Review of "The Quiz Show 2" - Spring 2009

Title: The Quiz Show 2
Shown via: NTV
Official website: here
Average rating: 12.08%
Theme song: Ashita no Kioku by Arashi
Regular Cast Members: Sakurai Sho, Yokoyama Yu, Matsuura Aya, Sasai Eisuke, Tanaka Tetsuji, Wada Masato, Moriwaki Eriko, Imai Takafumi, Shiraishi Miki, Oohashi Nozomi, Mizusawa Elena, Totsugi Shigeyuki, Izumiya Shigeru, Enoki Takaaki & Maya Miki
Guest stars for each episode: Aikawa Sho, Minami, Narimiya Hiroki, Asano Yuuko, Ishiguro Ken, Horiuchi Ken (Neptune), Sugimoto Tetta, Maya Miki, Sakurai Sho & Yokoyama Yu

Review:

Technically speaking, this is a sequel to the first season of "The Quiz Show". Prior to this, I had absolutely no idea that there was a part 1 to this drama. Apparently, Part 1 was made last year and shown during the summer season. I was either clueless about this offering from NTV or they did not put a lot of attention in the promotion of Part 1. For Part 2 however, the difference in treatment is quite obvious. I guess the fact that having two Johnny's Jimusho artistes who are more well-known than the leads in Part 1 (Totsugi Shigeyuki and Katagiri Jin) warrants the need to spend more time and effort on the sequel. And the fact that Part 1 was shown in a midnight slot compared to Saturday primetime for Part 2 made the first season relatively unknown.
Although it is said that this is a sequel, the story is not linked entirely to its predecessor. Nonetheless, I was still confused at times when they kept referring to the first season of "The Quiz Show" from time to time because I had no idea what happened at that time. From now on, there will be some spoilers thus if you do not wish to know the story or ending, please stop reading this post.

I have to be frank about this. My sole intention of watching this drama was for Sakurai Sho. I wasn't that impressed with some of his past roles so I had my reservations on how he can handle this difficult role. I thought this would be an interesting role because he gets to switch between a flashy and sarcastic variety show host to a lost guy who knows nuts about his past. It would be great to see how he manages the gap between both facades of Kamiyama Satoru. Indeed, he was good at playing MC Kamiyama and felt very much at ease with himself, or so it seems. I guess all that practice in hosting or assuming a lead host role in Arashi's variety shows does help. It is especially evident in VS Arashi where he seems to be the presenter even though the whole of Arashi is supposed to be assuming the hosting role. Although MC Kamiyama can be a bit too flashy and flamboyant at times, it is not overdone because the nature of the show requires him to do that. When he switched to Kamiyama Satoru, I found it a bit painful to watch him. He tried too hard to show the anguish of Satoru at the beginning which made me cringe but as the drama progressed, he found a better way of expressing himself and toned down on the overacting. Finally, I can say that he can act well, provided his role suits him in the first place. He's not yet in the league of being able to handle any role but he is improving. Hopefully, with the gaining of experience in various areas e.g. singing, acting, hosting and being a newcaster, he will become a more well-rounded actor in future.

On the other hand, his co-star Yokoyama Yu also had a bit of teething problems in the beginning. His role, Honma really got on my nerves at first. It's not because of the way he treated Kamiyama but rather he tries to act cool, high and almighty especially when he talks to Takasugi (Matsuura Aya) at the end of the show. True, he may be looking like a maniac when he confronts and pushes Kamiyama to remember the past but seeing him act cool was a bigger turnoff. That was simply too fake. However, as he settled into the role (although a bit too late) in the last few episodes of the show, he managed to show the pain and tragic past Honma had to shoulder. That final climax scene with Kamiyama was good and very intense but I think they should save on that mucus and saliva thing. It does get a bit gross when I see people crying to that extent. Tears alone will do the trick for me.

With regards to the other main cast members, Matsuura Aya was OK. At least she didn't irritate me that much this time. However, it will take a lot for me to like her high-pitched voice and a bit childish mannerisms. Maya Miki was horrific this time. Usually she exudes so much charm and charisma but the problem this time was her role, Saejima being more like a frantic woman running around and screaming as if this will get things done. When it's time to put her foot down, she's not assertive enough and lets Honma lord it over her. That's when it gets really irritating. She should have been given a role which allows her to behave more like a mature woman.

As for the story itself, I've never been a fan of episodic dramas. The lack of continuity and development of the main characters have always been an issue for me. In this drama, that is not a problem. As the drama progresses, we see more information about the past and how the truth is really like. There were a lot of clues here and there but the problem is they are just decoys. The truth is far from what I expected in the beginning. Nonetheless, I guessed what was going on by the 9th episode. Although the format of the quiz show itself is very repetitive and kinda boring, I'm prepared to overlook that. To be honest, it doesn't take a genius to clear all those questions. It's more to do with being honest and daring enough to reveal the skeletons in the closet. Some of the guest stars are quite interesting and I like the 2nd episode's guest Minami a lot. The majority of the guests didn't end up too well after the truth was revealed but in the 2nd episode, Minami's character faced up to the music and ended up making things better for her in a way. As such, the positive feeling about that episode made it stand out from the rest.

And my ratings for this drama...
Story: 7.5 out of 10 (The simplicity of the quiz show itself made me deduct some marks)
Acting: 7 out of 10 (Luckily the leads managed to turn the tables in the end or the score would have been lower)
Theme song: 7 out of 10 (The mood of the song suited the atmosphere but the song could have come in at more appropriate times in some instances. It doesn't have to be at the ending all the time.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 5 out of 10 (Most of the scenes were in the studio itself so scenery of the made-up place, Shinai Lake was the only outdoor location I could remember)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 6 out of 10 (The final showdown got some points back for the drama.)

Total: 32.5 out of 50