[Overview in Retrospect] J-Dorama Season - Fall 2013
To give you some first discussion material, I decided to move an a bit older overview entry from my private journal to this community. This is a posting in which I want to share with you my impressions on the doramas from the past season - at least the ones that I watched - and would like to discuss with you about them. So your opinions are highly appreciated =3. Btw, this post is an updated version of the original post since I already finished watching some more doramas since then ^^
Tbh, expect fom a handful or nice doramas the Fall season 2013 was not that special (and unfortunately due to different reasons I couldn't get files from all doramas I was interested in... maybe some of the series I wanted to watch show up later on to get them, I won't give up hope ^^). I think, my favorite season of 2013 was the Spring season, btw. Even if Winter season was really strong as well!
But this is about the Fall season and it wasn't bad, so let's get started!
Legal High 2
For those who didn't watch the first season - this is a really funny dorama about the completely excentric lawyer Komikado Keisuke and his assistant lawyer Mayuzumi Machiko. Komikado never wants to lose a case whether his clients are guilty or not, winning and money is everything to him. This season deals not only with new unbelievable cases but also with the competition between Komikado's law office and the newly created office by the young lawyer Hanyu Haruki who wants to change the world to a better.
I've finished watching the series shortly before Christmas and just like season 1 I LOVED it! It's slightly weaker than the first season I think (maybe that's just because most second seasons have that „problem“ to be not as innovative and mindblowing as the first season was when it aired) but not much and it's a lot stronger than the SP was, I think. I just love Sakai Masato as Komikado-sensei and Aragaki Yui as Machiko-chan. Those two are such an adorable combi and I had a lot of fun watching them again! (All that faces!!!) The new characters for this season were nice as well and OMG I want a third season!!! There is still room for the development of the relationship of the two main characters for example and YES, even if it might be a bit odd, I'm shipping them XD haha
Dokushin Kizoku
Dokushin Kizoku is a typical love story in a not-that-typical setting. It deals about Haruno Yuki, a woman that wants to be successful as a movie script writer but so far she didn't manage to get much attention. Her part-time job as a cleaner leads her into the apartment of Hoshino Mamoru, owner of Cimena Etoil and she takes the chance to leave her script for him to read it. He manages to get a job in his firm and to work on her script together with him. Despite the characters don't seem interested in love, a love triangle between Yuki, Mamoru and his brother seems to develop.
In the beginning, I really like this dorama and I start loving Kitagawa Keiko (who I first didn't like that much tbh, I don't know why). The story is nothing special but OK and as someone interested in movies and movie production and stuff, I liked the setting with Cinema Etoil a lot! The two male main actors (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Ito Hideaki) are not really my type but the characters are good and I just love the small appearances of Fujigaya Taisuke XD He has such a funny and cute role somehow! <3 Nevertheless... as it was quite predictable, the finale of the series wasn't that special. Tbh I think, it was awful and I was quite disappointed ^^" Yeaah, it WAS predictable, that's not the bad point but I don't like how they did it... the last episode was kinda boring and strange. SPOILER (I think it's just unrealistic... the two "dumped" lovers plus the "famous actor" and the rest of the crew and everyone gathering together and making an act just to get the main couple that is so stupid in the ending together!? Uhm... yeah... no... didn't like that somehow)
Somehow the ending ruined a lot for me.
All in all an OK dorama with nice cast (expect from that auntie, her acting was just horribly bad, I'm sorry...). The opening and ending sequences are really nice (usually I don't like SMAP's songs that much but the ending theme is really stucking in my head)!
Miss Pilot
This dorama tells the story of the young woman Tezuka Haru who does not really know what to do with her life. She then - just for fun - participates in the first round of a jobinterview to become an apprentice for a pilot and discoveres that this exactly is wha she wants to do. Her dream is born and she manages to get accepted. Now it's time to show her skills and to give her best in order to fulfill her dream and become a pilot. Therefor she gets supported by her team as well as her advicer but nothing is as simple as you wish.
For me, "Miss Pilot" was THE surprise of this season - positive surprise of course. I didn't expect that much but I loved "Soratobu Kouhoushitsu" from the Spring Season 2013 and I thought because of the similar setting I'll give it a try. I really love this dorama, the characters are really nice done (I just love Haru, Chisato and most of the boys are so nice as well!) and show a good character development and it's packed with feelings, not love in first place but more than that it's about finding yourself, growing together as a team, fighting spirit and all the let's-do-our-best attitude that I admire so much of Japanese people. I wished I could be as motivated in my job like the characters in this dorama are ^^“ Also, Horikita Maki did a really good job, I think. Usually I'm not too fond of her acting but this time it's nice to watch her, just like in Umareru, where I liked her a lot. The ending was quite nice as well.
Umi no Ue no Shinryoujo
The dorama in which Sezaki Kouta is not only a brilliant doctor but also a helpless shirt chaser and romancier. The story takes place on a small „hospital“ on a ship which visits different Japanese islands that don't have an own doctor or hospital to treat their sick people. Kouta-sensei tends to fall in love quickly and somehow each island has at least one beautiful woman he falls in love with which usually leads to his decision to leave the boat again. Usually he get's rejected though and so he keeps doing his best as a doctor on the ship together with a small team of doctors and nurses.
I started watching this because of the cast tbh (I'm a big fan of Matsuda Shota as well as of Takei Emi. I also like Fukushi Sota a lot and there are a lot of currently popular actresses who make guest appearances in the individual episodes, like for example Toda Erika, Kaho and Takimoto Miori) but I didn't expect too much. Well, if you didn't expect too much, the first few episodes turned out quite nice but as nothing too special, not too thrilling and each episode follows the exact same pattern so it's quite predictable. Nevertheless, the characters are nice from the beginning (Matsuda Shota's role is so cute and funny, I really like him!), it's nice to watch and the wonderful shootings of the different landscapes of Japan's islands are really worth watching! With the further development of the series, the stoic patterns of the episodes change a bit within the last 3 episodes or so and the finale was really really good, I think! All in all a nice dorama for in between with loveable characters and a nice hint of humor. If you like the cast, you should definitely give it a try.
Yorozu Uranaidokoro Onmyoya e Yokoso
Abe no Shoumei shows up in a shopping street and starts a (fake) fortuneteller shop, hiring a local highschooler as assistant. Although people know that he isn't really what he pretends to be, they accept the help that he's providing with his skills and so he quickly becomes part of the community. But besides his fake fornueteller appearance, there seems to something more behind that.
Even if this was not my favorite of the season, it's quite entertaining and I liked it. Chinen Yuri plays a really nice and cute (fox)boy and Nishikido Ryo gives a nice performance as well („Ho, ho, naru hodo, naru hodo...“ lol), I don't like the female main character though, she's so annoying and I couldn't get myself to like her much until the very ending. I like the topic and setting with all that fortune teller shop and Japanese shrines and stuff a lot and most of the episodes are quite nice. No must watch but nice for in between!
49
High schooler Dan is nothing special, his grades are not that good, he's not good at sports, does not have a girlfriend and now his parents want to divorce. As he visits his father to deliver the papers, he gets involved into an accident but his father is able to save him. In the following operation, his father dies but since he has things left to do, he begs his son to lend him his body for 49 days to settle things. The father now in his son's body draws a lot of attention towards him but how will things be when his soul disappears again?
Another late night dorama and Sexy Zone/Johnny's Juniors parade as well... Well, not the reason why I watched it xD but I like late night doramas because the episodes are short and some of them are quite entertaining. Imo, this applies for this one as well. The opening sequence is completely shit tbh, but the plot is weird, er I mean interesting and so it's enough reason for me to watch it. Somehow I liked it, even if it's not special but I definitely think it's a lot better than the former dorama in this spot (Kamen Teacher) which I only watched because of Taipi even if I think that it was complete crap, I'm sorry... XD Btw, Sato Shiori seems to be a promising actor, playing a double role isn't that easy and I think he did quite fine!
Tokyo Toy Box
This deals with the daily crazyness of a game developer team and their slightly excentric but brilliant boss. As a new stuff starts working with the group, she and the groups boss surely collide because of their different points of view.
Unfortunately I only could watch 2 episodes so far because there aren't more subs. Maybe I'll continue watching withoug subs when I have more time left. It's nothing special but OK (and I love the ending song from SHINee ^^). This dorama already got a sequel in the Winter Season of 2014 o.O That's uncommon, isn't it? Well, maybe that was planned from the beginning, I don't know.
Kurokouchi
This crime doramaa deals with the … an unsolved money robbery case from about … years ago and how Kurokouchi tried to uncover it. An old unsolved case, a strange detective, a newbie and corrupt politics, that's how to sum up the content I guess.
Crime dorama with Nagase Tomoya and Gouriki Ayame in the lead roles (both not part of my favorite actors list btw). I really like crime dorama, that's why I give most of them a try if I have time and there are subs. This one is not special I think, somehow it bored me most of the time and I couldn't really get warm with the main characters. The bad guys were more interesting I think XD. I heard some people flailing about it but honestly I can't see why. I finished watching it but I think they could have done better.
Ando Lloyd
Matsushima Reiji is a brilliant scientist but then he gets murdered and his fiancé Ando Asahi seems to be the next victim. An android from the future - looking exacly like Reiji appears and announces his ultimative order to protect her no matter what. The dorama deals with androids, timetraveling, the question if machines are able to feel emotions and a love that travels through time.
Even if the dorama shows some story holes here and there, I liked it. It was something completely different from what I watched so far in form of a dorama series. The special effects were really on a high level for a TV production, I was surprised to see something like that in a TV dorama series! Kimura Takuya's acting was great (therefore I was annoyed by Honda Tsubasa. She was good in Piece but most of her other roles are just bad or is it her acting, I'm not sure... Her role grew a little on me though). I heard that ratings for this dorama were incredible low but I think it's not that bad. The role of Reijis sister (played by Oshima Yuko) btw is really really interesting!
As I mentioned, there were also some other doramas I wanted to watch, like „Link“, „Hard Nuts“, „Honey Trap“, „No Con Kid Bokura no Game“ and „Kumokiri Nizaemon“ but unfortunately I don't have the files yet and well, I guess I should finish other series first XD (for example those of which I actually have at least some files like „Keiji no Manazashi“, „Danda Rin“ and „Otto no Kanojo“ which I definitely want to watch as well!) So much to watch and there are still a lot of older series on my watchlist, that I want to see.
What about you? Did you watch some of the fall doramas or are you still watching them? Which ones did you like, which ones not and why? I would love to exchange opinions with you so please tell me what you think! ^^
About the new doramas of the Winter season 2014, I will post another entry, please head over there if you're interested =)
See ya,
Sky
<3
Tbh, expect fom a handful or nice doramas the Fall season 2013 was not that special (and unfortunately due to different reasons I couldn't get files from all doramas I was interested in... maybe some of the series I wanted to watch show up later on to get them, I won't give up hope ^^). I think, my favorite season of 2013 was the Spring season, btw. Even if Winter season was really strong as well!
But this is about the Fall season and it wasn't bad, so let's get started!
Legal High 2
For those who didn't watch the first season - this is a really funny dorama about the completely excentric lawyer Komikado Keisuke and his assistant lawyer Mayuzumi Machiko. Komikado never wants to lose a case whether his clients are guilty or not, winning and money is everything to him. This season deals not only with new unbelievable cases but also with the competition between Komikado's law office and the newly created office by the young lawyer Hanyu Haruki who wants to change the world to a better.
I've finished watching the series shortly before Christmas and just like season 1 I LOVED it! It's slightly weaker than the first season I think (maybe that's just because most second seasons have that „problem“ to be not as innovative and mindblowing as the first season was when it aired) but not much and it's a lot stronger than the SP was, I think. I just love Sakai Masato as Komikado-sensei and Aragaki Yui as Machiko-chan. Those two are such an adorable combi and I had a lot of fun watching them again! (All that faces!!!) The new characters for this season were nice as well and OMG I want a third season!!! There is still room for the development of the relationship of the two main characters for example and YES, even if it might be a bit odd, I'm shipping them XD haha
Dokushin Kizoku
Dokushin Kizoku is a typical love story in a not-that-typical setting. It deals about Haruno Yuki, a woman that wants to be successful as a movie script writer but so far she didn't manage to get much attention. Her part-time job as a cleaner leads her into the apartment of Hoshino Mamoru, owner of Cimena Etoil and she takes the chance to leave her script for him to read it. He manages to get a job in his firm and to work on her script together with him. Despite the characters don't seem interested in love, a love triangle between Yuki, Mamoru and his brother seems to develop.
In the beginning, I really like this dorama and I start loving Kitagawa Keiko (who I first didn't like that much tbh, I don't know why). The story is nothing special but OK and as someone interested in movies and movie production and stuff, I liked the setting with Cinema Etoil a lot! The two male main actors (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Ito Hideaki) are not really my type but the characters are good and I just love the small appearances of Fujigaya Taisuke XD He has such a funny and cute role somehow! <3 Nevertheless... as it was quite predictable, the finale of the series wasn't that special. Tbh I think, it was awful and I was quite disappointed ^^" Yeaah, it WAS predictable, that's not the bad point but I don't like how they did it... the last episode was kinda boring and strange. SPOILER (I think it's just unrealistic... the two "dumped" lovers plus the "famous actor" and the rest of the crew and everyone gathering together and making an act just to get the main couple that is so stupid in the ending together!? Uhm... yeah... no... didn't like that somehow)
Somehow the ending ruined a lot for me.
All in all an OK dorama with nice cast (expect from that auntie, her acting was just horribly bad, I'm sorry...). The opening and ending sequences are really nice (usually I don't like SMAP's songs that much but the ending theme is really stucking in my head)!
Miss Pilot
This dorama tells the story of the young woman Tezuka Haru who does not really know what to do with her life. She then - just for fun - participates in the first round of a jobinterview to become an apprentice for a pilot and discoveres that this exactly is wha she wants to do. Her dream is born and she manages to get accepted. Now it's time to show her skills and to give her best in order to fulfill her dream and become a pilot. Therefor she gets supported by her team as well as her advicer but nothing is as simple as you wish.
For me, "Miss Pilot" was THE surprise of this season - positive surprise of course. I didn't expect that much but I loved "Soratobu Kouhoushitsu" from the Spring Season 2013 and I thought because of the similar setting I'll give it a try. I really love this dorama, the characters are really nice done (I just love Haru, Chisato and most of the boys are so nice as well!) and show a good character development and it's packed with feelings, not love in first place but more than that it's about finding yourself, growing together as a team, fighting spirit and all the let's-do-our-best attitude that I admire so much of Japanese people. I wished I could be as motivated in my job like the characters in this dorama are ^^“ Also, Horikita Maki did a really good job, I think. Usually I'm not too fond of her acting but this time it's nice to watch her, just like in Umareru, where I liked her a lot. The ending was quite nice as well.
Umi no Ue no Shinryoujo
The dorama in which Sezaki Kouta is not only a brilliant doctor but also a helpless shirt chaser and romancier. The story takes place on a small „hospital“ on a ship which visits different Japanese islands that don't have an own doctor or hospital to treat their sick people. Kouta-sensei tends to fall in love quickly and somehow each island has at least one beautiful woman he falls in love with which usually leads to his decision to leave the boat again. Usually he get's rejected though and so he keeps doing his best as a doctor on the ship together with a small team of doctors and nurses.
I started watching this because of the cast tbh (I'm a big fan of Matsuda Shota as well as of Takei Emi. I also like Fukushi Sota a lot and there are a lot of currently popular actresses who make guest appearances in the individual episodes, like for example Toda Erika, Kaho and Takimoto Miori) but I didn't expect too much. Well, if you didn't expect too much, the first few episodes turned out quite nice but as nothing too special, not too thrilling and each episode follows the exact same pattern so it's quite predictable. Nevertheless, the characters are nice from the beginning (Matsuda Shota's role is so cute and funny, I really like him!), it's nice to watch and the wonderful shootings of the different landscapes of Japan's islands are really worth watching! With the further development of the series, the stoic patterns of the episodes change a bit within the last 3 episodes or so and the finale was really really good, I think! All in all a nice dorama for in between with loveable characters and a nice hint of humor. If you like the cast, you should definitely give it a try.
Yorozu Uranaidokoro Onmyoya e Yokoso
Abe no Shoumei shows up in a shopping street and starts a (fake) fortuneteller shop, hiring a local highschooler as assistant. Although people know that he isn't really what he pretends to be, they accept the help that he's providing with his skills and so he quickly becomes part of the community. But besides his fake fornueteller appearance, there seems to something more behind that.
Even if this was not my favorite of the season, it's quite entertaining and I liked it. Chinen Yuri plays a really nice and cute (fox)boy and Nishikido Ryo gives a nice performance as well („Ho, ho, naru hodo, naru hodo...“ lol), I don't like the female main character though, she's so annoying and I couldn't get myself to like her much until the very ending. I like the topic and setting with all that fortune teller shop and Japanese shrines and stuff a lot and most of the episodes are quite nice. No must watch but nice for in between!
49
High schooler Dan is nothing special, his grades are not that good, he's not good at sports, does not have a girlfriend and now his parents want to divorce. As he visits his father to deliver the papers, he gets involved into an accident but his father is able to save him. In the following operation, his father dies but since he has things left to do, he begs his son to lend him his body for 49 days to settle things. The father now in his son's body draws a lot of attention towards him but how will things be when his soul disappears again?
Another late night dorama and Sexy Zone/Johnny's Juniors parade as well... Well, not the reason why I watched it xD but I like late night doramas because the episodes are short and some of them are quite entertaining. Imo, this applies for this one as well. The opening sequence is completely shit tbh, but the plot is weird, er I mean interesting and so it's enough reason for me to watch it. Somehow I liked it, even if it's not special but I definitely think it's a lot better than the former dorama in this spot (Kamen Teacher) which I only watched because of Taipi even if I think that it was complete crap, I'm sorry... XD Btw, Sato Shiori seems to be a promising actor, playing a double role isn't that easy and I think he did quite fine!
Tokyo Toy Box
This deals with the daily crazyness of a game developer team and their slightly excentric but brilliant boss. As a new stuff starts working with the group, she and the groups boss surely collide because of their different points of view.
Unfortunately I only could watch 2 episodes so far because there aren't more subs. Maybe I'll continue watching withoug subs when I have more time left. It's nothing special but OK (and I love the ending song from SHINee ^^). This dorama already got a sequel in the Winter Season of 2014 o.O That's uncommon, isn't it? Well, maybe that was planned from the beginning, I don't know.
Kurokouchi
This crime doramaa deals with the … an unsolved money robbery case from about … years ago and how Kurokouchi tried to uncover it. An old unsolved case, a strange detective, a newbie and corrupt politics, that's how to sum up the content I guess.
Crime dorama with Nagase Tomoya and Gouriki Ayame in the lead roles (both not part of my favorite actors list btw). I really like crime dorama, that's why I give most of them a try if I have time and there are subs. This one is not special I think, somehow it bored me most of the time and I couldn't really get warm with the main characters. The bad guys were more interesting I think XD. I heard some people flailing about it but honestly I can't see why. I finished watching it but I think they could have done better.
Ando Lloyd
Matsushima Reiji is a brilliant scientist but then he gets murdered and his fiancé Ando Asahi seems to be the next victim. An android from the future - looking exacly like Reiji appears and announces his ultimative order to protect her no matter what. The dorama deals with androids, timetraveling, the question if machines are able to feel emotions and a love that travels through time.
Even if the dorama shows some story holes here and there, I liked it. It was something completely different from what I watched so far in form of a dorama series. The special effects were really on a high level for a TV production, I was surprised to see something like that in a TV dorama series! Kimura Takuya's acting was great (therefore I was annoyed by Honda Tsubasa. She was good in Piece but most of her other roles are just bad or is it her acting, I'm not sure... Her role grew a little on me though). I heard that ratings for this dorama were incredible low but I think it's not that bad. The role of Reijis sister (played by Oshima Yuko) btw is really really interesting!
As I mentioned, there were also some other doramas I wanted to watch, like „Link“, „Hard Nuts“, „Honey Trap“, „No Con Kid Bokura no Game“ and „Kumokiri Nizaemon“ but unfortunately I don't have the files yet and well, I guess I should finish other series first XD (for example those of which I actually have at least some files like „Keiji no Manazashi“, „Danda Rin“ and „Otto no Kanojo“ which I definitely want to watch as well!) So much to watch and there are still a lot of older series on my watchlist, that I want to see.
What about you? Did you watch some of the fall doramas or are you still watching them? Which ones did you like, which ones not and why? I would love to exchange opinions with you so please tell me what you think! ^^
About the new doramas of the Winter season 2014, I will post another entry, please head over there if you're interested =)
See ya,
Sky
<3