Dorama World

Preview of Kasha 火車 (Fiery Chariot)

2012-02-01T00:42:00.003+08:00

Title: Kasha 火車 (Fiery Chariot)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
O.A. Date: 5 Nov 2011 9pm
Original novel by: Miyabe Miyuki
Rating: 17%
Cast: Kamikawa Takaya, Sasaki Nozomi, Tabata Tomoko, Terawaki Yasufumi, Gori, Watanabe Dai, Inoue Waka, Maeda Aki, Kaneda Akio, Sasano Takashi etc.

Review of Seinaru Kaibutsutachi Episode 2

2012-01-31T00:59:00.004+08:00

With more and more people jumping into this scam, will it lead to a situation at the end where Shiba finds himself to be the only one clueless about the entire fiasco? I'm starting to think that this might be very likely especially as more and more people get pulled in partly out of pity for Keiko's inability to bear her own child but also for their personal agendas.

Again, spoiler alert here! Please do not read the following if you wish to watch this episode first and do not want to know what has happened.

Frankly speaking, episode 2 wasn't as exciting as I would have liked it because the side story about Shiba taking pains to treat a potential appendix cancer patient was kinda longwinded. I could see where it was going especially since the only purpose it served seemed to be emphasizing how devoted he was to making sure every patient gets the best treatment from him. However, the lofty aspirations Shiba has might make it even more difficult to accept the web of deceit around him since he trusts everyone so much. In his monologue at the end of the episode, he keeps repeating the line that a woman has many faces. The biggest surprise for him would definitely be knowing how much Kasugai did in order to make it possible for Keiko to have a child born by a surrogate mother.

As for the main story, the new "participants" to the scam are Toshio and Mie. They are two key players in the whole scam because without the sperm from Toshio and Mie's uterus, Keiko can't do anything. Even though Toshio was reluctant to agree to this idea from the start, Kasugai knew very well that he was scared to fall from grace in case this surrogate pregnancy became known to the public. As a result, Kasugai promised to take the blame if things go wrong and even stressed that she found the perfect "environment" for everything to go smoothly without any detection. This could have meant Mie because she is someone without kin in this world (no one would question why she suddenly became pregnant or even stand up for her if things go wrong) and her deep admiration for Keiko makes it almost impossible for her to betray the latter. However, it looks likely that Mie might not really react as per what these people are thinking. As Mie grows more attached to the baby she's carrying and there are some hints that she has something going on for Toshio, she will be a potential cause of trouble if she doesn't follow what they want her to do. From the next episode's trailer, we can already see that Mie seems kinda reluctant to sign the papers asking her to give up parentage rights to the baby. It will only be a matter of time before she starts to show some signs of defiance or straying from the arranged path.

Frankly speaking, I was wondering why Kasugai wouldn't be able or wouldn't want to bear Keiko's child personally before I watched this episode. Now it all makes sense because Kasugai herself had an abortion so she had her uterus removed. And she knows the pain of not being able to have your own child so she was spurred to help Keiko. The next questions are, who was the father of that child, why did she give up that child and what reason made her steer clear of relationships after that? We'll probably know the answer at a later stage and I hope that the scriptwriter doesn't forget about answering them.

As things progress, you can get the obsession levels going up for some people. Keiko seems to have lost it at times when you see her fussing over Mie and asking to hear her tummy even though the pregnancy hasn't been certified. Wait till she gets more crazy when the pregnancy progresses to a later stage. Kasugai's constant goading of Toshio to get involved also shows how invested she is in the entire thing. It isn't about Keiko anymore, it also has to do her personal goal of having someone related by blood to herself.

On Shiba's side, his budding relationship with Hirai looks set to be another source of disappointment for him in time to come. Hirai's attempts at seducing him seem as if she was ordered to do so for the sake of something but I don't think Shiba did sleep with her YET. Maybe later or maybe not after all. And Hirai's act of receiving money from patients seem to be driven by her boyfriend or someone who is romantically linked to her extorting money from her so it remains to be seen if this lack of money will drive her to desperation and join Keiko & Co.

On the whole, episode 2's main purpose is to set the key players into position so the next episode looks set to be one which pulls in more bit players, throws up more questions into the air about the integrity of some characters or even shows a couple of conflicts here and there for people who are already involved.

Just to digress a bit, doesn't Okada Masaki look a bit like the younger version of Kashiwabara Takashi from certain angles? I didn't use to think of him this way but this episode made me draw the link for the first time. Not that it matters or affects me in any way though but just amused at how people who didn't look alike in the same now seem similar in one way or another.

Till the next episode then!

Review of Shokuzai Ep 1

2012-01-30T10:13:00.000+08:00

WOWOW dramas never fail to amaze me (well, most of the time I would say). The selection of material and actors are what you normally won't see from TV networks such as FujiTV, TBS, NTV or TV Asahi. People hogging the lead roles on the basis of their popularity rather than acting skills are rare here and you are always treated to a visual feast of very exceptional actors in leading and supporting roles. NHK has been churning out very high quality shows as well in recent years but WOWOW has an advantage in challenging very controversial themes since they are not burdened by the tag of national broadcaster.

What attracted me to this drama were two main reasons: the story and Koizumi Kyoko.

The story is based on a novel by Minato Kanae which is written in the same way i.e. different lead characters each time being the narrator just like Kokuhaku, another of her hit novel which was made into a movie starring Matsu Takako. Starting from 15 years ago, we are introduced to this little girl Adachi Emiri who moved to a suburb town due to her father's transfer and becomes close friends with four of her classmates namely Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuka. One day while playing in school, a male stranger approaches the group and asks for someone to accompany him to the stadium to carry out some works there. He selects Emiri from the group and she follows him alone despite her friends volunteering to come along. However, Emiri is killed that evening and the four girls discover her lifeless body in the stadium.

Being the only people who have seen the suspect, the girls cannot recall how the man look like and thus the police make no headway in finding the murderer. One day, Emiri's mother Asako invites the girls to her place on the pretext of celebrating Emiri's birthday and berates the girls for being useless thus causing the police to be unable to find the killer. She demands that the four of them make amends to Emiri in return and makes them promise to do that in their own ways.

As there are only 5 episodes in this drama, the first four will be centered on the lives of these four girls 15 years later i.e. present day. The trauma of Emiri's murder plus the haunting promise they made to Asako creates a tragic spiral of events for each of them as Asako continues to hunt for her daughter's killer.

We begin episode 1 with Sae's story. At the time when the girls found the body, Sae was tasked with staying behind in the stadium to keep watch on Emiri's body. It could be due to this that she seems to be really edgy around men and keeps a distance from them. One day, she is introduced to an eligible bachelor Otsuki Takahiro who decides to accept her for what she is but it turns out that there is more than meets the eye...

I won't go into the details of what exactly is wrong with Takahiro or what happens to Sae at the end because that will spoil the fun of watching. What I can say is that, there is some violence although not explicit and it can be really uncomfortable when it is revealed how Takahiro is really like and how Sae chooses to go along with his requests. Do not be surprised when you see that the colour balance on your screen seems to be less vibrant than usual. It seems to be a deliberate attempt to show the darkness of the theme and how the lives of the leads are like i.e. Sae being constantly in fear, Takahiro having a secret that he can reveal to Sae only and Asako still being consumed by the fury over being unable to catch her daughter's killer. Even the wedding scene seemed very much like a funeral to me with its dark colour mix.

Koizumi Kyoko is great as Asako especially when she appeared as a fashionable and happy mother in the beginning but changed to looking more like a black widow after Emiri's death. It was terrifying to see how she behaved so menacingly in front of the girls as if she wants them to pay the price of her daughter's untimely death. I'm getting the idea that Emiri's death is not coincidental after all since the killer chose Emiri to go with him. It will be worth checking out how Koizumi will potray Asako as the truth is revealed.

Aoi Yu plays Sae and I have to say that she's perfect for the role. Other than the fact that Aoi usually plays those gentle and quiet girls on screen, I think she managed to capture Sae's insecurity and how she grasped at the chance to get out of her current situation and continuing to bear with things even when it was clear that her happiness is just a front for others to see. Her last encounter with Asako as she leaves her apartment in the morning shows a lot of Sae's desperation as she asks Asako if what she has done is enough to make it up to Emiri.

A pleasant surprise would be to see Moriyama Mirai in the role of Takahiro. My impression of him so far has usually been confined to more comical or cheerful types of roles but he totally changed my opinion of him through this single episode. I don't know if he deliberately lost weight for this drama but he looked really gaunt and a bit creepy even though he's supposed to play a high-flying executive who seems to have it all. When you finish watching this episode, you will then realise why this is so. I think he and Aoi had really great chemistry as a couple in this drama (not in the romantic sense though) and it was truly amazing to see how they could handle such complicated characters so well.

One word of caution, if you are looking for fast-moving action, you might be very disappointed. Most of the story developments take their time and there are some scenes where there isn't much dialogue to convey how the characters are feeling. Coupled with the dull colour scheme, there would probably be people who doze off while watching this but I think the storyline and great acting is worth checking out even though I also had the temptation to press the fast-forward button at times.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the series and finding out the truth to Emiri's death which promises to be a rollercoaster ride for everyone especially Asako. Next episode features Koike Eiko as a teacher and I wonder how her character is affected by Emiri's murder?

Nakai Masahiro to star in TBS spring drama "ATARU"

2012-01-30T10:03:00.002+08:00

SMAP's leader Nakai Masahiro will star in TBS spring drama "ATARU" to be shown at 9pm on Sundays starting from April 2012. This is his first drama in 3 years since his last appearance in FujiTV's "Konkatsu!" in April 2009.

Nakai will play an autistic man named Ataru who also has the Savant Syndrome (autistic people who have special talents in specific areas) which allows him to solve difficult cases using his memory and reasoning powers. As the story progresses, Ataru's tragic past and why he chooses to challenge such criminal cases will be revealed.

Joining Nakai in this drama will be Kitamura Kazuki who plays the police detective working with Ataru to solve the cases and Kuriyama Chiaki whose character helps Ataru during the process.

Source: Sanspo

Review of Seinaru Kaibutsutachi Episode 1

2012-01-29T10:55:00.003+08:00

There are two main reasons why this offering from the current winter season catches my eye. First of all, medical dramas with an investigative/suspense twist are my cup of tea. As the title suggests, we are looking at a bunch of "monsters" in this drama who seem to be embarking on some sacred mission but something is not quite right about this undertaking. It still remains to be seen who are the real "evil" monsters in this drama but at least from the first episode, we are seeing some clues as to who might be potential monsters and why they might be motivated to become one.

Secondly, the cast lineup is made up of quite a number of my favourite actors like Nakatani Miki, Katsumura Masanobu, Kohinata Fumio, Kato Ai, Hasegawa Hiroki, Suzuki An. As for the lead actor Okada Masaki, I've seen him in a number of dramas and movies so far and quite like his acting but his babyface is always a concern when it comes to him taking on more serious or older characters. This character looks like something which can be a potential hit for him so I'm hoping that he can make full use of the opportunity.

Having said all that, let me introduce the characters first before giving a summary of what happened in the first episode:

Shiba Kengo (Okada Masaki)
Kasugai Yuka (Nakatani Miki)
Hyuga Keiko (Kato Ai)
Hyuga Toshio (Hasegawa Hiroki)
Arima Mie (Suzuki An)
Itokawa Yojiro (Watanabe Ikkei)
Mizuhara Ryoji (Katsumura Masanobu)
Okubo Shiro (Kohinata Fumio)
Hirai Yoko (Oomasa Aya)
Shiba Sogo (Hirata Mitsuru)

SPOILERS ALERT!!

One rainy night at Okubo Memorial Hospital, a pregnant woman is sent to the entrance of the hospital even though she has no scheduled appointment for delivery. Shiba Kengo, the doctor on duty that night, decides to do a Ceasarean because of complications with the mother's condition. However, soon after a baby boy is born, the mother dies. Unknown to Shiba, this incident isn't a coincidence but a culmination of various arrangements and happenings...

The story reverses back to 1 year ago when Shiba was told to transfer to Okubo which was facing financial difficulties. At the same time, Hyuga Keiko who is pregnant, is holding her wedding to Hyuga Toshio, the rich owner of an educational business but feels unwell during the ceremony. Suddenly, she collapses in a pool of blood and is sent to the university hospital where Shiba works at...

Although Shiba is reluctant and not so enthusiastic about his new workplace, he starts to discover that there is satisfaction and value in being a hands-on doctor who saves lives, thanks to the calm and capable chief nurse Kasugai Yuka. He also gets advice and information about his co-workers from a patient Itokawa who's been hospitalised for some time.

One night, a boy who suffers from peritonitis is admitted for an emergency operation but Shiba is apprehensive about taking this on because he has no experience. With "encouragement" from Kasugai, Shiba manages to complete the operation successfully.

Keiko visits Kasugai and it is revealed that they are sisters who grew up in an orphanage. Keiko pleads with Kasugai to be her surrogate mother as she can no longer give birth to her own child following the removal of her uterus. However, Kasugai reminds Keiko that surrogate births are forbidden in Japan and doesn't agree to it. Nonetheless, Keiko doesn't want to give up while Kasugai is shaken by Keiko's desperation.　

When Kasugai goes to visit Keiko at her place, seeing how Keiko is treated by her mother-in-law shakes her resolve in doing what's right. In addition, after hearing Shiba's story of his mother risking her life to give birth to him and seeing how a mother disregards the well-being of her child, Kasugai finally decides to help Keiko who wants a child but can't do it herself. On the other hand, Shiba is unknowingly drawn into this whole fiasco without knowing what is going on...

The first episode's pace is relatively fast and sets out to introduce the characters to us and show the main motive for turning the characters into monsters. What is at stake here will be the surrogate pregnancy initiated by Keiko. However, it is not something as easy as getting someone to bear the child for her. Doctors aren't supposed to help with delivering babies from surrogate mothers. I can see that is why Shiba will be drawn into this mess because the people involved will need someone who's oblivious to what's going on in order for this to work. Just from the first scene alone, you can see some suspicious acts by Kasugai which all made sense by the time you finish watching the first episode:

- Kasugai was standing by the window and looking at the entrance before the pregnant woman was sent to the hospital's entrance. She didn't rush out immediately to find out what was going on and waited till the person who sent the woman had left before raising the alarm.
- Kasugai was being rather insistent that Shiba should do the Ceasarean at Okubo rather than sending the pregnant woman to another hospital.

Kasugai couldn't risk letting others know that the woman was sent to Okubo on purpose so she was aware beforehand that the woman was coming. In short, she's part of the surrogate pregnancy scam. Initially, she still stuck to her morals as a medical professional but when she saw her own sister was suffering due to the inability to produce a heir, she just went straight into this crazy idea for Keiko's sake. To be frank, if you have seen the 2nd episode's trailer, it should strike you that Kasugai seems to have lost her usual rational side now that she's decided to go all out to help Keiko.

Keiko's insistence on bearing a child for her husband didn't strike me as solely pure love for her own children but rather, it was also prompted by the fact that her in-laws and her husband's ex-wife were hurling sarcasm at her while maintaining this nice facade. She needs a child to cement her position in the family although I think her husband Toshio doesn't seem to like kids that much and I get the feeling that he's not too concerned that Keiko can't get pregnant although he says that he loves her more than children.

From the trailer, it looks like the surrogate mother isn't going to be Kasugai after all but rather Arima Mie, a teacher who works in the Hyuga family's kindergarten. Since the opening scene already showed Kasugai as one of those who helped in the delivery of the baby, this would have ruled her out. It remains to be seen how they manage to convince Mie to undertake this crucial role of being the surrogate mother.

Another person who looks likely to be involved in this would be the hospital's owner i.e. Okubo. He is at his wits' end due to the hospital's bad financial position but I think his chance meeting with Hyuga Toshio would probably mean something later. If he's desperate enough for money to save his hospital, he would probably agree to letting the surrogate mother give birth in his hospital.

It does look like Shiba will be in the hot soup for helping to deliver the baby boy. There may be legal repercussions even though he is totally unaware of the scam but I think his emotional outburst or change in his mindset after the whole episode is exposed might be something more interesting to look out for as we progress further in this drama. The fate of these "monsters" would also be worth checking out. On the whole, I think the first episode did pretty well in igniting my interest so I should be following this for a while or even till the end if it turns out to be very engaging.

Preview of Seinaru Kaibutsutachi (The Sacred Monsters) 聖なる怪物たち

2012-01-28T21:21:00.005+08:00

Title: Seinaru Kaibutsutachi (The Sacred Monsters) 聖なる怪物たち
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Timeslot: Thursdays, 9pm
O.A. Start Date: 19 Jan 2012
Theme Song: Away Maria by Katherine Jenkins
Original Novel by: Kawahara Ren
Cast: Okada Masaki, Nakatani Miki, Hasegawa Hiroki, Kato Ai, Watanabe Ikkei, Oomasa Aya, Tominaga Saori, Suzuki An, Katsumura Masanobu, Kohinata Fumio, Fujiyoshi Kumiko, Hirata Mitsuru

Ninomiya Kazunari & Toyokawa Etsushi to star in "Platina Data"

2012-01-27T10:15:00.002+08:00

Ninomiya Kazunari of ARASHI will star in the movie adaptation of Higashino Keigo's novel "Platina Data" as reported on 26 Jan 12. This will be the 2nd time he is participating in the adaptation of a Higashino novel since the drama Ryuusei no Kizuna in 2008. The movie is scheduled to be shown in cinemas next week and filming will begin in Feb.

The story is set in 2017 where there is a database called Platina Data which collects the DNA profiles of every citizen in Japan. Ninomiya plays a scientist named Kagura Ryuhei who works on DNA analysis for the police but is framed for murder while helping with the investigations of a serial murder case and becomes a fugitive.

On the other hand, Toyokawa Etsushi plays a veteran police detective who has serious doubts about scientific methods employed in investigations. This will be the first time he is working with Ninomiya.

The novel was published in June 2010 and has sold 210,000 copies to date. There were more than 20 movie companies and TV stations which had made the offer to do an adaptation before Toho got the deal.

Preview of Second Virgin セカンドバージン

2012-01-26T22:10:00.003+08:00

Title: Second Virgin セカンドバージン
Official website: here
Total number of episodes: 10
Broadcast by: NHK
Timeslot: Tuesdays 10pm
Shown: 12 Oct 2010 to 14 Dec 2010
Scriptwriter: Ooishi Shizuka
Theme song: Anata dake ga (Only You) by Koda Kumi
Cast: Suzuki Kyoka, Fukada Kyoko, Hasegawa Hiroki, Ayano Gou, YOU, Danta Yasunori, Tamaru Maki, Fuse Akira, Kusabue Mitsuko
Average rating: 8.6% (5.5% -> 7.3% -> 8.6% -> 7.8% -> 8.3% -> 9.4% -> 8.3% -> 8.2% -> 11.0% -> 11.5%)

Preview of Hungry! ハングリー！ - Winter 2012

2012-01-25T23:28:00.002+08:00

Title: Hungry! ハングリー!
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV / KTV
Timeslot: Tuesdays 10pm
Theme Song: ROCK ME BABY by THE BAWDIES
Insert Song: Mayonaka no Hidamari by Yasuda Nao
Cast: Mukai Osamu, Takimoto Miori, Kuninaka Ryoko, Tsukamoto Takashi, Miura Shohei, Kawabata Kaname (CHEMISTRY), Suzuki Sawa, Katagiri Hairi, Miyaji Mao, Ishiguro Hideo, Tayama Ryosei, Lin Dan Dan, Yamashita Rio, Katahira Nagisa, Osugi Ren, Inagaki Goro

Preview of Shokuzai 贖罪 (Atonement)

2012-01-24T23:21:00.003+08:00

Title: Shokuzai 贖罪 (Atonement)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Timeslot: Sundays 10pm
Total number of episodes: 5
O.A. Start Date: 8 Jan 2012
Original novel by: Minato Kanae
Cast: Koizumi Kyoko, Aoi Yu, Koike Eiko, Ando Sakura, Ikewaki Chizuru, Tanaka Tetsushi, Takahashi Hitomi, Moriyama Mirai, Matsumoto Marika, Mizuhashi Kenji, Kase Ryo etc.

Review of Strawberry Night (drama SP)

2012-01-23T22:39:00.002+08:00

Note that this review relates to the 2010 drama SP of Strawberry Night, not the current series which is showing on FujiTV this season. I will probably write the review for the drama when it finishes its run.

Just to give you a short background about this drama SP: Himekawa Reiko (Takeuchi Yuko) is an assistant inspector in charge of a team in Metropolitan Police Department's 1st Investigation Division. Despite the fact that she made it to this position at a very young age of 29 and didn't have any special connections to help her, she is belittled by her peers at work and constantly given unflattering nicknames like Ojou-chan as if to show that she is like a pampered girl who can't do anything in the police organisation. Nonetheless, she has a team of faithful subordinates who trust in her e.g. Kikuta Kazuo (Nishijima Hidetoshi), Otsuka Shinji (Kiritani Kenta) and Ishikura Tamotsu (Ukaji Takashi). Unknown to everyone else, Himekawa has a dark secret that she is still trying to overcome which also happens to be the motivation behind her drive in becoming a police officer.

Himekawa's team is assigned to handle a case of a dead man whose corpse was wrapped up in plastic and dumped just beside a reservoir instead of being disposed into the water. As they try to investigate the bewildering turn of events, more bodies turn up and the team has to contend with competition from other teams especially Katsumata Kensaku (Takeda Tetsuya) who tries to keep all the leads to himself in order to get to the mastermind earlier than Himekawa.

I wouldn't go into too many details about the story or its conclusion since that would mean having to put down lots of spoilers in this review. Just some thoughts about this drama SP:

- This type of prejudice against a woman in the workplace despite her achievements is something that's not new at all especially when you see all the taunting Himekawa had to withstand. Having seen exactly what she had to go through in order to get to where she is, you have to hand it to Himekawa's determination.

- I like the way Himekawa's character is crafted because you don't see the tough side of her only. The displays of vulnerability were also left quite a deep impression on me. I like Takeuchi Yuko's acting which tried to balance these two sides to Himekawa but it can be a bit difficult to get used to Takeuchi speaking so roughly on screen.

- The case itself was quite intriguing for 3/4 of the time but when it was getting near to the end, it was rather easy to see where the story was heading and who was the culprit. Seems like this idea of having someone who looks the least like the culprit be the mastermind is very popular but frankly speaking, the concept's getting a bit stale especially when you have that exchange of words between that person and Himekawa in the climax. One is trying to justify the reason for killing people while the other is trying to preach by saying things like you are wrong. It might be a better to reduce the words spoken during such scenes because ultimately, it's a war of words which come to nowhere.

- What intrigued me to watch this wasn't really because of the story. The assembly of strong actors such as Nishijima Hidetoshi, Ukaji Takashi, Watanabe Ikkei (he's always shouting at the top of his voice though), Takashima Masahiro (he's one suave and hot guy in this SP!), Endo Kenichi (his appearance was very limited though), Takeda Tetsuya and Namase Katsuhisa made this SP really appealing. It would be worth watching if the drama series gives these actors enough room to develop their characters. I certainly hope that all these talent would not go to waste.

And my ratings for this drama SP...
Story: 7.5 out of 10 (If only the climax could be a bit more succint, I would have given this a higher score.)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (Generally good but felt that some of the supporting actors didn't get enough time to show what they've got)
Theme song: 6 out of 10 (I only heard Shibasaki Kou's song at the credits section but I liked what I heard. BGM-wise, it was also OK.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 4 out of 10 (Most of the scenes take place in the police station or outside on streets where there isn't a lot of scenery to speak about)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (The chemistry in Himekawa's team was quite good so I guess there is more room for improvement when they get to the drama series)

Total: 30.5 out of 50

Review of Paradise Kiss (movie)

2012-01-20T19:20:00.000+08:00

Before watching this movie, I had certain expectations of it. This is the burden that comes with knowing the source material beforehand but on the other hand, this pre-knowledge offers a different perspective as to whether the adaptation is better, as good as or worse than the original. Having seen the anime which I was rather impressed with and read the manga which I liked better than the anime, I was hoping for the movie to lift the bar higher.

To be frank, I was quite worried about the fate of this movie when the casting list was announced. Mukai Osamu as George? Would he look exactly like George? What's going to happen to his hair if he plays George? Kitagawa Keiko as Yukari? Erm...she doesn't look like Yukari and her acting skills aren't that impressive (at least to me). How would they handle the adult material e.g. the classic scene of George and Yukari's first night together? Are they going to follow the manga's ending? All these reservations made it difficult for me to feel excited about watching this movie. And when I finally watched it, I must say my worst fears have been proven.

Just a note of caution, from this point on, there will be spoilers about the story and remarks that fans of Mukai and Kitagawa probably won't like to read about. I must declare that first of all, I have nothing against them. In fact, I do like Mukai but for Kitagawa, I have to admit that I've never been keen on watching her dramas and movies. If you feel uncomfortable about reading spoilers or my views on the cast in this movie, I really recommend that you should skip this post now.

The biggest issue I have is with the story. I'm not sure whether it's because the target audience is teenagers or the producers wanted to avoid a restricted rating. The movie seems to have the intention of describing the relationship between George and Yukari as something very fairytale-like and well, to put it bluntly, very platonic. The manga and anime shows the attraction between them as something sizzling, passionate, spontaneous and possibly destructive (because Yukari left home just to be ParaKiss' model and stay with George instead of focusing on her exams like she always did). However, I get the feeling that Yukari's (Kitagawa) feelings for Tokumori (Yamamoto Yusuke) are stronger than that of what felt for George (Mukai). True, George did appear to Yukari in the movie as someone really fascinating and hard to fathom but it felt more like curiousity towards George rather than love. The kiss scene backstage before the fashion show didn't quite have the desired impact of showing their feelings for each other. As such, when George and Yukari finally met and got together in NY, I didn't get the feeling that they really wanted to be with each other or that I should feel happy for them in any way.

I can understand if the scriptwriter, director or producers wanted a fairytale ending so as to attract female audiences or to increase the sweetness factor to make them squeal in delight. However, the very reason why I liked ParaKiss' anime and manga was that it is reflective of the real world, no matter how harsh the truth can be or the regrets people have to bear with as they grow older. I have no doubts that Yukari and George did have very strong feelings for each other no doubt it seemed too fast and the intimate scenes gave the impression that lust was more obvious than love. However, the truth is, their circumstances at that time were not conducive for them to continue being together. George had to go to NY so that he could let his talent develop without inhibitions while Yukari had to stay in Japan to achieve her dream of being a model. That is why they had to let go of each other despite not wanting to. Somehow, the movie tries too hard to show the message that true love can overcome everything (you know, the usual drift of time and distance doesn't matter in true love) but there is always another take to the situation. Being in love sometimes doesn't mean having to stay together for the sake of doing it. If I am still a teenager or someone in my early twenties who still harbour dreams of a fairytale romance AND I did not read the manga nor watch the anime, I would have accepted George and Yukari's reunion at the end of the movie more readily.

It was also a waste to see supporting characters like Arashi (Kaku Kento), Miwako (Oomasa Aya) and Isabella (Igarashi Shunji) being relegated to the sidelines because there was simply not enough time to spend on them. I would have loved to see the tension and awkwardness between Arashi, Miwako and Tokumori which was an interesting arc in the manga. Isabella's story with George was also brushed away too lightly which was a pity because Isabella and George shared an unspeakable bond due to their ability to understand the struggles with being different from others.

Talking about whether the main cast fitted the characters they were playing, I feel that they were all lacking in their own ways mainly due to the story and limited character development.

I admit that I've not been impressed by Kitagawa's performance so far in various dramas or movies. And all along, I've held the notion that Yukari = Yamada Yu. This opinion was strengthened when I watched the anime and Yamada impressed me with her delivery even though my response towards her acting in general is lukewarm at best. It is more difficult to act without the aid of body language and seeing the actor's expression so I thought her effort was very commendable. It may seem unfair to write Kitagawa off just because of her past track record or my preference for Yamada Yu but As for why Kitagawa was chosen, it could be that she is popular these days (a sure bet for high box office takings?) or she's two years younger than Yamada. It felt rather awkward to see her acting as a high school student though. Personally, I didn't think she potrayed the emotions in Yukari very well and the chemistry between her and Mukai Osamu was really lacking. On hindsight, maybe Kutsuna Shiori would have been a better fit.

George could have been a very good charater for Mukai to build on his high popularity these days (just like what Chiaki did for Tamaki Hiroshi) but too bad the chance wasn't there in the first place. The story didn't help in showing George's multi-faceted character even though Mukai is capable of doing better. The brooding parts were too much so it would have been better to show a lighter side of him to achieve a better balance. Appearance-wise, I was secretly hoping for Mukai to shave his hair like George but that may be asking too much of him if there are contracts whcih require him to maintain his hairstyle.

As for the other main characters, I think Igarashi looked quite good as Isabella while Oomasa was a tad too tall to play the petite Miwako but her kawaii-ness was bearable. I couldn't recognise Oomasa until I got to the credits section because she looked too much like someone of m I felt that Yamamoto didn't seem to match Tokumori's image (a little lacking in nerdiness?) while Kaku's potrayal of Arashi was a bit too loud for my liking.

Having said all that, it doesn't mean that this movie is something you definitely shouldn't touch. If you haven't seen the anime nor read the manga, in the mood for some fluffy onscreen romance (meaning, don't let logic rule your emotions) or like the leads, you should go ahead to watch this. Otherwise, if you feel strongly for the characters or the original story, you might as well skip this and save yourself the agony of getting angry over the butchered plot and the gap between your impresssions of the characters and the actual delivery in this movie.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 1 out of 10 (I felt like giving it a zero but decided against being too brutal in my assessment of this area)
Acting: 3 out of 10 (None of them really stood out partly because of the limited character development except for cameos by George's dad and mum!)
Theme song: 4 out of 10 (Yui's song is nice but didn't really mesh with the theme nor was fully utilised to bring out the intended effect)
Visual effects / Scenery: 5 out of 10 (Thumbs up for the fashion, not the fashion show in the climax. Scenery-wise, nothing that I particularly remembered)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 2 out of 10 (If this movie is a sign of things between Kitagawa and Mukai, the rumours about them being an item during the filming of this movie feel like a big fat lie to me.)

Total: 15 out of 50

Preview of Paradise Kiss パラダイス・キス

2011-12-05T12:34:00.003+08:00

Title: Paradise Kiss
Official website: here
Original manga by: Yazawa Ai
Cast: Kitagawa Keiko, Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke, Igarashi Shunji, Omasa Aya, Kaku Kento, Kato Natsuki
Theme song: Hello ~ Paradise Kiss ~ by YUI
Insert song: I Know You're Not Alone by sweetbox / Everything's Gonna Be Alright by sweetbox
DVD released on: 26 October 2011

Preview of 家政婦のミタ Kaseifu no Mita (Mita the housekeeper)

2011-11-18T00:45:00.004+08:00

Title: 家政婦のミタ Kaseifu no Mita (Mita the housekeeper)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 12 Oct 2011
Timeslot: Wednesdays, 10pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Theme song: Yasashiku Naritai by Saito Kazuyoshi
Cast: Matsushima Nanako, Hasegawa Hiromi, Aibu Saki, Kutsuna Shiori, Nonami Maho, Sato Hitomi, Shirakawa Yumi etc.

Top 10 faces that men want to be - 2011 (Oricon)

2011-11-17T14:16:00.002+08:00

Numbers in brackets refer to ranking last year.

1) Fukuyama Masaharu (1)

2) Mukai Osamu (5)

3) Kimura Takuya (2)

4) Okada Junichi (10)

5) Tsumabuki Satoshi (8)

6) Sato Takeru (4)

7) Mizushima Hiro (3)

8) Oguri Shun (6)

9) Inaba Koji (-)

10) Abe Hiroshi (-)

Preview of 謎解きはディナーのあとで Nazotoki wa dinner no ato de (Solving the mystery after dinner)

2011-11-17T00:44:00.003+08:00

Title: 謎解きはディナーのあとで Nazotoki wa dinner no ato de (Solving the mystery after dinner)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 18 Oct 2011
Timeslot: Tuesdays, 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Original novel by: Higashikawa Toya
Theme song: Meikyuu Love Song by Arashi
Opening theme: Love Me Back by Koda Kumi
Cast: Sakurai Sho, Kitagawa Keiko, Shiina Kippei, Nomaguchi Toru, Okamoto Anri, Tanaka Konatsu, Nakamura Yasuhi

Top 10 faces that women want to be - 2011

2011-11-16T00:22:00.000+08:00

Source: Oricon

Numbers in brackets indicate the ranking in 2010.

1) Ayase Haruka (2)

2) Kitagawa Keiko (1)

3) Miyazaki Aoi (3)

4) Sasaki Nozomi (6)

5) Aragaki Yui (4)

6) Shibasaki Kou (5)

7) Kuroki Meisa (9)

8) Sawajiri Erika (8)

9) Matsushima Nanako (7)

10) Kichise Michiko (-)

Review of Mitsu no Aji Ep 1

2011-11-14T00:12:00.000+08:00

It's been at least a good 7 months since I last posted anything to the blog and a long time ago since I covered an in-season drama. Depending on my schedule, the updates may not be in sync with the OA timetable though. Nonetheless, if I'm interested enough to make an effort to start the episodic reviews, it also means that this drama is probably appealing enough for me to do so (at least at this stage). Besides time constraints, I think the only factor that might make me stop covering is that it's bad enough for me to give up halfway (which I really hope not).

First of all, let me go through the key characters:

Morimoto Naoko (Eikura Nana) - niece of Masato who's her uncle but not related by blood. Spurred by her feelings for him and that he couldn't return to his hometown Ushimado (Okayama Prefecture) for the annual summer vacation visits, Naoko resolves to go to Masato by attending the same university as his and aspiring to be a doctor. However, when she gets to Tokyo, she realises that Masato has been dating his classmate Harada Aya for some time and they are already making marriage plans.

Harada Aya (Kanno Miho) - classmate cum girlfriend of Masato who's the daughter of a hospital director and has a cold demeanour in front of everyone. She openly declares that she's not good at dealing with patients so that's the reason she became a researcher specialising in pathlogy. Even though she has been seeing Masato for 3 years, she doesn't see the urgency to get married until Naoko appears. Aya realises from the start that Naoko likes Masato and views Naoko with a wary eye.

Ikezawa Masato (ARATA) - a surgeon, brings up the topic of marriage to his girlfriend Aya but always gets rejected because she says she has no time. Unaware of Naoko's feelings and Aya's jealousy over Naoko's presence.

Norisugi Yasushi (Mizobata Junpei) - Naoko's classmate who made it to medical school after repeating a year and the son of a gynaecologist.

Kuriyama Kazuki (Ichikawa Tomohiro) - Naoko's classmate

Rai Yoka (Kimura Fumino) - Naoko's classmate who comes from China and has a grandfather who used to hold a high post back home

Takinohara Koichi (Mori Ren) - Naoko's classmate whose father is a professor in the university-affiliated hospital

Minoya Susumu (Kondo Koen) - Naoko's classmate who made it to medical school after 5 attempts

Basically, the first episode gives an introduction to the characters and their relationships with one another. The story actually starts in 2003 instead of present-day so I think the characters will look a bit different by the time they get to 2011. At least I would love to see Eikura Nana's long locks being snipped off. Short hair still suits her better. Anyway, back in 2003, that's when Naoko starts her first year in medical school which also marks her meeting with Aya and realisation that Masato belongs to someone else.

Actually, although the main storyline is fixed in 2003, there are some flashbacks to the time when Naoko was still a high school student and first came to know her feelings for Masato. The biggest telltale sign to me is actually the fact that she was being more self-conscious in front of him. That scene when they were sharing an umbrella in the downpour and that Naoko was concerned about her bra showing under her wet blouse already speaks volumes. You wouldn't care how you look in front of someone from the opposite sex unless he/she matters to you in the romantic sense. I like the subtle hint here because if everything was described in detail, it wouldn't pack a lot of impact at times. That said, I also feel that there is too much airtime given to describe how Naoko feels towards Masato, so much so that I was really tempted to hit the fast-forward button. Well, I get the drift that she likes him a LOT but I certainly don't need the excessive flashbacks about that downpour scene or how she resolves to go to Tokyo for his sake.

With regard to how I view the trio caught in the love triangle, I can say that they are all flawed in their own ways and I really can't decide whose side I would take at this point in time. Naoko irks me with her immature display of jealousy which I can't fault her because she's still young at this point in the story. I've yet to see how intense her love can be and what lengths she will go to but it does seem like she will be very much passive about this relationship because Naoko's character certainly doesn't look like someone who will try hard to fight for something. On the other hand, Aya does look cold and aloof especially when it comes to her relationship with Masato. It almost felt as if Masato needs her but she doesn't need him at all. I guess her upbringing and self-confidence makes her behave like this but it will be interesting to see her getting all tensed up and in battle mode because of Naoko's presence. I can certainly foresee that Aya will be up to many antics in the subsequent episodes but I'm wondering how dirty these tricks can get and how Naoko reacts to them. As for Masato, he's pretty much clueless about what's going on so the turning point will be when he knows. I have no idea how long that will take though but the sooner the better. Then he will probably compare and contrast these two women and bring out more interesting conflicts in the story. If I really have to choose who looks more interesting and worth paying more attention just based on this episode, I would choose Aya because she has a lot of potential for being a bad and scheming woman.

Frankly speaking, the first episode is usually more of an introductory one rather than giving a lot of conflicts to think. There are very few occasions when the first episode is very exciting. For this drama, the story moved really slowly at times but towards the end when Aya and Naoko were looking at each other across the street, that was a pretty intense moment. Naoko seemed bent on seeing Aya show her vulnerability in the face of someone needing medical help but Aya proved her wrong. Well, Aya is still a doctor after all so I think she can still step up to the challenge if she has to even though she detests the idea of dealing with patients. Naoko was a bit naive in that sense but when people are blinded by jealousy, logic doesn't work anymore. Aya is a sharp woman who already senses the animosity from Naoko from their first meeting. With that encounter in the last scene, that sort of confirmed Aya's suspicions that Naoko has a thing against her because she is in love with Masato.

The preview for Ep 2 shows that Aya and Masato are getting married. This is probably the best evidence that Aya is getting uptight about the situation and decides to change her pace of doing things just to get an advantage over Naoko. It will be fun to see how these two women fight but I just hope that the guy in question must wake up to what's going on soon in order for this drama not to slip into something like a longwinded tale about what jealousy can do to women.

Last but not least, regarding the music aspect of this drama, I think the BGM is quite good at times especially when showing the intensity of the conflict but the volume seems to be louder than in most dramas so it was a bit difficult to hear the dialogue at times. Maybe the volume should be turned down a bit so that the music fits its purpose as BGM and not overshadow the lines. As for the theme song by aiko, I don't really have a deep impression of it yet but it might grow on me in time to come. That credits roll seemed to be geared towards showing that this drama is an adult love story with the leads baring some skin but I don't suppose they can go to the extreme with a TV drama.

Preview of 私が恋愛できない理由 Watashi ga renai dekinai riyuu (The reason I can't find my love)

2011-11-13T13:52:00.000+08:00

Title: 私が恋愛できない理由 Watashi ga renai dekinai riyuu (The reason I can't find my love)
O.A. Start Date:
Timeslot: Mondays, 9pm
Broadcast via: FujiTV
Theme song: Love Story by Amuro Namie
Official website: here
Cast: Karina, Yoshitaka Yuriko, Oshima Yuko, Tanaka Kei, Kurashina Kana, Nakao Akiyoshi, Kagami Seira, Nakamura Ryu, Katsumura Masanobu, Hagiwara Masato, Inamori Izumi

Preview of 蜜の味 Mitsu no Aji ~ A Taste of Honey

2011-11-12T22:54:00.003+08:00

Title: 蜜の味 Mitsu no Aji ~ A Taste of Honey
O.A. Start Date: 13 Oct 11
Timeslot: Thursdays, 10pm
Broadcast via: FujiTV
Theme song: Zutto by aiko
Official website: here
Cast: Eikura Nana, Kanno Miho, ARATA, Mizobata Junpei, Ichikawa Tomohiro, Kimura Fumino, Nishiyama Maki, Sano Shiro etc.

There are two main reasons why I am paying attention to this drama. First of all, the story sounds pretty interesting with Eikura and Kanno playing not just ordinary rivals in love. Eikura's character is a niece who falls for her uncle (although not related by blood) and follows him to Tokyo to be a doctor just to be by his side. On the other side is Kanno's character who plays a cool and collected female doctor who's already in a steady relationship with the uncle in question played by ARATA. I have to admit that the setting does seem a bit messy and borders on the edge of forbidden love but I think the part about the uncle and niece not being related by blood would have reduced the likelihood of viewers having an issue with the concept of hinted incest. However, I have a nagging feeling that the ending will be inconclusive after all.

Secondly, I like Kanno Miho's acting and I was impressed with ARATA's performance in CHASE so that got me keen on this drama. As for Eikura Nana, I think she did OK in Nakanai to Kimeta Hi but I do have reservations on how she will hold up against the other two leads. Nonetheless, I still hope that she will surprise me in a good way.

Review of Nagareboshi 流れ星 (Shooting Star)

2011-04-01T14:51:00.003+08:00

I must admit, the premise of the story didn't attract me at all when I first came to know about this drama. A contract marriage between two people who subsequently fall in love? That's really nothing new. Throw in the moral dilemma of paying for an organ transplant? That's a little bit more conflict. Plus Takenouchi Yutaka and a serious Ueto Aya? That's what really got me to give this drama a shot. Beware if you haven't watched this drama yet because there will be some spoilers in my review.

In short, this story is about Okada Kengo (Takenouchi) who enters into a contract marriage with Makihara Risa (Ueto) who works in the sex trade to pay off her good-for-nothing brother Shuichi's (Inagaki Goro) debts. Of course, the natural thing is, they fall in love but there will always be a crisis at the end i.e. the organ-for-sale issue. Plus Shuichi's constant sabotage tactics, these two wait till the very end before they can be together for good. Oh well, the ending wasn't that conclusive but at least, we saw Kengo and Risa share a kiss for the very first time at the very last minute of this drama.

Frankly speaking, this drama is full of flaws and expected developments. The pace is not exactly slow but with every step that's taken, you sort of know what's going to come next. However, the scriptwriter still tried to throw in some surprises although they had varying degrees of effectiveness. For example, when the organ-for-sale scandal broke, it was easy to see that Kengo and Risa would have to split somehow and get back later. What caught me by surprise was how Kengo took responsibility on his own and even got his family members to tell lies in order to protect Risa. I would have expected that he gets punished by the law for paying Risa to undergo the transplant but there was a small twist where his sister Maria was putting on a straight face and telling Shuichi about how "bad" Kengo was to have cheated Risa. However, Nagareboshi, being ultimately a love story (be it family or romantic love), chose not to go into the painful details of Kengo's punishment which I thought was another clever step so as not to drag the pace further.

What's intriguing about this drama is that, although it's very slow at times, there are some moments which truly struck a chord with me. For example, when Kengo was grieving at his father's grave, instead of going up to console him, Risa chose to stay away and leave Kengo alone. Sometimes, not doing anything can be even better than trying to do something in order to make oneself feel better. And the most interesting thing I observed was that, neither Kengo nor Risa said the words "suki dayo" (I like you) or "aishiteru" (I love you) throughout the entire drama which is a rarity in romance dramas. They knew exactly how the other felt and that's even sweeter than having to shout out "suki dayo" all the time. At least to me, I felt that the emotions they displayed were evident and words didn't seem necessary at all. That long-awaited kiss came a little too late and it was even blurred out but I guess it was still better than none. The hug-from-the-back tactic never fails to work on me especially when it's someone like Yutaka doing it! ^__^

With regard to acting, Takenouchi is back in his usual brooding, serious and occasionally funny roles as Kengo always has to worry about something. As such, his character may seem a bit boring to those who find the story's developments slow. However, if you compare this to the cheeky Nodate he played in BOSS, I think it's a good way to remind people that he can play these serious roles before he goes back to Nodate in April 2011. I'm kinda surprised that he and Ueto Aya looked OK on screen even though I was worried that she might look too young and short for him. Thankfully, the drama took into account their age differences and Ueto was wearing boots quite often so the gaps didn't look too obvious.

As for Ueto, I was hoping that she can impress me again like what she did years ago in Koukou Kyoushi. That angst and depth have been missing for quite some time. Although Risa is a slight deviation from the cutey roles she's been doing these few years, I think the role was rather restricted and made it difficult for Ueto show her acting chops. It felt as if she wanted to push the boundaries and yet stepped back when it looked too dangerous and she was at risk of spoiling her wholesome image. I guess it should be time for her to do something really daring (I don't mean nudity) and out of the box in order to show that she's not just a pretty face and can manage flawed characters.

Kitano Kii's role Maria is rather boring this time round and I really missed her strength displayed in "Life". A whining little girl just doesn't suit her. Moreover, asking her to act in that scene where she brings a guy to a love hotel just brings back memories of her scandal with another actor where they were caught leaving a love hotel. I think that's kinda redundant. Likewise for Matsuda Shota, his role as a doctor seems rather out-of-place especially when he tries hard to frown when talking about serious issues. And that recycling bag he was using just makes his whole image look terribly weird. The biggest villian of this show, Shuichi, played by Inagaki Goro is really so irritating that I think he's successful in this regard because viewers would "hate" him whenever his character shows up. I have to admit that I don't like Goro but he's a good fit with this role.

Something worth mentioning would be the location shoots in Shin Enoshima Aquarium (where Kengo works at), the seaside and Yamanashi Prefecture. It's been some time since I saw a drama with so much thought put into the background scenery and I think that's really worth applauding. In addition, the theme song by Kobukuro suits the drama's mood pretty well. I guess having a theme song written specially for the drama is indeed different from grabbing any song from the market just for commercial interests. The lines "kimi yori kirei na hito demo / kimi yori yasashii hito demo / kimi ni wa narenainda mou dare mo" (Even if there's someone more beautiful than you / Even if there's someone who's gentler than you / nobody can become you) are really great in depicting the nature of Kengo and Risa's relationship. They may not have started under the best circumstances but their love for each other is still real.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 6 out of 10 (Except for the occasional sparks and twists, the story was pretty slow and progressed in an expected manner most of the time)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (It's not easy to act in such a drama where emotions are mostly subdued but I like what I saw from Takenouchi Yutaka and Ueto Aya)
Theme song: 9 out of 10 (Kobukuro's song was very suitable for this drama)
Visual effects / Scenery: 8 out of 10 (It's been ages since I gave such high marks for this category so it goes to show how much I like the scenery)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 7 out of 10 (The chemistry got better between the leads as the drama progressed)

Total marks: 37 out of 50

Romaji lyrics of Ryuusei by Kobukuro 流星 - コブクロ (Theme song of Nagareboshi)

2011-03-28T00:53:00.003+08:00

Title: Ryuusei (Shooting Star)
Artist: Kobukuro
Lyrics and Melody: Obuchi Kentaro
Theme song of FujiTV autumn 2010 drama, "Nagareboshi"

mafuyu no umibe ni utsutta
shiroku toumei na tsuki ga
kurage ni mieta fushigi na yoru deshita

nando hiki sakaretemo
toozagatte mo tsunagatta mama no
futari wo tsutsumu
mabuta no oku no uchuu

hoshikuzu no naka
chiribamerareta kokoro ga futatsu
ai no yami wo kake nuketeku
omoi ryuusei ni nari
nagarete yuku yo kimi no soba made kieru mae ni
bokutachi wa onaji seiza dato shinjite

kimi yori kirei na hito demo
kimi yori yasashii hito demo
kimi ni wa narenainda mou dare mo

tsukamenai maboroshi wo
dakishimeta mune wo sasu itami ga
inryoku no you ni futari hiki yoseau

mada kimi no naka tojikomerareta ikutsu mo no mayoi wa
boku no naka de moyashi tsukuseru
dakara mou kowagarazu ni
azukete hoshii

kimi no uso ni kizuku no wa
chiisana hitomi ga mihiraku kara
demo sunaosa ni mada kizukenai mama

hoshikuzu no naka chiribameta kokoro ga futatsu
ai no yami wo kakenuketeku omoi ryuusei ni nari
nagarete yuku yo kimi no soba made kieru mae ni
bokutachi wa onaji seiza dato shinjiteru kara

If you would like to view the PV, please go here.

Romaji lyrics of Aishiteru by Hirai Ken アイシテル - 平井堅

2011-03-27T00:32:00.001+08:00

Title: Aishiteru (I Love You)
Artist: Hirai Ken
Lyrics and Melody: Hirai Ken
Theme song of movie "Ghost - Mou Ichido Dakishimetai"

nee doko ni iru no?
kimi no koe wo kikasete yo
todokanai negai demo
boku wa sakebi tsuzukeru aishiteru

nee kikoeteru no
boku no koe ga boku no uta ga
koborenai namida demo
karada juu ga naiteru

deatta hi
boku no me ni utsuru kimi wa
ai no katachi wo shiteta

kono mune ga chigirete
kokoro eguri torare
soredemo ii dakishimetai
kami ni yubi ni hoho ni matsuge ni kuchibiru ni
mou ichido dake fureteitai
kono te wa kimi wo dakishimeru tame dake ni
kitto aru kara

nee tatoe kimi ga
iro nakushi yume ni natte mo
wasurenai kese wa shinai
karada juu ni kizanda

kasaneta hi
[aishiteru] to ugoita
kuchibiru wo oikakete

kono yume ga chigirete ai wo ubaitorare
sore demo ii dakishimetai
kowareta hohoemi wo sawarenu kuchibiru wo
torimodoshite atatametai
koboreru kimi wo uketomeru eien ni
kirei na mama de

[aishiteru] to itte [aishiteru] to itte
mou ichido dake dakishimetai
kami ni yubi ni hoho ni matsuge ni kuchibiru ni
mou ichido dake furete itai
kono te wa kimi wo dakishimeru tame dake ni
kitto aru kara

nee doko ni itemo
kimi no koe wa kikoeteru yo
todoku made kanau made boku wa sakebi tsuzukeru
aishiteru

For those who wish to watch the PV, please go here.

Review of Ghost - Mou Ichido Dakishimetai - ゴースト - もういちど抱きしめたい - (Ghost - Want to Hug You One More Time)

2011-03-26T18:47:00.003+08:00

To be frank, I was undecided on whether to watch this movie. I'm not a fan of Song Seung Heon and a remake of Ghost didn't seem particularly exciting although I have not watched the original before. I only saw parodies of that famous hug-from-the-back scene in Japanese variety programmes. However, I went ahead with this despite lots of bad reviews and I guess not having expectations made it easier for me to enjoy this movie as a whole.

To summarise, the movie is about a woman entrepreneur Hoshino Nanami (Matsushima Nanako) and a potter Kim Juno (Song Seung Heon) who meet by chance and eventually get married. However, their happiness is short-lived as Nanami dies due to a freak accident. Nanami's spirit later finds out that her death was not an accident after all and tries to stop the murderer from trying to harm Juno with the help of a little girl spirit (Ashida Mana) and a medium (Kiki Kirin).

As you can see, the story is really simple and not much of a roller-coaster ride in terms of emotions. The so-called suspense is also a no-brainer because the clues were too obvious right from the start. Anyone who has watched enough J-thrillers or mystery stories would be able to catch it before Nanami died. Moreover, Matsushima and Song's onscreen chemistry is just passable so that could be why reviews were mostly negative. They seemed really uncomfortable with each other as if Song is in awe of Matsushima and there's an invisible line between them. Even the highlight of the movie i.e. the hug-from-the-back scene wasn't executed romantically enough to make the female audience squeal with delight. The film was trying its best not to be overly adventurous (maybe for the sake of those who had watched the original film) but in the end, it put people off because it was playing safe. It was too safe, in my opinion. Since they had planned to do a remake which is not entirely the same as the original story, there should be greater flexibility in trying out new stuff. By doing a little of everything i.e. romance, thriller and humour, the film loses focus and alienates viewers because we simply can't feel for the characters involved. Ther separation at the end was supposed to be a tearjerker but I felt like an emotionless bystander. Nonetheless, Ashida Mana and Kiki Kirin managed to make things more bearable with the heart-warming and humourous scenes or the movie would have been a total bore.

The biggest saving grace for me was the theme song Aishiteru by Hirai Ken. He's really a master when it comes to ballads and thankfully, that gave this lacking movie a little bit more punch. I can't say the same of Hirai's version of Unchained Melody because the problem doesn't lie with the song but rather when it appeared with that signature scene in the movie, the visuals made me cringe so I can't really bring myself to like the song. Unchained Melody will never sound the same to me again.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 2 out of 10 (It was like trying too hard to make things stick to the formula and backfiring because it was too conservative)
Acting: 3 out of 10 (The supporting characters were more eye-catching)
Theme song: 8 out of 10 (Hirai Ken's theme song was a great match)
Visual effects / Scenery: 4 out of 10 (The execution of the scenes were rather smooth but there's not much scenery or special effects except the exploding bulbs.)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 3 out of 10 (Especially lacking between the leads)

Total: 20 out of 50

Final review of Umizaru

2011-03-20T00:36:00.000+08:00

Review of Umizaru

Average ratings of 13.12% which is considered average at best. Given the amount of money spent on the scenes underwater and the rescue operations at sea, I don't think the ratings are acceptable. I see the amount of effort put in by the staff and cast but sadly, it didn't translate into something quantitative for them.

It's the first time that I get to see a cinematic budget for a drama. Just look at the helicopters, ships, capsized boats, diving equipment etc throughout the drama and we can only imagine how big the budget is as compared to other dramas. Even hiring a full cast of A-listers might not even cost that much. I'm very impressed with the action scenes at sea especially in Ep 6, 7 and 8 where there's the shooting of the intruder ship and the episode where Ikezawa was shot by the pirates. I felt that the buildup of the tension was very well-done and since both incidents were kind of related i.e. dealing with armed enemies, the impact was much greater and memorable. Most of the time, the action scenes make me very hyped up and excited.

Actually, due to the drama being the second instalment under the Umizaru series, you might need to watch the movie first before you can understand some of the references to the past events. And it seems like they have already started with the filming of Umizaru 2 the movie where there's a short trailer shown at the final episode with some footage from it. The movie will be the conclusion of this series so you can see that the drama didn't have a proper ending as to where Senzaki is posted to. According to what I've seen in that trailer, the setting of the movie is on a cruise where they are trying to evacuate the passengers. Kanna also happens to be there when she sees Senzaki and she is even wearing a wedding gown in one of the scenes. In the end, the cruise blows up in where I assume to be Tokyo Bay judging from the surrounding scenery but it's at night so I'm not too sure. Anyway, we'll find out about this when the movie is shown in cinemas from 6 May 2006.

As for the plot itself, I feel that the emotional scenes tend to pale in comparison as compared to the action parts. Somehow, you get the feeling that the description of the feelings are merely superficial where I just don't feel convinced by some of the messages they are trying to convey. Maybe that's why the drama could have done better in terms of ratings if the softer aspect of the plot had been presented in a more engaging way.

Talking about the cast, let me rave about my personal favourites. Top of the list would be Nakamura Toru as Ikezawa Masaki. Besides his great build, I guess his acting stands out among the cast as he was supposed to be a cool guy from the start but gradually showed his emotions towards the end. The transition due to opening up to Senzaki was very natural and he can manage being funny yet serious at the same time. Another person worth mentioning would be Tokito Saburo as Shimokawa and you get the feel that he's a natural leader with that charismatic touch. When seeing the softer side of him in the presence of his daughter, it's also natural enough to convince you that the two different traits belong to the same person.

As for the lead actor Ito Hideaki, I think he's fine but I tend to dislike overly-passionate type of characters especially guys in dramas. Somehow, I do get the feeling that he's over-acting in some scenes which get emotional and this makes the character feel unreal. Oh well, I know Senzaki is supposed to be some guy who's hyped up over things but the way he handles switching from happy to sad e.g. when Ikezawa died, gives me the feeling that everything is completed with a snap of the finger so I don't see the gradual change. Kato Ai is pretty good and I find that she's better than she was in the movie. I guess the drama gave her more room to develop her role as Kanna and she showed the apprehension and dilemma of the role clearly.

Last but not least, the theme song, Ocean by B'z is one of my favourites this season. Every time it plays in the background especially during emotional scenes, it fits the atmosphere perfectly. Quality performance from the duo and kudos to the producers for getting them to do the theme song.

Out of a score of 10, I would give it 8 points. The two points were deducted due to the emotional subplot which did not pack as much impact as the action scenes.

Review of Umizaru Ep 11

2011-03-19T00:35:00.000+08:00

Ep 11: Kono te wo hanasanai (I won't let go of this hand)
O.A. 13 Sep 05
Ratings: 13.8%

Senzaki is given approval by Shimokawa to cut the bottom of the boat open so as to get Yui out. However, the boat starts to sink slowly with each movement and Senzaki finally manages to cut the boat open. Shimokawa cannot resist the urge to save his daughter and dives into the sea to enter the boat so as to push Yui out into the hands of Senzaki. This makes him trapped in the sinking boat and when he is saved, Shimokawa remains unconscious due to the lack of oxygen and stoppage of his heart.

Meanwhile, Rieko is informed that Yui has been saved but Shimokawa is still in the ICU where there's a danger of him being in a coma forever. However, Katsuta decides that it's not time to tell Rieko about this as Yui has yet to recover from this incident.

Senzaki calls Kanna to confirm his safety which also makes her mother relieved as she wonders how Kanna can withstand the feeling of worrying for him.

Katsuta tenders his resignation to Tsuda for not stopping Shimokawa from taking part in the rescue operation since he's related to the victim. However, Tsuda says that he's not to be blamed and that he will hold on to the resignation for the time being.

Senzaki stays by Shimokawa's side but his condition is not improving. Meanwhile, Yui is recovering from her injuries. Senzaki looks for Rieko to inform her about Shimokawa's condition and asks her to bring Yui to see Shimokawa for a chance that he might wake up.

Rieko brings Yui to Shimokawa's ward and the latter keeps asking him to wake up as she cries. Just as Yui prepares to leave, Shimokawa regain his consciousness and everyone is happy to know about this.

Tsuda informs Katsuta that the superiors have decided to retract Katsuta's appointment to a back-end management post as punishment for the incident. However, once Nagare is removed from their fleet, Katsuta will go to another ship to be the captain.

Senzaki apologises to Shimokawa for insisting on saving Yui first without waiting for the special team but the latter says that he should be the one at fault since he dived in to save Yui without thinking about the consequences. This is breaking the rule of divers where they would always have to return safely from each mission. As such, Shimokawa feels that he is no longer fit to be a diver and wants to transfer to a position where he doesn't have to go out to sea.

Senzaki goes to look for Kanna and her mother and explains that his buddies died before him in the past. However, he has no intention to quit and promises that once he feels that he cannot fulfil the promise of returning home safely to Kanna, he will not hesitate to quit. As such, Kanna's mother agrees to their relationship which the couple is very happy about.

Rieko calls Shimokawa and says that she will allow Yui to meet him as usual. Yabuki also gets Shimokawa to go diving with him again since the latter is going to quit from the frontline just when he's prepared to return to be a diver.

On the day when Nagare is to be removed from the fleet, everyone has their thoughts and memories there as they prepare to be transferred to various units.

Senzaki goes to Kanna after the ceremony and reveals that he's not sure where he will be posted to. They might end up in a long-distance relationship again but Kanna assures him that no matter where he goes, they will be fine...

Review of Umizaru Ep 10

2011-03-18T00:34:00.000+08:00

Ep 10: Inochi wo Kaete (Change Your Fate)
O.A. 6 Sep 05
Ratings: 12.7%

After getting over the psychological trauma of Ikezawa's death, Senzaki returns to Nagare with his new buddy, Yoshioka and takes up the role of his trainer just like what Ikezawa used to do with him. Meanwhile, Fuyushiba praises Kanna for improving in her designs and apologises for criticising Senzaki previously for being a burden to her career.

Shimokawa's ex-wife, Rieko asks of him not to meet his daughter, Yui in future as she is remarrying and that it would not be good for them to continue like this. This is in view of Yui's interests but he thinks that Rieko should not decide on this without consulting Yui.

Senzaki prepares to spend the night at Kanna's place and is waiting for Kanna to be done with her shower after his turn. However, Kanna's mother comes to visit her and is shocked to see the both of them scantily clad. As such, Senzaki has to go back to Nagare hurriedly. When asked about Senzaki's occupation, Kanna reveals that he's a coast guard diver which her mother is not happy to hear about.

On the last meeting between Shimokawa and Yui, Rieko reveals the truth to Yui who is reluctant to accept this arrangement. Shimokawa can only watch helplessly as Rieko brings the crying Yui home.

Senzaki finds out from Kanna that her father died due to an accident at sea thus her mother is not happy to know that she is dating someone working at sea. This is because she is worried that Kanna will suffer the same fate as her if Senzaki meets with any mishap.

Kanna and her mother are having dinner at OCEAN's where Senzaki happens to come with Yoshioka. He tries to talk to Kanna's mother but she gives him the cold shoulder. Finally, she drops a bombshell by telling Senzaki to break up with Kanna if he really loves her. Kanna has no choice but to tell Senzaki to return to Nagare first and leave her to persuade her mother.

Senzaki happens to see Yui looking around from the gate and finds out that she's looking for Shimokawa who is engaged in a meeting. As such, Senzaki brings her to the building to wait for Shimokawa but Rieko appears there to bring Yui back. When Senzaki asks Shimokawa why he didn't stop Rieko from taking Yui away, the latter says that he cannot disregard Rieko's feelings just because of his desire to see Yui.

Kanna prepares to send her mother back ad Senzaki comes to look for them. He explains that he is serious about dating Kanna but cannot give a guarantee not to die in the sea. Before he could go on further to convince Kanna's mother, Senzaki is summoned back to work as a pressure boat has capsized. When asked by her mother as to what she will do if Senzaki meets with any mishap, Kanna says that she has been worried countless times to date but she is mentally prepared for any outcome that may happen.

Nagare goes on a rescue mission to find the 2 missing persons from the capsized pressure boat. After finding one of them who is a ballet teacher, the divers are shocked to find out that the sole missing person is Yui...

Shimokawa calls Rieko to inform her of this news and gets her to come to the HQ to wait for updates. Meanwhile, Katsuta asks Shimokawa if he can keep calm in this rescue operation and the latter confirms that he will focus on saving the victim regardless of her identity...

The boat is stuck on some rocks and it looks set to sink if it is moved. In addition, the conditions underwater make it impossible for divers to enter the boat to look for Yui. Although the special rescue team has been summoned, Senzaki feels that it's not possible to wait any longer and asks Shimokawa for permission to use an electric saw to cut the bottom of the boat so as to look for Yui...

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We are left with a cliffhanger at the end of the episode where the rescue operation for Yui is not completed yet. The rescue scene is quite impressive and makes you stay at the edge of your seat. And from the trailer, someone might get hurt again and I'm hoping that there will not be any casualties again. The scriptwriters kill at least one person in the movie and in this drama so I'm sick of seeing any funerals.

In addition, Senzaki's problem with Kanna's mother is unresolved but I guess she will give her blessings by the next and final episode. And I doubt the couple will get married by the end of the series. Maybe in the Umizaru 2 movie?

Review of Umizaru Ep 9

2011-03-17T00:33:00.001+08:00

Ep 9: Ushinawareta Natsu wo Motomete (Searching for the lost summer)
O.A. 30 Aug 05
Ratings: 12.6%

Due to Ikezawa being shot by the pirates, Senzaki refuses to take part in the rescue operation to save them and stays by Ikezawa's side. However, due to intense bleeding, Ikezawa finally breathes his last and this makes his teammates very upset. The usually cool Shimokawa gets so frustrated that he goes to beat up those pirates.

At the same time, Naoko has just given birth to her daughter and is eagerly awaiting Ikezawa's return when the Coast Guard officers come visiting. They inform her of Ikezawa's demise and she is so shocked that she cannot react at all.

Ikezawa's body is sent back to Yokohama and Senzaki goes to the hospital to see Naoko. He passes her the piece of paper which Ikezawa had written where he had decided to choose the name Mako (combination of Masaki and Naoko) despite agonising over many names. Senzaki and Kanna are very sad about this matter but Naoko shows her inner strength by being brave for her daughter and refuses to wallow in despair.

Senzaki loses the confidence to continue working as a diver as he lost his buddy and refused to take part in the rescue operation due to personal feelings. In view of his current condition, Katsuta sends Senzaki to the diver school in Hiroshima to be an assistant trainer.

Senzaki tells Kanna about him going back to Hiroshima for a while and Kanna tries to cheer him up by even offering to go back with him. However, Senzaki's nonchalant attitude doesn't change and this is seen by Fuyushiba who happens to be in the same restaurant.

Yoshioka is elated to see Senzaki but the latter puts on a troubled face especially when he is reminded of his ex-training buddy who had passed away. At the same time, Kanna is so worried about Senzaki that she makes mistakes at work. Fuyushiba tells her to buck up and end the relationship if it is causing her a lot of distractions.

Yabuki goes to Hiroshima for the diver test and meets Senzaki who finds out from Shimokawa that Yabuki used to be seriously injured but had worked hard over the past 6 years to return to diving. In fact, this meeting is not a coincidence since Katsuta knew that Yabuki was going there and he had hoped that Senzaki would be inspired by Yabuki's strong determination.

Senzaki asks Yabuki why he is trying so hard to return to diving but the latter says that he doesn't wish to answer Senzaki's question since he is running away from the problem of losing his buddy. In fact, Yabuki even says that Senzaki is an eyesore which makes him more shocked.

Kanna goes to Naoko's place as she is planning to move out and return to her hometown in Chiba. Naoko reveals that Ikezawa was having problems with his eyesight but decided to stay on for Senzaki's sake. As such, Kanna decides to go to Senzaki directly and tell him the truth.

Senzaki is shocked to see Kanna and hears about Ikezawa's expectations of him. On the test day, Senzaki is inspired by Yabuki and Yoshioka's desire to succeed and decides to snap out of his depression...

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This episode is lacking in action and honestly speaking, I don't like to see scenes like this where the lead character gets depressed over someone's death. It's kind of draggy especially when this was already done in the movie version.

Next episode will see action and this time round, Shimokawa's daughter is lost at sea because the boat has capsized. It might get emotional again...

Review of Umizaru Ep 8

2011-03-16T00:32:00.000+08:00

Ep 8: Ikezawa Shisu (Ikezawa Dies)
O.A. 23 Aug 05
Ratings: 12.1%

Following the incident of the unidentified intruding ship, the Coast Guard decides to enforce a 2 week marine patrol where Nagare also has to take part in this mission. Senzaki finds time to have a meal with Kanna before he leaves. Kanna is worried about Naoko as it is nearing her delivery date and Ikezawa has to leave her at this time. However, she promises to take care of Naoko in the meantime so that Ikezawa can rest easy. Meanwhile, Naoko reminds Ikezawa to think of their child's name but he keeps saying that it is troublesome even though he is happy about this "task".

Shimokawa meets Yui and his ex-wife reveals that she might be remarrying soon and would probably have to stop Yui from meeting Shimokawa in future.

Nagare begins their 2-week patrol and things get rather boring since there's nothing happening. Senzaki goes to Ikezawa's room and sees him agonising over the perfect name for his child. As the gynae did not tell him the sex of the baby, Ikezawa is more troubled over finding a good name and Senzaki offers him some advice.

Meanwhile, Kanna rejects Fuyushiba and says that she has decided to stay with Senzaki. At the same time, she goes out strolling with Naoko and they serve as support for each other while their men are out at sea.

Ikezawa receives a phonecall from Naoko that she is having contractions and will go to the hospital with Kanna. Ikezawa gets flustered but still reminds Naoko to take the delivery safety amulet from th drawer. Naoko is touched by this act of concern even though Ikezawa rarely expresses his feelings to her.

Just at this time, reports of a floating man at sea come in and Nagare goes to save that man. It turns out that he's the crew of a Russian ship, Tristana who has been thrown overboard by some pirates who have taken over the ship. As such, Nagare goes to look for the ship concerned and all crew members have to wear bullet vests since the pirates are armed. Senzaki moans at having to deal with such a situation again just after the intruding ship incident.

Nagare finally finds the Tristana but the ship shows no signs of stopping. The captain of the ship jumps overboard so that he can escape from the pirates. Senzaki and Ikezawa go to save the captain and are relieved at achieving their goal. In the meantime, Naoko has given birth to a healthy girl.

However, disaster strucks at this time when the pirates fire shots at the rescue boat and Ikezawa is struck on his neck. He is bleeding profusely and slowly losing consciousness. Senzaki gets very worried and keeps encouraging Ikezawa not to give up. Meanwhile, a fire breaks out on the Tristana and the pirates pretend that they are part of the crew and jump overboard to ask for help. Shimokawa tells Senzaki to participate in the rescue but he refuses to do so since the pirates shot Ikezawa. Shimokawa knows that it is of no use trying to persuade Senzaki and leaves him with Ikezawa who is losing consciousness as time goes by...

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This is so sad... Why do they have to make Ikezawa die when he has jsut become a father? To increase the tragedy effect? It's probably going to affect my mood and motivation level to continue watching as watching Nakamura Tooru is one of the biggest draw factors for me. I just don't understand why they have to kill off the character in Ep 8.

Next episode is probably to be worse when the funeral scene repeats itself. Do they really have to make someone die in each instalment of the Umizaru series? In addition, Senzaki goes through his "loss of confidence" stage again...This is making the story turn out to be predictable and I hope that they can quickly make some changes before the season ends.

Review of Umizaru Ep 7

2011-03-15T00:31:00.000+08:00

Ep 7: Hito wo Koroshita (I killed people)
O.A. 16 Aug 05
Ratings: 12.9%

Nagare is given orders by the HQ to fire warning shots at the unidentified ship and Ikezawa and Senzaki have to follow the instructions to do so. They are also hoping that the ship's crew do not retalliate or they might have to shoot directly at the ship. Meanwhile, Naoko is hospitalised due to the danger of a premature delivery and Kanna is sitting in the lobby watching the news while waiting for treatment to be completed. Shimokawa's daughter, Yui happens to view the news from an electrical applicance shop as she is returning home and feels worried for her father's safety.

After Ikezawa and Senzaki are done with the warning shots, they await in silence as to how the unidentified ship will react. Suddenly, shots from the ship hit Nagare and even break windows and make dents on the vessel. In the name of self-defence, Katsuta gives orders to fire direct shots at the ship. Ikezawa and Senzaki have to follow the instructions. Halfway through it, Senzaki tells Ikezawa to stop but he cannot do so without orders. Out of a sudden, the unidentified ship explodes in flames but it is not clear whether it explodes on its own or was hit by the bullets from Nagare. The ship sinks in no time which makes Ikezawa and Senzaki heave a sigh of relief.

When dawn arrives, investigation work begins but nothing of importance which could identify the sunk ship can be found. Senzaki happens to see a plastic glove and this increases his sense of guilt since this proves that someone was killed as a result of the bullets they fired.

Nagare returns to Yokohama and Senzaki hears the voice mail from Kanna about Naoko being hospitalised. He rushes to see Naoko with Ikezawa immediately. Ikezawa is relieved that nothing has happened to Naoko and the baby. Kanna starts to question why Ikezawa is not with Naoko when she needed him most. Senzaki tries to explain to Kanna about their mission but she says that she just cannot accept seeing how helpless Naoko was without her husband. Meanwhile, Naoko wakes up and is very happy to see Ikezawa. However, he tries to evade her loving gaze and says that he will return later after completing his work as he cannot bear seeing Naoko after killing someone with the shots he fired.

Shimokawa receives a phonecall from his ex-wife asking him to cancel the monthly meeting with Yui so that their daughter will not be reminded of the shooting incident she saw on TV. However, Yui has gone to the harbour base in the hope of seeing Shimokawa but to no avail.

Senzaki, Ikezawa, Shimokawa and Katsuta are summoned to the coast guard HQ for a questioning with regards to the incident. Shimokawa is waiting in the lobby while the three of them enter the meeting room.

Shimokawa happens to meet Yabuki who asks whether Shimokawa is still intending to stay as a diver. He hides the real reason for rejecting the promotion and simply tells Yabuki that he likes being on the frontline.

After Ikezawa and Senzaki return to Nagare, Katsuta hears from his superior that Nagare would have to be scrapped since it's the oldest vessel in the fleet and that there were too many damages as a result of this shooting incident. Meanwhile, Yoshioka makes up his mind to go to diving school and promises to return to Nagare when training is completed.

Kanna and Fuyushiba go for dinner together and he brings up the subject of them dating seriously. However, Kanna asks for more time which he agrees to. After they leave the restaurant, Kanna happens to see the footage of the shooting incident from the outdoor TV screen and decides to reject Fuyushiba's suggestion to send her home.

Kanna returns home and is in a daze about what she should do to her relationship with Senzaki. Suddenly, the doorbell rings and Senzaki has come to look for her. However, Senzaki tells her not to open the door as he cannot face her after killing someone. He says that he cannot continue to be with her and leaves while crying. Kanna finally makes up her mind and chases after Senzaki. She promises that she will stick with him regardless what happens and they embrace in the rain...

Meanwhile, Naoko senses that Ikezawa is very affected by the shooting incident and reassures him that she will be with him and that nothing will change regardless what he does. Ikezawa is so touched that he can only hug Naoko while crying...

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As I expected, the shooting scene is very well-done and the atmosphere is so tense that it keeps your attention for at least 10 minutes right in the beginning. However, the gloomy atmosphere makes this episode rather emotionally heavy as we have Senzaki and Ikezawa moping over the use of weapons and killing someone in the act of self-defence and Nagare is about to be scrapped soon. And things are going to get worse from the next episode where someone dies...

Well, I guess Kanna finally knows that between fear for Senzaki's safety and fear of not being able to stay with him, she is unable to bear the latter. I think there should not be any of those breakup scenes between these two again since the drama is nearing its end.

Review of Umizaru Ep 6

2011-03-14T00:30:00.000+08:00

Ep 6: Fushizen Hassha (Shooting the mysterious ship)
O.A. 9 Aug 05
Ratings: 10.7%

As usual, the diving team is undergoing training and Ikezawa puts in more effort to coach Senzaki as compared to the past. The rest of the team mates are happy that they are getting aong fine. Senzaki is very happy because he truly feels like he's being accepted by Ikezawa as a buddy. He even encourages his junior, Yoshioka to try his hand at aiming to be a diver.

In the meantime, Kanna who had witnessed the toughness and apprehension during the family day incident, loses her confidence at whether she can continue to be in a relationship with Senzaki. However, she is busy with the upcoming fashion exhibition and has to cast such worries aside.

One day, Kanna meets Ikezawa's wife, Naoko at the departmental store and asks how she copes with the constant worry over her husband's safety. Naoko says that Ikezawa was already a diver when they were dating and he talks very little about his work. However, he always assures Naoko that he will return home safely and as time goes by, Naoko has learnt to cope with the apprehension slowly. Nevertheless, this does not reduce Kanna's anxiety over whether she can be like Naoko if she continues to be with Senzaki.

Kanna's superior, Fuyushiba asks her about her relationship with Senzaki and even lends a listening ear to Kanna who is grateful about his concern.

Shimokawa happens to see his ex-buddy, Yabuki training alone in the pool. Yabuki had used to work with him 2 years ago until an accident resulted in him sustaining a major injury in his leg. As such, he has not been able to return to work as a diver but he is still trying to train on his own. At the same time, Shimokawa is invited to transfer to the HQ for a promotion but he keeps rejecting this offer because he hopes to wait for Yabuki to return to work as a diver.

Senzaki asks Kanna out for a date without knowing how she is feeling. Kanna says that she wants to have a normal relationship where she doesn't have to worry about her boyfriend's safety but Senzaki says that he will never quit his job. As the discussion is going nowhere, Kanna leaves without saying anything to return to work and Senzaki is helpless about this situation.

Nagare is assigned to chase after an unidentified ship and the HQ is tense over this situation.

In the meantime, Kanna has just finished her company's exhibition and during the celebration party, Fuyushiba tells her to consider dating him since he will never let her feel lonely. However, Kanna is unable to react to this and Fuyushiba tells her that he will be waiting for her answer. At this moment, Kanna receives a phonecall saying that Naoko is hospitalised and in danger of having a miscarriage or a premature delivery.

When Kanna reaches the hospital, she happens to see from the TV that Nagare has been sent to chase after the unidentified ship. She is worried about Senzaki but keeps this from Naoko who should not be burdened with more worries.

According to the analysis of images from the unidentified ship, Nagare receives news from the HQ that the ship carries some missile guns and everyone has to put on bullet vests. In addition, Senzaki and Ikezawa have to make preparations to shoot at the ship to warn it and protect themselves if the crew retalliates.

As Naoko is undergoing treatment, Kanna goes to the lobby and is closely following the news on this incident. When she sees the images of a similar incident 4 years back especially the shooting scene, she gets more worried for Senzaki's safety.

As Ikezawa and Senzaki are preparing to load the ammunition, the latter gets worried and asks Ikezawa if they are really going to shoot. It is the very first time when Senzaki feels fear since he has worked as a coast guard diver. As the unidentified ship shows no signs of stopping, the captain gives orders to fire wild shots to warn the crew...

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Wow, more action! And since this incident will be continued next episode, the real shooting will only begin then. However, chasing that ship and preparing to load the ammunition is enough to get me pretty hyped up but ratings do not seem to reflect interest. The buildup of the tense atmopshere seems to be promising. Maybe things will get better by the next episode.

As for Kanna and Senzaki, I know they are probably going to get at it again i.e. she feels unsecure, wants to break up and then patches up. The process just repeats itself over and over again but I know they won't really break up so easily. Their relationship should grow stronger especially as the drama is nearing its end. I don't think they will break up completely...maybe quarrels will recur though...

Review of Umizaru Ep 5

2011-03-13T00:29:00.000+08:00

Ep 5: Totsuzen no Wakare (A sudden farewell)
O.A. 2 Aug 05
Ratings: 12.0%

During training to save a drowning person, Senzaki uses a different method which Ikezawa asks why he did that. After listening to Senzaki's reasoning, Ikezawa praises him which makes him very happy. Shimokawa is glad that the relationship between them is improving.

One day, Bessho brings Senzaki and his buddy, Nagashima to a diving school to be the instructors for the day which make them very excited since there are lots of pretty girls around. At the same time, Ikezawa is at the hospital where he is told by the doctor that he has an eye-related ailment which will hamper his work as a diver.

Bessho, Nagashima and Senzaki go to Ocean's for drinks when Bessho suddenly announces that he is quiting to be a diving instructor instead. Nagashima gets agitated at this announcement. At this time, Kanna happens to come and meet Senzaki who explains to her about how their buddy system works and his relationship with Ikezawa.

Senzaki returns to Nagare and talks about Bessho's resignation with Ikezawa who also tells him that he's quiting. Senzaki thinks that Ikezawa has plans to return to the elite team but the latter says that he is transferring to another department.

Shimokawa goes to Bessho to ask about his reason for quiting and he says that he is losing confidence in his abilities. He doesn't want to wait till there are casualties before quiting thus Shimokawa is unable to persuade him to change his mind.

On the family day where Nagare is opened for visiting by the crew's family and friends, Kanna and Ikezawa's wife, Naoko also come to join in the fun. However, the sudden recall of Nagare to join in the rescue operation makes the family members worry. Kanna stays with Naoko at the harbour to wait for the return of Nagare. Naoko is very worried about her husband and keeps grabbing Kanna's hand for comfort.

At sea, the rescue operation experiences problems when the sunk ship overturns underwater thus trapping the divers. Bessho ends up injured as a result. When Nagare finally returns to the harbour, Naoko and Kanna heave a sigh of relief at seeing that Ikezawa and Senzaki are fine.

Senzaki comes to Bessho's ward and overhears his conversation with Nagashima. Bessho says that he has problems controlling his rashness during rescue operations and does not want to get Nagashima into trouble.

Ikezawa returns to Nagare and meets Katsuta who tells him to reconsider staying in Nagare instead of quiting.

Senzaki and Kanna are at Ocean's when Ikezawa comes and deliberately antagonises Senzaki. They end up having a competition doing pull-ups where Senzaki ends up losing. As such, Ikezawa promises to stay on in Nagare to teach Senzaki and tells Shimokawa that he will stay for about 6 months but will leave immediately if his condition gets worse.

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The feeling of waiting for your loved ones to return is not good at all. Seeing how Naoko and Kanna worry while waiting makes you realise how difficult it is to cope with such worries on a daily basis. And this is probably going to make Kanna lose confidence in herself as to whether she can withstand such stress and worries in future as seen in the next episode's trailer.

One thing which I cannot comprehend is that Ikezawa faces possible blindness if he continues to dive and yet he continues to put his eyesight at risk? I know it will be weird if they leave him out of the story at this stage but it just doesn't seem right for the millitary to allow someone with a health condition hampering his work to stay on in the current position.

That pull-up competition between Ikezawa and Senzaki is quite dramatic and too long but if you are in it for the visual aspect i.e. the muscles and nice bodies , it should be enjoyable to look at.

Review of Umizaru Ep 4

2011-03-12T00:28:00.000+08:00

Ep 4: Umi ni Kieta Omoi wo Sagase! (Search for the missing memories in the sea)
O.A. 26 July 05
Ratings: 13.7%

The Nagare diving crew is searching for a missing captain, Tokunaga Sakae whose ship sank during the typhoon. However, after a few days of searching, they are unable to find his body and the search operation is thus called off.

Senzaki gets a day off and goes to look for Kanna who is unhappy with him standing her up on a number of dates due to work. He brings Kanna to a restaurant for dinner and is trying to humour her. Senzaki tells Kanna that his birthday is coming and asks for a birthday present from her when he notices someone staring at him furiously. It turns out that the son of Tokunaga, Masaya is working in the restaurant and is angry at Senzaki who is enjoying himself. Senzaki returns to Nagare and tells his colleagues about it. They tell him to forget about this matter so as to prevent this from affecting his mood.

A few days later, Tokunaga's body is found some distance away from the sunk ship due to underwater currents. However, his son Masaya wants the coast guards to search for something for which the request is rejected.

Senzaki is curious about what Masaya wants to find and sees him diving near the location of the sunk ship. He pays a visit to Tokunaga's place and Masaya's mother reveals that her son is looking for a watch which used to belong to his father and that he had planned to give the watch to Masaya.

Senzaki returns to Nagare and tells Shimokawa and Ikezawa about this but they tell Senzaki to keep out of this matter as they should not associate too much with the family members of the victim.

Senzaki goes to look for Masaya and tells him about the danger of diving non-stop to look for that watch. However, Masaya ignores him despite his mother also calling him to stop. On his off day, Senzaki comes to help Masaya look for the watch at the expense of cancelling his date with Kanna who gets angry at him again. However, he has no luck in finding that watch.

Senzaki is told off by Shimokawa that he should be stopping Masaya from diving instead of searching with him. Senzaki says that he is feeling uneasy because Masaya saw his happy look when he was with Kanna even though he had just finished the searching operation earlier on.

Kanna finds out about what happened from Yoshioka and feels embarrassed at getting angry without knowing the truth. She tries to cheer up Senzaki by sending a message to him for their next date.

Senzaki goes to look for Masaya again to stop him when the latter faints and falls into the sea. Senzaki manages to save Masaya from drowning but he does not want to stop searching and says that Senzaki has no right to stop him.

Senzaki calls Kanna to cancel their date on his birthday as there is training on that day. Shimokawa had suggested to Katsuta to search for the watch as their training programme which he agreed to. However, the crew cannot find the watch after a whole day at sea while Masaya and his mother look on from the beach.

Senzaki apologises to Masaya for being unable to find the watch which Masaya has come to terms with after seeing how hard he tried to find it. He asks for something from Senzaki as remembrance so he gives Masaya his old diver's watch.

Senzaki finally manages to meet Kanna who passes him the birthday present. He is very touched when he sees that Kanna has bought him a diver's watch...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This episode is kind of boring. There's not much action since they were only searching for a watch and it seems quite unrealistic to change the training plan and use a ship to find a watch. It felt kind of cliche to see this and this is the first time when I actually felt bored watching this drama so far.

The only development would probably be Kanna and Senzaki's relationship. Well, he has already warned her beforehand that he's going to stand her up and break promises often due to work. However, when it comes to experiencing it, Kanna gets angry everytime Senzaki calls up to cancel their date and yet doesn't know how to handle such frustration. She knows that it can't be helped but that doesn't reduce the unhappiness. At least we see that she's willing to compromise a little and think more for Senzaki but who knows how long her patience will run?

The next episode seems to be more interesting as Ikezawa prepares to quit due to his eyesight problem so that's probably going to cause more uneasiness in Senzaki now that his buddy is leaving.

Review of Umizaru Ep 3

2011-03-11T00:27:00.000+08:00

Ep 3: Okizari no Ai (Left behind love)
O.A. 19 Jul 05
Ratings: 12.1%

Senzaki and Kanna are at a loss on how to handle their relationship. Although Senzaki has feelings for Kanna and wants to regard her as his girlfriend, Kanna is unsure of their relationship due to being apart for 1 year at different places. However, Kanna decides that it is best to talk things over with Senzaki and leaves a voice message on his handphone but he's not sure how to respond to her.

The divers team head for training in a 40m pool where they have to exchange equipment underwater with their buddy. Ikezawa tells Shimokawa that he intends to do something different to train Senzaki and the latter has a hunch that something might happen. When Ikezawa and Senzaki reach the bottom of the pool, Ikezawa deliberately removes the oxygen pump and and empties his oxygen tank. As Senzaki is only left with 20% of oxygen, he would have to share this with Ikezawa and take regular breaks along the 10m markers so as to make it safely up to the surface. However, he panicks and does an emergency surfacing which causes him and Ikezawa to be hospitalised due to lack of oxygen. In actual fact, if Senzaki had remained calm, the two of them would have managed to surface safely. If he had not pulled Ikezawa with him during the emergency surfacing, they would not have been hospitalised.

Kanna meets Senzaki's colleagues at Ocean and hears from them about Senzaki's injury. Yoshioka asks Kanna to visit Senzaki at the hospital.

As a result of this incident, the HQ thinks that if Ikezawa and Senzaki cause any more trouble in future, they would have to be taken off Nagare but Katsuta defends them and says that Ikezawa did nothing wrong to test Senzaki during training.

Ikezawa's wife, Naoko who is 8 months pregnant comes to visit him and calls him "Ma-kun" which makes him blush. Senzaki is stunned by this and tries to stiffle his giggles at the thought of Ikezawa's nickname. When returning to his ward after seeing the doctor, he sees Kanna who has come to visit him. Kanna says that they should start from as friends again. Although Senzaki is disappointed, he agrees to her suggestion and feels that it is better than Kanna avoiding him. Senzaki also happens to see Naoko crying outside the ward because she's worried for Ikezawa.

Ikezawa and Senzaki return to Nagare after a few days and Katsuta reminds them that he would not interfere in their training as long as there's no casualties. At night, the two meet in the bathroom and Ikezawa makes Senzaki swear not to tell the others about his nickname.

On the off day for the Nagare crew, Senzaki and Kanna go for a date at the aquarium while Shimokawa comes to his ex-wife's shop to pick up his daughter, Yui and plans to go to the amusement park with her. Ikezawa goes home to spend time with Naoko and suddenly feels that his eyesight is distorted but he does not tell Naoko.

However, the holiday is disrupted due to a urgent mission to save a ship which has hit the rocks. As such, the crew is recalled.

Shimokawa has no choice but to let Yui take the train home alone and can only look helplessly at her disappointed face. Ikezawa cannot eat lunch with Naoko and leaves her behind, looking very worried. While Senzaki and Kanna are kissing, his handphone rings and he has to return to Nagare.

Kanna is unable to accept his sudden departure and insists on finding out the reason. She even suspects that he is two-timing her but Senzaki tells her that he has to rush back for a mission. He says that this will happen very often if they are to continue seeing each other which makes Kanna thoughtful about whether she can bear this...

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The action scene for this episode is the training scene which can keep you at the edge of your seat. Well, although Ikezawa's action seemed like a prank initially, when you finally see why he is doing this, I have to applaud him for his thinking. Yes, there is a chance that you might have to share the oxygen supply with your buddy in case something happens to the oxygen tank. Being able to keep calm underwater is a prerequisite to keeping yourself alive despite the circumstances. It's clear that Senzaki still has a long way to go and he should be able to learn a lot from Ikezawa. However, seeing Ikezawa having some problems with his vision, this is a sign that something is wrong with his body and his career might be prematurely ended.

The highlight this episode is more on the emotional aspect as compared to the earlier episodes which focus more on action. Being left behind because your husband/father/boyfriend is recalled...I think I can see how upset their family members feel. However, it's a tough choice and extremely difficult to balance work with family so the anguish really gets to you.

Ratings-wise, this is going on a downhill ride but I guess it should stablise around the 12-14% mark by mid-season. However, the point now is to keep the plot engaging or else it might just fall below the 10% mark despite the massive budget for this drama. Personally, I think action works better for Umizaru so they can do more about that rather than focusing on the emotional aspect.

Review of Umizaru Ep 2

2011-03-10T00:26:00.000+08:00

Ep 2: Sensuishi Uagasezu (The diver who doesn't float to the surface)
O.A. 12 July 05
Ratings: 13.9%

Due to the failure of the rescue mission, the captain of Asian Trip, Uchida dies before the divers get to him again. Senzaki is unable to comprehend why Ikezawa decided to save the young crew first instead of the much older Uchida and feels that they should have saved the weaker Uchida first.

As a result of this incident, the HQ wonders if ths has to do with Senzaki but the captain, Katsuta gives an ambiguous answer saying that no newbie doesn't commit mistakes and doesn't commit as to whether the failure was due to Senzaki. The investigation officer goes to Shimokawa who tells him that if he wants to have a 100% successful rescue operation, he might as well use robots since human beings are prone to mistakes.

Shimokawa returns to Nagare and tells Ikezawa to be less aloof towards Senzaki since he is Ikezawa's new buddy. He retorts that Shimokawa should give him a more capable buddy instead of asking him to take charge of a newbie. Shimokawa sees through the reason why Ikezawa decided not to save the captain, Uchida first and Ikezawa had then deliberately gave Uchida ambiguous words to keep his motivation high. In fact, Ikezawa knew that Senzaki was inexperienced and did not want to risk saving Uchida first as this would be dangerous for a newbie to do so. As such, due to the higher chance of saving the younger crew member, Ikezawa made his decision accordingly. This conversation is accidentally overheard by Senzaki who realises how naive he had been when he questioned Ikezawa's decision.

During lunch, Senzaki goes to Ikezawa and reveals that he made some promises to Uchida which made the latter lose his determination to hang on. Ikezawa gets angry and almost thrashes Senzaki but leaves in a huff after being stopped by the others.

Chika calls Kanna and tells her that she has 2 tickets to a musical. Kanna agrees to go and Chika misunderstands that she's going to ask Senzaki to accompany her. However, Kanna does not intend to tell Senzaki and Chika reminds her to be frank with him soon as he is still under the impression that they are dating. Kanna asks her superior, Fuyushiba to go for the musical but he rejects her, saying that he is playing soccer with his friends.

Senzaki calls Kanna and intends to confide his problems to her but she's not too enthusiastic about speaking to him. He asks her out on Sunday but Kanna lies that she is busy with work.

That night, Senzaki and his colleagues go to Ocean to have dinner and bump into Kanna there. There is an uncomfortable silence between the two. Just then, Chika returns to the restaurant and misunderstands that Kanna has decided to ask Senzaki out for the musical after all. He realises that Kanna does not intend to go with him and returns the ticket to her before leaving Ocean.

There is a new mission for Nagare where they are to save a crew from a China-registered ship which is sinking due to cracks at the bottom. Senzaki is tense because of what happened previously. Shimokawa reassures him that he might have saved the captain first instead of what Ikezawa did and reminds Senzaki not to forget that he's not inferior to Ikezawa and is his buddy on equal standing.

After saving the crew members from the Chinese ship, Lai Feng, Senzaki senses that the crew seem to be uneasy about something which is also noticed by Ikezawa. As such, they decide to return to the sinking ship to search and Shimokawa gives them 3 mins to do so.

Senzaki and Ikezawa finds that there are 2 people being trapped in a compartment and they are illegal immigrants from China. However, as the door is locked, the two take a long time to break the lock while water is gushing into the ship. When they finally get to the illegal immigrants, Ikezawa tells Senzaki to bring one of them back to the surface and gets the other guy. However, the guy attacks Ikezawa in a state of panic and the latter almost loses consciousness but Senzaki returns with another diver to save them.

At the same time, Kanna feels bad about what happen in Ocean and calls Senzaki. She leaves a voice message for him, saying that they should meet up once to talk things over...
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To me, the highlight of this episode is the rescue scene where they were rushing against time to save those illegal immigrants while the ship was sinking. Looking at how realistic the rescue scenes looked for these past 2 episodes, I simply wonder how much money they have spent on this drama so far. And we are not even at the halfway mark of the season. However, I like the action scenes very much so I'm not really complaining.

On the relationship-side, I guess things between Senzaki and Ikezawa are going to improve now that he has saved Ikezawa once even though Ikezawa said before that there will be no chance of Senzaki having to save him. Maybe this episode will make him treat Senzaki with a better attitude.

As for Senzaki's relationship with Kanna, he finally realises that things are not what he has assumed all along since she lied to him that she was busy with work and yet could go to a musical on the same day. Maybe after talking things out next week, we might get an idea of where this is going...

Review of Umizaru Ep 1

2011-03-09T00:24:00.002+08:00

Ep 1: Unmei no Maku Hirake (The screen on life is lifted)
O.A. 5 July 05
Ratings: 17.8%

Senzaki Daisuke (Ito Hideaki) is a rescue diver at Fukuoka's Coast Guard for the past one year. He was previously a salesman from a health food company but made the switch to be a diver because he was bored with his life and wanted to rescue people. He is informed of his transfer to Yokohama's Coast Guard and calls his "girlfriend", Izawa Kanna who is flustered by his move while moving house to Yokohama. Her friend Mitsumori Chika who is helping her, notices Kanna's weird expression but she just says that her friend is moving to Yokohama and does not reveal her relationship with Senzaki.

Senzaki is assigned to work on board a patrol ship, Nagare which is a small and old vessel and he feels quite disappointed upon seeing the ship. He is brought around by Yoshioka Tetsuya (Sato Ryuta) but bullies him once he finds out that Yoshioka is younger than him.

Senzaki is introduced to the crew on Nagare by the captain, Katsuta and he finds out that his buddy is Ikezawa Masaki who is cool and gives him the cold shoulder. Actually, Katsuta and the head of the divers team, Shimokawa have their reservations about letting Senzaki join them but Katsuta wants to give Senzaki a chance before passing judgement.

(If you have watched the movie, you would have known that during the practical exam, Senzaki's partner was trapped underwater and he caused a bit of trouble because of his inability to save his buddy. Even though their instructors called for reinforcements to save them, his training mates did not wait for help and went ahead to save the duo even though they were not allowed to. That resulted in an inquiry of the instructors where Senzaki and his teammates defended them. As such, this incident earned that batch of trainees a bad reputation so people were wary about them causing trouble.)

During the welcome party at Ocean (a restaurant), Senzaki is having dinner with his diving teammates and Yoshioka while talking about Kanna. At the same time, Kanna is at the same restaurant (she lives upstairs) and talks about her relationship with Senzaki. She does not know how to categorise their relationship and doesn't regard him as her boyfriend since they only met once during this year.

Senzaki spots Kanna and drags her to his friends so as to introduce her as his girlfriend. Kanna is in a fluster and goes home to calm down since she did not expect to see Senzaki.

Senzaki returns to Nagare and sees Ikezawa doing some training. He tries to talk to him but Ikezawa remains cold towards him. Senzaki finds out from Yoshioka that Ikezawa used to be a special diver from the elite team.

That night, a ship named Asian Trip is submerged due to its clash against some rocks so Nagare is sent to save the crew of the ship. Ikezawa and Senzaki have to search for the survivors with their other teammates and find 2 of them in the cabin filled with water. Ikezawa makes the decision to save the younger man since they only have equipment to save one man at a time. Before Senzaki leaves, he promises the elderly captain that he will return. However, when Ikezawa returns to the cabin with his other teammates, the captain has disappeared...

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Firstly, for those who have not watched the movie, you might be lost about some of the developments in this debut episode e.g. how Senzaki and Kanna knew and fell in love, what is Mr Densha Otoko doing in this drama (his character died in the movie due to drowning while saving someone), what is Karina doing in the drama. However, there are some flashback scenes from the movie which should help you understand how the plot develops.

In my opinion, I found the first episode pretty entertaining and it throws up some issues to consider.

- What is it that is stopping Kanna from acknowledging Senzaki as her boyfriend? What kind of doubts and worries does she has towards their future?

From what I see, Kanna doesn't seem to feel secure with Senzaki even though they did fall in love last summer. However, due to the distance between them, she was in Tokyo and he in Fukuoka, this has made their relationship appear more platonic than what Senzaki sees it. Alternatively, I can say that Kanna's passion for Senzaki has sort of cooled down. Besides, the nature of his job seems to make Kanna wonder if she can live with the fear that he might die suddenly due to a mishap.

- Why does Ikezawa behave so coldly to people and what is he doing on Nagare even though he used to be a diver from the elite team?

Well, if I'm correct, something must have happened e.g. a buddy died or something which changed his character. And when you see him talking to someone on his mobile phone (most probably his wife), he was so gentle and caring thus I don't think he's aloof by nature.

- If Senzaki and Ikezawa had saved the elderly captain first, would it have resulted in the younger crew member being saved too since he should be able to hold out longer than the older man? Was there a mistake here when making the decision?

There is no definite answer. I do not know what is the basis of their decision and they really had to leave someone behind first since there was only one set of diving gear. As such, if they had considered that the captain could not be able to wait for the next team of divers, they may have taken him with them. Instead, Ikezawa chose to save the younger man first thus I'm guessing that this is due to the fact that he might have a higher chance of survival than the captain.

Last but not least, the theme song, Ocean by B'z is very good. Well, that's sort of expected from them but the ending credits was too short to hear it in full so when the single is released, I can get a clearer picture of the song's meaning. It's a ballad in rock style, try thinking of Konya Tsuki Mieru Okani (Beautiful Life) which is similar in terms of the tempo.

I'm most probably going to stay on. Well, the story attracts me but the main attraction in the cast is not Ito Hideaki but rather Nakamura Toru. I never knew that he was so well-built and when you see him perform push-ups topless, I doubt most female viewers can stop drooling...

Preview of Umizaru (drama series) - Summer 2005

2011-03-08T00:21:00.001+08:00

Cast

Senzaki Daisuke - Ito Hideaki
Izawa Kanna - Kato Ai
Ikezawa Maki - Nakamura Toru
Yoshioka Tetsuya - Sato Ryuta
Komori Chika - Sato Hitomi
Fuyushiba Kosuke - Suzuki Kazuma
Katsuda Kotaro - Natsuyagi Isao

Review of Kokuhaku (Confession)

2011-03-06T10:07:00.002+08:00

I didn't watch Kokuhaku in a cinema but rather, it was on board a dimly-lit plane using a very small screen. As such, this may have affected the way I felt about the movie since the sound effects and scale of viewing were very different. However, I wouldn't go as far as saying that this had a radical impact on my thoughts about the film because I will be focusing more on the story and acting in this review.

True to the film's title, the movie starts off with a confession by a junior high school teacher Moriguchi Yuko. She announces her resignation and goes into details on what led to this. Initially, her class is rowdy and no one seems to be listening to her monologue. However, as more information is divulged and the students start to realise the seriousness of Moriguchi's tale, they gradually pay attention to what she's saying. No doubt Moriguchi sounds as if she's talking about someone else (her tone is calm and lacks emotion), you can hear the anger and pain in her subdued words as she describes her revenge against the two students who killed her daughter. The final revelation that she did something to the culprits makes them freak out and this marks the beginning of the journey of revenge Moriguchi has embarked on.

Moriguchi leaves the school and the students seem to have forgotten about what she said. However, the lingering impact on the culprits cause a lot of problems as one is constantly being bullied in school while the other refuses to go to school. Along the way, there is more information as to why these two teens resorted to murder. Just when you think that Moriguchi's revenge had ended when she resigned, her final step in completing the process just leaves you gasping at how detailed and comprehensive her revenge is. She doesn't have to kill the culprits directly. What she did was even more damaging than that.

The star of this movie is Matsu Takako. Sometimes, the lead actor/actress may not be the most eye-catching but Matsu really shines in this. She doesn't appear throughout the movie but just the first part of her confession to her class of junior high students is enough to win her lots of accolades. This is especially impressive because the limited amount of screen time makes it even more difficult for her to drive her message across. She doesn't need to resort to hysterics or exaggerated expressions with her subdued acting. This is the first time I've seen something from her and I'm convinced that she has come a long way since her Long Vacation/Love Generation days when she always played goody-two-shoes roles.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have Kimura Yoshino who has to deliver a very intense performance as the mother of one of the culprits. Her role is one who loves her son so much that she believes in him blindly and blames everyone else for her son's eccentric behaviour after Moriguchi's revelation. It really got on my nerves to see how Kimura's character was so obsessed with believing that her son is just an innocent boy victimised although I understood how much she loved her son. If Matsu's acting in this movie is like a stream flowing steadily, Kimura's version is more like rapids surging ahead. Kimura also did very well in this movie but I guess Matsu's confession scene is very hard to beat. Kimura also had some teething problems in the past when she was restricted to nice girls' roles but she's also had lots of exposure in recent years playing very different roles. It's nice to see these actresses moving on to try a variety of roles and open up even more opportunities along the way.

Okada Masaki started to appear in the middle of the movie as the new form teacher after Moriguchi's departure and he really got on my nerves as a passionate and hot blood teacher. I liked him when he was in HanaKimi but I've not really followed his progress since then. I think the hairstyle was what irked me as well. Anyway, you'll sympathise with him as the story goes along because he's always been fighting an uphill battle to get the culprits to blend in with the class. Not knowing what had happened was to his disadvantage after all.

I didn't expect the ending to be in this manner. I was thinking that it might be a conventional conclusion to a controversial story but I'm glad that there was this surprise waiting for me at the end. Nonetheless, I think the way Moriguchi concluded her journey of revenge was something the censors didn't want kids to learn from so that's why it was restricted to cinema-goers of a certain age. Sometimes, revenge doesn't have to be done in a violent manner but I think Moriguchi's method had a greater impact on her daughter's murderers because it totally destroyed them emotionally.

Although I was pretty impressed with the movie's beginning and ending, the central portion was quite slow and draggy. This sort of slowed down the pace and suspense built up by the crucial confession scene so I thought it was a pity. I wouldn't go as far to say that this movie is over-hyped but I must say that it could be better if the central part could move more quickly.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 7 out of 10 (The pace could have been adjusted to make things move more quickly but I like the beginning and ending)
Acting: 9 out of 10 (This is for Matsu Takako and Kimura Yoshino)
Theme song: 4 out of 10 (The BGM didn't really leave an impression on me)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (This was for the final revenge scene on one of the culprits. Other than that, there aren't a lot of visual effects/scenery to speak of)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 3 out of 10 (Not much interaction among the characters so no chemistry to speak of)

Total: 29 out of 50

Trivia of Koi ni Ochitara

2011-03-03T00:24:00.001+08:00

Trivia of Koi no Ochitara

Here's some of the FAQ asked by viewers and answered by the staff of Koi ni Ochitara where you can find out more on the drama:

1) The theme song was written by Crystal Kay specially for the drama thus you will see that the lyrics are reflective of the plot.

2) Shimao's house is set at Chuo-ku where there's a street of nostalgic feel.

3) The master of Rioha (the bar where Frontier staff frequent), Mamoruko (Sato Eriko) provides free food or wine to whoever she feels like giving to without any special preference.

4) The staff in Frontier know about Kirino and Takayanagi being ex-lovers even though nobody brings this up. It is considered an open secret.

5) About who has more power, Kamiya is the director of the management office while Kirino is the chief of the management office. In terms of work affairs, Kirino has the authority to make decisions while Kamiya has more power since he's in the management board. However, the managing of the department is done by Kirino who's also a founding member of Frontier.

6) In Ep 4, the song sung at Roppongi Hills is Torandoto~Dare mo Netewa Naranu. The actor who plays Michele is Thomas Harper.

7) The original soundtrack of the drama was released on 25 May by EPIC Records Japan.

8) The shooting of the office scenes are done at two places. For the main office which looks like a maze, it is actually a real IT company, Aim Factory located in Roppongi Hills while the management office where most of the action takes place is a special set constructed by the staff.

9) The bar is named "Rioha" after a place located in northern Spain which is famous for producing wine.

10) Shimao and Ryuta have been neighbours and friends since kindergarten.

11) It took about 10 takes for the scene in the first episode where Shimao and Kaori fell into the swimming pool in Hawaii to be completed. This was because they were wearing suits and found it hard to float to the surface of the pool.

12) The name "Shimao" was given by his mother because she loved to go to the southern islands. That is why Shimao brought his mother to Hawaii to experience the similar atmosphere when he won the lucky spin.

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 11

2011-03-02T00:23:00.000+08:00

Ep 11: Hills ni Koishite (Falling In Love with the Hills)
O.A. 23 June 05
Ratings: 18.3%

Shimao, Takayanagi, Kaori, Kamiya, Kirino set up the new company, Suzuki Neji in order to make their comeback. They set up operations at Shimao's nail factory with Mariko and Ryuta helping them out on miscellaneous stuff. Shimao is hard at work to create a new portal site while the rest search for potential clients to use the site. In addition, Miyazawa also comes to join them after leaving Frontier.

Sakuraba is worried about Suzuki Neji posing a threat to him and tells the acting CEO, Tachibana to keep watching them. Fujii chips in with her view and is scolded by Tachibana which makes her furious.

Under the pressure of Sakuraba, nobody dares to sign any contracts with Suzuki Neji. However, a trading company, Miyakami Shoji expresses interest in the portal site but wishes to reduce the security level as it will be a burden to their server if they stick to the current format. Takayanagi expresses this to Shimao who refuses to compromise the security system for the sake of making the business deal. At the same time, Takayanagi receives a call from Sakuraba asking him to return to Frontier as the CEO.

Shimao finally finishes the creating of the portal site and celebrates with his colleagues. Mariko also proposes to Ryuta and he is delirious with joy.

The access statistics of Suzuki Neji's web portal are not encouraging but Shimao refuses to make any changes to the security for the sake of pleasing Miyakami Shoji. Takayanagi also confides in Kirino about Sakuraba's offer to go back to Frontier.

Out of a sudden, Shimao tells Takayanagi that he's willing to amend the portal site while Takayanagi is thoughtful about what he should do when he sees how engrossed Shimao is in the writing of programmes that he eats boiled eggs all the time and doesn't even realise that people are calling him.

Shimao and Takayanagi go to Miyakami Shoji to discuss the business deal. However, Takayanagi flares up at the person-in-charge who thinks that changing of programmes is so easy and blows the deal. However, Shimao is happy about Takayanagi's reaction even things are looking increasingly bleak for them.

Takayanagi goes to Sakuraba and rejects his offer to return to Frontier. As the staff mope over the operating figures, a phone call from major service provider, Bright Online proves to be their lifeline as Suzuki Neji makes its first deal from the portal it created. As a result, Suzuki Neji grows quickly and even takes over Frontier where Takayanagi returns to be the CEO. However, Shimao doesn't return to Frontier and restarts the family nail business while still carrying on with the IT business of Suzuki Neji with Kaori...

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This is the best finale I've seen this season so far from the dramas I'm watching. I watched three finales yesterday and the first two made me curse and swear at how illogical it was but this was really good. Of course, I had already guessed that Shimao and Takayanagi will become successful again but the way it was done did not seemed like a forceful twist of the plot. Besides, those two were so funny in this episode where Shimao teased Takayanagi for blowing up at their client. Although they did not show Shimao getting married to Kaori, by the looks of it, Kaori wearing casual clothes at his home seems to signify that they are already married at the end.

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 10

2011-03-01T00:22:00.000+08:00

Ep 10: Kokuhaku (Confession)
O.A. 16 June 05
Ratings: 16.6%

After being forced to give up his CEO position in Frontier, Shimao stays at home, moping through the day while waiting for time to pass. On the other hand, Takayanagi gets moral support from Kirino and goes around seeking financing and support for his new company. However, without the proven brand name, Frontier as his backing, Takayanagi discovers that he means nothing to those people and encounters lots of rejections. In addition, the enemies he had made so far take the chance to turn on him and subject him to further humiliation.

At Frontier, it is controlled by the puppet CEO, Tachibana who listens to what Sakuraba from Lloyd Brothers. As they force their way of doing things on the staff, Kamiya, Miyasawa, Kaori and Fujii lament that things were better when Takayanagi and Shimao were the CEO since they let their staff have independence in their work.

Mariko and Ryuta try to cheer Shimao up but he keeps wallowing in despair over the loss of Frontier to Sakuraba. Kaori comes to look for Shimao but he tells her not to come and look for him again. Shimao feels that everyone is pitying and mocking him for what has happened and continues to keep to himself. On the other hand, Takayanagi continues to be rejected by his prospective business partners and Kirino mentions Shimao to him.

Takayanagi comes to Shimao and says that if not for Shimao, he might not have undergone a change. However, Shimao does not appreciate his words and uses Takayanagi's past argument that money can buy anything to rebuke him. Takayangai does not get angry and simply says that he realises that money cannot buy everything. He also apologises to Shimao for causing unhappiness as a result of his visit.

Kaori comes to Shimao's home but he does not meet her. Kaori passes the metal robot to Mariko who had come home and leaves hurriedly. Shimao tells Mariko that he plans to operate the family nail and screw family business but she objects to it since Shimao is not really interested in this and just wants a place to escape to.

Kamiya quits from Frontier when Sakuraba and Tachibana tell him to follow orders just to do favours to some politicians instead of having the company's interests at heart.

Shimao goes out drinking with Ryuta who tells him that Mariko only wants Shimao to be happy when she objected to operating the family business again. Kirino also comes to Shimao and persuades him to help Takayanagi build a new business which Shimao agrees to after seeing how Takayanagi has swallowed his pride just to get help.

Shimao returns home and tells Mariko that he will join Takayanagi in setting up the new company. At the same time, Shimao sees the robot which Kaori brought for him and runs to apologise to her as well as confess his feelings for her...

Shimao and Takayanagi go to Roppongi Hills where Frontier is located in. They vow to regain what they've lost when Kamiya joins them and reveals that he has left Frontier.

The group sets up the new company in Shimao's place where the factory used to be. Kaori also quits from Frontier and joins Shimao and Takayanagi's new company...

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Again, the pace of this episode is so fast. I like it this way rather than dragging your feet over unnecessary things.

At the beginning, we see the contrasting behaviour between Takayangi and Shimao when it comes to handling failure. Actually, both of them have moral support in the form of Kirino and Kaori. However, Takayanagi welcomes his support with open arms while Shimao thinks that Kaori is just mocking him and turns her away. I really had the urge to thrash Shimao for behaving like a real make-inu (defeated dog i.e. people who wallow in despair after failure) and yet had the cheek to accuse Takayanagi of being one. There's nothing wrong with failure. Just look at Takayanagi. He's older than Shimao and yet has to start from scratch again. He also has to contend with criticism and sarcasm from the people he had treated badly in the past. Now who is having a more difficult time?

Luckily, this make-inu behaviour didn't carry on for long or else this episode would be so boring. When Takayanagi, Shimao and Kamiya stood at Roppongi Hills and looked up at the building, it was so cool! Next week would be the final episode and from the trailer, someone is getting married! They didn't show Shimao and Kaori in the audience so could it be them? It's definitely not Takayanagi and Kirino since they were in the audience.

Actually, I found that Kusanagi has done OK in this drama but what I don't like is the fact that he's so skinny and doesn't have the commanding presence when he was the CEO. I know this is something which cannot be changed but when he stands beside Matsushita Nao, the difference in their heights made the combination seem lop-sided and unnatural. I had never associated Kusanagi as being vertically challenged until I saw this drama. Does this combination look more awkward than the Kimura Takuya-Koyuki combination in Engine? I guess it's up to your own opinion...

My attention is on Tsutsumi Shinichi throughout the drama. He has performed so well that I think he deserves an award at the end of the season! Frankly speaking, he's the brightest spot in the cast and has a very good role as a CEO who was successful and arrogant to being reduced to nothing and starting from scratch. Seeing him looking so sad when he was being ridiculed by his past enemies made me feel for him.

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 9

2011-02-28T00:21:00.000+08:00

Ep 9: Ai wo yamenaide (Don't stop love)
O.A. 9 Jun 05
Ratings: 16.5%

Shimao becomes the CEO of Frontier with the help of Sakuraba from Lloyd Brothers. Sakuraba brings in a group of people to be the executives in the management board which Kamiya expresses concern over but Shimao refuses to heed his advice and thinks that Sakuraba is on his side.

Shimao meets Taneda, the director of one of Frontier's subsidiaries and commands him to improve his sales figures within one month. This is similar to what Takayanagi used to do but Shimao tells Sakuraba that he has his way of doing things and tells him to back off when Sakuraba tells him to sack that director immediately.

Mariko and Ryuta are having dinner at home and Shimao does not return home again. Due to his busy schedule, Shimao has not returned home for some time and is staying at a hotel near to Frontier. At the same time, Sakuraba brings Shimao to his new home and deliberately got this apartment because it is at a higher level than Takayanagi's.

A few days later, Shimao receives news from Kaori that Taneda had passed away suddenly. However, he is not interested in this and wants Kaori to get Kamiya to attend Taneda's funeral. Kamiya goes to visit Takanayagi and informs Kirino about the current situation in Frontier. Hearing this, Kirino decides to bring Takayanagi somewhere as he has been in a daze since he was hospitalised.

Shimao returns home after a long absence and tells Mariko to move in with him to the luxurious apartment in Roppongi. However, Mariko objects to it. Ryuta also asks why Shimao wants to move out of his family house since he accepted the post of management executive in the past just to protect the house. Shimao gets angry and insists that he will move out of the family home alone if Mariko wishes to stay put.

Kirino brings Takayanagi to the art gallery where they first met. At that time, Takayanagi was a very pratical guy but a painting there made him see the value of art from another perspective. That was also when they started seeing each other. However, after that visit, Takayanagi goes out alone thus leaving Kirino in a panic...

Shimao and Sakuraba go for a business lunch with a politician who asks for money so as to work together with Shimao. However, Shimao refuses to accept the deal and criticises the politician for trying to make use of his squeaky-clean public image. He also scolds Sakuraba for taking things into his hands which incurs the latter's wrath and he instructs the VP, Tachibana who is working for him to contact the other management executives.

Takayanagi returns to the hospital where Kirino is waiting for him anxiously. He had went to pay respects to his late father and wants Kirino to go to Frontier with him. Takayanagi meets Shimao and tells him to beware of Sakuraba but Shimao does not heed his advice and says that he should be wary of Takayanagi instead.

At the management meeting, Sakuraba rounds up the management executives whom he brought into Frontier and forces Shimao to relinquish his position as the CEO. Kamiya is helpless since the number of executives on Sakuraba's side forms the majority and Shimao has to leave the company crestfallen.

Mariko and Ryuta hear the news and tries to look for Shimao. After wandering around for some time, Shimao finally returns to his family home where he is welcomed by Mariko and Ryuta. Kaori also comes to look for Shimao who is so touched by Mariko and Ryuta's concern for him and starts to cry...
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This episode is so fast-paced...everything happens in a flash. One moment, we have Shimao being at the top and the next, he's reduced to square one again. He was simply obnoxious at the beginning of this episode but when you saw how defeated he looked at the end, you can't help but sympathise with him.

If he didn't accept Takayanagi's offer to be a management executive in the first place, things would not have come to such a stage...On the other hand, if he had left Frontier then, he would not have managed to protect his family house. There are a lot of "what ifs" to ponder over...

In the next episode, both Takayanagi and Shimao are back to square one. The difference is that Takayanagi refuses to give up and he has the support of Kirino. However, Shimao chooses to avoid making mistakes again even though Kaori seems to be willing to help him...

There's only 2 episodes or so for this drama...I wonder how they will wrap this up. Surely these two guys can't make it big again in just 2 episodes?

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 8

2011-02-27T00:20:00.000+08:00

Ep 8: Hills no Shin Shacchou (The new CEO of the Hills)
O.A. 2 June 05
Ratings: 15.9%

Shimao becomes a hot favourite in the business circles ever since his promotion to a management executive in Frontier and literally hogs the limelight which used to be focused on Takayanagi. As a result, he wins an award, "Man of The Year" from an economic magazine and is credited with bringing huge profits to Frontier. However, it is also clear that Shimao no longer looks the same as before...

Mariko and Ryuta plan a small celebration party for Shimao's winning of the award but when he returns home late at night, he cannot be bothered to talk to them as he is engrossed in work.

Shimao raises the next project at a meeting which everyone sees it as feasible but Takayanagi objects to it. He uses the excuse that this project is risky and makes Shimao drop the project. Shimao is furious at this and Kaori reminds him to take it easy as he looks quite frightening these days without a smile.

Ryuta comes to bring sashimi to Mariko for dinner and happens to see her ex-lover Tanisaki at her place. Tanisaki leaves hurriedly upon seeing Ryuta who finds that he is back to pester Mariko to let him meet Shimao in order to make some business deals. Mariko is upset that Tanisaki wants to make use of her. When Shimao comes home, she is unable to bring up the subject as he is busy with work.

The next day, Shimao brings up another proposal during the meeting which is rejected by Takayanagi again. Shimao refuses to give up and wants him to give a reason. Takayanagi says that since he's the CEO, he has the right to reject Shimao's proposal. He also throws in another comment that Shimao should create his own company if he really wants to proceed with the project.

Shimao is undeterred by this and orders his subordinate to go ahead with the project despite Takayanagi's objections. Mariko finally tells Shimao about Tanisaki who wants to meet him but Shimao rejects her outright, saying that he sees no value in meeting Tanisaki. Ryuta gets into a fight with Shimao and tells him to look at how detestable he has become ever since he got promoted.

Shimao meets his business associate who informs him that the project has to be called off because of Takayanagi's pressure tactics. Although they hoped to work with Shimao, they could not disobey Takayanagi's orders since Frontier belongs to him.

Shimao asks Takayanagi out for lunch and states his intention to proceed with the project regardless of Takayanagi's objections. As such, the latter fires Shimao on the spot thus marking the beginning of their battle...

Shimao contacts Lloyd Brothers' Sakuraba to inform him of the dismissal and begin the acquisition of Frontier shares. At the same time, Takayanagi realises that Shimao is eyeing Frontier but loses control of the company due to the financial backup Shimao got from Lloyd Brothers. As a result, Shimao becomes the new CEO of Frontier in just one afternoon. Kirino decides to leave Frontier since Takayanagi is not around while the rest remain behind.

Takayanagi goes drinking and is stabbed by his enemy. Kirino goes to the hospital to take care of him and encourage him to face failure. Shimao also comes to meet Takayanagi and passes sarcastic remarks. When he goes back, he happens to see Kaori who tells Shimao that they should stop seeing each other for the time being. Shimao wonders why Kaori has suddenly turned cold towards him but cannot find the reason behind this...

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This is a very good episode where we see how detestable Shimao had become as a result of success and fame. I never knew that Kusanagi Tsuyoshi can be such an eyesore since he's usually the good guy in dramas. This marks a drastic change in his career and I hope that he can keep up the momentum to the end.

As for Takayanagi, it sure hurts to see him looking so crestfallen. Actually, I think something must be bothering him in the first place since he was preoccupied most of the time and wasn't concentrating on work. And when Kirino asked him how he intended to rein in Shimao who is getting more successful, he simply said that he can just kill the monster he created at any time but I guess he never realised how scheming Shimao had become as a result of that Toujou Boueiki incident. I think that matter made him decide to be ruthless so as to pay Takayanagi back for betraying his trust.

Oh, Shimao is going to get more irritating by the next episode. Will we get to see him live "happily ever after" or will the bad guy fall from the top? That's what I'm really interested in...

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 7

2011-02-26T00:17:00.001+08:00

Ep 7: Hills no Chouten e (Moving towards the top of the hills)
O.A. 26 May 05
Ratings: 16.3%

Shimao and Mariko are upset over having to move out of their house in a week's time. On her way to work, Mariko meets Ryuta and scolds him for going to look for her boyfriend, Tanisaki who is a married man.

Shimao attends a party with Takayanagi and the others in the company and many big shots surround him after hearing about his achievements in Frontier so far. Takayanagi looks on with disinterest at the situation. Suddenly, a guy named Sakuraba from the investment company, Lloyd Brothers comes to Shimao and asks if he is interested to open a company of his own. Shimao thinks that he does not have the capability to do so and rejects the offer. In actual fact, Shimao is very unhappy with Takayanagi over the Toujou Boueki's case and is contemplating leaving Frontier.

At the same time, Kirino alerts Takayanagi of the fact that Shimao may leave Frontier given his recent clash with Takayanagi and that he's become a popular figure in the industry. Takayanagi pretends not to be bothered about it but is hatching a plan to ensure that Shimao stays on.

True to Kirino's concern, Sakuraba comes to Shimao again and asks him to set up his company with Lloyd Brothers' help. He even daggles the option of clearing Shimao's debts for him so that he can keep his house.

Takayanagi offers to make Shimao a management executive in Frontier and offers to clear his debts for him. He also reminds him of the fact that should Shimao quit, he will still be entitled to severance pay besides taking ownership in the company.

Shimao discusses this with Ryuta and he is troubled over whether to accept the offer from Takayanagi since he cannot stand working for him. Ryuta scolds Shimao for being too inflexible and sticking to his principles blindly. He also lets out the fact that Mariko is working as a hostess after work so as to lessen their family financial burden. Hearing this, Shimao tells Mariko that he will accept Takayanagi's offer and become an executive on Frontier's management board. Takayanagi then assigns Kaori and Miyazawa to work under Shimao.

With this appointment, Shimao begins an entirely different lifestyle from before where he gets chauffered to work in a limousine and dines in fine restaurants. Actually, this is part of Takayanagi's plan to change Shimao's values as he believes that once Shimao is used to the good life, his principles will change. In a way, he seems to be bent on proving that no one can withstand the temptations of fame, power and money including Shimao.

Shimao's first assignment as an executive is to handle the project by Miyazawa with CG production company, Giga Works to create a new company. In order to get the project going, Miyazawa has committed more than 100 million yen but has not signed the contract yet. Shimao decides to go to Giga Works personally to seal the deal and sees that the boss signed the contract with another competitor.

Shimao is furious about this and is thinking of how to solve the problem. Kaori and Mariko try to show concern for him but he flares up at them. Shimao decides to use money to get the employees of Giga Works to leave the company and create a new company with them which makes Giga Works bankrupt overnight.

Shimao is standing beside the stage during the press conference of Giga Frontier (the new company he created) and confides in Kaori that he was undecided over whether to make Giga Works bankrupt in the first place. However, his desire to win overcame everything and he felt a thrill for the first time in defeating others. Kaori is increasingly worried about Shimao who seems to be changing and resembling Takayanagi...

This is really an episode with an unexpected twist... If you have seen the trailer, you would have seen that Shimao has become the bad guy overnight and Takayanagi No.2. No doubt Takayanagi is obnoxious when he speaks about money, fame and power all the time, the look on Shimao's face is even more detestable. I never knew that Kusanagi can look so horribly evil in a bad guy's role and the people around him are probably going to be further away from him when he takes over Frontier. In Takayanagi's haste to change Shimao, he has brought about the birth of a monster who is even more ruthless and hungry for success than him. And we can see in the next episode that his decision will be the cause of his downfall...Suddenly, I feel sorry for Takayanagi and it seems like there will be a twist of roles between them. I wonder if success in this case means having to turn away your loved ones and being so ruthless... What a high price to pay!

This episode suddenly changed the flow of the drama and made it more compelling to watch. This has got to be one of my favourites this season...

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 6

2011-02-25T00:16:00.000+08:00

Ep 6: Hills no Himitsu (The secret of the Hills)
O.A. 19 May 05
Ratings: 15.6%

Interesting episode! Just when you thought that Takayanagi is changing, you will be disappointed. A leopard never changes its spots<_< but I'm starting to see his principles and beliefs being shaken especially after this episode...

Takayanagi meets an old acquaintance Toujou who used to be his father's friend. Toujou asks Takayanagi to take over his debt-ridden company, Toujou Boueki (Toujou Trading) since he is stricken with cancer and is dying soon. This conversation is overheard by Morimura whose company was taken over by Takayanagi and bears a grudge against him.

On the other hand, Shimao and Mariko are in a fix because of their finances and they have yet to find a place to move to as their house will be taken back by the bank. Ryuta comes for dinner and tells them that there was a guy standing outside the gate. Mariko runs out to look for that guy but to no avail.

Morimura goes to a reporter and tells him about the proposed takeover of Toujou Boueki by Frontier. He even tells the reporter to investigate Takayanagi's father and his bankrupt company.

Takayanagi brings up the issue of taking over Toujou Boueki during a meeting but everyone objects to it. As such, Takayanagi asks Shimao to be the person in charge for this case. Everyone is puzzled why Takayanagi wants to take over a debt-ridden company.

Takayanagi brings Kaori and Fuji to the Toujou residence and reveals to Toujou that he's going to take over his company. They also come to know that the mansion used to belong to Takayanagi's family and his father received some help from Toujou after his company collapsed. That is why Takayanagi would want to buy the debt-ridden Toujou Boueki even though it does not bring any good for Frontier. Shimao cannot comprehend the reason for Takayanagi's decision and goes to ask him. The latter provides him with the reason that he just wants to return Toujou's favour in the past. Shimao is sceptical about Takayanagi's change in attitude but Mariko tells him to believe Takayanagi.

The next day, the media carries news about the takeover bid and Takayanagi does not go into details of his decision especially about his intention to return the favour. As such, rumours start flying around and Frontier's share price takes a tumble. The employees are worried but Takayanagi assures them that everything will turn out fine.

Takayanagi receives news about Toujou passing away and immediately makes a phone call to someone about selling Toujou Boueki. Kirino asks Takayanagi if he had intended to sell off that company right from the start and was lying to everybody but he says that nobody realises the worth of that company (apparently the company has some business in Laos which is very profitable) so he is just trying to make some money from a good business deal. In actual fact, he did not buy over the company to return a favour. Shimao is angry that his trust has been misplaced in Takayanagi and gets into an argument with him. Takayanagi mocks Shimao for being as useless as his dad and Toujou since they were unable to protect their own companies and has no right to criticise him...

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The scene where Shimao confronted Takayanagi was so good. You can see Kusanagi getting so involved in that scene that saliva flies all over the place. And you really have to hand it to Takayanagi for having the foresight to spot that business opportunity even though everyone thinks that the company is worthless.

Next episode should be even more fun. Shimao gets promoted and is probably going to get into more conflicts with Takayanagi as he proclaims that he will never change even though he's promoted...

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 5

2011-02-24T00:15:00.000+08:00

Ep 5: Hills no Daigyakuten (The big twist on the Hills)
O.A. 12 May 05
Ratings: 16.8%

The problem for this episode is not really exciting but what makes me hyped up is seeing how Takayanagi get frustrated at his people turning against him one by one as if this is proof that his way of doing things is wrong.

In the beginning scene, Shimao goes to dinner with his colleagues at a high class restaurant and makes a fool of himself. You should have seen how funny he was when he gobbled up the food before the waiter even poured the sauce for him, lifted his glass for the waiter to pour the wine even though he shouldn't do so and dragged the tablecloth, causing the plates to crash to the floor when he wanted to pick up his napkin. Due to this, Shimao feels down at the gap between he and his colleagues but Kaori consoles him. They even go back to Shimao's home to have sashimi from Ryuta's shop.

Forgive me for saying this but I really think it is an eyesore to see Kusanagi and Matsushita Nao together. I know she's wearing flat shoes but she's still taller than Kusanagi by at least half a head's length. It's really uncomfortable to see that combination just like putting Koyuki and Kimura Takuya together.

Anyway, Takayanagi came to know about Shimao and Kaori being on good terms but from his expression, it's not clear whether he's jealous or just plain unhappy over their relationship. I really doubt that Takayanagi feels anything for Kaori since he's also involved with the other secretary, Fujii but it's probably a mentality like "i just don't want to let someone fight with me over something" even though he takes Kaori for granted.

Takayanagi brings Kamiya to a company Air Dream to talk about business plans. Since it's a major project and Takayanagi gave Kamiya the chance to do it, he gets carried away and talks about it so loudly at the bar Frontier staff frequent that the papers report the news of the joint venture. As such, Air Dream decides to cancel the deal due to the breach of confidentiality.

Kamiya sees no hope in salvaging the situation but Shimao refuses to give up and drags him to wait for the president of Air Dream at the resort and try to solve the problem. However, the president refuses to see them. Kamiya tries to bribe the elderly housekeeper with money so as to see the president but she rejects him outright. After waiting for 3 days, they are still unable to meet the president and has to go back to Tokyo. Shimao and Kamiya tells the housekeeper to relay the message that they were here just to apologise for what happened.

Takayanagi chides Shimao and Kamiya for achieving nothing and wasting a few days just to wait for Air Dream's president. He also directs criticism at Shimao as if anxious to prove that Shimao is wrong. However, Kamiya rebukes Takayanagi even though he is the one who had all along disliked Shimao and treated Takayanagi like his benefactor.

In actual fact, the president of the company is the housekeeper whom Shimao and Kamiya had met. Being touched by their sincerity and patience, she decides to go ahead with the project with Frontier. Even though the deal is still intact, Takayanagi is furious about the fact that Shimao has proved him wrong once again and his eyes are seething with rage and indignance...

Seems like Takayanagi is going to make life more difficult for Shimao now that his most loyal aide, Kamiya is also defending Shimao's way of doing things...

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 4

2011-02-23T00:14:00.000+08:00

Ep 4: Hills wa Utau (The Hills are singing)
O.A. 5 May 2005
Ratings: 15.6%

Shimao experiences again how ruthless Takayanagi can be when it comes to achieving his goals. The latter took over his buddy's recording company despite his pleas but Shimao can only look on helplessly.Takayanagi gives Shimao his next task of handling the first concert to be organized by this company whereby he has to attend to the opera singer, Michele Andorini. However, this singer gives Shimao a tough time as he tries to make him happy but Michele keeps flaring up at him. He asks for help from Mariko and Ryuta but fails to get him in the good mood.

On the day when Shimao is supposed to sign the contract with Michele, he gets a call from Ryuta that Mariko fell from a staircase and is hospitalised. He rushes off to see Mariko even though Takayanagi stopped him. Luckily, Mariko is fine except for a crack in her ribs but Shimao's action causes Frontier to lose the contract and has to cancel the concert. He wants to go and apologise to Michele but Nanami stops him since Takayanagi is already there.

Takayanagi offers more money to get Michele to perform but his manager asks him to let Kaori spend the night with Michele in order for the contract to be signed. Without a thought, Takayanagi tells Kaori to do so but she refuses. However, when she sees how much this contract would mean to Shimao to achieve his aim, she is prepared to sacrifice herself. However, Kaori realises that Michele is just upset about his relationship with his girlfriend being objected by his parents and tries to console him. Shimao gets the wrong idea and ends up bashing Michele when he rushes to the hotel to save Kaori.

Michele offers to perform after coming to his senses as a result of Shimao saving Kaori but there is no venue since the concert is cancelled. As such, he performs with the orchestra at Roppongi Hills' roof garden much to everyone's surprise. Takayanagi is extremely unhappy about the fact that Shimao thwarted his plans but Nanami reminds him that Shimao can win people over and get the work done unlike Takayanagi who spoils his relationships with people due to his forceful way of doing things. Of course, this is not music to his ears.

Takayanagi is getting irritated and he's likely to explode in the next episode. The more Shimao achieves, the more it makes him feel that by doing things differently, Shimao can get more than what Takayanagi gets. As such, I think he's starting to realise that Shimao is a rival and may resort to destroying him since Takayanagi is the one who gave Shimao a chance at success. I don't think he's that magnanimous to see Shimao succeed in a different manner from his since it would prove that his way of doing things is not so correct after all. He won't be able to tolerate this humiliation...

And looks like Kaori is already in love with Shimao but he doesn't seem to have realised it. Or else, why would she want to sacrifice herself for his sake?

Anyway, I'm now more interested in the battle between Takayanagi and Shimao rather than the relationship between Shimao and Kaori. Seems like those two guys are going to have a very interesting clash since a lot would be at stake, including money, fame, beliefs and a woman. Kaori used to like Takayanagi but after this episode of asking her to sleep with someone for the sake of the company, I doubt she will like him anymore.

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 3

2011-02-22T00:13:00.000+08:00

Ep 3: Hills no Seikou to wa (What success on the Hills means)
O.A. 28 Apr 05
Ratings: 14.2%

Another interesting episode from this series... I think Takayanagi is starting to feel the heat of letting Shimao work under him because he can achieve the final aim without using Takayanagi's style of doing things i.e. money talks and Shimao is gradually winning over people with his sincerity. I have a feeling that Takayanagi may thwart Shimao's path to success given that he was the very same person who provided the chance to Shimao to prove his worth as a software engineer.

The welcome party for Shimao is held at Takayanagi's apartment and it looks awfully big as compared to when I saw it in Ep 2. Anyway, the grandness of the apartment is a bit too overdone where you have the bathroom so huge that it seems there are more than one cubicles and the ladies can have so much space to redo their makeup together in front of that mirror. Normally, I don't think anyone would go to that extent of having such a big bathroom but it seems like Takayanagi usually entertains his guests at home so there could be a need for that.

And with the growing expectations on Shimao, there would always be those who don't like competition and make things difficult for him. Shimao is given a task to get a Japanese dessert shop to join as Frontier's web shopping merchant but that owner refuses to do it. Although Takayangi knows that his subordinate is deliberately giving Shimao a problem, he turns a blind eye to it and views it as an interesting game to see how far Shimao can go if he doesn't follow Takayanagi's philosophy towards business and money. According to how I see it, even though Shimao is aware of Takayanagi's practical stand towards money and he himself is in need of money to settle debts from the bankrupt family business, there is no way he can say goodbye to his principles so easily just for money. And Takayanagi is eagerly anticipating the day when Shimao's moral values would disintegrate in order to prove that his way of thinking is more superior. That should be the main reason as to why he hired Shimao.

Since Shimao is having problems with the deal, Takayangi tells him to offer more money to the owner, Kiyokawa but this becomes an insult to him. As such, Shimao gets inspiration from his friend, Ryuta on what could possibly cause Kiyokawa to be so resistant to the idea of joining the online merchant scheme. He realizes that the issue is not with making more money but rather Kiyokawa would not want to compromise on the quality of his products just to make money after going through the entire process of the dessert making. In the end, Shimao's willingness to understand the situation and his intention to give up the deal by not forcing Kiyokawa causes a change in the owner who decides to join the scheme. No doubt Takayanagi is glad to solve the matter but the way he was practially staring at Shimao for not following his teachings and using a method entirely different from his values would definitely be a sore point for Takayanagi.

On the other hand, Takayanagi is preparing to buy over Ogura Hotel but the owner refuses to sell it to him, giving the reason that he dislikes Takayanagi. As such, he is angry over this and resorts to force by purchasing enough shares of the hotel to wrest control from the owner. That just goes to show the difference between how Takayanagi and Shimao handle obstacles. One goes all out to achieve the aim regardless of the repercussions while the other strives to achieve a win-win situation not at the expense of anyone.

Meanwhile, Shimao is still avoiding Kaori because he's upset with her close relationship with Takayanagi. I can sense that Kaori seems to be warming up to Shimao and gradually shifting her affections towards him since they have resolved their differences. And in the next ep trailer, seems like Shimao came to her rescue so will this mark the beginning of their romance? I think I mentioned in my last review that Kaori (or rather Matsushita Nao) keeps wearing white clothes all the time. Can she do something about that wardrobe? OK, she might not have a say in that but the lack of colours is getting to me. And it's so weird to see her standing with Kusanagi since she's obviously quite tall and she's not wearing heels in some of the scenes. Somehow, it feels as if she's towering over Kusanagi.

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 2

2011-02-21T21:12:00.000+08:00

Ep 2: Akogare no Hills e (Going to the aspired hills) - reference to Roppongi Hills since the office of Frontier is in that building
O.A. 21 Apr 2005
Ratings: 17.4% (an increase of 1.6% and the only drama so far to see an increase for the second episode)

It's getting better and I think the highlight of this drama would be the confrontations between Takayanagi (Tsutsumi) and Shimao (Kusanagi). Their conversations are always so full of meaning and Tsutsumi is such a fantastic actor. He's got that charm that will make you go crazy so he's definitely suited for this role. Seeing two good actors pit their skills against each other is definitely worth spending 45 minutes watching this every week besides the engaging story and wide range of supporting cast.

Shimao finally meets Takayangi and tells him that he wants to be rich. Actually, what spurred him to change his thinking is the fact that his mother died, his business collapsed and his house would be auctioned in a month's time if he does not have the money to buy it back from the bank. I guess he is unwilling to lose the only thing which holds fond memories of his family so Shimao made up his mind to change his situation.

Takayanagi seems to be rather unconvinced by Shimao's determination to be rich and tests him by showing how to cancel someone's contract even though the other party even went down on his knees. Being kind and soft-hearted, Shimao is definitely struggling to come to terms with Takayangi's ways which the latter tells him frankly that he has to be ruthless in order to succeed. If Shimao is just after a small sum of money, he has come to the wrong person because Takayanagi would only teach him how to make big money. Shimao cannot stay with him if he does not have the determination to reject people. He even tells Shimao outright that it is not the illness which killed his mother but rather poverty is the culprit. If Shimao had the money for the operation, his mother would be saved. Takayanagi reveals that he bought Shimao's IT company 6 years ago when he was in the Uni because Shimao had left the running of the company to his friend then since his father just passed away. Takayangi makes it clear that there are only 2 types of people in this world i.e. those who use people and those who are being used. He tells Shimao to choose whether he wants to be the master or the slave.

Well, Takayanagi may be a bit forceful and frank when it comes to his attitude. His logic is very much twisted towards money makes the world go round but he does have a point too. He is very practical and may come across as unfeeling. This is the exact contrast of Shimao who is compassionate and trusting which led to his downfall twice. As a result, Takayanagi's clear stand is bringing about conflicts within Shimao who wants to change but this cannot be done so easily. Is he being undecided? From what I see, Takayanagi hires Shimao primarily because of curiousity (Shimao's values are different from him and that he came to Takayanagi to ask how to become rich) and to make use of his skills as a software engineer. There is nothing such as a free lunch in the world. He believes Shimao will change to be like him while Kirino (Wakui) bets that Shimao will not change.

Shimao is given his first job to terminate the contract of a toy shop which uses Frontier services to market their goods. He cannot bring himself to do this and happens to come up with the idea of using online auctions to sell the antique toys in this shop. Even though he helped that shop make 5 million yen a day, he still has to terminate the contract since Frontier had entered a contract with a major toys manufacturer and that they cannot provide the internet services to a competitor under the terms of the contract. As such, no matter what Shimao does, it does not change the situation. Sometimes, there is no such thing as a win-win situation in life. What makes this worse is that Shimao thought that he stood a chance with Kaori when she helped him with the auction but he found out that she is dating Takayanagi. He practically ignored her after that, feeling betrayed even though Kaori doesn't really need to explain to him about her relationships. He's not even dating her in the first place but it sure doesn't feel good to see the person you love being in love with someone else. Thus, this seems to have taught Shimao a lesson that hard work is not equal to good results. Putting in effort does not pay in the end.

Something I noticed is that Matsuzaki Nao is wearing white suits most of the time while the other secretary played by Takisawa Saori is wearing black. Trying to contrast good vs evil? Too much white is quite boring so I'm hoping she can wear something different. More variety would be good.

Looking forward to the next episode and this drama's definitely staying on my watchlist!

Review of Koi ni Ochitara Ep 1

2011-02-20T00:11:00.000+08:00

Review of Ep 1 (Zutto sagashiteta hito - The person I've been looking for)

Well, I have mixed feelings towards the first episode. To begin with, the highly publicised trip to Hawaii for the shooting wasn't that necessary to me in the first place. I'll explain why later. I was prepared to surrender until I saw Kusanagi sprang into action towards the last 10 minutes to save the day so I'll continue to watch this since it seems really interesting from now on.

Just to give a brief writeup on the first episode and what happened...

Suzuki Shimao (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) quit the Uni 6 years ago to take over his father's factory after he passed away and operates it with his team of close-knited workers and mother. His younger sister, Mariko (Kimura Yoshino) works as an OL in a company located in downtown Tokyo. One day, Shimao wins a trip to Hawaii from a lucky draw and brings his mother along. He happens to bump into Shirakawa Kaori (Matushita Nao) by the poolside and they fall into the water. Since then, he's been smitten by her and his mother invites Kaori for dinner. The next day, Shimao goes to Kaori's room to return her notebook to her and meets Takayanagi Tooru (Tsutsumi Shinichi) for the first time. Shimao is in awe when seeing Takayanagi's extravagant lifestyle and how he describes his endless ambitions but Shimao doesn't see what Takayanagi will actually achieve when he fulfils all his goals since he thinks that money is not all that is to life. Takayangi tells Shimao straight in the face that he is not cut out for business but he is OK with this remark but offers him help if he needs it. When he returns to Japan, his factory has folded due to fraud by one of his trusted employees. His mother also collapses from the shock and passes away since he cannot pay the operation fees of 50 million yen. Being totally broke, he even has to scrimp on his mother's funeral arrangements. Shimao plans to go to Takayanagi for help but is blocked by his employees like Kamiya Riku (Tanihara Shosuke) and Miyasawa Shu (Suzuki Kosuke) as someone who is out to make trouble. Having no choice, Shimao resorts to being a security guard at the building in order to meet Takayanagi but to no avail. However, Shimao saves Takayanagi's company from trouble when he manages to restore the server in the nick of time. It is then when Takayanagi's ex girlfriend cum senior manager Kirino (Wakui Emi) comes to him with a newspaper article which shows that Shimao is an IT genius who was taking a correspondence degree in the Uni six years ago...

OK, coming to the review proper, I'll start talking about the story before the Hawaii trip first. We first get a feel of the basic setting and some basic relationships whereby Kusanagi plays another goody-two-shoes guy who is really too good to be true. As his friend puts it, Shimao is behaving like an oyaji whereby he replies that he always speaks what he was taught by his father so he might be behaving like an oyaji after all. He doesn't take offence by what other people say and is only too glad to help people when he can. To him, money is not that important as long as there is sufficient to make ends meet. He was even that kind to give his money to his employee to pay the loanshark even though that money was for a trip to Hawaii to celebrate his mother's birthday. To me, that was stupid since there is a limit to how much you should help people. I may be very sceptical but you will know later that being suspicious and not too trusting may be better after all.

To be frank, I was prepared to write Kusanagi off by now since I am really sick of him playing such nice guy roles AGAIN. However, if you actually have the patience to watch till the end, we can see that there is something different after all in Shimao which brings up to the Hawaii trip.

Well, I must say he really got on my nerves in the earlier part of the Hawaii trip since Kusanagi was behaving like a hyperactive kid cum country bumpkin when he was in Hawaii. And to coincide with the title of "falling in love", he did fall into the pool with Matsushita Nao (how lame it seems...) so that's how Shimao's attraction towards Kaori came about. Now, the highlight of the Hawaii trip is not the scenery (although it does look like a heavenly place) but rather his meeting with Takayanagi. A cleverly thought-out scene is where Takayanagi goes on and on about what he hopes to achieve and yet Shimao silences him with a simple question, "what are you going to do after you have achieved all your goals?". Takayanagi mentions that his greatest joy in life is to enjoy a glass of champagne but Shimao counters that by saying that he is ALREADY doing that now regardless of whether he achieves the next set of goals he sets. That is why Takayanagi writes Shimao off by saying that he's not cut out for business since Shimao doesn't seem to be motivated by monetary success. A clash of views which is really interesting in my opinion...

Next part would be what happens after that Hawaii trip. Shimao's life becomes a mess when his factory folds due to trust placed on the wrong person and his mother dies. He is helpless because of his lack of money so this becomes the primary factor as to why he goes to Takayanagi. I don't think he really wanted help from Takayanagi in the first place but what happened to him should have changed Shimao's mindset. Maybe he realized that his old thinking is not helping him to survive in the world of today. As what his mum said when they were in Hawaii, Shimao used to be studying IT when he was in the Uni and had to give it up when his father died. That is why his mum thinks that it is a pity to give up his talent where he could have achieved more in life but Shimao did not think so. However, it would not be an easy task to get close to Takayanagi since he's the CEO and this makes Shimao realize the vast difference between him and Takayanagi.

Now, the finale section where Frontier (Takayanagi's company) gets into some trouble and Shimao saves the day. It sure was cool seeing Shimao typing furiously on the keyboard while putting on a relaxed front as he restores the server and leaves without a word once the job was done. It is rare to see Kusanagi acting in cool roles so this part is a must-see to see a different side of him. Oh, I forgot about something. Kusanagi seems to have put on a bit of weight and looks more healthy than his sunken cheeks look in his past few dramas where he looked undernourished. Now, he's looking slightly better than before... Since Takayanagi has realized that Shimao is an IT whiz, he's going to join Frontier and probably cause some tensions among the staff there with his talent by the next episode.

Initially, I think the news reports mentioned that Shimao is modelled after the famous IT entrepreneur Horie Takafumi but it seems like Takayanagi seems more like Horie with his acqusitions of the soccer team etc. Anyway, I'm not too concerned with that.

The theme song is rather plain, a typical R & B song but it may take a few times for me to remember the melody.

I'm going to put this drama on my must-watch list now (the first for this season) since I like such office-setting dramas and the clash between Kusanagi and Tsutsumi is so interesting. Ai kurushii, if it makes me kurushii (painful), I'll drop it ASAP by the 2nd or 3rd episode. I don't wish to watch a tearjerker at the moment and Nojima Shinji's style just doesn't work on me. I still have Attack No.1, Yume de Aimashou, Kegaretashita and Ruri no Shima to watch...

Preview of Koi ni Ochitara ~ Boku no Seikou no Himitsu (What if I fall in love ~ The secret to my success)

2011-02-19T21:07:00.001+08:00

Starting on 14 April 2005, Thu, 2200 - 2254
First episode extended by 10 mins (2200 - 1109)

This drama depicts the success story of an IT entrepreneur who also gained fame by owning a professional baseball team (sounds more like Horie Takafumi's story even though FujiTV keeps denying it) and explores the theme of how success is exactly measured in life.

6 years ago, Suzuki Shimao (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) took over the family business with his mother Aiko after the demise his father. Even though they are not rich, Shimao manages to live comfortably with his mother and younger sister, Mariko.

One day, Shimao wins a holiday trip to Hawaii at the shopping street's lucky draw and goes with his mother. Over there, he meets Shirakawa Kaori (Matsushita Nao) and her boss, Takayanagi Toru who is an entrepreneur in IT venture business. Shimao is deeply attracted to Kaori after that meeting.

However, when Shimao returns to Japan, he finds that his factory is in trouble as one of his managers committed fraud and causes the family business to collapse. Due to this, his mother suffers a heart attack and needs a transplant urgently. Being left high and dry, Shimao remembers Takayanagi's words that if he faces any trouble, Shimao can come to him for help. As a result, Shimao goes to Takayanagi's company, Frontier and decides to enter the IT industry...

Cast Relationship and description:

Suzuki Shimao (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) 28
An innocent and honest young man who took over his father's small factory when he died of an illness. He believes in taking one step at a time and helping people who are in trouble. Currently, he lives with his mother and his younger sister who is working as an OL. and has little luck with love so far. He believes in his father's principle of money cannot buy everything in the world.

Takayanagi Toru (Tsutsumi Shinichi) 38
8 years ago, he switched jobs and joined IT company, Frontier. Now, he is the CEO of this company and is expanding his company's influence by the day. He is dubbed the favourite of the era by the media and is popular in the social circles. He believes that as long as there's money, he can buy everything in the world.

Shirakawa Kaori (Matsushita Nao) 24
The secretary of Takayanagi who's innocent and gentle. Being quick on her feet, she is a great help to her boss. She also holds a torch for Takayanagi but he does not see her as a romantic interest given that he has many girlfriends.

Suzuki Mariko (Kimura Yoshino) 26
Shimao's younger sister who is working as an OL in a company located in Marunouchi since she graduated. She's the type who speaks her mind unlike her brother.

Ando Ryuta (Yamamoto Koji) 28
Shimao's childhood friend who operates a seafood shop nearby. He likes Mariko but has never told her about it.

Kamiya Riku (Tanihara Shosuke) 30
The general manager of Frontier and the right-hand man of Takayanagi. He admires his boss for his abilities and hopes to own a company some day. As such, he is eagerly awaiting his chance.

Hoshino Mamoruko (Sato Eriko) 24
The master of a bar, Rioha where Frontier staff frequent. As such, she knows a lot about the company through her encounters with the staff.

Fujii Hiromi (Takisawa Saori) 24
Takayanagi's secretary and the senior of Kaori. She is ambitious and wishes to climb up the corporate ladder. Being one of Takayanagi's girlfriends, she also views Kaori as a rival for his affections.

Miyazawa Osamu (Suzuki Kosuke) 29
A staff of Frontier who's serious about work. He gets into a mess with his easily excitable character.

Kirino Nanami (Wakui Emi) 33
One of the founding members of Frontier who used to be ex-colleagues with Takayanagi. They used to be dating but are now ordinary friends. She is also the one who first uncovers Shimao's talent for the IT business.

Official website: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/koiochi/

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 10 (Finale)

2011-02-09T00:17:00.001+08:00

Ep 10 (Final) O.A. 18 June 05
Ratings: 13.3%

As a result of his real identity being revealed, the islanders treat Takahara (Takenouchi Yutaka) coldly with the exception of few. Jie comes to Yuzo and asks the latter to get Takahara to leave on his own accord. Ruri overhears this and gets angry at them for treating Takahara this way,

Ruri's mother, Nao comes to Hatomijima and asks to take Ruri back to Tokyo. Ruri feels that Nao is just doing this at whim since she deserted Ruri when she remarried and runs out of the house.

Ruri meets Takahara and he remarks that it will be good to return to somewhere which you really belong to. At the same time, Sanae-sensei is getting worried over how to set up the junior high school for Ruri and Izumi while Nao senses that Ruri and Yuzo are looking more like a family to her.

Ruri and Nao go on a walk and Nao remarks that Yuzo and Ruri are so close while her distance with Ruri is widening. However, when Ruri overhears Yuzo discussing with Megumi on whether he can still work for another few more years to bring up Ruri, she ponders whether her presence would be a burden to them. Ruri goes to Sanae and asks whether there is any hope of opening a junior high school on Hatomijima. Although Sanae tries to look positive, Ruri realises that the possibility is low due to a lack of students.

When Nao prepares to leave Hatomijima, Ruri rushes to the pier and rides the boat with her. At the same time, the islanders find out that Ruri had left the island with Nao and are waiting for her to return since she did not say goodbye to Yuzo and the rest. Ruri finally returns in the evening and apologizes for being unable to get the authorities to change their minds. Actually, Ruri had went to the ministry of education in Ishigaki to ask for the junior high school to be opened and wasn't going to return to Tokyo with Nao.

Takahara is leaving Hatomijima and everyone comes to see him off. He is touched by their concern and promises to be back again.

In March, Nao calls Ruri and tells her that there was an article on Hatomijima. The principal of the orphanage where Ruri used to be introduced a number of students to go there thus the junior high school can be opened.

Ruri makes it to the junior high school and to her surprise, Sanae who was supposed to be posted elsewhere, ends up teaching at Hatomi Junior High school. At the same time, Takahara becomes a hairstylist at a seaside salon and is reading Ruri's letter happily...

This is the first drama which finished this season. Well, it's an all ends well finale to the story although I thought that the twist about them being able to open the junior high school was quite... unconvincing. Trust them to come up with that just before the academic year ended in March...

Other than that, I thought that this drama was a refreshing change from the selection we have this season. It may seem plain, slow and boring just like Yasashii Jikan last season but human dramas tend to focus more on human interaction than making the plot interesting with lots of twists. And one common trait between the two would be the beautiful scenery.

However, some lacking aspects would be:
-The Takahara/Kawashima thread could have been further explored. It seems like everything ended so quickly. The suspense built up over so many episodes and the explanation just took less than 1 episode. Takenouchi Yutaka's airtime is so little and he rarely speaks. What a waste!
-The overly "perfect" ending. Of course, making Ruri leave the island serves no purpose since the title is Ruri no Shima but the junior high school issue just seems to make reality so "unrealistic". Imagine the trouble they took to set up the junior high school and in the end, everything gets done just because of an article.

Will assess how this drama ranks among the others which I've watched this season when everything finishes.

Thank you for reading the reviews so far and hope that you will enjoy the new season drama reviews too! Do post here if you have any comments on the drama!

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 9

2011-02-08T00:15:00.001+08:00

Ep 9 O.A. 11 June 05
Ratings: 12.3%

The police comes to take Kawashima away for an interrogation because someone had raised the alarm when he fought with Nonomura earlier on. When asked about his name, Kawashima admits that he's Takahara Makoto in front of everyone who is shocked as to why he wants to hide his identity.

At the same time, Mihoko, who is the younger sister of the real Kawashima Tatsuya comes to Hatomijima to look for Kawashima but he is away at the police station. Mihoko tells Jie and Yuzo that she is here just to find out what happened to her late brother and doesn't believe that Kawashima killed her brother. However, the rest of the villagers seem to have doubts about Kawashima and keeps making guesses since the time of his arrival at Hatomijima coincides with the period when the real Kawashima was discovered dead.

Ruri is upset over this and runs to Mihoko to find out about Kawashima's past.

The real Kawashima and Takahara were good friends who worked together to open a hair salon. However, they met with an accident one night and Kawahara's right hand was disabled as a result. Thus, he could no longer be a hairstylist and vented his frustration at Takahara since he felt that Takahara was responsible for the accident. In one of his suicide attempts, Kawashima became wheelchair-bound and kept asking Takahara to end his life.

Upon hearing this, Ruri snaps at Mihoko and accuses her of suspecting Kawashima (Takahara) of being the murderer since the real Kawashima couldn't walk. She also scolds her for being the culprit if Kawashima does not return to Hatomijima.

Mihoko decides to go to the police station to look for Kawashima but misses him since he goes back to Hatomijima with Yuzo. Although Ruri wants to believe Kawashima, she finds it hard to face him and tries to avoid him.

Out of fear that Kawashima may disappear from her sight, Ruri goes to find out the truth with Yuzo. Kawashima admits that he did bring his friend to the harbour since he wanted to look at the sea. However, the real Kawashima jumped into the sea and Kawashima (Takahara) tried to save him. He let go of Kawashima's hand because he wanted to free his friend of the misery he experienced. Kawashima mentions that he came to Hatomijima and used his friend's name because this was his hometown and he wants to live his life for the real Kawashima. Kawashima tells Ruri that he plans to go back to Tokyo and assume his real identity again before confessing what happened to the police. Ruri refuses to accept this and runs away crying...

Finally, we get to find out what has been bothering Kawashima (Takenouchi) so much... I can imagine how sad he must be when he let go of his friend's hand as he jumped into the sea to save him. The real Kawashima had asked Takahara, "Can you tell me what are the good things awaiting if I continue to live in this stage?" And he had asked point blank whether Takahara was willing to support him for the rest of his life which the latter was unable to answer. Besides that, he said that being forced to live on and having to depend on Mihoko and Takahara made him felt useless. Faced with such questions, Takahara decided to free his friend from the misery but ends up forcing himself to bear the burden. It's almost certain that he will leave Hatomijima by the next episode or else he would not be able to break free from this psychological barrier if he continues to be Kawashima Tatsuya.

There are a number of issues to be resolved e.g. whether the secondary school can be opened for Ruri and Izumi, Sanae-sensei's impending departure from Hatomijima and how Ruri will handle the departure of her best friend, Kawashima.

In the next episode's trailer, we see Ruri's mother, Nao coming to Yuzo and asking to take back Ruri and Ruri walking around in an uniform i.e. she's in junior high school. More twists in the plot right till the end?

By the way, I find that this is the only episode which Takenouchi Yutaka's character speaks the most. He's been so quiet throughout the drama that I really miss his voice...

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 8

2011-02-07T00:14:00.001+08:00

Ep 8 O.A. 4 June 05
Ratings: 9.3% (the lowest ratings so far... personally, i think this episode is quite dry but the next one promises to be quite good )

The islanders are preparing for the Hounensai but Ruri has yet to recover from the sudden demise of Shomei and keeps brooding over why the rest can get on with their lives so easily. Ruri chats with Kame-basan and hears from her that according to the island's legend, when people die, they go to a place to live for 33 years before going to Heaven. This consoles Ruri who believes that Shomei is still somewhere looking over her.

At the same time, Jie's wife, Yoshie runs away from home because of the fact that Satoru is his illegitimate son. Satoru is upset that he caused Yoshie and Jie to fall out. The freelance journalist, Nonomura goes around accusing the islanders of being selfish to bring the children to Hatomijima just to keep the primary school running. Yuzo and Kawashima try to keep the children away from Nonomura and refuse to explain themselves.

Satoru falls sick and everyone is in a fluster as to what to do. Yoshie returns home to take care of Satoru and she reconciles with Jie later.

On the day of the Hounensai, Nonomura goes to pester the children again and ask them why they want to stay in Hatomijima. Yuzo tries to shelter them and requests Nonomura to back off. However, he continues to be aggressive thus Kawashima thrashes him. The children then reveal the reason why they wish to stay on which makes Nonomura contented and he stops pestering them.

Just as everyone think that the festival can go on as planned, the police come to look for Kawashima and ask for his name. He states that he's called Takahara Makoto and they bring him away for questioning...

This episode is a bit slow and lacks a major theme but the next episode will reveal more on Takahara/Kawashima's past. It appears from the trailer that he helped the real Kawashima to commit suicide... I'm looking forward to watching this to confirm my hunch...

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 7

2011-02-06T00:12:00.002+08:00

Ep 7 O.A. 28 May 05
Ratings: 11.9%

The annual Hounensai (Harvest Festival) is approaching and the islanders start to prepare for this event.

Ruri is glad to have company in school now that the island chief, Jie has adopted a 7-year-old boy Satoru. To Ruri, it's as if she has a little brother to take care of. Ruri tells Satoru about the plan to perform the shamisen during the festival. Actually, Satoru is Jie's son with another woman but he lies to everyone that Satoru is the son of a distant relative.

At the public hall to discuss plans for the festival, a freelance journalist, Nonomura who had come to the island recently asked Jie whether the islanders were being selfish to get kids to the island in order to protect their primary school. Jie tries to divert the topic but his friend, Shohei wants him to explain to Nonomura on this matter. At the same time, Shomei comes and wants them to listen to what his daughter Izumi wrote in her letter but nobody is free to listen to him.

Jie's wife, Yoshie notices subtle similarities between Jie and Satoru. She starts to wonder if they are father and son. She asks Shohei about this and he unwittingly lets the cat out of the bag. As a result, Yoshie starts to ignore Jie and this makes Satoru unhappy as he feels that they quarrelled because of him.

While preparing for the festival, a typhoon is approaching and everyone prepares to secure their homes. Kawashima is waiting at home for Shomei who has yet to return. Actually, Shomei's trying to save the wandering lambs in the storm. The storeroom bearing the items for the festival has a broken door and in order to prevent the rain from spoiling them, Shomei blocks the door in the storm and ends up being hit from a fallen lamp post. It is only till some time later before Kawashima manages to find him but it is too late...

Ruri is very upset at losing one of her best friends and cannot seem to accept the truth. Kawashima finds Izumi's letter in Shomei's pocket and they find out that Izumi is persuading her mother to return to Hatomijima. However, Shomei passed away before they could reunite...

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 6

2011-02-05T00:11:00.000+08:00

Ep 6 O.A. 21 May 05
Ratings: 12.3%

Although I thought that we would know more about Kawashima, they only revealed a little... I still don't know why he's intent on hiding his identity. Does he have something to do with the death of the real Kawashima Tatsuya?

Kawashima receives a call from the Tokyo police and is quite scared as he thinks that it may have to do with his friend's death. However, they are looking for him because Shomei has been admitted to the hospital. Kawashima decides to fetch Shomei back even though he's apprehensive about going back to Tokyo. Ruri hides in the boat and makes Kawashima bring her along as she's worried about Shoumei.

When Yuzo finds that Ruri has tagged along, he borrows money from the village chief, Arakaki to go to Tokyo too. Arakaki raises the idea of adopting another child and asks Yuzo for his opinion. He agrees that it would be good for Ruri to have someone close to her age living on the island and rushes to Tokyo.

Kawashima and Ruri meet Shomei who is disappointed at not being able to meet his daughter Izumi. As such, Ruri promises to bring Izumi to the hospital to visit Shomei but Izumi refuses to do so, saying that she is not related to Shomei by blood. And she uses "ano hito" (that person) to refer to Shomei which reminds Ruri of what she used to say when referring to her mother.

At the same time, Koji decides to confront Natsumi on whether she really regrets marrying him. After an argument, they finally understand how they feel for each other and reconcile.

Ruri decides to find Izumi again so that she can visit Shomei. Yuzo happens to see someone calling Kawashima by the name of Takahara and asks him about his identity. Kawashima finds it hard to talk about his past and says that he just wants to start a new life on Hatomijima. Yuzo does not probe further and has no intention of revealing this secret to anyone. However, he tells Kawashima not to leave Ruri suddenly since she's very dependent on him as a good friend.

Ruri goes to Izumi's school and reads out the letters that Shomei wrote to her but were returned subsequently when she moved house. Izumi goes to the hospital and reveals that she did read some of his letters but couldn't reply to Shomei because she didn't want to make her mother upset. Shomei returns home happily with Ruri, Yuzo and Kawashima after seeing Izumi.

When Ruri and Yuzo returns home, they see a little boy in their house and are rather surprised at his appearance...

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 5

2011-02-04T00:10:00.000+08:00

Ep 5 O.A. 14 May 05
Ratings: 13.3%

As usual, a good episode where we have improvements in the relationships between some people slowly but surely. However, there are also new potential conflicts coming up between some people.

First of all, Mizuki (Igawa Haruka) discovers that she is pregnant but her boyfriend, Shigeru refuses to take responsibility. Actually, the islanders are very happy over this since it would mean that there will be someone to attend the primary school in future once Mizuki's child is born. However, the cold attitude by Shigeru makes Mizuki disappointed and she decides to leave the island but he rushes to stop her at Ruri's persuasion.

Somehow, I have this to say about the scene which Shigeru swam towards the boat to stop Mizuki. As she was pulling him up, she also fell in the sea. Well, didn't the story state that she is pregnant? Then why let her fall into the sea too? Forgive me for being fussy on such details but I think letting Mizuki fall into the sea seems to be illogical and redundant.

Anyway, this matter somehow makes Ruri feel like it concerns her. Maybe she feels for the unborn child who seems to be unwanted by the parents just like she feels discarded by her mother, Nao. And when Mizuki is left to fend for herself in the beginning and the look of loneliness in her eyes makes Ruri feel the pain as she has been lonely for most of her life. That's why she's willing to do so much to get Mizuki and Shigeru to patch up.

On the other hand, another couple on the island, Natsumi (the employee of the provision shop) and her husband, Koji are having problems. The village chiefs keep hurrying them to have babies but they have a problem. When Natsumi was trying to convince Mizuki to keep her baby, she reveals that she was pregnant once but aborted the baby thus resulting in her inability to have babies. And she regrets marrying Koji which is overheard by him. Since then, Koji has been unusually cold towards Natsumi who cannot comprehend the sudden change in behaviour.

Ruri is learning the sansen (a musical instrument with 3 strings) in order to make Yuzo happy. And through this learning experience, the village chief offers to teach her how to play while Sanae helps Ruri to keep this a secret from Yuzo. Seems like Sanae and Ruri are getting closer ever since that episode when Ruri fell into the hole.

At the same time, Shomei who had gone to Tokyo to meet his daughter, Izumi fails to see her since his ex wife says that he has no right to see her as he beat her up in the past whenever he was drunk. And Shomei ends up being walloped by the street gangsters when he bumps into one of them...

The next episode will see more light being shed on Kawashima aka. Takahara's(Takenouochi Yutaka) past since the police from Tokyo are looking for him. Ruri and Yuzo are also in Tokyo to bring Shomei back so it should be quite interesting to see what exactly Kawashima is running away from.

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 4

2011-02-03T00:09:00.000+08:00

Ep 4 O.A. 7 May 05
Ratings: 13.0%

The mood of the episode is quite different from the last which was rather emotionally heavy. This time round, there is a group of 5 students from Naha (capital of Okinawa) who are in Hatomijima for a study tour and Ruri is supposed to be with them when Sanae-sensei brings them around. Yuzo worries whether Ruri will be bullied by those kids for not having her real parents around but she assures him that she is fine. He also gives her a white dress which she puts on happily to go to school. She is on cloud nine when Kawashima praises her for looking pretty in that dress. And this episode also marks an improvement in Ruri's acceptance of Yuzo and his wife as her parents when she tells the Naha kids that her father catches squid (i.e. referring to Yuzo).

Somehow, I get the feeling that Ruri seems to like Kawashima a lot after all these times when he stood by her when she was having problems. Her first love? Being praised by the person you like would no doubt make you feel elated. I share her joy...

Anyway, the islanders regard this visit from the Naha students as a chance to promote Hatomijima to them in the hope that more would come here to study. Seems like those chief islanders can't wait to get someone to replace Ruri. I know she made a bad impression on them when she created trouble on the first day she arrived at Hatomijima but to behave like that towards a child as if she's unwelcome is very hurting. Well, those kids from Naha are not too friendly and one of them in particular, Teppei keeps making trouble for Ruri and even spills curry on that white dress she is wearing. Ruri is so angry that she wants to thrash Teppei but Sanae slaps him on her behalf because she couldn't stand his attitude.

That night, Teppei tries to run away in order to make trouble for Sanae and Ruri goes after him to make him drop the idea. Although Ruri and Sanae are usually hostile to each other, Ruri certainly doesn't dislike Sanae that much and doesn't want her to get sacked. On the other hand, I think she can sense that Sanae can't wait to leave Hatomijima and stop being her teacher so there is this rejection feeling in Ruri towards Sanae too.

Ruri and Teppei fall into a hole in the forest but are saved by Kawashima and Sanae who had come looking for them. As a result of this incident, Ruri and Sanae seems to have resolved their differences where the latter tells her to place more trust in her as the teacher. And Sanae drops the idea of leaving Hatomijima for the time being, most probably due to Ruri.

I think Sanae started looking at Ruri in a different light after seeing her mother, Nao and realized that she did not behave the way she did because she was just plain rebellious. It is the constant sense of betrayal and abandon from her mother that resulted in Ruri not being able to trust adults. And because of this incident, it has brought them closer but probably they aren't going to be best friends yet.

Something's been bothering me. If Hatomijima is really that secluded and backward as what they say, how come handphones can work there? Did NTT build some transmission towers there? I don't see the islanders watching too much TV either...

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 3

2011-02-02T00:08:00.000+08:00

Ep 3 O.A. 30 Apr 05
Ratings: 13.2%

An emotionally heavy episode, I would say.

From the last episode, we know that Ruri's mother, Nao comes to Hatomijima to look for Ruri. However, her appearance is not a simple visit after all as Yuzo realizes it after knowing what's she's like when he saw her in Tokyo. There's no way she could have come all the way to Hatomijima just to see Ruri. That is why he is wary about letting Ruri hear what they have to say and sends her off to school. Ruri has a lot of questions to ask Nao as to why she appeared and becomes very lethargic in class. Sanae-sensei doesn't understand why Ruri is behaving like that and even asks her to write a composition on her mother.

Nao tells Yuzo that she's pregnant and will be getting married soon. As such, she would like to remove Ruri's records from hers as Nao's future husband does not know about Ruri. Yuzo is quite upset with Nao who sees Ruri as just a name which she can remove anytime even though Ruri is her own flesh and blood. Nao says that she will break the news to Ruri directly and asks Yuzo to take in Ruri officially as his daughter by putting her name in their family register.

Sanae finally realizes Ruri's complicated feelings towards Nao and sees her in a different light. She seems to be genuinely concerned about Ruri's plight and tries to help if there is an opportunity. Seems like Nao's visit does have a good effect afterall since it helps Sanae to see Ruri differently and bridges the differences between them.

When Nao finally breaks the news to Ruri, she fights back her tears and wishes Nao happiness. It is heartbreaking to see a kid like her going through such an ordeal and you would really sympathise with her. Ruri is so upset that she skips school after Nao leaves but when Kawashima and Shoumei (the guy who is a bit bonkers after alcohol poisoning when his wife and daughter left him) brings her to the beach to watch the birth of the turtles, Ruri manages to pick herself up and go on with life although she is still hurting from her mother abandoning her again.

In my opinion, Nao is really a terrible mother. No doubt she has the right to pursue her happiness. However, by saying that she wants to remove Ruri's name from her own register, it's like treating Ruri as a blemish in her life where she can just erase off at her own will. Ruri is a human being who has feelings. No wonder she feels betrayed and abandoned at the thought of this. Yuzo also has a legitimate reason for being angry at Nao for treating Ruri like some rubbish to be dumped and I think he's really a kind fatherly figure who loves Ruri like his own daughter.

And by watching how the turtles struggle to crawl to the sea soon after being born, Ruri seems to draw strength from this and realises that she has to move on with life even though Nao is gone from her life. I think the staff of this drama really put in a lot of effort in this particular scene because they showed in detail how the turtles climb out from the sand to the beach in fumbling steps. God knows how long they waited to capture this heartwarming scene on film?

It's getting better by each episode but the only grouse I have is that Takenouchi Yutaka appears so little in each episode... I would love to see more of him... Oh, before I forget, there is another revelation about his character and the supposedly real Kawashima where he actually was with the real one sitting in a wheelchair at the harbour. So something did happen between them which led to him falling into the sea and the real Kawashima dying....

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 2

2011-02-01T00:07:00.000+08:00

Ep 2 O.A. 23 Apr 2005
Ratings: 11.8%

No doubt, a big drop in ratings from the debut episode which is unexpected (at least to me) but I feel that this drama has a potential to get better as it progresses.

Things will definitely be smooth-sailing for Ruri and the people around her. It's not a simple case of a child comes to the island to live and all the problems facing the island would go away. First of all, Ruri had earned a bad reputation for herself when she went wild during her welcome party and crashed the boat into the clif. Thus, her teacher's attitude towards her is rather hostile while the village chief thinks little of her and keeps bugging Yuzo to send Ruri back to Tokyo and get another child from Okinawa main island instead.

Actually, due to the fact that Ruri has never been loved as a child, she is rather pessimistic about relationships and keeps everyone at bay without opening her heart to them. No doubt she believes that Yuzo and his wife, Megumi treat her well and care for her, she cannot express herself well enough. Coupled with the fact that she's still in the transition period of trying to adjust to life on the island which has a serious lack of facilities available in urban Tokyo, her frustration coupled with the distrust for the people around her makes Ruri try to be difficult. By creating trouble for the islanders, she hopes that Yuzo will send her back to Tokyo. I don't think she wants to go back anyway since her mother didn't care to come to the school term beginning ceremony but she is having doubts whether she can fit the role of helping the island with her presence and probably thinks that it would be best for Yuzo to get someone more obedient and lovable than her.

However, when Ruri realizes that Yuzo is trying very hard to convince the other islanders about letting her stay and he had to work to pay off the repair bill for the boat Ruri smashed, I guess this finally lets her know that she is being loved by someone and this would no doubt boost her self-worth. Just at this time, her mother comes to the island and it's going to create more confusion and tension within Ruri on how to accept her mother's presence.

On the other hand, Kawashima's real name should be Takahara and he's a hairstylist according to the video we saw in this episode. He is definitely acquainted with the deceased Kawashima Tatsuya but it's still not clear why he attempted suicide in Ep 1 and took on the name Kawashima as well as staying on the island and not going back to Tokyo. Takenouchi's character is full of question marks and he speaks very little in this drama. I think more information about him would be out as the drama progresses but I really hope to see more of him.

This drama, Anego and Koi ni Ochitara are my definite titles on the to-watch list. NTV's two offerings this season has got my total attention while for last season, I struck off Gokusen 2 and 87% from my list right from the beginning. Although NTV dramas do not usually get very high ratings, (Gokusen was one of the exceptions) they do have a number of good dramas from past seasons and it seems like they do very well in adapted stories. Both Ruri no Shima and Anego are adapted from best-selling novels. Note the similarity? Last year's hit, Hikari to tomo ni was adapted from a manga of the same title along with other past manga-to-drama titles like Kindaichi, Ginro, Psychometrer Eiji. They have a knack for creating magic from adapted stories, I guess.

Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 1

2011-01-31T00:06:00.000+08:00

Ep 1 O.A. 16 Apr 05 2100 - 2224
Ratings: 16.0%

Simply breathtaking...I mean the scenery. It's hard to believe that there's such a beautiful place where the sea is so clear and the entire place so serene. One thing I'm starting to worry about is whether this drama will bring a tourism boom to that island. It's better to leave things the way they are since many people around may spoil the tranquility but I would definitely want to visit this place if I have the chance. Just by admiring the scenery, it's worth my time spending more than an hour watching the debut episode.

Narumi Riko (i believe she's a newcomer) is pretty good as Ruri who is a complex mix of emotions. The curly hair she has at the beginning makes her look so mature and you would never believe that she's just 11 years old. She did not perm her hair like that just because she wants to be rebellious but rather her mother used to have this hairstyle and she wanted to be like her. Although Ruri can be rather quick-tempered, she's very kind at heart and would feel upset when Yuzo (Ogata Ken) cries for her or sprains his foot while chasing after her. She's not as bad as she seems but her rebellious behaviour is just to cover up her insecurities and protect herself from being hurt again. Just as what Ruri told Yuzo, she did try to throw tantrums like a kid and seek attention from her mother but it was of no use. As such, she has no choice but to force herself to grow up so as to protect herself. It's quite sad for a child to feel that way where she should still be pampered by her parents and doted on. In addition, much as she tells herself that she is trying to erase her unhappy childhood by leaving her mother, she cannot let go of her feelings so easily and decides to take her time instead of forcing herself.

Besides watching how Ruri opens up to the people around her, another highlight would be Takenouchi Yutaka. He has a beard again (i prefer him clean shaven though ) and his character, Kawashima Tatsuya is apparently a mystery. This is definitely not his real name and he came all the way to Hatomijima to commit suicide but the attempt failed because he saved Ruri from drowning and became her friend. This made him continue to live on for the sake of that someone called Kawashima Tatsuya who died in Tokyo from drowning. The two might forge a friendship and things might turn bad for them when the truth unravels...

Konishi Manami gets on my nerves as a teacher who seems really unwilling to stay on the island but why was she here in the first place? Another actress, Igawa Haruka used to be quite hot a few years back (remember the hoo-ha when she acted with KimuTaku? ) and now she's reduced to obasan-looking roles. The geinoukai is truly harsh and only the fittest survive...

Among the dramas which made their debut so far, I must say that this is the one which I enjoyed the most. I still have a number of dramas to watch though but I'm keeping this on my to-watch list with Koi ni Ochitara. I'm looking forward to see how the plot would develop as well as admire the beautiful scenery again...

Preview of Ruri no Shima - Spring 2005

2011-01-30T14:48:00.002+08:00

Cast:
Fujisawa Ruri (Narumi Riko)
Kawashima Tatsuya (Takenouchi Yutaka)
Nakama Yuzo (Ogata Ken)
Fujisawa Nao (Nishida Naomi)
Shimabukuro Sanae (Konishi Manami)
Nakajima Mizuki (Igawa Haruka)

The story takes place on a tiny island about 2000km from Tokyo and is one of the archipelago of islands southern of Okinawa. This place is so small that you would need less than 1 hour to finish walking around the coast. On this island, there are no police station, convenience stores, banks or hospitals and other amenities which are readily available in modern Japan. It seems as if the island has been forgotten and forsaken by the rest of the world and the population of 50 inhabitants on this island go about their simple lives at a leisurely pace where you can see cattle roaming around in the fields.

At the centre of this story, is a school which is on the verge of closure due to the lack of students from the small population. A little girl, Ruri, 11 years old comes from urban Tokyo to this island. Her father had died many years ago and her mother, Nao dumped her in the orphanage because she did not want to shoulder the responsibility of bringing up Ruri. In order to get over the sense of betrayal and abandon by her mother, Ruri goes to the island at the persuasion of Yuzo and begins a tale of finding her worth in life and influencing the people around her. She also meets Tatsuya who came to the island on the same day as her who seems to have a very sad past and would not talk about his background...

Preview of Episode 1 - 16 Apr 2005 (2100-2224) 30mins extra version

With a population of 49 adults and 1 child, at the southern end of Japan, there is a small island, Hatomijima whereby you only need less than one hour to walk around the entre island.

On Hatomijima, there are no hospitals, police stations, banks, convenience stores and other modern day amenities. What the island has is countless of beautiful hibiscus and being surrounded by coral reefs.

On such a beautiful island, a problem concerning the island's survival happens. The only child on the island is moving to the city thus the primary school on the island is due to be shut down. Once the school is shut down, Hatomijima will become a deserted island soon as the average age of the inhabitants is 63.5 years and the young have moved to the cities. The islanders start to get flustered and try hard to get their children to move back to the island.

7 days remain before the primary school would be closed. Nakama Yuzo (Ogata Ken) who is going to be 60 soon, decides to ask his daughter, Takako (Junna Risa) to bring her 7-year old child back to the island from Tokyo but she rejects his suggestion. As a result, Yuzo goes to Okinawa to seek a child for adoption but to no avail. However, he is given a suggestion to check out the orphanages to adopt a child which would require the parents/guardian's consent to bring him/her to Hatomijima.

Yuzo happens to meet a 11-year old girl, Fujisawa Ruri (Narumi Ruko) who ran out of the orphanage. She doesn't look like the usual primary 6 student and seems to be more mature than her peers since her father died and her mother dumped her in the orphanage.

Yuzo goes to Ruri's mother, Nao (Nishida Naomi) to seek approval to bring Ruri back to Hatomijima. However, Nao seems to be unconcerned about Ruri and tells Yuzo that he can bring Ruri away and she "doesn't want to restrict her child". In other words, she cannot be bothered about what happens to Ruri. Yuzo is so angry at Nao's nonchalant attitude but Ruri tells him not to be bothered since Nao has always been like that. However, Yuzo's genuine concern for an unrelated person like her touches Ruri and she feels needed for the first time in her life.

Yuzo then brings Ruri to Hatomijima where a stranger, Kawashima Tatsuya also joins them in the same boat...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 - Impressions at the end of the drama

2011-01-25T00:15:00.000+08:00

REVIEW FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES

Among the 4 dramas which I watched this season, Yasashii Jikan is my No.1 choice. Given that I gave up Fukigen na Gene at Ep 6, was quite disappointed with the sloppy ending of M no Higeki and cringed at the cliched conclusion of Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji, I don't have any complaints about Yasashii Jikan. As I expected, the pace of the story is slow but somehow, I didn't tear my hair out or fall asleep. Instead, what kept me watching was the beautiful scenery, the engaging story about a father-and-son's kizuna and the soothing music.

Being set in beautiful Furano located in Hokkaido, the drama shows scenes from autumn and winter which speaks volumes about the beauty of nature. Ever since I watched Hoshi no Kinka many years ago, I have this soft spot for Hokkaido and hope to pay a visit there one day. Now there's one more place to visit besides Otaru, Hakodate and Sapporo! Anyway, because of the beautiful scenery, it gives the story a serene effect but may also give the impression that the story is really slow.

I can't stand SLOW dramas which drag on and on without any purpose. The first example which comes to my mind at the moment would be Motokare where it's extremely obvious that Domoto Tsuyoshi's character loves Hirosue Ryoko's character more than Uchiyama Rina's and yet they have to go around in circles. It does take a bit of patience to get used to Yasashii Jikan's pace but somehow, I managed to live with that. Usually, it takes a lot for me to tolerate slow dramas. Yasashii Jikan doesn't even have my fav actors in the cast so I'm unable to explain why I like this drama so much.

Maybe the biggest pull factor would be the father-and-son relationship between Master and Takuro. Both of them obviously care for each other but they are clumsy in terms of their interaction with each other. What they do and say may not be what they feel or think most of the time. Thus, the misunderstandings kept building up and no one seems to take the first move to break the ice. Obviously, Megumi is the bridge between the two of them but when she passed away, it breaks the status quo in Master and Takuro's relationship. I was very touched when I saw Master and Takuro finally meeting in the final episode that I cried. Well, I'm not an emotional person and it's very rare that I cry but this drama did it for me. And I have to stress that it's because I'm touched by their reunion rather than feeling sad. They finally meet after such a long time and just by looking at each other's expressions, words don't seem to be that important anymore.

To suit the mood of the series, most of the BGM used are very soothing and slow. Besides, the theme song, Ashita by Hirahara Ayaka is in line with the theme of the series. Most of the time, I have to take my hat off to the staff who are doing BGM for dramas because they do a good job. Unlike local series which tend to use a lot of existing commercial music instead of creating original pieces , the sincerity put in when making a series is much evident in Japanese dramas.

On the whole, I would give this series 8 out of 10. I had hoped to see more of Takuro and Master after that reunion and how they are getting along but to no avail so that's where the deduction of marks comes in. I guess the producers wanted to leave more room for imagination...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 11

2011-01-24T00:13:00.000+08:00

Ep 11 - Yuki toke (Melting Snow)

Takuro uses the boiling hot pottery and puts it on his left arm to remove the tattoo. His master, Rokusuke hears Takuro's screams and rushes him to the hospital. Takuro confesses that he did this deliberately in order to bid farewell to his past. With the removal of the tattoo, he hopes to gain the forgiveness of Master when they meet again. Takuro makes Rokusuke promise not to tell Master about his injury for the time being.

Tomoko brings her friends during junior high to Mori no Tokei for their gathering. One of them, Kameda used to be in love with Megumi during those days. Just then, Sakuma, a regular of Mori no Tokei comes to inform his friends that Takigawa who had an affair with Mikako is being warded for a heart attack and the regulars speculate that whoever gets involved with Mikako would die.

Despite his injuries, Takuro continues to work on his exhibition item for the contest. He refuses to stop even though he's running a fever. Rokusuke has no choice but to go to Tomoko to discuss this. Although Tomoko respects Takuro's decision to keep it from Master, she asks Azusa over to talk about this matter.

Kameda returns to Mori no Tokei with past photos of Megumi, Valentine's Day gifts from her and shows them to Master who is puzzled by his actions. Later that day, Mikako appears with Kazama (another regular who is a police officer) and says that she is renting a room from him now that her affair with Takigawa is out in the open. Riri and Mimi warns Kazama to stay away from Mikako or he would lose his life.

Master chats with Megumi again and laments that she could have been happier if she chose someone instead of him. However, Megumi stresses that she is happy and is glad to have met Master.

Takuro finally comes up with a chawan he is happy with and decides to bring it to Master. The two of them put on smiles when they meet even though the emotions in them make their eyes teary. Takuro rolls up his sleeves and shows Master his wound and apologizes for what he has done. Master stops Takuro and says that he is also at fault. They start to chat about their lives for the past 1 and a half years as Azusa suddenly appears at Mori no Tokei. Master then asks Takuro to send Azusa back before returning to Mori no Tokei for the night.

Master looks on as Azusa and Takuro walk in the snow while holding hands. As he prepares a bottle of wine to drink with Takuro when he returns, he is surprised to see the coffee cup which Takuro gave to him for his birthday in front of Megumi's usual seat at the counter...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 10

2011-01-23T00:10:00.000+08:00

Ep 10: Irezumi (Tattoo)

Master asks Tomoko to set up a meeting between him and Rokusuke so as to thank him for taking care of Takuro for the past 1 and a half years. However, he wants Tomoko to keep this a secret from Takuro.

Azusa is learning how to make silver accessories from Mikako and is alone in her apartment. However, a middle-aged woman, Tamako barges in and is searching for something. Azusa is too stunned to stop Tamako who leaves without a word soon after searching in the entire apartment.

At the same time, a major discussion is going on in Mori no Tokei. The regulars are discussing the fact that Mikako and Takigawa are actually having an affair but lie to everyone that they are relatives. It seems that Takigawa's wife, Tamako had found out about the affair and beat up her husband while Mikako ran away. This was also the reason why Takigawa was unusually worked up when Mikako was lost during the snowstorm a few days back.

Unexpectedly, Tamako turns up at Mori no Tokei where the regulars stop the discussion upon seeing her. She stops Sakuma from leaving and interogates him on whether he had been having drinks with her husband every night as what he claims. Sakuma tries to cover up but Tamako had already found out the truth from the restaurant owner. He runs away to avoid Tamako's questions but she manages to grab Sakuma and drags him somewhere.

After Tamako has left, Takigawa comes to Mori no Tokei where the regulars keep poking fun at his injuries. He mentions that he got involved with Mikako 49 days after her husband's death and that she is indeed his relative, just that they are having an affair too.

That night, Master meets Rokusuke with Tomoko. Master is extremely nervous and unlike his usual self. Rokusuke feels sorry for Takuro who had been feeling remorseful because Master refuses to forgive him and asks Master why he is adoptiing such an attitude towards his son. Rokusuke also finds it unbelievable that Master did not attempt to look for Takuro in the last 1 and a half years while Takuro is in Bie. Master is unable to answer Rokusuke with regards to this.

On the way back, Master goes to Kita Tokei to have a chat with Tomoko. Master reveals why he was so upset at Takuro. During Megumi's funeral, Takuro suddenly rolled up his sleeves and showed Master his tattoo of "Shinigami" on his left arm. As a result, Master was very angry over Takuro doing that to himself and does not regard Takuro as his son. To Master, he felt that Takuro has become the Death God instead and brought misfortune to Megumi.

When Master returns to Mori no Tokei, he finds Mikako waiting for him outside. Mikako reveals that she got involved with Takigawa as he was the only one who showed concern for her after her husband's death and that he was the one who asked her to come to Furano. Mikako has no intention of leaving Furano and intends to continue with Takigawa which Master is unable to comprehend her thinking.

While at home working on her accessories, Azusa reveals to her sister, Riri on her relationship with Takuro. It seems like she is finally at peace with herself after that talk with Takuro. Azusa mentions that she will not meet Takuro for the time being as he is busy with the contest and does not want to distract him.

A few days later, Tomoko comes to look for Takuro and mentions to him that she will bring Master along to the pottery contest held in Asahikawa which makes Takuro's eyes light up at the mention of his father. Tomoko also requests to see his tattoo which Takuro obliges. She mentions the reason why Master was so upset with Takuro and asked him why he had to show his father the tattoo out of a sudden. Takuro mentions that on the night of the accident, Megumi was trying to see his tattoo but Takuro refused to do so. As a result of the struggling, Takuro lost control of the car and caused the accident. He had all along felt guilty about not showing the tattoo to Megumi. If he had done so obediently at Megumi's request, she would never have died. That is why in his dazed state during the funeral, Takuro showed Master the tattoo which was the catalyst to sour their strained relationship. Takuro is deep in thought after hearing Tomoko's words...

Master tells Megumi about the exhibition which Takuro is taking part in and worries that he might cry when he sees Takuro. Megumi tells Master that he can't just cry during the meeting or else Takuro would not understand what he is thinking of.

That night, Takuro is hard at work at the kiln and keeps thinking about his father's feelings towards the tattoo on his arm. In order to get rid of it, Takuro uses the boiling hot pot he took from the kiln and presses it against his arm. His scream makes Rokusuke come searching for him in the middle of the night...

Well, I'm quite surprised that Takuro would do that to himself at the end of this episode just to get rid of that tattoo. It just goes to show how much he cares about his father's opinion and hopes to win his acceptance and forgiveness as soon as possible. As for Master, it's evident that he's looking forward to meeting Takuro again and to see him say that he will cry once he meets Takuro is so touching. I'm looking forward to the final episode where they will finally meet after 10 episodes...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 9

2011-01-22T00:05:00.000+08:00

Ep 9 - Kizuato (Scar)

Azusa commits suicide in her car and is almost frozen to death when the police discover her. Azusa's sister, Riri informs Master of this and he plans to visit her once the weather gets better.

Azusa wakes up to find herself in hospital. The nurse (Koizumi Kyoko) attending to her points out that Azusa didn't mean to kill herself at all since she cut herself at the wrong place. As she shows Azusa her scar when she commited suicide in the past, she mentions that dying will not leave anything behind and that nobody would pity her which gets Azusa thinking what she hoped to achieve when she cut her wrist.

Master wears the necklace which Azusa gave to him on Christmas when he visits her at the hospital. Azusa is so happy to see that and starts crying. Master suggests that Azusa contact her boyfriend i.e. Takuro about her being warded but she objects to it violently. At the same time, Mikako comes to visit Azusa and gets the wrong idea when she sees the necklace on Master. Actually, Azusa had bought 2 necklaces meant for herself and Takuro but she gave hers to Master in the end. Mikako passes a bangle to Azusa so that she can use it to cover her scar on her wrist.

Master goes to Kita no Tokei and asks Tomoko to tell Takuro about Azusa being hospitalized. At the same time, Azusa tries to call Takuro at the hospital but to no avail.

Domoto comes to visit Takuro at Kaikukama where he is hard at work to prepare for the pottery competition. Domoto mentions that it was Master who told him about Takuro's whereabouts. Takuro mentions that he plans to meet Master in the near future but not until he achieves something at the competition to show that he has changed for the better. After Domoto leaves, Tomoko comes to look for Takuro and mentions Azusa's suicide attempt which makes Takuro very surprised although he tries to conceal it.

Takuro's teacher, Rokusuke tells him to move the ornament at the entrance of Kaikukama to the gallery where he finds the mamori (tailsman) left by Master. As it was from Furano Shrine, Takuro thought that Azusa left it behind for him and called her out.

Azusa and Takuro arrange to meet at a restaurant in Furano where Takuro appeared, wearing the necklace from Azusa. Takuro explains why he had to stop seeing Azusa because he has to concentrate on the contest, not because he was angry with Azusa for bringing Master to Kaikakuma on Christmas Eve. Takuro chides Azusa for inflicting wounds on her body and shows her the tattoo on his arm. He mentions that he did that to remember Kishigami who had helped him when he was bullied but he regrets that this has brought unhappiness to his parents. Takuro thanks Azusa for the mamori but she claims ignorance to that.

At the same time, Master is talking to Megumi again about how Takuro's skin felt so flawless when he was born and laughs when he remembers how he used to exclaim that in the past... Takuro realizes that Master came to see him secretly and starts to cry...

A big progressive step in 2 areas...
1) Takuro and Azusa finally talk things over and she realizes how foolish she was to keep harping on non-important stuff
2) Takuro realizing that Master knows about his existence in Bie and how he still cares for his son. I guess this would be a big driving force for him to exceed in the contest

As the title of this episode indicates, I believe it is referring to two things i.e. Takuro's tattoo and Azusa's scars from slashing her wrists. Just as Master remembers fondly how Takuro's skin used to be flawless and very beautiful, imagine how he would have felt when seeing the tattoo on Takuro's arm. I think Takuro realized how Master felt then so that's why he chided Azusa for doing things to harm her body which had been given by her parents. Speaking from experience? Anyway, looking at things now, seems like the situation is looking up for Master and Takuro and hopefully they can meet up soon. I don't know if they will leave the reunion right to the last episode though...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 8

2011-01-21T00:02:00.000+08:00

Ep 8: Fubuki (Snowstorm)

A snowstorm is hitting Furano since morning. Mikako (the widow from Tokyo) brings along some guests from Tokyo who are staying at Takigawa Hotel (her relative's resort). A regular guest warns them of the danger of hiking in this weather but Mikako expresses confidence in her guests as they are part of a mountaineering club. They then plan to walk past the golf range and return to the resort.

At the same time, Azusa is still breaking plates as usual but Master and her sister notice that something is not right with her. Azusa is in a daze most of the time after Takuro chided her for being a busybody and refuses to meet her. Seeing that Azusa is not in a state to work and that there would be no customers in this snow storm, Master asks Azusa to return home. Azusa questions Master why he did not wear the necklace she gave to him for Christmas but he gives her a vague answer and tries to brush aside the issue. Later, Master then asks his other employees, Azusa's sister, Riri and Mimi to go home.

Azusa's ex-teacher cum ex-boyfriend, Matsuda calls Mori no Tokei and says that he wishes to speak to Master on Azusa. At the same time, a guy dressed in hiking gear, Domoto enters Mori no Tokei .

Matsuda comes by and mentions that he saw Azusa on the streets yesterday where she seemed weird and he decided to let Master know about her condition. At the same time, Azusa is driving to somewhere with an expressionless face...

Domoto asks Master to introduce a nearby hotel for him. He then calls Takigawa Hotel where the owner would come by later to fetch him. Takigawa also mentions to Master that Mikako and his guests are still not back yet and is worried about them being trapped in the snowstorm. Part of the group returns to Mori no Tokei and mentions that Mikako has gone missing with another male guest. Master leaves Domoto to tend his shop and leaves with the group to search for Mikako and the others.

Master returns to find Domoto helping him burn some firewood due to the loss of electricity. Domoto asks whether Master's surname is Wakui and mentions that he was the tutor of Takuro in the past and met him before at Megumi's funeral. Master then asks Domoto about Takuro so as to find out why he joined the gang. Domoto mentions that Takuro was being bullied in school but was helped by a guy in the neighbourhood named Kishigami. Due to his help, Takuro decides to join the gang as a form of gratitude. Later, due to an internal fight, Kishigami was killed so Takuro decided to tattoo Kishigami's nickname, Shinigami (Death God) on his left arm in order to leave the gang. As a result, Megumi was called by the gang to settle Takuro's matter.

Just as the police and other searchers gather in Mori no Tokei to organize a search party for Mikako, Riri calls Master and says that Azusa has not returned home. Master tells her to call Takuro at Kaikakuma and mentions that Takuro is his son. However, as Takuro is at home working on his creation for the contest, no one picks up the phone in Kaikakuma.

While waiting for news on Mikako and the guest, Master chats with Domoto again on Takuro. Domoto mentions that Takuro felt how much Master loves Megumi when he came to Furano and experienced how painful it was for Master to lose her. As such, he does not expect Master to forgive him at all. Master tells Domoto about Takuro's whereabouts and asks him to pass a message to Takuro, asking him to tell Takuro that they should meet up once to talk things out.

Later that night, Mikako and the other guest returned to the hotel safely and Domoto left with Takigawa too. However, Azusa is still missing and in actual fact, she went to look for Takuro but his phone was switched off. In the middle of the night, the police found Azusa's car almost buried by the snow and she has slashed her wrists again in her suicide attempt...

Well, there is yet little interaction between Master and Takuro but at least we see Master taking some initiative to resolve the matter. He asks Domoto to look up Takuro and pass a message because it would be hard for him to speak to Takuro even on the phone. Besides, he expresses interest in knowing why Takuro did the things he had done i.e. join the gang instead of jumping to conclusions. That seems to indicate a softening of his stand and a change in mindset.

As for Azusa, I'm quite irritated at her for being so sensitive even though the people around her are already trying hard to take care of her vulnerable feelings. Master didn't wear the necklace for reasons known to himself (maybe he sensed that Azusa also gave one to Takuro?) but from Azusa's reaction, she seems to feel that Master didn't wear it because he wasn't happy with her. Along with Takuro's refusal to meet her (he wants to concentrate on the pottery contest and win his father's approval), Azusa could have felt that the world is deserting her and she commited suicide again.

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 7

2011-01-20T00:59:00.000+08:00

Ep 7: Musuko (Son)

In the hope of letting Master and Takuro reconcile, Azusa brings Master to Takuro's workplace. However, when Takuro hears that she has brought his father here, he gets very worked up as he is not prepared to meet Master yet and runs away. Master happens to see that and is very shocked when Azusa calls out "Taku-chan" but he pretends that nothing is wrong.

On New Year's Eve, Master's ex-colleague Kawai brings his wife and son to Furano for a holiday. Kawai's wife happens to see the mug which Tomoko gave to Master on behalf of Takuro during his birthday and remarks that she bought a similar cup at Kaikakuma (Takuro's workplace) yesterday. At the mention of the place, Master tries to conceal his uneasiness since it reminded him of seeing Takuro running away in the night.

Master goes to Kita Tokei to meet Tomoko and notices that Kita Tokei uses cups which has the same design as the one Tomoko gave to him. From there, he tries to find out more about Kaikakuma in an attempt to get Tomoko to talk about Takuro. She admits that she was the one to introduce Takuro to work in Kaikakuma as she sympathized with him who wanted to be near Master and yet was not forgiven. Master then fires a series of questions at Tomoko as he feels that Takuro befriended Azusa because she is working at Mori no Tokei and wonders aloud whether he has any ulterior motives. Upon hearing his words, Tomoko flares up and scolds Master for thinking so badly of his son. It is precisely because of this attitude Master has adopted which is preventing him to reconcile with Master and asks him whether he has taken a good look at his own son. Master is stumped for words upon hearing this.

At the same time, Takuro's teacher, Rokusuke gives him a brochure of the Hokkaido Newcomer Pottery Exhibition and encourages him to take part in the contest held in March. He tells him to put in his best effort and Takuro remembers Tomoko's words that he has to work extra hard than any other youngsters his age so as to gain his father's trust and forgiveness for what he did in the past. As Azusa keeps calling Takuro after Christmas Eve when she brought Master to Kaikakuma, Takuro decides to concentrate on the contest and sends an email to Azusa telling her not to call him anymore as he cannot meet her for a period of time. Azusa is shocked by this and feels that this is because Takuro cannot forgive her for trying to arrange a meeting between him and Master.

During closing time, Master's ex-colleague, Kawai returns to Mori no Tokei and persuades him to come back to the company. However, Master rejects the offer and prefers to be in the company of his family and friends rather than return to his previous hectic lifestyle. After Kawai leaves, Master stares at the mug which Takuro made for him and laments to Megumi that he has never taken a close look at her or Takuro. However, Megumi assures him that he did care for her and that from now on, he can take the time to look at Takuro closely.

After paying a visit to the shrine for New Year, Master heads to Kaikakuma where he sees Takuro hard at work alone on a day where he should be celebrating or in the company of his family. He has mixed feelings seeing his son - glad that he has turned over a new leaf and is serious about his work but sad because he still cannot face up to his feelings and get over the pain of that accident. Master leaves behind the amulet he got from the shrine at the sculpture near Kaikakuma's entrance and leaves quietly...

In short, it's another bittersweet episode where we see Master obviously caring for Takuro but still lacking the courage to see him. At the same time, Takuro resolves to achieve something before he can finally meet his father. Seems like from the trailer of the next episode that something is going to happen to Takuro which might finally get things moving between father-and-son. It always takes something like this for people to realize the importance of people around them but I hope that they still have a chance of mending their relationship...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 6

2011-01-19T00:57:00.000+08:00

Ep 6: Seiya (Holy Night)

The highlight of this episode would be Master discovering Takuro's presence at Bie when Azusa brought him there on Christmas Eve, wanting to let them meet and reconcile. She's really a busybody but I guess without such a person, things might never get moving for Master and Takuro. It was a good idea to give father and son the pair necklaces which Azusa meant to wear for herself and Takuro. In the end, she gave hers to Master. Father and son wearing the same necklace, quite a nice idea after all.

Actually, Azusa wanted to tell Takuro about it first before bringing Master inside the pottery factory but he reacted very strongly to this and ran away before seeing his father. If not for the fact that Master saw the sculpture outside the factory which resembled the design of the cup for his birthday present (Tomoko gave it to Master on behalf of Takuro), he would never have stepped out of Azusa's car, heard her calling out "Taku-chan" and saw Takuro running away from him. Although he was very taken aback by what he saw, he pretended nothing happened and Azusa lied that Takuro was too busy to meet him even though he had ran off. He was in denial mode and tried to convince himself that Takuro was not in Bie but then he was quite sure that the guy who ran away was Takuro. Next episode, we see him visiting Takuro on the sly and he seemed like he was going to cry. What would it take for them to finally sit down and talk even though they both still care for each other a lot? I'm really looking forward to them meeting for the first time. It would probably be a very touching scene...

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 5

2011-01-18T00:54:00.001+08:00

Ep 5: Kioku

Takuro tells Azusa about the accident which caused his mother, Megumi's death. That night, Takuro was driving the car while having a heated argument Megumi. He made a wrong turn and caused the car to crash thus killing his mother on the spot. Azusa is very affected by Takuro's words that he can understand why Master cannot talk to him because his beloved wife was killed by his own son.

At the same time, Master is worried about Azusa who has not returned home after she ran out of Mori no Tokei. Tomoko comes to him and she talks about her lending of 3 million yen to Otonari and not expecting it back from him in the first place. Master thus wonders if he had done the right thing when rejecting Otonari's request for a loan which could have helped him and prevented his suicide. Azusa's elder sister, Riri then calls Master to let him know that Azusa has returned home but Azusa is still in a daze over Takuro's revelation of his relationship with Master.

Azusa goes to Kita Tokei to look for Tomoko and asks about Takuro and Master's relationship. Tomoko realizes that Azusa is the person who had been seeing Takuro and she's shocked that Takuro told her about this matter. Azusa finds it hard to understand why Master has not forgiven Takuro after all these years. Tomoko explains that Megumi had kept everything to herself thus Master did not know about Takuro going astray until he returned home for the funeral. As he trusted Megumi and Takuro enough to immerse himself fully in work, he felt that he was being betrayed and felt very shocked when Takuro had joined the gangs and caused Megumi's death as a result.

Takuro calls Azusa and tells her to go back to Mori no Tokei and try to understand what his father had told her. Azusa asks why Takuro can be so nice and understanding to his father when he has refused to see him but Takuro cannot answer her.

After the funeral, Otonari's wife comes to Mori no Tokei and returns the koden (donation) to Master because the amount is apparently quite significant. Megumi asks Master if he had made such a big donation because he was feeling guilty for not lending Otonari money in the first place but he does not answer. Master laments that he could have been too harsh on Azusa and has even contemplated apologising to her. At the same time, Azusa returns to Mori no Tokei and helps to clear the snow from the path as an apology for her outburst.

Well, there aren't major developments in this episode other than knowing the circumstances of the accident involving Megumi and Takuro, Master wondering if he had made the correct decision in not lending money to Otonari, Azusa and Master bridging their differences.

First of all, if the accident really happened under the situation shown in this episode, I don't think Takuro is fully to blame for it. How can Megumi keep "disturbing" Takuro while he was driving even though they were supposed to be in an argument? In that situation, it is a wonder if Takuro can concentrate on driving while trying to keep Megumi's hands off him and quarelling with her at the same time. OK, I admit that it was reckless or rather careless driving on Takuro's part but I'm sure he would be in anguish all his life because of this incident.

About the decision to lend Otonari money, well, if Master knew that Otonari would resort to suicide because of the failed business, he would most probably have lent the money to him. The thing is, nobody can anticipate the fact that Otonari would commit suicide. Just as what the regulars at Mori no Tokei mentioned, if they had known earlier, they would have lent him whatever little money they had, be it 10,000 yen or 100,000 yen. Most of the people Otonari turned to did not have spare cash to lend him in the first place so it's a matter of circumstances that prevented them from helping. In the case of Master, he did have the means but his intention in not lending money is also valid. It's really hard to judge whether he made a wrong decision in this case.

As for Azusa and Master, she's always been very sensitive to other people's words even though they may not mean anything bad. In my opinion, Master was trying to explain things to her but she understood it as an accusation of her being a thief even when she topped up the shortfall when the takings don't tally. I guess because of what Takuro told her, Azusa seems to see that she should take the first move in apologizing but she is really irritating the hell out of me when I saw in the next episode's trailer that she actually brings Master to Bie to see Takuro but the latter gives them the slip as he is not ready to meet his father. Azusa could help them reconcile or create more trouble in this bimyou situation.

Preview of Kokuhatsu ~ Kokusen Bengonin 告発 ~ 国選弁護人 - Winter 2011

2011-01-17T00:13:00.005+08:00

Title: Kokuhatsu ~ Kokusen Bengonin (Exposed ~ Nation Selected Lawyer)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 13 Jan 2011
Timeslot: Thursdays, 9pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Cast: Tamura Masakazu, Hashizume Isao, Aibu Saki, Maya Miki, Shaku Yumiko, Kimura Tae, Hirata Mitsuru, Yamaguchi Tomomitsu

Preview of Fuyu no Sakura 冬のサクラ - Winter 2011

2011-01-16T00:44:00.004+08:00

Title: Fuyu no Sakura (Winter's sakura)
O.A. Start Date: 16 Jan 2011
Timeslot: Sundays 9pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Official website: here
Cast: Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Imai Miki, Sato Takeru, Kato Rosa, Yamazaki Shigenori, Denden, Oshima Yoko, Yoshida Hideko, Enami Kyoko, Takashima Masanobu

Story: Inaba Yu (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi), a glass craftsman who has never fallen in love, takes care of his sick mother at their hometown in Yamagata Prefecture and meets Monami (Imai Miki), who has come to watch the winter sakura. However, Monami gets into an accident and loses her memory. Yu takes Monami in and encourages her to stay positive while she tries to regain her memory.

When Yu's mother passes away, his younger brother Hajime (Sato Takeru) comes back for the funeral with his girlfriend Anna (Kato Rosa) and notices Yu's feelings for Monami. Just then, Monami's identity is confirmed and she realises that she's married with a husband and daughter back in Tokyo. When her husband comes to pick Monami up, Yu sends her off with a smile while suppressing his own feelings. However, Monami's husband is uneasy about Yu's presence and his importance to his wife...

Comments: Frankly speaking, if not for Kusanagi, I think I would have struck this off my list immediately. This drama just seems to be a rehash of Korea's Winter Sonata which is called Fuyu no Sonata in Japanese. And I happen to be not a fan of the drama and a certain Yon-sama. Notice the resemblance in the title? The setting of the story? How one half of the pairing suffers from amnesia? And how they are getting Choi Jiwoo to appear in this drama which will no doubt bring a comparison between the two? However, I'll try to watch this at least for the snow scenes and Kusanagi. It will be interesting to see how things work out at the end for the couple.

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 4

2011-01-16T00:02:00.000+08:00

Ep 4: Neyuki

Will just touch on the more important developments in this episode rather than a full length review of the entire episode.

A regular at Mori no Tokei, Otonari comes to Master to borrow money so as to save his business. However, Master refuses to lend it to him and explains that he does not want money to become an issue with his customers who have become his friends. As Otonari has nobody else to turn to, he has to shut down his business and his goods being taken by his creditors.

At the same time, Azusa goes to Takuro's place again to have dinner with him where his teacher, Rokusuke finds out. He decides to get Tomoko to speak to Takuro for fear that something bad might happen between Takuro and Azusa. Tomoko tells Takuro to keep Azusa out of his house and concentrate on learning pottery before he can meet his father again.

Azusa is caught putting the money in the cash register into her own pocket. Her rationale is that she cannot tally the sums properly and had taken out the money separately but she has no intention to steal. Master tries to explain things to Azusa on how she should handle the situation but she gets very worked up and thinks that everyone is accusing her of being a thief. She even says that she will quit the job and dares Master to call the police to arrest her.

Azusa goes to Takuro's place but he refuses to let her enter because of his promise to Tomoko. They proceed to talk in Azusa's car where she keeps critizing Master for not helping Otonari and giving him a lecture as well as accusing her as a thief. Takuro cannot stand Azusa's words anymore and tells her to stop speaking ill of Master since he is Takuro's dad.

That night, Master is informed by his police friend that Otonari had hung himself after his business failed. Master wonders if he is too strict with the people around him especially Takuro and feels a tinge of regret for not helping Otonari. Megumi, who appears in the shop again tries to console him to look on the bright side.

Well, not too much developments on the Master-Takuro thread though but Azusa irriates me very much in this episode. No doubt I sympathise with her especially when it is known why she is so sensitive but putting money in your own pocket is not equal to stealing??? No matter how young she may be, she should have the sense to know that this action would create a misunderstanding no matter how you defend yourself. She's not a kid anymore and yet has the cheek to flare up when Master was trying to talk to her nicely. And now that she knows Takuro's relationship with Master, she's going to be a time bomb and sooner or later, Master will know Takuro's whereabouts before Takuro is ready to meet him again!!! That's why Tomoko tells Azusa in the next ep trailer that she should keep Takuro's presence a secret but knowing how rash she is, it is only a matter of time Azusa lets the cat out of the bag.

As for Master's decision of not lending money to Otonari, I don't think he is at fault. It is often when money comes into the picture that relationships are spoilt. Since he values Otonari's friendship, he does not want that to happen because if Otonari defaults on his promise to pay up before a certain date, Master would be in a fix as to whether he should chase him for payment or let things go like that. Thus, he wants to avoid such a situation. If it was me, I would probably do the same thing regardless of how others view me. However, Azusa, being the rash young thing feels that Master is heartless. Somehow, she gives me the idea that she is clueless about how reality is and the value of money (as well as what it can do) so that's why she criticizes Master for what he does. Azusa must be the only character I thoroughly dislike in this drama...

Review of Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku Ep 1

2011-01-15T16:38:00.004+08:00

Oda Nobunaga (Toyokawa Etsushi)'s younger sister, Ichi (Suzuki Honami), is a well-known beauty who has three daughters namely Chacha (Miyazawa Rie), Hatsu (Mizukawa Asami) and Gou (Ueno Juri). However, Gou has no memories of her father.

Back to the time when it was 1568, Ichi was bethrothed to Azai Nagamasa (Tokito Saburo) and was due to get married in summer. Hideyoshi (Kishitani Goro), a follower of Oda, lamented to his wife One (Ootake Shinobu) that it was a waste for Ichi to get married to Azai and he didn't bother to conceal his admiration for her. Ichi herself did not like the idea of marrying Azai as well but decided to do it for her brother.

However, Ichi gradually fell in love with Azai and gave birth to two daughters Chacha and Hatsu. Just then, relations between the Azai and Oda clan soured and Ichi had to choose sides. She decided to stick to her husband as both families went to war.

After 3 years of fighting, Oda's side was clearly at an advantage when Ichi found herself expecting her third child. Although she wanted to die with her unborn baby, Chacha pleaded with her mother to give birth by threatening to kill Hatsu and herself. Ichi gave birth to her daughter Gou amidst the battle cries surrounding Odani-jo but that was also when Gou had to part with her father Azai who committed suicide.

Most of the time, it would take a few episodes before the childhood stories of lead characters in Taiga dramas are completed. As such, it is a pleasant surprise to note that Ueno Juri will appear in Ep 2 rather than having to wait for another few more episodes. I guess this is also due to the fact that Gou's life as an adult has more significant events than her childhood so there was a need for more time to concentrate on that aspect. Juri only appeared for a short while in the beginning of this episode so it's too early to tell if she can handle the role. I have faith in her acting skills though.

Suzuki Honami is back again after such a long time but she seems totally at ease as Ichi which feels as if she's never stopped acting. Too bad she won't be around for a long time. Tokito Saburo was also very good but it was such a waste to have his character die in just one episode. Likewise for Toyokawa Etsushi, he probably won't last more than 2 episodes since Honnoji no Hen was pictured in Ep 2's trailer because that's when Oda Nobunaga died. We'll probably see a lot of star cameos coming up along the way to generate hype for the series so it will be interesting to see who appears next.

The first episode is largely about Gou's family background so I can't really tell if the story will be fascinating enough to keep me going for over 40 episodes. At the very least, NHK is not making it into a boring war story (yet) which reeks of macho power so my interest in the series will at least stay for some time.

Preview of Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku 江～姫たちの戦国 (NHK 2011 Taiga Drama)

2011-01-15T15:49:00.003+08:00

I've never been able to finish a Taiga drama so far. My previous attempts to watch a Taiga have always been in vain because I usually give up after 2 or 3 episodes. There are many reasons for this which includes the difficulty in understanding the dialogue (the way of speech is very different from modern Japan), the overdose of masculinity, my lack of knowledge on Japan's history and the length of Taiga dramas which is usually more than 40 episodes. So why am I previewing this drama?

Firstly, it's because of Ueno Juri. I admit that I'm a fan of hers so when I heard that she's in her first period drama as the lead character, I was tempted to start watching.

Secondly, the cast lineup is very attractive. Suzuki Honami makes her return to acting after a long absence since her marriage. Toyokawa Etsushi is simply amazing as Oda Nobunaga (I can understand why the story said that Gou was fascinated by Oda who was her uncle :-p), Tokito Saburo grabs my attention despite his short "lifespan" in this story (his character killed himself in the first episode), plus Mizukawa Asami, Kishitani Goro and lots of familiar names in the cast list. It's a visual treat especially when you consider some of these people don't appear too much in TV dramas these days. Those who want to see Mukai Osamu will have to wait for some time. He's going to be the 3rd husband of Gou so it will be ages before he makes his appearance.

Thirdly, the story's approach is not as dry as what I observed in other dramas I attempted to watch. Somehow, I've always had the impression that Taiga dramas are all about men's battles with one another and it gets really boring after some time. However, Gou is more than about men's battles. When the attention focuses on a woman's life, there will inevitably be aspects such as love and family thrown into the equation so it helps to balance the story. At least from what I've seen in the first episode, I like what the story is offering so far.

Last but not least, having NHK World makes it a whole lot easier to watch Gou. Watching a Taiga on a computer screen is very different from a TV screen, not to mention having to wait for the drama to load.

I have no idea how long I will be able to watch this because 47 episodes is something I've never attempted. I don't think I'll give up due to lack of interest but I just hope that I won't forget to record the show on Sunday nights.

Preview of School!! スクール!! - Winter 2011

2011-01-15T12:44:00.004+08:00

Title: School!!
O.A. Start Date: 16 Jan 2011
Timeslot: Sundays, 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Official website: here
Cast: Eguchi Yosuke, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Kitano Kii, Tsukamoto Takashi, Ichikawa Miwako, Miura Shohei, Horiuchi Keiko, Kishibe Ittoku

Story: Naruse Seiichiro (Eguchi), an employee at a mid-size construction company for 20 years, suddenly finds that his company has gone bankrupt. Just at this time, Naruse's teacher in primary school, Takeichi (Kishibe), comes to Naruse with an offer to work as the principal of his alma mater. Although Naruse is apprehensive of this, he still takes up the offer.

However, Naruse starts to find that there's something weird about his alma mater. On the first day of work, he chances upon a male student being bullied but when he raises this matter to the teachers, they seem undisturbed, do not want to take any action and even use the word -san to address their students. The next day during the school assembly, Naruse is in for another shock when the students sit down before he begins his speech. The teachers do not force the students to remain standing and even say that the students have a right to sit and if they are forced to stand, it is regarded as capital punishment...

Comments: The cast is pretty strong and the story seems quite interesting as well. I'm expecting that ratings may be affected considering this is the first attempt by FujiTV to break the Sunday monopoly by TBS.

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 3

2011-01-14T00:49:00.001+08:00

Ep 3: Hatsu Yuki (First Snow)

The beginning of a day in Mori no Tokei would be Master having breakfast in front of Megumi's photo. That day, one of the regulars bring along his relative from Tokyo, Mikako who is a widow and moved to Furano recently. The other regulars are discussing Mikako with great enthusiasm as she's quite pretty.

In the afternoon, Azusa happens to bump into her ex-teacher, Matsuda who she was seeing previously. She gets very flustered and rushes out of Mori no Tokei to look for Takuro. Azusa's elder sister, Riri explains to Master that Matsuda and Azusa were involved when she was in school but he is already married. Their relationship became a scandal in school so Azusa was bullied by her classmates while Matsuda walked out on her. Thus, Azusa stopped going to school and was suicidal for a long period of time.

Azusa waits for Takuro to come home and the two have steamboat for dinner. Takuro finds out more on Azusa's past where her father died, her mother eloped with another man, her brother-in-law also left her sister. Coupled with the unhappy relationship with Matsuda (Takuro is unaware of this), these events made Azusa very sensitive and prone to emotional outbursts. Takuro deliberately asks Azusa about his father and how he is. He is disturbed when he hears Azusa describing Master as a quiet and lonely man.

At night, Tomoko comes to Mori no Tokei in a drunken state and starts rambling to Master about her ex-husband who has just passed away. She scolds Master about his pining for Megumi thus neglecting Takuro in the process and tells him that she will let them meet. Master is surprised by this and asks Tomoko about Takuro's whereabouts but she lies to him that she doesn't know. Master remembers the time when he went to Kita Tokei to learn the ropes of running the coffee house business and Takuro came to look for him amid a snow storm. However, Master treated Takuro very coldly and said that he doesn't want to meet him again since they have severed all ties with each other. Ever since that encounter, Master has never heard from Takuro again.

Mikako comes to Mori no Tokei again and the regulars start speculating that she's here to see Master when she keeps talking to her. In actual fact, she is drawn to Mori no Tokei because of its practice of letting the customers grind the coffee beans themselves. Mikako's late husband did this every night so she comes to Mori no Tokei to relive her past memories. This brings Master to remember Megumi's suggestion to introduce this practice even though he was sceptical of the customers' response at that time.

Matsuda comes to look for Azusa to apologize for what he did but Master tells him not to appear again as his apology is only meant to make himself feel better and would not do Azusa any good.

That night, Takuro's teacher, Rokusuke is preparing dinner with his wife because his son is coming home with his wife for the first time. Seeing how happy their family gets along, Takuro is reminded of the conversation between him and his father after the funeral. Master had then told Takuro that he was heading to Furano and would no longer come back to Tokyo. He asked Takuro what he planned to do and the latter replied that he wants to live alone since he had always been alone all the while. Master was shocked and angry at Takuro's words since it meant that even though his parents were around all the time, Takuro had felt that he was living alone. Since Master was overseas most of the time, he felt that Takuro was unhappy about this and said that since he thought of his father in this way, he would give Takuro a sum of money and that would mark the end of their relationship. Actually, Takuro didn't mean that he wanted to sever all ties with his father but rather he knew that the pain that he had caused with his mother's death would be a indellible mark in their relationship. By living apart, he hopes to reduce the pain his father feels since he wouldn't be reminded of the fact that Takuro caused the accident if he was out of sight. Nevertheless, due to this conversation and the subsequent attempt to salvage their relationship with that visit to Furano which had failed, Takuro doesn't dare to appear in front of Master anymore even though they both miss each other.

Takuro decides to go to Furano to see his father on the sly and is almost discovered by him. Seeing his father again after a long period of time and yet not being able to speak to him, Takuro is overwhelmed by sadness and cries as he runs in the forest trail as the first snow falls on Furano...

In this episode, we find out more on why Master and Takuro's relationship got into such a state. Of course, both of them are unable to face each other because of the fact the Megumi's death was caused by Takuro but another major factor was the conversation which transpired between them before Master left for Furano. If Master had listened to Takuro's explanation, if only Takuro didn't say that he has been alone all this time as if blaming his father for him feeling lonely and joining a gang, everything could have turned out differently on hindsight but of course, they don't have the ability to turn back time and change the situation. It was so sad to see Takuro feeling envious of family warmth when he longs to see his dad and is so afraid of making him upset and can only look at him from afar. And they had a second chance to change things but Master's cold attitude towards Takuro who had made the effort to come to Furano and dyed his hair black made it difficult for them to be on speaking terms again.

Besides the explanation on Master and Takuro's relationship, we also find out why Azusa is behaving the way she is. Because of her family background and being betrayed by the first man she loved, Azusa seems to distrust everyone and cannot stand any criticism or problems she face. That's why she has these emotional outbursts every now and then whenever she encounters unhappy stuff. Well, I still cannot reconcile this with the fact that she has a habit of smashing (or rather breaking?) plates...

Preview of Gaikoukan Kuroda Kousaku 外交官　黒田康作

2011-01-13T00:26:00.001+08:00

Title: Gaikoukan Kuroda Kousaku (Diplomat Kuroda Kousaku)
O.A. Start Date: 13 Jan 2010
Timeslot: Thursdays 9pm for first episode only / 10pm for subsequent episodes
Official website: here
Cast: Oda Yuji, Shibasaki Kou, Kagawa Teruyuki, Lee Byeonghyun, Hagiwara Masato, Katase Nana, Tanaka Kei, Ookura Koji, Tanaka Tetsuji, Kaho, Konno Mahiru, Shika Takeshi

Comments: Actually, after watching the disappointing Amalfi movie, I am not too keen about this drama which suspiciously sounds like another vehicle to boost Oda Yuji's ego. Then again, the cast lineup especially Shibasaki and Kagawa is simply too good to be missed. I just hope that the suspense story will be as good to sustain my interest for three episodes.

Preview of Taisetsu na koto wa subete kimi ga oshiete kureta 大切なことはすべて君が教えてくれた - Winter 2011

2011-01-13T00:02:00.000+08:00

Title: Taisetsu na koto wa subete kimi ga oshiete kureta (You taught me all the important things)
O.A. Start Date: 17 January 2011
Timeslot: Mondays, 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Official website: here
Theme song: EXIT by Porno Graffitti
Insert song: from P!NK's Greatest Hits album
Cast: Toda Erika, Miura Haruma, Takei Saki, Ishibashi Anna, Nose Anna, Shinoda Mariko (AKB48), Uchida Yuki, Nishimura Masahiko etc

Story: Uemura Natsumi (Toda) is an English teacher at a senior high school and had been living in America until she was a junior high student. She is the form teacher of a Year 1 class and the advisor to the basketball team. Her colleague, former classmate in senior high school and university cum fiance, Kashiwagi Shuji (Miura Haruma), is a biology teacher at the same school. The couple is due to hold their wedding in 3 months' time.

However, things start to go wrong when Shuji finds a naked woman sleeping beside him when he wakes up on the day the new school term begins. He had slept with the woman in his drunken stupor the previous night after meeting her in a bar and has to leave his house's keys behind for the woman as he is running late for school. While trying to maintain his composure and suppress his guilt towards Natsumi, Shuji is shocked to find out that the woman he slept with is a student in his class, Saeki Hikari (Takei)...

Comments: The title is kinda corny and brings to mind another drama which sounds similar (Kimi ga oshiete kureta koto starring Tomosaka Rie) and I'm not sure if Miura Haruma is able to pull things off as a teacher. Nonetheless, I think the story sounds rather interesting so I'll probably give this a try for a couple of episodes to see how things turn out.

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 2

2011-01-12T00:45:00.003+08:00

Ep 2 Review - Takuro

As usual, a very good episode from this drama and I am sure that I would stick to this for the rest of the season. Frankly speaking, I'm very impressed with the quality of this drama where the setting, story, cast, music are up to my expectations. It's been a while since I felt so strongly for a drama.

The title of this episode is Takuro which refers to Nino's role. We see a bit more on how Master and Takuro's relationship is and the reason for the stagnant state of affairs.

The episode begins with Master fishing with one of his regular customers, Anzai, the coffee beans supplier who dyes his hair. Somehow, Master is quite interested to know how Anzai's parents reacted to his tinted hair and this reminds him of how Takuro looked like when he rushed home for Megumi's funeral. At that time, Takuro was still with the gangster group (bousouzoku) so he had his hair tinted and combed in an attention-grabbing manner. Of course, now that he has left the gang and become a pottery apprentice, his hair has been dyed black.

Azusa brings the plates she got from Takuro to Mori no Tokei but the staff there and Master refuse to use them because of the colour and design. Azusa gets very worked up and smashes all the plates and drives off in her car.

At the same time, there is a weird couple who appear at Mori no Tokei. Kawanishi Hideko (Tabata Tomoko) and her husband, Ken are on their honeymoon but they are clearly having a tiff and Ken leaves the shop angrily. Tomoko, who had come to look for Master, finds out from Hideko on her first night with her husband, was very unhappy about the fact that Ken "forced" himself on her and licked her toes. Apparently, she had no previous sexual experience before and regarded this act as rape which Ken is unable to accept since they are already married. Tomoko brings Hideko back to her shop, Kita Tokei to counsel her on this matter.

Azusa buys a nail brush and visits Takuro at his workplace to thank him for the plates. Takuro's teacher, Rokusuke sees Azusa and gets quite worked up, misunderstanding that Azusa is Takuro's girlfriend. After Azusa leaves, Takuro is told to get the plates he made (those which he gave to Azusa) and he calls her to bring back those plates. However, Azusa had already smashed all the plates. Rokusuke says that it's OK to have the pieces so Azusa rushes back to Mori no Tokei to get the broken pieces.

On her way to Takuro's workplace, Azusa is caught in the storm and her car stuck due to the flash floods. Takuro gets worried when he cannot get Azusa on the phone and that she is taking far too long to reach Bie (the town where Takuro is in). He drives to find her and gets the broken plates before rushing home.

Takuro brings Azusa back to his place to change out of her wet clothes and is shocked to know that she works in Mori no Tokei. At the same time, Ken reappears at Mori no Tokei to meet Hideko who is still at Kita Tokei. Master talks to Ken about treating his wife with respect (after going around in big circles) and the couple reconciles when Hideko comes back.

When Master is alone in the shop after closing time, Megumi is sitting again at the counter and listens to Master talk about the day's happenings. Master regrets that he has never sat down properly to talk to Takuro all this time and he has not taught him anything. Megumi consoles him by saying that she made up for this on Master's behalf.

Although the title is "Takuro" for this episode, it's not a direct focus on Takuro but rather the reference to him is indirectly linked to other seemingly unrelated matters. For example, the couple in this episode may not seem related to Takuro but from their case, Master realizes that he has not been spending enough time with Takuro in the past and deeply regrets it.

Seems like things are going to get more complicated now that Takuro knows that Azusa is working in Mori no Tokei. When are father and son going to meet??

Preview of Utsukushii Rinjin 美しい隣人 - Winter 2011

2011-01-11T00:24:00.002+08:00

Title: Utsukushii Rinjin (The Beautiful Neighbour)
O.A. Start Date: 11 Jan 2011
Timeslot: Tuesdays, 10pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV / KTV
Official website: here
Theme song: Why? (Keep your head down) by TVSQ
Cast: Nakama Yukie, Dan Rei, Miura Rieko, Suzuki Sawa, Kobayashi Masahiro, Takachi Noboru, Fujii Mina, Moriyama Eiji, Watabe Atsuro, Souda Ippei, Kusabue Mitsuko

Story: Nakama Yukie plays Mayer Saki, a woman married to a foreigner, who moves to the house beside Yano Eriko (Dan Rei). Although Eriko feels initially that Saki is a beautiful and charming person to be with, her peaceful life is gradually falling into pieces as Saki tries to seduce Eriko's husband Shinji (Watabe Atsuro)...

Comments: It is a welcome change to see Nakama Yukie playing the baddie after her recent goody-two-shoes or comical roles. It's high time she proves that she can produce some solid acting and this drama might just give her the opportunity. Watabe Atsuro is also one key factor why I'm interested in this drama. I just hope that the suspense doesn't fall short and can be sustained till the end of the season.

Review of Yasashii Jikan 優しい時間 Episode 1

2011-01-10T00:39:00.003+08:00

From today onwards, I will be posting the reviews I wrote for Yasashii Jikan back in 2005. It's one of my favourite dramas so I hope you'll enjoy reading my thoughts about it and watch this if you have the opportunity.

Cast:
Wakui Yukichi (Terao Akira)
Wakui Takuro (Ninomiya Kazunari)
Minagawa Azusa (Nagasawa Masami)
Kujo Tomoko (Yo Kimiko)
Wakui Megumi (Ootake Shinobu)

Just watched one episode of this drama showing this season and it's better than I expected. First thing which attracted me was the beauty of the setting in Furano, a town in Hokkaido. The lead character, Wakui Yukichi also known as Master has set up a coffee house named Mori no Tokei (the clock of the forest) after his wife died of an accident caused by his son, Takuro's reckless driving. Furano was his wife's hometown so with the set-up of Mori no Tokei, it seems as if Master wants to be close to his wife who is no longer around.

The decor of the coffee house feels very homely and since it's surrounded by trees, the unique colours of the season (they started filming in Oct according to the official website) complements the feel of the drama which is relaxed and as the title suggest, "gentle". It should be a very enjoyable experience to have coffee in such a beautiful place. And the other special thing about Mori no Tokei is that the customers can grind their own coffee beans in a special device before Master brews it for them. It must be fun to do that since the customers seem to enjoy doing that while chatting with Master at the counter.

Besides, the atmosphere and nice scenery to look at, the story can be considered bland and slow if you are not the type to appreciate subtle themes in a drama. I must admit that I do not have a lot of patience and it puts me off if I find that the story is going nowhere especially in the first episode. No doubt, this drama seems to start out very slowly but at least I can identify a few aspects which should sustain my interest throughout the season.

-The relationship between Master and Takuro
Master was a elite businessman working in New York but he quit three years ago after his wife, Megumi died in the accident caused by Takuro when he was at the wheel. Since then, he sold his house in Tokyo and moved to Megumi's hometown in Furano to open Mori no Tokei. On the other hand, his son Takuro is still very much guilt-stricken over the whole matter and constantly gets nightmares where he is accused of being the culprit who caused his mother to die.
As a result of Megumi's death, the relationship between father and son is caught in a very awkward stage. Master feels that since Takuro knows where he is and if Takuro wants to see him, he should be the one who should come to Mori no Tokei instead of Master looking for him. On the other hand, Takuro fears that his dad is still blaming him for his mum's death. Although he wants to meet him, he is scared of the consequences and chooses to be near Master instead without his knowledge. Takuro used to be a gangster before his mum died so he has changed for the better since then. It's quite sad to see that because both of them refuses to speak up and take the initiative. A man's pride? Although they both care for each other (apparently), they find it hard to bridge their differences or even sit down to have a good chat because they have yet to overcome the stigma of Megumi's death. It remains to be seen how they would be able to improve their relationship and be on speaking terms again.

- The relationship between Takuro and Azusa
They met at the local shopping mall when Takuro helped Azusa carry some of the things she had bought. Azusa, for one reason or another, keeps breaking plates at Mori no Tokei. There must be something wrong with her which is causing this to happen repeatedly. Somehow, she confides in Takuro the first time they met that she has to buy plates every now and then to compensate Master so he actually tells her to come looking for him when she needs plates. Takuro is working in a town named Bie as a pottery apprentice after his mother's friend, Tomoko introduced him to the owner. At this stage, Azusa knows nothing about Takuro's past while he does not know that she works at Mori no Tokei. As such, I can forsee that Takuro's relationship with Azusa may help him to break out from his guilt-stricken nightmares and get Azusa resolving what is bothering her and causing all the breaking of the plates. Besides, Azusa is the link to Mori no Tokei for Takuro so when he finds out that she's working for his father, it should help to get things going to introduce developments in the father-and-son relationship.

As for the cast, I have never seen Terao Akira's acting before but he looks like a charming man who fits the image of Master i.e. calm, not one to show his emotions and yet very comfortable to be with. Actually, among Arashi members, I think that Nino is the best in acting skills and he's quite good as Takuro when he shows the dilemma of wanting to reach out to his dad but is pulled back by his guilt. I'm not saying that the rest of the members are no good but I'm just saying this based on comparisons only. As for Nagasawa Masami, she was quite impressive in the Sekaichuu movie but then, she gets on my nerves in this drama with her very insecure character. Hopefully, when the drama progresses, there should be a logical reason as to why she is behaving like that.

Review of Samayou Yaiba　さまよう刃

2011-01-08T21:04:00.004+08:00

I'm starting the year 2011 with a movie review after being MIA for a couple of months. It's the usual drift, work keeps me away from blogging even on weekends and I decided that it's time to do something which I enjoy after neglecting this blog for so long. I'm finding it really difficult to finish a full-length drama these days (sometimes because the genre or quality of the drama fails to keep me engaged) so you will probably notice that I will be posting more movie reviews from now on. I watched quite a number of Japanese movies when I went on a business trip to Europe (the flight was more than 12 hours so I finished many movies along the way) so you can expect reviews of some newer titles here.

And here is the first movie review of 2011 - Samayou Yaiba starring Terao Akira, Takenouchi Yutaka, Ito Shiro, Sakai Miki. Actually, what sparked my interest in this movie was the fact that I had read the novel by Higashino Keigo first and found the story really gripping. In a nutshell, it's about a father who seeks revenge against those who violated and murdered his daughter as the Japanese law protects juvenile criminals from the same type of punishment given to adults.

Nagamine Shigeki, played by Terao Akira who last impressed me with his subtle acting in Yasashii Jikan, is a single father who has a 15-year-old daughter Ema. However, his peaceful life is destroyed as Ema is abducted by a group of teenagers and sexually assaulted by them. After Ema dies, her corpse is disposed by the perpetrators Tomozaki and Sugano but the police have no clue as to who are responsible. Nagamine then gets an anonymous phone call with a clue leading him to Tomozaki and kills him after getting the information about Sugano. While he is on the run and searching for Sugano, Oribe (Takenouchi Yutaka) and Mano (Ito Shiro) are hot on his heels. He also meets Wakako (Sakai Miki), the daughter of a small inn's owner, who helps him out.

The key issue being discussed here is, are juveniles using their ages as an excuse to escape punishment when they are committing the same or even worse crimes than adults? In Japan, anyone below the age of 20 doesn't have his/her name reported in the press even when they commit a crime. In addition, the punishment meted out is usually mild e.g. a probation sentence or supervised stay in a facility for a short period of time. This is done with the intention of giving these youngsters a chance to change for the better. However, there's always been talk about how those below 20 use their ages as an excuse to get away with things and the grief it causes the victims when the perpetrators don't get their due punishment. In this story, Nagamine's daughter suffered at the hands of teenagers but he knows very well that they won't be punished in a satisfactory manner since the law's stand is to allow these youngsters to change. He decides to takes things into his hands since nobody can help him. No doubt he is fully aware of the consequences, the helplessness and anguish he suffers because of Ema's sudden death overshadows his logic.

I don't know whether by hiding the identities of young offenders or punishing them lightly will help them change. This is a double-edged sword where people will be divided. However, I think this protective stand should change as time progresses. There's been more serious cases involving teenagers these days and in some instances, those people show no remorse in their actions. It would have been better to do an assessment on the offenders or the nature of their crimes before deciding what to do rather than giving a full coverage for everyone, whether they deserve it or not.

The novel strongly conveyed the dilemma of this issue and when you read the description of how the teenagers violated Ema, I'm sure you will feel the fury rising within you and understand why Nagamine snapped when he found the video at Tomozaki's apartment. It was simply too painful to read about, much less watch it on video. Nonetheless, I don't think the story was trying to take the side of Nagamine only. It also showed you the other side of the argument where the parents of the offenders always think the best of their children and are reluctant to accept that their children are monsters. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer or reader to decide which side they are more inclined towards.

Frankly speaking, I prefer the novel to the movie due to a couple of reasons:

1) The pace of the movie was too slow.
Given the amount of material in the novel, it is to be expected that there will be some omissions so that the story can flow more smoothly. However, even after making the cuts, the pace was still painfully slow at several junctures. If I hadn't read the novel, I would have thought that the scriptwriter was trying to stretch the story so as to fit the length of the movie. Of course, I have to admit that watching the movie in an aircraft seat isn't the best way to enjoy a movie and I was quite disturbed by the turbulence along the way. Nonetheless, to make me fall asleep several times throughout the movie is an "achievement" considering that I stayed wide awake when I was watching Nodame Cantabile for the 2nd time.

2) The story structure was messy.
The point about the story having some corners cut brings me to the next grouse I have. When you try to remove some of the connecting chains, there is a need to string up the developments so that the story flows well. It was quite confusing to see events moving from one to another without crucial connectors at times. It is of course unfair to compare it to the novel which had a few hundred pages to do its magic but there have been better adaptations and I'm quite sad to see that the movie didn't do justice to the novel. The gripping factor was sorely missed especially in the ending which just fizzled out unlike the novel which left questions for the reader to ponder over.

3) The cast was under-utilised.
Terao and Takenouchi were capable of doing better but a lot of their emotional struggles were removed in the movie. I didn't get the feel that they were truly in a dilemma over their stands and actions.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 4 out of 10 (If you have not read the novel, this movie is passable. If not, I think you will be grumbling about the loopholes in the story and structure)
Acting: 5 out of 10 (The story restricted the cast's ability to shine, which was a pity in my opinion)
Theme song: 2 out of 10 (The BGM didn't really leave an impression on me)
Visual effects / Scenery: 3 out of 10 (Nothing particularly impressive to mention)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 2 out of 10 (Nagamine didn't really have a lot of interaction with Wakako in the movie unlike the novel which showed how they understood one another. Oribe and Mano's characters weren't particularly close in the first place so there wasn't any chemistry to speak of)

Total: 16 out of 50

Final verdict: It's probably better to read the novel after you watch the movie or you will be very disappointed.

Preview of Himitsu 秘密

2010-11-01T00:30:00.003+08:00

Title: Himitsu (Secret)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Timeslot: Fridays, 11.15pm
Original novel by: Higashino Keigo
Theme song: Tsuyogari Soreiu by Hatsune
Cast: Shida Mirai, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Motokariya Yuika, Hashimoto Satoshi, Lin Dandan, Ryusei Ryo, Hyuga Nanami, Horiuchi Keiko, Fubukoshi Mitsuru, Ishida Yukari

Preview of Ougon no Buta 黄金の豚

2010-10-31T00:21:00.004+08:00

Title: Ougon no Buta (The Golden Pig)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: NTV
Timeslot: Wednesdays, 10pm
O.A. Start Date: 20 Oct 2010
Theme song: Mamotte agetai by Ito Yuna
Cast: Shinohara Ryoko, Okada Masaki, Oizumi Yo, Kiriya Kenta, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Kondo Yoshimasa, Yazawa Shin, Nose Anna, Yamazaki Daisuke, Motai Masako, Namase Katsuhisa, Utsui Ken

Preview of Yamikin Ushijima-kun 闇金ウシジマくん

2010-10-30T00:09:00.003+08:00

Title: Yamikin Ushijima-kun (The Loanshark Ushijima-kun)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TBS / MBS
Timeslot: Tuesdays 12.55am
O.A. Start Date: 12 Oct 2010
Original manga by: Manabe Shohei
Cast: Yamada Takayuki, Katase Nana, Tokui Yu, Yabe Kyosuke, Onoue Hiroyuki, Yashiro Minase, Kasumi Risa, Yokoyama Miyuki

Preview of SPEC

2010-10-29T00:54:00.002+08:00

Title: SPEC
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TBS
O.A. Start Date: 8 Oct 2010
Timeslot: Fridays, 10pm
Theme song: NAMInoYUKUSAKI by THE RICECOOKERS
Cast: Toda Erika, Kase Ryo, Fukuda Saki, Tokui Yu, Tanaka Tetsuji, Shirota Yu, Kamiki Ryuunosuke, Shiina Kippei, Ryu Raita

Preview of Strawberry Night ストロベリーナイト

2010-10-28T00:32:00.004+08:00

Title: Strawberry Night
Official website: here
O.A. Date: 13 Nov 2010
Timeslot shown at: 9pm
Theme song: Euphoria by Shibasaki Kou
Cast: Takeuchi Yuko, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Takeda Tetsuya, Kiriya Kenta, Namase Katsuhisa, Endo Kenichi, Takashima Masahiro, Kuninaka Ryoko, Watanabe Ikkei, Hayashi Kento, Tanimura Mitsuki, Sato Hiroki

Preview of Iryu 3 医龍 3

2010-10-27T00:15:00.000+08:00

Title: Iryu 3 (Team Medical Dragon 3)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Timeslot: Thursdays 10pm
O.A. Start Date: 14 Oct 2010
Original manga by: Nogisaka Taro
Cast: Sakaguchi Kenji, Inamori Izumi, Koike Teppei, Abe Sadao, Tanimura Mitsuki, Endo Kenichi, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Natsuki Mari, Kishibe Ittoku

Preview of Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna ギルティ悪魔と契約した女

2010-10-26T00:03:00.003+08:00

Title: Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna (Guilty The Woman Who Made a Pact with the Devil)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 12 Oct 2010
Broadcast by: FujiTV / KTV
Timeslot: Tuesdays 10pm
Theme song: Kono yoru wo tomete yo
Cast: Kanno Miho, Tamaki Hiroshi, Kichise Michiko, Mizukami Kensei, Takisawa Saori, RIKIYA, Yokoyama Megumi, Karasawa Toshiaki

Preview of Freeter, Ie wo Kau フリーター、家を買う

2010-10-25T00:44:00.003+08:00

Title: Freeter, Ie wo Kau (Freelancer, Buy a house)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Timeslot: Tuesdays, 9pm
Original novel by: Arikawa Hiroshi
Theme song: Hatenai Sora by Arashi
Insert song: Kimitte by Nishino Kana
Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Karina, Igawa Haruka, Maruyama Ryuhei, Ootomo Kohei, Washio Machiko, Takenaka Naoto, Asano Atsuko

Preview of Nagareboshi 流れ星

2010-10-24T00:36:00.004+08:00

Title: Nagareboshi (Shooting star)
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Timeslot: Mondays 9pm
Theme song: Ryusei by Kobukuro
Cast: Takenouchi Yutaka, Ueto Aya, Matsuda Shota, Kitano Kii, Kawaguchi Haruna, Chisun, Kitagawa Hiromi, Sugimoto Tetta, Itaya Yuka, Harada Mieko and Inagaki Goro

Preview of Perfect Report パーフェクト・リポート

2010-10-23T14:24:00.002+08:00

Title: Perfect Report
Official website: here
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Timeslot: Sundays 9pm
Theme song: RAIN by YUI
O.A. Start Date: 17 Oct 2010
Cast: Matsuyuki Yasuko, Koide Keisuke, Aibu Saki, Endo Yuya, Koyanagi Yu, Kaname Jun, Kohinata Fumio

Update

2010-10-23T14:17:00.002+08:00

It's been a long time since my last time. Work has been extremely hectic and preparations to move to my own house took up a lot of my time during weekends. I can't promise that I can post a lot of stuff but I anticipate that once things get more settled down by the middle of next month, I'll have more free time on my hands. As for the Twitter updates, they probably won't be as frequent as before but I'll try to maintain it wherever possible.

In the meantime, I will be posting some previews of the dramas I'm planning to watch this autumn and reviews of some movies I watched on the plane during my business trip to Europe.

Review of Happy!

2010-09-26T00:52:00.001+08:00

Cast
Umino Miyuki - Aibu Saki
Sakurada Junji - Miyasago Hiroyuki
Ootori Keiichiro - Taguchi Junnosuke
Ryugasaki Chouko - Kobayashi Mao
Kagami Kikuko - Natsukawa Jun
Yamaguchi Momotaro - Morishita Noyuki
Umino Ieyasu - Arakawa Ryoga
Samebuchi Kyohei - Aikawa Sho
Ryugasaki Hanae - Watanabe Eriko
Ootori Utako - Katahira Nagisa

On the whole, this was a pretty enjoyable drama SP to watch. Personally, I do like tennis so this was one of the main reasons why I have interest in this. Besides, given that the author is Urasawa Naoki, I was curious to see what type of story this would be so as to contrast this with his other hit series Monster which is on the dark and suspense side.

Happy! is entirely different because the atmosphere is relatively light despite the pressure on the heroine Miyuki to repay the debts of 250 million yen incurred by her elder brother. The tennis scenes are realistic unlike Ace wo Nerae which went a bit overboard on the CG side. At least I could see that Aibu Saki could manage a pretty powerful serve. Given how the SP had ended, it is highly likely that we can see a full series earliest by summer since the story is very much unfinished. Come to think of it, TBS has a tendency of testing the waters with a SP first before launching a full series. That's a pretty conservative measure but it can help to prevent wasting money. Yaou was an example of this method where the SP was shown in May last year and the full series launched in Jan this year.

As for the acting, Aibu has done quite well as Umino Miyuki and she does look quite compatible with Taguchi Junnosuke. The SP did not allow too much development between them but at least we know now that Taguchi's role, Ootori is obviously in love with Miyuki who is still oblivious to this. Taguchi still needs more practice to fit the role of the rich guy who's good at tennis because he appears more like an insecure little boy who can't do anything on his own.

The most irritating person should be Kobayashi Mao who plays Ryugasaki Chouko. Of course, I know that the character is supposed to be one obnoxious, pretentious, spoilt brat but then whenever I hear Kobayashi deliberately raising the tone of her voice, that freaks me out. The first time I saw her was in Slow Dance and sad to say, I still don't like her acting. Somehow, I have the feeling that her sweet girl image is too fake to be true and it doesn't help that her character this time round is not meant to put her into the good books of the viewers.

As for the rating of this drama, I would give it 7.5 out of 10.

Review of Sukoshi wa, Ongaeshi ga Dekitakana

2010-09-25T00:41:00.001+08:00

Cast
Kitahara Kazunori - Ninomiya Kazunari
Sasaki Mio - Ikewaki Chizuru
Makimura Takumi - Katsuji Ryo
Principal Tanokura - Tani Kei
Kitahara Mikiko - Ootake Shinobu

To be frank, I have seen a considerable number of dramas/movies about people stricken with terminal illnesses of late so I found this SP to be quite similar in the sense that they try to bring out the message of living on with hope despite the harsh conditions. Not to discredit those who suffered because of the illness, the rush of making such dramas/movies will probably cause the loss of interest in this genre sooner or later especially if the cast doesn't stand out enough among the crowd. The most ironical or should I say saddest thing about this SP would be the fact that the lead character Kazunori made it to Todai and attended school for just 1 day before he passed away a few months later.

With regards to the case, Ninomiya Kazunari wasn't too outstanding at the beginning but he showed his potential in acting towards the end especially when Kazunori had to face the fact that his days were numbered. I like his interaction with Ootake Shinobu who is playing his mother the second time since they worked together in Yasashii Jikan last year and there were a few scenes which made me quite touched e.g. when the mother-and-son went to Todai to check the results and they were so happy to see his registration number on the board of successful candidates. As for the rest of the cast, there weren't many notable names except for Katsuji Ryo and even he failed to shine because the story restricted the airtime he had.

Overall, I would give this 6.5 out of 10 with most of the marks attributed to the fine acting by Ninomiya and Ootake.

Review of Yaou SP Episode 0

2010-09-24T00:36:00.001+08:00

O.A. 11 May 05 (TBS)
Ratings: 12.4%

Cast: Matsuoka Masahiro, Kitamura Kazuki, Mannaka Hitomi, Kaname Jun, Ogura Koji, Sakai Toshiya, Naitou Takeshi, Katase Rino

This drama SP was adapted from a popular manga series of the same title where it depicts how a guy from Hokkaido came to Tokyo and became a popular host (in the nightclub).

Well, I must say that I wasn't expecting a lot from this so I wasn't very disappointed. Why wasn't I hopeful of this in the first place?

If you had watched another drama SP No.1, just by comparing the cast of these two similar themed drama SPs would show you why I wasn't too satisfied with Yaou.

No.1 has Kubozuka Yosuke, Yusuke Santa Maria, Sakaguchi Kenji, Kawamura Ryuichi, Sorimachi Takashi.
Yaou has Matsuoka Masahiro, Kitamura Kazuki and Kaname Jun.

See the difference? No.1 had so many A-list guys around while for Yaou, the cast is far too weak. Matsuoka can't possibly be the sole attraction for a drama based on hosts. Shouldn't there be more eye candy in the cast? Excuse me for saying this, getting Kitamura to play the No.1 host in the club is a terrible mistake. I hate to say this but he really looks like a werewolf to me with his blond hair and he looks bigger (not in the muscular and macho sense, OK? ) with those unflattering suits. Kaname looks better than in Magari Kado no Kanojo (in my opinion) but he appears too little and he's not my type.

I must say that No.1 is indeed number one for its choice of guys to play the hosts. Even the No.1 played by Kawamura Ryuichi is so convincing rather than Kitamura whom I won't believe is favoured by the female customers in that club. Is it a budget problem? Even the female guests are not A-list either except for Katase Rino.

Next, the story is making me sleep. Somehow, I don't like what I see in Yaou although its script has something to be based on and should be more focused. However, there is little insight into the world of hosts and how their system works. Of course, I can't be so hard on them since it's just a 2 hr SP and after deducting the CMs, the actual drama is only 1 hr 35 mins plus. However, considering the fact that No.1 is also a drama SP and that it has far more characters than Yaou, I can't help but feel that not enough effort has been put into Yaou.

On the whole, I won't say that Yaou is a terrible drama to watch but looking at the unfinished state of this SP, I won't be surprised if TBS suddenly announces that this is making a comeback as a full length drama. Moreoever, the manga is still being serialised so there should be more room for development. I might be interested to search for the manga to read though since it does seem more interesting than what's on TV. Out of 10, I'll just give 5 as a passing mark. Nothing more, nothing less.

Review of TRICK SP (2005)

2010-09-23T00:33:00.002+08:00

Ratings: 24.7%

TRICK is one of my favourite drama series which combines humour and suspense plus a very entertaining combination of Abe Hiroshi and Nakama Yukie. This can be said to be one of the most memorable roles for both of them as it was the very first time that I came to realise that they can take on comical characters and changed the impressions I had of them. Especially for Nakama who had been restricted to supporting roles before this, it made me look at her from a different light and see her as a capable actress.

Talking about this new SP which comes after 3 full length series and one movie, I can say that it maintains the usual standard of its predecessors. The chemistry between Ueda and Yamada is very much alive and the story is as engaging as ever. Basically, the SP starts with Yamada being an unpopular magician as ever while Ueda is on a TV programme to prove the authenticity of fortune-telling by a woman named Midorikawa Shoko. Someone dies as a result of her forecast which leads Ueda to bring Yamada along for a trip to Midorikawa's place with three other professors who appeared on the programme so as to expose Midorikawa's tricks. However, the professors die one after another according to her forecasts. And the usual drill is that the Ueda-Yamada duo will expose Midorikawa's tricks. I won't go into further details so as not to spoil the story for those who have not seen it.

The highlight of the story is still Ueda and Yamada as they keep bickering and Ueda tries to take the credit of Yamada's investigations for himself which makes her exasperated. Although Yabe, the police officer and Yamada's mother also appear in this SP, their airtime is especially limited so we can probably expect to see more of them in the upcoming movie. By the way, did I mention before that I disliked the partner of Yabe in Trick 3 who was boasting about himself being on the elite path? That guy really gets on my nerves and the new partner of Yabe in this SP did not get into my good books either. I still prefer the blonde guy who was constantly bullied by Yabe since they had much better chemistry as compared to the newcomers.

At the end of the SP, there is a small clip about the movie which will be shown in June next year. However, it is not clear yet whether the story will have any linkage to this SP. Well, I was hoping for more developments in Ueda and Yamada's relationship from the end of Trick 3 but I was disappointed to see none.

Oh, before I forget, it seems that this Trick SP is incomplete. What I mean by this is that at the very end of the SP, there is an advertisement showing some NG scenes plus comments that 41 minutes of the actual Trick SP was edited from the final broadcast we saw. As such, the missing portion will be included in the DVD entitled the REAL TRICK SP but they have not decided on the release date. This seems like a deliberate gimmick to attract the fans' attention and I admit that I have fallen prey to this. I might just buy the DVD if it is released but that could be more than 6 months later if they want to synchronise it with the movie's screening or DVD release. Otherwise, we should probably get to see it before the movie is shown in June.

If you are a Trick fan, this is a must-watch after the end of the third series 2 years ago. Even if you are not, this is probably good as an entry into the TRICK series since the story can be viewed on its own but you may wonder why the two even got to know each other in the first place.