Monday, October 07, 2024

Preview of "Kyurosu no onna Sukuupu to iu na no kyouki" - Autumn 2024


Title: Kyurosu no onna Sukuupu to iu na no kyouki / キュロスの女 スクープという名の狂気
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 7 October 2024
Timeslot: Mondays at 11.06pm
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original novel by: Honda Tetsuya
Cast: Kiritani Kenta, Kageyama Takuya, Reika, Tamura Hono, Mashiko Atsuki, Naenano, Miura Kouta, Kawashima Umika, Okabe Takashi & Aikawa Sho

Sunday, October 06, 2024

Preview of "Ano kuzu wo nagutte yaritainda" - Autumn 2024


Title: Ano kuzu wo nagutte yaritainda / あのクズを殴ってやりたいんだ
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 8 October 2024
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Theme Song: "Meriba" by PEOPLE 1
Cast: Nao, Tamamori Yuuta, Okazawa Sae, Koseki Yuuta, Kura Yuki, Tamai Shiori, Watabe Atsuro & Saito Yuki

Saturday, October 05, 2024

Preview of "Zenryouiki ijou kaiketsushitsu" - Autumn 2024


Title: Zenryouiki ijou kaiketsushitsu / 全領域異常解決室
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 9 October 2024
Timeslot: Wednesdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Opening theme song: "TipTap" by Shimizu Miisa
Ending theme song: "Endless" by TOMOO
Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya, Hirose Arisu, Kakizawa Hayato, Fukumoto Riko, Komiya Rio, Narumi Riko, Sakota Takaya, Yusuke Santa-Maria & Kohinata Fumiyo

Friday, October 04, 2024

A look at how talent agencies supposedly perceive the Japanese dramas produced by the key TV stations


Note: this article from Pinzuba News began with NTV having to cancel its plan for its Spring 2025 drama supposedly due to a disagreement with the original book's author and publisher of the book over the real-life adaptation plan. The leads for this drama were rumoured to have been Ikematsu Sousuke and Hamabe Minami who last worked together in the movie "Shin Kamen Rider". 
NTV's vice president talked about this issue during a regular press conference on 30 September 2024 but did not give details on what happened and simply said that changes to the programming plans were common. However, it is believed that the TV station has become more cautious about its approach towards making real-life adaptations and bit the bullet early this time especially after the controversy over "Sexy Tanaka-san" and the unfortunate outcome that led to the passing of its author.

And so...from this incident with NTV, there were interviews conducted with various unnamed personnel from talent agencies about how they view the dramas produced by the key TV stations based in Tokyo i.e. FujiTV, NTV, TV Asahi, TBS and TV Tokyo and the agency management's attitudes towards letting their artistes appear in those productions. NHK was also mentioned in the article but technically speaking, it is not quite the same as these key stations since it is a national broadcaster with subscription income after all as compared to the key stations which depend largely on advertising income. 

It is interesting to see the industry insider's view on these TV stations especially with the increasing influence and popularity of international streaming platforms nowadays that is giving them a run for their money. As such, I have highlighted and organised the key viewpoints raised in the article:

NTV
* Generally viewed to be the worst among the key stations due to its poor production quality and cheap-looking sets which are largely attributed to its low budgets
* However, they do a good job at promoting the dramas with its constant airing of trailers and there are many opportunities for the cast to appear on its infotainment and variety shows for the sake of promotion. This increases the exposure for the artistes and give the impression that the artistes are very "active" and can be seen "everywhere".

FujiTV
* Seen to have a bigger budget than other TV stations
* However, the quality and success rate of its dramas fluctuate too much so it can be risky to appear in their dramas. For example, "silent" was such a hit but the same staff lineup, scriptwriter and director failed to replicate this success for "Umi no hajimari" especially in terms of its real-time ratings for the core age group of 13 to 49 years old.
* The scale of production for their brand name "Mondays 9pm" timeslot seems to have gotten smaller as observed from their choice of lead actors in recent years i.e. those who would have usually played supporting roles in most productions and are seen to be inadequate or not "big" enough to lead a primetime slot like this. 
* Its branding strategy and target audience also seem to be unclear and inconsistent as seen from its "constant changing goalposts". For example, one season had shown "Kazama Kimichika - Kyoujou 0 -" starring Kimura Takuya but the following season featured a much younger lead and obviously targeted younger audiences i.e. Mori Nana in "Manatsu no Cinderella".
* FujiTV's producers have a lot of say in deciding the lineup so the inconsistent programming strategy is said to be due to the producers "doing what they want" instead of sticking to a preplanned strategy guiding the overall direction.
* There has been talk that many actors are rejecting lead roles in the Mondays 9pm timeslot because of the likelihood of having to bear the responsibility of poor performances in terms of ratings. The preference these days is to take on supporting roles instead if the actors are approached to appear in this timeslot's drama.

TV Asahi
* Known for its preference to dish out sequels of its long-running series which can even run for decades
* Its strategy is viewed as one obviously targeting "seniors" so the offerings are not so appealing to the younger viewers. As such, there is reluctance by the talent agency management to let younger actors appear in their dramas since there is little benefit for these actors. 
* While the "Aibou" series was cited as one with a well-planned storyline with new developments, the other long-running dramas go by a predictable formula which tends to be well-received by the senior viewers.
* Despite these complaints, it is viewed that their dramas are generally well-produced.
* Most preferred timeslot is Thursdays 9pm.

TBS
* Most sought-after by the agencies due to its high production quality and relatively consistent ratings performance.
* There is a lot of effort put into the refining of the scripts.
* Most preferred timeslots are the Sundays 9m and Tuesdays 10pm timeslot which are considered brand name slots and have stable ratings. Those pushing for their actors would prefer the Sundays timeslot while the Tuesdays timeslot which features a female lead would be preferred by those managing actresses.
* The budget for a Sundays 9pm drama is said to be in the range of JPY 40m to 50m per episode which is about double of what other TV stations are spending.
* Has a very clear target audience for its dramas thus its reach and impact do not fluctuate that much.

NHK
* Its Taiga and morning dramas are the preferred timeslots for agencies.
* However, the pay for their dramas is somewhat low especially for supporting actors. As such, the agencies are banking on the exposure in an influential timeslot to get exposure and opportunities for CMs - a huge source of income for the agencies.

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Just to add on for TV Tokyo which was not mentioned in this article - all along, they have been seen as a maverick in the industry. Generally, they are quite nimble and actually has traits which can be seen in other TV stations as well. For example, they do quite a bit of real-life adaptations and also have long-running series like "Kodoku no Gurume". As such, I would say that they are a bit of everything and have a liking for unconventional and experimental concepts at times. If you are interested, you can take a look at my previous analysis of TV Tokyo here.

I do agree largely with the views expressed above. As for NTV, I think that while they had interesting offerings from time to time in recent years, their lineup is definitely not as attention-grabbing or headline-worthy as compared to the radical and sometimes controversial stand they took in the past with social-themed dramas like "14-sai no Haha" or "Ienakiko" back in the 90s. On the other hand, it is clear that TBS is a favourite among agencies now and it seems that putting in a lot of time and effort along with the right branding have served them well in building up a good reputation. 

However, it can also be observed that since real-time ratings are very low these days, agencies are looking more strategically at what appearing in a drama can bring for them i.e. exposure and CMs. As such, even if the drama does not do brilliantly in real-time, if it does well enough on OTT or helps the cast become popular and well-known, the agencies would probably have considered that to be a worthwhile investment after all. Perhaps this is why they still push for their artistes to appear on NHK despite the low pay - the nationwide exposure is a very appealing factor for them after all.

The thing about FujiTV's Mondays 9pm timeslot is, it used to have a very clear direction i.e. mainly love stories targeted at OLs. However, the change in direction in the past decade or so could be seen as a move to incorporate variety in its offerings and expand the target audience given that the pool of real-time drama viewers has shrunk. It seems to have gone not so well though especially since the industry sees it as them being misguided and in a mess due to the lack of a consistent direction. 

As such, perhaps this is a question for all TV stations then. Should you focus on building a branded timeslot with largely similar style offerings but risk being seen as predictable and boring or should you try to do a variety of formats and adopt a trial-and-error method to find success which may be elusive?

Preview of "3000 man" - Autumn 2024


Title: 3000 man / 3000万
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 5 October 2024
Timeslot: Saturdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Total number of episodes: 8
Cast: Adachi Yumi, Aoki Munetaka, Kaji Masaki, Kudo Haruka, Nozoe Yoshihiro, Mochida Shoji, Hagiwara Mamoru, Manaki Reika, Mimoto Youta, Morita Kokoro etc.

Thursday, October 03, 2024

Dorama World's social media channels - the way going forward (3 Oct 2024)


To date, I have relied mainly on Twitter / X and Facebook to get the word out whenever there are new posts on the Dorama World blog. However, there have been various issues over the years with these platforms which are making them no longer as effective and useful as compared to the past:

Since Twitter had an ownership change, things have been pretty messed up so I took a break from this platform for a while since my posts were just not getting out to my followers. Even after resuming activity here this year, it is so disappointing to see that the issues of posts totally not being seen by the followers or only seen days later still persist. Free features in the past such as analytics are now only available to those who have a paid account. At present, what I can tell is that less than 10% of the posts can be seen by my followers so this is a very frustrating situation to be in.

It's a different situation on Facebook as their so-called censorship is simply incomprehensible and downright ridiculous. They had removed many of my posts in recent months, some even within minutes after being posted for reasons such as them being "spam posts" and the links do not match the descriptions. The posts on both Twitter and Facebook are the same - they merely contain the title of the blog post and the URL to the post. I cannot understand how this is spam or that there is a mismatch between the link and the blog post title. 

While I have no intention to drop these social media channels for now, I am pondering over their long-term effectiveness especially since my main purpose in maintaining them is to inform readers/followers of updates to the blog. As such, in order to ensure that my messages get delivered as intended, I will use the following portals from now on along with the existing two:


For those who may not know or remember, how I came to have these accounts was because of the mess at Twitter since summer last year. Threads was touted as the "replacement" for Twitter when it first burst onto the scene so I signed up for an account to try it. And in order to have a Threads account, I needed to create an Instagram account. As such, Dorama World's accounts on these two platforms have been in existence for some time - just that I haven't used or publicised them actively.

The thing about Threads in its early days was that, the character limit made it difficult to write longer posts, there was no Web version then (typing on the phone was such a pain) and URLs couldn't be pasted into the posts. It seems now that the second and third issues are not a problem anymore so I'll give this platform a try again. Note that there are some old posts on the Threads account i.e. short reviews of dramas and movies and thoughts about various things that I did not post on the blog so in case you are keen, please check these out.

I am fully aware that there is no single platform which will satisfy everyone's needs. And to be honest, using all 4 platforms in the long term is not sustainable. While I try to figure out what would be the best strategy going forward by testing these platforms, it would be great if you could choose whatever works best for you as well and follow me on your preferred platform. Should you decide not to use any of these social media channels to keep track of my updates, I kindly ask of you to visit the blog from time to time to see if there's anything that interests you.

Thank you very much for reading this and I look forward to your continued support here!

Preview of "Wakakusa monogatari Koisuru shimai to koisenu watashi" - Autumn 2024


Title: Wakakusa monogatari Koisuru shimai to koisenu watashi / 若草物語 恋する姉妹と恋せぬ私
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 6 October 2024
Timeslot: Sundays at 10.30pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Theme Song: "Dramatic oideyo" by Ikimonogakari
Cast: Hotta Mayu, Nimura Sawa, Hata Mei, Nagahama Neru, Ichinose Hayate, Fukada Ryuusei, Sakata Masanobu, Idegami Baku, Namase Katsuhisa, Sakai Wakana, Usuda Asami, Watanabe Daichi, Sakai Maki & Tsutsui Mariko

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

Quick Review #73: Futsugou na kioku (movie)


Title: Futsugou na kioku / 不都合な記憶 (Previously Saved Version)

Rating: 2 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are fans of Ito Hideaki and Araki Yuuko

Liked:
- Ito Hideaki's acting which showed the contrast between the normal and abnormal sides of his character Naoki well.

- The visuals in the space residence were sleek, modern and great to look at but a tad cold due to the dark colour scheme. Comparatively, the scenes on Earth or rather in tropical Thailand were warm, had a slight retro touch to reflect that the timeline was in the past and some rough edges to give it a softer touch. This contrast was probably done on purpose also to reflect the change in the relationship of Naoki and Mayumi on Earth vs. in space - from sizzling hot to icy cold.

Disliked: 
- While the story was said to be a sci-fi suspense tale, I found that it was more on the sci-fi side than suspense especially since it was too easy to guess where the story was heading towards. And to have the story end on such an anti-climax note despite teasing for something major or unexpected waiting to happen during the final clash between the couple, the movie simply ended too abruptly and in an unsatisfactory manner. The first hour of the movie was extremely tough to sit through because it was so prolonged and repetitive. As such, to be given such an underwhelming ending made me feel that I wasted 2 hours on this movie. 
The fact that why Naoki behaved in such a manner and why Mayumi chose to put up with him for a long time was never explained properly. Although it was mentioned that they both were "lonely" people and were probably suited for each other to fill that void in their lives, I thought that a bit more information on their backgrounds could have helped me to understand and empathise with them a bit more. Otherwise, this felt like any other story about a married couple, just that part of it happened to be set in outer space and in the futuristic era.

- Araki Yuuko's acting in the first half of the movie was so boring and bland although I would say that it wasn't entirely her fault since the story's setting required that kind of emotionless performance. However, even when armed with full knowledge of what had happened from the start when Mayumi first met Naoki, the transformation in Mayumi's behaviour and mentality seemed too little and not compelling enough. While fans of Araki would be happy to see her getting lots of screentime and looking gorgeous in this movie, I felt that this was definitely not one of her best performances when it came to the acting. And because of the limitations in her character development, the chemistry between her and Ito was also lacking especially when she seemed overpowered by him so many times. It's just a pity though because if she managed to hold her own against Ito on screen, it would have looked like a more interesting battle between the two characters.

Tuesday, October 01, 2024

Preview of "Munou no taka" - Autumn 2024


Title: Munou no taka / 無能の鷹
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 11 October 2024
Timeslot: Fridays at 11.15pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Original manga by: Hanzaki Asami
Cast: Nanao, Shiono Akihisa, Iura Arata, Kudo Asuka, Satou Honami, Takahashi Katsumi, Ando Tamae, Doi Shiori, Miyao Shuntaro, Nagata Takato, Suzuki Rigaku & Souma Yukimi

Monday, September 30, 2024

Cross-border collaborations are the way to go? - About the trend of Korean actors appearing in Japanese dramas and movies


Came across this article from FRIDAY Digital which offers some theories as to why TBS has been adding Korean actors to their dramas of late and if this really helps to boost the international appeal and ratings of their productions.

Here are the key observations they made in this article:

* In "Black Pean Season 2" which recently ended its run, not only did they have Choi Ji-woo appear as a guest in the first episode, Kim Mu-jun also appeared as a regular cast member in the drama. Choi was the female lead in the Korean drama "Winter Sonata" which was a major hit in Japan 20 years ago so she is well-known in Japan. Kim made his debut in the 2020 Web drama "New Learn" and is an upcoming actor who had won the newcomer award in MBC Drama Awards 2023.
"Black Pean Season 2" had the highest average rating in the Summer 2024 season with all episodes but the 4th on 28 July 2024 having double-digit ratings.

* Likewise in the Winter 2024 season, TBS drama "Eye Love You" starred Nikaidou Fumi as the lead with Korean actor Chae Jong Hyeop being her love interest. It was reported that his popularity in Japan soared thanks to this drama that his fan event held in Tokyo during the drama's run attracted 32,885 applicants for 850 slots.

* On the other hand, TBS' mega hit "VIVANT" from Summer 2023 may have done brilliantly in Japan but failed to do well after its international release on Netflix since December 2023. This was said to be the catalyst for TBS rethinking its strategy to make its dramas more "appealing" to the international audience i.e. by resorting to incorporating Korean actors into their dramas' cast lineup. 

* As it is right now, popular content on Netflix tends to be dominated by Korean titles even in the Japanese market. While "Black Pean 2" may have been a constant on Netflix's Japan Top 10, it hasn't achieved the same kind of attention in South Korea yet. If more familiar Korean names will appear in Japan's dramas, it is hoped that there will be a Japanese drama which will attract a lot of attention in other markets including South Korea.

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Actually, the trend of getting Korean actors to appear in Japanese dramas is hardly anything new. My guess is that this article is highlighting TBS as an example because they had more examples within a year so it gave the impression as if they were doing this a lot more than their competitors.

Back in 2006, TBS produced the drama "Rondo" which starred Choi in her first appearance in a J-drama alongside with Takenouchi Yutaka. Given this prior collaboration and that Choi had a new movie to be shown in Japan from August 2024, it probably made a lot of business sense for her to do a guest appearance in "Black Pean 2". As for Kim Mu-jun who played her son in the drama and became a regular fixture in the cast, I can't say for sure how big his role was since I only watched one episode of the drama but it certainly didn't look like a major supporting role. And I honestly doubt that the success of "Black Pean Season 2" would be attributed more to Kim than in "Eye Love You" where Chae was the male lead.

As for the point made about "VIVANT" being a flop in the international market, I must say in its defence that the title didn't seem to be "pushed" that aggressively at least from the promotional emails I got from Netflix when it was first released internationally on the platform. If people didn't even know about the presence of this title through such promotional emails or the recommendations on Netflix itself, people aren't going to watch it. If you are talking about algorithms on such OTT platforms which determines what content they are pushing to their subscribers, then it makes little sense for them not to push "VIVANT" to me because I watch more J-content than K-content on Netflix as a whole. Besides, I also think that "VIVANT" is a pretty unconventional J-drama in many ways so it may not be so palatable to the international audience or those who are used to the usual J-drama style and genres.

In the past, there were quite a number of Korean actors and idols who had appeared in J-dramas made by other TV stations and movies. Especially when the Korean Wave was really big in Japan, there were some really top-level actors who were featured in the lineups to the extent that there were complaints over this influx. As you can see, FujiTV actually stands out a bit more than the others in this list of past productions featuring Korean stars:

- EXO's Kai in WOWOW 2018 drama "Haru ga kita"
- SHINee's Taemin in Amazon Prime Video 2017 drama "Final Life - Ashita, kimi ga kietemo -"
- N.Flying's Kim Jae-hyun in NTV 2021 drama "Kimi to sekai ga owaru hi ni"
- Shin Eun-kyung in 2019 movie "Shinbun Kisha", 2020 TV Asahi drama "Shichinin no hisho" and TBS 2023 drama "100 mankai ieba yokatta" etc.
- Kara's Jiyoung in 2018 movie "Reon", 2019 movie "Tokyo Ghoul S", 2015 TV Asahi drama "Tamiou" etc.
- Lee Byung-hun in 2007 FujiTV drama "HERO" and 2011 FujiTV drama "Gaikoukan Kuroda Kousaku"
- Song Seung-heon in 2010 movie "Ghost Mouichido dakishimetai"
- So Ji-sub in 2008 movie "Gegege no Kitaro Sennen noroiuta"
- Lee Junki in 2007 movie "Hatsuyuki no koi Virgin Snow"
- Jae-joong in 2010 FujiTV drama "Sunao ni narenakute"
- Lee Hong-gi in 2011 MBS drama "Muscle Girl!"
- Kim Tae-hee in 2011 FujiTV drama "Boku to star no 99 nichi"
- 2PM's Taec-yeon in 2011 FujiTV drama "Boku to star no 99 nichi"

At present, it does look like there are more cross-border collaborations between both countries especially in the post-COVID era. These are just some examples which are in the making or about to be shown between Japan and South Korea as cited in this article. Interestingly, these are all made by OTT networks - first title by COUPANG PLAY while the other two are from Netflix. As such, it does seem like OTT platforms may be a key driving force for such collaborations in time to come vs. local TV stations in both countries:
* Ai no ato ni kuru mono  / What Comes After Love - Sakaguchi Kentaro & Lee Se-young
* Kono koi, tsuuyaku dekimasuka? - Fukushi Souta & Go Youn-jung
* Romantic Anonymous - Oguri Shun & Han Hyo-joo

Personally, if my favourite actor/actress appears in an international or non-domestic production, it may spur me to check it out for a quick glance especially if it's just a cameo - little time investment is required on my part. If he/she takes on the lead role or a significant supporting role, it may tempt me to stay on for longer. However, if the story just doesn't interest me or my liking for that actor/actress is not strong enough, chances are, I won't bother taking a look. As such, using favourite actors/actresses as a bait may not be as effective as what people think unless there's some compelling reason for viewers to bite the bait and all elements in the production can attract people to stay on.

To me, the cast is like the first impression or façade of a production. It will definitely catch my attention and make me want to find out more about the title if the lineup is appealing. However, if the synopsis doesn't have something which hooks me or the work just doesn't click with me even after watching a bit of the movie or the first episode of a series, I doubt that I will stick around to the end.

As for these cross-border collaborations, if there is a good reason for doing that e.g. the story calls for an international romance or the story is set in such a way that you need people from different countries coming together, I'm all for it. However, if the arrangement is so forced or awkward such as having a foreigner play a local who can't even speak the local language like a native, then it's probably best not to head down that path and end up not achieving the desired effect.

Preview of "Watashi no machi no Chiba-kun wa" - Autumn 2024


Title: Watashi no machi no Chiba-kun wa. / 私の町の千葉くんは。
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 9 October 2024
Timeslot: Wednesdays at 12.30am
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original manga by: Okamoto Tokasa
Cast: Igeta Hiroe, Yamashita Kouki & Inukai Atsuhiro etc.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Preview of "Rikon Bengoshi Spider" - Autumn 2024


Title: Rikon Bengoshi Spider / 離婚弁護士スパイダー
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 4 October 2024
Timeslot: Fridays at 12.30am
Broadcast by: NTV
Cast: Takahashi Maryjun, Higuchi Kohei, Shibuya Nagisa & Kaneko Nobuaki

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Japanese winners at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024

Note that this is the national winners list i.e. there is a single winner for each country and I will be listing only the Japanese winners for drama and movie-related categories.

The grand winners will be announced on 3 December 2024 in Singapore.


Best Actor in a Leading Role: Suzuki Ryohei - City Hunter

Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy Role: Suzuki Ryohei - City Hunter

Best Screenplay: Mishima Tatsuro - City Hunter

Best Feature Film: City Hunter


Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Ayano Go - Yu Yu Hakusho

Best Visual or Special FX (TV or Feature Film): Yu Yu Hakusho


Best Single Drama / Telemovie / Anthology Episode: Deaf Voice Houtei no shuwa tsuyakushi


Best Drama Series: Anti Hero

Quick Review #72: Modern Love Tokyo - Autumn 2022


Title: Modern Love Tokyo / モダンラブ・東京

Rating: 6 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are interested in modern love stories in various forms and are fans of the cast

Liked:
- This anthology of various love stories set in Tokyo offers a variety of themes including parental love, LGBT, sexless marriages, long-distance international relationships, seniors having a second chance at love, teenage first-love rekindled in adulthood etc. so this should satisfy viewers with the variety. While this may not be an all-rounder pleaser, some episodes would have resonated more with viewers than the others. Personally, I liked Ep 6 featuring Emma Scott and Ikematsu Sousuke the most while Episode 1 (Mizukawa Asami & Maeda Atsuko) and Episode 7 (Kuroki Haru & Kubota Masataka as voice actors) came a close second for the heartwarming and fuzzy vibes at the end.

- The drama had a star-studded cast with some unexpected cameos as well e.g. Miura Touko, Koura Kengo and Matsumoto Wakana but I would have to say that Ikematsu Sousuke and Naomi Scott stood out for their natural acting and great chemistry. It was actually the first time I saw Ikematsu in a romantic role so it was a pretty refreshing change and I have to say, his English was really good. The matchings also had a fair bit of novelty e.g. Mizukawa and Maeda who played a married couple which was somewhat never seen before in other works. Seeing Emoto Tasuku and Eikura Nana together somehow made me keep thinking of their respective spouses though for some strange reason.

Disliked: 
- As the anthology was written and directed by different people, the storytelling styles and directing naturally varied so I can't say that I liked every single episode. In particular, I found Episode 5 starring Nagasaku Hiromi and Yusuke Santa Maria a tad bewildering as I failed to understand what the story was driving at. The way the story was told also seemed to have a tinge of a horror love story. Looking at online reviews, it seems that sentiments about this episode are quite divided too. As I mentioned above, while some episodes may touch and resonate with you a bit more, there might be some which will not impress. 
Another thing which made me quite unconvinced or uncomfortable were some story settings which seemed far-fetched or unlikely to happen in real life. For example, in Ep 3 when the revelation about why the lead couple's date was supposedly "the worst" came out, it made me wonder how that could have happened unless the male lead's change had undergone a massive transformation over the years as he aged. Another thing which got me thinking was in Ep 1 when Mizukawa Asami played a nursing mother who was expressing her breast milk in the airplane's toilet. Those scenes seemed to project her in a slightly negative light because she seemed to be hogging the restroom without a care for other passengers and even looked delighted that she won't be disturbed by the long queue during a turbulence since the passengers had to go back to their seats. I do think that might have given rise to misunderstandings and misconceptions about nursing mothers and further perpetuate prejudice against them even though that may not have been the initial intention.

- While the drama was supposedly set in Tokyo, some of the stories didn't really have a Tokyo angle or touch so the link between the location and the story wasn't as strong as it should have been. As such, the Tokyo-ness of the stories could have been reinforced or else they could have jolly well fit in to other major metropolitan cities elsewhere in Japan.

Friday, September 27, 2024

Preview of "Sennyuu kyoudai Tokushuu sagi tokumei sousakan" - Autumn 2024


Title: Sennyuu kyoudai Tokushuu sagi tokumei sousakan / 潜入兄妹 特殊詐欺特命捜査官
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 5 October 2024
Timeslot: Saturdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: NTV
Cast: Ryuusei Ryou, Yagi Rikako, Tokui Yu, Iriyama Anna, Nagao Junko, Kureshiro Kumi, Ito Asahi, Okai Mion, Handa Shuhei, Fernandez Naoyuki, Kamio Yu & Oikawa Mitsuhiro etc.

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Preview of "Sorezore no kodoku no gurume" - Autumn 2024


Title: Sorezore no kodoku no gurume / それぞれの孤独のグルメ
Official website: here
Official X: here
Official YouTube: here
O.A. Start Date: 4 October 2024
Timeslot: Fridays at 12.12am
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original manga by: Kusumi Masayuki & Taniguchi Jirou
Cast: Matsushige Yutaka + guest lineup

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Preview of "Snowdrop no hatsukoi" - Autumn 2024


Title: Snowdrop no hatsukoi / スノードロップの初恋
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 1 October 2024
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 11pm
Broadcast by: Kansai TV
Opening theme song: "Shiroku somaru mae ni" by Miyase Ryuubi
Cast: Miyase Ryuubi, Ono Karin, Sota Ryosuke, Iwase Yoji, Shiga Riku, Yagi Hibiki, Fujimoto Kodai, Meguri Hiroo, Furukawa Koji, Morita Kanro, Nekoze Tsubaki & Sugimoto Tetta

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Quick Review #71: Chinmoku no kantai Season 1 Tokyowan Daikaisen (Drama) - Winter 2024


Title: Chinmoku no kantai Season 1 Tokyowan Daikaisen / 沈黙の艦隊 シーズン1東京湾大海戦

Rating: 8 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are interested in military-themed stories and are fans of the cast especially Oosawa Takao and Tamaki Hiroshi

NOTE: The drama version is said to contain scenes from the movie version + unreleased scenes from the movie + the aftermath of the movie so even if you haven't watched the movie, it wouldn't be an issue. However, the story is still far from finished so there should be a Season 2 to tie up all the loose ends.

Liked:
- The scale of this production was definitely not something you could get from the private networks and not achievable by using CG only. Especially the battle scenes and those featuring the submarines, they would not have been possible without the support of the Ministry of Defence and Self Defense Forces in Japan plus the big budget from Amazon Studio since this was the first Japanese movie production they were involved in.

- The drama had a star-studded cast but the highlight was definitely Oosawa Takao who was not only the lead but also co-producer. He was instrumental in carrying the whole story as the lead character Kaeida who was a charismatic captain but also looked somewhat sinister at times because his motives and thoughts were hard to guess and understand. On the other hand, Tamaki Hiroshi provided a good contrast against Oosawa with his portrayal of Fukamachi who had a different leadership style that could come across as too idealistic at times but he still admired Kaieda, his former superior at the same time for the latter's decisiveness in making difficult decisions.

- The story offered some controversial and serious issues which deserved a lot of thought especially in this era of not so peaceful times but these would not have been touched on if not for the fact that this was on an international streaming platform. While the concepts thrown up may alienate people and can come across as divisive and nationalistic given the setting of the story, it might be worth watching this to develop your own opinions since the story tried to offer multiple perspectives rather than drive a single conclusion.

Disliked: 
- As someone who is not familiar with military-themed stories or the military in general, the story was a bit confusing at first. To begin with, the numerous titles, how military fleets operate, the chain of command in the military as well as how the weapons/ships/submarines work are not so easy to understand. For those who are in the know, they might enjoy this story a lot more than a layman like me. And it also doesn't help that the English translations on screen flashed by too quickly and I often had to rewind to read these titles especially in the earlier stages of this drama.

- This has got to do with the post-production quality of this drama. Subtitles are meant not just for people who don't speak the language featured in the production but also those who may have hearing issues so that they can still "read" the dialogue and enjoy the work. The problem is, for the English subtitles, they do not appear when English was spoken while for the Japanese subtitles, they appeared regardless of whether English or Japanese was spoken in the drama. It would have been better if the subtitles appeared all the time regardless of the spoken language for the sake of consistency. Even as a native speaker of English, I found that the American English spoken in this drama can be difficult to hear because the audio was somewhat muffled at times and the accent can be an issue as well. And most importantly, the English subtitles' quality on Amazon Prime seems to be a bit lacking with grammar and spelling mistakes here and there. Makes me wonder if proper QC was done because I noticed similar issues with their English subtitles on other Amazon Prime shows as well.

- Since this is a military-themed drama, it is probably not surprising that the ladies tend to have a very small role in the whole scheme of things since the military is a male-dominated world. The contrast was even more evident because on Japan's side, the women held relatively important roles as the Minister of Defence, the vice captain of a submarine and the secretary for the Secretary General of the Cabinet who also worked as the interpreter between the Japanese Prime Minister and US President. On the US side though, there was hardly any female figure which stood out. While it would have been ideal to have more female participation on both sides, I guess this was something which couldn't be helped given the theme of this story.

Monday, September 23, 2024

Preview of "Moyori no utopia" (Drama SP)


Title: Moyori no utopia / 最寄りのユートピア
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 25 September 2024 at 10pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Theme Song: "Senaka awase" by Kamio Fuuju
Cast: Kamio Fuuju, Kita Kana, Kobayashi Ryoko, Tanaka Makoto, Morita Kanro, Yamamura Ryuuta (flumpool), Fukikoshi Mitsuru etc.

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Preview of "Okutou Kanjou sousakan Shinno Akari Season 2" - Autumn 2024


Title: Okutou Kanjou sousakan Shinno Akari Season 2 / オクトー 感情捜査官 心野朱梨 Season 2
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 3 October 2024
Timeslot: Thursdays at 11.59pm
Broadcast by: YTV / NTV
Cast: Iitoyo Marie, Kageyama Yuuka, Iwase Yoji, Takano Akira, Matsui Rena, Hamano Kenta & Asaka Koudai

Saturday, September 21, 2024

Preview of "3 nen C gumi wa furin shitemasu." - Autumn 2024


Title: 3 nen C gumi wa furin shitemasu. / 3年C組は不倫してます。
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 1 October 2024
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.24am
Broadcast by: NTV
Cast: Riko, Mokudai Kazuto, Akita Shiori, Yuutarou, Tanaka Miku, Hosoda Yoshihiko, Mori Kasumi, Yashiba Toshihiro, Takezai Terunosuke, Sakai Miki & Kuninaka Ryoko

Friday, September 20, 2024

Preview of "Okura Meikyuuiri jiken sousa" - Autumn 2024


Title: Okura Meikyuuiri jiken sousa / オクラ 迷宮入り事件捜査
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 8 October 2024
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Cast: Sorimachi Takashi, Sugino Yosuke, Shiraishi Mai, Maeda Oushiro, Arisawa Shotaro, Miura Ryota, Aoki Sayaka, Hashimoto Jun & Ukaji Takashi etc.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Winners of The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards 2024 - Drama Category

Grand Prix: Haru ni nattara (Kansai TV)


Excellence Awards

VIVANT (TBS)



Saikou no kyoushi Ichinengo, watashi wa seitou ni ■ sareta (NTV)



Rakujitsu (WOWOW)



Ossan no pantsu ga nandatte ii janai ka! (Tokai TV)



Amawari THE LAST HERO (Ryukyu Housou)



Congratulations to all the winners! 

Preview of "Lion no kakurega" - Autumn 2024


Title: Lion no kakurega / ライオンの隠れ家
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 11 October 2024
Timeslot: Fridays at 10pm
Broadcast by: TBS
Theme Song: "Fuujin" by Vaundy
Cast: Yagira Yuuya, Bandou Ryouta, Saito Asuka, Sato Tasuku, Kakizawa Hayato, Iriyama Noriko, Okazaki Taiiku, Ozaki Takumi, Hirai Masaaki, Mori Yuusaku, Sakurai Yuki, Okayama Amane, Denden & Mukai Osamu etc.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Preview of "Usotoki Rhetoric" - Autumn 2024


Title: Usotoki Rhetoric / 噓解きレトリック
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 7 October 2024
Timeslot: Mondays at 9pm
Broadcast by: FujiTV
Original manga by: Miyako Ritsu
Cast: Suzuka Ouji, Matsumoto Honoka, Mikata Ryosuke, Katayama Yuki, Ookura Koji, Isoyama Sayaka, Konno Hiroki, Murakawa Eri, Sakurai Atsuko, Sugimoto Tetta & Wakamura Mayumi etc.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Quick Review #70: Mountain Doctor - Summer 2024


Title: Mountain Doctor / マウンテンドクター

Rating: 6 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are interested in watching a medical drama set against the backdrop of breathtaking scenery on mountains

Liked:
- The most eye-catching element of this drama has got to be the magnificent aerial shots of beautiful scenery on the Northern Alps (stretching across multiple prefectures) mainly in the Nagano Prefecture area. At the same time, since the key characters actually climbed the mountains for the filming, this helped to make the shots look more realistic and more engaging to watch as a viewer rather than just using stock images or CG to pass off for the real thing.

- The first episode started in a slightly unexpected way - most if not all the time, the lead character usually goes somewhere for further studies or to pursue his dream at the end of the story. However, in this drama, this kind of standard development happened right at the beginning when Miyamoto (Sugino Yosuke) headed off for training to become a mountain doctor at the end of Ep 1. To add on to the surprise factor, Emori (Oomori Nao) was left out of MMT on purpose because of a lawsuit and medical dispute with a patient's family. Under normal circumstances, the mentor would have been around in the newly set-up MMT to put the lead character through some tough training but to have the mentor absent and the newbie to be the "leader" from the start made me look forward to seeing more surprises from the story.

- Sugino Yosuke was able to show the "transition" of his character convincingly over the course of the story. From being someone who was made to join MMT begrudgingly at first to taking the initiative to go overseas for training, he really appeared as a "matured" version by the time he returned to his hospital after getting the necessary certification. However, being armed with knowledge didn't mean that he would be able to handle any situation that came his way or apply what he learned accordingly. As such, I quite liked the few episodes after Ep 1 where he slowly lost his confidence and was humbled into the realisation that he was still far from a full-fledged mountain doctor.

Disliked: 
- While the story appeared pretty promising at first with some unconventional settings e.g. the mystery over Emori's deep disdain and "hatred" for mountains despite being a qualified mountain doctor, things started to get pretty predictable from the mid-point onwards. For example, the appearance of adversaries trying to get MMT dissolved or the idea of having doctors go into the mountains to provide on-site medical care being seen as something that's unrealistic and dangerous were developments which I had expected to pop up at some time. It would have been better if the adversaries had a stronger justification to block the MMT's work (the reason just seemed awfully petty and ridiculous at one point) or that the dilemma over ensuring the medical staff's safety while saving others didn't get so drawn out and draggy.
I also didn't like the part where someone of a certain status in society could get away with no repercussions for posting untruths on her social media account especially the part about offering condolences to Emori when he hadn't even passed away. I thought it would have been good to address this inappropriate action but I wonder if the scriptwriter forgot about this for some reason or perhaps a related scene was edited out?

- While the other cast members did reasonably well in their characters, I couldn't help but feel that some of them were under-utilised and didn't have much room to shine. I would have loved to see more of Oomori and him interacting more with Sugino. As for Mukai Koji, I was assuming that he would be more involved with the mountains e.g. as a rescue team member who interacts with MMT but turns out that he was pretty much confined to his yakitori restaurant for the entire drama.
Since the drama kept talking about mountain hiking in winter being more dangerous in summer, perhaps this is a hint that the drama may return for a sequel or at least a SP so there is a likelihood that these characters can be fleshed out more in time to come.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Preview of "Golden Kamuy Hokkaido irezumi shuujin soudatsuhen" - Autumn 2024


Title: Golden Kamuy Hokkaido irezumi shuujin soudatsuhen / ゴールデンカムイ 北海道刺青囚人争奪編
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 6 October 2024
Timeslot: Sundays at 10pm
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Total number of episodes: 9
Original manga by: Noda Satoru
Cast: Yamazaki Kento, Yamada Anna, Maeda Goudon, Yamoto Yuuma, Kudo Asuka, Yanagi Shuntaro, Ootani Ryohei, Katsuya, Kiba Katsumi, Shiono Akihisa, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Sakurai Yuki, Okata Hisako, Takahashi Maryjun, Nakagawa Taishi, Kitamura Kazuki, Iura Arata, Tamaki Hiroshi & Tachi Hiroshi

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Preview of "Gekkan Matsuzaka Toori" - Autumn 2024


Title: Gekkan Matsuzaka Toori / 月刊松坂桃李
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official YouTube: here
O.A. Start Date: 20 October 2024
Timeslot: Monthly at 9pm (20 Oct / 17 Nov / 15 Dec 2024)
Broadcast by: WOWOW
Cast: Matsuzaka Toori

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Preview of "Omusubi" - NHK morning drama (2024)


Title: Omusubi / おむすび
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 30 September 2024
Timeslot: Mondays to Saturdays at 8am
Broadcast by: NHK
Theme Song: "Illumination" by B'z
Narrator: Lily Franky
Cast: Hashimoto Kanna, Naka Riisa, Sano Hayato, Asou Kumiko, Miyazaki Yoshiko, Kitamura Yukiya, Matsudaira Ken etc.

Friday, September 13, 2024

Quick Review #69: Warau Matoryoushika - Summer 2024


Title: Warau Matoryoushika / 笑うマトリョーシカ

Rating: 9 / 10

Recommended for
Those who like a good suspense drama which will keep you guessing right till the end and are fans of the cast especially Mizukawa Asami and Sakurai Sho

WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead!

Liked:
- It's been a while since I encountered a drama where time flew by so fast -  each episode ended in no time because it was so engaging and there was so much to see and think about. The one-week wait for the next episode was so "painful" but this is precisely what a drama series should be able to achieve or else people wouldn't return for the next episode. In this sense, credit goes to the scriptwriter and/or the original novelist who were really skillful at maintaining the viewers' interest and kept people coming back for more. 
While I have not read the original novel, it appears that there were some parts which differed slightly from the novel based on social media posts. And since those who had read the novel seemed largely positive about this drama, it seems to suggest that the crew and cast did a good job with this adaptation.

- Some parts of the story touched on pretty touchy and controversial issues like discrimination, sidelining of underprivileged groups or the minority, psychological control and manipulation of supposedly weak-minded people which would typically be seen in dramas from WOWOW or Netflix. As such, for TBS to do this was somewhat unusual but a pleasant surprise for me. Since the story didn't try too hard to preach or take an obvious side, there was room for viewers to consider the issues and form their own views on these topics.

- While Sakurai Sho did not have a lot of airtime in the middle of the story (perhaps linked to his on-site reporting of the Paris Olympics for NTV?), he really delivered a fantastic performance as Seike Ichiro. The true self hidden behind that smiling face sent shivers down my spine and you definitely have to check out the two showdown/confrontation scenes he had with Suzuki Toshiya (Tamayama Tetsuji) slightly past the midway mark and Michiue Kanae (Mizukawa) in the finale which were especially brilliant. 
From the beginning, I had the theory that Seike could not have been manipulated by the people around him and would do a total reversal by the end because that would be the most exciting outcome contrary to everything happening as expected. This was despite the story leading everyone into believing that he was being controlled by the people closest to him with ill intentions. As such, the final revelation wasn't a surprise to me at all but the way he talked about his planned revenge on all those who tried to manipulate was so chilling as if he was totally detached from the situation and looking it from outside.
For those who have doubts about Sakurai's acting, I have to admit that the level of satisfaction I get from watching him can vary and that's coming from a longtime Arashi fan who you may think would be biased towards him to begin with. Even so, I still cannot say that every performance he had put up over the years was top-notch. Personally, I've always thought that he excelled at playing roles with dual personalities or with a slightly more serious touch especially the kind/good persona hiding the dark self so it's not surprising that my top 3 favourites of his roles to date would be "Tengoku ni ichiban chikai otoko", "Kazoku Game" and now, this drama. 
While I don't think that Sakurai can't do other genres at all, there are indeed some limitations which do prevent people from thinking of him as a versatile actor and his image gets in the way at times. Nonetheless, I thought that "Daibyouin Senkyo" was a welcome change and a good attempt to do something different since it allowed him to do some action scenes despite his lack of an athletic image to date (you would known why if you had watched "VS Arashi"). Unfortunately, the second series was kinda disappointing because the novelty from the first series couldn't be replicated in the sequel. This time though, I'm glad to say that Sakurai managed to hit jackpot with Seike so he should really consider doing more serious roles in future, if possible or at least those which doesn't make him try too hard to fit the role. And not always having to take on the lead role would be a good direction to take as seen from this example.

- Mizukawa really carried the story well as Michiue on both the professional and personal fronts. While I do feel that Michiue's actions at times were too reckless and put people around her at risk unnecessarily, I can also see her character's conviction to seeking the truth and justice. Likewise, she also managed to show Michiue's struggle of how to balance work with family commitments in a convincing manner.
The chemistry she had with Sakurai was also evident here since they played a married couple before in the "Pikanchi" movies. There was this unmistakable tension between their characters which had some suggestion of romantic sparks at times (deliberate misleading in the plot though). However, the multi-level complexity displayed in the story reflected the complicated relationship between Seike and Michiue in the story because it was hard to set a clear definition for them - neither friends nor enemies. As such, it was such a joy to watch their onscreen interaction in this drama.

Disliked: 
- One thing I didn't quite like was how quick and short the Seike backstory was presented. It was like over in no time in the final episode which consisted mainly of a monologue by Seike to explain how he came to realise that everyone was using him for their selfish goals and he plotted to turn the tables on them. I would have wanted to see more of him showing how he felt and the conflicting emotions he had as he wondered why he was doing this and what kind of outcome was he ultimately after. A bit too little and too late.

- Getting Takaoka Saki to play Sakurai Sho's mother was something of a double-edged sword. In reality, Takaoka is just 10 years older than Sakurai so for her to play his mother did bother me a little as compared to those who may not know this fact. Then again, the story depicted Hiroko as a woman who looked very beautiful and youthful despite being in her 60s so in that sense, Takaoka definitely fits the bill in terms of appearance. Just that fact gets into the way of fiction in this case.

- Although the storyline shifted to 5 years later at the end, there was hardly any noticeable difference especially when it comes to the appearance of the characters. Perhaps more needs to be done to make the distinction more apparent?

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Preview of "Sora wataru kyoushitsu" - Autumn 2024


Title: Sora wataru kyoushitsu / 宙わたる教室
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 8 October 2024
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Total number of episodes: 10
Original novel by: Iyohara Shin
Theme Song: "Break out of your bubble" by Little Glee Monster
Cast: Kubota Masataka, Kobayashi Toranosuke, Ito Aoi, Gau, Tanaka Tetsushi, Kimura Fumino, Konno Ayaka, Nakano On,  Nakamura Aoi, Asa Tatsumi, Issey Ogata etc.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Preview of "Oichi fushigi gatari" - Summer 2024


Title: Oichi fushigi gatari / おいち不思議がたり
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 1 September 2024
Timeslot: Sundays at 6.45pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Original novel by: Asano Atsuko
Total number of episodes: 8
Cast: Aoi Wakana, Kudo Asuka, Hayama Shono, Zaizen naomi, Takashima Masahiro, Tamaki Hiroshi etc. 
Guest lineup: Enoki Takaaki, Abe Shinnosuke, Omi Toshinori, Masu Takeshi, Hirano Kinari, Ginpuncho & Suga Kenta

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Quick Review #68: Grand Maison Tokyo - Autumn 2019


Title: Grand Maison Tokyo / グランメゾン東京

Rating: 9 / 10

Recommended for
Those who like cooking-themed stories or inspirational tales of pursuing excellence and success + who are fans of the star-studded cast

Liked:
- The authenticity and high quality of the production were very evident as seen from the set design, props used, dishes presented and the cinematography. The before-and-after transformation of the main set for Grand Maison Tokyo was simply breathtaking (kudos goes to the set designer and art director) since it looked no more than a dark warehouse and looked so welcoming, bright and comfortable after the renovation. The furniture, equipment and furnishings used inside definitely looked professional and of high quality - the kitchen equipment were sponsored by Fujimak Corporation. Having location shooting done at places like the Michelin 3-star L'Ambroisie in Paris, the French embassy and Maison Paul Bocuse in Tokyo coupled with having skilful and famous chefs do the culinary design and supervision of the dishes definitely raised the overall standard of the drama. Even the cast looked very convincing in the cooking scenes, thanks to the training and practice put in for their roles. Last but not least, you might have to avoid watching this when you are hungry because the dishes looked so delicious on screen. 

- While the story itself wasn't that groundbreaking in terms of its overall direction i.e. the pursuit for excellence by a group of underdogs, this drama had a number of key differentiating factors that made it more inspirational and engaging to watch.
First of all, there had been a tendency for dramas starring Kimura Takuya to be more focused on his character alone so everyone else in the supporting roles were sort of relegated to the sidelines. That was a constant complaint in the past when his dramas had a very strong supporting lineup but everyone became so "unimportant" in Kimura's presence (at least on screen). However, this drama emphasized the importance of teamwork and how everyone playing their parts helped to contribute to the success of the restaurant just like how all elements of the 10-course meal, service, deco, cutlery and overall dining experience matter as to whether a restaurant would earn a Michelin star. It was also good that the story did not try to put Kimura's character Obana as the actual/official leader of the team since it was more meaningful and memorable for Obana to be a "supporter" rather than a "leader" so that the team could shine and be able to survive on its own even without Obana around.
Secondly, I really liked how they designed Suzuki Kyoka's character Hayami Rinko as an equal to Obana Natsuki (Kimura Takuya) rather than her depending on him all the time to achieve success at the end. The growth of her character throughout the story and how she was holding up against him despite her own insecurities and his overpowering talent and obnoxious character (at times) were really gratifying to watch. It was also a great decision not to force a loveline for their characters although it was obvious they liked and respected each other as professional chefs.
Last but not least, the story didn't try too hard in making the journey to success for Grand Maison Tokyo so smooth-sailing that it looked unrealistic. While there were obvious obstacles like how a new restaurant would struggle to gain a following and critical acclaim for their food, there were hiccups like hidden adversaries, a team with members who had issues with Obana for various reasons and people changing sides which helped to add a bit of unpredictability for the story. Although achieving Michelin stars was seen as the goal for this story, I think it was good that the story also slightly touched on what happens after you reach the finish line i.e. you may lose sleep over trying to maintain the stars and/or trying to outdo yourself and the competitors OR you simply lose sight of what you should do or originally wanted to do.

Disliked: 
- As someone who has very little knowledge and experience with French fine dining, the theme of this drama can alienate those who are like me in this respect. While it was helpful for the drama to explain the key and basic facts of French fine dining and breakdown the ingredients used in the dishes, the information flashed by so quickly on screen and some explanations could be difficult to understand without some prior knowledge. Besides, I am not the type who's very adventurous with food so the thought of using exotic meats or unfamiliar ingredients in French fine dining was a bit of a turnoff for me at times. The desserts did look quite intriguing and appealing to me though.

- At the same time, the story can also be difficult to understand or identify with because of the reason or rationale for being so focused on achieving the Michelin stars. From my perspective at least, I find that so-called objective assessments of a restaurant's quality or the taste of dishes are still very much subjected to personal tastes and preferences and bias in sampling (since Michelin does not visit every restaurant in the city in the first place) so it's not as fair as it may seem. And since food is something that's very subjective to one's tastes, I don't really rely on food reviews to tell me whether I should go and try something. At most, such reviews serve as an information source for me to know what's out there for me to try. As such, whether you agree with or appreciate this pursuit of Michelin stars as something worthwhile or meaningful may affect how much you feel about this story. For me, the significance of this goal was slightly lost on me so this part of the story didn't quite resonate with me.