Top 10 movies ranking (1 Nov 09)

1) THIS IS IT

2) Shizumanu Taiyo

3) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

4) Fresh Puri Kyua! Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!?

5) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

6) Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

7) Buddha Saitan

8) Wild Speed MAX

9) My Sister's Keeper

10) Sideways

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi as special guests during Nodame Orchestra's concert

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi appeared as surprise guests during the "Nodame Orchestra Concert" on 31 Oct which was held at Tokyo International Forum. About 5000 people were present at the concert. The duo were there to promote Part 1 of the upcoming Nodame Cantabile movie which is due to be shown in cinemas from 19 Dec. With regards to the selling points of the movie, Ueno said that fans would be able to see very funny expressions of Chiaki-sama (Tamaki) while Tamaki commented that fans will be able to enjoy the orchestra scenes to the fullest in the best sound systems provided by the theatres. Part 2 of the movie is due to be shown on 17 April 2010 and filming is still in progress.

Review of Amalfi Megami no Houshuu アマルフィ 女神の報酬

Title: Amalfi Megami no Houshuu アマルフィ 女神の報酬 (Amalfi The Remuneration of the Goddess)
Original novel by: Shinpo Yuichi
Roadshow start date: 18 July 2008
Theme song: Time to say goodbye by Sarah Brightman
Cast: Oda Yuji, Amami Yuki, Oomori Ayane, Toda Erika, Sato Koichi, Sano Shiro, Onodera Akira, Ootsuka Nene, Ito Atsushi, Hirata Mitsuru, Fukuyama Masaharu, Sarah Brightman, Antonio Rocco Papaleo and Nakai Kiichi (voice acting only)

After watching this movie on Sunday, I felt really disappointed. Well, from the start, I wasn't expecting too much and yet this film did even worse than I thought. Before you continue reading what I have to say, please be reminded that these are my personal views only. Everyone may interpret the film differently so please do not be offended if you find my views varying from yours. And for those who do not wish to know the ending of this film, it's also advisable to skip this review as there will be plentiful of spoilers.

First of all, let me do a brief introduction about the storyline. And this is the biggest problem in the whole film.

Kuroda Kousaku (Oda Yuji) is a diplomat who has just been dispatched to the Japanese embassy in Rome, Italy. He keeps in contact with his superior Kataoka (Nakai Kiichi) over the phone as the embassy gears up to prepare for the Foreign Minister, Kawagoe Wataru's (Hirata Mitsuru) visit during the G8 meeting. Trainee interpreter Adachi Kanae (Toda Erika) fumbles along in work with her half-baked Italian and tries to keep up with Kuroda who maintains a straight face and seems to be hiding his true intentions from the rest.

At the same time, single mum Yagami Saeko is in Rome with her daughter Madoka for a holiday before the latter goes for an eye operation. However, she is aghast to find her daughter abducted when they are in a museum. Yagami then enlists the help of the embassy where Kuroda and Adachi are sent to assist. However, they soon find out that the abduction is more than meets the eye. Meanwhile, danger is looming as Kawagoe reaches Rome...

Here are the reasons why I simply disliked the story:

1) Ambiguous direction - a suspense thriller or travelogue?
Is this film trying to be a suspense thriller? Or is it trying to be a travelogue introducing the sights of Rome and Amalfi? Frankly speaking, I do not know what the answer is.

If it's the former, I think they've failed terribly. Notwithstanding the fact that the culprit was simply too easy to guess, the developments of the story seemed to be suggesting that the scriptwriter was being too cautious. There is always this problem with Japanese thrillers. If you see a well-known actor or one of significant status playing a small role, there is something fishy unless it's stated clearly that he/she is just appearing in a cameo role. It was simply too unnatural for Sato Koichi to appear for a few scenes and his identity concealed at the start when Saeko was talking to Sato's character. It was as if they want the viewer to know bits and pieces of information at various junctures and yet there was a sudden U-turn which suggested that the scriptwriter changed his mind and thought that it was safer to keep the hints under wraps. And the tension didn't really build up. The climax scene was so predictable that it doesn't take a genius to figure out what would happen. And what's with this title? If you look closely, most of the action takes place in Rome. Scenes in Amalfi turn out to be much lesser and of a lower significance. Other than mentioning the legend behind Amalfi, the place seems to be unimportant to the story. I was still none the wiser about the meaning of the title at the end of the movie.

And if it's the latter we are talking about, it was a passable attempt but there were still flaws. The colour balance of the film deviated towards the darker extreme so the whole backdrop looked too gloomy and pale. It was only till the scenes in Amalfi which made the screen brighten up a bit because of the contrast from the sea. And that lousy editing deserves to be picked up for criticism. How can they have blank scenes for at least 3 times throughout the film instead of doing a smooth transition between scenes? Even a line "1 week later" or "1 month later" would have been better at improving the flow of the movie. For a moment, I thought there was something wrong with the theatre's projector but apparently, the number of blank screens shown is an indicator that the problem lies with the movie itself. Last but not least, that repetition of the scene in the hotel room where Yagami and Kuroda were in after her daughter went missing was totally redundant. They should have started the movie from the part when both parties arrived in Rome instead of wasting time on repeating that scene which wasn't that significant after all.

One last thing I would like to point out is that some things should be left unsaid. Italy helped in the filming of this movie but it's mentioned point blank that they are famous for pickpocketing. Well, I'm sure a lot of us would have known that in certain European cities, pickpocketing is a notorious crime that we should watch out for when we travel there. I just find it really awkward that the movie had to mention this directly instead of leaving subtle hints. By being so frank, it kills the beauty of the place at the same time. It also feels as if you are repaying the home country with scorn. Just when people were enthralled with the sights in Rome and Amalfi, you dump a spoiler to dampen their rising spirits. Although Kuroda had meant well by reminding Yagami of the prospect of meeting pickpockets, the line could have been modified slightly though.

2) The ego of a big name?
In case you are unaware, this movie project was intended right from the start to centre around Oda Yuji. As such, it is very evident that he was given the best treatment and elevated to a class above the rest in this movie. When that happened, everyone seemed to be just mere accessories especially for those who had very minor roles or are still not in the league of holding their own despite the harsh circumstances. Oda's roles in movies and dramas for the past few years have been largely of the same sort. Most of the time, there is a comedic touch to his roles. Even though Kuroda is stern and looks emotionless most of the time, I simply don't think it is a radical change from the past. There is too little development of the character to show me that Oda had changed his approach of potraying a character. It didn't leave a deep impression on me, so as to speak. And he's got to put in some effort to show that he is versatile in playing various types of roles or else he will be stereotyped. Surely he doesn't want to be remembered for just 2 significant roles in his entire career i.e. Kanchi (Tokyo Love Story) and Aoshima Shunsaku (Odoru Daisousasen)? It's high time he gets another breakthrough.

Amami Yuki's role made her seem like a damsel in distress who couldn't think properly at all when her background was supposed to be a strong single mother. Luckily, that punch she threw at Oda was a saving grace, showing Yagami Saeko has emotions other than panicking. Nonetheless, I thought it was a big waste of talent for Amami to play this role. Likewise for Toda Erika, she was stifled by this hierarchy style of script writing which made her role very forgettable. I remember that she mentioned in an interview that she's open to playing lead and supporting roles so that it helps to build up her portfolio. Even so, I think she can afford to be a bit more selective. Exposure is good but if your role is forgettable or you do not really get a chance to prove yourself, it's as good as not taking up the role. Luckily for Sato Koichi, no doubt his role may not be that big, he made full use of his limited screen time to make an impact. And I must say, his English was less jarring to the ears as compared to Oda. ^__^ By the way, since they were in Italy, I simply don't understand the need for English lines popping out of nowhere.

And why do they need Fukuyama Masaharu to play such a small role? I do not think it is cheap for them to fly him over for so little scenes. They could have saved the money and spent it on someone else. It may look good to put Oda and Fukuyama on screen together BUT I think they should have spent the money on improving the story rather than assembling big names for the sake of attracting attention. A case of misplaced priorities. Then again, they could have mentioned that Nakai Kiichi was playing the role of Kuroda's colleague/friend because I only came to know about it after looking at the credits. They got such a big name to appear in the movie and yet didn't bother to promote his appearance? This is simply bewildering.

3) Atrocious subtitling
I do not know about other countries but the subtitles we have in the Singapore cinemas are simply atrocious. For someone who doesn't even know Japanese, looking at the English and Chinese subtitles is enough to tell you that something is not quite right because there were many points when each language conveyed a different meaning. If you know Japanese, I guess you would be shaking your head at each time the subs make mistakes. It's simply embarrassing. I do not know where the subs were done but to screen such a low-quality subbed version is an insult to those who paid to watch the movie. Surely we deserve an accurate translation of the lines in the movie?

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 2 out of 10 (Reasons as stated above - in short, it feels like a last-minute production)
Acting: 5 out of 10 (Nobody really stood out. If I really have to name somebody, that would be Sato Koichi)
Theme song: 6 out of 10 (This is a very well-known song but hearing it repeatedly just wears me out)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (The scenery deserves the thumbs up but I think the cameraman's skills are questionable. Colour balance, editing and arrangement of scenes are all lacking)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 3 out of 10 (Everyone seems to be too detached from one another. No chemistry to speak of.)

Total: 22 out of 50

In conclusion: A big money-spender with little to show for

Top 10 movies ranking (25 Oct 09)

1) Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu

2) Shizumanu Taiyo

3) Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Game

4) Buddha Saitan

5) Wild Speed MAX

6) My Sister's Keeper

7) The Proposal

8) Samayou Yaiba

9) The Time Traveler's Wife

10) Villon no Tsuma Sakuranbo to Tanpopo

The 22nd Japan Spectacles Best Dresser Award

Showbiz Category: Inoue Mao (actress)

Politician Category: Nagazuma Akira (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Economic Category: Yanai Tadashi (UNIQLO's CEO)

Cultural Category: Ishizaka Koji (actor)

Sunglasses Category: Karasawa Toshiaki

Special Award: Suzanne (artiste)

Top 10 most popular actors among men (Oricon)

1) Tsumabuki Satoshi

2) Mizushima Hiro

3) Oguri Shun

4) Sato Ryuta

5) Matsuyama Kenichi

6) Wentz Eiji

7) Ichihara Hayato

8) Eita

9) Kamiji Yuusuke

10) Koike Teppei

Summer 2009 Drama Ratings Ranking

The summer season has finally ended and the autumn season is already underway with most of the dramas having made their debut. Sorry about the late ratings report because of my tight schedule these days. I've been having so little time to watch the dramas and movies of late but I guess that I will be able to write more after my exams are over. By then, I would have another list of dramas to blog on from the current season. Nonetheless, I'm still enjoying the task of writing reviews even though I may have lots of backlog to clear. Can you believe that I have still not finished the review of Zenigeba (Winter 09) and Mr.Brain? Well, I have so many good things to say about the former and too many bad things to complain about the latter so that explains the delay. Bear with me if you are waiting for the reviews. They will come but probably at a later date.

Frankly speaking, this summer season has been rather disappointing. Pre-season, I selected only 5 dramas from the field of 15 so this goes to show how "interesting" the offering was, at least to me. This wasn't surprising because summer dramas have been seen as boring and long-regarded as "fillers" after the big-budget spring dramas and before the autumn offering comes up. As such, most TV stations seem to be pulling back when it comes to summer dramas. In recent years, there have been relatively good offerings in summer e.g. last year's "Tomorrow" and "Maou" but this label of boring dramas is almost like a unremovable stigma for the summer season and fails to stir up viewer interest.

You may be surprised to see that the top 3 for summer 2009 are ALL from FujiTV. However, there may be a good reason for this. It doesn't mean that all three dramas are of top-notch quality. Comparing them with the competition will probably give you an inkling as to why they won.

First of all, we have "Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4" as the winner for this season with an average of 19.20%. If you want to take into consideration the 4-part SPs before the official O.A., the average is still well-above 2nd-placed "Ninkyou Helper" i.e. 17.13% vs. 15.02%. Frankly speaking, if not for the unfortunate accident involving Eguchi Yosuke before the O.A., viewer interest might not have been so high. The delayed telecast succeeded in boosting viewer interest which explains why it got an above-20% rating for its first episode. Mind you, no other drama had an episode above 20% throughout the whole season. However, if you have read my review, all I can say that it was a bit sloppy at times in terms of production. I am guessing that the accident caught the crew off-guard so there were a lot of changes which worked out not to be their advantage. To date, I still think that Part 3 was the best or should I say more well-rounded.

In 2nd place, we have "Ninkyou Helper" with an average of 15.02%. Again, this drama had an unexpected boost through Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's run-in with the law in April this year. For those who are unaware of what happened, just click the artiste news tag to see the archives. Right before the drama even began filming, it was said to be doomed because people thought that Kusanagi's image suffered such a big dent that people would not be interested to see this drama. Then, the unthinkable happened because Kusanagi got his role back and the drama did quite well. Seems like his potrayal of a nasty guy was timely since it would have been suicide if his role was another goody-two-shoes character. Although I have not finished watching this yet, the first 3 episodes were passable at the very least but not to the extent of being extremely satisfying. I can only pass my verdict after watching this.

As for No.3, we have Buzzer Beat starring Yamashita Tomohisa and Kitagawa Keiko with an average rating of 14.37%. Most of the time, love stories would do OK unless the plot is simply lousy. I didn't watch this drama so I have nothing to comment. Again, this drama also experienced a small scare when it was revealed that Yamashita had H1N1 and filming had to be delayed for a while. Luckily, the OA wasn't affected in the end.

Do you notice 2 similarities between the Top 3?

1) A sudden incident almost derailed the O.A. of the drama i.e. Eguchi's accident, Kusanagi's scandal and Yamashita's sickness.

2) They all have themes which are traditionally deemed to be ratings winners i.e. medical dramas, social themes and love stories.

This brings me to my point why the others fared not as well. The rest of the competition were too niche in their target audience. Most of the time, it's either you love it or hate it so the viewership base is naturally smaller, irrespective of the timeslot. Of course, the Top 3 had so-called golden timeslots but in this era, even midnight dramas can do well. As such, I think that the genre was probably the key factor in deciding this season's winner.

4) Karei Naru Spy (NTV) - 11.12%
This is yet another example of extremes. Frankly speaking, I didn't know how to comment on the first episode after watching it. I hated the lame jokes but I thought some parts were OK. I am still undecided about whether to proceed.

5) Tonari no Shibafu (TBS) - 9.73%
The traditional old story of mother-in-laws vs. daughter-in-laws. Well, there were so many similar themed dramas in the past so I'm very sick of this genre. It doesn't help that the cast wasn't appealing to me other than Seto Asaka.

6) Kochikame (TBS) - 9.27%
This is a drama which began with a bang literally (the CD release and event) but went out with a fizzle. The main grouse was the low quality of production and not staying true to the original. I haven't watched this, I don't know the story of the manga or anime so I really couldn't comment. However, just one glance at the trailer killed my interest.

7) Kanryoutachi no Natsu (TBS) - 9.05%
This is a serious drama and with a bunch of stern-looking men. I guess this is probably something housewives wouldn't want to watch unless they want to ogle at a particular actor. Frankly speaking, the premise of the story seems interesting but the atmosphere from the first 10 minutes of the debut episode makes me undecided again about whether to proceed.

8) Orthros no Inu (TBS) - 8.42%
The problem with this is the same as Kochikame. The TV station tried to heighten expectations but it disappointed me, at the very least. From the first 4 episodes, I can find so many irregularities or illogical points which is killing my interest. I still don't know whether I should proceed because Nishikido wasn't as outstanding as he was in Last Friends and Takizawa doesn't interest me.

9) Akahana no Sensei (NTV) - 8.33%
I didn't watch this. Despite Kobayashi Satomi's presence, I still wasn't keen to watch this. I don't know whether it was the story or Ooizumi Yo which failed to interest me.

10) Meido Deka (TV Asahi) - 8.22%
Another niche drama for those who like young girls in a detective role. I like Fukuda Saki but I hate this type of stories.

11) Koishite Akuma (FujiTV) 6.69%
This seemed to be riding on the successful wave of "Twilight" but it reeked of a last-minute patch-up production. Vampire and human love stories are not my cup of tea especially when it is presented in this manner. I don't like the lead actor as well.

12) Dandy Daddy (TV Asahi) - 6.59%
I didn't watch this.

13) Call Center no Koibito (TV Asahi) - 6.14%
Although Mimura impressed me with her performance in Zenigeba, I wasn't tempted to watch this at all. I think it's the story. As for Koizumi Kotaro, I'm pretty neutral towards him.

14) Saru Lock (NTV) - 4.65%
This is obviously targeted at guys. Although I didn't watch this, reading reviews about this drama seems to indicate that there are a lot of suggestive developments and many girls to ogle at.

* Otomen was not included in this season's ranking because it is still showing.

The 2nd Tokyo Drama Award

Best Drama Grand Prix: Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~ (NTV)

Outstanding Drama Awards: ROOKIES (TBS) / Kaze no Garden (FujiTV) / Arifureta Kiseki (FujiTV) / Sora Tobu Tyre (WOWOW) / Okaimono (NHK) / Keiji Ichidai ~ Hiratsuka Hachibee no Showa Jikenshi (TV Asahi)

Outstanding Local Drama Awards (dramas produced by TV stations outside of Tokyo): Okome no Namida (NHK Sendai) / Momoyama Onigiri ten (Sapporo TV)

Best Leading Actor: Nakai Kiichi (Kaze no Garden)

Best Leading Actress: Amami Yuki (BOSS)

Best Supporting Actor: Endo Kenichi (Kiri no Hi)

Best Supporting Actress: Toda Erika (Ryusei no Kizuna)

Best Newcomer: Mizobata Junpei / Kawashima Umika

Best Scriptwriter: Kuramoto Sou (Kaze no Garden)

Best Producer: Tsugiya Hisashi (Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou)

Best Stage Direction: Miyamoto Rieko (Kaze no Garden)

Special Award: Ogata Ken / The Art Direction Team of "Kurobe no Taiyo" / Staff of TV Tokyo drama, "Choujikan Dorama Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki"

Orthros no Inu DVD Box

Title: Orthros no Inu DVD Box
Price: 21,945 yen (inclusive of tax)
Date of release: 27 Jan 09
Total number of discs: 6
Produced by: Warner Home Video

Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 DVD Box

Title: Kyuumei Byoutou 24 Ji Part 4 DVD Box
Price: 16,590 yen
Date of release: 20 Jan 2009
Total number of discs: 5
Produced by: Pony Canyon
Total running time: 410 minutes
Special footage includes: Production press conference, SPs before the actual O.A., End-of-filming, Promotional CMs

First episode ratings of Tokyo Dogs, Samurai High School, Untouchable, Ohitori-sama and Shoukojo Seira

The first episode of "Tokyo DOGS" shown on 19 Oct achieved a high rating of 18.7% which makes it the highest rating for the debut episode of a Gekku drama this year. This beat the previous record of 17.7% of "Voice" starring Eita in the winter season.

Meanwhile, other dramas also made their debut during the weekends. "Samurai High School" achieved 14.0% which was the highest among weekend dramas. Nakama Yukie's "Untouchable" shown on 16 Oct got a rating of 11.6% while Mizuki Arisa and Koike Teppei's "Ohitori-sama" got 10.1%. As for Shida Mirai's "Shoukojo Seira", it managed to get 7.4% on its 17th Oct debut.

Tokiwa Takako and Nagatsuka Keishi get married

Tokiwa Takako and Nagatsuka Keishi have registered their marriage today after a 6-year courtship. Nagatsuka is 3 years younger than her and is a popular stage producer and actor. He is also the eldest son of veteran actor Nagatsuka Kyouzou. The two had met each other through working on the movie "Geroppa" in 2003.

Tokiwa released her statement through her official website as follows:

"To all related parties,

I am sorry for making a private announcement during this busy period.

We, Nagatsuka Keishi and Tokiwa Takako have registered our marriage today i.e. 20 October 2009.

It is a fine day and we are full of emotions at this moment.

From now on, the two of us will bind our souls together tightly and take slow and steady steps in future.

It would be good if everyone can watch over us warmly as we take a new step in life. Please continue to support us in future."