The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Brush up life
2) Oooku Season 1
3) Wana no sensou

Voters Ranking Top 5

1) Maiagare!

2) Brush up life

3) Suki suki wanwan!

4) Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu

5) Wana no sensou

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Brush up life
2) Wana no sensou
3) Oooku Season 1
4) 100 mankai ieba yokatta

5) Maiagare!

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Brush up life

2) Oooku Season 1

3) Wana no sensou

4) 6 byoukan no kiseki ~ Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no yuuutsu ~

5) Keishichou Outsider

Source: The Television

The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Leading Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou

2) Nishijima Hidetoshi - Keishichou Outsider

3) Takahashi Issei - 6 byoukan no kiseki ~ Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no yuuutsu ~

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou
2) Kishi Yuuta - Suki suki wanwan!
3) Fukushi Souta - Oooku Season 1
4) Sakurai Sho - Daibyouin senkyo
5) Nishijima Hidetoshi - Keishichou Outsider

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou
2) Tsumabuki Satoshi - Get Ready!
3) Fukushi Souta - Oooku Season 1
4) Nishijima Hidetoshi - Keishichou Outsider

5) Yamamoto Koji - Oooku Season 1

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou
2) Takahashi Issei - 6 byoukan no kiseki ~ Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no yuuutsu ~

3) Nishijima Hidetoshi - Keishichou Outsider

4) Yamamoto Koji - Oooku Season 1

5) Yamazaki Ikusaburo - Liaison - Kodomo no kokoro shinryoujo -

Source: The Television

The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life
2) Tominaga Ai - Oooku Season 1
3) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life
2) Fukuhara Haruka - Maiagare!

3) Hirose Suzu - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu

4) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

5) Tominaga Ai - Oooku Season 1

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life
2) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta
3) Tominaga Ai - Oooku Season 1

4) Kitagawa Keiko - Themis no Kyoushitsu ~ Legal seishun hakusho ~

5) Fukuhara Haruka - Maiagare!

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life

2) Tominaga Ai - Oooku Season 1

3) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

4) Kadowaki Mugi - Reversal Orchestra

5) Kita Kana - Tokyo no yuki otoko

Source: The Television

Johnny's Jimusho's follow-up actions in response to the Johnny Kitagawa sexual assault issue & my thoughts

In response to the sexual assault issue surrounding its late founder Johnny Kitagawa, Johnny's Jimusho announced on 26 May 2023 the following actions it has taken or will take going forward to address the problem and adopt preventive measures.

1) Establishment of a contact point for psychological consultation and care 

* This will be effective from 31 May 2023

* It is of utmost importance that the psychological health of its artistes, be it former or current, is taken care of regardless of whether they have spoken out about being personally affected by this issue or their status with the agency.

* As such, this service is available to all Johnny's Jimusho artistes and staff members, even those who had already left as of now.

* With privacy in mind, the psychotherapists and licensed psychologists who will be manning this service, will provide the best care possible to each and everyone who comes for the consultation. 

* Supervisor: Kamoshita Ichiro - psychologist and had held these positions in the past i.e. Minister of the Environment, State Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare and Health, Labor and Welfare Committee Chairman. Honorary member of Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine and the advisor of Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine.

2) Establishment of a special team comprising of external experts to identify problem areas and come up with measures to prevent future recurrences

* This problem has brought to light the governance issues in the company.

* After consulting various experts, former Public Prosecutor General Hayashi Makoto who is currently a lawyer, was suggested to lead the special team handling the analysis of the company's problem areas and come up with measures to deal with them. 

* Other members in the team include Asukai Nozomu (psychologist, director of National Network for Victim Support and chief director of Victim Support Center of Tokyo) and a female researcher in the field of clinical psychology who is involved in the support of victims of sexual assault crimes (name to be revealed later as the procedure to get clearance for her involvement in this from the organisation where she works at is still in progress)

3) Appointment of 3 independent directors who will implement the measures put forward by the special team and management changes to prevent future recurrences

* Nakai Tokutaro - Vice Minister of the Environment and has extensive experience in being an advisor in corporate reforms. 

* Shirai Kazuyuki - Japanese baseball player who has been the coach of the Japanese national baseball team since 2021 and has provided coaching and support to various companies

* Fujii Mari - Vice chairman of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association and holds the post of investigation committee member and advisor to harassment issues. Experienced in the investigation of corporate power harassment issues and her legal work focuses on corporate law issues such as corporate governance and compliance

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Much has been spoken about this sexual assault issue involving Kitagawa Johnny ever since the BBC documentary aired and was credited for setting the discussion going publicly as compared to the hush-hush rumours and silence in the Japanese media for many years.

I'm not going to go into details on this issue (there should be a lot of information out there if you want to read about it) but would like to just offer my take on the response from Johnny's Jimusho so far from a layman's perspective:

- The tricky issue here is, the perpetrator is dead. Any legal action taken will probably be against Johnny's Jimusho for its poor management controls and for the personnel who allowed the unacceptable conduct to go on, whether knowingly or not and actively facilitating these acts to happen or passively turning a blind eye to what was done. And that leaves a pretty bad aftertaste at least for me because the one responsible got away with it while those who may and may not be involved (all the artistes and staff in Johnny's now) will have to bear the repercussions, be it actual damage or undesirable reputations effects.

- I was sort of expecting Julie K. Fujishima to hide behind a written statement again during this scandal so I give her credit for at least appearing in the apology video with her face clearly shown. However, the content of the video and choice of words leaves much to be desired - be it the denial of knowing what happened, being unable to speak out or ask her uncle and mother about what had happened or that she was in no position to do anything. I get the part that she might not be able to question the authority back then when these acts reportedly happened during their reign and total control of the agency but it is unbelievable that she had no knowledge at all since the rumours were going on for decades. And I found it quite odd that she was speaking at such a slow speed in the video, as if she was reading from a script and made sure that she pronounced each word syllable by syllable for clarity. Maybe she was advised to do so by her lawyers but it did come across as staged and they were probably not her own thoughts. Sincerity is clearly lacking here.

- There have been questions or criticism about why some Johnny's artistes used to speak so fondly of Kitagawa Johnny and constantly shared interesting or funny anecdotes with him in variety shows, concerts or interviews despite what he did to his victims. Let's put it this way, everyone probably shows a different side to different people depending on the nature of their relationships. And it's a well-known fact that Kitagawa had favourites among his artistes and treated them differently from the rest. From the accounts which have surfaced so far, he also seemed to be the type who would "cut off" someone if the latter did not do his bidding. While he may have been a harmless and funny elderly man to some of his artistes, you can't deny that he also had a darker side which he showed to his victims. 

The people who admired and looked up to him all these years may need time to confront these uncomfortable facts dished out in the public right now. Rumours swirling for decades are one thing but personal accounts in the media with the victims being prepared to disclose their identities takes this to another level. It's unreasonable to expect the artistes to switch tones and criticise Kitagawa overnight just to be seen as politically correct or in line with what society expects them to do. They may feel enraged, upset or even betrayed to find out that the person they used to trust and respect turned out to be like this. And there is a likelihood that the agency may not have authorised them to speak out on this issue so attacking them for not saying something, not saying enough or taking a stand seems to be going a bit too far at the moment. Even the timing of who says what at what time becomes an attacking point.

- There is another article from Bunshun which looks at the media's response to this issue. Will be talking more about this aspect in another post.

- With regard to the actions announced as outlined above, it remains to be seen if they will indeed be effective. However, doing something concrete is better than being ambiguous about what they intend to do so hopefully, this will turn out to be something positive in the end. The thing though is, I think there needs to be controls in future to avoid having Julie K. or anyone else having the power to veto against everything. If this isn't addressed, any suggested measures while well-intended and supposedly should be effective may not achieve its intended purpose.

The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Tanaka Kei - Reversal Orchestra

2) Matsuyama Kenichi - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

3) Sometani Shota - Brush up life

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Akaso Eiji - Maiagare!
2) Nagase Ren - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu
3) Ukisho Hidaka - Suki suki wanwan!
4) Sugino Yosuke - Wana no sensou
5) Kikuchi Fuuma - Daibyouin senkyo

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Sometani Shota - Brush up life
2) Matsuyama Kenichi - 100 mankai ieba yokatta
3) Tanaka Kei - Reversal Orchestra
4) Terawaki Yasufumi - Aibou season 21
5) Akaso Eiji - Maiagare!

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Tanaka Kei - Reversal Orchestra
2) Matsuyama Kenichi - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

3) Sato Takeru - 100 mankai ieba yokatta

4) Hamada Gaku - Keishicho Outsider

5) Suzuki Nobuyuki - Ninja ni kekkon wa muzukashii

Source: The Television

The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Supporting Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Kaho - Brush up life

2) Nagasaku Hiromi - Maiagare!
3) Kinami Haruka - Brush up life

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Takahata Atsuko - Maiagare!
2) Nagasaku Hiromi - Maiagare!
3) Kaho - Brush up life
4) Kuwabata Rie - Maiagare!
5) Matsumoto Wakana - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Kaho - Brush up life
2) Kinami Haruka - Brush up life
3) Igawa Haruka - Wana no sensou
4) Yamashita Mizuki - Maiagare!
5) Matsumoto Honoka - Liaison - Kodomo no kokoro shinryoujo -

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nagasaku Hiromi - Maiagare!
2) Saito Yuki - Oooku Season 1

3) Katahira Nagisa - Wana no sensou

4) Ono Karin - Wana no sensou

5) Yamashita Mizuki - Maiagare!

Source: The Television

The 115th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2023) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) I love you by back number (Maiagare!)

2) BETTING by Katori Shingo x SEVENTEEN (Wana no sensou)

3) Hoshizukiyo by YU-KA (Hoshi furu yoru ni)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) I love you by back number (Maiagare!)
2) We are young by King & Prince (Suki suki wanwan!)
3) Life goes on by King & Prince (Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu)
4) BETTING by Katori Shingo x SEVENTEEN (Wana no sensou)
5) Rinjuu Love by Macaroni Enpitsu (100 mankai ieba yokatta)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) BETTING by Katori Shingo x SEVENTEEN (Wana no sensou)

2) I love you by back number (Maiagare!)

3) Rinjuu Love by Macaroni Enpitsu (100 mankai ieba yokatta)
4) Tanpopo by Ikuta Rira (Oooku Season 1)
5) Algernon by Yorushika (Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) I love you by back number (Maiagare!)

2) BETTING by Katori Shingo x SEVENTEEN (Wana no sensou)

3) Hoshizukiyo by YU-KA (Hoshi furu yoru ni)

4) Life goes on by King & Prince (Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu)

5) Akatoki Reload by aiko (Ninja ni kekkon wa muzukashii)

Source: The Television

Thoughts about "Tsukuyomi-kun no kindan no oyashoku" Ep 1 (spoiler alert!)

The first word that came to my mind after watching this episode was "sensual".

Not that there was anything sexual or explicit about the drama but the way the filming of the scenes was done and the pacing of the developments created this very dreamy and sensual atmosphere that would be sure to tickle the viewers' senses, in a good way. 

First of all, the key theme of the drama was about having late night supper which is supposedly a sinful thing to do because we've all been told how bad it is to be eating after a certain time at night. Especially for the lead character Mikami Soyogi (Triendl Reina) who is a fitness trainer and has to have the perfect figure, eating has become somewhat like a taboo for her as she eats to survive, not to enjoy. As such, it was no wonder that when Tsukuyomi Yuuga (Hagiwara Riku) cooked a late night meal for Soyogi under rather unusual circumstances, the cinematography was probably done in a such way to show what kind of a temptation this would be for Soyogi. As a viewer, it is nothing surprising to be able to see and listen to the food being prepared on screen but for a brief moment, I thought that I was even able to imagine how it would smell. This is thanks to the deliberately slower-than-usual close-ups lingering on the food to make it look so tempting which would no doubt whet your appetite. I really think that this is something best not to be watched late at night and on an empty stomach because it is going to be such a tough fight against temptation. In this sense, I think this can be considered a success as a food-themed drama.

Secondly, the leads are definitely pleasing to the eye. There are a number of similar pairings this season featuring older women with younger men. While my personal favourite for now is Kurashina Kana and Kikuchi Fuuma who have a sizzling hot chemistry on screen (thanks to the way they hit it off real quick in their drama), these two have the potential to become a really sweet couple as the story progresses. I was especially impressed with Hagiwara who definitely looked like he could be the next heartthrob through this drama. The issue though is, this drama already introduced potential problems which would obstruct the lead couple's path to happiness so it looks like it won't be a straightforward journey for them after all. Some misunderstandings here and there but most likely, it wouldn't be the heartbreaking kind of agony for the couple.

Perhaps the more surprising thing is seeing the handsome brothers i.e. Yuuga and his elder brother Asahina Taiga (Asaka Koudai) who seriously look like they are in a BL universe of their own. In fact, the first episode made it look like there was a weird and ambiguous tension between them and frankly speaking, it was a tad sizzling to see their interactions. If I didn't know beforehand that they are brothers, I would be really mistaken about the nature of their relationship. And I must say, from the first time I watched Asaka in "Anata no ban desu", he sure has come a long way to look as good as he is now.

In summary, the first episode turned out to be better than I expected. Since I don't expect any surprises with the love story part, I think that I would be staying more for the food scenes and the couple pairings (yes, both the lead couple and the brothers). Since each episode is about two-thirds of the norm in terms of length, it is short enough as a quick night snack without feeling overburdened with angsty developments. Unless something major happens to turn me off, I think I should be able to stay with this till the end.

Thoughts about "Nichiyou no yoru gurai wa..." Ep 1 (spoiler alert!)

This turned out to hit closer to home than expected.

I was already prepared for this to be an emotional ride considering that the three lead characters each had their life struggles and the story was going to show how their newfound friendship is going to help provide a little emotional boost to make things slightly easier for themselves. However, diving straight into their issues in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner meant that there was no gradual transition or soft landing into the heavy parts of this story so it might be a bit uncomfortable for some viewers.

Of the three, Sachi's story (Seino Nana) was described in greater detail in this first episode. The key facts known so far are:

* Sachi's mother Kuniko (Wakui Emi) was still fine up to the point Sachi was in high school so that means the accident which caused Kuniko to be wheelchair-bound took place sometime between her high school days and the time she became an adult.

* Sachi feels guilty every time she experiences a brief moment of joy because she feels like she doesn't deserve to feel happy. Which means that she could have been the reason why Kuniko became wheelchair-bound so she feels obligated to work herself to the max so as to take care of her mother. 

* Despite her frustration at Kuniko trying so hard to liven things up and claim that she can do things on her own although there are limitations, Sachi uses silence to respond to the incessant "nagging" from Kuniko instead of flaring up with angry words. This ignoring gets on Kuniko's nerves since she has no one to talk to due to being confined at home all day due to her condition. Besides Sachi's mental fatigue at doing everything on her own and having to hear Kuniko rattle on from the time she gets home, the lack of energy from working as much as she can must have taken a toll on Sachi physically. I get it because I don't talk too when I'm exhausted.

* Both mother and daughter know that they are stuck in a loop of never-ending frustration towards their situation and with each other but the good thing is, they both realise that they have to let off steam from time to time. That's better than letting the anger pent up and explode in a big way where things go out of control.

The part about them buying the most expensive ice cream in the convenience store - it's probably more than the most expensive ice cream tasting fantastic. Honestly speaking, they can't be that financially well-off given Sachi's single income but an once-in-a-while indulgence helps them to get out of that routine which frustrates them on a daily basis. The other significance in this action is probably for Kuniko to get out of their small apartment which is like a prison for her. That is why Sachi has to go through the trouble of bringing Kuniko along with her to the convenience store instead of just buying the expensive ice cream for them to eat at home.

As for Shoko (Kishii Yukino), what is known for now is that she's living on her own and seems to be estranged from her family for some reason. Under her loud and cheerful demeanour, there seems to be a deep sense of sadness and craving for company. Compared to Sachi or Wakaba (Nukumi Meru) who seem to be stuck in a rut due to their circumstances, Shoko looks as if she is carefree and enjoys the freedom of being on her own but the truth should be far from that.

Wakaba's situation is somewhat like Sachi but the only difference is that she doesn't have caregiving duties to juggle since her grandmother Fujiko seems healthy and well. However, Wakaba is stuck in the countryside and a factory where she doesn't enjoy working at and doesn't see any way for her to break out of this situation. It looks like Wakaba used to be in a rich family but something probably happened for her and Fujiko to have to work in low-paying jobs and rent a house. And the deep seething resentment towards Wakaba's mother (Yada Akiko) probably has something to do with their predicament.

As such, after having been subjected to such "heavy material" for about half of this episode, the bus trip turned out to be a total game changer in showcasing how the three women develop a friendship quickly and seem to be able to empathise with one another. However, it's more of like an unspoken kind of mutual understanding between them since they did not go into details on what is difficult in their respective lives. And what was unexpected was how they did not actually "continue" their friendship by choosing not to exchange contact details and keep the bus trip as a pleasant memory that they could reminisce from time to time. Of course, they will reconnect very soon again in the next episode or else the story cannot continue.

Although there are two guys introduced at this stage i.e. Ichikawa Mine (Okayama Amane), their guide for the bus trip and Sumida Kenta (Kawamura Kazuma), who will be paired up with them as love interests is still unknown. However, I have a feeling that Shoko will have the hots for Kenta because of her obsession with the name "Kenta" - the reason was explained in this episode. Sachi looks likely to fall for Kenta because of the "shining future" that he probably symbolises (reference to the shop which he owns) but Mine looks like he will be pining for Sachi at some point in time or at least take an interest in her life because of his "obasan" nosey-parker personality. 

In summary, I thought that this drama started off really well in showing the tough things we have to deal with in real life through the three main characters. There were some points when I felt so choked up and could really empathise or identify with the deep-seated frustration of the characters. Then again, it's not all gloom and doom since there are highlights and things to look forward amid the deep pain and sorrow. As such, this looks like a pretty good booster to get everyone in a better mood on Sunday night before starting a new week of tackling the challenges we all face in our lives as the title suggests.

Winners of the 26th Nikkansports Dorama Grand Prix (Spring 2022 - Winter 2023)

The voting exercise was conducted online between 30 March and 6 April 2023 where respondents chose from dramas shown between April 2022 and March 2023 for the 5 categories. A total of 74,832 votes were received with the most voters in terms of age group (in descending order) were those in their 40s, 50s, 30s, 20s, more than 60 and teens.

The total number of votes received are represented in brackets as follows:

Best Drama

1) Kurosagi (39,549)

2) Suki suki wanwan! (11,182)

3) Reversal Orchestra (3,315)

4) Shin Shinchoukouki (3,310)

5) 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2,720)

6) Shoujiki Fudousan (2,399)

7) Kindaichi shonen no jinkenbo (2,174)

8) My Family (1,780)

9) silent (1,641)

10) Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (1,295)

Best Leading Actor

1) Hirano Sho - Kurosagi (39,968)

2) Kishi Yuuta - Suki suki wanwan (11,350)

3) Nagase Ren - Shin shinchoukouki (4,472)

4) Yamashita Tomohisa - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,634)

5) Oguri Shun - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (2,577)

6) Michieda Shunsuke - Kindaichi shonen no jikenbo (2,329)

7) Ninomiya Kazunari - My Family (2,268)

8) Hayashi Kento - Hatsukoi no akuma (1,649)

9) Yamada Ryosuke - Ore no kawaii wa mou sugu shouhikigen!? / Shinainaru boku e satsui wo komete (1,628)

10) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou (1,401)

Best Leading Actress

1) Ando Sakura - Brush up life (19,559)

2) Hirose Suzu - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (6,389)

3) Nagasawa Masami - Elpis - Kibou, arui wa wazawai - (6,289)

4) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (6,175)

5) Kadowaki Mugi - Reversal Orchestra (5,360)

6) Sugisaki Hana - Prism (4,128)

7) Kawaguchi Haruna - silent (3,871)

8) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Hoshi furu yoru ni (3,707)

9) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon (2,799)

10) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo - sonna koto de utaemasuka? - (2,177)

Best Supporting Actor

1) Miura Tomokazu - Kurosagi (33,490)

2) Nagase Ren - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (8,958)

3) Ukisho Hidaka - Suki suki wanwan (8,041)

4) Tanaka Kei - Jisoku kanou na koi desuka? / Reversal Orchestra (5,021)

5) Sato Takeru - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (3,889)

6) Meguro Ren - Maiagare! / silent (2,562)

7) Ichihara Hayato - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,456)

8) Hamada Gaku - My Family / Shin shinchoukouki (2,210)

9) Oideyasu Oda - Suki suki wanwan (1,342)

10) Yamamoto Koji - Kamakuradono no 13 nin / Kurosagi (1,336)

Best Supporting Actress

1) Kuroshima Yuina - Kurosagi (32,367)

2) Nakamura Yuri - Kurosagi (6,172)

3) Tabe Mikako - My Family (3,863)

4) Koike Eiko - Kamakura dono no 13 nin / Kyousou no bannin (3,707)

5) Kaho - silent (3,174)

6) Fukuhara Haruka - Shoujiki Fudousan (2,937)

7) Matsumoto Wakana - Tantei Romance / Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (2,824)

8) Shim Eunkyung - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2,454)

9) Takiuchi Kumi - Reversal Orchestra (2,309)

10) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class (2,307)

Thoughts about "Nami yo kiitekure" Ep 1 (spoiler alert!)

Koshiba Fuuka literally carried the show on her own in this first episode with an impressive performance.

In the few times I had watched Koshiba's works, she was able to stand out in the cast even if the role wasn't that big. As such, I had faith that she would be able to do well in this drama which featured her with a huge image change and having to speak many lines quickly. Despite so, I was still amazed by how she did - the lines didn't come out muffled or incomprehensible despite her speaking speed and the loud and colourful image of Koda Minare strangely didn't seem out of place here.

The downside to this is, this sort of made her co-stars pale in comparison which of course may change in the later part of the story. However, at this stage, I can't deny that these characters did seem quite boring and hardly left an impression. Perhaps the sole exception was Nakahara Chuuya played by Katayose Ryota who was simply annoying from the start with his overly open display of affection for Minare but actually doesn't act in her best interests at times when he tries to impose his opinions on her. Kitamura Kazuki's character Matou Kanetsugu also didn't have much of the charismatic and influential director feel and came across more as a wilful ojisan at the moment.

What concerns me more about this drama is how the story is progressing. I was of the impression that this drama would be more about Minare's growth story in the radio industry and how she influences those around her but the part where there was a dramatisation of what she spoke in her first radio show felt really odd and didn't blend in so well with the main plot. As this appeared out of the blue without warning, it felt at first that what was depicted did happen. However, once Matou appeared in the dramatisation and his actions simply felt unnatural, it was a telltale sign that somehow this was all imaginary. And true to my guess, it turned out to be so. However, I didn't really feel any gratification about guessing correctly - what bothered me more was whether this was going to be the norm going forward. I get it that the intention was probably to show how Minare's words had the power to engage listeners as if they were seeing the story unfold before them and the ability of using radio as a medium to do it. Perhaps, there might be a better way to show this rather than this kind of dramatisation which don't seem to blend that well with the main plot's flow.

For now, I'll give this a couple of episodes just to get a feel of how things go. Much as I am interested to keep watching for the sake of Koshiba, if the story doesn't get interesting enough or her interactions with the supporting characters fail to be engaging, I think I might just drop this before the midway mark.

Thoughts about "Dr. Chocolate" Ep 1 (spoiler alert!)

I wasn't expecting much from this drama but surprisingly, it turned out to be decent despite some loopholes in the story.

First of all, when there are stories about some genius who excels in a particular field despite conventional knowledge or assumptions, it can get rather exaggerated as the character would be held up like some superhero who is very unlikely to exist in real life. That was precisely my biggest worry when it was made known that Dr. Chocolate is actually a 10-year-old girl who can perform surgeries more skillfully than most adult doctors. 

However, the story did give a proper explanation on how Dr. Chocolate came about. No doubt it was out of the norm for most children of her age, given her family background and her exposure to medical knowledge since she was much younger, it made sense that she was armed with so much knowledge. The thing though is, theory may not translate well into practice so on this part, it may not be so convincing to viewers that her practical skills could be attained through merely theory and simulation.

Secondly, the mystery surrounding Dr. Chocolate i.e. Terajima Yui (Shiroyama Noa) and Teacher i.e. Noda Tetsuya (Sakaguchi Kentaro) was revealed in no time. Most dramas would tend to drag this kind of revelation to somewhere in the middle of the story but bucking the trend turned out to be a good move since it allows the story going forward to focus more on the "who did it" and "why" after the "what", "when" and "where" had been addressed. And to have someone who is supposedly on the dark side to infiltrate into the Dr. Chocolate team means that the story should get pretty exciting as they try to find out the truth but with someone nearby to sabotage their efforts. Although the first episode did suggest something as the answer as to why Yui's parents were killed, I don't think that's the full story so it will take some time for the revelations to be out in full. 

Last but not least, I was of the impression that only Teacher and Dr. Chocolate would be the ones doing the surgeries but it turned out that Teacher can't do it because he has a prosthetic arm after his injury from the explosion and fire. The Dr. Chocolate team turns out to be an interesting mix of characters and we don't even get to know their real names. Through the nicknames given by Yui which reflect their unique traits, it is actually easier to remember so many people at one go like this. It would make sense for their background stories to be revealed as we go along so that's probably when we will find out their real names.

The thing is, since they are part of Team Chocolate, it was natural that their surgical outfits were brown in colour. As seen from the picture, they could hardly be seen in the night which I guess also helps in camouflaging. One thing which also slightly bothers me is them wearing these outfits well before they reach the location where the surgery is done - any potential issues with contamination here?

The timing of Okuizumi Nagisa's phone call to Teacher was somewhat questionable too. Did she know that the team was going to operate on the person supposedly responsible for the deaths of the Terajimas? And her over zealousness in pursuing their case coupled with her eagerness to find the true identity of Dr. Chocolate - it brings up numerous questions as to who she is and how she factors in the grand scheme of things. As for the potential loveline between her and Teacher...let's just say that this story probably doesn't need a distraction in this manner. And I certainly don't wish to see another "forced and out-of-the-blue" ending where Nishino Nanase ends up as the most unexpected mastermind again like in "Anata no ban desu".

Much as I think the surgical scenes were still a bit too unbelievable, the first episode didn't spend a lot of time on this part so it was still bearable to sit through them. For now, I'll probably stay on more for the main story but the patients they treat in each episode could provide the clues to the puzzle at the end so hopefully, these cases won't be too boring.

One final note here, I just don't get the obsession that J-drama scriptwriters have with painting Singapore as some place where black market doctors can ply their trade with ease, people running amok on the streets with guns or the place where people escape to after committing a crime. Rather than use actual place names, sometimes it's better to come up with something fictitious because it can get seriously offensive at times with these weird and negative associations by people who don't know a thing. It's not amusing anymore when it happens too many times.