Current Dramas
I'm finally getting around to watching and reviewing my first eps of this season's dramas.
Smile 1
This series looks sweet actually. Though as expected seeing the discrimination and race issues makes me a little uncomfortable. It also jumped into a bunch of interlinked character stories that are actually complex enough to take focus to keep track of. The good thing is that so far it's interesting enough that I think I'll stick with it.
It's a good role for Jun and he's doing a good job with it. Also... random gangster Oguri Shun? Sure.
The girl is also really sweet. If a little stalker-y.
The plot stuff makes me nervous as all hell of course. Yakuza and drugs and keisatsu. Plus all the usual 'evil sneaky gaijin' crap that Japan is so fond of blaming everything on.
I was almost in tears by the end of the first episode. So... yeah, it's a keeper.
Meitantei no Okite 1
This was one of the drama I was seriously anticipating. After all the last random drama I picked up with Matsuda Shota in was "Love Shuffle"...
Sadly... I don't think I'll be carrying this one on past the first episode.
What I was expecting to get was a mystery detective show. What I got was... contrived. And not in a cool insightful way where you're going 'oh, so that's how they do in for dramatic impact' but instead in this way where every 'aha' is belabored and boring and every vaguely amusing thing just becomes annoying.
I may decide to give it an episode or two more once there are subs... but otherwise. It's out.
Ghost Friends 2
This show really is light and amusing. It has touches of seriousness, and I can see the plot having enough flow to be interesting without being 'OMG SRS BIZNIS'.
Also, as I mentioned when watching the first episode: pretty boys.
This one is Nishijima Takahiro. The only other Drama that he's done was DeliGaku. He's apparently a member of the other AAA group. He's also a Libra and only two years younger than me. And pretty.
The lead girl has done a bit more, but not much that I've watched. She was in 'Haikei, Chichiue-sama' - one more reason that I really want that to be my next older drama to catch up on.
What's wierd to me, is that I have no idea how I found this show. And it's one of the more fun ones I've watched so far this season.
Godhand Teru 2
This show had a lot going for it in the first ep. Araki was in it. It had my boy from the ImaAi movie. And it was kinda the same plot as the Trauma Center games.
The second episode made me realize that Japan... doesn't know how to do anything realating to ospital drama. Maybe it was just a bad episode, so I'll give it a few more but... really? I mean... your characters are weak. Your science is poor. And you're not even going over the top with the whole 'magical powers of healing' thing. It just falls a little flat.
Atashinchi no Danshi 2
How is it that the most rediculous drama of the season is the one I'm most sure I'll stick with?
First, the cast is made of yes. Maki, Setomaru, and Mukai Osamu I knew I was going to love. Kaname Jun (Who was in RnK and Yaoh too) is also quite lovely. And then there's Yamamoto Yuusuke, who is from HanaKimi and stuff as is Okada Yoshinori.
Anyway... the story may be a bit crazy, but at the core it's about character growth and learning to trust other people and learning what a family is and why it's worth protecting.
I also like that they didn't dress Maki up too much for the part. She's still just as rough and a bit crude as her character really should be.
I also appreciate a show that can do it's thing without any Johnny's at all. :D
Smile 1
This series looks sweet actually. Though as expected seeing the discrimination and race issues makes me a little uncomfortable. It also jumped into a bunch of interlinked character stories that are actually complex enough to take focus to keep track of. The good thing is that so far it's interesting enough that I think I'll stick with it.
It's a good role for Jun and he's doing a good job with it. Also... random gangster Oguri Shun? Sure.
The girl is also really sweet. If a little stalker-y.
The plot stuff makes me nervous as all hell of course. Yakuza and drugs and keisatsu. Plus all the usual 'evil sneaky gaijin' crap that Japan is so fond of blaming everything on.
I was almost in tears by the end of the first episode. So... yeah, it's a keeper.
Meitantei no Okite 1
This was one of the drama I was seriously anticipating. After all the last random drama I picked up with Matsuda Shota in was "Love Shuffle"...
Sadly... I don't think I'll be carrying this one on past the first episode.
What I was expecting to get was a mystery detective show. What I got was... contrived. And not in a cool insightful way where you're going 'oh, so that's how they do in for dramatic impact' but instead in this way where every 'aha' is belabored and boring and every vaguely amusing thing just becomes annoying.
I may decide to give it an episode or two more once there are subs... but otherwise. It's out.
Ghost Friends 2
This show really is light and amusing. It has touches of seriousness, and I can see the plot having enough flow to be interesting without being 'OMG SRS BIZNIS'.
Also, as I mentioned when watching the first episode: pretty boys.
This one is Nishijima Takahiro. The only other Drama that he's done was DeliGaku. He's apparently a member of the other AAA group. He's also a Libra and only two years younger than me. And pretty.
The lead girl has done a bit more, but not much that I've watched. She was in 'Haikei, Chichiue-sama' - one more reason that I really want that to be my next older drama to catch up on.
What's wierd to me, is that I have no idea how I found this show. And it's one of the more fun ones I've watched so far this season.
Godhand Teru 2
This show had a lot going for it in the first ep. Araki was in it. It had my boy from the ImaAi movie. And it was kinda the same plot as the Trauma Center games.
The second episode made me realize that Japan... doesn't know how to do anything realating to ospital drama. Maybe it was just a bad episode, so I'll give it a few more but... really? I mean... your characters are weak. Your science is poor. And you're not even going over the top with the whole 'magical powers of healing' thing. It just falls a little flat.
Atashinchi no Danshi 2
How is it that the most rediculous drama of the season is the one I'm most sure I'll stick with?
First, the cast is made of yes. Maki, Setomaru, and Mukai Osamu I knew I was going to love. Kaname Jun (Who was in RnK and Yaoh too) is also quite lovely. And then there's Yamamoto Yuusuke, who is from HanaKimi and stuff as is Okada Yoshinori.
Anyway... the story may be a bit crazy, but at the core it's about character growth and learning to trust other people and learning what a family is and why it's worth protecting.
I also like that they didn't dress Maki up too much for the part. She's still just as rough and a bit crude as her character really should be.
I also appreciate a show that can do it's thing without any Johnny's at all. :D