshi, Innocent Love, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Nobuta wo Produce)
Sooooo we're watching this in my Japanese class, which is specifically watching dramas and answering questions and studying slang and stuff that appears in them. xD; I don't mind though. It's about a swindler who swindles other swindlers to get revenge for his family. It's pretty interesting, but my god watching it without subs is HARD. I get mostly everything but the part where he swindles his oppenent, because it probably wouldn't make too much sense to me in English anyway xD; Ugh it's so difficult. Anyway Yamapi is not a very good actor generally but he's not too bad in this drama. Except there are moments when you're just like "Oh god, Yamapi, change your expression for once" lolol. I generally enjoy this drama even though I don't get some parts, but I wouldn't rewatch it in English so I could understand it better. It isn't that good. xD;
Nagareboshi (Shooting Star - Fall 2010)
Cast: Yutaka Takenouchi (BOSS), Aya Ueto (Zettai Reido, Konkatsu!, Celeb to Binbo Taro, Attention Please, Ace wo Nerae!), Shota Matsuda (Tsuki no Koibitio, Liar Game 1 & 2, Meitantei ni Okite, Love Shuffle, Hana Yori Dango 1&2), Kii Kitano (Kyuumei Byouto 24ji 4, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, BANDAGE movie)
Ohhhh I really really like this drama. It's so interesting! It's about this family who's daughter has a liver disfunction (or something like that) and needs a transplant soon, or she won't live for much longer. Her older brother and mother look really hard for a donor, but in Japan the law requires it to be a family member or someone who has already passed away, and no one in the family will volunteer. So her older brother breaks up with his fiancee and marries an ex-prostitute who volunteers to donate her liver for 3 million yen. It's a really complicated issue that affects everyone in the family, and even the doctor, and the characters are really complex. I'm really curious to see how this turns out in the end. Plus, this drama has an allstar cast, which is fabulous because the acting is really great. I'd probably say this is my favorite drama out of all the one's I'm watching right now. But the subs are sooo sloooow~ As always happens with my favorites, unless it's a Johnny's drama. lol.
Ogon no Buta (Golding Pig - Fall 2010)
Cast: Ryoko Shinohara (Tsuki no Koibito), Masaki Okada (Otomen, Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e), Yo Oizumi, Kenta Kiritani (JIN, Ryuusei no Kizuna, ROOKIES, Kurosagi, Solanin)
This drama is about auditors who check out discrepancies in the budgets of government agencies to make sure tax money is being used properly. xD Yeah it's kind of a lame idea, and it's kind of a lame drama. It's all about justice and stuff. I really liked Ryoko Shinohara in Tsuki no Koibito but her character is kind of basically the same, just a little more extreme, so I got bored with it. But I watched it to the end, which is something. It wasn't exactly boring but it wasn't exactly stimulating either. lol. There were silly times and serious times (that were of course overdramatic), and there were a lot of times when I couldn't take it seriously xD; But I'll give credit to the writers who thought of 8 ways for tax money to be embezzled. xD
Perfect Report (Fall 2010)
Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki (First Kiss), Keisuke Koide (JIN, ROOKIES, Nodame Cantobile, Gokusen 2, Koizora movie), Saki Aibu (Buzzer Beat, Mr. Brain, Triangle, Zettai Kareshi, Attention Please, Water Boys drama), Yuya Endo (Massugu na Otoko, Shiroi Haru, VOICE, Nodame Cantobile), Yu Koyonagi (Yankee-kun to Megane-chan)
I don't even remember what this drama is about. xD; The subs are, once again, coming out sooooo slow. ;_; Well I think it's about this female reporter who is like the head of her department but everyone under her sucks and she doesn't get respect from anyone and gradually these things change. xD; Idek because I've only seen two episodes. >_>; So I can't really tell you how good it is. lol. But I think I didn't hate it? It's pretty standard for a jdrama though, I feel.
Q10 (Fall 2010)
Cast: Takeru Sato (Bloody Monday, Mr. Brain, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, ROOKIES, Kamen Rider Den-O), Atsuko Maeda (of AKB48)
Lol I only watched this drama because it was right before Arashi ni Shiyagare on the same channel on Saturdays. xD; It was pretty lame...pretty much like Chobits except not half as sexual. In fact I'm almost sure it's based off of Chobits. It's about a high school guy who randomly finds a robot in a myserious attic of his school and names her Kyuuto (for Q 10 in Japanese), and then they go around doing...stuff. Idk it was kind of uninteresting so I didn't pay too much attention to it, plus I was watching it without subs so my comprehension was lower. xD; I also didn't finish it because I didn't care. So I can't really give a great review of it. lol.
Reinouryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso (Spiritualist Kyoko Odagiri's Lie - Fall 2010)
Cast: Satomi Ishihara (Hidarime Tantei EYE, VOICE), Shosuke Tanihara (Mioka, Shinzanmono, Konkatsu!, Love Shuffle, Triangle, Gokusen 2), Yuko Oshima (of AKB48)
I really like this drama! Satomi Ishihara and Shosuka Tanihara have good chemistry on set. Ishihara plays a famous television spiritualist who is not actually a spiritualist but rather just someone with good observation skills (similar to Psyche), and Tanihara plays a detective in the mysterious supernatural crimes division who is looking for a real psychic to help them solve the mysterious "no.9"'s. Together they solve paranormal phenomenon that are not actually paranormal events, and helps people along the way. It's a pretty funny drama. The characters are a little silly, and the overall scheme of things a little unrealistic, but still it's an enjoyable drama. I recommend. :)
Second Virgin (Fall 2010)
Cast: Kyoka Suzuki. Kyoko Fukuda (Massugu na Otoko, Karei Naru Spy), Hiroki Hasegawa
Wow, this was definitely an adult drama. It was about Rui Nakamura, who is a successful businesswoman who put her career before her family. She is divorced with one son, and has no interest in love. At least until she meets Ko Suzuki, a man 16 years her junior who is an economist with a lot of initiative. They are instantly attracted to each other and begin a steamy adulterous affair. I was surprised, there were actually sex scenes in this drama. o_O But it's a pretty good drama. Ko's wife is really annoying so there were some times when I was like 'UGH DON'T WANT TO WATCH" but most of the time it was pretty good. The ending sucked though. A lot. I was totally like wtf. But otherwise it was interesting. xD I think the actors were all pretty good; actually Kyoko Fukuda, who plays the wife of Ko, was really good, I think. But I didn't like Ko's actor that much. Maybe it was his character but he was pretty expressionless most of the time. Plus I think he looks like a snake. >_>;
Spec (Fall 2010)
Cast: Erika Toda (BOSS, Ryuusei no Kizuna, Code Blue, Liar Game, Hana Yori Dango 2, Nobuta wo Produce, Death Note movies), Ryo Kase, Saki Fukuda (Ghost Friends, LIFE), Yu Shirota (Samurai High School, ROOKIES, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Prince of Tennis movie)
This drama was pretty good. It's about two detectives who are investigating supernatural phenomenon...but like for real, unlike Reinouryoukusha Odagiri Kyoko ni uso. xD; It was pretty in depth and complicated. I enjoyed the characters and the humor that was put it in, and I like how the humor contrasted with the seriousness of the plot. Overall it was a really good drama. Normally I don't like Erika Toda that much (she just always comes across as fake to me in her acting) but she was good in the drama. Ryo Kase was good too, and of course Yu Shirota. The ending was kinda crazy though. I was definitely a little flabbergasted xD; But I recommend! It was really interesting.
Also, movies I watched recently!
My Darling is a Foreigner (2010)
Cast: Mao Inoue (Juui Dolittle, First Kiss, Hana Yori Dango), Jonathan Sherr
OMG this movie was so precious. xD A little corny sometimes, but totally adorable. I really like Mao Inoue's acting, plus she always has the best hairstyles. xD Except in Juui Dolittle. She had nothing special going on there. Anyway Jonathan Sherr is not especially famous or anything but he's pretty good-looking, I think, plus his character was kind of childlike because he was supposed to be a foreigner who didn't know anything, so he was kind of endearing. xD I think even though the movie was supposed to be about how interracial relationships are not so bad it ended up being a little racist after all. xD; But his Japanese was awesome so I was also impressed. xD; Anyway it was a super cute movie, the acting was good, and I like how they put in videos of real interracial couples talking about the silly things their foreigner partners say. xD But I was mildly depressed it was all about male partners though. Where is my chance? );
Dance, Subaru (2009)
Cast: Meisa Kuroki, Ara, Yuuta Hiraoka, Miku Sano, Kaori Momoi
Sorry I got lazy and decided not to look up what they actors have been in. xD; But anyway, Meisa!!! My girl, man. I love this woman. xD This movie was pretty good. Subaru is a young girl who really loved to dance but her father really disapproved. She shared a special bond over dance with her little brother, who suddenly got sick and passed away. As she grew older she learned to dance from a (near) strip club and steadily gained skills in ballet and dance, until she decided to enter a major dance competition. It's quite a touching story. It wasn't powerful enough to make me cry, but it was a good movie. The dancing was pretty good. I don't think Meisa is the best dancer around, but her build is right and she really made it work anyway. I was impressed. Overall it was quite an enjoyable film.
SOOOO that's it FINALLY. omg. xD; It took me like months to write this because I kept forgetting about it. xD; But yeah. Now the winter dramas have started and I'll need to post about those. I wonder how long it will take me this time. xD; Anyway, enjoy!! <3