Jdrama Reviews!
Hi all! I'm back with more reviews. I actually finished these a couple weeks ago and just haven't gotten around to posting the reviews, either due to laziness or business. Take your pick. I figured I should do them sooner before I forget what I thought about them. Anyhow, on with the reviews!
It took me a few months to finish this one mostly because I didn't have Netflix for a while. That was the main thing. I wasn't too upset when I first lost my ability to watch the drama because I wasn't too emotionally invested in it yet. However, I was more than half way through the season before my break. I still didn't feel anything special towards it still. For some reason, this season, or arc, didn't really do it for me. I don't think it had the same charm as the first season did. The characters didn't have much growth to them, and the direction seemed kind of stale. Meaning, I have seen this theme in several other dramas before. I felt bad because I did try to enjoy this drama like I did with the first one. I really did. However, there were too many things that bugged me about it. I guess I'm just complaining that it wasn't as good as the first one.
I guess what bothered me so much was all the jealousy between Nao and Uehara whenever they were with other people of the opposite gender. And perhaps the mush and lovey-dovey stuff. I know a lot of couples do that, but that seemed to be the only point of the show. There was also the added second-lead syndrome of the other person not catching their interest because of the love relationship. They also didn't fend for those love interests at the end and didn't match them with anyone else, or each other in the show.
Okay, onto the positives. Nao and Uehara were indeed able to move onto the next step of their relationship. They also thought it would be best to break up just so they could figure themselves out and become a little more independent. That didn't last very long because they soon realized that they did indeed love each other, and were willing to sacrifice other things in their lives and focus on each other more. It kind of reminded me of Boy Meets World when Cory and Topanga broke up the first time just so they could mature and learn to focus on their own needs a little more.
Despite that this season wasn't as charming as the first season, I think I did like watching this show (meaning I liked watching it end. XD). It was a bit different, but I wish the main love relationship wasn't so one-sided. That's what drives me nuts about most asian dramas.
I rated this drama a 6.5 out of 10.
Or Family Form. Or The State of Union as AsianWiki likes to call it, which sounds really strange because that name sounds like a government title. I call it Family Form, or would probably call A Family Affair. I started this drama because it was another Ueno Juri drama, and I'm glad I did. I grew to love it more than just for her. The whole drama is a gem. It was something I discovered myself, and I think I love those the most. I didn't see a lot of people raving about since it seem very popular, but there were quite a few popular j-celebs in it, like Kiko Mizuhara, YosiYosi Arakawa, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Shingo Katori as the main star.
What got me loving this drama at first was the soundtrack. There aren't very many dramas out there that distract me with the music over the characters, the plot, and the stars. It might be due to the cover song that played at the beginning and the end, or every important moment of the show. There was a slow version and a more upbeat version that reminded me of a song from Katamari Demacy. I know, that sounds like a weird reference, but it's true! It had the same bebop sound as one of the songs from the game. The slower one was really pretty. It was entirely in English, but there were a few stanzas or sentences of the lyrics that didn't quite make sense. I mean, Engrish, right? What can you do?
This drama focuses on family, marriage, and friendship. We start off with Daisuke (Shingo Katori) who has no interest in marriage or living with anyone. He moves into a giant condo, which he refers to as his "castle", in the middle of Tokyo. He is perfectly happy with his own routines and his own tastes. At the end of a day of work and the gym, he likes to go home and enjoy his beer alone. All of that is short-lived though when his father (Toshiyuki Nishida) moves in with him and drags his newly adopted 13-year-old son with him. Now, Daisuke is unhappy because his castle has been invaded. He is like any man who wants to enjoy his solitude at home which he worked hard to purchase. Through all of this, he befriends his neighbor, Hanako(Uneno Juri), who lives in the apartment right below him. Despite her wants to live single, she ends up tangled in Daisuke's family life as well. Like him, she has no wish to return to the married life she once had, and yet her mother moves with her and tries to change her mind. Every character that comes on the screen becomes intertwined with Daisuke's father because he becomes the counselor and peace maker. He's involved with everyone and their personal lives and soon they all gravitate towards him and invade Daisuke's precious "castle".
I wouldn't call this a romance. Maybe you could see it, if you squint. It's mostly focused on family bonds and friendship. It's a very heart-warming drama, and Daisuke doesn't end up as a grumpy hermit in the end. I really liked watching his transformation and see him willing to step out a little bit to help people. Even if he was still reluctant to do so.
I gave this drama a 9 out of 10.
I'm currently watching 3 other dramas. One of them is of course 99.9. I think we are coming towards the end of that show though. I just finished episode 7. So be on the look out for that one!
It took me a few months to finish this one mostly because I didn't have Netflix for a while. That was the main thing. I wasn't too upset when I first lost my ability to watch the drama because I wasn't too emotionally invested in it yet. However, I was more than half way through the season before my break. I still didn't feel anything special towards it still. For some reason, this season, or arc, didn't really do it for me. I don't think it had the same charm as the first season did. The characters didn't have much growth to them, and the direction seemed kind of stale. Meaning, I have seen this theme in several other dramas before. I felt bad because I did try to enjoy this drama like I did with the first one. I really did. However, there were too many things that bugged me about it. I guess I'm just complaining that it wasn't as good as the first one.
I guess what bothered me so much was all the jealousy between Nao and Uehara whenever they were with other people of the opposite gender. And perhaps the mush and lovey-dovey stuff. I know a lot of couples do that, but that seemed to be the only point of the show. There was also the added second-lead syndrome of the other person not catching their interest because of the love relationship. They also didn't fend for those love interests at the end and didn't match them with anyone else, or each other in the show.
Okay, onto the positives. Nao and Uehara were indeed able to move onto the next step of their relationship. They also thought it would be best to break up just so they could figure themselves out and become a little more independent. That didn't last very long because they soon realized that they did indeed love each other, and were willing to sacrifice other things in their lives and focus on each other more. It kind of reminded me of Boy Meets World when Cory and Topanga broke up the first time just so they could mature and learn to focus on their own needs a little more.
Despite that this season wasn't as charming as the first season, I think I did like watching this show (meaning I liked watching it end. XD). It was a bit different, but I wish the main love relationship wasn't so one-sided. That's what drives me nuts about most asian dramas.
I rated this drama a 6.5 out of 10.
Or Family Form. Or The State of Union as AsianWiki likes to call it, which sounds really strange because that name sounds like a government title. I call it Family Form, or would probably call A Family Affair. I started this drama because it was another Ueno Juri drama, and I'm glad I did. I grew to love it more than just for her. The whole drama is a gem. It was something I discovered myself, and I think I love those the most. I didn't see a lot of people raving about since it seem very popular, but there were quite a few popular j-celebs in it, like Kiko Mizuhara, YosiYosi Arakawa, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Shingo Katori as the main star.
What got me loving this drama at first was the soundtrack. There aren't very many dramas out there that distract me with the music over the characters, the plot, and the stars. It might be due to the cover song that played at the beginning and the end, or every important moment of the show. There was a slow version and a more upbeat version that reminded me of a song from Katamari Demacy. I know, that sounds like a weird reference, but it's true! It had the same bebop sound as one of the songs from the game. The slower one was really pretty. It was entirely in English, but there were a few stanzas or sentences of the lyrics that didn't quite make sense. I mean, Engrish, right? What can you do?
This drama focuses on family, marriage, and friendship. We start off with Daisuke (Shingo Katori) who has no interest in marriage or living with anyone. He moves into a giant condo, which he refers to as his "castle", in the middle of Tokyo. He is perfectly happy with his own routines and his own tastes. At the end of a day of work and the gym, he likes to go home and enjoy his beer alone. All of that is short-lived though when his father (Toshiyuki Nishida) moves in with him and drags his newly adopted 13-year-old son with him. Now, Daisuke is unhappy because his castle has been invaded. He is like any man who wants to enjoy his solitude at home which he worked hard to purchase. Through all of this, he befriends his neighbor, Hanako(Uneno Juri), who lives in the apartment right below him. Despite her wants to live single, she ends up tangled in Daisuke's family life as well. Like him, she has no wish to return to the married life she once had, and yet her mother moves with her and tries to change her mind. Every character that comes on the screen becomes intertwined with Daisuke's father because he becomes the counselor and peace maker. He's involved with everyone and their personal lives and soon they all gravitate towards him and invade Daisuke's precious "castle".
I wouldn't call this a romance. Maybe you could see it, if you squint. It's mostly focused on family bonds and friendship. It's a very heart-warming drama, and Daisuke doesn't end up as a grumpy hermit in the end. I really liked watching his transformation and see him willing to step out a little bit to help people. Even if he was still reluctant to do so.
I gave this drama a 9 out of 10.
I'm currently watching 3 other dramas. One of them is of course 99.9. I think we are coming towards the end of that show though. I just finished episode 7. So be on the look out for that one!