For lack of better material, this is what you get.
I should have gone to bed earlier last night, but that's what happens when your brain decides that surfing the web looking for new j-drama is a good idea. Thus, I picked up three new drama last night: the first one is currently airing in Japan called Q.E.D., the other two were from last season (Fall 2008) so it's Bloody Monday and Shibatora.
For your viewing pleasure today, I'm going to be summarizing all three and reviewing the first episodes. If you don't want to read it, skip over the LJ-cut and pretend it was never there! It disappeared into hammer space along with the sugar, cocoa, and my friend's house-keys.
Alright so first up to bat is going to be...Bloody Monday because I have decided to go in alphabetical order.
Bloody Monday:
Synopsis: After a biological terrorist attack kills off the population of a Russian town; Japan's Public Safety Special Third unit, code name THIRD-i, believes that the terrorist organization responsible plans to unleash the same virus known as Bloody X into Tokyo. Subsequently, THIRD-i recruits the help of genius hacker Takagi Fujimaru to find out what happened in the Russia. However, as Fujimaru becomes involved, he soon finds out that he is in over his head and that the terrorist groups influence reaches not only his school but even the police. Fujimaru must now rely on his skill as a hacker to unravel the organizations sinister plot and find out the truth behind "Bloody Monday."~taken from D-Wiki
Review: Okay, I must say that the main reason why I was so intrigued by this drama was the fact that it was characterized as 'action/suspense' and that the lead actor, Miura Haruma, was in Gokusen 3. I was interested to see what skills he had, other than being beaten up all the time in yakuza related fights. I'd heard that he was pretty popular as a young actor in Japan so that also had something to do with it. I was not disappointed with his performance in this episode. He was pretty intense in some scenes and utterly comical in a few others. It was really good.
Now, one thing I have to say is that the first episode is LONG. It was over an hour and a half which is very long (and I think that the fansubbers who provided the soft and hardsubs are amazing for not giving up halfway through) although now that I think about it, most pilot episodes in North America are about that long...at least the first episode of Firefly had been about that length. It might just be a Joss Whedon thing though.
The episode kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I swear to Buddha that my heart was in my throat of most of it. It was really well acted by all those involved and the storyline was really something. I think that it's the fact that it could be our world that this is happening to, well I mean it could actually happen, that made it so amazing for me. I was slightly freaked out by the end of it though. I have no idea what they did for the rest of the season, but if this first episode is of any indication...I think that I'm going to have to watch this drama right before I watch a funny/uplifting one because man, was I ever freaked out by the end of it. I don't really want to say too much about the episode itself (I mean content wise) because I don't want to spoil it for anyone reading.
Q.E.D.:
Synopsis: A detective story that evolves around two high school students, Mizuhara Kana, a curious girl who can't help looking after others, and her new classmate, Toma So, who graduated from an elite U.S. college at the age of 15. The two try to solve mysteries with a help of Kana's father who is an investigator. ~taken from D-Wiki
Review: My first impression, "I wonder how much CG they're going to use?" The first case was pretty interesting. I thought that the other guy had done it (that's not going to help much, but I'm trying to be vague on purpose) but it turned out to be the other one. That wasn't helpful, I know.
Anyways, the two main characters are pretty interesting on their own. Kana is, I guess you could say she's like the typical modern-day heroine/female lead who's quirky, extroverted, confident...but at the same time, I'm not annoyed by her character. She's clever in her own right, doing the grunt work enthusiastically. Kana was really funny and I really found myself rooting for her.
Okay, Toma. His face is very expressionless for most of the episode, except for a few reactions. It kind of irked me, but then I got used to it and kind of found it a bit endearing in a weird way. He's as smart as you'd expect the "brains" of a detective pair to be. At the same time, he's not overbearingly smart...although Kana would say otherwise. He's not openly condescending like most of the detective geniuses I've encountered in other dramas, but his character seems like it's lost...like he's looking for something which I do believe is the point.
The two of them together is a very cute and effective team. She's the "brawn" and he's the "brain", both are equal partners and it works out pretty well. I can already see the connection forming between the two and it's going to be very interesting to see how their relationship pans out.
Shibatora:
Synopsis: No matter how you look at him, Shibata Taketora is just a quiet, ordinary junior high student. He looks so vulnerable that bullies try to rip him off on the streets, but he is actually a police detective and an expert swordsman in kendo. Taketora has a special ability to see the "hands of death" around people whose life is nearing the end. One day, Taketora is assigned on undercover operations. He sneaks into a high school, a maid cafe and a juvenile detention center... With the cooperation from his various friends, he gets to the bottom of the matters. ~taken from D-Wiki
Review: I was expecting something completely different from what I got when I watched the first episode. I swear to you that the level of drama and action in this show took me by surprise. In the beginning, Koike Teppei's character seems like he's just like a bumbling detective wanna-be until he pulls out his trusty coat hanger (well, the coat hanger is given to him...you have to see it) and goes all upper level kendo on the other guy. It was really funny. He's actually a very competent detective despite his appearance.
When he gets his first undercover case, I was kind of expecting something not so serious...but an illegal, underground, adolescent prostitution ring is hardly "not so serious". I was not expecting the prostitution ring, nor was I expecting the other main female character (her name was Mizuki...although the fansubbers spelled it Miduki...) to enter the story the way she did.
The action was good (I think Gokusen 2 helped to prepare Koike for this role...) and the case was kind of heart-breaking, but the comedy made it all better...which is why I watched it after Bloody Monday...to lift my spirits that the good guys always win.
Well that's the end of my little spiel about the three dramas I watched last night. I'm still waiting for Uta no Onii-san to start (that's Ohno's new drama) and I can't wait until Yatterman comes out as well (oh Sho-chan...this has the potential to do really well...or fail really hard).
Now I leave you with a little video montage of my favourite Montreal Canadiens player: #31 Carey Price the goaltender. (That last save he does with the back-handed stick behind him to knock the puck out of the goal was amazing...I watched it last year and I have to say that it was the highlight that made me truly declare him as my favourite.)
Click here!
~ C. Martlet
For your viewing pleasure today, I'm going to be summarizing all three and reviewing the first episodes. If you don't want to read it, skip over the LJ-cut and pretend it was never there! It disappeared into hammer space along with the sugar, cocoa, and my friend's house-keys.
Alright so first up to bat is going to be...Bloody Monday because I have decided to go in alphabetical order.
Bloody Monday:
Synopsis: After a biological terrorist attack kills off the population of a Russian town; Japan's Public Safety Special Third unit, code name THIRD-i, believes that the terrorist organization responsible plans to unleash the same virus known as Bloody X into Tokyo. Subsequently, THIRD-i recruits the help of genius hacker Takagi Fujimaru to find out what happened in the Russia. However, as Fujimaru becomes involved, he soon finds out that he is in over his head and that the terrorist groups influence reaches not only his school but even the police. Fujimaru must now rely on his skill as a hacker to unravel the organizations sinister plot and find out the truth behind "Bloody Monday."~taken from D-Wiki
Review: Okay, I must say that the main reason why I was so intrigued by this drama was the fact that it was characterized as 'action/suspense' and that the lead actor, Miura Haruma, was in Gokusen 3. I was interested to see what skills he had, other than being beaten up all the time in yakuza related fights. I'd heard that he was pretty popular as a young actor in Japan so that also had something to do with it. I was not disappointed with his performance in this episode. He was pretty intense in some scenes and utterly comical in a few others. It was really good.
Now, one thing I have to say is that the first episode is LONG. It was over an hour and a half which is very long (and I think that the fansubbers who provided the soft and hardsubs are amazing for not giving up halfway through) although now that I think about it, most pilot episodes in North America are about that long...at least the first episode of Firefly had been about that length. It might just be a Joss Whedon thing though.
The episode kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I swear to Buddha that my heart was in my throat of most of it. It was really well acted by all those involved and the storyline was really something. I think that it's the fact that it could be our world that this is happening to, well I mean it could actually happen, that made it so amazing for me. I was slightly freaked out by the end of it though. I have no idea what they did for the rest of the season, but if this first episode is of any indication...I think that I'm going to have to watch this drama right before I watch a funny/uplifting one because man, was I ever freaked out by the end of it. I don't really want to say too much about the episode itself (I mean content wise) because I don't want to spoil it for anyone reading.
Q.E.D.:
Synopsis: A detective story that evolves around two high school students, Mizuhara Kana, a curious girl who can't help looking after others, and her new classmate, Toma So, who graduated from an elite U.S. college at the age of 15. The two try to solve mysteries with a help of Kana's father who is an investigator. ~taken from D-Wiki
Review: My first impression, "I wonder how much CG they're going to use?" The first case was pretty interesting. I thought that the other guy had done it (that's not going to help much, but I'm trying to be vague on purpose) but it turned out to be the other one. That wasn't helpful, I know.
Anyways, the two main characters are pretty interesting on their own. Kana is, I guess you could say she's like the typical modern-day heroine/female lead who's quirky, extroverted, confident...but at the same time, I'm not annoyed by her character. She's clever in her own right, doing the grunt work enthusiastically. Kana was really funny and I really found myself rooting for her.
Okay, Toma. His face is very expressionless for most of the episode, except for a few reactions. It kind of irked me, but then I got used to it and kind of found it a bit endearing in a weird way. He's as smart as you'd expect the "brains" of a detective pair to be. At the same time, he's not overbearingly smart...although Kana would say otherwise. He's not openly condescending like most of the detective geniuses I've encountered in other dramas, but his character seems like it's lost...like he's looking for something which I do believe is the point.
The two of them together is a very cute and effective team. She's the "brawn" and he's the "brain", both are equal partners and it works out pretty well. I can already see the connection forming between the two and it's going to be very interesting to see how their relationship pans out.
Shibatora:
Synopsis: No matter how you look at him, Shibata Taketora is just a quiet, ordinary junior high student. He looks so vulnerable that bullies try to rip him off on the streets, but he is actually a police detective and an expert swordsman in kendo. Taketora has a special ability to see the "hands of death" around people whose life is nearing the end. One day, Taketora is assigned on undercover operations. He sneaks into a high school, a maid cafe and a juvenile detention center... With the cooperation from his various friends, he gets to the bottom of the matters. ~taken from D-Wiki
Review: I was expecting something completely different from what I got when I watched the first episode. I swear to you that the level of drama and action in this show took me by surprise. In the beginning, Koike Teppei's character seems like he's just like a bumbling detective wanna-be until he pulls out his trusty coat hanger (well, the coat hanger is given to him...you have to see it) and goes all upper level kendo on the other guy. It was really funny. He's actually a very competent detective despite his appearance.
When he gets his first undercover case, I was kind of expecting something not so serious...but an illegal, underground, adolescent prostitution ring is hardly "not so serious". I was not expecting the prostitution ring, nor was I expecting the other main female character (her name was Mizuki...although the fansubbers spelled it Miduki...) to enter the story the way she did.
The action was good (I think Gokusen 2 helped to prepare Koike for this role...) and the case was kind of heart-breaking, but the comedy made it all better...which is why I watched it after Bloody Monday...to lift my spirits that the good guys always win.
Well that's the end of my little spiel about the three dramas I watched last night. I'm still waiting for Uta no Onii-san to start (that's Ohno's new drama) and I can't wait until Yatterman comes out as well (oh Sho-chan...this has the potential to do really well...or fail really hard).
Now I leave you with a little video montage of my favourite Montreal Canadiens player: #31 Carey Price the goaltender. (That last save he does with the back-handed stick behind him to knock the puck out of the goal was amazing...I watched it last year and I have to say that it was the highlight that made me truly declare him as my favourite.)
Click here!
~ C. Martlet