Review of Cat Street

Title: Cat Street
Number of episodes: 6
Original manga by: Kamio Yoko
Broadcasted by: NHK
Theme song: Planetarium by Ikimonogakari

The thing I like about NHK dramas are that the storylines are usually full of substance and that you will get very unique casting choices in the lineup. Regardless of whether the actors are popular, as long as they fit the roles, they will be chosen. I guess for NHK, being the national broadcaster means that they are not so concerned with achieving commercial success unlike the private broadcasters which need the ratings to pull in advertising revenue. Even if ratings for their dramas rarely reach the level to be called a hit, critical reviews of NHK productions are usually on the favourable side. And they do not have to stretch a drama too far so as to fulfil the timeslot for the 3-month regular season. When it's time to end the story, they will do it. As such, I find that NHK dramas are a refreshing change from the usual season dramas we get.

True to my expectation, Cat Street is yet another satisfying piece of work. On paper, the cast may not be that appealing or eye-catching. Tanimura Mizuki may be a good actress and has been featured in many big-name movies but she was untested yet in terms of being a lead actress in a drama. Likewise, Katsuji Ryo is also known for being a decent actor but always gets supporting roles. It was indeed daring for NHK to assemble a cast like this which I believe the private TV stations would think twice about.

Since the story is based on a manga by Kamio Yoko who is better known for her other hit manga, Hana Yori Dango, I did have hesitations as to whether this will be as cheesy as Hanadan. However, this story about Aoyama Keito, an ex-child actress who suffered great emotional damage at the age of 10 and has refused to go to school for at least 7 years, is different. There is a lot of description on her internal struggles as she tries to face life's challenges again.

Tanimura who is well-known for playing roles with emotional scars or has a mysterious past, manages to potray Keito very well. She didn't have to try too hard to look convincing. Likewise, her friends played by Katsuji, Kimura Ryo and Kurokawa Tomoka as well as the supporting cast like Namase Katsuhisa fit their roles perfectly. Katsuji was good as Mine Kouichi and I thought he and Tanimura looked pretty compatible together. I was particularly impressed with Kurokawa although her dresses didn't go down too well with me. In the past, I didn't really like her since she always played those hardworking student or goody-two-shoes roles and she struck me as nothing more than a sweet young thing. However, her performance as Momiji convinced me that she can handle emotional scenes quite well. I just hope that she can take on a variety of roles in future instead of being the good girl all the time.

Do give this drama a try if you like heartwarming stories and like the cast members. You will not be disappointed.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 8.5 out of 10 (Relatively well-constructed)
Acting: 8.5 out of 10 (Especially for Tanimura Mizuki
Theme song: 6 out of 10 (The song didn't leave a very strong impression on me.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6 out of 10 (Mostly indoor shots but I liked the setting where Keito and Kouichi confessed their feelings for each other.)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 7 out of 10 (Generally good but I thought Takabe Ai's acting wasn't that strong to show the intensity of Nako's rivalry with Keito.)