The 119th Drama Academy Awards (Winter 2024) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Nidone by Creepy Nuts (Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru!)

2) Happy Boogie by Nakano Yoshie, Sakai Yuu & Shuri (Bugiugi)

3) Ikuokukonen by Omoinotake (Eye Love You)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Ikuokukonen by Omoinotake (Eye Love You)
2) Soredemo tada by miwa (Chuubou no Arisu)
3) Lovin' Song by Sukima Switch (Ossans Love - Returns -)
4) We'll go together by Snow Man (Sensei Sayounara)
5) Shiawase no tame ni ikiteiru dakesa by SUPER BEAVER (Marusu - Zero no kakumei -)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Nidone by Creepy Nuts (Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru!)

2) Happy Boogie by Nakano Yoshie, Sakai Yuu & Shuri (Bugiugi)

Ikuokukonen by Omoinotake (Eye Love You)
4) Hitomi by Fukuyama Masaharu (Haru ni nattara)
5) Shiawase no tame ni ikiteiru dakesa by SUPER BEAVER (Marusu - Zero no kakumei -)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Happy Boogie by Nakano Yoshie, Sakai Yuu & Shuri (Bugiugi)

2) Nidone by Creepy Nuts (Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru!)

3) Tokyo Boogie Woogie by Fukurai Suzuko i.e. Shuri (Bugiugi)

4) Takaramono by Aina The End (Sayonara Maestro)

Ikuokukonen by Omoinotake (Eye Love You)

Source: The Television

Preview of "Kanzen Muzai" - Summer 2024

Title: Kanzen Muzai / 完全無罪

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 7 Jul 2024

Timeslot: Sundays at 10pm

Broadcast by: WOWOW

Total number of episodes: 5

Original novel by: Daimon Takeaki

Cast: Hirosue Arisu, Kitamura Yukiya, Kazama Shunsuke, Otoo Takuma, Okayama Hajime, Iketani Nobue, Natsuki Omi, Sugawara Daikichi, Horibe Keisuke, Zaizen Naomi, Tsurumi Shingo & Okuda Eiji

Quick Review #37: "xxxHoLiC"

Title: xxxHOLiC / ホリック

Rating: 3 /10 

Recommended for: 

Those who like Ninagawa Mika's works or films with a strong artistic flavour

Liked:

- True to Ninagawa's usual directorial and artistic style, the movie was a visual feast in terms of the abundance of rich colours and the effort put in the set and characters' costumes.

Disliked: 

- The issue with Ninagawa's style is, while it may be captivating initially for the viewers, I personally found that the sensory overload became too much of an issue as the movie progressed. Too much of a good thing can be bad as well.

- Disclaimer: I haven't read the manga in full but know the basic setting of the story at the very least. The thing is, there is so much content to be covered in one film and that always becomes a bugbear when dealing with adaptations of long-running original source material that get too ambitious for their own good. When you try to cut-and-paste parts of a long story to form a 2-hr movie, the connections between each arc or section becomes a key factor in determining whether the story is going to flow properly. Unfortunately, I found that this movie was so disjointed and the developments just jumped from one part to another and didn't flow logically. In the end, it felt as if I watched a collage of events but they just didn't gel as one. It was a pity that the essence of the title referring to addictions in modern society was hardly touched on, save for the part featuring Shuri which came and ended out of the blue. And as to why Domeki and Himawari did what they did for Watanuki, the significance of that and their rationale were lost on me. The most critical thing was, there wasn't much about the relationship dynamics of Yuko and Watanuki so it left me wondering, was that all? For those who may not know the source material. they may probably be less critical than me though. I just wish that the time spent on looping what happened on 1 April could be better spent elsewhere.

Preview of "Banshaku no Ryuugi 3" - Summer 2024

Title: Banshaku no Ryuugi 3 / 晩酌の流儀３

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 28 Jun 2024

Timeslot: Fridays at 12.42am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Cast: Kuriyama Chiaki, Takeda Kouhei, Tsuji Nagiko, Baba Hiroyuki, Mister Chin & Okayama Hajime

Preview of "Pandora no Kajitsu ~ Kagaku hanzai sousa fairu Saishinsho SP" (Drama SP)

Title: Pandora no Kajitsu ~ Kagaku hanzai sousa fairu Saishinsho SP / パンドラの果実～科学犯罪捜査ファイル　最新章SP

Official website: here

O.A. Date: 16 Jun 2024 at 10.30pm

Broadcast by: NTV

Original novel by: Nakamura Hiraku

Theme Song: "Apple" by Dean Fujioka

Cast: Dean Fujioka, Kishii Yukino, Sato Ryuta, Yoshimoto Miyu, Nishimura Kazuhiko, Motokariya Yuika, Ando Masanobu, Itao Itsuji, Ishino Mako & Yusuke Santa Maria

Quick Review #36: "Mimi wo sumaseba"

Title: Mimi wo sumaseba / 耳をすませば

Rating: 6/10

Recommended for: 

Those who are fans of the original manga or those who like first-love-coming-to-fruition stories

Liked:

- Disclaimer: I haven't read the manga nor watched the animation movie so my opinion is solely based on this real-life adaptation. While I found the storyline a bit too predictable and simple to my liking, I think that the acting of the younger actors who played the lead characters' junior high days made the movie more palatable than I thought. They may not be as experienced and skillful in some instances but they did manage to convey the freshness and youthfulness of the younger versions. I especially want to commend the casting director's effort in finding these actors who resemble the adult actors to a large degree as this really helped to enhance the believability and maintain a certain degree of continuity when the story shuttled between the past and current timelines. Many times, a lot of these stories featuring the younger days and current adult days tend to be quite disengaging because the actors for the same characters hardly resemble each other in terms of appearance or the vibe they give off. I personally always struggle to link A with B as playing the same character because they are so different and it really annoys me to no end when the number of years between both eras is less than a decade and looks or build couldn't have changed that much. However, there was no such issue for this movie so it really helped me to enjoy the movie better.

Disliked: 

- Due to the simplicity and predictability of the story, it did bore me at times as I could see where things were going. As such, if you are looking for surprises or anything unexpected, this is probably not going to satisfy you.

- It could be due to the fact that the adult versions of the lead characters i.e. Seino Nana and Matsuzaka Toori were "apart" for most of the movie so things between them just seemed very awkward and I didn't quite feel the romantic spark between them even though the junior high versions were giving off lots of dokidoki first love vibes. As such, it was very difficult for me to feel or believe that their characters had such a strong bond. To top it off, the scene where they finally show their feelings for each other just made me cringe for its unnaturalness. Or maybe it was always meant to be like this in the original material?

* Take note that you should finish watching the credits even though the movie supposedly ends. The theme song is sung by someone who never appeared in the movie while towards the end, you get a glimpse of what happens beyond the "happily-ever-after".

Preview of "Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru!" - Winter 2024

Title: Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru! / 不適切にもほどがある！

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 26 January 2024

Timeslot: Fridays at 10pm

Broadcast by: TBS

Theme Song: "Nidone" by Creepy Nuts

Cast: Abe Sadao, Naka Riisa, Isomura Hayato, Kawai Yumi, Sakamoto Manato, Miyake Hiroki, Hakamada Yoshihiko, Nakajima Ayumu, Yamamoto Koji, Furuta Arata & Yoshida Yo

Preview of "Eye Love You" - Winter 2024

Title: Eye Love You / アイラブユー

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 23 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: TBS

Theme Song: "Ikuokukonen" by Omoinotake

Cast: Nikaidou Fumi, Chae Jong Hyeop, Nakagawa Taishi, Yamashita Mizuki, Shimizu Hiroya, Tachikawa Shiraku, Goriken, Narumi Yui, Itose Souichi, Hyunri & Sugimoto Tetta

Quick Review #35: "My Broken Mariko"

Title: My Broken Mariko / マイ・ブロークン・マリコ

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended for: 

Those who are fans of the leads Nagano Mei and Nao and like stories of how people overcome adversity despite their circumstances

Liked:

- The story was gloomy most of the time due to the tough circumstances which the two leads were in due to their backgrounds and them being largely powerless to overcome their fates. In particular, Nao's character Mariko was such a huge mess which really showed how much of a mess Mariko was in, both physically and mentally. Then again, you can't help but pity yet get frustrated with her at the same time. On the other hand, Nagano Mei's character Tomoyo was also struggling in life in her own way but there was enough toughness in her to survive amid the challenges and she even had the capacity and will to be a pillar of support for her friend. As such, despite the pessimism, there were still pockets of sunshine and hope sprinkled throughout the story. Most importantly, I liked the movie for not over-promising a fairytale ending. It can't be that things will change drastically better for everyone but at least, there is some hope that the situation could improve with each small step taken to regain control of one's fate through the choices we make. I also liked the fact that the story was told in such a comprehensive and complete manner despite being less than 2 hours long. Goes to show that you don't always need a lot of time to tell a good story.

- The acting from Nagano and Nao left such a strong impression on me. Although it seemed on the surface that Tomoyo was the embodiment of strength while Mariko was the personification of weakness, there was actually the opposite trait also embedded in them. One wouldn't have cared about her hopeless friend if she didn't have an emotional soft spot for her buddy. The other could have died long ago if she didn't have the mental strength to hang on until she finally reached the breaking point. As such, this blend of contrasting aspects in their characters really made this a very memorable and delicate performance from the both of them.

- The supporting actors may not have appeared a lot - some only for a single scene - but their performances were so eye-catching and added much flavour to the story. Special mention goes to Kubota Masataka, Yoshida Yo and Omi Toshinori.

Disliked: 

- I haven't read the original book so I can't comment on if the movie was identical to the original and if there were any key discrepancies. The only aspect which bothered me (not to the extent of disliked though) was how some parts of the story didn't make much sense logically. Biggest issue was how Tomoyo did not face any consequences for housebreaking and stealing Mariko's ashes from her parents. Much as I think this is due to the fact that Mariko's father was probably ashamed of what he did that contributed to her death and her stepmother being a voice of reason that could have stopped her husband from taking any action against Tomoyo, there's still a nagging thought about how illogical this could have been in real life. And how Tomoyo managed to wear those moldy and smelly shoes was really beyond my comprehension.

Preview of "Marusu - Zero no kakumei -" - Winter 2024

Title: Marusu - Zero no kakumei -  / マルス ー ゼロの革命 ー

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 23 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 9pm

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Theme Song: "Shiawase no tame ni ikiteiru dakesa" by SUPER BEAVER

Insert Song: "Chiisana kakumei" by SUPER BEAVER

Cast: Michieda Shunsuke, Itagaki Rihito, Yoshikawa Ai, Inoue Yuki, Yokota Mayu, Santoki Souma, Omine Yuriho, Hyuga Wataru, Nahana, Tokui Kenta, Izumisawa Yuki, Tozuka Junki, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Iwamatsu Ryo & Eguchi Yosuke

Preview of "Uri wo waru" - Winter 2024

Title: Uri wo waru / 瓜を破る

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 23 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.58am

Broadcast by: TBS

Original manga by: Itakura Azusa

Opening theme song: "Koi wa moumoku" by yangskinny

Ending theme song: "Namida no kuni" by Yoshizawa Kayoko

Cast: Kusumi Koharu, Sato Taiki, Tsuchimura Kaho, Ishikawa Ruka, Izumisawa Yuki, Kubozuka Shunsuke, Morioka Ryu, Ando Sei, Kusano Taisei & Sakai Wakana

Quick Review #34: "Seiyoku"

Title: Seiyoku / 正欲

Rating: 6.5/10

Recommended for: 

Those who like thought-provoking stories about controversial social themes as well as Aragaki Yui and Isomura Hayato

Liked:

- The premise of the story itself was intriguing to begin with. The title literally means "correct/right" and "desire" if the Kanji characters are taken apart on their own. As such, the entire movie focuses on the central question of what it means to have the "right type of desire". Is it something that's socially acceptable? Or is it something that the majority of society pursues or believes in? There's quite a bit of food for thought as you go through the lives of the key characters who have no apparent links to one another but are brought together by an incident.

- The acting from the cast especially Inagaki Goro, Aragaki Yui and Isomura Hayato was extremely memorable. Inagaki was really successful in showing how much of a detestable jerk and a pitiful loser his character could be at the same time while Aragaki and Isomura had such great chemistry (not in the romantic sense) and made their characters so endearing yet somewhat detached and hard to understand too. It sure must have been tough to juggle these polarising traits in their characters within the constraints of a single movie.

Disliked: 

- The biggest issue I felt was the structure of the story and its delivery method. Given that the movie is based on a novel, you would have expected that the adaptation should be at least sound structurally as long as the storyline doesn't deviate too much. However, watching it from the perspective of someone who has never read the novel, I couldn't help but feel that while the premise or rather concept had lots of room for exploration and discussion, the story itself was barely scratching the surface. Further research after watching the movie also made me realise that there were some differences in the story setting and developments between the novel and the movie. I do not know whether these changes were responsible for creating this mismatch between the concept and the execution but I felt that it was a pity that such a theme seemed wasted somehow. The ending while leaving the viewers to come to their own conclusions on whether the so-called abnormal desires deserved to be "punished" in that manner, it also felt like an over-simplistic conclusion that trivalised the struggles that these characters had in life. 

Preview of "Sensei Sayounara" - Winter 2024

Title: Sensei Sayounara / 先生さようなら

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 22 January 2024

Timeslot: Mondays at 12.59am

Broadcast by: NTV

Original manga by: Yasuko

Theme Song: "We'll go together" by Snow Man

Cast: Watanabe Shota, Kita Kana, Hayashi Meari, Kawatoko Asuka, Nakamura Reia, Fukao Amu, Sugeta Rinne, Hiyama Kousei, Kurasawa Anna, Ito Aimin, Komai Ren, Katagiri Jin & Suga Kenta

Preview of "Ai no nai koibitotachi" - Winter 2024

Title: Ai no nai koibitotachi / アイのない恋人たち

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 21 January 2024

Timeslot: Sundays at 10pm

Broadcast by: ABC TV / TV Asahi

Theme Song: "present" by THE BEAT GARDEN

Cast: Fukushi Souta, Okazaki Sae, Hongo Kanata, Narumi Riko, Maeda Gouki, Fukagawa Mai & Sasaki Nozomi

Quick Review #33: "Aishuu Cinderella"

Title: Aishuu Cinderella / 哀愁しんでれら

Rating:  7/10

Recommended for: 

Those who like psychological horror tales and are fans of the leads Tsuchiya Tao and Tanaka Kei

Liked:

- The movie managed to depict the horror of extremes in a very interesting manner i.e. being extremely unlucky and having all the bad things happening to you in one night vs. having your fate overturned just by one chance encounter. As kids, the fairytale "Cinderella" would have most thinking that Cinderella would "live happily ever after" because she managed to fit into the glass slipper picked up by Prince Charming. However, it's not often that you get to explore what happens to the characters after a fairytale ending. This story clearly targeted at adults and squashing any idealistic thoughts about the "happily-ever-after" was a pretty interesting perspective to explore although I have to admit that the switch between the extremes was often sudden and violently impactful.

- The acting from the leads including the child actor COCO was very engaging to watch. For Tsuchiya, I thought that from the point when her Cinderella mentality was shaken to the core and something inside her mind snapped, that was when her character got really interesting. As for Tanaka, despite his harmless and nice-guy look, he did give me the chills as a mentally not-so-fine doctor. COCO may be a child but she was very versatile in showing the double-faced nature of her character and switched between those polarising sides so skillfully. 

Disliked: 

- The biggest problem with the story is that there were some loopholes or parts which were never explained convincingly nor clearly. For example, the motivation or reason spurring Daigo (Tanaka) and Hikari's behaviour was rather unbelievable to me or rather didn't make much sense. Or perhaps it wasn't supposed to make sense to most straight-thinking people. As such, I think the completeness and comprehensiveness of the story were somewhat affected by these missing pieces. 

- Much as I think the ending was very unexpected and to be honest, shocking, how viewers react to it could be vastly different. Some may like it for its unpredictability while I think some may think of it as too extreme and far-fetched. I'm somewhere in the middle of the spectrum but even so, the lack of any logical clues that could point to that outcome makes the ending feel like an abrupt brake applied to the momentum built up in the film until that point and you find yourself crashing into the wall at full impact. May not be a palatable ending to some, if I may say.

Preview of "Chuubou no Arisu" - Winter 2024

Title: Chuubou no Arisu / 厨房のありす

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 21 January 2024

Timeslot: Sundays at 10.30pm

Broadcast by: NTV

Theme Song: "Soredemo tada" by miwa

Cast: Kadowaki Mugi, Nagase Ren, Maeda Atsuko, Daito Shunsuke, Anami Atsuko, Ootomo Karen, Maehara Mizuki, Tachibana Yuki, Horinouchi Satoshi, Ito Mamiko, Kanazawa Miho, Arai Iku, Kitaoji Kinya, Kuninaka Ryoko, Takezai Terunosuke, Minagawa Sarutoki, Hagiwara Masato, Kimura Tae & Oomori Nao

Preview of "Rikon shinai otoko Sareo to oyome no damashiai" - Winter 2024

Title: Rikon shinai otoko Sareo to oyome no damashiai / 離婚しない男　サレ夫と悪嫁の騙し愛

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 20 January 2024

Timeslot: Saturdays at 11.30pm

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Original manga by: Ohtake Reiji

Theme Song: "Frozen Butterfly" by WOLF HOWL HARMONY

Insert Song: "Saigo no ame" by Kazuhara Ryuto

Cast: Ito Atsushi, Koike Teppei, Sato Taiki, Shinoda Mariko, Tamada Shiori, Isomura Ameri, Asakawa Nana, Fujiwara Norika, Mizuki Arisa, Takahashi Katsunori & Mizuno Miki

Quick Review #32: "Houtei Yuugi"

Title: Houtei Yuugi / 法廷遊戯

Rating:  6/10

Recommended for: 

Those who are fans of Sugisaki Hana and Kitamura Takumi and like suspense stories with a humanity angle

Liked:

- Disclaimer first: I haven't read the original so my review is solely based on the movie. The good part about the story was the intertwined fates of the three main characters and how that led to the tragedy years later. While the developments were partly due to unfortunate coincidences, a large degree of things spinning out of control was still down to the personal choices made by the trio. As such, I think that this inability to attribute the blame to any of them was what made the story compelling and thought-provoking towards the end despite the lacklustre start. Suspense-wise, I thought that the story was OK and it wasn't too hard to predict how things were going to develop once you got past the point showing how the trio had met in the past.

- Sugisaki Hana as usual, was phenomenal. Kitamura Takumi managed to show the extreme side of his character and was such a great sparring partner for her especially in the scene where they had a showdown. It was gratifying to see these two promising young actors deliver such a great performance.

Disliked: 

- The first part of the movie spent so much time on the mock trials led by Kitamura's character but there wasn't any convincing explanation as to why his classmates went along with this idea and what they intended to achieve through these trials. And logically, there were some parts which didn't make much sense so I was really bored until the main trio graduated from university and the film finally got to the meaty part of the story.

- Nagase Ren's acting wasn't that bad but because of his co-stars who were too good and had lots of room to flesh out their characters, it made him pale in comparison. Coupled with the fact that his character was supposed to be quite subdued emotionally, this made it even more difficult for him to shine. As such, his acting came across as really bland and hardly eye-catching despite being the lead.

Preview of "Meguru Mirai" - Winter 2024

Title: Meguru Mirai / めぐる未来

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 19 January 2024

Timeslot: Thursdays at 11.59pm

Broadcast by: YTV

Original manga by: Tsuji Yamori

Theme Song: "OCTAVE" by Octpath

Cast: Hagiwara Riku, Hayami Akari, Ohnishi Ayaka, Tokito Yuuki, Nakai Tomo, Kanon, Fujiwara Mitsuhiro, Iwase Akiko, Ota Shunsei, Tanaka Taketo, Saeki Hinako & Katsumura Masanobu

Preview of "Oooku" - Winter 2024

Title: Oooku / 大奥

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 18 January 2024

Timeslot: Thursdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: FujiTV

Cast: Koshiba Fuuka, Kamenashi Kazuya, Nishino Nanase, Morikawa Aoi, Miyadate Ryota, Takahashi Katsunori, Jinnai Takanori, Kuriyama Chiaki & Yasuda Ken

Quick Review #31: "Haru ni nattara"

Title: Haru ni nattara / 春になったら

Rating: 8.5 /10

Recommended for: 

Those who like heartwarming slice-of-life stories without an overdose of emotions and are fans of the cast especially Nao, Kinashi Noritake and Hamada Gaku

Liked:

- Although the story was headed towards an inevitable bittersweet ending, I liked how there was never an overdose of emotions nor exaggerated outpouring of drama just to squeeze tears out from the viewers. Everything happened smoothly and as normally as you would expect to happen in real life. Even the final farewell was handled with such peacefulness because you don't get to see the painful goodbye on the death bed. No doubt I was just an observer from the sidelines, it was easy to immerse myself into the story and set me thinking about how I would react or do when placed in a similar situation. Much food for thought and yet moving at the same time.

- The acting from the cast was natural and made the characters very endearing in their own ways despite them being flawed at the same time. This level of authenticity was a great boost in seeing the cast as the characters they played. I was especially impressed by the chemistry that Nao and Kinashi Noritake showed as father-and-daughter particularly towards the end when they showed how deeply they cared for each other and wished for each other's well-being. Hamada Gaku excels in this type of role as a clumsy, kind yet talented in his own way guy so he managed to deliver a good performance as expected.

- The theme song by Fukuyama Masaharu which is titled "Hitomi" i.e. Nao's character name fits the drama so well. This probably had to do with the fact that the lyrics were tailored to reflect the thoughts that Hitomi and her father had for each other so it really brought out a nice yet bittersweet vibe.

Disliked: 

- I wouldn't say that there was anything I disliked about this drama but it is still a bit shy of being a perfect 10 drama for me, somehow. I think that it might be better if the supporting cast had a bit more airtime to flesh out their characters which might be interesting to watch. However, I get it that the focus was more on Hitomi and the two important men in her life so it can't be helped if something had to go for the greater interest.

Preview of "Great Gift" - Winter 2024

Title: Great Gift / グレイトギフト

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 18 January 2024

Timeslot: Thursdays at 9pm

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Theme Song: "Issen" by JUJU

Insert Song: "SF Tokyo" by WurtS

Cast: Sorimachi Takashi, Haru, Asumi Rio, Ono Karin, Moriyama Shintaro, Katayama Moemi, Ichikawa Tomohiro, Fujino Ryoko, Hama Shogo, Nakashima Runa, Yamada Meikyo, Bandou Yajuro, Tsuda Kenjiro, Kurashina Kana, Tsutsui Michitaka, Onoe Matsuya & Sasaki Kuranosuke

Preview of "Konkatsu 1000 bon nokku" - Winter 2024

Title: Konkatsu 1000 bon nokku / 婚活１０００本ノック

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 17 January 2024

Timeslot: Wednesdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: FujiTV

Theme Song: "Yuurei to sakka" by Suiyoubi no Campanella

Original book by: Minami Ayako

Cast: Fukuda Maki, Yagi Yuusei, Sekimizu Nagisa, Nomura Shuhei, Hashimoto Manami & Nakagoshi Noriko

Preview of "Haru ni nattara" - Winter 2024

Title: Haru ni nattara / 春になったら

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 15 January 2024

Timeslot: Mondays at 10pm

Broadcast by: Kansai TV

Theme Song: "Hitomi" by Fukuyama Masaharu

Cast: Nao, Kinashi Noritake, Fukazawa Tatsuya, Mikami Ai, Nishigaki Sho, Kageyama Yuka, Yashiba Toshihiro, Mitsuishi Ken, Hashimoto Manami, Tsutsui Mariko, Kobayashi Satomi & Hamada Gaku

Preview of "Chaser Game W Pawahara joushi wa watashi no motokano" - Winter 2024

Title: Chaser Game W Pawahara joushi wa watashi no motokano / チェイサーゲームW　パワハラ上司は私の元カノ

Official website: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 9 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays 2.35am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Original manga by: Matsuyama Hiroshi & Matsushima Yukitaro

Theme Song: "Midnight Girl" by imase

Cast: Sugai Yuuka, Nakamura Yurika, Sato Kanta, Kikuchi Himena, Kabashima Hikari, Hanayanagi Nozomi, Uraji Nuno, Hoshino Nao, Mochizuki Ayano, Kawai Akihiro, Akiyama Kana, Kanada Satoshi, imase, Katsumura Masanobu & Kurotani Tomoka

Preview of "Chikyuu no arukikata" - Winter 2024

Title: Chikyuu no arukikata / 地球の歩き方

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 13 January 2024

Timeslot: Saturdays at 12am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Cast: Miyoshi Ayaka, Moriyama Mirai, Matsumoto Marika & Moriyama Naotaro

Quick Review #30: "Aru tozasareta yuki no sansou de"

Title: Aru tozasareta yuki no sansou de / ある閉ざされた雪の山荘で

Rating: 2 /10

Recommended for: 

I would struggle to recommend this to anyone, even those who are fans of the cast.

Liked:

None

Disliked: 

- For a start, I didn't notice that the film was based on a Higashino Keigo novel and simply approached this just like any other suspense movie. As such, I did not have any basis of comparison with the original nor any expectations on how the movie should turn out. However, I had a bad vibe about how the movie would go when I saw that the most important element as depicted in the title i.e. a mansion on a snowy mountain where the people were trapped inside was non-existent. In fact, the characters had to pretend that they were really in such a dire situation. As the story developed, the whole scenario was so silly and laughable that it didn't take a genius to see that the murders were not real. To top it off, the way the climax scene was handled just felt like a fiasco for nothing. While it may have been justifiable for the wronged to take revenge for what happened, the ending just cemented the feeling that the all-ends-well and all-was-forgiven fairytale-like conclusion made me feel like the whole movie was a waste of time. I really wonder, was the original story this bad or was the adaptation the issue?

- One reason why I was interested in watching this was the cast. They are a group of promising and up-and-coming younger generation actors so to put so many of them together in one movie, it made me curious about how things would turn out. Sad to say, the movie didn't feature them favourably - not just in terms of how unlikeable most of the characters were but the setting made them look like such poor actors, not acting professionals in a theatre group. It was terribly disappointing because I've seen some really promising work from them in the past so it can't be that their acting suddenly deteriorated to this extent overnight. The reason why I still gave this movie a 2 is for their brave efforts despite how the movie eventually turned out.

Preview of "Koisuru keigo 24 ji" - Winter 2024

Title: Koisuru keigo 24 ji / 恋する警護２４時

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 13 January 2024

Timeslot: Saturdays at 11pm

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Theme Song: "LOVE TRIGGER" by Snow Man

Cast: Iwamoto Hikaru, Shiraishi Mai, Fujiwara Joichiro, Yoshitani Ayako, Konno Hiroki, Okamoto Natsumi, Uchida Wataru, Shibuya Kento, Yamaguchi Daichi, Ono Takehiko, Matsushita Yuki & Mizobata Junpei

Preview of "Jeanne no sabaki" - Winter 2024

Title: Jeanne no sabaki  / ジャンヌの裁き

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 12 January 2024

Timeslot: Fridays at 8pm

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Theme Song: "We GO" by Ketsumeishi

Cast: Tamaki Hiroshi, Sakurai Yuki, Otoo Takuma, Kaneko Noboru, Irie Jingi, Hasegawa Jun, Yamamoto Ryuuji, Itose Nanaha, Steel Teppei, Yoza Yoshiaki, Matsumoto Miki, Mori Kazuya, Oshino Sara, Sakai Sho, Andou Sena, Matsui Itsuki, Yuka, Takaoka Saki & Tanaka Naoki

Preview of "Innai Keisatsu" - Winter 2024

Title: Innai Keisatsu / 院内警察

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 12 January 2024

Timeslot: Fridays at 9pm

Broadcast by: FujiTV

Original manga by: Sakai Tsutomu / Hayashi Ichi

Opening theme song: "NOD" by SennaRin

Ending theme song: "pray" by Eve

Cast: Kiritani Kenta, Seto Koji, Nagahama Neru, Satou Honami, Hyunri, Baba Fumika, Kudo Mio, Nishimura Motoki, Kamio Yu, Denden & Ichimura Masachika

Preview of "Tonari no nurse aid" - Winter 2024

Title: Tonari no nurse aid / となりのナースエイド

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 10 January 2024

Timeslot: Wednesdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: NTV

Original novel by: Chinen Mikito

Theme Song: "Hikari" by Awesome City Club

Cast: Kawaei Rina, Takasugi Mahiro, Yamoto Yuuma, Yoshizumi, Uesugi Shuhei, Oda Risa, Akase Akari, Furuta Arata, Takimoto Miori, Narumi Riko, Kote Shinya & Mizuno Miki

Quick Review #29: "Aru Otoko"

Title: Aru Otoko / ある男

Rating: 7 /10

Recommended for: 

Those who like suspense stories with a humanity angle or are fans of the three leads who are looking forward to seeing them in action

Liked:

- The acting of the three leads Tsumabuki Satoshi, Ando Sakura and Kubota Masataka was definitely the biggest highlight of the movie so it wasn't difficult to see why they got quite a number of awards for their performances. 

- Just when I thought that the movie would finish on a weak note, the ending turned out to be a chilling cliffhanger and left much room for imagination.

Disliked: 

- As I haven't read the original novel, my assessment of the storyline was simply based on the movie version. As a suspense story, I felt that it was somewhat predictable especially the background story of the impersonator. In terms of a story exploring humanity and what it means to have an identity and background beyond your true nature, I thought that the discussion was barely scratching the surface of such a potentially deep topic especially from the lawyer's perspective. It could also be due to the fact that the movie won so many accolades that it somehow increased my expectations to an unrealistic level. Perhaps I should say that this movie is a victim of its own success.

Preview of "Oshi wo meshiagare ~ Kouhou gaaru no maroyakana hibi ~" - Winter 2024

Title: Oshi wo meshiagare ~ Kouhou gaaru no maroyakana hibi ~ / 推しを召し上がれ～広報ガールのまろやかな日々～

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 10 January 2024

Timeslot: Wednesdays at 1am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Original novel by: Miyagi Ayako

Opening theme song: "Blue Step" by wowdow

Ending theme song: "alchemy" Sayashi Riho

Cast: Sayashi Riho, Asumi Rio, Ikoma Rina, Hashimoto Satoshi, Nomura Masumi, Nagata Takato, Yoshii Masao, Mizuma Ron, Uno Shohei & Nakajima Hiroko

Preview of "Mitsu to doku" - Winter 2024

Title: Mitsu to doku / 蜜と毒

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 10 January 2024

Timeslot: Wednesdays at 12am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Original manga by: Kashiwaya Cocco

Theme Song: "By Your Side" by yukaDD

Cast: Iriki Mari, Shiraishi Shunya, Masaki Reiya & Ootani Rinka etc.

Preview of "Patisserie Mon" - Winter 2024

Title: Patisserie Mon / パティスリー Mon

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 10 January 2024

Timeslot: Wednesdays at 12.30am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Original manga by: KIRA

Cast: Hata Mei, Hamada Takahiro, Nakagawa Daisuke, Perth Nakhun, Fukuchi Ryo, Fukuchi Shin, Honda Hitomi, Yamazaki Hirona, Kiriyama Ren, Adachi Yumi, Uchida Katsunori, Michi Yasue, Toda Naho & Sakata Masanobu

Preview of "Shoujiki Fudousan 2" - Winter 2024

Title: Shoujiki Fudousan 2 / 正直不動産２

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 9 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: NHK

Total number of episodes: 10

Original manga by: Otani Akira, Natsuhara Takeshi & Mizuno Mitsuhiro

Theme Song: "so far so good" by Oda Kazumasa
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Fukuhara Haruka, Ichihara Hayato, Izumi Rika, Hasegawa Shinobu, Matsumoto Wakana, Itagaki Mizuki, Ito Asahi, Zaitsu Yutaro, Baba Tooru, Matsuda Satoshi, Dean Fujioka, Yamazaki Tsutomu, Daichi Mao, Kurashina Kana, Takahashi Katsunori & Kusakari Masao

Preview of "Tsukuritai onna to tabetai onna Season 2" - Winter 2024

Title: Tsukuritai onna to tabetai onna Season 2 / 作りたい女と食べたい女シーズン２

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 29 January 2024

Timeslot: Mondays to Thursdays at 10.45pm

Broadcast by: NHK

Total number of episodes: 20

Original manga by: Yuzaki Sakaomi

Cast: Higa Manami, Nishino Emi, Fujiyoshi Karin, Morita Misato & Tomosaka Rie etc.

Preview of "Otto wo shakaitekini massatsu suru itsutsu no houhou Season 2" - Winter 2024

Title: Otto wo shakaitekini massatsu suru itsutsu no houhou Season 2 / 夫を社会的に抹殺する５つの方法 Season 2

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official X: here

O.A. Start Date: 9 January 2024

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.30am

Broadcast by: TV Tokyo

Original manga by: Up Cross / Mita Tatami / CLLENN

Theme Song: "Kuruwase" by Natumi.

Cast: Takanashi Rin, Yanagi Shuntaro, Sakurai Reika, Kudo Haruka, Ichimura Yuta, Inaba Yu, Baba Fumika, Fujita Tomoko, Satoi Kenta, Hamatsu Takayuki & Tokyo Hoteison