Jdrama Reviews!
Hi all! I hope the holidays were good to you. I hope Christmas and New Years were relaxing and/or filled with fabulous times celebrating with family and friends. Mine were okay. Mine were very relaxing which I haven't had those like that in a while. They were almost non-eventful but they were exactly what I needed given the amount of stress I was going through. Things are better now, and I might write about that later. During that time, I've gotten to watch a couple more jdramas and they've helped me stay sane.
I had been looking forward to watching this one ever since it was first announced. Ever since I saw Rich Man Poor Woman, I've really taken a liking to Ishihara Satomi and wanted to watch anything she was in. She's very pretty and she really gets into whatever role she has. She's mainly good as roles who have a bit of an otaku side, meaning her characters have a deep passion for something and she knows a lot about it. Whenever she talks about it, her mouth runs at a million miles an hour and it just makes you gawk at her. I like her more in these types of roles better than the ones she's had in Kimi wa Petto and Shitsuren Chocolatier. She's a lot more charming as Kono-chan, Makoto Natsui, and Zoe from Attack on Titan.
But onto the actual show. I liked the character development as Kono-chan grew to love her job as a proofreader even though she was dying to get a career at her dream job as an editor for her favorite fashion magazine. It was a big hit-and-miss to get the job she got, even though she got it because it was mostly due to a play on her name. Koetsu means proofreader, or something of the sort in Japanese, and there's her name Kono...so... However, as ever passionate every time Ishihara gets into her role, she devotes into her job, even going as far as checking out the places and things in real life she reads about just to see how accurate the author really was. The other proofreaders also do this in her department. As for the other proofreaders, I grew to like them over time more and more. At the beginning, they seemed like trolls who would rather stay secluded in the basement in the dark of their office. I had never seen so many introverts gathered together in once place. And this is coming from an introvert.
I loved the whole charm of this show. I liked that Kono-chan was such a fashionista that every outfit she wore was so different from before. She didn't dress for the job she had, she dressed for the job she wanted. Even sitting in a basement correcting manuscripts, she looked amazing and very cute. I'm not much into fashion, but there wasn't one outfit I didn't like. Even her pajamas were cute.
Every actor was well suited for their character. I feel bad for not recognizing Masaki Suda before. As I was watching, I was thinking this was the first time seeing this gifted actor, but I have seen him in other things! In Assassination Classroom, in Princess Jellyfish, in The Girl from the Sunny Place. He was even in one episode of Rich Man Poor Woman! Anyway, he was cute in this drama, and I liked him and Ishihara together. It was sad to watch how things turned out in the end for them. Although, I had hoped it would only be temporary. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic.
A few honorable mentions: Noriko Eguchi, Tsubasa Honda, and Masato Wada.
This drama was well worth the wait, and I'm glad I knew the people ahead of time who subbed it. I do recommend this one if you're a fan of Ishihara Satomi, or Masaki Suda, or anyone else I've mentioned above. I gave this one a 9 out of 10 on my drama list.
You were probably thinking I was going to watch Daisho next because I kept talking about it. Well, sad to say, that one will have to wait a bit longer as I have only watched the first episode so far. I know. Awful. However, I've been doing my best trying to find every Sho drama and movie out there. I finally found this old one that dates all the way back to 2001, when he was still in his college days (he's a super star for being able to juggle an acting career, his job with Arashi, AND academia). I wasn't sure if I would be able to find this drama anywhere, let alone subbed. But the same people who subbed Jimi ni Sugoi! also did this one years ago, it seemed. So, I was very happy and started watching it right away even though I was supposed to be an adult and do adult things.
At first, all I cared about was Sho wanted him to have more screen time, but he later did. But this was also my first Masahiro Matsuoka drama and I kind of have a soft spot for TOKIO. I thought he was a bit of a jerk in real life, but I had fun watching him on the screen. I read somewhere that this drama was a lot like the first drama where an angel has so many episodes to change the mind of his client before he dies. Each episode is like a different chance, so Masahiro Matsuoka has 12 episodes to get his life in order and change himself unless he'll die. Not only was Masahiro Matsuoka and Sho Sakurai in this drama, but Ai Kato was also in it, and I really like her.
I think if you don't watch this show for the actors, then it might be a hard one to get into. In a way, it is fun to watch because I like how the teachers interact with one another in the teacher's room. There's the typical Japanese charm as they get together and solve whatever problem comes their way, and Masahiro Matsuoka wants nothing to do with it. At first. As the drama progresses, Sho's character starts to become a little more conniving and sinister against Masahiro Matsuoka. I thought it was because Ai's character seemed to have a crush on her teacher, and Sho's character was jealous. Well, he was, but that wasn't the sole purpose. How he was getting back at the staff was done in a very similar way for how underhanded he approached everything and it reminded me very much of Yoshimoto-sensei from Kazoku Game. This might be the beginning of his schemes. The real reason why he did what he did is later revealed in the drama, but to avoid spoilers, I'll just say it's worth getting into and finding out why. Everything does work out in the end.
I've seen all but the last episode subbed since this series was dropped by the people who subbed it. I thought it was weird to sub all but the last one. I may have never subbed before, but how long does it take to sub one episode? I did watch the last one raw, even though it was interesting trying to figure out what was really happening. There's a lot of action so I wasn't at a complete loss. I will be keeping my eyes pealed in case someone does sub that last episode, but for now I'm considering this one as finished.
I gave this drama a 7 out of 10. If you're a fan of Masahiro Matsuoka or Sho Sakurai, do watch this one just so you can add it onto your list. It was charming in it's own way, but I wouldn't go the extra mile to call it awesome. Almost a typical early-2000s Japanese show.
There are the two dramas I watched during the fall and early winter seasons. Daisho will be up next, I promise, even though I've put it on hold for a while. I probably won't watch this one subbed, mainly because I haven't found a subber for it yet. There's another drama coming out next month I want to catch, and a lot of drama watchers seem to be skeptical this one. There's another Kimi wa Petto releasing and a lot of people are complaining that it's being remade because it's trying to replace Jun Matsumoto and Kato Koyuki. I am going to give this one a try. Now that the manga is finished, they'll probably stick a little closer to the story. I loved the 2003 version and adored Jun as Momo (never have I wanted to run my fingers through his hair or rub his belly before so much). With a new Momo and Sumire-chan, who knows how it will turn out. I'm actually looking forward to it quite a bit. Also, the actress playing Sumire looks a lot softer than Kato Koyuki. Kato seemed harsher and harder, but she did fit her role.
I'll be writing about these later on, I just don't know how much later. I'm going through a lot of changes since I'm staying at a friend's house in another town until I can move into my new apartment. I'm not sure when that will be. Plus, the internet at my friend's house is a lot slower than my own. I miss my fast broad band. So, I'll be taking a break from j dramas for a little while. I'm also working on getting over a terrible cold I had last week. I was bed ridden for two days straight. I haven't been that sick in so long, so I'm taking some time to rest some more and feel more at 100%.
I had been looking forward to watching this one ever since it was first announced. Ever since I saw Rich Man Poor Woman, I've really taken a liking to Ishihara Satomi and wanted to watch anything she was in. She's very pretty and she really gets into whatever role she has. She's mainly good as roles who have a bit of an otaku side, meaning her characters have a deep passion for something and she knows a lot about it. Whenever she talks about it, her mouth runs at a million miles an hour and it just makes you gawk at her. I like her more in these types of roles better than the ones she's had in Kimi wa Petto and Shitsuren Chocolatier. She's a lot more charming as Kono-chan, Makoto Natsui, and Zoe from Attack on Titan.
But onto the actual show. I liked the character development as Kono-chan grew to love her job as a proofreader even though she was dying to get a career at her dream job as an editor for her favorite fashion magazine. It was a big hit-and-miss to get the job she got, even though she got it because it was mostly due to a play on her name. Koetsu means proofreader, or something of the sort in Japanese, and there's her name Kono...so... However, as ever passionate every time Ishihara gets into her role, she devotes into her job, even going as far as checking out the places and things in real life she reads about just to see how accurate the author really was. The other proofreaders also do this in her department. As for the other proofreaders, I grew to like them over time more and more. At the beginning, they seemed like trolls who would rather stay secluded in the basement in the dark of their office. I had never seen so many introverts gathered together in once place. And this is coming from an introvert.
I loved the whole charm of this show. I liked that Kono-chan was such a fashionista that every outfit she wore was so different from before. She didn't dress for the job she had, she dressed for the job she wanted. Even sitting in a basement correcting manuscripts, she looked amazing and very cute. I'm not much into fashion, but there wasn't one outfit I didn't like. Even her pajamas were cute.
Every actor was well suited for their character. I feel bad for not recognizing Masaki Suda before. As I was watching, I was thinking this was the first time seeing this gifted actor, but I have seen him in other things! In Assassination Classroom, in Princess Jellyfish, in The Girl from the Sunny Place. He was even in one episode of Rich Man Poor Woman! Anyway, he was cute in this drama, and I liked him and Ishihara together. It was sad to watch how things turned out in the end for them. Although, I had hoped it would only be temporary. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic.
A few honorable mentions: Noriko Eguchi, Tsubasa Honda, and Masato Wada.
This drama was well worth the wait, and I'm glad I knew the people ahead of time who subbed it. I do recommend this one if you're a fan of Ishihara Satomi, or Masaki Suda, or anyone else I've mentioned above. I gave this one a 9 out of 10 on my drama list.
You were probably thinking I was going to watch Daisho next because I kept talking about it. Well, sad to say, that one will have to wait a bit longer as I have only watched the first episode so far. I know. Awful. However, I've been doing my best trying to find every Sho drama and movie out there. I finally found this old one that dates all the way back to 2001, when he was still in his college days (he's a super star for being able to juggle an acting career, his job with Arashi, AND academia). I wasn't sure if I would be able to find this drama anywhere, let alone subbed. But the same people who subbed Jimi ni Sugoi! also did this one years ago, it seemed. So, I was very happy and started watching it right away even though I was supposed to be an adult and do adult things.
At first, all I cared about was Sho wanted him to have more screen time, but he later did. But this was also my first Masahiro Matsuoka drama and I kind of have a soft spot for TOKIO. I thought he was a bit of a jerk in real life, but I had fun watching him on the screen. I read somewhere that this drama was a lot like the first drama where an angel has so many episodes to change the mind of his client before he dies. Each episode is like a different chance, so Masahiro Matsuoka has 12 episodes to get his life in order and change himself unless he'll die. Not only was Masahiro Matsuoka and Sho Sakurai in this drama, but Ai Kato was also in it, and I really like her.
I think if you don't watch this show for the actors, then it might be a hard one to get into. In a way, it is fun to watch because I like how the teachers interact with one another in the teacher's room. There's the typical Japanese charm as they get together and solve whatever problem comes their way, and Masahiro Matsuoka wants nothing to do with it. At first. As the drama progresses, Sho's character starts to become a little more conniving and sinister against Masahiro Matsuoka. I thought it was because Ai's character seemed to have a crush on her teacher, and Sho's character was jealous. Well, he was, but that wasn't the sole purpose. How he was getting back at the staff was done in a very similar way for how underhanded he approached everything and it reminded me very much of Yoshimoto-sensei from Kazoku Game. This might be the beginning of his schemes. The real reason why he did what he did is later revealed in the drama, but to avoid spoilers, I'll just say it's worth getting into and finding out why. Everything does work out in the end.
I've seen all but the last episode subbed since this series was dropped by the people who subbed it. I thought it was weird to sub all but the last one. I may have never subbed before, but how long does it take to sub one episode? I did watch the last one raw, even though it was interesting trying to figure out what was really happening. There's a lot of action so I wasn't at a complete loss. I will be keeping my eyes pealed in case someone does sub that last episode, but for now I'm considering this one as finished.
I gave this drama a 7 out of 10. If you're a fan of Masahiro Matsuoka or Sho Sakurai, do watch this one just so you can add it onto your list. It was charming in it's own way, but I wouldn't go the extra mile to call it awesome. Almost a typical early-2000s Japanese show.
There are the two dramas I watched during the fall and early winter seasons. Daisho will be up next, I promise, even though I've put it on hold for a while. I probably won't watch this one subbed, mainly because I haven't found a subber for it yet. There's another drama coming out next month I want to catch, and a lot of drama watchers seem to be skeptical this one. There's another Kimi wa Petto releasing and a lot of people are complaining that it's being remade because it's trying to replace Jun Matsumoto and Kato Koyuki. I am going to give this one a try. Now that the manga is finished, they'll probably stick a little closer to the story. I loved the 2003 version and adored Jun as Momo (never have I wanted to run my fingers through his hair or rub his belly before so much). With a new Momo and Sumire-chan, who knows how it will turn out. I'm actually looking forward to it quite a bit. Also, the actress playing Sumire looks a lot softer than Kato Koyuki. Kato seemed harsher and harder, but she did fit her role.
I'll be writing about these later on, I just don't know how much later. I'm going through a lot of changes since I'm staying at a friend's house in another town until I can move into my new apartment. I'm not sure when that will be. Plus, the internet at my friend's house is a lot slower than my own. I miss my fast broad band. So, I'll be taking a break from j dramas for a little while. I'm also working on getting over a terrible cold I had last week. I was bed ridden for two days straight. I haven't been that sick in so long, so I'm taking some time to rest some more and feel more at 100%.